Weekly News
Released on 29/06/2009
Events Diary
3 September
IHM Scotland
Resolving Conflict
9.30-4.30, Airth Castle Hotel
1 day workshop with Joyce Brown. Gives managers the skills and confidence to
prevent and handle conflicts. For all
managers of teams and individual staff members. See attached flyer for
details and booking.
8, 15 & 16 September
IHM Scotland
Employment Law
Castle Douglas, Perth, Inverness
Afternoon seminar with employment law expert, Roy Drummond. Update on current law and practice and how these affect
employing organisations and managers. Suitable for all line managers, and
particularly HR managers. See flyer for details.
6 & 7 October
IHM Scotland
Annual Conference: Preparing for the Future
Airth Castle Hotel
Keynote speaker: Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. Delegate registration now open at http://www.hfevents.co.uk/ihm2009; conference programme attached with the Update. Book now to secure your place.
This week in Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is now in summer recess until Tuesday 1 September.
Under-5s slipping through mental health net, says Committee
The Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee has published the report of its inquiry into child and adolescent mental health services and has concluded that there is “disturbing” evidence that changes to the health-visiting profession mean that the mental health and wellbeing of very young children is not being sufficiently monitored and that opportunities for early intervention are being missed as a result.
The report contends that babies often no longer see a health visitor after eight weeks and that this, along with a “drastic” drop in the number of health visitors, means that vital mental health and well-being assessments and intervention are being missed.
Committee Convener Christine Grahame MSP said:
"We heard evidence that substantial damage has been done by cutting numbers of health visitors, the very people who would have noted signs that merit intervention in the under-5s. The suggestion that this role can be fulfilled by social workers instead could be counter-productive in terms of public perception. We need urgent action to help what is a vulnerable group.”
The committee expressed concern at the lack of progress in several areas of the national framework on child and adolescent mental health, in particular waiting times, understaffing and variations across Scotland in the quality of transitional services from adolescent to adult services.
Other issues highlighted include:
· A need for the Government to re-examine how teacher training covers both awareness of and skills for dealing with mental health and well-being issues.
· A need by the Government to establish the number of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services staff per 100,000 of population in each NHS board area and to review its plans in light of this.
· The need for a bespoke service for adolescents and young adults.
The full report can be read at www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/hs/reports-09/her09-07.htm
WHO adviser voices support for
minimum alcohol price policy
Dr Peter Watson, a public health consultant to the World Health Organisation and adviser to the European Union, told delegates at the first Scottish Government Alcohol Summit that the world’s eyes are on Scotland, as it moves
towards becoming the first country to
introduce a national minimum price for alcohol.
"Outside of governments which own retail stores for the sale of alcohol, no jurisdiction has set a minimum price of alcohol,” said Dr Watson. "Internationally, Scotland is seen as a public health leader. You had the courage to introduce smoke free pubs; let us hope that you have the same courage to introduce a minimum price for alcohol."
The summit brought together around 100
representatives from across the political
spectrum, NHS, universities, alcohol producers and retailers, interest groups and government. Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told those attending:
"This Government believes the time has come for radical action to cut the 2.25 billion pound cost of alcohol misuse to Scotland.
"But we're under no illusions that we have to take people with us and that includes the whole political spectrum, the alcohol industry and retailers.
"This issue is bigger than politics and we owe it to the people of Scotland to tackle the scourge of alcohol misuse"
Proposals from the Scottish Government's
Alcohol Framework - including the introduction of a minimum price for a unit of alcohol, a ban on off-sales promotions, a duty on licensing boards to consider whether raising the off-sales purchase age to 21 is appropriate for their area, and a social responsibility fee for some retailers - will be included in a Bill to be introduced to the Scottish Parliament later this year. Representatives of alcohol retailers have expressed opposition to the minimum pricing plan.
Consultation on
sunbed regulations
The Scottish Government is consulting on draft regulations arising from last year’s Public Health Act, which banned commercial sunbed use by
under-18s and places a duty on the owners of sunbed premises to display public health
warnings.
The regulations prescribe the information on the health effects of sunbed use to be provided to customers of sunbed premises, and the
information on the health effects of sunbed use to be displayed in sunbed premises (and the form and manner in which they are to be provided and displayed) as well as the documents which may be used to establish that a user is over 18 years of age.
The consultation is open until 17 September and can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/23100211/0.
Inquiry chairman stands down
Lord Coulsfield, who had agreed to chair the
public inquiry into last year’s outbreak of C-Difficile at the Vale of Leven hospital which
resulted in the deaths of 18 people, has had to stand down from the role for health reasons.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said that she was grateful to Lord Coulsfield for the
preliminary work that he had carried out and that she was committed to ensuring that the public inquiry goes ahead as soon as possible. She added that she would be seeking a new chairman and agreed terms of reference for the inquiry “as a matter of urgency.”
New heart and lung centre beds
Two new intensive care beds are to be opened at the West of Scotland Heart and Lung Centre, based at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital. This increases the number of beds at the centre to 21 and will, says the Scottish Government, help to reduce waiting times for cardiac and
cardiothoracic patients.
