Day: August 17, 2020

Heart Research UK Healthy tip – Healthy cholesterol

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Keeping a check on Cholesterol

Cholesterol travels around the body in our blood and it is present in our cells. We all need some cholesterol to stay healthy, but high levels of cholesterol can increase our risk of heart disease.

Nearly half of all adults in the UK are estimated to have high levels of cholesterol in their blood. Many people are unaware that their cholesterol is high because there are usually no symptoms.

In this healthy heart tip, we explain what cholesterol is and we provide some tips for keeping your cholesterol levels healthy.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance made in the liver and it is present in foods, such as eggs, liver and prawns. Cholesterol is needed in the cells of our body. It helps to make vitamin D and some hormones which keep our bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Cholesterol also helps our digestive system process the fats we eat. Having too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to a build-up in your arteries, which puts you at a higher risk of having a heart attack.

There are two main types of cholesterol.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) more commonly known as “bad cholesterol” and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) more commonly known as “good cholesterol”. Too much “bad” LDL cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. The role of “good” HDL cholesterol is to transport excess cholesterol back to the liver. Therefore, it is important that you have enough “good” HDL cholesterol and not too much “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood.

What can I do to maintain a healthy cholesterol level?

The cholesterol we eat in food has little impact on the level of cholesterol in our blood. Making some simple changes to your lifestyle can help reduce your cholesterol.

Reduce the amount of fatty foods you eat

Saturated fat increases the amount of “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood. Saturated fat is found in foods, such as meat pies, sausages, cakes, biscuits, butter, lard, hard cheeses (e.g. cheddar), and foods containing palm or coconut oils. Replace foods that are high in saturated fat with foods containing unsaturated fats such as, olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel). Aim for at least one portion of oily fish each week.

Eat more fibre

High fibre foods can reduce your risk of heart disease and help lower the amount of “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood. Good sources of fibre include fruit and vegetables (eat at least five portions every day), brown rice, wholemeal bread, oats, beans and pulses. 

Get active

Aim to do 150 minutes of moderate exercise (e.g. brisk walking, swimming or cycling) or any activity which gets your heart beating faster. Active people have increased levels of “good” HDL cholesterol meaning their bodies are good at removing the “bad” LDL cholesterol away from the arteries.

Stop smoking

Smoking reduces the levels of “good” HDL cholesterol in your blood and this can result in higher levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. If you would like to stop smoking, you can get help from your GP or the NHS Stop Smoking Service.

Reduce your alcohol intake

It is recommended that men and women avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol each week. Information on alcohol units can be found on the OneYou website: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/drink-less/know-your-alcohol-units/

 Take a test

It is recommended that adults over the age of 40, or anyone at high risk of heart disease should get their cholesterol levels checked. If you want a cholesterol check, you should speak to your GP. Anyone can have high cholesterol and it is very common. There are usually no symptoms so, unless you get a test, you may be unaware of your risk of developing heart disease.

Is going back to the office a good idea?

ISG research reveals workplace preferences depending on personality types 

– For 55% of the UK office workers having plenty of natural light is the main workplace priority

– Edinburgh, London, and Birmingham office workers have the highest workplace satisfaction in the UK

To help businesses and employees navigate uncertainty over the future of workplace, ISG paired up with a clinical trainee psychologist to develop a personality test that reveals workplace preferences based on people’s character traits.

As restrictions slowly ease and businesses resume, both employers and employees face the question about the future of workplace. ISG, a global construction specialist, conducted a survey of 5,779 office workers in the UK, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia to better understand the power of workplace prior to the lockdown.

The survey indicated that plenty of natural light (55%), plenty of fresh air (48%) and being able to work from home or outside of the workplace (45%) came on top as the main employee priorities for UK workers. 

In terms of the regional split, employees working in Edinburgh tend to have the highest satisfaction about their workplace conditions (63%), followed by London (55%) and Birmingham (53%). However, employees working in Cardiff are least satisfied by their workplace with only 37% confirming so.

Taking into account the research findings, ISG collaborated with Hannah Baker, a trainee clinical psychologist, to discover ways in which employees’ personality traits can be indicators of their preferences for office or remote working.

By using the Big Five personality theory as the foundation, the test outlines ten statements that are based on five main dimensions of an individual’s personality – extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, stress and openness to experience.

Respondents are asked if they agree with the statements and depending on the number of positive responses they are sorted in three workplace personality types available on https://www.isgltd.com/en/campaigns/workplace-personality-types. 

