Health and wellbeing – Page 288 – The NEN

Perfect plants for relieving stress

Stressed out Scots are being offered advice on the best plants to have in their home and garden. Gardening experts at GardeningExpress.co.uk have put together their top plants for creating a less stressful environment.

Well known stress relievers all make the list including Lavender, Chamomile, Jasmine and Evening Primrose. Other less well known but just as effective include Peppermint, Areca Palm, and even Aloe Vera, which is more commonly used for its soothing and healing properties.

A spokesperson for GardeningExpress.co.uk said: “Life is stressful enough, so anything natural we can add to our gardens or inside our home to alleviate some of that has to be a good thing.

“Plants like Lavender and Chamomile are very easy to grow in the garden and require very little care. As well as having great stress relieving properties, they look and smell amazing too.”

Here are GardeningExpress.co.uk top ten stress relieving plants:

1. Lavender

Just the smell and sight of lavender is enough to calm some people. Lavender oil is great for treating anxiety and depression. They’re also very easy to grow in the garden and picked up for pennies.

2. Peppermint

Peppermint lowers frustration and helps boost alertness. It’s also great at relieving tired or overworked muscles.

3. Chamomile

Drink as a tea and Chamomile will help reduce inflammation. It’s also very well known for easing anxiety and aiding a good night’s sleep.

4. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera has many medicinal and soothing properties and it’s also one of the most powerful plant air purifiers around. The plant is great to have around if you suffer from anxiety and helps relieve worry and stress.

5. Rosemary

Often using in cooking, Rosemary improves air quality, memory function, reduces stress and alleviate anxiety.

6. Areca Palm

This air purifying palm removes any unwanted toxins and adds moisture to the air. Breathing in cleaner air helps to lower anxiety and blood pressure, with positive effects on our mental health and wellbeing.

7. Chrysanthemum

As well as adding a splash of colour to your home, Chrysanthemums are said to purify the air and lessen the symptoms of worry and stress. It also has lots of medicinal properties including the treatment of high blood pressure, colds, headaches and dizziness.

8. Jasmine

Sweet smelling Jasmine helps promote sleep, meaning you feel fresh and alert and much less anxious.

9. Evening Primrose

This yellow wildflower is said to balance hormones. When your hormones are balanced, you should experience less depression and irritability.

10. Sunflowers

The bright yellow head of a beautiful Sunflower is enough to make everyone smile. The seeds also contain tryptophan, an amino acid that produces serotonin, also known as the happy hormone, which helps improve mood.

New fund for perinatal mental health

Mums, dads and families at risk of poor mental health during pregnancy and the early years will be able to access enhanced peer support, parenting support and perinatal counselling services, with new annual funding of up to £1 million.

The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health fund will provide crucial help by supporting third sector organisations to deliver key services and address gaps in provision.

Inspiring Scotland will run the fund – which will open to charities from August – and will work with the Scottish Government to achieve the goals of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board.

Minister for Mental Health Clare Haughey said: “The third sector provides an invaluable source of support for the mental health of women, babies and their families during pregnancy and early parenthood.

“Last year, the Scottish Government provided funding to support the work of third sector organisations in this area and I am delighted that we are able to build on this with the new Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund.

“The fund will allow one-to-one support for organisations to help provide the services that women and their families need across Scotland.”

Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Scottish Government with this important new third sector fund for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health charities.

“We know how vital the perinatal period is for families and how crucial the early years are for infant development. Charities across Scotland are doing essential work, and with the uncertainty caused by coronavirus (COVID-19), their work is more important now than ever.

“We look forward to continuing our support of the third sector and their support for infants and families at this crucial stage of life.”

The application process for the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund will open on 5 May 2020.

The fund will run for three years, from August 2020 – March 2023.

Third sector organisations interested in applying to this fund, should register online.

Heart Research UK: Healthy Heart Tips

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

Physical activity for adults while staying at home

At a time when gyms are closed and the population is being asked to stay at home, finding ways to keep active can be challenging. Regular physical activity is strongly associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as improving mental health.

Even small increases in physical activity can positively impact on health. Heart Research UK have some tips to help you meet the recommended amount of physical activity while staying at home.

How much physical activity is recommended?

