Health Information for June 2022
Pride Month
People who identity as LGBT+ face health inequalities throughout their lives. “Hidden Figures” aims to address some of the issues faced by LGBT+ people in accessing healthcare services. https://lgbt.foundation/hiddenfigures
Tourettes Awareness (to 15th June)
Tourette Syndrome causes a variety of tics, which are involuntary noises or movements. Tics must be present for more than 12 months to meet the criteria for diagnosis. Many people who are diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome also have a co-occuring condition such as ADHD, OCD, or anxiety. It is estimated that more than one in every hundred school children are affected. https://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/67-what-is-ts.htm
CHD
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of arteries, and can lead to restriction of blood supply to the heart muscle. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronary-heart-disease/causes/
Angina (chest pain) and breathlessness are two of the most commonly noticed symptoms of coronary heart disease(CHD), though some patients who are diagnosed with CHD will not have had any symptoms at all. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronary-heart-disease/symptoms/
Covid vaccination
England
Many people had their first Coronavirus vaccination and then did not attend for their second, or had two, but not their booster. As the world begins to re-open, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re fully vaccinated. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coron…rus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
If you have been told that you are eligible for a Coronavirus vaccination, but haven’t yet had it, you can book your vaccination here. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coron…rus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
Wales
The Coronavirus pandemic isn’t yet over, so it’s more important than ever to book your booster or vaccination if you haven’t yet had one. https://gov.wales/covid-19-vaccines
Scotland
The Coronavirus pandemic isn’t yet over, so it’s more important than ever to book your booster or vaccination if you haven’t yet had one. https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine
Northern Ireland
The Coronavirus pandemic isn’t yet over, so it’s more important than ever to book your booster or vaccination if you haven’t yet had one. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/get-covid-19-vaccination-and-booster-northern-ireland
Family planning options
If you need to consider your options for family planning, you can check the NHS website for factual information. Whether you’d like to prevent an unplanned pregnancy for the foreseeable future, or might think about starting a family in the next few years, there are lots of suitable options available via the NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/
Eye health in older adults
If you’re aged 60 or over, you can have a free eye test at least every two years on the NHS. There are other ways you can keep on top of the condition of your eyes in the meantime, these include wearing sunglasses, eating healthily and quitting smoking. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/conditions-illnesses/eye-health/
Slips, trips and falls
As we age, our muscle strength and balance change. These changes can lead to slips, trips and falls. Exercise can help you to maintain your muscle strength. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/exercise/falls-prevention/
Teen pregnancy
If you’re a young person who has discovered that you are unexpectedly pregnant, the NHS offers support, advice and guidance to help you through what may be a challenging time. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/support/teenage-pregnancy/
Brook offer a variety of sexual health advice to young people. With branches across England, Brook are well placed to help and support young people with their sexual health. https://www.brook.org.uk
National Patient Participation Week (31st May to 6th June)
It’s National Patient Participation Week, and we’d like to encourage you to consider becoming involved with the practice through patient participation. It’s really important to us to have a group that is representative of our practice as a whole. We know that some patients can’t easily attend meetings, so we’re open to patients participating in ways that suit them. If you’d like to be involved, please speak to a member of the team. https://napp.org.uk
Patient Participation Groups (PPG’s) are vital in Primary Care. As GPs, we lead our teams helping to ensure the best outcomes for our patients. One vital aspect of leading the practice is ensuring that patients’ voices are heard, and while PPGs are not designed to air individual issues, they are a great way to get involved with the way that your surgery delivers services. https://napp.org.uk/for-patients/
Volunteers’ Week (1st to 7th June)
Volunteers play a massive role across the UK, and we’d like to thank each and every volunteer who gives up their time to help and support others. The huge number of volunteers who stepped up to help with the Coronavirus vaccination programme demonstrated just how many people are willing to go above and beyond to help others, and we want to thank all volunteers for everything they do to help our communities. https://volunteersweek.org/about-volunteers-week/what-is-volunteers-week/
If you’ve ever thought that you could spare some time to help others, the Government website has a dedicated page to search for volunteering opportunities. There are a wide range of ways that you can volunteer, and if you’ve thought about volunteering, why not take a look? Our communities could not thrive without the support of volunteers. https://www.gov.uk/government/get-involved/take-part/volunteer
Still birth and Neonatal death (5th June)
If you, or someone you know, has experienced the loss of a child to stillbirth or neonatal death, you will know the devastation such a loss causes. SANDS has a free national helpline to support families who lose a child to stillbirth or neonatal death. https://www.sands.org.uk
World Allergy Week (5th-11th June)
This year the focus of World Allergy Week is asthma and allergic airway diseases. Allergic respiratory diseases affect millions across the world and raising awareness is critical to healthcare and future outcomes for patients. https://www.worldallergy.org/resources/world-allergy/2022
Bike Week (6th-12th June)
