Tower Hamlets Advocacy & Interpreting Service
The Tower Hamlets Advocacy & Interpreting Service is a free and confidential service aimed at ensuring everyone within the Borough has equal access to primary healthcare through the provision of bilingual advocacy, interpreting, translation and telephone interpreting services.
The service is staffed by a team of trained health advocates, all of whom have tested experience and awareness of barriers that affect good access to health care. Trained staff speak a variety of languages, including:
Bengali/Sylheti, Somali, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Turkish, French, Vietnamese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi
They also provide other languages including British Sign Language (BSL).
The Tower Hamlets Advocacy and Interpreting Service (THAIS) is a free and confidential service for anyone requiring healthcare, who is registered with one of our 36 partner GP practices plus a small group of additional organisations.
For more information on how to use this service, please call the THAIS helpdesk on: 07803 406833.
Alternatively London Borough of Tower Hamlets advocacy service can be accessed via:
Are you one of the hidden group of people that care for people in their family or neighbourhood? Would you find it useful to have free advice and opportunity for care yourself?
www.rethink.org
www.carersuk.org
www.carers.org
or for the local carer’s centre, go to www.carerscentretowerhamlets.org.uk
Local CAMHS services for support with young people
18 Greatorex Street, Whitechapel, E1 5NF, The Emmanuel Miller Centre, 11 Gill Street, Isle of Dogs, E14 8HQ, London
Both centres are open: 9 am - 5pm, Monday to Friday Greatorex Street is open 9am - 7pm every Wednesday
0207 426 2375/2400 /CAMHS - Services - CAMHS Tower Hamlets (elft.nhs.uk)
Are you in debt and worried about how you are going to get out of it?
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
Do you need free, confidential, independent advice on welfare rights, housing, debt, immigration? From basic advice and assistance to casework this is available at St Hilda’s Community Centre in E2;
RESET – drug and alcohol services
For help with drug or alcohol addiction, dependence or use or concern over a family member or friend please see below for a great local resource for support
RESET Treatment and Recovery Support Service | Change Grow Live | Tower Hamlets service
This is another way of requesting your prescriptions which would be sent to your chosen pharmacy. You could go to the pharmacy directly and collect your prescription after making sure with your pharmacist that your prescription is ready for collection. Please give at least 24 hours notice to make sure your prescription is ready for collection.
Minor Eye Clinics
MECS is a NHS funded service available to all patients registered with a Tower Hamlets GP or who are a Tower Hamlets resident. The service is designed to offer convenient care for minor medical eye conditions. The service is provided by local optometrists who have specialist knowledge and skills to carry out this work.
NOTE: If you have an eye condition that is already being treated by your optometrist or hospital eye service, for example a cataract, glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, this will continue as before and will not be covered by the new service. This service is not a sight test and you will not be issued with a prescription for spectacles. You should continue to visit your usual optician for regular eye examinations and prescriptions as normal.
Eye Conditions Which Can Be Treated by MECS
The service is designed for recently occurring medical eye conditions such as:
- Red eye(s)
- Significant recent discharge from or watering from the eye
- Mild trauma, for example a scratch to the outer surface of the eye(s) or lid(s)
- Suspected foreign body in the eye
- Mild pain and/or discomfort in the eyes
Eye Conditions that Cannot be Treated by MECS
Go directly to A&E If you have:
- Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Considerable eye pain or trauma
- Chemical injuries or burns
- Recent eye surgery
Foot health services via Mile End Hospital:
Daily emergency walk in clinic (Monday-Friday 8:30 am) for treating : Blisters and sores, discharging and infected wounds, and inflamed areas such as acute ingrowing toenails. You do not need an appointment. The Emergency Clinic operates Monday-Friday 8.30am (except bank holidays) for immediate care.
ELFT - Services - Foot Health - Tower Hamlets
PowerPoint Presentation (jubileestreetpractice.nhs.uk)
Private foot services
Foot_Health_Providers.pdf (jubileestreetpractice.nhs.uk)
If you feel your health is being affected by your housing, please contact the Tower Hamlets Housing Office. They will assess your medical issues and your housing and they have access to private doctors who will write reports for you. The Tower Hamlets Housing Office has asked GPs not to write housing letters, as these do not help your housing application, only the ones written by their team of doctors.
I want to make healthy choices | Tower Hamlets Connect
There are several weight management programmes that you can self refer to as well as contacting the practice for a referral to the digital weight management program if your BMI is over 30.
Oviva
Way to Wellness Tower Hamlets (Participants) - Oviva
Change for life weight management
Change for Good — Social Action for Health (safh.org.uk)
Bmi calculator
BMI calculator | Check your BMI - NHS | Please fill in your details (www.nhs.uk)
Do you have a recent or a long term mental health problem?
Self referral for non complex psychological assessment and support can be made to; www.towerhamletstalkingtherapies.nhs.uk.
If you want to refer yourself, please use the online self referral form or call 020 8475 8080. For all other general queries, please email th.therapists@nhs.net.
Or do you have a more long term mental health problem resulting in isolation or social disruption?
The following support people with more long term mental health problems in their mental health and wellbeing.
www.geoffashcroftcommunity.com
www.3s-acompany.com
www.mithn.org.uk
www.lookahead.org.uk
Want to know the rules on medical certificates?
