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Category Archives: Health and Wellbeing

This is bad news if you were born in the North of England

08 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Health and Wellbeing

≈ Comments Off on This is bad news if you were born in the North of England

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Deaths, IPPR North, Life expectancy, North/South, Office for National Statistics, ONS, University of Manchester

People born in the North of England are 20% more likely to die early than those born in the South.

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People born in the North of England are 20 percent more likely of premature death than those born in the South of England, according to research led by The University of Manchester.

An analysis of data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) discovered a stark North-South divide in life expectancy, with 1.2 million more early deaths in the North from 1965 to 2015 compared to those living in Southern England.

The study also found a higher prevalence of early death among middle-age adults. There were 49 percent more deaths among 35-44 year olds in the North in 2015.

There were also a higher proportion of early deaths among younger adults when compared to the South of England: 29 percent more deaths among 25-34 year olds in the North in 2015.

The findings raise questions over the fairness and reasons behind government policies, particularly the recent decision to bring forward changes to the state pension age and public health policy interventions of successive governments.

It suggests that a more regionalised approach to the state pension age should be considered. The study shows clear and evident variations in life expectancy across the UK, with those living in the South expected to live longer lives than other parts of the country.

Consideration should, perhaps, also be paid toward those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, as well as poorer families, who tend to live shorter lives than more affluent sections of society.

Lead researcher, Professor Iain Buchan from The University of Manchester said: “Five decades of death records tell a tale of two Englands, North and South, divided by resources and life expectancy – a profound inequality resistant to the public health interventions of successive governments.”

“A new approach is required, one that must address the economic and social factors that underpin early deaths, especially in younger populations, and one that focuses on rebalancing the wider economy to help drive investment in northern towns and cities.

“The devolution of centralised powers may enable civic leaders to seed the economic growth to tackle this divide, but only if they are given the proportionate northern weighting of funds to do so.”

Co-author, Prof Tim Doran from the University of York added: “These important findings were made possible by examining public health data – held by the NHS and other agencies – dating back decades.

“The data, technology and skills now exist to better understand population health and develop public policies to improve it proportionately.”

Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance, Dr Hakim Yadi OBE, said: “Health inequalities between the North and South of the country must be addressed by government as a priority.

“The NHSA wants to harness the North’s huge potential in health innovation and life sciences for the benefit of its 15 million population.

“Research conducted by IPPR North demonstrates the government invests much less in health research funding in the North of England than in the South, despite the huge need, as demonstrated by this research, to address inequalities”.

“The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy is one way in which to make the investment needed to readdress the health inequalities these figures so starkly demonstrate.”

Source: http://www.welfareweekly.com/bad-news-youre-born-north-england/

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Tory manifesto’s NHS and social care promises – do they add up?

28 Sunday May 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Health and Wellbeing, NHS, Social care

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Conservatives, Funding, Healthcare, Manifesto, NHS, Social care

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By Andrew Street

Professor, Centre for Health Economics, University of York

Having presided over annual funding increases that are among the lowest in the history of the English NHS, the Conservative manifesto offers less generous funding increases over the next five years than the other parties. Even this offer should not be taken at face value.

Just as in their 2015 manifesto, the Conservatives are promising to increase spending by £8 billion on the English NHS over the parliamentary term. But, once elected in 2015, the Conservatives committed to increase the health budget by only £4.5 billion, making up the difference by reducing spending on health education and training, public health grants and capital.

They’ll have less wriggle room to pull the same trick if re-elected. This is partly because they’ve reduced the education budget as far as they can by introducing nursing bursaries, which both the Liberal Democrats and Labour have promised to reinstate. And the Conservatives won’t be able to raid the capital budget, because they’re now promising the “most ambitious programme of investment in buildings and technology the NHS has ever seen”. Unlike the other parties, the Conservative manifesto provides no indication of where the extra funding is to come from.

Sticking to their plans

Unsurprisingly, given that they’re in power, the Conservatives aren’t promising radical change to the NHS, committing to the action plan known as the “five-year forward view” and to the so-called “sustainability and transformation plans”, which have been drawn up by the NHS and local authorities to cover 44 geographical areas. These are set to evolve into Accountable Care Organisations, the latest in a never-ending sequence of new organisations to grace the English NHS, but which may quietly lead to the end of the internal market introduced in 1990 by Margaret Thatcher.

