1 in 5 people in the UK identify as having a visible difference – a mark, scar or condition that affects their appearance. Yet more than half feel they are ignored by organisations. It’s time for people with a visible difference to be seen and heard. That’s why we are proud to have signed up to Changing Faces’ #PledgeToBeSeen campaign, committing to represent more people with a visible difference in our publications and campaign.
“I’m proud that an organisation as significant as NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has agreed to back Changing Faces’ Pledge To Be Seen campaign. When you stop and think about it, you hardly ever see someone with a visible difference in adverts or marketing campaigns, and all too often, if visible differences are represented in popular culture, it isn’t in a positive way, with the “disfigured villain” trope still very common.” Kaylin McLaughlin, local campaigner for Changing Faces
What is ‘Visible Difference’?
Changing Faces describe visible difference as a scar, mark or condition on your face or body that makes you look different.
This can be something you are born with or it could happen later. Anyone can be affected by a visible difference, at any point in their life.
Examples include –
A condition that changes the shape, size, feel or look of the face or body, or how it functions, such as vitiligo, psoriasis or alopecia.
A part of the face or body that is different, such as a birthmark, cleft lip or having fewer fingers on one hand.
Scars, burns or changes to the face or body from an accident, an act of violence or self-harm. These can also occur because of an illness, treatment or operation.
The impact of a visible difference varies from person to person. Some people are proud of their visible difference and live fulfilling lives. Others find it emotionally challenging and feel that it limits what they can do.
Staff Learning & Resources
Online learning sessions offer a great opportunity to increase our understanding of the issues around visible difference and better support our patients and colleagues.
Representatives of Changing Faces can share what it’s like to live with a visible difference, talk about language, when and how to ask about difference, and how we can increase positive representation of visible difference.
If you would like more information on learning sessions for your team or staff group, please contact martin.patterson@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
Changing Faces also offers information specifically for health staff working with patients who have a visible difference.
“Providing fair and equitable healthcare for all is at the heart of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and we are acutely aware of how important it is to accurately represent our diverse community in all our materials and campaigns.
Our ongoing commitment to building a fairer workplace for everyone means creating an environment where diversity is valued – better equipping us to appropriately support our patient community.
This pledge reinforces our resolve to ensure that anyone with a visible difference feels both seen and heard by our organisation.” Dr Emilia Crighton, Interim Director of Public Health, NHSGGC
Support
Many people with a visible difference have social anxiety, depression and low confidence.
Changing Faces offer a range of free, specialist wellbeing services, including:
Support is also available for any staff member experiencing issues in the workplace. Contact the HR Support & Advice Unit on 0141 278 2700
Get Involved
If you have experience of the issues highlighted in the campaign and would like to get involved, please contact the Equality & Human Rights Team at equality@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
“Having NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde commit to being a Pledge To Be Seen organisation is a huge step forward for our mission in Scotland. Being partnered with the UK’s largest NHS health provider will ensure many more people learn about what life is like with a visible difference, and how they can make the world a more accepting place.” Heather Blake, Chief Executive, Changing Faces
“I have worked with many service users who have visible differences and am only too aware of the negative response that people may have to deal with in various aspects of their life. More and better representation across society is crucial to creating acceptance. It is also important that every one of us can be reassured by seeing ourselves represented by organisations we rely on for our health and wellbeing, such as NHSGGC.” Dr Rebecca Crawford, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, NHSGGC
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In our Type 2 Diabetes Hub you’ll find links to all the information and help you need if:
You or someone you care for has Type 2 Diabetes and are looking for support
You want to know if you’re at risk of Type 2 Diabetes
You have been diagnosed with Prediabetes or Gestational Diabetes
You’re interested in learning more about Type 2 Diabetes.
Use the sections below to navigate through our hub and if you have questions about any of our services use the ‘Contact Us’ option to get in touch.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes is a serious condition where the insulin your pancreas makes can’t work properly, or your pancreas can’t make enough insulin. This means your blood glucose (sugar) levels keep rising. Watch the short video below from Diabetes UK for more information.
You can find lots more helpful information about Type 2 Diabetes at the using the links below
My Diabetes My Way have developed a range of elearning which can help you understand more about Diabetes. Click the link below for their Introduction to Type 2 Diabetes course.
You may have been diagnosed with Prediabetes. This means that your blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered in the diabetes range.
