Your Health
News and advice from Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust

Be sunsmart this summer

Now that summer is well and truly here many of us will be taking the opportunity to enjoy the sun and get out and about and do all the things we love to do at this time of year. But the summer sun brings its own risks, not least the possible damage to your skin from strong sunlight.
Many cases of sunburn happen when people are not deliberately ‘sunbathing’. You may be outdoors watching sport, doing the gardening or just sitting in the park.
Most of us happily slap on the sun cream if we are going abroad on holiday but we often forget how strong the sun can be in this country. We need to remember that the sun does not need to feel hot to damage our skin; the UV rays (the ones that do the damage) are invisible and cannot be felt on the skin. These rays penetrate deeply into our cells, causing changes that lead to skin ageing, eye damage and even skin cancer.

SunSmart - the UK’s national skin cancer prevention campaign -suggests a few simple precautions to help you prevent sunburn this summer:

• Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm
• Make sure you never burn
• Aim to cover up with a hat, t-shirt and sunglasses
• Remember to take extra care with children
• Then use factor 15+ sunscreen or higher.

Health experts also recommend that you avoid using sunbeds and report any mole changes or unusual skin growths to your doctor as soon as possible.

Our vision for the future

This month Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) launches its vision of health service excellence for the residents of Hull. This vision will guide the work of the PCT to enable our staff to provide the very best services to our patients and the public.

Our Vision:

“The PCT will work with partners and local people to create an affordable healthcare system that exceeds minimum standards in quality and access. We will work with the citizens of Hull to improve their health and well-being as well as their healthcare.”
This vision is supported by 10 Aims which set out how the PCT plans to achieve its vision in more detail.

10 Aims:

By the end of 2008, you will:

1. Wait a maximum of 18 weeks from seeing a GP to receiving hospital treatment, and ideally no longer than 9 weeks
2. Be given more choice in when, where and how you receive your healthcare at a time to suit you
3. Receive quick and convenient quality care for mental health problems and learning disabilities
4. Receive care from staff with a range of different skills, and be given more choice in who provides your care
5. Know how to get the most suitable and convenient treatment whenever you become unwell
6. Have access to health and social care services which work together in the interests of local people
7. Be able to use services which support families and help children to reach their potential
8. Receive high quality services which are safe and efficient
9. Receive advice and support to make the right healthy lifestyle choices, in order to live longer and healthier lives
10. Know that the Primary Care Trust will spend its money wisely according to the health needs of local people.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Hull Primary Care Trust tel. (01482) 344700