NHS Highland, Health Improvement Team, Directorate of Public Health

NHS Highland Public Health Network

Health Improvement Information Sheet:March 2013

Alcohol/drugs

Consultation report on proof of age requirements - to purchase alcohol, tobacco, sunbed services

NHS Health Scotland evidence briefing - alcohol reduced affordability

Reducing drink drive limit – consultation analysis summary on and full analysis on For individual respondents - - includes NHS Health Scotland; HIFRS; Highland Council, HADP

Making a change – booklet for patients which offers practical advice about changing drinking habits

Knowledge Services, alcohol and substance misuse alert

Communities, incl Community planning

Audit Scotland report – Improving community planning in Scotland links to report, press release and reports from three CPPs (Aberdeenshire, Scottish Borders, North Ayrshire). The report includes a summary.

Good Places Better Health for Children - see under early years

Community Health Exchange (CHEX) – snippets March edition latest news on community-led health. Includes launch of Engagement Matrix – a tool and guidance to strengthen engagement between 3rd sector organisations and health boards. Also early years evidence project (this is where it starts). Conferences listed include: ASH Scotland; Improving health and wellbeing of adults and children with learning disabilities. Also a section on grants.

Health Inequalities briefings for Community Planning Partnerships there are several briefings covering: broad messages; physical activity; early years; older people; employment; economic recovery; healthy places; gender-based violence.

Highland Council’s Community Safety, Public Engagement and Equalities Cttee of 21 March papers can be found on: Agenda items include: Community Benefit policy; new SOA update; update of Fairer Highland Plan; mainstreaming Equality work; the Govt’s Marriage & Civil Partnership Bill; Violence against Women strategy group

Report on requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations 2013

The Scottish Government has prepared a draft of an SSI titled The Requirements for Community Learning and Development (Scotland) Regulations, 2013. The SSI is intended to strengthen the legislative basis for community learning and development. In particular it is intended to support the achievement of the following policy goals;

• Communities across Scotland – but particularly those who are disadvantaged – have access to the CLD support they need

• Communities across Scotland are enabled to express their needs for CLD provision

• Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs), local authorities and providers of public services more generally respond appropriately to the expectations set by the CLD Strategic Guidance.

Deadline for comments on the draft is 26 April.

Early years, children and young people

Good Places Better Health for Children there are links to the group’s findings and recommendations as well as to evidence assessments on childhood obesity, asthma, unintentional injury and mental health and wellbeing.

Briefing on child poverty aimed primarily at public health nurses – focus on interventions which reduce health impact of poverty. These include interventions on: financial inclusion; safe/warm environments; social/emotional wellbeing;

Evidence briefing – physical activity – school interventions

National corporate parenting training programme evaluation – research findings of programme delivered by Who Cares? Scotland. The training was seen to have: increased awareness of issues and challenges facing looked after children; raised awareness of corporate parenting responsibilities; helped craft a culture around the need to normalise experiences for looked after children. Elected Members seen as priority audience for this training but other potential audiences identified include: GPs, student social workers and teachers, community partnership groups, 3rd sector groups involved with children and young people. The full research report is on

Diet and nutrition survey of infants and young children in Scotland 2011 aged 4-18 months

Better relationships, better learning, better behaviour response to 2012 behaviour in schools survey. Leaflet outlines new policy guidance in response to survey findings. Looking at how schools are promoting positive behaviour, the research found: focus on social and emotional wellbeing, peer mentoring approaches; staged intervention model.

Highland Council’s Adult & Children’s Services Cttee of 20 March papers can be found on agenda items include the Audit Scotland report on health inequalities (with relevant activities by the council and community planning partners); Early Years Collaborative; Commonwealth Games activities.

Scottish Govt response to consultation on Children & Young People Bill

Knowledge Services, children and young people alert

Food, weight, physical activity

Assessment of the knowledge and awareness of primary care health professionals on the benefits of physical activity report highlights findings from a survey of a sample of GPs and Practice Nurses across Scotland, and looks at current practice in GP Practices - including barriers encountered in giving advice. The report contains a list of key findings and an exec summary.

News release on physical activity brief interventions – one year programme in six NHS Board areas -

Health inequalities briefings for CPPs - see community planning partnership section above. One priority area is physical activity.

