Quality Standards for Services Promoting Mental and Emotional Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention

These standards will apply to all organisations providing mental & emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention services which are funded by the PHA.

Standard of Healthy Living on the Island of Ireland

Pre-requisites for health are equity, minimum income, nutrition, peace, water, sanitation, housing, education, work, political will and public support (WHO, 1986). It has long been known that social disadvantage harms health (Black, 1980, Ettner, 1996). Many researchers have documented that those in lower socio-economic groups are more at risk of developing major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (Beaglehole and Yach, 2003, WHO, 2003a), diabetes (Wilder et al., 2005), and some cancers (Brunner et al., 1993, Strong et al., 2005), and are at a higher risk of having multiple risk factors associated with these diseases (Lynch et al., 1997). The living standards that many people enjoy and the behavioural choices they make are heavily determined by their access to resources such as income, wealth, goods and services (O’Flynn and Murphy, 2001). The most prominent explanation between disadvantage and health is that lack of resources restricts access to the fundamental conditions of health such as adequate housing (Macintyre et al., 2003, Macintyre et al., 2005), good nutrition (Nelson et al., 2002) and opportunities to participate in society (McDonough et al., 2005). Each of these issues are very much influenced by material and structural factors inherent to and determined by fiscal, social and health policy (Graham and Kelly, 2004, Milio, 1986).

Directory of Food Safety Laboratory Services

All laboratories play a key role in protecting public health by analysing the microbiological and chemical content of food so that it is safe to eat. On the island of Ireland there are many laboratories & institutions involved in food safety monitoring, surveillance, analysis and research. Some operate directly or are under the aegis of government departments, local and health authorities. Others are privately owned or within third level institutes of higher education and campus companies, and other laboratory establishments are funded or run by various national agencies. These laboratories produce high quality scientific information that benefits public health through routine testing and research encompassing a broad range of foods.

Introduction : la normalisation des services dans la mondialisation

This book examines the role of technical standards in the regulation of services at the international level. It brings together scholarship in international political economy, French regulation theory, and economic sociology in order to discuss the following questions: Which services are most likely to be internationalised and what actors are the most concerned by the phenomenon? What is the relationship between the internationalisation of services and their institutional environment? What is more particularly the role of technical standards in delivering and using services? The introductory chapter presents a comprehensive analysis of cutting edge research on these questions. It argues that technical standards shape new forms of collective action and transnational authority. The chapter suggests some hypotheses for a new research agenda.

What's in that bun? Nutrition takeout series

The beef burger is a common food on both the kitchen and restaurant table since the 1800s and is one of the most common choices on fast food menus. The main reason for this is because it is tasty, easily accessible, customisable, affordable and portable. In ROI, composite foods (i.e. foods made up of more than one ingredient) are an important source of meat, especially burgers, with the majority of burgers either being fried or grilled, and many eaten from takeaway outlets. With such easy access and with limited nutritional information available to consumers at point of sale, many people may not be aware of the nutritional content of what they are consuming or of the healthier options that may be available to them. Given the diversity of products available, this survey was designed to provide an insight into the energy (calorie), total fat, saturated fat, protein and salt content of a range of burgers from various takeaway outlets.

Examining Nutrition Surveillance on the island of Ireland

The food we eat is a key determinant of our health and the monitoring of nutritional status is an essential element of monitoring public health. On the island of Ireland (IOI) there has been a wealth of nutrition data collected contributing to the nutrition surveillance picture, although no formal nutrition surveillance system currently exists in either jurisdiction. This report outlines recent and current activities contributing to nutrition surveillance on IOI and makes recommendations for the future. This is with a view to maximising the use of resources and harnessing and maintaining expertise in this important domain using a joint programming approach.

Combination of enteral and parenteral nutrition in intensive care patients: A new concept of optimization

Undernutrition is a widespread problem in intensive care unit and is associated with a worse clinical outcome. A state of negative energy balance increases stress catabolism and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in ICU patients. Undernutrition-related increased morbidity is correlated with an increase in the length of hospital stay and health care costs. Enteral nutrition is the recommended feeding route in critically ill patients, but it is often insufficient to cover the nutritional needs. The initiation of supplemental parenteral nutrition, when enteral nutrition is insufficient, could optimize the nutritional therapy by preventing the onset of early energy deficiency, and thus, could allow to reduce morbidity, length of stay and costs, shorten recovery period and, finally, improve quality of life. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Birmingham My Choice Adult Weight Management Programme

