'A lot of young people struggle': Mental health on the rise in Northampton due to social media, charity says

'A lot of young people struggle': Mental health on the rise in Northampton due to social media, charity says A charity in Northampton has seen a sharp rise in demand for counselling and support services in the past year as a result of social media and expectations on young people.

The Lowdown in Northampton has said they have provided 4,789 support sessions to young people aged between 12-25 in 2016.

Most of the support sessions have been down to social media, including maintaining a 'SnapChat streak', how they look when pictured on Instagram and the constant expectation of answering messages.

Support services manager, Theresa Donaghue said: “The demand is ever-rising as young people struggle to cope with a number of mental health issues. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Work on Kettering hospital’s dementia garden begins

Work on Kettering hospital’s dementia garden begins Work to transform a courtyard at Kettering General Hospital into a garden which can be enjoyed by dementia patients has begun.

In March this year the hospital launched a Forget-Me-Not Appeal to transform a courtyard adjacent to the Lamport and Twywell wards into a dementia-friendly garden where patients can safely be active. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Co-production: everybody's talking about it but am I really doing it?

Co-production: everybody's talking about it but am I really doing it? A conversation with members of the Health Foundation Alumni Mental Health Group (a supportive group of Health Foundation Fellows working in mental health) made me reflect on my experiences with a subject that seems to be on everyone’s lips… co-production.

Co-production has become a buzzword among those commissioning, designing and improving quality in mental health services. And mental health services are ahead of the field in this. With its roots in the civil rights movement, co-production is advocated or supported by commissioners, charities, institutes and government departments. But it should also be at the heart of what doctors do in day-to-day clinical practice. Reflecting on this helps me to remember the radical nature of the concept and keep a critical eye on how ‘co-productive’ I really am. The Health Foundation

New £15 million programme to help train one million in mental health first aid

New £15 million programme to help train one million in mental health first aid A new £15 million programme will see up to 1 million people trained in basic mental health “first aid” skills. The programme will improve personal resilience and help people recognise and respond effectively to signs of mental illness in others.

The campaign, designed and delivered by Public Health England (PHE), will help people assess their own mental wellbeing and learn techniques to reduce stress.

There will be an online learning module designed to improve the public’s knowledge, skills and confidence on mental health. Department of Health

Half of older adults have experienced mental health problems, says Age UK

Half of older adults have experienced mental health problems, says Age UK Half of adults aged 55 and over have experienced common mental health problems, say Age UK.

The charity is joining forces with NHS England to encourage older people to seek help and is calling on GPs to spot the warning signs.

Nearly half of adults (7.7million) aged 55+ say they have experienced depression and around the same number (7.3 million) have suffered with anxiety, according to new YouGov research for the charity Age UK – revealing the scale of the mental health challenge facing older people in the UK today.

The death of loved ones (36 per cent) ill health of themselves (24%) and financial worries (27 per cent) are the most common triggers for mental health problems, yet worryingly more than a third (35%) say they did not know where to go for help and support. This comes as NHS England has published new guidance – ‘Mental health in older people‘ – to help GPs spot the tell-tale signs of anxiety and depression, and identify a range of mental health problems including those which specifically affect older people. NHS England

Capsticks podcast on mental health workforce

Capsticks podcast on mental health workforce Rachael Heenan, senior partner at Capsticks, discusses workforce issues in the mental health sector with Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Network at NHS Confederation.

In this podcast, Sean shares his thoughts on building a mental health workforce for the future. NHS Employers

See also:

• The mental health workforce is 'reaching a cliff edge'. What can be done? The Guardian

Child and teen obesity spreading across the globe

Child and teen obesity spreading across the globe Child and teenage obesity levels have risen ten-fold in the last four decades, meaning 124m boys and girls around the globe are too fat, according to new research.

The analysis in the Lancet is the largest of its kind and looks at obesity trends in over 200 countries.

In the UK, one in every 10 young people aged five to 19, is obese.

Obese children are likely to become obese adults, putting them at risk of serious health problems, say experts.

These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, such as breast and colon. BBC News

See also:

• More than 4million British children obese or overweight The Daily Mail
• Junk food ads spend 27 times more than health scheme The Daily Mail
• Calls for war on junk food ads as obesity costs set to rise by 60 per cent The Daily Telegraph
• Global cost of obesity-related illness to hit $1.2tn a year from 2025 The Guardian

NHS will be forced to make cuts without emergency bailout, chief executive warns

NHS will be forced to make cuts without emergency bailout, chief executive warns The NHS will be forced to make cuts without an emergency Budget bailout next month, its chief executive has warned.

