AHSN Newsletter – CLAHRC bid progresses

Posted on July 1, 2013 by sw462

I’d like to start this week’s update by sharing the good news that the team leading development of the region’s application for a CLAHRC have reached the next stages of the competition and been invited for interview in early July. Prof Sube Banerjee, CLAHRC Director designate, will be leading a team of up to five colleagues representing all the collaborating organisations, including Sussex Partnership as the lead organisation.

The interview will principally involve discussion of relatively high level strategic issues, although the panel may also wish to focus on the detail of the research plan for the proposed CLAHRC. The AHSN Transition Board, represented by Prof Tom Quinn, is in discussion with Sube and colleagues about how we can further support the CLAHRC team in preparation for the interview.

9 July Partnership Day

 

Industry representation at our partnership day is going to be strong. We have senior representation from industry bodies (including UKTI, ABHI, TSB, EMIG and the Knowledge Transfer Network), large pharma companies (including Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Novartis, Sanofi and Pfizer) and health technology companies (including BT Health, Philips, Docobo and Beckton Dickinson).

We’re delighted that they’re keen to explore opportunities for collaboration in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The Partnership Day offers a significant opportunity to share insights with senior leaders from LAs, HEIs and NHS organisations and identify potential partnerships for service improvement and new ways of working with mutual benefits. Delegates will leave with a strong sense of where the AHSN is heading and its work plan and programmes going forward.

Attracting this level of industry enthusiasm to meet with academic, health and social care leaders and change agents gives us the prospect of a highly productive day. All AHSN members have been invited to send senior leaders to the Partnership Day and they will be able to feedback to colleagues in their organisations about the discussion and outcomes from the event.

Kind regards

Guy Boersma

Managing Director
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Academic Health Science Network

 

What are the facts behind A&E attendances?

With pressures on accident and emergency departments hitting the headlines recently, our latest quarterly monitoring report confirms that the government’s target has been missed as A&E waiting times hit a nine-year high.

For the facts behind A&E attendances, read this quarter’s report and listen to our Chief Economist John Appleby talk through the key figures in his audio slideshow.

Emergency services and emergency care inquiry

This briefing outlines Carers UK’s response to the inquiry on emergency care.

Read more…

Online event: International Congress on Telehealth and Telecare

This is the third year that the congress has been run and in order for us to expand the reach of the event beyond those who attend in person we are offering free online access to highlights of the event.

Read more…

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The Speechless Poet

Posted on June 28, 2013 by

Howdy everybody,

this week was full of lovely encounters with participants. I met a wonderful and humorous man who had suffered from many health drawbacks in his life and yet kept his hope and love for other people and life in general. As he suffered from cancer of the throat, in consequence he lost his vocal cords and became a neck breather. He can speak but just with an artificial voice (he told me to prefer communicating via email as on the phone I might think that ‘Martians had landed’). Due to his difficulties with communication, Len went back to University to enhance his computer writing skills and also completed a creative writing course, and now writes for various journals and even send me some lovely poems. Here is my favourite:

               A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

                               By Len A.Hynds

                                  Don’t put off until tomorrow,

                                things that should be done today.

                               Cos’ cruel fate could step right in,

                                   and steal your chance away.

                              Don’t put off until, some other time,

                                     the things you need to say.

                                  You never know if there will be,

                                     the chance of another day.

                                  Don’t wait to say, “ I love you,”

                                 till your voice may not be heard.

                                     or whispered into frail ears,

                                who cannot understand your words.

                                    So cradle one anothers hearts,

                                        don’t let the feeling slip.

                              Through good and bad times, cling on,

                                        don’t lose the loving grip.

                                    Look warmly in each others eyes,

                                       whilst still the chance is there.

                                           Be thankful for each other,

                                        and the pleasures that you share.

When you go to Len’s webpage (http://www.thespeechlesspoet.co.uk/index.php) you can read all sorts of magnificent and astonishing things. Leaving school aged 12 during the war, he then fought in various other wars in Egypt, Sudan and Palestine, worked at Scotland Yard, even delivered two babies, and finally graduated at the age of 77 in Creative Writing, Writing For Stage And Screen and Poetry.

Len’s life story has truly touched me and it is encounters like this one that enrich your life. They make you stop for a second to think about what really matters to you in life, and for this I am very thankful.

 Anna B.

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A strange one

Posted on June 23, 2013 by

Morning Sunday,

this has been a very different and weird week for me. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, heavy flooding in my hometown in Germany caused massive damage in my family’s business and unimaginable tragic situations for families who lost eveything they owned – their house, clothes, documents, anything. Because of this, I felt the urgent wish to go home and support my family. Now, my family’s business is cleared out and empty, and negotiations are going on but we have no idea what will happen.

