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Strategy to promote and protect mental wellbeing
Edited by Andy Porter: A Scottish Government campaign, due to be launched at the beginning of November, will aim to help people recognise if they are stressed and encourage them to access self–help resources to help them start to deal with it.
A key part of the campaign will be a six–part prime time TV series on STV called Make Me Happier, and starts on Thursday 12 November.
The programme will feature six Scots with stress as a result of issues, such as debt and grief and see them supported to cope with their feelings and make positive changes to their lives.
Research has shown that stress is a serious and widespread issue in Scotland, which affects all kinds of people from all walks–of–life. The new campaign is aimed specifically at those with socio-economic deprivation in the 25 to 54–year–old age range.
The Scottish Government campaign – called Steps for Stress - is aimed at helping individuals to take small achievable steps to deal with stress before it escalates into more serious mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. It also aims to promote and protect good mental wellbeing.
The Scottish Government has consulted with professional bodies, such as the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Nursing, local health boards and Community Planning Partnerships on the campaign as health and social care professionals have been identified as being key to its success.
GPs, nurses, social workers and those working for voluntary sector organisations are amongst those being made aware of the campaign and encouraged to signpost relevant individuals to access the campaign resources.
Scottish Government research found that ‘stress’ was a catch–all term which people felt comfortable with and that they were more likely to admit to feeling stressed than to other conditions, such as anxiety, depression and low mental wellbeing, such as self–esteem.
In addition to television advertisements, STV programming, PR and field marketing, a printed booklet and website are currently under development. These resources will offer people tips and coping skills on how they can help themselves feel better and prevent stress building–up again in future. They will include sections on common causes of stress, how to spot stress and, crucially, steps individuals can take to help cope with their feelings and change their behaviours.
The effects of factors, such as physical activity, alcohol and relaxation will also be covered and there will be a section with contact details for organizations, such as Citizens Advice and Drinkline to signpost readers to relevant additional support for any issues that are causing them to feel stressed.
The booklet will be distributed through community settings, such as libraries and health centres.
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Fund to help local councils and NHS redirect resources
Edited by Nick Adams: Alzheimer Scotland marked the recent World Alzheimer’s Day with the launch of a new policy statement entitled, Words into Action on Dementia, which calls for a radical overhaul of Scotland’s dementia services.
The key element of the manifesto is the call for a £15 million ‘Change Fund’. This fund would assist local authorities and NHS boards to unlock and redirect resources into early intervention and personalised support for people with dementia and their carers.
Alzheimer Scotland urges the Scottish Government to:
- ensure the implementation of a comprehensive, adequately resourced dementia strategy through the development of local dementia strategies by allocating a £15 million Change Fund each year for the next five years to support the transformation of services,
- provide mandatory dementia care training for all health and social care staff who commission services and provide care for people with dementia,
- increase funds for research into dementia causes, prevention, care and treatment. [Research suggests that if the symptoms of dementia can be delayed by five years then the health and social care budget would be halved].
Local authorities to:
- commission specialist community dementia care services to improve the quality of life and standards of care for people with dementia,
- put an end to large–scale tenders for generic services that include people with dementia.
Third Annual Scottish Conference
Dementia in Younger Adults: Science, Services and Supports. The Third Annual Scottish Conference takes place on 30 October 2009 at the Stirling Management Centre, Stirling. The conference is aimed at younger adults with dementia, carers and interested professionals.
For full details and booking information visit the Alzheimer Scotland website at: www.alzscot.org.
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Campaign to stop preventable drain on local resources
Edited by Andy Porter: According to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde [NHSGGC] around £500,000 of medicine is wasted locally every week.
NHSGGC has launched a campaign to appeal to people to help end this waste of resources. Unused medicines cost NHSGGC an estimated £24 million every year and the trust wants patients to help reduce this cost through a number of practical ways.
The trust says that the money saved could pay for an additional 4,000 hip replacements, 3,000 heart by–pass operations, 620 physiotherapists, 620 community nurses or 4,000 knee replacements across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Patients on repeat prescriptions can play a major part in helping the local NHS tackle the problem of wasted medicines as sometimes patients or carers on repeat prescriptions continue to get more medicine than they need.
NHSGGC are asking patients to think about which medicines they need, check what medicines they still have at home before re–ordering and to let their pharmacist or general practitioner know if they have stopped taking any medicines on their repeat prescription list.
Another practical measure is to make sure any medicines are taken in date order otherwise they can go out of date and have to be discarded.
Margaret Ryan, lead pharmacist for NHSGGC’s central prescribing team sees the amount of medicines that are wasted in the local area and says that each person who takes these few practical steps will make a difference.
She said: “The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Think, Check, Order’. People don’t realise the amount of medicines that are wasted and that medicines cannot be reused or given to anyone else. What we are trying to do is reduce unnecessary waste through practical measures.
“However, it’s not just about only getting medicines that you need. It’s also about how unused medicines are disposed of.
“A lot of people get rid of their unwanted medicines by either flushing them down the toilet or putting them in the bin. Flushing them down the toilet pollutes the water supply and putting them in the bin is dangerous as children or animals could get hold of them.
“The only safe way for people to dispose of unused, unwanted or out of date medicines is to return them to their local pharmacy, where arrangements are in place for their safe destruction.”
Another focus of the campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers of having excess medicines at home. Building–up excess quantities causes difficulty storing them all safely out of reach of children and can make it difficult to use them in the correct date order.
Margaret added: “Quite often if patients have too many medicines they can get muddled and it can result in them taking too much of a medicine. If they only have what they need it is safer for them and they are helping us.
“This campaign is one part of ongoing work to address the issue of medicine wastage general practitioners, community pharmacists and their staff already play their part in reducing medicine wastage.”
Once medicines have left a pharmacy they cannot be supplied to anyone else and have to be destroyed whether they have been used or not.
For further information visit NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde website at: www.nhsggc.org.uk.
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NHS public consultation period to run until 31 October
Edited by Jane Hill: People who live in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area, can have their say on a local health plan called ‘Your Health: We’re in it together’, which sets-out recommendations as to how primary care services will be provided.
According to NHS Ayrshire and Arran, during the public consultation period which runs until 31 October 2009, they will meet with a number of community groups and organisations.
In addition, the Trust will both host as well as attend local events, such as the Highland Games at Cumnock, on Sunday 23 August 2009, in order to hear people’s views and discuss the proposed changes for the way primary care services will be delivered in the future.
For further information on events that NHS Ayrshire and Arran will either host or visit checkout their website: www.nhsayrshireandarran.com. Email: yourhealth@aapct.scot.nhs.u. Telephone: 0800 169 1441.
To obtain a consultation booklet write to: Your health-in it together, Freepost RRZ-YRA-LGCT, Eglinton House, Ailsa Hospital, Dalmellington Road, AYR KA6 6AB.
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Edited by Jane Hill: A new National Parent Forum that gives parents a greater voice on a national level has held its first meeting in Glasgow, with parent representatives from 30 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities taking part.
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