Day: August 11, 2022

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Habits for Summer Holidays

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Habits for Summer Holidays

The summer holidays can be a stressful time for many families. Whilst they are a lovely opportunity to enjoy the summer together as a family, parents and carers can find it hard to juggle having the children at home with work, household and general life commitments. Naturally, during busy periods one of the first things to be pushed aside is healthy eating and taking time for ourselves to recoup and recharge.

We’ve put together some tips to help you get through the summer holidays and keep providing nourishing meals for the family – without going crazy:

Consider an early start

  • If you have older children who sleep well, you could try getting up an hour before they rise. This gives you an hour of calm before the hustle and bustle of the day begins, you can use this time to get on top of the household chores, get ahead of the day’s work commitments, do some meditation to set you up for the day or just have your breakfast in peace! Of course, this means going to bed an hour earlier to make sure you are getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours per night is ideal).

Meal plan

  • If you don’t already meal plan, now is the time to start. Having a comprehensive meal plan over the summer holidays will really take the stress out of eating well. We recommend planning for every single meal, including snacks, and have the plan pinned on the fridge for all to see. To make it easier still, use the same meal plan for every week of the holidays, as long as you have varied meals throughout the week, there’s no reason why you can’t eat the same and it makes shopping easier, as it’s the same list each week.

Write a diary/plan

  • Writing a diary or a day planner the night before each day can really help lessen those feelings of overwhelm we can experience when life is busy. It can also help calm and quieten your mind before going to sleep. You could group things into ‘urgent’ – those things that are priority and can’t wait and ‘can wait’ – those things you want to get done at some point, but if they don’t happen tomorrow that’s ok.

Above all, remember to not take on too much, and try to let the small things go as children can be demanding and take up lots of our energy.

There is plenty of information available online about free and local things to do during the holidays, so be sure to have a look and get out and about in nature everyday where possible.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips.

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/.

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/.

Police Scotland: Be The Difference

Do you want a job where you make a difference? We’re recruiting police officers across Scotland now!

No two days are the same for our police officers but every day they keep people safe. You can be called to a report of a housebreaking then go to deal with a road crash.

After that you might be taking a statement from a domestic abuse victim and then speaking to school pupils about keeping safe online.

Helping people at some of their worst times is at the heart of what we do and it is very rewarding.

Are you ready to join us and be the difference your community needs?

Visit our website to apply today: http://ow.ly/TpNa50JQONW

#BeTheDifference

Edinburgh’s largest NHS dental practice sold to Scottish Dental Care after 45-year ownership

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of two-practice dental group, Mathewson Dental Practice Ltd.

Established over 45 years ago, Mathewson Dental Ltd comprises two high-quality Edinburgh dental practices which offer both NHS and private treatments; St John’s Road Dental Practice in the affluent area of Corstorphine, and East Craigs Dental Practice just one mile away. The group boasts a total of nine fully equipped surgeries and circa 28,500 NHS registered patients and is the largest NHS general dental practice group in Edinburgh.

The business has been owned by Hew and Lorna Mathewson since 1977, at which point it comprised just one practice and circa 2,400 patients. Since then, with their daughter, the team has worked tirelessly to grow the group’s reputation and patient base into the successful business it is today.

They recently decided to sell in order to retire from ownership and appointed the services of Christie & Co to search for a buyer that would continue to uphold the level of care that they had nurtured over the years for both staff and patients alike, as well as one that understood the Scottish dental system and could take the business to the next level. Following a confidential sales process, the group has been sold to Scottish Dental Care which owns another 15 practices across Scotland.

Hew Mathewson CBE comments, “From the outset, my family and I were extremely impressed by Christie & Co to act on our behalf in the sale of our two large dental practices.

“They came up with an excellent and, as it turned out, extremely effective marketing strategy on our behalf. During the sale process itself, once a preferred buyer had been found, Joel was a highly effective negotiator, liaising with ourselves, the buyer, and our lawyers.

“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the sale process and are so pleased we chose Christie & Co to act as our broker as they secured us an excellent deal on terms that suited us.”

Speaking on behalf of Scottish Dental Care, Managing Director, Christopher Friel, comments: “Acquiring these practices represents a continuation of our growth plans, with the extension of our Advanced Dentistry brand into Edinburgh.

“We are proud to take forward the legacy developed by Dr Mathewson over the years, and we look forward to working with the fantastic practice teams as we progress on that journey.”

Joel Mannix, Associate Director – Dental at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, comments, “It was a pleasure to sell this practice for Hew and his family who have worked so hard to create the outstanding business we know today. A completely confidential, targeted sales approach led to several high-quality offers which were all in excess of the asking price.

