“10 minute shake up” comes to York

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Change4Life and Disney are partnering on a major new campaign – 10 Minute Shake Up – to help encourage the city’s children to get active this summer.

The 10 Minute Shake Up campaign uses a bit of Disney magic to inspire children to reach the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with fun, manageable 10 minute bursts of exercise with an aim of getting children across the country moving for an extra 100 million minutes this summer.
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Food inspection scores for York care homes revealed

Food Safety First Logo3

Details of the scores given to 5 care homes in the York area have been published.

Each home received a score of between 0 and 2 (the lower the score the worse the result).

Details for each can be downloaded by clicking the name of the home

Barstow House (Rating 1)

Meadowfields (Rating 2)

Somerset House (Rating 2)

Lamal Beeches (Rating 2)

Red Lodge (Rating 1)

Scores for the (vast majority) of homes that scored over 2 have not been listed by the Council.

Enjoy Farm Visits Safely

City of York Council’s Public Health Team has worked with Public Health England (PHE) to produce a factsheet that is being sent to all schools and Children’s Centres in York offering advice on good hand hygiene when visiting farm attractions.

All of the bacteria that can cause illnesses, including Salmonella and E. coli, live in the gut of the animals so people can get infected within the farm setting mainly in two ways – either by touching animals in the petting and feeding areas or by coming into contact with animal droppings on contaminated surfaces around the farm.

These harmful bacteria can get accidentally passed to your mouth by putting hands on faces or fingers in mouths before washing them thoroughly.

It only takes a small number of the bacteria to cause infection.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday) is stop smoking day

12th March is no smoking day and residents are being encouraged to think before they smoke in front of their children.

Stop-Smoking-Aids

Figures released recently by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) show around185,000 children between the ages of 11-15 in England are exposed to potentially toxic concentrations of second-hand smoke in their family car every day or most days.[1] That’s the equivalent of more than 6,100 classrooms full of children[2]]

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, Director of Health and Wellbeing at City of York Council said: “These figures demonstrate that children being exposed to second-hand smoke when travelling in a car is still a big problem and we would encourage people to use No Smoking Day as an opportunity to think about stopping smoking in front of their children and quitting altogether. Children are more vulnerable to the dangers of second-hand smoke compared to adults due to their faster breathing, smaller lungs and less developed immune systems.”

The North Yorkshire NHS Stop Smoking Service currently has the following weekly sessions in York:

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Be Clear on Cancer — Lung Cancer campaign

City of York Council is backing the Be Clear on Cancer campaign, aimed at increasing awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer, which has been considered so successful it is being repeated.

The Public Health England campaign first ran nationally throughout England in May – July 2012. Recent data found that around 700 extra people were diagnosed with lung cancer in these months when compared to the same period in the previous year. Approximately 400 more people were diagnosed at an early stage, and around 300 more patients had surgery, giving them the best chance of prolonged survival.

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Health Lottery funding – 12th March deadline

Peoples Health Trust

The Peoples Health Trust – which allocates lottery funding – has set a 12th March deadline for organisations seeking grant funding.

Grants will be available of between £5 and £50k (over two years). Applications can be submitted by any type of “not for profit” organisation including CIC’s. The projects length will between 9 months and two years (minimum 9 months to allow relationships to be formed ‘create stronger social connections between people’)

The project must be designed and run by local people. It must create stronger social connections between people and create a greater sense of general happiness. “It must help make the local community even better”.

For further information about the scheme and to apply visit www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk

Questions or assistance with completing applications can be obtained from Two Ridings Community Foundation 01759 377400

Hospital “bed blocking” on increase in York

Bed blocking

The number of delayed discharges from hospital is increasing as the York Council struggles to provide care in the community places.

The delays mean that the Council has to pay substantial “fines” and in turn the “blockage” can prevent new patients being admitted to NHS beds.

The delays have reached record levels as the weekly average figures (for patients awaiting discharge to community placements) for the last few years reveal.

  • 2009/10 – 7.98
  • 2010/11 – 10.13
  • 2011/12 – 8.69
  • 2012/13 – 10.67
  • 2013/14 – 11.00 (to September)

The figures were reported to both the York Council’s “Cabinet” on 5th November and its Health Scrutiny Committee on 27th November

Neither minuted any action which they planned take to address the growing crisis.

Some of the delays are being put down to inadequate capacity in the “reablement” unit. This team seeks to train former patients to be more self-reliant.

It is the winter period when demand for NHS beds is at its highest.

The last thing that the City needs is for those that are available to be blocked by people who could, with support

New figures reveal hundreds of thousands of children regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in a car

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New figures released by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) that show around 185,000 children between the ages of 11-15 in England are exposed to potentially toxic concentrations of second-hand smoke in their family car every day or most days.

That’s the equivalent of more than 6,100 classrooms full of children.

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, Director of Health and Wellbeing at City of York Council said:

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Alcohol in York

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York is supporting this year’s Alcohol Awareness Week which is taking place from 18 to 22 November.

Alcohol has an important role in many people’s social lives but it is easy to underestimate how much or how often we are drinking, and that it is causing harm to ourselves and others.Local statistics for York suggest that 20% of people who drink alcohol in the city are drinking in ways that put their health at risk.

In 2010/11 in York, more than 3,000 people were admitted to hospital for alcohol-related illnesses (Local Alcohol Profiles for England, calculated from indicators 10 and 11), and an estimated 18,000 attended A&E (estimate from Alcohol Concern’s alcohol harm map http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/campaign/alcohol-harm-map)

 

The cost to the city’s health services due to alcohol misuse alone is estimated at £58 per adult resident (alcohol concern alcohol harm map as above.)

Alcohol misuse can also fuel violent crime: in 2010/11 there were estimated to be four violent crimes attributable to alcohol for every 1,000 people in York (local alcohol profile as above indicator 16).

Estimates of the number of people who binge drink is above the national average (local area alcohol profile indicator 24.)
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