Our Services to Support You
Whether you are at risk or have already been diagnosed with Prediabetes, developing Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented by making changes to your lifestyle. Losing some weight, stopping smoking or getting more active could all have an impact. Click the links below to find out more about our services which can support you to make these positive changes.
My Diabetes My Way have developed a range of elearning which can help you understand more about Diabetes. Click the link below for their Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Course.
If you have Type 2 Diabetes we want to support you, as much as possible, to self-manage your condition. Our main service to help you do this is our diabetes lifestyle programme, Control IT Plus. Click below to find out more about the programme, sign up for one of the group sessions and view some of programme resources.
In addition to Control IT Plus, we have a number of other services which can support you to make changes to your lifestyle, helping you to manage your condition and improve your health. Click the links below to find out more.
My Diabetes My Way is Scotland’s interactive Diabetes website to help support people who have Diabetes and their family and friends. At the site you’ll find a range of helpful information, e-learning courses and patient stories. You can also access your own test results and clinical information. You can visit My Diabetes My Way and register at the link below.
Diabetes UK have created a Learning Zone where you can sign up for advice on what to eat and tips for managing diabetes day-to-day – all completely free and tailored to you. Watch the video to find out more and visit the Learning Zone at the link below.
Gestational Diabetes is diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. Pregnancy can be a stressful time and being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes could add to that stress. If you’ve been diagnosed you will be cared for by diabetes specialists during your pregnancy however, we have links to a range of information below to help you to manage your condition.
Find more information about Gestational Diabetes here.
Watch this short video animation about blood sugar during pregnancy developed by our dietitians
Click below to find a series of videos on Healthy Eating with Gestational Diabetes developed by our dietitians.
My Diabetes My Way have developed a range of elearning which can help you understand more about Diabetes. Click the link below for their Gestational Diabetes course.
Being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes can increase your chance of being diagnosed again in any future pregnancies and of being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. However, making some lifestyle changes following the birth of your baby could help to reduce the risk. Click below to find more information on our services which can support you.
Phone: 0141 531 8901: (Open Monday to Thursday, from 8.00am – 4.00pm and Friday 8.00am – 3.30pm)
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NHSGGC policy states that we must provide formal interpreting support for all out-patient appointments and at least once a day for an in-patient stay.
This support can be provided via our British Sign Language (BSL) Online interpreting Service or by booking a Face to Face interpreter.
The BSL Online interpreting service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means that in an unplanned or emergency situation, staff can quickly link up to an interpreter at any time and communicate with their Deaf patient. It can also be used during hospital stays, or to enable Deaf patients to communicate with staff if waiting for a face to face interpreter to arrive.
The BSL Online service can be easily accessed by any available device, such as the ward iPad or any mobile phone, using the QR code below. Copies of this can be printed out for use at nurse stations. A4 posters which meet infection control standards are also available on request.
Smoking burns your money… as well as your cigarettes
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Lothian have joined forces to launch our new campaign focusing on the harmful effects smoking has on people’s health and bank accounts.
As the cost of living continues to rise, many people may be finding it difficult to make ends meet. This joint awareness campaign between Scotland’s three largest health boards focuses on the benefits of quitting smoking to physical and mental health as well as money worries.
The aim is to direct people who smoke and their families to the free NHS stop smoking service: Quit Your Way. The service offers 12 weeks of support to anyone who smokes, including free nicotine replacement therapy, and specialist support to quit for pregnant women and those with mental health problems.
The campaign features NHS respiratory consultant, Dr John McCafferty, emphasising that although some may believe smoking is helping them cope through these difficult times, it actually has the opposite effect and makes them feel worse.
Campaign video featuring John McCafferty
To find out about the stop smoking services and to access the best support to quit in your area call the Quit Your Way helpline service on 0800 916 8858 between Monday – Friday from 9am until 5pm. You can also follow this link to NHS Inform where you will be able to search your nearest service and fill in a short form to be contacted by one of our advisors.
You can also visit your local Community Pharmacy for FREE stop smoking support.
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The following information is designed for students to ensure you are able to get the right support from the health service during your time studying in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
All students living within Greater Glasgow and Clyde should ensure they are registered with a local GP.
Registering with a GP is free, and will ensure that if you need primary care, you will not need to go back home, or rely on A&E services which should only be used for very urgent or life-threatening illness and injuries.
If you’re GP is closed and you think you need to see a doctor and it can’t wait until your practice has reopened, you can access the GP out of hours service by calling NHS24 on 111.
