During our latest cost of living survey, 78% of our students said they've been impacted by the rising cost of healthcare, including prescriptions, dental costs, and period products - a shocking increase of 23% from the previous year.
Looking after your physical and mental wellbeing is vital to having a good university experience, and we don't think our students should have to compromise when it comes to their health.
Health care
Free medical centres and GPs
Hallam has its own free Medical Centre located in Surrey Building and accessible via Pond Street in the city centre. They also have a base at Porter Brook Medical Centre, located just down Ecclesall Road near Collegiate Campus.
If you commute to Uni or live outside the city, you can find your nearest GP online.
Help with prescription costs
If you're a full-time student you're entitled to free prescriptions for medication, with a valid HC2 certificate. If you're not eligible for free prescriptions, you may be entitled to help with prescription costs.
If you take regular medication, it might be worth buying a NHS pre-payment certificate for your prescriptions. You can buy one that covers you for 3 or 12 months, and can pay in one go or in monthly instalments. If you access at least 1 prescription per month you should be able to save some money.
Cheap painkillers
We've found the cheapest place for essential medication such as paracetamol and ibuprofen is Bodycare on The Moor. Packs of 16 tablets are just 39p! Prices for painkillers such as paracetamol can range from 20p to a few pounds, but tests have shown there's no real benefit to paying more money for branded products as the cheaper products are legally required to be just as good. The ingredients can be identical and cost much less, so it's worth saving your money wherever you can.
Dental care
Find a dentist
Dental care is something that often gets forgotten about whilst at uni, and its not surprising with how difficult it can be to find a dentist to register with. We recognise it's more difficult than ever to get a dentist appointment and sadly it's not something we can fix easily. If you're already registered with a dentist at your home address, we recommend staying with them and making appointments outside of term time if possible. If, however, you do want to explore other options, you can find your nearest dentist online.
Emergency dental care
If you have a dental accident such as breaking a tooth and need emergency care, you should call your registered dentist if you have one, or if not call 111 from any phone and they can put you in touch with a dentist. Charles Clifford Dental Hospital may also be able to offer urgent care if you're not already registered with another dentist.
Help with dental costs
If you're a full-time student named on a HC2 form, are pregnant, or have had a baby in the last 12 months, you should be able to access free dental care. If you're not automatically eligible for free dental care, you might still be able to get help with dental costs.
You can find out more about general dental care and treatment options from the NHS.
Free period products
Period Product Subscription
We believe that no student should miss out on their education because they can't afford period products. We're running a dedicated Period Poverty Campaign and have now launched our subscription service, providing students with free period products throughout the year.
In each pack you will receive a supply of 20 period products for each month in discreet packaging. You will typically be given 3-4 months' worth of products at a time. Once signed up, you will be sent information about when, where, and how to collect your free products. You will be sent reminder emails before each set of collection dates - failure to collect during collection weeks (unless you tell us in advance) will lead to your removal from the scheme so products can be re-allocated to another student in need. We do not deliver to individual addresses, collection only.
Thanks to funding support from the JD Foundation and The National Lottery, sign-ups for the 2024/25 academic year are now open! We have 500 spaces available, but if the list gets full you'll be added to a wait list.
Sign up to receive free period products
Caught short scheme
We've worked with the University to develop the Caught Short on Campus scheme. If you find yourself 'caught short' on campus, there are Help Points across both City and Collegiate Campuses where you can pick up free period products. Simply ask at any Help Desk for a tampon or period pad, or for 'Tammy' or 'Patricia' if you prefer.
Sexual health support
Condoms, contraception, and STI tests
Sexual Health Sheffield provide free condoms and other contraception, as well as providing advice and STI screening. They also offer information and access to HIV testing, prevention and treatment (PEP and PrEP), and you can request self-testing kits from their website. You can also use the NHS Free Condom service to find out where you can find your nearest supplier.
Sexual Health Online is the new sexual health service for people without symptoms. If you have symptoms you should make an appointment with your GP. If you do not have any symptoms and have not knowingly been in contact sexually with someone with an infection, just register and complete the online consultation. If the service is right for you, a free kit will be posted out so you can collect your samples and return them for testing.
Pregnancy tests
You can get free pregnancy tests from Sexual Health Sheffield, and you may also be able to get one from your GP. If you buy a pregnancy test, they can cost anything from a couple of quid to a tenner - but be assured, the results of less expensive pregnancy tests will still be up to 99% accurate when you use them in line with the manufacturer's instructions. Basically, cheap pregnancy tests are just as good as the expensive ones. You can get 5 pregnancy test strips from Boots for £4.99 or a pack of two tests from Amazon for £2.85.
Wellbeing activities
Free wellbeing activities and events
It's not unlikely that wellbeing will suffer as a result of the cost of living crisis, and we're often bombarded with wellbeing apps and resources that themselves cost money to use, which isn't always an option. However, there are lots of free wellbeing activities you can explore.
Sheffield Hallam University offer their own Student Wellbeing Support and Advice and, like us, they have lots of free wellbeing events that happen regularly. Whether you're concerned about your wellbeing or not, these events can be a great way to have fun and meet new people.
Free wellbeing apps
There are some really useful wellbeing apps out there, and there's bound to be at least one that suits you. Check out just a few that have been recommended by Student Universe and the NHS.
Free Togetherall membership
Togetherall is a clinically managed, online community designed to improve mental health. It has community forums, discussion points, and wellbeing exercises to explore. All Hallam students are eligible for a free Togetherall membership.
The Uni Library have a wellbeing collection and it mirrors the topics covered by the Wellbeing Service. There are lots of books to loan if you want to find out more about any area of wellbeing. Whilst this can't replace the service offered by the Wellbeing Service or a health professional, there are some great resources and it's a good way of saving money if you were considering buying a book.