[

Yeovil Health Centre Newsletter

Welcome to Yeovil Health Centre

Keep up to date with the latest news about the Health Centre and the Staff.

Included is some helpful information to keep you & your family healthy during the summer season.

Please help yourself to a copy of the newsletter,

Many thanks 

Yeovil Health Centre is part of Symphony Healthcare Services Ltd.

Visit: or follow @SymphonyProj

Yeovil Health Centre News

Appointment Clerk & Prescription Clerk

We would like to thank all of our registered patients for your acceptance and patience of our new booking system. We feel the Appointment & Prescription Clerk systems are working very effectively and appreciate any feedback you may have.

Patient Participation Group

We would like to invite our registered patients to join our Patient Participation Group. It gives you as a patient the opportunity to have your say in our Health Centre. If you are interested, or would like some more information, please ask a member of the reception team. There is also a Virtual Patient Participation Group for patients who are unable to attend meetings, and stay updated via emails.

New Staff:

Joining the Health Centre will be:

Jackie Provins – Receptionist

Samantha Turner – Receptionist

Bridget Shortland – Receptionist

Services we are offering to Registered and Non Registered Patients

Stop Smoking

We are now offering a free stop smoking service to registered and non-registered patients. If you are interested in quitting smoking, please ask a member of reception for more information.

Travel Clinic

If you are going travelling this summer and in need of vaccinations, we offer a private clinic to all patients. Please ask a member of reception for more information.

Hay Fever

Introduction

Hay fever is a common allergic condition that affects up to one in five people at some point in their life.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

  • sneezing
  • a runny nose
  • itchy eyes

The symptoms of hay fever are caused when a person has an allergic reaction to pollen. Pollen is a fine powder released by plants as part of their reproductive cycle.

Many people find that their symptoms improve as they get older. Around half of people report some improvement in symptoms after several years. In around 10%-20% of people symptoms go away completely.

Treatment

There is currently no cure for hay fever but most people are able to relieve symptoms with treatment, at least to a certain extent.

In an ideal world, the most effective way to control hay fever would be to avoid exposure to pollen. However, it's very difficult to avoid pollen, particularly during the summer months when you want to spend more time outdoors.

Treatment options for hay fever include antihistamines, which can help prevent an allergic reaction from happening and corticosteroids(steroids), which help reduce levels of inflammation and swelling.

Many cases of hay fever can be controlled using over-the-counter medication available from your pharmacist. But if your symptoms are more troublesome it’s worth speaking to your GP as you may require prescription medication.

It is sometimes possible to prevent the symptoms of hay fever by taking some basic precautions, such as:

  • wearing wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes when you are outdoors
  • change your clothes and take a shower after being outdoors to remove the pollen on your body
  • Try to stay indoors when the pollen count is high (over 50).

Summer Safety for Younger Children

While it's important to be prepared for any dangers that children might face during the summer, it's also important to let them run around and have fun.

New environments

If you go to stay with friends or relatives, their home or garden might not be as child-friendly as your home.

Children like to explore new surroundings, so make sure they don't go far on their own. Ask your hosts to place medicines and cleaning products out of sight and out of reach. Make sure you also check features such as ponds, barbecues and garden tools.

Ponds

Younger children between two and six years old are particularly vulnerable to drowning in features such as ponds or small water containers.

Open water

Older children, especially teenagers, are most at risk from features near to homes such as rivers, lakes, flooded quarries and coastal water near to the shore. Having an early conversation with teens about the risks of colder, open water is important. Even the strongest swimmer can be affected by cold water shock, which affects your ability to control breathing. This can lead to gasping, panic and – in the worst cases – drowning. Cold water shock can start in water of 15C – the average temperature of the sea around Britain is 12C. Choosing to swim at a lifeguarded beach or lido is the safest option. Get in slowly, choose shallow spots, and if you're at the beach, check for dangerous currents and tides. Always follow local safety advice if you are going into open water.

Holiday pools, villas and hotels

Holidays can be the highlight of the summer. When booking a holiday, check the following:

  • Does the pool have a lifeguard or pool attendant? It is often the case that a pool attendant is only responsible for keeping the poolside clean, rather than ensuring safety in the water.
  • Does the pool have a barrier? In many countries, such as France, this is now the law. Having a fence is particularly important at villas if you have younger children.

