Health, Safety and Security

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Health, Safety and Security
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What we will cover

• The NHS
• Registering with and visiting the doctor
• Entitlement to NHS Treatment
• Health Costs/Help with Health Costs
• Other Sources of Health Advice
• Medical Emergencies
• Dental Treatment/Optical Treatment
• Family Planning
• Taking Care of Yourself
• Sickness and Absence
• Homesickness
• Personal Safety/Safety of your possessions

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Health

• NHS-National Health Service
• Funded through taxation, provides free or reduced
  cost healthcare
• NHS provides treatment through three main routes
• GP Surgery
• Hospitals
• Accident and Emergency Departments

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How to register with a doctor

• All students are strongly advised to register
  with a GP on arrival in the UK-first point of
  contact
• Dont wait until you are ill to find a doctor
• Doctors will be on campus during Welcome Week
• List of local doctors is available in the leaflet
  Keeping Healthy, Keeping Safe and on Welfare
  Service website
• To register, visit the GPs surgery during
  opening hours
• Documents required by different surgeries will
  vary, but may include your passport, evidence you
  are a student (letter/id card) and proof of your
  UK address

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Visiting your GP

• If you need to see your GP, you should phone the
  surgery to make an appointment
• Remember to arrive on time
• GP will ask you questions about your illness,
  then may write a prescription or may refer you to
  a hospital if your illness was more serious
• Take your prescription to a pharmacy to pick up
  your medicine

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Entitlement to NHS Treatment

• Entitled if programme of study is longer than 6
  months
• If programme of study is shorter than 6 months,
  you need a European Health Insurance card (EHIC)
• EHIC card would be issued by the Health Authority
  in your home country
• Remember, not all NHS treatment is free

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Health Costs

• What is free on the NHS?
• GP Appointments
• Most other GP Services (e.g. visiting a clinic)
• Treatment in a hospital (emergency and
  non-emergency)
• What is not free?
• Medicines prescribed by your GP
• Certain GP services (e.g. travel vaccinations)
• Dental Treatment
• Optical Treatment

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Help with Health Costs

• If you are under 19 and in full time study,
  prescriptions, dental treatment and sight tests
  will be free of charge
• Many students aged 19 and over can get help with
  health costs under the NHS Low Income Scheme
• Depending on your level of income, you may not
  have to pay anything towards you health costs or
  you may only have to pay part of your health
  costs

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Help with Health Costs continued..

• To apply for this help, you would need to
  complete an HC1 form
• This form asks for details of your income and
  expenditure and some documentary evidence
• HC1 form available from any Jobcentre Plus
  Office, NHS Hospitals, some dentists and
  opticians and Student Services Reception
• Alternatively, you can request a form online at
  www.ppa.nhs.uk or call 0845 850 1166

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Other sources of health advice

• If you feel unwell and you do not know what to
  do, you can call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47
• 24hr nurse advice telephone service
• Visit the website www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
• Alternatively, you could visit an NHS Walk in
  Centre

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Medical Emergencies

• Medical Emergency on Campus-call Security on 0191
  227 3200 (emergencies only)
• University Security Service have a 24 hr presence
  on Campus
• Medical Emergency off campus-dial 999 and ask for
  the ambulance service
• Be ready to describe what has happened and
  exactly where you are
• If you need urgent medical treatment, but are
  well enough to travel, go to a hospital Accident
  and Emergency Department (emergencies only)

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Dental Treatment

• List of dentists is available in Keeping Healthy
  Keeping Safe and on the Welfare website
• Check that the dentist accepts NHS patients
• NHS dental treatment is not free, but is cheaper
  than private treatment
• Only clinical dental treatment on the NHS
• You may be entitled to free dental NHS
  treatment/help with the cost depending on your
  income
• To apply for this help, you would need to fill in
  the form HC1
• Free Dentals check ups by dental students are
  available at Newcastle Dental Hospital (more info
  in KHKS)

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Optical Treatment

• Opticians in UK usually operate from high
• street shops
• An NHS eye test will cost around 20
• If you need contacts/glasses, the optician will
  give you a prescription
• The cost of frames and lenses varies greatly
• You can apply for help with the cost of your
  sight test/glasses in the same way as for
  medical/dental treatment, using the form HC1

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Family Planning

• Family Planning Clinics provide free,
  confidential advice on contraception and sexual
  health
• Also, free contraceptives and pregnancy tests
• You can refer yourself or you may be referred by
  your GP
• Further details are available in Keeping
  Healthy, Keeping Safe

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Taking Care of Yourself

• As well as starting a new course, many of you
  will also be adjusting to the food, climate and
  culture of a new country
• Try to look after yourself, eat well, get some
  exercise and plenty of rest

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Sickness and Absence

• If you are too ill to attend university, let your
  
• course leader or School Office know that you
  are absent and why
• If you do not do this, it may be assumed that you
  have withdrawn from your course
• If illness is affecting your ability to study,
  you should speak to your course leader or
  Guidance Tutor about this and ask if you should
  complete a Personal Extenuating Circumstances
  form

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Homesickness

• Many students feel homesick, particularly at the
  start of term
• If you do feel like this come in to see one of
  the staff who are here to offer support-Guidance
  Tutor, Welfare Adviser, Counsellor, the Chaplain.
• Join some of the Societies organised by the
  Students Union
• Identify practical problems and work out what you
  can do to sort them out
• More advice in Keeping Healthy, Keeping Safe

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Personal Safety

• In general, Newcastle is a safe place to live,
  but
• Take time to get to know people
• Dont feel pressured into doing anything you
  dont want to do
• If going out to a place you dont know and/or
  with people you dont know, make sure someone
  else knows where you are going and who with
• Try to avoid walking home alone late at night
• Carry a personal attack alarm
• If there is an accident/emergency/incident on
  university campus call Security on 0191 227 3200
• Off campus, call the Police on 999

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Safety of your possessions

• Although Newcastle is a relatively safe place to
  live, student houses in any area of the country
  can be a target for burglars
• The University recommends that you take out some
  insurance for your personal possessions
• To do this you will need to choose an insurance
  company then fill in a proposal form
• Make sure the details you give are correct and
  that the company knows you are a student
• You will then pay a monthly premium
• The University has an Endsleigh Insurance Agency
  on site.
• Relevant links are also available on the Welfare
  website

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Useful Contacts

• Keeping Healthy Keeping Safe-leaflet or online
  at www.northumbria.ac.uk/welfare
• NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or online at
  www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
• Medical Emergencies on campus 0191 227 3200
  Off campus 999
• More useful numbers in KHKS