Football fans in training – research article

Evidence briefing – physical activity – school interventions see early years section

Esmee Fairburn Foundation – food fund inviting applications from organisations focused on understanding and investigating the critical role that food plays in wellbeing and the interplay between food, sustainability and poverty

Knowledge Services, physical activity and health alert, March

Knowledge Services, food and health alert

General

Beyond 2011 – consultation on user requirements for future population and socio-demographic information. - looking at the future of the demographic data currently provided by the census and which is used to understand population health and support service planning. “The census currently provides the basis for population and socio-demographic statistics in Scotland. However, the census is becoming increasingly challenging and expensive to conduct. The Beyond 2011 programme is investigating a range of possible methods for producing population and socio-demographic statistics/information that meet the needs of users. The success of the Programme will depend on National Records of Scotland having a clear understanding of user requirements and priorities and it is these requirements that this consultation is intended to capture”. Closing date for survey – 10 June.

Home Care re-ablement – new report of a survey of re-ablement activity and performance measurement. ~The report “confirms that further work is required to understand costs … and on relationship to health activity on discharge practice, rehab and intermediate care….” Relationships to key policy areas such as community equipment and adaptations, telehealthcare, national dementia strategy, investing in and up-skilling the homecare workforce … will remain key challenges to local partnerships. “ Key themes from the research include:

Re-ablement leads to improved health and wellbeing
Assessment and goal planning are integral to people achieving their individual aims
Valuing frontline home care workers
Key role of Occupational Therapists.

Holyrood Magazine articles

In Focus – eyecare services. Notes that people from lower income groups are among those who under-use eyecare services
meeting the growing demand for A&E services
Green Spaces – tools to protect and improve health
Integration
Interview with director of Scottish Health Council
Employability - Discussions between Scottish Prison Service and Network Rail around prisoner placements, training and procurement opportunities

Co-production of health and wellbeing in Scotland new publication can be downloaded from this link. It includes good practice case studies from Scotland and Sweden.

Also, presentations and webcasts from the co-production and community capacity-building event can be found on include: Aberdeenshire signposting project (mental health and wellbeing); Housing’s contribution to independent living; co-production in Tayside; mental health and wellbeing – social prescribing scheme in Tayside; capabilities assessments in social services in Walsall; Midlothian Council – future models of service delivery;

Adult & Social Care Cttee, meeting of 14 March reports can be found on and include: supporting carers; dallas (delivering assisted living lifestyles at scale) project – Living it up. The dallas programme is a Technology Strategy Board competition which has established 4 communities across the UK to show how assisted living technologies and services can be used to promote well-being and provide top quality health and care, enabling people to live independently. The aim of the identified communities is to open new markets in social innovation, service innovation and wellness, enabled by technology. Key outcomes include independent living; improved health, wellbeing and lifestyles, use of ‘hidden talents’ to benefit community, relationships with family, neighbours, communities, health and care professionals.

Scottish Health Council - . Also link to recent March e-newsletter (“e-connect”) which includes items on social media; the commissioning of research into public involvement health and social care integration (findings due in April); items on shared decision-making and on evidence for public involvement in healthcare policy. Also a link to Young Digital website – resource developed by Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities for anyone wanting to use digital media for consultation, research or participation activities with young people including co-production -

Scoping review needs based assessment and epidemiological community-based survey of ex-service personnel and their families in Scotland aim to identify to what extent a robustly designed population-based survey is required to inform the national commitment to meeting the health and wellbeing needs of Ex-service personnel and their families. Includes range of health and wellbeing issues as well as wider areas such as housing/homelessness.

Patient experience survey of GP and local NHS services 2011-12. Vol 3 – variation in experience of primary care patients

Health Inequalities; Equalities Issues, Poverty etc

Institute of Health Equity Working for Health Equity: The Role of Health Professionals Michael Marmot is the Director of the Institute. This report was launched on 18 March at a conference with the BMA. It demonstrates that the healthcare system and those working in it have an important and often under-used role in reducing inequalities through action on the social determinants of health. The report discusses the best ways to reduce inequities through workforce education and training, practical actions to be taken during interactions with patients, ways of working in partnership, and the role of advocacy. It also includes a section on the health system, which analyses which mechanisms and structures are supportive of actions to reduce health inequality, and where further development might be needed. The link below gives access to the full report, the exec summary and presentations and press coverage of the report’s launch as well as supporting documents and case studies. Statements for action were written by a range of professional bodies including: RCN, Social Work & Health Inequalities Network, Royal College of GPs, Royal College of Midwives…… The role of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is also described in the Foreword.

