Thursday 2nd February 2023 is Time to Talk Day, aimed at encouraging the nation to make time for a conversation about mental health. The national awareness day, which was first launched in 2014, is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness in England, in partnership with the Co-op. It is a UK-wide campaign, which...
Skills for Care urges care teams to #KeepLearning
Skills for Care have launched their new campaign, ‘Keep learning for success’, which aims to highlight the real benefits of continual professional development. The campaign will run throughout January, February and March to support adult social care providers and their teams to #KeepLearning. Skills for Care to highlight importance of training The national workforce...
Too cold to work? HSE advises on working safely in the winter
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued advice and guidance for employers to help them protect their workers during the current icy cold weather in the UK. As the UK is hit with another bout of icy weather – expected to last until Friday (20th January), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has...
Third of UK adults feel anxious about their finances
There are worries about the state of the nation’s mental health after a recent survey found that more than one third (34%) of adults in the UK felt anxious due to financial worries. The survey, commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation, also found that 1 in 10 adults felt hopeless about their finances, while...
Child mental health referrals up 39% after ‘difficult’ year
Referrals for child mental health services have risen by 39% in England in just one year, official data has revealed. NHS referrals for mental health treatment for under-18s increased to more than 1.1 million during 2021-22, compared to 839,570 in 2020-21, and 850,741 in 2019-20. The figures – branded “alarming” by the NSPCC –...
Parents urged to keep sick children at home
Parents have been urged to keep children away from school or nursery if they feel unwell and have a fever, as flu, Covid-19 and Strep A infections continue to rise. The advice was issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as families across the UK prepare for children to return to school and...
How First Response Training is responding to the latest vaccination requirements
National workplace training provider, First Response Training (FRT), has taken decisive steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its staff, clients, learners and they people they support. The leading training provider, which works with hundreds of local and national health and social care providers on a regular basis, has confirmed that all...
Annual social care report reveals impact of pandemic
The latest report into adult social care serves as a “stark reminder” that sector bosses face “significant recruitment challenges” with vacancy rates steadily rising since the pandemic. Skills for Care have published their annual report on ‘The State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England.’ The report, which is based on...
New campaign to improve public mental health
The government has launched a new campaign to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the general public. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), which was only officially launched on 1st October 2021, has initiated its first campaign as part of the government’s mission to tackle health problems at an earlier stage....
Firms warned not to ‘sleepwalk’ into health and safety nightmare
Following reports that job vacancies in the UK have hit a record high of 1 million, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has warned employers dealing with staff shortages not to “sleepwalk” into a health and safety nightmare. The leading professional body for occupational safety and health said that “worker shortages do...
Firm fined £1 million after man dies in explosion
A chemical firm has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and fined £1 million after a man died in an explosion at its site. The HSE said they hoped the case would help “communicate important safety messages” to the industry after Briar Chemicals Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the COMAH Regulations...
HSE inspectors crack down on respiratory risks
Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be targeting construction firms across Britain next month to check they are protecting workers from respiratory risks and occupational lung disease. The month-long inspection initiative, starting on Monday 4th October 2021, will focus on the control measures that construction firms have in place to protect...
IOSH shares workplace strategies to prevent suicide
As World Suicide Prevention Day was observed earlier this month, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) shared workplace strategies to support people’s mental health and prevent suicide. The world’s largest occupational health and safety body said that the Covid-19 pandemic had negatively impacted the mental health and wellbeing of people across the...
NSPCC: Online child abuse crimes have risen by almost 80%
The NSPCC is calling for the upcoming Online Safety Bill to be strengthened to “prioritise children” after figures show that online abuse crimes have surged by 78% over the last 4 years. The national children’s charity says that an analysis of police reports reveals that the number of children being sexually abused online has...
Social media firms introduce global measures to protect children
Leading social media platforms have implemented new global measures to protect children after the UK introduced new regulations aimed at ensuring child safety online. On Thursday 2nd September 2021, the UK introduced a new set of regulations to protect children when they are online, which include the possibility of multi-million-dollar fines for any companies...