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Megaphone Online

In this issue:• NursingAssociatescompleteprogramme

• Meetnewpracticelearningteam

• Libraryudpate

• Delaysinbloodcancerdiagnosiscouldbeavoided

February 2019

the voice of Health Sciences’ staff and students

Graduating students awarded prizes

Some225studentsgraduatedfromtheDepartmentinJanuary.AheadoftheceremonyinCentralHall,areceptionwasheldforthegraduandsandtheirfamilieswhowerejoinedbystaffforrefreshments.KarlAtkinwelcomedthemandpresentedanumberofacademicprizes.

Emma Bower-OutstandingPracticeAchievementNursingandOutstandingDissertationNursingBeverley Chambers - OutstandingPracticeAchievementMNursingHolly Dale - OutstandingtaughtPostgraduateAcademicAchievementAppliedHealthResearchHarriet Larvin - OutstandingTaughtPostgraduateAcademicAchievementMasterofPublicHealthEleni McCrae - OutstandingPracticeAchievementMidwiferyRachael Pegler - OutstandingAcademicAchievementMNursingandOutstandingDissertationMNursingKate Sleightholme - OutstandingAcademicAchievementNursingSuzanne Stamoulos - OutstandingUndergraduateAcademicAchievementMidwiferyandOutstandingDissertationMidwifery

Congratulationstothefollowingwhoalsoreceivedprizesbutwerenotabletoattendgraduation:Trisa Lusiandari - OutstandingTaughtPostgraduateAcademicAchievementandOutstandingTaughtPostgraduateDissertationMScInternationalHumanitarianAffairsSamuel Simpson - OutstandingTaughtPostgraduateAcademicAchievementPGCertinHealthResearchandStatisticsMaise Hare-JamesBegleyPrizeCatherine Croston-OutstandingPracticeAchievementNursingMegan Irving-OutstandingPracticeAchievementFoundationDegreeGeorgina Tomlinson-OutstandingAcademicProgressionFoundationDegreeNicola Brown-OutstandingDissertationparttimeSSPRDpathway

Above: Emma Bower receives her award from Karl Atkin (more pics can be found on page 2)

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Student News

Graduation January 2019

Above: Beverley Chambers

Above: Rachael Pegler

Above: Harriet Larvin

Above: Kate Sleightholme

Above: Eleni McCrae

Above: Holly Dale

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Student News

Graduation January 2019

Above: L-R Rachael Pegler, Anita Savage Grainge and Beverley Chambers

Above: Suzanne Stamoulos Above: Jo Rose and Janaka Jayawickrama with the MSc in International Humanitarian Affairs graduands

Above: Ana Cristna Castro and Karen Bloor Above: L-R Anna Tash, Emma Bower and Imogen Jordan

Above: Mid15 after the graduation ceremony

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Student NewsFirst group of Nursing Associates complete programme

CongratulationstoourfirstgroupofNursingAssociateswhocompletedtheirprogrammeinFebruary.Thegroupof15studentswereallpartofapilotschemerunbyHealthEducationEnglandwithYorkTeachingHospitalNHSFoundationTrustandwillberegulatedbytheNursingandMidwiferyCouncil.NursingAssociateswillplayanimportantroleinprovidingcareandsupportforpatientsandserviceusersandwilladdressaskillsgapbetweenHealthcareAssistantsandregisteredNurses.

Cake sale raises funds for Alzheimer’s Society

CongratulationstoNurSocwhoheldacakesaleinSeebohmRowntreereceptiontoraisefundsfortheAlzheimer’sSociety. NurSocweresupportedintheirbakingbyJessPowell’schildrenLouisandFearn.

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Student News

Morgan takes on Council of Deans Student Leadership programmeFollowingthesuccessofnursingstudentsFelixManders-Wilde,MeganLast,CatrionaWaktareandmidwiferystudentLucyHornwhoundertooktheCouncilofDeansStudentLeadershipprogrammelastyear,MorganHopkins,secondyearadultnursingstudentontheMNursingprogramme,nowtakesupthechallengethisyear.

