Political Township and Incorporated City Boundaries in Iowa in 2010 as Derived from Census Datasets

Data.gov (United States)

Iowa State University GIS Support and Research Facility — Political Township and Incorporated City Boundaries in Iowa in 2010, as Derived from Census Datasets Original Abstract: The TIGER/Line Files are shapefiles and...

Developing an explicit strategy towards social responsibility in the NHS: a case for including NHS managers in this strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Merali, Faruk

2006-01-01

To explore the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the UK National Health Service (NHS) and to examine how it may be developed to positively influence the psyche, behaviour and performance of NHS managers. Primary research based upon semi-structured individual face to face interviews with 20 NHS managers. Theoretical frameworks and concepts relating to organisational culture and CSR are drawn upon to discuss the findings. The NHS managers see themselves as being driven by altruistic core values. However, they feel that the public does not believe that they share the altruistic NHS value system. The study is based on a relatively small sample of NHS managers working exclusively in London and may not necessarily represent the views of managers either London-wide or nation-wide. It is suggested that an explicit recognition by the NHS of the socially responsible commitment of its managers within its CSR strategy would help challenge the existing negative public image of NHS managers and in turn improve the managers' self esteem and morale. This paper addresses the relative lacunae in research relating to public sector organisations (such as the NHS) explicitly including the role and commitment of its staff within the way it publicises its CSR strategy. This paper would be of interest to a wide readership including public sector and NHS policy formulators, NHS practitioners, academics and students.

[Politics as a tool in National Health System transformation].

Science.gov (United States)

Dávila Torres, Javier

2012-01-01

The politics as an activity oriented to the decision making process, seeks to achieve specific objectives, and it is a fundamental tool for the transformation of the National Health System (NHS). It is important to point out that there are different elements, interest and participants that take part in the design and implementation of these policies. Therefore, it should be considered the presence of the health care institutions in the development of the health policies, as well as the participation of the Congress where each political party presents and defends their proposals, negotiate the approval and assignation of the financial budget, among others. Nowadays, there are elements with a relevant presence on these policies and in the transformation process of the NHS such as the media and laboral force represented by the unions. Finally, some general statements are expressed to contribute with the advances in the integration process for a stronger NHS. This should consider the economic, demographic and social changes in the country; furthermore it should focus on universal coverage and provision of a better health care for the Mexican population.

Cosmopolitan political science.

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Grande, Edgar

2006-03-01

Until recently, the term cosmopolitism could rarely be found in modern political science literature. It was only in the 1990s that the term was rediscovered by political scientists in the critical discourse on globalization. In this article, I will explore the full potential of cosmopolitism as an analytical concept for empirical political science. I will argue that the concept of cosmopolitism should not be restricted to the analysis of global politics. Indeed, cosmopolitism has much more to offer for political scientists. Properly understood, it enables--and necessitates--a re-invention of political science in the age of globalization, comparable to the behavioural revolution in political science in the 1950s. Such a paradigmatic shift should be based on a twofold transformation of existing disciplinary boundaries: A removal of the boundary between national (and comparative) and international politics on the one hand; and a re-definition of the boundaries between empirical and normative approaches on the other. As a result, cosmopolitism may serve as a new, critical theory of politics based on the integration of hitherto separated fields and sub-fields.

The political economy of rationing health care in England and the US: the 'accidental logics' of political settlements.

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Bevan, Gwyn; Brown, Lawrence D

2014-07-01

This article considers how the 'accidental logics' of political settlements for the English National Health Service (NHS) and the Medicare and Medicaid programmes in the United States have resulted in different institutional arrangements and different implicit social contracts for rationing, which we define to be the denial of health care that is beneficial but is deemed to be too costly. This article argues that rationing is designed into the English NHS and designed out of US Medicare; and compares rationing for the elderly in the United States and in England for acute care, care at the end of life, and chronic care.

Redefining NHS complaint handling--the real challenge.

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Seelos, L; Adamson, C

1994-01-01

More and more organizations find that a constructive and open dialogue with their customers can be an effective strategy for building long-term customer relations. In this context, it has been recognized that effective complaint-contact handling can make a significant contribution to organizations' attempts to maximize customer satisfaction and loyalty. Within the NHS, an intellectual awareness exists that effective complaint/contact handling can contribute to making services more efficient and cost-effective by developing customer-oriented improvement initiatives. Recent efforts have focused on redefining NHS complaint-handling procedures to make them more user-friendly and effective for both NHS employees and customers. Discusses the challenges associated with opening up the NHS to customer feedback. Highlights potential weaknesses in the current approach and argues that the real challenge is for NHS managers to facilitate a culture change that moves the NHS away from a long-established defensive complaint handling practice.

Identification of the gene for Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS).

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Brooks, S P; Ebenezer, N D; Poopalasundaram, S; Lehmann, O J; Moore, A T; Hardcastle, A J

2004-10-01

The disease intervals for Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS [MIM 302350]) and X linked congenital cataract (CXN) overlap on Xp22. To identify the gene or genes responsible for these diseases. Families with NHS were ascertained. The refined locus for CXN was used to focus the search for candidate genes, which were screened by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing of potential exons and intron-exon splice sites. Genomic structures and homologies were determined using bioinformatics. Expression studies were undertaken using specific exonic primers to amplify human fetal cDNA and mouse RNA. A novel gene NHS, with no known function, was identified as causative for NHS. Protein truncating mutations were detected in all three NHS pedigrees, but no mutation was identified in a CXN family, raising the possibility that NHS and CXN may not be allelic. The NHS gene forms a new gene family with a closely related novel gene NHS-Like1 (NHSL1). NHS and NHSL1 lie in paralogous duplicated chromosomal intervals on Xp22 and 6q24, and NHSL1 is more broadly expressed than NHS in human fetal tissues. This study reports the independent identification of the gene causative for Nance-Horan syndrome and extends the number of mutations identified.

The first missense mutation of NHS gene in a Tunisian family with clinical features of NHS syndrome including cardiac anomaly.

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Chograni, Manèl; Rejeb, Imen; Jemaa, Lamia Ben; Châabouni, Myriam; Bouhamed, Habiba Chaabouni

2011-08-01

Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS) or X-linked cataract-dental syndrome is a disease of unknown gene action mechanism, characterized by congenital cataract, dental anomalies, dysmorphic features and, in some cases, mental retardation. We performed linkage analysis in a Tunisian family with NHS in which affected males and obligate carrier female share a common haplotype in the Xp22.32-p11.21 region that contains the NHS gene. Direct sequencing of NHS coding exons and flanking intronic sequences allowed us to identify the first missense mutation (P551S) and a reported SNP-polymorphism (L1319F) in exon 6, a reported UTR-SNP (c.7422 C>T) and a novel one (c.8239 T>A) in exon 8. Both variations P551S and c.8239 T>A segregate with NHS phenotype in this family. Although truncations, frame-shift and copy number variants have been reported in this gene, no missense mutations have been found to segregate previously. This is the first report of a missense NHS mutation causing NHS phenotype (including cardiac defects). We hypothesize also that the non-reported UTR-SNP of the exon 8 (3'-UTR) is specific to the Tunisian population.

NHS market liberalisation and the TTIP agreement.

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Regan, Paul; Ball, Elaine

2016-07-01

Governments over the past three decades have undermined the founding principles of the NHS through reforms and market liberalisation. With greater involvement of commercial interests in health care, the NHS will become less democratic and transparent. Recent reforms, which were intended to improve productivity, quality and cost efficiency, have left the NHS exposed to the unwieldy model of market liberalisation and the attrition of public health care. The role of community nurses has been particularly destabilised by commissioning, as their work is difficult to measure. The advent of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could further undermine the NHS to the benefit of international commercial interests.

Addressing current and future challenges for the NHS: the role of good leadership.

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Elton, Lotte

2016-10-03

Purpose This paper aims to describe and analyse some of the ways in which good leadership can enable those working within the National Health Service (NHS) to weather the changes and difficulties likely to arise in the coming years, and takes the format of an essay written by the prize-winner of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management's Student Prize. The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management ran its inaugural Student Prize in 2015-2016, which aimed at medical students with an interest in medical leadership. In running the Prize, the Faculty hoped to foster an enthusiasm for and understanding of the importance of leadership in medicine. Design/methodology/approach The Faculty asked entrants to discuss the role of good leadership in addressing the current and future challenges faced by the NHS, making reference to the Leadership and Management Standards for Medical Professionals published by the Faculty in 2015. These standards were intended to help guide current and future leaders and were grouped into three categories, namely, self, team and corporate responsibility. Findings This paper highlights the political nature of health care in the UK and the increasing impetus on medical professionals to navigate debates on austerity measures and health-care costs, particularly given the projected deficit in NHS funding. It stresses the importance of building organisational cultures prizing transparency to prevent future breaches in standards of care and the value of patient-centred approaches in improving satisfaction for both patients and staff. Identification of opportunities for collaboration and partnership is emphasised as crucial to assuage the burden that lack of appropriate social care places on clinical services. Originality/value This paper offers a novel perspective - that of a medical student - on the complex issues faced by the NHS over the coming years and utilises a well-regarded set of standards in conceptualising the role that health

African boundary politics: a case of Ethiopian-Eritrean boundary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper examined the boundary discord between Ethiopia and Eritrea over the region around Badme which started as a result of artificial boundaries created by the Italian imperialists. The study depicts the evolution of Italian colonialism in Ethiopia between 1936 and 1941. It exposes the differentials existing between the ...

Doing transformational change in the English NHS in the context of "big bang" redisorganisation.

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Hunter, David J; Erskine, Jonathan; Small, Adrian; McGovern, Tom; Hicks, Chris; Whitty, Paula; Lugsden, Edward

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine a bold and ambitious scheme known as the North East transformation system (NETS). The principal aim of the NETS is the achievement of a step-change in the quality of health services delivered to people living in the North East region of England. The paper charts the origins of the NETS and its early journey before describing what happened to it when the UK coalition government published its proposals for unexpected major structural change in the NHS. This had a profound impact on the leadership and direction of the NETS and resulted in it taking a different direction from that intended. The research design took the form of a mixed methods, longitudinal 3.5-year study aimed at exploring transformational change in terms of content, context, process and outcomes. The sample of study sites comprised 14 NHS trusts in the North East region chosen to provide geographical coverage of the area and to reflect the scale, scope and variety of the bodies that formed part of the NETS programme. The qualitative component of the research, which the paper draws upon, included 68 semi-structured interviews, observational studies and focus groups. Data analysis made use of both deductive and inductive frameworks. The deductive framework adopted was Pettigrew et al.'s "receptive contexts for change" and four of the eight factors stood out as especially important and form the basis of the paper. The fate of the NETS was shaped and influenced by the eight factors comprising the Pettigrew et al. receptive contexts for change framework but four factors in particular stood out as being especially significant: environmental pressure, quality and coherence of policy, key people leading change, supportive organisational culture. Perhaps the most significant lesson from the NETS is that achieving whole systems change is particularly vulnerable to the vicissitudes of politics especially where that system, like the UK NHS, is itself subject to those very

Nance-Horan syndrome protein, NHS, associates with epithelial cell junctions.

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Sharma, Shiwani; Ang, Sharyn L; Shaw, Marie; Mackey, David A; Gécz, Jozef; McAvoy, John W; Craig, Jamie E

2006-06-15

Nance-Horan syndrome, characterized by congenital cataracts, craniofacial, dental abnormalities and mental disturbances, is an X-linked disorder with significant phenotypic heterogeneity. Affected individuals have mutations in the NHS (Nance-Horan syndrome) gene typically resulting in premature truncation of the protein. This report underlines the complexity of the regulation of the NHS gene that transcribes several isoforms. We demonstrate the differential expression of the two NHS isoforms, NHS-A and NHS-1A, and differences in the subcellular localization of the proteins encoded by these isoforms. This may in part explain the pleiotropic features of the syndrome. We show that the endogenous and exogenous NHS-A isoform localizes to the cell membrane of mammalian cells in a cell-type-dependent manner and that it co-localizes with the tight junction (TJ) protein ZO-1 in the apical aspect of cell membrane in epithelial cells. We also show that the NHS-1A isoform is a cytoplasmic protein. In the developing mammalian lens, we found continuous expression of NHS that became restricted to the lens epithelium in pre- and postnatal lens. Consistent with the in vitro findings, the NHS-A isoform associates with the apical cell membrane in the lens epithelium. This study suggests that disturbances in intercellular contacts underlie cataractogenesis in the Nance-Horan syndrome. NHS is the first gene localized at TJs that has been implicated in congenital cataracts.

The impact of NHS based primary care complementary therapy services on health outcomes and NHS costs: a review of service audits and evaluations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wye Lesley

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this study was to review evaluations and audits of primary care complementary therapy services to determine the impact of these services on improving health outcomes and reducing NHS costs. Our intention is to help service users, service providers, clinicians and NHS commissioners make informed decisions about the potential of NHS based complementary therapy services. Methods We searched for published and unpublished studies of NHS based primary care complementary therapy services located in England and Wales from November 2003 to April 2008. We identified the type of information included in each document and extracted comparable data on health outcomes and NHS costs (e.g. prescriptions and GP consultations. Results Twenty-one documents for 14 services met our inclusion criteria. Overall, the quality of the studies was poor, so few conclusions can be made. One controlled and eleven uncontrolled studies using SF36 or MYMOP indicated that primary care complementary therapy services had moderate to strong impact on health status scores. Data on the impact of primary care complementary therapy services on NHS costs were scarcer and inconclusive. One controlled study of a medical osteopathy service found that service users did not decrease their use of NHS resources. Conclusion To improve the quality of evaluations, we urge those evaluating complementary therapy services to use standardised health outcome tools, calculate confidence intervals and collect NHS cost data from GP medical records. Further discussion is needed on ways to standardise the collection and reporting of NHS cost data in primary care complementary therapy services evaluations.

Determination of risk identification process employed by NHS for a PFI hospital project in the UK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. E. Mohamed Ghazali

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Long-term concession contracts associated with Private Finance Initiative (PFI projects, such as National Health Service (NHS hospitals, are subject to substantial risks, which may not only emerge from project activities such as design and construction, but also from global issues beyond the control of project parties, such as commercial, legal and political risks. Therefore, the principal parties involved must manage risks effectively and efficiently, as early as the project initiation stage, in order to ensure a successful delivery. The aim of this paper is to examine the risk identification process of the NHS PFI hospital in the UK, as a case study, in order to determine the techniques used in risk identification, and their significance, based on estimated probabilities of occurrence. These objectives were achieved through interviews with key personnel within the NHS Trust involved. Results found the sole technique used in risk identification to be brainstorming, through which more than thirty risks were identified and classified under six risk categories: planning, pre-commissioning, design, land purchasing, construction and operation. Thirteen risks were identified as significant based on their estimated probability of occurrence had the project been developed via public procurement. The results of this research will enable public sector clients like the NHS Trust to not only identify the significant risks, which will allow them to focus more attention on developing appropriate mitigation strategies and contingency plans, but also to improve its risk identification process through the use of other techniques in order to support findings from the brainstorming process.

Morality and Markets in the NHS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barnabas J Gilbert

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Since its establishment in 1948, the history of the National Health Service (NHS has been characterized by organisational turbulence and system reform. At the same time, progress in science, medicine and technology throughout the western world have revolutionized the delivery of healthcare. The NHS has become a much loved, if much critiqued, national treasure. It is against this backdrop that the role of this state-funded health service has been brought into moral question. Certainly, the challenges facing healthcare policy-makers are numerous and complex, but in the wake of the Health and Social Care Act (2012, no issue is more divisive than that of market-based reform. Here we explore the turbulent history of the NHS, from its foundation to the birth of the healthcare marketplace. We explore arguments for and against the healthcare market and resolve that, amid an evolving economic and moral framework, the NHS must ensure that its original tenets of equity and autonomy remain at its core. We propose a values-explicit, systems-based approach to renew focus on both the processes and the outcomes of care.

Identification of three novel NHS mutations in families with Nance-Horan syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Kristen M; Wu, Junhua; Brooks, Simon P; Hardcastle, Alison J; Lewis, Richard Alan; Stambolian, Dwight

2007-03-27

Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS) is an infrequent and often overlooked X-linked disorder characterized by dense congenital cataracts, microphthalmia, and dental abnormalities. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the NHS gene, whose function is not known. The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency and distribution of NHS gene mutations and compare genotype with Nance-Horan phenotype in five North American NHS families. Genomic DNA was isolated from white blood cells from NHS patients and family members. The NHS gene coding region and its splice site donor and acceptor regions were amplified from genomic DNA by PCR, and the amplicons were sequenced directly. We identified three unique NHS coding region mutations in these NHS families. This report extends the number of unique identified NHS mutations to 14.

Use staff wisely to save NHS money.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Alison

2015-12-09

The NHS could save up to £ 2 billion a year by improving workflow and containing workforce costs, according to Labour peer Lord Carter's review of NHS efficiency. Changes in areas such as rostering and management of annual leave must avoid increasing the pressure on staff.

Welcoming Diversity? Symbolic Boundaries and the Politics of Normativity in Kansas City's LGBTQ Communities.

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Vogler, Stefan

2016-01-01

Using document analysis and ethnographic field work, this article examines the debate within the LGBTQ community of Kansas City over the decision to hold its Pride festival in the Power and Light District (P&L), a renewed downtown area with a controversial dress code. Despite the developers' and city's goals of creating a cosmopolitan urban space that welcomed diverse populations, the P&L acquired a reputation as an anti-Black, anti-queer space due to its dress code and redevelopment history. I argue that the debate surrounding this controversy reveals limits to notions of diversity and diverging approaches to sexual politics within the LGBTQ community that are normally obscured by political actors within the movement but that work to create symbolic boundaries that exclude "non-respectable" members of the LGBTQ population. Recovering queer perspectives allows us to imagine a more capacious definition of diversity and inclusion, both within the LGBTQ movement and in urban space.

Hyper-stasis as opposed to hyper-activism: the politics of health policy in the USA set against England.

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Paton, Calum

2013-01-01

This paper considers health policy-making in the USA with England as comparator. It contrasts policy inertia in US healthcare despite crisis with hyper-activity in perpetual 'reform' in England despite absence of crisis in the NHS. It does so from the standpoint of political science and political economy. I suggest that 'path-dependency', the view that past policy constrains future policy, lacks explanatory power and that wider and deeper explanations must be sought. The USA's apparent path dependency is in fact a story of political economy and power, buttressed by institutions. England's apparent lack of path-dependency in promulgating NHS reform is in fact a story of executive hyper-activism which is oblivious to how implementation will obviate its prescriptions. This failure of 'reform' in the NHS is not a symptom of concealed path-dependency but a sign of pragmatism by those charged with implementation. In the USA, the durability of its various systems of healthcare is by contrast a sign of pragmatism not being adequate to achieve health sector reform. In the USA, a weak state is unable to manage healthcare reform which would actually benefit US capitalism as a whole. In the UK, a strong state has created and developed the NHS to the benefit of capital through the economical provision of healthcare to the workforce. Such an 'investment state' is a testimony to the continuing validity of the neo-Marxist argument that social investment and social expenses are an important and functional component of the capitalist state. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Benchmarking clinical photography services in the NHS.

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Arbon, Giles

2015-01-01

Benchmarking is used in services across the National Health Service (NHS) using various benchmarking programs. Clinical photography services do not have a program in place and services have to rely on ad hoc surveys of other services. A trial benchmarking exercise was undertaken with 13 services in NHS Trusts. This highlights valuable data and comparisons that can be used to benchmark and improve services throughout the profession.

Non-price competition in NHS secondary care contracting: empirical results.

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Gray, Keith; Bailey, Mark F

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is, for English acute NHS hospitals, to investigate how they operate their governance systems in the area of secondary care contracting and identify the key determinants of relationship building within the contacting/commissioning of secondary care focusing upon non-price competitive behaviour. A survey instrument was designed and mailed to a sample of all acute NHS hospitals in England of whom 35 per cent responded. This survey was then analysed using logit techniques. The analysis suggests that: those NHS Trusts offering volume discounts, non-price competitive incentives or having a strong belief in performance being by "payment by results" criteria are significantly more likely to offer augmented services to secondary care purchasers over and above contractual minima; those NHS Trusts strongly believing in the importance of non-price factors (such as contract augmentation or quality) in the contracting process are more likely to offer customisation of generic services; and those NHS Trusts using cost-sharing agreements to realign contracts when negotiating contracts or who strongly believe in the importance of service augmentation in strengthening relationships, or that increased hospital efficiency is the most important aspect of recent NHS reform are more likely to utilise default measures to help realign contracts. This paper fills a gap in the area of non-price competition in English NHS acute secondary care contracting.

From Hippocrates to Commodities: three models of NHS governance: NHS governance, regulation, Mid Staffordshire inquiry, health care as a commodity.

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Newdick, Christopher

2014-01-01

A series of inquiries and reports suggest considerable failings in the care provided to some patients in the NHS. Although the Bristol Inquiry report of 2001 led to the creation of many new regulatory bodies to supervise the NHS, they have never enjoyed consistent support from government and the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry in 2013 suggests they made little difference. Why do some parts of the NHS disregard patients' interests and how we should we respond to the challenge? The following discusses the evolution of approaches to NHS governance through the Hippocratic, Managerial and Commercial models, and assesses their risks and benefits. Apart from the ethical imperative, the need for effective governance is driven both by the growth in information available to the public and the resources wasted by ineffective systems of care. Appropriate solutions depend on an understanding of the perverse incentives inherent in each model and the need for greater sensitivity to the voices of patients and the public. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals. permissions@oup.com.

Political Science and the Environment.

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Dwivedi, O. P.

1986-01-01

Briefly reviews the environmental conditions which gave rise to the development of environmental politics and later to the subdiscipline of political ecology. Defines the intellectual boundaries of political ecology and the goals it seeks to attain. Concludes that the increasingly global economy and widespread ecological problems guarantee an…

Exploring Ethnic and Political Boundaries with ArcGIS

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Matthew

2018-01-01

As students study the political organization of space in the Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography classroom, they must understand forces behind the creation of modern nation states, challenges to the stability of modern states, and political developments such as supranationalism and devolution (Human Geography Course Description). In this two…

IMatter: validation of the NHS Scotland Employee Engagement Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Snowden, Austyn; MacArthur, Ewan

2014-11-08

Employee engagement is a fundamental component of quality healthcare. In order to provide empirical data of engagement in NHS Scotland an Employee Engagement Index was co-constructed with staff. 'iMatter' consists of 25 Likert questions developed iteratively from the literature and a series of validation events with NHS Scotland staff. The aim of this study was to test the face, content and construct validity of iMatter. Cross sectional survey of NHS Scotland staff. In January 2013 iMatter was sent to 2300 staff across all disciplines in NHS Scotland. 1280 staff completed it. Demographic data were collected. Internal consistency of the scale was calculated. Construct validity consisted of concurrent application of factor analysis and Rasch analysis. Face and content validity were checked using 3 focus groups. The sample was representative of the NHSScotland population. iMatter showed very strong reliability (α = 0.958). Factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure consistent with the following interpretation: iMatter showed evidence of high reliability and validity. It is a popular measure of staff engagement in NHS Scotland. Implications for practice focus on the importance of coproduction in psychometric development.

Political theology: Possibility of comparison of the usage of death in theology and politics

OpenAIRE

Kuljić Todor

2014-01-01

This paper considers the epistemological value of the concept of political theology in thanatopolitics. The concept can be useful if one wants to interpret political usage of death. In addition to blurred boundaries between politics and theology, there is a more general and deeper socially integrative affinity between the two. In addition, there have been various politicizations of salvation in the past and in the present. Every political theology accentuat...

Overseeing oversight: governance of quality and safety by hospital boards in the English NHS.

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Mannion, Russell; Davies, Huw; Freeman, Tim; Millar, Ross; Jacobs, Rowena; Kasteridis, Panos

2015-01-01

To contribute towards an understanding of hospital board composition and to explore board oversight of patient safety and health care quality in the English NHS. We reviewed the theory related to hospital board governance and undertook two national surveys about board management in NHS acute and specialist hospital trusts in England. The first survey was issued to 150 trusts in 2011/2012 and was completed online via a dedicated web tool. A total 145 replies were received (97% response rate). The second online survey was undertaken in 2012/2013 and targeted individual board members, using a previously validated standard instrument on board members' attitudes and competencies (the Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire). A total of 334 responses were received from 165 executive and 169 non-executive board members, providing at least one response from 95 of the 144 NHS trusts then in existence (66% response rate). Over 90% of the English NHS trust boards had 10-15 members. We found no significant difference in board size between trusts of different types (e.g. Foundation Trusts versus non-Foundation Trusts and Teaching Hospital Trusts versus non-Teaching Hospital Trusts). Clinical representation on boards was limited: around 62% had three or fewer members with clinical backgrounds. For about two-thirds of the trusts (63%), board members with a clinical background comprised less than 30% of the members. Boards were using a wide range and mix of quantitative performance metrics and soft intelligence (e.g. walk-arounds, patient stories) to monitor their organisations with regard to patient safety. The Board Self-Assessment Questionnaire data showed generally high or very high levels of agreement with desirable statements of practice in each of its six dimensions. Aggregate levels of agreement within each dimension ranged from 73% (for the dimension addressing interpersonal issues) to 85% (on the political). English NHS boards largely hold a wide range of attitudes and

An evaluation of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting courses for pregnant women and prospective fathers/partners within the UK NHS (MBCP-4-NHS).

Science.gov (United States)

Warriner, Sian; Crane, Catherine; Dymond, Maret; Krusche, Adele

2018-05-26

An evaluation of mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting courses for pregnant women and prospective fathers/partners within the UK NHS (MBCP-4-NHS). To explore the usefulness within the National Health Service (NHS) of a brief (four week, ten hour) course based upon the Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) programme (Duncan and Bardacke, 2010) described here as MBCP-4-NHS. The National Maternity Review (2016) and report of The Independent Mental Health Taskforce to the NHS (2016a, 2016b) in England highlight the need for significant investment into perinatal mental health services, with the Government pledging funding to improve such services through a range of measures. Whilst the field of mindfulness during the perinatal period is in need of well controlled trials and studies exploring the mechanisms of action (Hall et al., 2016) the limited research to date supports the potential for mindfulness based interventions in pregnancy and the need for further scientific study in this area (Dhillon et al., 2017; Shi and Macbeth, 2017). Particularly because it may broaden women's repertoire of coping strategies with the potential to improve the developmental trajectory of both parents and infants (Dunn et al., 2012; Duncan and Bardacke, 2010; Vieten and Astin, 2008). However, most of the studies to date have involved lengthy courses of around 8-9 weeks (24 h) duration, which may not be feasible or economical within a UK NHS setting and therefore, would be unlikely to be adopted as routine practice. An initial pilot study to discover if MBCP-4-NHS is acceptable and feasible within NHS maternity services, comparing maternal and paternal pre and post intervention self-report measures of mental health to begin to explore the effectiveness of this intervention. NHS antenatal education classes held in children's centres for expectant parents across Oxfordshire. All expectant parents receiving Oxfordshire maternity services between October 2014 and January 2015

Identification of three novel NHS mutations in families with Nance-Horan syndrome

OpenAIRE

Huang, Kristen M.; Wu, Junhua; Brooks, Simon P.; Hardcastle, Alison J.; Lewis, Richard Alan; Stambolian, Dwight

2007-01-01

Purpose Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS) is an infrequent and often overlooked X-linked disorder characterized by dense congenital cataracts, microphthalmia, and dental abnormalities. The syndrome is caused by mutations in the NHS gene, whose function is not known. The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency and distribution of NHS gene mutations and compare genotype with Nance-Horan phenotype in five North American NHS families. Methods Genomic DNA was isolated from white blood cells f...

Impact of NHS Direct on other services: the characteristics and origins of its nurses \\ud

OpenAIRE

Morrell, C.J.; Munro, J.F.; O'Cathain, A.; Warren, K.; Nicholl, J.

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE:: To characterise the NHS Direct nurse workforce and estimate the impact of NHS Direct on the staffing of other NHS nursing specialties. \\ud \\ud METHOD: A postal survey of NHS Direct nurses in all 17 NHS Direct call centres operating in June 2000. \\ud \\ud RESULTS: The response rate was 74% (682 of 920). In the three months immediately before joining NHS Direct, 20% (134 of 682, 95% confidence intervals 17% to 23%) of respondents had not been working in the NHS. Of the 540 who came f...

Measuring progress towards a primary care-led NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, P; Craig, N; Scott, A; Walker, A; Hanlon, P

1999-07-01

The push towards a 'primary care-led' National Health Service (NHS) has far-reaching implications for the future structure of the NHS. The policy involves both a growing emphasis on the role of primary care practitioners in the commissioning of health services, and a change from hospital to primary and community settings for a range of services and procedures. Although the terminology has changed, this emphasis remains in the recent Scottish Health Service White Paper and its English counterpart. To consider three questions in relation to this policy goal. First, does the evidence base support the changes? Secondly, what is the scale of the changes that have occurred? Thirdly, what are the barriers to the development of a primary care-led NHS? Programme budgets were compiled to assess changes over time in the balance of NHS resource allocation with respect to primary and secondary care. Total NHS revenue expenditure for the 15 Scottish health boards was grouped into four blocks or 'programmes': primary care, secondary care, community services, and a residual. The study period was 1991/2 to 1995/6. Expenditure data were supplied by the Scottish Office. Ambiguity of definitions and the absence of good data cause methodological difficulties in evaluating the scale and the appropriateness of the shift. The data that are available suggest that, at the aggregate level, there have been changes over time in the balance of resource allocation between care settings: relative investment into primary care has increased. It would appear that this investment is relatively small and from growth money rather than a 'shift' from secondary care. In addition, the impact of GP-led commissioning is variable but limited. General practitioners' (GPs') attitudes to the policy suggest that progress towards a primary care-led NHS will continue to be patchy. The limited shift to date, alongside evidence of ambivalent attitudes to the shift on the part of GPs, suggest that this is a policy

New mutations in the NHS gene in Nance-Horan Syndrome families from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Florijn, Ralph J.; Loves, Willem; Maillette de Buy Wenniger-Prick, Liesbeth J. J. M.; Mannens, Marcel M. A. M.; Tijmes, Nel; Brooks, Simon P.; Hardcastle, Alison J.; Bergen, Arthur A. B.

2006-01-01

Mutations in the NHS gene cause Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS), a rare X-chromosomal recessive disorder with variable features, including congenital cataract, microphthalmia, a peculiar form of the ear and dental anomalies. We investigated the NHS gene in four additional families with NHS from the

Pushing at the boundaries of the body: Cultural politics and cross-gender dance in East Java

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Sunardi

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Cross-gender dance in East Java has captivated me as a strategy that performers use to negotiate multiple ideas about manhood and womanhood as well as tensions between official ideologies and social realities, expectations about performers’ onstage personas and offstage lives, and competing aesthetic sensibilities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in the regency of Malang and analysis of performers’ verbal discourse, I address issues of the body, perception, agency, and senses of self, foregrounding performers’ insights into their practices’ meanings, the cultural impact they have as artists, and reasons behind multiple perceptions of gender. To examine relationships between larger cultural forces and performers’ views, I use generation as an analytical framework. I consider performers in three generations – the 1940s-1960s, the 1970s-1990s, and the 1990s to the present. That these generations correlate closely to three political periods in Indonesian history – Old Order (1945-1965/6, New Order (1966-1998, and Reformation Era (1998-present – has led me to make three related arguments. First, the political and cultural climate has affected the discourse through which musicians and dancers expressed their perceptions about the performance of gender. Second, performers have rearticulated larger cultural and political discourses in their own ways, thereby asserting their own senses of gender. Third, performers have affected the political and cultural climate by pushing at the boundaries of maleness and femaleness onstage and in their daily lives, making on- and offstage spaces fluid and complementary sites of cultural and ideological production.

Understanding the roles of NHS trust board members.

Science.gov (United States)

Deffenbaugh, J

1996-01-01

The establishment of NHS trust boards on a business format was a recent innovation resulting from the NHS reforms. In order to realize benefits for patients, it is essential that boards operate effectively. Explores within the framework of corporate governance, the practical implications of board member roles. Drawing on experience of strategy formulation at board level, analyses and clarifies the roles, and presents recommendations to increase board effectiveness.

Lessons from 2012: What the NHS Can Learn from Britain's Olympic Success.

Science.gov (United States)

Maile, Edward J; Blake, Alastair M

2013-01-01

The 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games were widely regarded as an organisational and sporting success for the United Kingdom. Therefore, it is prudent to consider what other large, public endeavours might learn from the Games' success. Team GB worked to develop a positive team culture based around shared values. This is something the National Health Service (NHS) could learn from, as an organisation which can appear to lack this culture. The NHS should also work harder to adopt evidence-based practices, and to adopt them quickly, as is often the case in sport. Sport is the ultimate example of transparent results reporting, and the NHS ought to consider systematic reporting of risk-adjusted performance data, which may drive improved performance. The NHS should pay attention to the experiences of successful Olympic sports with centralised centres of excellence, and to medical data which suggests that better outcomes result from centres of excellence. The NHS and wider government should look to Olympic athletes and place more emphasis on prevention of disease by encouraging positive lifestyle choices. Finally, the NHS should develop private sector partnerships carefully. We must look to gather knowledge and ideas from every area of life in pursuit of excellence in the NHS. Experience of the Olympics offers a number of instructive lessons.

A model of organisational dysfunction in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Rachael

2013-01-01

This paper explores the reasons for the sometimes seemingly irrational and dysfunctional organisational behaviour within the NHS. It seeks to provide possible answers to the persistent historical problem of intimidating and negative behaviour between staff, and the sometimes inadequate organisational responses. The aim is to develop a model to explain and increase understanding of such behaviour in the NHS. This paper is conceptual in nature based upon a systematic literature review. The concepts of organisational silence, normalised organisational corruption, and protection of image, provide some possible answers for these dysfunctional responses, as does the theory of selective moral disengagement. The NHS exhibits too high a level of collective ego defences and protection of its image and self-esteem, which distorts its ability to address problems and to learn. Organisations and the individuals within them can hide and retreat from reality and exhibit denial; there is a resistance to voice and to "knowing". The persistence and tolerance of negative behaviour is a corruption and is not healthy or desirable. Organisations need to embrace the identity of a listening and learning organisation; a "wise" organisation. The "Elephant in the room" of persistent negative behaviour has to be acknowledged; the silence must be broken. There is a need for cultures of "respect", exhibiting "intelligent kindness". A model has been developed to increase understanding of dysfunctional organisational behaviour in the NHS primarily for leaders/managers of health services, health service regulators and health researchers/academics. Research, with ethical approval, is currently being undertaken to test and develop the conceptual model to further reflect the complexities of the NHS culture.

Medical Tourism: A Cost or Benefit to the NHS?

Science.gov (United States)

Hanefeld, Johanna; Horsfall, Daniel; Lunt, Neil; Smith, Richard

2013-01-01

‘Medical Tourism’ – the phenomenon of people travelling abroad to access medical treatment - has received increasing attention in academic and popular media. This paper reports findings from a study examining effect of inbound and outbound medical tourism on the UK NHS, by estimating volume of medical tourism and associated costs and benefits. A mixed methods study it includes analysis of the UK International Passenger Survey (IPS); interviews with 77 returning UK medical tourists, 63 policymakers, NHS managers and medical tourism industry actors policymakers, and a review of published literature. These informed costing of three types of treatments for which patients commonly travel abroad: fertility treatment, cosmetic and bariatric surgery. Costing of inbound tourism relied on data obtained through 28 Freedom-of-Information requests to NHS Foundation Trusts. Findings demonstrate that contrary to some popular media reports, far from being a net importer of patients, the UK is now a clear net exporter of medical travellers. In 2010, an estimated 63,000 UK residents travelled for treatment, while around 52,000 patients sought treatment in the UK. Inbound medical tourists treated as private patients within NHS facilities may be especially profitable when compared to UK private patients, yielding close to a quarter of revenue from only 7% of volume in the data examined. Costs arise where patients travel abroad and return with complications. Analysis also indicates possible savings especially in future health care and social costs averted. These are likely to be specific to procedures and conditions treated. UK medical tourism is a growing phenomenon that presents risks and opportunities to the NHS. To fully understand its implications and guide policy on issues such as NHS global activities and patient safety will require investment in further research and monitoring. Results point to likely impact of medical tourism in other universal public health systems

Medical tourism: a cost or benefit to the NHS?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johanna Hanefeld

Full Text Available 'Medical Tourism' - the phenomenon of people travelling abroad to access medical treatment - has received increasing attention in academic and popular media. This paper reports findings from a study examining effect of inbound and outbound medical tourism on the UK NHS, by estimating volume of medical tourism and associated costs and benefits. A mixed methods study it includes analysis of the UK International Passenger Survey (IPS; interviews with 77 returning UK medical tourists, 63 policymakers, NHS managers and medical tourism industry actors policymakers, and a review of published literature. These informed costing of three types of treatments for which patients commonly travel abroad: fertility treatment, cosmetic and bariatric surgery. Costing of inbound tourism relied on data obtained through 28 Freedom-of-Information requests to NHS Foundation Trusts. Findings demonstrate that contrary to some popular media reports, far from being a net importer of patients, the UK is now a clear net exporter of medical travellers. In 2010, an estimated 63,000 UK residents travelled for treatment, while around 52,000 patients sought treatment in the UK. Inbound medical tourists treated as private patients within NHS facilities may be especially profitable when compared to UK private patients, yielding close to a quarter of revenue from only 7% of volume in the data examined. Costs arise where patients travel abroad and return with complications. Analysis also indicates possible savings especially in future health care and social costs averted. These are likely to be specific to procedures and conditions treated. UK medical tourism is a growing phenomenon that presents risks and opportunities to the NHS. To fully understand its implications and guide policy on issues such as NHS global activities and patient safety will require investment in further research and monitoring. Results point to likely impact of medical tourism in other universal public health

Medical tourism: a cost or benefit to the NHS?

Science.gov (United States)

Hanefeld, Johanna; Horsfall, Daniel; Lunt, Neil; Smith, Richard

2013-01-01

'Medical Tourism' - the phenomenon of people travelling abroad to access medical treatment - has received increasing attention in academic and popular media. This paper reports findings from a study examining effect of inbound and outbound medical tourism on the UK NHS, by estimating volume of medical tourism and associated costs and benefits. A mixed methods study it includes analysis of the UK International Passenger Survey (IPS); interviews with 77 returning UK medical tourists, 63 policymakers, NHS managers and medical tourism industry actors policymakers, and a review of published literature. These informed costing of three types of treatments for which patients commonly travel abroad: fertility treatment, cosmetic and bariatric surgery. Costing of inbound tourism relied on data obtained through 28 Freedom-of-Information requests to NHS Foundation Trusts. Findings demonstrate that contrary to some popular media reports, far from being a net importer of patients, the UK is now a clear net exporter of medical travellers. In 2010, an estimated 63,000 UK residents travelled for treatment, while around 52,000 patients sought treatment in the UK. Inbound medical tourists treated as private patients within NHS facilities may be especially profitable when compared to UK private patients, yielding close to a quarter of revenue from only 7% of volume in the data examined. Costs arise where patients travel abroad and return with complications. Analysis also indicates possible savings especially in future health care and social costs averted. These are likely to be specific to procedures and conditions treated. UK medical tourism is a growing phenomenon that presents risks and opportunities to the NHS. To fully understand its implications and guide policy on issues such as NHS global activities and patient safety will require investment in further research and monitoring. Results point to likely impact of medical tourism in other universal public health systems.

Customer care in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruddick, Fred

2015-01-20

Viewing individuals in need of NHS care as customers has the potential to refocus the way their care is delivered. This article highlights some of the benefits of reframing the nurse-patient relationship in terms of customer care, and draws parallels between good customer care and the provision of high quality patient care in the NHS. It explores lessons to be learned from those who have studied the customer experience, which can be adapted to enhance the customer care experience within the health service. Developing professional expertise in the knowledge and skills that underpin good-quality interpersonal encounters is essential to improve the customer experience in health care and should be prioritised alongside the development of more technical skills. Creating a culture where emotional intelligence, caring and compassion are essential requirements for all nursing staff will improve patient satisfaction.

A novel NHS mutation causes Nance-Horan Syndrome in a Chinese family.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Qi; Li, Yunping; Kousar, Rizwana; Guo, Hui; Peng, Fenglan; Zheng, Yu; Yang, Xiaohua; Long, Zhigao; Tian, Runyi; Xia, Kun; Lin, Haiying; Pan, Qian

2017-01-07

Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS) (OMIM: 302350) is a rare X-linked developmental disorder characterized by bilateral congenital cataracts, with occasional dental anomalies, characteristic dysmorphic features, brachymetacarpia and mental retardation. Carrier females exhibit similar manifestations that are less severe than in affected males. Here, we report a four-generation Chinese family with multiple affected individuals presenting Nance-Horan Syndrome. Whole-exome sequencing combined with RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing was used to search for a genetic cause underlying the disease phenotype. Whole-exome sequencing identified in all affected individuals of the family a novel donor splicing site mutation (NM_198270: c.1045 + 2T > A) in intron 4 of the gene NHS, which maps to chromosome Xp22.13. The identified mutation results in an RNA processing defect causing a 416-nucleotide addition to exon 4 of the mRNA transcript, likely producing a truncated NHS protein. The donor splicing site mutation NM_198270: c.1045 + 2T > A of the NHS gene is the causative mutation in this Nance-Horan Syndrome family. This research broadens the spectrum of NHS gene mutations, contributing to our understanding of the molecular genetics of NHS.

What does patient feedback reveal about the NHS? A mixed methods study of comments posted to the NHS Choices online service

Science.gov (United States)

Brookes, Gavin; Baker, Paul

2017-01-01

Objective To examine the key themes of positive and negative feedback in patients’ online feedback on NHS (National Health Service) services in England and to understand the specific issues within these themes and how they drive positive and negative evaluation. Design Computer-assisted quantitative and qualitative studies of 228 113 comments (28 971 142 words) of online feedback posted to the NHS Choices website. Comments containing the most frequent positive and negative evaluative words are qualitatively examined to determine the key drivers of positive and negative feedback. Participants Contributors posting comments about the NHS between March 2013 and September 2015. Results Overall, NHS services were evaluated positively approximately three times more often than negatively. The four key areas of focus were: treatment, communication, interpersonal skills and system/organisation. Treatment exhibited the highest proportion of positive evaluative comments (87%), followed by communication (77%), interpersonal skills (44%) and, finally, system/organisation (41%). Qualitative analysis revealed that reference to staff interpersonal skills featured prominently, even in comments relating to treatment and system/organisational issues. Positive feedback was elicited in cases of staff being caring, compassionate and knowing patients’’ names, while rudeness, apathy and not listening were frequent drivers of negative feedback. Conclusions Although technical competence constitutes an undoubtedly fundamental aspect of healthcare provision, staff members were much more likely to be evaluated both positively and negatively according to their interpersonal skills. Therefore, the findings reported in this study highlight the salience of such ‘soft’ skills to patients and emphasise the need for these to be focused upon and developed in staff training programmes, as well as ensuring that decisions around NHS funding do not result in demotivated and rushed staff. The

New mutations in the NHS gene in Nance-Horan Syndrome families from the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Florijn, Ralph J; Loves, Willem; Maillette de Buy Wenniger-Prick, Liesbeth J J M; Mannens, Marcel M A M; Tijmes, Nel; Brooks, Simon P; Hardcastle, Alison J; Bergen, Arthur A B

2006-09-01

Mutations in the NHS gene cause Nance-Horan Syndrome (NHS), a rare X-chromosomal recessive disorder with variable features, including congenital cataract, microphthalmia, a peculiar form of the ear and dental anomalies. We investigated the NHS gene in four additional families with NHS from the Netherlands, by dHPLC and direct sequencing. We identified an unique mutation in each family. Three out of these four mutations were not reported before. We report here the first splice site sequence alteration mutation and three protein truncating mutations. Our results suggest that X-linked cataract and NHS are allelic disorders.

Five-year workplace wellness intervention in the NHS

OpenAIRE

Blake, Holly; Zhou, Dingyuan; Batt, Mark E.

2013-01-01

aims:\\ud Poor health and well-being has been observed among NHS staff and has become a key focus in current public health policy. The objective of this study was to deliver and evaluate a five-year employee wellness programme aimed at improving the health and well-being of employees in a large NHS workplace.\\ud method:\\ud A theory-driven multi-level ecological workplace wellness intervention was delivered including health campaigns, provision of facilities and health-promotion activities to e...

Tackling racism in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Erin

2016-11-30

Essential facts Trade union Unite has developed a policy briefing on a new toolkit to combat racism in the NHS. It can help nurses and other staff tackle racial discrimination in health, with black and minority ethnic (BME) nurses often treated unequally compared with their white colleagues.

Hopewell Furnace NHS : alternative transportation study

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-31

This study assesses the potential for an alternative transportation system (ATS) at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (NHS). The Volpe Center investigated internal circulation and potential partnerships with local historic, cultural, and recrea...

Economic Integration and Political Disintegration

OpenAIRE

Alberto Alesina; Enrico Spolaore; Romain Wacziarg

1997-01-01

Trade liberalization and political separatism go hand in hand. In a world of trade restrictions, large countries enjoy economic benefits because political boundaries determine the size of the market. In a world of free trade and global markets even relatively small cultural, linguistic or ethnic groups can benefit from forming small and homogeneous political jurisdictions that trade peacefully and are economically integrated with others. This paper provides a formal model of the relationship ...

A trauma-like model of political extremism: psycho-political fault lines in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Laor, Nathaniel; Yanay-Shani, Alma; Wolmer, Leo; Khoury, Oula

2010-10-01

This study examines a trauma-like model of potentially violent political extremism among Jewish Israelis. We study the psychosocial characteristics of political extremists that may lie at the root of sociopolitical instability and assess personal (gender, stressful life events, Holocaust family background, and political activism) and psychological parameters (self- and political transcendence, perceived political threats, in/out-group identification ratio) that may predict readiness to engage in destructive political behavior. We examine the ideological zeal of various political groups, the relationship between the latter and perceived political threats, and the predictors of extreme political activism. Results showed that the extreme political poles displayed high level of ideological and morbid transcendence. Right extremists displayed higher perceived threats to physical existence and national identity. Left extremists scored highest on perceived moral integrity threat. Higher perceived threats to national identity and moral integrity, risk, and self-transcendence statistically explain morbid transcendence. When fear conjures up extremely skewed sociopolitical identifications across political boundaries, morbid transcendence may manifest itself in destructive political activity. © 2010 Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease.

Policy and organizational implications of gender imbalance in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Karen

2007-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to examine the policy and organizational implications of gender imbalance in management, which research suggests exists in the NHS. The research in this paper involved a qualitative approach with an analysis of elite interviews conducted with a non-random sample of officials involved in health policy and interviews with a random sample of senior managers in NHS Scotland. The research formed part of a larger study, which explored the enablers and inhibitors to female career progression in various Scottish sectors. The paper finds that gender imbalance in management exists in the NHS. This is manifested in a masculine organizational context, leadership and policy decision-making process, which have implications for female career advancement opportunities and subsequently access to macro policy decisions. The paper involved a sample (30 percent) of senior managers and examined policy processes in NHS Scotland. To improve the external validity of the findings further research should be conducted in NHS organizations in England and Wales. The findings in the paper suggest that gender imbalance in management and a masculine organizational context and leadership style within the NHS create a less than conducive environment for female employees. This has practical implications in terms of levels of part-time employment, career progression and attrition rates. The paper adds to the debate of gender and organizational studies by examining the health sector, which has high levels of female employment but low levels of female representation at senior management levels. The paper therefore adds to an often-neglected area of study, women in leadership and senior managerial positions. The paper is original in its approach by examining the micro and meso organizational dimensions which impact on women's ability to influence macro health policy.