Hannah Baker, a trainee clinical psychologist, said: “When considering your workspace, it is important to remember that all people respond to their environments differently.

“It can be helpful to think about where your motivation comes from – some people are motivated internally, while others respond to external factors. Also, understanding how other people impact your work can help.

“Individuals who are more introverted might find thinking independently in a quiet space most helpful. Extroverts, however, might prefer a busy office space, where they can exchange ideas and information with others.”

To find out more about the research and access the workplace personality test, please visit https://www.isgltd.com/en/campaigns/workplace-personality-types.

CHARITIES AGAINST HATE

An update from HEALTH IN MIND

Following on from our July joint statement, we want to give an update on what we’ve been doing to address hate speech on social media:

Health in Mind is now an active member of The Third Sector Social Media Working Group (Charities Against Hate). The group has been created to review ethical social media and marketing practices and policies.

Charities and non-profits use social media for fundraising, relationship-building, raising awareness of key issues, supporting their services, providing vital and trusted information and more. We are working together to develop longer-term recommendations for real and meaningful changes to ensure these platforms do not support or provide a place for, online hate which causes real harm to real people.

As part of investigating potential platform changes, we are currently looking at: the experience for our beneficiaries, staff and volunteers on social media and their involvement in shaping this project; ethical partner policies for the sector and the impact on wider fundraising; existing data and information on the impact of hate speech on mental health; and ethical marketing practices for the sector.

Our power comes from working together. We aim to produce a collective proposal of clear and concise changes that will benefit the communities we serve at large, and to make recommendations to social media owners, policy makers and the wider public by the end of the year.

We’ll be sharing updates on our social media.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to share your experience.

Email: laura.andre@health-in-mind.org.uk

https://lght.ly/56d5i8l

Public encouraged to register for COVID-19 vaccine trials

Over 100,000 people have signed up for future COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials through the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry of volunteers are helping speed up efforts to find a safe and effective vaccine in the fight against coronavirus

UK researchers urge more volunteers across all groups to sign-up, especially the over 65s and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds

Over 100,000 people have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine trials, helping to speed up efforts to discover a safe and effective vaccine.

The UK Government is today (Monday 17 August) encouraging more people to join the thousands of volunteers and sign up to the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry to help the NHS in the fight against coronavirus and ensure potential candidates work for everyone.

To enable large-scale vaccine studies to take place across the UK, the aim is to get as many people as possible signed up to the Registry by October.

Researchers particularly welcome people from all parts of society, especially those who are more likely to benefit from a vaccine, including the over 65s, frontline health and social care workers, and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Clinical studies with a diverse pool of volunteers will help scientists and researchers better understand the effectiveness of each vaccine candidate and will considerably speed up efforts to discover a safe and workable vaccine.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “From John O’Groats to Land’s End, everyone has played their part in tackling coronavirus from wearing face coverings to following social distancing guidance.

“Scientists and researchers are working day and night to find a vaccine that meets the UK’s rigorous regulatory and safety standards, but they need hundreds of thousands of people of all backgrounds and ages to sign-up for studies to speed up this vital research.

“I urge everyone to play our part in the fight against coronavirus and join the 100,000 people who have already registered, so we can help save and protect millions of lives.”

Chair of the government’s Vaccines Taskforce Kate Bingham said: “Protecting those at risk is the only way we will end this pandemic. That’s why we are working as quickly as possible to run clinical studies on the most promising vaccines to see whether they offer protection against COVID-19, whilst adhering to the UK’s strict safety and regulatory processes. And we need people throughout the UK to sign up to the registry to help us achieve this.

“Getting 100,000 volunteers on board is a great start but we need many more people from many different backgrounds that we can call on for future studies if we are to find a vaccine quickly to protect those who need it against coronavirus.”

Consultant Respiratory Physician and Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) PRC, Bradford, Dinesh Saralaya said: “The best way to protect us from future outbreaks is to develop effective vaccines. Several vaccine trials are being conducted around the UK in the coming months and it is important that we all sign up to be contacted about them.

“I would like to reassure people that research trials and studies are strictly regulated for ethics and safety. They are conducted within the framework of the NIHR, which is the research partner of the NHS, and we take every precaution to safeguard participants taking part. This includes appointments in settings like sports halls close to where people live and work rather than in hospitals.

“By working together, we can produce efficient vaccines which are likely to protect all sections of our society from this dreadful virus in future.”