Morganwrites:“Hieveryone,Morganhere,I’masecond-yearadultnursingstudentontheMNursingcourse.IwantedtotalkaboutanincrediblyexcitingexperienceIhavelinedupfor2019thatIcan’twaittogetstartedwith.”

“InNovemberlastyearIappliedtotheCouncilofDeansStudentLeadershipProgramme,afterhearingstellarreviewsfrompreviousgraduatesofthisprogramme,MeganandFelix,andIheardIhadbeenacceptedintotheprogrammeinDecember,whatagreatChristmaspresent.”

“Forthoseofyouwhodon’tknowwhatI’mtalkingabout,theStudentLeadershipProjectisanamazingopportunitywhichaimstopromoteanddevelopleadershipskillsinfuturehealthcareprofessionals–everywherefromnursingtophysiotherapystudents.Theprogrammehasamixofteachingstyles,networkingeventsacrosstheUKwithothermembersofthecohortandindividualmeetingswithanallocatedcoach.”

“CurrentlyIhaveonlybeenpartoftheironlinediscussionsonFacebook,howeverI’mexcitedforthewelcomeeventinMarchwhereIwillmeettheother49membersofthe2019cohort.”I’mverymuchlookingforwardtobecomingagraduateofthisprogrammeashopefullyIwillhave:

• builtstrongnetworksandrelationswithpeopleacrossthesector• abetterunderstandingofmystrengthsandimproveonthem• freshknowledgeofthevarietyofleadershipstyles.”

“I’mhopingforthistobeanincrediblyhelpfulandinsightfulexperienceasevenifdon’ttakemycareerintoaleadershiprole,I’llhaveabetterawarenessofhowtoworkwithinamultidisciplinaryteam.IalsowanttobeabletosharemyexperiencewithotherpeoplesogoaheadandgivemyTwitteraccount@hopskikiafollowforupdatesofthingsIgetuptothroughoutthisprogrammeaswellasmycourse.”

Studentships available for 2019 entry

TheDepartmenthasbeenawardedsomeCommonwealthScholarshipsfortheMScinInternationalHumanitarianAffairs.There’salsoafundedstudentshipforeithertheMasterofPublicHealthorMScAppliedHealthResearchProgramme,aswellasaPhDstudentship.

Formoreinformationvisit:www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/gradschool/funding/

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Teaching News

Warm welcome to our Practice Learning Link Lecturer Team

Abighellofromus,yournewPracticeLearningLinkLecturerTeamfortheDepartmentofHealthSciences.Weareabrandnewteamofferingsupporttonursingstudentsoutinpracticeplacementareas.Weeachhaveadifferent‘patch’tocoverwithWumisupportingstudentsoutinYorkandSelby,SheilacoveringHarrogate,DalesandNorthallertonandEmilyontheEastCoast.

Ouraimistoprovideaccessibleandvisiblesupporttostudentsandmentorsoutinpractice.Weareafriendlyteamwhoareeagertogettoknowstudentsandourplacementareas,sothatallteamsfeelabletoaccessusquicklyforadviceorsupport.

Meet usEmily–MymainprofessionalspecialityhasbeenwithinOncologyandHaematology.Qualifyingin2013fromtheUniversityofYork,IhaveheldvariouspostsincludingasanOncologyStaffNurse,ChemotherapySpecialistNurseattheChristieHospitalandDeputySisteronWard31atYorkHospital(OncologyandHaematology).Iamsoexcitedtobepartofsuchafantasticteam,providingaccessiblesupporttostudentsthatIbelievewillbeofrealbenefittothemwhilstcompletingsuchachallenging,butrewardingcourse.Sheila-Ihavebeenaqualifiednursefor34years,duringwhichtime,IhavetrainedandworkedasaMidwife,neonatalnurse,intensivecare,anaesthetics,recoveryandscrubnurse.ItooktheopportunitytoworkabroadinBrisbaneAustraliaandwhatalifeexperiencethatwas!Iwouldrecommendthattothemoreadventurousamongyou.Iamlookingforwardtoseeingyouallinthefuture.Wumi–Iamaregisterednurseandatrainedmidwife.Ihave24yearsworkexperiencewithdifferentgroupsofpatientsbothinacuteandcommunitysettings.Ihaveheldpostsindifferentspecialtiesincludingneurosurgery,medicine,obstetrics,haematology,ophthalmologyandneonates.Ihaveaspecialinterestin,andenjoy,teachingandsupportingnursingstudents.

