Realising you have a problem with alcohol is the first big step to getting help. You may need help if:

• you often feel the need to have a drink
• you get into trouble because of your drinking
• other people warn you about how much you're drinking
• you think your drinking is causing you problems

You can find the most up to date alcohol pathway for North Yorkshire, here. 

In February 2020, colleagues at North Yorkshire County Council launched an alcohol reduction campaign called Wake Up North Yorkshire. Visit the website, here.

You can also find out more about the support available, here and locally, here, or visit the Frank website for services near you.

With You - Over 50s Alcohol Helpline

The Over 50s Alcohol Helpline provides advice and support to individuals aged over 50, concerned others, and professionals, who are worried about their own or someone else's drinking.  Furthermore the Over 50s Alcohol Helpline continues to offer an enhanced service for individuals who are considering making changes to their alcohol use. The enhanced service provision offers callers up to 4 additional appointments,  during which time Helpline alcohol advisors use evidenced based interventions to support callers to achieve their goals.

This service is available 7 days a week. The Helpline is open Monday to Friday 12pm - 8pm and 10am to 4pm at weekends. The freephone number to call is 0808 801 0750. To make an online booking for a phone call or video chat, over 50’s, concerned others, and professionals, can access appointments slots by visiting the With You website. 

More than one in five excess winter deaths are caused by living in cold homes. Warm and Well provides support for households who are living in fuel poverty or who are struggling to heat their homes. The service can support around energy advice, securing cheaper tariffs, energy top up vouchers, debt write off, emergency heating, warm home discount applications and access to home improvement measures in hard to heat homes. They have seen a huge increase in demand for support over the last 12 months, and in particular amongst the working age population. We are encouraging all professionals to make every contact count and identify whether a person is living in a cold home or struggling with their fuel bills and make a referral. Professional or self-referrals can be made via the website www.warmandwell.org.uk or by phoning 01609 767555.

Diabetes is a long-term condition which requires lifelong management. There are two main types – type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

People with diabetes are at risk of developing complications, for example with their feet. Untreated, these problems can lead to foot ulcer, infections and even (at worst) amputations. However, most foot problems are preventable with good, regular foot care.

For further information, visit Diabetes UK.

Psychological support

• Diabetes UK have added new webpages to provide lots of information about how diabetes can effect emotional wellbeing, and what can help.
• Diabetes UK have helpline staff on hand if you need to talk Call: 0345 123 2399 (Call rates apply check with your provider) Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm or via email: helpline@diabetes.org.uk.
• Diabetes UK have new information on prescription, “My emotions and diabetes,” provides easy to read information and individual action planning, helping people understand the impact of living with diabetes can have on their emotions and how to take steps to improve their emotional health.

See also

Humber Coast and Vale Partnership: support for patients to stay healthy and live well with a long-term condition - Diabetes

Other useful information

Diabetes prescribing guidelines - York and Scarborough 

Guidance on theSelf-Monitoring of Blood Glucose for Adultswith Diabetes for Primary Care in North Yorkshire and York

If you need treatment for drug addiction, you're entitled to NHS care in the same way as anyone else who has a health problem.

With the right help and support, it's possible for you to get drug free and stay that way.

There's more information on the NHS website. You can also visit the Frank website to find local drug treatment services.

Other useful information

Please find attached information for primary care colleagues detailing the drug misuse support services available to patients in North Yorkshire.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Find out more. You can also visit the NHS Change4Life website and access One You resources.

Find out about the North Yorkshire adult weight management service and information on healthy eating and keeping active on the North Yorkshire County Council website. 

To stay healthy or improve health, adults need to do two types of physical activity each week: aerobic and strength exercises. How much physical activity you need to do each week depends on your age. Find out more. There's also help on North Yorkshire County Council's website.

Strong and Steady is a 12-week programme designed to encourage people to become more active and reduce the risk of trips and falls. Delivered by friendly, qualified instructors, the specialised programme aims to improve balance and strength, increasing confidence and improving ability in everyday task.

Harrogate 

Man v Fat

Please find attached flyer for the Man v Fat programme in Harrogate. This is a football league aimed to help you lose weight and provides:

• Weekly small-sided league games with qualified referees, trophies and medals
• Weekly weigh-ins with medical-grade scales and progress reports
• Routine, support and accountability from your teammates and an experienced coach
• Exclusive recipes, webinars and other online resources
• The opportunity to play in MAN v FAT national tournaments
• Access to online exercise classes with The Other Room Gym
• Support for your mental health and wellbeing with SilverCloud

Town to 5K

Please find attached information on the Town to 5K social run in Harrogate. The group is free to join and meets every Thursday at 6pm at Harrogate Library. 

