Latest news with #earlyintervention
CNA
a day ago
- Health
- CNA
National genetic testing programme to identify patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia
A national genetic testing programme will be launched at the end of June for a disorder that causes people to have very high levels of what is often called "bad cholesterol". The Health Ministry says the programme aims to identify and provide early intervention to those suffering from familial hypercholesterolaemia.
ABC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
NSW regional youth crime inquiry calls for stronger early intervention programs
A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into regional youth crime has called for more early intervention projects as the cost of incarcerating a single young offender soars to more than $1 million per year. Stronger investment in regional youth hubs and better access to drug and alcohol rehabilitation were among the 19 recommendations made in the interim report tabled today. In his forward to the report, committee chair Edmond Atalla said youth offending was a "deeply complex social issue" that could not be solved through policing alone. "Tough-on-crime approaches may seem appealing, but they won't deliver lasting change for communities – smart, evidence-based strategies will," he wrote. Mr Atalla said the evidence showed early intervention was the most effective way to prevent young offending. He said there were gaps in support for young people, with barely any services available to young people after dark. "There's plenty of good services out there for young people, but those services end at 5pm," Mr Atalla said. The report comes after the inquiry into youth crime received nearly 200 written submissions and four public hearings across regional towns like Kempsey, Bourke and Broken Hill. It found regional crimes like car theft exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 20 per cent in 2023, driven by an increase in youth offending. Mental illness, drug and alcohol use and prior contact with the criminal justice system were found to be some of the "complex" drivers behind youth crime. Meanwhile, the costs of detaining young people were found to have doubled in five years, jumping to $2,700 a day or more than $1,000,000 per year. The report stated this figure did not include "the cost of policing, courts or the cost of the crime itself". Outreach manager Deb Tougher for the Kempsey youth homelessness service YP Space said the report showed punitive measures for young offenders were ineffective. Longer employment contracts for youth service providers were another key recommendation of the report. It found irregular funding cycles were rife across the sector, leading to staff being routinely offered contracts spanning up to a year. Ms Tough said while YP Space had recently secured funding for five years, unstable funding had previously hampered the efforts of social workers. "Sometimes if it's a government-funded program, they'll reshuffle it, rejig it and then bring it out as something else," Ms Tougher said. "By the time all of that happens, any sort of trust in that particular program by the young people or the community is lost." Mr Atalla said the committee would review policing strategies and justice diversion programs before the final report was delivered by November this year. "We need the policing, we need all of the other services that are available to divert young kids from engaging in the justice system," he said.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Specialist teams to tackle post-pandemic school speech therapy backlog
The Government will deploy specialist teams to primary schools to tackle the backlog of children waiting for speech and language therapy since the pandemic. It is hoped earlier targeted support will help those who struggle to talk and understand words before problems escalate. More than 40,000 children had been waiting 12 weeks or more for speech and language therapy as of June 2024, the Department for Education said. A lack of early identification can have a devastating impact on children's social skills, attendance, and academic performance. The Government has backed the Early Language Support for Every Child (Elsec) programme with £3.4 million funding this year, which it said will benefit up to 20,000 more children. Early intervention is particularly important for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), as numbers have skyrocketed from 1.3 million in 2020 to 1.67 million in 2024 – with one in four of these children requiring extra help with speech and language. Minister for School Standards Catherine McKinnell said: 'When challenges with speech and language go unnoticed, it can have a devastating impact on children's attainment, attendance, social abilities and future life chances. 'Elsec is turning this around for so many pupils – and particularly those with Send – helping them find their voice and thrive at school and with their friends and family. 'This type of approach is exactly what we want to see in a reformed Send system that delivers the support children need at the earliest stage and restores parents' trust in a system which has let them down for too long.' Steve Jamieson, chief executive of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, said: 'We're delighted that the Department for Education and NHS England will fund the Early Language Support for Every Child programme until March 2026. 'It has shown that when speech and language therapists, therapy support workers and education staff work together, they can identify children's needs earlier and put timely support in place.'
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Fischer Hearing Centre - Signs of hearing loss
Regina Watch Recognizing signs of hearing loss is crucial for early intervention and treatment. Candace Fischer takes us through these tell-tale signs. #sponsoredcontent
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New Warwickshire health partnership between universities and NHS
A new partnership between academic and health bodies has been announced with the aim of tackling health Arden Health Partnership (AHP) has been formed by the University of Warwick, Coventry University and five Warwickshire NHS institutions."We are lucky in this country to have the NHS, where care delivery is free at the point of access," said Prof Sudhesh Kumar OBE, vice-president (health) at the University of Warwick."But it's surprising that we still have so much disparity in health outcomes." Figures suggest life expectancy in Coventry is lower than the national Kumar says pockets of deprivation and areas with high ethnic minority populations are contributory factors."I think sometimes spending enough time to look after your health takes a back seat," he explained. "Increasing health literacy is important, so more people are aware of what the issues are."Even if you are aware, imagine [someone running] a corner shop - they can't take time off to do the things they should be doing." Prof Kumar said early intervention - educating people about how to take care of themselves - was vital."Many of the problems we have here are very similar to health problems in other parts of the country," he said, citing smoking as an example of unhealthy behaviour people still engage in. 'Develop innovative solutions' "We know that one organisation cannot solve challenges like tackling health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing outcomes in our area on their own," said Prof John Latham CBE, vice-chancellor of Coventry University and CEO of the AHP."This collaboration is a commitment to working together to address regional health challenges."Prof Kumar said groups were being set up to include people with expertise in dealing with health issues."They will articulate [the issue], then get in people who can produce solutions," he said."They may be from universities... or they could be from businesses or industries that have developed innovative new solutions."And we are putting together processes to help increase the rate of adoption of these processes by the NHS." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
