Community Practitioner back issues from July 2003:
Children of drug users often miss out on primary care, says report
Jul 01, 2003; ... PROBLEM DRUG USE Children of problem drug users often miss out on primary care despite having health, developmental and emotional problems specifically related to their parents' drug abuse. A ground-breaking report has investigated the often traumatic lives of an estimated ...
Agenda for Change: Fitting the profile
Jul 01, 2003; ... Agenda for Change: fitting the profile Thanks once again to colleagues writing in our last issue for another opportunity to explain the situation vis-a-vis Agenda for Change and health visiting. On the 'Rights at work' page of this issue you will find an explanation from the chair of our ...
Early 'Bog standard' survey results reveal host of problems
Jul 01, 2003; ... BOG STANDARD CAMPAIGN The CPHVA has extended the deadline for school nurses to send in replies to the 'Bog standard' campaign survey on the state of school toilets because so many people want to take part. With over 400 questionnaire forms already sent back to the CPHVA, early ...
A tool kit for training
Jul 01, 2003; ... A tool kit for training Primary care training and development: the tool kit Lynn Talbot, Denise Pora Radcliffe Medical Press, 2003 ISBN I 85775 909 5, L 2I.95 This book provides an invaluable tool kit resource for primary care managers involved in staff ...
'Hard hitter' Reid takes over from Milburn
Jul 01, 2003; ... NEW HEALTH SECRETARY Health unions and the CPHVA are wanting urgent meetings with the new 'hard hitter' health secretary John Reid, who has taken over at the Department of Health following Alan Milburn's resignation. Like the RCN and UNISON, the CPHVA has warned that doctor Reid ...
New strategic advisory forum for Welsh community practitioners
Jul 01, 2003; ... WALES Welsh health visitors and school nurses now have their own strategic advisory forum set up by the National Assembly for Wales. The aim of the all-Wales group, which held its first meeting last month, is to support and develop health visiting and school nursing within the ...
Obituary
Jul 01, 2003; ... OBITUARY We are sorry to announce the very sad loss of our health visiting colleague, Joan Ellerton, health visitor with special interests in elderly care in Stoke on Trent and the Staffordshire Moorlands, who died in February this year aged 62. She attended Elms Nursing College ...
In brief
Jul 01, 2003; ... Infantile meningitis affects teenage behaviour The behaviour of teenage children who had meningitis in infancy is worse than that of control children who did not have infantile meningitis, a study has found. The researchers followed up 739 of the surviving children from the national ...
Hacked off health visitors get vocal
Jul 01, 2003; ... Hacked off health visitors get vocal We feel pleased and encouraged to see that so many health visitors are writing to Community Practitioner to express their views over the current debacle re: Agenda for Change and the health visitor's job profile. We feel we are being sold down ...
Scottish CMO urges better MMR uptake
Jul 01, 2003; ... SCOTLAND Concern about the latest Scottish MMR uptake rates has prompted the chief medical officer for Scotland to urge parents to immunise their children. Quarterly figures up to March 2003 reveal that the immunisation rate at 24 months has decreased by 0.5 per cent from 86.6 to ...
CPHYA backs call for a new NSF for sexual health
Jul 01, 2003; ... SEXUAL HEALTH Health visitors and community practitioners have strongly backed the House of Commons Health Committee's call for the development of a National Service Framework for sexual health. The CPHVA comments follow publication of the Health Committee's report on sexual ...
Mothers' views on the First Parent Health Visitor Scheme
Jul 01, 2003; ... RESEARCH Abstract This paper describes mothers' perceptions of the First Parent Health Visiting Scheme (FPHVS) and their experiences and opinions of the health visiting service that they received in the first two years of their child's life. It also conveys health visitors' ...
First time mothers' perceptions of motherhood and PND
Jul 01, 2003; ... RESEARCH STUDY Abstract Postnatal depression is much discussed by mothers and health professionals. This qualitative study, in an area with a relatively stable population and little geographical mobility, sought to explore 14 new mothers' views on postnatal depression and new ...
Contemporary midwifery
Jul 01, 2003; ... Contemporary midwifery Midwifery best practice Sara Wickham (ed) Books for Midwives, 2003 ISBN 0 7506 54279, L 19.99 This book explores contemporary debates in midwifery practice and provides a useful basis for reflection on both individual and team ...
