Issue 13

Easy read newsletter

NHS England andNHS Improvement

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There is lots of information inthis newsletter.

We have tried to make it easyto read.

We put hard words in bold.

Sometimes you will see blue weblinks and emails to find out more.You can click these on yourcomputer. Or if you have a papercopy you can type them into yourcomputer to follow the link.

Hello

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In this issue…

Smoking and e-cigarettes(vaping)Tips to help you or your friendsor family stop smoking.

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Healthy eatingWhat healthy eating is, and whyit is important to eat well.

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NHS AppWhat the NHS App is and howyou get it.

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Lung cancerSigns of lung cancer and whatto do.

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Lung cancer

Cells are the smallest parts that ourbody can be broken up into. Theyare too small to see without amicroscope.

Sometimes when these cells gowrong this can be cancer.

When cells go wrong because ofcancer, we can get lumps calledtumours.

When you have a tumour in yourlungs, this is called lung cancer.

If you have lung cancer, it is veryimportant to find out as soon aspossible.

This is so that you have the bestchance of getting treated andgetting better.

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Signs of lung cancer

Remember - you can get lungcancer if you don’t smoke, so makesure you see a doctor if you haveany of these signs even if you don’tsmoke.

There are many different signs that could mean youhave lung cancer (though they can also be the signsof other illnesses).

A cough that lastsfor 3 weeks ormore

Having a coughthat changes orgets worse

Coughingup blood

Having acroakyvoice

Beingmore outof breaththanusual

Having pain orproblems inyour chest orshoulders

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Not feeling hungry

A change in your weightand not knowing why

Feeling tired or not wantingto do anything

Seeing a changein your fingers orfingernails, forexample yourfingertip gettingswollen. This issometimescalled fingerclubbing.

Your leg might be sore,swollen or hot fromsomething called a bloodclot. This is when yourblood clumps together.

Blood clots are seriousand need to be treatedquickly. If you think youmight have a blood clot,call 111.

You can find out more about blood clots inthis easy read leaflet -tinyurl.com/BloodClotsEasyRead

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Remember:

Having a cough can also be a signof coronavirus.

If you’re not sure, ring your GP(family doctor) before you go to thedoctors.

They might tell you to get acoronavirus test before you seethem face to face. They will tell youhow to get one.

If you have signs of a heart attack -for example, pain that feels like likea very tight band, heavy weight orsqueezing in the centre of yourchest - call 999.

You can make somenotes here

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What to do if you’ve got any signsof lung cancer

1. Talk to someone you trust aboutany signs you have – this couldbe a family member, friend orsupport worker.

2. Make an appointment as soonas you can with your GP (familydoctor). Someone can help youdo this.

3. Make a list of all the signsor changes you have noticed.You can also write a list of anyquestions you have. There isspace for you to write notes onthe page before.

You can take someone with youto the GP (family doctor) tosupport you.

Take your list of signs andquestions with you.

At the appointment

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At your appointment, your doctorwill check your body and signs.They will decide what needs tohappen next.

1. They might arrange for you togo to the hospital to have achest x-ray.

They will then talk you throughyour results.

2. They might also arrange for youto see another doctor whoknows more about lungs. Thisdoctor is called a lung specialist.

The lung specialist will do moretests to find out if you have lungcancer.

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If you have lung cancer, you will belooked after by a team of peoplewho know lots about lung cancer.

If you don’t get sent for a chestx-ray, but you don’t feel any betteror start to feel worse, ask to seeyour doctor again.

If your chest x-ray comes back clearbut you don’t feel any better or startto feel worse, ask to see your doctoragain.

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Remember that the doctors andhospitals are doing lots of thingsto keep people safe duringcoronavirus.

● Everyone who can is wearing aface covering. Staff are wearingaprons and gloves.

● Everything is being cleaned wellincluding hands.

There are some things you cando that make you less likely to getlung cancer:

1. If you smoke cigarettes, try tosmoke less or stop smoking.

You can read more aboutstopping smoking in the nextarticle in this newsletter.

How to make it less likely to get lung cancer

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2. Try not to be near people whoare smoking cigarettes becauseyou can also breathe in theirsmoke. This is called passivesmoking.

3. Eat healthily and do exercise.

4. Try to drink less alcohol.

Find out more about spotting thesigns of lung cancer in this videomade by people with a learningdisabilitytinyurl.com/SpottingSignsLungCancer

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Smoking and e-cigarettes (vaping) –tips to help you or your friendsor family stop smoking

There are lots of things we can doto be more healthy.