Safety check list

Remember these safety tips if you and your family are visiting an area where there is water:

  • Go for a walk around the pool, beach, lake or river, looking for any hazards (such as rocks) and where the emergency equipment is.
  • Ask if there is a lifeguard on duty – remember, a pool attendant isn't the same as a lifeguard and might not have the same qualifications
  • Read the water safety information signs at the beach, and ask a lifeguard or tourist information officer where the safest area is to swim.
  • Ask if there are any dangerous currents or tides.
  • Consider taking a short (one or two-hour) course in first aid and the key things to know in an emergency
Heat Disorder / Symptoms / First Aid
Sunburn / Skin redness and pain, possible swelling, blisters, fever, headaches. / Take a shower, using soap, to remove oils that may block pores preventing the body from cooling naturally. If blisters occur, apply dry, sterile dressings and get medical attention.
Heat Cramps / Painful spasms usually in leg and abdominal muscles. Heavy sweating. / Firm pressure on cramping muscles or gentle massage to relieve spasm. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue.
Heat Exhaustion / Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Weak pulse. Normal temperature possible. Fainting, vomiting. / Get victim to lie down in a cool place. Loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air-conditioned place. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
Heat Stroke
(Sun Stroke) / High body temperature (106+). Hot, dry skin. Rapid, strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Victim will likely not sweat. / Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Call 9-1-1 or emergency medical services or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal. Move victim to a cooler environment. Try a cool bath or sponging to reduce body temperature. Use extreme caution. Remove clothing. Use fans and/or air conditioners. DO NOT GIVE FLUIDS.

The Symptoms of Heat Disorders...

You can help yourself and others avoid experiencing the HEAT DISORDERS (above) by following these safety rules.

Thinking About Yourself

  • Avoid the Heat. Stay out of the heat and indoors as much as possible. Spend time in an air conditioned space. Only two hours a day in an air-conditioned space can significantly reduce the risk of heat-related illness. Shopping malls offer relief if your home is not air-conditioned. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor out of the sunshine. Remember, electric fans do not cool, they just blow hot air around.
  • Dress for the heat. Wear loose-fitting clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Lightweight, light-coloured clothing that reflects heat and sunlight and helps maintain normal body temperature. Protect your face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Avoid too much sunshine. Sunburn slows the skin's ability to cool itself. Use a sunscreen lotion with a high SPF (sun protection factor) rating.
  • Drink FOR the Heat. Drink plenty of water and natural juices, even if you don't feel thirsty. Even under moderately strenuous outdoor activity, the rate your body can absorb fluids is less than the rate it loses water due to perspiration. However, if you have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restrictive diets; or have a problem with fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
  • Do not drink IN the Heat. Avoid alcoholic beverages and beverages with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, and cola. Alcohol and caffeine constrict blood vessels near the skin reducing the amount of heat the body can release. Although beer and alcohol beverages appear to satisfy thirst, they actually cause further body dehydration.
  • Eat for the Heat. Eat small meals more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein because they increase metabolic heat. Avoid using salt tablets, unless directed to do so by a physician.
  • Living in the Heat. Slow down. Reduce, eliminate, or reschedule strenuous activities such as running, biking and lawn care work when it heats up. The best times for such activities are during early morning and late evening hours. Take cool baths or showers and use cool, wet towels.
  • Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

Thinking About Others

  • Do not leave children in a closed vehicle, even for a few minutes. This is a "No-Brainer". Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach 140°F-190°F degrees within 30 minutes on a hot, sunny day. However, despite this common sense rule, deaths from heat occur almost every Summer when someone leaves their child in a closed vehicle.
  • When outdoors, protect small children from the sun, their skin is sensitive.
  • Help your pets keep their cool. It will "feel" as hot for them as it will for you. As with children, do not leave your pets in a closed vehicle. Be sure your animals have access to shade and a waterbowl full of cold, clean water. Dogs don't tolerate heat well because they don't sweat. Their bodies get hot and stay hot. During summer heat, avoid outdoor games or jogging with your pet. If you would not walk across hot, sun-baked asphalt barefoot, don't make your dog walk on it either. (Dogs can also get blisters on their paws from hot pavement.)
  • Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

Thinking About Your Environment

  • Protect windows. Hang shades, draperies, awnings, or louvers on windows that receive morning or afternoon sun. Outdoor awnings or louvers can reduce the heat entering the house by as much as 80%.
  • Conserve electricity. During periods of extreme heat, people tend to use a lot more power for air conditioning which can lead to a power shortage or outage. Vacuum air conditioner filters weekly during periods of high use.
  • Keep lights turned down or turned off.
  • Avoid using the oven.
  • Learn the symptoms of heat disorders and know how to give first aid.