All parties were incredibly organised which really helped create a smooth deal and led us to present Hew and his team with a list of pre-approved prospective buyers to choose from. Following the closing date, they chose Scottish Dental Care to carry on the practice’s legacy which has allowed the group to fill the missing link in its geography of practices.

“This was a landmark deal for the Scottish market. It represents the huge demand we’re seeing for well-established practices in Scotland, and highlights that competition is key to achieving extremely good post-sale conditions.”              

 Mathewson Dental Practice Ltd was sold for an undisclosed price.

Heatwave Hacks: Keeping your home cool on a budget

With temperatures set to soar to 30 degrees in parts of the UK this week, many Brits may find themselves tempted to splurge on household items to help keep them cool.

But keeping temperatures down at home can be expensive. Some hot weather tips are great for lowering the heat, but they can cause your costs to rise.

To help you to save whilst keeping cool this summer, consumer finance expert, Paul Wilson, has shared his top tips on heatwave hacks which can save us up to £177 a month. 

  1. Avoid portable air conditioning units – save £90

“Homes in the UK tend to be poorly prepared for heatwaves, so when the temperatures start to soar, it can be tempting to spontaneously splurge on the latest cooling gadget or device.”

“Whilst portable air conditioning units sound like a great idea in theory, in principle they can eat through your money and wrack up heavy costs on your energy bills. Our research shows that portable air conditioning units cost around 38p per hour. Based on the average run time of four hours, 18 mins during the day and four hours, 48 mins at night, this could add £24 per week onto your energy bill, if not more.”
“According to Uswitch, running an standard electric fan will cost only £1.64 per week, which means running air conditioning would cost you over 14x more for the same effect!”

  1. Opt for cotton sheets – save £7

“There’s nothing worse than being kept awake all night due to the heat. Rather than buying satin sheets, opt for white cotton sheets. The light and breathable material will enable you to sleep much easier during a heatwave. They come at the fraction of the cost of satin sheets which retail around £18. If you’re thinking of purchasing sheets for a double-bed, from a large online retailer, you could save as much as £7 by choosing the cotton option over satin.”

  1. Ditch branded summer toiletries – save £7

“Suncream is an essential summer toiletry, especially when the temperatures are set to hit highs of 30 degrees. But instead of splurging on summer sun essentials, ditch the household brands and choose supermarket branded items instead.”

“They’re just as safe and are often more than half the price of the branded alternative. For instance, you could get your hands on a budget-friendly suncream for £3.90 instead of a household name brand that retails at £7.”

“For those that suffer from Hayfever, try swapping out your usual branded packet of tablets for a generic branded packet to save half of the price.”

  1. Take a cold shower – save £2

“Jumping in the shower is a great way to cool off instantly when the temperature climbs, but make sure you’re being efficient with your water usage. Reduce the number of baths you are taking and opt for a short, cold shower with a water-efficient shower head.”

“This saves you the cost of heating water and reduces steam which would make your bathroom hotter – which is the last thing you want in a heatwave. If you swapped a daily bath to a short four minute shower, you could save £24.82 over the course of a year.” 

  1. Swap coffee for flavoured water – save £27

“It can be tricky to stay productive when you’re trying to work in a stuffy office or at home during a heatwave, especially when you’ve had a bad night’s sleep thanks to soaring temperatures. So, it’s a natural urge for many of us to want to reach for a cup of coffee for a caffeine boost in the morning.”

“But caffeine can actually make you feel hotter in a heatwave, as it can make you feel jittery, and this can have a knock-on effect on your productivity. Instead, try swapping your takeaway coffees, from a popular high street chain, for large bottles of water. Keeping hydrated in a heatwave is crucial, as your body sweats more to keep itself cool. Plus, your wallet will thank you later, as you could easily save £6 each week by swapping your coffees for flavoured water.” 

  1. Turn appliances off when you’re not using them – save £36

“When the heatwave hits, the last thing any of us want to do is generate more heat indoors. But did you know that electrical appliances generate heat whilst they’re in standby mode? Not only does this create more heat in your home, but it also adds extra costs to your utility bills.”

“The average UK household wastes around 30% of their energy usage, adding up to a huge £429 on an annual electricity bill. Appliances like TV’s generate heat when they are left on standby, so make sure you switch everything off if it’s not being used.” 

  1. Air dry clothes – save £8

“Hot weather is the perfect condition for air drying clothes and getting on top of that dreaded laundry pile. Check what rating your tumble dryer is, so that you can make some quick savings. For instance, a ‘C’ rated dryer costs over £100 a year to run, meaning that you can easily cut costs over the summer months simply by letting clothes air dry in the garden or well ventilated rooms in your home.”

