Tag: Health and wellbeing

NHS Lothian’s Nightingale Challenge set to inspire next generation of future leaders

NHS Lothian has launched its Nightingale Challenge to inspire nurses and midwives across the board to become future leaders.

The challenge, which is taking place around the world, forms part of the celebrations for the Year of the Nurse and Midwife and marks 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale.

The Nightingale Challenge encourages health employers to provide leadership and development training for their young nurses and midwifes during 2020. To date, more than 570 employers in 66 countries have signed up, involving around 25,000 nurses and midwives worldwide.

Across NHS Lothian, the focus for the challenge is ‘Inspiring the Next Generation.’ Through a programme of work NHS Lothian wants to promote the diversity of nursing and midwifery roles, and to highlight the various pathways to joining the professions. Already around 50 students and registered nurses and midwives across Lothian have signed up to take part.

The launch event on 24 January provided an opportunity for attendees to share their journeys into nursing and midwifery and to get involved in developing ideas to support the programme of events taking place throughout 2020 to mark the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

Professor Alex McMahon, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare Professionals, NHS Lothian said: “I am delighted that NHS Lothian is joining the celebrations to mark the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and that as part of this, will be getting involved in the Nightingale Challenge.

“The skills and experiences that I gained from my nursing days really have supported and enabled me to move into a range of leadership roles.

“I hope that through the Nightingale Challenge, we can inspire and encourage our young nurses and midwives to see themselves as future leaders, who will help to shape and support our NHS for years to come.”

NHS Lothian’s promotional activities in support of the Nightingale Challenge and the Year of the Nurse and Midwife can be followed by searching the hashtags #LothianYNM2020, #NightingaleChallenge, #ScotNurses2020 and #ScotMidwives2020 on social media. 

Who Cares? Tory concern over hard to fill job vacancies

The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) published new figures on the levels of staff vacancies in Scotland’s social care services yesterday.

Edinburgh has the highest percentage, 57%, of services reporting that vacancies are hard to fill and almost half of posts unfilled 49%.

West Lothian, Midlothian and Edinburgh have all shown an increase in the number of vacancy rates with East Lothian dropping slightly to 32%. 

Latest figures show West Lothian had 78 vacancies, 35%, Midlothian had 47 vacancies, 40%, and Edinburgh had the highest number of vacancies in Scotland 334, 49%.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “This report highlights the ongoing challenges of recruitment in Social Care and is another example of SNP Ministers’ terrible record on workforce planning.

“The continued high rate of vacancies for social care makes if very difficult to see improvement to services.

“Issues such as delayed discharge in hospitals and shortages in adult care homes are not going to be fixed until recruitment of staff is resolved.

“Edinburgh and the Lothians have particularly high vacancies for Social Care staff and have higher than average services struggling to fill posts.”

The report comes as the Scottish Government launches a new campaign to promote careers in adult social care ‘There’s More To Care Than Caring’.

The staff vacancies report provides a national overview of vacancy levels and recruitment difficulties reported by care services registered with the Care Inspectorate. It also includes data on the actual number of vacancies services have, which is held by the SSSC.

In the past year, 38% of services reported having vacancies, which is unchanged from the previous year.

However, care homes for adults, care homes for older people, housing support services, care at home services, nurse agencies and residential special schools all had a proportion of services with vacancies significantly above the national average for all care services.

Daycare of children and adoption services were significantly below the national average for all care services reporting vacancies.

At 31 December 2018, the rate of WTE vacancies for all services in Scotland was 5.5%, down from 5.9% in 2017. This was higher than the overall vacancy rate across all establishments in Scotland of 3.1%.

Lorraine Gray, Chief Executive of the SSSC said: “A vital consideration when looking at vacancies in care services is making sure that social care attracts people with the right values, skills and experience to work in the sector.

“We’ve worked with Scottish Government on the adult social care recruitment campaign, launched today, which aims not only to encourage more people to consider a career in care but also emphasises the values you need.

“The social service workforce is growing, there are more than 200,000 people working in the sector, which is almost 8% of all employment in Scotland, so there are lots of opportunities and different types of roles.

“It’s a fulfilling and rewarding career which gives you the opportunity to work towards qualifications as part of a professional workforce making a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Peter Macleod, chief executive of the Care Inspectorate said: “We know that an effective and stable staff team is important for providing the world class care everyone wants to see.

