Other UK News In Brief

Teen Girl Diet ''Ticking Time Bomb'

Teenage eating habits are poor, with teenage girls worse, risking long-term effects on their health according to new Department of Health data published today. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which was led by the National Centre for Social Research and MRC Human Nutrition Research, found that teenage girls are only eating half their recommended portions of fruit and veg. And just 56 per cent of teenage girls are getting enough iron in their diet. While both teenage boys and girls are failing to get their recommended 5-a-day of fruit and veg, girls eat on average half a portion less each day than boys. The findings build on previous surveys and highlight that poor eating habits risk storing up a number of potential problems for later life, such as heart disease and some cancers. However, the survey did find younger children’s eating habits are improving with parents taking positive steps to give their kids a healthier diet with fewer sweets, fizzy drinks, chocolate, and also switching them to high-fibre cereals.

Details Of New 'Exceptional Talent' Route Announced

Immigration Minister Damian Green has announced how leaders in the fields of science, humanities, engineering and the arts can come to the UK. The new 'exceptional talent' route will open on 9 August 2011 and will facilitate 1,000 individuals into the UK who have either been recognised as leaders in their respective fields or have the potential to become one. The route will be overseen by specially selected 'competent bodies' who will advise the UK Border Agency on who should come in under this route to ensure they are the brightest and best in their field. The bodies include: The Royal Society, a fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists, will be able to nominate up to 300 places; Arts Council England, the national development agency for the arts, will also be able to nominate up to 300 places; The Royal Academy of Engineering, Britain's national academy for engineering, will have up to 200 places to nominate; and The British Academy, the national academy for the humanities and social sciences will be able to nominate up to 200 places. Those wishing to come into the UK under this route will not need to be sponsored by an employer but will need to be recommended by one of the competent bodies. Each competent body will publish criteria that applicants must meet to be endorsed.

New Support For Commissioning Dementia Services

A new resource to support clinical commissioning groups in designing and purchasing high quality dementia services was launched today by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow. The dementia commissioning pack provides a set of tools and templates for health and local authority commissioners, helping them to design services that are suited to local needs and are cost effective.

It supports planning across the whole spectrum of dementia, from early diagnosis to end of life care, together with guidance on how to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medication. The pack has been developed in consultation with a range of health and social care experts, including people with dementia and their carers. It aims to: Improve quality of services for people with dementia by placing patient outcomes and patient choice at the heart of the commissioning process; Drive efficiency by reducing unwarranted variation in services; and Reduce bureaucracy for commissioners by providing tailored documents and templates, bringing together the different aspects of commissioning (clinical, financial, commercial, contractual and procurement).

(BMcN/GK)