Keep well this winter

There’s a whole range of support and advice on offer to help you keep warm and well this winter.

The NHS website is a great source of information and has lots of up-to-date information on flu vaccinations, the best place to go for medical and wellbeing advice and also ideas of things you can do to help yourself stay fit and healthy over the winter.

The more people can do to look after themselves and their family, friends, neighbours and local communities, the bigger the benefit for themselves and the local health services. The winter months can be challenging for the NHS, especially for urgent care services like the Emergency Department, and the more people can do themselves to stay well, the less pressure is put on overstretched hospitals and doctors surgeries.

Our ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign explains the best action to take if you start feeling under the weather. 

It could be calling NHS 111, seeking advice from your pharmacist, accessing an evening or weekend GP appointment or talking to other health care professionals at your local surgery. 

There's also the Reading Walk-in Centre, the Minor Injuries Unit at West Berkshire Hospital in Thatcham and the Urgent Care Centre, Bracknell – people don’t need appointments to attend these centres and they are open every day. They may be easier for patients to get to for help with minor ailments like stomach bugs, painful coughs and skin complaints.

Below Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Urgent Care Director and Consultant Cardiologist, Will Orr, talks about choosing the right NHS service for you.

Below Berkshire West CCG's Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation, Sanjay Desai, explains the benefits of visiting a pharmacy and how they can help you with minor illnesses.

Below our Mental Health lead, Dr Angus Tallini talking about Every Mind Matters and good mental health.

By taking steps to stay healthy and managing your own health, you can often prevent an illness get worse and also get better sooner.

	Find out more about our campaign to promote flu vaccinations and encourage people to look after themselves over winter here.  Watch Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Urgent Care Director and Consultant Cardiologist, Will Orr, talking about the importance of getting your flu vaccination here.
	Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals who can help if you need clinical advice or over the counter medicines to help safely manage a wide range of minor health concerns. Find out more about how a pharmacist can help you here.
	NHS 111 can help if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do. You can call 24 hours a day, every day. Find out more here.
	GP evening & weekend appointments.  The Enhanced Access service means you can now make routine appointments for the evenings, weekends & bank holidays. Patients need to be registered with a local GP practice & call them to book. Find out more here.
	Check on more vulnerable neighbours and relatives & make sure they: are safe, well & warm enough, especially at night The Government offers cold weather payments, winter fuel payments & warm home discount to support vulnerable people or those on particular benefits. Information about Reading's Winter Watch scheme can be found here. have stocks of food & medicines
	Good mental health helps us relax, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. There are simple things we can all do to look after our mental health and wellbeing – these questions can help and get you with a free plan, expert advice and practical tips. Talking Therapies is also a great source of help and information. They offer workshops and have a team of advisors and therapists who can help you. Call: 0300 365 2000