The manifesto also restates existing policy commitments, including the controversial promise to provide a “truly seven-day healthcare service”. They also plan to retain the target that 95% of people attending A&E should be dealt with in less than four hours. This target has not been met since July 2015.

The manifesto also commits to the 18-week elective care target, which the NHS has threatened to abandon. The Conservatives aren’t going to allow the NHS to do this. Indeed, one of the subheadings of this section of the manifesto boldly states that they’ll be “holding NHS leaders to account”, which can be interpreted as a veiled threat to Simon Stevens, the chief of the NHS, to toe the political line.

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Manifesto may contain a veiled threat to Simon Stevens, head of NHS England. Twocoms/Shutterstock

No concrete details are given about how the Conservatives hope to turn round increasingly poor waiting-time performance, but they seem to expect that better information will help improve the quality and safety of care. The NHS already leads the world in publishing outcomes data for individual doctors and, following initiatives introduced in 2013 when the Conservatives were in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, the manifesto promises to continue to make “clinical outcomes more transparent”.

Replacing migrant staff

Probably in a bid to lure UKIP sympathisers, the Conservatives are laying claim to being the “nasty” party when it comes to dealing with the impact of immigration on the NHS. The annual health surcharge on migrant workers that they introduced in April 2015 is to increase from £200 to £600 a year.

And, unlike the other parties, the Conservatives make no firm commitment to protecting the right to stay in the UK for the 140,000 health and care staff from other EU countries, merely saying they will be a “priority in our negotiations with the European Union”. The long-term ambition is to reduce reliance on overseas labour as more home-trained doctors, nurses, carers and other types of staff enter the workforce. To this end, the Conservatives have repeated their commitment to training 1,500 doctors annually, and also aim to recruit 10,000 more mental health professionals, presumably by the end of the parliamentary term.

They also intend to get more from the existing workforce. Following bitter negotiations, the Conservative government imposed a new contract on junior doctors, phased in from October 2016. If re-elected, they plan to introduce a new contract for GPs, which was agreed in February 2017, and to conclude ongoing contract negotiations with senior hospital doctors.

But they also say the NHS will become a better employer, offering more flexible working conditions, more training opportunities, a greater diversity of career paths and protection against bullying. Given the criticisms that the government has received about NHS workforce planning, it is critical that better workforce plans are developed if any of the manifesto promises are to be delivered.

Dementia tax

Within days of the manifesto launch the Conservatives had back-tracked on their plan on how to fund care of the elderly, which was quickly dubbed a “dementia tax” because it would hit people with long-term care needs, such as those with dementia, particularly hard. Instead Theresa May said the issue would be put to consultation.

The manifesto had dismissed the previous consultation, the Commission on Funding of Care and Support led by Sir Andrew Dilnot, which was set up by the coalition government in July 2010 and reported the following year. The manifesto claimed Dilnot’s proposals “mostly benefited a small number of wealthier people”. But this isn’t true: Dilnot recommended that a person’s lifetime contributions to their social-care costs should be capped at £35,000. The Conservatives intended to drop this cap, implying that many people would continue to face potentially unlimited costs. Theresa May has since said that a cap will be set, but not at what level.

Dilnot also recommended that the means-tested limit for home care should be raised from £23,250 to £100,000, meaning that people with assets below the threshold would have their costs covered by the state. The manifesto also promises to set the threshold at £100,000, but, unlike Dilnot, says that the value of the person’s home will be included in the calculation. If this becomes policy many people with long-term health problems, such as dementia, won’t be able to pass on their houses to their family when they die. This, coupled with the lack of an overall cap, caused an outcry, and May’s rapid U-turn.

The manifesto also promises that winter fuel payments to the elderly are to be means tested. One way or another, many pensioners will be made worse off if these promises become policy.

Source: https://theconversation.com/tory-manifestos-nhs-and-social-care-promises-do-they-add-up-77991

Fire Safety Project

24 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Barnsley, Health and Wellbeing, Older people

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Age UK, Older people, Safety checks, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

Fire and Rescue banner 

Woman

The Age UK Barnsley Fire Safety Project funded by Stronger, Safer, Communities Reserve is in partnership with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and Age UK Rotherham.

