Tag: Children and Families

NHS Dentistry ‘at tipping point’

Over 8/10 NHS dental practices unable to offer appointments to new adult patients, in the most extensive survey of patient access ever undertaken 

The British Dental Association has pressed government to step up and deliver urgent reform, as new research from the BBC underlines the scale of the access crisis facing NHS patients across the country.  

Between May and July, BBC researchers reached out to every UK dental practice with an NHS contract to ask if they were taking on new patients. Working with the British Dental Association, the BBC identified 8,533 dental practices across the UK that were believed to hold NHS contracts and attempted to call them all.

The survey found:

  • In Scotland, 82% of NHS practices were not accepting new adult patients, 687 of 839.
  • Of those practices not taking on adults in Scotland, 39% (267) said they had an open waiting list, and 18% (124) said the wait time was a year or longer, or were unable to say how long it would be.
  • Out of 32 local authorities in Scotland, BBC researchers did not successfully reach any practices accepting new adult NHS patients in 9 (28%) local authorities.
  • In Scotland, 79% of NHS practices were not accepting new child patients, 663 of 839. Out of 32 local authorities in Scotland, BBC researchers did not successfully reach any practices accepting new child NHS patients in 7 (22%) local authorities.

Last month BDA Scotland warned the Scottish Government risked undermining the future sustainability of NHS dentistry, as they scaled down vital financial support for the service.  

From April to June practices received a 1.7 multiplier to the fees paid to provide NHS care, a reflection of the unprecedented backlog practices have faced as they try to ‘live with Covid’ and the continued suppressed activity compared with pre-pandemic levels.  This was cut down to 1.3 from July, following no discussion with the profession, leaving many dentists at risk of delivering some NHS treatments at a loss.

Official data suggests the total number of high street NHS dentists in Scotland has fallen by over 5% since the onset of Covid. The BDA has again urged the Scottish Government to, in the short term, develop a suitable interim funding package to support dentists and their teams as they work through the backlog, and begin work on a new, sustainable long-term model for NHS dentistry. 

David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “The Scottish Government promised free NHS dentistry for all, but the public are now living with the harsh reality. 

“You can’t run a health service on soundbites and slogans. Ministers need to take a long hard look at the evidence, and bring forward the reforms and resources we need to deliver for patients across Scotland.”

UK-wide 90% of NHS practices were not accepting new adult patients, 6,193 of 6,880.

Of those practices not taking on adults in the UK, 25% (1,572) said they had an open waiting list, and 17% (1,039) said the wait time was a year or longer, or were unable to say how long it would be.

Out of 217 local authorities in the UK, BBC researchers did not successfully reach any practices accepting new adult NHS patients in 77 (35%) local authorities.

80% of NHS practices were not accepting new child patients, 5,506 of 6,880. Of those practices not taking on children in the UK, 1,480 (27%) said they had an open waiting list, and 16% (902) said wait time was a year or longer, or were unable to say how long it would be. 

Out of 217 local authorities in the UK, BBC researchers did not successfully reach any practices accepting new child NHS patients in 25 (12%) local authorities.

Breakdowns by nation:

NationProportion not accepting adult patientsProportion not accepting child patients
England91%79%
Northern Ireland90%88%
Scotland82%79%
Wales93%88%

1 in 5 key worker households have children living in poverty

  • Around 1 million children with key worker parents are living below the breadline, research shows
  • In some parts of Britain more than two-fifths of kids in key worker households are living below the breadline
  • Poverty levels “likely to get worse” as ministers hold down pay
  • Key workers in the public sector facing another year of real-terms pay cuts

ONE in 5 (19%) key worker households have children living in poverty, new TUC research has revealed.

The research, which uses the government definition for key workers, shows that the number of kids growing up in poverty in key worker households has increased by 65,000 over the past two years to nearly 1 million (989,000) in 2022.

It forecasts that in 2023 that number will rise again to 1.1 million unless ministers take further action to support families.

North East hit hardest

The analysis – undertaken for the TUC by Landman Economics – highlights how in some regions of the UK more than two-fifths of children in key worker households are now living in poverty.

Key worker families in the North East (41%) have the highest rate of child poverty followed by the North West (29%) and London (29%) and the East of England (24%).

