General Health Services

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General Health Services

For your convenience information is provided below on some of the medical services that we have had enquiries about. Most of the services have a brief description and contact details, but if you can't find what you are looking for then the NHS Direct or the NHS should be able to give you contact details and further information.

Chiropody Service

Community Chiropody Services are based within your local clinic or GP surgery. They can provide a wide range of treatments and simple shoe modifications and insoles. The service is arranged through your Doctor or district nurse.

Continence Advisor

The Continence Advisory Service is available to people of all ages who have trouble controlling their bladder, bowels or equipment relating to continence management. In addition there is a free home delivery service of continence aids, laundry service and disposal of waste. For more information contact your Doctor or district nurse. Washing machines and/or dryers for severely disabled children under 16 years can be provided by the Family Fund Trust, PO Box 50, York YO1 2ZX. Telephone: 0845 130 4542

Dental Service

The Community Dental Service provide treatment if you are unable to use the general dental services. This may be a domiciliary (home visiting) service. The Community Dental Service will assess whether a home visit is needed and will provide such treatment as is necessary. For more information contact your local dental clinic or ring NHS Direct Telephone 0845 4647.

Diabetic Service

Nurses with specialist skills and knowledge offer this advisory service to anyone with diabetes, their relatives and/or carers. Referrals are accepted from anyone and home visits can be arranged. Contact your GP or local Disability Service for a local support group. Further information is available from Diabetes UK, telephone 020 7424 1000.

Dietician Services

A Community Dietician can give general advice about diet and nutrition and they can be contacted through your GP or district nurse.

District Nurses

The District Nursing Service undertakes nursing/treatment at home both day and night. They can also arrange for the supply of appropriate equipment. Your GP or the hospital (following discharge) will arrange for this service.

Facial Disfiguration

Cosmetic shells and facial prostheses, including lips, are available free to NHS patients. A referral is needed from a hospital or your GP.

Facial Camouflage Make-up

The British Red Cross has skilled and experienced volunteers who offer informed advice to clients about Cosmetic Camouflage. They can also train blind people to apply their own make up. For more information contact: The Cosmetic Camouflage Service, Red Cross, Memorial House, Northwich Road, Knutsford WA16 0AW. Tel: 01565 650201.

Family Planning

Family Planning clinics to which people may refer themselves offer free, confidential advice and counselling by specialist doctors and nurses on the best methods of family planning to suit each individual. Information about clinics is available from your doctor. Alternatively call The Family Planning Service. The low cost national helpline number is 0845 122 8690 (Open Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm).

GP Services

You have the right to be registered with a doctor. If you are unable to find a doctor with whom to register, a list of doctors is available on the Primary Care Trust's websites (Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust , West Cheshire Primary Care Trust) or from the Cheshire Health Agency (Tel: 01244 650 400). Every doctor's surgery has arrangements for contacting a doctor in an emergency. If the GP feels the need for further advice he may arrange for you to see a consultant. You have the right to receive information about the services your GP provides and to ask for a copy of your GP's practice leaflet, which sets out the information. You have the right to be offered a health check when you join a GP's practice for the first time, and if you are aged between 16 and 74 and have not seen your GP in the last three years. Furthermore if you are 75 or over you have the right to be offered a health check once a year in your GP's surgery, or at your own home if you prefer.

Health Visiting Service

Health Visitors are nurses with additional training to provide advice, guidance and support on healthy living and good health promotion. In addition they can arrange for other social and welfare services, health services or voluntary organisation's services to be provided, according to need. The Health Visitor can be contacted through your GP, clinic or Health Centre.

HIV/AIDS

The Primary Care Trust is responsible for developing a health strategy in response to HIV/Aids and sexual health, in partnership with other agencies and organisations. Contact to these services can be made through your GP. The Terrence Higgins Trust National Helpline on 0845 12 21 200 offers confidential advice and support for people concerned about HIV/Aids including free legal advice. Body Positive Cheshire & North Wales provide information, advice, support and advocacy for people who are HIV positive, their partners, friends and families, carers and anyone who has concerns about someone who is HIV positive. Telephone 01270 653 150 or write to PO BOX 321, CREWE.

