Health News Summary - 22 October 2008

22 Oct 2008
Headlines include: sex guidance will help scouts be prepared, next steps for tougher action on cannabis and PCTs count the cost of bad diet and exercise. Also - YW4H organise ‘Lifting the Lid’: a new networking event for hospital based youth work practitioners.

Healthy Lifestyle

Record numbers now doing PE and school sport

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published its annual School Sports Survey 07/08. The key findings include that on average, schools now have links to almost eight different local sports clubs, up from five in 2003/04. The most common links are with football clubs, cricket, dance, rugby union and swimming. DCMS press release >>

Fewer children being exposed to junk food advertising on TV

According to government figures fewer children are being exposed to junk food advertising on TV and child-themed advertising spend has decreased by 41 per cent since the beginning of 2003. Figures show however that the industry is using other media outlets such as press advertising to ‘be seen’. DH press release >>
BBC article >>

Music fans 'risk losing hearing'

One in 10 people with personal MP3 or CD players could suffer permanent hearing loss because their music is too loud, according to an EU study. The Commission asked an independent committee to conduct the study because of concerns over widespread use of music players among young people. Scientists say those who listen at high volume for more than one hour per day over five years risk permanent harm. The European Commission will now look into whether technical improvements could minimise hearing damage.
BBC article >>

PCTs count the cost of bad diet and exercise

New figures published for the first time show the cost of obesity to every Primary Care Trust in England. The figures set out the cost of diseases related to being overweight or obese in 2007. Last year the Foresight report highlighted nationally the cost of being overweight or obese cost the NHS £4.2 billion in 2007. This could rise to £6.3 billion in 2015. The figures are set out in the new 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives toolkit: A Toolkit for Developing Local Strategies' available to all Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities to help them tackle obesity in their areas and help their citizens live healthier lives. DH press release >>
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A toolkit for developing local strategies >>

Healthy Relationships and Sex

Sex guidance will help scouts be prepared

Scouts will for the first time be given sexual health advice and may be issued with condoms to prevent unprotected sex, under guidelines to be issued today by the Scout Association. Visits to sexual health clinics will also be suggested for explorer scouts aged 14-18 "to break illusions of what these services are and improve the uptake of advice". Guardian article >>
Guidance document >>

Alcohol and Substance Use

Next steps for tougher action on cannabis

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has confirmed that repeat cannabis offenders will face tougher penalties. People caught carrying cannabis for a second time could now face an on-the-spot fine of £80 instead of a warning. This was announced alongside a Parliamentary Order laid to reclassify the drug to Class B from 26 January 2009. Home Office press release >>

Regional drug treatment statistics published

The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has published regional statistics on drug treatment activity in England in 2007/8. The figures are split into two categories under-18 and over 18. NTA press release >> (scroll down to link for each region)

Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

Teen smacking surprises NSPCC

Research by the children's charity NSPCC has revealed that about 160,000 young people over the age of 15 have recently been beaten by parents trying to assert discipline. The NSPCC said a poll of more than 1,900 parents showed one in eight children of all ages had been smacked during the past six months. The results of the survey were released on the eve of a Commons vote on whether Britain should join the 19 other European countries that have banned corporal punishment in the family. The tabled amendment failed in the commons. DCSF subsequently issued a statement. Guardian article >> 
DCSF press release >>

WHO report shows mental health services in England leading the way in Europe

A report published by the World Health Organisation for World Mental Health Day has found that mental health services in England lead the way in Europe in a number of areas. These include the highest percentage spend from health budgets and being the only country to provide a comprehensive network of specialist early intervention teams. DH press release >>

Parliamentary Issues

Ministerial reshuffle

Details of recent ministerial and departmental changes are now available on the Prime Minister’s website. Phil Hope has moved to the Department of Health. The responsibility for children’s rights has moved from Beverley Hughes to Baroness Morgan of Drefelin who has become the new Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families. Cabinet appointments >> 
Ministerial appointments >>

Events/Training

The National Youth Agency
Lifting the Lid: a first networking event for hospital based youth work practitioners
8 December 2008 Birmingham

A landmark networking event aimed at hospital based youth workers across the UK to find out the size, scope, needs and wants of the hospital based youth work sector, examine key issues in the current climate for this work and decide on a way forward. The event will include networking activities and examine current policy, commissioning and funding for hospital based youth work; and creating young people friendly services for young people in hospital settings. The event will look at the impact of this work, staff development through e-learning and look at ways forward.  Further information >>

Access to Positive Activities: Transport Solutions for Young People
29 October, Manchester

This NYA event will explore the key role of transport in delivering the Aiming High for young people agenda. It will:

• explore the key issues faced by young people using public transport;
• identify solutions that meet young people’s needs; and
• explore young people’s involvement in the planning and delivery of public transport

The event will be of particular interest to local authority transport planners, transport providers, children’s trusts, voluntary and statutory youth services and others. Further information >>

Brook
Understanding Healthy Sexual Development
6 November 2008 London

This course aims to provide practitioners from all fields in social and medical care with the skills and knowledge to support young people and create a full understanding of what is normal, healthy sexual development. The course will also equip practitioners with the tools to assess and protect young people where there are concerns about sexual behaviour. Further information >>

Practice

Cricket brings calm to state classrooms

An evaluation of 'Chance to Shine', a pilot scheme designed to promote cricket in schools by sending in club coaches to teach the game, has found behaviour in school improved as a result of participating in the game. The evaluation, to be published this week, also says cricket has helped with the integration of different ethnic groups whose first language is not English. Independent article >>

Burnley Youth Theatre Project

Burnley Youth Theatre project are launching ‘See Through’, a free community art project for young people aged 14 to 20 years supported by East Lancashire NHS. Young people will use expressive materials to explore the subject of emotional health and mental wellbeing. Working individually or as part of a team they will create an art work that will be exhibited in the local community and decide where it will be shown and who it is given to keep. For more info contact Kyra, Youth Arts Worker on 01282 427767

Youth Work for Health Case Studies

The Youth Work for Health (YW4H) team has produced a series of case studies from projects around the country that work around health issues in a variety of settings. Five new case studies have been added recently and all are available to download from the YW4H pages on the NYA website:
Healthy Horizons – Lowestoft >>
Nottingham University Hospital Youth Service – Nottingham >>
Wath Young People's Centre – Rotherham >>
SHINE Health Academy – Sheffield >>
EEFO – Cornwall >>

Resources

beat - New online recovery help for young people with eating disorders

beat – eating disorders charity has successfully gained funding through Comic Relief to initiate a new pilot for an online Recovery Club service for young people suffering from an eating disorder. The monthly club will be launched this November will run for six months enabling young people to benefit from the support of their peers and to feel comfortable discussing their concerns and fears about treatment and the recovery process. The application process for the Recovery Club service will go live on the beat website on Tuesday 28th October 2008. For further information on the recovery club email Jess Armitage.
beat website >>

Samaritans - Emotional health and wellbeing resources

The Samaritans have developed a range of resources as part of their DEAL (Developing Emotional Health and Learning) programme for schools. They include work sheets and plans which can be used or adapted for use in youth work sessions, fact sheets video and animated films on the subjects. DEAL resources webpage >>

Department of Health – New leaflet for young drinkers

The Department of Health has produced a new leaflet for young drinkers ‘Drinking, you and your mates: how does your night end?’ It aims to help them make choices about how much they drink. It includes information on how alcohol can affect you, explains how to stay safe when drinking and what to do if someone is in trouble after drinking too much. The leaflet is not about stopping drinking, but about making young people aware of what some of the consequences could be of regular binge drinking and making sure alcohol plays a more positive part in people’s day-to-day life. Download ‘How does your night end?’ >>

Department of Health - NHS Direct joins forces with NHS Choices online

From the end of October, the public will be able to access all NHS online health information from one website, http://www.nhs.uk/.  The NHS’s two primary national websites, NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) and NHS Direct (http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/) are joining forces to provide a comprehensive ‘front door’ to all available online health information and services. DH press release >>

Research

Literature review of partnerships in public health

Durham University's School of Health, supported by the IDeA's Healthy Communities team, is researching into the effectiveness of partnerships. The focus is on how partnerships are improving health and tackling health inequalities through local area agreements (LAAs). A summary of this review has just been published and is aimed at anyone who has responsibility for, or sits on, a local health partnership. Over the next two years, the project will follow up this review by studying a number of council and primary care trust (PCT) health partnerships. Research summary >>

Inactive parents are risking the health of their children

Research published by Living Streets as part of International Walk to School Month has highlighted a direct link between parental behaviour and childhood activity levels. New research undertaken by charity Living Streets has found that children who have 'active' parents (those that say they try to walk where they can) are 68% more likely to walk to school than children of 'inactive' parents (those who rely on their car at all times), demonstrating the need for parents to act as positive role models and set examples to their children for the benefit of their health. Living Streets press release >>

Consultation/Research Proposals

Joint consultation on school-level indicators to measure well-being

Ofsted and DCSF have published proposed school-level indicators of pupil well-being, and launched a joint consultation on the indicators. The proposals are for two kinds - those measuring quantified outcomes which schools can influence, and another set based on the perceptions of pupils and parents of how the school contributes to the Every Child Matters outcomes. The consultation, which is open to pupils, school staff, governors, parents, and all other stakeholders, will close on 16 January 2009.

Further information >> 

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