ARC HLI News Updates

Professor Brian Toft has had the honour of accepting an invitation to become the Patron of the Birth Trauma Association (BTA).  A link to their website is here: http://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/

The Navigation study hits the headlines!

The Guardian Healthcare Network featured an article on the Navigation study on 22nd November 2011- http://gu.com/p/33gh9. The article includes feedback from one participant who felt that Navigation helped him to make an informed and confident decision about treatment, as well as feedback from principal investigator, Dr Hacking, and Macmillan Cancer Support who funded the study.

November 2011 Edition of Team Brief  file

Impact of Navigation Research at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre

Clinicians in the prostate clinic have secured funding to provide consultation audio recordings to all newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients following the Navigation project. The research team is collaborating with the local support group and charity to develop a ‘frequently asked’ question list for patients preparing for consultations.

Dr Belinda Hacking will also be presenting our work on ‘Patient Navigation’ to the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Cancer in December (14/12/11 at 5.30pm).

A special feature on the impact of ARC HLI and HBR in the psychologist pdf

October 2011 Edition of Team Brief  pdf

 

Honorary Senior Research Fellow- ARC HLI- appointed 2011

'Dr. Belinda Hacking is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Clinical Health Psychology for Acute Services at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.  Dr. Belinda Hacking has a particular research interest in communication and shared decision making.  She has been the Principal Investigator for several grants.  Her most recent collaboration with Prof  Louise Wallace at Coventry University involves the application of a decision support intervention for patients with colorectal cancer and malignant brain tumours.  This research is supported by Macmillan Cancer Support and Edinburgh Cancer Centre Endowments Fund.  Dr. Belinda Hacking is the Director of a national clinical communication training programme across Scotland (www.EC4H.org.uk).  Dr. Belinda Hacking has a strong clinical interest in oncology and palliative care and the application of psychoanalytical psychotherapy in the psychological management of medical patients.  Dr. Belinda Hacking is also an Honorary Fellow of Edinburgh University and works closely with the Doctoral Clinical Psychology Training Programme.'

Success for online breastfeeding knowledge assessments

Healthcare staff in the Black Country have taken part in a pilot scheme to assess the effectiveness of a self directed training workbook and DVD. The results of the “healthcare economy” wide training of clinical staff in breastfeeding support skills, compliant with UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative standards, is published on NHS Local:
http://nhslocal.nhs.uk/story/success-online-breastfeeding-knowledge-assessments

Professor Brian Toft appeared in the BBC1 Panorama programme, 'Surgery's Dirty Secrets' and also the BBC1 Scotland Investigates programme, 'The truth about surgical instruments'.  Both programmes were broadcast on 27th June 2011 at 20:30 and 21:00 respectively and concerned the manufacture of poor quality surgical instruments in Pakistan.  Brian has been invited to present his concerns regarding such devices to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's 'Committee on the Safety of Devices' on 7 July 2011.

Nutrition and Nurture in Infancy and Childhood: Biocultural Perspectives Conference, 8th-10th June 2011, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria

Kubra Choudhry and Susan Law both attended this 3-day conference hosted by the University of Central Lancashire, and presented two papers, a workshop and a poster. The conference was attended by over 130 delegates from as far afield as Texas, New Zealand, India and Hong Kong. Kubra presented her paper based on the findings of a large national web survey commissioned by Express Yourself Mums: ‘Private act or public right: women’s experiences of breastfeeding in public in the UK’. Sue presented a workshop on the development of breastfeeding education self-study materials and their use in a recent large DH-funded project in the West Midlands: ‘A whole healthcare economy approach to training in breastfeeding support knowledge and practice skills: Coventry University Breastfeeding Assessment and self-study methods’. She also presented a paper based on the independent formal evaluation of that study: ‘Health professionals’ experiences of using the Coventry University Breastfeeding Assessment (CUBA), self-study breastfeeding workbook and DVD”. The poster presented by both Sue and Kubra ‘Evaluation of a breastfeeding training support DVD using a short Essential Skills Coventry University Breastfeeding Assessment (CUBA-ES) test and survey’ illustrated an ongoing study comparing two breastfeeding skills DVDs and their impact on the knowledge and self-efficacy of practitioners providing support to breastfeeding mothers. The presentations were all well received and all led to some interesting discussions.