The aims of this intervention are: To reduce adult obesity levels To improve access to weight management services in primary care. To improve access to weight management services for areas with high BME populations or poor access to commercial weight loss providers To improve diet and nutrition, promote healthy weight and increase levels of physical activity in overweight or obese patients. To support patients to make lifestyle changes to enable them to lose weight

Adult Learning Services

Evidence Review 4 - Adult learning services Briefing 4 - Adult learning services This pair of documents, commissioned by Public Health England, and written by the UCL Institute of Health Equity, address the role of participation in learning as an adult in improving health. There is evidence that involvement in adult learning has both direct and indirect links with health, for example because it increases employability. There is some evidence that those who are lower down the social gradient benefit most, in health terms, from adult learning. However, there is a gradient both in participation in adult learning and skill level, whereby the more someone would benefit from adult learning, the less likely they are to participate, and the lower their literacy and numeracy skills are likely to be. This is due to a range of barriers, including prohibitively high costs, lack of personal confidence, or lack of availability and access. These papers also show that there are a number of actions local authorities can take to increase access to adult learning, improve quality of provision and increase the extent to which it is delivered and targeted proportionate to need. The full evidence review and a shorter summary briefing are available to download above. This document is part of a series. An overview document which provides an introduction to this and other documents in the series, and links to the other topic areas, is available on the ‘Local Action on health inequalities’ project page. A video of Michael Marmot introducing the work is also available on our videos page.

Craigavon & Banbridge Community HSS Trust - Primary Care Mental Health Services Triage Pilot Scheme (PDF 266 KB)

Craigavon & Banbridge Community HSS Trust's final report on Primary Care Mental Health Services Triage Pilot Scheme. Part of the Department's redesign of community nursing project.

A Study of Drug Prevention Services for Young People

To investigate the range and utilisation of community based drug prevention services using the Belfast Youth Development Study data, along with in depth interviews and documentary analysis. It is hoped the research will inform local policy.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A Survey of NHS Services for Opiate Dependents in Scotland

The aim of this study was to investigate the range of opiates available within the Scottish NHS for patients with opiate dependancy and to assess the process underlying clinical decision-making. Clinicians, representitives of drug action teams and NHS personnel were apporached and semi-structured phone conversations were the primary means to elicit information. Whilst methadone is almost universally prescribed in Scotland, buprenorphine, dihydrocodeine (not currently licensed for opiate dependance management), lofexidine and naltrexone are also used. Alternative therapies are variably used.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A Study on the Feasibility of the Inclusion of General Practitioners and Prisons in the National Drug Treatment Reporting System: Plan for the Implementation of the NDTRS in Prison and GP Services

The Drug Misuse Research Division of the Health Research Board operates the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS). The system is used to provide epidemiological information on treated problem drug misuse in Ireland and informs policy makers, researchers and the general public. The NDTRS collates data from participating treatment centres in all Health Board areas, however a gap in information exists in that drug misusers in treatment units within prisons and those treated by General Practitioners are not included. This study aims to determine the feasibility of including these two groups to increase coverage of the NDTRS and outlines preliminary steps for their inclusion.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Effective services for substance misuse & homelessness in Scotland: The recommendations of the Advisory Group on Homelessness and Substance Misuse

The Group makes 12 recommendations for actions covering the two key themes of strategic and organisational responses, and service design and delivery. It calls for: * A joint strategic response at national level to be developed * A joint strategic response at a local level to be developed (responsibility sitting with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) * Recognition of the importance of investing to save over the long term * A joint operational response at local level to be developed * More flexible approaches in rural and island areas * Service development and commissioning to be based on evidence of good practice * An individual’s priorities to be the starting point for the design and delivery of services and support * Ongoing evaluation of services in this field to be managed through the ADP planning and monitoring processes * Targeted service user participation and involvement to be supported * Training across homelessness, housing, alcohol and drug fields to be supported in statutory and commissioned services * The stigmatisation of these populations to be addressed at a local and national level.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Third annual report of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)

16,080 Irish children (1.55% of population under 18 yrs.) availing of Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services   7,849 new cases were seen by community CAMHS teams between October 2010 and September 2011,compared with 7,561 in the previous 12 months   45% of referrals are seen within 1 month of referral and 69% within 3 months   Numbers waiting for CAMHS services down by 20%   61 multi-disciplinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services teams in place .This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.