February 2013

Easing Appointment Contact For People With Hearing Loss

There is a lot mental health professionals can do to help ease the appointment process people with deafness and hearing loss.

Action on Hearing Loss has discovered a significant percentage of these kinds of patients face significant problems when trying to use mental health services.

There are 534,000 people in Wales with some form of hearing loss and they are at an increased risk of mental health problems including anxiety, depression and poor self-esteem so it's an issue which GPs and primacy care practitioners really need to understand.

A simple thing services can offer is a range of contact methods for patients to make an appointment - including the use of email, text messaging and textphones.

If you put these contact options in place then they must be advertised to patients and most are fairly easy to put in place.

Text - or SMS - messaging can be offered by simply offering a textphone number to patients with hearing loss and making sure the mobile phone which takes the messages is monitored throughout the day.

The same internal procedures should be used to monitor similar email services, particularly to ensure that this channel can be used to secure same day appointments for deaf people.

In the longer term, healthcare services should explore the use of an online appointment booking system and telephone systems should be designed with Text Relay users in mind, as automated responses take time to relay which can disadvantage patients calling between fixed times to secure same-day appointments.

These are just some of the way mental health services can be made more accessible to people with hearing loss and you can find out more by reading our latest Information Sheet 14.

Alternatively, we'll be going into more details about how you can improve your communications within your surgeries and clinics with a fnial post on this subject on Friday.

If you have any questions about Information Sheet 14 or any other queries please contact our Project Manager Lesley Hills via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

How To Open Up Health Services For Deaf People

Mental health professionals can do a lot to help make their services more accessible for people with deafness and hearing loss.

Action on Hearing Loss has discovered a significant percentage of these kinds of people face significant problems when trying to use mental health services.

There are 534,000 people in Wales with some form of hearing loss and they are at an increased risk of mental health problems including anxiety, depression and poor self-esteem.

By 2031 the number of people with hearing problems is set to grow to 725,000 so it is a subject which GPs and primacy care practitioners across the country really need to understand.

As a result it is up to mental health workers to help make these services more accessible to this group and this can be achieved through a series of simple processes such as:

  • Asking patients for details about their preferred method of communication when they first join a new GP or healthcare service
     
  • Introducing a ‘flagging’ system on patients’ computer records to allow healthcare workers to understand any specific needs the patient may have when they visit a service and passing on this information for onward referrals
     
  • Introducing procedures to ensure the individual communication support needs of patients are met - including booking a suitable communication professional such as a Sign Language Interpreter or Lipspeaker

These are just some of the way mental health services can be made more accessible to people with hearing loss and you can find out more by reading our latest Information Sheet 14.

Alternatively, we'll be going into more details about how you can improve your communications with deaf people with some more blog posts later this week.

If you have any questions about Information Sheet 14 or any other queries please contact our Project Manager Lesley Hills via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

Improving Mental Health For People With Hearing Loss

Accessing mental health services can be difficult for people suffering from deafness and hearing loss.

Action on Hearing Loss has discovered that a significant percentage of people with hearing loss faced problems when trying to use these kinds of services.

Recent research carried out by the organisation - formerly known as the RNID - found that:

  • 35% experienced difficulty communicating with their GP or practice nurse
  • 15% avoid going to see their GP because of communication problems with this proportion doubling among British Sign Language (BSL) users
  • 35% of the deaf and hard of hearing had been left unclear about their condition because of communication problems with their GP or practice nurse
  • 24% of patients missed appointments because of poor communication including not being able to hear staff calling out their name

The findings raise the issue of how mental health problems are detected amongst deaf people - especially at an early stage - and how they are referred to appropriate mental health services.

Mental health services can be made more accessible to people with hearing loss through various means and you can find out more about how you can help from a professional perspective by reading our latest Information Sheet 14.

The Sheet outlines everything from communication tips through to helping make services more accessible for the hard of hearing and we'll be expanding on these subjects with blog posts next week.

Each of our Information Sheets have been developed to provide valuable information, training and support tools on primary care mental health in Wales and can be downloaded from our Information Sheets page.

If you have any questions about Information Sheet 14 or any other queries please contact our Project Manager Lesley Hills via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

Blog Helps End Mental Health Myths And Stigma

A leading mental health campaign is helping to put an end to the myths and social stigma surrounding mental health by asking people to share their experiences and personal stories online.

Time to Change Wales is a campaign aimed at ending mental health stigma and discrimination within Wales and has set up a Blogs & Stories section devoted to sharing your insights on mental health issues.

