Wednesday 18 December 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 422

You can access all the latest information in Bulletin No. 422 which is not only the final bulletin of 2013 but also my final bulletin as I am retiring. Hopefully this blog will be continued by the new appointee. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.



Monday 16 December 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 421

As hosts of the 2nd only disease specific G8 summit, the first being on HIV, the UK has called upon the world to meet the challenge of dementia; a disease that should no longer just be considered a natural part of getting older. The summit was addressed by both the Prime Minister and the the Health Secretary. All this and more in Bulletin 421

Friday 6 December 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 420

With the G8 Summit on Dementia taking place here in the UK on the 11th December, the Department of Health has issued a press statement informing the public that they will be able to watch the summit live through the Dementia Challenge site. Much more mental health and social care news and research can be accessed in Bulletin No. 420.

Monday 2 December 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 419

The Department of Health has updated its strategy on dementia with a new report which has investigated dementia care, its support and research in England. Included is an interactive map detailing dementia services throughout England. To read about this report and much more access Bulletin 419.

Monday 25 November 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 418

Although there as been much discussion on how Mental Health needs to be on an equal footing with physical illness, it would appear that in reality  Health and Wellbeing Boards are choosing, if not to ignore it completely, to give it a low priority. This is highlighted in the report from the Centre for Mental Health: A Place for Parity: Health and Wellbeing Boards and Mental Health. You can read much more than this in Bulletin 418

Monday 18 November 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 417

The 2012 report from Time to Change  shows that attitudes in this country to mental illness are gradually changing. A survey of over 1700 people also showed that the greater change was among women rather than men. Furthermore it seemed that tolerance came with increased age. This article and research all available in Bulletin 417

Monday 11 November 2013

Mental Health & Social care Bulletin No. 416

The big news this week was the Australian report in the BMJ which commented on the wider diagnostic parameters for ADHD which in the view of the authors is resulting in misdiagnosis and unnecessary prescribing of drugs such as Ritalin, worldwide. However other experts feel that the criteria for prescribing in the UK is too strict. Also figuring in the news is the the release by Public Health England of statistics for alcohol treatment in England from 2012 - 2013. There has been a small increase in instigations of treatment. All this and much more in Bulletin No. 416

Monday 4 November 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 415

Great Ormond Street Hospital has started trialling the new simple blood test for Down's Syndrome in preparation for it to be rolled out across the NHS. The shadow health secretary has promised mental health counselling on the NHS will be a right for everyone if Labour is returned to power. You can read these news stories and research in Bulletin 415.

Monday 28 October 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 414

There are still problems about the fate of people with learning disabilities post Winterbourne; there are concerns that the funding isn't coming through for community placements. There are also concerns about the fate of older people post the Orchard View care home scandal and the Quality Care commission will be conducting a serious case review on the agencies involved. You can read both these articles and research on all aspects of mental health in Bulletin No. 414.

Monday 14 October 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 412

A Cambridge academic has stated that in his view children as young as seven years old should be screened for mental health problems. His argument for early interventions aired in the British Medical Journal. Bulletin 412  you can read that the repercussions of the Winterbourne scandal rumble on.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 411

In Bulletin No. 411 research on gardening as an intervention for mental health is revisited. Three separate studies examine the effect of debt, social inclusion and  social determinants on mental health

Thursday 19 September 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 410

Early due to leave, Bulletin No. 410 is packed; with large research sections on learning disabilities, depression and dementia and schizophrenia. Next post October 7th

Monday 16 September 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 409

Once again the future of social care is a main topic of the week. In Bulletin No. 409  you can read about the report "Who will care" which was commissioned by Essex County Council and seeks to avert a crisis in health and social care in the future. Embracing eight fundamental principles it offers five "high impact" solutions. Also this week a top police officer has embraced the long term problem of the mentally ill ending up in police cells, suggesting that A&E is a more suitable place for them to be taken to. This article on the BBC website is in advance of a Panorama programme that will be investigating the problem.

Monday 9 September 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 408

In the past week there has been a focus on eating disorders research which you can view in Bulletin No. 408. In Scotland the differences between urban and rural adolescent eating disorders has been explored and in two other studies the impact of excessive exercise and feeding methods in anorexia nervosa was investigated. The efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy  for bulimia nervosa is reported in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Thursday 29 August 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 407



In Bulletin 407 there is the usual array of research and news. The Health Secretary is urging employers to give working carers flexible hours.  He maintains keeping carers in employment is an economic necessity for the long term wellbeing of the UK economy. In the wake of Winterbourne, David Williams the head of the Ability Housing Association comes out against group living for the learning disabled 



Friday 23 August 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 406

The Department of Health has announced that it is extending its street triage scheme of sending out mental health nurses with police officers on the beat to five new areas. The department has also announced that it will use its presidency of the G8 summit to highlight dementia by holding a dementia summit. Meanwhile NICE has launched a guideline consultation on psychosis and schizophrenia. All this and more in Bulletin 406. 