WehavemetsomanyofyousincestartinginpostinDecemberandwanttosayahugethankyoutoeveryoneformakingusfeelsowelcomeinthedepartment.Wewillbeholding‘meet&greets’anddrop-insatmainplacementareassopleasedocomealongandgettoknowus.Pleasegetintouchwithusbyemailatdohs-pll@york.ac.uk.Also,followusontwitteron@DohsPtokeepinformedaboutourdevelopmentsandpracticeplacementnews.

Left to right: Wumi Ajayi, Emily Hemmings and Sheila Brocklehurst

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Library News

Get help and use resources from the Library when you are on placement

YouraccesstotheLibrarydoesn’tstopwhenyou’reoutonplacement.Therearelotsofwaysthatyoucankeepintouchwiththeresourcesandhelpavailabletomakesurethatyougettheinformationandadvicethatyouneed.

Use our extensive collection of electronic resources from any computerAlloftheLibrary’sebooks,ejournalsanddatabasescanbeaccessedanywhere,anytime.Findoutwhat’savailableonlineviaYorSearch(https://yorsearch.york.ac.uk/)andlookoutforthe‘ViewOnline’linkstogetelectronicaccess.Whenworkingoffcampusyou’llneedtologinwithyourUniversityofYorkusernameandpassword.

Visit your local hospital libraryManyhospitalshavetheirownlibraries,andtheyaren’tjustforNHSstaff.Studentsareverywelcometouseresourcesandstudyspaceinthelibraries.Sayhellotothefriendlylibrarystaffwhenyou’renextpassingyourlocalhospitallibrary

Return your books using our free servicesYoucanreturnyourUniversityofYorkLibrarybooksatthefollowinghospitallibraries:York,Scarborough,HarrogateandNorthallerton.Handinyourbooksatthehospitallibraryandthey’llmakesuretheyarereturnedtotheUniversity.Wealsorefundthepostagecostsofrequestedbookswhichyousendbacktousfromplacement.

Access NHS e-resourcesNursingandMidwiferystudentsareeligibletoregisterforanaccountwhichgivesyouaccesstoNHSe-resources.Thesearethesameejournalsanddatabaseswhichyou’llbeabletousepost-registration,givingyouvaluableadditionalaccess.Tosetupyouraccountyou’llneedtocompletetheshortformontheSubjectGuide.

Getting helpTheLibrarybuildingsareopen24/7,soyou’realwaysabletocomebacktocampustomakeuseoftheresourcesandstudyspace.TheLibraryalsooffersa24/7chatservicesoyoucangethelpanytimeyouneedit.OtherwiseyouarealwayswelcometocontactDavid,theHealthSciencesAcademicLiaisonLibrarian:lib-healthsci@york.ac.uk.

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Research NewsUniversity hosts 16th Annual Research Network Day TrialSupportOfficer,OliviaTaylorwrites:“The16thAnnualChildMentalHealthResearchNetworkDaywasheldattheUniversityofYorkinJanuary.HostedbytheChildOrientedMentalhealthinterventionCentre(COMIC)researchteam,thedaybroughttogetheradiverserangeofresearchersandhealthprofessionalswithaninterestinchildmentalhealthresearch.”

“ProfessorBarryWrightbeganthedayandwelcomedallthoseinattendance.RichardAndrews,CEOofHealios,deliveredanexcitingpresentationregardingtheuseoftechnologyandappsindeliveringmentalhealthinterventionsforyoungpeople.Richarddescribedhowthetechnologyprovidesflexibilityforfamilies,sointerventionsfitaroundtheirlivesandhowthiswayofdeliveringtheinterventionshasbeenpositiveforclinicians.Richardalsooutlinedhowassessmentscanbecompletedwithintheapp.ThenextpresentationwasgivenbyCOMICResearchAssistantMeganGarside.MeganpresentedabouttheClusterSchoolsProject,astudywhichidentifiedandthenevaluatedthementalhealthandwellbeingservicesin21mainstreamsecondaryschoolsacrossYorkshireandHumber.Thepresentationincludedsomeinitialresultscomparingdifferenthighschoolyeargroups,showingdifferencesfrompupilsinyear8incomparisontothoseinyear11ontheStrengthandDifficultiesQuestionnairesubscales.”