Stopping smoking helps people tofeel healthier.

For example:

● your body feels better

● it is easier to breathe

● you have more energy

● exercise is easier.

Smoking is one of the main reasonspeople get unwell and die tooyoung.

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It can make people more likely toget lots of different healthconditions.

Smoking can give you lung cancer.

There is more information aboutlung cancer on page 4 of thisnewsletter.

Smoking can also give you heartdisease.

There is more information aboutheart disease on the NHS website:tinyurl.com/heart-disease-nhs

This is not in easy read.

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Tips to help stop smoking

There are lots of different things youcan do to help you stop smoking.

1) Talk to a stop smokingservice.

This is an NHS service that will giveyou help and support to stopsmoking.

They might give you things to helpyou stop. This could be:

● chewing gum

● patches- a bit like plasters

To find a stop smoking service:

● Talk to your doctor (GP)

● Look on the NHS website:tinyurl.com/FindStopSmokingThis is not easy read.

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2) Some people find it easierto stop smoking by usingan e-cigarette or vape.

An e-cigarette or vape lets youbreathe in just the nicotine and notthe other dangerous things incigarettes.

Nicotine is the drug in cigarettesthat makes you want to have it allthe time and is hard to give up.

There are lots of different types ofvapes, ones that look like normalcigarettes and ones that look morelike pens.

You don’t need a lighter with a vape.Some of them need to be chargedup and some of them have liquid inthat you have to buy.

Vaping is still bad for you but lessbad than cigarettes.

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Make sure you only use a vapefrom a shop – don’t use ahomemade vape.

Easy read information on stoppingsmoking from Macmillan CancerCare:tinyurl.com/MacMillanEasyRead

Or read these plain English toptips on the NHS website:tinyurl.com/TipsStopSmoking

For a free NHS quit kit to helpgive up smoking:www.nhs.uk/smokefree

This is not in easy read but ask yourchemist for help if you need it.

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Healthy eating is eating food thathelps keep us fit and well.

It’s important to eat a mix ofdifferent foods and not too muchof just one type.

This is called eating a balanceddiet.

Why it is important to eat well

● it is better for our joints, knees,hips and backs

● it is better for our hearts

● it means we are more likelyto stay well for longer

● it can mean we are less likelyto get cancer or other healthproblems.

Healthy eating

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This is a picture of the foods that make up a balanced diet.

Fruit andvegetables

Bread, pasta,potatoes and rice

Dairy

Fatty andsugary foods

Meat, fish,eggs andbeans

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It’s good to eat lots of different vegetables,salads and fruit.

One way to think about this is to eat lots ofdifferent coloured fruit and veg like:

● red for tomatoes, red peppers or redcabbage

● orange for carrots, butternut squashor pumpkin

● green for peas, broccoli, spinach, greencabbage, asparagus, lettuce or cucumber

● purple for beetroot

● yellow for sweetcorn or yellow peppers

● white for cabbage, cauliflower ormushrooms.

Lots of different types of vegetables andsalads gives your body the different, goodthings it needs.

We should try to eat 5 portions of fruitand veg a day.

Fruit and veg

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A portion is about the amount that would fitin your hand, like a small orange or ahandful of grapes.

If you don’t eat enough fruit and veg, it canmake it hard to poo. This is called havingconstipation, and it can make you verypoorly.

About 1 in 3 portions of the food we eatshould be starchy foods like bread, rice,pasta and potatoes.

We get lots of energy from these foods.

It’s good to eat things like brown rice andwholewheat pasta instead of white rice orpasta.

This is because they have more fibre, whichis good for us and helps us poo.

Bread, rice, pasta and potatoes

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Meat, fish, eggs and beans have lots ofthings in them that are good for us.

It’s good to eat things like beans, peas andlentils, because they have less fat in themthan meat.

They help our bodies stay healthy and mendthemselves.

Meat, fish, eggs and beans

Milk, cheese and yoghurt are called dairyfoods.

They help keep our bones healthy.

If you don't eat dairy food, you can eat ordrink non-dairy milks and yoghurt that aremade from plants. For example, soya milkand soya yoghurt, almond milk or coconutmilk.

Dairy foods

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We can eat small amounts of foods that havea lot of fat in them, like cooking oil (e.g. oliveoil) and butter.

There is a lot of fat in foods like chocolate,cakes, biscuits and ice cream.

It’s okay to have some cake, chocolate orcrisps now and again, but we should eatthese foods less often and in smallerportions.

