There are numerous online  sources of support that can help with your mental wellbeing:

iThrive -  edinburgh online source of mental health and wellbeing information including local services and self help materials. 

If you would like to speak to a mental health specialist one-to-one you can drop into the thrive cafe on a Friday between 9:30am -2.15pm.  No appointment required. Click here to find out more.

Breathingspace - providing support for anyone in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety. 

You can also call the national breathingspace helpline free on 0800 83 85 87: 

Weekdays: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 2am

Weekend: Friday 6pm-Monday 6am

Mind to mind - is a NHS Inform wellbeing website with short videos on how people living with mental health conditions manage them. It also has lots of useful links to various support services. 

Feeling Good: a positive mindset App  to help overcome stress, low mood & worry. Information and instructions on how to download here.

There is also a Feeling Good Teens App for 10 – 14 yr olds. Information about this  can be found here. 

Daylight: Daylight is an easy-to-use app for adults who have difficulty with worry and anxiety. It was  designed by experts to help control worry with four proven exercises. More information can be found here. 

Go to trydaylight.com/nhs to get started.

Mental Health Information Station: offers general mental health advice and will be reopening on Thursday 8th October 2020 and every Thursday from 11 am till 3 pm in the Walpole Hall, (next to St Mary's Cathedral), Palmerston Place. EH12 5AW, Edinburgh

You can speak with a NHS Mental Health trained staff on a Thursdays 9.30am - 4.30 pm or phone 

on 0131 537 8688 or by email MentalHealthInformation@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

More information can be found here.

If you feel that you are in crisis and need help immediately  call the  Edinburgh Crisis Centre: 0808 801 0414

Health Active Minds:  this  is a physical activity  project for  adults aged 18 years.  It aims to  introduce inactive individuals with mild to moderate depression, stress or anxiety to regular physical activity.  Referral by a GP or mental health professional is required. More information can be found here.

Hope Park Counselling Centre: provides counselling from counsellors in training at the University of Edinburgh for people aged 16 and over living in Edinburgh and the Lothians. 

You can self refer online: http://www.hopepark.org.uk/

More information can be found here 

Art Therapy:  The NHS Lothian Arts Therapies Service has several arts and mindful resources  helpful for anyone managing and self-caring for their mental health. Information can be found here

Oxgangs Befriending Service: provides a befriending service for the over 60s who live in the local area. How to contact them can be found here. 

Silver Line Helpline is a free, 24-hour telephone service for older people, offering  friendship, conversation, and support for older people, especially those who may be experiencing feelings of loneliness and isolation. Call free on: 0800 4 70 80 90

NHS Lothian provides a two part recorded information session for parents to help you learn more about what anxiety is  and how you can support your child to overcome it:

Part 1: Understanding Anxiety 

Part 2: Supporting Children with Anxiety 

Silver Cloud provides online intervention, based on cognitive behaviour therapy, aimed to help parents and carers support young people with worry and anxiety. It can be accessed  here. 

The access code is 'Lothian'.

Hands On Scotland can be access here and provides help and practical advice for supporting children and young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing.

The Centre for Psychological Therapies can offer psychological therapies for mild to moderate mental health issues such as anxiety and low mood in children and young people up to the age of 26 years old . More information and how to self refer can be found here. 

Other websites and resources for parents and carers on anxiety and worry in childern can be found here. 

Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership is re-introducing MSK ADULT PHYSIOTHERAPY self-referral for patients registered with an Edinburgh GP Practice. 

Information about the service and how to self refer can be found here.  

Alternatively you can also download the self referral form here. 

Advice and self care information for muscle or joint problems can be found HERE 

Children and Young People’s Physiotherapy service: Information and advice on a range of  common conditions in children and young people can be found in the leaflet section on the Paediatric Physiotherapists website here. 

There is also a helpline for concerns regarding  childrens motor skills or development: This helpline is only available on Thursday mornings from 9am -11am. The number to call is:  0131 312 2347

For concerns about bone, joint or muscle pain in children you can contact the Edinburgh, East and Mid Lothian Paediatric Physiotherapy Musculoskeletal Team  on: 0131 312 1079 

Minor Injury Assessment (MIA) Service 

If you have an injury that needs urgent or immediate attention, you should call 111 to make an appointment with an expert in one of NHS Lothian’s Minor Injury Units  (MIU).

