Smokers in Devon are being encouraged to "swap fags for swag", and consider the financial benefits of quitting, on the 30th anniversary of No Smoking Day on Wednesday 13 March.
Nearly one in six adults in the UK smoke, including 18 per cent in Devon. But figures show two thirds of them want to quit.
In Devon, smokers are being encouraged to take this a step further and spend their new found cash on a new healthy habit – getting active.
Leisure centres across Devon will be offering special promotions to help smokers ditch the cigarettes for good and get into exercise...
The NHS in Devon is urging people who are in ‘at risk’ groups to visit their GP to get a free flu vaccination if they have not already done so this winter.
People who are in the clinical at risk groups are 11 times more likely to die if they get flu than a “healthy” person – for some groups, like those with chronic degenerative neurological diseases, that risk rises to 40 times.
Clinical at risk groups include those with:
a heart problem;
a chest complaint or breathing difficulties including, bronchitis, emphysema;
A dynamic event highlighted the wide range of medical and health research involving the University of Exeter, the NHS and business partners.
Staff from a number of University departments, the NHS, local charities and businesses, as well as students, gathered in the Forum, to speak to researchers first-hand about their pioneering work as part of a poster display.
Interdisciplinary opportunities in research were highlighted by the key note speeches from Professor Nick Stone of Physics, Dr Natalia Lawrence of Psychology, and Professor Jonathan Mill, of the University of Exeter...
A month-long national campaign has seen a sharp rise in the number of Devon smokers quitting, early figures have revealed.
Early indications for the second part of the year, which includes the Stoptober campaign run by NHS Devon and Devon County Council as part of a national quit smoking attempt, show a 15% increase in the number of people stopping smoking.
And the increase has been across a wide age range. 25% of the increase was for those in the age category 18-34. Figures also show the increase is more marked in men than women.
It has been a big year for the English health service, but for the wrong reasons, writes Alex Nunns of the NHS Support Federation. Here Alex pulls together the strands to explain what is really going on in the NHS.
There was standing room only at a public meeting organised by KONP South West and 38 Degrees in Exeter on Monday evening.
The packed meeting heard from five keynote speakers who described the threats now faced by the NHS. They then suggested ways in which the fight to protect the NHS could be taken forward. These will involve action that individuals can take, as well as group activities. All the proposals were received enthusiastically.
The Exeter meeting was the third to be held in Devon, bringing together signatories of the 38 Degrees online petitions aimed at the new...
Backed up by a strong local petition, 38 Degrees members across the country will be planning on meeting with their Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), including a public meeting at Exeter Central Library on Monday 29th October from 7pm to 8.30pm. They will be asking CCGs to adopt the amendments in their Guide for CCGs . Patients, doctors, nurses, other health workers and all concerned members of the public have been invited to attend the event.
The topic for discussion will cover such issues as c hildren’s health services in Devon, which are to be controversially...
UNISON South West is building the fight against the threat of regional pay in the NHS, which they claim will have a detrimental effect on the rights of health workers in regional parts of the UK. They have scheduled 18 events across the region this month, including four this week in Barnstaple, Plymouth and two in Exeter outside meetings of the North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust and the Devon Partnership NHS Trust, to try to lobby members of the Pay Consortium Boards, which have banded together in a bid to make “radical” changes to staff pay, terms and conditions outside of the national...
Following a highly competitive recruitment process with a significant number of quality applicants, Dr Ian Reynolds has been appointed as the new Chair of Chime Social Enterprise, the NHS audiology partner and leading not-for-profit hearing service across Devon.
Ian has a significant pedigree in executive and non-executive roles across healthcare, science and regulatory sectors in both public and private business sectors and he will commence his new role with immediate effect. As Chief Executive of Nottingham Health Authority and also of private healthcare company, Priory Hospitals...
Over 600 staff from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Devon Partnership NHS Trust have benefitted from the emotional support provided by jointly run Schwartz Rounds. The Schwartz Rounds are ‘grand round’ style confidential sessions for NHS staff to discuss social and emotional difficulties created by their work and to explore the human side of medicine. Each round is centred on a particular aspect of patient care and is attended by staff from all disciplines. The underlying premise for rounds is that the compassion shown by staff can make all the difference to a patient’s...
