The NHS Health Check programme is a preventative programme which helps people stay healthy for longer. The Check assesses a person’s cardiovascular risk of developing a heart or circulation problem (such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes or kidney disease) over the next 10 years.
Unless it is deemed clinically unsafe to do so, everyone having the check should be provided with individually tailored advice that will help motivate them and support the necessary lifestyle changes to help them manage and reduce their risk, see Your Health Check Results and Action Plan for more information.
Local public health commissioned healthy lifestyle services are available to refer patients into services such as the stop smoking service, lifestyle behaviour change or specialist drug and alcohol services.
Stop Smoking Support
Free, local and effective.
Smokers are 4 times more likely to quit using Stop Smoking Services.
OneSmallStep offer Support to stop smoking helping individuals to make small steps towards a healthier and happier lifestyle.
Visit: www.onesmallstep.org.uk
Email: hello@onesmallstep.org.uk Tel: 0800 298 2654 (freephone) or 01392 908 139 (local rate)
GP practices can request referral cards to give to patients by contacting the service as detailed above.
Support available through OneSmallStep includes:
- Website with stop smoking information and support materials
- 12 weeks of support with one of our dedicated stop smoking practitioners. Support is offered virtually online or over the telephone or in community-based venues across Devon.
Support is also available from some GP practices and pharmacies. The ones delivering stop smoking support are listed on the Pinpoint Devon website if you put in a search for ‘stop smoking’
For a wide variety of SMOKEFREE resources to order and download, visit the SMOKEFREE website.
Alcohol, Nutrition, Weight Management and Increasing Physical Activity Support Services
OneSmallStep helps individuals by supporting them to make small steps towards a healthier and happier lifestyle. If someone wishes to improve their diet, manage their weight, get support cutting down on alcohol or increase their physical activity, you should provide them with the contact details for OneSmallStep which are:
Visit: www.onesmallstep.org.uk
Email: hello@onesmallstep.org.uk
Tel: 0800 298 2654 (freephone) or 01392 908 139 (local rate)
GP practices can request referral cards to give to patients by contacting the service as detailed above.
The website provides extensive information and support materials for anyone wanting support to make lifestyle behaviour changes. Other support options include tele-health coaching and a SMART phone app.
Please note depending on the Audit-C score there may be other more appropriate services to refer individuals to.
Drug and Alcohol Specialist Support Services
Together is a Devon-wide adult substance misuse service, working with people with alcohol and drug problems. The service takes an abstinence-based recovery-focused approach which means that it looks at the person, including their family’s needs as a whole and supports them by linking with other agencies as needed.
It would be appropriate to refer clients to this service if the Audit-C score is 19 or greater or if the individual is pregnant with a score of 15 or greater.
To refer via email:- info@edp.org.uk
To refer via phone: – 0800 233 544
Postal addresses:
-
Together Exeter, East and Mid Devon – Magdelene House, Grendon Road, Exeter EX1 2NJ
Together South – Templer House, Scott Close, Newton Abbot, TQ12 1GJ
Together North – Longbridge House, Abbotsham Road, Bideford, EX39 3AF
Drink Wise Age Well is a specialist service working with people aged 50+ to reduce their alcohol consumption. In the event someone in this age range has an Audit C score of less than 15 and is concerned by their alcohol consumption they should be referred here.
Drink Wise Age Well help people in Devon make healthier choices about alcohol as they age. If you live in Devon and are over 50 we can offer:
- free, confidential support and advice for you, your family or anyone concerned about how alcohol is affecting them
- advice and support in your community, including visits in your home
- free local activities and social opportunities to meet new people, or develop skills
- free training on starting the conversation, recognising and responding and alcohol’s impact as we age
- free alcohol awareness sessions for local organisations and employers
To refer call: 0800 304 7034 or email devon@drinkwiseagewell.org.uk
Postal address:
Drink Wise Age Well
Wat Tyler House King William Street Exeter EX4 6PD
Dementia
GPs and primary health care teams are often the first port of call for people worried about their memory, and are a gateway to timely diagnosis and intervention. If a patient is concerned about their own, or someone else’s memory, it is important that they visit their GP or seek help from relevant local organisations, such as the Alzheimer’s Society.
Everyone aged 65-74 who has an NHS Health Check should be made aware of the of the signs and symptoms of dementia, the availability of memory services, and the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and risk factors associated with certain types of dementia.
Dementia Roadmap
The Dementia Roadmap for Devon provides high quality information about the dementia journey, local information on services, support groups and care pathways; to assist primary care to support people, and their families, with dementia and cognitive impairment. In Devon, it is at an early stage of development, and your feedback would be greatly welcomed. The main audience is staff working in primary care, including GPs, nurses, dementia navigators and practice managers. However, it is anticipated to be of as much benefit to other professionals, people worried about memory problems, people living with dementia and their carers and families. Please visit the roadmap here.
Devon Referral Support Services
If a GP wishes to access further advice and care for a patient, then the Devon Referral Support Service (DRSS) is the local service which will manage this process as quickly and efficiently as possible. The DRSS help patients to choose the most appropriate service for them and explain what choices are available. The team at DRSS will be able to advise patients on the choices available to progress their specific care needs. This may include choosing a hospital, booking an appointment or updating patients on their referral.
When a GP passes the details of a patient to the DRSS it will generate a unique booking reference number for the patient. GPs should give the patient a leaflet with their unique booking reference or NHS number and details of contact numbers.
Devon Memory Service
If the GP has concerns about a patient’s memory/ cognition they can refer via Devon Referral Support Service to the Devon Memory Service provided by the Devon Partnership Trust. The service includes Memory Assessment Services in Memory Clinics in Exeter, Barnstaple or Torbay. Memory Clinics aim to discover the cause of memory problems and to provide the appropriate information, support and treatment that patient’s need to help them to live well and independently.
Devon Dementia Support Service
The Alzheimer’s Society has been commissioned to provide a Dementia Support Service in Devon. Dementia Support Workers help people who have a diagnosis of dementia maintain their independence, improve their sense of well-being and take control of their own lives. They provide expert practical advice and support to help people to understand dementia and will also assist people to cope with the day-to-day challenges that having dementia may bring, and help prepare them for the future. Dementia Support Workers will:
- help people to understand dementia
- provide one to one support following a diagnosis
- signpost to relevant support
- offer advice on managing behaviour
- support people to make informed decisions about
- legal and future care arrangements
- provide information on benefits
To contact the Devon Dementia Support Service:
- Email – devon@alzheimers.org.uk
- Or call – 0300 123 2029
Memory Cafes
Memory Cafes offer an informal setting for those affected by memory problems and their carers to access support and information. They operate on a ‘drop-in’ basis and give participants the chance to exchange experiences and information and receive practical information and emotional support. Memory Café locations can be found on the Dementia Roadmap.