Simon Stevens urged the Government to recognise that its current funding plans must be “amended” to avoid damaging decisions for patients.

But the warning came as Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt triggered a fresh political row when he hinted the cash-strapped NHS would be required to spend more on pay next year.

Mr Hunt confirmed that the 1 per cent NHS pay cap has been scrapped – but admitted the Treasury had yet to agree to fund the cost of higher pay. The Independent

See also:

• NHS needs extra money to fund staff pay boost, Jeremy Hunt is warned The Daily Telegraph
• NHS won't cope with rise in demand without more money, boss tells MPs The Guardian
• Jeremy Hunt announces NHS pay cap has been 'scrapped' but doesn't reveal if awards will match rising inflation The Independent

'Home first' model aims to stop patients being stranded on hospital wards

'Home first' model aims to stop patients being stranded on hospital wards The quicker older people get out of hospital, the less likely they’ll end up in residential homes or back on a ward

With winter looming, health and care teams are being urged to radically overhaul discharge procedures to prevent patients being left stranded on hospital wards. New approaches are yielding striking results that could help avert a beds crisis – and improve older people’s chances of continuing to live independently.

The latest thinking on hospital discharge is to get people home and then carry out assessment of their support needs and rehabilitation. Hospital trusts and their community health and social care partners are being encouraged to adopt a “discharge-to-assess” (D2A) or “home-first” model. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• Hospital to home: people's needs must be central to transfers of care | Paul Burstow The Guardian
• Hospital discharge is not rocket science. Why are patients still being failed? The Guardian

I’ve been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. A review won’t fix the crisis | Clare Allan

I’ve been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. A review won’t fix the crisis | Clare Allan Tory cuts to mental health services have led to increased use of the act to detain people every year since 2007

I can’t help feeling that the review of the Mental Health Act, announced last week by the prime minister, is a bit of a waste of time. Not that the act is unimportant. No one who has had their liberty officially denied them, been wrestled into an ambulance and deposited on a locked ward, could convincingly claim indifference to this piece of 1983 legislation. Most people caught up in the mental health system will be thoroughly familiar with the various sections and the implications of being on each. “What section you on?” “Three. You?” “Two.” It’s one of the things we talk about, along with medication and benefits. I’m joking. But not entirely.

The fact that use of the act to detain people has increased every year since 2007 is certainly cause for concern. In general, the act should only be used if people are unwilling to be admitted voluntarily. The disproportionate detention of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds is particularly troubling. These are both issues the review is tasked to consider, so why the ambivalence?

Seven in ten trusts saw referrals to crisis teams increase last year, while spending fell by up to 21%. Continue reading... The Guardian

See also:

• How should the government overhaul mental health laws? The Guardian

'Unjust' junior doctor title should be scrapped, says campaign backed by chief medical officer

'Unjust' junior doctor title should be scrapped, says campaign backed by chief medical officer Qualified medics with years of experience should not be called "junior doctors", according to Oxford University academics who are calling to end the use of the "discriminatory and belittling term".

Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer, is backing the campaign, saying doctors should be given job titles that grant them "the respect they deserve".

Some so-called junior doctors have a decade of experience but their title means they can be mistaken for students by patients. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• I’ve been a doctor for years – why am I still called a ‘junior’? The Guardian
• I’m proud to be called a junior doctor. Titles are the least of our problems The Guardian

Most people are getting good, safe care but future quality is precarious

Most people are getting good, safe care but future quality is precarious This year’s State of Care report – published today – shows that thanks to the efforts of staff and leaders, the quality of health and social care has been maintained despite very real challenges and the majority of people are receiving good, safe care.

However, it also warns that the health and social care system is at full stretch and struggling to meet the more complex needs of today’s population, meaning that maintaining quality in the future is uncertain.

The report sets out analysis of the quality of health and social care across the country based on the first full round of rated inspections covering almost 29,000 services. Care Quality Commission 

See also:

• NHS future precarious, says regulator BBC News
• NHS hospitals and surgeries are 'straining at the seams' The Daily Mail
• NHS straining at the seams year before 70th birthday, finds regulator The Guardian

Prime Minister launches world-leading project on impact of ethnicity on everyday life

Prime Minister launches world-leading project on impact of ethnicity on everyday life The ethnicity facts and figures website brings together information from across government about how ethnicity affects people's everyday lives

The Prime Minister will challenge society to “explain or change” disparities in how people from different backgrounds are treated, as the government publishes the findings of a ground breaking audit of public services.

