Health and wellbeing – Page 36 – The NEN

Researchers develop 3D printed bandage that delivers innovative treatment for diabetic foot ulcers

Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have designed a new 3D printed bandage, known as a scaffold, which presents an innovative method of treatment to heal diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

The research is the first of its kind and is a breakthrough for diabetes management. The findings have been published in the journal Biomaterials Advances.

The new discovery combines lipid nanoparticles and hydrogels, which are used to create personalised skin-like 3D printed scaffolds. These scaffolds have the ability to release both a bulk and sustained release of antibiotic loaded molecules to treat diabetic ulcers.

This combination has been shown to greatly improve patient outcomes and has the added benefit of being a more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective method of treatment as these scaffolds in the future can be “easily” produced within the hospital setting.

This approach will also cut time for medical professionals and improve patient care, as the wound dressing can be monitored and provide the treatment needed without the need to be taken on and off repeatedly in order for the medical professionals to check the healing process.

The research team was led by Professor Dimitrios Lamprou from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with Ms Costanza Fratini (Erasmus Visitor), Mr Edward Weaver (PhD Student from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Sofia Moroni (PhD Student between Queen’s University and the University of Urbino Carlo Bo), Ms Robyn Irwin (PhD Student from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Yahya Dallal Bashi (Postdoctoral Researcher from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Shahid Uddin (Industrial Collaborator), Professor Luca Casettari (University of Urbino Carlo Bo), and Dr Matthew Wylie from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s.

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is among the top ten causes of deaths worldwide. DFUs are a serious complication of diabetes, affecting approximately 25% of diabetic patients. When identified, over 50% are already infected and over 70% of cases result in lower limb amputation.

As a strategy to manage DFUs, skin alternatives and wound dressings are successful treatments as they keep the wound environment “under control”, whilst providing bioactive compounds that help to manage infection and inflammation and promote tissue repair.

This is a complex process that requires several combined therapeutic approaches. As a result, there is a significant clinical and economic burden associated in treating DFU. Furthermore, these treatments are often unsuccessful, commonly resulting in lower-limb amputation.

The use of drug-loaded scaffolds to treat DFUs has previously been shown to be successful by the same team. To create this new scaffold, the research team used a 3D bioprinting technique that combines, in one single filament, two different bioinks.

The inner core of the filament is a nanocomposite hydrogel that contains lipid nanoparticles encapsulated with thyme oil. The outer shell of the filament is represented by a hybrid hydrogel and enriched with free thyme oil. Thyme oil and other essential oils, have a promising future as an all-natural antibiotic replacement, helping address the issue of increasing incidences of antimicrobial resistance.

This combination provides two different release ratios of the drug molecule; a bulk release for the first 24 hours and a sustained release for up to 10 days. This enables an initial disease prevention post-administration, which may be the highest-risk time, followed by sustained infection prevention during the following days of antimicrobial efficacy.

Commenting on the importance of this study, Professor Dimitrios Lamprou, lead on the project and Chair of Biofabrication and Advanced Manufacturing from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “This innovative, personalised, and sustainable approach, provides the healing needed for the diabetic foot ulcers, to avoid any complications, and enables doctors to monitor the healing constantly.

“This avoids needing to remove dressing constantly, which can provoke infection and delay the healing process. Medical professionals also do not need to change the drug dosage as this double release, supports that need.”

Dr Matthew Wylie, Lecturer from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and responsible for the in vitro antibacterial activity evaluation of these novel bandages, said: “Diabetic foot ulcers are chronic wounds highly susceptible to infection which can lead to limb- or life-threatening complications.

“Our natural liposomal antibacterial approach has shown promising initial antibacterial results highlighting the potential of this strategy to prevent bacterial colonisation during the crucial early stages of wound healing, as well as longer term protection of the wound.

“Improved wound management will not only enhance patient quality of life but could reduce the need for traditional antibiotic therapy, a key aim in the fight against antimicrobial resistance development.”