Political boundary conditions for a reliable energy supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majewski, O.

1994-01-01

The further course of energy policy in Germany is completely uncertain, especially in the light of the elections to be held in Germany in 1994. At the very last minute, the attempt at finding a long-term energy consensus failed although the positions held by the participants from politics, industry, and other groupings had already come much closer. Against the backdrop of a profound recession and a structural crisis of industry, on the one hand, and increasingly tougher international competition, on the other hand, the parameters of energy policy contribute greatly to the success or failure of future economic development. One of the objectives of the consensus talks had been to maintain an energy mix so as to spread more widely the economic, technical, political, and ecological risks that would be encountered. In particular, a permanent perspective was to be developed for the peaceful uses of nuclear power, on the one hand, by ensuring the politically undisturbed operation of the nuclear power plants currently in operation and, on the other hand, by creating a concrete, sustainable option for the development and operation of an advanced generation of nuclear reactors. (orig.) [de

Who uses NHS health checks? Investigating the impact of ethnicity and gender and method of invitation on uptake of NHS health checks.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Erica J; Sharp, Chloe; Randhawa, Gurch; Guppy, Andy; Gangotra, Raj; Cox, Jonathon

2016-01-20

NHS Health Checks is a national risk assessment prevention programme for all individuals aged 40-74 that reside in England. Through the systematic assessment of an individual's ten year disease risk, this programme aims to provide early identification and subsequent management of this risk. However, there is limited evidence on how socio-demographic factors impact on uptake and what influence the invitation method has on uptake to this programme. NHS Health Check data from April 2013 to March 2014 was analysed (N = 50,485) for all 30 GP Practices in Luton, a culturally diverse town in England, UK. Data was collected for age, ethnicity, uptake (attendance and non attendance) and invitation method (letter written, verbal face-to-face, telephone). Actual usage of NHS Health Checks was determined for each ethnic group of the population and compared using Chi-square analysis. The overall uptake rate for Luton was 44 %, markedly lower that the set target of 50-75 %. The findings revealed a variation of uptake in relation to age, gender, level of deprivation. Ethnicity and gender variations were also found, with 'White British' 'Black Caribbean' and 'Indian' patients most likely to take up a NHS Health Check. However, patients from 'Any Other White Background' and 'Black African' were significantly less likely to uptake an NHS Health Check compared to all other ethnic groups. Ethnicity and gender differences were also noted in relation to invitation method. The findings revealed that different invitation methods were effective for different ethnic and gender groups. Therefore, it is suggested that established protocols of invitation are specifically designed for maximizing the response rate for each population group. Future research should now focus on uncovering the barriers to uptake in particular culturally diverse population groups to determine how public health teams can better engage with these communities.

Five-year workplace wellness intervention in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Holly; Zhou, Dingyuan; Batt, Mark E

2013-09-01

Poor health and well-being has been observed among NHS staff and has become a key focus in current public health policy. The objective of this study was to deliver and evaluate a five-year employee wellness programme aimed at improving the health and well-being of employees in a large NHS workplace. A theory-driven multi-level ecological workplace wellness intervention was delivered including health campaigns, provision of facilities and health-promotion activities to encourage employees to make healthy lifestyle choices and sustained behaviour changes. An employee questionnaire survey was distributed at baseline (n = 1,452) and at five years (n = 1,134), including measures of physical activity, BMI, diet, self-efficacy, social support, perceived general health and mood, smoking behaviours, self-reported sickness absence, perceived work performance and job satisfaction. Samples were comparable at baseline and follow-up. At five years, significantly more respondents actively travelled (by walking or cycling both to work and for non-work trips) and more were active while at work. Significantly more respondents met current recommendations for physical activity at five years than at baseline. Fewer employers reported 'lack of time' as a barrier to being physically active following the intervention. Significantly lower sickness absence, greater job satisfaction and greater organisational commitment was reported at five years than at baseline. Improvements in health behaviours, reductions in sickness absence and improvements in job satisfaction and organisational commitment were observed following five years of a workplace wellness intervention for NHS employees. These findings suggest that health-promoting programmes should be embedded within NHS infrastructure.

Approaches to leadership and managing change in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Lumbers, Melanie

2018-05-24

The NHS is continually changing as research evidence leads to new practices and technology transforms the workplace. Resistance to some changes may occur because of staff fears about adapting to and coping with new methods. This is where change models and leadership are important. This article discusses changes taking place in the NHS, and some theoretical models of change. Leadership styles are also discussed, including those most useful for the nurse to use when leading a team and implementing change.

Job evaluation for clinical nursing jobs by implementing the NHS JE system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahya, Emin; Oral, Nurten

2007-10-01

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate locally all the clinical nursing jobs implementing the NHS JE system in four hospitals. The NHS JE was developed by the Department of Health in the UK in 2003-2004. A job analysis questionnaire was designed to gather current job descriptions. It was distributed to each of 158 clinical nurses and supervisor nurses in 31 variety clinics at four hospitals in one city. The questionnaires were analysed to evaluate locally all the identified 94 nursing jobs. Fourteen of 19 nursing jobs in the medical and surgical clinics can be matched to the nurse national job in the NHS JE system. The results indicated that two new nursing jobs titled nurse B and nurse advanced B should be added to the list of national nursing jobs in the NHS JE system.

Political theology: Possibility of comparison of the usage of death in theology and politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuljić Todor

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the epistemological value of the concept of political theology in thanatopolitics. The concept can be useful if one wants to interpret political usage of death. In addition to blurred boundaries between politics and theology, there is a more general and deeper socially integrative affinity between the two. In addition, there have been various politicizations of salvation in the past and in the present. Every political theology accentuates obedience as an immanent condition of salvation, although interpretation of death in political theology has a different function than in secular ideologies. In the centre of politically theological ideas one can find crosscutting of the divisions between public friend and public enemy from political world with similar divisions from religious world. Finally, beside the theological influence on politics, this paper considers some analogies between theology and the secular judiciary. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 149005: Društveni akteri i društvene promene u Srbiji 1990-2010

Space, place and (waiting) time: reflections on health policy and politics.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheard, Sally

2018-02-19

Health systems have repeatedly addressed concerns about efficiency and equity by employing trans-national comparisons to draw out the strengths and weaknesses of specific policy initiatives. This paper demonstrates the potential for explicit historical analysis of waiting times for hospital treatment to add value to spatial comparative methodologies. Waiting times and the size of the lists of waiting patients have become key operational indicators. In the United Kingdom, as National Health Service (NHS) financial pressures intensified from the 1970s, waiting times have become a topic for regular public and political debate. Various explanations for waiting times include the following: hospital consultants manipulate NHS waiting lists to maintain their private practice; there is under-investment in the NHS; and available (and adequate) resources are being used inefficiently. Other countries have also experienced ongoing tensions between the public and private delivery of universal health care in which national and trans-national comparisons of waiting times have been regularly used. The paper discusses the development of key UK policies, and provides a limited Canadian comparative perspective, to explore wider issues, including whether 'waiting crises' were consciously used by policymakers, especially those brought into government to implement new economic and managerial strategies, to diminish the autonomy and authority of the medical professional in the hospital environment.

Xcat, a novel mouse model for Nance-Horan syndrome inhibits expression of the cytoplasmic-targeted Nhs1 isoform.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Kristen M; Wu, Junhua; Duncan, Melinda K; Moy, Chris; Dutra, Amalia; Favor, Jack; Da, Tong; Stambolian, Dwight

2006-01-15

Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) is an X-linked disorder characterized by congenital cataracts, dental anomalies, dysmorphic features and mental retardation. A recent report suggests that the novel gene NHS1 is involved in this disorder due to the presence of point mutations in NHS patients. A possible mouse model for NHS, Xcat, was mapped to a 2.11 Mb interval on the X-chromosome. Sequence and FISH analysis of the X-chromosome region containing the Xcat mutation reveal a large insertion between exons 1 and 2 of the mouse Nhs1 gene. The insertion inhibits the expression of the Nhs1 isoform containing exon 1 and results in exclusive expression of the alternative isoform containing exon 1A. Quantitative RT-PCR of Xcat cDNA shows reduced levels of Nhs1 transcripts. The Nhs1 protein is strongly expressed within the cytoplasm of elongating lens fiber cells from wild-type neonate lens, but is significantly reduced within the Xcat lens. Transient transfection studies of CHO cells with Nhs1-GFP fusion proteins were done to determine whether the amino acids encoded by exon 1 were critical for protein localization. We found the presence of Nhs1 exon 1 critical for localization of the fusion protein to the cytoplasm, whereas fusion proteins lacking Nhs1 exon 1 are predominantly nuclear. These results indicate that the first exon of Nhs1 contains crucial information required for the proper expression and localization of Nhs1 protein. Inhibition of expression of the exon 1 containing isoform results in the abnormal phenotype of Xcat.

The fallacy of choice in the common law and NHS policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiteman, Ingrid

2013-06-01

Neither the English courts nor the National Health Service (NHS) have been immune to the modern mantra of patient choice. This article examines whether beneath the rhetoric any form of real choice is endorsed either in law or in NHS policy. I explore the case law on 'consent', look at choice within the NHS and highlight the dilemmas that a mismatch of language and practice poses for clinicians. Given the variance in interpretation and lack of consistency for the individual patient I argue for a semantic change that obviates the use of 'choice', focussing instead on the options for treatment that are available and accessible, with due acknowledgement of individual patient preferences, without raising unfettered and false expectations.

Self-rostering can improve work-life balance and staff retention in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Renee; Holme, Annie

2018-03-08

Renee Barrett, Staff Nurse, ITU, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, renee.barrett@gosh.nhs.uk , and Annie Holme, Lecturer, King's College London, look at how e-rostering can benefit health organisations and staff.

Clinical psychologists' experiences of NHS organisational change

OpenAIRE

Colley, Rich; Eccles, Fiona; Hutton, Cheryl

2015-01-01

Organisational-change experiences of eight clinical psychologists working in the NHS were captured. Three themes revealed the challenges they experienced and how their knowledge and skills have helped them understand, cope with, and respond to change.

Novel causative mutations in patients with Nance-Horan syndrome and altered localization of the mutant NHS-A protein isoform

OpenAIRE

Sharma, Shiwani; Burdon, Kathryn P.; Dave, Alpana; Jamieson, Robyn V.; Yaron, Yuval; Billson, Frank; Van Maldergem, Lionel; Lorenz, Birgit; Gécz, Jozef; Craig, Jamie E.

2008-01-01

Purpose Nance-Horan syndrome is typically characterized by severe bilateral congenital cataracts and dental abnormalities. Truncating mutations in the Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) gene cause this X-linked genetic disorder. NHS encodes two isoforms, NHS-A and NHS-1A. The ocular lens expresses NHS-A, the epithelial and neuronal cell specific isoform. The NHS-A protein localizes in the lens epithelium at the cellular periphery. The data to date suggest a role for this isoform at cell-cell junction...

Team performance in the Italian NHS: the role of reflexivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Urbini, Flavio; Callea, Antonino; Chirumbolo, Antonio; Talamo, Alessandra; Ingusci, Emanuela; Ciavolino, Enrico

2018-04-09

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the goodness of the input-process-output (IPO) model in order to evaluate work team performance within the Italian National Health Care System (NHS); and second, to test the mediating role of reflexivity as an overarching process factor between input and output. Design/methodology/approach The Italian version of the Aston Team Performance Inventory was administered to 351 employees working in teams in the Italian NHS. Mediation analyses with latent variables were performed via structural equation modeling (SEM); the significance of total, direct, and indirect effect was tested via bootstrapping. Findings Underpinned by the IPO framework, the results of SEM supported mediational hypotheses. First, the application of the IPO model in the Italian NHS showed adequate fit indices, showing that the process mediates the relationship between input and output factors. Second, reflexivity mediated the relationship between input and output, influencing some aspects of team performance. Practical implications The results provide useful information for HRM policies improving process dimensions of the IPO model via the mediating role of reflexivity as a key role in team performance. Originality/value This study is one of a limited number of studies that applied the IPO model in the Italian NHS. Moreover, no study has yet examined the role of reflexivity as a mediator between input and output factors in the IPO model.

The NHS and market forces in healthcare: the need for organisational ethics.

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Frith, Lucy

2013-01-01

The NHS in England is an organisation undergoing substantial change. The passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, consolidates and builds on previous health policies and introduces further 'market-style' reforms of the NHS. One of the main aspects of these reforms is to encourage private and third sector providers to deliver NHS services. The rationale for this is to foster a more competitive market in healthcare to encourage greater efficiency and innovation. This changing healthcare environment in the English NHS sharpens the need for attention to be paid to the ethical operation of healthcare organisations. All healthcare organisations need to consider the ethical aspects of their operation, whether state or privately run. However, the changes in the type of organisations used to provide healthcare (such as commercial companies) can create new relationships and ethical tensions. This paper will chart the development of organisational ethics as a concern in applied ethics and how it arose in the USA largely owing to changes in the organisation of healthcare financing and provision. It will be argued that an analogous transition is happening in the NHS in England. The paper will conclude with suggestions for the development of organisational ethics programmes to address some of the possible ethical issues raised by this new healthcare environment that incorporates both private and public sector providers.

The Kazakhstani Youth’s Engagement in Politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shugyla Kilybayeva

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Current research on the Kazakhstani youth’s political participation has usually been informed by a rather traditional understanding of the concept of political participation, without considering the impact of social media and other non-traditional forms of political engagement. This article advocates for a more nuanced understanding of political participation in the country, and particularly among the younger generation, who – it will be shown, display a wide interest in the political developments of the country and are possibly encouraged by a wider access to information and social media through the internet. By pushing the boundaries of political participation, we suggest that young Kazakhs are more active in political debates than usually considered by a number of previous studies.

Do expanded seven-day NHS services improve clinical outcomes? Analysis of comparative institutional performance from the ?NHS Services, Seven Days a Week? project 2013?2016

OpenAIRE

Gan, Hoong-Wei; Wong, Danny Jon Nian; Dean, Benjamin John Floyd; Hall, Alistair Scott

2017-01-01

Background The cause of adverse weekend clinical outcomes remains unknown. In 2013, the ?NHS Services, Seven Days a Week? project was initiated to improve access to services across the seven-day week. Three years on, we sought to analyse the impact of such changes across the English NHS. Methods Aggregated trust-level data on crude mortality rates, Summary Hospital-Level Mortality Indicator (SHMI), mean length of stay (LOS), A&E admission and four-hour breach rates were obtained from national...

Do expanded seven-day NHS services improve clinical outcomes? Analysis of comparative institutional performance from the "NHS Services, Seven Days a Week" project 2013-2016

OpenAIRE

Gan, H-W; Wong, D. J. N.; Dean, B. J. F.; Hall, A. S.

2017-01-01

Background: The cause of adverse weekend clinical outcomes remains unknown. In 2013, the “NHS Services, Seven Days a Week” project was initiated to improve access to services across the seven-day week. Three years on, we sought to analyse the impact of such changes across the English NHS. Methods: Aggregated trust-level data on crude mortality rates, Summary Hospital-Level Mortality Indicator (SHMI), mean length of stay (LOS), A&E admission and four-hour breach rates were obtained f...

Provider diversity in the English NHS: a study of recent developments in four local health economies.

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Allen, Pauline; Turner, Simon; Bartlett, Will; Perotin, Virginie; Matchaya, Greenwell; Zamora, Bernarda

2012-01-01

To assess the impact of provider diversity on quality and innovation in the English NHS by mapping the extent of diverse provider activity and identifying the differences in performance between Third Sector Organisations (TSOs), for-profit private enterprises, and incumbent organizations within the NHS, and the factors that affect the entry and growth of new providers. Case studies of four local health economies. Data included: semi-structured interviews with 48 managerial and clinical staff from NHS organizations and providers from the private and third sector; some documentary evidence; a focus group with service users; and routine data from the Care Quality Commission and Companies House. Data collection was mainly between November 2008 and November 2009. Involvement of diverse providers in the NHS is limited. Commissioners' local strategies influence degrees of diversity. Barriers to entry for TSOs include lack of economies of scale in the bidding process. Private providers have greater concern to improve patient pathways and patient experience, whereas TSOs deliver quality improvements by using a more holistic approach and a greater degree of community involvement. Entry of new providers drives NHS trusts to respond by making improvements. Information sharing diminishes as competition intensifies. There is scope to increase the participation of diverse providers in the NHS but care must be taken not to damage public accountability, overall productivity, equity and NHS providers (especially acute hospitals, which are likely to remain in the NHS) in the process.

Differential biotin labelling of the cell envelope proteins in lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria: Exploring the proteosurfaceome of Escherichia coli using sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin and sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin.

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Monteiro, Ricardo; Chafsey, Ingrid; Leroy, Sabine; Chambon, Christophe; Hébraud, Michel; Livrelli, Valérie; Pizza, Mariagrazia; Pezzicoli, Alfredo; Desvaux, Mickaël

2018-06-15

Surface proteins are the major factor for the interaction between bacteria and its environment, playing an important role in infection, colonisation, virulence and adaptation. However, the study of surface proteins has proven difficult mainly due to their hydrophobicity and/or relatively low abundance compared with cytoplasmic proteins. To overcome these issues new proteomic strategies have been developed, such as cell-surface protein labelling using biotinylation reagents. Sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin is the most commonly used reagent to investigate the proteins expressed at the cell surface of various organisms but its use in lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria (archetypical Gram-negative bacteria) remains limited to a handful of species. While generally pass over in silence, some periplasmic proteins, but also some inner membrane lipoproteins, integral membrane proteins and cytoplasmic proteins (cytoproteins) are systematically identified following this approach. To limit cell lysis and diffusion of the sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin through the outer membrane, biotin labelling was tested over short incubation times and proved to be as efficient for 1 min at room temperature. To further limit labelling of protein located below the outer membrane, the use of high-molecular weight sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin appeared to recover differentially cell-envelope proteins compared to low-molecular weight sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin. Actually, the sulfo-NHS-SS-biotin recovers at a higher extent the proteins completely or partly exposed in the periplasm than sulfo-NHS-PEG4-bismannose-SS-biotin, namely periplasmic and integral membrane proteins as well as inner membrane and outer membrane lipoproteins. These results highlight that protein labelling using biotinylation reagents of different sizes provides a sophisticated and accurate way to differentially explore the cell envelope proteome of lipopolysaccharidic diderm bacteria. While generally pass over in silence, some periplasmic proteins

Market--what market? A review of Health Authority purchasing in the NHS internal market.

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West, P A

1998-05-01

This paper argues that the British NHS Reforms (the 'Reforms') set out in Working for Patients [1] largely failed to create a market, to achieve the changes that market forces might have been expected to achieve or to meet the objectives set for the NHS in Working for Patients. It draws on the available literature and the author's experience of work with the NHS during the 6 years after Working for Patients. It is hampered, as are all such reviews of the UK Reforms, by the lack of a detailed and systematic research appraisal of the internal market. Many small changes, resulting from market mechanisms, may have occurred throughout the NHS without being publicized or well documented. But overall, there is little convincing evidence that the Reforms have achieved their goals or met the objectives of the politicians who initiated them. The argument here is necessarily limited by the space available (but see [2] for a detailed analysis of the NHS Reforms). The initial sections of the paper examine the characteristics of markets and market power and the extent to which the NHS Reforms created a market, with health authorities and fund-holders as its buyers. The paper concentrates in particular on health authorities. Later sections then examine the extent to which the Reforms met the objectives set out in Working for Patients.

Working across Boundaries in Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Christian; Yoshinaka, Yutaka

The paper addresses how insights from the social shaping tradition and political process theory may contribute to an understanding of design as staging of sociotechnical relations and processes cutting across boundaries of diverse organisational, political and knowledge domains. This idea is purs...... organisational practices. One implication of this approach includes an attention towards what (and how) ar-eas may be rendered open to negotiation and transformation in technological design, implementation, and change processes....

Do NHS walk-in centres in England provide a model of integrated care?

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C. Salisbury

2003-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To undertake a comprehensive evaluation of NHS walk-in centres against criteria of improved access, quality, user satisfaction and efficiency. Context: Forty NHS walk-in centres have been opened in England, as part of the UK governments agenda to modernise the NHS. They are intended to improve access to primary care, provide high quality treatment at convenient times, and reduce inappropriate demand on other NHS providers. Care is provided by nurses rather than doctors, using computerised algorithms, and nurses use protocols to supply treatments previously only available from doctors. Data sources: Several linked studies were conducted using different sources of data and methodologies. These included routinely collected data, site visits, patient interviews, a survey of users of walk-in centres, a study using simulated patients to assess quality of care, analysis of consultation rates in NHS services near to walk-in centres, and audit of compliance with protocols. Conclusion & discussion: The findings illustrate many of the issues described in a recent WHO reflective paper on Integrated Care, including tensions between professional judgement and use of protocols, problems with incompatible IT systems, balancing users' demands and needs, the importance of understanding health professionals' roles and issues of technical versus allocative efficiency.

NHS constitution values for values-based recruitment: a virtue ethics perspective.

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Groothuizen, Johanna Elise; Callwood, Alison; Gallagher, Ann

2018-05-17

Values-based recruitment is used in England to select healthcare staff, trainees and students on the basis that their values align with those stated in the Constitution of the UK National Health Service (NHS). However, it is unclear whether the extensive body of existing literature within the field of moral philosophy was taken into account when developing these values. Although most values have a long historical tradition, a tendency to assume that they have just been invented, and to approach them uncritically, exists within the healthcare sector. Reflection is necessary. We are of the opinion that selected virtue ethics writings, which are underpinned by historical literature as well as practical analysis of the healthcare professions, provide a helpful framework for evaluation of the NHS Constitution values, to determine whether gaps exist and improvements can be made. Based on this evaluation, we argue that the definitions of certain NHS Constitution values are ambiguous. In addition to this, we argue that 'integrity' and 'practical wisdom', two important concepts in the virtue ethics literature, are not sufficiently represented within the NHS Constitution values. We believe that the NHS Constitution values could be strengthened by providing clearer definitions, and by integrating 'integrity' and 'practical wisdom'. This will benefit values-based recruitment strategies. Should healthcare policy-makers in other countries wish to develop a similar values-based recruitment framework, we advise that they proceed reflectively, and take previously published virtue ethics literature into consideration. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Good fences: the importance of setting boundaries for peaceful coexistence.

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Alex Rutherford

Full Text Available We consider the conditions of peace and violence among ethnic groups, testing a theory designed to predict the locations of violence and interventions that can promote peace. Characterizing the model's success in predicting peace requires examples where peace prevails despite diversity. Switzerland is recognized as a country of peace, stability and prosperity. This is surprising because of its linguistic and religious diversity that in other parts of the world lead to conflict and violence. Here we analyze how peaceful stability is maintained. Our analysis shows that peace does not depend on integrated coexistence, but rather on well defined topographical and political boundaries separating groups, allowing for partial autonomy within a single country. In Switzerland, mountains and lakes are an important part of the boundaries between sharply defined linguistic areas. Political canton and circle (sub-canton boundaries often separate religious groups. Where such boundaries do not appear to be sufficient, we find that specific aspects of the population distribution guarantee either sufficient separation or sufficient mixing to inhibit intergroup violence according to the quantitative theory of conflict. In exactly one region, a porous mountain range does not adequately separate linguistic groups and that region has experienced significant violent conflict, leading to the recent creation of the canton of Jura. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that violence between groups can be inhibited by physical and political boundaries. A similar analysis of the area of the former Yugoslavia shows that during widespread ethnic violence existing political boundaries did not coincide with the boundaries of distinct groups, but peace prevailed in specific areas where they did coincide. The success of peace in Switzerland may serve as a model to resolve conflict in other ethnically diverse countries and regions of the world.

Employee engagement within the NHS: a cross-sectional study.

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Jeve, Yadava Bapurao; Oppenheimer, Christina; Konje, Justin

2015-02-01

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment of the employee towards the organisation. We aimed to analyse baseline work engagement using Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) at a teaching hospital. We have conducted a cross-sectional study within the National Health Service (NHS) Teaching Hospital in the UK. All participants were working age population from both genders directly employed by the hospital. UWES has three constituting dimensions of work engagement as vigor, dedication, and absorption. We conducted the study using UWES-9 tool. Outcome measures were mean score for each dimension of work engagement (vigor, dedication, absorption) and total score compared with control score from test manual. We found that the score for vigor and dedication is significantly lower than comparison group (Pengagement level is below average within the NHS employees. Vigor and dedication are significantly lower, these are characterised by energy, mental resilience, the willingness to invest one's effort, and persistence as well as a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge. The NHS employees are immersed in work. Urgent need to explore strategies to improve work engagement as it is vital for improving productivity, safety and patient experience.

The early NHS and the crisis of public health nursing.

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Webster, C

2000-01-01

Establishment of the NHS in 1948 is rightly seen as a major turning point in health care in the United Kingdom. Notwithstanding conditions of severe austerity, the NHS succeeded remarkably well in its basic remit to make all essential medical care available to the entire population, free at point of delivery. The benefits of the new system extended across the entire front of its services. However, it is important to recognise that the reforms of 1948 were uniformly advantageous. It has for instance long been recognised that the NHS failed to bring about the expected transformation in standards of general medical practice. In this short paper the author argues that public health represented a further major sphere of underdevelopment. The fact that, with minor exceptions, public health is the least studied aspect of the early NHS is itself suggestive of its status as the Cinderella of the modern health services. The author also underlines the adverse implications of this inferior position for domiciliary midwifery, district nursing and health visiting. These constituted small but strategically important sectors of nursing, all of which fell under public health administration in the new health service. The author concentrates on the first phase of the NHS, the period between 1948 and 1974, now often regarded as its golden age. For the purposes of this discussion, most of the evidence relates to the formative phase of the new service, when many major policy questions relating to public health were first confronted. It is suggested that the early neglect of public health and its constituent nursing functions has left a legacy of problems that have still not entirely been resolved. For the purposes of this paper the term will be used to embrace the totality of health functions administered by departments of local government in the period from 1948 to 1974. Most of these services fell within the public health departments of local government, headed by the Medical Office

The Political Geography of Voters and Political Participation: Evidence from Local Election in Suburban Indonesia

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Pitri Yandri

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The praxis of political issue including voter turnout and political participation does not exist in a vacuum. Therefore, geographical and spatial issues are frequently engaged and even embedded into it. Thus, this article is written with one purpose: to investigate the spatial relationship of voter turnout and their political participation. As stated earlier, the complexity of the political analysis based on geography will take us on a multidimensional approach that includes social, cultural and economy. However, this article starts the discussion from spatial analysis by using a map that illustrates the administrative boundaries of a region, then determining whether one region is adjacent to another. In this case, Moran’s I is used to determine the spatial autocorrelation of voter turnout and political participation. The result indicates that the voter turnout and political participation in one region are adjacent to each other. Possible reasons for the result are discussed in this article.

Public sphere of politics: between classical grounds and new political actuality

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O. A. Tretyak

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The public sphere of politics as a theoretical concept of modern political science has been discussed in the article. The reasons of the increasing interest to the public sphere is a dominating subject. Studied The phenomenon of the public sphere being a tool of theoretical and methodological definition of the political world’s boundaries has been studied. The value aspects of media activity in the contemporary politics has been investigated. An attempt has been made to establish the potential of political publicity for the qualitative understanding of participatory democracy. The potential of the public sphere in the development of civil society and social capital has been described. The distinction between the public sphere of politics and political communication in the specific conditions of modern transformational societies has been reasonably grounded. The importance of the presence of state power in all spheres of life of the transformational society has been stressed. Such transformation has not been stoped after the liberal market reforms, which had to ensure the existence of a formal representative democracy. The influence of the elite and expert groups being the reason of the absence of really functioning future civil society has been considered. The features of the formation of civil and social activities as a precondition for the democratic political class’ functioning have been studied. The specifics of public political activity being the prerogative of the competent entities’ political broadcasting have been analyzed. The gradual formation of cyber public sphere and its political branch segment has been revealed. Thorough attention has been given to the processes of the public sphere’s politicization which are usual for primarily authoritarian and closed societies.

Fluorescence studies on the aggregation behaviors of collagen modified with NHS-activated poly(γ-glutamic acid).

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Zhang, Min; Yang, Junhui; Yang, Qili; Huang, Liulian; Wu, Hui; Chen, Lihui; Ding, Cuicui

2018-06-01

The poly(γ-glutamic acid)-NHS (γ-PGA-NHS) esters were used to endow collagen with both of excellent water-solubility and thermal stability via cross-linking reaction between γ-PGA-NHS and collagen. In the present work, the effect of γ-PGA-NHS on the aggregation of collagen molecules was studied by fluorescence techniques. The fluorescence emission spectra of pyrene in collagen solutions and the intrinsic fluorescence emission spectra of collagen suggested different effects of γ-PGA-NHS on collagen molecules: inhibiting aggregation below critical aggregation concentration (CAC) and promoting aggregation above CAC. The two-dimensional (2D) fluorescence correlation spectra indicated that the intermolecular hydrogen bonding and cross-linking between γ-PGA-NHS and collagen would influence the aggregation of collagen molecules. By the ultra-sensitive differential scanning calorimeter (VP-DSC), it was found that the main denaturational transition temperature (T m2 ) of modified collagen increased, while its calorimetric enthalpy changes (ΔH 2 ) decreased compared to those of native collagen, further indicating that the modification of γ-PGA-NHS influenced the aggregation of collagen molecules. The study provide useful information for the utilizing and or the processing of water-soluble collagen in aqueous solution in the fields such as cosmetics, health care products, tissue engineering and biomedical materials, etc. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social Boundaries and Secularism in the Lebanese Left

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haugbølle, Sune

2013-01-01

This article explores the social meaning of boundaries in Lebanon through debates about secularism in and around the Lebanese Left. The aim is to elucidate the political and social meaning of ‘Left’ in a Lebanese context, and the positioning of liminal political subjectivity in a system organized...... along sectarian boundaries. Based on readings of debates about secularism in 1975 and 1976, the article proposes that the Left has since that year been forced to embrace secularism as its primary ideological marker. This experience in turn has become constitutive for what it means to be a leftist...

Can Six Sigma be the "cure" for our "ailing" NHS?

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Antony, Jiju; Downey-Ennis, Kay; Antony, Frenie; Seow, Chris

2007-01-01

The purpose of this research is to analyse whether Six Sigma business strategy can be used to improve the financial and operational performance of the NHS. The paper will also look at some of the major challenges and barriers in the implementation of this powerful process improvement strategy within the healthcare sector. This paper discusses whether Six Sigma DMAIC methodology can be a useful and disciplined approach to tackle process- and quality-related problems in the NHS. The paper presents some key findings from other researchers in the field, followed by some comments on whether Six Sigma is a useful approach to be considered by the NHS for cost reduction and defect reduction strategies. The paper illustrates the point that Six Sigma is not confined just to manufacturing industry, rather it is equally applicable to service industry, especially the healthcare and financial sectors. The application of Six Sigma in the UK health sector is relatively new and the purpose of the paper is to increase the awareness of this powerful business strategy in healthcare discipline.

Novel causative mutations in patients with Nance-Horan syndrome and altered localization of the mutant NHS-A protein isoform.

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Sharma, Shiwani; Burdon, Kathryn P; Dave, Alpana; Jamieson, Robyn V; Yaron, Yuval; Billson, Frank; Van Maldergem, Lionel; Lorenz, Birgit; Gécz, Jozef; Craig, Jamie E

2008-01-01

Nance-Horan syndrome is typically characterized by severe bilateral congenital cataracts and dental abnormalities. Truncating mutations in the Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) gene cause this X-linked genetic disorder. NHS encodes two isoforms, NHS-A and NHS-1A. The ocular lens expresses NHS-A, the epithelial and neuronal cell specific isoform. The NHS-A protein localizes in the lens epithelium at the cellular periphery. The data to date suggest a role for this isoform at cell-cell junctions in epithelial cells. This study aimed to identify the causative mutations in new patients diagnosed with Nance-Horan syndrome and to investigate the effect of mutations on subcellular localization of the NHS-A protein. All coding exons of NHS were screened for mutations by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. PCR-based mutagenesis was performed to introduce three independent mutations in the NHS-A cDNA. Expression and localization of the mutant proteins was determined in mammalian epithelial cells. Truncating mutations were found in 6 out of 10 unrelated patients from four countries. Each of four patients carried a novel mutation (R248X, P264fs, K1198fs, and I1302fs), and each of the two other patients carried two previously reported mutations (R373X and R879X). No mutation was found in the gene in four patients. Two disease-causing mutations (R134fs and R901X) and an artificial mutation (T1357fs) resulted in premature truncation of the NHS-A protein. All three mutant proteins failed to localize to the cellular periphery in epithelial cells and instead were found in the cytoplasm. This study brings the total number of mutations identified in NHS to 18. The mislocalization of the mutant NHS-A protein, revealed by mutation analysis, is expected to adversely affect cell-cell junctions in epithelial cells such as the lens epithelium, which may explain cataractogenesis in Nance-Horan syndrome patients. Mutation analysis also shed light on the significance of NHS-A regions for

Local Purchasing of Journals is Required in Addition to a Nationally Purchased Collection to Meet the Information Needs of NHS Staff. A review of: Glover, Steven William, John Addison, Colette Gleghorn, and John Bramwell. “Journal Usage in NHS Hospitals: A Comparison Report of Total Usage at an Acute NHS Trust and a Specialist NHS Trust in the North West of England.” Health Information and Libraries Journal 24.3 (2007: 193‐9.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennie Kelson

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Objective ‐ To compare journal usage between an acute National Health Service (NHS Trust and a specialist NHS Trust located in North West England to provide some evidence as to how well the National Core Content Collection (provided by ProQuest meets the needs of staff in these settings.Design ‐ Comparative studySetting ‐ An acute NHS Trust, comprising four hospital sites, and a cancer specialist NHS Trust based on a single site. Both Trusts are located in North West England. The cancer specialist NHS Trust is a teaching hospital with undergraduate nurses, medical students, and student radiographers. This Trust is also closely associated with an adjoining cancer research institute. The acute NHS Trust has a large number of healthcare staff in training and was not described as a teaching hospital.Subjects ‐ Staff of the respective NHS Trusts. The staff numbers for each organisation were not provided.Methods ‐ COUNTER usage statistics of online journals, obtained from publisher administration tools, were collected for one year covering the period 1 December 2005 to 30 November 2006. Where available, the number of photocopies made from print journals during the same period by library users for their own use was also included. All full‐text downloads of journal articles were counted as part of this study, hence the possibility of double counting if a single article was requested in both HTML and PDF versions. Details of free or open access articles accessed without the need for a username and password were not included in the study. To encourage use of the electronic journals, library services at both Trusts implemented a number of initiatives to maximize publicity. These included direct e‐mails to staff, posters, and presentations to staff. Athens registration, required for access to the electronic journal collections, was promoted as part of the induction process for new library users. Staff members were encouraged to apply for the

Provision of NHS generalist and specialist services to care homes in England: review of surveys.

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Iliffe, Steve; Davies, Susan L; Gordon, Adam L; Schneider, Justine; Dening, Tom; Bowman, Clive; Gage, Heather; Martin, Finbarr C; Gladman, John R F; Victor, Christina; Meyer, Julienne; Goodman, Claire

2016-03-01

The number of beds in care homes (with and without nurses) in the United Kingdom is three times greater than the number of beds in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals. Care homes are predominantly owned by a range of commercial, not-for-profit or charitable providers and their residents have high levels of disability, frailty and co-morbidity. NHS support for care home residents is very variable, and it is unclear what models of clinical support work and are cost-effective. To critically evaluate how the NHS works with care homes. A review of surveys of NHS services provided to care homes that had been completed since 2008. It included published national surveys, local surveys commissioned by Primary Care organisations, studies from charities and academic centres, grey literature identified across the nine government regions, and information from care home, primary care and other research networks. Data extraction captured forms of NHS service provision for care homes in England in terms of frequency, location, focus and purpose. Five surveys focused primarily on general practitioner services, and 10 on specialist services to care home. Working relationships between the NHS and care homes lack structure and purpose and have generally evolved locally. There are wide variations in provision of both generalist and specialist healthcare services to care homes. Larger care home chains may take a systematic approach to both organising access to NHS generalist and specialist services, and to supplementing gaps with in-house provision. Access to dental care for care home residents appears to be particularly deficient. Historical differences in innovation and provision of NHS services, the complexities of collaborating across different sectors (private and public, health and social care, general and mental health), and variable levels of organisation of care homes, all lead to persistent and embedded inequity in the distribution of NHS resources to this population

Volunteering and overseas placements in the NHS: a survey of current activity.

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Chatwin, John; Ackers, Louise

2016-10-19

The study aimed to establish current levels of overseas volunteering and placement activity across all staff grades within the National Health Service (NHS) in the North West of England. Cross-sectional survey. Descriptive statistics. 4 main regional hospitals in the North West of England, and additional NHS staff training events. Convenience sample of NHS staff (n=911). 911 NHS staff took part in the survey. The medical and dental staff group returned the highest number of responses (32.1%). 42% of staff reported some form of overseas volunteering or placement experience. Most staff took an international placement as students (33.6% men; 40.6% women). Medium-term placements were undertaken by 46.7% of men, and 52.5% of women. Settlement stays (ie, over 1 year) were reported by 7.6% men, and 8.3% women). The majority of respondents engaged in international placement were from the age groups incorporating 'below 25' to '41-50' (74%). Multiple placement experiences were uncommon: 2.5% of respondents reported three periods of overseas activity, and 1.5% reported four. All those with multiple placement experience came from the staff groups incorporating midwife/nurse/health visitor, and medical and dental. This survey captured a snapshot of current levels of volunteering and overseas placement activity across NHS staff grades in the North West. Owing to relatively homogenous organisational structures, findings are likely to broadly represent the position across the organisation as a whole. Although some degree of overseas placement activity is undertaken by a relatively high proportion of NHS staff, such activity is currently heavily skewed towards higher clinical staff grades. Significant numbers of allied health professionals and equivalent non-clinical cadres also report overseas experience, and we anticipate that the numbers will continue to rise if current policy initiatives gain momentum. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use

The National Health Service (NHS) at 70: some comparative reflections.

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Tuohy, Carolyn H

2018-03-16

As the National Health Service (NHS) turns 70, it bears comparison with another universal system celebrating an anniversary this year: Canada's 50-year-old medicare model. Each system is iconically popular, and each revolves around a profession-state accommodation. Both the popularity and the central axis of each system have been tested by external shocks in the form of periodic fiscal cycles of investment and austerity, and internal stresses generating organizational cycles of centralization and decentralization. In addition, the English NHS has undergone periodic bursts of major policy change, which have arguably moved the system closer to the Canadian single-payer model.

Managing clinical negligence litigation and costs in the NHS.

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Tingle, John

2016-11-24

John Tingle, Reader in Health Law, Nottingham Trent University, discusses recent Government proposals to improve NHS maternity services and make changes to litigation and patient safety investigation procedures.

The role of boundary organizations in co-management: examining the politics of knowledge integration in a marine protected area in Belize

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noella J. Gray

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Marine protected areas (MPAs are an increasingly popular tool for management of the marine commons. Effective governance is essential if MPAs are to achieve their objectives, yet many MPAs face conflicts and governance challenges, including lack of trust and knowledge integration between fishers, scientists, and policy makers. This paper considers the role of a boundary organization in facilitating knowledge integration in a co-managed MPA, the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve in Belize. Boundary organizations can play an important role in resource management, by bridging the science-policy divide, facilitating knowledge integration, and enabling communication in conditions of uncertainty. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Belize, the paper identifies four challenges for knowledge integration. First, actors have divergent perspectives on whether and how knowledge is being integrated. Second, actors disagree on resource conditions within the MPA and how these should be understood. Third, in order to maintain accountability with multiple actors, including fishers, government, and funders, the boundary organization has promoted the importance of different types of knowledge for different purposes (science and fishers’ knowledge, rather than the integration of these. Finally, a lack of trust and uneven power relations make it difficult to separate knowledge claims from political claims. However, even if knowledge integration proves difficult, boundary organizations may still play an important role by maintaining accountability, providing space for conflicting understandings to co-exist, and ultimately for governance institutions to evolve.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose: senior NHS managers' narratives of restructuring.

Science.gov (United States)

Macfarlane, Fraser; Exworthy, Mark; Wilmott, Micky; Greenhalgh, Trish

2011-09-01

The UK National Health Service (NHS) is regularly restructured. Its smooth operation and organisational memory depends on the insights and capability of managers, especially those with experience of previous transitions. Narrative methods can illuminate complex change from the perspective of key actors. We used an adaptation of Wengraf's biographical narrative life interview method to explore how 20 senior NHS managers (chief executives, directors and assistant directors) had perceived and responded to major transitions since 1974. Data were analysed thematically using insights from phenomenology, neo-institutional theory and critical management studies. Findings were contextualised within a literature review of NHS policy and management 1974-2009. Managers described how experience in different NHS organisations helped build resilience and tacit knowledge, and how a strong commitment to the 'NHS brand' allowed them to weather a succession of policy changes and implement and embed such changes locally. By synthesising these personal and situated micro-narratives, we built a wider picture of macro-level institutional change in the NHS, in which the various visible restructurings in recent years appear to have masked a deeper continuity in terms of enduring values, norms and ways of working. We consider the implications of these findings for the future NHS. © 2011 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2011 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Practical Reflexivity and Political Science

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berling, Trine Villumsen; Bueger, Christian

2013-01-01

The simplistic but still influential, idea of a clear-cut boundary between science and politics does not capture the complexities of the ongoing “dialogue between science and politics”. Perhaps it never did. Critical Social Science from Mannheim to Kratochwil has made this painstakingly clear...

The costs to the NHS of multiple births after IVF treatment in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Ledger, William L; Anumba, Dilly; Marlow, Neil; Thomas, Christine M; Wilson, Edward C F

2006-01-01

To determine the cost to the NHS resulting from multiple pregnancies arising from IVF treatment in the UK, and to compare those costs with the cost to the NHS due to singleton pregnancies resulting from IVF treatment. A modelling study using data from published literature and cost data from national sources in the public domain, calculating direct costs from the diagnosis of a clinical pregnancy until the end of the first year after birth. Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine. Theoretic core modelling study using data from published literature. The analysis was based on the total annual number of births resulting from an IVF treatment in the UK. Main outcome measures total direct costs to the NHS per IVF singleton, twin or triplet family. Cost of singleton, twin and triplet IVF pregnancies in the UK. Total direct costs to the NHS per IVF twin or triplet family (maternal + infant costs) are substantially higher than per IVF singleton family (singleton: pounds 3313; twin: pounds 9122; and triplet: pounds 32,354). Multiple pregnancies after IVF are associated with 56% of the direct cost of IVF pregnancies, although they represent less than 1/3 of the total annual number of maternities in the UK. Multiple pregnancies after IVF are associated with high direct costs to the NHS. Redirection of money saved by implementation of a mandatory 'two embryo transfer' policy into increased provision of IVF treatment could double the number of NHS-funded IVF treatment cycles at no extra cost. Further savings could be made if a selective 'single embryo transfer' policy were to be adopted.

The Political Geography of Europe: 1900-2000 A.D.

Science.gov (United States)

Blouet, Brian W.

1996-01-01

Traces the often chaotic restructuring of European national boundaries from before World War I to after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Offers a concise and interesting overview of the political, economic, and military events that shaped modern Europe. Includes seven detailed maps showing shifting boundaries and alliances. (MJP)

Employee Engagement within the NHS: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Yadava Bapurao Jeve

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Background Employee engagement is the emotional commitment of the employee towards the organisation. We aimed to analyse baseline work engagement using Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES at a teaching hospital. Methods We have conducted a cross-sectional study within the National Health Service (NHS Teaching Hospital in the UK. All participants were working age population from both genders directly employed by the hospital. UWES has three constituting dimensions of work engagement as vigor, dedication, and absorption. We conducted the study using UWES-9 tool. Outcome measures were mean score for each dimension of work engagement (vigor, dedication, absorption and total score compared with control score from test manual. Results We found that the score for vigor and dedication is significantly lower than comparison group (P< 0.0001 for both. The score for absorption was significantly higher than comparison group (P< 0.0001. However, total score is not significantly different. Conclusion The study shows that work engagement level is below average within the NHS employees. Vigor and dedication are significantly lower, these are characterised by energy, mental resilience, the willingness to invest one’s effort, and persistence as well as a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge. The NHS employees are immersed in work. Urgent need to explore strategies to improve work engagement as it is vital for improving productivity, safety and patient experience.

Next Generation Hemostatic Materials Based on NHS-Ester Functionalized Poly(2-oxazoline)s.

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Boerman, Marcel A; Roozen, Edwin; Sánchez-Fernández, María José; Keereweer, Abraham R; Félix Lanao, Rosa P; Bender, Johan C M E; Hoogenboom, Richard; Leeuwenburgh, Sander C; Jansen, John A; Van Goor, Harry; Van Hest, Jan C M

2017-08-14

In order to prevent hemorrhage during surgical procedures, a wide range of hemostatic agents have been developed. However, their efficacy is variable; hemostatic devices that use bioactive components to accelerate coagulation are dependent on natural sources, which limits reproducibility. Hybrid devices in which chain-end reactive poly(ethylene glycol) is employed as active component sometimes suffer from irregular cross-linking and dissolution of the polar PEG when blood flow is substantial. Herein, we describe a synthetic, nonbioactive hemostatic product by coating N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (NHS)-functional poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx-NHS) onto gelatin patches, which acts by formation of covalent cross-links between polymer, host blood proteins, gelatin and tissue to seal the wound site and prevent hemorrhage during surgery. We studied different process parameters (including polymer, carrier, and coating technique) in direct comparison with clinical products (Hemopatch and Tachosil) to obtain deeper understanding of this class of hemostatic products. In this work, we successfully prove the hemostatic efficacy of POx-NHS as polymer powders and coated patches both in vitro and in vivo against Hemopatch and Tachosil, demonstrating that POx-NHS are excellent candidate polymers for the development of next generation hemostatic patches.

Mass casualty incidents: are NHS staff prepared? An audit of one NHS foundation trust.

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Milkhu, C S; Howell, D C J; Glynne, P A; Raptis, D; Booth, H L; Langmead, L; Datta, V K

2008-09-01

Lack of knowledge of an NHS trust's major incident policies by clinical staff may result in poorly coordinated responses during a mass casualty incident (MCI). To audit knowledge of the major incident policy by clinical staff working in a central London major acute NHS trust designated to receive casualties on a 24-h basis during a MCI. A 12-question proforma was distributed to 307 nursing and medical staff in the hospital, designed to assess their knowledge of the major incident policy. Completed proformas were collected over a 2-month period between December 2006 and February 2007. A reply rate of 34% was obtained, with a reasonable representation from all disciplines ranging from nurses to consultants. Despite only 41% having read the policy in full, 70% knew the correct immediate action to take if informed of major incident activation. 76% knew the correct stand-down procedure. 56% knew the correct reporting point but less than 25% knew that an action card system was utilised. Nurses had significantly (p<0.01) more awareness of the policy than doctors. In view of the heightened terrorist threat in London, knowledge of major incident policy is essential. The high percentage of positive responses relating to immediate and stand-down actions reflects the rolling trust-wide MCI education programme and the organisational memory of the trust following several previous MCI in the capital. There is still scope for an improvement in awareness, however, particularly concerning knowledge of action cards, which are now displayed routinely throughout clinical areas and will be incorporated into induction packs.