“It allows trusting relationships to be developed between people providing and experiencing care, often supporting positive experiences and outcomes.

“The Care Inspectorate recognises that recruitment and retention into some parts of the social care sector remains a challenge, and we collect significant data about the places and parts of the sector where recruitment problems are more challenging.

“This report has been prepared to provide a national overview of the vacancy levels and recruitment difficulties reported by care services in their Care Inspectorate annual returns.

“We know, of course, that numbers do not tell the whole story. The skills, experiences, and values of social care staff are just as critical as the right number of staff being employed.

“However, going forward we expect to see more innovative solutions embraced by care providers and commissioners, as well as increased partnership working between social care services, local authorities and other key partners to ensure that the underlying issues around filling problem vacancies can be addressed.”

Every care service is asked to complete an annual return every year to provide statistical and other information. The vacancy questions are asked for every care service type apart from childminders, who are typically sole providers.

Staff vacancies in care services 2018

Inside Story: Report raises health concern over home air pollution

There is growing evidence that respiratory problems among children may be exacerbated by indoor air pollution in homes, schools and nurseries, according to a joint report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Royal College of Physicians.

The report, informed by a RCPCH commissioned systematic review of 221 studies, presents evidence linking indoor air pollution to a range of childhood health problems including asthma, wheezing, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and eczema.

Sources of indoor air pollution include smoking, damp, the burning of fossil fuels and wood, dust, chemicals from building materials and furnishings, aerosol sprays, and cleaning products.

The authors warn that indoor air quality tends to be poorer in low quality housing where ventilation may be inadequate or insufficient.

The report recommends that local authorities should have the power to require improvements where air quality fails to meet minimum standards in local authority schools and houses. This should be extended, according to the authors, beyond damp and mould (where powers already exist) to include other pollutants.

The report recommends:

  • Legally binding performance standards for indoor air quality to include ventilation rates, maximum concentration levels for specific pollutants, labelling of materials, and testing of appliances
  • Air quality tests when local authority construction is complete and before the building is signed off
  • Compliance tests after construction stages and assessment of buildings once occupied – this may require ring-fenced resources for local authorities to take enforcement action

The report recommends local authorities should follow the NICE guidelines for ‘Indoor air quality at home’. It warns “exposure to indoor air pollution from cookers, damp, cleaning products and fires can irritate the lungs and exacerbate asthma symptoms.”

It encourages people to ensure rooms are well ventilated by opening windows or using extractor fans, especially when cooking, drying clothes inside, or using sprays, solvents, and paints.

Professor Jonathan Grigg, Paediatric Respiratory Consultant from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said: “We’re finally paying attention to the quality of our outdoor air and this is long overdue.

“It’s harder to get population level data on the quality of indoor air but the evidence in this report paints a worrying picture. Children in the UK spend most of their time indoors, with just 68 minutes spent outside on an average day. Too many of our homes and schools are damp and poorly ventilated – this is adversely affecting the health of children.”

The report says local authorities should provide free indoor air testing for residents. It recommends a national fund to support improvements for low income residents who report issues with ventilation and air quality.

Professor Stephen Holgate, Special Advisor for the Royal College of Physicians said: “Poorer households have fewer choices about where to live and where to go to school. More than three million families live in poor quality housing in the UK.

“Most will not have enough money to make improvements and have no option but to make do with damp, under-ventilated environments. We need to offer support at local authority level – likewise with schools. If we ask our children to spend their childhood days in unhealthy spaces, then we’re storing up problems for future health.”

The report ‘The Inside Story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people’ makes further recommendations:

  • A cross-governmental committee to co-ordinate working in health, environment, education and homes for indoor air quality
  • Advice for the public about the risks of, and how to prevent, poor indoor air quality
  • Investment in high quality research and evidence to support decision making.

The Inside Story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people is jointly published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

It is funded by Allergy UK, Airtopia, Asthma UK, British Heart Foundation, British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Dyson, and the Greater London Authority.

