News and Events
Chronic health conditions might be neglected due to the Coronavirus pandemic
Governments could focus on short term health issues over long term conditions.
Professor Colin McInnes, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Aberystwyth University, and a former consultant to the World Health Organisation and former member of their expert group on Global Health Diplomacy delivered a public lecture entitled the “International Politics of Covid-19” at Aberystwyth University.
He pointed to global poverty as a cause of disease outbreaks: “Addressing global poverty is just such a big problem that no-one wants to tackle it on head on.” Globalisation could be in crisis due to a lack of global leadership and the perceived inability of governments to tackle the pandemic.
This could exacerbate tendencies to focus on health emergencies and not address longer-term health challenges.
Read more about the lecture of the global health policy expert and watch the recording of the “International Politics of Covid-19” webinar.
WARU new research project: “Do the COVID-19 restrictions currently in place affect the physical functioning of older people?”
The Government is currently both encouraging people to be active, as well as potentially limiting their activities due to social distancing and self-isolation being in place because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Well-being and health Assessment Research Unit is looking for volunteers over the age of 60 to take part in a project to assess their activity level in their own home.
The participants would assess their own walking speed, strength and balance in a consistent manner over a period of time during and afterlockdown. Another member of their household should be present during the assessment in case the participant requires any assistance.
Click here to get more details, access the participant information booklet and request more information.
Remote art therapy sessions help cancer patients reduce their sense of isolation
Researchers in the Department of Psychology at Aberystwyth University developed this project led by Dr Rachel Rahman, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Rural Health Research at Aberystwyth University and Hywel Dda University Health Board.
These creative art sessions, run by art therapist Gudrun Jones from the Hywel Dda University Health Board, allow some immunosuppressed patients undergoing chemotherapy to socially interact online and feel part of a group. Remote delivery protects these patients from rural Wales from the risk of infection while their immunity is low.
Read more about this project on the Aberystwyth University website and on BBC News website.
Remote therapy sessions may get extended to other areas of the health service for patients who have been self isolating during the pandemic.
Coronavirus outbreak spread more widely in the UK than in other states in Europe
Some research comparing the regional spread of the COVID-19 virus has been conducted until the end of April 2020 as part of the Horizon 2020 IMAJINE project, which explores the dynamics of territorial inequalities within the European Union.
It has demonstrated that in Europe the spread of COVID-19 was generally concentrated in a few hotspots, mainly located around big cities.
During the pandemic, London has had more COVID-19 cases than anywhere in the UK but it has accounted for less than 17% of total cases in the UK against the Oslo region accounting for 58% of cases in Norway. Outbreaks have not been regionalised like in many European countries but have spread almost everywhere in the UK.
Read more about this research led by Professor Michael Woods from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University who will undertake further research into the virus geographical spread over the next months.
Video Consultations in Borth GP surgery during lockdown
Doctors in local GP surgeries and the Cardiff third-year medical students undertaking the Aberystwyth Rural Education Route have used the NHS Wales video consulting service with patients self-isolating in their homes. These virtual visits prevented the spread of COVID-19 and enabled the medical students to keep practicing taking histories during lockdown.
Francesca Saleh, who spent lockdown in Portsmouth, is sharing on Tweeter her experience of video consulting from Borth GP surgery alongside Dr Sue Fish.
Meet Franscesca and Sue here on Tweeter.
One of the first COVID19 patient hospitalized praises the Bronglais General hospital multi-disciplinary team who supported him on his recovery journey
Dr Donogh McKeogh, COVID-19 lead at Bronglais General hospital, treated the patient with oxygen in the form of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) – a form of non-invasive ventilation, used for the first time in this hospital.
Steve Moore, Chief Executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board, “urges the population to continue to follow the Welsh Government guidelines” as “COVID-19 is a serious condition”.
Read more about the patient recovery story.
New Strategy for the Development of a Centre of Excellence for Rural Health Care in Mid Wales
Hywel Dda University Health Board approved the strategy to develop Bronglais General Hospital into a Centre of Excellence for Rural Health Care in association with primary and community services in Mid Wales and Aberystwyth University at their public meeting on 28th November 2019. The document can be accessed below.
Awards
Tanyfron Surgery has been awarded the Wales Royal Colege of General Practitioners Practice Team of the Year Award 2019.
Nicola Gabourel, Practice Nurse at Borth Surgery has been awarded the Swansea University and Hywel Dda 2019 award for Outstanding Contribution to Supporting Student Learning in Practice
New Crisis Text Service Launches
Shout
is the UK’s first free 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis anytime,
anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need
immediate help. For more information, visit their website.
Community and Rural Education Route (CARER)
Cardiff Medical School, Aberystwyth University and Cambrian Primary Care have been working together on an exciting new programme which will see group of seven medical students based in Aberystwyth from September 2018 for a year. Each student will be allocated to a GP practice to spend the majority of their time seeing patients and having 1:1 training with their GP tutor. They will spend one day a week together in Aberystwyth University having teaching with the locally based Senior Clinical Lecturer in Rural practice.
During this year long placement (referred to as a ‘Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship’ or ‘LIC’) they will work towards the same learning outcomes from the same innovative curriculum as their peers on the C21 pathway, under the guidance of the small dedicated team of experts.
Educational institutions from around the world have been running LIC programmes similar to the CARER pathway for over 15 years. There is increasing evidence that they are effective in preparing students for their future careers, no matter which area of Medicine you wish to finally settle in and that a higher percentage of the students chose careers in rural areas and general practice.
Learn more about the CARER programme.
Hywel Dda University Health Board Team of the Month
Borth Surgery has been awarded Team of the Month for December 2018 by Hywel Dda University Health Board. It is in recognition of the health promotion work that the surgery doeswith the local community. Dr Ian Hosker received the award on behalf of the team from Owen Burt, Independent Member of the Board.