The aim of the project is to:-

  • Reduce the risk of fire in the home and the impact of home fires faced by older people especially (but not exclusively) those in some of the most vulnerable, harder to reach and higher risk categories (ie over 80, isolated and with little or no support/communication/contact).

This will be carried out through:-

  • Recruit and train people willing to become Community Fire Satety Champions. Once the Fire Safety Champions have completed their training, the aim is for them to go back into their local community and feedback this training to people through short talks and presentations so they are aware of fires and therefore reducing the risks of fires at home.
  • Home Fire Safety Checks by community based staff across all our services and Fire Safety Assessors, carrying out fire safety risks in the home, signposting/referral for support.
  • Further signposting/referrals to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for additional assessments and fuller package or measures to reduce risks and impacts of fire and for more detailed expert assessment and device fitting.
For more details or to register your interest please call: Age UK Barnsley (01226) 776820 or email enquiries@ageukbarnsley.org.uk

 

Source: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/barnsley/our-services/fire-safety-project/

Share your views on NHS healthchecks in Barnsley

18 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Barnsley Council, Consultation, Health and Wellbeing, HealthWatch

≈ Comments Off on Share your views on NHS healthchecks in Barnsley

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Barnsley Council, BMBC, Consultation, HealthWatch, NHS, NHS Health Checks

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Barnsley Council is asking for people’s views on how they would like NHS health checks to be carried out in Barnsley.

The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40-74. It’s designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older, we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. An NHS Health Check helps find ways to lower this risk.

In Barnsley, if you’re in the 40-74 age group without a pre-existing condition, your GP practice can invite you for a free NHS Health Check every 5 years.  This service has been running since 2009 and in Barnsley has always been available at local GP practices.

A health check involves a series of questions about your health and lifestyle, and measuring your height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and sometimes your blood sugar levels.  Once you’ve had your NHS Health Check, your healthcare professional should discuss your results with you. You should be given advice to help you lower your risk of certain diseases and maintain or improve your health.  You might be advised to take preventative medications such as statins to help reduce risks to your health, or you might be referred to other services, such as stop smoking or weight management.

From April 2018, we have the opportunity to change the way NHS Health Checks in Barnsley are available, such as by changing where or when they take place, or who we try and target to attend.  In other areas health checks are sometimes available through pharmacies, opticians, workplaces, or at community events.  They might be given by a range of medical professionals, or through healthy lifestyle services, or by community workers.

In order to ensure we spend our money on this service wisely, we need to try to find the best way to make sure that we encourage people most at risk of cardiovascular diseases to attend their health check, and that people who attend their health check are motivated to make changes to reduce their risk.  We will use your feedback to help us design this service.  The results may be shared with providers in order to inform the future service.

We do not ask for your name or address so the information you give us is completely anonymous.

The closing date for this consultation is Wednesday 3 May 2017.

Many thanks for your time.

Julia Burrows

Director of Public Health

PS. You don’t have to wait until you receive an invitation for a health check to make healthy changes.  There are other ways of getting your health checked, such as using this online Heart Age test or taking the How Are You quiz.

start-survey

1 in 4 adults in England drink at harmful levels

07 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Health, Health and Wellbeing

≈ Comments Off on 1 in 4 adults in England drink at harmful levels

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Alcohol, Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE), Public Health England

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Alcohol consumption statistics published by Public Health England show that a quarter of adults drank over the current low-risk guideline of 14 units per week in 2011–14.

The statistics also highlighted stark regional variations in consumption, with 1 in 3 people in the North East drinking over the low-risk guideline. In addition, the figures show enough alcohol was sold in England for every drinker to consume 19.3 units each per week, with 65% of all alcohol being sold in the off-trade.

LAPEfigure2

The figures supplement the annual Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE), last published in February 2017. The additional datasets provide geographical data on off-sales, licensed premises and adult drinking.

Key findings include:

  • 25.7% of adults in England regularly drank over 14 units per week in 2011–2014.
  • 15.5% of adults in England abstained from drinking alcohol in 2011–2014.
  • 16.5% of adults in England were binge drinking on their heaviest day from 2011–2014.
  • 10.6 units of alcohol per adult per week were sold through the off-trade in England in 2014.
  • Wine sales made the largest contribution to total off-trade alcohol sales per adult throughout England (39%) in 2014.
  • There were 1.3 licensed premises per km² in England in 2015/16.
  • Regional and deprivation decile differences were observed within the majority of new indicators, highlighting inequality gaps and potential disproportionate levels of harm throughout the population.