“EllenKingsley,ResearchFellowandRoshanakNekooi,ResearchAssistant,providedanupdateontheongoingI-SOCIALISEstudy.I-SOCIALISEisaclusterrandomisedcontrolledtrialthatisexaminingtheeffectivenessofLEGO®-basedtherapyforchildrenwithautism.Thestudyhasreceivedpositivefeedbackfromparticipatingschoolsandtheresearchteamhopetopresentresultsatnextyear’sAnnualChildMentalHealthResearchNetworkDay.DrLisa-MarieHendersonpresentedsomefascinatingfindingsregardingsleepandmemoryconsolidationinchildrenwhoweretypicallydevelopingcomparedwithchildrenwhohaveautism.Sleepimprovesvocabularyconsolidation.”

“Followingashortcoffeebreak,DrElenaRatschen’spresentationoutlinedinitialfeasibilityresearchplansofinvestigatinganimal-assistedinterventionsforchildmentalhealthandalsoshowedhowtherapydogsarecurrentlybeingusedtosupportchildren.ThenextpresentationwasgivenbyRachelHodkinson,ResearchAssistantandOliviaTaylor,TrialSupportOfficer,whodiscussedtheASSSIST2studywhichisexaminingtheeffectivenessofSocialStoriesTMforchildrenwithautism.TheASSSIST2studyiscurrentlyrecruitingparticipantsacrossYorkshireandHumber.”

“DrCatarinaTeige,ResearchFellow,outlinedafeasibilityresearchstudywhichisinvestigatingtheroleofmicroRNAsandifwecouldcollectthemandanalyseinthefuturetotestwhethertheremaybebiomarkersinautism.Autismhasstronggeneticheritability.Thispresentationreceivedalotofinterest,especiallywithregardstothecollectionofdata.EmilyHayward,ResearchAssistantandHannahEdwards,ResearchAssistant,spokeabouttheAlleviatingSpecificPhobiasExperiencedbyChildrenTrial(ASPECT).EmilyandHannahgaveaninsightintothedifferentphobiastheyhaveseenontherandomisedcontrolledtrialsofaranddescribedhowtheysetupsingleandmulti-sessiontherapyforthesespecificfears.”

“AfterlunchDanielleVarley,ResearchProgrammeManager,sharedtheprogressofasystematicreviewofsystematicreviewsexploringreasonsforself-harminyoungpeople.Therehasbeenariseinfiguresofself-harminyoungpeople.Oneoftheaimsofthesystematicreviewistoexplorethepossiblereasonswhychildrenandyoungpeopleareself-harming.Thiswasfollowedbyaninterestingpresentationregardingdefining‘SocialMedia’andtheuseofitasbeingpositiveornegative.DanielJohnston,PhDstudentattheUniversityofYork,presentedanexcitingongoingstudytoreduceoreliminatespecificsoundphobiasforchildrenwithautism.Usinganinteractivegameandsoundfield,

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Research News

theinterventionallowschildrentoplayaninteractivegamewhichtheyareincontrolof,whilstthesoundtheyfearisslowlyintroducedintothesoundfield.ProfessorBarryWrightgavethefinalpresentationwhichsummarisedthefutureplansfortheCOMICresearchteam,includingsomeimpressivegrantapplicationsthatareinsubmissionorunderpreparation.Barrythankedthepresenters,audience,organisersandinterpreters.“

“Thedaywasafantasticopportunityforresearchers,clinicalstaffandanyonewithaninterestinchildmentalhealthresearchtonetwork.OnbehalfoftheCOMICresearchteam,we’dliketothankalloftheattendees,presentersandthetwoBritishSignLanguageinterpreters,RussellandHayley.Ifyouwouldlikeanymoreinformationaboutourresearchorinformationaboutfutureconferencesandevents,pleasecontactresearch.comic@nhs.nettobeaddedtothemailinglist.Youcanalsovisitourwebsite-www.comic.org.ukformoreinformationaboutourteamandcurrentprojects.”

