Mental Health & Social Care
Librarians check selected Internet sites for reports and news items of interest to staff working in the Mental Health and Social Care sectors.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that children who live in areas with heavy rainfall could be more likely to develop autism.
The newspaper said that researchers believe that rain could be an “environmental trigger” for the condition, that makes “susceptible” children develop autism symptoms.It said the reason behind the association is unknown.
This study looked at annual rainfall in three US states and the number of children diagnosed with autism who lived in those areas in their first three years of life. It found there to be more children with autism living in wetter areas than in drier ones.
However it is important to be aware that this type of research can only demonstrate an association. It does not prove that rainfall has any connection with the development of autism and there are many other factors that may determine why some children in these areas develop autism.
The causes of autism remain unclear and are thought to include genetic, environmental and medical factors.
To read a detailed article
A research study conducted by the Downs Syndrome Association interviewing 1000 parents has found that more Down's syndrome babies are being born than before pre-natal screening became widespread.
The UK saw 749 Down's births in 2006, up from 717 in 1989 when tests came in.
To read the BBC News report
To find out more about Downs Syndrome - visit the Downs Syndrome Association web site
Born with Down's will be transmitted on Radio 4 at 2000 GMT on Monday 24 November.
To listen to the Radio 4 Broadcast on BBC iPlayer
A briefing note from the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities and the Valuing People
Support Team
‘Healthcare for All’ (the report of the independent Michael Inquiry into access to health care for people with learning disabilities) was launched on 29 July 2008.
This Inquiry followed two previous reports highlighting the health inequalities and poor access to health care experienced by people with learning disabilities – the Disability Rights Commission Formal Investigation that reported in 2006 and Mencap’s ‘Death by Indifference’ report in 2007.
In launching the Inquiry’s report, Sir Jonathan Michael emphasised his concern that people with learning disabilities were effectively invisible to the mainstream NHS.
He urged each NHS body to act now to ensure that
‘reasonable adjustments’ are offered throughout the services they commission or provide.
To read the full briefing and to access other related reports
What we think about how councils choose who gets services?
CSCI Easy Read Report
The Department of Health asked CSCI to look at how councils decide who gets support.
This involved a review of the FAIR ACCESS TO CARE - which has resulted in much complaint and controversy across the country.
To DOWNLOAD a copy of the report
Vulnerable people face abuse and discrimination throughout the Criminal Justice system
A failure of leadership and direction across the criminal justice system has resulted in vulnerable people facing personal, systemic and routine discrimination from the point of arrest through to release from prison, according to a groundbreaking, three year review published in November 2008 by the Prison Reform Trust.
Prisoners Voices finds that, at worst, the absence of police safeguards increases the likelihood of vulnerable people experiencing miscarriages of justice, that once in court their lack of understanding grows as their lives are taken over by opaque court procedures and legalistic terminology and in prison many are left to fend for themselves in a shadowy world of not quite knowing what is going on around them or what is expected of them.
Prisoners Voices is the concluding report of the Prison Reform Trust's No One Knows programme revealing the experiences of people with learning disabilities or difficulties in contact with the criminal justice system.
Previous reports, have estimated that 20-30 per cent of offenders have learning disabilities or difficulties that interfere with their ability to cope within the criminal justice system.
The report has been submitted to the independent Bradley review looking at the diversion of offenders with mental health problems and learning disabilities, which is expected to report to ministers in the New Year.
Although the report finds pockets of good practice it concludes that those providing leadership in the criminal justice system throughout the UK are failing in their legal duty to eliminate disability discrimination and promote equality.
To download a copy of the report - follow this link
Over the last 12 months Lord Darzi (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) has led the NHS Next Stage Review. As a result High Quality Care for All, the final report of the NHS Next Stage Review has now been published
High Quality Care for All is about enabling visions of high quality health care to be delivered and supporting improvements that have been developed and agreed locally.
The final report sets out wide-ranging proposals that place quality of care at the heart of everything the NHS does, empowering patients and staff to secure effective and personalised care.
It sets out a vision for a 21st Century NHS that:
Constitution
As part of the Review a consultation on a new Constitution for the NHS has been launched.
Workforce
A High Quality Workforce has also been published, which sets out a strategy for improving workforce planning, education and training.
Follow this link to read High Quality Care for All, the consultation on the constitution and the A High Quality Workforce http://www.ournhs.nhs.uk/
The latest newsletter is about some of the important things families of people with a learning disability need to know to have more choice and control in their lives.
The focus is on families and ‘self directed support’, or what has been more
recently called Personalisation.
The aim of the newsletter is to try and give families some information about
personalisation and the different ways that it can help people have more
choice and control in their lives. This is done through stories from
families who are already ‘doing’ self directed support.
The Valuing People Support Team asked the families a number of questions
• What made you try self directed support?
• How has it changed your family’s life?
• Have you had to overcome challenges along the way and how?
• Do you have any top tips for other families?
Follow the link below to download the report and find out what the families had to say:
Click here to read the newsletter
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