New helpline to support families looking after children with respiratory illnesses
Health experts are predicting a rise in coughs and colds in babies and young children this winter, particularly those caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The national children’s charity Barnardo’s has developed advice to help parents looking after children with respiratory illnesses, with support from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Barnardo’s have launched a helpline – to support parents to understand the key symptoms to look out for, what you can do to care for your child at home and when to seek help.
The helpline advisors provide practical advice and support on:
- How to manage mild symptoms in children at home
- Best ways to seek medical support
- Registering with a GP surgery
- Contacting the NHS 111 helpline
- Meeting a child’s needs, for example providing food, clothes, tech devices, household items and others
The Boloh helpline is available to all parents and carers in the UK but has been specifically designed to support Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities. Helpline advisors can provide help in English, Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Polish, Luganda, Ruyankole, Rukiga, Rutooro and Kinyarwanda. Interpreters can be requested for other languages.
The Boloh helpline can be contacted by telephone on 0800 151 2605 (free of charge in the UK) or by using web chat.
More advice on how to keep your family healthy and happy is available at Barnardo’s Family Space and the NHS Healthier Together website.
Barnardo’s also offers practical tips for looking after children at home
You can learn more about the Boloh helpline from this short video: