It’s important that we all stay has healthy as we can so that we can enjoy life, work and take part in things that we enjoy doing. This section has details about health services, so you know where to go for help and advice about health-related things. We have also included information about staying healthy.

Most health services in England are provided free by the National Health Service (NHS) to those who need them. In Worcestershire NHS services are part of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care System. An integrated care system (ICS) is when all organisations involved in health and care work together in different, more joined-up ways. The focus is on providing care in a way that benefits patients. These health services include, amongst others, family doctors, mental health staff, community teams and hospitals which are predominantly delivered by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, and the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Transition to Adult services, in the time when you are aged 16-18 the changeover to Adult Health services will begin, and you will begin to see changes to your health support (if you receive it). You should be told by the people delivering your treatment what the changes will be, but it’s worth talking to each service to see what this change will look like and how you can prepare. Your GP (the doctor you see locally) will stay the same and you will continue to visit the same GP surgery as before unless you move out of the area.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust have published information about transition on their website, you can read it here: Transition - Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Consent to treatment, from the age of 16 it will be you who gives permission before you have any medical treatment, examination, or test.  The NHS say on their website:

‘Like adults, young people (aged 16 or 17) are presumed to have sufficient capacity to decide on their own medical treatment, unless there's significant evidence to suggest otherwise.’

Consent to treatment - Children and young people - NHS

This means that your doctor may ask for your permission to talk to your parents about your health and treatment, and ultimately it will be you who says yes or no to something.

The pages below will give you information about the different services available in Worcestershire.

Easy Health is a useful website with over 400 resources for helping to explain health conditions and procedures in an easy read format. You must register to access the guides and videos, but it’s completely free and easy to do, find out more here: Easy Health.

Learning Disability Register, if you have a learning disability you can ask to be added to the Learning Disability Register at your doctor’s surgery. Anyone of any age, and any level of learning disability can join the register, even if you live independently and have little or no support. You can read more about it on the Learning Disability Matters website, Annual Health Checks & GP Learning Disability Registers

Annual Health Checks, by being on the Learning Disability Register you will get extra support when you visit the doctors and could receive an annual health check (Mencap guide) from when you are 14 years old. Mencap have worked with NHS England to develop guides to explain, you can find them by visiting: Extra support people with a learning disability can get at the doctors | Mencap.