Things in the library 6 Nov...

 Things still open... 

The Illingworth Library will be remaining open during 'Lockdown 2'. The opening hours are 8:45 - 17:00 Mon - Friday but most of our services are available remotely, so there is no need to come into the library if you do not wish to do so. 

We will be issuing books as normal during this time and so will be continuing to charge fines.

If your book is due for return and you are not able to (or do not wish to) do so in person then please renew it to avoid charges. You can renew books by logging in to your library account online http://illingworth.cirqahosting.com/ or by using the library app, by phone or by email.

If you do visit the library please only do so if you are well. You must wear a mask , observe social distancing and use the hand sanitisers and wipes provided for you.

Things to celebrate...

The winner of our library catalogue treasure hunt was Louisa Wallbridge and Tom Mann won a prize for recommending someone new to take part in the Randomised Coffee Trial, both these events were part of our library 70th birthday celebrations. Well done both of you!

Things to read and plan... 

Our next Virtual Reading Group meeting is 2nd Dec where we will be discussing The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier and choosing books to read next year.  It is our Christmas party so members may dress in festive garb, have hats, mince pies and mulled wine…or just turn up online completely normal if  they wish! The meeting will start at 18:30 but may last longer than normal. Contact the library if you wish to be added to the mailing list.

The Silver Sword is taken from accounts of actual events, the silver sword became the symbol of hope and courage which kept four deserted and starving children alive through the years of occupation in Warsaw, and afterwards on the search to find their parents.

Things about society...  

A free, online festival showcases the University of Sheffield’s world-leading social science researchers and their work on tackling some of the greatest problems facing society today.

Join them from 7-15 November for a series of talks, debates, films, podcasts and interactive exhibitions. This is part of the national ESRC Festival of Social Science. Details of events and exhibitions can be found on these links.

Things about disadvantge during Covid-19...

Oxford Brookes University has published a study looking at family life and early child development in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic. Findings, based on the experiences of over 500 parents of under-3-year-olds, include: 90% of families reported an increase in enriching activities (like talking, reading and playing together) during lockdown; however, during, but not before, lockdown socio-economically disadvantaged parents were less likely to engage in enriching activities with their children. 

They recommend that

• Children from disadvantaged families should be given extra support to promote their early development
• Communal outdoor spaces and libraries should be closed only as a last resort in lockdowns

Things about child growth... 

In the news today a study which aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. If you want to read more than the news headlines then the full article is available. their interpretation of results is that the height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks. Some very colourful infographics!

Things to make... 

No big bonfire parties this year for us sadly though we will still be setting off a few fireworks tomorrow and eating some festive fare. Probably we will be streaming the event to our son in the Netherlands, to whom I had to post an emergency pack of stuffing this week so that he can also make our famous pork sandwiches! Given my store of apples I might have a go at these homemade toffee apples. 

 

Things in the library 5th April...

Things to attend...or present...

The RCN International Nursing Research Conference 2019 is being held in Sheffield 3rd to 5th September. The over-arching theme of this year's conference is: Impact. There is still just time to answer the call for abstracts (11th April) so if you have some research ready to go this is your chance.

Things to read...
Our last Reading Group book 'This is going to hurt' by Adam Kay was both very funny and also sad, mostly liked by the group and we had an interesting discussion with views from consultants and those thinking about careers in medicine (work experience visitors), alongside  a variety of non-medics. Our next book is a thriller 'Hold my Hand' by M J Ford and our meeting will be on 1st May at 17:15. We are always happy to welcome new people - so come and try us out - we are very friendly.

Things about child measurement...
Public Health England have published 'National Child Measurement Programme: a conversation framework for talking to parents'. This document provides guidance and resources for school nurses, their teams and other professionals running the National Child Measurement Programme.

Things about integrated care systems...
NHS England has produced the following case studies showing how integrated care systems are supporting a number of health care areas:

• Integrated care in action – children and young people
• Group clinics for parents of children with sickle cell anaemia
• Paediatric Screening – a new play specialist approach

Things about nurses...

Globally there are mounting concerns about nurses' job satisfaction because of its pivotal role in nurse turnover and the quality of care of patients. This literature review aims to identify a more comprehensive and extensive knowledge of the job satisfaction of qualified general nurses working in acute care hospitals and its associated factors drawing upon empirical literature published in the last five years.

Things about Autism...and libraries

The House of Commons library has published a briefing which provides an overview of policies and services for people with autism, primarily in England.

It is estimated that more than half a million people in England have autism, which is equivalent to more than 1% of the population. There is however no national register or exact count kept of the number of people with the condition.