18-year-old Marium Zumeer from Bradford, who was hospitalised after contracting COVID-19, has first-hand experience of the benefits of taking part in clinical trials.

During her time in intensive care, she was offered the opportunity to take part in the national RECOVERY trial, which is testing a range of potential treatments for COVID-19. This includes the drug dexamethasone, which was found to be the first drug to be effective when treating those who are critically ill with the virus.

RECOVERY trial volunteer Marium Zumeer said: “I will always be grateful for being encouraged to sign up. I remember my dad at the time urging me to take part, not just for myself but for the wider community.

“The result has been really positive for me and I would encourage others to do their bit in helping us all in the fight against coronavirus.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “I’m very grateful to those who have volunteered for researchers to contact them to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies, via the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry. The more people who volunteer to take part the more likely we find an answer to whether any vaccine is effective.

“Having 100,000 volunteers in just four weeks shows the selflessness of the public and is testament to the speed of work done by the Vaccines Taskforce, National Institute for Health Research and others to make signing up possible.

“I urge people to continue to sign up. It is important that we have people from different backgrounds and ages as volunteers, so that the vaccines that are developed work for everyone.”

A number of trials in the UK are expected to begin this autumn, working with the NHS, research institutions and businesses, helping to develop and manufacture the vaccines.

Launched on 20 July, the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry is an online service allowing members of the public to register their interest in COVID-19 vaccine studies and be contacted to participate in future clinical trials.

Vaccines are tested in stages to ensure they are safe and effective. Volunteers who are contacted to take part in trials will be given information about what stage a particular vaccine is at and details of how it has already been tested. They will be able to consider this when deciding to take part and people can withdraw from the registry at any point.

The Registry has been developed by the government, in partnership with the NIHR, NHS Digital, the Scottish and Welsh governments and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Scran Academy announces merger with Prep Table Scotland

Scotland’s social enterprise and charity sector today sees the merger of two successful social impact organisations.

Scran Academy, the locally-based youth charity – which also today marks its third anniversary – has formally united with catering enterprise, Prep Table Scotland, whose mission is to make the food industry more open, fair and ethical for producers, suppliers, employees and customers.

The merger became an increasingly obvious move for both organisations as the dramatic events of 2020 unfolded.

Conversations to join forces were already underway before the Coronavirus pandemic hit the UK, but the Scran Meals Programme, developed to feed Edinburgh’s most vulnerable people during lockdown, was a real testing ground and the ‘accelerating force’ for integrating both organisations.

Today’s formal announcement comes following that period of joint operations for both organisations as they responded to the Covid-19 food crisis. The partnership’s pioneering Scran Meals Programme has produced and delivered over 112,500 meals to around 3,500 residents across the capital.

All core delivery, assets and staff will continue within the Scran Academy operations. This primarily includes the café that operates from the NHS Comely Bank Centre becoming the Scran Café (which will be a trading element that creates job placements for young people), securing employment for the Prep Table staff team and the Prep Table Scotland assets transferring to enable increased value for Scran Academy young people.

The merged organisation will retain the Scran Academy name.

John Loughton, Founder of Scran Academy, said: “The staff and Board at Scran Academy are delighted to welcome this merger with Prep Table Scotland. We see this as a mature and exciting move that helps us all collectively deliver better social outcomes than either of us could have alone.

“The epic response we were able to initiate in these last 4 months immediately proves how important it is for social enterprises to work together and embrace change. When things got really tough, we recognised we needed to collaborate, not simply compete.”

“We are honoured to take forward the impressive legacy Fiona Donaldson and the Prep Table Scotland team have built up using food for social change. We are fused by two core beliefs – the importance of empowering young people and communities, and secondly the transformational role of food to change lives and challenge norms.

“Our new increased capacity will see us continue to build a social catering business model that is better known, creates more jobs, enhances our impact and critically creates more life-changing opportunities for young people.”

Fiona Donaldson, Founder of Prep Table Scotland said: “Looking at what has been achieved by Scran Academy and partners since March this year, gives me great pride in an organisation I had admired for quite some time.

“In a culture which can be difficult to navigate, to find the core meaning and outcomes of, Scran has always had young people and their families as the engine that powered every decision they had to make.”

“Both organisations had concerns about losses incurred from the cancellation of income generating events, the closure of schools and the café. This decision has delivered a long-term plan for young people in Edinburgh, to flourish and to engage with their community. It has given hope to people who feared for their jobs in the catering industry and that’s a proud legacy of my organisation.”

