Managing your healthcare at home

Caring for yourself at home

Over the past few days of lockdown, people across the UK have been staying inside their homes as strongly advised by the government. This has forced many of us to think on our feet, coming up with creative solutions to problems which may have previously been solved outside of the house. Many of us associate receiving medical help and advice with being in the physical presence of a healthcare professional. However, in light of recent changes, there’s the opportunity for many people to embrace new technologies so they can manage their healthcare at home.

Despite this blog post focusing on managing healthcare at home, it’s important to remember that the government have stated it’s okay to leave the house for your own medical needs, or for someone to attend to the medical needs of someone else. However, considering some of the options below may help you to remain at home whilst still managing your healthcare needs effectively.

Online doctor

There are now a variety of online doctor services available online. These enable you to book an appointment and undergo an online consultation. Online doctors can advise on a number of ailments, including (but not limited to) skin conditions, sexual health, allergies and digestive problems. If required, they can prescribe medication to treat your condition.

Home delivery services

It’s not surprising that home delivery services for appliances and medications are becoming increasingly popular at this moment in time. Home delivery services request electronic prescriptions direct from your prescriber and they send the required items directly to your home, free of charge.

Optimum Medical’s home delivery service is called Optimum Delivered. Optimum Delivered is currently operating as normal and discreetly sending essential urology supplies to peoples’ homes all over England.

If you’d like to start receiving your prescribed urology supplies through Optimum Delivered, please call 0113 532 3369 and a member of our friendly customer care team will organise this for you.

NHS 111

NHS 111 is a valuable resource and can provide guidance on what sort of healthcare support you require. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please remember, in the event of a medical emergency, always dial 999 immediately. If it’s not an emergency but you’re unsure what type of assistance you require, dial NHS 111 for advice. You’ll be asked questions around what symptom(s) you’re experiencing and if required, a nurse will give you a call to provide further advice. They’ll be able to let you know if you can self-treat at home, or if you need to see a healthcare professional.

NHS Choices

The NHS Choices website is a valuable online resource, filled with plenty of information on a whole variety of health conditions. It provides details such as symptoms you may experience and how certain conditions are treated. It also provides a wealth of other useful information, such as advice on how to stay well, information on social care and support and the latest health news.

It’s worth bearing in mind some of the above options for ways you can manage your healthcare at home during COVID-19 where access to face-to-face services is limited. You can also use these services beyond COVID-19, and why wouldn’t you? We have access to so many conveniences in other areas of our lives. Why should the ways in which we manage our health needs be any different?