How you can help look after yourself We are Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), the primary community healthcare provider in Lincolnshire, delivering community-based services to support people to manage their own health at home and reducing the need for people to go into hospital. We care for thousands of patients every day and we aim to prevent health problems from getting worse, to reduce the need for people to go into hospital. LCHS works closely with other health and social care services to support a shift from care in acute hospitals, into more joined-up care in the community, close to home and to encourage people to help look after themselves. Self-care is about keeping fit and healthy, understanding when you can look after yourself, when a pharmacist can help, and when to get advice from your GP or another health professional. If you have a long-term condition, selfcare is also about understanding your condition, and how to live with it and still get the most from life. Self-care is important to us all, as prevention of ill health is much better than having to find a cure. We all have things we want to do that are important to us, so why not look at what we can do to keep ourselves healthy?
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Eating healthy, keeping active and making time to spend with friends and family are three of the most important things you can do to look after yourself. Preventing ill health by choosing the right lifestyle options can improve your physical health, mental wellbeing and self-esteem. If you feel you need some advice to help you, local pharmacies provide clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses. A pharmacist can assess symptoms and consider any long-term conditions, and the medicines that you’re taking, before providing a recommendation. They will either: • support/advise you in your decision to self-care
