Child & Family Health

Warning over salty children's menus in pubs and restaurants

Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) is a group concerned with salt and its effects on health, supported by 25 expert scientific members. The latest CASH report has found that some chain restaurant meals have a salt content higher than the recommended daily allowance for children. A family pub lunch is a tradition enjoyed around the UK, however new research by CASH has uncovered the shockingly high levels of salt hidden in the children’s meals at some of the country’s leading pub and fast food chains. With some of the surveyed restaurants offering meals which contain MORE than a child’s salt Guidelines Daily Amount (GDA) of 4g for an entire day. CASH believe that parents are unable to make healthy choices due to the lack of nutritional content on restaurant menus.

Full report: CASH - Dangerously high levels of salt in kids meals

• Download leaflet (pdf, 42k)

Help your baby move and play every day

Information for parents

Ideas for active play with your child.

• Download leaflet (pdf, 510k)

Help your child move and play every day

Information for parents

Tips and ideas for encouraging your baby to move.

• Download leaflet (pdf, 520k)

Healthy Start Vitamins

Find out details of the Healthy Start vitamins project in Hertfordshire - this includes a list of all distribution centres (including 35 children's centres).

• Download leaflet

Further information

See also - the NHS 'Healthy Start' vitamin website:

• www.healthystart.nhs.uk/food-and-health-tips/vitamins/

 

Where to go if you have an urgent health problem

Should I take my child to A&E ?

In Hertsmere we are undertaking a pilot project to try to keep children away from Accident and Emergency Departments if there is a service that can better deal with their health care needs. The reason for doing this project is that:

• It can be difficult to control the sights and sounds that children are exposed to in Accident and Emergency departments, which can result in psychological trauma
• There is a range of service that can offer alternative management of urgent health care needs
• Most children who attend Accident and Emergency departments do not receive any active treatment.

For urgent but non-emergency situations please consider thealternative services and make it clear to the person answering the telephone that you are concerned about your child. For more information please see details below:

• Borehamwood (pdf, 100k)
• Elstree Radlett, and Little Bushey (pdf, 100k)
• Potters Bar (pdf, 100k)

Where is my local Child Health Clinic?

Drop In Baby/Child Health Clinics

Download dates and times for your area

• St Albans, Hertsmere & Harpenden (pdf, 46k)
• Watford & Three Rivers (pdf, 107k)

Finding an NHS Dentist

To find an NHS dentist in Hertfordshire phone 01707 369645 or email dentalappointments@hertfordshire.nhs.uk
To find a dentist outside normal office hours phone 03000 333 224

Family Planning Clinics

Family planning clinics can give you advice on contraception, including condoms and the pill and can offer free pregnancy tests and the morning after pill. Many clinics can also give you a contraceptive injection, or can fit you with contraceptive implants or the coil. These will prevent you from getting pregnant but won’t protect you from STIs.
Family planning clinics are located at: 

CLINIC	CLINIC TIMES
Elstree Way Clinic Elstree Way, (next to library) Borehamwood WD6 1JT Phone: 0208 359 8500	Tuesday 6.30 – 8.30pm Saturday 10am – 12noon
Garston Clinic St.Albans Road, (Dome roundabout) Garston North Watford WD24 7RZ Phone: 01923 281399	Monday & Wednesday 6 – 8pm
Potters Bar Clinic Potters Bar Community Hospital Barnet Road Potters Bar EN6 2RY Phone: 01707 653286 ext. 4059	Tuesday 7 – 9pm
Watford Sexual Health Centre Watford General Hospital (3rd on left from main entrance) Vicarage Road Watford WD18 0HB Phone: 01923 217709	Thursday 4.30 – 6.30pm Friday 1.30 – 3.30pm

For more information about other Family Planning clinics go to www.hertsfordshire.nhs.uk

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