Foods that are high in fat

Drinking enough water or sugar free drinks isimportant and we should try to drink about6-8 glasses a day.

This can also help you to poo more easily.

Drinking water

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Some people should not eatsome foods

If you have diabetes, make sureyou know which foods you can andcan’t eat.

Find out more about these foods,including top tips and meal plans -tinyurl.com/diabetes-balanced-diet

This is not in easy read.

Some people can’t eat certain foodsor drinks because it causes theirbody to behave in unusual ways.

Some people can have a reaction –this is called having an allergy.Allergic reactions usually happenstraight away and can bedangerous.

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Some people’s bodies react in abad way more slowly and that lastslonger. For example, some peopleget an upset tummy after eatingdairy foods. This is called having anintolerance.

If you have an allergy or areintolerant to some foods then makesure you don’t eat them, even ifthey are healthy for other people.

This is because these foods canmake you poorly. Ask for help tofind other healthy foods that workfor you.

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Some things people are allergic toare:

● milk

● peanuts

● eggs

● fish or seafood

These are just some examples - thisisn’t a full list of all the foods anddrinks that people can be allergic to.

You can make somenotes here

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B L A N G O O B S C A U R F J L I TB A G A M M A E L T E I P H A N T IH R L O E R B U F C F A L O C I Y AC U I A O W F R E B V C D B T S I KX C V L N D S G H I L H J R J L B VS E A L D C F V G H U O Y E O F O OC T F E N N E A T W E L L V B H Y DQ E F R J V F D T E S F H Y V F T SB J K G D G G I D S E S W F R U P NF G H I M P M G H I H T Y I N R L KW S D E B B C D G V E G E T A B L ET G J S A H G D S A A T P O T G I UU F H K M M C D S S L H R W A D D HR S O O L J F R U I T V N J A F E TA P V F S R O F J N H X Z I Z A X BG D T Y H F O D S A Y A R O D T P BU F H Y T D D A I F D Y S C B S O ES W A T E R G J I D E T K V K W K B

Find these words, the first one has been found for you.

Allergies Balanced diet Eat well

Fats Fit Food

Fruit Good fats Healthy

Sugar Vegetables Water

Healthy eating wordsearch

To make this you need:

● A small tin of tuna

● An avocado

● A spoon of mayonnaise

● Some vegetables like cold cooked broccoliand asparagus

● Tomatoes and fresh spinach leaves

● Some tinned sweetcorn

● Salt, pepper and olive oil.

Try our quick and easy, healthy recipeTuna and Avocado salad

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Carefully open the tin of tuna witha can opener. Ask someone if youneed help.

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Carefully open the tin ofsweetcorn. Ask someone if youneed help.

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Empty the oil and water from thetins into the sink.

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Put the tuna and sweetcorn into abowl with a spoon of mayonnaiseand stir.

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Cut the avocado in half taking carewith the knife or ask someone ifyou need help.

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Use a spoon to take the stone outfrom the middle and scoop theinside (the soft, light green part) ofthe avocado into the bowl.

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Chop up some broccoli andasparagus that has already beenboiled and left to get cold and addinto the bowl.

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Chop up some tomatoes andspinach.

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Add the tomatoes and spinach tothe bowl and mix.

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If you want to make this morefilling, you can always add somecooked, cooled pasta or choppedboiled potato.

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You can add a little shake of saltand pepper and olive oil to taste.

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Mix everything together in thesame bowl and it's ready to eat. Injust a few minutes you have madea tasty and healthy meal! Yummy!

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Find out more

Look at the NHS Change for Lifewebsite and download the app tofind out what is in the food you eat,and get ideas and tips on how to eatwell: www.nhs.uk/change4life

Bromley Mencap has informationabout how to cook and some easyread recipes;tinyurl.com/dinner-and-puddings

It’s also important to keep active.

We will talk about this more in ournext newsletter.

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NHS App

The NHS looks after people'shealthcare in England.

This includes doctors, nurses andother health staff.

The NHS want to make it easier forpeople to be in control of their ownhealthcare.

So they have made an app you canput on your phone or tablet (like aniPad) to make it easier to manageyour healthcare.

To use the app, you will need to putit on your phone or tablet.

NHS App

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There are instructions on how to dothis below, or ask someone else ifyou need help.

You can use the NHS App anytimeand anywhere you can get theinternet.

The NHS App is not instead of otherhealth services.

You can still contact your GP (familydoctor) in the normal way.

