What is the Health Exchange?

Call the Health Exchange team on FREEPHONE 0800 158 35 35
for more information

SWINE FLU UPDATE

What is Swine Flu?

• MILD illness lasting up to 5 days.
•  Those without underlying illness recover well.
• To contract swine flu you need to have had contact with an infection person – usually for more than an hour.
• If you do contract swine flu, symptoms appear quite quickly often within 6-8 hours.

What are the symptoms?

• Fever/high temperature
• Cough
• Headache
• Runny nose
• Aching joints and limb pains
• Sore throat
• Diarrhoea

What do you do?

• Stay at home and avoid visitors – don’t spread it!
  
• Don't attend places of worship or large gatherings.
  
• Check your symptoms:
  ~          visit www.nhs.uk                   OR
  ~          call 0800 1 513 513              OR
  ~          call NHS Direct 0845 46 47
  
• If you think you may have swine flu, please follow steps above and DO NOT attend your GP or Accident and Emergency Department as this may lead to further spread of swine flu.  If you have any concerns, CALL NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

1.   Everyone should follow good hand hygiene – wash your hands properly and regularly.

2.   When you sneeze or cough:

• catch it with a tissue

• bin it

• wash your hands.

3.   If you are given medication make sure you complete the course!

4.   If you intend to travel abroad please check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website for information specific to the country you are visiting: www.fco.gov.uk.  Alternatively call the FCO's 24-hour advice line on 0845 850 2829.

The Health Exchange is a partnership development between the Heart of Birmingham teaching Primary Care Trust and Birmingham City Libraries which was launched in July 2006.

Our model has been designed to make health services available and accessible to all members of our community, using a combination of on-line resources, public access points at community locations and Health Exchange staff and supporters.

In this website, we have brought together a wide range of information on health and local support organisations to enable you to develop your own personalised service and inform you about the choices available to you in Birmingham.

Vision

The vision for Health Exchange is:

To enable everyone to have the capacity and confidence to exercise a choice for positive health and well-being and to inform the design and development of health and wellbeing services.

The Mission

To build a world class health information and support service, based on the principles of choice and personalisation, serving the whole population that engages key organisations and utilises modern marketing and communication methods alongside personal contact to reach all sectors of the community; particularly reaching excluded groups. The Health Exchange will raise levels of knowledge and awareness of healthy lifestyles by operating as an intelligence and commissioning hub for the provision of public health services delivered through partnership with the Voluntary and Community Sector.

The Principles of Health Exchange mirror those of the 2004 white paper, Choosing Health: Making Healthier Choices Easier, particularly in the context of delivering a wellbeing service in support of the health service:

1. To educate users to take control of their health and wellbeing

2. To engage with individuals and the community and voluntary sector to strengthen capacity and sustainability in support of health and wellbeing

3. To empower people to make positive wellbeing and lifestyle choices and impact on the design and delivery of services; to tackle those health inequalities that have such a profound effect on peoples lives.

4. To develop employment and training pathways for residents of Heart of Birmingham communities through its career structure of Health Supporters, Health Trainers, Chronic Disease Educators, etc.