Things in the library 9th November...

Things about millennium children...

The Centre for Mental Health and UCL’s Institute of Education have published a report 'Children of the Millennium' which finds that one child in every twelve in the UK has behavioural problems from a young age into their teenage years, putting them at risk of a lifetime of disadvantage and poor health. Children with persistent problems are much more likely to have a multitude of risks early in life, including poverty and housing insecurity, parental mental illness and developmental delay.

The project focused on the analysis of pathways of conduct problems during childhood, comparing the pathways by gender; the impact of multiple risks over time; and pathways of conduct disorder for children with multiple mental health difficulties.
As a result of this work, they are calling for:

• Concerted action across government to reduce the risk of severe and persistent behavioural problems
• Government to seek to reduce child poverty and housing insecurity
• The NHS to continue to boost mental health support to new parents
• Local authorities to get the funding they need to boost early years services such as Sure Start and to offer evidence-based parenting programmes to families with the greatest needs.

Things about babies and expectant mothers... 

Progress on stillbirths and neonatal and infant mortality has slowed down in the UK in recent years. This explainer from Nuffield Trust looks at the possible reasons why, and what can be done about it.

Things about the High Street...

The Royal Society for Public Health has a new report  'Health on the High Street: Running on Empty 2018' as part of its campaign to offer practical guidance for local authorities and members of the public who want to make their high streets more health-promoting. Their research looked at the health impact of a range of high street outlets – extending their 2015 analysis to include vape shops, convenience stores, off-licences, cafes, and empty shops – and used this measure to rank Britain’s major towns and cities by the impact of their high streets on the public’s health and wellbeing.

A key finding was around the proliferation of empty shops on Britain’s high streets – their clustering in more deprived areas, and the negative impact they can have on community wellbeing and spirit, representing a decline in community assets. 

Things about reading group...

We have just finished reading 'The Turn of the Screw' and our next meeting on Wed 5th December at 17:15 we are sharing Winter / Christmas poems or short extracts accompanied by seasonal drinks & mince pies. We will also be choosing our reading for the next few months – please email your suggestions in advance.

Things about children...

The University of Sheffield has published a series of policy briefings on working against the challenges faced by children and ensuring they have the best possible chances in life. The four policy briefings cover: the effectiveness of early intervention; single parent families; the role of voluntary organisations in supporting and monitoring young carers; the services provided for young people leaving care.

• Care proceedings in England: the case for clear blue water 

• Stop the clock: how can we prevent young carers undertaking inappropriate of excessive care? 

• Family portrait: single parent families and transitions over time 

• Turning 18: independence or cliff edge? 

Things about keeping unwell children out of hospital...

As part of the King's Fund series 'Practical approaches to delivering better value in the NHS' this blog is from a paediatrician at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  'Better value and a better night's sleep: keeping acutely unwell children and adults out of hospital'  discusses their concept of a ‘virtual hospital’ that adds value by both improving quality (using patient experience and outcomes as key indicators) and reducing costs.

Things to make...

Seeing as the winner of Great British Bake off was a University of Sheffield researcher I thought we ought to have one of his recipes...one of the easier ones! I hope to try this one for chocolate-dipped orange madeleines at the weekend so fingers crossed! 

 

Things in the library 2nd February...

Things long lost...

We had a package delivered to the library this week, on opening it we found a bound copy of Sheffield Children's Hospital Annual reports for 1930 - 1948. Accompanying the volume was a note of apology from a doctor who had been clearing out their office and found the volume which they think they have had for over 30 years. These make fascinating reading covering the war years and the time when W.R.S. Stephenson was Chairman of the Board of Management (after whom this building is named). From the Rules  & Regulations 1930
"Patients may present themselves for admission from 10.00 to 11.45 am - no one will be admitted after 11.45. No child may be visited until one month after admission excepting in the case of serious illness. The visiting day is Saturday from 2.15 to 3.15 pm."

Also in 1930 a new nurses home was opened (13 Broomfield Road) costing £2164 8s 11d and concern was raised about the 80% of medical beds being occupied by Rheumatic Children.