Majority of people with severe mental ill health would like to be more physically active Takingpartinregularphysicalactivityislinkedtoamorepositiveoutlookongeneralhealthinpeoplewithschizophreniaandbipolardisorder,accordingtoanewreport.Peoplewithaseriousmentalillnesshavesomeoftheworstphysicalhealthofanysectionofthepopulationandstrategiestohelpreduceinequalitiesandimprovetheirhealthareurgentlyneeded.

Researchers,ledbyacademicsattheUniversityofYork,analyseddatacollectedonover3000peoplewithseverementalillhealth,makingthisoneofthelargeststudiesofhealthandlifestyleforthispopulationeverundertaken.Themajorityofparticipantsinthestudy(61%)reportedwantingtobecomemorephysicallyactiveorwantingtomaintainahealthylifestyle.However,otherkeyfindingsfromthestudypointtolifestylefactorswhichcontributetoa“healthgap”:

• 54%reportedeatingtwoorfewerportionsoffruitandvegetablesperday• 53%reporteddrinkingalcohol,and45%werecurrentsmokers• Only38%ofrespondentsreportedundertakingphysicalactivityeverydayoreveryotherday

ThestudyisthefirsttoemergefromtheUK“ClosingtheGap”programmeofresearchledbytheUniversityofYork.Overthenextfouryears,theresearchnetworkwillworkwiththesameparticipantstofurtherunderstandthecausesofhealthinequalityandtodesigninterventionsthatcanbeusedtoincreaseactivityandmakelifestylechangestoimprovephysicalhealth.

Leadauthorofthestudy,DrMasumaMishufromtheDepartment,said:“theseimportantfindingsarebasedonadetailedanalysisoflargesampleofpeoplewiththemostsevereformsofmentalillnessintheNHS.Ourstudyprovidesvitalinsightsintodiet,smokingandexerciseforthisgroupandhighlightssomeofthefactorsthoseareassociatedwithundertakingregularphysicalactivity.”

ProfessorSimonGilbody,co-authorofthepaperadded:“thisisthefirstanalysistoemergefromthisimportantUKstudy.IntimeweneedtoensuretheNHScanhelptotacklethecausesofpoorphysicalhealthforpeoplewhousementalhealthservices.Thestudyhelpsustothinkabouthowwecanencouragephysicalactivity,improvedietandencouragepeoplewithseverementalillnesstoquitsmoking;thesearetheareaswhereNHScouldimprovefurther.”

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Research News

Side-effects not fully reported in more than 30% of healthcare reviews Thepotentialside-effectsofhealthinterventionswerenotfullyreportedinmorethanathirdofpublishedhealthstudyreviews,researchhasshown.Negativeoutcomesofahealthinterventionreferstoeitheradrugreactionoraneffectofaprocedure,suchassurgery.Harmfulside-effectscanberareandlong-termandthereforedifficulttoanalyseasanoutcomeofahealthintervention.

Researchersargue,however,thatitisstillessentialthatharmfulside-effectsareincludedinreviewsofhealthcareinterventionstofullyinformmedicalpractice,healthpolicies,andpatients.

Thenewstudylookedatthereportingofadverseeventsin187systematicreviewspublishedbetween2017and2018.Systematicreviewsinhealthresearchaimtosummarisetheresultsofcontrolledhealthcareinterventionsandprovideevidenceoftheeffectivenessofahealthcareintervention.

ProtocolsResearchshowedthat35percentofreviewersdidnotfullyreporttheside-effectsofthemedicalinterventionunderreview.

DrSuGolder,fromtheDepartment,said:“Despitereviewersstatingintheirownprotocolsthatadverseeventsshouldbeincludedinthereview,65percentfullyreportedtheeventasintendedbytheprotocol,eightpercententirelyexcludedthem,andtheremaining27percenteitherpartiallyreportedorchangedtheadverseeventoutcomes.”

