NHS 111

Medical help or advice is available 24 hours a day through NHS 111. Call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.

Mental Health Crisis call 111 - Option 2

The First Response Service supports people experiencing a mental health crisis. The First Response Service provides 24-hours access, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to mental health care, advice, support and treatment. By calling 111, and selecting option 2, you will be put through to a member of the FRS who will speak to you and discuss your current mental health needs.

You should make sure to register with a GP (doctor) when you arrive in Cambridge. You can register at the GP surgery office or online depending on the surgery. The following GP surgeries are within a short distance of College residences:

Newnham Walk Surgery have two surgeries in town.   
Web: newnhamwalksurgery.nhs.uk   
Tel: 01223 366811   
Main surgery: Wordsworth Grove, CB3 9HS (near Sidgwick Site)   
City Centre Surgery: Boots the Chemist (1st Floor)

Bridge Street Medical Centre   
Web: bridgestreetmedicalcentre.com   
Tel: 0844 477 3939   
2 All Saints Passage, Cambridge CB2 3LS

Lensfield Medical Practice   
Web: lensfieldpractice.org   
Tel: 0844 387 8222   
48 Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EH

Trumpington Street Medical Practice   
Web: trumpingtonstreetmedicalpractice.co.uk   
Tel: 01223 361611   
56 Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RG

The Cambridge Out of Hours GP is at the Urgent Treatment Centre at Addenbrooke’s. If you need to speak with or see a medical professional overnight or during the weekend and it’s not life threatening, call 111. They will offer you advice and arrange an appointment if needed – walk-ins are not available. See here for more information.

Please remember that this service is for conditions which cannot wait until your GP practice is open.

In an extreme emergency the nearest Accident & Emergency Department is at Addenbrooke's Hospital. An extreme emergency is a condition such as a suspected broken bone, road accident, a severe wound that requires stitching, suspected heart attack or any other life-threatening condition.

You should only call 999 in an emergency. If it is not a life-threatening situation, consider the other options available to you.

Dental care is heavily subsidised but not completely covered by the NHS. If you would like to receive regular dental care during your time at Cambridge you can register with an NHS dentist (see here for more information on finding a dentist, fees, etc.) or find a private dental practice. Not all dental practices are accepting NHS patients at any given time. As it is currently difficult to find an NHS dentist, we advise that you have dental check ups and treatment before arriving. PhD students may also benefit from looking into payment plans with private dentists.

Most eye care is not delivered under the NHS, but through high street opticians such as Specsavers and Boots. Eye tests usually cost around £30 and will check for vision and general health. See here for more information.

You can access physiotherapy in Cambridge through most GP offices or through a self-referral. See here for more information.

This service is part of the National NHS Talking Therapies. It aims to make psychological therapies more accessible to people experiencing common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The psychological therapies offered are approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

You can self-refer if interested in accessing the service. See here for more information.

You can seek easily accessable advice and treatment from your Community Pharmacy. This service complements existing GP & Out of Hours services and may save the need for an appointment.

Pharmacy First is an NHS scheme to provide professional healthcare advice and treatment if needed for 7 common illnesses. Boots and Superdrug are both available for Pharmacy First services. You do not need to book an appointment ahead of time.

Common conditions covered by Pharmacy First:

• Sinusitis (12 years and over)
• Sore throat (5 years and over)
• Earache (1–17 years)
• Infected insect bites and stings (1 year and older)
• Impetigo (1 year and older)
• Shingles (18 years and over)
• Uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) in women (16-64 years)

We understand that some College Members may need to use Sharps from time to time, e.g. Insulin Pen Needles.  We ask that you ensure that you dispose of these in such a way that our staff or other college users are not put at any risk.  Your Doctor should have provided you with your own Sharps bin and given you advice on safe disposal of needles and sharps which you should follow.

In the unlikely event that you do not yet have a Sharps disposal bin, please contact the Housekeeping Department or Porters Lodge.  There is a purpose intended sharps disposal bin in both locations that is available for you to use.

Please DO NOT dispose of sharps in bedroom bins or in any other bins around the College.

Prescription Scheme

The RCSA is trialling a Prescription Scheme this year and will fund full reimbursement of the NHS prescription charge when paid by any Robinson Student (Undergrad or Postgrad). Please contact the RCSA Treasurer (treasurer@rcsa.co.uk) for more information, any questions, and to inquire about reimbursement.

Gender Recognition Fund

The RCSA has established a Gender Expression Fund for trans, non-binary, questioning, and gender non-conforming students to purchase items that they may need for their gender presentation including, but not limited to, binders, packers, wigs, breast forms, concealing underwear.
You can also be reimbursed for trips to and from Gender Identity Clinics for appointments during term time. This is entirely confidential. Please contact the RCSA LGBTQ+ Officer (lgbt@rcsa.co.uk) if interested in accessing the fund.

