Services A to Z

Healthy eating plays a key role in managing blood glucose levels, supporting a healthy pregnancy, and reducing future health risks. Advice focuses on regular meals, balanced food choices, and practical changes that fit everyday life. Guidance may vary depending on your diagnosis, treatment, and personal needs. Our dietitians can provide tailored support where more individual advice is needed. These pages provide first‑line dietary advice for people with

• Diabetes
• Diet for Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
• Diabetes in Hospital: Carbohydrate Counting During Your Hospital Stay
• Gestational diabetes.
• Pre‑diabetes
• Type 2 Diabetes Remission Programmes

Introduction

We know that mental health does not just mean mental illness; it is a continuum that may include a range of needs, from having the right words to describe how we feel, through to everyday worries and feelings of distress or hopelessness. (Scotland’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023).

The six Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) offer a range of mental health and wellbeing services, including for those with diagnosed mental illness and psychiatric care needs. For example, Primary Care Mental Health Teams (PCMHT) help people with mental health problems that will benefit from ‘talking’ therapies. Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) work with people with more complex or longer lasting mental health issues, possibly needing medication. There are also a number of specialist services to meet a range of specific needs including crisis, trauma, drugs and alcohol, eating disorders, and psychotherapy.

Practitioners from a range of professional backgrounds work within these teams and include psychiatrists, psychologists and cognitive behavioural therapists, community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, community development workers, support workers and administrative staff.

The links below provide access to resources for mental health and wellbeing support, including details about NHSGGC mental health services and their locations. You’ll also find information on the NHSGGC Mental Health Strategy, which outlines current and upcoming initiatives in prevention and early intervention, primary care, community, and specialist mental health services. Additionally, there is information on engagement and involvement with the public, service users, and carers.

If you need help

If you, or someone you know, needs urgent help or is in crisis, call NHS 24 on 111.

If you just need to talk with someone, there is help available:

The Samaritans are there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call them on 116 123 (freephone) or email: jo@samaritans.org

Breathing Space offers a confidential phone line for anyone in Scotland feeling low, anxious or depressed. You can call free on 0800 83 85 87.

You can find lots of useful information on the NHS inform website and Mind to Mind Hub. You can also visit the NHSGGC Heads Up Mental Health Support for advice, videos and support which also has mental health information described in British Sign Language (BSL).

The Health Physics Section within the Department of Clinical Physics and Bio-Engineering (DCPB) provides a Regional Service comprising advice, and a range of highly specialised scientific and technical support services to healthcare establishments utilising radiation in their clinical and other services.

The establishments include all NHS hospitals and health centres within the 8 Health Boards in the West and Borders of Scotland, hospitals run by the Scottish Government, and private organisations for which services are provided on a contractual basis (private dental and veterinary practices). The services include provision of comprehensive advice from qualified radiation experts, scientific and technical services, and reviews of all aspects of radiation protection.

The purpose is to enable employers and staff to comply with all relevant radiation legislation and guidance and to ensure the safety of all patients, staff and visitors who may be exposed to or come into contact with any radiation source. The Health Physics Service maintains a continuing programme of research into the development of techniques relevant to the service.

Have you experienced or seen HIV stigma or discrimination taking place within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) health services? Have you, or someone else been treated differently, or with a lack of respect because you or they are living with HIV? If you have we want to hear about your experience. 

This could be any health service in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, hopefully not related to HIV care, and could have happened any time in the last 3 years.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember all the details just tell us as much as you can.

We collect these experiences to help us to work together to ensure people living with HIV are treated with the dignity, compassion and respect that all patients in NHSGGC can expect.

There are several ways to feedback the experience:

1 – Discuss with the service / clinician

We advise that in the first instance, you speak to the person or team responsible if you are not happy with your treatment, or the treatment of someone you care about. For example, this can the nurse in charge of a ward, or the practice manager at a GP surgery.

The peer support engagement manager can support you to do this.

2 – Stigma Reporting via Brownlee

We have developed a stigma reporting form that the peer support engagement manager views so they can support you. They will contact you if you have provided your contact details, however the form can be completed anonymously.

It is important to note that if you do not provide your contact details you will not receive a direct response to the specific issues you raise. However, your comments will still be used to drive forward change.

3 – Anonymously tell your story on Care Opinion

Patients and families can use Care Opinion provide anonymous feedback about their experiences. Incidents are reviewed by the Patient Experience and Public Involvement Team at NHSGGC who will feedback them directly to service managers. You will receive a response from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

You can watch ‘Care Opinion in 2 minutes‘, a short video explaining how it works.

4 – Feedback to Patient Experience Public Involvement Team (PEPI)

You can give feedback whether good or bad, in a confidential user friendly way to the NHSGGC Patient Experience Public Involvement Team. Simply complete the form with as much information as you can and the PEPI team will make sure this goes to the right services. You will not receive a direct response to the specific issues you raise, but your comments will still be used to drive forward change.

5 – Formal Complaint

The person affected or someone on their behalf can make a formal complaint.

The advice is that you speak to the person or team in the first instance and then escalate if you are not happy with the outcome. The complaints team can help you to do this if you need help. They can give you advice about where to get independent help in making your complaint.

Healthtalk have developed a new, free online resource regarding feeding a baby while living with HIV. The resource looks at the factors influencing how parents living with HIV feed their babies in the UK. The resource was developed using data from the HIV & infant feeding study. 

Access the resource here. 

HIV is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act and it is illegal to treat someone less favourably because of it. In Scotland we also have The Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 which in turn informs The Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.

In short this means that irrespective of someone’s HIV status they are entitled to fair and respectful treatment when accessing NHS services.

The most important points for people living with HIV are:

• Access –You cannot be denied treatment due to HIV
• Respect –You should be treated with dignity
• Safety –Your care should be effective
• Confidentiality –Your personal health information should be secure

If you feel that any of these are being compromised due to stigma or discrimination, then ask to see someone else, or you can exercise your right to Feedback or Complain

We ask that you:

• Keep appointments or cancel within a reasonable time.
• Follow the course of treatment which you have agreed and talk to you doctor if you find this difficult
• Provide accurate information about your health
• Treat staff with same dignity and respect you would like to receive

Feedback and Complaints

NHSGGC encourages feedback – both positive and negative- about the treatment and care you have received, to help us improve service delivery.

If you wish to feedback your experience of using NHS Services, whether at the Brownlee or in another part of the NHS, or make a complaint, all departments have information available on how to do that.

Brownlee has a suggestions box in the reception area that patients can use to feedback on experiences both good and bad. NHS GGC also has an official Feedback and Complaints system.

If you require inpatient treatment for your HIV you will be admitted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where you will be looked after by the Brownlee medical team.

Patients are supported with their physical and mental health in a variety of ways via the multidisciplinary team.

In addition there are a range of services available to help manage emotional and practical issues.

For information on Peer Support, Seminars and Events click here.

Terrence Higgins Trust has a range of support services that runs from their city centre offices.

Waverley Care similarly offers support and advice on a range of issues and their African Health Project is specifically designed to meet the needs of African people living with HIV.

Many patients are infected with both HIV and Hepatitis C, and can access the support services available from Waverley Care.

Hwupenyu Health and Wellbeing is a community based project that provides a range of support services including a food bank and complementary therapies to people living with HIV and other related health conditions. 

Terrance Higigns Trust and HIV Prevention England have created a collection of videos, featuring people living with HIV talking about how treatment has impacted their lives; these can be viewed at YouTube/THT.

As well as being NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s centre for HIV care and treatment, the Brownlee Clinic provides the following services:

• A specialist Infection Medicine service
• A specialist Travel Medicine service