New NSPCC and Gas Distribution Network partnership creates an ‘army of safeguarders’ to protect children

A new partnership between the NSPCC and Britain’s four Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) will deliver vital safeguarding training to more than 18,000 workers across the country.

Half a million children suffer abuse and neglect a year in the UK, and almost 60,000 calls were made to the NSPCC Helpline last year from adults including utility workers* reporting concerns about child safeguarding across the UK.

Everyone has a role to play in safeguarding children, and workers who visit homes have a unique chance to make a difference. This is why gas engineers, including sub-contractors and GDN staff at Cadent Gas, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities, will take part in specialised training developed by the children’s charity over the next two years.

The training, entitled It’s Your Call, will give GDN employees who cross thousands of doorways every day the knowledge and confidence to help support vulnerable families and children in their communities.

It’s Your Call is a simple training package which helps workers who visit homes recognise signs of abuse and neglect and gives them the confidence and knowledge to seek appropriate support, including contacting the NSPCC Helpline. The roll-out of the training with GDN workers across Britain has already begun and will continue throughout the next two years.

Edward Allard, social programmes manager at Cadent, said: “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with the NSPCC. This is a significant and wide-reaching project and will create a real force for good across Britain.

“We visit thousands of homes every day, and thanks to this partnership we can create an army of safeguarders to help identify children at risk of neglect or abuse and ensure our workers know how to help them get the support they need as soon as possible.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to support customers living in the most vulnerable situations, each GDN will also work with the NSPCC’s safeguarding experts to ensure that the safeguarding of children and young people is fully embedded into our organisations.”

This project has been funded by the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) – an Ofgem fund split between the four GDNs to work with partners, charities and organisations to support customers in vulnerable situations.

As well as ensuring thousands of workers across the UK can help identify children at risk of neglect or abuse, the project will offer the chance for a network of child protection practitioners working with the NSPCC to learn about spotting carbon monoxide risks.

The practitioners will have access to free carbon monoxide detectors and will learn about fuel poverty signposting to support thousands of households across the UK, ensuring more families are kept safe and warm in their homes.

Sir Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, said: “We are hugely excited about this project, and grateful to Ofgem and all the GDNs for supporting this wonderful partnership. Everyone has a role to play in preventing child abuse and neglect. With this training and support, we can create a real force for good and help protect some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

“By working together and sharing our resources, experience and expertise we can help engineers and gas employees across the country play their part in supporting vulnerable families and children in their communities.”

To find out more about how the NSPCC can support professionals to keep children safe, including safeguarding training, consultancy and free resources, go to: www.learning.nspcc.org.uk/

To find out more about the NSPCC’s work to protect children and young people and support families across the country, go to www.nspcc.org.uk

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Happy Holidays

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

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Happy Holidays

The summer school holidays are upon us here in the UK and this week’s healthy tip is all about keeping children healthy and happy over the break.

During the summer holidays normal routine is broken and without a robust plan in place, this can result in unhealthy foods and activities creeping in more than usual.

Here we give you some ideas to ensure everyone starts the new school term feeling nourished and healthy, including parents and caregivers!

Super snacking

Anybody who has looked after children will know that you usually hear “I want a snack” about 100 times a day! Add an extra snack section to your shopping list over the holidays and include healthy options such as nuts and seeds (chopped for small children), cheese, rice cakes, yoghurts, fruit, and vegetables to chop into sticks.

Children can feel hungry soon after a meal if it wasn’t nutritionally balanced so make sure you include a source of carbohydrate and protein with every meal and add some heart healthy fibre from fruits and vegetables to help keep them full.

Get active

If you’re a parent or caregiver, your usual exercise routine may be thrown out during the holidays. Thinking about activities you can do as a family to hit those movement goals is a great way to ensure everyone fits that all important exercise in over the summer.

Some ideas include joining your local family parkrun or planning in swimming days each week. Even just going out for a walk or organising a bug hunt to keep the younger children engaged will help everyone get the daily steps in.