NHS should provide nurses with decent catering facilities.

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Whelan, Adrian

2016-11-16

How about the NHS gives us access to decent catering facilities or even tables and chairs that aren't a 10 to 15-minute walk away from the ward or unit - which must be taken out of the already paltry half-hour meal break?

Measuring and modelling occupancy time in NHS continuing healthcare

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Millard Peter H

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Due to increasing demand and financial constraints, NHS continuing healthcare systems seek to find better ways of forecasting demand and budgeting for care. This paper investigates two areas of concern, namely, how long existing patients stay in service and the number of patients that are likely to be still in care after a period of time. Methods An anonymised dataset containing information for all funded admissions to placement and home care in the NHS continuing healthcare system was provided by 26 (out of 31 London primary care trusts. The data related to 11289 patients staying in placement and home care between 1 April 2005 and 31 May 2008 were first analysed. Using a methodology based on length of stay (LoS modelling, we captured the distribution of LoS of patients to estimate the probability of a patient staying in care over a period of time. Using the estimated probabilities we forecasted the number of patients that are likely to be still in care after a period of time (e.g. monthly. Results We noticed that within the NHS continuing healthcare system there are three main categories of patients. Some patients are discharged after a short stay (few days, some others staying for few months and the third category of patients staying for a long period of time (years. Some variations in proportions of discharge and transition between types of care as well as between care groups (e.g. palliative, functional mental health were observed. A close agreement of the observed and the expected numbers of patients suggests a good prediction model. Conclusions The model was tested for care groups within the NHS continuing healthcare system in London to support Primary Care Trusts in budget planning and improve their responsiveness to meet the increasing demand under limited availability of resources. Its applicability can be extended to other types of care, such as hospital care and re-ablement. Further work will be geared towards

Investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of FITNET-NHS (Fatigue In Teenagers on the interNET in the NHS) compared to Activity Management to treat paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Baos, Sarah; Brigden, Amberly; Anderson, Emma; Hollingworth, William; Price, Simon; Mills, Nicola; Beasant, Lucy; Gaunt, Daisy; Garfield, Kirsty; Metcalfe, Chris; Parslow, Roxanne; Downing, Harriet; Kessler, David; Macleod, John; Stallard, Paul; Knoop, Hans; Van de Putte, Elise; Nijhof, Sanne; Bleijenberg, Gijs; Crawley, Esther

2018-02-22

Paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a relatively common and disabling condition. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a treatment option for paediatric CFS/ME because there is good evidence that it is effective. Despite this, most young people in the UK are unable to access local specialist CBT for CFS/ME. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) showed FITNET was effective in the Netherlands but we do not know if it is effective in the National Health Service (NHS) or if it is cost-effective. This trial will investigate whether FITNET-NHS is clinically effective and cost-effective in the NHS. Seven hundred and thirty-four paediatric patients (aged 11-17 years) with CFS/ ME will be randomised (1:1) to receive either FITNET-NHS (online CBT) or Activity Management (delivered via video call). The internal pilot study will use integrated qualitative methods to examine the feasibility of recruitment and the acceptability of treatment. The full trial will assess whether FITNET-NHS is clinically effective and cost-effective. The primary outcome is disability at 6 months, measured using the SF-36-PFS (Physical Function Scale) questionnaire. Cost-effectiveness is measured via cost-utility analysis from an NHS perspective. Secondary subgroup analysis will investigate the effectiveness of FITNET-NHS in those with co-morbid mood disorders. If FITNET-NHS is found to be feasible and acceptable (internal pilot) and effective and cost-effective (full trial), its provision by the NHS has the potential to deliver substantial health gains for the large number of young people suffering from CFS/ME but unable to access treatment because there is no local specialist service. This trial will provide further evidence evaluating the delivery of online CBT to young people with chronic conditions. ISRCTN registry, registration number: ISRCTN18020851 . Registered on 4 August 2016.

The Metastable City and the Politics of Crystallisation: Protesting and Policing in Kampala

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Joschka Philipps

2016-01-01

Full Text Available When protests break out in downtown Kampala they tend to transform a fluid urban environment into bounded political camps, and myriad ambiguous concerns into comparatively clear-cut political issues. This article traces this process and conceptualises Kampala’s urban politics as a politics of crystallisation: as attempts to structure highly fluid dynamics into something concrete. The article is based on ethnographic research amongst opposition activists and the police forces. Both seek to activate political boundaries and make people gravitate towards their respective side. But in line with the fluidity of urban everyday life, they also work and collaborate across these boundaries. The national regime and the opposition thus function not as permanent, stable structures, but as processes, as fields of gravity whose emergence is incited and inhibited, financed, and policed. Drawing on Gilbert Simondon’s theory of individuation and AbdouMaliq Simone’s work on urbanity, this analytical framework offers a dynamic reading of urban contentious politics in general, and a reinterpretation of the paradoxes of power in African politics in particular.

Leadership in the NHS: does the Emperor have any clothes?

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Checkland, Kath

2014-10-01

In this essay, I explore the rise of the concept of 'leadership' in the English NHS, highlighting the similarity with a previous shift from (bad, old) 'administration' to (good, new) 'management'. I take a critical look at this discursive shift and highlight some of the overblown claims made for the value of 'clinical leadership'. I argue that, rather than turning all NHS staff into leaders, we should perhaps tone down the level of our rhetoric and instead emphasize the need for a service full of good followers who will maintain a relentless focus on care, quality and efficiency. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Questioning Appropriation: Agency and Complicity in a Transnational Feminist Location Politics

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Joe Parker

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In feminist circles agency is often opposed to complicity and associated with resistance to sexism and patriarchy, yet such binary oppositions make the political stakes of their presumed boundaries difficult to interrogate. By bringing location politics into dialogue with agency theory, boundaries of same/Other and location categories may move from a naturalized ground for political work to the contested center of a politics of resistance. I follow a Foucauldian interpretation of agency to reconsider the ethico-politics of established divisions of self and Other both individually and in terms of social movements. By following Gayatri Spivak, Meyda Yeğenoğlu, and Chandra Mohanty's transnational feminist politics, I argue for the refusal of totalizing binaries and for careful attention to unavoidable complicities. This makes possible practices of agency that can critique the political and ethical limits and effects of its epistemology and take as its central project the intervention into appropriations of the Others into modern notions of the "real." The resulting reconstitution of self-Other relations in their work opens up important new avenues for building social movements that acknowledge difference within the subject or the movement rather than deny and expel their Others.

A clean bill of health? The efficacy of an NHS commissioned outsourced police custody healthcare service.

Science.gov (United States)

de Viggiani, Nick

2013-08-01

Police custody healthcare services for detainees in the UK are most commonly outsourced to independent healthcare providers who employ custody nurses and forensic physicians to deliver forensic healthcare services. A pilot was introduced in 2008 by the Department of Health to explore the efficacy of commissioning custody healthcare via the NHS, in the wake of the 2005-2006 shift of prison healthcare to the NHS. The objective was to improve quality and accountability through NHS commissioning and the introduction of NHS governance to the management and delivery of custody healthcare. This article discusses key themes that arose from the project evaluation, which focused on the commissioning relationship between the police, the NHS commissioner and the private healthcare provider. The evaluation observed an evolving relationship between the police, the local NHS and the front-line nurses, which was complicated by the quite distinctive professional values and ideologies operating, with their contrasting organisational imperatives and discordant values and principles. A key challenge for commissioners is to develop synergy between operational and strategically located stakeholders so that they can work effectively towards common goals. Government policy appears to remain focused on creating safe, supportive and humane custody environments that balance criminal justice and health imperatives and support the rights and needs of detainees, victims, professionals and the public. This remains an ambitious agenda and presents a major challenge for new criminal justice health partnerships. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

What factors influence the use of contracts in the context of NHS dental practice? A systematic review of theory and logic model

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Harris, Rebecca; Mosedale, Sarah; Garner, Jayne; Perkins, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

UK NHS contracts mediate the relationship between dental and medical practitioners as independent contractors, and the state which reimburses them for their services to patients. There have been successive revisions of dental and medical contracts since the 1990s alongside a change in the levels of professional dominance and accountability. Unintended consequences of the 2006 dental contract have led to plans for further reform. We set out to identify the factors which facilitate and hinder the use of contracts in this area. Previous reviews of theory have been narrative, and based on macro-theory arising from various disciplines such as economics, sociology and political science. This paper presents a systematic review and aggregative synthesis of the theories of contracting for publicly funded health care. A logic map conveys internal pathways linking competition for contracts to opportunism. We identify that whilst practitioners' responses to contract rules is a result of micro-level bargaining clarifying patients' and providers' interests, responses are also influenced by relationships with commissioners and wider personal, professional and political networks. PMID:24608120

Mutations in a novel gene, NHS, cause the pleiotropic effects of Nance-Horan syndrome, including severe congenital cataract, dental anomalies, and mental retardation.

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Burdon, Kathryn P; McKay, James D; Sale, Michèle M; Russell-Eggitt, Isabelle M; Mackey, David A; Wirth, M Gabriela; Elder, James E; Nicoll, Alan; Clarke, Michael P; FitzGerald, Liesel M; Stankovich, James M; Shaw, Marie A; Sharma, Shiwani; Gajovic, Srecko; Gruss, Peter; Ross, Shelley; Thomas, Paul; Voss, Anne K; Thomas, Tim; Gécz, Jozef; Craig, Jamie E

2003-11-01

Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) is an X-linked disorder characterized by congenital cataracts, dental anomalies, dysmorphic features, and, in some cases, mental retardation. NHS has been mapped to a 1.3-Mb interval on Xp22.13. We have confirmed the same localization in the original, extended Australian family with NHS and have identified protein-truncating mutations in a novel gene, which we have called "NHS," in five families. The NHS gene encompasses approximately 650 kb of genomic DNA, coding for a 1,630-amino acid putative nuclear protein. NHS orthologs were found in other vertebrates, but no sequence similarity to known genes was identified. The murine developmental expression profile of the NHS gene was studied using in situ hybridization and a mouse line containing a lacZ reporter-gene insertion in the Nhs locus. We found a complex pattern of temporally and spatially regulated expression, which, together with the pleiotropic features of NHS, suggests that this gene has key functions in the regulation of eye, tooth, brain, and craniofacial development.

Teaching Psychology: The Political Context

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Newland, John

2008-01-01

In this commentary, the author raises two critical aspects not adequately addressed in John Radford's (2008) wide ranging article on the teaching of psychology in higher education. The first aspect is the relevance of boundaries. The second aspect is the political context(s). These two issues, though artificially dissociated for current purposes,…

The National Health Service (NHS) at 70: Bevan's double-edged legacy.

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Klein, Rudolf

2018-01-08

The paper analyses the achievements and problems stemming from Nye Bevan's model of a tax funded national health care system, on the assumption that only so could equity be achieved. The evidence shows that indeed the National Health Service (NHS) scores highly on equity, so vindicating Bevan's vision. The price paid is that fiscal crises are the norm for the NHS, with ever more centralisation, intensive regulation and performance management. Successive reorganisations represent attempts to square the circle - to combine the strengths of Bevan's model and those of a less hierarchic system - but have so far failed to deliver and can be expected to continue.

Towards a narrative definition of the American political thriller film

OpenAIRE

Echart, P. (Pablo); Castrillo, P. (Pablo)

2015-01-01

The Hollywood political thriller is a film genre of unique relevance in the United States, often acting as a reflection of the fears and anxieties of its historical times. At the same time, however, the definition of its identity and boundaries still leaves room for further specification, perhaps due to the frequent consideration of the political thriller as part of the broader categories of either thriller narratives or political films. By revising the available literature and filmography an...

Caseload of NHS plastic surgeons in Scotland, 2005-2006: analysis of Scottish hospital activity data.

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Brewster, Colin T; Shoaib, Taimur

2009-04-01

To assess the contemporary caseload of NHS plastic surgeons. Descriptive study. Scotland. Analysis of routinely collected NHS hospital activity data relating to the financial year 2005-2006. Number of inpatient/day-case episodes and bed-days by principal diagnosis and main operative procedure. During the study period, 12,844 inpatient and 9439 day-case episodes were recorded in 19,166 patients, accounting for 36,300 bed-days. There were more female patients, especially among middle-age groups. Socioeconomic deprivation was more common than expected (P accounted for a higher proportion of bed-days (37.3%) than neoplasms (23.8%). Only approximately half of all surgical procedures were assigned to the skin chapter of the OPCS-4 classification. Despite some limitations, this study provides an insight into the current caseload of NHS plastic surgeons working in Scotland. The data suggest that cosmetic surgery for purely aesthetic reasons represents a relatively small part of NHS plastic surgery activity in Scotland, and that the majority of caseload is in reconstructive plastic surgery.

First evaluation of the NHS direct online clinical enquiry service: A nurse-led web chat triage service for the public

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eminovic, Nina; Wyatt, Jeremy C.; Tarpey, Aideen M.; Murray, Gerard; Ingrams, Grant J.

2004-01-01

Background: NHS Direct is a telephone triage service used by the UK public to contact a nurse for any kind of health problem. NHS Direct Online (NHSDO) extends NHS Direct, allowing the telephone to be replaced by the Internet, and introducing new opportunities for informing patients about their

Centralised 3D printing in the NHS: a radiological review.

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Eley, K A

2017-04-01

In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has seen an explosion of interest fuelled by improvements in technology and associated reduction in costs. The literature is replete with novel medical applications of custom anatomical models, prostheses, and surgical guides. Although the fundamental core of 3D printing lies in image manipulation, the driving force in many National Health Service (NHS) trusts has come from individual surgical specialties with 3D printers independently run and confined to respective departments. In this review of 3D printing, experience of establishing a new centralised 3D-printing service within an NHS hospital trust is reported, focusing on the requirements and challenges of such an endeavour. Copyright © 2017 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radical 10-point plan to refocus NHS estate.

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Ellis, Conor; Baldwin, Ed; Dick, Rachel

2010-11-01

Conor Ellis, head of health, Ed Baldwin, partner, and Rachel Dick, consultant, at international built asset consultancy EC Harris, present a "10-step guide" to help the NHS achieve radical efficiency savings, optimise the use of its estate, maximise the value of under-utilised land, buildings, and other assets, and harness better value from its existing FM operations.

Lack of language skills and knowledge of local culture in international medical graduates: Implications for the NHS.

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Hamarneh, Ashraf

2015-01-01

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) form a coherent part of the National Health Service (NHS). Nearly 25% of the doctors working in the NHS are IMGs who obtained their primary medical degree from outside the EU. Moving to a different country that holds a different set of values and belief systems can be very challenging for IMGs, which in turn could have a significant effect on the service provided to NHS patients. This article will address the issue of effective communication skills within the IMG population and will explore the underlying issues behind this problem.

Political Corruption, Democratic Theory, and Democracy

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Doron Navot

2014-09-01

Full Text Available According to recent conceptual proposals, institutional corruption should be understood within the boundaries of the institution and its purpose. Political corruption in democracies, prominent scholars suggest, is characterized by the violation of institutional ideals or behaviors that tend to harm democratic processes and institutions. This paper rejects the idea that compromises, preferences, political agreements, or consent can be the baseline of conceptualization of political corruption. In order to improve the identification of abuse of power, the concept of political corruption should not be related directly to democratic institutions and processes; rather, it should be related to ideals whose content is independent of citizens’ preferences, institutions and processes. More specifically, I articulate the relations between political corruption and the notion of subjection, and include powerful citizens in the category of political corruption. Yet, I also suggest redefining under what conditions agents are culpable for their motivations in promoting private gain. By doing this, we better realize how democratic institutions can be the source of corruption and not just its victims. Such a redefinition, I propose finally, is the basis for the distinction between individual and institutional corruption.

Moral Legitimacy: The Struggle Of Homeopathy in the NHS.

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Crawford, Louise

2016-02-01

This article deploys a well-established theoretical model from the accountability literature to the domain of bioethics. Specifically, homeopathy is identified as a controversial industry and the strategic action of advocates to secure moral legitimacy and attract public funding is explored. The Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital (GHH) is used as the location to examine legitimizing strategies, from gaining legitimacy as a National Health Service (NHS) hospital in 1948, followed by maintaining and repairing legitimacy in response to government enquires in 2000 and 2010. An analysis of legitimizing strategies leads to the conclusion that advocates have been unsuccessful in maintaining and repairing moral legitimacy for homeopathy, thus threatening continued public funding for this unscientific medical modality. This is an encouraging development towards open and transparent NHS accountability for targeting limited public resources in pursuit of maximizing society's health and well-being. Policy implications and areas for future research are suggested. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Part-time work and job sharing in health care: is the NHS a family-friendly employer?

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Branine, Mohamed

2003-01-01

This paper examines the nature and level of flexible employment in the National Health Service (NHS) by investigating the extent to which part-time work and job sharing arrangements are used in the provision and delivery of health care. It attempts to analyse the reasons for an increasing number of part-timers and a very limited number of job sharers in the NHS and to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern of employment. Data collected through the use of questionnaires and interviews from 55 NHS trusts reveal that the use of part-time work is a tradition that seems to fit well with the cost-saving measures imposed on the management of the service but at the same time it has led to increasing employee dissatisfaction, and that job sharing arrangements are suitable for many NHS employees since the majority of them are women with a desire to combine family commitments with career prospects but a very limited number of employees have had the opportunity to job share. Therefore it is concluded that to attract and retain the quality of staff needed to ensure high performance standards in the provision and delivery of health care the NHS should accept the diversity that exists within its workforce and take a more proactive approach to promoting a variety of flexible working practices and family-friendly policies.

Can conditional health policies be justified? A policy analysis of the new NHS dental contract reforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Laverty, Louise; Harris, Rebecca

2018-06-01

Conditional policies, which emphasise personal responsibility, are becoming increasingly common in healthcare. Although used widely internationally, they are relatively new within the UK health system where there have been concerns about whether they can be justified. New NHS dental contracts include the introduction of a conditional component that restricts certain patients from accessing a full range of treatment until they have complied with preventative action. A policy analysis of published documents on the NHS dental contract reforms from 2009 to 2016 was conducted to consider how conditionality is justified and whether its execution is likely to cause distributional effects. Contractualist, paternalistic and mutualist arguments that reflect notions of responsibility and obligation are used as justification within policy. Underlying these arguments is an emphasis on preserving the finite resources of a strained NHS. We argue that the proposed conditional component may differentially affect disadvantaged patients, who do not necessarily have access to the resources needed to meet the behavioural requirements. As such, the conditional component of the NHS dental contract reform has the potential to exacerbate oral health inequalities. Conditional health policies may challenge core NHS principles and, as is the case with any conditional policy, should be carefully considered to ensure they do not exacerbate health inequities. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Effect of Some Synthetic Parameters on Size and Polydispersity Index of Gelatin Nanoparticles Cross-Linked by CDI/NHS System

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S. Zinatloo-Ajabshir

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In our previous work, the effect of use of a water soluble CDI/NHS system as nontoxic cross-linking agent on fabrication of gelatin nanoparticles was investigated. In this research, the effect of variation in some synthetic parameters of gelatin nanoparticles cross-linked by CDI/NHS system such as type of gelatin and formulation of cross- linking agent on their size and distribution was examined. The conventional two step desolvation method was used for preparation of gelatin nanoparticles. The morphology, mean size and size distribution of the formed nanoparticles were evaluated and compared with each other. In addition, intrinsic viscosities of all the nanoparticles were measured and compared under different conditions. The results showed that the presence of more NHS and absence of NHS catalyst in CDI/NHS system lead to the large particle size and broad size distribution of nanoparticles that were attributed to the fast and slow cross-linking rate, respectively.

NHS Trusts' clinical research activity and overall CQC performance - Is there a correlation?

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Jonker, L; Fisher, S J

2015-11-01

Since the late 2000's, the creation of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has transformed clinical research activity in the United Kingdom. This study sought to establish if there is a link between clinical research activity and overall NHS Trust performance. Retrospective cohort study. Data for NHS Trust performance were obtained from public databases, namely the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2013 risk rating for overall performance, and 2012-13 NIHR records for clinical research activity. Applying Spearman's rank analysis, none of the Trust categories showed a correlation with CQC risk rating: small hospitals, r = -0.062 (P = 0.76; n = 27); medium, r = -0.224 (P = 0.13; n = 47); large, r = -0.008 (P = 0.96; n = 57); academic, r = -0.18 (P = 0.41; n = 24). Similar results were observed when CQC risk rating was compared with the number of different clinical research studies conducted per Trust. The degree of NIHR National Portfolio clinical research activity is not significantly related to CQC risk rating, used as an indicator of overall NHS Trust performance. Other studies have previously shown that increased research activity correlates with improved mortality rates, one component of CQC risk rating scores. Alternative tools may have to be explored to evaluate the impact of clinical research on NHS Trusts and its patients. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extreme Politics: on Some Approaches to the Definition of the Category and Boundaries of the Phenomenon

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Михаил Григорьевич Анохин

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to the actual and underdeveloped problem of defining «extreme politics». The authors suppose that «extreme politics» is a special kind of human activities. Extreme politics is defined by the authors as an activity conducted for power in extreme conditions (situations tied with insufficiency of different resources, lack of time for analysis and long-term prognosis of political situation and political decision-making, deficit of actual information and its free circulation, dominance of authoritative leaders-competitors.

Gender, religion and democratic politics in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Zoya

2010-01-01

This article examines the impact of identity politics on gender equality. More specifically it explores the paradoxical and complex relationship of religion and politics in a multi-religious society and the complicated ways in which women's activism has both reinforced and challenged their gender identities. Contrary to the argument that religious politics does not always negate gender equality, the article argues that the Hindu religious politics and women's activism associated with it provides a compelling example of the instrumentalisation of women to accomplish the political goals of the Hindu right. It also examines the approach and strategies of influential political parties, women's organisations and Muslim women's groups towards legal reform and the contested issue of a uniform civil code. Against those who argue that, in the current communal conjuncture, reform within Muslim personal laws or Islamic feminism is the best strategy for enhancing the scope of Muslim women's rights, the article argues that such an approach tends to freeze identities within religious boundaries. It shows how women's and minority rights are used within the politics of religion to sideline the agenda of women's rights.

Capitalising on leadership fellowships for clinicians in the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicol, Edward D

2011-04-01

Clinical leadership has become a primary focus of the NHS with many leadership programmes, particularly those aimed at junior clinicians, being developed. This article illustrates the potential of these programmes but also urges caution when assessing the success of these schemes both from an individual and organisational perspective.

Hypnobirth within the NHS: time to ditch the parent craft?

Science.gov (United States)

Gavin-Jones, Teri

2016-05-01

Antenatal education within the National Health Service (NHS) is a service in decline within some hospital trusts. Classes on offer are being moved into online formats or discontinued completely. Whilst research into antenatal education remains limited, what is known is that good birth preparation is of value. "Participative preparation for childbirth can enhance women's overall satisfaction with the childbirth experience" (Schrader McMillan et al 2009: 49). There are pockets of excellent antenatal education within the NHS, but no system for regulating the quality and content. Traditional 'parent craft' classes can be oversubscribed, turning what should be a participative group into an audience. Offering good quality antenatal education has the potential to increase normality, improve the birth outcome and the experience of both woman and her birth partner. Is it time to ditch the parent craft and implement dynamic woman-focused education?

Barriers and facilitators to using NHS Direct: a qualitative study of 'users' and 'non-users'.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Erica J; Randhawa, Gurch; Large, Shirley; Guppy, Andy; Chater, Angel M; Ali, Nasreen

2014-10-25

NHS Direct, introduced in 1998, has provided 24/7 telephone-based healthcare advice and information to the public in England and Wales. National studies have suggested variation in the uptake of this service amongst the UK's diverse population. This study provides the first exploration of the barriers and facilitators that impact upon the uptake of this service from the perspectives of both 'users' and 'non- users'. Focus groups were held with NHS Direct 'users' (N = 2) from Bedfordshire alongside 'non-users' from Manchester (N = 3) and Mendip, Somerset (N = 4). Each focus group had between five to eight participants. A total of eighty one people aged between 21 and 94 years old (M: 58.90, SD: 22.70) took part in this research. Each focus group discussion lasted approximately 90 minutes and was audiotape-recorded with participants' permission. The recordings were transcribed verbatim. A framework approach was used to analyse the transcripts. The findings from this research uncovered a range of barriers and facilitators that impact upon the uptake of NHS Direct. 'Non-users' were unaware of the range of services that NHS Direct provided. Furthermore, 'non-users' highlighted a preference for face-to face communication, identifying a lack of confidence in discussing healthcare over the telephone. This was particularly evident among older people with cognitive difficulties. The cost to telephone a '0845' number from a mobile was also viewed to be a barrier to access NHS Direct, expressed more often by 'non-users' from deprived communities. NHS Direct 'users' identified that awareness, ease of use and convenience were facilitators which influenced their decision to use the service. An understanding of the barriers and facilitators which impact on the access and uptake of telephone-based healthcare is essential to move patients towards the self-care model. This research has highlighted the need for telephone-based healthcare services to increase public awareness; through

Refinement of the NHS locus on chromosome Xp22.13 and analysis of five candidate genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Toutain, Annick; Dessay, Benoît; Ronce, Nathalie; Ferrante, Maria-Immacolata; Tranchemontagne, Julie; Newbury-Ecob, Ruth; Wallgren-Pettersson, Carina; Burn, John; Kaplan, Josseline; Rossi, Annick; Russo, Silvia; Walpole, Ian; Hartsfield, James K; Oyen, Nina; Nemeth, Andrea; Bitoun, Pierre; Trump, Dorothy; Moraine, Claude; Franco, Brunella

2002-09-01

Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) is an X-linked condition characterised by congenital cataracts, dental abnormalities, dysmorphic features, and mental retardation in some cases. Previous studies have mapped the disease gene to a 2 cM interval on Xp22.2 between DXS43 and DXS999. We report additional linkage data resulting from the analysis of eleven independent NHS families. A maximum lod score of 9.94 (theta=0.00) was obtained at the RS1 locus and a recombination with locus DXS1195 on the telomeric side was observed in two families, thus refining the location of the gene to an interval of around 1 Mb on Xp22.13. Direct sequencing or SSCP analysis of the coding exons of five genes (SCML1, SCML2, STK9, RS1 and PPEF1), considered as candidate genes on the basis of their location in the critical interval, failed to detect any mutation in 12 unrelated NHS patients, thus making it highly unlikely that these genes are implicated in NHS.

What factors influence the use of contracts in the context of NHS dental practice? A systematic review of theory and logic model.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Rebecca; Mosedale, Sarah; Garner, Jayne; Perkins, Elizabeth

2014-05-01

UK NHS contracts mediate the relationship between dental and medical practitioners as independent contractors, and the state which reimburses them for their services to patients. There have been successive revisions of dental and medical contracts since the 1990s alongside a change in the levels of professional dominance and accountability. Unintended consequences of the 2006 dental contract have led to plans for further reform. We set out to identify the factors which facilitate and hinder the use of contracts in this area. Previous reviews of theory have been narrative, and based on macro-theory arising from various disciplines such as economics, sociology and political science. This paper presents a systematic review and aggregative synthesis of the theories of contracting for publicly funded health care. A logic map conveys internal pathways linking competition for contracts to opportunism. We identify that whilst practitioners' responses to contract rules is a result of micro-level bargaining clarifying patients' and providers' interests, responses are also influenced by relationships with commissioners and wider personal, professional and political networks. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Obtaining corporate information from NHS foundation trusts.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Valerie; Endacott, Ruth; Sheaff, Rod; Jones, Ray

Foundation trusts have boards of directors that are responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation, planning services and developing strategy. Unlike non-foundation trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs), foundation trusts are not obliged to hold directors' board meetings in public. This article describes the online availability and accessibility of the minutes of such meetings in a number of foundation trusts, non-foundation trusts and PCTs. The implications for transparency in the NHS are also discussed.

The clinician impact and financial cost to the NHS of litigation over pregabalin: a cohort study in English primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Croker, Richard; Smyth, Darren; Walker, Alex J; Goldacre, Ben

2018-06-07

Following litigation over pregabalin's second-use medical patent for neuropathic pain, National Health Service (NHS) England was required by the court to instruct general practitioners (GPs) to prescribe the branded form (Lyrica) for pain. Pfizer's patent was found invalid in 2015, a ruling subject to ongoing appeals. If the Supreme Court appeal in February 2018, whose judgement is awaited, is unsuccessful, the NHS can seek to reclaim excess prescribing costs. We set out to describe the variation in prescribing of pregabalin as branded Lyrica, geographically and over time; to determine how clinicians responded to the NHS England instruction to GPs; and to model excess costs to the NHS attributable to the legal judgements. English primary care. English general practices. Variation in prescribing of branded Lyrica across the country before and after the NHS England instruction, by practice and by Clinical Commissioning Group; excess prescribing costs. The proportion of pregabalin prescribed as Lyrica increased from 0.3% over 6 months before the NHS England instruction (September 2014 to February 2015) to 25.7% afterwards (April to September 2015). Although 70% of pregabalin is estimated to be for pain, including neuropathic pain, only 11.6% of practices prescribed Lyrica at this level; the median proportion prescribed as Lyrica was 8.8% (IQR 1.1%-41.9%). If pregabalin had come entirely off patent in September 2015, and Pfizer had not appealed, we estimate the NHS would have spent £502 million less on pregabalin to July 2017. NHS England instructions to GPs regarding branded prescription of pregabalin were widely ignored and have created much debate around clinical independence in prescribing. Protecting revenue from 'skinny labels' will pose a challenge. If Pfizer's final appeal on the patent is unsuccessful, the NHS can seek reimbursement of excess pregabalin prescribing costs, potentially £502 million. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless

NHS-Esters As Versatile Reactivity-Based Probes for Mapping Proteome-Wide Ligandable Hotspots.

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Carl C; Kleinman, Jordan I; Nomura, Daniel K

2017-06-16

Most of the proteome is considered undruggable, oftentimes hindering translational efforts for drug discovery. Identifying previously unknown druggable hotspots in proteins would enable strategies for pharmacologically interrogating these sites with small molecules. Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) has arisen as a powerful chemoproteomic strategy that uses reactivity-based chemical probes to map reactive, functional, and ligandable hotspots in complex proteomes, which has enabled inhibitor discovery against various therapeutic protein targets. Here, we report an alkyne-functionalized N-hydroxysuccinimide-ester (NHS-ester) as a versatile reactivity-based probe for mapping the reactivity of a wide range of nucleophilic ligandable hotspots, including lysines, serines, threonines, and tyrosines, encompassing active sites, allosteric sites, post-translational modification sites, protein interaction sites, and previously uncharacterized potential binding sites. Surprisingly, we also show that fragment-based NHS-ester ligands can be made to confer selectivity for specific lysine hotspots on specific targets including Dpyd, Aldh2, and Gstt1. We thus put forth NHS-esters as promising reactivity-based probes and chemical scaffolds for covalent ligand discovery.

Evidence-based policy-making in the NHS: exploring the interface between research and the commissioning process.

Science.gov (United States)

Harries, U; Elliott, H; Higgins, A

1999-03-01

The UK National Health Service (NHS) R&D strategy acknowledges the importance of developing an NHS where practice and policy is more evidence-based. This paper is based on a qualitative study which aimed to identify factors which facilitate or impede evidence-based policy-making at a local level in the NHS. The study involved a literature review and case studies of social research projects which were initiated by NHS health authority managers or general practitioner (GP) fundholders in one region of the NHS. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with lead policy-makers, GPs and researchers working on each of the case studies and analysis of project documentation. An over-arching theme from the analysis was that of the complexity of R&D in purchasing. The two worlds of research and health services management often sit uncomfortably together. For this reason it was not possible to describe a 'blueprint' for successful R&D, although several important issues emerged. These include sharing an appropriate model for research utilization, the importance of relationships in shaping R&D, the importance of influence and commitment in facilitating evidence-based change, and the resourcing of R&D in purchasing. These issues have important implications for the strategic development of R&D as well as for individual project application. Moving beyond the rhetoric of evidence-based policy-making is more likely if both policy-makers and researchers openly acknowledge this complexity and give due concern to the issues outlined.

Political construction of technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruheze, A.A.A. de la.

1992-01-01

In the 1970s radioactive waste disposal became a controversial scientific and social issue in the United States, after the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) charged with the development, regulation and promotion of nuclear technology, had tried to implement its disposal technology near Lyons, Kansas. This study traces the emergence of this controversy as part of the long-term development of the US radioactive waste disposal technology. Radioactive waste was not always considered a problem, and different meanings were attached to radwaste in the 1940s and early 1950s. Problem definitions and technical designs that underlaid this technology can be reconstructed, and its possible to show how some definitions received attention and others not, and how some became, and remained, dominant. During the process of problem definition, views compete, agendas are built, resources are allocated, and boundaries are created and maintained between 'inside' and 'outside world'. This is a political process, and by heuristically using concepts from political science and recent technology studies, the Political Construction of US radioactive waste disposal technologically can be reconstructed. (author). 301 refs.; 3 figs.; 15 tabs

UK doctors and equal opportunities in the NHS: national questionnaire surveys of views on gender, ethnicity and disability.

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, Trevor; Surman, Geraldine; Goldacre, Michael

2014-10-01

To seek doctors' views about the NHS as an employer, our surveys about doctors' career intentions and progression, undertaken between 1999 and 2013, also asked whether the NHS was, in their view, a good 'equal opportunities' employer for women doctors, doctors from ethnic minority groups and doctors with disabilities. Surveys undertaken in the UK by mail and Internet. UK medical graduates in selected graduation years between 1993 and 2012. Respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with three statements starting 'The NHS is a good equal opportunities employer for…' and ending 'women doctors', 'doctors from ethnic minorities' and 'doctors with disabilities'. Of first-year doctors surveyed in 2013, 3.6% (78/2158) disagreed that the NHS is a good equal opportunities employer for women doctors (1.7% of the men and 4.7% of the women); 2.2% (44/1968) disagreed for doctors from ethnic minorities (0.9% of white doctors and 5.8% of non-white doctors) and 12.6% (175/1387) disagreed for doctors with disabilities. Favourable perceptions of the NHS in these respects improved substantially between 1999 and 2013; among first-year doctors of 2000-2003, combined, the corresponding percentages of disagreement were 23.5% for women doctors, 23.1% for doctors from ethnic minorities and 50.6% for doctors with disabilities. Positive views about the NHS as an equal opportunities employer have increased in recent years, but the remaining gap in perception of this between women and men, and between ethnic minority and white doctors, is a concern. © The Royal Society of Medicine.

The limits of market-based reforms in the NHS: the case of alternative providers in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Anna; Checkland, Kath; McDermott, Imelda; Harrison, Stephen

2013-01-01

Historically, primary medical care in the UK has been delivered by general practitioners who are independent contractors, operating under a contract, which until 2004 was subject to little performance management. In keeping with the wider political impetus to introduce markets and competition into the NHS, reforms were introduced to allow new providers to bid for contracts to provide primary care services in England. These contracts known as 'Alternative Provider Medical Services', were encouraged by two centrally-driven rounds of procurement (2007/8 and 2008/9). This research investigated the commissioning and operation of such Alternative Providers of Primary Care (APPCs). Two qualitative case studies were undertaken in purposively sampled English Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and their associated APPCs over 14 months (2009-10). We observed 65 hours of meetings, conducted 23 interviews with PCT and practice staff, and gathered relevant associated documentation. We found that the procurement and contracting process was costly and time-consuming. Extensive local consultation was undertaken, and there was considerable opposition in some areas. Many APPCs struggled to build up their patient list sizes, whilst over-performing on walk-in contracts. Contracting for APPCs was 'transactional', in marked contrast to the 'relational' contracting usually found in the NHS, with APPCs subject to tight performance management. These complicated and costly processes contrast to those experienced by traditionally owned GP partnerships. However, managers reported that the perception of competition had led existing practices to improve their services. The Coalition Government elected in 2010 is committed to 'Any Qualified Provider' of secondary care, and some commentators argue that this should also be applied to primary care. Our research suggests that, if this is to happen, a debate is needed about the operation of a market in primary care provision, including the trade-offs between

Considerations, clues and challenges: Gaining Ethical and Trust research approval when using the NHS as a research setting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonker, Leon; Cox, Diane; Marshall, Gill

2011-01-01

Substantial changes have been made in recent years to the process of obtaining ethical and research governance approval for research projects in the NHS. The advent of the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) has streamlined the process, providing a single point of entry. Ethical approval gained in one part of the country is now valid throughout the UK. The previous process of gaining research governance approval in NHS Trusts was maligned and it has been overhauled with the introduction of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Coordinated System for gaining NHS Permission. In addition to updating the reader about the new processes around gaining ethical and Trust approval for research within an NHS setting, essential research project documentation needed for submission are discussed. The aspects of a proposal that Ethics Committees and Trust R and D Departments consider when reviewing applications are highlighted. The implemented changes to the research approval processes will mostly benefit large multi-centre studies; small scale unfunded studies and student projects are potentially at risk of being marginalised in the quest for a streamlined ethics and NHS Trust research governance approval process. However, researchers' familiarity with the approval system should minimise rejection rates and delays.

Considerations, clues and challenges: Gaining Ethical and Trust research approval when using the NHS as a research setting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jonker, Leon, E-mail: leon.jonker@cumbria.ac.uk [Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, University of Cumbria, Lancaster LA1 3JD (United Kingdom); Research and Development Department, North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, Carlisle CA2 7HY (United Kingdom); Cox, Diane; Marshall, Gill [Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, University of Cumbria, Lancaster LA1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2011-08-15

Substantial changes have been made in recent years to the process of obtaining ethical and research governance approval for research projects in the NHS. The advent of the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) has streamlined the process, providing a single point of entry. Ethical approval gained in one part of the country is now valid throughout the UK. The previous process of gaining research governance approval in NHS Trusts was maligned and it has been overhauled with the introduction of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Coordinated System for gaining NHS Permission. In addition to updating the reader about the new processes around gaining ethical and Trust approval for research within an NHS setting, essential research project documentation needed for submission are discussed. The aspects of a proposal that Ethics Committees and Trust R and D Departments consider when reviewing applications are highlighted. The implemented changes to the research approval processes will mostly benefit large multi-centre studies; small scale unfunded studies and student projects are potentially at risk of being marginalised in the quest for a streamlined ethics and NHS Trust research governance approval process. However, researchers' familiarity with the approval system should minimise rejection rates and delays.

Do clinicians receive adequate training to identify trafficked persons? A scoping review of NHS Foundation Trusts.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Charles Dr; Mahay, Arun; Stuckler, David; Steele, Sarah

2017-09-01

We investigate whether physicians in secondary care in the English NHS receive adequate training to recognise and appropriately refer for services those persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking. Freedom of Information requests were sent to the 105 England's NHS Trusts delivering acute care in England. NHS Trusts providing secondary care in England. English NHS Trusts. We requested data about the training provided on human trafficking to clinicians, including the nature, delivery, and format of any education, and any planned training. A total of 89.5% of the 105 Trusts responded. Of these Trusts, 69% provide education to physicians on human trafficking, and a further 6% provide training but did not specify who received it. The majority of Trusts providing training did so within wider safeguarding provision (91%). Only one trust reported that it provides stand-alone training on trafficking to all its staff, including physicians. Within training offered by Trusts, 54% observed best practice providing training on the clinical indicators of trafficking, while 16% referenced the National Referral Mechanism. Amongst those not providing training, 39% of Trusts report provision is in development. Our results find that 25% of NHS Foundation Trusts appear to lack training for physicians around human trafficking. It is also of concern that of the Trusts who currently do not provide training, only 39% are developing training or planning to do so. There is an urgent need to review and update the scope of available training and bring it into alignment with current legislation.

Do clinicians receive adequate training to identify trafficked persons? A scoping review of NHS Foundation Trusts

Science.gov (United States)

Mahay, Arun; Stuckler, David; Steele, Sarah

2017-01-01

Objective We investigate whether physicians in secondary care in the English NHS receive adequate training to recognise and appropriately refer for services those persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking. Design Freedom of Information requests were sent to the 105 England’s NHS Trusts delivering acute care in England. Setting NHS Trusts providing secondary care in England. Participants English NHS Trusts. Main outcome measures We requested data about the training provided on human trafficking to clinicians, including the nature, delivery, and format of any education, and any planned training. Results A total of 89.5% of the 105 Trusts responded. Of these Trusts, 69% provide education to physicians on human trafficking, and a further 6% provide training but did not specify who received it. The majority of Trusts providing training did so within wider safeguarding provision (91%). Only one trust reported that it provides stand-alone training on trafficking to all its staff, including physicians. Within training offered by Trusts, 54% observed best practice providing training on the clinical indicators of trafficking, while 16% referenced the National Referral Mechanism. Amongst those not providing training, 39% of Trusts report provision is in development. Conclusions Our results find that 25% of NHS Foundation Trusts appear to lack training for physicians around human trafficking. It is also of concern that of the Trusts who currently do not provide training, only 39% are developing training or planning to do so. There is an urgent need to review and update the scope of available training and bring it into alignment with current legislation. PMID:28904806

Exploring HRD in two Welsh NHS Trusts: analysing the discursive resources used by senior managers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sambrook, Sally

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine human resource development (HRD) in the UK National Health Service (NHS), and particularly in two Welsh NHS Trusts, to help illuminate the various ways in which learning, training and development are talked about. The NHS is a complex organisation, not least with its recent devolution and separation into the four distinct countries of the UK. Within this, there are multiple and often conflicting approaches to human resource development associated with the various forms of employee, professional (nursing, medical etc.), managerial and organisational development. How people are developed is crucial to developing a modern health service, and yet, with the diverse range of health workers, HRD is a complex process, and one which receives little attention. Managers have a key role and their perceptions of HRD can be analysed through the discursive resources they employ. From an interpretivist stance, the paper employs semi-structured interviews with seven Directorate-General Managers, and adopts discourse analysis to explore how HRD is talked about in two Welsh NHS Trusts. The paper finds some of the different discourses used by different managers, including those with a nursing background and those without. It examines how they talk about HRD, and also explores their own (management) development and the impact this has had on their sense of identity. The paper highlights some of the tensions associated with HRD in the NHS, including ambiguities between professional and managerial development, the functional and physical fragmentation of HRD, conflict between a focus on performance/service delivery and the need to learn, discursive dissonance between the use of the terms training and learning, a delicate balance between "going on courses" and informal, work-related learning, inequities regarding "protected time" and discourses shifting between competition and cooperation. These tensions are exposed to help develop a shared

[Boundaries and integrity in the "Social Contract for Spanish Science", 1907-1939].

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, Amparo

2014-01-01

This article analyzes the relationship between science and politics in Spain in the early 20th century from the perspective of the Social Contract for Science. The article shows that a genuine social contract for science was instituted in Spain during this period, although some boundary and integrity problems emerged. These problems are analyzed, showing that the boundary problems were a product of the conservative viewpoint on the relationship between science and politics, while the integrity problems involved the activation of networks of influence in the awarding of scholarships to study abroad. Finally, the analysis reveals that these problems did not invalidate the Spanish social contract for science.

Weight Watchers on prescription: An observational study of weight change among adults referred to Weight Watchers by the NHS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aston Louise M

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The scale of overweight and obesity in the UK places a considerable burden on the NHS. In some areas the NHS has formed partnerships with commercial companies to offer weight management services, but there has been little evaluation of these schemes. This study is an independent audit of the Weight Watchers NHS Referral scheme and evaluates the weight change of obese and overweight adults referred to Weight Watchers (WW by the NHS. Method Data was obtained from the WW NHS Referral Scheme database for 29,326 referral courses started after 2nd April 2007 and ending before 6th October 2009 [90% female; median age 49 years (IQR 38 - 61 years; median BMI 35.1 kg/m2 (IQR 31.8 - 39.5 kg/m2. Participants received vouchers (funded by the PCT following referral by a healthcare professional to attend 12 WW meetings. Body weight was measured at WW meetings and relayed to the central database. Results Median weight change for all referrals was -2.8 kg [IQR -5.9 - -0.7 kg] representing -3.1% initial weight. 33% of all courses resulted in loss of ≥5% initial weight. 54% of courses were completed. Median weight change for those completing a first course was -5.4 kg [IQR -7.8 - -3.1 kg] or -5.6% of initial weight. 57% lost ≥5% initial weight. Conclusions A third of all patients who were referred to WW through the WW NHS Referral Scheme and started a 12 session course achieved ≥5% weight loss, which is usually associated with clinical benefits. This is the largest audit of NHS referral to a commercial weight loss programme in the UK and results are comparable with other options for weight loss available through primary care.

Complementary therapy use by patients and parents of children with asthma and the implications for NHS care: a qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharp Debbie

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients are increasingly using complementary therapies, often for chronic conditions. Asthma is the most common chronic condition in the UK. Previous research indicates that some asthma patients experience gaps in their NHS care. However, little attention has been given to how and why patients and parents of children with asthma use complementary therapies and the implications for NHS care. Methods Qualitative study, comprising 50 semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of 22 adults and 28 children with asthma (plus a parent, recruited from a range of NHS and non-NHS settings in Bristol, England. Data analysis was thematic, drawing on the principles of constant comparison. Results A range of complementary therapies were being used for asthma, most commonly Buteyko breathing and homeopathy. Most use took place outside of the NHS, comprising either self-treatment or consultation with private complementary therapists. Complementary therapies were usually used alongside not instead of conventional asthma treatment. A spectrum of complementary therapy users emerged, including "committed", "pragmatic" and "last resort" users. Motivating factors for complementary therapy use included concerns about conventional NHS care ("push factors" and attractive aspects of complementary therapies ("pull factors". While participants were often uncertain whether therapies had directly helped their asthma, breathing techniques such as the Buteyko Method were most notably reported to enhance symptom control and enable reduction in medication. Across the range of therapies, the process of seeking and using complementary therapies seemed to help patients in two broad ways: it empowered them to take greater personal control over their condition rather than feel dependant on medication, and enabled exploration of a broader range of possible causes of their asthma than commonly discussed within NHS settings. Conclusion Complementary therapy

Impact of case-mix on comparisons of patient-reported experience in NHS acute hospital trusts in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Raleigh, Veena; Sizmur, Steve; Tian, Yang; Thompson, James

2015-04-01

To examine the impact of patient-mix on National Health Service (NHS) acute hospital trust scores in two national NHS patient surveys. Secondary analysis of 2012 patient survey data for 57,915 adult inpatients at 142 NHS acute hospital trusts and 45,263 adult emergency department attendees at 146 NHS acute hospital trusts in England. Changes in trust scores for selected questions, ranks, inter-trust variance and score-based performance bands were examined using three methods: no adjustment for case-mix; the current standardization method with weighting for age, sex and, for inpatients only, admission method; and a regression model adjusting in addition for ethnicity, presence of a long-term condition, proxy response (inpatients only) and previous emergency attendances (emergency department survey only). For both surveys, all the variables examined were associated with patients' responses and affected inter-trust variance in scores, although the direction and strength of impact differed between variables. Inter-trust variance was generally greatest for the unadjusted scores and lowest for scores derived from the full regression model. Although trust scores derived from the three methods were highly correlated (Kendall's tau coefficients 0.70-0.94), up to 14% of trusts had discordant ranks of when the standardization and regression methods were compared. Depending on the survey and question, up to 14 trusts changed performance bands when the regression model with its fuller case-mix adjustment was used rather than the current standardization method. More comprehensive case-mix adjustment of patient survey data than the current limited adjustment reduces performance variation between NHS acute hospital trusts and alters the comparative performance bands of some trusts. Given the use of these data for high-impact purposes such as performance assessment, regulation, commissioning, quality improvement and patient choice, a review of the long-standing method for analysing

NHS health checks through general practice: randomised trial of population cardiovascular risk reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cochrane Thomas

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The global burden of the major vascular diseases is projected to rise and to remain the dominant non-communicable disease cluster well into the twenty first century. The Department of Health in England has developed the NHS Health Check service as a policy initiative to reduce population vascular disease risk. The aims of this study were to monitor population changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD risk factors over the first year of the new service and to assess the value of tailored lifestyle support, including motivational interview with ongoing support and referral to other services. Methods Randomised trial comparing NHS Health Check service only with NHS Health Check service plus additional lifestyle support in Stoke on Trent, England. Thirty eight general practices and 601 (365 usual care, 236 additional lifestyle support patients were recruited and randomised independently between September 2009 and February 2010. Changes in population CVD risk between baseline and one year follow-up were compared, using intention-to-treat analysis. The primary outcome was the Framingham 10 year CVD risk score. Secondary outcomes included individual modifiable risk measures and prevalence of individual risk categories. Additional lifestyle support included referral to a lifestyle coach and free sessions as needed for: weight management, physical activity, cook and eat and positive thinking. Results Average population CVD risk decreased from 32.9% to 29.4% (p Conclusions The NHS Health Check service in Stoke on Trent resulted in significant reduction in estimated population CVD risk. There was no evidence of further benefit of the additional lifestyle support services in terms of absolute CVD risk reduction.

