Opening Doors London

The aim of our Befriending Service is to reduce the loneliness and isolation, and to help increase the confidence and maintain the independence of older members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community aged 50+.

We aim to achieve this by matching a volunteer Befriender with an older person for regular social contact. This could be to attend a social activity, go for walks, go to exhibitions or events, or to visit members at home for a cup of tea and a chat.

We are now looking for new members to join the Opening Doors Befriending Service who live in any of the London Boroughs. So if you have any tenants/members/clients/friends/neighbours you think could benefit from regular visits from a volunteer Befriender or if you know anybody who would be interested in becoming a volunteer befriender, contact Opening Doors London Befriending by:

Telephone: 020 7239 0400

Email: [email protected]

Visit the website: www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk

Theresa May pledges to accelerate NHS long-term funding plan

The prime minister’s announcement comes amid mounting pressure from within Conservative ranks, led by Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson, for her to ditch the small spending rises the NHS has received since 2010 and start giving it increases stretching to many billions of pounds a year.

May did not mention how much more money the long-term plan could involve. But the Office of Budget Responsibility has calculated that getting back to the rises that the NHS received from its creation in 1948 until 2010, an average of almost 4%, would need the NHS budget to jump to about £150bn by 2022-23.

That is £20bn more than currently planned and a huge increase on the £125bn that has gone into health in England this year.

Speaking to Commons select committee chairs today, the prime minister promised to outline the details of the plan before Easter 2018 and said it would precede the spending review already planned in summer 2019.

Responding to questions from the Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, the chair of the health and social care select committee, May said: “This year and in advance of next year’s spending review I do want to come forward with a long-term plan. I want that to be done in conjunction with NHS leaders and provide a multiyear funding settlement consistent with our fiscal rules and balanced approach.

“Ensuring the NHS can cope with demand ahead of the spending review, I would suggest we can’t wait until next Easter. I think in this 70th anniversary year of the NHS’s foundation we need an answer on this.”

May’s move comes after days of speculation that she and the chancellor, Philip Hammond, are looking into a new tax as a potential way of raising extra money to plough into the NHS. They are considering giving the NHS a £4bn “birthday present” to mark its 70th birthday on 5 July, according to reports.

Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, whose lobbying for higher government funding for the increasingly beleaguered service has previously irritated May, said her promise was “very welcome, timely and significant”.

“The NHS celebrates seven decades of service this July at a time of great pressure on frontline staff and great promise for improved care. Charting a multiyear path for modern, efficient and sensibly funded health and social care could mean huge gains for cancer patients, mental health services and support for frail older people, as well as the several million nurses, doctors and other care staff who devote their lives to looking after us,” he added.

May added that “I do share a lot of the diagnosis” of the NHS’s problems contained in a letter sent to her on Monday by 21 MPs, which warned that Britain’s health and social care systems are too underfunded to discharge their duties properly.

Taxes will have to rise to give the NHS the money it needs, said Prof Anita Charlesworth, the director of economics and research at the Health Foundation.

“A commitment to long-term stable funding for the NHS is a really important development. A 10-year settlement will span a general election and, if it is to hold, there will need to be cross-party support.

“All independent analysis suggests that the NHS and care system need increases of about 4% a year above inflation. Funding increases at that level can’t be found from within the government’s current spending envelope and would be a big increase in borrowing so must mean that taxes are going to have to rise.”

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s health and social care spokesman said: “Years of starving the NHS of the funds it needs resulted in the worst winter crisis on record, the ongoing drastic shortage of healthcare staff and the abandoning of minimum legal standards of care which patients are entitled to.

“Labour has repeatedly called for a long-term investment plan for the NHS. Unlike the Tories, Labour would fund the NHS by an extra £5bn this year, end privatisation and secure the sustainable future of social care.”

Meanwhile, in another announcement intended to show that ministers are making serious efforts to improve the ailing NHS, Hunt has pledged a £760m tranche of new capital funding to finance the building of health facilities such as urgent care centres, and new diagnostic and mental health services.

The money will help support transformation of the way NHS staff care for patients as part of NHS England’s Five-Year Forward View plan to deliver more care outside of hospitals to help prevent avoidable, expensive stays in hospital through partnerships that have been created across England.