Do you know how to use our Virtual A&E service? (FNC+Plus)
All students can access NHSGGC’s virtual A&E service which provides emergency care consultations either through video or over the telephone. It means you can get urgent care without having to travel to a physical A&E.
Do you know where your nearest pharmacy is and how they can help you?
Your local pharmacy is your first port of call for a full range of minor ailments. You do not need an appointment and there are hundreds of pharmacies across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Your Pharmacist can help with many common ailments. There is no need to make an appointment.
Speak to your pharmacist first for advice on:
Allergies
Cold sores
Constipation
Coughs and colds
Diarrhoea
Mouth ulcers
Pain
Sore throats
Teething
Upset tummies.
Pharmacy First for UTI treatment and Impetigo
Pharmacy First is available from all community pharmacies in NHSGGC and allows patients to access FREE advice and/or treatment for: Impetigo (for those over two years of age) and uncomplicated urinary tract infection (for adult women aged 16-65).
When to use Pharmacy First
If you are a woman aged 16-65 with any of the following symptoms:
Burning or stinging sensation on passing urine
Need to pass urine frequently
Need to pass urine urgently.
If you are concerned you or your child may have Impetigo and show any of the following symptoms:
Minor skin infection on one area of the body
Red sores that pop easily and leave a yellow crust
Fluid-filled blisters
Itchy rash.
Your pharmacist will ask you about your symptoms in order to give you the right advice. You should be aware there are some exclusions which can prevent your pharmacist from treating you and you may need to be referred to your GP.
You must be registered with a GP practice in Scotland and should normally expect to attend the pharmacy to allow the pharmacist to assess your symptoms before deciding on whether to offer advice, treatment on the NHS or to refer you to another clinician.
Do you know where to go for mental health support services?
If you, or someone you know, needs support for mental health, there are a number of options. Your college or university may have its own dedicated service.
When you need help
When you need help you should first contact your GP. Your GP can refer you to your local Community Mental Health Service. If you need support when your GP surgery is closed, call NHS 24 on 111.
You can also call Samaritans for help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call them on 116 123 (freephone) or email: jo@samaritans.org
Breathing Space offers a confidential phone line for anyone in Scotland feeling low, anxious or depressed. You can call free on0800 83 85 87.
Do you know how to access sexual health services?
The Sandyford provides specialist sexual health services for Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Find more information on services, opening times and clinic locations, visit: the Sandyford Sexual Health Services website or watch the below video.
Which services are offered?
Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing for people with symptoms
Assessment for people who have recently been exposed to an STI
Testing for people who may be at higher risk of STI or HIV
PrEP services
Contraception
Abortion services
Young people’s clinics
Vasectomy
Archway
Free Condoms.
If you have a sexual health emergency
During opening hours Sandyford provides specialist emergency sexual health services for:
Rape and Sexual Assault that occurred in the last 7 days – Archway Service 0141 211 8175
You do not need an appointment to access PEP. It is available from Sandyford Central, Monday to Thursday 8.30 am – 7.00pm and Friday 8.40am – 4.00pm
Dental support
In order to receive the full range of dental treatment and care under the NHS, you must be registered with a dentist. Your dentist will then provide regular check ups, planned routine treatment and emergency care, if required.
Which services do NHS dentists provide?
Routine check ups and any care required
Advise on how to keep your mouth healthy
Dental hygiene including scale and polish
Treatments such as fillings, crowns, tooth removal and root canal treatment
Visit the website or practice website to find out joining options.
Submit necessary paperwork as outlined by the practice.
Optometrist Support
If you have a problem with your eyes, please visit your local optometrist. Every high street opticians have an optometrist who provides NHS services.
If your optician is closed and you can’t wait until it reopens, call NHS 24 on 111 right away.
If you have an eye problem, such as a scratch or something stuck in your eye, you should call NHS 24 on 111 and ask for the Minor Injuries Unit. For eye injuries that require immediate emergency treatment, you should go to your nearest A&E.
If you think you need to go to Accident & Emergency
If you require urgent care, but it’s not life-threatening, you should call your GP. If your GP is closed, you can call NHS24 on 111 to access NHSGGC’s virtual Accident and Emergency (A&E) Service which provides emergency telephone and video consultations.
If it’s a life threatening emergency, phone 999 and ask for an ambulance. You can also go directly to an A&E.
