Month: June 2019

Improvements to psychosis services

New proposals for the early treatment of psychosis

Improvements to psychosis services will ensure people get timely access to effective care and treatment. Backed by an investment of £400,000, a new national network for early intervention psychosis will look at how services can best be delivered.

The work will be led by Healthcare Improvement Scotland over a two year period and improvements to services will be brought in across the country based on the findings of the network.

Current estimates are that 1,600 people each year present with psychosis in Scotland.

Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey (above) said: “Psychotic disorders can be extremely debilitating and it’s vital that those experiencing psychosis are treated quickly and effectively.

“Treating psychosis in the early stages can reduce the amount of time a patient needs to spend in hospital, reduce relapses, and leads to more effective and long lasting outcomes.

“This work will ensure people presenting for the first time with psychosis anywhere in Scotland get timely access to effective care and treatment, with a focus on early intervention and recovery.”

Director of Improvement at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Ruth Glassborow, said: “Healthcare Improvement Scotland is delighted to lead on this important work.

“We’ll conduct a national needs assessment and make recommendations for how early interventions in psychosis services can be tailored and delivered to meet specific needs in different areas.

“We will ensure that people living with psychosis are supported to participate fully in this work, to inform better long term outcomes for individuals.”

The Scottish Government has published its Vision to Improve Early Intervention in Psychosis in Scotland:

vision-improve-early-intervention-psychosis-scotland

 

 

Portman Dental Care acquires West End practice

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co has brokered the sale of Stafford Street Dental Care, a prestigious four surgery dental practice situated in the heart of Edinburgh’s West End, to Portman Dental Care. Continue reading Portman Dental Care acquires West End practice

Safer Business Stronger Scotland campaign urges businesses in Edinburgh to safeguard their future

BUSINESSES of all sizes in Edinburgh are being encouraged to act now to keep their workplaces safe as part of a pioneering campaign launched this week by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) with support from Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.  Continue reading Safer Business Stronger Scotland campaign urges businesses in Edinburgh to safeguard their future

Microsculpture: Levon Biss exhibition at The Botanics

Microsculpture – The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss

Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh is hosting ‘Microsculpture’ an exhibition of giant insect portraits exposed in microscopic detail. Famed photographer Levon Biss partnered with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History for the project. Continue reading Microsculpture: Levon Biss exhibition at The Botanics

Scottish housing and care provider ships ‘home of the future’ to Manchester

A SPECIALIST housing and care provider has adopted an ingenious method of transporting its ‘home of the future’ to Europe’s largest housing festival – by building it across three shipping containers.

A working replica of the ‘Blackwood House’ was on display at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH) annual conference in Manchester from the 25th– 27th of June.

In order to showcase the innovative home in all its glory, the Blackwood team are building the house in shipping containers so it can be transported south of the border.

The pioneering home transforms the day-to-day lives of people who want to live independently with cutting edge technology and design that reimagines living space, redesigning it physically and technologically to make it more accessible.

The adapted shipping containers will allow conference attendees and potential partners to see the technology in action and find out first-hand why it can revolutionise independent living.

Simon Fitzpatrick, Development and Commercial Director at Blackwood, said: “It obviously represents a logistical challenge to get a Blackwood House replica down to Manchester so we came up with the innovative use of shipping containers to help.

“We’re passionate about the way our Blackwood Houses allow people to live as independently as possible and it’s exciting that we’re going to be able to display it at Europe’s largest housing conference.

“We believe in creating neighbourhoods with the Blackwood House at the very heart of them which is something partners at the conference can really get behind the movement for independent living – #ImIn.

“The Blackwood House provides a solution to the national housing crisis and we’re making it our mission to enable people who want to live independently really gain from technological advances.”

Blackwood has an ambitious development programme over the next five years and every aspect of the house has been carefully considered to remove any obstacles or issues that can disrupt daily life. It features electric doors that slide open and shut at the touch of a tablet and taking away the hassle of manoeuvring around it.

Other special features include high and low-level kitchen units that rise and fall, and contemporary moveable bathroom components that provide high levels of accessibility.

The property is ‘smart’, too, with technology playing a key role: lights, blinds, doors, entry systems and heating can all be controlled via Blackwood’s bespoke digital care system, CleverCogs™. Much of this technology will be able to be controlled by voice.

1,400 providers attend the CIH Conference with 98% of the largest housing associations in attendance.

There are over 12,000 visitors over the three days with around 33,000 meetings taking place on the show floor.

Headquartered in state of the art, wheelchair friendly offices in Edinburgh, Blackwood works in 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, and embraces the challenge of innovating housing and care at a time when funding is increasingly limited.