Findings from a Department of Health survey show that the English public feel that they are already active, knowledgeable and interested in doing self care and there is evidence to show that a significant proportion are acting on this. Over three quarters say they lead a healthy lifestyle (77%). More than eight out of ten (87%) say they often treat their minor ailment themselves. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those who have been a hospital patient in the last six months say they often monitor their illness following discharge.The evidence also suggests that given the kind of understanding people seem to demonstrate on what living a healthy lifestyle means, their motivation to do self care, especially healthy lifestyles, is not at the level at which it could be. Detailed questioning revealed evidence that the public are less active than they say with regards to healthy living. For example, their eating and drinking habits are not at the recommended levels for a healthy lifestyle with only 15% of people drinking the recommended amount of seven glasses of water in an average day, and only 30% eating the recommended five portions of fruit or vegetables.
The Herefordshire Partnership has used a new system – part card game part policy-making tool – to develop its climate change policy. The Partnership, a cross sector forum that has drawn up the Herefordshire plan has made use of Democs – DEliberative Meeting Of CitizenS.Democs is produced by the new economics foundation to help local authorities and their partners to understand and discuss issues on climate change and to make them relevant to their work. It consists of information on cards dealt to people at various stages. They read them, select those they like and work together to create clusters of cards that make up a key theme or argument.
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A seminar in Scotland today will look at what action needs to be taken to sustain the current numbers of staff working in children’s services. The event, Working for the Future: re-imagining the children’s sector workforce, will bring together leading professionals in children’s services to look at the roles and relationships of those who work in the field.An estimated 150,000 people now work in the sector in Scotland with the number continuing to rise. The seminar will pose questions to find out if it is possible to sustain the workforce in its current form and if not, how it needs to change. The event has been organised by Children in Scotland, the International Futures Forum and the Scottish Council Foundation on behalf of the Scottish Parliament’s Future’s Forum.