By Lucy Ashton
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has issued advice to all Freshers and returning students to ensure everyone gets the right access to healthcare during their studies.
The Student Health Checklist provides students with useful hints and tips on key services within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and how to use them most effectively.
As thousands of new students come to study within NHSGGC, it’s important they familiarise themselves with the healthcare system to ensure they take the correct course of action if and when they need to access healthcare.
The full checklist and more information can be found at the Health Board’s new dedicated student health hub.
The guidance comes as the health board faces unprecedented demand on unscheduled care services, with an influx of new students expected to result in additional pressure on A&E services during fresher’s week and throughout term time.
Alongside finding their nearest pharmacy and learning about mental and sexual health services available to them, students are being urged to register with a local GP to ensure they have access to primary care when they need it.
The health board is also highlighting the virtual A&E service, which provides emergency care to patients through video and telephone – helping save them a trip to a physical hospital and a potentially long wait before they are treated. The service can be access via NHS24 by calling 111.
Dr Kerri Neylon, Deputy Director for Primary Care across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Every year students are welcomed across NHSGGC from far and wide to study at our universities and colleges. While we want them to enjoy themselves as they settle in, we also need them to take note of some key health information.
“This is to keep them safe and to ensure they get the best experience if they do need to use the health service. It’s easy to forget that you need a local GP, and you need to know what our different services are on offer. It’s particularly important for anyone coming to study from outside the health board area within Scotland, or from further afield where they may be used to a different way of accessing health care.”