Health and wellbeing – Page 135 – The NEN

Campaigners’ plea on eve of elections: KEEP our Eye Pavilion!

A grassroots campaigning group determined to ensure a new facility to replace the ageing Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion is built in Edinburgh has pressed politicians to reaffirm their support.

The Keep Edinburgh Eye Pavilion (KEEP) has this week written to all the main Scottish political parties to ask that candidates for the local authority elections this Thursday within Lothian uphold pledges previously made.

In their letter, KEEP says: ‘Across the Lothians, people with sight loss are becoming increasingly concerned about the ongoing delays to the promised replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion (PAEP) in Edinburgh. Recent press reports now indicate that further delays and increasing costs, mean that the new hospital will not be operational until June 2027‘.

KEEP points out that the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion provides specialist ophthalmological care for thousands of people across the south-east of Scotland. In 2015, the building was deemed not fit for purpose in a NHS Lothian report that made the case for a new facility.

But in late 2020, the Scottish Government withdrew capital funding from the health board earmarked to re-build it. However, following a campaign by KEEP it was announced in spring 2021 that the re-build would go ahead.

‘However,’ the letter from KEEP goes on, ‘there are growing concerns that the continued delays are not simply a construction matter. The existing PAEP building has been deemed not fit for purpose and is facing further reduced capacity through disrepair, resulting in waiting times and pressures on services becoming more acute.

‘It is not acceptable that blind and partially sighted people are increasingly being asked to travel across the country to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank to receive treatment. Patients frequently face lengthy delays if unable to travel there independently‘.

During last year’s Scottish Parliament elections, KEEP secured commitments from all the main parties concerning the proposed new eye clinic facility.

Edinburgh city councillors also agreed a cross-party composite motion which said: “In terms of accessibility and equality of services it is vital that people have access that is affordable and is easy. As those of us who have had any trouble with our eyesight know, there is no time to spare. You need to get to that hospital quickly and efficiently. We have a centre of excellence that is world-renowned and we, as a capital city for people living in the south east of Scotland, depend on this facility. We need to stand up for Edinburgh.”

In their letter to each party’s health spokesperson, KEEP is asking councillors elected across the Lothian Health Board area to uphold pledges already made ‘and further work to ensure that the delays are reduced, that a clear timetable is given for when this project will start and be completed, and a guarantee to meet with members of the KEEP campaign to regularly discuss once they are elected‘.

New sepsis awareness campaign announced in Scotland

A leading sepsis charity will work with the Scottish Government to run a national sepsis awareness campaign this year.

The forthcoming partnership between Sepsis Research FEAT and the Scottish Government will help to save lives by increasing public awareness of sepsis and how to recognise symptoms of the disease.

More than 4,000 people die from sepsis every year in Scotland. This deadly condition occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals rapidly out of control, injuring its own tissues and organs. This can result in multiple organ failure and death.

The five key symptoms of sepsis which will be highlighted in the campaign are:

Confusion
Not passing as much urine as normal
Very high or low temperature
Uncontrolled shivering
Cold or blotchy arms and legs

If someone has two or more of these symptoms, becoming progressively or rapidly worse, this indicates they may have sepsis and urgent medical attention should be sought.

Sepsis Research FEAT previously worked with the Scottish Government on awareness campaigns in 2018 and 2019. These campaigns, which included radio, print and social media, reached more than 1.3 million people across Scotland. Planned joint campaigns for 2020 and 2021 were paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic, though Sepsis Research FEAT continued its awareness raising work independently.

This latest partnership between Sepsis Research FEAT and the Scottish Government will build on the success of the previous campaigns with a Scotland-wide multimedia campaign, which will include nationwide commercial TV and radio for the first time. It will launch in August with a peak in activity to coincide with Sepsis Awareness Month in September.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government is continuing to work with Sepsis Research FEAT to raise public awareness of the symptoms and dangers of sepsis.

“Patient safety remains key to delivering safe and effective care to all patients every time they access healthcare services and the Scottish Government’s Scottish Patient Safety Programme continues to make progress in its action on sepsis.

“Focusing on early identification is critical and treatment within one hour of recognition has led to mortality rates among those identified at this stage falling by 21% since 2012.

“Sepsis Research FEAT play a vital role in funding research into this devastating disease and in making the public aware of the symptoms, and the Scottish Government is supporting them in their efforts.”

