SELF HELP - Referral services, Advice and Tools

Self- Referral Services

You can access and refer yourself directly to these services - with no need to wait for a GP appointment first!

Hospital Enquiries - Please use PALS

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible. For any enquiry (eg. test results, follow up arrangements, management plans etc) relating to your hospital inpatient or outpatient care please use PALS to chase up the enquiry on your behalf.

Southampton General Hospital PALS

Royal South Hants PALS

Royal Hampshire County Hospital PALS

Southampton Urgent Treatment Centre

Located at the RSH Hospital, any NHS patient can use this "walk in" service where the team of team highly skilled UTC practitioners and GPs offer treatment, advice and information for a range of minor injuries and illnesses. Follow this link for more information on current waiting times and to check opening hours before you travel. No appointment is neccesary, any NHS patient can just turn up on the day and will be seen in order of clinical need, the service is currently open from 07.30am through to 10pm on weekdays (08.00am until 10.00pm on weekends and Bank Holidays).

Antiviral Covid-19 treatments

You can check whether you might be eligible for antiviral medication here.

If you test positive for Covid-19 and are in receipt of a letter stating you are "high risk" or believe that you have a medical condition that would qualify you for antiviral medication, please contact the Covid Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU) directly to organise antiviral medicine.

Community Care Teams

If you need nursing care and are medically housebound, you can arrange a district nurse to visit by calling the Integrated single point of access (community care team) directly on 0300 1210173 - they can also arrange physiotherapy and occupational therapy assesments for housebound patients, if required.

Southern Health Continence Service

The Continence Service comprises a team of nurses and advisors who can offer support, assessments, treatment and advice to individuals over 18 years of age who have bladder and or bowel problems.

You can self refer yourself to the team for help and support by calling 02382 311690 or visit their website and complete a self referral form.

Urgent Eye Services

The Minor Eye Conditions Service provides assessment and treatment for people with recently occurring minor eye problems. It is an NHS service provided by accredited optometrists (also commonly called opticians).

Patients can self refer into this service by calling 0300 303 4922 from 9am - 5pm on Monday - Saturday.

Audiology Services and Hearing Aids

If you are over 18 and have tinnitus or difficulty hearing, you can contact the Winchester Hospital audiology department to arrange an assesment by calling 01962 824437 or email.

If you are over 55 years of age and need a hearing test or think you might benefit from free NHS hearing aids, you can self refer to one of the local services (Specsavers, Scrivens, In Health) that offer this service. Contact your local branch and check to see if they participate - no GP referral is necessary.

Mental Health Services

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are an NHS service that aims to help young people up to the age of 18 who are finding it hard to manage their emotional and psychological health, and who are suffering with acute, chronic and severe mental health problems. The website contains useful information, advice and resources for support and also allows young people or their families to directly make referrals to the service themselves - with no need wait for a GP appointment first.

Eastleigh Youth Counselling Service offers confidential counselling by trained counsellors, the service is free for people aged 11-19 years.

Kooth - an NHS commisioned service that provides free, on-line, anonymous support that includes BACP accredited counselling, professional advice, self help tools, information and peer to peer support for young people (up to the age of 25 years).

ITALK is an NHS commisioned service offering adults free evidence-based treatments for depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and phobias - you don't need a diagnosis to self-refer. The service allows access to online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), wellbeing classes (currently as videos during the COVID crisis) and one to one cognitive behavioural therapy.

See the NHS site Every Mind Matters for tips and advice on maintaining and managing your mental health.

The South West Hampshire Safe Haven provides "in the moment" informal mental health support in the evenings (between 5pm and 11pm). The team is made up of people who have lived experience of their own mental health challenges and can be accessed by dropping in at the South West Safe Haven, 111 Leigh Road, Eastleigh, you can also text/call/videocall 07974 124873.

"Shout" offers free and confidential support round the clock to anyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who needs to talk. Text ‘HANTS’ to 85258 to be connected to a trained volunteer who can help with anything you're struggling with, including anxiety, stress, loneliness or depression.

Physiotherapy

Provided by Southern Health, you can self refer into this direct access service, without the need to speak to a GP first.

Healthworks - discounted membership of Places Leisure Centre!

The physical activity referral scheme (often initially 12 weeks) is designed to provide opportunities for people to improve their health and become more active. It is facilitated by the team based at the Places Leisure Eastleigh Health Hub (also operating from Wildern Leisure Centre, Hedge End). The scheme subsidises membership so you can access the gymn, swimming and some exercise classes at a discounted rate! Find out more about the scheme and make a self referral here.

Sexual Health, Contraception and Unplanned Pregnancy Services

Visit Lets Talk About It for information on how to confidentially access testing and treatment of the full range of sexually transmitted diseases including chlamydia, HIV, herpes, gonorrhoea and genital warts as well as access to additional contraception services.

Men can now self refer for vasectomy - please follow this link for further information on the procedure and to access the self referral portal.

If you discover that you have a pregnancy that you feel you are unable to continue with, you can contact the British Pregnancy Advisery service (BPAS) who will support you to make a decision that is right for you.

Drugs and alcohol services

Inclusion recovery Hampshire offers a free and confidential service to give support and advice both to people that want help controlling their own drug or alcohol use and to people who are affected by someone else's use.

Stop Smoking Services

Smokefree Hampshire offers a range of options to help you to stop smoking, they can also organise prescription medicines (nicotine patches etc) that increase the chance of you successfully giving up smoking for good.

Diabetes

You will find information about diabetes, and how to look after your self in the "learning zone" on the Diabetes UK website. You can also call diabetes UK for advice and support 0345 123 2399.

If you have type 2 diabetes, please follow the link to our leaflet for guidance on how to manage the condition.

Gestational Diabetes

Approximately 1 in 2 people who have had Gestational Diabetes will go on to develop Type 2 diabetes within the next 5-10 years. The good news is that there are lots of small changes you can make to prevent diabetes from developing in the first place.

If you have a previous history of or currently have Gestational Diabetes, you may be eligible for your local Healthier You service. This programme will help you take control of your health by supporting you to make changes to your lifestyle, diet and physical activity; all designed to reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Please click the link below for more information.

Preventing Diabetes

Patient transport

Eligible patients can book their own hospital transport by calling 0300 123 9833 and can also manage existing bookings on-line.

SELF HELP - Advice and tools

For 24 hours General Medical Advice telephone 111 or visit the NHS111 website

Kickstart your health with Better Health. Healthy changes start with little changes. Whether you want to lose weight, get active or quit smoking, visit Better Health for lots of free tools and support.

Healthier together provides advice for parents, young people and pregnant women, it's an excellent resource and good first stop if you are looking for sensible advice about common health concerns in children.

See Hampshire healthy families - a web portal "for all things health and families", with links to advice lines, as well as a number of different local services to support parents and children.

Opioid information for patients taking long term opiates (morphine, tramadol, codeine) - Word Document

Search over 500 Patient Information Leaflets as well as details of 2000+self-help/patient support groups and similar organisations:

Click any of the images or titles below to visit the relevant website

NHS Health A-Z

Advice and Guidance on 100+ most common conditions. This site clearly explains symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, complications and preventative methods.

Information on how the health and social care system works. Sign posting you to the most appropriate service/s.

		NHS Tools, Apps and Podcasts
		A wide range of NHS approved healthcare apps to help you monitor your conditions or achieve your goals. For example - fitness, smoking, alcohol, weight loss, pregnancy, depression, blood pressure, sexual health, etc.

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