BBQ Food Safety

Food poisoning cases double over the summer, so remember these simple steps to help keep food safe.

Food poisoningis usually mild, and most people get better within a week. But sometimes it can be more severe, even deadly, so it's important to take the risks seriously. Children, older people and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning.

If you are only cooking on the barbecue, the two main risk factors are:

  • undercooked meat
  • spreading germs from raw meat onto food that's ready to eat

This is because raw or undercooked meat can contain germs that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella, E.coli and campylobacter. However, these germs can be killed by cooking meat until it is piping hot throughout. Germs from raw meat can easily move onto your hands and then onto anything else you touch, such as food that is cooked and ready to eat

Cooking meat on a barbecue

When you're cooking any kind of meat on a barbecue, such as poultry (chicken or turkey), pork, steak, burgers or sausages, make sure:

  • the coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you start cooking, as this means that they're hot enough
  • frozen meat is properly thawed before you cook it
  • you turn the meat regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly

Remember that meat is safe to eat only when:

  • it is piping hot in the centre
  • there is no pink meat visible
  • any juices are clear

Raw meat

Germs from raw meat can move easily onto your hands and then onto anything else you touch, including food that is cooked and ready to eat. This is called cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can happen if raw meat touches anything (including plates, cutlery, tongs and chopping boards) that then comes into contact with other food.

Some easy steps to help prevent cross-contamination are:

  • always wash your hands after touching raw meat
  • use separate utensils (plates, tongs, containers) for cooked and raw meat
  • never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has had raw meat on it
  • keep raw meat in a sealed container away from foods that are ready to eat, such as salads and buns
  • never wash raw chicken or other poultry before cooking as this increases the risk of spreading campylobacterbacteria.
  • don't put raw meat next to cooked or partly cooked meat on the barbecue
  • don't put sauce or marinade on cooked food if it has already been used with raw meat

Keeping food cool

It's also important to keep some foods cool to prevent food poisoning germs multiplying.

Make sure you keep the following foods cool:

  • salads
  • dips
  • milk, cream, yoghurt
  • desserts and cream cakes
  • sandwiches
  • ham and other cooked meats
  • cooked rice, including rice salads

Don't leave food out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours, and don't leave food in the sun.

Fire and carbon monoxide risk

Make sure your barbecue is steady on a level surface, away from plants and trees. The Fire Service advises covering the bottom of your barbecue with coal to a depth of no more than 5cm (2in). With charcoal barbecues, only use recognised fire lighters or starter fuel and only on cold coals – use the minimum necessary and never use petrol.

If you're camping, you are advised never to light, use or leave smouldering barbecues inside tents, awnings or other enclosed spaces because of the risks of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning (CO).

TOP 10 Safety Tips When Travelling Abroad

1) Keep an eye on your belongings
Yes, you’ve seen posted throughout the UK and barely pay any attention to the signs, but although an old adage amongst the travelling community, it is very true. If you’re inclined to take a backpack out with you, make sure you twist the lock so that it’s harder to undo; try and keep your wallet or other important travel documents in your front pockets and don’t trust anyone who gets a little too close. A cheeky smile or tale might just turn out to be a fancy way of getting you distracted.
2) Wallets and purses
We’ve mentioned this in the previous paragraph but it is of utmost importance not to keep your money/travel docs/valuables in your back pocket, no matter how deep it is. Thieves have a habit of spotting travellers and will see the bulge coming through (we are still talking about your back pocket, by the way). Keep it safe and sweet up front.
3) Put it away!
Although you might feel more comfortable carrying your camera or camcorder on your arm or across your neck, don’t. An expensive camera shines like a ruby piece to the trained mag-pie thief. It might be less hassle to take out of your bag if you’ve got it strapped around your body, but the extra effort of pulling it out will be worth it, should you find someone trying to rip it off you.
4) Choose your travel buddy carefully
Although you may not be much of an adrenaline junkie, your travel buddy might just be; as well as doing some pretty cool things, it might also mean you will be putting your belongings (or life) at risk, unnecessarily. Way up the pros and cons and think carefully before you decide on that white-water rafting trip especially if you haven’t got...
5) Insurance
If you haven’t got any already, get some. Whether you’re looking to protect your valuable, get yourself off the hook in case something goes wrong at work or make sure you’ve got medical expenses covered, should you need it, insurance is a must for anyone going abroad, regardless of how long for.