Self Referral to Local Services

Did you realise that there are many local services where you don’t need to be referred by your GP. Search for local services here or find details below for services you can refer yourself to:

Drug and Alcohol Wellbeing

www.changegrowlive.org

Change, grow, live (CGL) is a social care and health charity that works with individuals who want to change their lives for the better and achieve positive and life-affirming goals.

Our service users are people whose lives have been held back by a range of social issues and concerns, including substance misuse and other forms of addiction, homelessness, poverty, unemployment, domestic abuse, mental health issues and offending.

All our services are designed to encourage individuals to find the strength and resources within themselves to bring about the life and behavioural changes they wish to achieve.

Telephone: 0300 303 8677

Time to Talk

www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/t2t

Time to Talk is a friendly and approachable service offering talking therapies to people who are struggling with:

We are a team of trained and supervised, psychological therapists who see patients in GP surgeries or community venues within the West Sussex area. We offer a range of talking therapy treatments and with you, decide which one will be of most benefit to you.

We check how you are feeling at every session to ensure you are progressing within your treatment plan, and make changes if needed. What you tell us will remain confidential except in the most unusual circumstances, for instance if we are concerned about your safety, or the safety of others.

If you live in West Sussex you can phone to book an assessment on:
01273 265967

Sussex Recovery College

sussexrecoverycollege.org.uk

Sussex Recovery College offers educational courses about mental health and recovery which are designed to increase your knowledge and skills and promote self-management. This may help you take control and become an expert in your own wellbeing and recovery and get on with your life despite mental health challenges.

Sexual Health West Sussex

www.sexualhealthwestsussex.nhs.uk

West Sussex Sexual Health offers a range of free services including condoms,contraception , testing, treatment and advice for sexually transmitted illnesses .

We run drop-in and appointment clinics across the county.

We are part of the NHS so our confidentialservices are free and run by trained professionals. You do not need a GP referral.

Any questions? Call us now on 0845 111 3456

Physio Direct

Sussex Community NHS Trust Physiotherapy service wants to make it easier for patients to get advice from a Physiotherapist.Previously you would need to see your GP before you could be referred for physiotherapy.

How does it work?

If you have a back, neck, joint or generalmuscle problem you can contact a Physiotherapist on the telephone number shown at the end of this leaflet. Once you have made contact with the physiotherapist you will be asked some questions that will help the Physiotherapist and you make a decision on how best to manage your problem.

What will I be asked?

The physiotherapist will ask you some questions, such as how long have you had the problem? What might have caused it? what makes it worse? Does anything make it easier? Are you taking any medicines? These are just some of the questions that will be asked. This will help the physiotherapist gain a picture of your problem.

What happens next?

There are several options that can be followed:

1 The Physiotherapist may give you advice over the phone, this may then be followed up with information being sent to you in the post or by email. Both of you may agree a date for you to ring back to discuss your progress.

2 The Physiotherapist may decide the best way to deal with your problem is to see a physiotherapist.An appointment will then be arranged.

3 The Physiotherapist may decide that physiotherapy is not appropriate for your problem and, if necessary, you may be advised to make an appointment to see your GP.

How can you access this service?

The telephone number to use is: 01243 623542

Please call to leave a message. We aim to return your call within 3 working days.When leaving a message please ensure you provide the following information:

Name
NHS number/Hospital number/ Date of birth
Address
Preferred treatment location
Telephone number and best times to call back if required

Please note, this is not an emergency medical telephone line

Self Treatment Of Common Illnesses And Accidents

Bersted Green Surgery is committed to helping our patients manage their own symptoms for minor ailments and where appropriate, to save them coming down to the surgery.

We are not saying that we do not want you to come to the surgery, but to try and manage minor ailments at home yourselves first with the right advice and information in the first instance.

The national self care forum can help patients to manage their symptoms for minor ailments at home. Please click here for their website and more information http://www.selfcareforum.org/.

Below are some fact sheets for the top most common ailments that you are free to read / download.

