Staying healthy on campus: the University Health Service

I was recently taking a stroll around campus after picking up my dissertation script and came across the University Health Services building (Building 48). I personally have never been in the surgery before as I have always been registered elsewhere but I have wondered about what it offered students. It turns out that having this little building within minutes away from the general student body is incredibly useful!

The practice is part of the NHS but its location means it has also become an integral part of the student environment. You don’t need to be a student, although you do need to be living within its catchment area before you are able to register yourself. It certainly is convenient for students, staff and locals alike.

Based on the Highfield Campus, you will be able to find it just in between the Murray building (Building 58) and the Physics building (Building 46).

The surgery on campus

Services and support available

The Travel Clinic

As summer is approaching many of us may be travelling to distant and tropical areas of the world. If you need travel advice and vaccination, the practice is able to give you some help. It is worth noting, however, that some vaccines are not provided by the NHS so be wary of the extra costs that may come up. Simply go to their website, fill in a travel clinic form and drop it off at reception. Alternatively, you may be able to pick up a form on reception itself.

Anxiety, Depression, Stress or Worries

Although the practice does not have specific services for counselling or therapy, they are able to give you some advice on who you may be able to chat to within the University and around Southampton city. In addition, as well as being able to chat to the nurses in the surgery itself, students can speak to trained staff from the University’s counselling service. Just contact Enabling Services to arrange an appointment or you can drop in during the week. They also have plenty of information about mental health and wellbeing.

Sexual Health Service and Advice

The practice encourages safe sex so they are able to offer advice if you need it. They may provide you with some methods of contraception for free.

Minor Surgery

Have you ever been worried about that mole that’s mysteriously changed shape recently? The practice’s doctors can have a look and, if need be, are able to surgically remove or treat by cryotherapy a variety of skin lesions, such as warts, verrucae, moles, skin tags, abscesses, ingrown toenails, and cysts. Just take a leaflet from reception first and read up on the operation so you have more understanding of what will be involved.

Special consideration reports and sick notes

The University Health Service may be able to provide you a sick note, letter or a medical report if you meet their specific criteria.



It is fantastic to know that these services are on campus and is just minutes away when you need them. What’s more, rather than simply going to accident and emergency options like the health service on campus may relieve busy hospitals. Not only may they be able to provide the service themselves but they can refer you to someone who may be in a better position to help you out.

It is not just the University Health Service that provides physical and mental well-being support for students and staff. The Student Services Centre (Building 37) also provide a wide range of help and support too.

A-Level results come out in August, so if you are going to be a student starting in September at the University of Southampton, make sure that registering yourself at your local GP is one of the first things that you do.

Stay healthy!

Rylyn

Post-exam motivation

On these grey days with exams hanging over most of our heads, I bet I’m not the only one who feels very tired. As this blog post is being published, I’m having my last exam and it would be an understatement to say that I’m looking forward to being done!

I have been thinking about what I want to do when I finish my exams. After all, I have almost a week off and I’m not planning on going back home to -16 degrees in Norway!

The best thing I could think of would be to go to a spa and just stay there for a week, but that’s probably not the best idea on a student budget! I am, however, planning on some extreme relaxing time, catching up with TV shows and highly needed sleep. However, a week off shall not be spent just being in bed. Or at least, I’m trying to convince myself of that.

I woke up to this picture sent to me by one of my best friends back home and quickly decided I will stay in England for my days off. 

For my week off I’m planning on going somewhere here on the South Coast where I haven’t been. I have mentioned it before, but from Southampton there are so many trains and coaches you can catch, so now it’s just a question of where. I’m thinking about going to nearby cities like Portsmouth, Winchester, or maybe Salisbury and see Stonehenge, but any other suggestions are also highly appreciated.

Bournemouth, 40 minutes by train away from Southampton. Send me some sunshine, please! 