“I look forward to joining the Scran Academy Board, with the great pride and excitement for what we will collectively achieve for years to come. I feel incredibly proud to have played a part in its most incredible rise.”

‘Pay Up Now’ for NHS staff: socially distanced demonstration tomorrow

UNISON, Scotland’s biggest health union, will hold socially distanced demonstrations across Scotland tomorrow (18 August). The demonstrations are the next stage in UNISON’s campaign for a pay rise for NHS staff.

UNISON Pay up Now campaign is thanking the public and asking them for their continued support for a NHS pay rise.

The trade union is calling on the Scottish Government to reopen the NHS three year pay deal, and for ministers to sit down with the trade unions to discuss a pay rise for all NHS staff.

NHS staff have had real term pay cuts over the last decade with significant extra costs over this pandemic. Including extra childcare costs because they are working extra shifts, extra transport costs because of restricted public transport, extra costs because they have being isolating from family, or even extra laundry costs and buying personal PPE.

NHS staff have been working long hours and many report being mentally and physically exhausted. Their response to this pandemic has been heroic.

Tom Waterson, chair of UNISON Scotland health committee said: “UNISON are organising socially distanced demonstrations across Scotland on Tuesday 18 August to show the strength of feeling of NHS staff about pay.

“The public support for our heroic NHS workers throughout this pandemic has been amazing. Thursday night clapping was hugely appreciated by health workers across the UK.

“However the reality is that NHS workers have seen their pay eroded over the past decade and some NHS staff are amongst the lower paid in Scotland. So please continue your support for NHS workers. They deserve it.”

Councillors to discuss winter festival plans

Councillors will consider an alternative approach for delivering Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay this winter when they meet this week.

Last month initial discussions took place exploring potential revised plans for how both Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay could be celebrated in 2020, held by the Council All Party Oversight Group.

The proposals have since been developed and the Update on Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2020/2021 will be considered by the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Thursday (20 August).

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that the Council, together with Underbelly, the producers of Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, have had to adapt plans to meet public health guidelines while still delivering events to celebrate Christmas and Hogmanay.

Plans being developed will put Edinburgh’s residents and businesses first as the City celebrates the festive season in new ways including dispersing the Christmas market from the city centre, a carefully managed torchlit event which will thank key workers during the pandemic and marking Hogmanay with visually spectacular moments across the city.

If approved by Councillors, there will be further meetings for both events to refine plans and a full launch will take place later in the year.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “It’s clear that this year’s Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay have to change in light of Covid-19 restrictions. These are unprecedented conditions and any public health requirements and guidance will be met in every eventuality. The safety of the public remains our priority and no events or activities will go ahead unless it is deemed safe for them to do so.

“I feel positive that we’ve found a safe way to celebrate Christmas at the end of what has been a challenging and for many, a life-changing year. By adapting this year’s event we’ll be able to keep numbers lower in each location while also spreading people further out to help support local businesses.

“If events are able to go ahead, they will not only be safe but also reflect the comments and feedback from residents on how Christmas and Hogmanay looks and feels in Edinburgh – with a strong emphasis on local year-round business and moving away from using green space to use hardstanding locations.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Whilst Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay will look very different from recent years, I know the exciting plans being considered will continue to show Edinburgh as the best place to enjoy the Christmas festivities and welcome in our New Year celebrations.

“I would like to thank the teams involved for their work so far and if the approach is approved, we will continue to work together with Underbelly and partners to develop these further and hold some amazing events for all the family where we can celebrate Christmas and Hogmanay. Everyone involved recognises the uncertainty of the situation and we are all committed to meeting the significant requirements for anything Edinburgh hosts to meet appropriate public health guidance.”

Charlie Wood, Director of Underbelly, said: “We have enjoyed working collaboratively to ensure Edinburgh Council’s vision for the Winter Festivals can become a reality. Working together, our absolute priority is public safety and our aim for both events is to put Edinburgh first.

“Once agreed by the council, we are confident these will be events the city will be proud of, which will support the community and preserve the city’s global status as a destination for Christmas and Hogmanay. We are very excited about the events and look forward to sharing the programme once the Council has reached its decision.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Like all events, Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay is having to adapt to operating in a new norm. The City of Edinburgh Council and Underbelly are developing a programme that maintains the spirit and reputation Hogmanay and Christmas in the city while adhering to Scottish Government guidelines.

