Tablet Treatment for Children

Tablet computers are being provided for Children’s Mental Health Services. Care and Support Manager, Norman Lamb, announced this move towards improving early and effective intervention for children and young people suffering from mental health problems. It is thought that using this technology to track their progress will appeal to children and will also help therapists monitor and adjust the treatment given. This use of technology fits well with the the government's mandate to the NHS published in November 2012, which set out the ambitions for the health service over two years, with a clear objective to put mental health on a level with physical health and to extend and ensure more open access to the ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme’, in particular for children and young people and for those out of work.
Other moves to help children in mental distress include the campaign launched by four youth charities, Young Minds, ChildLine, YouthNet and Selfharm.co.uk who have joined together to promote awareness of self-harm. The number of young people who self-harm as a result of depression, loneliness and family problems is estimated to be about 1 in 12 and is a major concern for children as young as 13. Support available at a young age, early in the development of mental health problems, could reduce the number of children taking their problems through to their adult lives.

Living well for longer

Improvements in the fight against the 5 major causes of death, including new plans to tackle cardiovascular disease, could save 30,000 lives by 2020, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced. This link leads to an outline of the strategy and video where Jeremy Hunt speaks of his ambition to cut avoidable deaths from the 5 major causes – cancer, heart, stroke, respiratory and liver disease – and to make life expectancy in England among the best in Europe.

A document on Equality Analysis gives a summary of the various issues around achieving a longer and healthier life expectancy for all of the population.

Public Health England 2013

The Department of Health has published an article on the tasks ahead for Public Health England. The article 'Global Burden of Disease study shows mixed picture for UK health' sets out current health comparison with other countries and aims for improvements.

The five main health challenges within the UK population are seen as smoking, alcohol, obesity, inactivity & high blood pressure.

Linked with the aim to reduce the number of cases of high blood pressure is the drive to reduce salt intake launched today by Anna Soubry.

Health training in a deprived area

A social enterprise known as Mytime Active has been given a three year contract for its Health Trainer Service to work with residents in the disadvantaged areas around Portsmouth. The training will focus on encouragement to change behaviours and lifestyles with an overall aim to improve general health and life expectation. On average men living in the deprived areas around Portsmouth can expect a life 10 years shorter than men living in more affluent areas. Trainers work with residents on an individual basis to assess what changes for improvement can be made such as increasing activity, eating a healthier diet and giving up smoking.

Child poverty in the UK 2013

Child poverty in the UK remains at a high level and is well documented in the End Child Poverty report and maps published this month. The Marmot review of health inequalities found that that child poverty has a severe impact on children’s health, and called for a strategy to give every child the best start in life.

End Child Poverty calls for Government action from at national, regional and local levels to achieve the target of the Child Poverty Act 2010 to end child poverty by 2020.

There are four dimensions of poverty captured under the Child Poverty Act, each with a target to be met by 2020. They are:
• Relative low income poverty (below 60 per cent median household income)
• Absolute low income poverty (below 60 per cent of median household income held constant at 2010/11 level)
• Persistent low income poverty (below 60 per cent of median household income for three years or longer)
• Material deprivation combined with relative low income (below 70 per cent median household income and suffering from inability to afford essential spending needs)

Health inequalities. Why?

World Health Day this year is April 7th.
The World Health Organisation has created a short factfile showing the stark reality of health inequalities around the world.
Each year a different area of public health concern is selected and this year focus will be on the topic of blood pressure. A third of the world's adult population have raised blood pressure bringing with it the associated health risks of heart attacks and strokes and added complications eg. diabetes. The British Heart Foundation website has an informative page on identifying and dealing with raised blood pressure.

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

The abstract of an 'ahead of print' article in Kidney Int. 2013 'Acute kidney injury: global health alert' highlights the need for vigilance in detecting Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). The article advises preventive strategies and early identification are needed in developing and developed countries to address this increasing health issue.

The elderly are identified in the Journal of Nephrology article as the highest risk category. ‘Acute kidney injury in the elderly population’

AKI was also the topic of a seminar reported in The Lancet December 2012 issue.