All Aboard! Raise money for children’s cancer charity

BRAVE runners are being asked to carry an 85ft-long VIKING boat around the Edinburgh Marathon – to raise money for children with cancer. 
The annual marathon takes place in May  and while entry is still open it’s an event which has sold out every year since 2008. 
One way to book a spot on the starting line is through a charity – and one endeavour will see a group of 40 participants carry a replica of a Viking longship – weighing a quarter of a ton – through the entire 26.2 mile course. 
The ‘Rock the Boat’ project has been launched by events firm Rat Race Adventure Sports, with all proceeds going to partner charity Children With Cancer UK. 
If you want to join the horde of marauders, places aboard the ship are now up for grabs.
Rat Race founder Jim Mee says each participant will need to commit to raisingat least £500 per place and adds: “With many UK marathons already sold out, we’re offering a particularly unique way of making it to the start line.”
The Edinburgh Marathon takes place Sunday May 24, 2020.
It’s just one of a series of marathons where the viking boat will make an appearance next year, as Rat Race aims to raise £1 million for Children With Cancer UK.
And if you do join the viking crew, you could also end up breaking a Guinness World Record – as Rat Race aim to set the ‘fastest marathon in a forty-person costume’ time.
The boat – carried by way of specially made harnesses – had its debut at the recent Yorkshire Marathon, getting round in a time of six and a half hours. 
Rat Race event co-organiser Allie Bailey said that while the challenge is tough, it’s also rewarding. Speaking about their recent exploits, she said: “Running a marathon is tough enough, let alone when you’re carrying a boat weighing a quarter of a ton.
“And then there’s the problem of tackling tight turns in an 85ft-long vessel with a terrible turning circle, and coming across speedbumps and potholes in the road that you can’t actually see beneath you.”
The boat itself is made from a lightweight metal frame inside a plywood exterior.
Jim set up Rat Race Adventure Sports in 2004 and has seen it grow into one of the UK’s largest operators of mass participation, wilderness adventure challenges.
Meanwhile the Edinburgh Marathon is one of the flattest – and fastest – marathons in the UK, with organisers saying it’s ‘ideal if it’s your first marathon or you are looking for a Personal Best’ time.
It’s due to start in Potterrow with the finish line at the Pinkie Playing Fields in Musselburgh.
For information on how to sign up to Rock The Boat, head here: www.marathonmarauders.com

Coronavirus update

Results for two of the patients in Scotland being tested for Wuhan novel coronavirus have come back negative.

Three cases have now been confirmed in France – the first in Europe.

There are currently no confirmed cases in the UK, and the risk to the public remains low, but we will continue to work with the World Health Organization and international community as we monitor the situation closely.

Health Protection Scotland advises that travellers returning from Wuhan who become unwell with sore throat, cough or breathing difficulty with or without fever, within 14 days of their return, to call their GP or NHS 24 to see if further assessment is needed.

Respiratory and flu-like illness are more common at this time of year as such there will be cases presenting with symptoms who are highly unlikely to have Wuhan novel coronavirus.

As the situation continues to develop we will update should there be any confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, rather than provide a running update on cases being considered on a precautionary basis.

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood said: “Scotland is well prepared for these types of outbreaks – we have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and the UK was one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for the new virus.

“I am being kept fully informed about the precautionary steps being taken, including timely updates on the patients who are currently being tested.”

Health Protection Scotland provide expert and up-to-date health protection advice to all health and care services across Scotland.

For any general questions relating to this, check the dedicated web page on Health Protection Scotland website entitled Wuhan novel coronavirus.

For the general public who are planning to travel abroad, guidance can be found on the Fit for Travel website.

Constantly craving sleep? Here’s how to fight fatigue

Do you crave sleep? Do you drag yourself from your bed in the morning already looking towards the moment you can climb back under the duvet? Or does it sometimes feel as though you’re stuck in first gear and just can’t find the energy to shift up? If so, you’re not alone.

Unexplained tiredness is one of the most common reasons for people to see their GP. At any given time, one in five people feel unusually tired, and one in ten have prolonged fatigue, but it’s not always easy to understand why we feel this way and what, if anything, we can do about it; many of us simply accept tiredness as an unavoidable consequence of our busy lives and carry on regardless.

But feeling tired all the time can have an enormous impact on our quality of life – and could be an indication that there’s something medically wrong – so it’s something you shouldn’t ignore.

Fatigue can be caused by many factors and these often work in combination with each other. Jermaine Izukanne , physiologist at AXA PPP healthcare looks at the symptoms and causes of fatigue and offers up some top tips to get you firing on all cylinders this festive season.