Meningitis symptoms can include:

• severe headache
• vomiting
• high temperature (fever) of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or over
• stiff neck
• sensitivity to light
• rapid breathing
• a general feeling of being unwell
• a distinctive skin rash (although not everyone will have this)

For more information about Meningitis please see - The Meningitis Trust

·     Cambridge SU offers free sexual health supplies (condoms, dental dams, lube, and pregnancy tests). They can be collected from Cambridge SU Lounge on the Third Floor of the University Centre.

The integrated Contraception and Sexual Health (iCASH) service provides all aspects of sexual and reproductive health, including contraception, sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV testing and treatment, and confidential advice.

• You can order at home kits for routine STI testing.
• Access resources on sexual health topics & services.
• Schedule a telephone consultation or face-to-face appointment at the Lime Tree Clinic: Brookfields Campus, 351 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3DF

Under 25? Join the C-Card Scheme for access to free condoms, lube and chlamydia tests. Sign up at Fitzwilliam Pharmacy or the iCash Lime Tree Clinic.

Emergency Contraception: EC is available from your GP Surgery free of charge or some Pharmacies will dispense it over the counter but there will be a cost of around £25 and is also available from iCaSH.

Dhiverse Cambridge provides inclusive education and support services around relationships, sexual health & wellbeing, sexual rights & responsibilities.

If you have experienced sexual violence, there are several avenues of support.

College

Within College you can speak with your tutor, a member of the Wellbeing Team, or the Robinson Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Violence (Lizzi Rawlinson-Mills).

Harassment and Violence Support Service (HVSS)

The HVSS is a University service within Student Support. They provide support to both those who have been subjected to any form of sexual harassment or violence and/or intimate partner abuse, and those who have been impacted by religious or racial discrimination or violence.  

When they say that they are there to support those who have been subjected to “any form of sexual harassment or violence” they mean to emphasise that there is no threshold of seriousness – any unwanted or non-consensual experience might leave you in need of emotional and practical support and the HVSS are there to help.

Note also that this support is not time-limited. While some forms of support might be particularly welcome immediately after an incident, the HVSS will continue to be available to anybody who has experienced sexual harassment or violence, religious or racial discrimination at any time in their lives.

You can arrange an appointment by filling in the student support request form.

Please note that the form does not require detailed information about any incident. Likewise, in the initial and any subsequent appointments with HVSS it will be completely up to you whether you choose to make a disclosure about something that has happened. The HVSS are there to support you in dealing with the impact of an incident, without needing you ever to share details of what has happened.

The HVSS can also give impartial advice about with reporting options, and support if you do chose to make a report.

Cambridge Rape Crisis centre

Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre offers support to women and girls who have experienced or are experiencing rape, childhood sexual abuse or any form of sexual violence. All services are confidential and run by women, for women and girls. We can also support family, friends and professionals who are supporting a survivor.

Dhiverse Cambridge

Dhiverse offers counselling around sexual trauma using an Integrative Approach. This means that they use different types of counselling depending on your needs and preferences so that you get the best possible support.

Cambridge Women's Aid

CWA offers information, advice and ongoing practical and emotional support to women experiencing domestic abuse in strictest confidence.

Reporting to the police

If you believe that a criminal offence has been committed then you can report the matter to the police.  If the incident has taken place in Cambridge then you can find out more information from the Cambridge Constabulary.  If you report a matter to the police, you can still report a matter to the University or College.

Brief advice for first aid for an acute sports injury (within 48 hours after the injury)

• Protect the injured area from further injury
• REST the injured area
• Apply ICE to the injured area for 10 minutes every one to two hours (wrap the ice in a moist cloth). Frozen peas work well. Rub a small amount of oil (e.g. baby oil) on the injured area to prevent a burn.
• Apply mild COMPRESSION to the area to prevent excessive swelling
• ELEVATE the injured area
• Supporting the injured limb can be helpful in the initial stages
• Take a normal dose of your usual pain-relieving medication. An anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen can help relieve both pain and swelling, however, be careful if you have a history of asthma or indigestion.

If you are concerned about any injury please contact your GP in the first instance.

If you are planning a vacation or trip during the holidays it is advisable to visit your local Practice Nurse 6 weeks before you travel, for advice on the vaccinations required by each country together with up to date information on any out breaks eg Dengue Fever, Avian Flu. You can do some preparation in advance by visiting these websites.

Travax
Fit for Travel