Self Care Week 2021: people in Lancashire are reminded to look after themselves with the help of local services

Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership say you’re not alone this Self Care Week.
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Starting yesterday, this Self Care Week, residents of Lancashire are being urged to take good care of themselves whilst also being reminded that self-care doesn’t mean do it yourself.

Self Care Week, running from November 15 to November 21, is an annual national awareness week that focuses on embedding support for self-care across communities, families and generations.

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With health services such as GPs, walk-in centres and A&E, being busier than ever, the best way to avoid long waits is to prevent health and wellbeing issues getting to the point of needing urgent medical help, and this campaign is about making the right life improvements to ensure this.

People of Lancashire are reminded of the importance of looking after yourself this Self Care Week.People of Lancashire are reminded of the importance of looking after yourself this Self Care Week.
People of Lancashire are reminded of the importance of looking after yourself this Self Care Week.

Dr Neil Hartley-Smith, a GP in Blackpool, and the clinical director for NHS Blackpool and NHS Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “With health services so busy we want to help people before they get ill. Only 20 per cent of our health needs require a trip to the doctors or hospital, the rest are down to things such as environment and our own behaviour. By taking care of ourselves and adopting healthy lifestyles we can reduce our chance of becoming seriously ill and needing medical help dramatically.

“We are all in this together and we want people to know that help and support is available for those who are just starting out on their self-care journey. We encourage people to make a change now and if you don’t know how, just ask.”

Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership, which supports 1.8 million people in the community, state that there are many things individuals can do to prevent ill health, from doing more exercise, to quitting smoking, changing your diet or making new friends.

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However the partnership adds that people do not have to do all this work themselves, as there are a host of health services available that are designed specifically to offer the support you need to make those first steps.

For instance, most GP practices have access to social prescribing link workers or health coaches that people can ask to speak to.

Their role is to guide people through the hundreds of options and support them into a service that best suits their needs, and will even go as far as going with you to a new group or service if needed.

Louise Peacock, a social prescribing link worker, said: “Social prescribing is about talking to a person and establishing what is affecting their health and wellbeing and talking about what, if anything they want to explore further as a way to tackle those issues.

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“We connect people to community groups and even come with you if you like. It’s about looking at your strengths and working to build on.”

Local authorities also have lots of people willing to offer advice on finding new services or hobbies, whether that be a sports coach at one of the sports centres or even a librarian, who can help people search for a new hobby or interest group.

During Self Care Week, people can join in the conversation about all the support available to them using #selfcaretogether.

More information can also be found online.

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