The Government recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week.

It is also recommended that adults engage in strengthening activities on two days each week, such as lifting weights or press ups. If you are not yet in the habit of doing this amount of physical activity, you can start small and build up to the recommended amount over time.

Moderate Intensity Activities

(150 minutes weekly)

Your heart will beat faster, you will breathe harder, you will get warmer and you can probably maintain a conversation

E.g. Brisk Walking or cycling

Vigorous Intensity Activities

(75 minutes weekly)

Your heart will beat rapidly, you will breathe much harder, you will get warmer and it will be difficult to have a conversation

E.g. Running or football

Replace your daily commute with physical activity

If you are working at home, you may be saving time that would normally be spent on commuting to and from work. Why not put this time to good use by scheduling in some physical activity. For example, you could go for a brisk walk, jog or cycle outdoors or walk briskly around the house, including going up and down flights of stairs.

Find a range of exercises you can do inside your home

Find exercises that you can do in short bursts of ten minutes or more, at regular intervals throughout the day. For example, you could try some gentle weight-lifting, using cans of baked beans. The NHS provide tips for exercising without gym equipment on their Website

Don’t be a couch potato

Rather than spending your evenings sitting on the sofa without moving much, why not try a few gentle exercises, such as leg raises, while watching your favourite TV show.

Examples of some exercises you can do from your sofa can be found on the NHS website, and you can find lots more healthy tips, advice and recipes at heartresearch.org.uk.

Greens call for government to cover nursing fees

The Scottish Greens have called on the Scottish Government to demonstrate its appreciation for Scotland’s nurses by covering their 2020 professional registration fees.

Nurses and midwives in Scotland are required to pay an annual registration fee of £120 to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, but Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP has called on the First Minister to cover that cost this year as a small token of appreciation for the role these professionals are playing in the fight against coronavirus.

Alison Johnstone MSP said: “All across the country nurses and midwives have gone above and beyond during this crisis. From supporting young families, to comforting dying patients whose loved ones cannot be with them, these dedicated professionals play an essential role in the fight against coronavirus.

“It becomes more evident every day how crucial frontline health and care staff are to our communities, and there are rightly calls for a review of how we remunerate all our health and care workers who have put themselves at risk to protect us.

“One modest measure the Scottish Government could take immediately to show a small token of appreciation to our nurses and midwives is to cover their professional registration fees.

“Covering the £120 fee payable by nurses and midwives to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for 2020 would be a small gesture, but one that I’m sure would be most welcomed.

“Quite rightly those retired professionals who have been called back to support our NHS during this crisis have not been charged registration fees, and it would be fitting if this consideration was shown across the board.”

Mobile Testing Units are on their way

Mobile testing units, operated by the Armed Forces, will travel around the UK to increase access to coronavirus testing.

Units will respond to areas of highest demand, travelling to test frontline workers and the most vulnerable at sites including care homes, police stations and prisons
The new units will work alongside the country’s drive-through test sites, sending patient samples to the network of Lighthouse Labs, to rapidly increase the number of tests done each day.

Essential workers and the most vulnerable will receive increased access to coronavirus tests after the government unveiled a network of mobile testing units to travel where there is significant demand, including care homes, police stations and prisons.

The number of new mobile units is being scaled up after a successful pilot last week, which saw Department of Health and Social Care vehicles refitted to fully functioning testing sites, following a design developed by the Royal Engineers of the British Army. Today, there are 8 existing mobile units carrying out tests across the country, including in Salisbury, Southport and Teesside.

Mobile facilities can be set up in under 20 minutes, allowing the testing of hundreds of people each day and are now travelling to those most in need and hard to reach. Specially trained Armed Forces personnel will collect swabs at the mobile sites, before they are sent to mega-labs for processing. Those tested will receive results within 48 hours.

Rapid expansion of a network of mobile test units is now underway, with new units being fielded in the coming weeks and at least 96 ready to be deployed by the start of May.

This follows the announcement last week that other frontline workers would join the priority list for coronavirus testing, alongside the existing commitment to make sure patients and NHS staff are tested for the virus.

New mobile sites will travel to frontline workers in places including:

care homes
police stations
prisons
benefits centres
fire and rescue services

Testing Minister Lord Bethell said: “Everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one. New mobile testing units will travel the country to provide vital frontline workers with tests so those testing negative to safely return to work.

“We have built up capacity in the system with new testing facilities backed by Britain’s world-class scientists and industry partners. This means more workers can know if they have coronavirus if they have been demonstrating symptoms.

“Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus. We now have the ability to provide more people with the certainty they need to get back to the front line when it is safe to do so.”

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Our Armed Forces will help deliver testing to where it’s most needed, using a network of up to 96 mobile units that will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

“They will make sure our care sector get the testing required to remain in the frontline of the fight against this pandemic.”

National Testing Coordinator John Newton said: “Across the country we are creating new infrastructure to rapidly increase our capacity to test for coronavirus. New mobile testing units will help us achieve our goal of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, providing tests to vital frontline workers wherever they need them.

“In a matter of weeks we have worked with Britain’s leading scientists, academics and industry partners to build scores of new testing facilities and Britain’s largest network of diagnostic labs in history. Each day we are delivering more coronavirus tests, and allowing more frontline staff testing negative for the virus to safely return to work.”

The government’s objective is to deploy 96 mobile testing units during the month of May – 92 will be staffed by the Armed Forces and a further 4, located in Northern Ireland, will be operated by civilian contractors. Five will be deployed in Scotland next week, with a further eight to follow.

Earlier this month the UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the UK government’s 5-pillar plan to rapidly scale up coronavirus testing across the UK. The new 5-pillar plan outlines the ambitions to:

pillar 1: scale up swab testing in PHE labs and NHS hospitals for those with a medical need and the most critical workers to 25,000 a day in England, with the aligned testing strategies of the NHS in the devolved administrations benefiting from PHE’s partnership with Roche through a central UK allocation mechanism
pillar 2: deliver increased commercial swab testing for critical key workers in the NHS across the UK, before then expanding to key workers in other sectors. There are now more than 30 drive-through sites collecting these samples across the UK
pillar 3: develop blood testing to help know if people across the UK have the right antibodies and so have high levels of immunity to coronavirus
pillar 4: conduct UK-wide surveillance testing to learn more about the spread of the disease and help develop new tests and treatments
pillar 5: create a new national effort for testing, to build a mass-testing capacity for the UK at a completely new scale

Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres introduced

New centres to reduce the need to attend hospital

New measures have been introduced to help patients with emergency eye problems, reducing the need for them to attend hospital during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Backed by up to £3 million of Scottish Government funding, Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres have been established in all health board areas.

New technology is also being trialled by NHS Grampian and NHS Forth Valley.

After a telephone consultation, some patients may be referred to optometrists within the treatment centres who can manage a wide range of conditions without further involvement from GPs or hospitals.

In Grampian and Forth Valley, live video and audio feeds between the centres and consultants in hospitals are also being used to enable more patients to be immediately diagnosed and treated.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “While services have changed dramatically over the last few weeks, my message is clear – if you are worried about your health in any way, please get in touch with your GP. The same applies to your vision – if you have experienced any problems with your sight, please contact your local high street optician as soon as possible.

“I would like to thank NHS Boards and the optometry and ophthalmology professions for their excellent collaboration in establishing, at pace, more than 50 Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres across Scotland to manage patients without COVID-19 symptoms who need an emergency face-to-face consultation.

“I am pleased to see some NHS Boards are also using innovative new tele-ophthalmology technology. This means that more patients can be immediately diagnosed and treated in a community setting while gaining an expert opinion from the secondary care ophthalmology team.”

Patients without COVID-19 symptoms will be referred for an emergency face-to-face consultation after having a telephone triage or consultation with a community optometrist.

Only the Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres will examine patients face-to-face. These premises have been provided with the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to keep patients and practitioners safe. The centres have been established by each Board with guidance and support from Eyecare Scotland, the national clinical leads multi-professional group.

Routine eye care services were suspended on 23 March. Since then, community optometry practices have continued to provide emergency and essential eye care services to patients, enabled by a package of financial support measures from the Scottish Government.

This includes provision of monthly average practice income from NHS services and up to £3 million of funding for the provision of emergency and essential eye care services.

NHS Lothian has established an Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centre.

To access this service, patients must first phone their local optometry practice to be assessed over the phone. If a face-to-face appointment is necessary, then an appointment will be arranged for that patient.

Further information, including an updated list of community optometry practices offering telephone assessments, can be found here: https://services.nhslothian.scot/EmergencyEyecareTreatmentCentre

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service:

Annual diabetic retinopathy screening has been suspended until further notice because of COVID-19. Look out for further updates.

Social Shielding already saving lives

Asthma UK & British Lung Foundation, the UK’s leading respiratory charity, has reiterated the need for everyone who meets the government’s ‘extremely vulnerable’ criteria to follow social shielding guidelines.

Those who have still not received an official ‘shielding’ letter but do meet the criteria are urged to contact their GP or hospital doctor as soon as possible. Social shielding involves staying indoors and avoiding face-to-face contact, utilising government voluntary support services to get the supplies they need.

A recent survey by the charity has revealed that 97% of those with chronic lung conditions in Scotland, who had received an official shielding letter, have said they were taking the measures seriously.

Of the 1188 Scots surveyed, just under 18% of respondents had received a letter to shield from the Scottish Government.

Other interesting findings from the survey include:

Anxiety among those with lung conditions is high, with almost 70% of respondents reporting their COVID-19 related a score of 8/10 or above.
58% of smokers have said they are planning to quit due to COVID-19
46% of people with lung conditions reported a disruption to their usual care due to COVID-19.

Joseph Carter, Head of Asthma UK & British Lung Foundation Scotland, said: “It is crucial that everyone who is entitled to a shielding letter, even at this late stage, receives one. The evidence shows they work, and people do take the advice seriously.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint and there’s still a long way to go. Receiving these letters enables people to access the various resources and support available to them, to enable them to shield effectively and keep themselves safe.”

Andrew Whittamore, Clinical Lead for Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation and a practicing GP, said: “Everyone with a chronic lung condition, including asthma and COPD, has been classified as being ‘high risk’.

“Everyone in this group should be strict about following the social distancing advice from the government. This group may not get a letter and do not necessarily need to shield but may choose to do so.

“We know that shielding isn’t as easy as it sounds, so it’s important that people only go through it if they’re in these ‘extremely vulnerable’ groups. A smaller group of people who are classed as ‘extremely vulnerable’ do need to go further and follow the shielding advice.

“It’s vital that anyone who is in these groups, but have not yet received a letter, contact their GP immediately. This will enable them to access all the Government support which is being provided to help them shield. Further advice can be found on the Asthma UK & British Lung Foundation websites.”

Further Advice:

For the latest Covid-19 health and shielding advice for people with asthma, visit the Asthma UK website at: asthma.org.uk/coronavirus
For the latest Covid-19 advice for people with all other lung conditions, visit the British Lung Foundation website: blf.org.uk/support-for-you/coronavirus
VIDEO: For anyone who has a lung condition and is still unsure if they should be shielding or not, the British Lung Foundation’s Medical Director Nick Hopkinson has produced this helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xUmuf1wcLk

The NHS Is Open campaign launched

New campaign urges people to contact a doctor

A national media campaign has been launched to encourage people to seek medical help for urgent health issues which are not related to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Figures indicate patients are delaying seeing their GP during the pandemic and there has been a drop in urgent suspected cancer referrals, and a reduction in families bringing children for immunisation.

Reasons may include wishing to reduce the strain on the NHS, or concerns over becoming infected with COVID-19 as well as the misconception that doctors do not want to see patients.

The NHS is Open campaign urges people to contact their GP or local hospital if they have urgent health worries.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “It is vital for people to know that GP surgeries and hospitals are still there for them if needed.

“While we appreciate the public doing all they can to reduce the strain on our NHS at this challenging time, if people have serious health concerns or symptoms, it’s just as important as ever to seek immediate medical assistance.

“This pandemic does not mean we’ve stopped the fight against cancer, heart attacks or other serious health conditions. It is vital people continue to raise any health worries with their doctor at the earliest possible time and continue to attend regular check-ups and appointments when they are invited to do so.”

https://twitter.com/i/status/1253753235166441472

Dr Carey Lunan, a working GP and Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland, will feature in TV adverts as part of the campaign. She said: “The NHS is open and it is safe. Appointments may feel a little different – they might happen on the phone or even by videolink. If people need to be seen face-to-face, we can arrange that too.

