Cancer Support

The Cancer Support Centre

St Giles Hospice

We are also located in Sutton Coldfield as follows:

St Giles Hospice,
Lindridge Road,
Sutton Coldfield,
West Midlands,
B75 6JB

Tel: 0121 378 6290

For further information…

The Silver Line – Helpline for Older People

The Silverline – This is an organisation available for older people who are in need of support and can offer services such as:

  • Offer information, friendship and advice
  • Link callers to local groups and services
  • Offer regular befriending calls
  • Protect and support those who are suffering abuse and neglect

Tel: 0800 470 80 90
Website: http://www.thesilverline.org.uk/

Dementia Support Directory

Alzheimer’s Society – Information and details of local help and support.
National helpline: 0300 222 5855
Website: www.alzheimers.org.uk – for live on-line advice, information and support. 

Dementia Friends – (part of the Alzheimer’s Society initiative). You can become a Dementia Friend by attending one of the information sessions in your area.   For more information please follow link to the website below or telephone.
Website – www.dementiafriends.org
Tele: 0300 123 1016

Age UK – provide information and advice on dementia, dementia care and stages of dementia and advice about whether you will be entitled to claim a non means-tested benefit.
Telephone: 0800 169 6565
Website – www.ageuk.org.uk

Carers UK – provide expert help, advice and support on caring for people with dementia.
Advice line: 0808 808 777 (Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm).
Website: www.carersuk.org

Local groups and support

Forget Me Not Café (Streetly Dementia Support Group).  This is a voluntary support group for those living with dementia, their carers and families living in Streetly.
Meetings at: Blackwood Methodist Church, Blackwood Road, Streetly, B74 3PL .  Every 2nd Thursday in the month from 11am to 1pm.
Tele: 0121 353 6140
Website: www.streetlydementiasupportgroup.weebly.com

 Birmingham Dementia Café, Sutton Coldfield – Dementia cafes offer a monthly opportunity for people living with dementia, their carers, family and friends to meet together to seek peer support, social interaction and information.
Meetings at: Coldfield Methodist Church, South Parade, B72 1QY. From 10;30am – 12:30pm on the 2nd Friday of the month. This service is restricted to certain postcodes.
Tele: Gary Stanley on 07827940844 for more details.

AGE UK Birmingham –  Sutton Coldfield branch
General enquiries: 0121 437 0033
Website: www.ageukbirmingham.org.uk
Address: The Bungalow, Seymour Centre, 42 Warwick Road (off Chester Road) in Sutton Coldfield,

Birmingham City Council – Useful information about support and services in Birmingham
Website: www.jointcommissioningbirmingham.org.uk

DISC – Support group for carers of people with Dementia
Telephone: 0121 553 6483

Dementia Advisor Service Birmingham (part of the Alzheimer’s Society)
Local Telephone: 0121 700 7382

Admiral Nurses (Dementia UK)
Local Telephone:
  0121 301 5830
Website: www.dementiauk.org

Bereavement Support Directory

CRUSE Bereavement Care – provides one to one counselling, bereavement support, therapeutic support groups and advice on practical matters.  Interactive website provided for young people and access to email support.
National Helpline Tele: 0844 477 9400
Website: www.cruse.org.uk
CRUSE – Birmingham
Tel: 0121 687 8010
Website: www.cruse.org.uk/birmingham-area

Grandparents’ Association – Provides practical advice and support to grandparents affected by family deaths and estrangements.
Tel: 01279 428 040
Helpline: 0845 434 9585 (Monday-Friday 10.30am-3pm)
Website: www.grandparents-association.org.uk

Way Foundation – Provides a support network for those widowed up to the age of 50.  Local contacts are available throughout the area, please contact the national office for details.
Tel: 0300 012 4929
Website: www.wayfoundation.org.uk

Age UK – Age Concern and Help the Aged have joined forces to become Age UK.  They offer information, advice and support to older people
Tel: 0800 169 6565 (free national information line)
Website: www.ageuk.org.uk
Age UK – Birmingham – 0121 437 0479
Website: www.ageuk.org.uk/Birmingham

The Silverline – This is an organisation available for older people who are in need of support and can offer services such as:

  • Offer information, friendship and advice
  • Link callers to local groups and services
  • Offer regular befriending calls
  • Protect and support those who are suffering abuse and neglect

Tel: 0800 4 70 80 90

Bannersgate Counselling Centre – A generic counselling service.  There is a registration fee of £10 followed by donations for each session.
Tel: 0121 354 6544
Website: www.bgcounselling.co.uk

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy – Provides information about local counselling organisations and individual counsellors who are accredited members.
Tel: 01455 883 300
Website: www.bacp.co.uk

SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide) – Provides support for those bereaved by the suicide of a close relative or friend.  Contact helpline for Local support groups.
Helpline: 0844 561 6855 (9am-9pm, 7 days a week)
Website: www.uk-sobs.org.uk

Birmingham Bereavement Advice
Tel: 0800 258 5950
Website: www.birminghambereavementadvice.co.uk

The Cancer Support Centre – St Giles Hospice
We are also located in Sutton Coldfield as follows:
St Giles Hospice
Lindridge Road
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands
B75 6JB
Tel: 0121 378 6290

Are you a Carer?

The following is a list of local and national agencies / support groups who will be able to help you.

CERS – Emergency Services for Carers
Tel: 0121  442  2960
(website not yet available)

Carers UK Birmingham
Tel: 0121  354  4080
Our Place Community Hub
Farthing Lane, Sutton Coldfield B72 1RN
Open 9am-5pm –Monday to Wednesday
www.ourplacecommunityhub.org

Birmingham Carers Hub
Tel: 0121  448  7088
76-78 Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5JT
(Website not yet available)

Birmingham Carers Association
(Birmingham City Council)
Tel: 0121  454  5440
Tel: 07909  714  559
Tel:  07535  459  457
www.b-c-a.org.uk/

Walsall Carers Association
Tel: 01922  636  663
www.walsallcarers.org/

Carers UK (National helpline)
Tel: 0808  808 7 77
Open 10am-4pm-Monday to Friday
www.carersuk.org

Carers Direct HELPLINE
Tel: 0300  123  1053
Open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday / 11am-4pm weekends.
www.nhs.uk/carersdirect/

Birmingham Mental Health Carers Support
Tel: 0121  380  4949
(run by the STONHAM Group)

MIND – (National helpline)
Tel: 020  8519  2122
Mental Health Carers Support
www.mind.org.uk

Updated August 2014

Bereavement Support Directory

Information and advice for bereaved children

Childhood Bereavement Network
Tel: 020 7843 6000
Website: www.ncb.org.uk

Child Bereavement UK – provides support to grieving families through online interactive self-help discussion and signposting to other organisations both locally and nationally.
Tel: 01484 568 900
Website: www.childbereavement.org.uk

Grief Encounter
Grief Encounter’s grieftalk helpline is open 9am-9pm, Monday to Friday. This free service offers support to those who need a confidential space to chat and be heard. You can get in touch with grief talk in several ways:
Tel: 0808 802 0111
Instant webchat – through the top right-hand corner of their website: www.griefencounter.org.uk
By email – [email protected]

Winston’s Wish – helps support bereaved children and young people offering practical support to families and anyone helping to support a child affected by death.  Excellent source for resources and information, the interactive website for children and young people is also very useful.
Tel: 0845 203 0405
Website: www.winstonswish.org.uk

Beyond the Horizon – Birmingham – Offer one to one support for children experiencing grief after death.  Activity days for children, young people and families
Tel: 0121 430 7529
Website: www.beyondthehorizon.org.uk

Edward’s Trust – Birmingham – offers services support and counselling for children of school age who are bereaved of a parent, significant carer, sibling or friend and support and counselling for all affected by the death of a child.
Tel: 0121 454 1705
Website: www.edwardstrust.org.uk

Bereavement Books for Children

Badger’s Parting Gifts – by Susan Varley. This is a very highly recommended book from the Childhood Bereavement Trust, telling a story about Mr Badger dying, but leaving memories for his friends.

