Projekt 42 is hosting a free open day this coming Sunday (27th October), inviting the local community to drop by and take part in a variety of fitness classes, as well as have the chance to speak to their mental health team. Continue reading Projekt 42 to hold Open Day this Sunday
A new report shows 6,038 new episodes of compulsory treatment using the Mental Health Act in Scotland last year – the highest figure since the Act came into force in 2003.
The new data, published by the Mental Welfare Commission, also shows rising figures for young people aged under 25 being given compulsory treatment.
The rates at which detention was used varied considerably across Scotland. Continue reading Concern over record use of compulsory mental health treatment
GP practices will receive more than £9 million of new funding to upgrade their premises and IT systems supporting better services for local communities.
The funding will facilitate improvements to GP practices and enhancements to make the best use of existing space. It will improve internet connectivity and also support the deployment of Attend Anywhere – an online virtual clinic that patients can link into wherever they are.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This is a substantial investment by the Scottish Government which will support GPs, the wider primary care workforce and the communities they serve.
“The upgrades to premises and IT systems will see continued improvements to the delivery of high quality patient care, including the continued deployment of Attend Anywhere in our remote and rural areas.
“This investment is part of a wider commitment to increase general practice funding by £250 million by 2021 as part of an extra investment of £500 million per year for primary care funding. This funding together with our wider reform programme will mean additional staff working in primary care, providing better services for patients and allowing them to see the right person at the right time.”
Scottish GP Committee deputy chair Patricia Moultrie said: “This is welcome funding for GP premises and will allow partners to improve their practices and give much-need updates to IT systems.
“This funding is definitely a step in the right direction in regards to making premises fit for the multidisciplinary teams working within general practice in the future, as we look towards the development of Phase 2 of the GP contract.”
The £9.34 million will be split as below:
– £5 million allocated to Integration Authorities to carry out digitisation of GP paper records and improvements to GP premises
– £0.14 million to NHS National Services Scotland to digitise paper GP records transferring between paper-light GP practices
– £2.2 million of this would be targeted to supporting Boards on their implementation of PCIPs and on their improvements to GP IT in 2019-20 and promoting joint working, including specific support to rural and remote areas.
– A further £1.8 million funding would be targeted to making faster progress on two other key areas of supporting infrastructure investment:
– Internet connectivity
– Staff and patient Wi-Fi in practices.
– £600,000 of the £1.8 million is going to be used to pay for the on-going costs of practices which have already had their internet connection upgraded. This cost wasn’t paid from the Primary Care Fund previously and is a direct result of previous investment to improve internet connections. Around £100,000 is identified for upgrading further practice internet connections.
– The remaining £200,000 would be targeted at supporting the deployment of Attend Anywhere to remote and rural GP practices.
Scotland’s NHS needs to refocus its priorities to speed up health and social care integration and system wide reform, according to public spending watchdog Audit Scotland. Continue reading ‘Financially unsustainable’: Scotland’s NHS struggles to cope
Work is underway to minimise any potential disruption to the childhood flu immunisation caused by a delivery delay in some batches of a nasal spray flu vaccine. Continue reading Possible flu vaccine delivery delays: health chief comments
The Amazon Customer Service Centre in Edinburgh raised awareness for Childhood Cancer Awareness in September with a special event to highlight the innovative work being done by hospitals and charities to support children and families across Scotland. Continue reading Local children’s cancer charities go gold with Amazon
Advice to help NHS staff spot crucial signs
Continue reading Human trafficking guidance for for health workers
Recruitment figures indicate a steep decline of younger applicants
Edinburgh care and support provider Social Care Alba, has revealed that analysis of their internal recruitment figures suggests a steep decline in the number of millennial candidates – aged between 18-25 – applying for roles in domiciliary care. Continue reading Social Care Alba working to tackle ‘steep decline’ in millennials applying for care roles
A global panel of exercise oncology experts has published new guidance recommending the systematic use of an “exercise prescription” to help cancer patients cope with treatment side effects and lower the risk of developing certain cancers. Continue reading Cancer treatment plans should include tailored exercise prescriptions, says expert panel
A joint letter from Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer has been issued to health and social care professionals providing them with further advice on ensuring medicine supplies in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, new controls on the entry of goods from the EU into the UK will need to be introduced. This is likely to cause delays at ports of entry and a slow-down in the flow of medicines and medicine supplies into the UK.
The letter outlines what steps are being taken in Scotland to ensure continuity of supply of medicines and medical devices and to support prescribers if shortages arise.
Commenting on the letter, Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman said: “Brexit is a crisis created by the UK Government, made worse by their refusal to rule out a disastrous ‘no deal’ exit. The reality is the supply of medicines and medical devices to Scotland will be impacted if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, meaning there is a risk of shortages.
“As a responsible government we are doing all we can to prepare as much as possible for the consequences of ‘no deal’. The joint letter from our Chief Medical Officer and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer sets out clearly what preparations have been made to mitigate as best we can and provides our health and social care professionals with as much reassurance as possible.
“If the UK leaves the EU without a deal and some shortages occur, the NHS will manage the situation and, if necessary, provide advice on suitable alternatives or other treatment options while supply is restored to normal levels.”
Letter from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer
Information on the mygov.scot/eu-exit website is also available.
Back in August, the UK Government announced that the Department of Health and Social Care was to strengthen its Brexit preparations with a £25 million contract to set up an express freight service to deliver medicines and medical products into the country.
The department is leading a procurement exercise for an express freight service as part of the government’s plans to support continuity of supply when the UK leaves the EU on 31 October.
The service is intended to deliver small parcels of medicines or medical products on a 24-hour basis, with additional provision to move larger pallet quantities on a 2- to 4-day basis. The service will be available to the whole of the UK.
While the majority of goods will be standard medicines and medical products, the express freight service can also deliver temperature-controlled products if needed.
The contract will run for 12 months, with a possible further 12-month extension.
The service will provide an additional level of contingency as part of necessary preparations to leave the EU on 31 October whatever the circumstances, supported by an additional £2 billion from the Treasury across government.
This money includes £434 million to help ensure continuity of vital medicines and medical products through freight capacity, warehousing and stockpiling.
The new service will support existing plans already in place, including:
UK Health Minister Chris Skidmore MP said on 15 August: “I want to ensure that when we leave the EU at the end of October, all appropriate steps have been taken to ensure frontline services are fully prepared.
“That’s why we are stepping up preparations and strengthening our already extremely resilient contingency plans.
“This express freight service sends a clear message to the public that our plans should ensure supply of medical goods remains uninterrupted as we leave the EU.”