Significant regional variation exists across the measures, with the North East highest for many of the indicators where 30.3% of adults regularly drink above the weekly guideline of 14 units. In contrast, London ranks lowest for many of the indicators, largely driven by 24.3% of adults abstaining – a figure 10% higher than the national average. Variation by deprivation is also significant, with the least deprived group drinking 4% more than the most deprived, as recognised in the alcohol harm paradox.

Nationally, 236 million litres of pure alcohol were sold through the off-trade in England in 2014, equating to 10.6 units per adult each week. Consumption is of course skewed, with those drinking above the guidelines consuming as much as 69% of all alcohol sold. Wine accounted for the largest volume of off-trade sales per head at 39%, followed by 27% for beer.

Binge drinking, still classified as drinking more than 6 units on an occasion for women or more than 8 units for men, also varied significantly, with a national average of 16.5% having ‘binged’ on their heaviest drinking day for the previous week. Interestingly, no correlation between binge drinking and deprivation was seen, although the value of looking at ‘snapshots’ like heaviest drinking day for assessing consumption has been questioned.

Responding to the findings, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance (UK), said:

“We are very concerned by the high numbers of people drinking at these levels. Drinking above the UK’s chief medical officers’ guideline of 14 units (for both men and women) places you at increased risk of illnesses like cancer, heart disease and liver disease.

“The fact that two-thirds of alcohol is being sold in the off-trade also means that people are able to drink at these levels very cheaply. Now is the time for the government to increase duty on the cheapest alcohol products which are disproportionately responsible for harm.

“It is also essential that the risks associated with drinking above low-risk levels are communicated to the public, so that the public are empowered to make informed choices about their consumptions. We need mandatory labelling of alcohol products, and mass media campaigns informing consumers of the health harms of drinking.”

What about national trends?

Whilst the LAPE profiles are intended to support areas identify local authority level data to inform needs assessment and planning, policy debates typically focus on national consumption. The most recent HSE data again identified a clear trend of falling consumption amongst young people, but with middle to older age adults at risk of rising consumption and harms. Recent data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) shows whilst hazardous drinking has fallen, harmful and dependent drinking has remained stable. Last year MESAS data has indicated an end to the downward trend in national consumption, although predictions for the future of consumption and harms is indeed a complex business.

Source: http://www.ias.org.uk/What-we-do/Alcohol-Alert/March-2017.aspx#1-in-4-adults-in-England-drink-at-harmful-levels

Barnsley Care Navigation and Telehealth Service Review 2017

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Barnsley, Consultation, Health and Wellbeing, Healthcare, SWYPFT

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We are currently reviewing the way in which local Care Navigation and Telehealth Services are provided within the community. The services are provided across Barnsley by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYPFT).

The Care Navigation and Telehealth Service aims to help people with an ongoing illness or long term condition to take control of their health – maximising their potential for independent living. People are supported by dedicated nursing staff who provide information and advice to encourage healthier behaviours and lifestyles via telephone appointments.

The following four service areas are provided under the banner of Care Navigation and Telehealth Services:

  • Telehealth Vital Sign Remote Monitoring
  • Care Navigation (Signposting)
  • Health Coaching (Personal Goal Setting)
  • Post Crisis Support (Support following hospital stay) 

As part of this review, we are asking people who have previously or who are currently accessing the Barnsley Care Navigation and Telehealth Service to share with us via survey, their experiences of accessing and using these services, as the more examples and feedback we can get, the better we can ensure that future community services meet the needs of the local people accessing them.

If you have previously (within the last two years) or currently receive any of the above services, or you are a family member or carer of someone who does, we would like to hear from you prior to the deadline of 5pm on Tuesday 18th April 2017.

You can complete the survey here 

We are also looking to hold a workshop in early May to look at the services in further detail and gather your thoughts. If you are interested in attending, or would be prepared to talk to us on a 1:1 basis please indicate this at the end of the survey in the space provided.

If you require any further information or would like to discuss the survey please call us on 01226 433739 or e-mail us at barnccg.comms@nhs.net using the subject header – Care Navigation and Telehealth Service Review.

