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.



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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Mental Health & Social Care Bulletin No. 413

Bulletin 413 is now available to view

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 

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. 

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.



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.

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