The NHS App is different from theNHS COVID-19 app.

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There are lots of things you can doon the NHS App. You can:

● Check your health records

This is private information thedoctor keeps about you.

● Book and cancel healthappointments

● Order medicines

● Check your symptoms

Symptoms means changes inyour body or changes in howyou are feeling - for example aheadache or feeling sick.

The NHS App has lots ofinformation about differentsymptoms.

Health Record

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● Choose if you wantinformation from your healthrecords to be shared withother doctors or health staff.

● Tell us what you want tohappen to your body partsif you die.

This is called organ donation.

Your body parts like your heartand lungs can help otherpeople.

You can decide now whetheryou would like this to happenwhen you have died.

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● Show that you’ve had acoronavirus vaccine

You might need to show you'vehad both of your coronavirusvaccines to be able to travel toanother country. You can usethe NHS App to show thatyou’ve had the vaccine.

To use the NHS App you need to:

● be registered with a GP(family doctor)

● be 13 or over.

You will need:

● smartphone or a tablet (like aniPad)

● your email address

● your date of birth

How to get the NHS App

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● your postcode

● a working mobile to geta code sent

● one sort of Photo ID, either;

▬ your passport

▬ a UK or European drivinglicence

▬ a European national identitycard.

If you do not have a photo ID, youcan get some codes from your GPinstead. These are called:

● a linkage key

● an ODS code

● an account ID.

These codes will let you get on theapp without any photo ID. Talk toyour GP and ask them to give themto you. You could ask someone whosupports you to help you with this.

1 High StreetNew TownAB1 2CD

1. Go to the app store on your phone or tablet.

2. Go to the search bar and type in ‘NHS App’then press ‘Search’.

3. When the app has finished downloading,press on it to open it.

4. Press the blue button that says‘continue with NHS login’.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to putin your email address, make a passwordand put in your other information.

6. You will get sent a code to your mobile phonethat you will need to put in the app.

012345

To download the app

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To be able to book appointments onthe NHS App, you also need toprove to them who you are.

You need to follow the instructionsto send a photo of your ID (eitheryour passport, driving licence ornational identity card).

If you don’t have any of these typesof ID, talk to your GP and get thecodes as we talked about onpage 37.

The NHS team who made the appwant to make it more accessible.

Linkage key: l4BIhSgHSBTt0

ODS Code: Q90125

Account ID: 07431118400

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If you have ideas about how it couldbe made better, they want to hearfrom you.

You can email them atlucy.winder1@nhs.net

Or phone or text them on07850 883298

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Healthy eating wordsearch answers

B L A N G O O B S C A U R F J L I T

B A G A M M A E L T E I P H A N T I

H R L O E R B U F C F A L O C I Y A

C U I A O W F R E B V C D B T S I K

X C V L N D S G H I L H J R J L B V

S E A L D C F V G H U O Y E O F O O

C T F E N N E A T W E L L V B H Y D

Q E F R J V F D T E S F H Y V F T S

B J K G D G G I D S E S W F R U P N

F G H I M P M G H I H T Y I N R L K

W S D E B B C D G V E G E T A B L E

T G J S A H G D S A A T P O T G I U

U F H K M M C D S S L H R W A D D H

R S O O L J F R U I T V N J A F E T

A P V F S R O F J N H X Z I Z A X B

G D T Y H F O D S A Y A R O D T P B

U F H Y T D D A I F D Y S C B S O E

S W A T E R G J I D E T K V K W K B

These are the answers to the healthy eating wordsearchon page 26.

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Thank you

That’s the end of our easyread newsletter.

Please get in touch if you would likea printed copy, or if you would likeus to send you newsletters in thefuture.

If you want to tell us aboutsomething that’s important to you –please phone or email.

Credits

This paper has been designed andproduced by the easy read serviceat Inspired Services Publishing Ltd.Ref ISL121 21. July 2021.

www.inspiredservices.org.uk

Speaking Up Together -making EasyRead information.

Selected photos are from theInspired.pics easy read collectionand cannot be used anywhere elsewithout written permission fromInspired Services Publishing Ltd.

www.inspired.pics

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Web:tinyUrl.com/NHSGetInvolved

Phone: 0113 824 9686

Email: engage@nhs.net

Facebook: NHS Englandlearning disability and autismengagement

Twitter: @NHSability

If you contact us about anyof these articles we will notshare your details outsideof NHS England andNHS Improvement.

Contact usThe NHS Englandlearning disability andautism engagement team