“As with any cost-saving plans, the key is convenience when figuring out if you can stick to a cost-saving technique or not. Lockdown has been tough on all of us and the heatwave offers Brits a great chance to get out and about and make the most of restrictions lifting. Hopefully these tips will offer options on how to keep costs down and stay cool, whilst still being able to make the most of the great weather.” 

Paul Wilson is a Consumer Finance Expert at Financial Conduct Authority authorised and regulated credit broker CashLady.com.

Cllr Jane Meagher: Facing up to Edinburgh’s housing challenge by building smart new homes

Councillor Jane Meagher, the city council’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, writes:

After a slowdown during the pandemic, it’s great to see so much work underway to build the new affordable and sustainable homes our growing city needs. 
 
Last week I had the pleasure of marking the site start for our newest housing development – Western Villages at the new Granton Waterfront. Spanning a site the same size as the New Town, this regeneration of the waterfront really is going to create a brand new coastal community. 
 
This is growth which will benefit those who already live in the area and the city as a whole and I have to say, it’s incredible to watch the start of construction. There is a team of people working extremely hard so that, over the next decade, we’ll see drastic change and thousands of people move into beautiful new homes.

They will join a 20-minute neighbourhood where they can shop, socialise, and access support. With our partners we’re investing millions in the area, including the fantastic gas works holder, which will become an amazing spectacle; a home for events and a glowing beacon for North Edinburgh below everyone who flies into the city. 
 
I am strongly committed to doing what I can to secure more affordable homes for Edinburgh. Over 150 households bid for every Council and housing association home that becomes available so that’s why we’re driving forward with building new affordable homes on sites across the city.

Close to Granton, in nearby Pennywell and Muirhouse, new homes and a new civic centre are taking shape. We’re also investing in improving existing homes with major works underway in both multi storey blocks and low-rise housing.   
 
As the city grows, the demand we are seeing for affordable and social homes is only going to increase. That is a reality we must face, not least with the country in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and fears of recession on the horizon.

It’s why it’s critical the Council and its partners press ahead with a truly ambitious and forward-thinking housebuilding strategy and it’s why we must continue to make the case for increased investment in this programme to the Scottish Government. Our capital city, after all, is per head the lowest funded local authority in Scotland.
  
The way we’re building homes is also changing, with innovative measures being used to reduce energy. Western Villages is a great example of that, as Scotland’s largest net zero development. We want the whole city to become net zero carbon by 2030 so we are committing to ‘build smarter’ and create new homes which are greener and use eco-friendly technology.

This construction work is also helping to boost and create new jobs and apprenticeships which will further help us to support people into employment and keep our economy resilient, which is particularly significant after the impacts of Covid. 

The future is challenging, but together with developers and others we are doing everything within our powers to make it fairer on residents and on our environment. We’ll keep working to tackle our housing pressures and deliver these affordable and sustainable new homes.

This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News

Listen Up: Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel launch the UK’s First Sound Wellness Room

The wild sounds of the world have been captured using revolutionary recording techniques to create the Swell Room, the UK’s First Sound Wellness Room.

Award winning producer Brian D’Souza spent two years developing a new methodology which harnessed the therapeutic nature of sound – bringing together biophilia, music composition and sound therapy to create the Swell Room, the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel’s first dedicated sound treatment offering.

To create the novel sound wellness composition, Brian explored beautiful locations, including a trip to the Hebrides, Lake Geneva, Cape Verde ad Lofoten in the Article Circle, to record sounds of the sea, fields, and natural wildlife.

These nature sounds were then combined with traditional sound treatment instruments including gongs and singing bowls, as well as violins, the Gaelic harp, bagpipes and vocalists – all of which were brought together in a custom-built Swell studio in London. 

Guests will recline in an Italian armchair with sinuous lines, which features an anatomic mattress covered in stain-resistant hypoallergenic marine eco-leather. With the equipment’s vibroacoustic delivery, guests will not only be able to hear the sound, but also feel it. The unique and innovative product pairs relaxation, treatments, and sound which elevates the wellness and relaxation area at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel Spa.

The tailored therapeutic sound techniques are designed to lower the heart rate, blood pressure and stress, while promoting positive biochemical responses that bring equilibrium to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, harnessing the power of sound to affect the listener in a positive sense.

Guests and visitors of the hotel in Edinburgh’s city centre are invited to dedicate time to active listening which promotes restorative deep relaxation and cognitive clarity for a sense of escapism.