The £760m is part of £2.9bn that ministers have pledged to spend between 2017 and 2023 to improve existing, and build new, NHS facilities. It follows several years of Hunt’s Department of Health and Social Care raiding the NHS’s capital budget – by as much as £1.2bn a year – in order to give hospitals more money to try to cope with an ongoing rise in demand for care.

Working with carers, friends and families of people in secure mental health services

Carefreebreaks – Short breaks for unpaid carers

Unpaid carers make up the invisible backbone of the healthcare system, often sacrificing their own wellbeing to care for the most vulnerable members of our society. In the UK, 80% of home care is provided by unpaid carers, saving the national purse £132 billion every year. That’s the same as the entire NHS budget. With an ageing population, increased occurrence of chronic illnesses and rising health care costs, the importance of this 7 million-strong workforce has never been greater.

Working in partnership with carer support organisations and accommodation providers, Carefreebreaks match the demand for breaks with a supply of holiday cottages and hotel rooms donated by owners. Having been referred by a carer support worker, eligible carers are invited to register with Carefreebreaks and specify their preferences for a 3 or 7-night break. After choosing from a selection of properties, the carer is then linked directly to the accommodation provider to finalise the details.

To qualify for the project

● You are an unpaid carer, caring for at least 35 hours per week

● You would benefit mentally and/or physically from a break

● You can arrange interim care/respite for the period of your break

● You have the means to pay any associated costs i.e. travel, food, etc.

The offer is for a carer plus ONE adult companion (or if preferred, the carer can travel alone). The companion cannot be the person whom you care for.

The next stage of this project runs until 3rd June 2018, if you are interested in taking a break please contact Rob Danavell on 020 7708 4497 for more information.

Why nutritional psychiatry is the future of mental health treatment

A lack of essential nutrients is known to contribute to the onset of poor mental health in people suffering from anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD. Nutritional psychiatry is a growing discipline that focuses on the use of food and supplements to provide these essential nutrients as part of an integrated or alternative treatment for mental health disorders.

But nutritional approaches for these debilitating conditions are not widely accepted by mainstream medicine. Treatment options tend to be limited to official National Institute for Care Excellence guidelines which recommend talking therapies and antidepressants.

Antidepressant use has more than doubled in recent years. In England 64.7 million prescriptions were issued for antidepressants in 2016 at a cost of £266.6m. This is an increase of 3.7 million on the number of items prescribed in 2015 and more than double than the 31 million issued in 2006.

A recent Oxford University study found that antidepressants were more effective in treating depression than placebo. The study was led by Dr Andrea Cipriani who claimed that depression is under treated. Cipriani maintains that antidepressants are effective and a further 1 million prescriptions should be issued to people in the UK.

This approach suggests that poor mental health caused by social conditions is viewed as easily treated by simply dispensing drugs. But antidepressants are shunned by people whom they could help because of the social stigma associated with mental ill health which leads to discrimination and exclusion.

More worrying is the increase in the use of antidepressants by children and young people. In Scotland, 5,572 children under 18 were prescribed antidepressants for anxiety and depression in 2016. This figure has more than doubled since 2009-2010.

But according to British psychopharmacologist Professor David Healy, 29 clinical trials of antidepressant use in young people found no benefits at all. These trials revealed that instead of relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression, antidepressants caused children and young people to feel suicidal.

Healy also challenges their safety and effectiveness in adults. He believes that antidepressants are overprescribed and that there is little evidence that they are safe for long-term use. Antidepressants are said to create dependency, have unpleasant side effects and cannot be relied upon to always relieve symptoms.

In developed countries such as the UK we eat a greater variety of foodstuffs than ever before – but it doesn’t follow that we are well-nourished. In fact, many people do not eat enough nutrients that are essential for good brain health, opting for a diet of heavily processed food containing artificial additives and sugar.

The link between poor mental health and nutritional deficiencies has long been recognised by nutritionists working in the complementary health sector. However, psychiatrists are only now becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of using nutritional approaches to mental health, calling for their peers to support and research this new field of treatment.

