Physiotherapist

If you have pains in your muscles, bones, or joints (musculoskeletal problems) you can access help and support here: www.whittington.nhs.uk/msk. 

Do you need support with self-management of muscle or joint problems in the meantime?

Whittington Health has an easy, safe, and effective way to help you improve your musculoskeletal health without the need for a clinic appointment, through the getUBetter site.  This provides evidence-based advice for all common muscle, bone, and joint problems, including back, back and leg, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle pain, soft tissue injuries, and conditions.  You can access getUBetter here.

Podiatry

For problems with the feet such as pain when walking, in-growing toenails, and corns which do not get better despite the treatments available at the pharmacy.

NOT SUITABLE for fungal toenails (see the chemist), nail clipping (unless you have diabetes and are unable to do this safely yourself), and verruca (see chemist).

Patient Self-Referral to Podiatry Services (www.whittington.nhs.uk)

Anxiety, low mood, depression

Feeling low? Anxiety? Worried you have depression?

iCope is a free NHS service that works alongside us at the practice who can offer support and psychological treatment for these conditions.

iCope | Free Help for Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia

If you are having suicidal thoughts or are feeling like things are out of control, or it is an emergency, please call the Islington Crisis Team (24/7) on 0800 917 3333 or the Samaritans on 116 123

Other resources

NHS-approved Good Thinking website for problems with sleep, anxiety, low mood and stress

Good Thinking – NHS approved wellbeing service | Good Thinking (good-thinking.UK)

Kooth is an online mental health well-being community

Home – Kooth

The Brandon Centre offers mental health and wellbeing services to those under 25

Offering help & advice | Brandon Centre (brandon-centre.org.uk)

Support getting back into or finding work

Islington’s iWork service offers help to anyone who is out of work in Islington to find a job, apprenticeship, training or education.

Support finding work | Islington Council

Feeling isolated, problems at home, wanting to feel more connected

Help on Your Doorstep aims to improve the health and well-being of people in Islington, especially those who are vulnerable and isolated. Working with residents we seek to find solutions to the issues which make life difficult, strengthen communities to do more for themselves, and enable people to improve their life chances.

Help on Your Doorstep

Worried about money?

Visit Worrying about money for help and advice

Other Resources

On a low income? Check out the NHS Low Income Scheme to see what benefits you may be in entitled to.

Contraception

Need General Contraceptive Advice? Click here to submit an eConsult.

If you would like to have a coil (copper or Mirena) or contraceptive implant fitted or removed, please call the dedicated service who can arrange this for you on 0345 300 2350.

You can also visit Mortimer Market Centre Sexual Health Clinic London (cnwl.nhs.uk) for free and confidential sexual health services, this includes contraception, PrEP, and assessment & treatment of sexual health symptoms and infections.

Sexual Health Testing

If you do not have symptoms, you can request a discrete self-test delivered to your home for free. Visit https://www.shl.uk/.

If you are having symptoms, please contact the sexual health clinic via their website: Archway Centre • SHL.UK

Maternity – New Pregnancy – Antenatal

If you have found out you are pregnant then you can refer yourself to the hospital to see the midwife. Please do this as soon as you know you are pregnant.

UCLH: Your pregnancy: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (uclh.nhs.uk)

For Antenatal self-referral form: Click here

Whittington: Maternity Booking – Online Self Referral form (www.whittington.nhs.uk)

Termination of Pregnancy

If you have decided not to continue with your pregnancy, or if you are not sure and you would like some advice, then you can make an appointment with the services directly.

Home – North Central London CCG

Gov.UK offers support and advice for Asylum support

Islington Council provides a list of services and support networks for Local refugees and migrants

Are You a Unpaid Carer?

If you are please let us know – we may be able to help you

There is a wealth of information on the NHS website about carers and caring. Below are some links into the site that we hope you will find useful.

• A guide to care and support – Information for carers and people who have care & support needs.
• Caring for someone – Advice on providing care, medicines etc.
• Care after hospital – Providing care for people who have been recently discharged from the hospital.
• Taking a break – Caring for someone can be a full-time job – find out about accessing breaks and respite care.
• Support and benefits for carers – Caring for someone can be a full-time job – find out about accessing breaks and respite care.
• Work and Disability – Guidance, support, and help with employment issues.
• Being a Young Carer – Advice for carers 18 or under and their entitlement to support
• Age UK Islington – Provides help to unpaid carers who live in Islington and are over 18.
• Islington Care Hub – Islington residents who care for others or those who provide care for someone living in Islington can receive advice, support groups, carer assessments, event updates, and volunteer opportunities.

Carers Agency Support

Carers UK – Offers information on benefits, practical help in unpaid caring roles and support to unpaid carers in the workplace.

Islington Care Hub – Islington residents who care for others or those who provide care for someone living in Islington can receive advice, support groups, carer assessments, event updates, and volunteer opportunities.

Family Action – Aim to uplift the welfare of individuals faced with poverty, social isolation, and disadvantage by offering them practical, emotional, and financial assistance throughout the nation, transforming their lives for the better.

Finance and Law

Help claiming benefits, looking after your bank balance, and understanding the legal issues of caring.