Professor Brian Toft appeared in the BBC1 Panorama programme, 'Surgery's Dirty Secrets' and also the BBC1 Scotland Investigates programme, 'The truth about surgical instruments'.  Both programmes were broadcast on 27th June 2011 at 20:30 and 21:00 respectively and concerned the manufacture of poor quality surgical instruments in Pakistan.  Brian has been invited to present his concerns regarding such devices to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's 'Committee on the Safety of Devices' on 7 July 2011.


A Rapid response to an article on shared decision making in healthcare (Shared Decision Making: Welcome to the century of the patient)
• Anne Gulland
BMJ 2011;342:doi:10.1136/bmj.d2057 (Published 6 April 2011) was published in the BMJ, as follows:
Hacking B, Scott SE and Wallace LM (2011) SCOPE for change: involving and informing cancer patients in their healthcare. BMJ http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d2057.full/reply#bmj_el_259743

This article featured in the recent National Obesity Observatory research update (April 2011):
Pittson, H. & Wallace, L.M. (2011)  "Using Intervention Mapping to develop a family-based childhood weight management programme.  Journal of Health Services Research & policy, Apr:16 Suppl 1:2-7.

Breastfeeding research and practice - in the news:  http://nhslocal.nhs.uk/story/success-online-breastfeeding-knowledge-assessments

The development of prototype version of MUMS + MS - web based intervention with educational component for women with multiple sclerosis who are considering pregnancy has just been completed. The intervention can be accessed at www.mumsandms.org.uk and via MS Society website at 
http://www.mssociety.org.uk/research/get_involved_in_research/take_part_in_research/index.html

Co Creating Health - final report on a national programme for self management of long term conditions.

Co-Creating Health (CCH) is a national quality improvement demonstration programme funded by The Health Foundation (http://www.health.org.uk) to embed self-management practice into mainstream health services across the UK. The programme ran from 2007-2010, and the evaluation spanned four years ending in April 2011. The Coventry University evaluation team are in the process of producing the final report. The evaluation analysed longitudinal and cross-sectional results from surveys, developed a new measure of clinician practices and motivation to support self management, interviews, focus groups, observations, critical analysis of policies, NHS documents and analysis of NHS healthcare use datasets. Services focussed on patients with diabetes, COPD, pain and depression.
(http://www.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/d/207/a/3429).

The development of an actionable E-Work life scale with reference to self reported well-being and job effectiveness

Christine Grant is presenting a poster on her PhD research into work life and e-working at the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Conference 12-14 January, 2011.   The poster details the three completed phases of the research and has lead to a commercially viable E-Work life tool for organisations to utilise. Christine has linked the E-Work life tool to job effectiveness and the well being of e-workers.  Her research has attracted some external interest and the BPS will be covering in a press releasing at the conference. To see the poster click on the link.

Businesses need to be 'leaner and keener' in the new age of austerity.  News Release - The British Psychological Society, 7th January 2011

23rd December 2010:
Dr Belinda Hacking Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Edinburgh Cancer Centre has been appointed from December 2010 as Honorary Senior Research Fellow in ARC HLI. Dr Hacking heads the clinical psychology service in this busy tertiary cancer centre. She leads a programme of psycho-oncology research, practice and training related to improving cancer consultations. Dr Hacking and Prof Louise Wallace have collaborated for some years with Dr Jeff Belkora at University of California at San Francisco on decision navigation in cancer consultations. Currently we have a programme of research funded by Macmillan and the Edinburgh Cancer Centre’s Foundation, and a PhD studentship held by Sarah Shepherd funded by the University. The experimental intervention known as information navigation is delivered  by research assistants employed in ARC HLI (Sarah Scott and a new appointee to be announced).