Welcome to our
Health and Wellbeing Summer Special eNewsletter!
With summer now in
full swing, we’ve got some helpful tips and online resources to
support you and your family's health and wellbeing as well as
information on where to get further support in your local area.

Keeping safe
this summer
Long, sunny days
are great for trips out with family and friends — but heat, fire
and water hazards can quickly spoil the fun.
A little forward
planning helps keep everyone, including pets, safe and well this
summer. Our keeping safe this summer pages include advice on:
- Heat alerts and heat safety.
- Hydration.
- Checking up —
looking out for friends, family, neighbours, pets and animals.
- Your health,
including sun safety, sexual health, and tick awareness.
- Fire safety and summer
fire safety advice.
- Water safety.
- Festivals —
planning before attending events.
- Travelling abroad
and travel vaccinations — speak to your GP or practice nurse
for general advice about travel vaccinations and travel
health, such as protecting yourself from malaria. You can also
pick up free condoms from your local
sexual health hub, or if you are aged under 25 you
can order them for free online. Sexually transmitted infection
(STI) tests (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and HIV) can
also be ordered online
ahead of travel.

Don't delay:
quit smoking today
You’re three times more likely to quit smoking for
good with the right support, even if you’ve tried to quit in the
past. What's more; the summer holidays can be a great time to do
it, with a change of routine and no-smoking flights offering the
perfect opportunity to quit for good.
In West Sussex we have a team of specialist stop
smoking advisors who can offer free, non-judgemental support and
the right quit aids. For more information, visit our stop smoking services page, call
0330 222 7980 or download the Smokefree
app to access free support today.
Support for
mental wellbeing
If you or someone you know is struggling with their
mental wellbeing, for example anxiety, stress or low mood, there’s
support available 24/7.
Text SUSSEX to 85258 for free, confidential support at
any time of day or night. You'll be connected to a trained
volunteer who can help you feel heard and supported. This service
is provided by Shout.
You’re never alone in how you feel — help is just a
message away.
Online resources and support:
A dedicated hub called e-Wellbeing
offers free mental health resources and self-care tips for children
and young people aged 13 to 25, and for adults (aged 25+). So if
you’re looking for help managing your wellbeing, such as managing
anxiety, improving sleep or dealing with stress, you’ll find clear,
trusted advice.

Too busy for
cancer? Get screened!
Last month was Cervical Screening Awareness Week and
we're continuing to recommend those aged 25 to 64 take up the offer
of regular cervical screening (sometimes called a smear test),
which is carried out at GP practices. Cervical screening checks the
health of your cervix and is effective in detecting abnormal
changes before they can turn into cancer.
Pre-cancers rarely cause symptoms, which is why
regular cervical screening is important. Even if you’ve had the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV)
it’s important that you still attend your cervical screening,
because the vaccine doesn’t provide protection against all strains
of HPV. The HPV vaccination protects against the human
papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer and other types of
cancer. Detecting cancer early can save lives, as it’s often easier
to treat and has a better chance of being cured at an early stage.
If you missed your last cervical screening invitation,
it’s not too late, you can still book an appointment with your GP
practice. Screening saves lives. Please don’t wait.
Head to our Newsroom
to find all the latest news from your council. In the meantime,
here are some reminders of services and resources to support a
healthy lifestyle.
- Alcohol Awareness Week is
taking place from 7 to 13 July, and is a great opportunity to
take the online DrinkCoach
test to understand your risk. It's safest not to drink more
than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days and with
a few days off (14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of
average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength
wine). If you're pregnant, the safest option is not to drink
at all.
Drinking too much alcohol can increase the risk of liver
disease, cancer, heart problems, and mental health issues.
Take control now by visiting Call the Shots on Alcohol and
find out about free local support from West
Sussex Wellbeing.
- Check out all the weight management
services available in West Sussex by visiting the West Sussex Wellbeing website.
This includes information on our free weight management
courses and support.
- Do you or someone
you know use a telecare alarm?Landline
phones are switching to digital, which could stop telecare
alarms working. The switchover is already happening, so you
need to act now. If you or someone you know uses a telecare
alarm, call the landline provider now for support. Visit the Digital Phone Switchover website
to find out more.

Your pharmacy services
In February, we asked you to tell us about your
experience with local pharmacy services to help us to understand
how residents and communities use them. These comments and
suggestions helped to inform a draft Pharmaceutical Needs
Assessment (PNA), which is a statement of needs for pharmaceutical
service provision within the area. We are seeking your feedback on
the draft PNA; the consultation is open until Monday 28 July
at 11.55pm. To have your say please visit our website.
Young
people's voices
We're asking all young people in West Sussex to tell us what
they think about leisure-time activities that they may do in their
free time. If you know someone aged 11 to 19 years old (or up to 24
years old with a learning difficulty or disability) please ask them
to take part to help shape activities across West Sussex. Fill out our survey by Sunday 6 July 2025
and enter our free prize draw to win a £20 voucher.


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Looking after teeth from an early age is key to
preventing dental issues down the road. If your child experiences
a dental emergency like a knocked-out tooth or severe toothache,
don’t wait — seek immediate care. You can access urgent dental
services through the NHS Sussex Emergency Dental Service.
You can also read our tips for looking after children’s teeth
for more information.
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