Asylum seekers, refugees, and the politics of access to health care: a UK perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Keith

2009-10-01

The UK government has recently consulted on proposals to prohibit access to health care for some asylum seekers. This discussion paper considers the wider ethical, moral, and political issues that may arise from this policy. In particular, it explores the relationship between immigration and health and examines the impact of forced migration on health inequalities. It will be argued that it is both unethical and iniquitous to use health policy as a means of enforcing immigration policy. Instead, the founding principle of the NHS of equal access on the basis of need should be borne in mind when considering how to meet the needs of this population.

Corneal Stromal Cell Growth on Gelatin/Chondroitin Sulfate Scaffolds Modified at Different NHS/EDC Molar Ratios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jui-Yang Lai

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A nanoscale modification strategy that can incorporate chondroitin sulfate (CS into the cross-linked porous gelatin materials has previously been proposed to give superior performance for designed corneal keratocyte scaffolds. The purpose of this work was to further investigate the influence of carbodiimide chemistry on the characteristics and biofunctionalities of gelatin/CS scaffolds treated with varying N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS/1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC molar ratios (0-1 at a constant EDC concentration of 10 mM. Results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dimethylmethylene blue assays consistently indicated that when the NHS to EDC molar ratio exceeds a critical level (i.e., 0.5, the efficiency of carbodiimide-mediated biomaterial modification is significantly reduced. With the optimum NHS/EDC molar ratio of 0.5, chemical treatment could achieve relatively high CS content in the gelatin scaffolds, thereby enhancing the water content, glucose permeation, and fibronectin adsorption. Live/Dead assays and interleukin-6 mRNA expression analyses demonstrated that all the test samples have good cytocompatibility without causing toxicity and inflammation. In the molar ratio range of NHS to EDC from 0 to 0.5, the cell adhesion ratio and proliferation activity on the chemically modified samples significantly increased, which is attributed to the increasing CS content. Additionally, the materials with highest CS content (0.143 ± 0.007 nmol/10 mg scaffold showed the greatest stimulatory effect on the biosynthetic activity of cultivated keratocytes. These findings suggest that a positive correlation is noticed between the NHS to EDC molar ratio and the CS content in the biopolymer matrices, thereby greatly affecting the corneal stromal cell growth.

The NHS could learn from inspiring leaders like Barack Obama.

Science.gov (United States)

Coghill, Yvonne

2017-02-01

I remember November 2008 like it was yesterday. I was the lead for the NHS Leadership Academy's national Breaking Through programme for black and minority ethnic staff, and recall being at our annual conference bursting with pride at the news that Barack Obama had been elected president of the United States.

Employee engagement within the NHS: a cross-sectional study

Science.gov (United States)

Jeve, Yadava Bapurao; Oppenheimer, Christina; Konje, Justin

2015-01-01

Background: Employee engagement is the emotional commitment of the employee towards the organisation. We aimed to analyse baseline work engagement using Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) at a teaching hospital. Methods: We have conducted a cross-sectional study within the National Health Service (NHS) Teaching Hospital in the UK. All participants were working age population from both genders directly employed by the hospital. UWES has three constituting dimensions of work engagement as vigor, dedication, and absorption. We conducted the study using UWES-9 tool. Outcome measures were mean score for each dimension of work engagement (vigor, dedication, absorption) and total score compared with control score from test manual. Results: We found that the score for vigor and dedication is significantly lower than comparison group (Pemployees. Vigor and dedication are significantly lower, these are characterised by energy, mental resilience, the willingness to invest one’s effort, and persistence as well as a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge. The NHS employees are immersed in work. Urgent need to explore strategies to improve work engagement as it is vital for improving productivity, safety and patient experience PMID:25674571

The disposal of redundant teletherapy units from NHS hospitals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaffka, A.P.; Ord, M.A.

1994-01-01

The removal/disposal of redundant teletherapy units from NHS hospitals is described, detailing the operational procedures and the transport package background. The Harwell section of the Transport Technology Department has been carrying out these operations since 1991, where initially the service was just offered to the NHS; however, today their specialist transport service has significantly widened and is now offered to other business sectors. Due to the level of radioactivity found in each teletherapy unit, it was necessary to design a special transport packaging to meet the requirements for shipment of these units. Approval was sought from the Department of Transport to adapt a standard Type B package as no other packaging could be found to comply with the necessary requirements. All work undertaken on the removal and disposal of these units complied with an approved scheme of work and was carried out in accordance with a Quality Assurance workplan. However, to keep abreast of modern standards in a manner which is cost effective to customers and acceptable to the general public, the full development of a new Type B packaging is taking place, which is specifically designed to undertake these removal/disposal duties. (author)

The Effects of Immigration on NHS Waiting Times

OpenAIRE

Giuntella, Osea; Nicodemo, Catia; Vargas-Silva, Carlos

2015-01-01

This paper analyses the effects of immigration on waiting times in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Linking administrative records from the Hospital Episode Statistics (2003-2012) with immigration data drawn from the UK Labour Force Survey, we find that immigration reduced waiting times for outpatient referrals and did not have significant effects on waiting times in Accident and Emergency (A&E) and elective care. These results are explained by the fact that immigration increases...

NHS Gene Mutations in Ashkenazi Jewish Families with Nance-Horan Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Shoshany, Nadav; Avni, Isaac; Morad, Yair; Weiner, Chen; Einan-Lifshitz, Adi; Pras, Eran

2017-09-01

To describe ocular and extraocular abnormalities in two Ashkenazi Jewish families with infantile cataract and X-linked inheritance, and to identify their underlying mutations. Seven affected members were recruited. Medical history, clinical findings, and biometric measurements were recorded. Mutation analysis of the Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) gene was performed by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified exons. An unusual anterior Y-sutural cataract was documented in the affected male proband. Other clinical features among examined patients included microcorneas, long and narrow faces, and current or previous dental anomalies. A nonsense mutation was identified in each family, including a previously described 742 C>T, p.(Arg248*) mutation in Family A, and a novel mutation 2915 C>A, p.(Ser972*) in Family B. Our study expands the repertoire of NHS mutations and the related phenotype, including newly described anterior Y-sutural cataract and dental findings.

Tracing experiences of NHS change in England: a process philosophy perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

McMurray, Robert

2010-01-01

For over three decades public services have been the subject of unprecedented change. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the English National Health Service (NHS) where despite the effort expended on change there is growing evidence that such restructuring is largely ineffective. Drawing on a study of culture modification in the English NHS, this paper utilizes Chia's (1999) account of the metaphysics of processual change to consider why attempts to restructure public services are not always successful. The paper contributes to our understanding of public management reform by considering how an ontology of becoming, and a loosening of control, might alter how we approach reforming. Further, the paper offers a theoretical justification for the use of standard research methods for novel processual ends. The paper concludes with a reflection on the implications of a processual perspective for the future management, organization and study of change in public administration.

From NHS Choices to the integrated customer service platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Gann, Bob; Grant, Maria J

2013-03-01

In 2013 the NHS Commissioning Board launches its new integrated customer service platform. The new service utilises the full range of channels (web, telephone, apps etc) to provide access to information to support transparency, participation and transactions. Digital health services have proven benefits in informed choice, shared decision making and patient participation. © 2013 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2013 Health Libraries Group.

The NHS as a learning organization: aspirations beyond the rainbow?

Science.gov (United States)

Timpson, J

1998-09-01

It is the intention of this paper to review the issues and challenges organizations face when aspiring to embrace and enact the tenets of a learning organization; and in particular the perceived impact on management strategy, structure and leadership styles. The paper is predicated on the premise that learning and knowledge act as vital strategic resources, crucial not only to organizations in terms of competitive advantage but to ethical enterprise per se. Modern life is characterized by change, against the backdrop of this continual turmoil, organizational learning has emerged as a dominant theme within contemporary management theory, with many commentators increasingly locating the capacity of an aspiring organization to accommodate the ethos of organizational learning, as the vital component in ensuring enduring efficiency, innovation and competitiveness. However, the utility of such learning needs to be scrutinized and evaluated in terms of service need and expectation. The paper will expand upon wider theoretical debates extant within the literature, by considering the concept and utility of the learning organization with specific reference to management reform extant within the British National Health Service (NHS). During the course of the review the various the theoretical positions contributing to the notion of the learning organization will be analysed, the practical ramifications of which will be examined in the context of reflective practice, clinical supervision and the wider cultural background of nursing and the NHS. The paper concludes that the NHS needs to reorientate management perspectives to focus attention more acutely on systems which are deliberately designed to facilitate shared learning, to unravel the ambiguities of organizational life, to affirm management belief in the nursing contribution and to achieve an as yet unrealized potential in terms of patient care and advanced nursing practice.

Assessing the impact of a new health sector pay system upon NHS staff in England

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buchan James

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pay and pay systems are a critical element in any health sector human resource strategy. Changing a pay system can be one strategy to achieve or sustain organizational change. This paper reports on the design and implementation of a completely new pay system in the National Health Service (NHS in England. 'Agenda for Change' constituted the largest-ever attempt to introduce a new pay system in the UK public services, covering more than one million staff. Its objectives were to improve the delivery of patient care as well as enhance staff recruitment, retention and motivation, and to facilitate new ways of working. Methods This study was the first independent assessment of the impact of Agenda for Change at a local and national level. The methods used in the research were a literature review; review of 'grey' unpublished documentation provided by key stakeholders in the process; analysis of available data; interviews with key national informants (representing government, employers and trade unions, and case studies conducted with senior human resource managers in ten NHS hospitals in England Results Most of the NHS trust managers interviewed were in favour of Agenda for Change, believing it would assist in delivering improvements in patient care and staff experience. The main benefits highlighted were: 'fairness', moving different staff groups on to harmonized conditions; equal pay claim 'protection'; and scope to introduce new roles and working practices. Conclusion Agenda for Change took several years to design, and has only recently been implemented. Its very scale and central importance to NHS costs and delivery of care argues for a full assessment at an early stage so that lessons can be learned and any necessary changes made. This paper highlights weaknesses in evaluation and limitations in progress. The absence of systematically derived and applied impact indicators makes it difficult to assess impact and impact

Use of programme budgeting and marginal analysis to set priorities for local NHS dental services: learning from the north east of England.

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Holmes, R D; Steele, J G; Exley, C; Vernazza, C R; Donaldson, C

2018-05-03

Priority setting is necessary where competing demands exceed the finite resources available. The aim of the study was to develop and test a prioritization framework based upon programme budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) as a tool to assist National Health Service (NHS) commissioners in their management of resources for local NHS dental services. Twenty-seven stakeholders (5 dentists, 8 commissioners and 14 patients) participated in a case-study based in a former NHS commissioning organization in the north of England. Stakeholders modified local decision-making criteria and applied them to a number of different scenarios. The majority of financial resources for NHS dental services in the commissioning organization studied were allocated to primary care dental practitioners' contracts in perpetuity, potentially constraining commissioners' abilities to shift resources. Compiling the programme budget was successful, but organizational flux and difficulties engaging local NHS commissioners significantly impacted upon the marginal analysis phase. NHS dental practitioners' contracts resemble budget-silos which do not facilitate local resource reallocation. 'Context-specific' factors significantly challenged the successful implementation and impact of PBMA. A local PBMA champion embedded within commissioning organizations should be considered. Participants found visual depiction of the cost-value ratio helpful during their initial priority setting deliberations.

Supplying commercial biomedical companies from a human tissue bank in an NHS hospital--a view from personal experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, N; Womack, C; Jack, S J

1999-04-01

NHS histopathology laboratories are well placed to develop banks of surgically removed surplus human tissues to meet the increasing demands of commercial biomedical companies. The ultimate aim could be national network of non-profit making NHS tissue banks conforming to national minimum ethical, legal, and quality standards which could be monitored by local research ethics committees. The Nuffield report on bioethics provides ethical and legal guidance but we believe that the patient should be fully informed and the consent given explicit. Setting up a tissue bank requires enthusiasm, hard work, and determination as well as coordination between professionals in the NHS trust and in the commercial sector. The rewards are exiting new collaborations with commercial biomedical companies which could help secure our future.

Political institutions of electricity regulation: The case of Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mustafa Durakoglu, S.

2011-01-01

Turkey has been going through a liberalization process in its electricity market over the last decade. So far, the regulatory content of the market reforms has been in the center of attention in the literature, to the negligence of regulatory governance. However, recent studies, which applied the theoretical insights of new institutional economics to utilities regulation, have demonstrated that political endowments of the country draw the boundaries to which extent such regulatory content can be effectively implemented. In line with these studies, this paper adopts an institutional approach and attempts to identify the political endowments of Turkey in order to further analyze whether the market reforms succeeded in bringing about sufficient checks to cure the institutional problems. In other words, the paper takes a picture of the overall regulatory arena. The results show that the current regulatory structure, especially government-regulator relations, yet fails to meet good regulatory governance criteria. The paper also provides some policy suggestions. - Highlights: → Regulatory governance matters as much as regulatory content. → Political institutions draw boundaries to the implementation of regulatory content. → Market reforms have been insufficient to bring about a true institutional change. → Institutional checks must be devised to limit government interference to the market.

Lean and Six Sigma Methodologies in NHS Scotland: An Empirical Study and Directions for Future Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiju Antony

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the healthcare industry is constantly concerned to provide better quality of patient care with less waste of resources through application of continuous improvement (CI initiatives such as Lean and Six Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the status of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in the National Health Service (NHS Scotland. Data was collected using survey instrument to determine the status of these strategies within the NHS. Although the personnel of NHS do seem to have the basic skills to successfully implement Lean Six Sigma, there appears to be a failure on the part of senior management to successfully communicate the desires and needs of these powerful CI initiatives with personnel. Moreover, a lack of encouragement and motivation, resistance to change and blame culture are quite prevalent across the sector which prevents Lean and Six Sigma strategies from being utilized in a systematic manner.

How Internal Political Efficacy Translates Political Knowledge Into Political Participation

Science.gov (United States)

Reichert, Frank

2016-01-01

This study presents evidence for the mediation effect of political knowledge through political self-efficacy (i.e. internal political efficacy) in the prediction of political participation. It employs an action theoretic approach—by and large grounded on the Theory of Planned Behaviour—and uses data from the German Longitudinal Election Study to examine whether political knowledge has distinct direct effects on voting, conventional, and/or unconventional political participation. It argues that political knowledge raises internal political efficacy and thereby indirectly increases the chance that a citizen will participate in politics. The results of mediated multiple regression analyses yield evidence that political knowledge indeed translates into internal political efficacy, thus it affects political participation of various kinds indirectly. However, internal political efficacy and intentions to participate politically yield simultaneous direct effects only on conventional political participation. Sequentially mediated effects appear for voting and conventional political participation, with political knowledge being mediated by internal political efficacy and subsequently also by behavioural intentions. The mediation patterns for unconventional political participation are less clear though. The discussion accounts for restrictions of this study and points to questions for answer by future research. PMID:27298633

Joining the Great Plains in Space, Place, and Time: Questioning a Time Zone Boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Kuper, Rob

2011-01-01

Standard time zone boundaries are invisible in the landscape, yet they abruptly delineate a temporal difference of one hour between two large areas located relative to one another on Earth. In most cases, standard time zone boundaries follow political ones and define areas within which daylight saving time (DST)--the seasonal advancement of…

An investigation into the move towards electronic journals: a case study of NHS libraries in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Science.gov (United States)

England, Rebecca

2013-09-01

Electronic journals are so embedded into practice in academic libraries that it is easy to forget that this is not the case everywhere. In NHS libraries, for example, the staff face a particular set of issues. This article is based on Rebecca England's dissertation on this topic, completed as part of the MSc Econ course in Information and Library studies at Aberystwyth University. Rebecca is E-resources Librarian at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. She investigated the momentum towards electronic journals in NHS libraries in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex region and the potential for a regional purchasing consortium. © 2013 The author. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2013 Health Libraries Group.

The museum in the cross-border communication: a political project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan BRATOSIN

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The study highlights the political stakes in the exposition organized to the Museum of the « Down Danube » in Călăraşi (Romania and to the Museum of History in Silistra (Bulgaria within the framework of the European project « Cultural – Historical Inheritance Without Boundaries ». It puts in evidence the role of the museum as cultural organization in the process of transborder cooperation by examining three essential questions : a the political sense of the cultural objectives of the project, b the local, national and European dimensions of the political stakes and c the incidences of the instrumentation of the local museum of culture and history.

Case-mix & patients' reports of outcome in Independent Sector Treatment Centres: Comparison with NHS providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Browne, John; Jamieson, Liz; Lewsey, Jim; van der Meulen, Jan; Copley, Lynn; Black, Nick

2008-04-09

There has been considerable concern expressed about the outcomes achieved in Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) introduced in England since 2003. Our aim was to compare the case-mix and patients' reported outcomes of surgery in ISTCs and in NHS providers. Prospective cohort study of 769 patients treated in six ISTCs and 1895 treated in 20 NHS providers (acute hospitals and treatment centres) in England during 2006-07. Participants underwent one of three day surgery procedures (inguinal hernia repair, varicose vein surgery, cataract extraction) or hip or knee replacement. Change in patient-reported health status and health related quality of life (measured using a disease-specific and a generic (EQ-5D) instrument) was assessed either 3-months (day surgery) or 6-months (hip/knee) after surgery. In addition patient-reported post-operative complications and an overall assessment of success of surgery were collected. Outcome measures were adjusted (using multivariable regression) for patient characteristics (disease severity, duration of symptoms, age, sex, socioeconomic status, general health, previous similar surgery, comorbidity). Post-operative response rates varied by procedure (73%-88%) and were similar for those treated in ISTCs and NHS facilities. Patients treated in ISTCs were healthier, were less likely to have any comorbidity and, for those undergoing cataract surgery or joint replacement, their primary condition was less severe. Those undergoing hernia repair or joint replacement were less likely to have had similar surgery before. When adjustment was made for pre-operative characteristics, patients undergoing cataract surgery or hip replacement in ISTCs achieved a slightly greater improvement in functional status and quality of life than those treated in NHS facilities, while the opposite was true of patients undergoing hernia repair. No significant differences were found for the two other procedures. Patients treated in ISTCs were less likely to

Medical Tourism: A Cost or Benefit to the NHS?

OpenAIRE

Hanefeld, Johanna; Horsfall, Daniel; Lunt, Neil; Smith, Richard

2013-01-01

'Medical Tourism' - the phenomenon of people travelling abroad to access medical treatment - has received increasing attention in academic and popular media. This paper reports findings from a study examining effect of inbound and outbound medical tourism on the UK NHS, by estimating volume of medical tourism and associated costs and benefits. A mixed methods study it includes analysis of the UK International Passenger Survey (IPS); interviews with 77 returning UK medical tourists, 63 policym...

Challenges of commissioning and contracting for integrated care in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Addicott, Rachael

2016-01-01

For many years there has been a separation between purchasing and provision of services in the English National Health Service (NHS). Many studies report that this commissioning function has been weak: purchasers have had little impact or power in negotiations with large acute providers, and have had limited strategic control over the delivery of care. Nevertheless, commissioning has become increasingly embedded in the NHS structure since the arrival of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in 2012. Recently, some of these CCGs have focused on how they can contract and commission in different ways to stimulate greater collaboration across providers. This paper examines experiences of commissioning and contracting for integrated care in the English NHS, based on a series of national-level interviews and case studies of five health economies that are implementing novel contracting models. The cases illustrated here demonstrate early experiments to drive innovation through contracting in the NHS that have largely relied on the vision of individual teams or leaders, in combination with external legal, procurement and actuarial support. It is unlikely that this approach will be sustainable or replicable across the country or internationally, despite the best intentions of commissioners. Designing and operating novel contractual approaches will require considerable determination, alongside advanced skills in procurement, contract management and commissioning. The cost of developing new contractual approaches is high, and as the process is difficult and resource-intensive, it is likely that dedicated teams or programs will be required to drive significant improvement.

The Digital Dimension of European Cultural Politics: Index, Intellectual Property and Internet Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nanna Thylstrup

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW have become dominant fields for European Union (EU politics. What used to be at the outer fringes of the EU policies has now taken centre stage. The transnational and dialogical structure of the Internet has hardwired it for international cultural politics, yet the very same structure also works to erode the very territorial foundation of traditional cultural politics. Given the delicate and complex terrain cultural politics traverse in international politics, and the trailblazing progression of the Internet, it seems on-line cultural politics is not just the application of existing cultural politics to cyberspace but a new field to be explored, analyzed and taught. The present article maps a constituent European cultural boundary on the WWW as the EU has circumscribed it and places this cultural node within a wider array of Europeanization and globalization processes.

The limits of market-based reforms in the NHS: the case of alternative providers in primary care

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Historically, primary medical care in the UK has been delivered by general practitioners who are independent contractors, operating under a contract, which until 2004 was subject to little performance management. In keeping with the wider political impetus to introduce markets and competition into the NHS, reforms were introduced to allow new providers to bid for contracts to provide primary care services in England. These contracts known as ‘Alternative Provider Medical Services’, were encouraged by two centrally-driven rounds of procurement (2007/8 and 2008/9). This research investigated the commissioning and operation of such Alternative Providers of Primary Care (APPCs). Methods Two qualitative case studies were undertaken in purposively sampled English Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and their associated APPCs over 14 months (2009-10). We observed 65 hours of meetings, conducted 23 interviews with PCT and practice staff, and gathered relevant associated documentation. Results and conclusions We found that the procurement and contracting process was costly and time-consuming. Extensive local consultation was undertaken, and there was considerable opposition in some areas. Many APPCs struggled to build up their patient list sizes, whilst over-performing on walk-in contracts. Contracting for APPCs was ‘transactional’, in marked contrast to the ‘relational’ contracting usually found in the NHS, with APPCs subject to tight performance management. These complicated and costly processes contrast to those experienced by traditionally owned GP partnerships. However, managers reported that the perception of competition had led existing practices to improve their services. The Coalition Government elected in 2010 is committed to ‘Any Qualified Provider’ of secondary care, and some commentators argue that this should also be applied to primary care. Our research suggests that, if this is to happen, a debate is needed about the operation of a market

Managing competing organizational priorities in clinical handover across organizational boundaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Sujan, Mark A; Chessum, Peter; Rudd, Michelle; Fitton, Laurence; Inada-Kim, Matthew; Cooke, Matthew W; Spurgeon, Peter

2015-01-01

Handover across care boundaries poses additional challenges due to the different professional, organizational and cultural backgrounds of the participants involved. This paper provides a qualitative account of how practitioners in emergency care attempt to align their different individual and organizational priorities and backgrounds when handing over patients across care boundaries (ambulance service to emergency department (ED), and ED to acute medicine). A total of 270 clinical handovers were observed in three emergency care pathways involving five participating NHS organizations (two ambulance services and three hospitals). Half-day process mapping sessions were conducted for each pathway. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 39 participants and analysed thematically. The management of patient flow and the fulfilment of time-related performance targets can create conflicting priorities for practitioners during handover. Practitioners involved in handover manage such competing organizational priorities through additional coordination effort and dynamic trade-offs. Practitioners perceive greater collaboration across departments and organizations, and mutual awareness of each other's goals and constraints as possible ways towards more sustainable improvement. Sustainable improvement in handover across boundaries in emergency care might require commitment by leaders from all parts of the local health economy to work as partners to establish a culture of integrated, patient-centred care. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

The online citizen-consumer: Addressing young people's political consumption through technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ward, J.

2008-01-01

With youth, in particular, there are perceptions of declining political interest; at the same time the world where normative democratic ideals were formed is rapidly changing. Globalization results in unclear boundaries between nation states. Consequentially corporations gain power, and advances in

Carbon reduction in the NHS : a role for finance

OpenAIRE

Brown, Steve

2009-01-01

HFMA briefing sponsored by ACCA NHS bodies’ performance on carbon reduction is increasingly having an impact on annual audit assessments, and a new energy efficiency scheme, involving the purchase and trading of carbon emissions allowances, will provide real financial consequences for under or over consumption of carbon. But perhaps the biggest driver for the finance community is the fact that carbon reduction should in fact help them meet their key challenge – the need for efficienc...

The role of private non-profit healthcare organizations in NHS systems: Implications for the Portuguese hospital devolution program.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Álvaro S

2017-06-01

The national health services (NHS) of England, Portugal, Finland and other single-payer universalist systems financed by general taxation, are based on the theoretical principle of an integrated public sector payer-provider. However, in practice one can find different forms of participation of non-public healthcare providers in those NHS, including private for profit providers, but also third sector non-profit organizations (NPO). This paper reviews the role of non-public non-profit healthcare organizations in NHS systems. By crossing a literature review on privatization of national health services with a literature review on the comparative performance of non-profit and for-profit healthcare organizations, this paper assesses the impact of contracting private non-profit healthcare organizations on the efficiency, quality and responsiveness of services, in public universal health care systems. The results of the review were then compared to the existing evidence on the Portuguese hospital devolution to NPO program. The evidence in this paper suggests that NHS health system reforms that transfer some public-sector hospitals to NPO should deliver improvements to the health system with minimal downside risks. The very limited existing evidence on the Portuguese hospital devolution program suggests it improved efficiency and access, without sacrificing quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Combination Therapy with NHS-muIL12 and Avelumab (anti-PD-L1) Enhances Antitumor Efficacy in Preclinical Cancer Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chunxiao; Zhang, Yanping; Rolfe, P Alexander; Hernández, Vivian M; Guzman, Wilson; Kradjian, Giorgio; Marelli, Bo; Qin, Guozhong; Qi, Jin; Wang, Hong; Yu, Huakui; Tighe, Robert; Lo, Kin-Ming; English, Jessie M; Radvanyi, Laszlo; Lan, Yan

2017-10-01

Purpose: To determine whether combination therapy with NHS-muIL12 and the anti-programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody avelumab can enhance antitumor efficacy in preclinical models relative to monotherapies. Experimental Design: BALB/c mice bearing orthotopic EMT-6 mammary tumors and μMt - mice bearing subcutaneous MC38 tumors were treated with NHS-muIL12, avelumab, or combination therapy; tumor growth and survival were assessed. Tumor recurrence following remission and rechallenge was evaluated in EMT-6 tumor-bearing mice. Immune cell populations within spleen and tumors were evaluated by FACS and IHC. Immune gene expression in tumor tissue was profiled by NanoString® assay and plasma cytokine levels were determined by multiplex cytokine assay. The frequency of tumor antigen-reactive IFNγ-producing CD8 + T cells was evaluated by ELISpot assay. Results: NHS-muIL12 and avelumab combination therapy enhanced antitumor efficacy relative to either monotherapy in both tumor models. Most EMT-6 tumor-bearing mice treated with combination therapy had complete tumor regression. Combination therapy also induced the generation of tumor-specific immune memory, as demonstrated by protection against tumor rechallenge and induction of effector and memory T cells. Combination therapy enhanced cytotoxic NK and CD8 + T-cell proliferation and T-bet expression, whereas NHS-muIL12 monotherapy induced CD8 + T-cell infiltration into the tumor. Combination therapy also enhanced plasma cytokine levels and stimulated expression of a greater number of innate and adaptive immune genes compared with either monotherapy. Conclusions: These data indicate that combination therapy with NHS-muIL12 and avelumab increased antitumor efficacy in preclinical models, and suggest that combining NHS-IL12 and avelumab may be a promising approach to treating patients with solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 23(19); 5869-80. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

NHS trust chief executives as heroes?

Science.gov (United States)

Learmonth, M

2001-01-01

This paper presents a reading of the transcripts of interviews with NHS Trust Chief Executives. Using a poststructuralist understanding of the interviews, it privileges a reading that (ironically) represents these Chief Executives as heroes. Following the classic hero story line, they leave the civilized order of home and journey into a threatening wilderness where they encounter dangerous and magical things but overcome them all because of their masculine characteristics such as rationality, strength and resourcefulness. One way in which these stories can be understood to have significance is that they (misleadingly but powerfully) portray management as obvious and necessary by evocatively drawing on a myth of ancient origin. The piece concludes with some reflections on the ontological implications of the analysis and reflexive comments on the production of truth as a problem.

Healthcare reform. Is the NHS ready for US business guru's strategy?

Science.gov (United States)

Cavendish, Will; Edwards, Nigel; Swindells, Matthew; Henke, Nicolaus; Robinson, Edna; Smith, Richard

2006-12-07

The central argument of the new book by renowned US academics Michael Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg is that the US health system is broken because rather than improving quality and efficiency, it focuses on budgetary battles. HSJ gathered together six leading healthcare insiders to discuss whether his diagnosis is applicable to the NHS. Nick Edwards was there.

Organisational innovation in health services: lessons from the NHS treatment centres

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gabbay, J

2011-01-01

... design and methods References Index 103 133 147 149 155 165 v List of abbreviationsOrganisational innovation in health services List of abbreviations A&E ACAD DH DTC GP G-Supp NHS NIHR PCT PFI SDO SHA TC accident and emergency (department) Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic Centre Department of Health ('the Department') diagnosis and treatment centr...

Case-mix & patients' reports of outcome in Independent Sector Treatment Centres: Comparison with NHS providers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van der Meulen Jan

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There has been considerable concern expressed about the outcomes achieved in Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs introduced in England since 2003. Our aim was to compare the case-mix and patients' reported outcomes of surgery in ISTCs and in NHS providers. Methods Prospective cohort study of 769 patients treated in six ISTCs and 1895 treated in 20 NHS providers (acute hospitals and treatment centres in England during 2006–07. Participants underwent one of three day surgery procedures (inguinal hernia repair, varicose vein surgery, cataract extraction or hip or knee replacement. Change in patient-reported health status and health related quality of life (measured using a disease-specific and a generic (EQ-5D instrument was assessed either 3-months (day surgery or 6-months (hip/knee after surgery. In addition patient-reported post-operative complications and an overall assessment of success of surgery were collected. Outcome measures were adjusted (using multivariable regression for patient characteristics (disease severity, duration of symptoms, age, sex, socioeconomic status, general health, previous similar surgery, comorbidity. Results Post-operative response rates varied by procedure (73%–88% and were similar for those treated in ISTCs and NHS facilities. Patients treated in ISTCs were healthier, were less likely to have any comorbidity and, for those undergoing cataract surgery or joint replacement, their primary condition was less severe. Those undergoing hernia repair or joint replacement were less likely to have had similar surgery before. When adjustment was made for pre-operative characteristics, patients undergoing cataract surgery or hip replacement in ISTCs achieved a slightly greater improvement in functional status and quality of life than those treated in NHS facilities, while the opposite was true of patients undergoing hernia repair. No significant differences were found for the two other

A novel small deletion in the NHS gene associated with Nance-Horan syndrome.

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Li, Huajin; Yang, Lizhu; Sun, Zixi; Yuan, Zhisheng; Wu, Shijing; Sui, Ruifang

2018-02-05

Nance-Horan syndrome is a rare X-linked recessive inherited disease with clinical features including severe bilateral congenital cataracts, characteristic facial and dental abnormalities. Data from Chinese Nance-Horan syndrome patients are limited. We assessed the clinical manifestations of a Chinese Nance-Horan syndrome pedigree and identified the genetic defect. Genetic analysis showed that 3 affected males carried a novel small deletion in NHS gene, c.263_266delCGTC (p.Ala89TrpfsTer106), and 2 female carriers were heterozygous for the same variant. All 3 affected males presented with typical Nance-Horan syndrome features. One female carrier displayed lens opacities centered on the posterior Y-suture in both eyes, as well as mild dental abnormalities. We recorded the clinical features of a Chinese Nance-Horan syndrome family and broadened the spectrum of mutations in the NHS gene.

Interventions for information systems introduction in the NHS.

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Maguire, Stuart; Ojiako, Udechukwu

2007-12-01

This article provides a historical review of five long-term interventions which were undertaken within the NHS. The objective of the exercise was to examine how information systems (IS) were introduced into operational environments. The length of the interventions ranged from 9 months to almost 3 years. The five sites were all at different stages of system development and the research was carried out using a combination of participant observation and action research. The research question asks, 'How can organizations think about and hence go about their information provision in such a way that successful IS are introduced?'

Assessing Political Dynamics in Contemporary Malaysia: Implications for Democratic Change

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Surain Subramaniam

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This article examines political dynamics in Malaysia and assesses the prospects for change in the direction of greater political liberalization. It focuses on the 12th General Election of 2008 and its implications for opportunities and challenges for liberal democratic change in Malaysia. It discusses the role of the internet-based new media in shaping an emerging public sphere, and some factors affecting the changing role of non-Malay voters in the political process. This article argues that democratization in Malaysia is already occurring, albeit at a gradual pace; it is being pushed by the new political forces of civil society actors, newly empowered opposition parties, and the internet-based media. The boundaries of this emerging democratic space is simultaneously being shaped and contested by the political competition between status-quo and reformist forces in this society. Some institutional changes have expanded the parameters of democratic space, although the entrenched dominant institutions of the ruling regime continue to wield sufficient amounts of institutional capacity to subvert any consolidation of these democratic changes for now.

Immobilization of heparin to EDC/NHS-crosslinked collagen. Characterization and in vitro evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wissink, M.J.B.; Beernink, R.; Pieper, J.S.; Poot, Andreas A.; Engbers, G.H.M.; Beugeling, T.; Beugeling, T.; van Aken, W.G.; Feijen, Jan

2001-01-01

In the present study, heparin immobilization to a non-cytotoxic crosslinked collagen substrate for endothelial cell seeding was investigated. Crosslinking of collagen using N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) resulted in a material containing 14 free

Medical leadership arrangements in English healthcare organisations: findings from a national survey and case studies of NHS trusts.

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Dickinson, Helen; Ham, Chris; Snelling, Iain; Spurgeon, Peter

2013-11-01

This project sought to describe the involvement of doctors in leadership roles in the NHS and the organisational structures and management processes in use in NHS trusts. A mixed methods approach was adopted combining a questionnaire survey of English NHS trusts and in-depth case studies of nine organisations who responded to the survey. Respondents identified a number of challenges in the development of medical leadership, and there was often perceived to be an engagement gap between medical leaders and doctors in clinical roles. While some progress has been made in the development of medical leadership in the NHS in England, much remains to be done to complete the journey that started with the Griffiths Report in 1983. We conclude that a greater degree of professionalism needs to be brought to bear in the development of medical leadership. This includes developing career structures to make it easier for doctors to take on leadership roles; providing training, development and support in management and leadership at different stages of doctors' careers; and ensuring that pay and other rewards are commensurate with the responsibilities of medical leaders. The time commitment of medical leaders and the proportion of doctors in leadership roles both need to increase. The paper concludes considering the implications of these findings for other health systems. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Refinement of the X-linked cataract locus (CXN) and gene analysis for CXN and Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS).

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Brooks, Simon; Ebenezer, Neil; Poopalasundaram, Subathra; Maher, Eamonn; Francis, Peter; Moore, Anthony; Hardcastle, Alison

2004-06-01

The X-linked congenital cataract (CXN) locus has been mapped to a 3-cM (approximately 3.5 Mb) interval on chromosome Xp22.13, which is syntenic to the mouse cataract disease locus Xcat and encompasses the recently refined Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS) locus. A positional cloning strategy has been adopted to identify the causative gene. In an attempt to refine the CXN locus, seven microsatellites were analysed within 21 individuals of a CXN family. Haplotypes were reconstructed confirming disease segregation with markers on Xp22.13. In addition, a proximal cross-over was observed between markers S3 and S4, thereby refining the CXN disease interval by approximately 400 Kb to 3.2 Mb, flanked by markers DXS9902 and S4. Two known genes (RAI2 and RBBP7) and a novel gene (TL1) were screened for mutations within an affected male from the CXN family and an NHS family by direct sequencing of coding exons and intron- exon splice sites. No mutations or polymorphisms were identified, therefore excluding them as disease-causative in CXN and NHS. In conclusion, the CXN locus has been successfully refined and excludes PPEF1 as a candidate gene. A further three candidates were excluded based on sequence analysis. Future positional cloning efforts will focus on the region of overlap between CXN, Xcat, and NHS.

An estimated carbon footprint of NHS primary dental care within England. How can dentistry be more environmentally sustainable?

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Duane, B; Lee, M Berners; White, S; Stancliffe, R; Steinbach, I

2017-10-27

Introduction National Health Service (NHS) England dental teams need to consider from a professional perspective how they can, along with their NHS colleagues, play their part in reducing their carbon emissions and improve the sustainability of the care they deliver. In order to help understand carbon emissions from dental services, Public Health England (PHE) commissioned a calculation and analysis of the carbon footprint of key dental procedures.Methods Secondary data analysis from Business Services Authority (BSA), Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) (now called NHS Digital, Information Services Division [ISD]), National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants (NASDA) and recent Scottish papers was undertaken using a process-based and environmental input-output analysis using industry established conversion factors.Results The carbon footprint of the NHS dental service is 675 kilotonnes carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Examinations contributed the highest proportion to this footprint (27.1%) followed by scale and polish (13.4%) and amalgam/composite restorations (19.3%). From an emissions perspective, nearly 2/3 (64.5%) of emissions related to travel (staff and patient travel), 19% procurement (the products and services dental clinics buy) and 15.3% related to energy use.Discussion The results are estimates of carbon emissions based on a number of broad assumptions. More research, education and awareness is needed to help dentistry develop low carbon patient pathways.

Success factors for implementation of the balanced scorecard in a NHS multi-agency setting.

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Radnor, Zoe; Lovell, Bill

2003-01-01

Even though the balanced scorecard (BSC) has become a highly popular performance management tool, usage in local public sector National Health Service (NHS) organisations is still rare. This paper conditionally outlines some grounds in supporting such usage. In particular underlying conceptual concerns with the BSC system and its implementation pitfalls require full consideration. This paper then outlines some factors to be taken into account for "successful" BSC implementation in a NHS multi-agency setting. These findings emerged from a series of focus groups that took place with contributors drawn from all the key organisations within the Bradford Health Action Zone. Finally, this paper argues that if key criteria are met, successful implementation of the BSC may then proceed. However, "blind" BSC implementation without consideration of these factors may result in potential "failure".

The political abuse of international health system comparisons.

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Ehlke, Daniel

2011-07-01

Though the science of medicine subscribes to learning from best practices and the transmission of superior treatment regimens across national boundaries, the same ethos does not inform political debates surrounding health system reform. The Canadian and English health systems have been used - and, more frequently - abused by American politicians in their quest to support their own model of reform, or preserve the status quo.

NHS England Patient Online - Patient Access to their Medical Record in General Practice

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Jana Dale

2015-10-01

Patient Online can be promoted quickly and successfully when the clear evidence demonstrates it reduces workload. Its implementation will then result in the improved patient care and changes in behaviour necessary for the NHS National Information Board “Personalised Health and Care 2020” Implementation.

Investigating the governance of autonomous public hospitals in England: multi-site case study of NHS foundation trusts.

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Allen, Pauline; Keen, Justin; Wright, John; Dempster, Paul; Townsend, Jean; Hutchings, Andrew; Street, Andrew; Verzulli, Rossella

2012-04-01

To investigate the external and internal governance of NHS foundation trusts (FTs), which have increased autonomy, and local members and governors unlike other NHS trusts. In depth, three-year case studies of four FTs; and analysis of national quantitative data on all FT hospitals and NHS Trust hospitals to give national context. Data included 111 interviews with managers, clinicians, governors and members, and local purchasers; observation of meetings; and analysis of FTs' documents. The four case study FTs were similar to other FTs. They had used their increased autonomy to develop more business-like practices. The FT regulator, Monitor, intervened only when there were reported problems in FT performance. National targets applying to the NHS also had a large effect on FT behaviour. FTs saw themselves as part of the local health economy and tried to maintain good relationships with local organisations. Relationships between governors and the FTs' executives were still developing, and not all governors felt able to hold their FT to account. The skills and experience of staff members and governors were under-used in the new governance structures. It is easier to increase autonomy for public hospitals than to increase local accountability. Hospital managers are likely to be interested in making decisions with less central government control, whilst mechanisms for local accountability are notoriously difficult to design and operate. Further consideration of internal governance of FTs is needed. In a deteriorating financial climate, FTs should be better placed to make savings, due to their more business-like practices.

Efficiency in pathology laboratories: a survey of operations management in NHS bacteriology.

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Szczepura, A K

1991-01-01

In recent years pathology laboratory services in the U.K. have experienced large increases in demand. But the extent to which U.K. laboratories have introduced controls to limit unnecessary procedures within the laboratory was previously unclear. This paper presents the results of a survey of all 343 NHS bacteriology laboratories which records the extent to which such operations management controls are now in place. The survey shows large differences between laboratories. Quality controls over inputs, the use of screening tests as a culture substitute, the use of direct susceptibility testing, controls over routine antibiotic susceptibility testing, and controls over reporting of results all vary widely. The survey also records the prevalence of hospital antibiotic policies, the extent to which laboratories produce antibiograms for user clinicians, the degree of computerisation in data handling, and the degree of automation in processing specimens. Finally, the survey uncovers a large variation between NHS labs in the percentage of bacteriology samples which prove positive and lead to antibiotic susceptibility tests being carried out.

Private patients in NHS hospitals: comparison of two sources of information.

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Williams, B T; Pearson, J

1999-03-01

The use of National Health Service (NHS) hospitals to treat private patients is debatable on the grounds of equity of access. Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) annual reports are the only routine source of information on the scale of this activity. The accuracy of the information is doubted. This enquiry tested the completeness of HES data against information obtained directly from private patient unit managers. Managers of the 71 pay bed units in NHS hospitals in England were asked to supply from local registers and accounts the numbers of in-patients and day cases admitted in 1995-1996. Their reports were matched with the numbers of first consultant episodes for private in-patients and day cases shown for those hospitals in the HES data file for that year. Of the 71 units 62 responded; 53 of these gave usable data. The 53 included, and 18 excluded from the comparison, matched on median and range of bed numbers. Managers identified 16 per cent more total admissions than did HES, 62,572 against 54,131; 13 per cent more in-patient admissions, 39,776 against 35,319; and 21 per cent more day cases, 22,796 against 18,812. More total admissions were reported by managers of 38 pay bed units than were recorded in HES, fewer by 12, and equal numbers by three. Similar sized discrepancies were noted for in-patient admissions and day cases. Reasons for the under-reporting of private patients in HES included the use of separate patient administration systems for private patients with a failure to feed data to HES, and the omission of some provider units altogether by a minority of trusts from the returns made to the Department of Health. Overall, HES underestimates the amount of private patient activity reported directly by NHS hospitals. No method of validating private patient data is currently available. An amendment to an existing statistical return would provide a check on numbers. Central guidance on the inclusion of private patient activity in data transmitted by

Mosquito politics: local vector control policies and the spread of West Nile Virus in the Chicago region.

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Tedesco, Carmen; Ruiz, Marilyn; McLafferty, Sara

2010-11-01

Differences in mosquito control practices at the local level involve the interplay of place, scale and politics. During the Chicago West Nile Virus (WNV) outbreak of 2002, mosquito abatement districts represent distinct suburban clusters of human WNV cases, independent of characteristics of the local population, housing and physical environment. We examine how the contrasting actions of four districts reveal a distinct local politics of mosquito control that may have contributed to local-scale geographic differences in WNV incidence. This politics is rooted in political, economic and philosophical differences within and between administrative boundaries. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Paternity leave experiences of NHS doctors.

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Gordon, Hannah; Szram, Joanna

2013-10-01

This study assesses NHS doctors' experiences of paternity leave and evaluates whether practices have changed since the introduction of additional paternity leave (APL) in April 2011. An anonymised online survey designed to discover experiences and uptake of APL and ordinary paternity leave (OPL) was distributed to all members of the London Deanery Synapse® network. In total, 364 fathers responded. Their seniority ranged from foundation trainees to consultants. Following the formal introduction of OPL in 2003, the number of fathers taking any paternity leave increased (from 50% to 95.6%). The majority of respondents (76.7%) felt well supported by their employer. Since the introduction of APL, 3% of respondents took additional leave. Reasons for the low uptake of APL included the impracticalities of the law, poor awareness and perceived attitudes and implications for training. Problems with OPL included the inadequate provision of cover and difficulties in timing the leave appropriately.

The politics of health sector reform in developing countries: three cases of pharmaceutical policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Reich, M R

1995-01-01

This paper examines the political dynamics of health sector reform in poor countries, through a comparative study of pharmaceutical policy reform in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. The paper first reviews five reasons why policy reform is political. It then presents three political economic models of the policy reform process: the political will, political factions, and political survival models. Next, the paper describes the three cases of national pharmaceutical policy reform, and identifies common conditions that made these reforms politically feasible. The paper's analysis suggests that health sector reform is feasible at certain definable, and perhaps predictable, political moments, especially in the early periods of new regimes. The most important and manipulable political factors are: political timing, which provides opportunities for policy entrepreneurs to introduce their ideas into public debate, and political management of group competition, which allows leaders to control the political effects of distributional consequences and protect the regime's stability. A strong and narrow political coalition improves the capacity of political leaders to resist the pressures of concentrated economic costs (both inside and outside national boundaries). The paper argues that for reform to succeed, policy-makers need effective methods to analyze relevant political conditions and shape key political factors in favor of policy reform. The method of Political Mapping is briefly introduced as a technique that can help policy-makers in analyzing and managing the political dimensions of policy reform and in improving the political feasibility of reform.

