Stories from patients and staff about their Keep Well experiences
What is the health check for?
Heather Craig – Chronic Disease Management Nurse
A Keep Well health check is where we invite men and women between the ages of 40 and 64 to come along and have a health check on their blood pressure, cholesterol and any other factors they wish to discuss with the approval and consent of their GP.
Alison Cheape - Senior Practice Nurse
In essence a Keep Well health check is really just an MOT for anyone between the age of 40 and 64.
Heather Craig – Chronic Disease Management Nurse
Some people are unaware of any health issues that haven’t been identified - because they haven’t been to see their GP for such a long time. So we can help identify those problems for them and obviously set them on the right path to help them improve their health. In general we look at anticipatory care rather than waiting to a disease or a problem develops - so hopefully the person can do something about it before there is ill health.
Sandra Macrae - Practice Nurse
What happens in a keep well health check is that you come and see somebody like myself for 40 minutes and I’ll check her blood pressure and we do height and weights and kind of see if patients are a wee bit overweight or the blood pressure is up. We take some blood tests and its generally for cholesterol, looking at your good and your bad fats. We will also want to know how the patient is feeling in their life themselves.
Helen Lawrie – Health Case Manager
People feel a wee bit lost in the system and a lot of the time people will say ‘I don’t want to bother the GP’ so I think the Keep Well project is ideal because the person is getting seen by nurse they get talking a bit about their issues and then from there the nurse can signpost them, and that might involve like, I’ll do counseling with them if they need counseling, life coaching if its maybe you know something a goal that they might have I also do acupuncture in the ear with them and stress management.
What is the process like for patients?
I found out about the Keep Well project initially because a letter dropped through the letterbox saying that I was of a specific age and inviting me to come along.
I thought anything extra to help people like myself who’s overweight or might have a mental problem, to you know, give it a go, so I did.
I usually only tend to go to the doctor when I really have to, when I’m really not well, so this was very pleasant.
What I felt when I got the letter inviting me was - in my family on my fathers side there is a history of heart disease so I didn’t want to be like that and I thought well this test shows me that there is a hereditary problem. Which is one of the things the girl had explained, you know the cholesterol checks, if I needed to have a second cholesterol check would show was it hereditary, was it something that you needed medication for then obviously I could get something to deal with that so I won’t be in that position. So I went from being hmmm I don’t know really know it if its going to be up to much - to thinking its probably going to be of use to me.
They were asking me you know quite a few questions. I am dyslexic so I couldn’t fill the form in. So there was no problem they filled the form in and they helped me on the weight scales as well, as they had problems with my feet and I found it really comforting - you know that they were quite friendly.
What are the benefits of going?
I think actually thinking sitting talking with the doctor and finally looking at my parents’ health and there being a history of heart disease on both sides and my own weight - and putting it together and having somebody say to me ‘you are at risk’. That was what finally made me step back and think I have got to do something here.
I’m a heavy smoker and I never thought, you know, I’ve heard different people saying that the smoking cessation classes are fantastic and I says well I’ll give it a try and it really is, it makes a big difference.
Well for me as a female I’ve lost 23 pounds in weight I feel great my health is so much better.
Made a big change to my life. You know we got to go to Counter Weight from that meeting and they’ve helped us or helped myself to change the way I look at food. And the support which I needed helped me in many different ways than just a health check with the other medical problems which I’ve had - and which I’m awfully grateful for.
I think if there’s someone out there that’s undecided - I would say its very simple. It took a couple of minutes, it’s not painful - and if like me you go and you get something out of it, which I think most people even if its just my readings normal or there’s something that you need to do to change it. I mean if there’s a risk of heart disease at all and there’s something you can do to change it. I mean what’s 5 minutes out of your life.
Oh go for it! Go along the people are so helpful, they’re not judging you they’re supporting you and they’re not asking you to make huge changes. Everything they ask you and advise you is a small step to help you along the way.
