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. 

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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