Things in the library 25 Sept...

Things about childhood trauma... 

The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on children and young people’s lives. It has increased the experience of trauma for many, and compromised the support which children and young people receive from friends, family and public services. As the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic unfold, the UK Trauma Council has developed four recommendations that should be prioritised by all UK Governments to address childhood trauma in both the short and long term. These recommendations present a clear framework for action, to be taken forward in different ways across the UK. 

Things to do soon...

Closing date for our treasure hunt library quiz is coming up soon (30th Sept) so still time to enter and take a tour of our library catalogue at the same time. Winner to be announced next week.

Things about nurses... 

A King's Fund report about the health and wellbeing of nurses and midwives which are essential to the quality of care they can provide for people and communities, affecting their compassion, professionalism and effectiveness. Ensuring that working conditions across all settings – in primary, secondary, mental health, community and social care – are supporting nurses and midwives in their work is fundamental to ensuring the best outcomes for people who need health and care services. This report focuses on their work life experience and what needs to be done to address the problems they face. This review investigated how to transform nurses’ and midwives’ workplaces so that they can thrive and flourish and are better able to provide the compassionate, high-quality care that they wish to offer. 

Nurse and midwives have three core work needs that must be met to ensure wellbeing and motivation at work, and to minimise workplace stress: autonomy, belonging and contribution. This report sets out eight key recommendations designed to meet these three core work needs. These recommendations focus on: authority, empowerment and influence; justice and fairness; work conditions and working schedules; teamworking; culture and leadership; workload; management and supervision; and learning, education and developme

Things to attend...  

University of Sheffield Music Season concerts will be a little different this year. It’s their intention to bring you a series of concerts – both live and streamed online – this autumn, starting from Thursday 5 November. Instead of welcoming their performers to Firth Hall they'll be moving to the Octagon Centre. This move allows them to bring in measures for the safety of their musicians, performers, audiences, students and staff. The Octagon Centre is a COVID-secure venue as per Public Health England guidance. It also has extra sound and lighting capability far beyond what they would usually have in Firth Hall, which they hope to use to full effect.

To ensure they can safely seat their audiences online ticket sales will be limited to two per booking, and you can only book in your social bubbles. They can accommodate groups of three or more, they just ask you to contact them via email to process the booking. On the door tickets will not be available for the autumn season. Masks will need to be worn unleess medically exempt.

Things to help you...

Don't forget that although we are not doing face-to-face training under the current situation we can do much of our training online using Microsoft Teams or Google Meet - literature searching, accessing journals, reference managment and critical appraisal. Please contact the library for further details or use our Book a Librarian form.

Things to eat... 

How about some Caribbean flavours this week - we like this easy recipe for Jerk chicken thighs from Levi Roots

Things in the library 18th Sept...

Things to challenge you... 

Our latest 70th birthday library quiz takes you on a tour around our library catalogue and leads you to some treasure....don't miss out on the chance to win! Still time to enter...also a useful exercise in how to find our resources!

Things to help you... 

Many of you have already had out one-to-one training on Mendeley Reference Managing software. If you are doing any sort of studying, research or writing we thoroughly recommend using this free tool. If you want training then  please use our Book a Librarian service. If you are already a Mendeley user then you might like to start using the New Menderley Reference Manager.

Providing ways to help you efficiently store, organize, annotate and share references, Mendeley Reference Manager has a range of new time-saving features, including:

• A unified experience — the new desktop and web versions are identical in look and functionality, allowing you to switch seamlessly between the two and work how and where you want
• Always up-to-date — new automatic sync gives you peace of mind that your changes are saved and that you’re always working with your latest references and notes
• Connected thinking — new Mendeley Notebook allows you to collate your notes and highlights from across multiple PDFs in one place, keeping your thoughts organized, accessible and retrievable

Things about autistic people... 

The National Autistic Society has published a report on the impact of coronavirus on autistic people and their families, including children. Findings from the report, which surveyed 4,232 autistic people and families in the UK during June and July, include: 68% of family members said their autistic child was anxious about the loss of routine brought on by disruption to education and that 65% said their autistic child couldn't do online work.

Things to join in... 