Each blog post centres on someone's personal accounts of their mental health experiences and are a great way to find out about living with often poorly understood mental health problems.

So far a long list of bloggers have offered insights on subjects as wide-ranging as anorexia, depression and personality disorders and even included leading politicians from each of the main political parties.

The idea is part of the Time to Change Wales call to get people to challenge mental health discrimination by simply talking about mental illness and having an open conversation about mental health.

Whether you have a mental health problem or not, you can help end the stigma surrounding the subject right now by reading the posts or following the campaign via its Facebook or Twitter feeds and sharing the stories with your friends and colleagues.

If you'd like to write a blog post please email Time to Change Wales at info@timetochangewales.org.uk.

Information Sheet 14 - Mental Health, Deafness and Hearing Loss

Our latest Information Sheet is a briefing note for GPs and primary care practitioners entitled Mental Health, Deafness and Hearing Loss.

There are 534,000 people in Wales with some form of hearing loss and Information Sheet 14 provides professional advice, guidance and support on the impact of hearing loss on mental health.

People with hearing loss are at an increased risk of mental health problems including anxiety, depression and poor self-esteem.

By 2031 the number of people with hearing problems is set to grow to 725,000 so it is a subject which GPs and primacy care practitioners across the country really need to understand.

This latest Information Sheet outlines everything from communication tips through to helping make services more accessible and useful contact details.

Like all our Information Sheets this latest document aims to help raise awareness about and improve mental health services across the country.

Each of our sheets have been developed to provide valuable information, training and support tools on primary care mental health in Wales.

Their publication comes under the set objectives of our Gold Standard Project which has set the goal of providing good communication on mental health issues .

We have a range of other Information Sheets which are all available to download and view on and from our Information Sheets page.

If you have any questions about Information Sheet 14 or trouble viewing or downloading it please contact our Project Manager Lesley Hills via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

Information Sheet 14 To Be Released Next Week

We are set to release our latest Information Sheet - entitled Mental Health, Deafness and Hearing Loss - next week.

There are 534,000 people in Wales with some form of hearing loss and our 14th Information Sheet will cover the impact of hearing loss on mental health.

People with hearing loss are at an increased risk of mental health problems including anxiety, depression and poor
self-esteem.

By 2031 the number of people with hearing problems is set to grow to 725,000 so it is a subject which GPs and primacy care practitioners across the country really need to understand.

Like all our Information Sheets this latest document aims to help raise awareness about and improve mental health services across the country and will be publised on this News & Events Blog and our site on Monday.

Their publication comes under the set objectives of our Gold Standard Project which has set the goal of providing good communication on mental health issues.

We have a range of other Information Sheets which are all available to download from our Information Sheets page.

If you have any questions about Information Sheets or trouble viewing or downloading them please contact our Project Manager Lesley Hills via email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk or on 029 2050 4516.

Dementia Makes Sony World Photography Awards Shortlist

A series of images depicting the life of a married couple affected by dementia have made it onto the shortlist for a prestigious world photography award.

It's no surprise that the subject of dementia has made it onto the awards shortlist as the most up-to-date statistics show the numbers of people with dementia are rising across the world with an estimated 35 million people with dementia worldwide.

The pictures - taken by Italian photograher Fausto Podavini - have been listed under the Lifestyle section in the Sony World Photography Awards, an annual competition hosted by the World Photography Organisation.

This year's contest attracted more than 122,000 entries from 170 countries with the entrants judged in 6 different competition categories.

The winners are scheduled to be announced in March and April and this is what nominee Podavini said about his series of images: "People affected with dementia, their families and friends are affected on personal, emotional, financial and social levels.

"Mirella is 71 years old. She spent 43 years of her life with the only person she loved, 43 years of sharing, difficulties, laughs and beautiful moments; a family, a house, values handed down.

"For the past few years her days are cyclic, monotonous, due to her husband's illness. She tries to look forward with devotion, strength and love - as long as there is life there is hope - even if memories are slowly wasted day by day."

To view the series of images which have put Padovini in the frame for an award please visit his short gallery on the World Photography Association website.

For further further information about the awards and a full list of nominees and categories please visit the Sony World Photography Awards page on the same site.

There are currently just over 42,700 people living with dementia in Wales and much work has been carried out to identify the areas which need to be addressed to improve the lives of those with and affected by dementia leading to the creation of the National Dementia Vision for Wales.

