The latest update from Public Health Dorset:
Over 300,000 Dorset residents have taken up the offer of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Have you thought about how you’ll get to your appointment?
If you don’t have your own transport or you’re not sure how to get there, your council can help with travel advice and they can also support those who need it with the cost of a taxi journey.
Give your council’s COVID-19 helpline a call to discuss your options:
- Dorset Council: 01305 221000 or complete the online form
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council: 0300 1237052 or complete the online form
Community testing available for unpaid carers
Are you or do you know someone who is an unpaid carer? We are offering asymptomatic lateral flow device tests for unpaid carers in Dorset.
Unpaid carers can book up to two tests a week at one of our community testing sites around Dorset.
Asymptomatic tests are for those who show no symptoms of COVID-19. If you start to develop COVID-19, you must self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test.
Quitting smoking boosts your mental wellbeing
The past year has been incredibly stressful for many people and if you are a smoker, this means the temptation to reach for a cigarette has never been greater.
This Wednesday (10 March) is national No Smoking Day and this year smokers are being encouraged to consider not just the physical benefits of stopping smoking, but the benefits to mental wellbeing, too.
Although smokers who quit might experience short-term stress, within six weeks they will start to feel improvements in their mental as well as physical health. In fact, the effect on mood of giving up smoking has been likened to the equivalent of taking an antidepressant.
Meet Jasmin, who with the help of LiveWell Dorset, the free health and wellbeing support service, managed to conquer smoking and the negative impact it was having on her mental health: “The end of smoking was the beginning of my mental health journey. I have taken back control of my life. There is so much I want to do with my time that isn’t interrupted by constant smoking. I never knew how much it dragged me down until now!”
Start your quit journey to better mental health by signing up for LiveWell Dorset’s free 1-2-1 support and NRT packs.
More information about quitting smoking
We Are Undefeatable
As lockdown continues, it is important for us to keep looking after our physical wellbeing, and the We Are Undefeatable campaign helps you to do just that. Not only is getting active important for your physical health, it also has positive effect on your mental health. Many people in lockdown are struggling to keep active and are seeing a toll on their mental health too.
We Are Undefeatable has been set up to support you with your long term health conditions to encourage you on finding ways to be active that works with the your health conditions.