It is now known that many mental health conditions are caused by inflammation in the brain which ultimately causes our brain cells to die. This inflammatory response starts in our gut and is associated with a lack of nutrients such as magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, vitamins and minerals that are all essential for the optimum functioning of our bodies.

Recent research has shown that food supplements such as zinc, magnesium, omega 3, and vitamins B and D3 can help improve people’s mood, relieve anxiety and depression and improve the mental capacity of people with Alzheimer’s.

Magnesium is one of most important minerals for optimal health, yet many people are lacking in it. One study found that a daily magnesium citrate supplement led to a significant improvement in depression and anxiety, regardless of age, gender or severity of depression. Improvement did not continue when the supplement was stopped.

Omega-3 fatty acids are another nutrient that is critical for the development and function of the central nervous system – and a lack of them has been associated with low mood, cognitive decline and poor comprehension.

The role of probiotics – the beneficial live bacteria in your digestive system – in improving mental health has also been explored by psychiatrists and nutritionists, who found that taking them daily was associated with a significant reduction in depression and anxiety. Vitamin B complex and zinc are other supplements found to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

These over-the-counter supplements are widely available in supermarkets, chemists and online health food stores, although the cost and quality may vary. For people who have not responded to prescription drugs or who cannot tolerate the side effects, nutritional intervention can offer hope for the future.

There is currently much debate over the effectiveness of antidepressants. The use of food supplements offer an alternative approach that has the potential to make a significant difference to the mental health of all age groups.

The emerging scientific evidence suggests that there should be a bigger role for nutritional psychiatry in mental health within conventional health services. If the burden of mental ill health is to be reduced, GPs and psychiatrists need to be aware of the connection between food, inflammation and mental illness.

Medical education has traditionally excluded nutritional knowledge and its association with disease. This has led to a situation where very few doctors in the UK have a proper understanding of the importance of nutrition. Nutritional interventions are thought to have little evidence to support their use to prevent or maintain wellbeing and so are left to dietitians, rather than doctors, to advise on.

But as the evidence mounts up, it is time for medical education to take nutrition seriously so that GPs and psychiatrists of the future know as much about its role in good health as they do about anatomy and physiology. The state of our mental health could depend on it.

Joyce Cavaye is a senior lecturer in health, wellbeing and social care at The Open University. This article was first published in The Conversation (theconversation.com)

Council repairs to be brought in-house

In a climate where outsourcing services has been shown to carry significant risk to services, Southwark Council is leading the way in reversing the trend by bringing many of its services back in-house such as its ICT, customer services and now housing repairs.

Councillor Stephanie Cryan, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for housing, said: “We strive to provide the very best housing service for residents. Past experience in Southwark of service delivery by large external contractors has been variable and contractors often struggle to meet the council’s performance targets.

“We know we can more closely monitor our services when they are delivered by ourselves and this approach feeds into our objective of creating ‘One Council’ – where we always put residents at the heart of what we do.”

The in-house service will also allow the council to grow its own workforce – another key ambition we have for our young people, in a borough with an already highly successful apprenticeship programme.

Cllr Cryan adds, “We want to build on our opportunity to work with local suppliers and provide jobs with the council with good career progression.”

As well as improving services the move should enable the council to redirect expenditure from contract administration to service delivery, improving value for money for tenants.

The current working arrangement with Mears will end in October 2018.  During the transition to an in-house provision, the council will work to ensure the service is maintained and tenants should not notice any difference if they need to order a repair. The council will ensure that all personnel policies are strictly followed in order to protect existing staff. Mears staff will be ‘TUPE’ transferred to the council in October.

Neighbours Known, Neighbours Unknown

Keeping It Together – Mental Health Report

Mental ill health in our capital is on the rise, but services are unable to meet demand. This leaves many Londoners unattended and at risk of deteriorating mental health. One in ten people have been waiting for over a year to receive treatment. More than half of people are not offered a choice in the type of therapies they receive and three in four Londoners are not given a choice as to where they receive treatment.

Increasingly, community-based organisations (CBOs) fill the gaps left by strained public services. CBOs close the gaps in the current system and they do this well. They can often respond more quickly and flexibly to the complex landscape of mental health needs. They know their communities and are aware of local needs.