One case study is of the Links Project in Glasgow and Fife developing connections between GPs and their communities. The project explored how GPs (and receptionists, nurses etc) could be a vital connector between patients and local sources of support. During the project practices reported a significant number of people in deprived areas of Glasgow accepted a recommendation to attend a community resource and many were still attending 4-6 weeks later.

Briefing on child poverty - see early years section above

Highland Rainbow Folk independent group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender volunteers working to raise awareness of issues facing older LGBT people in North of Scotland. The group gives presentations to health and social care staff, to older people’s groups and to any other interested parties.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation -

paper on the links between housing & poverty Study explores: relationship between housing circumstances and experience of poverty; relative importance of housing cost, quality and location in the impact of poverty on lives; role of housing in enabling people to take up employment and increase income from work.
Bedroom tax and the link between home and health

Parliament enquiry into health inequalities - official report of 5thFebruary committee

the cttee received evidence from: Poverty Alliance, NHS Health Scotland, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Glasgow University. A detailed debate well worth reading - Questions asked included: what would make biggest difference/have most positive impact on health inequalities? Should other health professionals have a frontline role role in tackling health inequalities? Issues raised in debate included: need for public services to avoid increasing inequalities; what services can do to (1) prevent inequalities arising and (b) ;respond once inequalities have arisen. Other issues highlighted include: fuel poverty; is the health service set up to avoid widening inequality – the proportion of health inequalities that health services could deal with; importance of thinking about the wider societal determinants of health rather than single causes such as smoking etc. What’s happening on the ground to give people positive life experiences, social prescribing………..

CHD training in Learning Disability services

Health Inequalities briefings for Community Planning Partnerships see Communities section above

Highland Council’s Community Safety, Public Engagement and Equalities Cttee of 21 March papers can be found on: Agenda items include: Community Benefit policy; new SOA update; update of Fairer Highland Plan; mainstreaming Equality work; the Govt’s Marriage & Civil Partnership Bill; Violence against Women strategy group

Five essentials to effective impact assessment paper by Health Scotland’s equality team

Premature deaths of people with learning disabilities, report by Bristol University commissioned by Dept of Health (in England) and press release . Media article on

Knowledge Services, health inequalities alert

Mental health & wellbeing

Supporting people bereaved by suicide, a good practice guide for organisations that respond to suicide

Official report of Scottish Parliament’s Health & Sport Cttee, 12 March. The agenda focused on post traumatic stress. Debate highlighted: people who have experienced miscarriage of justice; children who have experienced abuse; survivors of torture; armed forces veterans; people who have experienced domestic abuse.

Health and Social Care Integration - Govt consultation on Delegation of Local Authority functions (Mental Health) Care & Treatment Act Scotland 2003 and Adults with Incapacity Act 2000 This consultation seeks views with regards to the delegation of functions in 2 specific areas, these being Mental Health Officer ("MHO")functions under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, and Local Authority ("LA") functions under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 required in relation to the health and social care integration proposals. Closing date 28 June

Knowledge Services mental health and wellbeing alert

Older people

Improvement Service: Benchmarking project launch to help improve council services one of the indicators is around people aged 65+ with intensive needs receiving care at home.

Health inequalities briefings for CPPs - see community planning partnership section above. One focuses on older people.

Highland Rainbow Folk - see under Inequalities section above

Sexual health

Knowledge Services, Wellbeing in Sexual Health and HIV (WISHH) March alert

Wellbeing in sexual health and HIV e-bulletin, March

Tobacco

Consultation report on proof of age requirements - to purchase alcohol, tobacco, sunbed services

Evidence briefing – smoking cessation

Holyrood Magazine article - looking ahead to new tobacco control strategy

Tobacco Strategy – creating a tobacco-free generation

Violence and abuse

Health inequalities briefings for CPPs - see community planning partnership section above. One focuses on gender-based violence.

Lancet article on levels of violent offending by veterans of military action in Afghanistan and Iraq media article

Holyrood Magazine article Interview with head of Violence Reduction Unit

Margaret Brown

Policy Officer

Health Improvement Team

Directorate of Public Health

NHS Highland

Assynt House