The charity Sepsis Research FEAT have launched a new national sepsis awareness campaign in partnership with the Scottish Government at The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The campaign will focus on increasing public awareness of sepsis and how to recognise the 5 key symptoms in order to help save lives. Pictured Humza Yousaf MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care,with o Colin Graham – Sepsis Research FEAT Chief Operating Officer o Kimberley Bradley – Sepsis survivor and Sepsis Research FEAT supporter o Fiona Griffith – GenOMICC Project manager (the charity is a funder of the GenOMICC research study) o Sarah Weatherston – a teacher and sepsis survivor Mark F Gibson / Gibson Digital infogibsondigital@gmail.co.uk www.gibsondigital.co.uk All images © Gibson Digital /Sepsis Research FEAT 2022

Colin Graham, Chief Operating Officer at Sepsis Research FEAT, commented: “Sepsis Research FEAT is proud to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government once again and to be leading on this important campaign. This year will see our largest campaign yet and we are very much looking forward to sharing it with the public this August.

“Analysis from our last partnership with the Scottish Government showed that campaign activity was increasing awareness of sepsis in Scotland but that continued work was required so more people could identify the five key symptoms.

“Expanding our joint campaign this year to include commercial broadcast channels will ensure that we reach a greater number of people and better educate them about the signs and symptoms of sepsis.

“It is a devastating condition that can kill a previously healthy adult or child in hours. The more people across the country who are able to spot the key symptoms of sepsis in themselves and others, the more lives will be saved.”

335,000 children worldwide help The Daily Mile to celebrate its 10th birthday today

The Daily Mile, supported by INEOS, is today celebrating its 10^th Birthday with a huge global event, bringing together 335,000 children across the globe.
At an in-person event today in Dundee, Scotland, over 800 children participated in The Daily Mile together.
While at the same time, a global virtual event took place with 1,340 partner schools – 335,000 children across Europe, U.S., Africa, India taking part in The Daily Mile.
The Daily Mile is a transformative initiative where children run, jog, wheel or walk for fifteen minutes every day, improving the health, happiness and wellbeing of millions of children.
Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile, says: “We want to get as many children around the world doing The Daily Mile as possible, so the fact that we’ve been able to do this mass global event with thousands of schools to celebrate our 10^th Birthday is a real testament to the enthusiasm behind the initiative and the positive benefits that The Daily Mile has on children’s physical, mental and social health.”

The Daily Mile, supported by INEOS, today celebrated its 10^th Birthday with a huge global event that was designed to get as many children and primary schools as possible around the world moving on the same day.

In Dundee over 800 children took part in what was the largest ever mass Daily Mile, in the grounds of a transformed Baxter Park that included a stage, music and guest speakers. The children came from local primary and SEN schools across Dundee.

Guests at Baxter Park included The Daily Mile founder Elaine Wyllie MBE, Public Health Minister Maree Todd, Team Scotland and GB Hockey Player Charlotte Watson, Scotland and GB Team middle distance runner Kane Elliott, GB Paralympian Wheelchair Curler Aileen Nelson as well as other Daily Mile ambassadors.

At the same time, 335,000 children around the world took part in a virtual event – across 1,340 schools in 21 countries from Scotland to New Zealand. Marking the world’s largest Daily Mile event.

The Daily Mile, supported by INEOS, is a transformative initiative where children run, jog wheel or walk for fifteen minutes every day in school, in which time, most people will average a mile or more.

The initiative has enjoyed phenomenal success since it was started by then Headteacher Elaine Wyllie just ten years ago at a single primary school in Stirling, Scotland. Today over 3 million children across 14,000 schools in 87 countries globally are now running The Daily Mile.

The initiative believes there is more to be done if we are to provide the opportunity of good health and well-being to all children, wherever they are in the world and its aim for the next ten years is to significantly increase the number of children that are able to enjoy The Daily Mile.

Elaine Wyllie MBE, Founder of The Daily Mile says: “We are so excited to celebrate 10 amazing years of The Daily Mile – what an incredible journey it has been so far, starting from just a simple idea at my school in Scotland to now an essential part of the day in thousands of schools around the world.

“Multiple scientific studies continue to show The Daily Mile improves children’s physical, mental and social health as well as their engagement at school – and today’s event has been a fantastic way to celebrate all we have achieved, thanks to the incredible children, teachers, schools and partners we have worked with other the years who champion our ideals and support our ambition to see every child enjoy the benefits of The Daily Mile.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Founder & CEO of INEOS, comments: “INEOS has supported the Daily Mile for years because it’s a free, simple and effective way to improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing.

“It has been a natural fit for us to work with an initiative that is so passionate about helping more children enjoy exercise more often, and we look forward to its success as it continues to transform more lives around the world.”

Public Health Minister, Maree Todd, said: “I am passionate about the many physical, mental and social benefits the Daily Mile brings and am delighted that this initiative, born in Scotland, is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in Dundee.

“As school children from across the world come together to take part in the Daily Mile celebrations I look forward to seeing the impact of this simple and free initiative. I give my thanks to all the school teachers and those involved in providing their communities with the opportunity and support for children to be active each day.

“I am committed to Scotland becoming a Daily Mile Nation and myself really enjoy taking part. Over and above the health benefits it also gives me the opportunity to connect with nature, explore my local environment and meet new people along the way.

“I would encourage everyone across the world to join in and take part in the Daily Mile to experience these fantastic benefits.”

Be Vocal about Viral: Viral Meningitis Awareness Week

The UK’s leading meningitis charity is calling for those who have suffered from viral meningitis to be ‘Vocal about Viral’ to help dispel myths and misconceptions that this form of the disease is not dangerous and always ‘mild’.

Meningitis Now’s annual Viral Meningitis Awareness Week, between 1 and 7 May, seeks to raise awareness to inform the public, health professionals and employers about the true impact of the disease and the long-term problems it can bring.

Although rarely life-threatening viral meningitis, which is more common than bacterial meningitis, can make people very unwell and for some the after-effects can be life-changing.

Expert opinion suggests up to 6,000 people each year across the UK suffer from viral meningitis, an infection that causes inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and the spinal cord. The majority of cases happen during the warmer months.

Symptoms of viral meningitis can include a severe headache, a dislike of bright lights, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting and confusion. The disease can affect anyone of any age.

Meningitis Now is urging anyone concerned about viral meningitis to seek medical help.

After-effects can include exhaustion, headaches, memory loss, depression, anxiety and hearing difficulties. Many sufferers need to take long periods off education or work, and struggle with the day-to-day tasks that most people take for granted.

Viral meningitis cannot be treated with antibiotics. Rehydration, painkillers and plenty of rest are the best remedy. Most people will make a full recovery. However, for some recovery can be slow and the after-effects long lasting.

These after-effects can be debilitating and just as likely to affect people’s day-to-day activities as those from bacterial meningitis, turning their emotional and economic lives upside down and affecting their ability to learn, play and work.

Bev Corbett, the charity’s Director of Information and Support, said: “It’s vital that everybody understands that viral meningitis can be serious and that those who experience it are not afraid to speak out about it and seek the support they need.

“For our Viral Meningitis Week we’re calling on everyone to Be #VocalAboutViral – and help raise awareness by talking about the disease.”

Meningitis Now has a range of free services to support individuals and their families after viral meningitis, including its Rebuilding Futures Fund, which provides financial and practical support for people of all ages affected by meningitis.

The charity also has free information and fact sheets about viral meningitis. Read more about the symptoms and after-effects and download the guides from the website www.MeningitisNow.org

If you have been affected by viral meningitis, contact the Meningitis Now Helpline on 0808 80 10 388 or email helpline@meningitisnow.org. Do not suffer from viral meningitis alone.

Read viral meningitis stories and share yours on the Meningitis Now website.

Elderly Edinburgh care home residents ask for local support to create fresh outdoor space

With spring in bloom, elderly residents at care homes across Edinburgh are looking forward to time spent outdoors following colder months. Now, as green-fingered residents get ready for gardening activities, Scottish care home provider Renaissance Care has put out a call for donations from the local community.

In the hope of freshening up Letham Park Care Home’s garden, staff are on the hunt for the likes of gardening furniture, tools, plants and ornaments. With art supplies on hand, the care home will gladly accept donations in need of a little love or lick of paint, while the home boasts keen gardeners who are ready to get their hands dirty with seeds or bulbs.

The focus on gardening falls in line with Renaissance Care’s health and wellbeing strategy, which prioritises the emotional, mental and physical health of those in its care. Following the Winter Olympics activity which saw residents embracing the colder weather, Renaissance Care has set aside time for gardening activities in order to bring the new season in with a garden refresh.

As well as a focus on embracing the outdoors, Renaissance Care also hopes to create lasting partnerships with the nearby community which could be fostered through the shared goal of improving the local area. The staff within the home welcome any helping hands who would like to support the initiative.

Letham Park Care Home began its facelift last month, as it looked to create a fresh space to enjoy in summer, particularly with the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations upcoming. Staff hope that work carried out outdoors will benefit their indoors too, as they are following along an online webinar hosted by the Care Inspectorate and Trellis, allowing residents to grow their very own vase of flowers in their rooms.

Nicola Edwards, activities co-ordinator at Renaissance Care’s Letham Park Care Home, said: “We strive to create fun activities which will use the wisdom of our residents. With several keen gardeners within the home and warmer weather round the corner, it is the perfect time to launch our gardening projects.

“We are very lucky to be situated within such a supportive community and we are hopeful that this call will prompt some further generosity. Our garden could do with a little love and our residents have years of experience which we know will be put to good use. If you have anything to spare, please do get in touch.”

Cath Webster, who is the daughter-in-law of one of Letham Park’s residents, said: “‘A working group of residents and volunteers are currently creating features of the sensory garden which is being developed.

“We have recycled old Wellies and painted them. The plan is to fill the wellies with herbs to stimulate our senses of taste and smell, as well as bright flowers to delight our sense of sight. Other ideas and developments are currently being discussed.”

To offer donations to Letham Park Care Home, contact: mfyfie@renaissance-care.co.uk

Healthy Heart Tip: Fibre – the lifesaving nutrient many of us lack

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

It is well known that eating fibre can prevent constipation, but did you know it can also lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer?

Dietary fibre can only be found in foods that come from plants, such as wholegrain cereals, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, fruit, vegetables, beans, and lentils.

Here we provide some tips to help you increase the amount of fibre in your diet:

Choose a variety

Obtaining fibre from a variety of food sources is a great way to ensure a healthy balanced diet. It is also important to make sure you are drinking enough fluid to help fibre function properly.

Opt for a high-fibre cereal

Look out for cereals that are labelled as “whole grain” or with “bran” or “fibre” in their name. Try to choose plain varieties with no added sugars.

Switch to wholemeal

Instead of white bread, white rice and white pasta, try switching to wholemeal or granary bread, brown rice and wholemeal pasta.

Eat your five a day

Frozen, dried and tinned fruit and vegetables all count towards this. Try eating apples and potatoes with their skins still on, to further increase fibre intake.

Add extra vegetables or pulses to your favourite meals

Beans, lentils and chickpeas can be added to your favourite meals like curries, bolognese, chilli, soups and stews, to bulk them out and add nutrients.

Snack wisely

Choose unsalted nuts and seeds, fresh fruit, vegetable sticks or oatcakes.

Opt for a high-fibre cereal

Choose unsalted nuts and seeds, fresh fruit, vegetable sticks or oatcakes.

Some people worry that if they increase their fibre intake it will cause them to suffer from flatulence (wind). To avoid this, you should gradually increase the amount of fibre in your diet to allow your body time to adjust. Good luck!

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/.

Hearts & Minds receive £21,605 from People’s Postcode Trust

Grant will support Clowndoctor visits at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children & Young People

The Clowndoctors will be delivering smiles every week at the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People thanks to support of the People’s Postcode Trust.

The People’s Postcode Trust is a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Our organisation received £21,605 from the Trust to enable us to deliver weekly Clowndoctor visits at the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People, Edinburgh (formerly The Sick Kids)

Hearts & Minds believe that meaningful human connection is vital for wellbeing, and that this is especially important when we are at our most vulnerable. Through the art of therapeutic clowning Hearts & Minds Clowndoctors connect with children and their families who might be facing anxiety, stress, and feelings of isolation while the child is receiving treatment in hospital.

Recently the Clowndoctors were able to visit Robbie at the RHCYP, where he has been for some weeks. Robbie knows the Clowndoctors well from seeing them at the Royal Blind School, Edinburgh and he calls them his friends.

The Clowndoctors were delighted to visit him in hospital and play his favourite game of “BOO!’ Dr Mousse also recorded a special message for Robbie which he has saved on his phone so he can listen to as often as he likes.

Richard Dalgleish, Robbie’s dad, said: “We wanted to say a big thank you to Dr Mousse and Dr Cous Cous for taking the time to say hello to Robbie when we met the Clowndoctors at the Royal, Edinburgh a few weeks back.

“Even though Robbie is far from well, it was lovely for Robbie to hear from people he knows well from the Sick Kids and from visits to the Royal Blind School.

“Robbie has been in hospital now for 6 weeks and has had 3 operations. The Clowndoctors have visited him regularly and their visits have given him a much-needed boost. Thank you for all the work that you do.”

Rachel Colles, Joint Artistic lead at Hearts & Minds, commented: “It has been a privilege to visit Robbie over many years. We started visiting him when he was a pupil at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh.

“We built up a great relationship playing with Robbie’s love of slapstick, surprises and words. Robbie loves to send the Clowndoctors flying around and surprising them with a big boo. We felt we had a strong and special connection.

“When Robbie left school, we did not see him anymore, so it was a real pleasure to bump into him and his parents at the hospital and were very happy to arrange a couple of visits on his adult ward. It was great to get the opportunity to visit him in this new setting and be welcomed by the staff on the ward where our visits were seen as a bit of colour and change in their day.

“As Clowndoctors these long-term relationships are very valuable to us and makes me personally very happy when we see children and young people who we know so well and be a positive part of their experience of health care settings.”

Sean Donnelly, Interim CEO, Hearts & Minds said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from People’s Postcode Trust to allow us to continue with much needed weekly Clowndoctor visits to the young people at the hospital in Edinburgh.

“These visits will deliver much needed laughter, fun and imagination to children who face anxiety while undergoing treatment for their illness.”

Please click the links for more information on People’s Postcode Trust www.postcodetrust.org.uk and People’s Postcode Lottery www.postcodelottery.co.uk

Emergency Care ‘remains in extreme crisis’

More than one third of patients facing long waits in Scotland, as Emergency Care remains in severe crisis.

Responding to the latest weekly Emergency Department performance figures in Scotland Dr John Thomson, Vice President of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said: “We are continuing to see severely poor performance in the Emergency Care system. Staff are becoming more and more burnt out; the appalling crisis in Emergency Care is seriously distressing.

“The public are extremely worried about these long waiting times, and rightly so, because patients are coming to harm. Staff continue doing all they can to deliver care and keep patients safe, but it is incredibly challenging.

“It is a desperate situation, a result of widespread shortages of staff and beds throughout the system and a crisis in social care. Despite exiting winter and entering spring, the situation remains dire; we have never faced a crisis worse than this. The intense workload is breaking staff, and the distressing circumstances are breaking their morale.

“Patients continue to face seriously long waits, and we continue to state that this crisis is worse than ever, and that patients are coming to harm. The government cannot let this deteriorate further, staff and patients urgently need meaningful action now to tackle the desperate situation in Emergency Care and address the widespread staff shortages, the bed shortages, and the social care crisis.”

The latest weekly Emergency Department performance figures for Scotland show:

There were 22,774 attendances at Emergency Departments

Four-hour performance was 66.2%, the lowest ever on record-

7,705 patients waited more than four-hours in an Emergency Department

More than 3 in ten patients were waiting for more than four hours in an Emergency Department

2,373 patients waited more than eight-hours in an Emergency Department

Nearly one in six patients were waiting for more than eight-hours in an Emergency Department

944 patients waited more than 12-hours in an Emergency Department

One in twenty-five patients were waiting more than 12-hours in an Emergency Department

NHS Lothian launches consultation

People across Lothian are being encouraged to help ensure health and care services across the region are fit for the future.

NHS Lothian and Lothian’s four Health and Social Care Partnerships has launched a major engagement initiative as they begin planning how services should be designed and delivered over the next five years. Priorities include ensuring that people have equal access to the right care and support, wherever they live in the region.

Calum Campbell, Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, said: “There are lots of reasons why we need to consider how things may need to change to ensure everyone has equal access to the care they need to live their best lives.

“The past two years of pandemic have been hugely challenging, so we need to make sure that we prioritise our resources as effectively as possible to help reduce waiting times.

“There are opportunities too. Technology and innovation in medicine can have a huge impact on what we can do and how we do it, and we have learnt a lot about new ways of working.”

The move comes against a backdrop of challenge facing health and care services that existed even before the pandemic.

More people are living longer – a testament to improvements in general population health and innovation in medicine and healthcare – but this has also created the highest ever demand for these services, as people are likely to need them more in their later years.

The NHS workforce is ageing too. There are more NHS staff over 55 years of age than under 30. That means a focus on recruitment and training is vital, but also that the roles themselves in healthcare might need to change.

Mr Campbell added: “It’s really important that patients, carers, partner organisations and our staff understand the constraints and the opportunities and tell us what matters most to them as we develop our plans.

“There is not a household in the land that is not affected by these services at some point, so this really is for everyone to think about and have their say.”

This phase of the engagement process is running until the end of May and the public are invited to get involved by reading the draft framework and providing feedback or by attending one of the virtual events being held across the next two months.

More information is available on NHS Lothian’s website.

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