Tag: Health and wellbeing

Aileen Campbell: Time for bold action on obesity

Consultation on new strategy for a healthier future

The promotion of unhealthy food and drink is to be restricted as part of Scotland’s new diet and obesity strategy, Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell has announced. The news has been enthusiastically welcomed by celebrity chef and food campaigner Jamie Oliver, who said the action is ‘trailblazing’.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell was at Tynecastle Stadium yesterday to launch a consultation on ambitious plans to help people lose weight, including:

  • Measures to restrict the promotion and advertising of food and drink high in fat, sugar and salt
  • Over £40 million new investment to deliver almost 100,000 supported weight management interventions for people with, or at risk of, Type 2 diabetes
  • Supporting calls to ban broadcast advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar before the 9pm watershed

Ms Campbell said: “Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer cardiovascular disease and depression. Simply put, it’s harming the people of Scotland. It also puts pressure on the NHS, other public services and our economy.

“That is why we need commitment and action from everyone across all sectors and at all levels including government, citizens, the public sector and businesses right across the country.

“We are putting forward a package of bold measures designed to help people make healthier choices, empower personal change and show real leadership. Now we need people who live, work and consume food and drink in Scotland to tell us what they think.

“As with our ground-breaking strategies on alcohol and tobacco, this is the start of a progressive plan of action, learning from our experience in Scotland and further afield, that will make a real, lasting difference to the country’s health.”

The Minister launched the consultation at Tynecastle stadium, where she met participants in the SPFL Trust’s Football Fans in Training (FFIT) weight management programme.

Wattie Buchan, who lost four stone after suffering five heart attacks, said: “I was miserable before. I’ve had five heart attacks, I’ve had a quadruple bypass. My life was terrible. This is the best I’ve felt in four years, I feel better within myself being fitter.

“Twelve weeks ago I could hardly walk. I’ve been doing this for five weeks and now I walk a lot – even my dog has lost weight. It’s totally changed my life around. It’s made a massive difference to how I feel; I feel better mentally as well. It’s like night and day; I am loving it.”

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said: “This is an amazing step towards making sure the healthiest choice is the easiest choice – for everyone. Today, Scotland has set an example to the rest of the world. It has picked up the baton that Westminster dropped last year. So, now the ball is back in the UK government’s court.

“We need to ensure everyone in Britain has a chance to raise their children in a healthy environment.”

The consultation is now live and will run to 31 January.

 

 

 

Hungry for Change: PCHP to launch new report

Pilton Community Health Project is to launch a new report, Hungry for Change, tomorrow at the Old Kirk and Muirhouse Church on Pennywell Gardens.  The report explores how community groups in north Edinburgh have responded to food insecurity in the area. Continue reading Hungry for Change: PCHP to launch new report

St John’s Hospital children’s services: “no quick fix”

A report by clinical experts has recognised NHS Lothian’s commitment to restoring paediatric inpatient services at an NHS Lothian hospital as soon as possible, but warned there was no “quick fix”.

The review, carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), highlighted the dedication of paediatric teams at St John’s Hospital in Livingston and commended the progress being made. It supported the health board’s decision to temporarily suspend inpatient services in order to maintain safe facilities for children and it said the service should only resume once the extra staff are recruited or trained.

Jacquie Campbell, Chief Officer of Acute Services, NHS Lothian, said: “We are working extremely hard to recruit additional senior staff so that we can reinstate 24/7 services at the site and we remain committed to the service. But so far we have been unable to provide sufficient staffing cover to ensure patients receive a safe service overnight.

“We know this is frustrating for patients and families, but the RCPCH has been explicit in their clinical and expert opinion that this decision was the right thing to do.

“Our overarching strategy remains a commitment to St John’s Hospital and the children’s ward and this has been demonstrated by the significant and on-going investment we have made into recruitment.”

The report was carried out after NHS Lothian invited the RCPCH to review progress following their first evaluation of children’s services overall in 2015.