Scotland (8.3%) and Wales (8.9%) have the lowest rates.

Worse set to come

The TUC warned child poverty rates among key worker households are likely to get worse.

Ministers have announced another of year of real-terms pay cuts for key workers in the public sector.

The union body says this will have a devastating impact on frontline workers after a brutal decade of pay freezes and cuts:

  • Hospital porters’ real pay will be down by £200 this year 
  • Maternity care assistants’ real pay will be down by £600 this year 
  • Nurses’ real pay will be down by £1,100 this year
  • Paramedics’ real pay will be down by over £1,500 this year 

And ministers are calling for wages to be held down for some key workers in the private sector too.

The TUC says the additional support announced by the Treasury this year to help families with energy bills will be offset by cuts to real-terms pay and other rising living costs.

Risk of recession

The TUC says government calls for widespread pay suppression will reduce household spending and demand as the UK teeters on the brink of recession.

The union body highlighted how at the same time key workers are being told to tighten their belts, city bonuses are rocketing.

TUC analysis published in June month revealed that bonuses in the financial and insurance sector grew by 27.9% over the last year, six times faster than average wages in the same period, which grew by 4.2%.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our amazing key workers got us through the pandemic. The very least they deserve is to be able to provide for their families.

“But the government is locking too many key worker households into poverty.

“Ministers’ heartless decision to hold down pay will cause widespread hardship and put the UK at greater risk of recession.

“After the longest wage squeeze in 200 years we urgently need to get more money in the pockets of working families. This will help people get through this cost of living crisis and inject much-needed demand into our economy.

“It is particularly galling that as key workers are being told to tighten their belts, city executives are enjoying bumper bonuses. Once again ordinary working people are being forced to carry the can for a crisis made in Downing Street.”

Support needed for key worker families

The TUC is calling on the government to guarantee decent living standards by:

  • Raising the national minimum wage immediately.
  • Giving all key workers a fair pay rise that meets the cost of living
  • Funding the public sector so that all outsourced workers are paid at least the real Living Wage and get parity with directly employed staff.
  • Boosting universal credit to 80% of the real Living Wage
  • Significantly increasing benefit payments to children and removing the two-child limit within social security.  

Children in poverty in key worker households by UK nation and region in 2022

RegionTotal number of children in key worker familiesNumber of children in poverty in key worker familiesPercentage of children in poverty in key worker families
North East170,58670,31141.2%
North West600,325174,49529.1%
Yorks & the Humber434,33547,65911.0%
East Midlands426,33549,15011.5%
West Midlands396,75693,15623.5%
East of England490,577115,56323.6%
London661,487189,69128.7%
South East811,614125,84815.5%
South West362,53943,28711.9%
Wales249,78922,2858.9%
Scotland445,82637,0058.3%
Northern Ireland146,35320,78714.2%
Total5,196,522989,23719.0%

Letters: Body Image

Dear Editor,

For a lot of children and young people, body image is a great concern. Going through physical body changes and developments is challenging enough, yet with outside influences such as social media, young people can feel even more pressure to look a certain way to fit in.

Every summer, we are confronted by advertisements asking if we are ‘beach body ready’. Here at Childline, we have seen just how much these advertisements, messages and perceptions can affect the way in which young people view themselves.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, Childline delivered 5,085 counselling sessions on the topic of struggling with eating and body image in Scotland and across the rest of the UK – a 6% increase from 4,787 in 2019/20.

We believe one of the reasons that children and young people are feeling low about their appearance is the increasing amount of time they spend on social media, particularly since the pandemic. Some young people in Scotland have told Childline’s trained counsellors that they feel insecure and self-conscious about their weight after seeing images of others on social media platforms.

Here at Childline, we would like to remind all children that the service’s counsellors are here to support them and that they don’t have to cope alone.

They can contact our counsellors on 0800 1111 or online at www.childline.org.uk, where they can visit the ‘my body’ advice page and also speak to other young people who might be feeling the same away via moderated message boards.

