The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out 100 targeted inspections of theme park and fairground ride safety this summer. Britain’s health and safety watchdog has planned extra checks on various theme park and fairground rides after a string of incidents in London, Barrow, Cardiff, Hull and Barnsley during recent years. The focused...
New guidance for digital transformation in care
The government has published new guidance frameworks to drive digital transformation across the social care sector. The ‘What Good Looks Like’ and Digital Skills Frameworks were published by the Department of Health and Social Care on 17th May 2023 to support social care staff, providers and UK local authorities to modernise and improve the...
Push to improve dementia diagnosis rates
Its Dementia Action Week in the UK, and this year the Alzheimer’s Society are encouraging families to seek a timely dementia diagnosis. It comes as dementia diagnosis rates have stagnated in the UK, meaning many people are facing the illness alone without access to support and treatment. The national charity believes many people may...
Training failures in managing violence and MSDs in the NHS
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has identified failings, including in training, in relation to managing violence and aggression and musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs) in the NHS. Britain’s health and safety watchdog carried out a targeted inspection programme on NHS trusts and boards between 2018 and 2022 to assess the management of risks from violence...
IOSH warns scrapping EU health and safety laws could lead to deaths
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has warned that plans to consider scrapping EU health and safety laws could cost lives and livelihoods. IOSH said that the majority of occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals believe that the amended Retained EU Law Bill (REUL) will still harm businesses, workers and economic growth....
HSE inspection initiative targets construction dust
The Health and Safety Executive have launched a two-month long inspection initiative for the construction sector focusing on how dust is managed on sites. From Monday 15th May until Friday 14th July 2023, inspectors from Britain’s health and safety watchdog will be visiting construction sites across the country to check that construction dust is...
Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on anxiety
Anxiety is the theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which is observed from 15th to 21st May in the UK. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems experienced by people. It can be sparked by worries such as exam pressures, relationship problems, starting a new job or losing one,...
Online abuse survivors call for action
Survivors of online abuse are joining together to call on the government to tackle violence against women and girls through the Online Safety Bill. A group of women, many of them public figures, who have experienced child sexual abuse, gendered violence and online misogyny have signed an open letter urging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak...
9 in 10 teachers report rise in safeguarding concerns
New data from the NSPCC reveals that more than 9 in 10 (93%) teachers have observed an increase in child safeguarding concerns within their schools. The national children’s charity worked with teaching union NASUWT to survey 8,329 teachers and senior leaders across the UK. They found that 93% of respondents had seen an increase...
Child safeguarding needs major overhaul after failings
A safeguarding review panel has made nine recommendations designed to overhaul child safeguarding practices following an inquiry into abuse across three services. The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have called for Councils to take on a bigger role in monitoring residential settings in their areas to tackle failings in safeguarding children with disabilities and...
Allergy Awareness Week: calls to improve allergy services
Its Allergy Awareness Week in the UK, with a national charity calling for improvements to allergy services at primary care level. Running from 24th to 30th April 2023, Allergy Awareness Week was established by Allergy UK to help raise the profile of allergy at all levels. Over 20 million people in the UK have...
Health and safety measures to support long Covid workers
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) believes that workplace health and safety professionals have a key role to play in supporting those with long Covid to work. Dr Karen Michell, IOSH’s Research Programme Lead for Occupational Health, has highlighted the fact that thousands of long Covid sufferers are struggling at work or...
Charity wants to get children’s mental health #OutInTheOpen
National charity YoungMinds is encouraging people to bring children’s mental health out into the open with a new step challenge for Spring. The charity’s #OutInTheOpen campaign challenges people to walk 310,000 steps in 31 days during May to raise money for children and young people’s mental health, and encourage open and honest conversations about...
NSPCC calls for equal protection for children
The NSPCC is calling on the government to give children in England equal protection from assault by removing the defense of ‘reasonable chastisement.’ The national children’s charity said that Wales, Scotland and more than 60 other countries across the world have brought in equal protection from assault for children and that a “solid and...
CQC says oral health care has improved in care homes
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has reported an improvement in the state of oral health care in care homes in England. The health and social care watchdog has published a follow-up to their first review of oral health in care homes, carried out in 2019, which reveals that a number of recommendations have been...