• Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust CYPF Mental and Emotional Health pages 

• East Berkshire CCG – Mental wellbeing for children and young people pages - Includes links to counselling services for Bracknell, Windsor, Maidenhead, Slough.

• West Berkshire CCG Young person’s guide to coping (PDF) - Lists of websites, apps, and helplines – focused on coping during COVID-19 pandemic.
• West Berkshire council: Ask for Help From the Emotional Health Triage

• Little Blue Book of Sunshine - Joint publication from Berkshire East and West. Includes information about services across all of Berkshire. Explains some of the things you can do right now to feel better, or who to turn to if things feel too much. Available as PDF and as a free ebook on Apple Books and Google Play Books. 

• Kooth – online counselling and emotional support for Berkshire.

Council pages and services

• West Berkshire Council MH Services - Includes links to counselling, drug services etc.  

• Wokingham Council MH services - Includes links to counselling, drug services etc.  
• Wokingham Council MH for children and young people-  Young people mental health and wellbeing pages.

• Bracknell Public health portal – Young people mental health and wellbeing pages.
• Brighter Futures for Children (Deliver children’s services in Reading) - List of wellbeing apps.

• Brighter Futures Mental Health Support Team - Only accept referrals for young people enrolled at specific schools in the Reading area.

Helping Friends and Family

• Anna Freud: National Centre for Children and Families - Helping someone else pages
• YoungMinds - Lots of information and advice on mental health from asking for help, talking to your GP.
• How friends and family can support young people with MH issues
• Childline pages on helping friends with bullying, MH issues etc
• MIND pages on supporting friends.

Medications Information

The British National Formulary & The British National Formulary for Children (BNF & BNFc)

These are the reference guides used by health professionals in the UK for prescribing, dispensing and giving medicines. The information is written for health professionals so it is authoritative but may be hard to understand. You can look at these for free on the NICE (National Institute for Care Excellence) website.

• https://bnfc.nice.org.uk/
• https://bnf.nice.org.uk/

Patient - Medicine & Drugs A-Z

Printable information about a wide range of drugs. Not specifically aimed at young people but written very clearly. “Our clinical information is certified to meet NHS England's Information Standard. Our health information leaflets are written in clear, easy-to-understand language for the general public and patients. “

• https://patient.info/treatment-medication

NHS Choices - Medicines A-Z

Describes how medicines work with links to the associated conditions. “Find out how your medicine works, how and when to take it, possible side effects and answers to your common questions.”

•  https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/

When to go to a pharmacist

Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals and can offer advice on over the counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses such as coughs, colds, aches and pains. They will also make sure you get the help you need if your symptoms suggest you should see a GP or other healthcare professional. Most pharmacies have a private consultation room so you discuss issues with pharmacy staff in private.

See here for more information about pharmacies and the services they provide.

• When to use 111
• When to use walk in or minor injuries unit
• When to use A&E
• NHS pages on GPs 
• Childline pages on visiting a doctor

Asking questions at your GP appointment

Whether it is your initial GP appointment, a consultation with a specialist at an outpatient appointment or a mental health assessment there are a few things you can prepare in advance that will help you to get the most out of time with the health professional. These resources below will help you ask questions to make sure you fully understand your health.

• NHS: What to ask your doctor? - Checklist of questions to ask at your doctor’s appointment.

• Patient’s Association: Making the most of your GP appointment - Tips on how to prepare for your GP appointment, what to ask and how to remember the information given to you.

• DocReady - A digital tool that helps young people to prepare and make the most out of mental health related GP visits by creating checklists and record information from your appointment.

• Young Minds: How to talk to your GP about your mental health - Tips and advice on talking to your GP about your mental health.

Fact checkers will help you to understand health information and claims that are in the news. Some of the most well known are:

Developing critical thinking skills to help to distinguish the difference is really important. See our resources page for tips on how to boost your understanding of health information.