At that time, the RCPCH said that inpatient children’s services should be retained on two sites – St John’s Hospital, Livingston, and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh – and it was recommended that an additional eight consultants were recruited.

The 32 recommendations from the report were taken on board and wide-ranging rounds of recruitment began to help fill the gaps in the rota. However despite extensive campaigns, the required number of posts have not been filled.

The Paediatric Programme Board, which was appointed two years ago to oversee and decide how best to implement the findings of the original report, is now considering the recommendations from the follow-up report.

The RCPCH said that their initial assessment remains the same, but they understand the increasing difficulties in recruitment has caused the current situation.

The report said: “The report reaffirms that for the population of West Lothian the continued provision of inpatient paediatrics is the right model if it can be achieved with sustainable medical staffing.

“This is not a ‘quick fix’ as demonstrated by attempts to recruit paediatricians and advanced children’s nurses. Until sufficient trained medical and nursing staff are available to provide sustainable overnight care, the current daytime only paediatric assessment and decision-making service should be maintained and strengthened.

“Its opening times should be mapped more closely to activity and it should be supported with strengthened community and transport services.”

NHS Lothian is now developing a longer-term strategy to continue to deliver safe and sustainable services, and maintain and strengthen the current provision of the short stay paediatric assessment unit and review the possibility of extending the opening hours.

Ms Campbell added: “We will be looking at these recommendations very carefully in the context of how we can provide patient services safely.

“I would emphasise that parents are not being asked do to anything differently. Most of the children who currently attend the unit will continue to be cared for as normal. They will either be referred by their GP for an urgent medical opinion or attend with a pre-arranged appointment for treatment, assessment, tests or minor day surgery.”

Children will still be assessed and treated in the Emergency Department at St John’s Hospital at night and weekends.  A paediatric consultant will be available on-call 24/7. If a child needs to be admitted to hospital a transfer to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, will be arranged. Maternity and neonatal services at the hospital are unaffected.

The full report is can be read here.  Continue reading St John’s Hospital children’s services: “no quick fix”

Pay boost for social care staff: workers guaranteed Living Wage for overnight hours

Social care staff working ‘sleepover’ hours are to receive a pay increase, Health Secretary Shona Robison has announced. Care workers will now be paid the real Living Wage of £8.45 for sleepover hours, meaning the Living Wage will now be received for all hours worked.    Continue reading Pay boost for social care staff: workers guaranteed Living Wage for overnight hours

Young Start empowers sporting Scots to have their say

An apprenticeship programme designed to empower young people who have a disability to have a voice in shaping sporting activity in Scotland receives £49,985 of Young Start funding being awarded today.  Disability Sport (SDS) is one of five groups sharing in £206,196 of funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Young Start programme, thanks to dormant bank and buildings account money.  Continue reading Young Start empowers sporting Scots to have their say

NMC to amend English language requirements for applicants trained outside the UK

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has today announced that it is making alternative options available for nurses and midwives, trained outside the UK, to demonstrate their English language capability. Continue reading NMC to amend English language requirements for applicants trained outside the UK

Perk up your liver!

coffee cup

The UK has seen a staggering 400% increase in liver disease in the past 50 years. Perk Up Your Liver is encouraging everyone to have a coffee break (with or without cake!) to raise awareness and funds to help the British Liver Trust combat this deadly disease. The campaign runs nationwide from 30 October – 5 November. Continue reading Perk up your liver!

“World Class” figures mark Restart a Heart Day

‘World class’ results for Scotland show innovative new approaches are working

There has been a rise in the number of people who are being successfully resuscitated following a cardiac arrest in Scotland, according to new figures. Latest Scottish Ambulance Service statistics show that, on average, 66 per cent of patients suffering a witnessed cardiac arrest by ambulance crews were successfully resuscitated and alive on arrival at hospital over the last six months. Continue reading “World Class” figures mark Restart a Heart Day