Strangely enough, I’m also looking forward to semester two. It’s a fresh start in a new year and that in itself is quite motivating. It’s also a bit daunting, since I’m halfway through my degree and I have no idea where the time is going!

Semester two of second year is also very special, since this is the semester we are applying for exchange in third year. This is something I really want to do and Southampton has so many good exchange opportunities for all the different courses that it’s hard to choose where I want to apply. To my knowledge this has to be done by February so, it’s quite soon!

I’m also going to take a bit advantage of all the wonderful opportunities offered to us as students here at Southampton and attend one of the many workshops Enabling Services are offering. Did you know each Monday they arrange something called Mindful Mondays for students? I have never been, but from the description I found on the event details, it looks like something I could find useful.

Last, but not least – I’m actually excited to get all the things ‘I will do it after exams finish’ done. This includes a deep-cleaning of our house, go proper food-shopping and getting registered at the Doctors. Yes, I was one of the lazy ones who didn’t want to stand in the queue outside the Surgery, but luckily I can register all year around.

I hope everyone’s exams are going alright and that in the deepest sleep deprivation and that you all at least have something to look forward to after exams!

Alexandra

Let's talk about mental health

This is something that I’ve wanted to write about since I started writing for Life at Southampton, but I have always managed to think of something else to write about…perhaps to avoid talking about mental health.

At the end of second year I suffered a series of panic attacks and was subsequently diagnosed with anxiety and depression. I hadn’t wanted to admit that I was struggling; even day-to-day tasks were becoming difficult and even just talking to people or leaving the house to go anywhere other than the library was becoming impossible. I convinced myself that I was just focusing on work, I was just busy and under a lot of pressure – that how I was feeling was normal. It wasn’t until I hit a crisis point that I went to the GP and admitted something was wrong. Since then things have gotten better, and I wish I had spoken to someone sooner, before I let it get as far as it did – but it’s still hard to talk about.

My experience, it turns out, is similar to the experiences of so many students, not just at Southampton but all over the UK. The transition to University is one of the most dramatic transitions that young people today face. Countless studies have shown that the prevalence of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders are significantly higher amongst student populations – yet somehow, unbelievably, mental health isn’t something that’s commonly discussed before you move to University. For some reason, we still have this concept of mental health disorders as something you can ‘just get over’.

So, the first message that I want to get across is: if you notice that you aren’t coping well, that your habits have changed, you’re becoming withdrawn, or eating differently – talk to someone.

 The first point of contact could be a friend, your GP (the GPs at the University Health Service were extremely knowledgeable and helpful), or Enabling Services within the University (who run drop in sessions from 1pm to 3pm Monday to Friday during term time).

Also Masters students, PhD’s and Postdoc’s, listen up! Those studying a PhD are the most at risk of developing a mental health disorder, so all of this applies to you as well.

If you speak to your GP, they might recommend that you seek out some form of counselling, either through Enabling Services (which is free) or through NHS Steps2Wellbeing (also free), which offers counselling and treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for various illnesses.

Something that has frustrated me immensely is the cliché that an eating disorder is only anorexia or bulimia, and that it only affects women. This is not true! Men and women are equally at risk of developing an eating disorder, which can manifest in any number of different ways. What’s important is that you recognise that you know you best. If you notice that your eating habits have changed, or that you feel differently about food, that’s when you need to talk to someone. Eating disorders are best cured right at the start, before they have time to take hold and do irreparable damage.

The key thing to know is that you are so not alone, and that in Southampton there is so much help available.

For instance, the University has launched a new counselling service where students have been trained to act as ‘buddies’ for people who are finding it hard to adjust. They are trained in confidential listening techniques and have loads of advice for students who don’t know what to do next.

Charities such as 'Student Minds - Southampton' offer support groups, events and training, and runs campaigns aimed at raising awareness. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

The University offers a number of specialised treatments and outreach services so that there is ALWAYS someone for you to talk to, at any time, in Southampton.

Emma