Developing leadership interventions for black and minority ethnic staff: A case study of the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalra, V S; Abel, P; Esmail, A

2009-01-01

The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in the U.K. but, despite decades of equal opportunities legislation, its senior management workforce does not reflect the diversity of either the wider NHS workforce or the U.K. population. The aim of the paper is to consider the range of management interventions available to organisations like the NHS to deliver change in the area of promotion of Black and minority ethnic staff. Intervention programmes in a range of public and private organisations are reviewed and the nature of barriers to promotion and the range of interventions to overcome these are explored. The paper uses the paradigm of institutional racism to examine the ways in which the NHS discriminates against certain sections of its workforce. The methods used include a literature review combined with key stakeholder interviews. A comparative dimension which involved a review of research on leadership initiatives in the U.S.A. was also undertaken. The literature review found that there were a range of initiatives which could be implemented by public organisations such as the NHS to increase the presence of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff in senior management positions. Most of these interventions were largely focused on the individual. Much more progress on institutional or organisational change needed to be made before the NHS could be perceived as a model employer in this area. The literature review also indicated that there is little published research on such initiatives within other European Union countries. The paper is targeted at both policy makers and human resource officers responsible for equality and diversity issues within large organisations, who have a remit to improve the career pathways of staff. The analysis provided offers a set of critical tools and interventions that have not hitherto been well examined in the U.K. context.

Mortality in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employees: 2007-2009.

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Freer, K; Waclawski, E

2013-09-01

Just over a fifth of all deaths in Scotland occur in those under the age of 65. This study examined deaths in service in employees of the National Health Service Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GG&C) Health Board over a 3-year period. To assess crude death rates by occupational group, the main causes of death and evidence of causes that could have been prevented or modified by lifestyle changes. Demographic details, occupational grouping and death certificate data were obtained for all NHS GG&C employees who died in service between 2007 and 2009. A total of 138 employees died in this period. The occupational groups in which most deaths occurred were support services (porters, domestic and catering staff; 35%) and nurses (34%). The commonest causes of death were lung cancer (15%), ischaemic heart disease (9%) and suicide (9%). The overall crude death rate was 1.2/1000 persons/year (females 1.0 and males 1.7) and was highest among support services employees (2.4) and lowest among medical staff (0.5). The relative risk of death in support services was significantly greater than the majority of occupational groups. These findings suggest health inequality within this workforce. The main causes of death identified in the support services group could potentially be modified through workplace risk factor screening and health promotion.

Provision of relapse prevention interventions in UK NHS Stop Smoking Services: a survey

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McEwen Andy

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background UK NHS Stop Smoking Services provide cost effective smoking cessation interventions but, as yet, there has been no assessment of their provision of relapse prevention interventions. Methods Electronic questionnaire survey of 185 UK Stop Smoking Services Managers. Results Ninety six Stop Smoking Service managers returned completed questionnaires (52% response rate. Of these, 58.3% (n = 56 ran NHS Stop Smoking Services which provided relapse prevention interventions for clients with the most commonly provided interventions being behavioural support: telephone (77%, group (73%, and individual (54%. Just under half (48%, n = 27 offered nicotine replacement therapy (NRT, 21.4% (n = 12 bupropion; 19.6% (n = 11 varenicline. Over 80% of those providing relapse prevention interventions do so for over six months. Nearly two thirds of all respondents thought it was likely that they would either continue to provide or commence provision of relapse prevention interventions in their services. Of the remaining respondents, 66.7% (n = 22 believed that the government focus on four-week quit rates, and 42.9% (14 services believed that inadequate funding for provision of relapse prevention interventions, were major barriers to introducing these interventions into routine care. Conclusions Just over half of UK managers of NHS Stop Smoking Services who responded to the questionnaire reported that, in their services, relapse prevention interventions were currently provided for clients, despite, at that time, there being a weak evidence base for their effectiveness. The most commonly provided relapse prevention interventions were those for which there was least evidence. If these interventions are found to be effective, barriers would need to be removed before they would become part of routine care.

Facing the future: the effects of the impending financial drought on NHS finances and how UK radiology services can contribute to expected efficiency savings

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Grant, L; Appleby, J; Griffin, N; Adam, A; Gishen, P

2012-01-01

The recent turmoil within the banking sector has led to the development of the most significant recession since the “great depression” of the 1930s. Although the coalition government has promised to “guarantee that health spending increases in real terms in each year of Parliament”, this may still not be enough to meet future needs over the coming years due to increasing demand and cost pressures. The expected mismatch between actual National Health Service (NHS) funding post-2011 and that required to satisfy increasing demand has been estimated by the Department of Health to require efficiency savings representing up to one-fifth of the overall NHS budget. This paper explains the reasons behind the anticipated slowdown in the growth of real NHS funding, and how, as a discipline, radiology can increase the efficiency of the services it provides in anticipation of future financial austerity within the NHS. PMID:22167516

Enhanced invitation methods to increase uptake of NHS health checks: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

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Forster, Alice S; Burgess, Caroline; McDermott, Lisa; Wright, Alison J; Dodhia, Hiten; Conner, Mark; Miller, Jane; Rudisill, Caroline; Cornelius, Victoria; Gulliford, Martin C

2014-08-30

NHS Health Checks is a new program for primary prevention of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and vascular dementia in adults aged 40 to 74 years in England. Individuals without existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes are invited for a Health Check every 5 years. Uptake among those invited is lower than anticipated. The project is a three-arm randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that enhanced invitation methods, using the Question-Behaviour Effect (QBE), will increase uptake of NHS Health Checks compared with a standard invitation. Participants comprise individuals eligible for an NHS Health Check registered in two London boroughs. Participants are randomized into one of three arms. Group A receives the standard NHS Health Check invitation letter, information sheet, and reminder letter at 12 weeks for nonattenders. Group B receives a QBE questionnaire 1 week before receiving the standard invitation, information sheet, and reminder letter where appropriate. Group C is the same as Group B, but participants are offered a £5 retail voucher if they return the questionnaire. Participants are randomized in equal proportions, stratified by general practice. The primary outcome is uptake of NHS Health Checks 6 months after invitation from electronic health records. We will estimate the incremental health service cost per additional completed Health Check for trial groups B and C versus trial arm A, as well as evaluating the impact of the QBE questionnaire, and questionnaire plus voucher, on the socioeconomic inequality in uptake of Health Checks.The trial includes a nested comparison of two methods for implementing allocation, one implemented manually at general practices and the other implemented automatically through the information systems used to generate invitations for the Health Check. The research will provide evidence on whether asking individuals to complete a preliminary questionnaire, by using the QBE, is effective

Boundary work of dentists in everyday work.

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Franzén, Cecilia

2012-08-01

The Swedish policy objectives in dental care provision - to meet public demands for dental care and to increase the cost-effectiveness of the service - require dentists to work in teams with dental hygienists and dental nurses. This study focused on the role of dentists in the distribution of work tasks within teams in one Swedish Public Dental Service organisation. Dental clinics were viewed as micro-political arenas in which dentists attempt to demarcate professional boundaries in response to teamwork. Semi-structured interviews, observations and documents were used. The interviewed individuals were seven dentists employed at two clinics, the managers of each clinic and the general manager. The dentists were interviewed to investigate how they defend or blur professional boundaries. They were also observed at work. The clinic managers and the general manager were interviewed to identify their expectations of dentists concerning work division. The documents comprised organisational plans and annual reports. Dentists demarcated professional boundaries by utilising various power resources: treatment responsibility, specialist knowledge, discretion, and avoidance of work considered to be low status work. The dentists also contributed to blurred boundaries between themselves and the other dental professionals by discussing patient treatment, giving and receiving advice, and assisting the others in skill development. Although dentists' boundary work could obstruct implementation of policy objectives, dentists' behaviour contributed to effective collaboration within the teams. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Is overseas volunteering beneficial to the NHS? The analysis of volunteers' responses to a feedback questionnaire following experiences in low-income and middle-income countries.

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Yeomans, Daniel; Le, Grace; Pandit, Hemant; Lavy, Chris

2017-10-16

Locally requested and planned overseas volunteering in low-income and middle-income countries by National Health Service (NHS) staff can have benefits for the host or receiving nation, but its impact on the professional development of NHS staff is not proven. The Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) and Leadership Framework (LF) are two tools used by employers as a measure of individuals' development. We have used dimensions from both tools as a method of evaluating the benefit to NHS doctors who volunteer overseas. 88 NHS volunteers participating with local colleagues in Primary Trauma Care and orthopaedic surgical training courses in sub-Saharan Africa were asked to complete an online self-assessment questionnaire 6 months following their return to the UK. The survey consisted of questions based on qualities outlined in both the KSF and LF. 85 completed responses to the questionnaire were received. In every KSF domain assessed, the majority of volunteers agreed that their overseas volunteering experience improved their practice within the NHS. Self-assessed pre-course and post-course scores evaluating the LF also saw a universal increase, notably in the 'working with others' domain. There is a growing body of literature outlining the positive impact of overseas volunteering on NHS staff. Despite increasing evidence that such experiences can develop volunteers' essential skills, individuals often find it difficult to gain support of their employers. Our study, in line with the current literature, shows that overseas volunteering by NHS staff can provide an opportunity to enhance professional and personal development. Skills gained from volunteering within international links match many of the qualities outlined in both KSF and LF, directly contributing to volunteers' continued professional development. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless

Is overseas volunteering beneficial to the NHS? The analysis of volunteers’ responses to a feedback questionnaire following experiences in low-income and middle-income countries

Science.gov (United States)

Yeomans, Daniel; Le, Grace; Pandit, Hemant; Lavy, Chris

2017-01-01

Introduction Locally requested and planned overseas volunteering in low-income and middle-income countries by National Health Service (NHS) staff can have benefits for the host or receiving nation, but its impact on the professional development of NHS staff is not proven. The Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) and Leadership Framework (LF) are two tools used by employers as a measure of individuals' development. We have used dimensions from both tools as a method of evaluating the benefit to NHS doctors who volunteer overseas. Methods 88 NHS volunteers participating with local colleagues in Primary Trauma Care and orthopaedic surgical training courses in sub-Saharan Africa were asked to complete an online self-assessment questionnaire 6 months following their return to the UK. The survey consisted of questions based on qualities outlined in both the KSF and LF. Results 85 completed responses to the questionnaire were received. In every KSF domain assessed, the majority of volunteers agreed that their overseas volunteering experience improved their practice within the NHS. Self-assessed pre-course and post-course scores evaluating the LF also saw a universal increase, notably in the ‘working with others’ domain. Discussion There is a growing body of literature outlining the positive impact of overseas volunteering on NHS staff. Despite increasing evidence that such experiences can develop volunteers’ essential skills, individuals often find it difficult to gain support of their employers. Our study, in line with the current literature, shows that overseas volunteering by NHS staff can provide an opportunity to enhance professional and personal development. Skills gained from volunteering within international links match many of the qualities outlined in both KSF and LF, directly contributing to volunteers’ continued professional development. PMID:29042388

Western Political Consulting Techniques and Post-Soviet Political Technology in Political Campaigns in Latvia

OpenAIRE

Bērziņa, Ieva

2012-01-01

Western Political Consulting Techniques and Post-Soviet Political Technology in Political Campaigns in Latvia Ieva Dmitričenko Keywords: political campaignsm political consulting, political technology, parties, marketing, media Political campaigning is an international phenomenon, because there is a free flow of information, knowledge and human resource among practitioners of political campaigning in various countries. As a result political campaigning techniques that have proven to ...

Accounting for failure: risk-based regulation and the problems of ensuring healthcare quality in the NHS.

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Beaussier, Anne-Laure; Demeritt, David; Griffiths, Alex; Rothstein, Henry

2016-05-18

In this paper, we examine why risk-based policy instruments have failed to improve the proportionality, effectiveness, and legitimacy of healthcare quality regulation in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Rather than trying to prevent all possible harms, risk-based approaches promise to rationalise and manage the inevitable limits of what regulation can hope to achieve by focusing regulatory standard-setting and enforcement activity on the highest priority risks, as determined through formal assessments of their probability and consequences. As such, risk-based approaches have been enthusiastically adopted by healthcare quality regulators over the last decade. However, by drawing on historical policy analysis and in-depth interviews with 15 high-level UK informants in 2013-2015, we identify a series of practical problems in using risk-based policy instruments for defining, assessing, and ensuring compliance with healthcare quality standards. Based on our analysis, we go on to consider why, despite a succession of failures, healthcare regulators remain committed to developing and using risk-based approaches. We conclude by identifying several preconditions for successful risk-based regulation: goals must be clear and trade-offs between them amenable to agreement; regulators must be able to reliably assess the probability and consequences of adverse outcomes; regulators must have a range of enforcement tools that can be deployed in proportion to risk; and there must be political tolerance for adverse outcomes.

The Prediction of Political Competencies by Political Action and Political Media Consumption

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Reichert, Frank

2014-01-01

Political competencies are often considered a precondition for political action; however, they are not independent of previous political participation, which may also include the frequency and the kind of political media consumption. My research aims at finding out the importance of participation in political activities in the past, as well as…

Truncating mutation in the NHS gene: phenotypic heterogeneity of Nance-Horan syndrome in an asian Indian family.

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Ramprasad, Vedam Lakshmi; Thool, Alka; Murugan, Sakthivel; Nancarrow, Derek; Vyas, Prateep; Rao, Srinivas Kamalakar; Vidhya, Authiappan; Ravishankar, Krishnamoorthy; Kumaramanickavel, Govindasamy

2005-01-01

A four-generation family containing eight affected males who inherited X-linked developmental lens opacity and microcornea was studied. Some members in the family had mild to moderate nonocular clinical features suggestive of Nance-Horan syndrome. The purpose of the study was to map genetically the gene in the large 57-live-member Asian-Indian pedigree. PCR-based genotyping was performed on the X-chromosome, by using fluorescent microsatellite markers (10-cM intervals). Parametric linkage analysis was performed by using two disease models, assuming either recessive or dominant X-linked transmission by the MLINK/ILINK and FASTLINK (version 4.1P) programs (http:www.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk/; provided in the public domain by the Human Genome Mapping Project Resources Centre, Cambridge, UK). The NHS gene at the linked region was screened for mutation. By fine mapping, the disease gene was localized to Xp22.13. Multipoint analysis placed the peak LOD of 4.46 at DSX987. The NHS gene mapped to this region. Mutational screening in all the affected males and carrier females (heterozygous form) revealed a truncating mutation 115C-->T in exon 1, resulting in conversion of glutamine to stop codon (Q39X), but was not observed in unaffected individuals and control subjects. conclusions. A family with X-linked Nance-Horan syndrome had severe ocular, but mild to moderate nonocular, features. The clinical phenotype of the truncating mutation (Q39X) in the NHS gene suggests allelic heterogeneity at the NHS locus or the presence of modifier genes. X-linked families with cataract should be carefully examined for both ocular and nonocular features, to exclude Nance-Horan syndrome. RT-PCR analysis did not suggest nonsense-mediated mRNA decay as the possible mechanism for clinical heterogeneity.

The NHS: assessing new technologies, NICE and value for money.

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Stevens, A; Chalkidou, K; Littlejohns, P

2011-06-01

The healthcare system in the UK, essentially the NHS, is an open economic system subject to the same pressures as any other economic system. The pressures concern limited resources coupled with powerful drivers for increasing spending: invention, demography and inflation. There have only ever been three types of economic system: steady state (everything, as in a feudal system, stays as it was the year before), market capitalism (supply and demand are allowed to find their own equilibrium) and some version of central planning. In healthcare, most advanced countries favour the last of the three. This is for three reasons: distribution (not only are the poor less able to pay for sickness, but sickness exacerbates poverty), information (markets operate poorly when providers can easily outsmart customers) and externalities (it is in the interest of everyone that infectious diseases and the other knock-on consequences of ill health are ameliorated). So in the UK, the state, with a good deal of cross-party consensus, directs most of health service supply. This system has become more complex over the decades since the formation of the NHS in 1948. A notable element of the complexity is the regulation of the introduction of new technologies. A key element of the regulatory system has been the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and a key aspect of NICE's decisions has been not just value, but also value for money. This has not been without controversy.

Nursing's Boundary Work: Theory Development and the Making of Nursing Science, ca. 1950-1980.

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Tobbell, Dominique A

Beginning in the late 1950s and intensifying through the 1960s and 1970s, nurse educators, researchers, and scholars worked to establish nursing as an academic discipline. These nursing leaders argued that the development of nursing theory was not only critical to nursing's academic project but also to improving nursing practice and patient care. The purpose of the article is to examine the context for the development of nursing theory and the characteristics of early theory development from the 1950s through the early 1980s. The methods used were historical research and analysis of the social, cultural, and political context of nursing theory development from the 1950s through the early 1980s. How this context influenced the work of nurse theorists and researchers in these decades was addressed. The development of nursing theory was influenced by a context that included the increasing complexity of patient care, the relocation of nursing education from hospital-based diploma schools to colleges and universities, and the ongoing efforts of nurses to secure more professional autonomy and authority in the decades after World War II. In particular, from the 1960s through the early 1980s, nurse theorists, researchers, and educators viewed the establishment of nursing science, underpinned by nursing theory, as critical to establishing nursing as an academic discipline. To define nursing science, nurse theorists and researchers engaged in critical boundary work in order to draw epistemic boundaries between nursing science and the existing biomedical and behavioral sciences. By the early 1980s, the boundary work of nurse theorists and researchers was incomplete. Their efforts to define nursing science and establish nursing as an academic discipline were constrained by generational and intraprofessional politics, limited resources, the gendered and hierarchical politics, and the complexity of drawing disciplinary boundaries for a discipline that is inherently

Transforming dementia care in an NHS trust.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Jennifer; Longden, Jane; Murphy, Jayne

2015-02-01

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust was one of nine trusts selected to take part in the RCN development programme transforming dementia care in hospitals during 2013. The programme aimed to improve the experience of care for people with dementia and their carers in hospital. This article outlines a two-day training programme delivered to staff on two pilot wards with a larger cohort of adults with dementia than other wards in Manor Hospital. A range of staff were trained including nurses, clinical support workers and allied health professionals and also, in a bespoke format, housekeepers, porters and security staff. The programme has led to a noticeable cultural change and significantly improved care and management of patients with cognitive impairment and/or dementia on the two pilot wards. As a result, the training programme has been implemented more widely across the hospital.

Challenges of a negative work load and implications on morale, productivity and quality of service delivered in NHS laboratories in England

OpenAIRE

Osaro, Erhabor; Chima, Njemanze

2014-01-01

The National Health Service (NHS) is a term used to describe the publicly funded healthcare delivery system providing quality healthcare services in the United Kingdom. There are several challenges militating against the effective laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England. Biomedical scientists work in healthcare to diagnose disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment through the analysis of body fluids and tissue samples from patients. They provide the “engine room” of modern...

Identification of a novel NHS mutation in a Chinese family with Nance-Horan syndrome.

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Li, Aijun; Li, Bingzhen; Wu, Lemeng; Yang, Liping; Chen, Ningning; Ma, Zhizhong

2015-04-01

To identiy the disease causing mutation in a Chinese family presenting with early-onset cataract and dental anomalies. A specific Hereditary Eye Disease Enrichment Panel (HEDEP) (personalized customization by MyGenostics, Baltimore, MD) based on targeted exome capture technology was used to collect the protein coding regions of 30 early-onset cataract associated genes, and high throughput sequencing was done with Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. The identified variant was confirmed with Sanger sequencing. A novel deletion in exon 4 (c.852delG) of NHS gene was identified; the identified 1 bp deletion altered the reading frame and was predicted to result in a premature stop codon after the addition of twelve novel amino acid (p.S285PfsX13). This mutation co-segregated in affected males and obligate female carriers, but was absent in 100 matched controls. Our findings broaden the spectrum of NHS mutations causing Nance-Horan syndrome and phenotypic spectrum of the disease in Chinese patients.

The mutuality metaphor: understanding healthcare provision in NHS Scotland.

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Howieson, Brian

2016-06-20

Purpose - Better Health, Better Care Action Plan (Scottish Government, 2007) sets out how the Scottish Government intends to strengthen public ownership of the National Health Service in Scotland. The purpose of this paper is to advance extant knowledge by understanding how a state-led mutual health policy may be interpreted, and importantly, communicated. Design/methodology/approach - The definitional problem of mutuality will be discussed and analysed in terms of how it is (or perhaps should be) communicated? will be offered. Findings - It actually may be more instructive to think of, and communicate, mutuality as a metaphor to aid understanding of the openness and fluidity found in NHS Scotland. Research limitations/implications - The existence of paradox and ambiguity does not, however, negate the usefulness of the term "mutuality". Quite the opposite in fact: it is precisely by examining healthcare and its delivery through the lens of mutuality (rather than rejecting its complexity as a failure) that this amorphousness can be better appreciated. Practical implications - There is a need for more public, professional, and academic debate to explore and clarify its implementation, and how it is to be led. This must be provided whilst recognising the daily imperatives that NHS leaders must face. This would suggest, therefore, that a dual development path may help. Originality/value - Although Better Health, Better Care Action Plan was published in 2007, some eight years on there is still confusion and misunderstanding as to what mutuality in healthcare is, not only in policy and theory, but also in practice. It is hoped that this analysis will help address, in part, some of this confusion and misunderstanding.

Views of commissioners, managers and healthcare professionals on the NHS Health Check programme: a systematic review.

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Mills, Katie; Harte, Emma; Martin, Adam; MacLure, Calum; Griffin, Simon J; Mant, Jonathan; Meads, Catherine; Saunders, Catherine L; Walter, Fiona M; Usher-Smith, Juliet A

2017-11-15

To synthesise data concerning the views of commissioners, managers and healthcare professionals towards the National Health Service (NHS) Health Check programme in general and the challenges faced when implementing it in practice. A systematic review of surveys and interview studies with a descriptive analysis of quantitative data and thematic synthesis of qualitative data. An electronic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, Health Management Information Consortium, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Global Health, PsycInfo, Web of Science, OpenGrey, the Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence, Google Scholar, Google, ClinicalTrials.gov and the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry from 1 January 1996 to 9 November 2016 with no language restriction and manual screening of reference lists of all included papers. Primary research reporting views of commissioners, managers or healthcare professionals on the NHS Health Check programme and its implementation in practice. Of 18 524 citations, 15 articles met the inclusion criteria. There was evidence from both quantitative and qualitative studies that some commissioners and general practice (GP) healthcare professionals were enthusiastic about the programme, whereas others raised concerns around inequality of uptake, the evidence base and cost-effectiveness. In contrast, those working in pharmacies were all positive about programme benefits, citing opportunities for their business and staff. The main challenges to implementation were: difficulties with information technology and computer software, resistance to the programme from some GPs, the impact on workload and staffing, funding and training needs. Inadequate privacy was also a challenge in pharmacy and community settings, along with difficulty recruiting people eligible for Health Checks and poor public access to some venues. The success of the NHS Health Check Programme relies on engagement by those responsible for its

Political Crowdfunding as concept of political technologies

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Valeria GOLKA

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Political crowdfunding is analyzed as a new concept of political science. The justification of use of crowdfunding technologies not only in business but also in the political sphere is argued. The efficiency, availability, low cost of the new forms of political investment through the development of information and communication technologies are noted. The typology of political crowdfunding is proposed. Political projects promoting domestic crowdfunding platforms are analyzed. Attention is drawn to the problem of legal gaps in the regulation of crowdfunding is studied. The foreign experience of organizing public support (mikroinvestment political projects. It is emphasized that in terms of political theory crowdfunding is based on solidarity. The crowdfunding properties of transforming social capital accumulated by social networks into financial capital are mentioned.

Digital Competence--An Emergent Boundary Concept for Policy and Educational Research

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Ilomäki, Liisa; Paavola, Sami; Lakkala, Minna; Kantosalo, Anna

2016-01-01

Digital competence is an evolving concept related to the development of digital technology and the political aims and expectations of citizenship in a knowledge society. It is regarded as a core competence in policy papers; in educational research it is not yet a standardized concept. We suggest that it is a useful boundary concept, which can be…

Space, politics, and the political

OpenAIRE

dikec , mustafa

1987-01-01

International audience; Introduction Geography and politics'', Gottmann wrote in 1980, ``have long been in search of each other'' (page 11). Debates in the literature suggest not only that they have found each other, but also that the encounter has instigated, notably in the last decade or so, a body of literature seeking to think space politically, and to think politics spatially. This is not to suggest that previous work on space was apolitical, nor to suggest that previous work on politics...

Creating an impersonal NHS? Personalization, choice and the erosion of intimacy.

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Owens, John

2015-02-01

Personalization - most often understood in terms of granting patients greater opportunity to participate in, and make choices about, the services they receive - has become a key principle guiding reform of the English NHS. This study sets out to explore the relationship between two senses of the term 'personal' within the context of personalization. Firstly, much of the policy literature equates a 'personal' service with one that is responsive to the choices of individual patients. Secondly, the term 'personal' can be thought to refer to the intimate relationships between patients and medical professionals that have typified traditional models of good practice. I combine a review of the relevant academic and policy literature on personalization with a process of conceptual analysis to uncover three arguments, which suggest that personalization based on choice may adversely affect standards of care by eroding the qualities of intimacy at the heart of the care process. Thus, an unintended consequence of the drive for personalization may be the creation of an NHS that is, in an important sense, less personal than it once was. Whilst personalization may deliver many potential benefits, the tension between promoting patient choice and retaining intimate professional-patient relationships ought to be taken seriously. Thus, the task of promoting choice whilst retaining intimacy represents a key policy challenge for advocates of personalization. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Psychoanalysis and analytic psychotherapy in the NHS--a problem for medical ethics.

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Wilkinson, G

1986-01-01

I question the place of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy in the National Health Service (NHS), with reference to published material; and, particularly, in relation to primary care, health economics and medical ethics. I argue that there are pressing clinical, research, economic, and ethical reasons in support of the contention that an urgent review of the extent and impact of psychoanalytic practices in the health service is called for. PMID:3735363

The politics of urban climate risks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blok, Anders

2018-01-01

makes valuable contributions, this article suggests that all of them remain under-theorized from the point of view of the specific dynamics of local–global interdependencies in urban climate risk politics. In response, the article draws on Beck in outlining the contours of new urban–cosmopolitan risk...... communities. To this effect, empirical studies into large-scale East Asian and European port cities is used to illustrate how a shared transnational risk imaginary (e.g. of future sea-level rises) may help spur collective action and new forms of trans-boundary solidarity. Reflecting on such research practices...

Use of geostatistics for remediation planning to transcend urban political boundaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milillo, Tammy M.; Sinha, Gaurav; Gardella, Joseph A.

2012-01-01

Soil remediation plans are often dictated by areas of jurisdiction or property lines instead of scientific information. This study exemplifies how geostatistically interpolated surfaces can substantially improve remediation planning. Ordinary kriging, ordinary co-kriging, and inverse distance weighting spatial interpolation methods were compared for analyzing surface and sub-surface soil sample data originally collected by the US EPA and researchers at the University at Buffalo in Hickory Woods, an industrial–residential neighborhood in Buffalo, NY, where both lead and arsenic contamination is present. Past clean-up efforts estimated contamination levels from point samples, but parcel and agency jurisdiction boundaries were used to define remediation sites, rather than geostatistical models estimating the spatial behavior of the contaminants in the soil. Residents were understandably dissatisfied with the arbitrariness of the remediation plan. In this study we show how geostatistical mapping and participatory assessment can make soil remediation scientifically defensible, socially acceptable, and economically feasible. - Highlights: ► Point samples and property boundaries do not appropriately determine the extent of soil contamination. ► Kriging and co-kriging provide best concentration estimates for mapping soil contamination and refining clean-up sites. ► Maps provide a visual representation of geostatistical results to communities to aid in geostatistical decision making. ► Incorporating community input into the assessment of neighborhoods is good public policy practice. - Using geostatistical interpolation and mapping results to involve the affected community can substantially improve remediation planning and promote its long-term effectiveness.

Attendance at NHS mandatory training sessions.

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Brand, Darren

2015-02-17

To identify factors that affect NHS healthcare professionals' attendance at mandatory training sessions. A quantitative approach was used, with a questionnaire sent to 400 randomly selected participants. A total of 122 responses were received, providing a mix of qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using statistical methods. Open-ended responses were reviewed using thematic analysis. Clinical staff value mandatory training sessions highly. They are aware of the requirement to keep practice up-to-date and ensure patient safety remains a priority. However, changes to the delivery format of mandatory training sessions are required to enable staff to participate more easily, as staff are often unable to attend. The delivery of mandatory training should move from classroom-based sessions into the clinical area to maximise participation. Delivery should be assisted by local 'experts' who are able to customise course content to meet local requirements and the requirements of different staff groups. Improved arrangements to provide staff cover, for those attending training, would enable more staff to attend training sessions.

Symbolic Politics and Institutional Boundaries in Curriculum Reform: The Case of National Sectarian University

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Gordon B.

2004-01-01

In recent years, many colleges and universities have set out to reform or revisit their general education curricula. These efforts often have failed to achieve the comprehensive change that reformers originally had envisioned. Using the example of one case, this paper explores how institutionalized organizational elements and politics can shape…

Political Transmigrants: Rethinking Hmong Political Activism in America

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Nengher N. Vang, Ph.D

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Since the initial resettlement of the Hmong in the United States in the mid-1970s, they have maintained strong political and military relationships with the Lao People‘s Democratic Republic (LPDR. Yet, there is little research on that relationship and the involvement of the Hmong in the United States in political developments in Laos. Most works on Hmong political activism have focused on the electoral participation and representation of Hmong Americans in relation to American domestic politics. In this article, using archival, ethnographic, and interview data that I have collected between 2006 and 2009 in Laos, Thailand, and the United States, I describe and analyze the non-domestic or transnational form of Hmong American political expression and participation. I argue that Hmong political activism in America not only was transnational from the outset, but that their transnational involvement in political developments in Laos and their relations with the Lao PDR government also had a significant impact on their ethnic politics. Many Hmong political activists made their entry into ethnic politics through the door of transnational politics, and many were motivated by transnational political issues to participate in domestic American politics. By exploring their transnational involvement in political developments in Laos and their relations with the Lao PDR government, we get a more complete and dynamic understanding of Hmong political activism in the United States than is possible by focusing exclusively on domestic and electoral participation. Examining their transnational politics also allows us to see the transnationality of not only their culture, identity, and community but also that of their political activities and aspirations.

A case study into labour turnover within an NHS Trust.

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Bamford, David; Hall, Catherine

2007-02-01

This paper investigates turnover in a British NHS Trust, to find out why staff left and whether factors identified in the literature with regards to improving turnover were pertinent to the organization. The research also investigated staff groups with high turnover--staff with less than 12 months service, and the unqualified nursing staff group--to ascertain whether there were any reasons for leaving or areas of dissatisfaction particular to these groups. The outcomes of the research complied with much of the published research with some interesting differences. The main reasons for leaving were identified as moving house, promotion or career development and taking up education and training opportunities elsewhere. There was no evidence of 'level of pay', commonly given as a significant influence behind turnover, as a reason for leaving. It was also found that the retention strategies identified in the published research were mainly applicable to the research, with evidence to support the improvement of line management skills, training and development, career development, appraisal, communications and induction in order to reduce turnover. There was less evidence for introducing work-life balance policies, improving communications, pay and working relationships as retention strategies. Recommendations for future management of labour turnover within the NHS Trust and elsewhere are made, with observations about the validity of some existing models. The core contribution of this research is in adding to the body of knowledge about labour turnover issues. This is of value to those working in the UK health-care and wider public sector. Specific recommendations for future research are made.

Vulnerability, gender norms and state violence: social ontology and sexual politics in the last Judith Butler

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Eduardo Mattio

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In his recent work, Judith Butler has offered a reconsideration of “the human” that allow re-imagine the boundaries of political community. Underlining the common precariousness that characterizes “the human” and revealing the symbolic and material conditions that politically maximize that situation, Butler gives us useful tools not only to elucidate the selective mechanisms that produce "the human" but also to subvert the normative horizon that determined it. From such assumptions, I understand that one can propose some considerations that permit the design of sexual politics more responsive to the needs of the most precarious groups of LGBT collective.

Boundaries, Discrimination, and Interethnic Conflict in Xinjiang, China

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Enze Han

2010-12-01

Full Text Available

Social Networks and Political Parties in Chile

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Adler Lomnitz, Larissa

2002-09-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the origin and evolution of two Chilean political parties (the Radical Party and the Christian Democrat Party through the analysis of the social networks that originated and composed them. The aim of this study is to propose a model of national political cultures on the basis of the structure of social networks related to power and of the symbol system, which legitimizes it. The structure of social networks, horizontal and vertical, are based on reciprocal or redistributive forms of exchange, on what is being exchanged and on the articulation between networks. In every society there are symmetrical and asymmetrical exchanges, which produce horizontal and vertical networks. These networks interact among themselves to form the social fabric. The dominance of some over others and how they combine, delineate the character of the political culture (authoritarian vs. egalitarian. Chile is a multiparty country within which there are cohorts of horizontal groups of friends, who informally exercise a central control over their members and create invisible boundaries setting them apart from others, in which leadership is under constrains. The result is both a strong presidential system based on an almost fanatic legitimacy, combined with factionalism and a strong parliamentary system.

A cross-sectional study of all clinicians' conflict of interest disclosures to NHS hospital employers in England 2015-2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Harriet Ruth; DeVito, Nicholas J; Mendel, Jonathan; Carroll, David E; Goldacre, Ben

2018-03-05

We set out to document how NHS trusts in the UK record and share disclosures of conflict of interest by their employees. Cross-sectional study of responses to a Freedom of Information Act request for Gifts and Hospitality Registers. NHS Trusts (secondary/tertiary care organisations) in England. 236 Trusts were contacted, of which 217 responded. We assessed all disclosures for completeness and openness, scoring them for achieving each of five measures of transparency. 185 Trusts (78%) provided a register. 71 Trusts did not respond within the 28 day time limit required by the FoIA. Most COI registers were incomplete by design, and did not contain the information necessary to assess conflicts of interest. 126/185 (68%) did not record the names of recipients. 47/185 (25%) did not record the cash value of the gift or hospitality. Only 31/185 registers (16%) contained the names of recipients, the names of donors, and the cash amounts received. 18/185 (10%) contained none of: recipient name, donor name, and cash amount. Only 15 Trusts had their disclosure register publicly available online (6%). We generated a transparency index assessing whether each Trust met the following criteria: responded on time; provided a register; had a register with fields identifying donor, recipient, and cash amount; provided a register in a format that allowed further analysis; and had their register publicly available online. Mean attainment was 1.9/5; no NHS trust met all five criteria. Overall, recording of employees' conflicts of interest by NHS trusts is poor. None of the NHS Trusts in England met all transparency criteria. 19 did not respond to our FoIA requests, 51 did not provide a Gifts and Hospitality Register and only 31 of the registers provided contained enough information to assess employees' conflicts of interest. Despite obligations on healthcare professionals to disclose conflicts of interest, and on organisations to record these, the current system for logging and

Staff perceptions of quality of care: an observational study of the NHS Staff Survey in hospitals in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinder, Richard J; Greaves, Felix E; Aylin, Paul P; Jarman, Brian; Bottle, Alex

2013-07-01

There is some evidence to suggest that higher job satisfaction among healthcare staff in specific settings may be linked to improved patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess the potential of staff satisfaction to be used as an indicator of institutional performance across all acute National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England. Using staff responses from the NHS Staff Survey 2009, and correlating these with hospital standardised mortality ratios (HSMR), correlation analyses were conducted at institutional level with further analyses of staff subgroups. Over 60 000 respondents from 147 NHS trusts were included in the analysis. There was a weak negative correlation with HSMR where staff agreed that patient care was their trust's top priority (Kendall τ = -0.22, psatisfaction with the quality of care delivered by oneself and institutional HSMR. In the context of the continued debate about the relationship of HSMR to hospital performance, these findings of a weak correlation between staff satisfaction and HSMR are intriguing and warrant further investigation. Such measures in the future have the advantage of being intuitive for lay and specialist audiences alike, and may be useful in facilitating patient choice. Whether higher staff satisfaction drives quality or merely reflects it remains unclear.

Human trafficking and health: a cross-sectional survey of NHS professionals’ contact with victims of human trafficking

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Claire; Dimitrova, Stoyanka; Howard, Louise M; Dewey, Michael; Zimmerman, Cathy; Oram, Siân

2015-01-01

Objectives (1) To estimate the proportion of National Health Service (NHS) professionals who have come into contact with trafficked people and (2) to measure NHS professionals’ knowledge and confidence to respond to human trafficking. Design A cross-sectional survey. Setting Face-to-face mandatory child protection and/or vulnerable adults training sessions at 10 secondary healthcare provider organisations in England, and meetings of the UK College of Emergency Medicine. Participants 782/892 (84.4%) NHS professionals participated, including from emergency medicine, maternity, mental health, paediatrics and other clinical disciplines. Measures Self-completed questionnaire developed by an expert panel. Questionnaire asks about prior training and contact with potential victims of trafficking, perceived and actual human trafficking knowledge, confidence in responding to human trafficking, and interest in future human trafficking training. Results 13% participants reported previous contact with a patient they knew or suspected of having been trafficked; among maternity services professionals this was 20.4%. However, 86.8% (n=679) reported lacking knowledge of what questions to ask to identify potential victims and 78.3% (n=613) reported that they had insufficient training to assist trafficked people. 71% (n=556), 67.5% (n=528) and 53.4% (n=418) lacked confidence in making appropriate referrals for men, women and children, respectively, who had been trafficked. 95.3% (n=746) of respondents were unaware of the scale of human trafficking in the UK, and 76.5% (n=598) were unaware that calling the police could put patients in more danger. Psychometric analysis showed that subscales measuring perceived knowledge, actual knowledge and confidence to respond to human trafficking demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's αs 0.93, 0.63 and 0.64, respectively) and internal correlations. Conclusions NHS professionals working in secondary care are in contact with potential

EVOLUTIONS OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE CHANGES ON THE WORLD POLITICAL MAP IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD

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Vasile GRAMA

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The use of sports and politics has had both positive and negative implications over history. Sports competitions or activities have had the intention to bring about change in certain cases. Nationalistic fervor is sometimes linked to victories or losses to some sport on sports fields. Also, new independent countries need to be recognized on international arena, so participating at the Olympic Games, they become more visible and marginalization is broken. National feelings are boosted by some of the finest sports performances. The interwar period took politics to the sporting arena; when governments decided to control the sport and politics became more authoritative and states went on to find new ways to dominate the thinking process and imagination of their citizens. Fascist regimes developed techniques that allowed them to use achievements made in sporting arena to inspire people within their geographical boundaries and impress those beyond these boundaries. A fanatic love with sports was developed and through it, symbols of nationalist socialism were entrenched.

Climate Change, State Stability, and Political Risk in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

2016-09-30

www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/ADA552760.pdf. iii P.P. Hearn Jr. et al., “Global GIS Database; Digital Atlas of Africa,” USGS Numbered Series, Data...Series, (2001), http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ds62B. iv U.S. Geological Survey World Conventional Resources Assessment Team, “USGS Digital ...Retrenchment and the Exercise of Citizenship in Africa,” Comparative Political Studies 44, 9 (2011): 1238-1266; Jennifer N. Brass, “Blurring Boundaries

Master of science in medical leadership and management and its role in the current NHS.

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Barratt, Shaney; Bateman, Kathryn; Harvey, John

2010-10-01

Traditionally there has been little formal leadership and management education in the core medical curriculum. The Department of Health has recently emphasised the development of clinical leadership within the NHS. In this article, trainees share their experience of the Master of Science in medical leadership and management postgraduate qualification.

Introduction into the NHS of magnetic sphincter augmentation: an innovative surgical therapy for reflux - results and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, D; Campbell, B; Wajed, S

2018-04-01

Introduction Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common, chronic debilitating condition. Surgical management traditionally involves fundoplication. Magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) is a new definitive treatment. We describe our experience of introducing this innovative therapy into NHS practice and report the early clinical outcomes. Methods MSA was introduced into NHS practice following successful acceptance of a cost-effective business plan and close observation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations for new procedures, including a carefully planned prospective data collection over a two-year follow-up period. Results Forty-seven patients underwent MSA over the 40-month period. Reflux health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) was significantly improved after the procedure and maintained at one- and two-year (P business plan and compliance with NICE recommendations.

Politically Active Home Economists: Their Socialization to Politics.

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Ley, Connie J.

1980-01-01

A nationwide study identified a pattern of political socialization for home economists who were politically active. The most outstanding feature of the politically active subjects was their perception that political activity is a professional role. (SK)

The Nature and Functions of European Political Borders

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Jernej Zupančič

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The political border limits a state’s territory and symbolizes the extent of a state’s power and ownership. Borders give integrity to the inner state territory which they enclose (the role of establishing national integrity and at the same time form an outer boundary segregating the state territory from the surrounding politicial entities (the segregation role. European borders are old and reflect the political history of an old continent. The last major border changes happened after World War II. Over the centuries borders were merely lines separating one territory from another. Such borders were understood as »frontiers«. Forming an effective barrier against enemies was the overriding function of borders. Many borders were fortified and further enhanced by means of various defensive systems. In the second half of the 20th century the character of political borders changed. They became a contact area between countries, nations and cultures. Contemporary European borders reflect the colourful history of an old continent. They are predominantely functional markers: they represent the political and juridical delimitation of territories, they mark economic barriers and show their defensive nature and reveal the extent of cultural contact. As a result of European integration processes, the nature of political borders has changed: instead of division, their integration role is brought to the fore. A united Europe is nevertheless still not a borderless Europe! The borders within the »Schengen-area« have retained their political and administrative functions, it is just that the customs and security checks at the borders have been removed. During the period of European integration, borderlines were stabilized in accordance with the 1974 Helsinki Agreement. But despite this we can still observe ongoing changes to state borders, particularly in areas of conflict such as the Balkan peninsula. It seems after all that the process of demarcation

How does the outcome of research training fellowships funded via the NHS compare with that from competitively funded fellowships from the MRC and other charities: a cross-sectional retrospective survey of trainees undertaking research training in the West Midlands.

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Maybury, Charlotte; Morgan, Matthew David; Smith, Russell; Harper, Lorraine

2018-01-23

This study aimed to investigate the impact of research training funded via the National Health Service (NHS) on medical trainees compared with traditional clinical research training fellowships (CRTFs). Online survey of 221 clinical trainees who had completed a period of research during their clinical training between 2009 and 2015 in the West Midlands. Research outcomes. Overall response rate was 59%, of whom 72 participants were funded by CRTFs and 51 funded by the NHS. Although participants with CRTFs were more likely to be awarded a higher degree compared with those on NHS-administered funding (66/72 CRTFs and 37/51 NHS, P=0.005), similar proportions of NHS-funded and CRTF-funded participants entered clinical lecturer posts on completing initial research training (8/51 NHS and 16/72 CRTF, P=0.37). 77% of participants had three or more publications (CRTF 57 and NHS 39, P=0.72). 57 participants had completed clinical training; similar proportions of CRTF-funded and NHS-funded trainees had research included in their consultant contract (12/22 NHS and 14/26 CRTF, P=0.96) or were appointed to academic posts (3 of 25 NHS funded and 6 of 32 CRTF, P>0.05). 95% of participants would recommend to colleagues and 82% of participants felt the research experience improved their provision of clinical care with no difference between CRTF-funded and NHS-funded participants (P=0.49). Continuing to participate in clinical work during the research reduced reports of trainee difficulty on returning to clinical work (23/108 continued clinical work vs 12/22 no clinical work, P=0.001). Research training funded by the NHS provides a quality experience and contributes to the clinical academic capacity within the UK. More needs to be done to support NHS participants to successfully achieve a higher degree. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly

Healthcare scandals in the NHS: crime and punishment.

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Alghrani, Amel; Brazier, Margaret; Farrell, Anne-Maree; Griffiths, Danielle; Allen, Neil

2011-04-01

The Francis Report into failures of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Hospital documented a series of 'shocking' systematic failings in healthcare that left patients routinely neglected, humiliated and in pain as the Trust focused on cutting costs and hitting government targets. At present, the criminal law in England plays a limited role in calling healthcare professionals to account for failures in care. Normally, only if a gross error leads to death will a doctor or nurse face the prospect of prosecution. Doctors and nurses caring for patients under the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 may however be prosecuted for wilful neglect of a patient. In the light of the Francis Report, this article considers whether the criminal offence of wilful neglect should be extended to a broader healthcare setting and not confined to mental healthcare.

Paths of Research in Religion and Politics: An Introduction

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Alberta Giorgi

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Religion plays an important role in contemporary politics, both as a public and political actor, and as set of values. As a public actor, religion widely participates in the political spheres of European countries. At the same time, both European and non-European societies are experiencing a profound reshaping of their political landscapes. In these contexts, it has become clear that new modes of governance redraw the boundaries between institutional actors and citizens, and create space for horizontal and/or transnational networks. Today, the separation between religion and politics is being questioned more or less radically, and the meaning and the substance of democracy likewise. This special issue aims to offer a wide range of examples of studies focusing on the interactions between religion and politics from different disciplinary perspectives and scientific traditions. Ranging from single case studies to transnational comparative analyses, from sociology of religion to political science, and from the analysis of specific religious traditions to comparative studies, the articles presented offer a useful insight of topics and debates. This heterogeneity allows the readers to have an overview on some of the most important religious actors (movements, associations, groups and, parties in contemporary democracies, such as Christian traditional parties in Europe and the US, Islamist groups in Turkey and in Pakistan. At the same time, this collection of article shows different approaches through which is possible to analyse these movements, such as cross-country comparative approaches, comparison between different cases of religious groups’ collective action within the same national contexts or in the same urban area, or in-depth case studies of the specific role of religious groups in a broader national mobilization. The common element of these different contributions is the objective of looking at the complex relationships between religious

Strategic political postures and political market orientation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.; Henneberg, Stephan C.

2010-01-01

by developing an integrated concept of political marketing strategy using two complementary frameworks, namely Strategic Political Postures (SPP) and Political Market Orientation (PMO). We introduce the two main concepts and derive for each of the strategic posture-specific PMO profiles as well as inter......Recently, the areas of strategic political marketing and political market orientation have been the subject of several conceptual articles which have provided the theoretical foundations for further empirical work. However, despite the close conceptual relatedness of the proposed concepts......, these have yet to be integrated to provide a more nuanced framework which both researchers and political marketing practitioners can utilise in the development of strategies and offerings with which to achieve their organizational goals. The aim of this conceptual paper is to address this deficit...

Conflict in the Currents: The Cross-boundary Consequences of Larval Dispersal

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Rising, J. A.; Ramesh, N.; Dookie, D.

2016-02-01

As commercial fish populations decline in many regions, the increasing demand for ocean resources can create conflicts along international boundaries. Because fish stock ranges do not respect political boundaries, neighboring countries can impact each other through the management of the stocks within their exclusive economic zones. By combining spawning and larvae information from the FishBase database with current velocities from ocean reanalyses using a particle tracking scheme, we construct a measure of the cross-boundary diffusion of fish larvae for 40 major exploited species. These flows represent important connections both for fish populations and for fisheries and the people who depend on them, but these connections rely on fisheries management in the 'source' countries. We then use socioeconomic data on the national importance of these fish to identify hotspots for potential conflict. Finally, we consider how ranges will shift under climate change, and the social impacts of these shifts.

Exploring Women's Understanding of Politics, Political Contestation ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Exploring Women's Understanding of Politics, Political Contestation and Gender ... First, researchers will explore women's political leadership and the extent to ... Sign up now for IDRC news and views sent directly to your inbox each month.

