Health

The ‘Living Well’ bus returns to Sefton this week, parking up outside Bootle Strand Shopping Centre on Friday 9 September, to offer free holistic health checks and first, second or booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The bus will be parked at the shopping centre’s former H. Samuels retail unit on Stanley Road from 10:30am-4pm and residents can simply turn up and hop on board throughout the day, with no need to book.

Free health checks are available for residents aged 18 and over, which include a pulse check and blood pressure check, cholesterol and blood glucose check and a BMI check.

COVID-19 vaccines will be available for anyone who has not yet been vaccinated or who has missed their second jab or first booster dose. The autumn booster is not yet available. Eligible residents who are immunosuppressed who have not yet had their spring booster can also come along to get vaccinated, and vaccines for children aged five years and older will also be available.

Jan Leonard, primary care lead for Sefton at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “The Living Well bus is out and about in the community again this week, making it easier than ever to get a health check up or to grab a jab if you’ve missed any of your COVID-19 vaccinations.

“It’s also ‘Know Your Numbers’ week this week – a great reminder to get your blood pressure checked. Six million people in the UK have high blood pressure and don’t know it, so getting it checked on the Living Well bus makes it quick and easy to ‘know your numbers’ and live a healthier life.

“COVID-19 is also still very much with us, so this is a perfect opportunity to get better protected and grab any missing jabs while you’re out and about shopping, or on your lunch hour.”

People can find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine, who is eligible, and to book an appointment online or find other walk-in vaccination sites on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.

Living Well Sefton are working with the charity Blood Pressure UK to promote blood pressure awareness during this Know Your Numbers Week.

As part of the campaign, a blood pressure kiosk has been setup in Strand By Me in Bootle Strand and anyone is welcome to use this to check their blood pressure free of charge. The kiosk will also offer advice on how stay healthy and monitor blood pressure levels, and will be at the Strand until March 2023.

Blood Pressure UK is urging all adults (of all ages) to check their blood pressure, ideally with a home blood pressure monitor and at the same time reduce their salt intake. The more people test, enabling them to control their high blood pressure, the more premature deaths due to strokes, heart attacks and heart failure will be prevented. Especially since high blood pressure is largely symptomless and also one of the biggest single (and preventable) causes of death in the UK.

Despite nearly half (45%) of the UK population having had their blood pressure checked in the last 12 months, over half of these (56%) don’t know their blood pressure numbers and could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure.

Substantial evidence supporting the use of home blood pressure monitoring has shown it gives a better reflection of blood pressure, as being tested in somewhere like a GP surgery or pharmacy, where patients might feel anxious, can affect the result.

What’s more, home testing enable patients to monitor their condition more easily in the long term. According to NHS England, regular home blood pressure monitoring across a population of 50,000 patients could prevent up to 500 heart attacks and 745 strokes over five years.

Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health said:

“I would encourage Sefton residents to take part in Knowing Your Numbers and check their blood pressure. This is very important as high blood pressure doesn’t always have clear symptoms and can have a harmful effect on health and wellbeing. People can lower their blood pressure through being a healthy weight, eating less salt, eating more fruit and vegetables and doing more exercise.”

Guidelines on monitoring blood pressure are available free on the Blood Pressure UK website at www.bloodpressureuk.org/your-blood-pressure/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home/

The NHS is expecting an extremely busy weekend over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend and is encouraging anyone who needs to check symptoms or get healthcare help or advice to ‘think 111 first’ and use the NHS 111 online service: www.111.nhs.uk.

The 111 online service offers patients quick advice and the best options for getting the care they need, which can include getting a call back from a trained clinician or nurse, booking them an appointment in A&E, or providing advice on how to help them recover.

Dedicated

Jan Leonard, primary care lead for Sefton at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “We are extremely grateful to the dedicated teams across Sefton who will be working hard over the coming Bank Holiday weekend to ensure all those that need care receive it.

“If you need help, please use NHS 111 online first, this will ensure everyone who needs medical advice can access it quickly and conveniently, while allowing staff in our A&Es to continue to care for the most seriously ill and injured patients.

24/7

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on Bank Holidays, and can also be accessed by phone by calling 111. NHS 111 online is not suitable for under 5s.

111.nhs.uk can help you with:

• where to get help for your symptoms, if you’re not sure what to do
• how to find general health information and advice
• where to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine
• how to get a repeat prescription
• get emergency dental appointments

You should still ring 999 if you experience:

• signs of a heart attack like pain like a heavy weight in the centre of your chest
• signs of stroke such as your face dropping on one side
• difficulty breathing
• heavy bleeding that won’t stop
• seizures
• sudden and rapid swelling of the eyes, lips, throat or tongue

Plan ahead

Sefton residents are also advised to plan ahead for any medication they need, and to order their repeat prescriptions early, to make sure they have enough supply while some services are closed over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Some local pharmacies in Sefton might have different opening hours over the bank holiday weekend, which can be found on the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside website.

 Residents are advised to phone ahead before travelling to a pharmacy, as opening times may be subject to change.

Sefton residents will be able to get their first, second or initial booster COVID-19 vaccine and a free holistic health check as the ‘Living Well’ bus stops at Netherton Activity Centre on Tuesday 23 August.

Just turn up

The bus will be parked outside the centre on Glovers Lane from 10:30am-4pm and there is no need to book, so residents can simply turn up throughout the day to take advantage of the onboard clinic.

Free health checks are available for residents aged 18 and over, which include a pulse check and blood pressure check, cholesterol and blood glucose check and a BMI check.

COVID-19 vaccines will be available for anyone who has not yet been vaccinated or who has missed their second jab or first booster dose. The autumn booster is not yet available. Eligible residents who are immunosuppressed who have not yet had their spring booster can also come along to get vaccinated, and vaccines for children aged five years and older will also be available.

Free health check

Jan Leanord, primary care lead for Sefton at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “This is a great opportunity for residents to get any COVID-19 vaccines they might have missed and a free health check, without the need to book ahead. People can simply pop in throughout the day, whether you’re on a day out with the kids or shopping with a friend.

“Health checks are designed to spot early signs of serious conditions and diseases and to maintain or improve your health. The test doesn’t take long and could have a lasting impact, so we’d encourage you to take up the offer.

With the number of COVID-19 cases in the area remaining high we would also urge anyone who has missed a vaccine to come forwards for it.”

You can find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine, who is eligible, and to book an appointment online or find other walk-in vaccination sites here, on the NHS website.