“Justover60percent,however,didn’tevenincludeadverseeventsintheirprotocols,whichsuggeststhatamoreproactiveapproachisneededtopromptreviewerstoreportonpotentialharmfulside-effectsintheirreportingofhealthcareinterventions.”

Bias reportingReviewauthorswritetheirownprotocolstodescribethestepstheywillfollowwhenpreparingtheirreviewofhealthcaredata.Theseprotocolsmustmeetaparticularstandardtobeacceptedforpublicationinapublicdatabasethatallowsresearchers,patients,professionals,andpolicyspecialiststoaccesstrustedevidence-basedinformation.

Thereasonswhyreviewauthorsmightbemissingoronlypartiallyreportingadverseeventswasnotclear,buttheresearchersfoundthatthesereasonscouldbewide-ranging,fromhowtheoriginalstudieshaddefinedorrecordedadverseevents,tosimplynothavingtheavailablespacetoincludedetailsinaword-countsensitivereview.

DrGoldersaid:“Topreventbiasinreportingoftheseimportantfeaturesofclinicaltrials,moreworkisneededtounderstandwhysomanyreviewersarenotfullyincludingthemandperhapsmorestrictguidanceisneededonrepresentingtheminreviewprotocolsinthefirstinstance.”

Now,42peopleownthesamewealthasthepoorest50%.InitslatestGlobalWealthReportCreditSuisseexpandeditsdataset.Usingthisnewdata,Oxfamnowcalculatesthatlastyear61peopleownedthesameashalftheworld.Asrecentlyas2009,thefigurewas380.

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Research News

Delays in blood cancer diagnosis could be avoided Manypatientswithlymphomatakelongertobediagnosedthanexpected,withsomethinkingthesedelayscouldhavebeenavoided,anewreportfromtheUniversityofYorkhasfound.ManysymptomsreportedbypatientsarenotincludedinUKreferralguidance,adocumentavailabletohelpGPsidentifysuspectedlymphoma.Currentguidancefocusesonthemostcommonsignssuchasswollenlymphnodes,weightlossandnightsweats,butmanypatientsexperiencedawiderrangeofsymptoms.

Therearealmost16,000casesoflymphoma–malignanciesofthebloodformingsystem–intheUKeachyear.The10yearsurvivalrateforHodgkin’slymphomais80%,butonly63%fornon-Hodgkin’s.Earlysymptomsoflymphomaarenotoriouslydifficulttointerpret:patientsmaynotrecognisethemasbeingsignificantandGPsmaynotappreciatetheirseriousness

Inastudy,involvingDrDebraHowellfromtheDepartmentandcolleaguesfomHullYorkMedicalSchool,35patientswithlymphomaand15oftheirrelativeswereinterviewedtoobtaindetailsofhowthediseasefirstcametolight,howtheyreactedtosymptoms,andhowtheywerediagnosed.Earlysymptomswerefrequentlynon-specific,suchasfeelingtiredorlackingconcentration,orexperiencingvaguepainsordiscomfort,andwereattributedbybothpatientsanddoctorstobenignandself-limitingcauses.Routinebloodtests,evenwhenabnormal,oftendidnotpointtoaprecisediagnosis.

Theauthorsacknowledgethedifficultyofdealingwiththisbypatienteducationcampaignsbuthighlightthecrucialroleofwhatisknownas‘safetynetting’byGPs,meaningthatunexplainedsymptomsarenotignored,andpatientsarenotdismissedwithan‘allclear’diagnosis,butaregivenpreciseinformationaboutreturningtotheGPforfurthertestsshouldsymptomspersist.Patientsneedtobereassuredthatrepeatedhelp-seekingisnotonlyjustifiedbutmaybeessential.

ThestudywascarriedoutbytheHaematologicalMalignancyResearchNetwork(HMRN),acollaborationbetweendoctorsandnursesat14hospitalsacrossYorkshireandtheHumber.HMRNwasestablishedtoproduceevidencetoimprovepatientcare.

