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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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