Political symbols and political transitions

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Herrero de Miñón, Miguel

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Politics, Law and Psychology are fields that come together in the symbolic. This text takes evidence from those three areas to develop an analysis of political symbols and political transitions. The development of the analysis goes through three stages. The first succinctly describes the concept of transition and its meaning. The second closely examines the notion of the symbol, in terms of its definition, to explain aspects that allow us to understand it, characterise it and make its functions clear. Finally, from the author's experience as a witness and as an actor, I suggest three ways of understanding symbols in the processes of political transition: as symbols of change, as symbols of acknowledgment, and as symbols of support.

Political Education as a Means of Political Socialization.

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Grabe, Weronika; Knobelsdorf, Wodzimierz

1980-01-01

This essay describes the dimensions of political socialization with systematic political education as a major component. Both promote individual acceptance of political norms--particularly where government and school systems are tightly linked. The authors argue that political socialization should promote effective citizenship rather than simply…

International boundary experiences by the United Nations

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Kagawa, A.

2013-12-01

Over the last few decades, the United Nations (UN) has been approached by Security Council and Member States on international boundary issues. The United Nations regards the adequate delimitation and demarcation of international boundaries as a very important element for the maintenance of peace and security in fragile post-conflict situations, establishment of friendly relationships and cross-border cooperation between States. This paper will present the main principles and framework the United Nations applies to support the process of international boundary delimitation and demarcation activities. The United Nations is involved in international boundary issues following the principle of impartiality and neutrality and its role as mediator. Since international boundary issues are multi-faceted, a range of expertise is required and the United Nations Secretariat is in a good position to provide diverse expertise within the multiple departments. Expertise in different departments ranging from legal, political, technical, administrative and logistical are mobilised in different ways to provide support to Member States depending on their specific needs. This presentation aims to highlight some of the international boundary projects that the United Nations Cartographic Section has been involved in order to provide the technical support to different boundary requirements as each international boundary issue requires specific focus and attention whether it be in preparation, delimitation, demarcation or management. Increasingly, the United Nations is leveraging geospatial technology to facilitate boundary delimitation and demarcation process between Member States. Through the presentation of the various case studies ranging from Iraq - Kuwait, Israel - Lebanon (Blue Line), Eritrea - Ethiopia, Cyprus (Green Line), Cameroon - Nigeria, Sudan - South Sudan, it will illustrate how geospatial technology is increasingly used to carry out the support. In having applied a range

The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs.

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Scarborough, Peter; Bhatnagar, Prachi; Wickramasinghe, Kremlin K; Allender, Steve; Foster, Charlie; Rayner, Mike

2011-12-01

Estimates of the economic cost of risk factors for chronic disease to the NHS provide evidence for prioritization of resources for prevention and public health. Previous comparable estimates of the economic costs of poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and overweight/obesity were based on economic data from 1992-93. Diseases associated with poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and overweight/obesity were identified. Risk factor-specific population attributable fractions for these diseases were applied to disease-specific estimates of the economic cost to the NHS in the UK in 2006-07. In 2006-07, poor diet-related ill health cost the NHS in the UK £5.8 billion. The cost of physical inactivity was £0.9 billion. Smoking cost was £3.3 billion, alcohol cost £3.3 billion, overweight and obesity cost £5.1 billion. The estimates of the economic cost of risk factors for chronic disease presented here are based on recent financial data and are directly comparable. They suggest that poor diet is a behavioural risk factor that has the highest impact on the budget of the NHS, followed by alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity.

Political party affiliation, political ideology and mortality.

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Pabayo, Roman; Kawachi, Ichiro; Muennig, Peter

2015-05-01

Ecological and cross-sectional studies have indicated that conservative political ideology is associated with better health. Longitudinal analyses of mortality are needed because subjective assessments of ideology may confound subjective assessments of health, particularly in cross-sectional analyses. Data were derived from the 2008 General Social Survey-National Death Index data set. Cox proportional analysis models were used to determine whether political party affiliation or political ideology was associated with time to death. Also, we attempted to identify whether self-reported happiness and self-rated health acted as mediators between political beliefs and time to death. In this analysis of 32,830 participants and a total follow-up time of 498,845 person-years, we find that political party affiliation and political ideology are associated with mortality. However, with the exception of independents (adjusted HR (AHR)=0.93, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.97), political party differences are explained by the participants' underlying sociodemographic characteristics. With respect to ideology, conservatives (AHR=1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.12) and moderates (AHR=1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.11) are at greater risk for mortality during follow-up than liberals. Political party affiliation and political ideology appear to be different predictors of mortality. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Transgressing Boundaries: Belfast and the “Romance-Across-the-Divide”

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Stephanie Schwerter

2007-03-01

Full Text Available One of the most popular sub-genres of Northern Irish Troubles fiction is the so called ‘Romance-across-the-divide’, a narrative in which two characters from different religious, cultural and social backgrounds struggle to overcome the region’s sectarian divide. As the centre of the Northern Irish conflict, Belfast epitomises the obstacles posed by the political situation for lovers attempting to defy socio-cultural and denominational boundaries. Joe Cleary argues that in the Northern Irish context the romance narrative is employed to illustrate the possibility of a reconciliation of opposed political camps. This article attempts to refute Cleary’s view. Focussing on Naomi May’s Troubles (1976, Dermot Healy’s A Goat’s Song (1994 and Kate O’Riordan’s Involved (1995 it sets out to demonstrate that unhappy unions of lovers cutting across sectarian lines serve instead largely to depict the ongoing political division within Northern Irish society and the breach between the North and the South of Ireland.

Politics Backstage - Television Documentaries, Politics and Politicians

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Ib Bondebjerg

2006-09-01

Full Text Available This article deals with "the transformation of visibility" in political discourse on and representation of politics and politicians in resent Dansih television documentaries. Drawing on the theories of Habermas, Meyrowitz and John B. Thompson, it is argued that the political persona on television is moved closer to the individual citizen, creating a sort "mediated quasi-inter- action" giving mediated communication a stronger element of face-to-face interaction. Together with the more pervasive "live" coverage of politics and politicians, this expands media coverage to both the backstage of political processes and the private and personal backstage of politicians, changing the form of democracy and public debate.

Artificial Intelligence Techniques to Optimize the EDC/NHS-Mediated Immobilization of Cellulase on Eudragit L-100

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Min-Chao He

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Two artificial intelligence techniques, namely artificial neural network (ANN and genetic algorithm (GA were combined to be used as a tool for optimizing the covalent immobilization of cellulase on a smart polymer, Eudragit L-100. 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl carbodiimide (EDC concentration, N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS concentration and coupling time were taken as independent variables, and immobilization efficiency was taken as the response. The data of the central composite design were used to train ANN by back-propagation algorithm, and the result showed that the trained ANN fitted the data accurately (correlation coefficient R² = 0.99. Then a maximum immobilization efficiency of 88.76% was searched by genetic algorithm at a EDC concentration of 0.44%, NHS concentration of 0.37% and a coupling time of 2.22 h, where the experimental value was 87.97 ± 6.45%. The application of ANN based optimization by GA is quite successful.

One stop or full stop? The continuing challenges for researchers despite the new streamlined NHS research governance process.

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Thompson, Andrew G H; France, Emma F

2010-05-13

Obtaining the necessary approvals and permission for clinical research requires successful negotiation of the ethical and R&D layers of the NHS. Differences in structure and governance frameworks feature between the constituent nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), which adds complexity to cross-national studies. Difficulties in carrying out research in the NHS in the UK due to bureaucratic and time-consuming governance processes have led to the development of a new system of application and co-ordination from 2009. This paper illustrates how this new system fails to be consistent and streamlined and is unlikely to become so unless changes are made to the implementation and management of the governance processes. We present a case study of the research governance process at the survey stage of an investigation into the use, preferences and need for information by people making choices or decisions about health care. The method involved home-based, face-to-face interviewing in a questionnaire survey in relation to decisions about lymphoma treatment, Down's syndrome screening in pregnancy, and caring for people with dementia. Our experience of the ethics stage was very positive, noting an efficient process of application and a speedy decision, both in relation to the initial application and to subsequent substantial amendments. By contrast, the R&D stages were very slow, most with unexplained delays, but some offering contradictory advice and exhibiting a lack of clear guidance and training for NHS staff. The R&D arrangements in Scotland were far quicker and more likely to be successful than in England. Overall, the delays were so severe that substantial parts of the research could not be delivered as planned within the funding timescale. If high-quality research in the NHS, particularly in England, is to be delivered in a timely and cost-effective way, R&D processes for gaining research governance approval need improvement. Attention is

Towards Religious/Spiritual Competence for Applied Psychologists in NHS Settings in the UK

OpenAIRE

Koce, Precious

2013-01-01

The profession of psychology in the UK is gradually showing signs of renewed interest in the area of religion/spirituality (e.g., Collicut, 2011). The present study aimed to (i) explore applied psychologists‟ accounts of their practice in the NHS, UK, with clients with religious/spiritual issues; and (ii) from these accounts identify participants‟ indications of religious/spiritual competencies. Thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006) was employed and subscribed to a critical...

Hmong Across Borders or Borders Across Hmong? Social and Political Influences Upon Hmong People

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Prasit Leepreecha

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The Hmong are a transnational ethnic people, because of their dispersal from China into Southeast Asia in the early 19th century and from Southeast Asia to Western countries from 1975 onward. However, even within the context of Southeast Asia and southern China, the Hmong are a transnational ethnic group, due to state boundaries and the enforcement of international laws.Scholars speak as though the Hmong population has crossed political and legal borders by their movement across state boundaries and international borders. However, I argue that it is the political, social, and legal borders that have cut across the Hmong people and subjected them to be citizens of different modern nation-states. Even in the present time, these borders still, and continuously, play important roles that cross and divide the Hmong people into distinctive subgroups and fragments. In this article, I will start by describing the generally understood situation of Hmong being across national borders, and then will explain my argument that borders are across the Hmong.

Political Science and Political Geography: Neglected Areas, Areas for Development.

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Laponce, J. A.

1983-01-01

Since at least the 1950s, political scientists have tended to ignore the possible contributions of political geography to political science because of a move away from considering spatial factors on political structure. Political scientists need to use more information from geography to enhance their understanding of political power and conflict.…

Human trafficking and health: a cross-sectional survey of NHS professionals' contact with victims of human trafficking.

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Ross, Claire; Dimitrova, Stoyanka; Howard, Louise M; Dewey, Michael; Zimmerman, Cathy; Oram, Siân

2015-08-20

(1) To estimate the proportion of National Health Service (NHS) professionals who have come into contact with trafficked people and (2) to measure NHS professionals' knowledge and confidence to respond to human trafficking. A cross-sectional survey. Face-to-face mandatory child protection and/or vulnerable adults training sessions at 10 secondary healthcare provider organisations in England, and meetings of the UK College of Emergency Medicine. 782/892 (84.4%) NHS professionals participated, including from emergency medicine, maternity, mental health, paediatrics and other clinical disciplines. Self-completed questionnaire developed by an expert panel. Questionnaire asks about prior training and contact with potential victims of trafficking, perceived and actual human trafficking knowledge, confidence in responding to human trafficking, and interest in future human trafficking training. 13% participants reported previous contact with a patient they knew or suspected of having been trafficked; among maternity services professionals this was 20.4%. However, 86.8% (n=679) reported lacking knowledge of what questions to ask to identify potential victims and 78.3% (n=613) reported that they had insufficient training to assist trafficked people. 71% (n=556), 67.5% (n=528) and 53.4% (n=418) lacked confidence in making appropriate referrals for men, women and children, respectively, who had been trafficked. 95.3% (n=746) of respondents were unaware of the scale of human trafficking in the UK, and 76.5% (n=598) were unaware that calling the police could put patients in more danger. Psychometric analysis showed that subscales measuring perceived knowledge, actual knowledge and confidence to respond to human trafficking demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's αs 0.93, 0.63 and 0.64, respectively) and internal correlations. NHS professionals working in secondary care are in contact with potential victims of human trafficking, but lack knowledge and confidence in

Clinical audit of core podiatry treatment in the NHS.

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Farndon, Lisa; Barnes, Andrew; Littlewood, Keith; Harle, Justine; Beecroft, Craig; Burnside, Jaclyn; Wheeler, Tracey; Morris, Selwyn; Walters, Stephen J

2009-03-13

Core podiatry involves treatment of the nails, corns and callus and also giving footwear and foot health advice. Though it is an integral part of current podiatric practice little evidence is available to support its efficacy in terms of research and audit data. This information is important in order to support the current NHS commissioning process where services are expected to provide data on standards including outcomes. This study aimed to increase the evidence base for this area of practice by conducting a multi-centre audit in 8 NHS podiatry departments over a 1-year period. The outcome measure used in this audit was the Podiatry Health Questionnaire which is a self completed short measure of foot health including a pain visual analogue scale and a section for the podiatrist to rate an individual's foot health based on their podiatric problems. The patient questionnaire was completed by individuals prior to receiving podiatry care and then 2 weeks after treatment to assess the effect of core podiatry in terms of pain and foot health. 1047 patients completed both questionnaires, with an age range from 26-95 years and a mean age of 72.9 years. The podiatrists clinical rating at baseline showed 75% of patients had either slight or moderate podiatric problems. The differences in questionnaire and visual analogue scores before and after treatment were determined according to three categories - better, same, worse and 75% of patients' scores either remained the same or improved after core podiatry treatment. A student t-test showed a statistical significant difference in pre and post treatment scores where P podiatry has been shown to sustain or improve foot health and pain in 75% of the patients taking part in the audit. Simple outcome measures including pain scales should be used routinely in podiatric practice to assess the affect of different aspects of treatments and improve the evidence base for podiatry.

Clinical audit of core podiatry treatment in the NHS

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Burnside Jaclyn

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Core podiatry involves treatment of the nails, corns and callus and also giving footwear and foot health advice. Though it is an integral part of current podiatric practice little evidence is available to support its efficacy in terms of research and audit data. This information is important in order to support the current NHS commissioning process where services are expected to provide data on standards including outcomes. This study aimed to increase the evidence base for this area of practice by conducting a multi-centre audit in 8 NHS podiatry departments over a 1-year period. Methods The outcome measure used in this audit was the Podiatry Health Questionnaire which is a self completed short measure of foot health including a pain visual analogue scale and a section for the podiatrist to rate an individual's foot health based on their podiatric problems. The patient questionnaire was completed by individuals prior to receiving podiatry care and then 2 weeks after treatment to assess the effect of core podiatry in terms of pain and foot health. Results 1047 patients completed both questionnaires, with an age range from 26–95 years and a mean age of 72.9 years. The podiatrists clinical rating at baseline showed 75% of patients had either slight or moderate podiatric problems. The differences in questionnaire and visual analogue scores before and after treatment were determined according to three categories – better, same, worse and 75% of patients' scores either remained the same or improved after core podiatry treatment. A student t-test showed a statistical significant difference in pre and post treatment scores where P Conclusion Core podiatry has been shown to sustain or improve foot health and pain in 75% of the patients taking part in the audit. Simple outcome measures including pain scales should be used routinely in podiatric practice to assess the affect of different aspects of treatments and improve the

Effects of Political Knowledge on Political Tolerance

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Hall, John Powell

2018-01-01

Sexual orientation continues to be an explosive issue in American classrooms. Increasing the political knowledge of students can reduce the volatility of this explosive issue by increasing tolerance toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. This relationship between political knowledge and political tolerance has been…

Protein quantitation using Ru-NHS ester tagging and isotope dilution high-pressure liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination.

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Liu, Rui; Lv, Yi; Hou, Xiandeng; Yang, Lu; Mester, Zoltan

2012-03-20

An accurate, simple, and sensitive method for the direct determination of proteins by nonspecies specific isotope dilution and external calibration high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICPMS) is described. The labeling of myoglobin (17 kDa), transferrin (77 kDa), and thyroglobulin (670 kDa) proteins was accomplished in a single-step reaction with a commercially available bis(2,2'-bipyridine)-4'-methyl-4-carboxybipyridine-ruthenium N-succinimidyl ester-bis(hexafluorophosphate) (Ru-NHS ester). Using excess amounts of Ru-NHS ester compared to the protein concentration at optimized labeling conditions, constant ratios for Ru to proteins were obtained. Bioconjugate solutions containing both labeled and unlabeled proteins as well as excess Ru-NHS ester reagent were injected onto a size exclusion HPLC column for separation and ICPMS detection without any further treatment. A (99)Ru enriched spike was used for nonspecies specific ID calibration. The accuracy of the method was confirmed at various concentration levels. An average recovery of 100% ± 3% (1 standard deviation (SD), n = 9) was obtained with a typical precision of better than 5% RSD at 100 μg mL(-1) for nonspecies specific ID. Detection limits (3SD) of 1.6, 3.2, and 7.0 fmol estimated from three procedure blanks were obtained for myoglobin, transferrin, and thyroglobulin, respectively. These detection limits are suitable for the direct determination of intact proteins at trace levels. For simplicity, external calibration was also tested. Good linear correlation coefficients, 0.9901, 0.9921, and 0.9980 for myoglobin, transferrin, and thyroglobulin, respectively, were obtained. The measured concentrations of proteins in a solution were in good agreement with their volumetrically prepared values. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of nonspecies specific ID for the accurate and direct determination of proteins using a Ru-NHS ester

Contemporary Political Paranoia, a Case of Political Gnosticism

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Antonio Rivera García

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This article puts forward the concept of political paranoia as a useful category to understand some contemporary manifestations of the pathologies of power. For this aim an interdisciplinary approach has been used, namely, the knowledge provided by psychoanalysis, political philosophy, theology and literary or aesthetic studies. Freud’s and Lacan’s psychoanalysis allows us to understand why the paranoid subject is a megalomaniac and hyperrational subject who wants to be in control of everything. It is a sovereign subject, who has adapted not only to the Society of Control initially defined by Deleuze, but also to a conception of philosophy that aims for totality. After dealing with the close relationship between paranoia and conspiratorial political theory, the article explains the reason why contemporary political paranoia represents a case of the most radical political theology: political Gnosticism. This term stands for a conception of politics that reduces the Other to the condition of an absolute enemy that needs to be eliminated. Lastly, the article establishes a close link between the cure for political paranoia and the assumption of an ontology of incompleteness

A novel small deletion in the NHS gene associated with Nance-Horan syndrome

OpenAIRE

Li, Huajin; Yang, Lizhu; Sun, Zixi; Yuan, Zhisheng; Wu, Shijing; Sui, Ruifang

2018-01-01

Nance-Horan syndrome is a rare X-linked recessive inherited disease with clinical features including severe bilateral congenital cataracts, characteristic facial and dental abnormalities. Data from Chinese Nance-Horan syndrome patients are limited. We assessed the clinical manifestations of a Chinese Nance-Horan syndrome pedigree and identified the genetic defect. Genetic analysis showed that 3 affected males carried a novel small deletion in NHS gene, c.263_266delCGTC (p.Ala89TrpfsTer106), a...

Challenges of a negative work load and implications on morale, productivity and quality of service delivered in NHS laboratories in England.

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Osaro, Erhabor; Chima, Njemanze

2014-06-01

The National Health Service (NHS) is a term used to describe the publicly funded healthcare delivery system providing quality healthcare services in the United Kingdom. There are several challenges militating against the effective laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England. Biomedical scientists work in healthcare to diagnose disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment through the analysis of body fluids and tissue samples from patients. They provide the "engine room" of modern medicine with 70% of diagnosis based on the laboratory results generated by them. This review involved the search of literature for information on working condition of biomedical scientist in the NHS in England. Laboratory service delivery in the NHS in England faces numerous daunting challenges; staffing levels in the last few years have become dangerously low, less remunerated, relatively less experienced and predominantly band 5's, multidisciplinary rather than specialty based, associated with working more unsocial hours without adequate recovery time, de-banding of staff, high staff turnaround, profit and cost driven rather than quality. These factors has resulted in burn out, low morale, high sickness absences, increased error rate, poor team spirit, diminished productivity and suboptimal laboratory service delivery. There is the urgent need to retract our steps on unpopular policies to ensure that patient care is not compromised by ensuring adequate staffing level and mix, ensuring adequate remuneration of laboratory staff, implementing evidenced-based specialty oriented service, determining the root cause/s for the high staff turnover and implementing corrective action, identifying other potential sources of waste in the system rather than pruning the already dangerously low staffing levels and promoting a quality delivery side by side cost effectiveness.

Is the political animal politically ignorant? Applying evolutionary psychology to the study of political attitudes.

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Petersen, Michael Bang; Aarøe, Lene

2012-12-20

As evidenced by research in evolutionary psychology, humans have evolved sophisticated psychological mechanisms tailored to solve enduring adaptive problems of social life. Many of these social problems are political in nature and relate to the distribution of costs and benefits within and between groups. In that sense, evolutionary psychology suggests that humans are, by nature, political animals. By implication, a straightforward application of evolutionary psychology to the study of public opinion seems to entail that modern individuals find politics intrinsically interesting. Yet, as documented by more than fifty years of research in political science, people lack knowledge of basic features of the political process and the ability to form consistent political attitudes. By reviewing and integrating research in evolutionary psychology and public opinion, we describe (1) why modern mass politics often fail to activate evolved mechanisms and (2) the conditions in which these mechanisms are in fact triggered.

Religion, culture and political corruption in Nigeria

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Dhikru A. Yagboyaju

2017-10-01

Full Text Available For so long, development theories and practices have either deliberately neglected or simply overlooked the possible interconnections between religion, culture and the attainment of development goals. Against this background, this article reviews the literature on corruption, as a major factor of underdevelopment in Nigeria, particularly as it relates to religion and culture in the country. In its analysis, this article argues that corruption in Nigeria, especially in view of the country’s multi-ethnic and multi-religious status, must be conceived as a phenomenon transcending legal, political and economic boundaries. The study adopts an interpretative and descriptive methodology for its analysis.

Defining Political Marketing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.

’ and ‘narrow’ interpretations of political marketing, the nature of the political marketing exchange, political relationship marketing and how one can integrate the stakeholder concept into an understanding of political marketing. Finally, we propose a definition of political marketing that differs from......The aim of this working paper is to develop a definition of political marketing that builds on the political rather than commercial marketing literature. This aim is motivated by the need to make explicit our understanding of what political marketing is, a necessary exercise when discussing theory......, concepts and empirical methods in political marketing. We first present five existing definitions of political marketing that have been selected to represent advances in research from the origins of academic research into political marketing in the mid-1970’s to the present day. After this we discuss ‘wide...

Performing Politics

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Troy R. E. Paddock

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Walter Benjamin’s observation that fascism turns politics into aesthetics is, by now, a well-worn idea. This article argues that Benjamin’s critique of politics can apply just as much to the modern democratic politics of the United States. Borrowing from Benjamin, Jürgen Habermas, and Carl Schmitt, this article suggests that modern political discourse in the United States does not follow the classical liberal ideal of rational discourse in the marketplace of ideas within the public sphere. Instead, contemporary politics has become spectacle where images and slogans replace thought and debate in a 24/7 news cycle and political infotainment programs. The result is that progressives and conservatives have their own political “ecospheres” which enable them to have their own perspective reinforced, and debate is replaced by straw man arguments and personal attacks.

The Role of Religion in Democratic Politics: Tolerance and the Boundary of Public Reason

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Shabani, Omid Payrow

2011-01-01

The argument of this article is that the recent writing of Jurgen Habermas concerning the boundary of public reason offers the following advantages over the classic "liberal proviso": (1) It releases religious citizens from an undue cognitive burden; (2) It distributes the cognitive burden of justification symmetrically across the citizenry; and…

Politics as Culture: Contribution of Political Science to Democratic Maturity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Padjen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the contribution of Croatian political science to the development of democracy in Croatia. The focus of the analysis is the concept of culture which author talks about in five steps. In the first step it is understood in the modern key, in the second step as different for nature and in the third as different from society. In the fourth step author differentiates political culture from political economy and political institutions, but in the fifth part there is an attempt to show culture as a fundamental part of politics, policy and polity. On the basis of these insights author shows that the matrix of Croatian political science is more and more devoted to scientific investigation of politics as culture as both study of political culture and as a source of development as politics as culture.

Options for change in the NHS consultant contract.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, R W; Gray, C

The lead negotiators for the management and consultant sides in an NHS trust in northern England responded to debate in their trust about consultant contracts by offering to research the attitudes of their peers towards a variety of contract options. The options tested included the current contract; models already examined in the trust and elsewhere, such as time sensitive and mild performance related contracts; and some more radical and speculative possibilities, including consultants franchising their services to the trust. Beyond the predictable conclusion that consultants would prefer no change while managers desired it, a time sensitive contract emerged as having potential for successful negotiation. On the other hand, neither consultants nor managers favoured a strict performance related contract or a fee for service contract. There was a strong similarity of opinion between the two groups on the relative salary values of the options, though the consultants consistently priced these higher than the managers.

The effects of immigration on NHS waiting times.

Science.gov (United States)

Giuntella, Osea; Nicodemo, Catia; Vargas-Silva, Carlos

2018-03-01

This paper analyzes the effects of immigration on waiting times for the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Linking administrative records from Hospital Episode Statistics (2003-2012) with immigration data drawn from the UK Labour Force Survey, we find that immigration reduced waiting times for outpatient referrals and did not have significant effects on waiting times in accident and emergency departments (A&E) and elective care. The reduction in outpatient waiting times can be explained by the fact that immigration increases natives' internal mobility and that immigrants tend to be healthier than natives who move to different areas. Finally, we find evidence that immigration increased waiting times for outpatient referrals in more deprived areas outside of London. The increase in average waiting times in more deprived areas is concentrated in the years immediately following the 2004 EU enlargement and disappears in the medium term (e.g., 3-4 years). Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Political psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Susanna; Johnson, Kate M; Beall, Erica; Meindl, Peter; Smith, Benjamin; Graham, Jesse

2014-07-01

Political psychology is a dynamic field of research that offers a unique blend of approaches and methods in the social and cognitive sciences. Political psychologists explore the interactions between macrolevel political structures and microlevel factors such as decision-making processes, motivations, and perceptions. In this article, we provide a broad overview of the field, beginning with a brief history of political psychology research and a summary of the primary methodological approaches in the field. We then give a more detailed account of research on ideology and social justice, two topics experiencing a resurgence of interest in current political psychology. Finally, we cover research on political persuasion and voting behavior. By summarizing these major areas of political psychology research, we hope to highlight the wide variety of theoretical and methodological approaches of cognitive scientists working at the intersection of psychology and political science. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:373-385. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1293 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Politics for cities, cities for the political. About possibility (and necessity of radical urban politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wiktor Marzec

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Essay faces the problem of determinacy of global capitalism processes for the reality of urban political life. The city is naturally communitarian form of human life and seems to be the place where radical pro-community politics could be undertaken. Already existing and operating forms of power could fruitfully influence the city social relations. Values and norms of conduct are broadly delegated on the urban space and materiality, thus conscious shaping of city space has severe consequences for community life. If a crisis of the political partly has its roots in metamorphoses of the cities, then also remedies, rising from the urban materiality and reestablishing political subjects, could be thought. City, as most real place of political life could be either reduced to the aggregate of consumers or reestablished as a political community. Due to this is the place where undesired course of action could be stopped, hence precisely here the radical democratic politics can emerge.

Learning from a Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a proposed maternity service reconfiguration in the English NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Fell, Greg; Haroon, Sophie

2008-04-25

Within many parts of the country, the NHS is undertaking reconfiguration of services. Such proposals can prove a tipping point and provoke public protest, often with significant involvement of local and national politicians. We undertook a rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of a proposed reconfiguration of maternity services in Huddersfield and Halifax in England. The aim of the HIA was to help the PCT Boards to assess the reconfiguration's possible consequences on access to maternity services, and maternal and infant health outcomes across different socio-economic groups in Kirklees. We report on the findings of the HIA and the usefulness of the process to decision making. This HIA used routine maternity data for 2004-2005 in Huddersfield, in addition to published evidence. Standard HIA techniques were used. We re-highlighted the socio economic differences in smoking status at booking and quitting during pregnancy. We focused on the key concerns of the public, that of adverse obstetric events on a Midwife Led Unit (MLU) with distant obstetric cover. We estimate that twenty percent of women giving birth in a MLU may require urgent transfer to obstetric care during labour. There were no significant socio economic differences. Much of the risk can be mitigated though robust risk management policies. Additional travelling distances and costs could affect lower socio-economic groups the greatest because of lower car ownership and geographical location in relation to the units. There is potential that with improved community antenatal and post natal care, population outcomes could improve significantly, the available evidence supports this view. Available evidence suggests that maternity reconfiguration towards enhanced community care could have many potential benefits but carries risk. Investment is needed to realise the former and mitigate the latter. The usefulness of this Health Impact Assessment may have been impeded by its timing, and the politically charged

Learning from a Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a proposed maternity service reconfiguration in the English NHS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haroon Sophie

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Within many parts of the country, the NHS is undertaking reconfiguration of services. Such proposals can prove a tipping point and provoke public protest, often with significant involvement of local and national politicians. We undertook a rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA of a proposed reconfiguration of maternity services in Huddersfield and Halifax in England. The aim of the HIA was to help the PCT Boards to assess the reconfiguration's possible consequences on access to maternity services, and maternal and infant health outcomes across different socio-economic groups in Kirklees. We report on the findings of the HIA and the usefulness of the process to decision making. Methods This HIA used routine maternity data for 2004–2005 in Huddersfield, in addition to published evidence. Standard HIA techniques were used. Results We re-highlighted the socio economic differences in smoking status at booking and quitting during pregnancy. We focused on the key concerns of the public, that of adverse obstetric events on a Midwife Led Unit (MLU with distant obstetric cover. We estimate that twenty percent of women giving birth in a MLU may require urgent transfer to obstetric care during labour. There were no significant socio economic differences. Much of the risk can be mitigated though robust risk management policies. Additional travelling distances and costs could affect lower socio-economic groups the greatest because of lower car ownership and geographical location in relation to the units. There is potential that with improved community antenatal and post natal care, population outcomes could improve significantly, the available evidence supports this view. Conclusion Available evidence suggests that maternity reconfiguration towards enhanced community care could have many potential benefits but carries risk. Investment is needed to realise the former and mitigate the latter. The usefulness of this Health Impact Assessment

Political Values or the Value of Politics

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Simoska, Emilija

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This essay was motivated by the gap between proclaimed democratic principles and the perceptions of politics which are exhibited by the citizens in transitional countries -more specifically in the Republic of Macedonia. It is based on research data collected in the past few decades, which illustrate that, in their political actions, the citizens are highly motivated by personal benefits and profits, rather than by their internalized values and ideologies. Non-democratic, authoritarian values prevail, while politics is perceived as a value itself, in the most materialistic meaning of the word. It creates a suitable milieu for growth of corruption, nepotism and clientelism. The authors conclude that such a circulus vitsiosus is a corner stone of the Macedonian political regime, and an enormous obstacle for the advancement of the participative, democratic political culture in reality, in spite of its formal acceptance.

A Political Philosophy Approach to Teaching American Politics.

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Bailey, Kevin E.

1982-01-01

Suggests an alternative to the civic training, political indoctrination, and descriptive presentation approaches used to teaching American government courses. Recommends a political philosophy approach within a framework of elite theory to help students develop a critical perspective on American politics. (DMM)

Integrating medical and environmental sociology with environmental health: crossing boundaries and building connections through advocacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Phil

2013-06-01

This article reviews the personal and professional processes of developing an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex issues of environmental health in their community, political-economic, social science, and scientific contexts. This interdisciplinary approach includes a synthesis of research, policy work, and advocacy. To examine multiple forms of interdisciplinarity, I examine pathways of integrating medical and environmental sociology via three challenges to the boundaries of traditional research: (1) crossing the boundaries of medical and environmental sociology, (2) linking social science and environmental health science, and (3) crossing the boundary of research and advocacy. These boundary crossings are discussed in light of conceptual and theoretical developments of popular epidemiology, contested illnesses, and health social movements. This interdisciplinary work offers a more comprehensive sociological lens for understanding complex problems and a practical ability to join with scientists, activists, and officials to meet public health needs for amelioration and prevention of environmental health threats.

Political “genotype” as a structural element of political culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. V. Karpova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the issue of genetic foundations of political culture in the context of the socio-political system changes. The author elaborates the concept of “political genotype” as a sustainable structural element of political culture that determines its content and the possibility of permissible variation. In this paper the main forms of existence of political genotype and its functions are also investigated; and “genetic” mechanism of political culture succession is explored.

[Political psychology].

Science.gov (United States)

Resch, Mária; Bella, Tamás

2013-04-21

In Hungary one can mostly find references to the psychological processes of politics in the writings of publicists, public opinion pollsters, philosophers, social psychologists, and political analysts. It would be still important if not only legal scientists focusing on political institutions or sociologist-politologists concentrating on social structures could analyse the psychological aspects of political processes; but one could also do so through the application of the methods of political psychology. The authors review the history of political psychology, its position vis-à-vis other fields of science and the essential interfaces through which this field of science, which is still to be discovered in Hungary, connects to other social sciences. As far as its methodology comprising psycho-biographical analyses, questionnaire-based queries, cognitive mapping of interviews and statements are concerned, it is identical with the psychiatric tools of medical sciences. In the next part of this paper, the focus is shifted to the essence and contents of political psychology. Group dynamics properties, voters' attitudes, leaders' personalities and the behavioural patterns demonstrated by them in different political situations, authoritativeness, games, and charisma are all essential components of political psychology, which mostly analyses psychological-psychiatric processes and also involves medical sciences by relying on cognitive and behavioural sciences. This paper describes political psychology, which is basically part of social sciences, still, being an interdisciplinary science, has several ties to medical sciences through psychological and psychiatric aspects.

The Pragmatics of Political Apology in Ghana's Contemporary Politics

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The paper discusses political apology in the 4th republic of Ghanaian contemporary politics from 2013 to 2015. It taps its data from apologetic speeches by political officials and from apologies rendered to politicians. The paper discusses the semantics and pragmatics of political apology. It examines the use of the language ...

Engaging dental professionals in NHS leadership - the challenges, the opportunities and the risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, J

2014-09-01

Leadership training in dentistry and the wider NHS is often overlooked or seen as an unnecessary distraction from front line duties. Dentists themselves are often reluctant to adopt formal leadership learning due to the way work is structured and rewarded. So, what is it like for a dentist to undertake leadership training and how can the gap be bridged between the need for highly trained leaders in dentistry and the reticence of front line professionals to take time away from practice?

Thinking and meddling with boundaries: Critical reflections on Matthew Weinstein's narrative of street medics, red-zones and glop

Science.gov (United States)

Alsop, Steve

2015-03-01

In pursuit of more mindful notions of hybridity, this review essay provides a series of reflections on Mathew Weinstein's representations of Street Medics and `sciences for the red zones of neoliberalism'. My analysis draws on three popular ways of thinking with boundaries to offer a critical reading of the boundary-work that the essay performs with respect to three dialectics: (1) technical and political; (2) disciplinarily and multidisciplinarities; and (3) structures and agencies. I conclude with reflections on my boundary labour as a researcher, writer and pedagogue and how such cultural work might learn to live better with difference, ambiguities, hybrids and cross-hybrid learning.

Political News and Political Consciousness

Science.gov (United States)

Schertges, Claudia

2007-01-01

This article deals with mass media in modern democratic societies, using the example of Israeli news reports in German television (TV) news. Central to this interest are processes of mediating politics: political socialisation and education; that is to say, empowering citizens via TV news to participate in democratic processes. The article…

What motivates doctors to leave the UK NHS for a "life in the sun" in New Zealand; and, once there, why don't they stay?

Science.gov (United States)

Gauld, Robin; Horsburgh, Simon

2015-09-08

At 44%, New Zealand has the highest proportion of international medical graduates (IMGs) in its workforce amongst OECD member countries. Around half of New Zealand's IMGs come from the UK NHS, yet only around 50% stay longer than 1 year post-registration with significant costs to the New Zealand health care system. Why these doctors go to New Zealand and do not stay for long is an important question. UK-trained doctors who had gained registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand and currently practising in New Zealand were surveyed (n = 1357) on the motivation for their move to New Zealand, experiences once there and what was prompting any intentions to move away from New Zealand. Multivariate proportional odds models (POM) were used to quantify various associations. The survey had a 47% response (n = 632). Quality of life considerations motivated 96% of respondents to move to New Zealand, although 65% indicated they were pushed by a desire to leave the NHS. POM analyses revealed older respondents were significantly less likely than younger respondents to be motivated by quality of life considerations. Younger doctors were significantly more likely to be seeking to leave the NHS. Seventy-six per cent of respondents signalling an intention to leave New Zealand indicated that the desire to return to the UK was the primary reason for this. There is a long history of medical migration from the UK to New Zealand. However, the 65% of respondents in this study seeking to leave the NHS was much higher than found elsewhere, perhaps reflecting increasing workplace and funding pressures in recent years. Of concern to policy makers were the higher odds of seeking to leave the NHS motivating younger doctors. Various changes "down under", in New Zealand as well as Australia, mean their IMG markets may well be tightening up.

Everyday politics, social practices and movement networks: daily life in Barcelona's social centres.

Science.gov (United States)

Yates, Luke

2015-06-01

The relations between everyday life and political participation are of interest for much contemporary social science. Yet studies of social movement protest still pay disproportionate attention to moments of mobilization, and to movements with clear organizational boundaries, tactics and goals. Exceptions have explored collective identity, 'free spaces' and prefigurative politics, but such processes are framed as important only in accounting for movements in abeyance, or in explaining movement persistence. This article focuses on the social practices taking place in and around social movement spaces, showing that political meanings, knowledge and alternative forms of social organization are continually being developed and cultivated. Social centres in Barcelona, Spain, autonomous political spaces hosting cultural and educational events, protest campaigns and alternative living arrangements, are used as empirical case studies. Daily practices of food provisioning, distributing space and dividing labour are politicized and politicizing as they unfold and develop over time and through diverse networks around social centres. Following Melucci, such latent processes set the conditions for social movements and mobilization to occur. However, they not only underpin mobilization, but are themselves politically expressive and prefigurative, with multiple layers of latency and visibility identifiable in performances of practices. The variety of political forms - adversarial, expressive, theoretical, and routinized everyday practices, allow diverse identities, materialities and meanings to overlap in movement spaces, and help explain networks of mutual support between loosely knit networks of activists and non-activists. An approach which focuses on practices and networks rather than mobilization and collective actors, it is argued, helps show how everyday life and political protest are mutually constitutive. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2014.

The demarcation of arbitrary boundaries for coastal zone management: the Israeli case.

Science.gov (United States)

Sas, Eliraz; Fischhendler, Itay; Portman, Michelle E

2010-11-01

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) addresses the interconnections, complexities, and conflicts between many users of the coastal area with different goals. It requires setting managerial boundaries that capture many elements of human and natural systems. Experience teaches us that without a directed effort managerial rules and laws are not likely to coincide with the physical sensitivity of units that reflect different environmental characteristics of the coastal zone. Hence the aim of this study is to explore why coastal managerial boundaries are set arbitrarily and whether and how it is possible to address the problems this poses. We examine what influences the decisions of a new coastal management authority in Israel to determine how this body overcomes the limits of arbitrary boundary demarcation. The study found that real life management succeeded to both address areas outside the arbitrary boundaries and also to respect some of the different socio-economic needs and physical constraints of the coastal sub-units. Israel's Coastal Environment Protection Law allows and, in fact, encourages the regulator to use discretion and to employ various criteria to balance development and conservation. This implies that policy makers are cognizant of a need to balance ecologically-sensitive boundaries that consider the homogeneity of the coast with politically feasible boundaries that are set arbitrarily. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The paradox of non-evidence based, publicly funded complementary alternative medicine in the English National Health Service: An explanation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheppard, Maria K

2015-10-01

Despite the unproven effectiveness of many practices that are under the umbrella term 'complementary alternative medicine' (CAM), there is provision of CAM within the English National Health Service (NHS). Moreover, although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence was established to promote scientifically validated medicine in the NHS, the paradox of publicly funded, non-evidence based CAM can be explained as linked with government policy of patient choice and specifically patient treatment choice. Patient choice is useful in the political and policy discourse as it is open to different interpretations and can be justified by policy-makers who rely on the traditional NHS values of equity and universality. Treatment choice finds expression in the policy of personalised healthcare linked with patient responsibilisation which finds resonance in the emphasis CAM places on self-care and self-management. More importantly, however, policy-makers also use patient choice and treatment choice as a policy initiative with the objective of encouraging destabilisation of the entrenched healthcare institutions and practices considered resistant to change. This political strategy of system reform has the unintended, paradoxical consequence of allowing for the emergence of non-evidence based, publicly funded CAM in the NHS. The political and policy discourse of patient choice thus trumps evidence based medicine, with patients that demand access to CAM becoming the unwitting beneficiaries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The political reference point: How geography shapes political identity.

Science.gov (United States)

Feinberg, Matthew; Tullett, Alexa M; Mensch, Zachary; Hart, William; Gottlieb, Sara

2017-01-01

It is commonly assumed that how individuals identify on the political spectrum-whether liberal, conservative, or moderate-has a universal meaning when it comes to policy stances and voting behavior. But, does political identity mean the same thing from place to place? Using data collected from across the U.S. we find that even when people share the same political identity, those in "bluer" locations are more likely to support left-leaning policies and vote for Democratic candidates than those in "redder" locations. Because the meaning of political identity is inconsistent across locations, individuals who share the same political identity sometimes espouse opposing policy stances. Meanwhile, those with opposing identities sometimes endorse identical policy stances. Such findings suggest that researchers, campaigners, and pollsters must use caution when extrapolating policy preferences and voting behavior from political identity, and that animosity toward the other end of the political spectrum is sometimes misplaced.

One stop or full stop? The continuing challenges for researchers despite the new streamlined NHS research governance process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

France Emma F

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Obtaining the necessary approvals and permission for clinical research requires successful negotiation of the ethical and R&D layers of the NHS. Differences in structure and governance frameworks feature between the constituent nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which adds complexity to cross-national studies. Difficulties in carrying out research in the NHS in the UK due to bureaucratic and time-consuming governance processes have led to the development of a new system of application and co-ordination from 2009. This paper illustrates how this new system fails to be consistent and streamlined and is unlikely to become so unless changes are made to the implementation and management of the governance processes. Methods We present a case study of the research governance process at the survey stage of an investigation into the use, preferences and need for information by people making choices or decisions about health care. The method involved home-based, face-to-face interviewing in a questionnaire survey in relation to decisions about lymphoma treatment, Down's syndrome screening in pregnancy, and caring for people with dementia. Results Our experience of the ethics stage was very positive, noting an efficient process of application and a speedy decision, both in relation to the initial application and to subsequent substantial amendments. By contrast, the R&D stages were very slow, most with unexplained delays, but some offering contradictory advice and exhibiting a lack of clear guidance and training for NHS staff. The R&D arrangements in Scotland were far quicker and more likely to be successful than in England. Overall, the delays were so severe that substantial parts of the research could not be delivered as planned within the funding timescale. Conclusions If high-quality research in the NHS, particularly in England, is to be delivered in a timely and cost-effective way, R&D processes for

Uncovering the political in non-political young muslim immigrant identities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels Nørgaard Kristensen

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The theme of this paper is political identity and participation amongMuslim migrant young people in Denmark. Political identity is analysedby examining students’ political interests and perception of themselves as participants in politics, as well as their rationalities for politics. In order to address the research question ‘What characterizes political identities among Muslim immigrant young people in schools?’ we interviewed eight Muslim students from a Danish upper secondary school and from different national origins. The students’ political orientations seemed quite contradictory, even among those who might readily have been identified as a-political. Despite moderate political interest, all students showed some inclinations to participate in elections or in particular issues. However, they emphasized that their social studies classes primarily provided them with factual knowledge experience, and some students found this knowledge useful. None of the students seemed to experience school as an arena for participation. Consequently, there is first a need to emphasize the significance of a dynamic perspective on the phenomenon of political identity, and second, we need to know how students in school should be regarded as citizens in ‘the making’ or as equal citizens in a participatory arena.

Does competition between hospitals improve clinical quality?: a review of evidence from two eras of competition in the English NHS

OpenAIRE

Gwyn Bevan; Matthew Skellern

2011-01-01

Gwyn Bevan and Matthew Skellern review evidence on the effects of hospital competition on quality of care within the English NHS and question whether they support government proposals to extend competition.

Political Culture and the Nature of Political Participation in Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-06-01

political socialization . Political-cultural values are gradually internalized within the society and political behavior is largely reflective of...the extent to which the regime used education as a means of political socialization : Socialism is articulated as a Muslim theory of socialism. The head... political socialization except for a brief period during the mobilization program of Ali Sabri. Egypt’s party system has been more relevant for

Redistributive Politics in a Political Union

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Citi, Manuele; Justesen, Mogens Kamp

One of the main functions of centralized budgets in federal and political unions is to act as an equalizing mechanism to support economic cohesion. This is also the case with the European Union’s budget, which operates as a redistributive mechanism that counteracts the cross-national and cross...... remarkably over the last decades. In this paper, we investigate how and why the net fiscal position of each member state towards the rest of the EU changes over time. Using a novel panel dataset (1979-2014), we study how some key national and EU-level political and economic variables affect the EU...... find that the political orientation of national governments does not per se influence redistributive politics with in the EU. However, when the unemployment rate is rising, right-wing governments are able to extract significantly larger budgetary benefits....

The political reference point: How geography shapes political identity

Science.gov (United States)

Feinberg, Matthew; Tullett, Alexa M.; Mensch, Zachary; Hart, William; Gottlieb, Sara

2017-01-01

It is commonly assumed that how individuals identify on the political spectrum–whether liberal, conservative, or moderate–has a universal meaning when it comes to policy stances and voting behavior. But, does political identity mean the same thing from place to place? Using data collected from across the U.S. we find that even when people share the same political identity, those in “bluer” locations are more likely to support left-leaning policies and vote for Democratic candidates than those in “redder” locations. Because the meaning of political identity is inconsistent across locations, individuals who share the same political identity sometimes espouse opposing policy stances. Meanwhile, those with opposing identities sometimes endorse identical policy stances. Such findings suggest that researchers, campaigners, and pollsters must use caution when extrapolating policy preferences and voting behavior from political identity, and that animosity toward the other end of the political spectrum is sometimes misplaced. PMID:28207906

The political reference point: How geography shapes political identity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Feinberg

Full Text Available It is commonly assumed that how individuals identify on the political spectrum-whether liberal, conservative, or moderate-has a universal meaning when it comes to policy stances and voting behavior. But, does political identity mean the same thing from place to place? Using data collected from across the U.S. we find that even when people share the same political identity, those in "bluer" locations are more likely to support left-leaning policies and vote for Democratic candidates than those in "redder" locations. Because the meaning of political identity is inconsistent across locations, individuals who share the same political identity sometimes espouse opposing policy stances. Meanwhile, those with opposing identities sometimes endorse identical policy stances. Such findings suggest that researchers, campaigners, and pollsters must use caution when extrapolating policy preferences and voting behavior from political identity, and that animosity toward the other end of the political spectrum is sometimes misplaced.