Paul Johnson

Childline Team Manager, Aberdeen

Healthy Heart Tip: World Breastfeeding Week

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

Healthy Heart Tip: World Breastfeeding Week

Research has shown that women who have breastfed at some time in their lives are less likely to develop heart disease or stroke, compared to women who haven’t breastfed at all. World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year across the world from 1st-7th August and aims to raise awareness about breastfeeding and its many advantages.

Here we explore some of them:

Any length of time is amazing!

Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended until six months, but any length of time a baby is breastfed is a health benefit for Mum and baby. There is a lot of evidence to show how beneficial it is to breastfeed your baby, especially in the early weeks.

Health benefits

Breast milk contains everything baby needs for the first six months of their life, in all the right proportions. Breast milk is easily digestible, absorbed and loaded with antibodies. Breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organisation for up to two years, and beyond, because the benefits are so vast!

Getting the hang of it

Feeding your baby can feel quite overwhelming at first – whether you are breastfeeding, bottle feeding with infant formula or a combination of both. We know it can take time to get the hang of breastfeeding. If you have any feeding worries or concerns, the best thing to do is speak to your midwife or health visitor for support.

The benefits of breastfeeding are so numerous, and it’s the best start you can give your baby, if you want to and you’re able. Plus, we can’t discount the big benefits for Mum, for health reasons and convenience.

However, no matter what choice you make – you got this!

Other useful resources:

https://www.laleche.org.uk/

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/.

Scottish Young Carers Festival

“Delighted I am getting a holiday coz we don’t get holidays ever.”

The 15th Scottish Young Carers Festival 2022 will be held on 2– 4 August in Fife

The Scottish Young Carers Festival gives approximately 500 young carers a much-needed break from their caring responsibilities. Young carers (12-17) provide unpaid care for a family member or a friend, who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.

Young carers quotes about their experiences of the Festival:

“Gives me a break and meeting folk that go through the same thing as me.”

“The festival is overall amazing as it gave me the chance to branch out and meet new people” 

“Takes my mind off things and makes me feel like a normal teen.”

The Festival, a national celebration of young carers hosted by Carers Trust Scotland, gives this special group the chance to share dozens of new activities, from a wide range of music, to magic and mindfulness, with other young people in similar situations.

Following two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Young Carers Festival 2022 is returning to its usual format, being hosted in-person in Fife. This year will also include online activities to welcome those unable to attend in person.

The Festival also gives young carers the opportunity to share their experiences, to discuss how caring impacts them, and to have their voices heard about the changes that would make their lives better. Carers Trust Scotland will be hosting a ‘Young Carer Consultation Zone’ providing young carers the opportunity to discuss important issues and speak directly to key decision makers.

Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care Kevin Stewart MSP said: “Young carers make a vitally important contribution to our society. However, I know that, because of their responsibilities, they haven’t got the same amount of free time and opportunities as their peers. That’s why it is great to see the Festival taking place in person again this year.

“I and the Cabinet Secretary for Education are looking forward to meeting young carers at the Festival. I hope they enjoy the break and spending time with young carers from other areas. For those that won’t be able to attend in person I know that there will also be online activities.

“This year we have seen increased investment in short breaks for carers of all ages, put forward legislation to give carers a right to breaks and expanded the Young Scot package of discounts and benefits for young carers.

“I hope that all this and our continued commitment to support and fund the Festival as well as the development of a National Carers Strategy during 2022 is clear sign of our continued support to young carers going forward.”

Earlier this year, Carers Trust conducted a Young Carer Survey which highlighted the need for respite amongst young carers and young adult carers. 31% of young carers and young adult carers who responded in Scotland, feel they ‘never’ or ‘not often’ get enough rest or get enough time to themselves.

Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half (54%) of the young carers and young adult carers who responded to our survey said that the amount of time they spend caring had increased in the last year.

52% of young carers and young adult carers who responded in Scotland feel less connected to others, and more than a fifth (22%) feel they are unable to take a break from caring.

These statistics demonstrate the need for an event such as the Scottish Young Carers Festival which is an experience that young carers look forward to each year and offers an opportunity for respite, to connect with others and to have fun.

Louise Morgan, Director for Scotland & Northern Ireland at Carers Trust Scotland, said: “We are delighted to host the fifteenth Scottish Young Carers Festival, which is particularly important in 2022 as it offers young carers support and respite from their caring role after what has been a stressful past few years for many young carers.

