Local NHS trust produces animation to help beat loneliness

THE Christmas and New Year festive season can be a joyous time for most, celebrated with friends and loved ones. However, many people can be gripped by stress, anxiety and loneliness.   To help people cope with loneliness, North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has produced a short animation, with handy tips and advice on how to maintain good mental health and wellbeing. Nearly a million older people say they feel lonelier at Christmas time, especially those age 65 and over, who are especially vulnerable to isolation, which can have a serious effect on health. According to Age UK some older people say they go for over a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. Feeling lonely isn't in itself a mental health problem, but the 2 are strongly linked. Having a mental health problem increases your chance of feeling lonely, and feeling lonely can have a negative impact on your mental health.

Gail Briers, Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Quality and Governance said:- "Christmas can be a difficult time of year for some people, leading to a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing. We hope the advice in our animation provides some help for our service users and carers, especially those who live alone."

For anyone struggling over the festive period with stress, anxiety or feeling they can't cope with day to day life, including thoughts of suicide or self harm, please visit the help in a crisis page on the Trust's website:- NWBH.NHS.UK/Help-In-A-Crisis for support and advice.  The 'beat loneliness' animation is available to view on the Trust's website. The Trust has also produced a number of other videos and a short animation, with tips and advice to help anyone who might be feeling suicidal. For more information and to view the videos, visit:- NWBH.NHS.UK/Suicide-Prevention.

Managing diabetes during Christmas and New Year

HEALTH professionals from Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust are encouraging people with diabetes to take steps to look after their condition whilst still enjoying themselves over the Christmas and New Year period.

With the festive season fast approaching, it is by nature an indulgent time with many people happy to eat things they would normally avoid during the rest of the year. Whilst you might want to be aware of what you are eating, having diabetes does not need to stop you from joining in with the festive fun.

Erin Foley from Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust's Southport and Formby Diabetes Team said:- "Christmas and New Year is a time when people often attend parties and visit family and friends. As a result, we may eat things we'd probably avoid during the rest of the year and we could all eat up to 6,000 calories on Christmas Day alone! However, we have a few simple tips to help you to enjoy yourself while reducing the impact on your weight and diabetes control."

Top tips for people with diabetes during the Christmas and New Year:-

►  For starters try melon or smoked salmon, which provides omega 3 fats to keep your heart healthy.

►  Keep your Christmas dinner healthy with lots of veg, turkey without the skin and use your vegetable water for making gravy (skim as much fat off as possible.)

►  Serve low fat custard or crème fraiche with the Christmas pudding, or try making a reduced sugar festive trifle instead.

►  When having nibbles, opt for olives, nuts and vegetable sticks with low fat dips.

►  Keeping active can help to control your blood sugar levels, so why not take a walk after your Christmas dinner.

►  If you take medication for diabetes or other health conditions, ensure that you have ordered your prescription in plenty of time.

►  If you are on insulin and are unsure about how to manage your condition over Christmas, get in touch with your diabetes team for advice.

►  More information and recipes for Christmas can be found on the Diabetes UK website.

If you have Type 2 diabetes and would like to get help on how to best manage the condition, we provide free education sessions locally. Diabetes structured education sessions in Southport and Formby are held at a variety of locations, days and times in order to be accessible to a wide range of people. Diabetes and You is the group which is aimed at those people who are newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It provides valuable information about diabetes in a relaxed setting and many participants have found being in a group with other people with diabetes very helpful.

People with more established Type 2 Diabetes (or those who have already attended Diabetes and You) are recommended to attend the Diabetes and More group because it provides more in-depth knowledge for those who already have a basic understanding about diabetes. Both groups help participants understand more about their condition, and the important role that lifestyle changes can play in reducing their risk of long term complications.

To find out more, you can contact the Diabetes Education Office on:- 01704 387271. Alternatively, speak to your GP, practice nurse or health care professional for a referral. If you would prefer to email, we can be contacted on the following email addresses:- lcn-tr.diabetesandyou@nhs.net or lcn-tr.diabetesandmore@nhs.net.  For general advice on any form of diabetes, call the Diabetes UK Helpline on:- 0345 123 2399 or visit:- Diabetes.Org.UK.

Online broadcasting reform agreement reached between EU institutions

VIEWERS will be able to watch news and current affairs programmes from across the EU, online, under new arrangements agreed by the European Council and Parliament. All radio productions will also be made available across borders under the new copyright rules, along with drama and other programmes that are wholly financed by the broadcaster. The regulations apply to live online broadcasts and catch up services. But sport programming is excluded, along with co-financed productions whose business model depends on them being sold to different broadcasters.

Conservative Legal Affairs spokesman Sajjad Karim MEP has followed the agreement as Shadow Rapporteur and was present during today's negotiations. His amendments helped improve the balance between giving viewers greater access to programmes and protecting financing models without which many popular programmes would not be made.

Mr Karim said:- "I am pleased that viewers and expats will now be able to watch news and current affairs programmes and listen to radio broadcasts when living abroad. Striking the right balance between giving access to programmes and protecting our vital audio visual sector was hugely important to me in the negotiations. I was delighted to have secured improvements to the final legislation which ensure broadcasters remain free to determine with broadcasters from other member states how to best reach viewers from other countries. This will ensure high quality content can be enjoyed by viewers but without hampering the financing of the AV sector, which often relies on financing from other member states broadcasters, which are in return given exclusive licenses for their territory. This proposal builds on the portability regulation which entered into force in April and enables viewers to access their paid for subscriptions to platforms including:- Netflix and the ITV Hub across the EU."

The new rules will be introduced by member states within 2 years. The European Commission will subsequently conduct a review of their operation.