The MIU team can help adults and children over 12 months who have a recent minor injury of up to two weeks, including:

• Strains, sprains and suspected broken bones to limbs only (not back, chest or abdomen)

• Wounds and minor burns (not to face, groin or hands)

• Minor bumps to head and face (with no vomiting or loss of consciousness)

• Simple eye injuries

• Insect bites and stings with localised swelling and no evidence of allergic reaction

More information about the MIA service can be found here 

The ‘Call MIA’ service can be reached 24/7 by phoning NHS24 on 111.  Virtual and face-to-face scheduled appointments are available between 10am-10pm, 7 days a week

You will be offered an appointment for a private and secure video call assessment with a specialist Nurse Practitioner. 

If the specialist decides the injury needs treated, you will be ask to attend the nearest minor injuries clinic at a set appointment time, depending on severity. 

Children under 12 years old with a minor injury should attend one of the services at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Western General Hospital or St John’s Hospital, but if under 1 year old should attend the Emergency Department at RHSC or SJH.

Sleepio is an online sleep improvement programme to help tackle poor sleep and insomnia.

It includes six-sessions  of digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy  to help with Insomnia. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia is the first line recommended treatment for insomnia in both national and international clinical guidance. 

You can access the programme at www.sleepio.com/nhs

The Edinburgh Counselling Agencies list can be found here and helps people find counselling appropriate to their needs, their locality as well as what they can afford. 

The list also highlights the likely time that someone might be expected to wait until they can be seen and a  contact name at each respective agency.

Edinburgh Drug and Alcohol Recovery Hub is a one-stop shop offering a full range of drug and alcohol treatment and support services. Information about the services can be found here. During the Coronavirus pandemic they can still be contacted by telephone. 

Alcoholics Anonymous  - runs a national telephone helpline as well as an online 'chat now' service providing support for those wishing to stop drinking alcohol. 

Website: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk 

Phone: 0800 9177 650 - a 24 hour helpline 

In Edinburgh and Midlothian meetings are now  currently being held online due to the Coronavirus and there  are  49 online meetings available. Information about these can be accessed on the local website here. 

Edinburgh and Lothian Council on Alcohol (ELCA) offers help to anyone worried about their own or someone else’s drinking. Information about the support they can provide can be found here. 

They can be contacted in the following ways: 

Phone:  0131 337 8188 

Email:   elca@btconnect.com

Asthma Reviews 

Asthma reviews are an essential opportunity to review your asthma control and ensure you are on the right treatment, to reduce your symptoms and lower your risk of asthma attacks.  

Most people don’t realise their asthma could be better controlled. 

Did you know that good asthma control means you will rarely or never have symptoms ? 

Or that if you need two or more (blue) reliever inhalers a year, this could mean your asthma control needs improvement? 

Our practice nurse team are skilled in giving you advice on how best to manage your asthma, so please book an appointment for an asthma review once a year in your birthday month, or at any time if your asthma control is not great.  

A useful way to assess if your asthma control is good is to review the Asthma Control Test score. 

Bringing this to your asthma review appointment will be useful to allow the nurse to help talk your through your symptoms and how to improve them.  

ACT Test 

Personalised Action Plans

Personalised action plans can help to promote good self management of asthma, teach you how to respond to change in your asthma symptoms. 

Adult  Action Plan 

Child  Action Plan 

Asthma and good control 

It is really important that you know how to use  you inhaler correctly. To find out more information about how to control your asthma well please visit:

https://s40639.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/Canva-Asthma-inhalers.pdf 

Useful videos demonstrating specific inhaler techniques can be found here  

High dose steroid inhalers

Some asthma patients require a high dose steroid inhaler to manage their asthma symptoms.  Symptoms such as wheeze, cough and tightness or being short of breath are caused by inflammation in the airways. 

A steroid inhaler will reduce the inflammation and often after a few months (3-6) the dose of the steroid inhaler can be reduced,  maintaining the same level of asthma control.  

It is important to always use the lowest dose of steroid inhaler required to control your symptoms.

 Regular asthma review with our Practice Nurse is necessary to decide your required dose.

Inhaler devices and the environment  

Good asthma control is important but some inhalers create greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Information about choosing an inhaler which is good for you and good for the planet can be found here. 