Cots were sponsored and paid for by numerous individuals and organisation eg in 1933 Messrs Cole Brothers Ltd maintained a cot annually to be known as the 'Uncle Jumbo Cot'.
On the 19th October the Countess of Fitzwilliam handed over to the hospital a 'Wireless Installation' subscribed for by readers of a local newspaper. [Note to our younger readers this was a radio]

There are regular reports from the Knitting Circle (making woolies for the patients) and the Linen League who sewed clothes, sheets and other items for the hospital. The interestingly named ultra-violet and massage departments had plenty of patients.

In 1947 the board decided to appoint a full-time paediatric surgeon for the first time; the average length of stay of an in-patient was 17 days and the average number of beds occupied daily was 158. They looked forward to being called upon to play a vital role in the forthcoming comprehensive National Health Service.

Things about tuberculosis...
A disease that would have been well known in the Children's Hospital of the past is still with us, the World Health Organisation aims to end the TB epidemic by 2035 this article discusses the recent trends and advances in childhood tuberculosis.


Things about the NHS...

The Kings Fund have published a report on how public attitudes have changed to the NHS during the last three decades. Conclusion: Through the BSA survey, the British public has shared its views on the NHS for the past 34 years, which covers almost half of the NHS’s 70-year history. Remarkably, despite substantial technological, economic and social change, the belief that the NHS should be available to all and free at the point of use has remained largely stable unlike views on welfare. In contrast, the public has also shown marked differences in their level of satisfaction with the NHS over the same period. As the NHS turns 70, they want to explore further why the public feels the way it does. Later this year, The King’s Fund will be carrying out a series of deliberative events with the public, to explore the relationship between the public and the NHS. They will be asking people what their expectations of the NHS are, where responsibility for health should lie and what is the implicit contract between users and the health service in terms of rights and responsibilities? They hope to find out more about the public’s current relationship with the NHS and feed into the debate about what it might (or should) look like in future.

Things about early nutrition...
Maternal prenatal nutrition and the child's nutrition in the first 2 years of life (1000 days) are crucial factors in a child’s neurodevelopment and lifelong mental health. Child and adult health risks, including obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, may be programmed by nutritional status during this period. Calories are essential for growth of both fetus and child but are not sufficient for normal brain development. Although all nutrients are necessary for brain growth, key nutrients that support neurodevelopment include protein; zinc; iron; choline; folate; iodine; vitamins A, D, B6, and B12; and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Failure to provide key nutrients during this critical period of brain development may result in lifelong deficits in brain function despite subsequent nutrient repletion. Read more about this in Advocacy for Improving Nutrition in the First 1000 Days To Support Childhood Development and Adult Health a policy statement from American Academy of Pediatrics.

Things about care leavers...
The Care Leavers Association (CLA) has published findings from a study into the health needs of care leavers. Recommendations from a survey of the health needs of 418 care leavers of all ages include: the health needs of looked after children and care leavers to be a distinct section in the Joint Strategic Needs; that a young person in care has a comprehensive health assessment at entry into care which is then monitored and updated on a regular basis; the commissioning of a range of mental health and wellbeing services that specifically support looked after children and care leavers.
The CLA has also produced a Commissioning Toolkit for care leavers to guide commissioners to better meet the needs of care leavers through the commission process, and a short guide, created by care leavers, on how to work with adolescent children in care and care leavers.

Things to keep you warm...
I love making soups in the winter and usually thrown in whatever I think will work. A soup based around butternut squash is always popular - you can add a sprinkle of cheese or some fried bacon bits on top just before serving or use creme fraiche or yogurt as in this recipe.

Things in the library 1st Dec...

Things for clinical answers...

We often mention how useful TRIP Databse is for evidence based medicine and it just got even better. They have just announced that DynaMed Plus content has been added to TRIP. Even though our institution does not currently subscribe to DynaMed you will be able to access 10 free 'views' each month. Remember that you need to sign into TRIP and have a current NHSAthens account  or University of Sheffield login to access the PRO features of TRIP without charge.

Things about yoga...