Sporting memories 

Please find attached information on the sporting memories sessions ran by Harrogate Football Club every other Friday between 2 and 3pm.

Scarborough and Ryedale 

Everyone Active 

Everyone Active runs an Exercise Referral Scheme for health practitioners in Scarborough and Ryedale. Click or tap here to refer your patient.

There's more information for healthcare professionals, here.

A healthy lifestyle will make your heart healthier. Here are 10 things you can do to look after your heart.

Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership has launched Healthy Hearts to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack among people considered to be most at risk in our area. More information can be found here.

Lifestyle-related factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as well as smoking, poor diet and a lack of exercise can increase a person’s risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke.To increase awareness of heart health and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, Public Health England’s (PHE) Heart Age campaign is encouraging adults to complete the One You Heart Age Test.

Support for your mental health is available on the NHS website. You can also find out more about Children's Mental Health services and Adult Mental Health services on this website.

Find here a useful guide to menstrual cycles & mental health. 

Moving Medicine provide clinicians and allied health professionals with accessible, evidence based, condition specific information to help give advice on physical activity at all stages of a patient’s treatment pathway. The project has been developed in collaboration with experts, professional bodies and charities representing patients and healthcare professionals in each disease area. They are working on new resources including children and pregnant women as well as a toolkit for hospitals to help people being more active during and after their time in hospital.

There’s only One You: information on healthy eating, exercise, stopping smoking, drinking less, reducing stress and sleeping better is here.

Scarborough Pain Service

The face to face pain clinic at the Scarborough Sports Village will re-launch in January 2022. ESCAPE-pain is a 6 week, 12 session rehabilitation programme for people with chronic hip and knee joint pain. It is a well-recognised national programme, run by highly professional ESCAPE-Pain trained instructors
Health Benefits can include:

• Improvement in pain, physical and mental well-being
• Increased self-confidence
• Less reliance on medication
• Can help reduce the need for surgery

Referrals can be made directly to this email address: matthewburke@everyoneactive.com or patients can self-refer into the service by mailing their details to the same address. Please find attached information for refers as well as a patient information leaflet.

Many people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) do not get symptoms, so it's worth getting tested even if you feel fine. If you think you have an STI, the earlier you're tested, the sooner treatment can be given if it's needed. Find out more. The CCG also commissions sexual health services – find out more, here.

Feeling exhausted is so common that it has its own acronym, TATT, which stands for "tired all the time". Unexplained tiredness is one of the most common reasons for people to see their GP. Find out more. There's further information on North Yorkshire County Council's website.

Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and is the primary cause of preventable illness and premature death. Your chance of getting a serious health problem such as lung cancer or heart disease is dramatically increased if you are a smoker. Stopping smoking will make drastic improvements to your health and lifestyle, and also protect the health of those around you such as your family and friends. You can find out more and get access to support here.

Weight gain occurs when you regularly eat and drink more calories than you burn through normal bodily functions and physical activity. To lose weight, you should try to cut down on how much you eat and drink and be more active. Find out more.

See below a cohort of information about our adult weight management services:

Adult weight management resources and referral information for clinical staff can be found, here. 

The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme

The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme supports adults living with obesity who also have a diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension or both, to manage their weight and improve their health. The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is a 12-week online behavioural and lifestyle programme. People can access it via a smartphone or computer with internet access.

(General Practice can refer eligible patients via the e-RS system).

Healthy Weight Pathway for Children, Young People and Families in North Yorkshire

This resource has been developed in partnership by North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and York Teaching Hospitals Trust, to support professionals in navigating the children and families obesity offer in the County. The resource builds on good practice and offers evidence-based standardised guidance for practitioners to help them identify and raise the issue of overweight and obesity, deliver healthy lifestyle brief advice, and know how and where to signpost their service users for further information and programmes that help them achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Services by locality 

Harrogate & Rural Districts – Fit4Life

Hambleton – Take That Step

Richmondshire – Choose to Lose

Scarborough, Ryedale & Whitby – NHS Weight Management Service (NHS Health Trainers)

Craven – Healthy Lifestyles