Monday 19 August 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 405

In Bulletin No. 405 there is a mix of mental health and social care news this week. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has reported that the use of ritalin for ADHD has risen by 50% in the last years. Winterborne raises its head again, as the CQC states that noncompliance with putting managers in place in residential homes for the  learning disabled will result in action that could be either prosecution or closure.



Monday 12 August 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 404

The Department of health have announced that the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme for children and young people is to be extended with 24 new sites being added. It is hoped that by the end of the year over half of under 19's will have access to the programme which offer each person a course of six evidence-based therapy sessions. Bulletin 404 is a bumper 17 page edition.

Monday 29 July 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 403

The Winterbourne scandal has not left our conciousness; charities are warning that the initiative, post Winterbourne, to move learning disabled out of hospitals is excluding a great number of disabled.  In Bulletin No. 403 there are futher articles that cover the wide range of learning disabilities

Monday 22 July 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 402

There is a large section this week in Bulletin No. 402 on eating disorders. There is a new systematic review on the effect of motivation on treatment outcome. There were two articles on the parent equation in eating disorders; one focussing on the relationship with the therapist and the other examined the difference between parent-child reporting of symptom severity. Back at the Depatment of Health a consultation has been launched to help resolve the problem of a fair funding system for social care.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 401


A new charity: MindFull, which provides online counselling to 11- 17 year olds, is urging schools to put mental health on the timetable. Their first report emphasises that not enough is being done to support teenage children. Meanwhile NHS Western Isles, at the other end of the age spectrum, is delivering dementia care via robots to sufferers in remote areas. Also on dementia in Bulletin 401 is the news that hospitals fail to make adequate tests on patients with dementia.


Thursday 4 July 2013

Monday 1 July 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 399

An Alcohol Matrix has been developed to help commissioners and practitioners get easy access to research that will support them in their alcohol treatment services. The Substance Misuse Skills Consortium has been quoted as saying that this is a key resource. Bulletin 399 has access to this information and much much more, including news on social care provision.

Friday 21 June 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 398

Four watchdogs in England and Wales have joined forces to publish a report, A Criminal Use of Police Cells, which challenges the treatment mentally ill people receive when coming into contact with the judicial system.  Meanwhile the use of face-down restraint on mentally ill inpatients is being challenged. A large part of  Bulletin No. 389 comprises of news about social care: The Care Quality Commission is set to monitor death rates in care homes while Unison claims that two thirds of councils fund social care visits that only last 15 minutes.

Monday 17 June 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 397

Although various incarnations of "Books on Prescription", have been around for several years, a "new" scheme was launched last week. GP's will be able to "prescribe" books on depression and other mental health conditions which will be held in local libraries. Previously books on dementia and diabetes were made available this way. In Bulletin 397 there is a very large section on eating disorders this week, including a study on how the family dynamics impact on eating disorders.

Monday 10 June 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 396

In Bulletin No. 396 you can link to the news item which informs us about the new test for Down's Syndrome. Not only is it safer to perform, and more accurate, but it can also be carried out much earlier in pregnancy than the previous test. There is a research article in the learning disabilities section on the genetic background to Down's. Also in this section is research on autism, ADHD, and Fragile X syndrome.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 395

In Bulletin No. 395 you can link to the new statistical report from the Health Social Care Infromation Centre: Statistics on Alcohol: England, 2013. The bulletin also has a large section this week on various addictions.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 394

The previous week was National Dementia Awareness and the Government launched its NHS Innovation Challenge Prize for Dementia,  inviting entries and the Care Minister wants all hospitals to become more dementia aware. NICE have published two new guidances: one on social anxiety disorder and another on the termination of loxapine inhalation for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  All this and more in Bulletin No. 394

Monday 20 May 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 393

The intertwined issue of dementia and social care are in the news. In Bulletin No. 393 you can read how the care minister has rolled out his plans for integrating health and social care by 2018 in the new Care Bill. This comes at a time when it has been announced that NHS England is being tasked with improving the diagnosis rates for dementia just as the government publishes its annual report on the progress in dementia care

Monday 13 May 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Current Awareness Bulletin No. 392

This week is national mental health awareness week, and so it is apt that Bulletin No. 392 is a bumper issue. All different sections are packed with news and research. There are many articles from journals on depression, and dementia.

Tuesday 7 May 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 391

The week beginning May 13th is National Mental Health Awareness week. More information can be found on the Mental Health Foundation website. Bulletin 391 as usual gives a rounded picture of what is curently being published in the world of research. The Centre for Mental Health has just published a briefing paper which addresses the disparities of service provision between mental and physical health and argues that better mental health leads to improved physical health.

Monday 29 April 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 390

Bulletin no. 390 you can find out the latest from the Department of Health. The Government has launched a care comparison website so everyone can look at both residential and home care that is available. On the Department of Health website there is also a link to the latest development in their dementia strategy.