Oneofthestudyauthors,ProfessorRussellPatmore–ahaematologyconsultantatCastleHillHospitalinHullandvisitinghonoraryprofessorattheUniversityofYork,said:“ItcanbeverydifficultforGPstodecidewhenrelativelycommonsymptoms,suchastirednessorinfections,couldpotentiallyindicatelymphoma.Ifthecauseofsymptomsisuncertain,itisimportantthatstrategiesareputinplacetoencouragepatientstotalktotheirGPaboutthis,particularlyiftheproblemisgettingworse.”

DrAlasdairRankin,DirectorofResearchandPatientExperienceatBloodwise,said:“PatientsandGPscaneasilyputthesymptomsofbloodcancerslikelymphomadowntotheageingprocessorharmlessconditions.It’svitalthatGPsaremadeawareofthesignsthatcouldindicatebloodcancersandthatpatientsarereassuredthatit’sOKtokeepseekinghelpiftheycontinuetoexperienceunusual,ongoingorunexplainedsymptoms.”DrRichardRoope,CancerResearchUK’sGPexpert,said:“Thisresearchhighlightsthatlymphomasoftenpresentwithnon-specificsymptoms,whichcouldalsobesignsoflessseriousillnesses.ThiscreatesachallengeforbothpatientsandGPs.OnaverageaGPwillonlyseeanewcaseoflymphomaonceeverythreeyears,andduringthattimewillhavearound24,000consultations.

“NICEguidelinesarehelpfulinsuggestingwhichsymptomsshouldbeproperlyevaluatedsuchasenlargedlymphglands,particularlyiftheseareaccompaniedbyothersymptomssuchaspersistenttirednessorunexplainedweightloss,fever,shortnessofbreathornightsweats.Anotherchallengingaspectisthatbloodtestswilloftenbenormalinpatientswithlymphoma.“TheRoyalCollegeofGeneralPractitioners,incollaborationwithCancerResearchUK,runeducationeventsforGPsandsomeofthesecoverthebloodcancers,toraiseawarenessoftheimportanceandsignificanceofbloodcancers,andequippingcolleagueswiththeinformationandsystemstoenableearlierdiagnosis.”

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Research News

Mental health claimants more than twice as likely to lose their benefits as non-psychiatric claimants

Peoplewhoarementallyillare2.4timesmorelikelythanclaimantswithnon-psychiatricconditionstolosetheirexistingbenefitsfollowingaPersonalIndependencePayment(PIP)eligibilityassessment,researchhasfound.PublishedintheBritishJournalofPsychiatryOpen,thestudyfromtheUniversityofYorkanalysedgovernmentdataofclaimantsmovingfromanexistingDisabilityLivingAllowance(DLA)entitlementtoPIPbetweenApril2013andOctober2016.

AllDLAclaimantsagedfrom16-65arerequiredtoreapplyfortheirbenefitaspartofagradualswitchovertoPIP.Thepotentiallossofincomeamountsto£141.10perweekforpeoplewiththemostseverementalhealthconditions.Theauthorsofthestudysuggestsuchareductioninfinancialentitlementhasthepotentialtoexacerbateexistingmentalhealthconditions,limitchancesofrecoveryandputpeoplewhoarethreetimesmorelikelytobeindebtthanthegeneralpopulationintofurtherfinancialhardship.

Thestudyalsofoundthatpeoplewithacommonmentaldisorder-suchasanxietyordepression-weremorelikelytohavetheirclaimrejectedthanclaimantswithneurologicalconditions,musculoskeletalconditionsanddiabetes.Claimsbasedonalcoholandsubstancemisusewerefoundtobe1.97timesmorelikelytoberejected,increasingto3.38timesmorelikelyforclaimantswithADHD.

Leadauthorofthestudy,KatiePybus,fromtheDepartment,said:“Asfarasweareaware,thisisthefirstacademicstudytocomparePersonalIndependencePaymenteligibilityassessmentoutcomesbyhealthconditionforexistingDisabilityLivingAllowanceclaimants.