Meanwhile, I tried to organise things from a distance. We still had participants coming in, so we have roughly 25 participants tested so far – a good number for the moment. I also realised that it is not as easy as it sounds to organise yourself with all the emails one gets everyday. Imagine a world not so long ago, when the only way people could communicate was via letter and phones. What a peaceful world! Nowadays, brring –  and another email and there is no way around it. Quicker and quicker, faster and faster and if you don’t respond within a few minutes, another stack of new emails overwhelms you and you forget the earlier ones. Are my 70 year old participants more efficiant than I am? …

Also, we experienced our first misunderstanding and lost a participant. Fortunately not due to my earlier mentioned email jungle. One point for me, yay. I guess it’s c’est la vie. Maybe we can rescue him, but in case any of my participants read this: we are very thankful that you all participate.

So long until next week,

Anna B.

 

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NEWS RELEASE: Time perception altered by mindfulness meditation

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Richard Barber

New published research from psychologists at the universities of Kent and Witten/Herdecke has shown that mindfulness meditation has the ability to temporarily alter practitioners’ perceptions of time – a finding that has wider implications for the use of mindfulness both as an everyday practice, and in clinical treatments and interventions.

Led by Dr Robin Kramer from Kent’s School of Psychology, the research team hypothesised that, given mindfulness’ emphasis on moment-to-moment awareness, mindfulness meditation would slow down time and produce the feeling that short periods of time lasted longer.

To test this hypothesis, they used a temporal bisection task, which allows researchers to measure where each individual subjectively splits a period of time in half. Participants’ responses to this task were collected twice, once before and then again after a listening task. By separating people into two groups, participants listened for ten minutes to either an audiobook or a meditation exercise designed to focus their attention on the movement of breath in the body. The results showed that the control group (audiobook) didn’t change in their responses after the listening task compared with before. However, meditation led to a relative overestimation of durations i.e. time periods felt longer than they had before.

The reasons for this have been interpreted by Dr Kramer and team as the result of attentional changes, producing either improved attentional resources that allow increased attention to the processing of time, or a shift to internally-oriented attention that would have the same effect.

Dr Kramer said: ‘Our findings represent some of the first to demonstrate how mindfulness meditation can alter the perception of time. Given the increasing popularity of mindfulness in everyday practice, its relationship with time perception may provide an important step in our understanding of this pervasive, ancient practice in our modern world.’

Dr Kramer also explained that the benefits of mindfulness and mindfulness-based therapies in a variety of domains are now being identified. These include decreases in rumination, improvements in cognitive flexibility, working memory capacity and sustained attention, and reductions in reactivity, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Mindfulness-based treatments also appear to provide broad antidepressant and antianxiety effects, as well as decreases in general psychological distress. As such, these interventions have been applied with a variety of patients, including those suffering from fibromyalgia, psoriasis, cancer, binge eating and chronic pain.

Dr Dinkar Sharma, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Kent, commented: ‘Demonstrating that mindfulness has an effect on time perception is important because it opens up the opportunity that mindfulness could be used to alter psychological disorders that are associated with a range of distortions in the perception of time – such as disorders of memory, emotion and addiction.’

Dr Ulrich Weger, of Witten/Herdecke’s Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, concluded by stating that ‘the impact of a brief mindfulness exercise on elementary processes such as time perception is remarkable’.

‘The effect of mindfulness meditation on time perception’ (Robin S.S. Kramer, Ulrich W. Weger, Dinkar Sharma) is published in the journal ‘Consciousness and Cognition’.

The paper can be viewed at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810013000792

For further information or interview requests with Dr Robin Kramer contact Gary Hughes in the University of Kent’s Press Office
Tel: 01227 823100/823581
Email: g.m.hughes@kent.ac.uk

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PRESS RELEASE: Student named national cancer charity’s top volunteer

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Richard Barber

An exceptional University of Kent student who steered the student-led group Kent Marrow to sign up over 100 people to the national bone marrow donor register has been named as a top volunteer by blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.

Katy Burnett, a second year forensic science student from the School of Physical Sciences, was given the accolade as part of National Volunteers Week, which took place from 1-7 June.

Katy, 20, originally from Brighton, has had first-hand knowledge of the importance of a donor after undergoing a bone marrow transplant to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia when she was five years old. She decided to set up Kent Marrow, a volunteering group as part of Kent Union, and has since undertaken various awareness events to encourage students to sign up to the donor register. So far, Katy’s efforts have resulted in 107 students signing up to the Anthony Nolan register.

