Health and Wellbeing

Registering with a Doctor

Registration with a Local Doctor  
If you don't normally live in Perth it is important that you register with a doctor as soon as possible after you arrive. The doctors at Whitefriars Surgery (Green Practice), Whitefriars Street, Perth have agreed to register Perth College UHI students. You should telephone 01738 627912 and make an appointment to see a doctor who will register you as a temporary patient but if you arrange an appointment and fail to attend it, you will not be given another one. If you require specific certificates/letters, you may have to pay for this service. Your doctor should make this clear at the time of your request. Please note that these fees will not be reimbursed by the College.

What to do if you have a Health Problem  
If you have a health problem that may affect your studies, please inform your (PAT) or the Student Services team. We will treat any information you pass to us confidentially and will be happy to discuss with you any support you might need. We can also ensure that health and safety factors such as evacuation procedures are recognised.  

First Aid  
There are trained first-aiders on the College staff. In the event of an emergency, or if you are involved in, or witness an accident or are feeling unwell, stay calm and contact the nearest member of staff who will be able to offer or obtain assistance.

Your Safety and Looking After Yourself

Looking after yourself, your safety is important to us

Please keep your student login and password secret, change it regularly, log out of computers when you leave them and don’t share personal information on social networking sites. Perth College UHI has policies on E-Safety and acceptable use of ICT. You can find these here.

Staying Safe Online  
Using online technology and social media sites can be really useful and great fun. It's a great way to chat to your friends, share photos and listen to music. When you are using social media or technologies online, it is important that you do so in a safe way and that you remember to stay in control of your own information.  

Remember: 

• Personal information includes your e-mail address, mobile number, instant messenger ID and any images of you and your family or friends.
• Don't give out any of your personal information to anyone on-line unless you know and trust them.
• Be careful what information you give out on any profile you create for yourself. Remember that you don't know who your friends' friends are, or your friends', friends' friends!
• You can block someone from accessing your information on-line.
• If you share a picture or video with someone online or through your mobile, they can use it, change it or share it, and once it's out there, it's out there forever.
• Protect yourself and your information in the virtual world in the same way you would in the real world!

You can find out more about online safety at: www.thinkuknow.co.uk and www.childnet-int.org/sorted/ 

Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk

We have in place a number of policies and procedures that outline our commitment to keeping people safe on our campus, promoting good health and well-being, and the actions we take in relation to this.

One of the policies in place is about how we work to safeguard children, young people and adults at risk within the College campus. If you would like to know more about the work we do in this area, or to talk to someone about your own personal safety or well-being, or that of someone else, please contact our Safeguarding Coordinator on  07812 669201 or Deborah.lally.perth@uhi.ac.uk; or ask a member of the Student Services Team and they will be happy to help you. 

Using College Facilities Safely

Perth College UHI is committed to maintaining and promoting the health, safety and well-being of all staff, students and visitors and we take all reasonable steps we can to provide and maintain healthy, safe working conditions, equipment and systems of work. It is important that, while in any College building, you make every effort to avoid risks to yourself and to others by acting in a safe and responsible way.  

What to do if there is a Fire

It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the College's emergency procedures. Please take time to read the instructions posted around all buildings on campus and in Learning Centres. On hearing the alarm signal you must leave the room immediately and then leave the building via the nearest available fire exit and make your way to the appropriate Fire Assembly Point. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) will be agreed for students with mobility difficulties or other support needs as appropriate, information and advice on this is available from the Additional Support Coordinator, within the Student Services Team.  
Note: At no time should you use the lifts during an evacuation.

Reporting Accidents/Incidents and Hazards 

All accidents/incidents and "near-misses" must be reported to staff when they occur and forms for this are available at College Reception areas and on PerthNet. If you notice anything that may be dangerous or could cause harm to someone in or around College buildings or grounds, please inform a member of staff right away. Your co-operation will help us to ensure a healthy and safe campus. 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 

Working/studying in some areas requires that PPE must be worn eg safety footwear, eye, hand and face protection, these areas will display appropriate signage eg eye protection must be worn. You must wear PPE in these areas.  

Electrical Testing of Equipment  

The College has a legal responsibility to ensure that no danger results from the use of portable electrical equipment (for example, hairdryers, amplifiers, laptops) and we check our own equipment regularly. If it is necessary for any non-College-owned electrical equipment to be brought onto campus, you must: 

• Get permission to do so from your Course Tutor/Lecturer;
• Be able to produce a valid PAT certificate for the equipment that shows it is electrically safe
• Maintain the authenticity of the PAT certificate ie by not modifying equipment after PAT Testing. 

Closure Due to Bad Weather 

If the weather is very bad, for example during heavy snowfalls, you should listen (where possible) to Radio Tay to find out if the College is open or closed. If you have provided us with a mobile phone number, we will also let you know if the College is closed via text message, and information will be available on the College website, the College App, Facebook and twitter pages and answering machine. You can access this information by calling our main switchboard on 01738 877000. If we are closed, neither students nor staff are expected to come in. Students at Learning Centres will be advised of local procedures.  

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