Monday 22 April 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 389

The new Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) section in Bulletin no. 389 has several interesting studies including an investigation in to the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression and anxiety in both children and adolescents. Meanwhile the Department of Health has released its vision for the role of school nurses in the health and wellbeing of children

Monday 15 April 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 388

Bulletin No. 388 is packed with research articles on the usual subjects, such as dementia, depression, schizophrenia. No news from the new Department of Health website this week

Monday 8 April 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 387

NICE has been busy this week: after declaring that dementia care is patchy across the country they have published  a new guidance for support in dementia care and also a commissioning tool kit for dementia. Their guidance on the health and wellbeing of looked after children came out this week as well. All this and more in bulletin No. 387

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 386

In bulletin this week's bulletin, no. 386, you can find information about the new NICE consultation on behaviour and conduct disorders in children. Also in the news is the question of whether Community Treatment Orders are effective in cutting readmissions to hospital for mentally ill people. It has also been mooted that the NHS has not been effectively supporting mental health patients in quitting smoking



Monday 25 March 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 385

In Bulletin No. 385 once again the main news topics are dementia and social care.and learning disabilities. Concern over care caps and the standards in care homes feature. The Alzheimer's Society has declared that too many dementia sufferers are placed in homes at too early a stage and a study has concluded that progress has been made in the reduction of prescribing antipsychotics to dementia sufferers. Another study has found that people who have learning disabilities have a significantly shorter life span and that they are still targets for hate crime.

Thursday 14 March 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 384

Dementia takes centre stage again in Bulletin No. 384. The Department of Health has published its nursing vision and strategy: Making a Difference to Dementia and has issued a letter: The Right Care: creating dementia-friendly hospitals. Meanwhile the Care Quality Commission has published a report: Care Update2: Dementia which criticises the care given to dementia sufferers across the nation, saying the country is struggling to deliver effective care.

Monday 11 March 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 383

In the Research section in Bulletin No. 383 there is an article which appears in the BMJ that gives more insight into debunking the myth that mentally ill people are the perpertrators of violence. The research shows that mentally ill people are the likely victims of violence and murder. In the news are statistics that show heroin and crack use is falling and alcohol-realated deaths are holding steady

Friday 1 March 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 382

Matters concerning alcohol figure in Bulletin No. 382. A coalition of 70 alcohol groups have produced a report which includes a call for a  concensus across the UK for a minimum of 50p price per unit of acohol. The Welsh branches of Alcohol Concern and The Royal College of Psychiatrists have published a report on the links between problem gambling and alcohol. Following on from a report which showed a higher level of alcohol intake by children in Brighton than in other parts of the country, the local authority is considering implementing contracts where parents pledge not give their children alcohol. Also in this bulletin a new section on Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

Monday 25 February 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Current Awareness Bulletin No. 381

In Bulletin No. 381, learning disabilities come to the fore: NICE has set up a consultation  until March 21st on its draft quality standard on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Meanwhile we are all being urged by Mencap to lobby our new Police and Crime Commisssioners to put an end to learning disabilty hate crime. Mencap is also concerned about the effect a reduction in housing options is having on people with learning disabilities.

Friday 1 February 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 380

In Bulletin 380 you can read that the Quality Care Commission (QCC) has just released their report: Monitoring the Mental Health Act in 2011/12. This annual report focuses on the delivery of care to people who are covered by the Act, with an emphasis on dignity and involvement. With this in mind the QCC maintained after visiting 1,546 wards that patients were not being involved in the decision making surrounding their care. The Department of Health and mental health organisations have all welcomed the report and agreed with the findings

Monday 28 January 2013

Mental Health & Social care Bulletin No. 379

Depression and other mental health problems continue to take their toll. The official figures for the rates of suicide in the United Kingdom in 2011 have been published this week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS figures show that the number of suicides rose last year; 437 more than 2010. There was a particular increase in male suicides with the rate for middle aged men high. The government's pledge of £1.5 million and a new prevention strategy last year have yet to yield results. You can read about this and more in Bulletin 379

Monday 21 January 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 378

Once again Dementia is at the forefront of the news. In Bulletin No. 378 you can access the Alzheimer's Society's news statement that everyone is discussing; from national to local level. The gap between the number of people being officially diagnosed and the actual number of sufferers is wide throughout the country. Furthermore the Alzheimer's Society's Prevalence and Diagnosis map indicates vast variations throughout the country. The government has indicated that this is an unacceptable situation.


Monday 14 January 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Current Bulletin No. 377

A new year and the debate on the future of social care provision continues. In Bulletin No. 377 in the publications section there is a report from the London Councils collaboration: A Case for Sustainable Adult Social Care which outlines the way forward when it is predicted there will be a £907 million shortfall for services in London in the years 2017/18. Meanwhile back at Westminster the coalition government has caused consternation due to the perceived lack of clarity in its review on the social cap costs likely to be introduced.

Monday 7 January 2013

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 376

Dementia is in at the forefront again in Bulletin No. 376. Warwickshire Council has a new portal to help dementia sufferers and their carers. A company in Bognor Regis is providing dementia sufferers with practical skills and there is a new study on music therapy for dementia