Things in the library 17th January...

Things about healthcare systems...

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services published a position paper 'A health care system that works for all children' last year (ADCS is the national leadership association in England for statutory directors of children's services and their senior teams). In their executive summary they state:

"ADCS members believe that now, more than ever, there is a real need for a national commitment to ensure that the NHS of the future has children at it’s heart and children’s health and wellbeing services are given parity with those of older people."

Things about CAMHS...

The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has published its Annual Report on access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The study examines access to specialist services, waiting times for treatment, and provision for the most vulnerable children in England. The research is based on new data obtained using freedom of information (FOI) requests to mental health providers and local authorities over the course of a year. This data is not published by the NHS. The majority of lifelong mental health problems develop early on, during childhood or adolescence. The wider economic costs of mental ill health in England are vast, estimated at £105bn each year.

Things in the news today...
Sepsis
Global, regional, and national sepsis incidence and mortality, 1990–2017: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study is the article on which the headlines are commenting. The interpretation of the results from the authors is:

"Despite declining age-standardised incidence and mortality, sepsis remains a major cause of health loss worldwide and has an especially high health-related burden in sub-Saharan Africa."

Social Media
Along with exploring the impact of screen time generally, this paper 'Technology use and the mental health of children and young people' from the Royal College of Psychiatrists also explores the impact of different types of screen use: negative content; how vulnerable groups may be affected such as those with mental health problems and very young
children; potential for bullying and safeguarding issues; as well as the potential for addiction. In addition, guidance is provided for children and young people, parents and carers, clinicians and teachers.

Things about patient feedback...

The National Institute for Health Research published a themed review this week on Improving Care by Using Patient Feedback. There are many different reasons for looking at patient experience feedback data. Data is most often used for performance assessment and benchmarking in line with regulatory body requirements,  making comparisons with other healthcare providers or to assess progress over time. Staff are sometimes unaware of the feedback, or when they are, they struggle to make sense of it in a way that can lead to improvements. They are not always aware of unsolicited feedback, such as that received online and when they are, they are often uncertain how to  respond. 

• Staff need the time, skills and resources to make changes in practice. In many organisations, feedback about patient experience is managed in different departments from those that lead quality improvement. Whilst most organisations have a standardised method for quality improvement, there is less clarity and consistency in relation to using patient experience data.
• Staff act on informal feedback in ways that are not always recognised as improvement. Where change does happen, it tends to be on transactional tasks rather than relationships and the way patients feel. 
• The research featured in this review shows that these challenges can be overcome and provides recommendations and links to practical resources for services and staff.

Things to take part in...
The next Randomised Coffee Trial will be taking place in the SCH Trust in February. Sign-up now via this link . If you previously asked to be included in all future RCTs there is no need to sign up again. If you are new to the Trust - our RCTs run two or three times a year, you sign up and are randomly matched to someone else and you arrange to meet at a mutually convenient time for 30-40 mins to chat about anything you like. It is a good way of meeting new colleagues, taking time out and widening networks. The positive responses we get show how much it is enjoyed. Last time we had a few people who signed up but then didn't make contact with their matchee..please be courteous and inform the library and the other person if you cannot meet so that we can try to re-match the other person.

Things to make...
If you want a nice brunch dish there are some good suggestions here based on baked eggs.