Devon residents are being asked to mark European Antibiotics Awareness Day (November 18) by adding their pledge to those of over 4,000 antibiotic guardians, in an effort to help slow the resistance and cut the use of unnecessary antibiotics.
Devon County Council’s Public Health, NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, Devon Local Pharmaceutical Committee and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust have come together to support the campaign, and are asking residents to add their support.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats facing us...
A survey for Sight Care, a support network for independent opticians, has revealed that a shocking number of people in The South West may be on the roads with eyesight poor enough to fail a driving test.
November 17-23 is National Road Safety week, where thousands of organisations, schools and community groups come together to highlight the dangers of the road and find ways to improve road safety.
The Sight Care survey indicates that drivers could do their bit to reduce road risk by ensuring that they can see properly.
Nursery-age children should be given lessons in how to brush their teeth to try and stop the worsening dental health crisis in the UK.
The Exeter Dental Centre, located in the heart of the city, are backing experts at The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) which is urging local authorities to target children from the age of three – 12 per cent of whom are already eating too much sugar and showing signs of tooth decay – by going into schools to demonstrate how to brush teeth.
Owner and principal dentist, Mike Hesekth, said: “At The Exeter Dental Centre...
Health experts are to investigate whether replacing face-to-face doctor’s visits with telephone or internet consultations would bring benefits for patients and GPs.
The project will explore the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using communication technologies to deliver GP services.
Researchers will investigate whether consultations can effectively be conducted by email, text message, telephone or over the internet, based on the experiences of those who have tried it.
The two-year study will be conducted by researchers from the Universities of Exeter,...
Staff at Devon Air Ambulance Trust were left distressed and angry after the charity’s retail shop in Cowick Street, Exeter, was burgled on Monday evening.
Thieves got away with a collection box having caused significant damage to the premises including smashing the shop window.
Martin Bell, Retail Director of Devon Air Ambulance Trust said “I was extremely distressed and angry to receive a telephone call to advise me that our shop in Cowick Street, St Thomas, Exeter was broken into over-night on Monday 27 October.
“Although all that was taken was our collection box...
A scheme offering ‘books on prescription' to people with mental health problems has been hailed as a major success.
Last year Devon County Council teamed up with leading independent charity The Reading Agency and the Society of Chief Librarians to help launch the national ‘Reading Well Books on Prescription’ scheme, which aims to use reading as a tool to help those who suffer from conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, phobias and some eating disorders.
Since then loans of self-help books in the ground breaking scheme have more than doubled, reaching around 275,000...
Devon residents susceptible to the effects of flu because they have long term health conditions, are pregnant, 65 or over or live or work in a care home are being reminded to get their annual vaccination to protect them against the illness this winter.
Flu can be a serious illness, particularly for those in the ‘at risk’ groups, so Devon County Council’s Public Health team is reminding everyone who is eligible for vaccination to get their free flu jab from their GP early in the season. The vaccination is the most effective form of protection against flu.
“Stop and think before visiting A&E” – that’s the message from doctors in Devon as the NHS gears up for the cold months ahead. Doctors are urging people to visit or phone their GP practice, pharmacy or NHS 111 if it’s not an emergency. They are also calling for who have not yet registered with a GP practice to do this. Groups of people who have not yet registered with a GP practice include students, and those who have only recently moved to Devon or have moved to a different area of the county. The number of people presenting to hospital emergency departments is already high during the...
A Community Health Check is being held in Exeter city centre on Saturday, 11 October.
The public are invited to “know your numbers” as such values as BMI, blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol are measured.
The event will take place at St Stephen’s Church, High Street, Exeter from 10am-4pm on 11 October, and it is free. There is no need to book, just turn up on the day.
The event is organized and staffed by volunteers from the Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Devon & Cornwall, including medical professionals, to offer a service to the public. At last...
