Weekly News
Released on 21/12/2009
Events Diary
28 January 2010
IHM Scotland
Annual General Meeting + tour of new Victoria Hospital
4pm, New Victoria Hospital, Glasgow
All IHM members in Scotland are invited to attend. AGM takes place at 4pm followed by a tour of the new Victoria Hospital at 5pm. hilary.iannotti@btinternet.com
2 March 2010
NHS QIS
National Clinical Governance Conference: Tomorrow’s World
Glasgow Hilton
Conference programme will focus on HAIs and patient safety. Registration open January 2010. See flyer at www.nhshealthquality.org/nhsqis/files/Flyer_Conferenceabstract.pdf.
4 March 2010
IHM Scotland
How to increase your power and influence
9.30am-4pm, Dunblane Hydro Hotel
One day workshop aimed at developing the skills and techniques required by
managers in healthcare settings to
increase their power to affect decision making and change. Links directly to the IHM Milestone ‘Role of the Enterprise
Manager’.
This week in Parliament
Parliament is now in recess until Monday 4 January 2010.
Public health directors support Alcohol Bill
The Scottish Directors of Public Health Group has written to all MSPs to express its support for the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill, including the controversial proposal for a minimum price per unit of alcohol. The letter has been signed by Dr Lesley Wilkie, the chair of the group, on behalf of the Directors of Public Health of all fourteen territorial NHS Scotland boards, the Director of Public Health Science of NHS Health Scotland, the Medical Directors of Health Protection Scotland and ISD and the Director of Health and Care of the Scottish Prison Service.
The letter cites evidence from the World Health Organisation and Sheffield University on the links between the price of alcohol and consumption and continues:
“Setting a sensible minimum price for alcohol and ending deep discounting and promotions across the board will reduce the price gap between the off-licensed and on-licensed trade. The combination of these measures will have a major impact on the health of Scotland. It will lower overall consumption with significant health benefits for the Scottish population. It will curb the ability of problem drinkers to get drunk cheaply.”
The letter concludes by urging MSPs to put health and wellbeing before party politics, adding:
“Since the beginning of the Scottish Parliament we have shown how working together we could begin to tackle the problems associated with alcohol...Minimum pricing and reduced discounting are ways of reducing alcohol consumption that do not require the approval of the Westminster Parliament. For the sake of the health and social wellbeing of the people in Scotland we encourage you to support these actions.”
The Public Health Directors have added their voices to those of the four UK Chief Medical Officers and organisations including the BMA, the Royal Colleges of Nursing, Physicians, Surgeons and GPs, Faculty of Public Health, British Liver Trust, Scottish Licensed Trade Association, and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland in supporting the measures in the Alcohol Bill, including minimum pricing. The Scottish Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties have refused to support the Scottish Government’s proposals and have said that they will vote in the Scottish Parliament to block implementation of minimum pricing.
CMO: Childhood is key to future health
Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Dr Harry Burns’
annual report on the health of the nation this year focuses on the role of childhood in determining future health. The report also highlights the strength of the connection between mental wellbeing and physical health. Dr Burns said:
"An early start is the best start. We know that getting it right for our children gives them the best possible chance of a healthy adult life - and that includes their mental health. My report is clear we may have
under-estimated how much mental health and
wellbeing affects our ability to make healthy choices, and a healthy childhood is the foundation of a healthy life.
"The recent Scottish Health Survey suggests 12 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women show signs of a possible psychiatric disorder. To make healthier choices you need to feel life's worth it, and mental health problems can make that very hard. This makes consistent, nurturing parenting even more important."
The report cites improvements in Scottish life
expectancy, including:
· A rise in overall healthy life expectancy for both sexes from 62.6 to 68.1 between 1980 and 2008
· Increased life expectancy for Scottish men has from 68.7 years in 1980 to 75.3 years in 2008 - an overall increase of almost 10 per cent
· Increased life expectancy for Scottish women from 75.1 years in 1980 to 80 years in 2008 - an overall increase of almost 7 per cent
· Narrowing of the ‘life expectancy gap’ between men and women.
Dr Burns notes that early deaths from the big killers – cancer, heart disease and stroke - have all fallen, but that further improvement will depend on “personal responsibility.”
The report also examines the so-called ‘Scottish
effect’, whereby Scotland appears to be less healthy than other countries with similar patterns of
deprivation. Dr Burns discusses thinking that suggests that this could be attributed to “chronic stress and the impact that such long term biological upset has on mental and physical health.”
The full report can be read at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/12/16103619/0.
New Scottish health research strategy
The Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has launched a new strategy to strengthen
Scotland’s role in international medical
research.
The intention of Investing in Research/Improving Health is to:
· Secure benefits to patients and the population at large
· Improve population health
· Value and invest in NHS research to ensure that the NHS provides high quality efficient structures to support clinical research
· Build and sustain skills
The Scottish Government says that this will in part be achieved by a re-prioritisation of funding to look more closely at patient-focused research and to embed research findings within the NHS.
Ms Sturgeon said, “"It is only by continuing to invest in our outstanding research talent that we can generate the sound evidence and exciting innovations upon which
improvements to healthcare are based.”
Download the report at www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/Publications/research.pdf.
NHS workforce is largest ever
The latest NHS workforce statistics show that the number of people working for NHS
Scotland is at its highest ever level, rising by 2.1 per cent last year. Numbers of medical, nursing and midwifery and administrative staff have all increased, but management grade numbers have decreased from 1,503 to 1,377.
www.isdscotland.org/isd/6084.html
Festive break
The Weekly Update will be taking a break and will return on 4 January. IHM Scotland send all our readers very best wishes for a peaceful and happy festive season.