• Benefits for carers -Directing carers to the benefits that can help them in their caring role
• Benefits for the under-65s – Advice and information on helping the person you look after get the benefits that they are entitled to.
• Benefits for the over-65s – Advice and information on financial support for older people with a disability or illness.
• Carer’s Assessment – How your benefits may be affected after the death of the person you look after and what happens to their benefits
• Other benefits – Advice for carers and the people they are looking after on claiming a whole host of other benefits unrelated to their disability or caring
• Age UK Islington – For assistance on navigating benefits, debt management, energy conservation tips, and money-saving strategies. Seek support for housing concerns, including repair reporting, adapting living spaces, and exploring assisted living choices.

Disclaimer – If the person you are caring for is receiving benefits and you then claim carer benefits then their benefits may decrease.

---

Contact Carers Direct

Telephone – 0808 802 0202

Helpline Information – nhs.uk/carersdirect/carerslives/updates/pages/carersdirecthelpline.aspx

Email – carersdirect@nhschoices.nhs.uk

Office Hours – Lines are open 8 am to 9 pm Monday to Friday, 11 am to 4 pm at weekends. Calls are free from UK landlines.

ISLINGTON CARERS HUB is there to help. Please call 0800 085 1141(FREEPHONE)

Please visit the following website for more support:
https://www.candi.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/safeguarding/domestic-abuse-support

Please visit the following website for more support:

https://www.sleepstation.org.uk/start-now/

Click here to view the Pharmacy Services in Islington

If you are or have been a member of the Armed Forces, please do let the practice know so that we can code you on our system so that we can signpost you to the right services as and when you might need them.

The NHS is keen to provide you with access to support and resources and you can find a lot of useful information at the various sites below.

Please visit the following website for more support: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/armed-forces-community/

What other services are available to veterans?

Hearing loss and tinnitus services
In-service (MOD DMS) and veteran (NHS) hearing devices are provided to meet a clinical need. Veterans requiring hearing devices and tests should access via their GP and local provision, where NHS providers will be able to take account of service-related hearing issues. Private providers may, at personal cost, be able to provide non-standard equipment and devices.
More information on hearing aids: Hearing aids – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Mobility equipment support
The Royal British Legion has a Veterans’ Mobility Fund, which provides specialist wheelchairs, orthotic equipment, and other mobility-related items for veterans who have a service-related serious physical injury and whose needs cannot be met through statutory services. Eligibility for the fund requires the condition to be attributable to service and typically applicants will be in receipt of a War Pension or relevant award under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. To find out more, visit the Veterans Mobility Fund section on The Royal British Legion website.

Veterans’ Gateway
The Veterans’ Gateway is made up of a consortium of organisations and Armed Forces charities, including The Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Combat Stress, and Connect Assist. It is the main point of contact for veterans seeking support, putting them and their families in touch with the organizations best placed to help with the information, advice, and support they need – from
healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships, and more. For more information, visit the Veterans’ Gateway website.

Contact
Contact is a group of charitable, support, and state organisations that have joined forces to enhance mental health support available to the Armed Forces community. The partnership consists of Big White Wall, Cobseo, Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion, Walking With The Wounded, the NHS, the MOD, the UK Psychological Trauma Society, and King’s College London. Contact aims to improve collaborative care management, increase instances of help-seeking behaviour, improve service provision, encourage best practices across the sector, and improve public knowledge of what support is available and how best to access it. For more information, visit the Contact website.

Cobseo
Cobseo, as the Confederation of Service Charities, offers membership to charities that promote and further the welfare and general interests of the Armed Forces community, subject to fulfilling the membership criteria. Comprising 255 members, Cobseo provides a single point of contact for interaction with the Armed Forces community. For more information, visit the Cobseo website.

Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes provides direct, practical support for wounded, injured, and sick service personnel, veterans, and their loved ones from any conflict. They have four recovery centers in the UK offering medical care, guidance, support, and advice. Patients can self-refer or be referred by a professional. Once referred, an initial assessment will take place within one to two weeks and there is no waiting list for treatment. For further information, visit the Help for Heroes website.

Combat Stress
Combat Stress is the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans. It provides free specialised clinical treatment and support to ex-servicemen and women across the UK with mental health conditions. Combat Stress has a strategic partnership with the MOD and the Department of Health and Social Care. This enables the charity to work with NHS mental health to develop services suitable for military veterans. For further information, visit the Combat Stress website.

Blesma
Blesma supports limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Blesma is dedicated to assisting serving and ex-servicemen and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the use of a limb, an eye, or loss of sight. They support these men and women in their communities throughout the UK and provide centralized assistance to those living overseas.
Blesma works closely with the NHS to ensure the latest advances in the relevant medical fields are converted into practical solutions that can benefit all of their members. They do not provide members prosthetics, but they do help prosthetists develop their skills at undergraduate and PhD levels.
For further information, visit the Blesma website.

Weight loss and support in getting healthy

The exercise on the referral scheme is currently paused – in the meantime, here is a guide to everything available on the NHS and locally to help with getting in shape and feeling better:

Alternative options for getting active or losing weight in Islington

Check out the map below to view all the sports and physical activity centers in Islington

Stopping smoking

Stopping smoking can be hard and we know that the chances of success are far higher when you have structured, expert support. This is all available for free. You can also contact a local pharmacy that may offer the service.

www.breathestopsmoking.org

Please see the website for the conditions they will see.

Patient Self-Referral to Nutrition and Dietetic Service (www.whittington.nhs.uk)