Plan ahead

Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail. Sitting down with the calendar for the next month or so and spending some time making plans will make the summer holidays run much smoother and most likely mean everyone eats healthier and has more fun.

Planning activities and meals in advance will ensure you aren’t caught out and end up reaching for the takeaway menu. Keep it simple and follow a similar weekly structure where possible.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.

Letters: Childline Support

Dear Editor,

Eating disorders and body image issues were the sixth most common concern brought up by children and young people in Scotland contacting Childline last year (April 2022 – March 2023), with 273 counselling sessions carried out on the issue.

Childline, the counselling service run by the NSPCC, has also revealed that 40 per cent of counselling sessions with children across the UK about these issues took place in the summer months (June to September).

There are number of factors that make the summer holiday a particularly tricky time for young people struggling with their body image or relationship with food.

For some, the prospect of wearing clothing which shows more of their body can make them feel under pressure to look a certain way, lose weight or change their appearance.

This pressure can be reinforced by content they are exposed to online that makes them feel negatively about the way they way look.

At Childline, there is always someone to talk to. Our counsellors are there to listen and offer support and advice every day of the year on 0800 11111 or at www.childline.org.uk

Kind regards,

Lauren Burke

Childline Team Manager, Glasgow

Millions of children get access to life-saving defibrillators

Every state school in England now has a defibrillator with 20,376 devices delivered to 17,862 schools

The government has confirmed that all state-funded schools in England now have a life-saving defibrillator, drastically increasing the chances of surviving cardiac arrest for all state school pupils in England.

Following the government’s £19 million rollout, over 20,000 defibrillators have successfully been delivered to almost 18,000 schools since January.

In June, the Department for Education oversaw the successful completion of deliveries of defibrillators to secondary schools. Now, all eligible primary, special and alternative provision schools who did not already have a defibrillator have received deliveries, boosting their numbers in communities across the country.

Today’s milestone marks another step in the government’s commitment to delivering stronger, safer communities across the country.

In July 2022, the government committed to delivering these devices before the end of the 2022 to 2023 academic year to ensure that all state funded schools in England had access to a defibrillator, following the campaigning from Mark King of the Oliver King Foundation to ensure all schools have a defibrillator.

Mark tragically lost his son, Oliver, after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest at school during a swimming lesson when he was 12-years-old.

Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan said: “Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.

“Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King, Jamie Carragher and Nicola Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has access to a defibrillator.

“Teachers and pupils across the country can now be reassured that they will have access to one on school grounds should tragedy strikes.”

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, said: ““Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.

“Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King and Jamie Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has one of these potentially life-saving machines.

“So however rare these events are, teachers, parents and pupils across the country can now be reassured they will have access to a defibrillator on school grounds, should the worst happen.”

Oliver King Foundation founder, Mark King: “We as a family and foundation will continue to strive for change so no other family has to suffer as we are.

“We would like to say a massive thank you to Nadhim Zahawi, Lord Stuart Polak, Jamie Carragher and the DfE for helping us aim for legislation. Oliver’s memory will live on and lives will be saved.”

Large schools have been provided with 2 or more defibrillators so that they can be strategically placed in areas of the schools where a cardiac arrest is more likely, such as sports halls.

A defibrillator is a machine that is placed externally on the body and is used to give an electric shock when a person is in cardiac arrest i.e. when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. Prompt defibrillation can help save a person’s life.

The government is also supporting schools in making defibrillators available to the community, with 1,200 external heated defibrillator cabinets being provided to primary and special schools by the end of 2023 in areas of deprivation, where provision is generally lower.

The rollout will build on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with secondary school pupils being taught life-saving methods such as CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. This rollout will help protect schools and their local communities against cardiac arrest, delivering wider access to these devices.

