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- As winter
flu epidemic looms, new service
aims to bridge information
gap -
A new consumer advice service,
the Consumer Health Information
Centre, is aiming to help
bridge a vital health information
gap this winter in an effort
to ensure consumers are better
able to help themselves with
colds and flu. The 'Heed the
Sneeze' campaign, which was
launched on 15th October,
will aim to raise awareness
of the best ways to beat the
bugs which contribute to the
loss of more than 150 million
working days in Britain each
year.
Whilst common colds and flu
rarely need a visit to the
doctor, hundreds of thousands
of people visit their local
surgery each year to obtain
advice and treatment. With
a flu epidemic predicted for
this winter, a large increase
in the level of these consultations
could create a major crisis
in the primary care system.
Consumer research* shows
that, whilst eight out of
ten consumers agree on the
importance of being able to
treat themselves for minor
ailments, almost 60 per cent
had seen their family doctor
over a minor problem in the
last year. The research also
shows that what makes people
go to the doctor is their
fear of the unknown. As a
result they visit their GP
to seek reassurance and what
they believe will be the quickest
and best "cure".
From 15th October, consumers
will be able to obtain independent
professional advice and information
on colds and flu from the
Consumer Health Information
Centre in three main ways:-
- A special local call rate
Cold and Flu Helpline on
0845 60 61 611, staffed
by trained pharmacists and
run by the Trent Drug Information
Line team at Leicester Royal
Infirmary;
- A user-friendly information
leaflet, passed by the Plain
English Campaign and being
distributed through offers
in newspapers and magazines,
direct from health professionals,
through independent pharmacies
and at central public libraries.
The central themes of the
campaign will be to explain
the true nature of colds and
flu, which are often confused
by the public, and help consumers
to understand what steps they
can take to relieve their
symptoms at the earliest possible
stage. To get its message
across, the Centre has enlisted
the help of an unusual spokesperson.
Ebenezer Sneezer is a cartoon
character who knows all about
the suffering a cold or flu
can bring and he will be highlighting
the importance of 'heeding
the sneeze' as the first outward
sign of impending colds and
flu.
This winter's cold and flu
campaign will be the first
of many initiatives from the
Consumer Health Information
Centre which aims to help
improve people's understanding
of common ailments and to
offer guidance on how they
can improve the management
of their own health. The Centre
is being advised by an expert
panel** of doctors, nurses,
consumer information campaigners
and pharmacists which recognised
the need for to develop the
concept after reviewing extensive
research* with the general
public.
The 'Heed the Sneeze' campaign,
which runs until February,
comes in the wake of the British
Medical Association's latest
Doctor Patient Partnership
initiative, which encouraged
members of the public to wait
a week before seeking GP advice
about the onset of colds and
flu. "We are urging patients
to have a well-stocked medicines
cabinet so they can self-medicate
at the first signs of flu,"
explains Dr Simon Fradd, the
BMA's campaign chairman.
"Consumers have a right to
information about themselves
and their health; to informed
choices and to high quality
health care," said Mike Pringle,
Professor of General Practice
at Nottingham University and
member of the Centre's expert
panel. "The Consumer Health
Information Centre will help
people to access this information
and to find the most appropriate
treatments for their needs.
Ebenezer Sneezer provides
a humorous way of underpinning
the Centre's first campaign
'Heed the sneeze'."
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