Self Care

What is self care?

Self care is personal health maintenance. It is any activity of an individual, family or community, with the intention of improving or restoring health, or treating or preventing disease. Self care includes all health decisions people make for themselves and their families to get and stay physically and mentally fit. Self care is exercising to maintain physical fitness and good mental health. It is also eating well, practicing good hygiene and avoiding health hazards such as smoking and drinking to prevent ill health. Self care is also taking care of minor ailments, long term conditions, or one’s own health after discharge from health services. For more information on self care see the following information:

Things you can do for yourself?

Here are some examples of things you and your family can do to self care:

 

  • Self Refer for Physiotherapy (pains and problems with muscles and joints, including your back and neck)

 

  • Self Refer to the Mental Health team
    • Community Living Well is the community mental health service for anyone aged 16 and over in Kensington & Chelsea, Queen’s Park and Paddington. If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, low mood or isolation, Community Living Well can help. It makes it easy for you, and anyone who cares for you, to access a wide range of clinical and wellbeing services. Services include: NHS Talking Therapies (IAPT), and wellbeing services, such as peer support groups, self-care and practical support with employment, debt, housing and benefits issues.
      You can refer yourself and you will be contacted within 5 working days.
      Website: www.communitylivingwell.co.uk
      Self-refer: https://communitylivingwell.co.uk/self-referral-form-mental-health/
      Call: 020 3317 4200
      Email: cnw-tr.clw@nhs.net

 

  • Self Refer for Breast Screening
    • Breast screening helps healthcare professionals to detect breast cancer at an early stage, which in turn improves the chances of survival. The NHS breast screening programme currently invites women aged between 50 and 70, who are registered with a GP, for a mammogram (x-ray of the breasts) once every three years. If you are eligible you will receive your first invite to attend screening at some point between your 50th and 53rd birthday. Please visit their website to read more about the service; http://www.imperial.nhs.uk/our-services/cancer-services/breast-services/breast-screening
    • If you have missed your appointment please call the breast screening team to book another one on 0203 758 2024  or visit their website; london-breastscreening.org.uk

 

  • Self Refer for Bowel Screening
    • Your next poo could save your life – We are supporting a London-wide campaign to encourage more patients to do their free NHS bowel cancer screening home test, which checks if you could have bowel cancer.People who are the right age are sent a free NHS FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) kit every two years. You use it to collect a small sample of poo and post it back to an NHS lab.The campaign by NHS London, “Your next poo could save your life”, urges more people to use their kit – a message we wholeheartedly endorse.Screening can help prevent bowel cancer and find it at an early stage when it’s easier to treat. People who complete their screening are 25% less likely to die of bowel cancer.The kits are for people with no symptoms and most people get the all-clear.If you are aged 54, 56, 58 or 60 to 74 and we have your correct address, you will be sent a kit every 2 years. Please use it. By April 2025, bowel cancer screening kits will be for everyone aged 50 to 74 in England.To find out more and hear from other Londoners about their experience of bowel cancer screening, visit www.healthylondon.org/bcsIf you have symptoms of bowel cancer which last for three weeks or more, please contact the practice and ask for an appointment.If you’re 75 or over, you can ask for this test by calling the freephone helpline on 0800 707 60 60.
  • Self Refer for Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening
    • Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening is a way of checking if there’s a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from your heart down through your tummy.
    • In England, screening for AAA is offered to men during the year they turn 65.  Men aged 65 or over are most at risk of AAAs. Screening can help spot a swelling in the aorta early on when it can be treated.
    • To read more about the screening and to find out where your local screening service is please visit; http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-screening/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

  • Self Refer to Kensington & Chelsea Continence Service
    • This service offers a comprehensive range of support to help people self-manage and remain independent, or to adapt and modify their lifestyles to adjust to increasing dependence. Housebound patients are seen by district nurses in the first instance.
    • Please visit this website to read more about the service and where they are based as well as complete the referral form to access the service – https://clch.nhs.uk/services/continence-and-stoma

 

  • Self Refer to National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (NUPAS)
    • Pregnancy Testing
    • Pregnancy Counselling
    • Abortion Advice
    • Abortion treatments
    • Full contraception advice including LARC
    • STI screening

Women can self-refer via the website www.nupas.co.uk or by calling 0333 004 6666.

You can search for relevant services by postcode, service name, client group, location, and service category or topic. The site will instruct the user on how to access the service, whether that is through a referral form or a direct contact/signposting.

 

  • Disposal of needles and sharps – If you are a resident of Kensington and Chelsea and you have a medical condition that means you need to dispose of needles (‘sharps’), the Council can now do this for you. To arrange this please call the Environmental Health Line (anytime Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm except Bank Holidays) on 020 7361 3002 to register for the service. Once you have done this, you can then bring your sharps container (up to three small containers per visit) to their reception (with your completed registration form) at 37 Pembroke Road, W8 6PW during the following periods:Monday (Excluding Bank Holidays): 9am-10amTuesday: 9am-10am or 3pm-4pmYou must register for the service (by calling 020 7361 3002) before you attend their reception, to deliver your sharps boxes in person.Link to Kensington and Chelsea Disposal of needles and sharps information:https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/environment/environmental-health/clinical-waste-collection-service
  • Do you need your ear wax syringed?  Unfortunately due to current Infection Control limitations we cannot perform this at the practice.  You can book via Specsavers if required: https://www.specsavers.co.uk/hearing/earwax/earwax-removal?gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1293573&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsMOywJ_Q-AIVQuDtCh3pRA6uEAAYASAAEgKVuPD_BwE

 

  • From the 1st October 2017 the Community Podiatry service will only be able to see patients with complicated podiatry needs.  Unfortunately this means that a few patients will need to find a private Podiatrist.  We have been instructed to direct you to the following website: http://www.scpod.org  or you can contact the College of Podiatry on 0207 234 8620 for details of a registered chiropodist / podiatrist.

 

  • Get emergency contraception from a pharmacist

 

 

 

 

  • See the pharmacist for minor illnesses (If you are entitled to free NHS medicines you can still get minor illness medicines free from your pharmacist under the Minor Ailment Scheme)

 

  • Have an up-to-date medicine cabinet/box for over the counter treatments at home, but out of reach of children. (See below for a recommended list)

 

  • If you have a long term condition actively learn more about it and even join a group

 

  • Make sure you take medicines prescribed to you

 

Home Medicine Cabinets

Make sure you keep your home medicines safe by:

  • Keep medicines in a cool dark place away from windows and radiators. Do not keep medicines in the bathroom, even in a cabinet, as they can become hot, humid or damp.
  • Always read the patient information leaflet or labels to ensure they are kept appropriately such as in fridge.
  • Keep medicines out of reach of children even if medicine is in a child-resistant package. Ideally in a lockable cabinet and kept above 5 feet from the floor.
  • Keep medicines in their original container therefore you know what the medicine is, how to take it, any special instructions such as take after food and the expiry date.
  • Do not keep medicines that you have finished using. Take them to your pharmacy and they will dispose of them safely even if they have not reached their expiry date.

How to self manage common minor illnesses

Here is some advice on how to manage common minor illnesses:

Self Care Useful Links