The full report can be downloaded here.  

Did you know The House of Commons Library is an independent research and information unit. It provides impartial information for Members of Parliament of all parties and their staff. This service supports MPs in their work scrutinising Government, proposing legislation, and supporting constituents. They have Brexit explainer (!) videos, podcasts and all sorts of interesting information on their website. I also believe they have to stay open whilst ever the House is sitting.

Things about Sheffield...

NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have announced they will be investing an additional £615,500 in children and young people’s mental health support. This funding has been committed in partnership with Sheffield City Council, as part of Sheffield’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy for Children and Young People. The funding, which was agreed at the CCG’s governing body earlier this year, will come in to place in April 2019. Some of the funding will be used to sustain and expand Door 43, which is based at Star House in Sheffield City Centre and provided by Sheffield Futures and Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.

Things to make...

I do like a nice tray bake and this vegetarian one sounds lovely.  Moroccan freekeh tray bake ...I didn't know what Freekeh is so looked it up. It is a green grain made from young durum wheat which is roasted or smoked then polished to remove the shells.  The grain is then cracked to varying degrees of coarseness. Freekeh is mentioned in the Bible and was reportedly discovered by accident when soldiers in the Eastern Mediterranean tried to ruin the crop by setting fire to wheat fields.  In trying to salvage what they could, the locals discovered that if the burnt shells were removed, delicious green grains were revealed. The grains are pale green/brown and similar in texture to bulgar wheat.  

Things in the library 4th May...

Things about robots...
Nesta has published Confronting Dr Robot: creating a people-powered future for AI in health.  This report explores how artificial intelligence (AI) might be used in the UK, how AI-enabled healthcare might look and feel and suggests what can be done to maximise benefits and minimise harm.  The report argues there is currently a window of opportunity to put in place measures that ensure the technology develops into 'People Powered AI'; supporting care that is simple, gives patients control, is centred around an equal dialogue, is accountable and equitable.



Things about obesity...
An article in Obesity Reviews discusses "Effects of multidisciplinary interventions on weight loss and health outcomes in children and adolescents with morbid obesity." The influence of age, gender and family participation on health outcomes and intensive treatment alternatives are explored. They conclude that there is not a 'one-size-fits-all' treatment approach, and matched care to personal needs is preferable. The integration of a chronic care approach is critical for the successful adaption of sustainable health behaviours.

Things to be reading...
Our next reading group will be on Wednesday 6th June at 17:15. We will be discussing 'The Museum of Extraordinary Things' by Alice Hoffman.

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that amazes and stimulates the crowds. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father's “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man photographing moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

Everyone welcome (whether you've read the book or not!) Come and join our informal discussion. Refreshments will be served.

Things to attend...


The next Journal club will be on Thursday 10th May 8.00 am - 9.00 am, in the Education and Skills Centre, F Floor, Stephenson Wing. The paper can be requested from the library.
Paper:​ Motivational Interviewing and Dietary Counseling for Obesity in Primary Care: An RCT 
Journal Club is open to all health professionals and is a fun, informal way of learning to criticize papers and gather evidence to change practice. At each meeting a speaker presents a critical appraisal of a research paper, using a recognised appraisal tool such as CASP. Group members then have an informal discussion to determine whether or not current practice should be altered in light of the presenter's findings.  Muffins and drinks provided.

Things to ponder...
A couple of editorials you might like to read in Acta Paediatrica "Identifying the cause and preventing childhood deaths"   and  "Promoting short-term and long-term health: keep the growth track!" 





Things about Literacy and life expectancy...

The National Literacy Trust has produced an evidence review exploring the link between literacy and life expectancy in England through health and socioeconomic factors. This report explores existing research from a wide range of sources, including longitudinal data and analysis, academic journals, and domestic and international surveys, to establish the depth of the relationship between literacy and life expectancy.
The report found that children born into communities with the most serious literacy challenges have some of the lowest life expectancies in England:

A boy born in Stockton Town Centre (which has some of the most serious literacy challenges in the country) has a life expectancy 26.1 years shorter than a boy born in North Oxford (which has some of the fewest literacy challenges)

A girl born in Queensgate, Burnley (which has some of the most serious literacy challenges in the country), has a life expectancy 20.9 years shorter than a girl born in Mayfield, Wealdon (which has some of the fewest literacy challenges)

They conclude: This report demonstrates the extreme gravity of local inequality and makes the challenge to close the literacy gap between communities. By closing gaps in education, employment and health at a local level, we can ensure that every child has the chance to live a happy, healthy, successful and long life, regardless of their background.