Launching the new ‘Ethnicity Facts and Figures’ website today (Tuesday 10 October), Theresa May will host a discussion round the Cabinet Table involving key stakeholders at Downing Street.

She will tell them the audit will become an “essential resource in the battle to defeat ethnic injustice” which must be confronted at all levels of society – from central government to local communities.

The new website – a first of its kind in terms of scale, scope and transparency - contains thousands of statistics covering more than 130 topics in areas including health, education, employment and the criminal justice system. The Cabinet Office

New infographic launched on the routes into nursing

New infographic launched on the routes into nursing Previously the routes into nursing have been limited, with the university degree being the main way to train registered nurses. The introduction of the nursing degree apprenticeship gives a new opportunity for employers to train nurses. The creation of the new nursing associate role can also help to be a bridge between healthcare assistants and graduate registered nurses. NHS Employers

Care after miscarriage 'not consistent enough'

Care after miscarriage 'not consistent enough' Women are not being told all the options when deciding how to dispose of pregnancy remains after miscarriage in England, a report suggests.

Corinne Fowler did not realise she could take her baby's remains home - instead they were disposed of with other clinical waste.

Looking back, she says she would have found a special place to bury the child she would never see again.

The Miscarriage Association said better and more consistent care was needed.

The Death Before Birth report, carried out by researchers from the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol, looked at the experiences of women who had gone through early pregnancy loss, such as miscarriage, terminations for foetal anomaly or stillbirth before 24 weeks.

In the UK, one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage and there are around 2,000 terminations following pre-natal screening each year. BBC News

Why mental health services in England are finally receiving attention

Why mental health services in England are finally receiving attention With the promise of an extra £1.3bn a year and reform of legislation on the cards, the mental health sector is getting the political backing it needs

England is witnessing the “biggest expansion of mental health services in Europe”, according to health secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has promised that an extra £1.3bn would be invested annually in mental health services by 2021.

With one in four people expected to suffer from mental illness at some time in their life – whether it’s a new mother struggling with postnatal depression, a teenager with an eating disorder, or an older person isolated and lonely at home – the financial commitment is welcome. Continue reading... The Guardian

Gambling remains a hidden addiction because 'healthcare staff lack training'

Gambling remains a hidden addiction because 'healthcare staff lack training' There are an estimated 400,000 problem gamblers in the UK – most do not access treatment or know how to get help.

Gambling is often described as a hidden addiction. Yet there are an estimated 400,000 problem gamblers in the UK. Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, consultant psychiatrist at the National Problem Gambling Clinic – the only one of its kind in the UK – says that a lack of training among healthcare professionals could partly be to blame for the problem flying under the radar.

“For many years while drug and alcohol addictions were being researched and funded in terms of treatment, the issue of gambling wasn’t taught at medical school,” Bowden-Jones says. “Even as an addictions psychiatrist, we weren’t taught about pathological gambling – I came across it by chance.” Continue reading... The Guardian

KGH car parking charges to be reduced

KGH car parking charges to be reduced Visitors staying at KGH for less than four hours will see their parking charge reduced shortly.

The current charge is £5.10 but that will drop with CP Plus taking over management of the hospital’s car parks. Northamptonshire Telegraph

The medico-legal crisis and how to solve it

The medico-legal crisis and how to solve it The author of this report concludes that the NHS' liabilities for medico-legal claims now total £65bn, draining the NHS of much-needed funds and putting patients at risk by driving GPs out of practice. The report puts forward nine recommendations to bring down costs for the NHS and provide better outcomes for patients. Centre for Policy Studies

Assaults on mental health staff up 25% in four years

Assaults on mental health staff up 25% in four years Mental health staff in the UK are working in a "powder keg" environment, as assaults by patients soar, a BBC investigation has revealed.

Figures obtained by 5 live Investigates show there were more than 42,000 reported attacks on staff in 2016-17 in the mental health trusts who responded.

The figure is more than a quarter higher than for the corresponding trusts four years earlier.

Health bosses say violence on NHS staff is "completely unacceptable".

Nearly two-thirds of mental health trusts in the UK provided data under a Freedom of Information request, which revealed assaults increased from 33,620 in 2012-13 to 42,692 last year. BBC News

See also:

• Struggling to cope: mental health staff and services under pressure. UNISON's survey report of mental health staff 2017 UNISON
• Rise in violent attacks by patients on NHS mental health staff The Guardian
• NHS mental health staff dealing with rise in violent incidents iNews