Improving Scotland’s maternity and neonatal care

New intensive care model for the highest risk pre-term babies

Three specialist intensive care neonatal units for babies born at highest risk will be based in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Care for babies born at less than 27 weeks, lighter than 800 grams or who need complex life support, will be provided by Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) at Aberdeen Maternity Unit, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

The new model of neonatal intensive care was recommended by The Best Start Report and is based on evidence that care for babies at highest risk is safest in units which can treat a high volume of patients.

Neonatal units in Ninewells in Dundee, Princess Royal Maternity in Glasgow, Wishaw General, Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy and Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock will continue as local neonatal units to provide neonatal care for their populations.

Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “These three Neonatal Intensive Care Units will offer the most specialist and complex care in fewer centres for the most pre-term and sickest babies.

“Local neonatal units will continue to offer care to babies who need it, including a level of neonatal intensive care, and no neonatal units are closing as part of these plans. This decision has been made in line with advice from expert clinicians.

“I would like to thank all of those who have worked with us to look at how we can best deliver the changes recommended by the Best Start Report and will offer increased care for those who need it most, before they are able to return to one of our other excellent local neonatal units across the country.”

Lesley Jackson, Clinical Lead for the Scottish Neonatal Network and a Consultant Neonatologist in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ““I very much welcome this change to the provision of neonatal intensive care, which will enable clinical teams to deliver the best outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies born in Scotland.

“The neonatal community is committed to working collaboratively to deliver the new model of neonatal care for our patients and families.”

Caroline Lee-Davey, Bliss Chief Executive said: ““At Bliss, we believe the proposed changes have the potential to improve the quality of neonatal services in Scotland, as well as improve the care provided to babies and their families.

“Reconfiguring services will help to make sure that the smallest and sickest babies requiring highly specialist intensive care every year will receive the best and safest care at a unit fully equipped for their needs.

“It is crucial for parents to be by their baby’s side in hospital, playing a hands-on role as partners in care with the medical team. When babies have to be transferred further from home to receive the best care, appropriate support must be provided to enable their parents to be at their cot side as much as possible, including through the Young Patients Family Fund, which enables families to claim financial assistance to support them during their baby’s neonatal stay.”

Burnt Out Britain?

NEW polling reveals 1 in 2 workers feel that work is getting more intense and demanding

“Gruelling” work intensity is a growing problem in “burnt out Britain”, with workers reporting that they are working harder and longer now compared to previous years, the TUC has warned.

The TUC says increasing work intensity means workers are having to pack more work into working hours – with work often spilling over into their private lives.

The warning comes as the union body releases new polling, conducted by Thinks Insight (formerly Britain Thinks) which reveals:

More than 1 in 2 (55%) workers feel that work is getting more intense and demanding.
And 3 in 5 (61%) workers say they feel exhausted at the end of most working days.

The polling also reveals workers feel the situation is getting worse. Compared to the previous year (2021):

More than a third of workers (36%) are spending more time outside of contracted hours reading, sending and answering emails.
1 in 3 (32%) are spending more time outside of contracted hours doing core work activities.
4 in 10 (40%) say they have been required do more work in the same amount of time
4 in 10 (38%) say they are feeling more stressed at work

The TUC says women face greater work intensity than men.

The polling shows that compared to men, women are more likely to say they feel exhausted at the end of most working days (67% to 56%) and that work is getting more intense (58% to 53%).

Women are overrepresented in sectors such as education and health and social care. These are sectors where staff shortages and other factors, such as burdensome scrutiny and long working hours, have led to increased work intensification.

And women continue to shoulder most of the caring responsibilities at home, which can further add to time-pressures on them.

Burnt-out Britain

Recent TUC analysis revealed UK employers claimed £26 billion of free labour last year because of workers doing unpaid overtime.

3.5 million people did unpaid overtime in 2022, putting in an average of 7.4 unpaid hours a week.

As well as being detrimental to family life, long term-ill health conditions caused by overwork include hypertension and cardiovascular disease, digestive problems, and long-term effects on the immune system, increasing risk of causing autoimmune disease diagnoses.

