Meet the Author

Vera Waters

Vera Waters is a member of the Society of Authors and has written several books including ‘Half a Rainbow: Insight into Stress’, which was first published in 1990 and ‘Another Cup: An Anthology of Encounters’ (published in 2017). Her books are collections of true stories about people she has met throughout her interesting life and career. As well as writing and speaking to audiences, Vera is a prodigious reader with a collection of over 3,500 books at home.

Vera has kindly answered a few questions for us about books that have entertained and inspired her and her work as an author.

Read the interview here.

With a background in education, Vera’s career and life experience has taken her into many varied areas and situations. Trouble Shooter, Pioneer, an Agent of Change – this is how the Press have described her over the years. From Berlin to Australia and then over 12 years in America where she is billed as an inspirational and motivational speaker or as the Virginians say a ‘Stem-Winder’.

After holding an important senior position in the NHS at a Preston based psychiatric hospital, Vera found herself advising Greater Manchester Police and Lancashire Constabulary. She was the first private counsellor to be retained by a police force and was awarded a rare Home Office Research Grant. She taught police officers of all ranks in 21 forces how to approach people with mental health issues and worked debriefing officers after traumatic events, such as the 1985 Manchester Airport disaster.

Vera’s interesting career and philosophy on life are truly inspiring and her books are filled with fascinating, moving true stories that will resonate or educate.

Read more about Vera and her diverse and fascinating career on her website. Vera’s collection of books are available to borrow now in the Gosall Library or, may be purchased online here.

Community Mental Health

2020 Survey

Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/surveys/community-mental-health-survey-2020

Findings of this report include people consistently reporting poor experiences of NHS community mental health services, with few positive results. For example, poor experiences were reported for crisis care, accessing care, and involvement.

There are few results where the majority of people reported good experiences of mental health care. However, ‘organising care’ is an area where people were found to be more positive:

-97% of people who have been told who is in charge of organising their care and services said they knew how to contact this person if they had a concern

-91% said the person that organised their care did so ‘very well’ (58%) or ‘quite well’ (33%)

-73% reported that they were ‘always’ treated with dignity and respect (CQC)


Monitoring the Mental Health Act in 2019/20

The Mental Health Act in the Covid-19 pandemic

Source: King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert

Monitoring the Mental Health Act is the CQC’s annual report on the use of the Mental Health Act (MHA). It looks at how providers are caring for patients, and whether patients’ rights are being protected. This year’s annual report puts a specific focus on the impact that the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has had on patients detained under the MHA, and on the services that care for and treat them.

To read the report click here or to find out more information visit: https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/major-report/monitoring-mental-health-act-201920-mental-health-act-coronavirus-covid-19?utm_source=The%20King%27s%20Fund%20newsletters%20%28main%20account%29&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=12013209_NEWSL_HMP%202020-12-04&dm_i=21A8,75HG9,3COYDR,SYKPX,1

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

Advice on priority groups for Covid-19 vaccination

Source: Gov.uk

This advice is provided to facilitate the development of policy on Covid-19 vaccination in the UK.

JCVI advises that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems. Secondary priorities could include vaccination of those at increased risk of hospitalisation and at increased risk of exposure, and to maintain resilience in essential public services. This document sets out a framework for refining future advice on a national COVID-19 vaccination strategy.

To read the report click here.

Spending Review 2020

Policy paper

Source: Kings Fund

The Spending Review 2020 prioritises funding to support the government’s response to Covid-19, invest in the UK’s recovery and deliver on promises to the British people. It sets departmental budgets for 2021-22 and devolved administrations’ block grants for the same period.

For more information click here.

Creating community spaces for patient wellbeing

How could the NHS better use its facilities to support social prescribing, holistic care and community resilience?

Source: Kings Fund

The NHS long-term plan has pledged to refer at least 900,000 people to social prescribing by 2023/24 to help improve people’s wellbeing; the fitter, healthier and more socially connected people are, the less likely it is they’ll need to access local GP or other health professionals. This research, based on a survey conducted with more than 2,000 people in England, shows that there’s also a strong appetite from the public for these services.

To read the long term plan click here.

Library Survey

Be in with the chance of winning a Christmas Hamper

In order for us to provide the best service, we would greatly appreciate it, if you could spend 5 minutes completing our Library Users survey. This will help inform us of what we are doing well and provide ideas for how we can continue to develop and improve. Your feedback is of great importance to us and we would consider any recommendations for future planning.

The survey can be found here; https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TSZNXFP and will take no more than 5 minutes to complete.

All completed entries, have the option for you to be entered into a draw to win a Christmas Hamper, just in time for the festive season.

We hope you continue to use our service to incorporate evidence based research within your practice. For access to our Library resources please visit out Trustnet page: http://trustnet2013/Networks/SupportServices/lis/Pages/default.aspx or contact the Library team with any questions or queries you may have: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.

Public Health

Current Awareness

Staying mentally well: winter plan 2020 to 2021 Gov.uk. 23rd November 2020

(This plan sets out the support that will be in place in the immediate term to help support individuals to stay well during the second wave of Covid-19 and the winter months ahead.)

Learning from local authorities with downward trends in childhood obesity Public Health England

(This report, a set of practice examples researched by University College London and an executive summary by Public Health England, identifies common approaches being implemented by local authorities that had a small but significant 10-year downward trend in childhood obesity. The findings show the value of engagement with and integration of the National Child Measurement Programme and the importance of addressing health inequalities, with 76 per cent of local authorities having a focus on deprivation.) To view the summary click here.

How are the lives of families with young children changing? The changing face of early childhood in the UK Nuffield Foundation

(This evidence review reveals the extent of changes to family life in the UK over the past 20 years and highlights how these changes are experienced unequally across the population. The report argues that, without understanding family life today, the policies and initiatives that seek to address other key areas of society – education, the economy, physical health and mental health – will falter.)

National Child Measurement Programme: childhood obesity.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

(Research by University College London shares learning from local authorities that have a downward trend in childhood obesity, including practice examples.)

COVID-19: suggested principles of safer singing.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

(Outlining the available evidence on virus transmission associated with singing and suggested actions to reduce the risk of transmission while singing.)

The state of ageing in 2020.
Centre for Ageing Better; 2020.

(This online, interactive report captures a snapshot of how people in the UK are ageing today, while looking at past trends and our prospects if action isn’t taken. It warns that the Covid-19 pandemic risks setting people in mid-life on a path to poverty and ill health in old age.)