You only need a doctor’s certificate if you are off for more than 7 days, in which case please submit an online request by clicking on following link Request certificate. Up to that time, you can give your employer a self-certificate. Download from here.
Employee’s statement of sickness to claim Statutory Sick Pay
If you live in Tower Hamlets call Free Phone 0800 073 0003; If you or another person have been harmed or are at immediate risk you may require an emergency response contact 999 and ask for the relevant service. Domestic Abuse: Where to Go for Help>> Young People (under 18 years) If necessary, the crisis line contacts above can divert young people to be seen by CAMHS nurses outside of A&E ...
NHS 111 is a new service that has been introduced to make it easier for you to access local NHS healthcare services in England. You can call 111 when you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency. NHS 111 is a fast and easy way to get the right help, whatever the time. For more information visit www.nhs.uk/111.
The NHS App provides a simple and secure way for patients to book GP appointments, order repeat prescriptions and access a range of other healthcare services.
Who is it suitable for?
The NHS App is for people aged 13 and over who are registered with a connected GP surgery. You can use some of the app's features without your GP surgery being connected.
How does it work?
With the NHS App you can:
- check your symptoms – find reliable NHS information on hundreds of conditions and treatments, and get immediate advice
- book appointments – search for, book and cancel appointments at your GP surgery
- order repeat prescriptions – see your available medications and request a new repeat prescription
- view your medical record – get secure access to your GP medical record
- register to be an organ donor – easily manage your preferences on the NHS Organ Donor Register
- choose how the NHS uses your data – register your decision on whether it can be used for research and planning
Are you an older person and would like to get involved in more activities or become more empowered about your health or your community?
www.sthildas.org.uk/projects/sonali-gardens-day-centre
www.linkageplus.co.uk/about-us (over 50)
www.ageuk.org.uk/eastlondon (over 55)
www.shapeup4lifetowerhamlets.co.uk
There is a good list of resources on the TH connect website
I want to have a good level of happiness and wellbeing | Tower Hamlets Connect
Please see below for further information , you should self refer to the antenatal clinic as soon as you know you are pregnant at : Please click on the link below, and fill in the hospital referral form and email back to the address on the form. If you haven’t heard from the hospital about your appointment by your 12th week of pregnancy please call 0203 594 2572 or 0203 594 2573.
Maternity - Barts Health NHS Trust
Maternity and early years (towerhamlets.gov.uk)
Pregnancy - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Need advice on sexual health, contraception or pregnancy? We offer a range of services at the practice but if this is not convenient, you can seek help at one of the local centres in Tower Hamlets.
www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/sexual-health
Sexual Health 24/7
Sexual health | Tower Hamlets Connect
We offer smoking cessation services within the practice, please ask reception if you wish to book an appointment. Alternatively click here for other resources.
Social Prescribing is a service for GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals to help improve patients’ health and wellbeing, specifically those who do not need a medical intervention, by referring them to access non-clinical services and support.
Often, in deprived areas, patients visit their GP for reasons other than clinical problems, as they might not know where to access support for wider social issues such as debt advice or housing problems. These determinants can have a significant impact on people’s health and wellbeing. The Social Prescribing service offers direct support to access ‘social prescription’ helping to improve residents’ overall health and wellbeing.
Do you need help and support from a Social Prescriber? Contact thgpcg.socialprescribing@nhs.net giving your name, your date of birth, the name of your GP Practice and a brief summary of what support you need.
Main aims of Social Prescribing:
- a) Prevention: to support patients to access a broader range of services that positively affects health and wellbeing, prevents illness and enables patients to better manage existing conditions.
- b) Self-care: to enable patients to play an active role in their own health and wellbeing and support them to stay healthy both physically and mentally.
- c) Personalisation & collaborative working: to improve the local primary care offering of a person-centered view of health and wellbeing and being able to support people holistically by using locally available resources.
- d) Better value: by reducing avoidable primary and secondary care episodes
The new NHS Digital Weight Management Programme supports adults living with obesity, who also have either diabetes or high blood pressure or both, to improve their health and manage their weight.
Obesity is a serious health concern which increases the risk of many other health conditions, for example type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint problems, and some cancers.
The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is a 12-week lifestyle and behavioural intervention that people can access online via their smartphone or computer. It can be hard to keep healthy, but with support from the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme you can take control of your weight and significantly reduce further health risks.
Speak to your GP practice to find out more about the programme or visit our website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/digital-weight-management/
Chat Health
School Health and Wellbeing service has recently launched a new way for young people to get advice and support about health-related issues. ChatHealth is an award-winning confidential messaging service for young people aged 11-19 years, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.
ChatHealth gives young people another way to access advice on all kinds of health issues, like sexual health, emotional health and wellbeing, bullying, healthy eating and any general health concerns.
The ChatHealth messaging number is 07507 332942
For further information please visit the website by clicking here.
Spotlight
Local service for age 11-19 years or up to age 25 years if any learning difficulties to access help and advice for mental health, physical health or social issues.
https://wearespotlight.com/news/health-spot-has-landed/
Other Children’s services
Details of other local childrens services including childrens centres