Brian D’Souza’s involvement with Kimpton stems from curating the soundtracks for the Hotel over the past 10 years through his business Open Ear, which also works with worldwide brands including Nike and Google and is now the recommended supplier for IHG in the UK.

Drawing on his academic background in Music Psychology with an MA in Psychology, an MSc in Sound Design and training in Sound Therapy, Brian launched a unique 24hr radio station dedicated to improving sleep, focus and relaxation called Ambient Flo during the first lockdown.

Brian D’Souza, founder of Open Ear Music, Ambient Flo and Swell said: “I’ve always been fascinated by how music has the ability to affect our emotional state.

“Whether it brings people together and takes them to a euphoric state at a festival or keeps the drinks flowing in a bar; or it works to reduce heart rate and create a sense of calm – it has a direct correlation with our mood. So, to create The Swell Room, in collaboration with Kimpton Charlotte Square is a real privilege.

“I’ve loved the process of creating this sound treatment, from recording around the world to bringing all the sounds together in my studio, it’s been a really rewarding experience and I’m excited for it to take guests on an immersive journey to a deeply relaxed state.”

Brian has now launched an innovative sound wellness business called Swell. Kimpton Charlotte Square’s Swell Room will be the business’s first dedicated sound treatment venture.

Finlay Anderson, Area Spa and Leisure Director said: “As we emerged out of lockdown, it was clear that our guests craved more of a multi-sensory wellness experience than ever before.

“Evidence shows that more and more people used music for relief and to help improve their mood during lockdowns, so it made perfect sense to collaborate with Brian on the Swell Room to ensure our guests can have a 360 degrees therapeutic experience when visiting Spa at Kimpton Charlotte Square.

“After working with Brian on La Chambre Verte at Kimpton Blythswood Square last year, we are excited to delve deeper into the benefits of sound therapy with our guests at Kimpton Charlotte Square this year.”

The sound wellness treatment at the Swell Room can be added onto the existing treatment menu to create a multi-sensory experience at Spa at Charlotte Square or can be booked as a stand-alone experience.

Veteran campaigner Charlotte downs drill to fight for future of dentistry service in Scotland

The British Dental Association is delighted to announce dentist and experienced campaigner Charlotte Waite will take on a leading role in the fight for the future of dental services in Scotland.

She will take up the role of Director of BDA Scotland in October, supporting members in negotiations with the Scottish Government and overseeing outreach to the Scottish Parliament, officials, the press and wider stakeholders.

Prior to the pandemic Charlotte exposed the scandal of Westminster’s aggressive NHS fines regime, which saw millions of often vulnerable patients face £100 fines for attempting to claim free dental care or prescriptions. 

Working with the media and speaking up for patients in the UK parliament, she lifted the lid on a system that saw 1.7 million fines – worth £188 million – withdrawn because the ‘fraudsters’ targeted were actually fully entitled to claim support towards NHS dental or prescription charges.

Off the back of her powerful evidence to the Westminster Public Accounts Committee, the UK Department of Health and Social Care abandoned a ‘fines first’ policy, based on the presumption of guilt. 

While redeployed on the front line during COVID she revealed chronic PPE shortages that left hundreds of Urgent Dental Care centres struggling to deliver care to patients in agony, when most practices were closed for routine care.

Working with partners including Mencap she has continued to press the UK government for action on backlogs for patients facing yearlong waiting times for dental treatment under general anaesthetic as a result of pandemic disruption. She has also led efforts to encourage the use of Makaton – a unique language programme that uses symbols and signs, alongside speech – within dental settings, to break down barriers to communication with dental patients with learning disabilities. 

She has also spoken out in the press and lobbied the UK Government for better investment and provision of dental services for people experiencing homelessness and for residents in care homes.

News of Charlotte’s appointment comes in a week the BBC revealed 82% of NHS practices in Scotland were not accepting new adult patients, with 1 in 5 stating they had waiting times of a year or longer. Researchers were unable to find any practices taking on new patients in 9 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.   

BDA Scotland has warned Ministers and officials they risk undermining the future sustainability of NHS dentistry, with cuts to financial support leaving some practices delivering some NHS treatments at a loss. There is a growing exodus from NHS dental services, with official data showing the total number of high street NHS dentists in Scotland has fallen by over 5% since the onset of Covid.

Waite will be pursuing BDA Scotland’s call for development of a new, sustainable long-term model for NHS dentistry, support for dentists in all fields of practice, and effective action to tackle Scotland’s deep oral health inequalities, which are now set to widen as a result of the pandemic.

The Glasgow-born Waite qualified in Dundee, before completing general professional training in the East of Scotland, locuming in Australia and then working in the Community Dental Service (CDS). She will be leaving her longstanding role in the CDS where she has provided dental care for some of the most vulnerable in society.  