Hospices Services

Hospices provide respite, day care and pain relief for people suffering from cancer or who are terminally ill. More information can be obtained from your GP, District Nurse or Macmillan Nurse.

Hospital Care at Home

Hospital Care at Home aims to prevent hospital admissions to patients aged 16 years or over who need medical care but not the acute medical intervention given at hospital. Referrals to the scheme are made by your GP or district nurse.

Hospital Discharge

A patient about to be discharged from hospital may have care needs. An assessment of need will be undertaken as soon as it is appropriate. It is usual that a patient is not discharged until medically fit to go home. This may be with care. The British Red Cross Home from Hospital Service seeks to complement and enhance the care provided by your local Social Service to people being discharged from hospital.

Hospital Treatment

Treatment at hospital is by referral by your GP and your consent should be given before any treatment is carried out. You may be asked to sign a consent form, but you can refuse treatment at any time, even after signing the consent form. You can discharge yourself from hospital at any time, unless you have certain infectious diseases or have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1995. If you are in doubt as to whether you are getting the right treatment you may ask your GP for a second opinion. However you have no right if your GP refuses. If you refuse treatment this should not affect any future request for treatment.

Macmillan Nurses

Macmillan Nurses are qualified nurses who aim to help people with cancer or other life threatening diseases. They support individuals and their families in their own homes, from diagnosis onwards. Contact is through your GP or Community Nurse.

Maternity Services

There are a number of rights and standards of service you can expect to receive during pregnancy, the baby's birth and postnatal care. These cover your choices about who will be responsible for looking after you, where you have your baby, the type of care you wish to receive i.e. midwife, GP or consultant obstetrician. It also tells you what information you can expect to have to help you reach decisions about your care, including information such as appropriate tests before the baby is born (ante natal tests) and care of your baby. See the Citizen's Advice Bureau site for more information.

Medical Records

Patients have a right to see any medical records held about them by their doctor, unless their doctor considers that to do so would be distressing to the patient.

Nursing Services

In addition to the care provided by your local NHS Trust Community Nursing Service, there are also private nursing agencies. They provide qualified and auxiliary nurses to nursing homes, hospitals, schools, industry and to individuals requiring nursing care at home. The care may be for a 24 hour period, for short or long term illnesses or for holiday relief. Names of agencies can be obtained from Yellow Pages and Cheshire County Council Information Points in Libraries.

Optician Service

If you have a sight problem you can contact an optician of your choice. It is not necessary to register with an optician. A list of opticians may be obtained in your local press or Yellow Pages. A list of opticians who have accessible premises for disabled people is available from your local Social Services Social Care Team or your local Disability Information Services.

Patients Charters

The Patients Charter expresses the Government's commitment to the fundamental values of the NHS. The commitment is to provide a comprehensive service available to all on the basis of clinical need and regardless of ability to pay. There are also Charters for Mental Health, Children and Community Care. Copies of these Charters are available from your GP.

Personal Care

The District Nursing Service or Social Services Department may be able to arrange help with personal care including bathing; bathing equipment may be available for people with limited mobility subject to an assessment of need. Contact the district nurse through your GP or your local Social Services Social Care Team.

Stoma Care Service

When a new patient is discharged from hospital following a colostomy or an ileostomy they will be visited within the first week by a Stoma Nurse to check and advise on stoma care. Subsequent visits are made as often as needed to give both the patient and the family the confidence to return to a "normal" independent life. There are regular clinics at hospitals and local health centres. Contact is through your GP.

Wigs

NHS wigs are available through the health service where they have been prescribed as clinically necessary by a hospital consultant. They will be free if you are a hospital inpatient, you are under 16, or over 16 and under 19 and in fulltime education, or in receipt of Income Support, Family Credit, War or MOD Disablement Pension or are on low income. In case of difficulty ask for the relevant leaflet from your hospital, GP or local Department for Work and Pensions office.