University of Sheffield has just started their Festival of the Mind event - this year online - it runs from 17th-27th September and brings together University academics and professionals from Sheffield’s cultural, creative and digital industries to bring their research to life in exciting, entertaining and innovative ways. Events are available as podcasts and there really is something for everyone. This morning, for example, health researcher Dr Chris Blackmore and Nick Bax, Creative Director of Human Design studio, talked about using virtual reality as a storytelling and therapeutic tool for improving mental health and wellbeing and a later event has Christine Gregory share stories from The Land That Made Us – a book based on the personal accounts of farmers of the South West Peak District. The accounts were collected by Christine as part of an oral history project exploring farming lives in the region.

Things to eat... 

I managed a quick weekend to the Netherlands last weekend to deliver my son to his new home, The Dutch have always had fabulous bakeries and their Indonesian food is also very special. When we lived there 30 years ago it was still quite unusual for private homes to have ovens so people didn't make their own cakes. Something you will see more in cafes than shops is Appelgebak a cross between an apple pie and a cake. With a large glut of apples at the moment it seems a shame not to have a go at making one myself. This recipe is American (it was that or Dutch langiage) so uses cup measurements. There is a conversion chart here if you need it.

Things in the library 11 Sept...

 Thimgs to hunt down...

Don't forget to enter our 70th birthday quiz and treasure hunt in our online catalogue. Click on this link  entries before 17:00  30th Sept, no-one has found all the treasure yet!

Things changing their time... 

The Reading Group, which continues to meet online every month, is changing the meeting time to 18:30 - 19:30 if this means you might now be able to join us then please email the library to ask to be put on the mailing list for details. Our next meeting is Oct 7th - chatting about 'The versions of us' by Laura Barnett.

Things about child well-being... 

UNICEF have released a report 'Worlds of Influence Understanding What Shapes Child Well-being in Rich Countries'. A new look at children from the world’s richest countries offers a mixed picture of their health, skills and happiness. For far too many, issues such as poverty, exclusion and pollution threaten their mental well-being, physical health and opportunities to develop skills. Even countries with good social, economic and environmental conditions are a long way from meeting the targets set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Focused and accelerated action is needed if these goals are to be met. The report looks at what makes a 'good' childhood in terms of mental and physical health and skills for life.

Things about digital technology... 

A briefing has been published from the Nuffield Trust on the use of digital technology in the NHS during COVID-19. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the adoption of digital technology in the NHS and changes to the way services are delivered at an incredible pace. So as the health service works hard to get back to something like normality, are all the elements of this sea change in digital practice positive, or do some adaptations need further scrutiny before they become more deeply embedded? 

Things about sport..health..technology...autism... 

Whilst driving to the Northern General this week (to return some items borrowed from their Heritage Centre) I caught this programme on BBC Radio 4 which was really interesting. Steve Haake, Professor of Sports Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University, and Jim al-Khalili discussed how technology transforms sport and the health benefits of Parkrun in the series the Life Scientific. I often find these short programmes fascinating - the previous one was a discussion with Professor Francesca Happé about her research into the the abilities and assets of people with autism and how she recognised autism in women.

Things about menopause... 

Requested by a group in SCH who have been meeting online to chat about the menopause, we have added this book to our Leisure Reading collection recently. If you wish to reserve or request it you can do so via our library catalogue.

Things to eat... 

A vegan/vegitarian smoked spiced veggie rice' this week, a take on a jambalaya.

Things in the library 4th Sept...

Things about treasure... 

As part of our ongoing (and sadly curtailed) 70th birthday celebrations September sees the launch of our library catalogue quiz and treasure hunt...there is a prize for the winner! Quiz entries to be submitted by 17:00 September 30th and the quiz can be accessed here. All the answers can be found on our library catalogue and you don't need to login to find the answers. Although if you are a library user there are additional services open to you in managing your library account if you do login - ask us if you need a PIN. 

Things to read... 

The last book the Reading group read was 'When I had a little sister' which was given a score of 75% and our next read is'The Versions of us' by Laura Barnett on 7th October. One of the themes of the book we have just read related to the isolation of farming families so the report below seemed an interesting one to include in this week's blog.

Things about the countryside... 