Charlotte Waite said: “I’m downing my drill to fight for the future of dentistry in Scotland.    

“The service is on the brink and the public are living with the results. The Scottish Government pledged free NHS dental care for all, but we now face an exodus from the workforce, the risk of a two-tier system, and a shameful oral health gap that will only widen.  

“Our message to every MSP and every party is that this crisis will not end without real commitment. Sit down with us and we can secure a better future for a service millions depend on” 

All children aged 1 to 9 in London to be offered a dose of polio vaccine

As further poliovirus has been detected in sewage, JCVI recommends that polio vaccine booster doses should be offered to children across London.

Following the discovery of type 2 vaccine-derived poliovirus in sewage in north and east London, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that a targeted inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose should be offered to all children between the ages of 1 and 9 in all London boroughs.

This will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis and help reduce further spread of the virus.

Nationally the overall risk of paralytic polio is considered low because most people are protected from this by vaccination.

Many countries globally provide an additional dose of polio-containing vaccine as part of their childhood vaccination schedule. The NHS in London will contact parents when it’s their child’s turn to come forward for a booster or catch-up polio dose – parents should take up the offer as soon as possible.

The programme will start with the areas affected, where the poliovirus has been detected and vaccination rates are low. This will be followed by rapid rollout across all boroughs.

This booster dose will be in addition to the NHS childhood vaccination catch-up campaign across London, where childhood vaccination uptake is lower than the rest of the country. It’s important all children aged 1 to 9 – even if up to date with their vaccinations – accept this vaccine when offered to further strengthen their protection against the poliovirus.

Following the findings earlier this year of type 2 poliovirus (PV2) collected from the Beckton sewage treatment works, further upstream sampling undertaken by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now identified at least one positive sample of the poliovirus, currently present in parts of the following boroughs:

  • Barnet
  • Brent
  • Camden
  • Enfield
  • Hackney
  • Haringey
  • Islington
  • Waltham Forest

The sampling has also detected the virus in lower concentrations and frequency in areas adjacent to the Beckton catchment area to the South (immediately below the Thames) and to the east of Beckton. However, it is not clear whether the virus has established itself in these areas or if the detections are due to people from the affected area visiting these neighbouring areas.

The level of poliovirus found and the high genetic diversity among the PV2 isolates suggests that there is some level of virus transmission in these boroughs which may extend to the adjacent areas. This suggests that transmission has gone beyond a close network of a few individuals.

A total of 116 PV2 isolates have been identified in 19 sewage samples collected in London between 8 February and 5 July this year, but most are vaccine-like virus and only a few have sufficient mutations to be classified as vaccine derived poliovirus (VDPV2).

VDPV2 is of greater concern as it behaves more like naturally occurring ‘wild’ polio and may, on rare occasions, lead to cases of paralysis in unvaccinated individuals.

UKHSA is working closely with health agencies in New York and Israel alongside the World Health Organisation to investigate the links between the poliovirus detected in London and recent polio incidents in these 2 other countries.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “No cases of polio have been reported and for the majority of the population, who are fully vaccinated, the risk is low.

“But we know the areas in London where the poliovirus is being transmitted have some of the lowest vaccination rates. This is why the virus is spreading in these communities and puts those residents not fully vaccinated at greater risk.

“Polio is a serious infection that can cause paralysis but nationally the overall risk is considered low because most people are protected by vaccination. The last case of polio in the UK was in 1984, but decades ago before we introduced the polio vaccination programme around 8,000 people would develop paralysis every year.

“It is vital parents ensure their children are fully vaccinated for their age. Following JCVI advice all children aged 1 to 9 years in London need to have a dose of polio vaccine now – whether it’s an extra booster dose or just to catch up with their routine vaccinations. It will ensure a high level of protection from paralysis. This may also help stop the virus spreading further.”

Jane Clegg, Chief Nurse for the NHS in London said: “While the majority of Londoners are protected from polio, the NHS will shortly be contacting parents of eligible children aged 1 to 9 years old to offer them a top-up dose to ensure they have maximum protection from the virus.

“We are already reaching out to parents and carers of children who aren’t up to date with their routine vaccinations, who can book a catch-up appointment with their GP surgery now and for anyone not sure of their child’s vaccination status, they can check their Red Book.”

UKHSA, working with MHRA, has already increased sewage surveillance to assess the extent of spread of the virus and are currently sampling 8 sites across London.

A further 15 sites in London will start sewage sampling in mid-August, and 10 to 15 sites will be stood up nationally to determine if poliovirus is spreading outside of London.