To find out more about dementia and hw you can find help and other support services across Wales please visit the Dementia section on our website.

Living Well With Dementia After Diagnosis Bilingual Information Pack

A free bilingual pack providing information for people in Wales that have been newly diagnosed with dementia is now available online.

The pack, entitled "Byw yn dda gyda dementia ar ôl diagnosis" / "Living well with dementia after diagnosis", is easy to use and is broken down into sections that signpost people towards health and social care services, local services and other third sector agencies that offer support.

Individual information sheets from the pack can be downloaded for free from the Living well with dementia after diagnosis page on the Alzheimer’s Society website.

The pack has been developed by Alzheimer's Society following the receipt of a grant from the Welsh Government.

As part of the National Dementia Vision for Wales, the Welsh Government has committed to improving information on dementia by:

Dementia Information Liaison Officer for Alzheimer's Society Cheryl Williams said: "A diagnosis of dementia may come as a shock and you may need some reassurance and support as there is much that can be done in the early stages that can help make life easier and more enjoyable.

"The pack is easy to use and is broken down into sections that signpost you towards health and social care services, local services and other third sector agencies that can support you.’"

If you have concerns about Alzheimer's disease or about any other form of dementia, Alzheimer's Society National Dementia Helpline 0300 222 1122 can provide information, support, guidance and signposting to other appropriate organisations.

The Helpline is usually open from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and Saturday and Sunday 10am - 4pm.

Register For Practical Dementia Events Across Wales

We're offering two half-day Practical Dementia training days aimed at helping medical professionals and carers improve the lives of those with and affected by dementia across Wales.

The events will follow the similar successful events on the same subject which we delivered earlier in 2012 and each 3-hour course costs £30 per delegate which includes free on-site parking.

Both these practical courses are CPD events aimed at the following mental health roles with attendees provided with an Attendance Certificate and will take place in Cardiff and Wrexham this Spring:

  • GPs
  • CPNs (Community Psychiatric Nurses)
  • Practice Nurses
  • Consultant Psychiatrists
  • Health Board Officials
  • The Care Home Sector
  • The Alzheimer’s Society

Both events begin at 1pm for lunch and registration with South Wales training taking place at the Novotel Hotel in Cardiff on 7th March 2013 from 2pm until 5pm with the second North Wales training day being held at the Ramada Plaza in Wrexham on 18th April 2013 from 2pm until 5pm.

Please note that each course concentrates on practice and not theory in relation to dementia and the proposed agenda for each event will cover the following issues:     

  • Memory clinics and the interface with Primary Care
  • Social Care – Interface Issues
  • Vascular Dementia
  • Dementia from a Carers Perspective – Interaction with Primary Care

To register for either event please fill in our Practical Dementia Training Application Form and return it to our Project Manager Lesley Hills at the following address along with your a cheque for £30 made payable to RCGP Wales:

Royal College of General Practitioners Wales,
Regus House,
Falcon Drive,
Cardiff Bay,
Cardiff CF10 4RU.

Alternatively, for further details or if you have any questions please contact Lesley on 029 2050 4516 or email at lhills@rcgp.org.uk. 

Project Grants Available for Practice Nurses

A grant of up to £3,000 aimed at improving the detection of mental health problems and access to mental health support has been opened to applications from practice nurses across the UK.

The funding comes courtesy of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust (CWMT) which is offering its Ted Fort Project Grant to fund a practice nurse to undertake a project to investigate and improve an aspect of mental health within their health practice.

The funding is available for a year and can be used to help nurses improve their approach to mental health problems and cover backfill and study leave support.

Outside of these requirements there are no other restrictions and no requirement for applicants to have pre-existing mental health training.

The grant also comes with available support and mentorship for projects which will run from 1st April 2013 to 1st April 2014.

The application deadline is 1st March 2013 with full details and the application form available on the Ted Fort Project Grant for Practice Managers Document.

If you have any enquiries about whether or not to make an application or what to include please initially contact Dr Maryanne Freer via email at Maryanne.freer@pcpartners.org or on 07960 718 764.

Subsequently, if you have an enquiry or problems with your application please contact Mrs B Sutton at the CWMT Office on 01635 869 754 or via email at admin@cwmt.org.

The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust was founded by Charlie's family shortly after he committed suicide at the age of 28 in 1997.

Charlie was suffereing from depression at the time and through the Trust his parents, family and friends have worked to increase awareness of the symptoms and dangers of depression and remove the stigma attached to mental illness.