When workers are tired, or under excessive pressure, they are also more likely to suffer injury, or be involved in an accident.

Perfect storm

The TUC says there are several factors are combining to create a “perfect storm” for work intensity. This includes:

Surveillance technology and algorithmic management: Algorithmically set productivity targets can be unrealistic and unsustainable – forcing people to work at high speed. Algorithmic management can also force workers to work faster through constant monitoring, including monitoring the actions they perform and their productivity.
Staff shortages: Low pay, excessive workloads and a lack of good flexible work are key drivers of the staffing crisis. Staff shortages put huge strain on those who remain as they try to plug the gaps, fuelling excessive workloads and long-working hours. This undermines the quality of our public services, and leads to high attrition and absenteeism rates, worsening the workload crisis.
Inadequate enforcement of working time regulations: The working time regulations contain important rights for workers which could help safeguard against work intensification and the consequential health and safety risks, but enforcement of these rights is inadequate. This is in part down to lack of resources for enforcement agencies. The Health and Safety Executive, which is responsible for enforcement of the maximum weekly working time limits, night work limits and health assessments for night work, has had its budget slashed in half over the past decade.
Decline in collective bargaining: Industrial changes have combined with anti-union legislation to make it much harder for people to come together in trade unions to speak up together at work. This decline in collective bargaining coverage has led to less union negotiation around work organisation, resulting in work intensification.

Ministers are currently looking to water down rules on how working time is recorded by employers in the UK, which they could impose using powers in the controversial REUL (Retained EU Law) Act.

This could significantly weaken our already-inadequate enforcement system even further, making it more difficult for labour market inspectors to prove non-compliance.

Action needed

The TUC says ministers must take urgent action to tackle burnt out Britain, including:

Introduce a new right to disconnect to ensure workers get a proper rest break away from work and make sure that work doesn’t encroach upon a worker’s home life.
Strengthen enforcement of working time regulations – that means funding the HSE properly and ditching proposed changes to how working time is recorded.
Fix the public sector recruitment and retention crisis, bringing down excessive workloads and dangerously unsafe staffing levels, delivering year-on-year fully-funded pay rises and making improvements to working conditions.
Make flexible working a genuine legal right from the first day in a job. People should have the right to work flexibly from day one, unless the employer can properly justify why this is not possible. Workers should have the right to appeal any rejections. And there shouldn’t be a limit on how many times you can ask for flexible working arrangements in a year.
Promote collective bargaining to make it easier for unions to speak withand represent workers – including broadening the scope of collective bargaining rights to include work organisation, the introduction of new technologies, and the nature and level of staffing.
Introduce to statutory duty to consult trade unions before an employer introduces the use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making systems. This would ensure that both the employer and worker can benefit from the introduction of new technologies and that productivity gains lead to decent pay rises for workers.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “No one should be pushed to the brink because of their job.

“Gruelling hours, pace and expectations at work are growing problems up and down the country. This is a recipe for burnt out Britain.

“Chronic staff shortages, intrusive surveillance tech and poor enforcement of workers’ rights have all combined to create a perfect storm.

“It’s little wonder that so many feel exhausted at the end of their working day.

“It’s time to tackle ever-increasing work-intensity. That means strengthening enforcement so that workers can effectively exercise their rights.

“It means introducing a right to disconnect to let workers properly switch off outside of working hours.

“And it means making sure workers and unions are properly consulted on the use of AI and surveillance tech, and ensuring they are protected from punishing ways of working.”

On public sector overtime and the recruitment crisis, Paul added: “Public sector workers can’t keep going on gratitude alone. Staff are getting burnt out and leaving public services in droves.

“It’s time ministers got serious about fixing the recruitment crisis blighting our NHS, our schools and our public services.”

Seven Days to Stamp Deadline – Make a ‘Card Commitment’ to boost positivity

Use expiring stamps to bring a moment of joy

It’s seven days before millions of non-barcoded Royal Mail stamps become invalid, and the UK’s Greeting Card Association is asking Brits to use one of those stamps this week to change someone’s life.

