Keeping your Medical Centre appointments

The Student Medical Centre is experiencing a high volume of missed appointments – here are our top tips to make sure you’re not one of them:

Ask to be sent reminders

The team can call or text you the day before your appointment,

Phone the team

If your plans change call to reschedule your appointment on 01202 965378.

If you start to feel better or just want to cancel your appointment, phone or use the online appointment cancellation service .

Visit the Student Medical Centre

If you’re on campus, it’ll only take you a few minutes to walk to Talbot House and speak to the reception team – and with spring on the way, it’ll be a good opportunity to grab some fresh air!

Remember, each missed appointment means a delay for another patient, so take a few minutes out of your busy day to do the right thing.

International Ebola Outbreak

WHOAs you have probably seen in the press, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have declared that the Ebola outbreak is an “international emergency” with confirmed cases and deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. Official government advice from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) at Public Health England (PHE) characterises the outbreak as low risk but potentially high consequence.

Medical advice remains that the risk to the UK is very low. The UK has an established, well-tested system to deal with any known or suspected imported case of this disease. As part of that, precautionary planning measures are being kept up to date and the UK’s Public Health authorities are working closely with clinicians, border staff and other agencies to ensure they are prepared to deal with any eventuality.

About Ebola

Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. It is one of the world’s most virulent diseases. Ebola outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. Ebola virus disease is rare.

The infection is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people.

The risk of a student or member of staff becoming infected with Ebola virus during a visit to the affected areas and developing the disease after returning is extremely low, even if the visit included travel to the local areas from which primary cases have been reported.

Guidance from the World Health Organisation

  • Persons who come into direct contact with body fluids of an infected person or animal are at risk
  • Ebola symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, and in some cases, bleeding.

Travel advice will be in accordance with that of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The University continues to monitor the information from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England. Any suspected or confirmed case of Ebola will be managed by the University’s Communicable Diseases Policy.

 

Meningitis Awareness

The germs that cause bacterial meningitis are carried in the back of the throat of about one in ten people at any one time, but rarely cause illness. Most people who carry the bacteria become immune to them. The germs do not spread easily, but can be transferred from one person to another through secretions from the nose or throat during close contact. The infection is not acquired simply by being in the same room as an infected person. As at other times, we recommend that you watch closely for symptoms in yourself, your friends and your colleagues. Early diagnosis and treatment are the best defence against this serious disease.

Symptoms include:

  • severe headache
  • high temperature/fever
  • vomiting
  • stiff neck
  • dislike of bright lights
  • pale, blotchy skin
  • drowsiness/lethargy
  • joint pains
  • cold hands and feet
  • rash of red/purple spots which looks like bruising under the skin.

Only some of these symptoms may show.

Remember that although you may well have been vaccinated against the C strain of meningitis, the vaccine does not protect against other strains of the disease. It is therefore very important to remain vigilant whether you have been vaccinated or not.

If you are worried that you may have the symptoms of bacterial meningitis, or if you think you have observed them in someone else, seek immediate medical advice from the University Medical Centre on 01202 965378. The Centre is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, term times only. At all other times you can contact the Talbot Medical Centre on 0844 477 2416 or NHS 111. If the situation appears to be an emergency, call 999.

More information about meningitis is available from the 24-hour national help lines of the meningitis charities and NHS Direct:
Meningitis Research Foundation: 080 8800 3344. Website: www.meningitis.org
Meningitis Trust: 0800 028 1828. Website: www.meningitis-trust.org
NHS Direct: 0845 4647. Website: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk