Useful addresses
We have included the following organisations because, on preliminary investigation, they may be of use to the reader. However, we do not have first-hand experience of each organisation and so cannot guarantee the organisation’s integrity. The reader must therefore exercise his or her own discretion and judgement when making further enquiries.
Arthritis Care
18 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD
Information line: 0845 600 6868
Helpline: 0808 800 4050
Website: www.arthritiscare.org.uk
Provides information, counselling, training and social contact. The first port of call for anyone with arthritis, including gout. Many smaller organisations for particular types of arthritis; for details ring helpline or freephone.
Arthritis Research Campaign
Copeman House, St Mary’s Court, St Mary’s Gate Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7TD
Tel: 01246 558033
Helpline: 0870 850 5000
Website: www.arc.org.uk
Finances an extensive programme of research and education in a wide range of arthritis and rheumatism problems including back pain. Provides useful booklets explaining related problems and ways of coping with them.
Assist UK (Disabled Living Centres Council)
Redbank House, 4 St Chad’s Street Manchester M8 8QA
Tel: 0870 770 2866
Website: www.assist-uk.org
Leads a network of over 50 local centres throughout the UK where furniture, appliances, aids and adaptations for disabled and elderly people are displayed. Has a wide range of services for clients, manufacturers and statutory sector. Offers training courses for health professionals. Information leaflets available on request.
BackCare (The Charity for Healthier Backs)
16 Elmtree Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 8ST
Tel: 020 8977 5474
Helpline: 0845 130 2704
Website: www.backcare.org.uk
Offers information and advice for people with back pain. Funds patient-oriented scientific research into the causes, treatment and prevention of back pain. Has local support groups throughout the country with regular meetings.
Benefits Enquiry Line
Tel: 0800 882200
Minicom: 0800 243355
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk
N. Ireland: 0800 220674
Government agency giving information and advice on sickness and disability benefits for people with disabilities and their carers.
British Acupuncture Council
63 Jeddo Road, London W12 9HQ
Tel: 020 8735 0400
Website: www.acupuncture.org.uk
Professional body offering information about the therapy and lists of qualified acupuncture therapists.
British Association of Occupational Therapists
106–114 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LB
Tel: 020 7357 6480
Website: www.cot.org.uk
For information about all aspects of occupational therapy. An SAE requested.
British Homeopathic Association
Hahnemann House, 29 Park Street West Luton LU1 3BE
Tel: 0870 444 3950
Website: www.trusthomeopathy.org
Professional body representing qualified homoeopathic practitioners. Offers information about homoeopathy, research, hospitals and clinics providing homoeopathy under the NHS, as well as lists of private practitioners.
CCAA (Children’s Chronic Arthritis Association)
Ground Floor, Amber Gate, City Wall Road Worcester WR1 2AH
Tel: 01905 745595
Website: www.ccaa.org.uk
Offers information and practical support to families of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Arranges educational and recreational opportunities for children with arthritis.
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
14 Bedford Row London WC1R 4ED
Tel: 020 7306 6666
Website: www.csp.org.uk
For information about all aspects of physiotherapy. Offers lists of registered physiotherapists around the country.
Clinical Knowledge Summaries
Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics at Newcastle (SCHIN Ltd), Bede House, All Saints Business Centre Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2ES
Tel: 0191 243 6100
Website: www.cks.library.nhs.uk
A website mainly for GPs giving information for patients listed by disease plus named self-help organisations.
Contact a Family
209–211 City Road London EC1V 1JN
Textphone: 0808 808 3556
Helpline: 0808 808 3555 (Mon–Fri 10am–4pm, Mon 5.30–7.30pm)
Website: www.cafamily.org.uk
Has information on over 1,000 rare disorders and disabilities and can put families in touch with each other for mutual support.
Crossroads Association
10 Regent Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2PN
Tel: 0845 450 0350
Website: www.crossroads.org.uk
Provides reliable, fully trained care support workers free to give the regular carers of ill or frail people ‘time to be themselves’.
Disabled Living Foundation
380–384 Harrow Road, London W9 2HU
Helpline: 0845 130 9177 (Mon–Fri 10am–4pm)
Tel: 020 7289 6111
Textphone 020 7432 8009
Website: www.dlf.org.uk
Provides information to disabled and elderly people on all kinds of equipment in order to promote their independence and quality of life.
Fibromyalgia Association UK
PO Box 206, Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 8YL
Helpline: 0845 345 2322 (Mon–Fri 10am–4pm)
Benefits helpline: 0845 345 2343 (Mon, Fri 10am–12 noon)
Website: www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org
Provides information for patients with fibromyalgia and has a network of local support groups throughout the UK. Campaigns for a better recognition and awareness of the disorder.
General Osteopathic Council
Osteopathy House, 176 Tower Bridge Road London SE1 3LU
Tel: 020 7357 6655
Website: www.osteopathy.org.uk
Regulatory body that offers information to the public and lists of accredited osteopaths.
Hypermobility Syndrome Association
PO Box 1122, Nailsea Bristol BS48 2YZ
Tel: 0845 345 4465 (Mon–Fri 9am–1pm and first Sat in month)
Website: www.hypermobility.org.uk
Charity run by and for people with hypermobility syndrome. For information please send an SAE.
mobilise (Promoting mobility for disabled people)
National Headquarters, Ashwellthorpe Norwich NR16 1EX
Tel: 01508 489449
Website: www.mobilise.info
Self-help association offering information and advice, and campaigning for independence through mobility with a wide range of services.
National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS)
Unit 0.2, 1 Victoria Villas Richmond, Surrey TW9 2GW
Tel: 020 8948 9117
Website: www.nass.co.uk
Provides information and advice to patients with ankylosing spondylitis, their families and professionals. Has over 100 branches providing supervised physiotherapy one evening a week. Videos, cassette tapes and DVDs of physiotherapy exercises available.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
MidCity Place, 71 High Holborn London WC1V 6NA
Tel: 0845 003 7780
Website: www.nice.org.uk
Provides national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill-health. Patient information leaflets are available for each piece of guidance issued.
National Osteoporosis Society
Manor Farm, Skinners Hill, Camerton Bath, Somerset BA2 0PJ
Tel: 0845 130 3076/01761 471771 (Mon–Thurs, 9am–4.30pm, Fri 9am–4pm)
Helpline: 0845 450 0230
Website: www.nos.org.uk
Provides information, advice on all aspects of osteoporosis, the menopause and hormone replacement therapy. Encourages people to take action to protect their bones. Helpline staffed by specially trained nurses. Has local support groups.
National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
Unit B4, Westacott Business Centre Westacott Way, Littlewick Green, Maidenhead SL6 3RT
Tel: 0845 458 3969
Helpline: 0800 298 7650
Website: www.rheumatoid.org.uk
Provides information, education and support for people with rheumatoid arthritis, their families and carers.
NHS Direct
Tel: 0845 4647 (24 hours, 365 days a year)
Website: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Offers confidential health-care advice, information and referral service. A good first port of call for any health advice.
NHS Smoking Helpline
Freephone: 0800 169 0169 (7am–11pm, 365 days a year)
Website: www.givingupsmoking.co.uk
Pregnancy smoking helpline: 0800 169 9169 (12 noon–9pm, 365 days a year.
Have advice, help and encouragement on giving up smoking. Specialist advisers available to offer ongoing support to those who genuinely are trying to give up smoking. Can refer to local branches.
Patients’ Association
PO Box 935, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3YJ
Tel: 020 8423 9111
Helpline: 0845 608 4455
Website: www.patients-association.com
Provides advice on patients’ rights, leaflets and a directory of self-help groups.
Quit (Smoking Quitlines)
211 Old Street London EC1V 9NR
Helpline: 0800 002200 (9am–9pm, 365 days a year)
Tel: 020 7251 1551
Website: www.quit.org.uk
Scotland: 0800 848484
Wales: 0800 169 0169 (NHS)
RADAR
12 City Forum, 250 City Road London EC1V 8AF
Tel: 020 7250 3222
Minicom: 020 7250 4119
Website: www.radar.org.uk
Campaigning body run by and for disabled people. Sells key to access locked public lavatories for £3.50.
Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT)
1st Floor, Linton House, 39–51 Highgate Road London NW5 1RS
Tel: 0845 230 7828
Website: www.stat.org.uk
Offers general information and lists of teachers of the Alexander Technique in the UK and worldwide and recommended training schools. Members receive upto-date information.
Websites
BBC
A helpful website: easy to navigate and offers lots of useful advice and information. Also contains links to other related topics.
Patient UK
Patient care website.
The internet as a source of further information
After reading this book, you may feel that you would like further information on the subject. The internet is of course an excellent place to look and there are many websites with useful information about medical disorders, related charities and support groups.
It should always be remembered, however, that the internet is unregulated and anyone is free to set up a website and add information to it. Many websites offer impartial advice and information that has been compiled and checked by qualified medical professionals. Some, on the other hand, are run by commercial organisations with the purpose of promoting their own products. Others still are run by pressure groups, some of which will provide carefully assessed and accurate information whereas others may be suggesting medications or treatments that are not supported by the medical and scientific community.
Unless you know the address of the website you want to visit – for example, www.familydoctor.co.uk – you may find the following guidelines useful when searching the internet for information.
Search engines and other searchable sites
Google (www.google.co.uk) is the most popular search engine used in the UK, followed by Yahoo! (http://uk.yahoo.com) and MSN (www.msn.co.uk). Also popular are the search engines provided by Internet Service Providers such as Tiscali and other sites such as the BBC site (www.bbc.co.uk).
In addition to the search engines that index the whole web, there are also medical sites with search facilities, which act almost like mini-search engines, but cover only medical topics or even a particular area of medicine. Again, it is wise to look at who is responsible for compiling the information offered to ensure that it is impartial and medically accurate. The NHS Direct site (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) is an example of a searchable medical site.
Links to many British medical charities can be found at the Association of Medical Research Charities’ website (www.amrc.org.uk) and at Charity Choice (www.charitychoice.co.uk).
Search phrases
Be specific when entering a search phrase. Searching for information on ‘cancer’ will return results for many different types of cancer as well as on cancer in general. You may even find sites offering astrological information. More useful results will be returned by using search phrases such as ‘lung cancer’ and ‘treatments for lung cancer’. Both Google and Yahoo! offer an advanced search option that includes the ability to search for the exact phrase; enclosing the search phrase in quotes, that is, ‘treatments for lung cancer’, will have the same effect. Limiting a search to an exact phrase reduces the number of results returned but it is best to refine a search to an exact match only if you are not getting useful results with a normal search. Adding ‘UK’ to your search term will bring up mainly British sites, so a good phrase might be ‘lung cancer’ UK (don’t include UK within the quotes).
Always remember the internet is international and unregulated. It holds a wealth of valuable information but individual sites may be biased, out of date or just plain wrong. Family Doctor Publications accepts no responsibility for the content of links published in this series.