Other books available for children:

  • Michael Rosen’s Sad Book – by Michael Rosen
  • Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in-between – by Bryan Mellonie –   Beautiful way to explain life and death to children
  • Waterbugs and Dragonflies:  by Doris Stickney -Explaining death to young children by Doris Stickney.
  • When Dinosaurs Die: by Laurene Krasny Brown – A guide to understanding death (Dino Life Guides for Families).
  • When Something Terrible Happens – by Marge Heegaard – children can learn to cope with grief (drawing out feelings)

Bereavement Support Directory

Information and advice for families following the death of a child

Lullaby Trust – Provides information and support for parents whose babies have died as a result of sudden infant death.  Helpline and befriending network.
National helpline: 0808 802 6868 (10am-5pm Monday to Friday; 6pm-10pm Saturday, Sunday & bank holidays).
Website: www.lullabytrust.org.uk

CRY – Cardiac Risk in the Young – Help and support to families where there has been a sudden cardiac death of an apparently fit and healthy young person.
Tel: 01737 363 222
Website: www.c-r-y.org.uk

Miscarriage Association – Provides information, help and support for those suffering pregnancy loss.
Tel: 01924 200 799 (helpline Monday to Friday 9am-4pm)
Website: www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk

Child Death Helpline – The Child Death Helpline provides a listening service that offers emotional support to all those affected by the death of a child.
Tel: 0800 282 296 (helpline open 7pm-10pm every evening; 10am-1pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 10am-4pm Wednesday)
Website: www.childdeathhelpline.org.uk.

The Compassionate Friends – Local contacts are available throughout the area – please contact the national office to obtain details.  They offer support to bereaved parents and their families after the death of a child or children of any age.  They also offer support and advice to other relatives, friends and professionals who are helping the family.
Tel: 0845 123 2304
Website: www.tcf.org.uk

SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) – Offer support to bereaved parents, whose baby is stillborn or dies during or soon after birth.  Contact the national office for details of local contacts.
Tel: 020 7436 5881 (9.30an-5.30pm, Monday to Friday)
Website: www.uk-sands.org

Child Bereavement UK – Provides support to families through online interactive self-help discussion.  It is also a signposting service to other organisations both locally and nationally
Tel: 01494 568 900
Website: www.childbereavement.org.uk

Non NHS Examinations and Services

Some forms of medical examinations are not available on the NHS – E.g:

  • Elderly driver
  • Insurance
  • HGV
  • Pre-employment
  • Fitness to undertake sport/travel

We can provide the necessary reports and certificates by a special appointment. There is a charge for these services and would advise you to check with the receptionist when you book.

Please contact the reception for further details.

Information on Advocacy services can be sought from POhWER Advocacy Services
0300 456 2370.

Sutton Medical Consulting – Consulting Suite

For patients who require specialist referral privately, we have access to a number of visiting consultants based at the Sutton Medical Consulting Suite on the first floor of Ashfurlong Medical Centre.

This facility is available for those with or without medical insurance cover.

Smoking Cessation

  • Do you smoke?
  • Have you thought about giving up?
  • Would you benefit from our support to become a non smoker?

We provide stop smoking appointments for our patients where we support people to stop smoking.

Why not make an initial appointment with our Practice Nurse to explore the support we can give you to help you stop smoking.

The appointments are one to one and the patient sets a quit date during the consultation. Advice is given re: different types of nicotine replacements and other therapies. The appropriate therapy and dose is chosen for each patient. The patient is issued with a prescription and is charged at the current prescription rate. Carbon monoxide levels are monitored at the initial assessment and periodically throughout the course. Support is given to each individual throughout the course at 2-3 week intervals.

Some useful External Websites to help you stop smoking:

Minor Surgery

Some of the doctors carry out minor surgery.

The Doctors carry out a wide range of procedures and can involve:

  • Removing lumps and bumps
  • Injecting joints

Minor surgery facilities are available at both James Preston and Ashfurlong Health Centres.

Young Adults’ Service

If you are a teenager and need confidential help and advice with any health related issues, please arrange an appointment to see our Practice Nurse.

Useful Teenager Health Sites:

Prescription 4 Exercise

Physical Inactivity is described as the biggest health threat of the 21st Century.

Being active is just as important as having good control of blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and giving up smoking. In fact, if physical activity was a drug, then taking regular doses of it would bring you wider health benefits than any known medication.

Stay active and live a longer, healthier life.

Find out more…