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness. While there is a difference between physical and mental fatigue, they often occur together. Fatigue is most prevalent in individuals who are defined as middle aged (45 to 65 years); research also suggests that this demographic sleep the least [3], which doesn’t help matters!

Symptoms of fatigue

Feeling tired is a general – and obvious – symptom of fatigue, but there are others, including:

  • headache
  • dizziness
  • slowed response and reflexes
  • lack of concentration and poor decision-making ability
  • lack of motivation
  • aching and weak muscles
  • feeling moody and irritable

These symptoms can be a result of various causes, as listed below and some of these causes can work together in combination. 

Causes of fatigue 

Medical causes – fatigue is a symptom commonly seen in a variety of illnesses, including sleep apnoea, diabetes and heart disease. It can be a sign of kidney disease, hypothyroidism and anaemia; and is also an early indicator of pregnancy! So, if you are experiencing frequent or prolonged periods of tiredness or any of the symptoms described above it would be advisable to see your GP to rule out a medical cause.

Workplace and screen-related causes – work-related stress and prolonged or excessive screen time during the working day have been shown to cause feelings of fatigue [4], as well as headaches, sore eyes and other unpleasant symptoms that exacerbate that feeling of tiredness. They can also make it harder for us to sleep.

Even if your brain doesn’t go into overdrive with work worries the moment they get a shoe-in, there’s the physiological effect of looking at a screen for a large part of the day.

Numerous studies have concluded that the blue light from screens can affect the amount and quality of sleep we get, because it disrupts the body’s production of melatonin. This is the hormone that regulates our circadian rhythms and which would, in our natural state, be triggered by nightfall, helping us to feel tired and fall asleep at the end of the day.

Clocking up even more screen time, watching TV or catching up on social media when we get home ramps up the effect of a day spent working at a computer, exacerbating the problem. By way of example, in one small study, participants who spent 4 hours reading e-books before bed for 5 nights produced 55% less melatonin than participants who read print books; they also reported being more alert before bed, taking longer to fall asleep and being more tired in the morning.

Lifestyle choices – excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol and/or drugs, lack of exercise and poor dietary choices are common causes of fatigue that can quickly lead to unhelpful cycles that amplify the effects. For example, how often do we turn to coffee to kick start our day or a glass of something in the evening to perk ourselves up, when actually both are sleep disruptors that may be contributing to our fatigue in the first place?

Similarly, heavy food and a lack of fitness aren’t the greatest foundations for getting active, and if you’re not exercising your fitness is going to decrease and you may find yourself with more sedentary time when you’re inclined to snack.

We’re not saying you should stop doing the things you enjoy, or be out training every day, just that if you’ve ruled other causes out and you’re still feeling sluggish there may be elements of your lifestyle you can tweak to help tackle your tiredness.

Stress and mental fatigue – depression and grief can place a mental strain on the mind, which can affect motivation and lead to irritability. This makes perfect sense, but what may be less obvious, and is important to bear in mind, is that it’s not just the bad stuff that takes its toll.

Positive events, such as getting married, moving house – even going on holiday – can be similarly stressful and draining, but it can be harder to accept that we may be struggling when we’re ‘supposed’ to be happy. The solution? Try to accept it, get a little perspective, delegate if you can, and focus on the destination, not the getting there.

What else can I do prevent and overcome fatigue?

The good news is that for most of us fatigue doesn’t have to be a fact of life and there are plenty of simple everyday things you can do help boost your energy and banish long-term tiredness for good.

Nutrition

Adequate nutrition is essential for a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet, and can help boost your energy. Be sure to always eat breakfast: a healthy breakfast such as rolled oats topped with banana and blueberries provides you with vitamins and minerals that stimulate the process of energy production.

Some examples of energy boosting foods include:

  • Rolled oats
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Hummus
  • Edamame
  • Chickpeas
  • Brown rice
  • Nuts and seeds (flax, chia and pumpkin seeds)

Feeling fatigued could also be the result of having an iron deficiency. Consider eating adequate amounts of iron rich foods, such as:

  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Beans
  • Lentils
  • Iron fortified cereals
  • Whole grains like quinoa and amaranth
  • Leafy greens
  • Baked potatoes

Ensure that you’re also drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration, as this is known to decrease energy.