Before the 31 July expiration date, the GCA, which is proud to represent many local high street card retailers, is encouraging people this week to make a ‘card commitment’, using one of those stamps to bring the power of thoughtfulness to someone who really needs it.

“Sending and exchanging cards promotes wellbeing and mental health, lighting up the life of recipients and senders alike,” said GCA chief executive officer Amanda Fergusson.

“What’s more that simple act nurtures local independent businesses on the high streets we all love, supports local charities and organisations in the communities we care for and helps protect the Royal Mail delivery service we all treasure.

“The use of an expiring stamp next week to connect with someone who would love to know you’re in their thoughts, would be a small act that may have an incredible impact,” added Amanda.

The GCA will encourage Brits making a #Cardmitment this week to share their card-sending stories on the GCA’s Instagram site and social media feeds of its 500 members – from small high street card retailers to some of the largest publishers in a creative industry worth over £1.5bn to the UK economy.

The altruistic act of sending a card can be powerful, reducing the sender and recipient’s negativity, stress and loneliness, and promoting positive mental health.

Sending greeting cards can be a way to spread kindness and positivity, and doing so makes the sender and recipient feel connected, and better about themselves.

The suggestion marks the beginning of a significant GCA #Cardmitment campaign that, over the coming months, will highlight how powerful the simple, British act of sending a card can be to individuals, communities and society.

#Cardmitment

Scottish charity is on the hunt for Edinburgh Health Walk Volunteers

Public invited to step forward to community roles after post-covid decline

SCOTLAND’S national walking charity has encouraged Edinburgh locals to become Volunteer Walk Leaders to lead Health Walks in the area.

Paths for All supports a network of more than 800 short, social, and accessible low-level walks which are led by trained volunteers.

However, since the end of the global pandemic, the charity has recorded a decline in Walk Leaders throughout Scotland.

The Stirling-based organisation has launched a recruitment campaign to tackle the shortage and encourage Scot’s up and down the country to become volunteers in the Scottish Health Walk Network.

Kevin Lafferty, Chief Executive Officer of Paths for All, said: “Walk Leaders are the most integral part of a Health Walk and the time and care they give to the local communities they serve is extremely valuable.

“Health Walk Volunteers help to support the health and wellbeing of local people by providing a safe, fun and friendly space for people to be active, socialise and enjoy the outdoors. But volunteers experience many benefits too – exercise, getting outside and a having a good blether, all while helping others.

“Training is provided so volunteers feel confident and ready to lead the walks, for all ages and abilities, in their communities.”

Individuals who are looking to give back to their community, enjoy the outdoors and keeping active, or are already part of a Health Walk are encouraged to apply.

Charlotte Mackenzie, Health Walks Project Manager for Highland Third Sector Interface helps to coordinate over 200 walkers across 30 Health Walks across the Highlands.

She said: “Health Walk Leaders are the backbone of Walking Groups. For many individuals, particularly those who live in remote communities, being part of a Health Walk can be the highlight of their week making it extremely important that Health Walk Leaders are there to guide and arrange regular outings.

“Being a Walk Leader has so many benefits. I often ask the leaders I work with what they find to be the best part of their role and the feedback is normally very similar; they feel a positive change in their mental health, confidence as well as their self-esteem- which is fantastic.

“For anyone considering becoming a Health Walk Leader, I would highly recommend it. Not only will you see so many benefits for yourself but it’s great opportunity to have a positive effect on your local community. “

To find out more about becoming a Health Walk volunteer and to register your interest, visit www.pathsforall.org.uk/volunteering

Paths for All has a clear and simple aim, which is to get Scotland walking: everyone, every day, everywhere. Walking outdoors is a fantastic way to boost your mood, clear your head and benefit from fresh air in local parks and greenspaces.

For more information on Paths for All, visit: https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/