The Pituitary Foundation provides a variety of support services in an attempt to meet the needs not only of our patients but also carers, family members and friends of those affected by pituitary disease.  We understand when a patient is diagnosed, it affects their life and those around them.

You don't have to be a patient to access the following services, we encourage family members and friends to contact us if they need information or support.

These services include:

Information and Support HelpLine - 0845 450 0375
Monday - Friday, 10:00 to 4:00

The Pituitary Foundation Information and Support HelpLine provides a confidential and non-judgemental service to pituitary patients, their carer, families and friends. This service delivers appropriate and clear information in a prompt and empathetic manner to enable callers to make informed choices.

Please Note:

• The Information and Support HelpLine service cannot offer medical advice, nor can we become involved in the management of any individual case.
• At busy times there are other calls being taken and an answer phone message will be heard. We unfortunately cannot return calls, but please try again.
• Our telephone system has a number display facility. Caller’s telephone numbers to the HelpLine are displayed on our telephone screens. Your displayed number is not recorded in any means unless you give us permission.

Endocrine Nurse Information HelpLine - 0845 450 0377
 
Please call only during these times.

Thursday 9th February 09.00 to 12 noon

Thursday 23rd February 09.00 to 12 noon

We will advise shortly of Alison's return, in March, to the Nurse HelpLine.

If you have any urgent medical problems, please see your GP or Endocrinologist; for more general non-medical matters, please do call the Support HelpLine on 0845 450 0375, Mondays to Fridays between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

 
Mission Statement for Endocrine Nurse Information HelpLine

The Pituitary Foundation Endocrine Nurse Information HelpLine provides a confidential and non-judgemental service to pituitary patients, their carers, families and friends. This service delivers appropriate and clear information in a prompt and empathetic manner to enable callers to make informed choices. The Endocrine Nurse HelpLine can offer medical information as a base for discussion with your GP or endocrine specialist.

Please Note:

• The Endocrine Nurse HelpLine cannot become involved in the medical or non-medical management of any individual case.
• At busy times there are other calls being taken and an answer phone message will be heard. We unfortunately cannot return calls, but please try again.
• Our telephone system has a number display facility. Caller’s telephone numbers to the Endocrine Nurse HelpLine are displayed on the telephone screen. Your displayed number is not recorded in any means unless you give us permission.

Would You Lile to Talk to Someone Who Shares Your Experiences?

Have you ever thought?

• "No-one seems to understand this pituitary thing"
• "Is it normal to feel like this?"
• "I feel so isolated"
• "I'm so scared, I've got to have 'brain surgery' "
• "I've got a 'tumour' - am I going to die?"
• "My employer/wife/husband/doctor doesn't understand me"
  

If you have, you are not alone.

In addition to specific named pituitary disorders we have buddies with experience of weight and self-image problems, sight problems, emotional issues, caring for children with pituitary disorders, Radiotherapy, surgery, and medication.

Not just for patients
We also have Telephone Buddies who are parents, partners, friends or relatives of patients. So, if there's a pituitary patient in your life, you can phone a friend too!

To be matched with a Telephone Buddy, call our Helpline on 0845 450 0375 or email helpline@pituitary.org.uk.

Mission Statement for Telephone Buddies Network

The Pituitary Foundation’s Telephone Buddies are trained volunteer patients and carers throughout the UK who have made themselves available for you to phone.  They are there to listen to you and share experiences.  This service is for anyone who wants to talk to someone who really understands what they are going through.

Please Note:

• Our Telephone Buddies are not qualified to give out medical information or advice.
• As each case is different, any treatment a Telephone Buddy may have had might not necessarily be right for you.
• Any views expressed are personal and do not necessarily represent the views of The Pituitary Foundation.
• As they are volunteers, calls must be made to the Telephone Buddy; the Telephone Buddy cannot call you, even if you have left a message.

The Pituitary Foundation is a member of The Helplines Association (THA) and THA has a Quality Standard which is a thorough check against a comprehensive list of criteria to see if a helpline is providing the best possible service.

A Note on 0845 Numbers  Calls provided by BT will be charged at up to 4 pence per minute at all times. A call set-up fee of 3 pence per call applies to calls from BT residential lines. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary. Our geographical number is 0117 370 1333.

Local Support Groups
There are over 20 groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland - go to our Local Support Group pages to find the Group nearest to you.

Carer Support
The Pituitary Foundation has resources and signposting available for Carers including an Online Forum and a Carer's Pack.

For more information click here to go to our Carer Support Section.

Booklets
We offer thirteen booklets written by experts to explain the different pituitary conditions and treatments.  These booklets are available on this website and are also downloadable as PDF files - just click here to go to our Literature Section. 

Online Forum
We offer another support service, the Online Forum.  The forum is a just another resource for you to connect and share with other patients and family members on the pituitary journey. You can do it anytime, day or night - all you need is a computer and internet access. Our Forum has dedicated sections for the different pituitary conditions as well as lifestyle topics. Click here for more information.

Facebook
The Pituitary Foundation is also on Facebook - simply click on the logo to visit our Facebook page:

The Pituitary Foundation’s goal is to assist you along your journey with information, support and understanding.  To do this, our service is available to patients, family members, friends and the general population.

We must understand our community’s needs and therefore welcome you to share your stories, your views and your feedback on our services.

However, in common with most charities, we have constraints on our financial and staffing resources, therefore, there has to be limits on the service we offer.  In practical terms this means:

• We cannot provide individualised case management for patients or family members. 
• We cannot intervene in any circumstance faced by individual members of our community with anyone, including employers and medical professionals.  Nor can we assist members with procuring medical appointments or tests and we cannot evaluate cases and provide expert diagnosis or treatment advice.
• We cannot offer funds to individuals.
• We cannot offer services to pituitary patients outside the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.
• We cannot take on personal awareness campaigns within the NHS, other government agencies or amongst the general public.

However there are many things we can do to support our community and hopefully this will grow as and when our funds allow.

We can offer booklets, information and general advice to assist you in being your own advocate.  We can also signpost you to relevant services who can offer further information and support.

We will endeavour to listen to your suggestions as to our current services and future growth.  If evidence supports the discovery of a need for the majority of the community, we will make every effort to include it in current programmes or build programmes to meet that need (should funding allow).

Our commitment to you is to offer the best possible service throughout your journey.

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