Things about offenders...
Barnardo’s has launched a new website National Information Centre on Children of Offenders (NICCO), which replaces i-HOP. The website provides resources, information on services, policy developments, events, training opportunities and practice models to professionals who come into contact with the children and families of offenders in England and Wales, as well as academics and those responsible for strategic development and commissioning.

Things for the Bank Holiday...
The weather is forecast to be good for this weekend so if you fancy getting out into the countryside there are plenty of activities to choose from at  National Trust  and Peak District National Park 

Things to eat...
So for a nice summer starter or even for a picnic these goat's cheese and shallot tarts sound perfect.

If you are not working have a lovely weekend and Bank Holiday and remember we will be closed on Monday.

Things in the library 25 August...

Things newly published...
The Lancet has just launched a new journal 'The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health' you can keep abreast of the articles by signing up for their email alerts or you can sign up for our Paediatric medicine e-prompt service which will include this journal along with others that we monitor. We have e-prompts on many specialist subjects and anyone can sign up to receive them.




Things about obesity...

The Department of Health has announced £5 million of funding for a new obesity policy research unit at University College London. One year on from the launch of the childhood obesity plan, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Obesity Policy Research Unit has been set up to provide resource for long term research into childhood obesity. It will give independent advice to policy makers and analysts, and develop understanding on the causes of childhood obesity, looking at social inequalities, the early years of childhood, and marketing to children and families. It will also help to evaluate action that has been taken so far, to make sure the plan works for those who need it most. In addition, the government tasked Public Health England (PHE) to look at why children are eating too many calories.

Things about allergy growth and nutrition...
A letter in pediatric Allergy and Immunology discusses 'Striking the balance between primary prevention of allergic disease and optimal infant growth and nutrition. '
The timing of introduction of solids and/or complementary feeds continues to be an area of intense interest with respect to allergy prevention and general optimal infant nutrition. There is recent evidence from RCTs and a meta-analysis, that the earlier introduction of peanut (between 4 and 11 months) and egg (between 4 and 6 months), in infants at higher risk of allergic disease, may be beneficial. However, concerns have been raised over the impact this may have on duration of breastfeeding, nutrition and growth, when a high protein and calorie-containing food, such as egg or peanut, is introduced. Duration of breast feeding appears to have little impact on development of allergic disease, but is important for protection against overweight and obesity, diabetes and childhood infections (particularly in resource poor settings). Read the full letter here

Things about mental health...
The Royal Colleges of GPs (RCGP), Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and Psychiatrists (RCPsych) have committed to five shared principles that they hope will lead to tangible actions to improve the care and support of children and young people (CYP) with mental health problems.
Following the development of the joint principles, the three Colleges have committed to a number of ongoing actions. These include ensuring the highest quality training and standards in CYP mental health; supporting the development of evidence based models of care that are focused on integration of care; and calling for greater investment and resources to be focused on developing services in CYP friendly settings that promote early intervention and resilience.

Things about patient flow...
Technology to track beds, equipment, staff and patients through a hospital has been used in the USA for years, with positive effect, and now there is growing interest in employing it in the NHS. Sophie Castle-Clarke (Nuffield Trust) joined a group of NHS leaders to look at how this technology has made a difference to flow and operational management in two different health care organisations in Florida. The results are impressive, although significant transformation is needed to realise the benefits.

Things about tobacco...
Several Member States in the WHO European Region are moving towards becoming tobacco-free: a smoking prevalence of 5% or less. Emphasis, in particular, is on protecting younger generations from smoking initiation and other tobacco-related harm. Protecting children from tobacco in the Region is essential, not only because smoking initiation is a key component of an important public health crisis, but also because Member States are responsible for supporting various children’s rights. This report highlights ongoing and emerging tobacco-related issues that affect children in the Region and examines the regulatory frameworks, commitments and other tools that Member States should use to protect children from tobacco. This also includes more novel approaches that could – and should – be used to pave the way towards a tobacco-free European Region.

Things about brisk walking...
You will have heard in the news this week about the added health benefits of a 10 min brisk walk...this was an update in 'Everybody active, every day: a framework to embed physical activity into daily life' first published in 2014. You can read all the evidence and associated documents from links on this page 


Things gluten-free...

(C) Gill Kaye 2017

We had our annual big family reunion picnic last Sunday at the lovely Charlecote Park (equidistant between Tunbridge Wells, Marlborough, Grantham, Stafford and Sheffield...the relations who live in Warwick had the quickest journey!). As one of my food contributions I made a sun-dried tomato 'bread' which was much appreciated by everyone - not just those GF.

