Month: August 2020

Coronavirus and the common cold

New research suggests that infection from a common cold could generate an immune response to COVID -19

The article focuses on one arm of the immune response – the B and T cells which produce antibodies. It shows that people keep T cells from the mild coronaviruses long enough to interact with a new challenge by SARS-CoV-2, meaning that those T cells might recognise SARS-CoV-2 and help to clear the infection. Could this possibly provide an answer as to why some people have less severe effects compared to others? Click here to read more.

To read the whole research, conducted by La Jolla Institute for Immunology click here.

Antibodies latching onto a coronavirus to neutralise it.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/antibodies-attacking-sarscov2-virus-conceptual-3d-1700617951

Centre for mental health

Local authorities and public mental health

In order to stay healthy and avoid serious distress we need to place emphasis on our mental wellbeing to prevent mental health problems. What better way to do this, than to work together and collaborate different strategies and initiatives?

Local authorities play a key role in improving mental health in their communities, to bring people together and reduce inequalities. A recent report written with the Local Government Association, argues that people’s mental wellbeing will play a crucial role in every aspect of recovery planning, including schools reopening, workers returning from furlough, people who have been shielding, and in dealing with the economic and housing consequences of coronavirus (Covid-19).

The report highlighted 4 common principles:

  1. Public mental health is everyone’s business
  2. Collaboration
  3. Place-based approaches
  4. Taking a holistic approach

It concludes that a national focus is needed on helping everyone stay mentally well, backed up by funding for councils.

To read the full report click here.

BMJ Live

A free virtual conference

BMJ are hosting a live, virtual conference taking place between 15-17th October.

The event will feature a range of sessions covering clinical webinars, leadership skills, career progression, one-to-one careers advice and wellbeing. You can create your own online agenda so you can attend sessions the most relevant to your needs.

To book your place click here.

Empowering the future

What can we learn from Natalia Cohen?

For those of you who attended the LiA conference last Tuesday, I’m sure you too will have been inspired by their guest speaker – Natalia Cohen. She was part of a 6 women team who were the first team to row from California to Australia on an ocean rowing boat to raise money and promote their 2 charities. She highlighted what she learnt while living in the ocean for 9 months and how life really is ‘like a wave’, which we have to ride one wave at a time.

So what can we learn from her? She highlighted tips for a great team, to be thankful for the life we have and highlighted the importance of focusing on the positives – something we probably need to do now more than ever.Some of her top tips, which are applicable both in our home and work lives;

  1. To believe in yourself
  2. Accept challenges that come your way
  3. Support each other and connect
  4. We can only control the controllable
  5. Enjoy the journey!

An inspirational story from an inspirational woman! To watch her speech click here.

Listening into Action (LiA)

Influencing our future at the NHS

The team want your input, opinions and ideas to identify ways we can improve as a Trust, to enhance not only your experience, but fellow colleagues, service users and patients. Their aim is to make the Trust a great place to work in, which in turn will only have a positive impact on the quality of care provided to our patients.

The LiA team held an event on Tuesday to celebrate the achievements already made. from 1st July 2019, 6,489 ideas for change were identified by staff within the trust. From that 15 teams were created to improve staff experience, from digital teams to equality and diversity, all staff from all stages in their career were listened to. Take a look at the different teams and their accomplishments here.

To complete the survey and voice your opinions, complete this survey by Friday, 4th September.

Reflecting on COVID

Using time wisely during COVID

I am crying at my desk, writing poetry
Between tasks, remembering my afternoon
Collage of patients’ faces,
Wondering what’s ahead for them. For all of us.
No one would pay me to cry, or write poetry.
They would deem it nonbillable hours.
But it is one of those times
I don’t know what else to do.
We are living in dangerous times.
No one can escape it.
We can only try to
avoid- avoid- avoid
And I feel very small, like a field mouse.
It is all I can do to
Blend in and hope the great
Horned owl will pass me over,
Not realizing his target is close and
Those otherworldly yellow eyes
Will focus somewhere else
And I will sleep
safe- safe- safe
Wrapped in a merciful sky one more night.

A poem written by Marianne A. Broyles, who has been a nurse for 16 years, mostly in the field of inpatient behavioral health. She is also a writer and has published two books of poetry, The Red Window (West End Press, 2008) and Liquid Mercury Girl (Mongrel Empire Press, 2018). She is interested
in how the process of writing benefits mental health and an overall sense of well-being and was able to research this further while working at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital in Nashville, TN, as a recipient of its nurse scholar grant.

Evidence based summaries

Recent research and reports

Should antidepressants be used for major depressive disorder? Jakobsen JC. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine 2020;25(4):130.
The benefits of antidepressants seem to be minimal and possibly without any importance to the average patient with major depressive disorder. Antidepressants should not be used for adults with major depressive disorder before valid evidence has shown that the potential beneficial effects outweigh the harmful effects.

Clinical pathways as a mobile device. Please log in via Athens to access the whole article. Barrett J. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine 2020;25(4):131-137.
Overall, this project supports the development of a mobile application based on the design principles used in the clinical pathways. Providers did indeed use the clinical pathways. They found the pathways easy to use and helped provide evidence-based care in clinical practice. While the iPad was useful for some participants, a small sized tablet and phone would be preferred by others. Future work will be undertaken on mobile application development using multiple screen sizes.

Dementia prevention, intervention and care. The Lancet 2020;:doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6. Excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, and air pollution have been added to the list of potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia. Together the 12 listed modifiable risk factors account for around 40% of worldwide dementia’s.