“Accident and Emergency units are also still open and able to help. We are here for patients and we want to hear from anyone if they have an urgent medical problem.”

The marketing campaign will run on TV, radio and digital channels for an initial three weeks.

The campaign will encourage people to call their GP surgery, or 111 out of hours, if they have urgent health concerns. In emergencies, they should still dial 999.

Attendance at A&E and Paediatrics in Scotland has halved during COVID-19.

Attendance at A&E in week commencing 29 March was 11,020 and in week commencing 5 April 11,263 compared to normal average attendance of 25,000 per week. Paediatrics attendance is down 50 per cent in Scotland, with late presentation becoming an issue.

There has been a significant drop (72 per cent) in urgent suspected cancer referrals, as fewer people are presenting their symptoms to their GP practice.

Charity tackles ‘lockdown’ isolation facing autistic people

National Autistic Society Scotland is working to tackle the social isolation faced by autistic people across the country by launching a programme of online Social Groups.

The disruption of daily life and routine resulting from the pandemic and the ‘lock down’ has been very challenging for autistic people and their families many of whom are struggling with mental health and intense anxiety.

Research from the charity has also shown that two thirds of autistic people in Scotland feel socially isolated and this was before social distancing was introduced in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Social distancing has meant the charity has had to cease face-to-face Social Groups and ‘coffee clubs’ for 200 autistic people, a lifeline for many which allow for people to meet up, develop communication skills and confidence, make friends and live more independently.

The charity is now launching its Social Groups programme online providing opportunities for autistic people to connect and chat about whatever they wish to – from film & TV, to cooking and other hobbies.

They also provide a safe and supported space where people can share their thoughts and gain confidence from each other as well as hearing from staff who can share information on staying safe and healthy.

Nick Ward, Director of the National Autistic Society Scotland said: “Our Social Groups are a lifeline for autistic people across Scotland and we’ve worked hard to get these up and running online so we can play a role supporting people through this difficult time by giving them an online space to come together and socialise.

“This is an extremely challenging time for the charity but we want to expand the reach of our social groups programme to as many autistic people across Scotland so no one has to feel alone. We are busy applying for emergency funding to do this.”

Rory McGill is 25, from Cumbernauld and has been attending one of National Autistic Society’s Social Groups for 2 years. Rory says: “In the past I’ve struggled to talk to people and found it difficult to make friends.

“Going to the NAS social group has really helped build my confidence and has meant I’ve made some good friends. We do interesting stuff like go-karting and laser quest which we obviously can’t do right now which is frustrating.

“The pandemic has been quite emotional for me and it can make me quite anxious so I’m really looking forward to social groups starting up online so I can chat to others, I think it will really help.”

Routine immunisations continue, says NHS Lothian

Immunisation appointments for children and pregnant women are continuing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, says NHS Lothian.

Scheduled immunisations are an important and legitimate medical reason to leave your house, and people who have an immunisation appointment should attend as planned.

If an individual with an upcoming immunisation appointment – or a member of their household – is showing symptoms of COVID-19, then they must NOT attend, but should call the number on their invitation to rearrange the appointment.

Professor Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health & Health Policy, NHS Lothian, said: “All scheduled immunisation appointments in Lothian are continuing and we would encourage all children and pregnant women to attend.

“If you cannot attend because you or your family are showing symptoms of coronavirus, please call the phone number on your appointment letter or contact your health care practitioner to rearrange.”

Dr Gregor Smith, Interim Chief Medical Officer, said: “We’re grateful to everyone for heeding our Stay Home Save Lives message during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the NHS is still open, and the routine vaccination programme is an important way to protect you and your family’s health.

“It is important we continue to protect children and other vulnerable groups against serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Routine immunisations for children and pregnant women are a crucial way we can help keep people safe and healthy at this time.

“We know members of the public will have protecting their family’s health from coronavirus, by following guidance on social distancing and not travelling unnecessarily, at the forefront of their minds. But receiving an immunisation is one of the important medical reasons for which you should leave your house, and it will help protect you or your child from other serious diseases.”