Trade Winds Primary School Programme is an Interdisciplinary Resource Pack aimed at P5-P7 classes across Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board areas. The programme extends across all curricular areas and correlates with 44 Level 2 experiences and outcomes. Trade winds offers a holistic approach to tobacco education that goes beyond health and explores issues that are relevant to young people.
Topic G – Extending Children’s Learning through the Arts
It is recommended that delivery starts with ‘Topic A – Setting the Scene’ as this introduces learning on tobacco and gathers children’s knowledge on the topic. Teachers may then wish to explore a particular topic based on pupils’ interests or to select lessons from each topic. Further support and information, as well as resources to support the delivery of the lessons are available by e-mailing quityourway.smokefreeschools@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
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Tobacco free Schools Resource Pack
Ash Scotland’s Tobacco-free Secondary Schools Resource Pack, is for teachers and other professionals working with young people in secondary schools. It’s designed to:
Support you to deliver high quality education on tobacco issues and help equip young people to make confident and responsible decisions on smoking, vaping and their health and wellbeing.
Provide you with all the facts, materials and resources you need to feel confident to deliver effective tobacco prevention education.
Enhance the skills that young people develop by engaging in activities that are designed to inspire confidence, self-esteem, resilience and decision making skills. These skills are transferable to many other issues including substance misuse, alcohol, sexual health and navigating transitions.
There are many different factors which lead young people to smoke, but the extent to which tobacco is prominent, normal or accepted around them plays a crucial part.
Quit Your Way Youth and school resources aim to provide young people with information about smoking and tobacco to allow them to make informed decisions. The resources provide young people with easy access to the facts about smoking and information on how to access local support to stop smoking.
Quit Your Way Youth Resources covers the following:
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has created a suite of new resources which provide information on the risks associated with vaping and give guidance to young people and adults looking to cut-down or quit.
Access our Vaping Risks and Resources Pack for a summary of these resources as well as links to download, print or order larger print runs of materials through our Public Health Resource Directory.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde has produced an information guide to highlight the key evidence, concerns and advice around vaping, which will benefit parents, carers and any staff who work with young people. You can download our information guide and a condensed version of the guide below:
The videos below offer a helpful introduction to discussing the topic of vaping with young people plus advice and tips on stopping vaping.
Filmed at the City of Glasgow College, it follows a young person explaining what a vape is, what nicotine does to the brain and how vapes can be a drain on a young person’s health, development and finances. The second video offers tips to cut down or quit vaping.
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The Jenny and the Bear resource is a story which is part of a coordinated programme and aims to increase awareness about the effects of second hand smoke on children and what parents/carers can do to ensure their children are not exposed to its harmful effects.
The programme is aimed at Primary 1 classes and consists of a story being read to the class followed by a classroom activity to agree a name for the bear in the story, which is then entered into the competition to win a Teddy Bear mascot for their classroom. All children who take part in the programme will be given a booklet version of the story to take home.
The second hand smoke message also links with the Scottish Government national “Take it right outside” campaign. See www.rightoutside.org for further information.
Programme Registration
Registration for the 2025/2026 programme has now closed. If you have already registestered you can now submit your “Name the teddy” form.
What’s next?
Classes who submit a registration form will be sent out a competition pack in January containing:
A link to the Jenny and the Bear video
Individual Jenny and the Bear booklets for pupils to take home
You will also be provided with a competition form for our ‘Name the teddy’ competition. Alternatively, you can enter the competition below.
Also known as the Flow Navigation Centre, you can use this service to get quick, direct access to emergency care, either through a video or telephone consultation.
You can receive treatment from the comfort of home, without having to visit a busy A&E department.
When to use the Flow Navigation Centre
If you think you need to go to A&E, but it’s not life-threatening, and you can’tspeak to a GP, you can access the Flow Navigation Centre. To do so, call NHS 24 on 111.
The NHS24 triage team may feel you could benefit from a virtual A&E appointment and will refer you directly. Depending on your needs, they will provide more appropriate advice and treatment options.
If you get an appointment with the Flow Navigation Centre, a team of emergency care nurses and medics will provide you with a virtual, or telephone consultation.
Just like a physical A&E, after your consultation a number of things can happen:
You may receive self-care advice and told to phone back if your symptoms worsen
If you require physical treatment, you could be given a scheduled arrival time at one of our A&Es or Minor Injuries Units
You may be referred to a more appropriate specialist service.
The Flow Navigation Centre operates seven days a week and covers the whole of NHSGGC.
If your condition is life threatening, you should always call 999 or go straight to your nearest A&E.
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