Benefits

This is an two people's hands seen from above. One person's hands are holding the other's and are on top. These hands look younger. Both hands have fair skin. The background can't be seen, it's just people's clothing

In the words of people who have used the service:

Taking a fresh look

“it's a really useful health screening form that might bring up something that you should have gone to the doctors about, but didn’t. Could be something fairly serious, but you put it to one side as an silly ailment or whatever.” A young black man is looking at the camera. He is smiling thoughtfully. He has very short hair and brown eyes. His skin is medium brown. He is wearing a blue t shirt.

“The human body is so complicated, and everyone's different. It has made me think what I've got wrong with me as I’m getting older.”

“It made me think a bit more about things. Like, you might have a twinge in your back, but you don't really think about it. Answering the questions made me reflect on my health in a way I hadn’t before.”

Help to Remember

“It allows me to... have all my health information in one place so that I can present it to my GP without gaps. It’s really practical for people with bad short-term memory.”

“I was keeping notes of what I wanted to discuss with my doctor. I would log symptoms because otherwise I would forget. So I have to make lists. But what happens if I lose those lists? This makes everything more simple and safe.”

An older caucasian man is looking at us from a side on view. He has short grey hair, and blue eyes and is wearing glasses. He looks like he is thinking about something.“Three months down the line, you might be like, I went to the hospital. But what did I say? This helps me keep a record of my own health history. And it can avoid doctors asking questions they might have asked before.”

“It’s practical for when you can’t remember what you last told your doctor, or when you last went. You might have been better in between visits and forget how bad things were. You can be like, yeah, it was better last year but this has been happening lately. This has been odd. A piece of paper can’t support that train of thought.”

"It made me think a bit more about about things, like you, you might have a twinge in your back, but you don't really think about it. If you have memory problems and you can't remember.. you can go back and have a look back over what you would said the day before or the two days before to see if there was any change, you didn't have to remember in your head."

Support to Speak up

"Explaining our health worries can be hard, especially if we are not sure what is important, or we have a lot to say in a short appointment.  It's even harder if we have trouble communicating, or if what we say is not being taken seriously, or is at risk of being ignored altogether. Not being believed is hard on us, and harms our health too."Image of an older Asian woman with wavy grey hair. She is wearing glasses and smiling thoughtfully. She is facing the left and looking over that way. Her hand is next to her face. She looks kind.

"As the mother of a child with hEDS, I observed that the hands-on approach, in providing support, structure and services, helped us to focus on the key areas and target our questioning.  By working through the various areas and discussions, it provided a framework for discussions with health care professionals, and helped to directly enhance the approach that we took.The delivery of the service means that it was accessible to my disabled daughter at a time and in a way that suited her."

What other benefits are there?

Health Heard  is helping people like you to identify, record and communicate critical issues to your health professionals and doctors, so that they can use your Health Story to advise on the best next steps.

These steps may well include tests, assessments, treatments and medications, or perhaps dietary changes, stress management and well-being services. We can also help you see how effective these steps may be at reducing symptoms over time.

Rather than giving any specific diagnosis, we help ypu tp get a clearer picture of what's going on.
This can help you:

  • manage your day-to-day health
  • live with a disability or chronic illness
  • keep an eye on known issues
  • explain your issues or concerns 

...and find out more about what your symptoms might mean for you and your health.

Having a clear picture also helps when you share the results with your doctor. You can better tell them what is bothering you most, and your doctor can better identify what's most urgent.

It's also important to track your symptoms and issues even if you're well at the moment, as recording how you are now makes it easier to spot any changes in the future, and to take action in good time.

Responding to the questionnaire regularly also helps track how you are affected by a medication, a change in diet or a new activity, or how you well are recovering from an injury, surgery, infection, or a virus.

Your Health Story can also help you understand more about how your body and mind work together, and help you can make sure you’re not overdoing things or becoming too stressed

And if needs be, we can assist you to work out what help or support you might need to make the most of the Health Heard service - or just to enjoy life more!