“Events are an important part of our communities as they not only bring us great entertainment, they also sustain livelihoods and bring social and economic change. We look forward to working with the City of Edinburgh Council and Underbelly to develop plans for this year’s event.”

Union calls for £15 hourly rate for social care workers

GMB Calls for £15 an hour Social Care Minimum Wage as new report reveals “Chronic Exploitation” of frontline staff

GMB Scotland has called on the Scottish Government and care providers to work towards the delivery of a £15 an hour minimum wage across the social care sector.

It follows the release today (Monday 17 August) of a new report commissioned by the union, “Show You Care – Voices from the frontline of Scotland’s broken social care sector”, featuring participation and testimony from over 1,600 members employed across Scotland’s care sector, which revealed:

  • Over four-fifths of care workers (both home care and care home staff) surveyed felt undervalued by their management or employer;
  • Over three-quarters have considered leaving their care sector because of this sense of undervalue;
  • Nearly three-quarters felt they did not have enough time with service users to deliver compassionate and dignified care;
  • Nearly four-fifths of care home staff surveyed reported under-staffing in their workplace;
  • Nearly half of all care workers surveyed said they worked unpaid hours to fulfil their allotted caring duties; and
  • Over four-fifths believe their industry in Scotland is not properly funded.

The sobering testimony from the frontline workers was gathered in the months prior to COVID-19 and as the virus emerged to grip the social care sector by Dr Eddie Donaghy, social science and health services researcher based at the University of Edinburgh, in conjunction with GMB Scotland’s Women’s Campaign Unit.

GMB Scotland Organiser Rhea Wolfson said: “Our social care sector’s greatest asset is its workforce but what COVID-19 has exposed to everyone is how poorly valued they are by their employers and government, a fact that is evidenced by our members in this report.  

“But let’s be clear that the industry and politicians already understood pre-COVID the chronic exploitation of what is a predominantly women workforce; mired in low pay, precarious conditions, under resourced, overworked and a broken model of funding.

“Despite warnings, the failure to tackle these underlying diseases ultimately contributed to the lack of preparedness that resulted in the scandal of care workers left without proper PPE while NHS patients were put into their workplaces without proper testing.

“It must shake decision-makers into the obvious conclusion that proper value and investment in the people delivering care means better and more dignified care for the service user, with greater potential to retain skills and to attract more people to work in the sector.

“The prospect of leaving this exhausted and traumatised workforce on wages up to £5 an hour less than the UK average (nearly £15 an hour) just isn’t credible – what employer or politician is going to tell them they are worth less than average after all they are doing?

“That’s why GMB is going to “fight for fifteen” in social care. It won’t happen overnight but if we want to change care for the better and become a country of fair work, then we must listen these workers, value them properly and invest in their industry.”

New benefit for young people starting work

Financial help with the cost of a new job

a group of professionals sharing ideas
Photo by Canva Studio on Pexels.com

A new benefit to support 16 to 24 year olds into work if they have been unemployed for six months will open for applications today (Monday 17 August).

Job Start Payment is a one off £250 payment to help with the costs of starting a new job. The upper age limit rises to 25 for care leavers and the payment rises to £400 if the person has a child.

In its first year, it is estimated around 5,000 young people will benefit from this new financial support.

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “I am delighted that our Job Start Payment is today now open for applications; it really couldn’t come at a better time to support our young people to take up job offers.

“Young people are among those whose job prospects have been hardest hit by this pandemic. As such, it is crucial that we support them and ensure they are at the heart of our economic recovery from COVID-19.

“Last week, we announced an additional £10 million for a range of measures to recruit and retain apprentices. Combined with our commitment of at least £50 million for youth employment and the Scotland’s Youth Guarantee, we will ensure no one is left behind.

“Building on this work to create opportunities, this new benefit will also help young people after a period of unemployment. Getting a job can represent a massive turning point for many young people, but it can also bring financial pressures.

“Costs like travel, new work clothes, or childcare often have to be met before people get their first pay.

“The brand new Job Start Payment will help young people with these costs, which can sometimes be a barrier to them taking up an offer and we will be encouraging anyone eligible to apply. ”

Skills Development Scotland’s Director of Career Information Advice Guidance Operations, James Russell said: “This new payment will offer welcomed practical help to many young people who our advisers are supporting at this time.

“It will be especially important to those taking their next steps into employment and who may need some additional support to start the right career opportunity for them.”