This whole page covers some of the broad support for health in adults for all medical health conditions. This includes not just treatments for medical conditions but also support for wellbeing and support on the social side of life.
For a summary of the adult health section see under
You can call 999 for emergencies or contact 111 for advice if you are unsure if you should attend the accident and emergency department (A&E). This is all covered under
Mental health emergencies includes other support beyond calling 999 or going directly to A&E, see under
Information on spotting serious illness, so serious symptoms and signs are acted on immediately, can be found under
There is also support for giving first aid, which can save lives, see under
For all of us even without a health condition an attention to mental, social and physical wellbeing can be helpful.
Good physical wellbeing can support the treatment of a number of health conditions, and includes local support in the areas of
Reducing risk factors for some health conditions is well supported locally
Paying attention to healthy living changes, as with physical wellbeing, not only benefits the present but can reduce the risk of many health conditions in the future as is covered under
Reducing the risk from a number of infections is possible with
Picking up the onset of health conditions earlier can help
Reducing your risk of cancer and spotting cancer early can significantly help
There can be a relationship between physical illness and mental health. Good Mental Wellbeing can support a medical condition, particularly a long-term condition (such as diabetes). Local support for mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can also help in certain cases with symptoms from physical illness.
Long term conditions (LTCs) can benefit from more than just the medical treatment of the LTC, including mental health support
Having more than one long-term condition (multimorbidity) can lead to a large number of drugs being prescribed (polypharmacy). The importance of this is covered under medicines optimisation. See under
Having a long term medical condition leads many older patients to consider planning for the future decades before death with a
Understanding end of life care allows long term planning for the future and discussions with family, ensuring it is known what a person might want.
The social side of life can impact on physical and mental health. There is local and national support for life’s challenges which is included with the links below.
Some habits can impact health including
Present circumstances can be important including
Some events in your life can also impact physical health including
There is support for different patient groups see under
Support For All this includes as examples
Other issues at home can be important including
Private community services now play an important part in health, particularly your local pharmacist, and understanding what they can offer locally can make a difference.
NHS community services play an important role in health some of them you can access directly with self-referral.
There is information on navigating hospital care under
If you do use the private sector, such as for minor surgery as an example, then understanding what is available locally and the important principles which cover the overlap between private and NHS care are worth knowing about.
Support for safeguarding of adults (stopping both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect) can be found under