Weekly news - 22nd March 2013 |
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How do you feel about police and crime commissioners? Survey
This survey is intended for people working in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector involved in community safety and criminal justice. It aims to explore how local organisations feel about the new Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) | Safer Future Communities, UK
Tackling legal highs
The Scottish Government is bringing together a range of experts, including the police and those with expertise in health, and organisations working in the community and with young people, to discuss how the problem of legal highs in Scotland can be tackled | Scottish Government, UK
Open Letter to the Media and Policy Makers Regarding Alarmist and Inaccurate Reporting on Prescription Opiate Use by Pregnant Women (PDF)
Medical and psychological researchers urge that policies addressing prenatal exposure to opiates, andmedia coverage of this issue, be evidence-based rather than perpetuate and generate misinformation and prejudice | IDHDP, UK
Conference 2013: Professor Mark Bellis on the ‘alcohol harm paradox’
Professor Mark Bellis sets out initial findings from Alcohol Research UK’s current Flagship Research Grant – Understanding the ‘Alcohol Harm Paradox’| Alcohol Research UK, UK
Government issues sexual health guidance for councils
The Department of Health has set out what it expects of local authorities when they take over responsibility for commissioning sexual health services on 1 April | CYP Now, UK
The Global Drug Survey - video
The Survey proves that Australians are drinking like fish, with alcohol taking out the top spot as the most commonly used drug | Age, Australia
150% rise in hospital admissions for over 60's with alcohol related mental health problems
Huge rise in number of over 60's requiring hospital admission for alcohol related mental health problems. Read the briefing (PDF) | Alcohol Concern, UK
Price-based measures to reduce alcohol consumption (PDF)
In this briefing note we compare the effectiveness of the proposed minimum unit price and quantity discount ban to an alternative policy which reforms and significantly simplifies the structure of excise taxes levied on alcohol | IFS, UK
Cannabis scratch and sniff cards to track down farms
Marijuana-scented scratch cards are to be posted to hundreds of households in a bid to detect illegal cannabis farms | BBC, UK
Worrying rise in young people with alcohol-related liver disease
Experts are warning people about the long-term effects of alcohol as new figures reveal the number of hospital admissions for people under 30 with alcohol-related liver disease has increased by 400% in the North East – the England increase was 117% | Balance North East, UK
117% increase in alcohol-related liver disease hospital admissions for under 30’s in England since 2002
New figures reveal a huge increase in the number of hospital admissions for people under 30 with alcohol-related liver disease | Alcohol Concern, UK
Work stress is now the biggest factor driving harassed Britons to drink, drugs and depression
Work stress is now the biggest factor in driving Britons to drink, drugs and depression, according to mental health experts | Mail Online, UK
Affordability of alcohol in Europe (PDF)
Measuring the affordability of alcohol across countries is difficult because price alone tells us little. Factors such as the average wage and the price of other goods in the economy are just as relevant to researchers investigating how affordable alcohol is in different countries | Inst. Alcohol Studies, UK
Nothing in budget to tackle alcohol misuse
Government called on to tackle cheap, strong booze following budget and make a firm commitment to introduce a minimum unit price | Alcohol Concern, UK
Consultation on PSHE education - Summary report (PDF)
This report has been based on 699 responses to the consultation document. The report is presented in sections. It addresses consultees’ responses with regard to the content of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, the teaching of PSHE, issues of accountability and assessment, and respondents’ evidence and examples of good practice | Dept for Education, UK
Drink drive consultation
The vast majority of people who responded to a Scottish Government consultation would like to see a lower drink drive limit in Scotland | Scottish Government, UK
Heroin and methadone: the trainspotting generation
The government is undermining a successful treatment system | Economist, UK
Improving outcomes and supporting transparency part 1: A public health outcomes framework for England, 2013–2016
This document sets out the structure and objectives of the public health system for England effective from April 2013 and how progress against these objectives will be measured. Summary of document by Drug and Alcohol Findings, UK
Work Programme Evaluation: Procurement, supply chains and implementation of the commissioning model
This report focuses on the initial procurement process and the payment-by-results model that underpins the programme. Its key messages will be important for the roll-out of payment-by-results in other areas of government policy, including criminal justice | CESI, UK
Universal Credit toolkit for partner organisations
The Universal Credit toolkit is made up of a set of mainly claimant facing documents, designed to help them understand the new system, together with overviews and frequently asked questions for a wider audience | DWP, UK