Tuning out electronic media
Jul 01, 2003; ... Tuning out electronic media Set free childhood Martin Large Hawthorn Press, 2003 ISBN 1903458 43 9, L 10.99 Set free childhood has a mission: to reduce, limit and ideally ban television and computer use by young children. It advocates holistic approaches ...
Making a difference
Jul 01, 2003; ... NURSE LED MINOR SURGERY JAYNE ELTON, Practice Nurse of the Year Award winner 2002, is a specialist practitioner and lead practice nurse at Frome Medical Practice, Somerset. Here, Jayne, right, describes her work and what winning the Practice Nurse of the Year Award has meant to ...
Pregnancy: part four
Jul 01, 2003; ... In the fourth of a series on pregnancy JUNE THOMPSON looks at the early signs of pregnancy, the main pregnancy hormones, and early pregnancy loss through miscarriage Community practitioner 2003; 76, 7:269-270 Signs of pregnancy There are a number of signs and symptoms ...
Child health care on the home front
Jul 01, 2003; ... CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AT HOME MARGARET SIMMONS, sister at the Children's Hospital at Home, Rugby, will be presenting a concurrent session at the CPHVA annual professional conference in October. Here she describes the work of the team Following a review of the local hospital in ...
Buckinghamshire school nurses celebrate re-grading victory
Jul 01, 2003; ... RE-GRADING Twelve community school nurses have won a fight for re-grading with two years back pay thrown in which amounts up to L2000. The school nurses in Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire NHS Primary Care Trust, have now been put on G grade while the team coordinator and two ...
Evolution or revolution? Developing public health practice
Jul 01, 2003; ... CPHVA ANNUAL SCOTTISH CONFERENCE The CPHVA's annual Scottish conference, held in Edinburgh in June, attracted over 150 delegates to hear issues on topics as diverse as public health, child protection and young people's sexual health. But the conference became most animated when the ...
Sure Start: A complex community initiative
Jul 01, 2003; ... SURE START Abstract A complex community initiative such as Sure Start is concerned with improving and enhancing services such as child care, health care and access, family support, economic development, adult education and training and family focused recreation. Areas defined by ...
Higher practice nurse numbers improves uptake of cervical screening, says research
Jul 01, 2003; ... PRACTICE NURSING The role of practice nurses in improving public health has been dramatically highlighted by research into the impact of health screening carried out at the University of Salford. A study into cervical cancer screening coverage has shown that during the 1990s, ...
Before and after evaluation needed
Jul 01, 2003; ... Before and after evaluation needed I enjoyed reading the paper by Hart et al (April) on the evaluation of the baby massaging classes. However, I felt that an ideal opportunity to undertake a 'before and after' evaluation was missed. I acknowledge that there was a fairly rigourous ...
Shorter duration of patching may ease implementation of patching therapy in the treating of moderate amblyopia
Jul 01, 2003; ... The Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. A randomised trial of patching regimens for treatment of moderate amblyopia in children. Archives of Ophthalmology 2003; 121:603-611 Patching the unaffected eye of children under seven years with moderate amblyopia or 'lazy eye' for two hours ...
Time to comment on public health standards and competencies
Jul 01, 2003; ... DRAFT STANDARDS CPHVA members now have an opportunity to comment on the final draft standards for public health practice that are being developed across the UK. The standards and competencies will be aimed at people who will already be on the NMC's proposed third part of the ...
Croydon tests 'quick access clinic'
Jul 01, 2003; ... CHILD HEALTH Health visitors in Croydon are currently assessing the value of a 'quick access clinic' for children that the team has been running in two GP surgeries. Five specially trained health visitors are running the quick access clinics (QACs). The team offer four 15-minute ...
Testing of full scale 'early implementation' begins
Jul 01, 2003; ... AGENDA FOR CHANGE Testing of full scale 'early implementation' begins At long last unions and UK health departments have agreed to go ahead with the full scale testing of the Agenda for Change pay reforms, and with a decision now made, CPHVA members should receive this year's pay ...
Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation associated with blood pressure
Jul 01, 2003; ... Forsyth JS et aL. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in infant formula and blood pressure in later childhood: follow up of a randomised____ controlled trial. British Medical Journal 2003; 326 Dietary supplementation with long chain polyunsaturatecl fatty acids ...
