Whether you are familiar with or new to Manchester it’s important to look after your health especially when moving away from home for the first time. We can help you to manage things when you become unwell or need other medical treatment.
You should register with a GP near your university as soon as possible, if you spend more weeks at your university address than your family address. That way you can receive emergency care if you need it, and access health services quickly and easily while you’re away from home.
live well
If you are struggling to stay healthy due to financial pressures, book a telephone consultation with a member of our Integrated Health team to discuss further and we can help support and signpost to services who can help.
Eat well
Students may not be renowned for healthy eating but learning how to eat well will mean you have a better chance of staying healthy.
Sometimes unhealthy eating is a result of an eating disorder
- anorexia nervosa – trying to control your weight by not eating enough food, exercising too much, or doing both
- bulimia – losing control over how much you eat and then taking drastic action to not put on weight
- binge eating disorder (BED) – eating large portions of food until you feel uncomfortably full
- ARFID – avoiding certain foods or types of food, and restricting your intake of them
- Obesity
Sleep well
Student life may not be renowned for early nights but getting enough sleep will mean you have a better chance of staying healthy and performing better academically.
Neurodiversity
Includes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dyspraxia.
Disability
Disabled Students’ Allowance
You can also receive financial aid to cover study-related costs resulting from your disability. This is called a Disabled Students’ Allowance.
You can apply for this if you have a:
- disability
- long-term health condition
- mental health condition
- specific learning difficulty
Learn more about the Disabled Students’ Allowance
Drugs
There can be a lot of pressure to take drugs whilst at university. If you’re struggling, speaking to your GP is a good place to start.
Drug addiction
If you struggle with drug addiction, your GP can discuss things with you and get you into treatment programmes.
Your GP may offer you treatment at the practice or refer you to your local drug service.
If you’re not comfortable talking to a GP, you can approach your local drug treatment service yourself.
Visit the Frank website to find support near you
Alcohol support
If you have become physically dependent on alcohol and need to stop drinking, stopping overnight or without a suitable recovery plan could be harmful.
Your GP can help by suggesting different types of assessment and support options available to you, such as from local community alcohol services.
Find out more about what alcohol support your GP could offer you.
Mental health and Wellbeing
Whether you have a pre-existing mental health problem or one that emerges whilst you’re at university, your GP can provide confidential advice and signpost you to various treatment services.
University is a great place to learn more about yourself. However, if you experience difficulties related to your sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender identity, religion or belief, age or disability, talking to your GP can be a great place to start.
You can also receive support from The Greater Manchester Universities Student Mental Health Service, which can help you to manage mental health challenges.
Sexual health
Every year, our GP’s help university students to look after their sexual health by providing confidential advice, support and treatments.
Contraception
Contraception is free for everyone from any GP surgery or your local sexual health clinic
Find out more about different types of contraception
Sexually transmitted infections (STI)
If you’re worried you might have an STI, it’s better to visit a sexual health clinic
However, your GP can discuss your sexual activities with you if you need support, and also offer STI testing services and advice.
Vaccinations
If you’re going to university for the first time, you should keep on top of your vaccinations.
MenACWY vaccine
During the first few weeks of term, you’ll likely come into contact with many new people. This can put you at particularly high risk of meningitis. The MenACWY vaccine protects you against 4 different strains of meningitis and septicaemia: meningococcal (Men) A, C, W and Y diseases. You can ask your GP for the MenACWY vaccine until your 25th birthday.
MMR vaccine
Measles is on the rise all over the country. If you have not had two doses of the MMR vaccine when you were a child, you can still have it done here. Here is some information regarding the vaccination.