During the 20th century, yoga became increasingly recognised outside India, and over the past decades it has continued to grow in popularity worldwide as a system for promoting health and well-being. While modern yoga often focuses on physical poses and is sometimes thought of as a type of exercise, the practice usually incorporates one or more of the mental or spiritual elements that are traditionally part of yoga, such as relaxation, concentration, or meditation. For this reason, yoga is considered a mind-body exercise. There are currently many different types or schools of yoga, each with a different emphasis on and approach to practice. It is widely thought that some of these yoga practices may help treat or prevent physical or mental illnesses, and improve overall quality of life. There is therefore a need for information on the potential health benefits and harms of yoga.
This Cochrane Library Special Collection of systematic reviews on yoga focuses on reviews evaluating the effectiveness of yoga for improving physical or mental symptoms and quality of life in a range of health conditions. It has been developed to bring the best available evidence on the health-related effects of yoga to the attention of the general public, patients, health professionals, and other decision makers, and to inform choices on the use of yoga to improve health and well-being.

Things about searching for evidence...

If you want a basic introduction to literature searching skills to access online you might be interested in ‘Building the Foundations’  three modules to enable users to assess their current level of skill in literature searching, find out more about the resources available and get started planning a search. The modules are aimed at anyone doing a literature search on a health related topic. They are primarily targeted towards novice searchers or those who would like a refresher.  Each module has a glossary explaining key terminology in further detail.
Module 1 Introduction to searching  
Module 2 Where do I start searching? 
Module 3 How do I start to develop a search strategy? 
A login is not required to access the modules. To by-pass the need to log in, click continue when presented with the sign-in pop-up. If you wish to track your learning along with other modules within e-Learning for Healthcare, you can login with your NHS OpenAthens account.

For more in-depth and personalised training on literature searching then book a free individual 1 hour session with us via our Book a Librarian service.

Things about children in hospitals...
The CQC have published the results of their latest survey (2016), which looks at the experiences of children, young people and their parents and carers attending hospital for treatment as an inpatient or day case. Overall children and young people’s experiences of inpatient and day case care were mostly positive. The majority of children and young people said they were well looked after while in hospital, staff were friendly and that they received answers to their questions. Most parents and carers reported positive experiences for how their child’s pain was managed and for receiving enough information about new medication. For more information on key findings for England, please see the statistical release, which provides the results for all questions and contextual policy information.
The survey results suggest there is scope for improvement in a number of areas, including:

• Children and young people having enough things to do whilst in hospital
• Involving children and young people in decision making
• Being treated on age appropriate wards

These results for NHS Trusts show how trusts performed on individual questions in the survey. The technique used to analyse these results allows the CQC to identify which trusts they can confidently say performed 'better', 'worse' or 'about the same' when compared with other trusts.

Things about perinatal deaths...
The MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Confidential Enquiry Report 2017 has been published this week and focuses on term, singleton, intrapartum stillbirths and intrapartum-related neonatal deaths. Since the last confidential enquiry into intrapartum stillbirths and intrapartum-related deaths in 1993-1995, overall stillbirth rates have reduced by just over a fifth and neonatal death rates by over a third. Nevertheless the UK rates are still high compared with other European and other high income countries. Whilst term intrapartum stillbirths and intrapartum-related neonatal deaths account for only a small proportion of extended perinatal mortality rates, improvements in care during labour, delivery and immediately following birth should reduce such cases apart from those that are inevitable. This enquiry focuses on intrapartum-related deaths, specifically those born at term, excluding major congenital anomalies but including those anomalies where the cause of death was felt to be related to the intrapartum period rather than the anomaly. The premise of the enquiry was if a baby was determined to be alive at the onset of labour at term then the expected outcome would be a healthy
infant.  Read the full text http://bit.ly/2BzAFou

Things about our reading group...
Our last meeting of 2017 is on Wed 6th December...and it's the time to choose what we will read for the next few months. So if you would like to join us do come along to the library at 17:15 for seasonal fare and a chat about books. The book we will be discussing in January is Terry Pratchett's 'Hogfather' perfect Christmas reading.

Thinking about Pratchett reminds me of a quote from one of his books (Judgement Day) which I feel could apply to any conference delegate (as well as wizards) ..."The senior wizards, eyeing the chocolate biscuits on the tray brought in by the tea lady, listened with as much attention as could be expected from wizards momentarily afflicted with chocolate starvation."

So something chocolatey...
These crunchy chocolate and orange biscotti could be made as a gift or enjoyed  with a cup of coffee or more decadently dipped in hot cocoa!