Bike Week this year aims to show us all how cycling is better for our health, our climate and our pocket. With a handy calculator to show how much you could save by cycling, it’s worth taking a look at how cycling can benefit you and those around you. https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek
Carers Week (6th-12th June)
There are 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK. Some carers provide support to elderly relatives, while others provide support to young people and those with chronic conditions or disabilities. Without the efforts of these unpaid carers, life would look very different for those they support. Carers Week gives us an opportunity to thank carers for everything that they do. https://www.carersweek.org
Men’s Health Week (13th-19th June) (Men’s Health Forum)
With other things to think about during the pandemic, many niggling health issues have gone unresolved. This year’s Men’s Health Week is hoping that men will stop and take a short amount of time to assess their mental and physical health. Fewer men have asked their GPs about concerns like prostate cancer, and diagnoses were down by almost 30%, though incidences of prostate cancer have not dropped. https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw
If you’ve got five minutes to spare, this DIY MOT for men from the Men’s Health Forum should help you to work out whether everything seems as it should be in terms of your health. With fewer men consulting their GPs during the pandemic, it’s important to see how you’re doing. https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/diy-man-mot
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (13th-17th June)
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a variable auto-immune condition that affects joints and organs. Half of the patients who are diagnosed with JIA have the condition for life. https://jia.org.uk/get-involved/campaigning/jia-awareness-week/
World Blood Donor Day (14th June)
June 14th is World Blood Donor Day. Across the world, access to uncontaminated blood and blood products is vital for healthcare and patients alike. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-blood-donor-day
National Clean Air Day (16th June)
Air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK each year. If we can all do a small amount to reduce air pollution, the cumulative effect could be massive. https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day
BNF Healthy Eating Week (13th-17th June)
The theme for this year’s Healthy Eating Week is ‘Eat well for you and the planet!’ Each day of the week will have a different focus to help you consider your health and the impact of the food we eat on our planet. https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthy-eating-week/
Diabetes Week (13th-19th June)
Living with diabetes can be a challenge, with those who have been diagnosed with diabetes having to watch what and when they eat more carefully than most. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-week
Diabetes has two forms. Type 1, where your body does not produce any insulin to regulate your blood sugar, and Type 2, where your body does not use the insulin you make effectively, or you don’t produce enough. Both types of diabetes lead to increased blood glucose levels which can damage your heart, kidneys, eyes and feet over time. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics
Autistic Pride Day (18th June)
June 18th is Autistic Pride Day. Set up by Aspies for Freedom some years ago, the day aims to celebrate autistic people and share stories of positivity about those who are neurodiverse. http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com
An autism diagnosis can mean big changes to your life. For some people who are diagnosed, it can give a real sense of relief. The National Autistic Society offers support to autistic people and their families. https://www.autism.org.uk
Cervical Screening Awareness (20th-26th June)
Some people find cervical screening a really difficult thought. Jo’s cervical cancer trust wants to help make the test easier, and this week will be talking about how we can make that happen. https://www.jostrust.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/cervical-screening-awareness-week
Women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 49 should have a cervical screening every 3 years. Those aged 50 to 64 will be invited to be screened every five years. If you’re offered a test, it’s important for your health that you go. Early detection of the types of HPV that can cause cancer can improve health outcomes. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-screening/
Learning Disability Week (20th-26th June)
The focus of Learning Disability Week this year is reconnecting with friends and communities. The pandemic has changed the way that life looks for many of us, but we can now reconnect with friends and communities to broaden our life experience. https://www.mencap.org.uk/LDWeek
MND Awareness (21st June)
June 21st is Motor Neurone Disease Awareness Day. Motor neurone disease is rare and affects the brain and nerves, it gets worse over time.
https://www.mndassociation.org/app/uploads/2020/12/MND-Events-Diary.pdf
Children’s Hospice Week (20th- 26th June)
Children’s hospices are vital support networks for those who need to use them. They provide respite, long-term and end of life care, and many families’ lives would look very different if they could not access a hospice for their child. https://www.togetherforshortlives.o…itiatives-and-appeals/childrens-hospice-week/
World Continence Week (21st to 26th June)
Across the UK, many people are affected by bowel and bladder issues such as urgency, leakage and incontinence. It’s world continence week, and we’d like to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those with bowel and bladder issues. https://www.bladderandbowel.org
Breathe Easy Week (21st to 27th June)
The theme for this year’s Breathe Easy Week is ‘Love your lungs’. Chronic lung conditions such as COPD and asthma can leave sufferers struggling to breathe. While we cannot prevent all lung diseases, we can choose to make decisions that support our lungs. https://www.blf.org.uk/take-action/campaign/loveyourlungsweek
Armed Forces Day (25th June)
Each year, Armed Forces Day gives us the opportunity to thank the armed forces who provide service to our country. https://www.armedforcesday.org.uk/about/
If you’re a veteran of the armed forces, your time in service can impact on your long term wellbeing. The NHS offers support to veterans of the armed forces. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/armed-forces-community/