Wye Valley NHS Trust

The Trust offers video consultations to some of our patients, as appropriate. The decision to offer this type of appointment will be made by a medical professional depending on your individual care needs. Video consultations are easy to use and are often more convenient for our patients. The Trust uses the MS Teams Bookings application for video consultations, which is a secure web-based platform for patients with pre-arranged video consultation appointments. The patient will receive a link either by email or text to join the MS Teams meeting and by clicking on the provided link on their mobile device or…

If you have forgotten or were not able to take your Biologic drug at the right time, take it as soon as you remember. Your next dose of biologic will need to be taken with the usual time gap between injections for your type of biologic. This will mean that the day of the week you normally take your drug will change. For example, if you take weekly Etanercept, and inject on Tuesdays. You might forget to take your weekly injection on a Tuesday, but then remember on Wednesday and take it then; you would then need to change your…

What you choose to put in your body really affects how you feel and how healthy you are. Eating the right sort of foods in the right amount is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. Eating unhealthily can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes. These conditions can increase the risk of heart and circulatory problems. There are lots of resources available to support you to understand a healthy approach to food and how to get into good eating habits that will help look after your heart health.…

When you have diabetes, you’re more at risk of heart and circulatory disease. And poor circulation makes other diabetes complications worse-like problems with your eyes and feet. That’s why it’s even more important to take good care of your heart when you have diabetes. If you have high blood sugar levels for a period of time, even slightly high, your arteries can start to get damaged, and make them more likely to develop fatty deposits (atheroma). If atheroma builds up in your coronary arteries, this can lead to a heart attack. To help protect yourself, get your HbA1c, blood pressure…

Your midwife will talk to you about your choices for contraception when you are being discharged from the hospital. Contraception should ideally be commenced 21 days after giving birth. The most reliable form of contraceptive is the implant or the coil, this is because it doesn’t rely on the user to remember to take it. However, everyone has a different health history and therefore this may limit your options, for example if you have a personal or family history of bloods clots, cancer, diabetes, asthma or migraines. Your GP will also discuss contraception with you at your 8 week postnatal…

Being physically inactive is when you don’t move your body for long periods of time. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and being overweight all increase the risk of heart and circulatory problems. Being physically active regularly helps reduce these conditions. Being active is anything that raises your heart rate, this can be activities like hanging the washing out, walking outdoors or sports. You should be able to hold a conversation while you are active. Regular activity doesn’t just protect your heart, it can help improve your general health and wellbeing. The amount of physical activity you can…

If you’ve ever dreamt of a place which brings together the convenience of living in a big city with the lifestyle associated with a home in a rural idyll, Herefordshire is the place for you. Herefordshire lies in the south west of the West Midlands, bordering Wales. It is a rural county with a population of around 178,400. Numbers are expected to grow to 193,600 by 2026. Just under half of the population live in villages and rural areas, just under a third (30 per cent) of the people live in Hereford City, and the rest (22 per cent) live…

Once baby is born, the midwife (or you!) will bring baby up to your abdomen or chest depending on the length of baby’s cord. Baby will be gently dried whilst on you and a warm layer will be placed over the top of you and your baby. We aim to keep baby skin to skin with you for at least an hour or as long as you like. Skin to skin has many benefits to you and baby: Calming for both baby and mother Helps to regulate baby’s temperature Enhances the bonding process Helps to regulate baby’s breathing and heart…

Gestational diabetes If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is because it has been found that you have a higher than normal level of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream. It is called gestational diabetes because it has been found whilst you are pregnant.  In a small amount of cases, it may be that a woman has undiagnosed diabetes, not caused by pregnancy.  The only way to know this is after your baby is born.  If your blood glucose remains high or uncontrolled postnatally then it is likely you have type 2 diabetes, your GP will check this at…

At your booking appointment your midwife will go through all the screening that you will be offered during pregnancy and for your baby once they are born. The first screening will involve a blood test at your initial appointment, which will be looking for infectious diseases, your rhesus factor, your haemoglobin level, your blood type and if you have any antibodies.  Also at this appointment your midwife will make a referral for you to have a dating scan, which will give you an estimated date of birth for baby.  At this scan they will ask if you would like to…