Katy said: ‘Volunteering is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. It opened my eyes to how much I could change things in the world and makes me feel like the impossible is possible.

‘Anthony Nolan found me a donor when I needed one, so I have always wanted to help the charity. As a volunteer, I have been able to help Anthony Nolan spread awareness, recruit more potential donors and potentially help save the lives of more people needing transplants.

‘As a volunteer recruiting potential donors, you could find that one donor for someone who needs a transplant. It is worth all the effort you put it as you could be partly responsible for saving someone’s life.’

The news follows a recent University of Kent record for the number of volunteering hours undertaken by its students in one year. Over 103,950 hours of students’ time was donated to organisations in both the Canterbury and Medway communities, as well as organisations nationwide.

For further information contact Katie Scoggins in the Press Office at the University of Kent
Tel: 01227 823100/823581
Email: PressOffice@kent.ac.uk

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We are speeding up

Posted on June 15, 2013 by

Here we are again for my end of week blog.

It was a stressful week! The reward for all the testing: our first 20 participants. Not too bad!

So we finally got our blood pressure tester and lung capacity tester and we realised that the uni-size of the blood pressure leaves some participants a bit embarrassed because it doesn’t fit around every biceps, oops. Furthermore, we had to think about what to do when our participants actually have high or low blood pressure – do you tell them? Do you advise them do see a GP? … questions over questions!

Also, testing older older people in care homes is just madness! Ultra stressful and they seem to be quite impatient and some refused to go on after a while because they got bored from the questionnaires. Well, never complain about the students anymore who are forced to do all your studies. At least they don’t complain (most of the time) and bravely go through all of it. Very well behaved, thanks students.

All in all it was an awesome and interesting week, especially when you realised that you just tested a 97 year old women who is really fit for her age and the first thing she says when you meet her in the care home is: “I’ve been just watching the tennis, hurry up, it just got interesting!”

So long everybody,

Anna B.

 

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NEWS RELEASE: Asthma inhaler project wins student Entrepreneur of the Year award

Posted on June 14, 2013 by sw462

Ryan England has been named the University of Kent’s ‘Student Entrepreneur of the Year’ at its recent annual Employability Points scheme rewards ceremony.

Ryan, who won the award for his project to customise the appearance of asthma inhalers to make them more child-friendly, was one of a record near 2,500 participants in a scheme that serves to encourage, support and enhance the extracurricular personal and work-skills development of individual students through active engagement in a range of self-selected activities.

These include student mentoring, volunteering, part-time employment, international study and language study. Points are then awarded for each activity and at the end-of-year ceremony students with the highest points are presented with prizes such as training programmes, paid internships and vouchers, all of which are sponsored by organisations or companies.

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Tesco and Enterprise Rent-a-Car are among the 111 leading companies and organisations who offered work experience, internships and skills development sessions as prizes under this year’s EP scheme.

Cristobal Sanchez, of Santander Universities, who were the main event sponsor, presented Ryan with his award which includes a trip to take part in the Global Student Challenge in Virginia, USA, and a fully funded office in the University’s own Enterprise Hub.

 

Other students who received special recognition during the ceremony include Omoze Ojo from Canterbury and Kieran Watkins from Medway for (jointly) gaining the most number of points. Omoze received her award from Andrew Griggs of Reeves, and Kieran received his from Robin Cooper of Medway Council.

The University’s Chancellor, Sir Robert Worcester, and Tomas Christodoulou, of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, presented the Chancellor’s Prize to Hannah Bignell. She was selected from 23 nominations as the student who had ‘demonstrated outstanding engagement in a university initiative’.

Professor Alex Hughes, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor External, said: ‘This scheme helps our students gain valuable experience and I’m delighted that so many leading employers continue to support it in this way. We rely on our partners and sponsors and the success of this evening demonstrates the extent to which they value our students.’

Cristobal Sanchez, of Santander Universities, said: ‘Santander believes education is the future. This initiative encourages enterprise and employability and as a bank we want to invest in that.’

The 111 employers engaged in the scheme this year is a record. They offered a total of 330 rewards to some of the highest achieving EP students.

Other sponsors included: Skanska, Merlin Entertainment Group, Kent County Council, Russkin, Canterbury City Council, Canterbury Cathedral, aBode, the KM Group, Medway Council, Kent Police, The National Trust, Waterstones and Shepherd Neame.

