Your Health
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Your Health
It is important to look after your health while at University. Please see our Pastoral page for details of how the University can help you if you are facing issues that are impacting your studies.Your Health
If you have a medical emergency or are concerned about an immediate risk of harm, either to yourself or someone else, please call 999 (free of charge national emergency services)
If you, or someone you know, is having a mental health crisis, please contact your GP or call 111 (free NHS advice out-of hours) or call 999. Alternatively go directly to your nearest Accident & Emergency department (Buckingham - Milton Keynes Hospital or Stoke Mandeville Hospital (in Aylesbury), Crewe -Leighton Hospital).
If you have a health situation but are unsure what to do, please call 111.
If you are based in University accommodation, University Security can be contacted for additional help:
Buckingham Security: 07860 834802 / Crewe Security: 01270 323545
NEED TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE URGENTLY?
Phone 116 123 for The Samaritans free 24-hour confidential helpline.
This is for anyone who needs to talk about any urgent issues they are experiencing. They can be called from any telephone or visit their website.
If you are experiencing severe distress and want to speak to someone urgently, get help at any time of the day or night from a team of trained crisis volunteers, by texting Shout to 85258.
In the UK, the local Chemist/Pharmacy and Supermarkets stock a variety of self-care medication ranging from headache tablets, cold & flu tablets through to health supplements, Vitamins and other health products e.g plasters, foot care products, tooth care products etc .
They are an ideal starting place if you are experiencing short-term low level illnesses. They also normally have various information sheets about good health care and healthy lifestyles.
If you need any advice about self-care medication or have general questions about simple illnesses, please do ask the Chemist/Pharmacist who should be able to help you. You should not need to make an appointment, just ask a member of staff when you are in their shop.
If you are experiencing a lot of stomach upsets and you are cooking for yourself, it would be advisable to check that you are storing and cooking food appropriately- as this could be causing the problem. Remember, all food should be stored in a cool place/fridge. Left-over cooked food should not be left out in warm areas so harmful bacteria can grow. Always refrigerate or freeze left-over food and then thoroughly defrost and reheat before eating. Never reheat rice more than once! Also make sure you are washing your crockery and cooking utensils thoroughly, dish cloths and tea towels are changed regularly and kitchen areas are kept clean and tidy.
If you are struggling with how to store or cook food - please drop into the Wellbeing, Skills and Diversity team on your campus, who will be able to point you to some volunteers who can help with cooking advice.
Doctor/GP Services
If you have not registered yet:
- Buckingham campus please visit here, search for 'University of Buckingham' and register online. Once registered, if you need a medical appointment, please call the Swan Practice and tell them you are a student and they should be able to allocate you an appointment with the GP who sees students on campus at the Wellbeing, Skills and Diversity office.
- Crewe campus, please click here, complete the form and send it directly to the surgery (local surgery is the Hungerford Medical Centre) either by post, email or put in the surgery post box. Please Google their contact details.
If you are ill during the course, with ongoing physical or mental health issues, you should arrange an appointment with your doctor to seek help.
Please contact either Crewe GP or Buckingham GP surgery, depending on where you are based.
TELL THE MEDICAL SCHOOL - If you are sick and cannot attend, please remember to submit a self-certification form on the first day of your illness (before the time of your first learning event). If you are due to be in placement, you should also contact them to tell them you will not be attending. For more information on our Engagement and Attendance expectations - please click here.
If your health problem is longer-term and could impact/is impacting your studies, please get in contact with a member of our team. Our Pastoral page has links to the booking system for Support meetings.
Please visit this page for more information on how we can help if you have a new diagnosis of a long-term health condition; new learning difficulty or a new disability.
DENTAL/OPTICIAN SERVICES
Having problems with your teeth or eyes? Buckingham and Crewe have various Dental Practices and Opticians in the town and surrounding areas. Do a google search for more information. (Always check which Dentist practice is accepting new NHS patients, when registering for the first time)
OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES
The University has a variety of support services available to students, such as Counsellors, Mentors, Drug and Alcohol advisers etc. Please visit the University's Wellbeing, Skills and Diversity webpage for more details.
During your time studying there may also be occasions where you are referred to external support services, by the Student Support team. This is at a cost to the Faculty and it is essential that you attend any appointments arranged.
If you do not attend an appointment, or you do not advise the service provider giving 48hrs/2 working days notice to cancel, you will be charged the FULL cost of the missed session. Please note: some external service sessions can cost £300+
We advise that notice of cancellation is sent to the service provider in writing/email so there is evidence of your actions should this be needed.