But what makes these organisations so important to Londoners? How are they able to support people suffering from deteriorating mental health? Is their approach to mental health and wellbeing different to clinical settings? And if so, in what ways?

In 2017, The London Community Foundation funded nearly 950 projects from charities and CBOs across London. We have unparalleled access to groups tackling a variety of social issues. We used this access to speak to a variety of organisations supporting individuals suffering from mental health problems.

We spoke to eight CBOs as well as network and national organisations to understand how they are tailoring their services and using their assets to improve mental health. We use their views to show how, at their best, CBOs are making a significant difference to the mental health in Londoners.

Our main findings are:

• CBOs can excel in providing non-clinical support. They focus on a positive physical space and staff dedicated to building personal and trusting relationships.
• The individual is at the centre of an organisation’s activities. Unlike many statutory services, they can offer flexible, targeted and quick support to Londoners in need.
• They work to prevent mental ill health by increasing awareness and reducing stigma in their communities. This is likely to have a long-term impact on a variety of different challenges facing communities across London.

To learn more about our findings, download the full report, ‘Keeping it together – How community-based organisations are supporting London’s mental health’ below.

NHS agency falsely accuses more than 340,000 of prescription fraud

The fines, which carry a maximum penalty of £100 and are issued to those who wrongly claim free medication, are issued after an NHS exemption certificate has expired.

But the data confirms that 342,882 penalty notices were subsequently withdrawn because the patient was entitled to the free prescription.

“These Freedom of Information requests appear to show a penalty system that is dysfunctional,” said Lucy Watson, chair of the Patients Association. “Any organisation issuing penalty notices and then having to withdraw nearly one in three because they were issued in error is not operating as it should. This compounds the unjust and haphazard nature of prescription charging in England, with some patients facing substantial costs to manage their conditions, and others being entitled to free prescriptions.”

Part of the problem stems from patients moving home and failing to update their records.

The NHS Business Services Authority, the agency in charge of issuing the fines, said it was continually reviewing its data-matching process and making improvements to ensure eligible patients were not wrongly pursued. It said it was also trying to educate patients on the importance of keeping the details on both their GP records and their exemption or prescription prepayment certificates up to date.

“The NHS loses millions each year through fraudulent and incorrect claims for free prescriptions,” said Alison O’Brien, head of loss recovery services at the authority. “On behalf of NHS England, and in discussion with the Department of Health and Social Care, the NHS Business Services Authority checks claims randomly and retrospectively to appropriately recover funds and return them to NHS services.”

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NHS slashes funds for top homeless mental health team

Critics say the decision makes a mockery of Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt’s repeated claims that NHS mental health services are receiving record amounts of funding to improve care. They fear it will lead to more rough sleepers suffering mental health crises and killing themselves, and that it will add to the already heavy demand for care being faced by hospitals and GPs in Camden.

The CCG is pressing ahead with the 42% cut to the £521,000 budget it gave the team this year despite a storm of protest from local GPs, psychiatrists, homeless charities and managers of hostels where rough sleepers sometimes stay. Camden had the third highest rate of rough sleeping in England in 2017, recent government statistics showed – more than Manchester, Bristol and Cornwall.

Focus, set up 25 years ago, helps treat the high levels of depression, psychosis and other mental health conditions found in rough sleepers, hostel dwellers and “sofa surfers”, including some asylum seekers and people who have been trafficked. Its budget is being reduced even though it is regarded by NHS, local council and social work bosses in London as a model of good practice of how to reach the kind of group that often shuns traditional NHS services.

Consultant psychiatrists at Camden and Islington NHS trust have privately criticised cutting Focus’s budget as a “terrible” blow to a “priceless” service. “Yes, there are unprecedented financial challenges, but it’s pretty appalling that a vulnerable and voiceless group would be left so unsupported,” said one.

Another said: “I find the decision extremely hard to understand, given the high number of homeless people in Camden. Without the Focus team, some of the worst-off members of society will lack proper access to psychiatric care.” Another warned that untreated mental health problems could also potentially lead to incidents of crime and violence.

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