How to use your inhaler 

Improve your inhaler technique in 3minutes, to ensure the medication is getting to the right place in your lungs! 

https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/living-with/inhaler-videos 

Asthma UK Charity 

Asthma UK has lots of great information and resources available.  

https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/ 

Use the form here to record your weekly blood pressure readings. A guide to taking your own blood pressure at home can be found here.

Information about what your blood pressue readings mean and what action you should take can be found here. 

Chest, Heart and Stroke can provide information and support  for people and their families across Scotland with chest, heart and stroke conditions. 

Womens' Heart Health:  BHF studies  show that women underestimate their risk of heart disease and are less likley to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack. 

Informaton about symptoms of heart disease and how women can lower their risk can be found here

It is important to keep your cholesterol levels as low as possible to avoid risk of having a heart attack and stroke.  Lots of useful information and advice can be found on the website below: 

British Heart Foundation:  www.bhf.org.uk 

NHS inform:  https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living

Patient.co.uk:  https://patient.info/heart-health/high-cholesterol

NHS information on statins:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/statins/

Patient decision aid on statins: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg181/resources/patient-decision-aid-pdf-243780159

Carers living in Edinburgh can get  information and support through the Local Carer Support Team.

This service can provide information and advice to help carers in their caring role. It also offers short term interventions to help carers to consider their own health and lifestyle needs and to link them to appropriate sources of support.

The Edinburgh Carers Support Team can be contacted on: 0131 536 3371

VOCAL can also offer telephone support and face-to-face video chats on things like benefits advice, breaks from caring and counselling.  Information about VOCAL can be found here or can be contacted on: 

Tel:  0131 622 6666 

Carers can self-refer for support, or be referred with their consent by any Heath and Social Care professional using the form on the VOCAL website at vocal.org.uk/referrals

Support from VOCAL for carers during COVID-19  can be found here. 

The Alzheimer’s Society provides support and advice for everyone affected by dementia.

Information, support and advice with dementia is available on the dementia support line by calling 0333 150 3456.

The Herbert Protocol is a national scheme introduced by the police in partnership with other agencies to encourage carers to compile useful information which could be used to help locate a vulnerable person if they go missing.

More information can be found at scotland.police.uk/herbertprotocol, where the form can be downloaded . 

You can learn more about the Herbert Protocol from PC Yocksan Bell (Missing Persons Co-ordinator, Police Scotland) in the following video

The Herbert Protocol form can also be used together with  Alzheimer Scotland Purple Alert, a free app designed to help find missing people with dementia. If someone is missing, users will get notified via the app so they can help with local searches.

ERIC - provids support and care for children and teenager with a bowel or bladder condition 

NHS Squeezy is an App that helps women to remember to do their pelvic floor muscle (kegel) exercises and to do them in the right way.

Continence Nurses:  Patients requiring support with continence care can self refer to the continence care service. The number for self referral is:  0131 446 4307

Diabetes UK  - provides information for newly diagnosed diabetes and the ongoing care of diabetes. You can also call them on 0345 123 2399

My Diabetes My Way - NHS Scotland interactive diabetes website with advice and access to your own records

Diabetes Managed Clinical Network - a variety of Patient Information Leaflets, support and advice for managing your diabetes can be found on the Lothian Health Board website here. 

NHS Lothian Weight Management - various healthy lifestyle support and resources are available to manage pre diabetes, type 2 diabetes and weight loss on the NHS Lothian website, including the 12 Week Weight Management Programme. You can self refer to this programme. Further information and self referral form can be found here. 

Medicines and Dehydration Leafet :  provides information for patients with type 2 Diabetes about  what actions to take if you develop an illness that causes dehydration.  It also contains advice as to what action you should take if you think you may be developing COVID-19.

In Scotland there are three national screening programmes to test for early signs of bowel, breast and cervical cancers. 

The earlier cancer gets detected the earlier it can be treated. More information can be found HERE.

All cancer screening services have now been resumed in Scotland.

Cervical Screening is routinely offered to women and anyone with a cervix in Scotland between the ages of 25 and 64. It can  stop cervical cancer before it starts.  

Although  the cervical screening programme has been resumed  it will take sometime to fully restore the service. 

If you have unusual discharge, or bleeding after sex, between periods or after the menopause, arrange a GP appointment. 

Breast Screening is  a test for breast cancers that are too small to see or feel. In Scotland, women between the ages of 50 and 70 are offered breast screening every 3 years.