Source: http://www.barnsleyccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/barnsley-care-navigation-and-telehealth.htm

Vouchers give families more healthy options

31 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Barnsley Council, Children, Families, Health and Wellbeing

≈ Comments Off on Vouchers give families more healthy options

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Alexandra Rose Charity., BMBC, Healthy eating, Voucher

Fruit-and-Veg-Box-BuchillsBarnsley families on a low income with children under four years old, or women who are expecting a baby, who live in the central area council part of the borough could be able to top up their five a day by accessing Rose Vouchers for fruit and veg.

The Rose Vouchers scheme launched in December last year and has been helping young families make and afford healthy choices while supporting the local markets, where the vouchers can be spent.

By registering for the scheme people can not only receive £3 of fruit and veg vouchers per week but also have the opportunity to become more involved at their local family centre, get access to skills and knowledge around cooking with fresh ingredients and have access to information and activities which support a healthy lifestyle.

It’s also a great way to meet other local families and parents.

People can get more information and find out if they are eligible for the scheme at drop-in sessions every Wednesday morning, 9.30am to 11.30am at the Better Barnsley Shop, Cheapside (next to Alhambra)

Funding for the scheme has been provided by the Big Lottery Fund and Alexandra Rose Charity.

Information is also available by contacting 01226 294604.

My Best Life

13 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by Kingstone Labour in Barnsley, Health and Wellbeing

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CCG, Clinical Commissioning Group, My Best Life, NHS, Social prescribing, South Yorkshire Housing Association

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We’ve been awarded £821,000 by NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group to provide social prescribing in Barnsley over the next three years.

The new scheme, called ‘My Best Life’, will start from April 2017 and will help support people who go to see their GP often with social, emotional or practical needs, where a prescription for medication often doesn’t help.

My Best Life

My Best Life in Barnsley will be similar to our Doncaster Social Prescribing scheme which continues to go from strength-to-strength.my-best-life-factsheet-front-cover

GPs across Barnsley will now be able to put patients who have non-medical need in touch with someone from the My Best Life team who will talk to them and find out what help or support they need; whether it be money worries and relationship difficulties, or counselling and finding social groups to attend to tackle loneliness and isolation.

The type of support will vary widely depending on the individual’s needs and could be as simple as introducing someone to the local fishing club to getting advice on managing debt.

The two major benefits for people referred to the My Best Life service will be an improvement in their health, wellbeing and quality of life and a reduction in social isolation, exclusion and loneliness. With a special focus on improving mental health and wellbeing, the scheme will enable people to manage their own health, improve social networks and develop their self-confidence.

What impact can we make?

We know from running our service in Doncaster that this sort of support makes a huge difference. Over 80% of the people we worked with in Doncaster felt more able to manage their health, and felt less isolated and lonely. We also saw a 68% drop in repeat visits to GP’s, so we’re confident that we can make a similar impact in Barnsley.

When the scheme is up and running in April, My Best Life will also be looking for volunteers to help increase the variety and quality of support available to people in Barnsley.

If you’d like to get involved in providing follow on support, sharing your experiences with others or even setting up groups for carers or people with specific conditions, please do get in touch.

What the experts say

“Good health and wellbeing is about much more than doctors and medicines. Helping people overcome loneliness and debt for example can have a huge impact on your physical and mental health. This scheme will create a different type of conversation when you see your GP or nurse that allows both medical and social elements to be taken into account. If you’re just treating medical issue then you’re often not getting to the root of the problem.”

“The main benefits of this type of service are that it creates a connection between family doctors and nurses and the rest of the wellbeing community services and groups across the town. It adds to the range of support and advice we can offer as a GP. We know from other areas that this type of support has the potential to reduce admissions to hospital and reduce the number of GP visits people need to make, but most importantly, to improve the health and wellbeing of the participants.

“There are some really good examples of this type of service on a smaller scale in Barnsley, and I’m really pleased to see that it will now be available in all GP practices and across the borough.”

Dr Nick Balac, local GP and Chair of NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group

Get in touch

If you, or anyone you know might benefit from the support offered by My Best Life please contact your GP, pharmacist or community nurse and ask to be referred to the service. You can also get in touch with us directly by calling us on 07970399427.

If you’d like to find out more about the service why not take a look at our handy factsheet?

Source: https://www.syha.co.uk/mybestlife

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