Evidence-based commissioning in the English NHS: who uses which sources of evidence? A survey 2010/2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Aileen; Taylor-Phillips, Sian; Swan, Jacky; Gkeredakis, Emmanouil; Mills, Penny; Powell, John; Nicolini, Davide; Roginski, Claudia; Scarbrough, Harry; Grove, Amy

2013-05-28

To investigate types of evidence used by healthcare commissioners when making decisions and whether decisions were influenced by commissioners' experience, personal characteristics or role at work. Cross-sectional survey of 345 National Health Service (NHS) staff members. The study was conducted across 11 English Primary Care Trusts between 2010 and 2011. A total of 440 staff involved in commissioning decisions and employed at NHS band 7 or above were invited to participate in the study. Of those, 345 (78%) completed all or a part of the survey. Participants were asked to rate how important different sources of evidence (empirical or practical) were in a recent decision that had been made. Backwards stepwise logistic regression analyses were undertaken to assess the contributions of age, gender and professional background, as well as the years of experience in NHS commissioning, pay grade and work role. The extent to which empirical evidence was used for commissioning decisions in the NHS varied according to the professional background. Only 50% of respondents stated that clinical guidelines and cost-effectiveness evidence were important for healthcare decisions. Respondents were more likely to report use of empirical evidence if they worked in Public Health in comparison to other departments (pfinance OR  0.19, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.78, other departments OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.17 to 0.71) or if they were female (OR 1.8 95% CI 1.01 to 3.1) rather than male. Respondents were more likely to report use of practical evidence if they were more senior within the organisation (pay grade 8b or higher OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.4 to 5.3, p=0.004 in comparison to lower pay grades). Those trained in Public Health appeared more likely to use external empirical evidence while those at higher pay scales were more likely to use practical evidence when making commissioning decisions. Clearly, National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance and government publications (eg, National Service

Evidence-based commissioning in the English NHS: who uses which sources of evidence? A survey 2010/2011

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Aileen; Taylor-Phillips, Sian; Swan, Jacky; Gkeredakis, Emmanouil; Mills, Penny; Powell, John; Nicolini, Davide; Roginski, Claudia; Scarbrough, Harry; Grove, Amy

2013-01-01

Objectives To investigate types of evidence used by healthcare commissioners when making decisions and whether decisions were influenced by commissioners’ experience, personal characteristics or role at work. Design Cross-sectional survey of 345 National Health Service (NHS) staff members. Setting The study was conducted across 11 English Primary Care Trusts between 2010 and 2011. Participants A total of 440 staff involved in commissioning decisions and employed at NHS band 7 or above were invited to participate in the study. Of those, 345 (78%) completed all or a part of the survey. Main outcome measures Participants were asked to rate how important different sources of evidence (empirical or practical) were in a recent decision that had been made. Backwards stepwise logistic regression analyses were undertaken to assess the contributions of age, gender and professional background, as well as the years of experience in NHS commissioning, pay grade and work role. Results The extent to which empirical evidence was used for commissioning decisions in the NHS varied according to the professional background. Only 50% of respondents stated that clinical guidelines and cost-effectiveness evidence were important for healthcare decisions. Respondents were more likely to report use of empirical evidence if they worked in Public Health in comparison to other departments (pfinance OR  0.19, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.78, other departments OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.17 to 0.71) or if they were female (OR 1.8 95% CI 1.01 to 3.1) rather than male. Respondents were more likely to report use of practical evidence if they were more senior within the organisation (pay grade 8b or higher OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.4 to 5.3, p=0.004 in comparison to lower pay grades). Conclusions Those trained in Public Health appeared more likely to use external empirical evidence while those at higher pay scales were more likely to use practical evidence when making commissioning decisions. Clearly, National Institute for

Politics Backstage - Television Documentaries, Politics and Politicians

OpenAIRE

Ib Bondebjerg

2006-01-01

This article deals with "the transformation of visibility" in political discourse on and representation of politics and politicians in resent Dansih television documentaries. Drawing on the theories of Habermas, Meyrowitz and John B. Thompson, it is argued that the political persona on television is moved closer to the individual citizen, creating a sort "mediated quasi-inter- action" giving mediated communication a stronger element of face-to-face interaction. Together...

Resource Windfalls, Political Regimes, and Political Stability

OpenAIRE

Francesco Caselli; Andrea Tesei

2011-01-01

We study theoretically and empirically whether natural resource windfalls affect political regimes. We document the following regularities. Natural resource windfalls have no effect on the political system when they occur in democracies. However, windfalls have significant political consequences in autocracies. In particular, when an autocratic country receives a positive shock to its flow of resource rents it responds by becoming even more autocratic. Furthermore, there is heterogeneity in t...

Adult patients' experiences of NHS specialist services for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME): a qualitative study in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Broughton, Jessica; Harris, Sarah; Beasant, Lucy; Crawley, Esther; Collin, Simon M

2017-06-02

Few studies have explored patients' experiences of treatment for CFS/ME. This study aims to fill this gap by capturing the perspective of patients who have been treated by NHS specialist CFS/ME services in England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during the period June-September 2014 with 16 adults who were completing treatment at one of three outpatient NHS specialist CFS/ME services. Interviews were analysed thematically using constant comparison techniques, with particular attention paid to contrasting views. Three themes were identified: 'Journey to specialist services'; 'Things that help or hinder treatment'; and 'Support systems'. Within these themes nine sub-themes were identified. A wide range of factors was evident in forming participants' experiences, including personal characteristics such as perseverance and optimism, and service factors such as flexibility and positive, supportive relationships with clinicians. Participants described how specialist services played a unique role, which was related to the contested nature of the condition. Many participants had experienced a lack of validation and medical and social support before attending a specialist service. Patients' experiences of life before referral, and the concerns that they expressed about being discharged, highlighted the hardship and obstacles which people living with CFS/ME continue to experience in our society. The experiences of CFS/ME patients in our study showed that NHS specialist CFS/ME services played a vital role in patients' journeys towards an improved quality of life. This improvement came about through a process which included validation of patients' experiences, acceptance of change, practical advice and support, and therapeutic outcomes.

Party Political Panthers: Hegemonic Tamil Politics and the Dalit Challenge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo Gorringe

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The Viduthalai Ciruthaigal Katchi (VCK, Liberation Panther Party has successfully transformed from the largest Dalit movement in Tamil Nadu into a recognised political organisation. Social movement theorists like Gamson (1990 view political recognition and engagement as one of the main aims and successes of social mobilisation. Despite the obvious achievements of the VCK, however, activists and commentators express disappointment or disillusionment with its performance. The Panthers clearly reject the caste hierarchy, but they increasingly adopt hegemonic forms of politics which can undermine their aims. This paper, thus, engages with the questions of movement institutionalisation by tracing the political trajectory of the VCK and charting its resistance to and compliance with Dravidian hegemony. It argues that institutionalisation needs to be understood within particular socio-political contexts and notes how the hegemony of Dravidian politics partly explains the disjuncture between activist and political perceptions. It portrays how the dominant political parties have set the template for what it means to ‘do’ politics in Tamil Nadu which serves as both an opportunity and a constraint for potential challengers.

The energy-political programmes of the parties in the State Parliament of Sachsen-Anhalt prior to the State election

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grupe, H.

1994-01-01

This is the first in a series of articles taking a close look at the essential statements in the energy and environmental policy programmes of the politically relevant parties and comparing them with one another. The series begins with the political programmes of the parties represented in the State Parliament of Sachsen-Anhalt (where an election is forthcoming on June 26, 1994), as submitted to the editor of this journal in answer to his inquiry. The analysis is preceded by a brief summary of the most important geographical and energy-economic data and the range of political parties in this State Parliament in order to illustrate the boundary conditions. (orig./UA) [de

The politics and anti-politics of social movements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burchardt, Marian; Patterson, Amy S.; Mubanda Rasmussen, Louise

2013-01-01

's poverty. Religious HIV/AIDS activities must be analysed in a conceptual space between a civil society/politics approach and a service-provider/anti-politics framework. That is, religious mobilisation may at times seek to engage the public realm to shape policies, while at other times it may shun politics...

The politics of researching global health politics

Science.gov (United States)

Rushton, Simon

2015-01-01

In this comment, I build on Shiffman’s call for the global health community to more deeply investigate structural and productive power. I highlight two challenges we must grapple with as social scientists carrying out the types of investigation that Shiffman proposes: the politics of challenging the powerful; and the need to investigate types of expertise that have traditionally been thought of as ‘outside’ global health. In doing so, I argue that moving forward with the agenda Shiffman sets out requires social scientists interested in the global politics of health to be reflexive about our own exercise of structural and productive power and the fact that researching global health politics is itself a political undertaking. PMID:25905482

Political Boundaries (Area)

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Department of Homeland Security — A joint venture involving the National Atlas programs in Canada (Natural Resources Canada), Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Estad�ica Geograf�e Inform�ca), and the...

Political Boundaries (Line)

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Department of Homeland Security — A joint venture involving the National Atlas programs in Canada (Natural Resources Canada), Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Estad�ica Geograf�e Inform�ca), and the...

Political Jurisdiction Boundary

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Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) data incorporates all Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map(DFIRM) databases published by FEMA, and any Letters Of Map Revision...

Barriers to healthy eating by National Health Service (NHS hospital doctors in the hospital setting: results of a cross-sectional survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilson Sue

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background With high levels of obesity and related illness, improving the health of the nation is a major public health concern. This study aimed to identify factors that prevent healthy eating among doctors, and that are associated with satisfaction with catering services. Findings Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 328 NHS doctors working in two NHS Trusts with on-site hospital canteen. Questionnaire to establish perceived barriers to healthy eating, weekly use and satisfaction with the hospital canteen, lifestyle and dietary habits, gender, age, height, weight, job details, and affect. Results: 70% of doctors reported using their hospital canteen each week, with 2 visits per week on average. Canteen opening times, lack of selection and lack of breaks were the most commonly perceived barriers to healthy eating. Availability of healthy options caused the most dissatisfaction. Only 12% felt the NHS was supportive of healthy eating. 74% did not feel their canteen advocated healthy eating. Canteen use is associated with younger age (r = -0.254, p Conclusion Interventions to encourage regular meal breaks, eating breakfast and drinking more water each day need developing. Improved canteen accessibility and availability of healthy options at evenings and weekends may be beneficial.

Facebook, Political Narrative, and Political Change: A Case Study of Palestinian Youth

OpenAIRE

Kenderes, Amanda

2012-01-01

In this dissertation I aim to advance political narrative theory by exploring the use of political narrative on Facebook and the possibility for Facebook to be used among Palestinian youth for political change. To examine the concepts of political narrative and political change, I developed a model for political change based on the changing political narratives which in part prompted the 2011 Egyptian revolution. The model, Political Narrative Perspectives (PNPs), identifies individual and re...

Enacting localist health policy in the English NHS: the 'governing assemblage' of Clinical Commissioning Groups.

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Hammond, Jonathan; Coleman, Anna; Checkland, Kath

2018-01-01

Objectives The Health and Social Care Act 2012 introduced Clinical Commissioning Groups to take responsibility for commissioning (i.e. planning and purchasing) the majority of services for local populations in the English NHS. Constituted as 'membership organizations', with membership compulsory for all GP practices, Clinical Commissioning Groups are overseen by, and are accountable to, a new arm's-length body, NHS England. This paper critically engages with the content and policy narrative of the 2012 Act and explores this in relation to the reality of local policy enactment. Methods Set against a careful review of the 2012 Act, a case study of a nascent Clinical Commissioning Groups was conducted. The research included observations of Clinical Commissioning Group meetings and events (87 h), and in-depth interviews (16) with clinical commissioners, GPs, and managers. Results The 2012 Act was presented as part of a broader government agenda of decentralization and localism. Clinical Commissioning Group membership organizations were framed as a means of better meeting the needs and preferences of local patients and realizing a desirable increase in localism. The policy delineated the 'governing body' and 'the membership', with the former elected from/by the latter to oversee the organization. 'The membership' was duty bound to be 'good', engaged members and to represent their patients' interests. Fieldwork with Notchcroft Clinical Commissioning Group revealed that Clinical Commissioning Groups' statutory duty to NHS England to 'ensure the continuous improvement' of GP practice members involved performance scrutiny of GP practices. These governance processes were carried out by a varied cast of individuals, many of whom did not fit into the binary categorization of membership and governing body constructed in the policy. A concept, the governing assemblage, was developed to describe the dynamic cast of people involved in shaping the work and direction of the Clinical

'Grounded' Politics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Garbi

2012-01-01

play within one particular neighbourhood: Nørrebro in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The article introduces the concept of grounded politics to analyse how groups of Muslim immigrants in Nørrebro use the space, relationships and history of the neighbourhood for identity political statements....... The article further describes how national political debates over the Muslim presence in Denmark affect identity political manifestations within Nørrebro. By using Duncan Bell’s concept of mythscape (Bell, 2003), the article shows how some political actors idealize Nørrebro’s past to contest the present...... ethnic and religious diversity of the neighbourhood and, further, to frame what they see as the deterioration of genuine Danish identity....

Nance-Horan syndrome in females due to a balanced X;1 translocation that disrupts the NHS gene: Familial case report and review of the literature.

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Gómez-Laguna, Laura; Martínez-Herrera, Alejandro; Reyes-de la Rosa, Alejandra Del Pilar; García-Delgado, Constanza; Nieto-Martínez, Karem; Fernández-Ramírez, Fernando; Valderrama-Atayupanqui, Tania Yanet; Morales-Jiménez, Ariadna Berenice; Villa-Morales, Judith; Kofman, Susana; Cervantes, Alicia; Morán-Barroso, Verónica Fabiola

2018-01-01

The Nance-Horan syndrome is an X-linked disorder characterized by congenital cataract, facial features, microcornea, microphthalmia, and dental anomalies; most of the cases are due to NHS gene mutations on Xp22.13. Heterozygous carrier females generally present less severe features, and up to 30% of the affected males have intellectual disability. We describe two patients, mother and daughter, manifesting Nance-Horan syndrome. The cytogenetic and molecular analyses demonstrated a 46,X,t(X;1)(p22.13;q22) karyotype in each of them. No copy-number genomic imbalances were detected by high-density microarray analysis. The mother had a preferential inactivation of the normal X chromosome; expression analysis did not detect any mRNA isoform of NHS. This is the first report of Nance-Horan syndrome due to a skewed X chromosome inactivation resulting from a balanced translocation t(X;1) that disrupts the NHS gene expression, with important implications for clinical presentation and genetic counseling.

Political entrepreneurship and bidding for political monopoly

OpenAIRE

Michael Wohlgemuth

2000-01-01

An analytical framework for dealing with political entrepreneurship and reform is proposed which is based on some new combinations of Schumpeterian political economy, an extended version of Tullock's model of democracy as franchise-bidding for natural monopoly and some basic elements of New Institutional Economics. It is shown that problems of insufficient award criteria and incomplete contracts which may arise in economic bidding schemes, also - and even more so - characterise political comp...

Pirate political parties: New democracy or political utopia

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Karanović Bojana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Modern society is changing under the influence of IT technologies, more and more we talk about 'digital revolution', and political and economic developments are shaped by computer networks. Undeniably, the Internet has opened new possibilities for socio-political expansion, networking and mobilization. Besides the political establishment, many social movements found their chance in cyberspace recognizing the IT technology as a platform for the development and improvement of their internal and external communication. In this article we will focus on the Pirate Party, movement that has been seriously growing on the European political stage for last several years. Following the example of German Pirate Party we will try to explain the characteristics of the movement, its goals and communication strategies, and political dilemmas which it brings.

Lifelong Political Socialization, Consciousness and Political Agency in Israel Today

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Michel, Dirk

2007-01-01

This article deals with the nexus between biographical experiences in political extraordinary times of crisis, disaster and terror and their influence on political orientations. At the centre of interest is the reconstruction of political orientations related to two different historical-political groups of Jewish Germans who had immigrated or…

Can UK NHS research ethics committees effectively monitor publication and outcome reporting bias?

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Begum, Rasheda; Kolstoe, Simon

2015-07-25

Publication and outcome reporting bias is often caused by researchers selectively choosing which scientific results and outcomes to publish. This behaviour is ethically significant as it distorts the literature used for future scientific or clinical decision-making. This study investigates the practicalities of using ethics applications submitted to a UK National Health Service (NHS) research ethics committee to monitor both types of reporting bias. As part of an internal audit we accessed research ethics database records for studies submitting an end of study declaration to the Hampshire A research ethics committee (formerly Southampton A) between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2011. A literature search was used to establish the publication status of studies. Primary and secondary outcomes stated in application forms were compared with outcomes reported in publications. Out of 116 studies the literature search identified 57 publications for 37 studies giving a publication rate of 32%. Original Research Ethics Committee (REC) applications could be obtained for 28 of the published studies. Outcome inconsistencies were found in 16 (57%) of the published studies. This study showed that the problem of publication and outcome reporting bias is still significant in the UK. The method described here demonstrates that UK NHS research ethics committees are in a good position to detect such bias due to their unique access to original research protocols. Data gathered in this way could be used by the Health Research Authority to encourage higher levels of transparency in UK research.

Politics, Security, Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wæver, Ole

2011-01-01

theory is found to ‘act politically’ through three structural features that systematically shape the political effects of using the theory. The article further discusses – on the basis of the preceding articles in the special issue – three emerging debates around securitization theory: ethics......This article outlines three ways of analysing the ‘politics of securitization’, emphasizing an often-overlooked form of politics practised through theory design. The structure and nature of a theory can have systematic political implications. Analysis of this ‘politics of securitization......’ is distinct from both the study of political practices of securitization and explorations of competing concepts of politics among security theories. It means tracking what kinds of analysis the theory can produce and whether such analysis systematically impacts real-life political struggles. Securitization...

The Political Parties and Political Participation in Rivers State, Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Political Parties and Political Participation in Rivers State, Nigeria: A Case Study of 2015 General Elections. Goddey Wilson. Abstract. The study reviewed the activities of the political parties and its impact on voters' participation in the political activities in Rivers State. In pursuit of this objective, the study generated ...

The institutionalization of River Basin Management as politics of scale - Insights from Mongolia

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Houdret, Annabelle; Dombrowsky, Ines; Horlemann, Lena

2014-11-01

River Basin Management (RBM) as an approach to sustainable water use has become the dominant model of water governance. Its introduction, however, entails a fundamental realignment and rescaling of water-sector institutions along hydrological boundaries. Creating such a new governance scale is inherently political, and is being described as politics of scale. This paper analyzes how the politics of scale play out in the institutionalization of RBM in Mongolia. It furthermore scrutinizes the role of the broader political decentralization process in the introduction of RBM, an issue that has so far received little attention. Finally, it assesses whether the river basin is an adequate water management scale in Mongolia. This article finds that institutionalizing RBM in Mongolia is indeed a highly political negotiation process that does not only concern the choice of the governance scale, but also its detailed institutional design. It furthermore reveals that Mongolia's incomplete political decentralization process has for a long time negatively impacted the decentralization of water-related tasks and the implementation of RBM. However, the 2011 Budget Law and the 2012 Water Law provide for a fiscal strengthening of local governments and clearer sharing of responsibilities among the various different institutions involved in water management. Nevertheless, only if the 2012 Water Law is complemented by adequate by-laws - and if the newly created river basin institutions are adequately equipped - can RBM be effectively put into practice. This article confirms the usefulness of a politics-of-scale approach to understand scalar practices and changes in water management. However, the article also argues for a broadening of the analytical perspective to take the interdependencies between changes in water governance and other political processes, such as decentralization, into account.

Political innovations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Eva

2017-01-01

are mainly interested in assessing and promoting innovations in public service delivery, but have paid little or no attention to the need for innovations in polity, politics and policy. This article develops a research agenda for studying innovations in political institutions, in the political process...... and in policy outputs. It proposes a number of research themes related to political innovations that call for scholarly attention, and identifies push and pull factors influencing the likelihood that these themes will be addressed in future research....

Putting politics first.

Science.gov (United States)

Hacker, Jacob S

2008-01-01

The greatest lesson of the failure of comprehensive health reform in the early 1990s is that politics comes first. Even the best-laid policy plans are worthless if they lack the political support to pass. Putting politics first means avoiding the overarching mistake of the Clinton reformers: envisioning a grand policy compromise rather than hammering out a real political compromise. It also means addressing the inevitable fears of those who believe that they are well protected by our eroding employment-based system. And it means formulating political strategies that are premised on the contemporary realities of the hyperpolarized U.S. political environment, rather than wistfully recalled images of the bipartisan politics of old.

Religion and Politics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandak, Andreas

2018-01-01

Religion and politics provide an interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, both may initially come across as rather self-evident categories, with religion dealing with human perceptions and what people hold as sacred, and politics addressing the control and governance of fellow human beings....... Nonetheless, such a simple opposition should only work as a starting point for an interrogation of both terms and how they have come to look and function as empirical and analytical categories. Focusing on the ways that religion is played out in relation to politics reveals different historical and cultural...... constellations and positions, which can be highlighted as variations of religion as politics, religion in politics, religion out of politics, and religion not politics....

Facebook, Political Narrative, and Political Change: A Case Study of Palestinian Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Kenderes, Amanda M.

2012-01-01

In this dissertation I aim to advance political narrative theory by exploring the use of political narrative on Facebook and the possibility for Facebook to be used among Palestinian youth for political change. To examine the concepts of political narrative and political change, I developed a model for political change based on the changing…

Political Socialization and Political Interest: The Role of School Reassessed

Science.gov (United States)

Koskimaa, Vesa; Rapeli, Lauri

2015-01-01

There is a growing concern about the lack of political interest and engagement among Western youth. This has led to a revival of political socialization studies. One recent finding is that (late) adolescence is key to understanding the development of interest for politics. This study builds on this finding by examining political interest among…

Exploring Political Alternatives

Science.gov (United States)

Denhardt, Robert B.

1975-01-01

The author distinguishes between the concepts of political socialization and political education. He argues that political socialization has come to dominate both our thinking and our teaching in the area of civic education. Suggestions for promoting political education are included. (DE)

Does a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course have the potential to reduce stress and burnout in NHS GPs? Feasibility study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton-West, Kate; Pellatt-Higgins, Tracy; Pillai, Neil

2018-04-19

AimTo explore, for the first time, whether a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course has the potential to reduce stress and burnout among National Health Service (NHS) General Practitioners. There is a crisis of low morale among NHS GPs, with most describing their workload as 'unmanageable'. MBCT has been demonstrated to improve stress and burnout in other populations, but has not yet been evaluated in a cohort of NHS GPs. NHS GPs in South East England (n=22) attended a modified version of the MBCT course approved by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for prevention of depressive relapse. This comprised eight weekly 2-h sessions with homework (mindfulness practice) between sessions. Participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before (baseline) and then again one month (T2) and three months (T3) after attending the course. We also obtained qualitative data on participants' experiences of the course.FindingsCompliance with the intervention was very high. All GPs attended at least six sessions and all completed baseline questionnaires. At T2, data were obtained from 21 participants (95%); PSS scores were significantly lower than at baseline (P<0.001), as were MBI emotional exhaustion (P<0.001) and depersonalization scores (P=0.0421). At T3 we obtained data for 13 participants (59%); PSS scores and MBI emotional exhaustion scores were significantly lower (P<0.001; P=0.0024, respectively) and personal accomplishment scores were significantly higher (P<0.001) than at baseline. Participants reported that the course helped them to manage work pressures, feel more relaxed, enjoy their work and experience greater empathy and compassion (for self, colleagues and patients). Findings of this preliminary evaluation are promising. Further research is needed to evaluate this approach within a larger randomized-controlled trial.

The Pragmatics of Political Apology in Ghana’s Contemporary Politics

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Kofi Agyekum

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses political apology in the 4 the republic of Ghanaian contemporary politics from 2013 to 2015. It taps its data from apologetic speeches by political officials and from apologies rendered to politicians. The paper discusses the semantics and pragmatics of political apology. It examines the use of the language of apology, paying attention to expressives, commissives and persuasion, by drawing on the speech act of apology and political discourse analysis (PDA. It concludes that the obligation on the part of the offender to apologise and for the offended to accept the apology and to forgive for socio-political harmony is driven by both the social pact and the Ghanaian communalistic context.

Politics in evaluation: Politically responsive evaluation in high stakes environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Azzam, Tarek; Levine, Bret

2015-12-01

The role of politics has often been discussed in evaluation theory and practice. The political influence of the situation can have major effects on the evaluation design, approach and methods. Politics also has the potential to influence the decisions made from the evaluation findings. The current study focuses on the influence of the political context on stakeholder decision making. Utilizing a simulation scenario, this study compares stakeholder decision making in high and low stakes evaluation contexts. Findings suggest that high stakes political environments are more likely than low stakes environments to lead to reduced reliance on technically appropriate measures and increased dependence on measures better reflect the broader political environment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring a shared leadership perspective for NHS doctors.

Science.gov (United States)

Willcocks, Stephen George; Wibberley, Gemma

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore involving doctors in shared leadership. It examines the policies that have led to the focus on shared leadership and the implications for practice. This is a conceptual paper, examining policy developments and key literature to understand the move towards shared leadership. It focuses on UK NHS, and in particular doctors, although the concepts will be relevant to other disciplines in healthcare, and healthcare systems in other countries. This paper suggests that the shared-leadership approach for doctors has potential given the nature of clinical practice, the inherently collaborative nature of healthcare and the demands of new healthcare organisations. Health policy reform, generally, will mean that all doctors need to be engaged with leadership, albeit, perhaps, at different levels, and with different degrees of formality. Leadership will remain an important precondition for the success of the reforms. This is likely to be the case for other countries involved in healthcare reform. To highlight the benefits and barriers to shared leadership for doctors. Offers an alternative to traditional approaches to leadership.

The Effects of Majoring in Political Science on Political Efficacy

Science.gov (United States)

Dominguez, Casey B. K.; Smith, Keith W.; Williams, J. Michael

2017-01-01

This study tests, and finds support, for the hypotheses that a student who majors in political science will have stronger feelings of political competence and will be more willing to engage in hypothetical political actions than two peer groups: (a) those who major in other fields and (b) those who show an interest in politics but have not studied…

Electrochemical impedance and spectroscopy study of the EDC/NHS activation of the carboxyl groups on poly(ε-caprolactone/poly(m-anthranilic acid nanofibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Guler

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS and spectroscopy was applied to investigate the surface activation of carboxyl group (–COOH containing nanofibers by the reaction of 1-ethyl-3-(dimethyl-aminopropyl carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC/N-hydroxyl succinimide (NHS in different concentrations. Poly(!-caprolactone/poly(m-anthranilic acid (PCL/P3ANA nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning and were activated with 5/0.5, 0.5/5, 5/5 and 50/50 mM of EDC/NHS. The surface activation was investigated by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR and activation yield was estimated. Albumin was immobilized after surface activation and the amount of covalently immobilized protein was determined by bicinchoninic acid (BCA assay. Morphology and composition of albumin immobilized nanofibers were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX and Atomic force microscope (AFM. EIS measurements indicated that nanofibers become resistant after albumin immobilization. The obtained data revealed that the highest amount of albumin bound to nanofibers activated with 50/50 mM of EDC/NHS which was found to be the optimum concentration for the activation of PCL/P3ANA nanofibers.

Political Anthropology and Anthropology of Politics: An Overview

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Suresh Dhakal

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In this short review, I have tried to sketch an overview of historical development of political anthropology and its recent trends. I was enthused to prepare this review article as there does not exist any of such simplified introduction of one of the prominent sub-fields in cultural anthropology for the Nepalis readers, in particular. I believe this particular sub-field has to offer much to understand and explain the recent trends and current turmoil of the political transition in the country. Political anthropologists than any other could better explain how the politics is socially and culturally embedded and intertwined, therefore, separation of the two – politics from social and cultural processes – is not only impossible but methodologically wrong, too. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v5i0.6365 Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 5, 2011: 217-34

Teaching gender and politics: Feminist methods in political science

OpenAIRE

Krook, Mona Lena

2009-01-01

Feminist research in political science is marked by two major contributions: (1) introducing the concept of “gender” and (2) expanding the definition of “politics.” Given its origins in feminist theory and activism, it is guided by scholarly and political aims to transform the study and the practice of politics (cf. Hawkesworth 2006). These commitments enable feminist scholars to identify new research questions, as well as to approach traditional topics in novel ways, using a variety of resea...

The political spectacle phenomenon on the political scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Vučetić Vuk

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper will examine the phenomenon of political spectacle in BiH. Our goal is to recognize the structure of political spectacle in BiH political scene and point out the functions and objectives of this relatively new term in the media and the political sphere. In this regard, we have observed a political spectacle as a method of political communication of the rulers to the ruled. A very important element of the political spectacle is the media. With the media promotion of this method of political communication achieves its full capacity. The final outcome of the political spectacle is reflected in manipulating the public. In this way the politicians try to remain in power as long as they can.

[Baltic eugenics: Bio-politics, race and nation in interwar Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania 1918-1940] / Raiko Jäärats

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Jäärats, Raiko, 1980-

2014-01-01

Arvustus: Baltic eugenics: Bio-politics, race and nation in interwar Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania 1918-1940 (On the boundary of two worlds. identity, fredom and moral imagination in the Baltics, 35). Hrsg. von Björn M. Felder und Paul J. Weindling. Rodopi, Amsterdam u.a. 2013

Office Politics

Science.gov (United States)

Storm, Paula; Kelly, Robert; deVries, Susann

2008-01-01

People and organizations are inherently political. Library workplace environments have zones of tension and dynamics just like any corporation, often leading to the formation of political camps. These different cliques influence productivity and work-related issues and, at worst, give meetings the feel of the Camp David negotiations. Politics are…

Language and Politics.

Science.gov (United States)

Chimombo, Moira

1999-01-01

Surveys the interrelationship between language and politics. Touches on the context of political discourse, or political culture and ideology in new and old democracies and the reemerging manifestations of totalitarianism, censorship, and linguistic imperialism; then examines selected linguistic features of political discourse and their…

Measuring change in health care equity using small-area administrative data - evidence from the English NHS 2001-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Cookson, Richard; Laudicella, Mauro; Donni, Paolo Li

2012-10-01

This study developed a method for measuring change in socio-economic equity in health care utilisation using small-area level administrative data. Our method provides more detailed information on utilisation than survey data but only examines socio-economic differences between neighbourhoods rather than individuals. The context was the English NHS from 2001 to 2008, a period of accelerated expenditure growth and pro-competition reform. Hospital records for all adults receiving non-emergency hospital care in the English NHS from 2001 to 2008 were aggregated to 32,482 English small areas with mean population about 1500 and combined with other small-area administrative data. Regression models of utilisation were used to examine year-on-year change in the small-area association between deprivation and utilisation, allowing for population size, age-sex composition and disease prevalence including (from 2003 to 2008) cancer, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension, hypothyroidism, stroke, transient ischaemic attack and (from 2006 to 2008) atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obesity and heart failure. There was no substantial change in small-area associations between deprivation and utilisation for outpatient visits, hip replacement, senile cataract, gastroscopy or coronary revascularisation, though overall non-emergency inpatient admissions rose slightly faster in more deprived areas than elsewhere. Associations between deprivation and disease prevalence changed little during the period, indicating that observed need did not grow faster in more deprived areas than elsewhere. We conclude that there was no substantial deterioration in socio-economic equity in health care utilisation in the English NHS from 2001 to 2008, and if anything, there may have been a slight improvement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The cultural politics of biomedicine in the Caribbean

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Paul E. Brodwin

1998-01-01

Full Text Available [First paragraph] Healing the Masses: Cuban Health Politics at Home and Abroad. JULIE M. FEINSILVER. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. xx + 307 pp. (Cloth US$ 45.00, Paper US$ 17.00 The Blessings of Motherhood: Health, Pregnancy and Child Care in Dominica. ANJA KRUMEICH. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis, 1994. iii + 278 pp. (Paper NLG 47.50 Disability and Rehabilitation in Rural Jamaica: An Ethnographic Study. RONNIE LINDA LEAVITT. Rutherford NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press; London: Associated University Presses, 1992. 249 pp. (Cloth US$ 39.50 Based on research in three Caribbean societies, these books explore the contours of biomedicine ("Western" or scientific medicine as a cultural system and an instrument of state power. On a theoretical level, the authors take up the blurred boundaries between Western biomedicine and other forms of healing as well as the political meanings and contradictions hidden behind everyday clinical routines. Their particular research projects, however, ask what has happened to the dream of universally accessible medical care in the past twenty years in the Caribbean region. The books focus on a community-based pediatric disability program in Jamaica(Leavitt, maternal and child health care in Dominica (Krumeich, and Cuba's national project of medical modernization (Feinsilver. Specific diseases or clinical outcomes are less at issue than the cultural and political dimensions of planned health development and the social transformations it sets into motion on both local and national levels.

Political legitimacy and approval of political protest and violence among children and adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Funderburk, C

1975-06-01

A question of general theoretical relevance for political socialization research concerns the role played by basic political orientations in structuring specific political opinions. This report investigates the relationship between beliefs in the legitimacy of political objects and approval of political protest and violence among a sample of children and adolescents. The setting for the research was a Florida town. Four aspects of political legitimacy are defined and measured. Measures of approval of political protest and political violence are distinguished conceptually and empirically. Beliefs in political legitimacy are shown to be of considerable importance in structuring opinions about political violence but have little impact on opinions about protest.

POLITICAL PARTIES AND THEIR ROLE IN SAFEGUARDING THE SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia-Elena, OLARU

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, the political scene of the world is stirred by political parties. The separate fronts of the Government, on the one side, and Parliament, on the other, are now obsolete notions, while political parties dominate social life, having become genuine states in state. Therefore, within the contemporary organization of the powers in state, the issues are assessed from a different perspective: traditional structures are maintained, while their functions evolve and transform rapidly. A modern society without political parties is unconceivable. Today, more than ever, political parties deserve their qualification of "engines of political life" and "reasons of the aging of the classical theory of the separation of powers"; at the same time, they must act within the boundaries set by law, namely by observing the principles of a democratic state and the constitutional order. When dealing with the theory of the separation of powers in state, we must keep in mind that, to a large extent, it was developed in a time in which political parties did not exist yet or were not in their modern form. The main problems were of institutional nature and referred to the various bodies, their competencies and the relationships between them. Unfortunately, in societies in transition, where authentic democracy is still developing, political parties - in some countries - perceive governing as a means of obtaining ministerial portfolios at all costs, irrespective of whether they have professionals for the field concerned or not. This often creates a governmental crisis, which usually leads to changing the incumbents and obtaining more positions in the new government. In this context, some of the incumbent parties set up all kinds of obstacles in order to limit the number of parties, and if this limitation fails, they manage to create legal provisions which discriminate among parties with seats in Parliament and those which are not represented, both in local and

Political Budget Cycles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aaskoven, Lasse; Lassen, David Dreyer

2017-01-01

The political budget cycle—how elections affect government fiscal policy—is one of the most studied subjects in political economy and political science. The key theoretical question is whether incumbent governments can time or structure public finances in ways that improve their chances of reelec......The political budget cycle—how elections affect government fiscal policy—is one of the most studied subjects in political economy and political science. The key theoretical question is whether incumbent governments can time or structure public finances in ways that improve their chances...... on political budget cycles have recently focused on conditions under which such cycles are likely to obtain. Much recent research focuses on subnational settings, allowing comparisons of governments in similar institutional environments, and a consensus on the presences of cycles in public finances...

The issue of political behaviour in contemporary bio-political discourse

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A. Y. Kravets

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The main topic of the article is the political. During the study it has been found tested that political behaviour is the difficult question to analyse as in bio-politics there are a lot of discussions about genetics and social origins of political behaviour. An integration model of bio-political view of political behaviour has been suggested at the article, which includes both genetics (adaptation, domination and subordination and social factors (education, socialization, the evolution of consciousness. «Homo Politicus» is genetically related with another biological Wight and this definitely influences his behavior in social and political spheres. For instance, every human being as any social primates has genetic inclination to adaptation, domination, subjugation. In case with «Homo Sapiens» this has a form of genetic and social adaptation, political domination and subjugation. The inclination to the domination from one side and to the subjugation to another side is genetically «imprinted» into the nature of the «Homo Politicus». Particularly this two features lie is the basis of his political behavior. However, it is important to mention that, nevertheless the «Homo Sapiens» shares inclination of social primates for hierarchical social organization at the same time he has developed the following capabilities, which are unique in animal world, such as: language, culture and morale. Thus, ideas and values created by the human being have commenced changing of his behavior in social and political sphere. It is important to underline that in above mentioned dichotomy «genetic – culture/morale» such very core analysis element as human brain is absent. According to this, it is has to be mentioned that we keep in mind that the human brain participates in formation of every act or idea, what is fulfilled in the process of the political supervision of subject of management, as well as in the process of social action of management object

Perceived Organisational Politics, Political Behaviour and Employee ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

facing both private and public sector organisations (Nidhi & Prerna, 2015;. Gotsis & Kortezi ... These studies suggest that organisational politics often interfere with normal ..... Rawls's (1971) theory of justice provides a theoretical foundation for the relationship between ..... Ethical considerations in organisational politics: ...

Exploring Women's Understanding of Politics, Political Contestation ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Exploring Women's Understanding of Politics, Political Contestation and Gender Transformation in the Caribbean. IDRC's Democratic Governance, Women's Rights and Gender Equality initiative is supporting a body of comparative research on whether and how democratic processes and institutions are responding to ...

Moral politics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rapp, Carolin; Traunmüller, Richard; Freitag, Markus

2014-01-01

This article combines the research strands of moral politics and political behavior by focusing on the effect of individual and contextual religiosity on individual vote decisions in popular initiatives and public referenda concerning morally charged issues. We rely on a total of 13 surveys with 1...... American research on moral politics, direct democracies, and the public role of religion....

Union Underground: Political Issues. Comparing Political Experiences, Experimental Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillespie, Judith A.; Lazarus, Stuart

This is the third unit to the second-semester "Comparing Political Experiences" course which focuses on a specific, controversial, political issue. The unit analyzes the concept of political maintenance by studying the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) between 1918 and 1975 and its fight to secure mine safety standards. A documentary…

Political Culture and Covalent Bonding. A Conceptual Model of Political Culture Change

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Camelia Florela Voinea

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Our class of models aims at explaining the dynamics of political attitude change by means of the dynamic changes in values, beliefs, norms and knowledge with which it is associated. The model constructs a political culture perspective over the relationship between macro and micro levels of a society and polity. The model defines the bonding mechanism as a basic mechanism of the political culture change by taking inspiration from the valence bonding theory in Chemistry, which has inspired the elaboration of the mechanisms and processes underlying the political culture emergence and the political culture control over the relationship between macro-level political entities and the micro-level individual agents. The model introduces operational definitions of the individual agent in political culture terms. The simulation model is used for the study of emergent political culture change phenomena based on individual interactions (emergent or upward causation as well as the ways in which the macro entities and emergent phenomena influence in turn the behaviors of individual agents (downward causation. The model is used in the ongoing research concerning the quality of democracy and political participation of the citizens in the Eastern European societies after the Fall of Berlin Wall. It is particularly aimed at explaining the long-term effect of the communist legacy and of the communist polity concept and organization onto the political mentalities and behaviors of the citizens with respect to democratic institutions and political power. The model has major implications in political socialization, political involvement, political behavior, corruption and polity modeling.

The boundaries of poverty in Bogota

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Consuelo Uribe Mallarino

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The article proposes an analytical perspective on poverty with a multidimensional approach, not only as an aggregate of variables and indicators, but also using a probing strategy that considers the way in which it is perceived between the groups receiving programs to alleviate poverty or use subsidized public services, and those without. Based on tools for quantitative and qualitative analysis applied to data collected on a sample of residents of Bogota, the authors analyze how the boundaries of sense on poverty are related to both objective and subjective factors related to being or not users of these programs, socioeconomic and educational conditions, as well as political participation, degree of association and use of mechanisms to enforce civil rights.

Parenting and Politics: Exploring Early Moral Bases of Political Orientation

OpenAIRE

Janoff-Bulman, Ronnie; Carnes, Nate C.; Sheikh, Sana

2014-01-01

Based on Lakoff’s (2002) Strict Father and Nurturant Parent metaphors for political conservatism and liberalism respectively, two studies explored parenting styles, political ideology, and the moral orientations that might link the two. Restrictive parenting (by both mother and father) predicted political conservatism, and this path was mediated by a strong Social Order orientation (Study 1) reflecting, more broadly, an inhibition-based proscriptive morality (Study 2). Political liberalism wa...

Education and Political Development

Science.gov (United States)

Massialas, Byron G.

1977-01-01

Considers how education is related to politics with the focus on political socialization, political recruitment, i.e., the selection and training of political elites, and political integration or nation building of groups of people. (Author/RK)

Reengineering NHS Hospitals in Greece: Redistribution Leads to Rational Mergers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolentzos, Athanasios; Kontodimopoulos, Nick; Polyzos, Nikolaos; Thireos, Eleftherios; Tountas, Yannis

2015-03-18

The purpose of this study was to record and evaluate existing public hospital infrastructure of the National Health System (NHS), in terms of clinics and laboratories, as well as the healthcare workforce in each of these units and in every health region in Greece, in an attempt to optimize the allocation of these resources. An extensive analysis of raw data according to supply and performance indicators was performed to serve as a solid and objective scientific baseline for the proposed reengineering of the Greek public hospitals. Suggestions for "reshuffling" clinics and diagnostic laboratories, and their personnel, were made by using a best versus worst outcome indicator approach at a regional and national level. This study is expected to contribute to the academic debate about the gap between theory and evidence based decision-making in health policy.

Introduction: The micro-politics of knowledge production in Southern Africa

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Andrew Bank

Full Text Available This issue of Kronos: Southern African Histories proposes a scaling down from analyses of scientific and institutional authority toward the micro-politics in the work of knowledge production. The articles locate the operations of power and affect in the interactions of individuals situated within networks. While histories of science in southern Africa are still sparse, these essays build on the region's rich micro-historical and biographical traditions and on developments in science studies globally. The twelve articles in this issue lie in the period from around 900 through to the present and their geographical range includes contemporary Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. This introduction discusses them thematically. The first theme 'Controlling and Classifying Nature' (articles by de Luna, Cook, Hammel, and Mwatwara and Swart explores knowledge production before the apex of imperial rule and foreground collaborations between Africans and Europeans without defining the projects in scientific or imperialist terms. These articles expose the fragile boundaries between fact and fiction, knowledge and ignorance, in historical and natural understandings. The second theme, 'The Racial Politics of Cultural Knowledge' (articles by Wright, Bank, Hansen, and Duff draws out the ideological, political, and affective motivations in scientific work and directs attention to the story of racial categories and racism in southern African science and its history more generally. The third theme, 'Local and Global Racial Politics' (articles by Dubow, Magaziner and Jacobs, demonstrates the potential of intellectual biographies to establish the presence of affect in a form usually reduced to equating power and knowledge. The fourth theme, 'The Micro-Politics of Science' (article by Heywood, probes how diverse actors, including molecular biologists, museum staff and conservationists, interacted in the development of a scheme to breed a look-alike of an

The refugee crisis in Africa and implications for health and disease: a political ecology approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalipeni, E; Oppong, J

1998-06-01

Political violence in civil war and ethnic conflicts has generated millions of refugees across the African continent with unbelievable pictures of suffering and unnecessary death. Using a political ecology framework, this paper examines the geographies of exile and refugee movements and the associated implications for re-emerging and newly emerging infectious diseases in great detail. It examines how the political ecologic circumstances underlying the refugee crisis influences health services delivery and the problems of disease and health in refugee camps. It has four main themes, namely, an examination of the geography of the refugee crisis: the disruption of health services due to political ecologic forces that produce refugees; the breeding of disease in refugee camps due to the prevailing desperation and destitution; and the creation of an optimal environment for emergence and spread of disease due to the chaotic nature of war and violence that produces refugees. We argue in this paper that there is great potential of something more virulent than cholera and Ebola emerging and taking a big toll before being identified and controlled. We conclude by noting that once such a disease is out in the public rapid diffusion despite political boundaries is likely, a fact that has a direct bearing on global health. The extensive evidence presented in this paper of the overriding role of political factors in the refugee health problem calls for political reform and peace accords, engagement and empowerment of Pan-African organizations, foreign policy changes by Western governments and greater vigilance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the allocation and distribution of relief aid.

Celebrity politics: the politics of late modernity?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marsh, D.; t Hart, P.; Tindall, K.

2010-01-01

The academic literature on celebrity politics is rarely systematic; more often it is superficial and anecdotal. In addition, most of the literature focuses either upon classifying different types/categories of celebrity politicians and their roles in politics, or upon the question of whether the

Spiritual Politics

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Frédéric Rambeau

2015-01-01

Full Text Available According to Foucault, the uprising of the Iranian people in the seventies reveals how much the political force of Islam is due precisely to the fact that it is not principally located in the field of politics, but in that of ethics. Religion (Shiite Islam appears as the guarantee of real change in the very mode of existence. This spiritual politics is marginalized by Marxism, where it is understood as a discontinuity in relation to proper politics, given that the latter is necessarily linked to a strategic rationalization. By indicating, at this juncture of what is intolerable, the living source and the critical impulse of the Foucauldian ethics, this spiritual politics also leads to recognize in the concept of “subjectivation” a dimension that might escape the circle of freedom as determined by a total immanence to power. This conceptual possibility is highly present in the aporias of the Foucauldian concept of the “relation to oneself”, both as a first condition of governmentality and the ultimate point of resistance against any governmentality. It thus reveals the difficulties in relating political to ethical subjectivation.

About green political parties

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Orlović Slobodan P.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this work the author refers to some legal and political questions in connection with green political parties. Those questions cover: the ideology of green political parties, their number and influence, both in general and in Serbia. The first part of work is generally speaking about political parties - their definition, ideology, role and action. Main thesis in this work is that green political parties, by their appearance, were something new on the political scene. But quickly, because of objective and subjective reasons, they were changing original ideas and were beginning to resemble to all other political parties. In this way, they lost their vanguard and political alternativeness.

Purpose and Vitality of Rumours: Political Aspects

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Valdas Pruskus

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The article deals with social instrumental intention of rumours and their expression. It also reveals the social and political role of rumours in controlling the behaviour of a group of members and preserving its identity. The dual nature of rumours is analyzed as well as gnosiological, psychological and sociological reasons. On the one hand, the roots of rumour vitality are hidden in the dualism of this phenomenon, where in a strange way contradictory things get on well together ­ private and public, moral and immoral, the truth and the lie, between which it is not easy to draw a clear boundary even in everyday life. On the other hand, a rumour is alive because of our constant thirst for additional and fresher information, trying to perceive a person, an action or a phenomenon better. At the same time, it stimulates the proclaimers of the official political information to find the ways for the provided information to be more accurate, open, exhaustive as possible, presented in an understandable and accessible form. There the power of the effect of a rumour lays, a phenomenon without authorship, but with an authority to which, more or less, all of us are to obey. 

Comparing Political Journalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Comparing Political Journalism is a systematic, in-depth study of the factors that shape and influence political news coverage today. Using techniques drawn from the growing field of comparative political communication, an international group of contributors analyse political news content drawn...... Comparing Political Journalism offers an unparalleled scope in assessing the implications for the ongoing transformation of Western media systems, and addresses core concepts of central importance to students and scholars of political communication world-wide....... from newspapers, television news, and news websites from 16 countries, to assess what kinds of media systems are most conducive to producing quality journalism. Underpinned by key conceptual themes, such as the role that the media are expected to play in democracies and quality of coverage...