Bowel Screening  is offered to men and women aged 50 to 74 across Scotland to help find bowel cancer early when it can often be cured. 

National Domestic Abuse helpline:

Tel: 0808 200 246 (free to call, open 24/7) 

https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/

Scottish Woman’s Aid: 

Tel:  0800 027 1234

https://womensaid.scot/

Abused Men In Scotland (AMIS)

Tel:  0808 800 0024 

(free to call, open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm) 

https://amis.org.uk/

Ear wax can be uncomfortable and troublesome but with some simple self care measures can be treated effectively at home. 

Information about how to do this can be found here

Appointments for ear care services, including ear syringing and checks prior to audiology appointments are now provided from the Community Treatment and Care Service (CTAC) at Sighthill Medical Practice. 

An appointment can be arranged by calling: 

0131 537 7205

This is an automated service and you will be asked to leave your details when you call. Information on what details are required will be provided. 

A letter will then be sent to you for the next available appointment. 

Many people develop a fungal nail infection at some point in their life. It's not usually serious, but can be unpleasant and difficult to treat.

The infection develops slowly and causes the nail to become discoloured, thickened and distorted.

It can  affect one or more toenails and fingernails and most often involves the great toe nail or the little toe nail.

Information about the treatment for  fungal nail infections can be found here. 

Some patient may be treated with  terbinafine and important information about direction when taking this medication can be found here. 

The Pain Toolkit is  an information booklet that  provides advice and practical  support for people who live with persistent pain. 

Information about using the tool kit can also be found here. 

Action for Pain is a six week course offering a range of activities for people experiencing chronic pain. 

More information can be found here. 

To register contact aleksandra@healthallround.org.uk or phone 07707916177 or 0131 337 1376.

Information about Community Podiatry Services in Lothian can be found here.

You can now  self refer to the Community Podiatry Service. 

Download the form here and return it to the address on the form. You will be contacted with a suitable appointment.

Information about Lothian Sexual Health Services can be found here. 

Appointments for  coils, implants and STI testing can be made directly either  online at 

www.lothiansexualhealth.scot/book-an-appointment/  or calling : 0131 536 1070

It is now also possible to request a home sampling kit for routine check-ups for sexually transmitted infections. Information about how to request these test kits can be found here. 

Alternatively you can request a  kit by calling  0131 536 1070.

Smoking is one of the single largest preventable causes of premature

death and ill health in Scotland

Information on the benefits of quitting smoking and support to help you quit can be found on NHS Inform here. 

Quit Your Way Scotland provides free  advice and support services for anyone trying to stop smoking in Scotland. 

Your local community pharmacy  also provides free stop smoking services. Find your local pharmacy  that can provide this service here 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MENOPAUSE 

The British Menopause Society comments on the Channel 4 programme: Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause can be found here. 

Further information from the Alzheimer's Society about hormones and dementia can be found here. 

Menopause Matters is a UK website providing up-to-date, accurate information about the menopause, menopausal symptoms , remedies, and advice. 

A guide to HRT and the menopause can be found here. This booklet has been  wriiten by staff at the Edinburgh Menopause Clinic to help women reach a decision on whether or not they wish to start, or continue, taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Guidance from Lothian Health and the Scottish Medicines Consortium on the  use of  Utrogestan® (micronised progesterone) as the progestogen component of HRT can be found here 

Information to help you understand the breast cancer risks of HRT can be found  here.

Warts and verrucas are small lumps that often develop on the skin of the hands and feet  and  are  caused by an infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV).

NHS Inform provides useful information about the treatment and prevention of warts and verrucas and this can be found here. 

Most warts are harmless and clear up without treatment however you can get advice  and treatment directly from a pharmacy if required. 

Self care advice for warts and verrucas can also be found here. 

If you are concerned about a growth on your skin however, please arrange to see the GP. 

NHS Inform  Health and care information for the people of Scotland

NHS24 - information about help and services 

NHS Scotland  - lots of useful self help guides, local services and  health resources

NHS Lothian - information about primary and secondary care medical services in Lothian

Patient - a useful website with lots of self help information and advice for various ailments

This booklet is packed with practical tips on how to keep you, your family and your community safe – from protecting your home and possessions to helping your children enjoy the benefits of the internet in safety.