“Ourintentionisnottocommentontheacceptabilityofeligibilityassessmentoutcomesforclaimantswiththeotherhealthconditionsincludedintheanalysis,butrathertohighlightareasofpotentialinequalitythatmayneedtobeaddressedtoensurethebenefitssystemvaluesmentalhealthequallywithphysicalhealth.”

ThefindingscomeaheadofadebateintheHouseofCommonson22January,whenMPswillbediscussingmentalhealthandthebenefitsassessmentprocess.

Thereasonsforthediscrepancyidentifiedbythestudyareunclear,butthefindingssupportconcernsraisedinaWorkandPensionsCommitteereport,whichfoundthatPIPassessorshadalackofspecialistmentalhealthknowledgeandusedinformalobservationstomakejudgementsonaclaimants’mentalhealthcondition.AsofNovember2017,only16.6%ofassessorshadaclinicalmentalhealthbackground.

Co-authorofthepaper,ProfessorKatePickettfromtheDepartmentofHealthSciences,said:“Ourstudyprovidesrobustevidencethatthebenefitssystemdiscriminatesagainstthosewithmentalillness.Thegovernmentneedstotakenoticeandtakeactiontoensurethatthosewithmentalillnessaretreatedfairly.”

Commentingontheresearch,ProfessorWendyBurn,PresidentoftheRoyalCollegeofPsychiatrists,said:“Wecanprovidethebesttreatmentintheworldforourpatientsbutiftheycan’taffordaccommodation,heatingorfoodthiswillbeineffective.

“Itisessentialthatcliniciansknowhowtosupporttheirpatientsinapplyingforthebenefitstheyareentitledto.”

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Staff NewsMental Health Awareness and Wellbeing Group

IthasbeenoneyearsincetheformationoftheMentalHealthAwarenessandWellbeingGroupwereformedwithintheDepartment.Inthattimethegrouphashostedanumberofdifferenttalksandevents.

JoinusonFriday1stMarch2019at12pmforatalk‘UnderstandingGriefandLossinLife’talkdeliveredbyCanonDrBillMerrington-CPsychol,PhD,MPhil,BSc(Hons),FHEA,ACC(RegSup),MNCH(Reg),CBT-Hypno.

On7thMarch,joinusto‘DiscoverthebenefitsofMeditation’from12-1pmwithGenKelsangTharpafromMadhyamakaKadampaMeditationCentreKilnwickPercyHall,Pocklingtonwww.madhyamaka.org.Thetalkwillbeanintroductiontomeditationandthebenefitsofthispractice.Theywillalsobedeliveringa15minuteseatedmeditationexercisewithinthetalk.TicketsshouldbebookedviaEventbritewww.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discover-the-benefits-of-meditation-tickets-57399025029?aff=estw

Toilet Twinning Raffle raises £250 JonathanAytowrites:StaffintheDepartmenthelpedraise£135fortheUniversity’sToiletTwinningcampaignbyrafflingoffunwantedChristmaspresents.Asitstandsmorethan2.4billionpeopledonothaveaccesstopropersanitaryconditions.Moneyraisedbythecampaignisusedtohelpbuildtoiletsandimproveconditionsintheseareas.”

“Toiletsaroundtheworldaretwinnedwithourowntoiletsoncampus.KeepyoureyespeeledforcertificateswithintheDepartment’slavatoriestofindoutwhereourtoiletshavebeentwinned.TheongoingcampaignisaimingtotwineverytoiletattheUniversity.“

Youcanfindoutmoreaboutthecampaignathttp://www.yott.info/.

HelloWe wish a very warm welcome to new members of staff who have joined the department recently, these include: Lu Han, Rebecca Smith, Joanne Laycock, Claire Hirst,Emma Louise Brooks and Sally Porter

GoodbyeWe also wish a very fond farewell to those who have left the department over the last few months, including: Paras Marvasti, Katie Pybus, Limor Augustin and Sophie MacKinder.

IfyouwouldliketomakeasubmissiontofutureeditionsofMegaphone, pleasecontactJaneMilsom(jane.milsom@york.ac.ukortel01904 321392).