ADDITIONAL SELF-HELP RESOURCES AND LINKS
- Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation have put together some useful online self-help booklets on topics like: Anxiety, Depression & low mood, Eating disorders, Panic and Stress.
- The NHS Living Well webpage has advice, tips and tools to help you make the best choices about your health and wellbeing.
- STUDENT MINDS and STUDENT SPACE are websites with lots of helpful
resources for University students.
- Health Education England also has lots of helpful information and links on their Support and Wellbeing Resource Hub website.
- NHS campaigns
- FIKA - is an app available to students from the App Store or Google Play Store. It has been designed to develop valuable self-management skills such as confidence, adaptability and acceptance while improving focus, social connection and empathy. Instructions for setting up the app can be found here.
- HEADSPACE - is a free app which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. It is designed to teach you skills of meditation and mindfulness to help with stress, focus and sleeping. Visit their website here.
- Problems sleeping? Sleepio is an online digital tool for helping with sleep issues. The website also includes free advice and help.
MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION AND HELPFUL RESOURCES
- The BMA (British Medical Association) have a free and confidential 24/7 counselling and peer support service which is open to all doctors and medical students (regardless of BMA membership). Please see their website for more details.
- If you live in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire or Luton the NHSTalk2Us is a free online service to speak with professionals about anything that is concerning you (e.g. feeling anxious, stressed, low mood etc.)
- MIND is a national Mental Health charity. They have lots of helpful tips and links that can help anyone struggling with any of a whole range of debilitating health problems.
- Healthy Minds is a free NHS service that can help with a range of services and self-help strategies. They have lots of helpful resources for people struggling with various issues. Their webpage on Self-help resources is very good.
Anyone registered with a GP can self-refer themselves to the NHS Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services which can help with a whole range of issues including depression, anxiety, panic disorders, PTSD etc.
- Every Mind Matters - is an NHS
website dedicated to looking after your mental health. They also have a page about mental health helplines that are available.
- GetSelfHelp.co.uk has a variety of cognitive behavioural therapy resources including self-help worksheets, strategies and techniques
- NoPanic is an organisation that offers advice, support, recovery programs and help for people living with phobias, OCD and any other anxiety-based disorders.
- SPORT IN MIND - is a charity operating in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire areas offering a wide range of sports and physical sessions to anyone over 17 experiencing mental health problems. All their groups meet weekly and take place in a safe, supportive and fun environment and are free. See their website for more details.
BEAT eating disorders - is a NHS recommended charity specialising in supporting people with eating disorders, or advice for those helping to support someone with an eating disorder.
Alcohol or addiction related worries?
NHS Alcohol Support - this page contains lots of helpful resources and advice if you are worried about alcohol and includes a link to finding local addiction support services in your local area.
Alcohol Concern - is a charity which works on reducing alcohol harm. Their website contains a quiz to check how healthy your drinking habits are; tips for cutting down and various other interactive tools to help people who may be worried about their alcohol consumption.
The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA) - is a charity working with people who are affected by a parent's drinking or similar addictive problems.
NHS Addiction Support - this page contains helpful advice and support for anyone impacted by drug or gambling addictions.
Bereavement Support
The University's Wellbeing, Skills and Diversity Team can be contacted if you would like to speak to someone about a bereavement or about counselling for a bereavement.
Support for Bereaved Medical Students This website may be useful to our Medical students who suffer a bereavement during the course.
Cruse Bereavement Care is an organisation specialising in grief care. If you have been affected by the death of a loved one and need some help. The charity have a free national helpline or chat facility - details are on their website.
Disabled Student's Allowance (DSA)- this government website has information about the Disabled Student's Allowance (DSA) which some students may be eligible to apply for. If you have a long-term disability (which includes some physical and mental health conditions, specific learning difficulties etc.) then please take a look at the DSA webpage for more information.
If you have any questions about DSA, need help with whether you are eligible or need help applying, please contact Sarah McDonald in the University Wellbeing, Skills and Diversity team (wellbeingskillsanddiversity@buckingham.ac.uk)
REMEMBER:
If you need help and are on campus, please contact Buckingham Security: 07860 834802 / Crewe Security: 01270 353112.
If you have a medical emergency please call 999.
If you are unsure what to do about an urgent medical problem, please call 111.
If you have a non-urgent medical problem, please contact the GP you have registered with and make an appointment to see them.
Last modified: Thursday, 19 October 2023, 1:03 PM