College Nurse
Wolfson College Nurse, Sally Maccallum, is employed part-time offering confidential help with a range of health problems most weekdays, broadly between 10am-2pm. This includes assessment, advice and support for minor injuries and illnesses, as well as support with wellbeing issues, worries and mental health conditions. She can also refer you on to other health services, if required. As with all health care environments, health information is kept strictly confidential and sharing without consent only occurs in exceptional circumstances.
- Sally offers a drop-in clinic in her rooms in Morrison House (the door opposite the car park entrance beside the bikes) Monday to Friday 11am-12pm no appointment is necessary during this time, please just pop by. But do not attend if you have symptoms of COVID-19, even minor cold-like symptoms, thank you.
- A limited number of scheduled appointments are also available in advance, either in her rooms, online or in the garden. Please contact Sally to arrange these: nurse@wolfson.cam.ac.uk 01223 335901
Your Health
If you become ill or injured and need medical help or advice, choose well by using the right service for your needs. If you feel unwell or have a welfare issue whilst in College, you should inform the College Nurse or Porters, or access your GP, as appropriate. You can check your symptoms here: NHS 111
In addition to the guidance below, please protect yourself and support us by ensuring you follow the advice on Vaccinations and by having the following items:
- digital thermometer
- face coverings
- hand sanitiser
- facial tissues
- Paracetamol (Tylenol/Acetaminophen)
Current Student Support from the University of Cambridge.
If you feel lonely or anxious, please reach out for support. Practical advice on how to help yourself and others through difficult times is available here and on the Wolfson mental health resources web page.
It is in your best interest to let your Tutor and/or the College Nurse know about any health issue that you have. Even if you're not aware of any impact on your studies, any long term health condition (including mental health illness) can put people at a disadvantage academically. It is advisable to also declare undiagnosed illnesses of this type, as medical evidence can be submitted later after diagnosis. See here for information about "reasonable adjustments", available via the College and the University Access and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC), that can be put in place to make up for such disadvantage.
Self-Care
This is the best choice to treat minor illnesses, ailments and injuries. A range of common illnesses and complaints, such as coughs and colds, sore throats, upset stomachs, and aches and pains can be treated with a well-stocked medicine cabinet and plenty of rest.
The Porters can help you with first aid when necessary. Tel: 01223 335900.
NHS 111
Call 111 when you need medical help or advice for non life-threatening situations. You will be asked questions to assess your symptoms, and given healthcare advice or directed to the local service that can best help. Further information about the NHS and be found here.
Student Health Guides
Pharmacy
Pharmacists at local chemists (drug stores) can give you confidential expert advice about over the counter medication and minor illness.
Doctor (GP)
Make an appointment for a consultation with your GP (General Practitioner/family doctor) for a range of services. The nearest GP practice to Wolfson is Newnham Walk Surgery. Registration for Newnham Walk Surgery is online; see here for further details. Call 111 for the GP out-of-hours service in the evenings, overnight, at weekends and on public holidays, and then let the Porters know. On-call GPs are based at the Urgent Treatment Centre, clinic 9, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Porters can help with transport, if required.
First Response Service
Call NHS 111 and select option 2 if you (or someone you know) are in crisis and need mental health care, help and support.
Accident & Emergency Department (A&E/ER/Casualty)
In a genuine emergency, you should call 999 then inform the Porters: 01223 335900. The nearest A&E is at Addenbrooke's Hospital for conditions such as a suspected broken bone, road accident, a severe wound that requires stitching, suspected heart attack or any other life-threatening condition.
Allergies
If you have had a serious allergic reaction or a food allergy and live in College, you should provide written information about this on your College Health Form. If you have a food allergy or special dietary requirement, please be sure also to:
- introduce yourself to the serving staff/head chef at your earliest opportunity, once in College, and let them know about your allergy
- declare your allergy when you sign up for Formal Hall dinners and other organised meals in College
Confidentiality & Records
The College Nurse exercises her duty of confidentiality to all students and respects your right to privacy. Information shared with the College Nurse is kept strictly confidential; as with all health care environments, sharing information without consent would only occur in exceptional circumstances. Student health records are stored and processed in accord with current health and personal data protection regulations. The supplying company is registered with the Data Protection Registrar as is the College. The College is the Data Controller. Further information about this can be found here.
