Stay Well This Winter roadshow.

18th November 2016

The national Stay Well This Winter roadshow is in Stockport this week to give local residents advice and tips on looking after their health this winter.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the vulnerability of the elderly and those with long-term health conditions at winter among family, friends and carers.

The Stay Well This Winter roadshow will be visiting shopping centres, supermarkets and football grounds across England and will be stopping at Tesco Extra at Portwood for the day on Thursday 24^th November.

At the event, leaflets will be distributed that provide information on how you and your family can stay well this winter and a nurse will also be on hand to talk to anyone who has any questions.

The Stay Well This Winter campaign offers simple advice about how everyone can protect themselves this winter.

Advice includes:

• If you suffer from a long term health condition, are aged 65 or over; or are pregnant, get the free flu vaccine now
• If you’re a parent of a child aged 2 -7, ensure your child is vaccinated against flu. Children aged 2, 3 and 4 can get the vaccination from their GP. Parents of children in school years 1, 2 and 3 are asked to give permission for their child to receive the free nasal spray vaccination at school
• Seek immediate advice from your pharmacist at the first sign of winter illnesses, before it gets too serious
• Heat your home to at least 18°C (65°F), if you can
• Keep an eye out for elderly relatives and neighbours

Stockport’s lead GP Dr Ranjit Gill said “We’re delighted that the roadshow is visiting the borough as it will give local people a chance to hear first-hand how they can protect their health this winter.

“People can get all the information and advice they need and there’ll also be a nurse available who can answer specific questions and even do private consultations if you want one.

“We need people to do what they can to protect themselves, their family and friends over the cold months and also to understand that by seeing their local pharmacist at the first sign of illness, they can avoid it getting more serious.”

For further information about how you and your family can stay well this winter, please visit www.nhs.uk/staywell.