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It slows down

Posted on June 7, 2013 by

Howdy people,

there we are again for my blog of the week. Unfortunately, I cannot really tell you so much. Because of some personal distractions caused by flooding in my home town in Germany, I was working quite slow the last week. However, here are some highlights:

Me: “So I can’t find any proper questionnaire for diet intake, Robin. Maybe we just need to make our own one…”

Robin: … (silence)

Me: “….  … oh, I see. That was one of those stupid questions?”

Robin: “Well,… yes.”

So no, it is not possible to just make up your own questionnaire in a few minutes – oops. Also, my supervisor is not afraid of actively using the psychology of attraction to recruit participants in the library, i.e. yes, I have to ask the guys.

Other than that, we are ready to test now. I finished the questionnaire (no, didn’t invent items) and we decided on all the health measurements we are going to do. The only thing is now to wait for the lung capacity tester and blood pressure tester. In the meantime, I am practising with the callipers so I won’t scratch my participants’ eyes out (don’t worry, I am getting really good).

So long,

Anna B.

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Respiratory Clinic Launch: Tuesday 14 May

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Richard Barber

Tuesday 14 May,2013 marked the official launch for the University’s Respiratory Clinic at the School of Exercise and Sports Science which was hosted by Dr John Dickinson and his team at Medway Park Sports Centre. The event showcased how the Clinic can support athletes with a range of respiratory challenges and help improve performance.

Guests included around 20 representatives from organisations such as Kent County Cricket Club, Medway Maritime Hospital, K College and Kentsport. Dr Dickinson gave a demonstration of the Clinic’s equipment which includes the EVH (Eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea) testing kit which is widely considered the gold-standard test for diagnosing exercise-induced asthma (EIA) in athletes.

The EVH challenge is a 6-min test during which the athlete breathes a cold, dry gas at very high ventilation rates. Airway function following the test is compared against normal resting (baseline) airway function.

An additional piece of equipment was showcased called the Thora3Di PneumaScan. The Thora3Di allows the measurement of abdominal and chest wall movement using structured light plethysmography. Dr. Dickinson demonstrated this measurement was possible using a chess board of light beamed onto a person’s chest. Measurements can be seen real-time and instant feedback on an individual’s breathing pattern can be given.

Dr Dickinson commented:

"We’re delighted that a variety of health and sporting professionals attended this event which provided an insight into the Clinic’s work and how we can provide a range of support within a holistic package for Clubs. By ensuring a correct diagnosis and treatment programme for athletes with respiratory problems we can help have a positive impact on performance".

The Clinic’s services can be used by teams or individuals and breathing assessments can be built into a personalised package for groups. The equipment is portable and can be transported to a Club’s training grounds for convenience.

For more information on the Clinic, please visit the Respiratory Clinic webpage, email John Dickinson or telephone +44 (0)1634 202998.

Alternatively, you may also email Kent Innovation and Enterprise or telephone: +44 (0)1227 827376 to discuss this further.

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PRESS RELEASE – University of Kent founder member of new academic health science network

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Richard Barber

The University of Kent has been chosen by the NHS to be a founder member of a new Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) for Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

NHS England announced on 23 May, 2013 that it was establishing 15 new AHSNs, which would ‘have the potential to transform health and healthcare by putting innovation at the heart of the NHS’.

The University will be closely involved in the development of the Kent, Surrey and Sussex AHSN as a founding member of the network’s transition board. Its academics will also become involved in collaborative projects with healthcare practitioners and other agencies once the network begins its work.

Professor Peter Jeffries, Director of KentHealth, the University department that co-ordinates its regional health-related activities, said: ‘I am very pleased to confirm that the University is now playing a full role in the healthcare landscape across our region and look forward to Kent academics participating in the many activities that the new network will foster.

‘The aim of the AHSN in bringing industry, healthcare practitioners and the universities together resonates perfectly with that of KentHealth.’

NHS England’s Chief Executive, Sir David Nicholson, said: ‘The NHS is full of brilliant people with brilliant ideas. To spread ideas right across the NHS means working collaboratively with all those who have an interest.

‘AHSNs offer a more systematic delivery mechanism so that innovation spreads quickly and successfully through the NHS, making the best possible use of precious NHS resources and in ensuring the most advanced treatments, technologies and medicines are available to patients.’

The 15 AHSNs will now be given a licence to operate and will cover the whole of England.

-ends-

For further information or interview requests journalists should contact the Press Office at the University of Kent

Tel: 01227 823100/823581

Email: PressOffice@kent.ac.uk

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