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Cost of living support: your crisis, our action

Last updated: 1 March 2023

Looking after your health and wellbeing

Woman exercising in a group

To help protect your mental health and wellbeing, the following services offer free and confidential support: 

  • Check in and Chat service – if you, or someone you care for, feel vulnerable this winter, you can request a free call from our team to help you explore council services and local support. Call 07979 276623 and leave us a message with your contact details or register online. 

  • 5 ways to wellbeing – we’ve come up with ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ to help you cope with the challenges of everyday life. 

  • Good Thinking – a free online service which provides NHS approved apps, information, and resources to help manage stress, anxiety, and poor sleep. 

  • Kooth – an online support and counselling service for young people aged 11 to 25. You can use it to chat with the online team about anything that’s on your mind. 

  • Waltham Forest Talking Therapies – a service for people aged 18 and over who are feeling worried, low or stressed. You can get help face-to-face, online, over the phone or on a video call by calling 0300 300 1554, option 4. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

  • Samaritans – Samaritans will listen to anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. They're available 24/7 by calling 116 123.

  • Mental Health Direct – A helpline if anyone is in distress and would like to talk to a qualified mental health professional. They're available 24/7, by calling 0800 995 1000. 

To get help with alcohol, drugs and smoking, we’ve listed some useful support services: 

  • Change Grow Live – providing a free and confidential service for adults and young people in Waltham Forest. You can contact the service to talk about drug and alcohol use or access treatment and support. Call 020 3826 9600 for adults and call 020 3404 1098 for under 21s. 

  • DrinkCoach – an online app that helps individuals track and change their drinking. Download the ‘Drink Coach’ app on Google Play or Apple Store for free. 

  • Quit Right Waltham Forest – Quit Right Waltham Forest is a local stop smoking service for smokers aged 12 and over who live, work, study or have a GP in Waltham Forest. Call 020 7882 8230 or email clinicbookings@qmul.ac.uk for further information.

 

Here is a range of free support provided by the NHS to help improve your immunity: 

  • Vaccinations – to help boost your immunity, it’s never too late to get your COVID-19 vaccines.  

If you are 50 or over, pregnant, or have an underlying health condition, you can also get a COVID-19 booster. If you are 50 years old or over, pregnant, have an underlying health condition, or are a child under 11 or a carer, you can receive a free flu jab. 

Find out more about eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations.

 

You can order free COVID-19 test kits online or by calling 119, to keep at home to use if you have symptoms of COVID-19. You can also order tests from Waltham Forest Council by completing this form. 

Visit 111 online or call 111 if you need medical help or advice.  

 

There’s also a range of local and national resources to help improve your general health and wellbeing: 

  • Healthy eating on a budget – find tips on how to get your five a day, cut waste, and cook in an energy efficient way. 

  • Best before and use-by dates – find out more about food labels and food waste. 

  • BeeZee Bodies – offer lifestyle courses for families in Waltham Forest to help children and their families have fun with healthy eating and physical activities.  

  • Better – provides a local 12-week programme that can help adults who are overweight or living with obesity to enjoy healthy eating and an active lifestyle.  

  • NHS Better Health – offer online tools and support to help you start making healthy changes to your lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight, from a free 12-week healthy weight plan to apps that can help you lead a more active lifestyle. 

  • Free prescription tool – you can use a helpful online tool to help identify if you are eligible for support with prescription costs. There are various criteria for eligibility.