1. Low Back Pain

2. Eczema

3. Heartburn and indigestion

4. Fever in children

5. Constipation

6. Headache and migraine

7. Coughs

8. Acne

9. Sprains and strains

10. Sore throat

11. Otitis media

12. Common cold

13. Sinusitis

Regis Locality

Ear Syringing/Ear Care

If there is a build up of wax in your ear(s) please read the following self-help guide as you may not need an appointment.

What is ear wax?

Ear wax is normal and is produced to form a protective coating over the skin in the ear canal. Ears are normally self-cleaning – the movement of your jaw whilst eating and talking helps to move the wax along the canal where it will usually fall out naturally without you noticing.

Why is my ear blocked with wax?

The amount of ear wax produced varies from person to person; some people produce excessive amounts which can lead to a blockage in the ear canal.

You are more likely to develop a blockage of wax in the canal if you:

use cotton ear buds to clean the ear as this pushes the wax deeper into the canal
wear a hearing aid, ear plugs or use in-ear speakers for i-pods or similar – as these can all interfere with the natural process of wax expulsion
have abnormally narrow ear canals
have a particularly hairy ear canal
are elderly – because the ear wax you produce is drier and harder
have a dry skin problem such as eczema or psoriasis

Advice to help you manage and prevent ear wax blockage

Ear wax only becomes a problem if it causes deafness, discomfort or if your health professional requires a clear view of your ear drum. Deafness is only caused when the entire canal is filled with wax and there is practically no reduction in hearing until this total blockage occurs.

You should seek advice from your GP, Practice Nurse or Community Nurse if you experience any of the following:

pain
discharge or bleeding from the ear
sudden deafness or buzzing
foreign bodies in the ear
persistent dizziness

If you are not experiencing any of the above, we recommend that you manage the blockage as follows:

Olive Oil Drops –

The following needs to be done 2 or 3 times daily for 21 days.

Lie on your side with the affected ear uppermost
Pull the outer ear gently backwards and upwards to straighten the ear canal
Put 2 or 3 drops of olive oil into the affected ear(s) and gently massage just in front of the ear. The olive oil should be at room temperature.
Stay laying on your side to allow the wax to soak in for around 10 minutes
Afterwards, wipe away any excess oil but do not plug your ear with cotton wool as this simply absorbs the oil

Your hearing problem may initially worsen after first starting to use the olive oil drops; this is why we advise you to concentrate on treating one ear at a time if both ears are blocked with wax.

In most cases, after 14 days, the wax will have softened sufficiently to encourage the wax to come out without further intervention. However, if you feel your hearing is still impaired, please make an appointment with your practice nurse or community nurse for further advice and management.

Alternatively, there are now a number of over-the-counter kits available from pharmacies. These contain a wax softener as drops which you use for 3-4 days and a small bulb syringe to enable you to remove the wax from your ear canals yourself. They can easily be purchased from your pharmacy or online by searching for ‘ear bulb syringe’ e.g aculife bulb ear syringe, otex express combi pack or macks wax away earwax removal system for examples.

The specially designed ear syringes are designed to create enough pressure to clear wax out of the ear without causing damage to the ear drum. It is very important to use hand-temperature, tepid body temperature water for this process having used olive oil or the drops in the previous days. Prolonged use of the drops in the over-the-counter preparations other than olive oil can cause irritation and soreness and should not be used for more than a few days at a time.

The use of ear candles is not recommended.

Ear Syringing – is only usually considered if the above recommendations have proved to be unsuccessful. Ear wax needs to be softened as above for 21 days before attempting to syringe. Although the risks are low and our nurses are specially trained to perform this procedure, there is still a small chance (thought to be around 1 in 1000) of complications occurring – such as a perforated ear drum, middle ear infection, external canal infection or causing ringing in the ear (tinnitus).

If your ears are regularly becoming blocked with wax, after clearing the blockage we will usually suggest you use olive oil drops as above around once per week to keep the wax soft and encourage the natural process of wax expulsion.