Fourth largest city in Scotland records highest teenage pregnancies
The 39th most populous settlement in UK, Dundee has once again been positioned as the place with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Scotland. A part of the NHS Tayside area, the city has a recorded rate of girls among 13 to 15 getting pregnant, registering the place with the worst teenage pregnancy rate in the country. Recent statistics for the years 2007 to 2009 records Dundee to be the 4th largest city with this undesired title.
Updated by the Information Services Division of NHS Scotland, the figures clearly estimate that one of the causes for the pregnancy rates to be higher is poverty. Girls under the age of 15 to 17 have a recorded rate of 73.7 pregnancies per 1000 and girls among 17 to 19 is seen to have a record rate of 73.8 pregnancies per 1000. As the population rate of Dundee is small, the higher number of expectant mothers has added an extra flare to the title.
The larger cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh also records huge pregnancy rates. But the records show that Dundee has been named with the infamous title since 1994. Whereas the lowest pregnancy rate for the same period was recorded in the East Renfrewshire Council area that includes the suburbs of Glasgow, Clarkston and Newton Mearns.
1200 health staff to lose their jobs
Scotland is about to lose over 1200 health staffs, including nursing and midwifery with the aforesaid cut in the number of medical staffs by NHS . This decision came as a shocker for all, and also raised a concern over the treatment and care of the patients. It was told that no compulsory redundancies will be done and the slash in jobs will be done through natural wastage. Though this job cut is seen as a risk factor for the patients but, NHS GGC says, this reduction in staffing reduction is part of the efforts to modernize and redesign our services.
Looking at the figures we can see that during 2009 and 2012 they have spent £350m on modernising the hospitals and providing new facilities,equipments and other services. This cut will even be bringing more fund to better the facilities and treatments but will also raise a question on the care of the patients.
Noman Provan, Associate director for the union for employment relation condemns this new policy and said, the decision which was announced triggers a fear and if implemented will put patients safety at risk. He further added that it is simply not possible to cut the number of nursing and other posts without the patients care and safety being affected.
Now it has to seen what will be the fate of the innocent patients by these cuts, and how will the hospitals will cope up with the rising needs of quality health and care of patients.
A new strategy to improve the quality of care by NHS
To improve the quality of care in the hospitals, a new strategy has been delivered by the National Health services(NHS) in Scotland- Scots nurses are entitled to spend more time with the patients. With this scheme rolled out to all health boards known as RTC- Releasing Time to Care, it will be seen that nurses would be spending more time with the patients rather than doing other tasks like searching for equipments.
The new strategy will act in accordance with the patients views as to how they were treated by the nurses. Hospitals which have piloted this scheme earlier had seen 40 per cent increase in the time nurses were involved in direct patient care. Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:
“This programme is improving patient and staff experience, as well as efficiency and productivity. The Quality Strategy will put patients at the heart of everything the NHS does and give people a new confidence in the health service.”
This strategy however has brought about some concern for NHS; dearth of finances for what they want to deliver- safety, quality and efficiency of NHS care. Health boards will have to make savings of about £270 million this year, with putting projects on hold and some proposing job cuts.
Though the strategy recognizes the various challenges that has to be faced by NHS in the coming years, including obesity, ageing population, alcohol abuse and increased intelligence among the patients who then demand certain treatments; it also gives examples as to the possible savings for NHS. These includes reducing the use of agency nurses, bank and locum doctors and also stopping the use of various drugs and treatments that is considered low value when it comes to the benefits to patients.
A tremendous challenge taken by NHS, we hope that it lasts for long and achieve concrete benefits for patients who are surviving in such a difficult environment.
Risk factor for health care staff
In a surprising study it was found that a major portion of NHS staff are victims of verbal or physical abuse. The figures states that over 20,000 such cases are reported each year in which doctors, nurses and other hospital workers have to face the aggression, ill-treatment and anger of people. Though the figures show on an average, 400 staff a week in
The matter came into limelight after one of the Glasgow GP Dr Helen Jacklson became a victim of this violence. She was stabbed three times in the stomach while working in her surgery last month. This eye raising stats has made Scottish government to take this irregularity in a serious way. The government has assured to provide tough sentences to the person who assaults health staff and GPs.
This type of treatment done these health staff by people is due to the loss of respect towards the health staffs. The matter is very pity and actions should do made to combat. If one looks what the figures have to say, it will be a shocking stats, it states that about 20,800 such attacks and incidents of aggressions are reported in the 14 health boards of
According to Dr Marshall (Chairman of British Medical Association’s Scottish GPs committee) the sudden change in the behaviour of people towards doctors and other medical staff the fall of the level of respect people use to give to the doctors.
GPs, as independent contractors employed by health boards, are also not obliged to report attacks to a central database, making it impossible to gauge the true extent of the problem. The society has transformed a lot people have gone far, from the time when the profession like doctor was respected a lot and now when its not followed.