Take a look at our article for more nutrition tips to help increase your energy levels from AXA PPP healthcare registered nutritionist, Georgina Camfield.

Sleep

Sleep is arguably the most important contributing factor affecting our energy levels, but something that’s frequently sacrificed thanks to a busy lifestyle. The Sleep Council’s latest survey found that almost three quarters (74%) of people in the UK sleep for less than 7 hours a night.

Much of how you feel when you are awake is impacted by the quality of your sleep, so getting long-lasting, good quality sleep is essential for our body to rejuvenate, build muscle and grow, as well as to resynthesize hormones and maintain energy levels.

When it comes to how much sleep we need, that’s very much down to the individual, but experts typically recommend aiming for around 7-9 hours a night.

Some tips for improving sleep:

  • Avoid bright lights, especially those coming from TV’s, laptops and e-readers; as we’ve seen this restricts the release of the chemical melatonin, which helps us fell sleepy and ready for bed.
  • Set a regular time for going to sleep and waking up to help your body get into a routine.
  • Refrain from doing work tasks late at night, as they can be stressful and keep you up awake.
  • Try taking time before bed to do something you find relaxing to clear your mind, reduce stress and prepare the body for sleep.
  • Refrain from eating heavy meals late at night and foods such as chocolate, fatty or spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol, all of which can disrupt sleep.
  • Try keeping track of sleep duration and quality using a Fitbit, or sleep trackers such as Sleep Cycle, Sleep Better or Calm. These can give you a better idea of your sleep patterns and help monitor whether any changes you make to your lifestyle or your routine have the desired effect.

You can find more tips and information from our clinical experts on our sleep hub. Or take a look at this recent article, where guest author and fitness expert Shona Vertue shares her tips for a better night’s sleep.

Exercise

While it might seem ironic that, when feeling exhausted, one way to tackle this is to do more physical activity, the relationship between exercise and an increase in energy levels is a well-established one. Regularly getting active has been found to decrease fatigue, increase physical health and good strength; it can also build up your resilience to stress.

Furthermore, physical activity can help to reduce fatigue by improving your quality of sleep. The better the quality of sleep you have, the easier it is for your body to regulate the necessary processes needed for day-to-day life.

By contrast, a lack of activity can lead to weight gain and deconditioning, making it more difficult to carry out tasks that require physicality, such walking up the stairs. If this is something you struggle with, it’s really worth trying to increase your activity levels.

It may feel difficult at first, but it’s one of the most effective ways of boosting your overall health and wellbeing and the more exercise you do, the more energised you’ll feel. This is because your body will start to create more mitochondria, which are the ‘powerhouses’ of your cells; with increased mitochondria, your body can produce energy more efficiently.

Regarding mental fatigue and stress, exercise promotes the release of ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins. This can help to create a ‘buzz’ within the body that makes you feel better about yourself, and motivated to exercise more regularly.

Some top tips for increasing your activity levels include:

  • Aim to do regular moderate intensity exercise for a minimum of 30 mins a day, five days a week
  • If time to exercise is minimal, try to fit something into your day at work e.g. a 15-minute jog/brisk walk during your lunch break
  • Set goals for yourself so that you have something to work towards and increase motivation
  • Pay attention to how your body and mind react to exercise: did you sleep better? Did you feel better the next day?

For more tips, information and inspiration to get you moving more and keep you motivated, from our team of physiologists, personal trainers and wellbeing programme managers, visit our fitness and exercise hub. 

Next steps

Fatigue affects us all at some point in our daily lives, whether it be from a long day at work, an illness or stress. And while in the short term you my feel like relaxing on the sofa with some snacks, catching up on your favourite box set, try to consider more effective ways of fighting long term fatigue, like those listed in this article, and see how it makes you feel.

It’s important to see your GP if your fatigue persists, as this could be the result of an underlying medical condition.

Finally, if you have a specific question or concern about any aspect of your or your family’s health, why not try our Ask the Expert service. Available around the clock, 365 days a year, this free information service allows you to ask the team of friendly and experienced nurses, midwives and pharmacists about any health concerns you may have. Simply submit your question online and we’ll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can – usually within a couple of hours.

For more information, please visit AXA PPP healthcare.