TALKBACK NEWS 5
THERE were almost twice as many attendances to A&E departments in England for the 10% of the population living in the most deprived areas (3.1 million), compared with the least deprived 10% (1.6 million) in 2019-20, according to latest official figures. The report by NHS Digital1 shows that attendances for the 20% of the population living in the most deprived areas accounted for 27% of all A&E attendances (5.9 million attendances). The data also reveals that Monday is the busiest day of the week, accounting for 16% of all attendances during 2019-20 (3.63 million attendances). The most frequent time of arrival on a Monday is between 10am and midday, accounting for 15.2% of attendances on this day (552,000 attendances). The number of
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People in most deprived areas almost twice as likely to visit A&E
reattendances to A&E within seven days was 1.95 million and accounted for 8.7% of all reported attendances. 1) Hospital Accident and Emergency Activity 2019/20
Attracting a new generation of osteopaths CHOOSE Osteopathy is a new digital media campaign that has been targeting young people and career changers to consider a career in osteopathy. The campaign has been devised by the Osteopathic Communications Network to coincide with the period prospective students consider their UCAS applications for next year’s university places. The campaign showcases real osteopaths and their personal stories, expressions of their passion for osteopathy and the rewards of being an osteopath. There is a dedicated webpage, social media assets and videos.
Katie Griffiths, iO Head of Marketing and Communications, said: “We are targeting 16-23 year-olds and those seeking a change of career into health using digital and social platforms to drive awareness. “We have a number of young and passionate osteopaths providing videos and testimonials to really engage young people into choosing osteopathy as a career – so all round this has been a great example of how people have collaborated across our profession.” www.iosteopathy.org
ORGANISATIONS are invited to apply for funding to set up a pain research data hub. The hub will be part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Versus Arthritis Strategic Priority Fund Advanced Pain Discovery Platform. It will bring together and curate data sets to provide high-value data resources. UK research organisations eligible for UKRI funding include higher education institutions, approved independent research organisations, approved NHS bodies, and research council institutes. www.ukri.org.
Rheumatology workshop at RCN
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Enabling nursing staff to talk openly about concerns THE Royal College of Nursing has produced a new tool to help nursing staff feel confident to talk openly about errors and risks to patient care. Concerns might include an inability to meet the care of patients in your caseload, an inadequate response to a reported incident, or suspicions of fraud or bullying. The guidance includes a flowchart to help staff decide what action to take if concerns need to be escalated. Eileen McKenna, Associate Director of Nursing, Policy and Professional Practice, said: “Any delay in reporting concerns could have a negative impact. It’s important to remember that it’s in everyone’s best interest – patients, staff and managers – to identify when something isn’t right, learn from this and make improvements.”
£2m funding for pain research
THE Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is running a rheumatology workshop on 19 March 2021. The educational opportunity follows the publication earlier this year of the RCN’s Competency Framework for Rheumatology Nurses, supporting role development for practitioners in clinical practice. The role of the rheumatology nurse specialist is highly complex and may include roles in paediatric nursing, research, advanced level skills in clinical assessment and prescribing and providing intra-articular injections. www.rcn.org.uk
TALKBACK l WINTER 2020