“The Festival crucially provides a national platform to promote understanding of what young carers do; it raises awareness of young carers’ rights, and is an excellent opportunity for young carers to have fun, feel recognised, valued and heard.”

Keep kids safe online this summer

During the summer holidays children will inevitably have more access to screen time, especially in the form of the internet.

Internet safety has become an increasingly worrying problem amongst parents, however internet expert Allison Troutner from VPNOverview.com has listed the best ways to keep your child safe online:

1. Consider a family ‘tech agreement’

One way to set ground rules with your child is to create a Family Tech Agreement. A family tech agreement answers as many questions as possible about internet and device use so boundaries are clear to all family members. It’s a good way for the whole family to talk about safe and responsible online behaviours.

To create a family agreement, discuss topics like:

  • What apps, games, or sites does the family use most?
  • What rules do we want to include in our agreement?
  • How long should we spend on our devices?
  • What information is safe to share (or not)?
  • What do we do if we see something inappropriate?
  • What email address do we use to sign up for accounts?
  • Do we know how to use in-app safety features like blocking and reporting?
  • Who can we talk to if we feel uncomfortable with something online?
  • Who is safe to talk to?
  • What happens when someone breaks the agreement?
  • When might parents be forced to break the agreement for safety?

This is a starting point: your family may discuss more topics on internet safety for kids depending on the ages of your child or teens and what devices you use.

2. Report any harmful content that you see

Flag or report all harmful content or contact you or your child experiences using social media apps using in-app reporting features. For cybercrimes, cyberbullying, or harmful content, use in-app features like Twitter’s safe mode to report it. Most social media companies have their own safety and privacy policies and will investigate and block content or users. Apps geared towards kids, like Facebook Messenger Kids, have clear guidelines and safety features so that users can block content or contacts and have a safer experience in the app.

3. Balance safety with independence

Technical controls can be a useful way to protect your children online but they can’t solve all your problems. Children need a certain amount of freedom and privacy to develop healthily. They need their own free space to learn by trial and error what works and what doesn’t. So keep balancing, it’s part of it. Having open and honest conversations with your children can be the best way to balance this safety.

4. Keep the computer in a common space

If possible, keep computers and devices in a common space so you can keep an eye on activity. It prevents children from doing things that might be risky. Also, if harmful or inappropriate content appears through messages, you can address it with your child straight away.

5. Password-protect all accounts and devices

From phones to computers to apps, put a password on it. That way, no one without the password can access you or your child’s device. Keep track of passwords by using a password manager.

6. Update your operating systems regularly

All of your devices from mobile phones or tablets to computers and smartwatches receive important updates in response to security issues on a regular basis. Be sure to install them regularly so you have the most up-to-date security fixes and remain safe online. Our recommendation is to set updates to install automatically so your device is less vulnerable to known attacks. Usually, you can find this feature in Settings, then select Automatic Updates, but it varies between devices.

7. Install security or antivirus software programs and a VPN on your computer

Additionally, cybersecurity or antivirus software programs prevent spyware or viruses that may harm your computer if your child visits a malicious site. Using these programs, parents can also set up regular virus checks and deep system scans to make sure there is no harmful activity happening under your nose.

A VPN hides users’ internet activity from snoops and spoofs your location. This protects your kids by making sure hackers or predators can’t detect their actual location. You can install a VPN on your router so that the location is spoofed on all connected devices. 

8. Set parental controls

It may seem obvious, but parental controls are crucial to your child’s safety online. Parent controls are built-in features included on devices and apps. With these features, parents customise their child’s online experience. What parental controls are available on each device or app varies, but in general, they limit screen time, restrict content, and enhance user privacy.

Features of parental controls:

  • Limit screen time.
  • Turn off in-app purchasing.
  • Prevent inappropriate or mature content.
  • Limit website access.
  • Play, message, or send/receive content with approved contacts only.
  • Monitor device location through GPS.

Take time to look at what parental controls are available on your child’s commonly used apps. Then, set them to reflect the type of experience you think is best for your child or teen’s online safety.