Spring & Summer Health

The warmer weather often means that we spend more time getting out and about.  However, this means that it is even more important to make sure that you have first aid essentials to hand in case you need them in a hurry.

Key essentials to keep in your medicine cabinet or first aid kit over the summer include:

• Plasters and sterile dressings
• Scissors
• Antiseptic cream
• Painkillers
• Distilled water (for cleaning wounds or as an eye bath)
• Bite or sting cream
• Suncream
• Antihistamines

Pharmacy Opening Times

Remember that your GP practice will be closed over the bank holiday weekends.  You can still get advice from your local pharmacy.  For pharmacy opening times over the bank holidays click here.

Stay Safe in the Sun

When the sun’s shining no-one wants to keep kids cooped up inside – but did you know that children in
Britain have the highest skin cancer rates in Europe?

That’s partly because we think we don’t need to protect them when it’s overcast but in fact 80 per cent of the harmful UV rays still get through when it’s cloudy.

And because children’s skin is so sensitive it’s believed that just one episode of blistering sunburn can double their risk of skin cancer in later life.

Another problem is that when we do use sunscreen we don’t use enough – as a rule of thumb you should apply it thickly so can see skin but there’s an obvious layer on top.

With that in mind, here are some simple tips to keep your child – and yourself – safe in the sun:

• Firstly babies under one should always be kept out of the sun
• Minimise the time toddlers spend in the sun
• Cover them up with a wide brimmed hat and t-shirt.
• Cover any exposed skin including ears, back of the neck and tops of feet with sunscreen
• Choose a sunscreen preferably with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30+
• Check the “use by” date on the bottle and don’t use it if it’s expired.
• Apply to dry skin and only rub it in very lightly.
• Always apply the cream 15-30 minutes before they go outside so their skin has time to absorb the  product and re-apply at least every two hours.
• Re-apply sunscreen after going in the water, even if it’s labelled waterproof
• When the sun’s at its most dangerous (11am-3pm) spend time in the shade.