Ideally your Rheumatology medication should not be interrupted, as this increases the risk of your condition flaring. Before you go, make sure you have sufficient supplies of your medication and a sharps bin for disposal of used syringes. If you get your prescription from your GP, please contact them in time to request extra medication for when you are away. If we supply your medication and you are taking injections with you on a plane, please contact us for a travel letter, to have with you when taking the injections through customs. Injections should not be placed in the hold…

We rely on patient and public volunteers to enable research to happen. We would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has volunteered in a research study and contributed to improving the lives of other people.   Clinical research provides the only reliable evidence for safe, effective healthcare. Without health research there would be no new medicines, tests or treatments for health or disease. There would be no advances to medical knowledge or improvements to care. Because of this, you may be asked about taking part in a study when you visit the hospital or another one…

Injection site reactions include redness, itching, pain or swelling at the injection site. They mostly occur 1 to 2 days after an injection and go away within 3 to 5 days. Change the injection site each time you inject (e.g. rotate from one leg to another leg). Apply a cold compress to the injection site. Antihistamine tablets can help. If you continue to experience problems please contact us and we will be able to provide you further advice.

As you progress further along into your pregnancy you may begin to think about labour and have an image of how you would like events to go.  Labour and birth is unique to each person, every experience will be different and the more you know about it, the more involved and in control of your birth you will feel.   This section is full of information about labour and birth, it aims to tool you with knowledge to equip you to make informed decisions about your care. 

1 in 13 babies are born prematurely (before 37 weeks) in the UK.  If you start showing signs of labour before 37 weeks you will need to ring our triage department as soon as possible and come in to be assessed.  Early labour signs can include: Your waters breaking Abdominal pain Regular tightenings Vaginal blood loss Our special care baby unit in Hereford can provide care for babies who are 32 weeks and above. Therefore if you were to go into labour before this then a transfer to an appropriate unit would be organised as a matter of urgency. Once…

Further reading  Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology: Induction of labour, information for patients https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/patients/patient-leaflets/induction-of-labour---information-for-people-who-use-nhs-services/  NICE, Induction of Labour guideline   National Childbirth Trust https://www.nct.org.uk/sites/default/files/related_documents/Newburn%20Induction%20of%20labour%20pp12-13.pdf  Why Induction Matters by Rachel Reed (Book - 2018)  MidwifeThinking.com - Rachel Reed   Inducing labour, making informed decisions by Dr Sara Wickham (Book - 2018)  In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop by Dr Sara Wickham (Book - 2021)  Your human rights during your birth  Obstetric Cholestasis  Appendix  Risks associated with having a caesarean section include:  Higher than normal blood loss – haemorrhage Infection Injury…

There are many reasons as to why people fall, but falls are not an inevitable part of getting older and many falls can be prevented. You may be at risk of falling if: You have fallen beforeYou take four or more medications a dayYou have trouble with your balanceYou have difficulty walking or rising from a low bed or chairYou have a fear of falling Your medications have been changed within the last two weeksYou have vision or hearing problemsYou suffer from incontinenceYou suffer from poor memory or depression  You wear the wrong footwear or have foot problemsYour home is cluttered, poorly…

We strongly recommend that you continue your Rheumatology medication as normal, unless advised otherwise. Not taking your medication would mean you are at risk of having a flare-up, which puts you at a higher risk group than those on medication.  You should keep lateral flow tests at home.  You can use any lateral flow tests supplied by the Government. Please go to https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests  or call 119 to order a pack of lateral flow tests. Only use them if you develop symptoms. If you run out, you can order more. Please note that tests bought from a shop (including pharmacies) cannot be registered…

Your clinician may recommend the PIFU pathway if it is safe for you to manage your own follow-up appointments. Once you and your clinician agree you should go onto a PIFU pathway, your clinician will discuss with you the signs and symptoms of when your Rheumatology condition is active, which will also be highlighted in your clinical letter. You should contact us to arrange an appointment if you experience any of those signs and symptoms. If you are put on a PIFU transfer pathway, at the end of the agreed timeframe, you will receive an appointment. If you do not…

Back to Cardiac Services Hereford Cardiology Unit (also known as Heart & Lung) is based in the Oxford Suite at Hereford Hospitals. The team comprises of a mixture of specialities from clinical cardiac physiology, nursing and medicine.  The Unit conducts a variety of clinics and carry out a number of diagnostic tests for a wide range of cardiac conditions: Electrocardiography (ECG) – a recording of the heart electrical activity which is helpful in diagnosing various conditions Echocardiography – a detailed examination using ultrasound that enables the valves and chambers of the heart to be viewed in detail Walking monitoring where we use a…