Health benefits of training mothers in developing countries to breastfeed exclusively for six months
Jul 01, 2003; ... Reducing diarrhoeal disease among infants in less developed countries could be assisted by the implementation of straightforward community-based health programmes to promote exclusive breastfeeding for six months after childbirth, conclude authors of a study in the Lancet. The World ...
Resources
Jul 01, 2003; ... GASP, a stop smoking resources agency has published a booklet to target older smokers. It's never too late to stop smoking offers older smokers relevant information to reinforce their personal reasons for wanting to stop and then guide them through the process. It contains real life quotes from ...
Sense and nonsense in headlice treatment
Jul 01, 2003; ... Banning children with nits from school does not make sense according to a review article in the British Medical Journal. Less than 20% of school children with nits will go on to develop infestation within 14 days, and about half of children sent home for head lice don't have them. The ...
Bullying and dignity at work
Jul 01, 2003; ... HEALTH AND SAFETY Dealing with stress, bullying and harassment at work is the focus of various campaigns run by amicus/MSF and has been for many years. CHRIS BALL, national secretary, (non-profit sector and working environment) within amicus/MSF, updates members on current work which ...
In brief
Jul 01, 2003; ... Concern about older people's care Standards set out in the National Service Framework for Older People's Services are not yet being met by mental health and primary care trusts, the Audit Commission has reported in Achieving the NHS Plan, its assessment of progress so far on the ...
London launch of CPHYA and City University alliance
Jul 01, 2003; ... STRATEGIC ALLIANCE Health visitors and community practitioners are a 'key part' of the public health workforce, England's chief nurse Sarah Mullally said as she launched the strategic alliance between the CPHVA and City University. Speaking at the London launch of the alliance, ...
Charity asks government to make alcohol dependency as high a priority as drugs
Jul 01, 2003; ... ALCOHOL For every Class A drug user there are at least six dependent alcohol drinkers yet while the government spends an annual L573m on drug treatment only L95m is earmarked for problem drinkers. This is the stark conclusion oi a survey by the charity Turning Point. The ...
Trupti Patel case shows need for care in assessment
Jul 01, 2003; ... CHILD DEATH The Trupti Patel court case in which Ms Patel was found not guilty of murdering her three young children has highlighted the need for care by health visitors when assessing child death cases. CPHVA director Mark Jones said the Crown Prosecution Service 'should have ...
GPs must be fully resourced to pay practice nurses under Agenda for Change, CPHVA warns
Jul 01, 2003; ... PRACTICE NURSE PAY General practitioners must be 'fully resourced' to pay practice nurses the going rates under the new Agenda for Change pay and conditions reforms, the CPHVA has warned. The comments, from Rosemary McQuarrie, CPHVA professional officer for practice nursing, back ...
A natural way to the menopause
Jul 01, 2003; ... A natural way to the menopause The new natural alternatives to HRT Marilyn Glenville KyJe Cathie, 2003 ISBN I 85626 461 0, L 10.99 As a second edition, this book has been updated to include recent research findings and thinking on HRT. The author is a ...
Agenda for Change: The next steps
Jul 01, 2003; ... AGENDA FOR CHANGE The outcome of the amicus membership ballot was an overwhelming vote to support the testing of Agenda for Change in the early implementers sites and the work for the early implementers has begun. BARRIE BROWN, CPHVA head of labour relations, and JOYCE HORAN, lay chair, ...
Practice nursing: Past, present and future
Jul 01, 2003; ... PRACTICE NURSING ROSEMARY McQUARRIE, CPHVA professional officer for practice nursing, started working as a practice nurse in 1990, with the then new GP contract just beginning. Here, Rosemary looks back over the past, talks about her current work and considers the future of practice ...
London's PCTs meet to discuss driving and parking issues
Jul 01, 2003; ... DEALSON WHEELS Driving and parking in London are the focus of a major meeting at CPHVA headquarters this month due to be attended by the capital's primary care trusts and the Association for London Government. Nick Lester, director of transport and environment at the Association ...
Bright future for practice nurses
Jul 01, 2003; ... All community practitioners and health visitors are experiencing continual change today. As some of us prepare to go to the annual practice nurse conference in Liverpool at the beginning of July, let us reflect on some of the specific challenges that practice nurses have had to face and are ...