Keeping Healthy

walking

Walking for health

Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.

Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.

For more information from the NHS visit Walking for health - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Consider walking with others or joining organised walks - Hertfordshire Health Walks | Hertfordshire County Council

healthier together

The Healthier Together programme relies upon patients and healthcare professionals working together to improve how local healthcare is delivered. The website provides advice for parents, young people and pregnant women, and clinical resources to support healthcare professionals – which means that your child is likely to receive consistently high-quality care, irrespective of which healthcare professional they see.

screening

Bowel Cancer Screening

If bowel cancer is detected at an early stage, before symptoms appear, it's easier to treat and there's a better chance of surviving it.

To detect cases of bowel cancer sooner, the NHS offers bowel cancer screening to all men and women aged 60-74.  Every two years, a home test kit is sent directly which can be used to collect a stool sample.  If you are within this group and have not received or mislaid the screening kit, please contact the Bowel Screening Helpline on 0800 707 6060 to request another screening kit to be sent to you free of charge.   If you are 75 or over, you can still ask for this test by calling the Helpline on 0800 707 60 60.  It is extremely important to respond to this screening. 

Please note that screening is for people without symptoms. If you are concerned about any symptoms of bowel cancer, please make a doctor’s appointment to discuss these.

Find out more on NHS Choices...

women

Cervical Smear Tests

Most of our practice nurses provide a cervical cancer screening service.

The test involves the nurse taking a sample of the cells on the surface of the neck of the womb (the cervix). The sample is then examined under the microscope at the lab.

The aim is to look for and identify cancer warning cells; if these are found then treatment can be organised to prevent cervical cancer ever developing. You should receive your result within 3 weeks of the test.

To have your smear simply book an appointment with the practice nurses.

External Links

NHS Website 

Cervical Screening Information

mental health

Counselling and Mental Health

Counselling is a therapy which involves talking through your problems to a counsellor. There are several types of talking therapies and they can be used to treat a number of health conditions including mental health.

External Websites:

Samaritans  /  Rethink  /  Counselling  /  Mental Health  /  Bullying UK  / MIND

The Royal College of Psychiatrists  /  Cruse Bereavement Counselling

Hertfordshire Mental Health Resources  /  Hertfordshire and Mid Essex Talking Therapies

smoking

Smoking Cessation

If you’re trying to give up smoking, we can help.  Our nurses and health care assistants have had smoking cessation training and pharmacological treatments for smoking cessation such as nicotine replacement therapy.

Studies show that your chances of success will be greatly improved if you get advice and support from health care professionals to help you stop smoking.

The services we offer from the Practice can:

  • Boost your willpower to stop smoking
  • Concentrate your efforts by getting advice from someone who knows your medical background
  • Help you feel that you’re not doing it alone
  • Help you to cope when you are tempted to smoke
  • Monitor improvements to your health so that you can see the benefits

External Websites:

For more information about quitting smoking visit:
Smoking Cessation (NHS Better Health site) and Quit Smoking (NHS Live well site)  - if you smoke, giving up is probably the greatest single step you can take to improve your health.
Quit Org. - Quit is the independent charity whose aim is to save lives by helping smokers to stop.
Smoking Quitters Cost Tool - Calculate the money you will save with NHS Direct quitters cost calculator and plan how to spend it.
ASH - Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is a campaigning public health charity that works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco.

love your bump

Love Your Bump

We want all our babies to have the best possible start in life. We know that there are lots of health risks associated with smoking during pregnancy, which is why we want to do everything we can to help pregnant smokers and their partners, close friends and family members to quit. But we also know that quitting is tough, especially when you’re pregnant and having to deal with so much else going on.

The ‘Love Your Bump’ campaign has been commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council, with the aim of encouraging
expectant mothers or those who are considering having a baby, to stop smoking in order to minimise risk to their
unborn baby. 

The campaign will continue to remind and reassure pregnant smokers they are not alone and there is specialist support across Hertfordshire for them (and their families) to help them quit. It also highlights the benefits of quitting and the risks associated with second hand smoke on the unborn baby. Pregnant people may also be entitled to an incentive of up to £300 of shopping vouchers if they take up support.

To find out more visit the campain's website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

scales

Weight Management

If you would like to know more about weight and diet advice, make an appointment to see the practice nurse or health care assistant.

For details of the Slimming World free Weight Management Service for Hertfordshire, in partnership with Oviva, please click here or visit http://www.oviva.com/uk/hertfordshire

For further information and advice on weight management, please visit the websites below:

Eat Well

Check your BMI

8 tips for healthy eating 

Menopause picture

Menopause & Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

If you would like to speak to your GP regarding the menopause or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), please contact the surgery to make an appointment. 

You can find more information and support on the dedicated NHS Menopause webpage.

If your GP requested that you complete a routine HRT review, please complete the online form.

 

Shingles vaccine

The shingles vaccine helps protect against shingles. It's recommended for people at higher risk from shingles, including all adults turning 65, those aged 70 to 79 and those aged 50 and over with a severely weakened immune system.

The image below shows the eligibility for the vacine.

For more details, please visit the NHS dedicated website.