Living in rural and remote areas can create distinct challenges for children’s mental health. Poor transport infrastructure, fewer local choices, alienation and isolation, poor digital connectivity, and a lack of opportunities to socialise with peers outside of school can all have an impact on children and their wellbeing.

Children in sparsely populated areas also face significant barriers to accessing support, and years of cuts to public services have made it even harder for local services to offer children the help they need. These difficulties are disproportionately experienced by children living in poverty (which is often more hidden in rural areas), children who have complex needs and children who face other risks of exclusion, alienation and marginalisation (such as young carers, disabled children, children from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and LGBTQ+ children).

Funded by BBC Children in Need, The space between us explores evidence about the mental health and wellbeing of children aged between 8 and 13 years living in isolated communities across the UK. Half of mental health problems emerge before the age of 14, and therefore opportunities to intervene in the preceding years could make a significant difference by increasing protective factors and minimising risks of poor mental health.

The report calls for action to boost children’s mental health in rural and coastal communities. This includes funding for local councils to improve wellbeing, investment in digital infrastructure in places that have been left behind, and developing promising approaches to supporting children’s wellbeing such as mobile support services, peer support networks and better use of existing community spaces.

Things about patient safety... 

The requirement for NHS organisations in England to identify one or more person as their designated Patient Safety Specialist(s) is a key part of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. These specialists will work full time as patient safety experts, providing dynamic, senior leadership, visibility and support. In addition, they will support the development of a patient safety culture, safety systems and improvement activity. Specialists will also work in networks with Patient Safety Specialists from other organisations to share good practice and learn from each other, making them fundamental to patient safety across the NHS in England. Ultimately each Patient Safety Specialist will be fully trained in the national patient safety syllabus. A website with more information is available.

Things about food insecurity... 

An article about food insecurity in BMC Public Health seemed timely as more people are being affected by this in the UK. As more people are living with one or more chronic health conditions, supporting patients to become activated, self-managers of their conditions has become a key health policy focus both in the UK and internationally. There is also growing evidence in the UK that those with long term health conditions have an increased risk of being food insecure. While international evidence indicates that food insecurity adversely affects individual’s health condition management capability, little is known about how those so affected manage their condition(s) in this context. An investigation of lived experience of health condition management was undertaken with food insecure people living in north east Scotland. The study aimed to explore the challenges facing food insecure people in terms of:

• their self-care condition management practices 
• disclosing and discussing the experience of managing their condition with a health care professional
• notions of the support they might wish to receive from them. 

Things about child health... 

 The Institute for Public Policy Research states that the UK health has improved radically in the 20th century, but progress has since stalled. The believe the UK now has the opportunity to make another ‘giant leap’ forward; to achieve this, the government will need to address growing levels of ‘health risk’ faced by children. Any progress would be good for health, business and the economy. Their report The Whole Society Approach: making a giant leap on childhood health  is available.

Things about children online... 

Data sits at the heart of the digital services children use every day. From the moment a young person opens an app, plays a game or loads a website, data begins to be gathered. Who’s using the service? How are they using it? How frequently? Where from? On what device? That information may then inform techniques used to persuade young people to spend more time using services, to shape the content they are encouraged to engage with, and to tailor the advertisements they see. For all the benefits the digital economy can offer children, we are not currently creating a safe space for them to learn, explore and play. This new statutory code of practice on age appropriate design looks to change that, not by seeking to protect children from the digital world, but by protecting them within it.

Things about post Covid... 

A report from The Health Foundation Generation 'COVID-19 Building the case to protect young people’s future health'. Emerging evidence on the economic and social impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shows that young people aged 12–24 years are one of the worst-affected groups, particularly in terms of the labour market and mental health outcomes.

Things about a good childhood... 

A report from the Children's Society states that there has been a continued decrease in average happiness with life among 10-15 year olds in the UK. 

• Happiness with friends is in decline.
• 15-year olds in the UK were among the saddest and least satisfied with their lives in Europe.
• The Coronavirus pandemic affected children’s happiness due to the lack of choice they had in life.

Things to eat...

We had this Smoked mackerel pilau rice earlier this week, I was a little sceptical about what it would be like but it was actually really good, we added the eggs as suggested.