MWCS report on artificial feeding

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland have published new legal and ethical guidance for practitioners considering the use of artificial nutrition for mental disorder. The 16 page report outlines what is meant by artificial feeding in the context of mental disorder and gives a legal and ethical context for decision making.

Drugs and poverty : a literature review

The Scottish Drugs Forum (SDF) has produced a new report on behalf of the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams. Key literature review areas include deprivation, the causes of problem drug use, communities, crime and social exclusion, employability and future policy implications. Click here to see the report.

Equality Web Resource

The SHOW website has news of the launch of the Equality Web Resource. This searchable database of statistics, economics and research was developed by Health Department Analytical Services Division in partnership with a range of other organisations across Scotland, in order to support work on equalities from equality impact assessment to the new duties on public bodies. This resource provides a breakdown of what information is available on age, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, transgender, and religion/ belief from a range of organisations across Scotland including the Scottish Executive, Information Services Division (ISD), Health Protection Scotland and Health Boards. It provides web links to published documents, information on work in progress and the details of who to contact for more information.

Suicide trends and risk factors

The Scottish Executive has published "The epidemiology of suicide in Scotland 1989 - 2004: an examination of temporal trends and risk factors at national and local levels".
It details findings from an analysis of suicide trends and risk factors in Scotland during the period 1989-2004, with an emphasis on the years prior to the implementation of Choose Life.
View the main research findings or full report here.

Long term strategy for care of the elderly

The Scottish Executive has published a long-term strategy, All Our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population, outlining the opportunities and choice available to people as they get older.

The consultation identified six priority areas for action:
* improving opportunities and removing barriers
* forging better links between the generations
* improving and maintaining health and well being
* improving care, support and protection for older people
* developing housing, transport and planning services
* offering learning opportunities throughout life

The Executive has allocated £27 million of funding to support the strategy. This includes the establishment of a National Forum on Ageing and a new Scottish Centre for Intergenerational Practice to improve links between young and old. By 2031 the number of people aged over 50 in Scotland is projected to rise by 28 per cent and the number aged over 75 is projected to increase by 75 per cent.

NES (NHS Education for Scotland) have launched a New to CAMHS training package. It's described as "an in-depth induction for staff who are new to NHS CAMHS". It's been designed to promote self-directed learning with the aim of encouraging reflective thinking and is intended to help people who are new to CAMHS to "grasp the practical value of theory to everyday clinical practice".

SE policy documents on children's health and adult rehabilitation

The Scottish Executive have published a couple of health policy documents that might be of potential interest to staff.


Delivering a healthy future: an action framework for children and young people's health in Scotland. / - - Edinburgh: Scottish Executive, 2007. - Delivering a Healthy Future sets out a structured programme of actions, drawn primarily from existing policy initiatives and commitments, to improve services for children and young people in Scotland.


Co-ordinated, integrated and fit for purpose: a delivery framework for adult rehabilitation in Scotland. / - - Edinburgh: Scottish Executive, 2007. - This document details a delivery framework for adult rehabilitation in Scotland.