Things in the library 21 April...

Things about fussy eating...
Fussy/picky eating – i.e. consistently avoiding certain foods – is common in childhood and can be worrisome for parents. Repeated exposure to various flavors as occurs in breastmilk and early exposure to complementary feeding may increase food acceptance and thereby decrease fussy eating. This study examines the associations between infant feeding and child fussy eating in 4779 participants of Generation R, a Dutch population-based cohort.  Results suggest that breastfeeding does not predict fussy eating. However, introducing vegetables into a child's diet before 5 months might be protective against fussy eating, although future research should account for parents' own fussy eating.

Things about growth & development...
This article "Postnatal growth in term infants born small for gestational age is associated with later neurocognitive and metabolic outcomes" systematically reviewed papers published in English between 1994 and October 2015 on how postnatal weight gain and growth affects neurodevelopment and metabolic outcomes in term-born small for gestational age (SGA) infants. Two randomised trials reported that enriched infant formulas that promoted early growth also increased fat mass, lean mass and blood pressure, but had no effect on early neurocognitive outcomes. Meanwhile, 31 observational studies reported consistent positive associations between postnatal weight gain and growth with neurocognitive outcomes, adiposity, insulin resistance and blood pressure. They concluded that few intervention studies exist, despite consistent positive associations between early growth and neurocognition in term-born SGA infants.

Things about social media...
A discussion paper entitled "Social Media Use and Children's Wellbeing" from University of Sheffield authors was shared on SSRN (SSRN is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of research and is composed of a number of specialised research networks.) This research explores the effect of children's digital social networking on their subjective wellbeing. Using a large representative sample of 10-15 year olds over the period 2010 to 2014 from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, and estimating the effect of time spent chatting on social websites on a number of outcomes which reflect how these children feel about different aspects of their life, specifically: school work; appearance; family; friends; school attended; and life as a whole. Their results suggest that spending more time on social networks reduces the satisfaction that children feel with all aspects of their lives, except for their friendships; and that girls suffer more adverse effects than boys. As well as addressing policy makers' concerns about the effects of digital technology on children, this work also contributes to wider debates about the socioeconomic consequences of the internet and digital technologies more generally, a debate which to date has largely been based on evidence from outside of the UK.

Things about Case Reviews...
The National Guardian's Office (NGO) will launch a twelve month trial of its new case review process on 22 May. The case review will commend areas of good practice, where NHS staff have been supported to raise concerns. It will also provide where evidence of where inappropriate practice is found and recommendations to help foster a positive change in speaking up culture. After the twelve month trial period, the case review process will be reviewed and any necessary changes and improvements will be made. Information on how to submit a case for review will shortly be available on the National Guardian’s Office web pages. You can download a draft summary  of how the case review process will work or view the feedback received so far.

Bristol Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) has published the report of the serious case review (SCR) into the death of a new mother and her four-day-old daughter. Key issues include: professionals lost focus on the unborn child, and appeared more focused on the needs of the mother who had mental health problems; professionals felt intimidated by an unpredictable and hostile service user, and became less confident in using their skills and expertise; the range of individual services working with pregnant women with mental ill-health made it difficult to coordinate multi-organisational working.

Things about adolescent health...
This study 'Educational Attainment at Age 10–11 Years Predicts Health Risk Behaviors and Injury Risk During Adolescence'  is based on life course theory, whereby low-educated individuals are exposed to cumulative disadvantage through socioeconomic adversity, chronic stress, and poor health lifestyles and environments, among other mechanisms. All those factors manifest over the long term and culminate in poorer health in late life. It was designed to contribute to this literature by examining the effect of educational attainment on adolescent health, using injury rates as a proxy for risk-taking behaviors. It concludes that "Interventions aimed at children with declining attainment in primary school could help to improve adolescent health."

Things about sleep...
The Sleep Copuncil's website has many interesting resources to help you get a better night's sleep. Including some 'nodcasts' for you to download they asked more than 2,000 people what sounds helped them to de-stress/get to sleep. Among the top answers were the sounds of birdsong, rain, thunder and lightning, waves and wind. So they have reproduced those sounds  for you to listen to whenever you need a soothing sound to help you off to sleep.

Something zingy...
Perhaps not the meal to eat just before bedtime but this Hot-smoked salmon salad with a chilli lemon dressing is lovely and fresh for spring after all the Easter chocolate, simnel cakes and hot-cross buns.