Supporting staff in employment: the emotional wellbeing of staff in an NHS psychiatric hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, I D; Bell, J S

2000-09-01

The objective of this study was to assess the emotional wellbeing of a broad sample of NHS employees in a psychiatric setting; to seek their views on sources of distress; and to identify preferred ways of dealing with it. A cross-sectional postal survey, employing two questionnaires: GHQ-28, and a semi-structured questionnaire. These were sent to a nominal 50% sample (n = 599). The population was the staff of a large Scottish psychiatric service. A 47.9% response rate was achieved; 32.9% of respondents exceeded a cut-off score of four on the GHQ-28. Neither occupational, group nor gender effects were significant on this measure. The reporting of emotionally-distressing problems affecting their performance was found to be more common amongst doctors; males, overall, showed a non-significant trend towards having been affected more than females by such problems; and older staff (above 45) were affected significantly more often than younger staff. Almost a third of staff were unaware of the availability of an internal organisational resource (the Occupational Health service). NHS Trusts should ensure the culture at work is appropriate from a preventative point of view and be aware that factors outwith the workplace can affect employees emotional wellbeing and performance. Preventative and supportive measures to minimise psychological distress in the workforce should be considered; the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme: Mental Health in the Workplace offers useful guidance.

Unmeasured improvement work: the lack of routinely collected, service-related data in NHS endoscopy units in England involved in "modernisation"

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Hutchings Hayley A

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The availability of routinely collected service-related endoscopy data from NHS endoscopy units has never been quantified. Methods This retrospective observational study asked 19 endoscopy units to submit copies of all in-house, service-related endoscopy data that had been routinely collected by the unit – Referral numbers, Activity, Number of patients waiting and Number of lost slots. Nine of the endoscopy units had previously participated in the Modernising Endoscopy Services (MES project during 2003 to redesign their endoscopy services. These MES sites had access to additional funding and data collection software. The other ten (Control sites had modernised independently. All data was requested in two phases and corresponded to eight specific time points between January 2003 and April 2006. Results Only eight of 19 endoscopy units submitted routinely collected, service-related data. Another site's data was collected specifically for the study. A further two units claimed to routinely collect service-related data but did not submit any to the study. The remaining eight did not collect any service-related endoscopy data routinely and liaised with their Trust for data. Of the eight sites submitting service-related data, only three were MES project sites. Of these three, the data variables collected were limited and none collected the complete set of endoscopy data variables requested. Of the other five sites, two collected all four endoscopy data types. Data for the three MES project sites went back as far as January 2003, whilst the five Control sites were only able to submit data from December 2003 onwards. Conclusion There was a lack of service-related endoscopy data routinely collected by the study sites, especially those who had participated in the MES project. Without this data, NHS endoscopy services cannot have a true understanding of their services, cannot identify problems and cannot measure the impact of any

Usage of marketing in politics

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Marić Ivana

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Multi-party political system led to competition between political parties which caused the need for marketing in politics that improves political reputation. Politics, based on rich experience of political practice, used existing, developed methods and techniques of commercial marketing. Political marketing openly admits that politics and politicians are simply goods that are being sold on a political market. Political marketing is a whole way of operation by political parties which ask these questions: how do the voters choose; what affects their preference and how that preference can be influenced. Usage of political marketing in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still not on a satisfactory level but the knowledge about the importance of political marketing is increasing.

MAPPING CHILDREN'S POLITICS: SPATIAL STORIES, DIALOGIC RELATIONS AND POLITICAL FORMATION.

Science.gov (United States)

Elwood, Sarah; Mitchell, Katharyne

2012-03-01

This article confronts a persistent challenge in research on children's geographies and politics: the difficulty of recognizing forms of political agency and practice that by definition fall outside of existing political theory. Children are effectively "always already" positioned outside most of the structures and ideals of modernist democratic theory, such as the public sphere and abstracted notions of communicative action or "rational" speech. Recent emphases on embodied tactics of everyday life have offered important ways to recognize children's political agency and practice. However, we argue here that a focus on spatial practices and critical knowledge alone cannot capture the full range of children's politics, and show how representational and dialogic practices remain a critical element of their politics in everyday life. Drawing on de Certeau's notion of spatial stories, and Bakhtin's concept of dialogic relations, we argue that children's representations and dialogues comprise a significant space of their political agency and formation, in which they can make and negotiate social meanings, subjectivities, and relationships. We develop these arguments with evidence from an after-school activity programme we conducted with 10-13 year olds in Seattle, Washington, in which participants explored, mapped, wrote and spoke about the spaces and experiences of their everyday lives. Within these practices, children negotiate autonomy and self-determination, and forward ideas, representations, and expressions of agreement or disagreement that are critical to their formation as political actors.

Turkish Political Market and the Perception of Political Parties

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Cihat Polat

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study attempts to describe the Turkish political market and determine where and how Turkish political parties are perceived by voters. The study uses a two-dimensional map to determine the voter perceptions of the parties in the Turkish political market based on a survey questionnaire applied to 400 young voters. It also investigates whether there are any major differences in the perception of parties in the political space based on voter ideologies. The study finds that young voters have clear perceptions of the positions of Turkish parties. It also finds that voter perceptions of parties vary based on voters’ ideological positions.

Political Campaigns

OpenAIRE

Lilleker, Darren

2017-01-01

Political campaigns are orchestrated attempts by political organizations to garner public support through persuasive communication in order to influence public policy in their favor. This broad definition encapsulates all forms of campaigns from those of neighborhood organizations seeking to influence local politicians to the campaigns of political parties and candidates who seek election to office in order to shape policy themselves. In pluralist democracies, campaigns are crucial for repres...

An investigation into dental digital radiography in dental practices in West Kent following the introduction of the 2006 NHS General Dental Services contract.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauthe, Peter W; Eaton, Kenneth A

2011-04-01

The primary aims of the study were to investigate the use of digital radiography within primary dental care practices in the West Kent Primary Care Trust (PCT) area and general dental practitioners' (GDPs) self-reported change in radiographic prescribing patterns following the introduction of the nGDS contract in 2006. Data were gathered via a piloted, self-completed questionnaire, and circulated to all GDPs listed on the National Health Service (NHS) Choices website as practising in the West Kent PCT area. There were three mailings and follow-up telephone calls. The resulting data were entered into a statistical software database and, where relevant, statistically tested, using the chi-square test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Of 223 GDPs, 168 (75%) responded. There were 163 usable questionnaires. The respondents represented 85% of the general dental practices in West Kent. Eighty (49%) respondents were using digital intra-oral radiography. Of those who used digital radiography, 44 (55%) reported that they used phosphor plate systems and 36 (45%) that they used direct digital sensors. Eighty-three (51%) had a panoramic machine in their practice, 46 of whom (55%) were using digital systems; of these, 32 (67%) were using a direct digital system. Seventy-one GDPs reported that they worked exclusively or mainly in private practice. Forty (56%) of these 'mainly private' GDPs reported that they used digital radiographic systems, whereas only 40 (44%) of the 89 'mainly NHS' GDPs reported using digital radio-graphic systems. On average, mainly private GDPs made the transition to a digital radiographic system six months before mainly NHS GDPs. Of those who provided NHS dentistry before and after April 2006, only 18 (14%) reported taking fewer radiographs and seven (6%) taking more. In February 2010, of the West Kent GDPs who responded to the questionnaire, just under 50% used digital radio graphy. Mainly private GDPs were more likely to use digital radiography than

Are NHS foundation trusts able and willing to exercise autonomy? 'You can take a horse to water...'.

Science.gov (United States)

Exworthy, Mark; Frosini, Francesca; Jones, Lorelei

2011-10-01

Foundation trusts (FTs) have been a central part of the government's National Health Service (NHS) reforms in England since 2004. They illustrate the government's claim to decentralization, by granting greater autonomy to high performing organizations. The number of FTs has grown steadily, reaching 131 in September 2010, over 50% of eligible trusts. Despite this growth, and notwithstanding the fact that organizations which initially became FTs were previously high performing, doubts remain about the implementation of the FT policy. This article examines the implementation of FTs in the NHS and focuses on the nature and exercise of autonomy by FTs. It argues that the ability of FTs to exercise autonomy is in place, but the (relatively limited) extent of implementation may be explained by trusts' lack of willingness to exercise such autonomy. Such unwillingness may be because of continued centralization, unclear policy and financial regimes, fear of negative impacts on relations with other local organizations, and awareness of greater risk to the FT, among others. Addressing the tension between FTs' ability and willingness to exercise autonomy will largely explain the extent to which the government's provider side reforms will be implemented.

Improving service quality in NHS Trust hospitals: lessons from the hotel sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Desombre, T; Eccles, G

1998-01-01

This article looks to review recent practice undertaken within the UK hotel sector to improve customer service, and suggests ideals that could be implemented within National Health (NHS) Trust hospitals. At a time of increasing competition, hotel firms are using service enhancement as a means to gain competitive advantage, and therefore developing a range of techniques to measure levels of service quality improvement. With continued change in the health service, where greater focus now lies with patient satisfaction, so there is a requirement for managers to adapt techniques presently being offered in other service industries to improve levels of customer service and ensure patients are targeted to define their levels of satisfaction.

The association of diagnosis in the private or NHS sector on prostate cancer stage and treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbiere, J M; Greenberg, D C; Wright, K A; Brown, C H; Palmer, C; Neal, D E; Lyratzopoulos, G

2012-03-01

To examine associations of private healthcare with stage and management of prostate cancer. Regional population-based cancer registry information on 15 916 prostate cancer patients. Compared with patients diagnosed in the National Health Service (NHS) (94%), those diagnosed in private hospitals (5%) were significantly more affluent (69 versus 52% in deprivation quintiles 1-2), younger (mean 69 versus 73 years) and diagnosed at earlier stage (72 versus 79% in Stages Private hospital of diagnosis was independently associated with lower probability of advanced disease stage [odds ratio (OR) 0.75, P = 0.002], higher probability of surgery use (OR 1.28, P = 0.037) and lower probability of radiotherapy use (OR 0.75, P = 0.001). Private hospital of diagnosis independently predicted higher surgery and lower radiotherapy use, particularly in more deprived patients aged ≤ 70. In prostate cancer patients, private hospital diagnosis predicts earlier disease stage, higher use of surgery and lower use of radiotherapy, independently of case-mix differences between the two sectors. Substantial socioeconomic differences in stage and treatment patterns remain across centres in the NHS, even after adjusting for private sector diagnosis. Cancer registration data could be used to identify private care use on a population basis and the potential associated treatment disparities.

The impact of integrated team care taught using a live NHS contract on the educational experience of final year dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Radford, D R; Holmes, S; Woolford, M J; Dunne, S M

2014-11-01

To investigate the responses of the dental student body in the first three years of outreach education (2010-13) at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy in the areas of integrated team work and use of a current NHS contact. Use of a questionnaire to allow both quantitative and qualitative data to be obtained, administered to the three cohorts of students at the end of their longitudinal attendance at the Academy in their final year of education at King's College London Dental Institute. Data were obtained from 227 students which represented a 95% return rate. Sixty-four percent of students strongly agreed with both statements: 'I am confident with working with a dental nurse' and 'I now understand properly the scope of practice of dental hygiene-therapists'. Sixty-seven percent strongly agreed with the statement 'I have had useful experience of working in NHS primary care during the final year'. Eighty percent either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement 'My experience of real Units of Dental Activity and Key Performance Indicators has encouraged me to positively consider NHS high street dentistry as a career option'. Within the limitations of this study the dental students reported having gained useful experience of working in integrated team care dentistry. They expressed strong support for the education that is being delivered in an outreach environment and, most importantly, the student body was looking forward to entering general dental practice in the UK.

Field of genes: the politics of science and identity in the Estonian Genome Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Amy L

2004-04-01

This case study of the Estonian Genome Project (EGP) analyses the Estonian policy decision to construct a national human gene bank. Drawing upon qualitative data from newspaper articles and public policy documents, it focuses on how proponents use discourse to link the EGP to the broader political goal of securing Estonia's position within the Western/European scientific and cultural space. This dominant narrative is then situated within the analytical notion of the "brand state", which raises potentially negative political consequences for this type of market-driven genomic research. Considered against the increasing number of countries engaging in gene bank and/or gene database projects, this analysis of Estonia elucidates issues that cross national boundaries, while also illuminating factors specific to this small, post-Soviet state as it enters the global biocybernetic economy.

Social Media and Political Change in the 21st century: the African Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amaechi M. Chidi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Technology no doubt is the engine that drives the modern world, both for destruction and good; and one of the wonders of modern technology is the computer and the allied internet. Modern communication network now relies on the internet using the computer and mobile telephones. In fact, there is no place to hide with the internet and the handy smart phones with which calls are made and pictures and videos recorded and transmitted across boundaries and continents. The advancements in the computer and internet systems in the last decade of the 20th century produced radical changes in both internet connectivity and features available to users through which people are linked across the globe. The three most basic of these internet features that have radically shaped modern communication are, Facebook, Twitters, and the U-Tube, among others. The three are the most popular and core elements of the social media compartment of our modern internet system. Computer technology has broken the boundaries of closed societies and systems, making actions and activities in such systems open and available to the wider world. Through the internet and its core elements, repressive regimes have been exposed and activities going on in liberal societies are shared. Interestingly, Africa became the starting point for the agitation for political change, which was bolstered by the social media. The so-called “Arab Spring”, which first started in Africa through expositions of social media, saw the dismantling of three despotic and ruthless regimes in Arab North Africa, thus giving vent to agitations for an end to dictatorship and illiberality in other Arab states. The paper will examine the role of the social media in political transformation and change of dictatorial regimes in Africa and the consequences such would have on the overall political template of Africa.

Practicing Politics: Female Political Scientists as Candidates for Elective Office

Science.gov (United States)

Burrell, Barbara

2012-01-01

In 2007, University of Oklahoma political science professor Cindy Simon Rosenthal was elected mayor of Norman, Oklahoma, after having served as a member of its city council. Was her activity unique within the political science profession among female political scientists? Her election stimulated the curiosity of some of us in the…

Comparing Political Communication

OpenAIRE

Pfetsch, Barbara; Esser, Frank

2012-01-01

This chapter describes the maturation of comparative political communications as a sub-discipline and defines its conceptual core. It then lays out the concept of “political communication system”. At the macro-level, this model captures the patterns of interaction between media and politics as social systems; at the micro-level it captures the interactions between media and political actors as individuals or organizations. Comparative research in this tradition focuses on the structure of pol...

Religion, sex and politics: Scripting connections in Romans 1:18–32 and Wisdom 14:12–14

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy Punt

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Ancient people envisaged a strong link between what was deemed transgressive religious activities and objectionable sexual practices. Moreover, sexual behaviour considered aberrant was deemed to upset political boundaries which should protect civic and national stability, especially when this behaviour was suspected of effeminacy. Such thinking appears to inform both Romans 1:18–32 and Wisdom of Solomon 14:12–14. Focussing on two passages from these documents, the links between religion, sexual behaviour and politics in the context of the 1st-century Roman Empire are investigated, tracing underlying ideological intersections, connections and divergences.

A comparative study of mid-life, women nurses working in the NHS and UK care homes.

OpenAIRE

Durant, Lesley.

2010-01-01

This thesis examines the working lives of mid-life (aged 40-55) women who are currently working as nurses. The research focuses on why these mid-life nurses demonstrate occupational and organisational commitment, and compares the NHS and care home sectors. The research explores how the differences in organisational structure, culture and context of these two sectors influence nurses' work orientation, job satisfaction and their motivation to continue nursing, incorporating sociological perspe...

Political Market Orientation: A Framework for Understanding Relationship Structures in Political Parties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.; Savigny, Heather

2012-01-01

This article is motivated by the growing need to integrate the current political science and marketing literature in order to provide a deeper understanding of the behaviour of political actors and their relationships with relevant stakeholder groups. In our article, we demonstrate how Ormrod...... strive for contextual sensitivity. By adopting this approach it is hoped that the fears noted by political scientists that political marketing is solely concerned with applying standard management models to political parties with the resulting emphasis on communication tactics at election time, together......’s conceptual model of political market orientation complements political science models of party organization by drawing attention to the competing interests of stakeholders in shaping party strategy and organizational structure. We treat parties as a multitude of actors rather than as monolithic entities...

Building Political Participation: The Role of Family Policy and Political Science Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Parrott, Emily

2017-01-01

This mixed-methods study examined the long-term associations between two kinds of politics courses--required political science courses and required family policy courses--and the political participation, knowledge, skill, efficacy, and politically engaged identity of child and family studies alumni. Two special cases were examined: those who…

Political Consciousness but Not Political Engagement: Results from a Service-Learning Study

Science.gov (United States)

Harker, Dave

2016-01-01

How does participation in a service-learning program impact the way students think about politics and political engagement? There are reasons to expect that service-learning can contribute to the development of a political consciousness and the skills necessary for political participation. The author uses participant observation, in-depth…

Hidden consequences of political efficacy: Testing an efficacy-apathy model of political mobilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Osborne, Danny; Yogeeswaran, Kumar; Sibley, Chris G

2015-10-01

Political efficacy-the belief that one can influence politics-is a key predictor of people's involvement in social movements. Political institutions that are open to change should, however, be seen as just. Thus, political efficacy may ironically undermine minority group members' support for collective action by simultaneously increasing their belief in the fairness of the system. The current study aims to examine this possibility in a national sample of Māori-New Zealand's indigenous minority population. Participants (N = 399) were Māori (Mage = 44.22; SD = 13.30) women (n = 272) and men (n = 115; unreported = 12) who completed a survey assessing their levels of (a) political efficacy, (b) system justification, and (c) support for the political mobilization of their group, as well as relevant demographic covariates. Consistent with past research, political efficacy had a positive direct effect on participants' support for the political mobilization of Māori. Nevertheless, political efficacy also had a negative indirect effect on political mobilization support via increases in system justification. These results held after controlling for participants' ethnic identification, self-efficacy, and conservatism. Our findings uncover a hidden consequence of political efficacy and show that, while believing that the political system is receptive to change predicts political mobilization, it can also undermine minorities' support for the mobilization of their group. Thus, our results uncover a previously unknown process that maintains inequality between ethnic minority and majority group members. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Influence of EDC/NHS coupling chemistry on stability and cytotoxicity of ZnO nanoparticles modified with proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Keleştemur, Seda; Altunbek, Mine; Culha, Mustafa

2017-05-01

The toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) is a growing concern due to its increasing use in several products including sunscreens, paints, pigments and ceramics for its antibacterial, antifungal, anti-corrosive and UV filtering properties. The toxicity of ZnO NPs is mostly attributed to the Zn2+ release causing an increase in the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. The surface modification with a biocompatible ligand or a polymer can be a good strategy to reduce dissolution based toxicity. In two previous studies, the conflicting results with EDC/NHS coupling chemistry for ZnO NPs were reported. In this study, the same surface modification strategy with an emphasis on the stability of ZnO NPs is clarified. First, the density of -OH groups on the ZnO NPs is increased with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment, and then a silica coating on the ZnO NPs (Si-ZnO) surface is performed. Finally, a covalent attachment of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on three different concentrations of ZnO-Si is carried out by EDC/NHS coupling chemistry. ZnO NPs have a very high dissolution rate under acidic conditions of EDC/NHS coupling chemistry as determined from the ICP-MS analysis. In addition, the amount of ZnO NPs in coupling reaction has an important effect on the dissolution rate of Zn2+ and dependently BSA attached on the ZnO NP surfaces. Finally, the cytotoxicity of the BSA modified Si-ZnO NPs on human lung cancer (A549) and human skin fibroblast (HSF) is evaluated. Although an increased association of BSA modified ZnO NPs with cells was observed, the modification significantly decreased their cytotoxicity. This can be explained with the decreased active surface area of ZnO NPs with the surface modification. However, an increase in the mitochondrial depolarization and ROS production was observed depending on the amount of BSA coverage.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust Fellowships in Clinical Leadership Programme

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Miani, Celine; Marjanovic, Sonja; Jones, Molly Morgan; Marshall, Martin; Meikle, Samantha; Nolte, Ellen

2013-01-01

Abstract Leadership is seen to be central to improving the quality of healthcare and existing research suggests that absence of leadership is related to poor quality and safety performance. Leadership training might therefore provide an important means through which to promote quality improvement and, more widely, performance within the healthcare environment. This article presents an evaluation of the Fellowships in Clinical Leadership Programme, which combines leadership training and quality improvement initiatives with the placement of temporary external clinical champions in Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. We assessed impacts of the Programme on individual and organisational change, alongside core enablers and barriers for Programme success. Analyses drew on the principles of a theory-of-change-led realist evaluation, using logic modelling to specify the underlying causal mechanisms of the Programme. Data collection involved a stakeholder workshop, online questionnaires of programme participants, senior managers and support staff (n=114), and follow-up in-depth semi-structured interviews with a subsample of survey participants (n=15). We observed that the Programme had notable impacts at individual and organisational levels. Examples of individual impact included enhanced communication and negotiation skills or increased confidence as a result of multi-modal leadership training. At the organisational level, participants reported indications of behaviour change among staff, with evidence of spill-over effects to non-participants towards a greater focus on patient-centred care. Our findings suggest that there is potential for combined leadership training and quality improvement programmes to contribute to strengthening a culture of care quality in healthcare organisations. Our study provides useful insights into strategies seeking to achieve sustainable improvement in NHS organisations. PMID:28083304

Political learning among youth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Solhaug, Trond; Kristensen, Niels Nørgaard

2014-01-01

This article focuses on students’ first political learning and explores the research question, what dynamic patterns of political learning can be explored among a selection of young, diverse Danish students’ first political interests? The authors use theories of learning in their analytical......, but are active constructors of their political life. Their emotions and social environment are highly important for their political orientation. It is recommended that further research focus on dynamic learning and on arenas for political learning rather than on “single agent studies.” Recommendations...

Political Intersectionality and Democratic Politics in the European Public Sphere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siim, Birte

2015-01-01

Public Sphere (EPS). It is inspired by results and reflections from the European Gender Project (EGP) , where intersectionality was used as an approach for analysing negotiations between gender and ethno-national diversity in selected European countries and in relation to the European Public Sphere....... The aim of the essay is to further deepen the theoretical and empirical understanding of intersectionality by reflecting on the relations between political intersectionality and democratic politics from a particular European perspective. It thus confronts theory and research findings concerning...... intersections of gender and ethnic diversity in political life at the national and transnational levels across Europe. In this context, political intersectionality refers to the framing of gender and ethnic diversity by major political actors as well as by activities of women’s and anti-racist organisations...

Parenting and Politics: Exploring Early Moral Bases of Political Orientation

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Ronnie Janoff-Bulman

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Based on Lakoff’s (2002 Strict Father and Nurturant Parent metaphors for political conservatism and liberalism respectively, two studies explored parenting styles, political ideology, and the moral orientations that might link the two. Restrictive parenting (by both mother and father predicted political conservatism, and this path was mediated by a strong Social Order orientation (Study 1 reflecting, more broadly, an inhibition-based proscriptive morality (Study 2. Political liberalism was associated with a Social Justice orientation, but was not predicted by nurturant parenting in either study. Study 1 included mothers’ reports of their own parenting, and these were correlated with the students’ responses. Findings support a restrictive moral underpinning for conservatism, but raise questions about the assumed unique association between parental nurturance and political liberalism, which is addressed in the discussion.

The Politics of Budgetary Expenses - Essential Element within the Macroeconomic Politics

OpenAIRE

Cibotariu Irina-ªtefana,; Iancu Eugenia,

2013-01-01

The budgetary politics, regarded as an assembly of state intervention instruments, generated by the forming processes, by taxes and duties, of the budgetary incomes, of budgetary expenses allotment, as well as on ensuring the budgetary equilibriums represent the budgetary politics of the state, directed towards the goals accomplishment, more or less delimited. In this way, the budgetary politics has been dissociated on more components where one of them, meaning the allotment politics or the b...

Political regimes, political ideology, and self-rated health in Europe: a multilevel analysis.

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Huijts, Tim; Perkins, Jessica M; Subramanian, S V

2010-07-22

Studies on political ideology and health have found associations between individual ideology and health as well as between ecological measures of political ideology and health. Individual ideology and aggregate measures such as political regimes, however, were never examined simultaneously. Using adjusted logistic multilevel models to analyze data on individuals from 29 European countries and Israel, we found that individual ideology and political regime are independently associated with self-rated health. Individuals with rightwing ideologies report better health than leftwing individuals. Respondents from Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics report poorer health than individuals from social democratic, liberal, Christian conservative, and former Mediterranean dictatorship countries. In contrast to individual ideology and political regimes, country level aggregations of individual ideology are not related to reporting poor health. This study shows that although both individual political ideology and contextual political regime are independently associated with individuals' self-rated health, individual political ideology appears to be more strongly associated with self-rated health than political regime.

Report on accreditation learning sets in the West Midlands region of the NHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Giles, G

2000-12-01

This article reports on the evaluation of the first year of a project, which utilized learning sets to support librarians undergoing the accreditation process, in the health libraries in the West Midlands region of the NHS. The West Midlands Health region is divided up into education consortia patches. Each group of patch librarians was allocated a local accreditation facilitator. The groups met regularly to discuss problems and progress relating to their library's accreditation. The results of the evaluation suggest that this is a valuable approach to use. The recommendations state that regular, frequent meetings are needed. Extra training and guidance would help the facilitators to be more effective in their role.

Political CSR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeppesen, Søren; Morsing, Mette

We engage a discussion of political CSR in SMEs in an African context. Based on critical observations on Western MNC CSR action in emerging economies that holds counterproductive implications for social development, political economists have argued that business profit far more than society...... development in local African communities. Our findings extend political CSR research by directing attention to how the corporate influence in developing economies does not only emerge from MNCs but is also established and retained by SMEs CSR work....

[Barriers for introducing a health technology assessment organization to inform health care decision-making in the Spanish National Health System].

Science.gov (United States)

Artells, Juan José; Peiró, Salvador; Meneu, Ricard

2014-01-01

To identify difficulties, obstacles and limitations to establish an organizational structure devoted to the evaluation of healthcare technologies for incorporation, maintenance or removal from the services portfolio of the Spanish National Health System (sNHS). Panel of 14 experts, structured according to processes adapted from brainstorming, nominal group, and Rand consensus method techniques. The panel proposed 77 items as potential obstacles to the establishment of an official and independent "agency" able to inform on sNHS healthcare benefits funding or selective disinvestment. These items were focused on: 1) lack of political motivation to introduce the cost-effectiveness analysis from the state and regional governments and lack of independence and transparency of the evaluation processes, 2) the tension between a decentralized health system and evaluation activities with significant scale economies, 3) technical difficulties of the evaluation processes, including their ability to influence decision making and 4) social and professional refusal to the exclusion of healthcare benefits when it is perceived as indiscriminate. Although there is a different number and type of obstacles for developing the capacity of the sNHS to include or exclude healthcare benefits based on the evaluation of their effectiveness and efficiency, experts place in the political arena (political motivation, transparency, governance) the main difficulties to advance in this field.

Politics of Inclusion and Empowerment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, John; Siim, Birte

2004-01-01

identities. Politics of empowerment has to do with the agency and mobilisation dimension of social and political change. The title of the book "Politics of Inclusion and Empowerment" address the leitmotiv: namely to discuss plussumgame between politics of inclusion and politics of empowerment......The objective of the book is to analyse different politics of inclusion and empowerment and the different paradigms of inclusion/exclusion in order to underline the close link between politics of scoial equality and politics of recognition of ciultural difference. Politics of inclusion is thus...... theproductive/innovative linkage of politics of redistributuin and politics og resognition, whnich over a longer time span creates sustainable paths of democratic and social development, which increases the capacity to handle both conflicts about economic resources and life-chances and conflicts about...

Political orientations do not cancel out, and politics is not about truth.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, Hans-Rüdiger; Böhm, Gisela

2015-01-01

Duarte et al. propose that divergent political biases cancel each other out such that increasing political diversity will improve scientific validity. We argue that this idea is misguided. Their recommendations for improving political diversity in academia bear the danger of imposing political interests on science. Scientific scrutiny and criticism are the only viable remedies for bad science.

Understanding political behavior: Essays in experimental political economy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gago Guerreiro de Brito Robalo, P.M.

2014-01-01

Explaining individual political behavior is one of the big challenges in the social sciences. The work contained in this thesis uses the tools of experimental economics, game theory and decision theory to shed light on political choices. Relaxing the neoclassical assumptions of self-interested

Slovenian-Croatian boundary: backgrounds of boundary-making and boundary-breaking in Istria regarding the contemporary boundary dispute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damir Josipovič

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Boundary-making in Istria is an old undertaking. It has actually never ceasesed, not even today. Istrian peninsula has thus undergone substantial boundary shifts during the last couple of centuries (especially after the Venetian demise in 1797. But Istria carries its worldwide fame also due to one of probably the harshest disputes on the post-war European grounds – the Trieste territory dispute. In author's perspective, this dispute is one of the four main corner-stones of the current Slovenian-Croatian boundary dispute. The remaining three include the Kozler's boundary around Dragonja (Rokava River, the ungraspable notions of Austrian censuses in Istria, and the narratives of partisan settlements on military jurisdiction. However, there are other very important aspects which significantly shaped the development of the dispute, but we will focus at assessing the importance of the aforementioned ones. In this sense, the analysis of the effects of the outcome of the Trieste dispute and its implications to the contemporary interstate dispute is set forth. By unveiling its material and consequently its psychological effects upon the contemporary bilateral relations, its analyses simultaneously reveals backgrounds of never answered question, why Kozler's proposed linguistic boundary around Dragonja (Rokava River turned out to become a boundary of national character. Though nowadays disputed, there is absolutely no chance for both involved parties to substantially draw away from once decisively drawn line of a layman. Despite the fierce battle of words in Slovenian public media on whether should the interstate boundary be placed on Mirna (Quieto or Dragonja Rivers, it will be argued here that the actual choice of the Valley of Dragonja as a boundary is by all means Slovenian. The arguments are based on extensive analyses of cartographic materials, relevant literature, documents, and statistical data.

Slovenian-Croatian boundary: backgrounds of boundary-making and boundary-breaking in Istria regarding the contemporary boundary dispute

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damir Josipovič

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Boundary-making in Istria is an old undertaking. It has actually never ceasesed, not even today. Istrian peninsula has thus undergone substantial boundary shifts during the last couple of centuries (especially after the Venetian demise in 1797. But Istria carries its worldwide fame also due to one of probably the harshest disputes on the post-war European grounds – the Trieste territory dispute. In author's perspective, this dispute is one of the four main corner-stones of the current Slovenian-Croatian boundary dispute. The remaining three include the Kozler's boundary around Dragonja (Rokava River, the ungraspable notions of Austrian censuses in Istria, and the narratives of partisan settlements on military jurisdiction. However, there are other very important aspects which significantly shaped the development of the dispute, but we will focus at assessing the importance of the aforementioned ones. In this sense, the analysis of the effects of the outcome of the Trieste dispute and its implications to the contemporary interstate dispute is set forth. By unveiling its material and consequently its psychological effects upon the contemporary bilateral relations, its analyses simultaneously reveals backgrounds of never answered question, why Kozler's proposed linguistic boundary around Dragonja (Rokava River turned out to become a boundary of national character. Though nowadays disputed, there is absolutely no chance for both involved parties to substantially draw away from once decisively drawn line of a layman. Despite the fierce battle of words in Slovenian public media on whether should the interstate boundary be placed on Mirna (Quieto or Dragonja Rivers, it will be argued here that the actual choice of the Valley of Dragonja as a boundary is by all means Slovenian. The arguments are based on extensive analyses of cartographic materials, relevant literature, documents, and statistical data.

Exploring the role of communications in quality improvement: A case study of the 1000 Lives Campaign in NHS Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Andrew; Gray, Jonathon; Willson, Alan; Lines, Chris; McCannon, Joe; McHardy, Karina

2015-03-01

Effective communication is critical to successful large-scale change. Yet, in our experience, communications strategies are not formally incorporated into quality improvement (QI) frameworks. The 1000 Lives Campaign ('Campaign') was a large-scale national QI collaborative that aimed to save an additional 1000 lives and prevent 50 000 episodes of harm in Welsh health care over a 2-year period. We use the Campaign as a case study to describe the development, application, and impact of a communications strategy embedded in a large-scale QI initiative. A comprehensive communications strategy guided communications work during the Campaign. The main aims of the communications strategy were to engage the hearts and minds of frontline National Health Service (NHS) staff in the Campaign and promote their awareness and understanding of specific QI interventions and the wider patient safety agenda. We used qualitative and quantitative measures to monitor communications outputs and assess how the communications strategy influenced awareness and knowledge of frontline NHS staff. The communications strategy facilitated clear and consistent framing of Campaign messages and allowed dissemination of information related to the range of QI interventions. It reaffirmed the aim and value of the Campaign to frontline staff, thereby promoting sustained engagement with Campaign activities. The communications strategy also built the profile of the Campaign both internally with NHS organizations across Wales and externally with the media, and played a pivotal role in improving awareness and understanding of the patient safety agenda. Ultimately, outcomes from the communications strategy could not be separated from overall Campaign outcomes. Systematic and structured communications can support and enhance QI initiatives. From our experience, we developed a 'communications bundle' consisting of six core components. We recommend that communications bundles be incorporated into existing QI

Interplay Between Politics and Sport in Political Science Theories

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Simona Kustec Lipicer

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Times when relations between politics and sports did not exist – be it in everyday practices or within scientific research – is definitely long gone, if they ever even existed. Nevertheless, it seems today that, especially within scientific research, these relations do not receive appropriate attention in the territories of former socialist sports superpowers, being a priori denied and considered as unimportant. That is why the key motive of this article is to initiate a discussion about the relevance of knowledge and research of the relations between politics and sport from two perspectives – the existing world-wide political science research experiences gained so far and already conducted researches in the territory of former Yugoslavia. In doing so, we first theoretically define the context of sports and politics, and then with the use of the literature review method analyse their mutual connectivity in the world and, more narrowly, within the work of the scientific community in the region of former Yugoslavia. Based on the gained conclusions which confirm a tight and constant, but also often abstract and flat-rate understood interplay between both analysed phenomena, a special typology for their in-depth and political-science-focused study is delivered. It is believed that distinctions between political, polity and policy approaches to sport decisively influence the mode of their future interplay.

Political Regimes, Political Ideology, and Self-Rated Health in Europe: A Multilevel Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Huijts, Tim; Perkins, Jessica M.; Subramanian, S. V.

2010-01-01

Background Studies on political ideology and health have found associations between individual ideology and health as well as between ecological measures of political ideology and health. Individual ideology and aggregate measures such as political regimes, however, were never examined simultaneously. Methodology/Principal Findings Using adjusted logistic multilevel models to analyze data on individuals from 29 European countries and Israel, we found that individual ideology and political regime are independently associated with self-rated health. Individuals with rightwing ideologies report better health than leftwing individuals. Respondents from Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics report poorer health than individuals from social democratic, liberal, Christian conservative, and former Mediterranean dictatorship countries. In contrast to individual ideology and political regimes, country level aggregations of individual ideology are not related to reporting poor health. Conclusions/Significance This study shows that although both individual political ideology and contextual political regime are independently associated with individuals' self-rated health, individual political ideology appears to be more strongly associated with self-rated health than political regime. PMID:20661433

Private political archives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waldemar Chorążyczewski

2010-12-01

Full Text Available "Private political archives" are understood by me as all acts collected intently by a private person. These acts are connected with the person's participation in political life and gathered in order to be used in public activity as the source of argumentation and information about factors and mechanisms of political processes. Private political archives of the first half of the XVI century were mainly created by royal servants, often with reference to their job duties. These duties could inspire to collect political acts for private purposes. During the reign of Sigismund Augustus, archives of gentry activists were developed to small extent and they mainly focused on parliamentary life. Private political archives were created outside the executionist movement, namely in the community gathered around the royal court. After 1572, Crown and Lithuanian magnates greatly influenced the creation of political archives. Archives of lesser gentry, scarce and poor, did not disappear completely. However, they became difficult for identification. Therefore, developmental process concerned exclusively documentary "treasure troves" created by magnates. They had the financial means and possibilities to create truly valuable political archives. The same as in the previous period the dynamisms of executionist movement was reflected in political archival documentation, now the creation of patronage system and clientele, or traditionally understood magnate oligarchy, (depending on the point of view corresponded best to archives development. The heritage of previous generations was the treasure trove of patterns and solutions. However, this trove was used selectively, on one hand giving up patterns and rights that were uncomfortable, and, on the other, giving the value of precedence to unexpected acts that gained more importance or even new content in changed political conditions. The application of interpretation principle raised interest in old acts and patterns

Assessing psychological well-being: a holistic investigation of NHS employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Loretto, W; Popham, F; Platt, S; Pavis, S; Hardy, G; MacLeod, L; Gibbs, J

2005-10-01

A substantial body of research has investigated the effects of work on the psychological well-being of employees. However, there has been little assessment of the ways in which workplace factors (such as job demands, working conditions, inter-personal relations and workplace change) interact with personal factors (such as work-life balance, family circumstances, key personality traits or demographic characteristics) to affect psychological health. This article reports findings from a study which aimed to construct and test a comprehensive model of the influences on employee well-being within the UK National Health Service (NHS). The results show that psychological well-being is influenced by a complex array of personal, environmental and work factors. A key finding is that there are clear associations between workplace change and well-being and between work-life (im)balance and well-being. These effects appear to be independent of one another and therefore require separate attention from managers and employers.

Spiritual Politics, Political Religion, and Religious Freedom in Burma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gravers, Mikael

2013-01-01

A state of the art artcle on academic work on religion, politics, and religious freedom in Burma......A state of the art artcle on academic work on religion, politics, and religious freedom in Burma...

Preparation and properties of EDC/NHS mediated crosslinking poly (gamma-glutamic acid)/epsilon-polylysine hydrogels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hua, Jiachuan [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Li, Zheng, E-mail: lizheng_nx@163.com [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Xia, Wen; Yang, Ning; Gong, Jixian [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Zhang, Jianfei, E-mail: zhangjianfei1960@126.com [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Qiao, Changsheng [Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300457 (China)

2016-04-01

In this paper, a novel pH-sensitive poly (amino acid) hydrogel based on poly γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) and ε-polylysine (ε-PL) was prepared by carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) mediated polymerization. The influence of PGA/PL molar ratio and EDC/NHS concentration on the structure and properties was studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved that hydrogels were crosslinked through amide bond linkage, and the conversion rate of a carboxyl group could reach 96%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed a regularly porous structure with 20 μm pore size in average. The gelation time in the crosslink process of PGA/PL hydrogels was within less than 5 min. PGA/PL hydrogels had excellent optical performance that was evaluated by a novel optotype method. Furthermore, PGA/PL hydrogels were found to be pH-sensitive, which could be adjusted to the pH of swelling media intelligently. The terminal pH of swelling medium could be controlled at 5 ± 1 after equilibrium when the initial pH was within 3–11. The swelling kinetics was found to follow a Voigt model in deionized water but a pseudo-second-order model in normal saline and phosphate buffer solution, respectively. The differential swelling degrees were attributed to the swelling theory based on the different ratio of –COOH/–NH{sub 2} and pore size in hydrogels. The results of mechanical property indicated that PGA/PL hydrogels were soft and elastic. Moreover, PGA/PL hydrogels exhibited excellent biocompatibility by cell proliferation experiment. PGA/PL hydrogels could be degraded in PBS solution and the degradation rate was decreased with the increase of the molar ratio of PL. Considering the simple preparation process and pH-sensitive property, these PGA/PL hydrogels might have high potential for use in medical and clinical fields. - Highlights: • We prepared a biocompatible and degradable poly amino acids hydrogel via EDC/NHS

Building community in international politics: A study of political press conferences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aditi Bhatia

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In today’s increasingly globalised yet disconnected world, especially in the contemporary context of a turbulent political landscape, there has been an increasing effort made by socio-political leaders at solidifying alliances and drawing support from different corners of the world in order to neutralize policies. Drawing on a multidimensional framework, in particular, critical discourse analysis and membership categorization analysis, this paper explores the various strategies employed by political leaders, attempting to reconcile disparate perspectives in the face of increasing socio-economic inter-connection and political dependence. More often than not, it was discovered, political leaders drew upon the somewhat “illusory” notion of “international community”, turning it into a tool of persuasion and membership category. In doing so, this paper aims to illustrate how the creation of illusive categories and perceptions are intended as a means of drawing support from diverse political leaders and projecting a united front before scrutinizing press and public.

Using complexity science and negotiation theory to resolve boundary-crossing water issues

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Shafiqul; Susskind, Lawrence

2018-07-01

Many water governance and management issues are complex. The complexity of these issues is related to crossing of multiple boundaries: political, social and jurisdictional, as well as physical, ecological and biogeochemical. Resolution of these issues usually requires interactions of many parties with conflicting values and interests operating across multiple boundaries and scales to make decisions. The interdependence and feedback among interacting variables, processes, actors and institutions are hard to model and difficult to forecast. Thus, decision-making related to complex water problems needs be contingent and adaptive. This paper draws on a number of ideas from complexity science and negotiation theory that may make it easier to cope with the complexities and difficulties of managing boundary crossing water disputes. It begins with the Water Diplomacy Framework that was developed and tested over the past several years. Then, it uses three key ideas from complexity science (interdependence and interconnectedness; uncertainty and feedback; emergence and adaptation) and three from negotiation theory (stakeholder identification and engagement; joint fact finding; and value creation through option generation) to show how application of these ideas can help enhance effectiveness of water management.

Astronomy and Politics

Science.gov (United States)

Steele, John M.

The relationship between astronomy and politics is a complex but important part of understanding the practice of astronomy throughout history. This chapter explores some of the ways that astronomy, astrology, and politics have interacted, placing particular focus on the way that astronomy and astrology have been used for political purposes by both people in power and people who wish to influence a ruler's policy. Also discussed are the effects that politics has had on the development of astronomy and, in particular, upon the recording and preservation of astronomical knowledge.

Defining political community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sladeček Michal M.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the concept of political community, its constitution and value. The starting point is that the concept of community is not sufficiently recognized in modern political theories, as well as in contemporary liberal theory. In the last two decades communitarian and republican political theory attempted to revitalize this notion. The first part of the paper elaborates on the polemics between these three theoretical orientations. The concluding part examines the possibilities and prospect for stable political community in conditions of pluralism of particular social communities and ethnocultural heterogeneity.

Enhancing nurse satisfaction: an exploration of specialty nurse shortage in a region of NHS England.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Keith; Wilde, Rebecca; Shutes, Karl

2018-03-22

This article offers nurse managers guidance on analysing, managing and addressing a potentially dissatisfied nursing workforce, focusing on three priority shortage specialties: emergency care, paediatrics and cardiology. The aim of the study was to explore to what extent registered nurses and healthcare assistants, referred to collectively here as 'nursing staff', are satisfied with teamworking opportunities, continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities and workplace autonomy. A survey questionnaire was developed to evaluate three derived determinants of nurse satisfaction: team working, CPD and autonomy. The NHS West Midlands region was the focus given that it is among the poorest performing regions outside London in filling nursing posts. Overall, nursing staff respondents were satisfied with teamworking, CPD and autonomy, which challenges the perception that nurses in NHS England are dissatisfied with these satisfaction determinants. The findings give a complex picture of nurse satisfaction; for example a large minority of respondents were dissatisfied with their ability to carry out duties as they see fit. When developing management systems to investigate, manage and enhance nurse satisfaction, nurse managers must recognise the complexity and subtleties of determining factors. This will increase as nursing becomes more specialised. Subsequently, nurse managers need to work closely with staff at higher education institutions and other professional agencies to commission appropriate professional development. ©2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

Exploring emergency department 4-hour target performance and cancelled elective operations: a regression analysis of routinely collected and openly reported NHS trust data.

Science.gov (United States)

Keogh, Brad; Culliford, David; Guerrero-Ludueña, Richard; Monks, Thomas

2018-05-24

To quantify the effect of intrahospital patient flow on emergency department (ED) performance targets and indicate if the expectations set by the National Health Service (NHS) England 5-year forward review are realistic in returning emergency services to previous performance levels. Linear regression analysis of routinely reported trust activity and performance data using a series of cross-sectional studies. NHS trusts in England submitting routine nationally reported measures to NHS England. 142 acute non-specialist trusts operating in England between 2012 and 2016. The primary outcome measures were proportion of 4-hour waiting time breaches and cancelled elective operations. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used to show relationships between the outcome measures and various measures of trust activity including empty day beds, empty night beds, day bed to night bed ratio, ED conversion ratio and delayed transfers of care. Univariate regression results using the outcome of 4-hour breaches showed clear relationships with empty night beds and ED conversion ratio between 2012 and 2016. The day bed to night bed ratio showed an increasing ability to explain variation in performance between 2015 and 2016. Delayed transfers of care showed little evidence of an association. Multivariate model results indicated that the ability of patient flow variables to explain 4-hour target performance had reduced between 2012 and 2016 (19% to 12%), and had increased in explaining cancelled elective operations (7% to 17%). The flow of patients through trusts is shown to influence ED performance; however, performance has become less explainable by intratrust patient flow between 2012 and 2016. Some commonly stated explanatory factors such as delayed transfers of care showed limited evidence of being related. The results indicate some of the measures proposed by NHS England to reduce pressure on EDs may not have the desired impact on returning services to previous

Guardians of the public sphere? Political scandal and the press, 1979-97.

Science.gov (United States)

See, Helena

2013-01-01

The political scandals that beset the Conservative Party during the 1980s and 1990s constitute a valuable lens for examining two interrelated areas of study: the changing power relationship between government and press, and the changing interface between public and private in contemporary discourse. Close discursive analysis of the press coverage of these scandals--and of the libel actions that resulted from them--highlights the extent to which the Thatcher administration and the tabloid press propagated a shared moral discourse, founded on the repudiation of 'permissiveness', and a return to the ideal of the patriarchal nuclear family. This alliance transformed the way in which the Conservative message was communicated, disseminated, and indeed constituted, yet ultimately proved to be a double-edged sword. By catalysing the disintegration of the boundary between public and private in political life, and investing the press with the power to mould and configure public expectations of sexual morality, Thatcher laid the groundwork for the eventual fall of the Major administration, in the wake of a long series of financial and sexual scandals. As such, this article offers insights into a hitherto unexamined aspect of Thatcher's legacy, and the unprecedented influence of the press in late twentieth-century politics.

Engaging Adolescents in Politics: The Longitudinal Effect of Political Socialization Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Quintelier, Ellen

2015-01-01

Starting from a political socialization perspective, this study examined the development of political participation during adolescence and early adulthood. We explore the effect of parents, peers, school media, and voluntary associations on political participation. Self-reported data were collected from 3,025 Belgian adolescents at three points in…

Political participation of registered nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandenhouten, Christine L; Malakar, Crystalmichelle L; Kubsch, Sylvia; Block, Derryl E; Gallagher-Lepak, Susan

2011-08-01

Level of political participation and factors contributing to participation were measured among Midwest RNs (n = 468) via an online survey (Cronbach's α = .95). Respondents reported engaging in primarily "low cost" activities (e.g., voting, discussing politics, and contacting elected officials), with fewer reporting speaking at public gatherings, participating in demonstrations, and membership in nursing organizations. Psychological engagement was most predictive (p political participation with the dimensions of political interest, political efficacy, and political information/knowledge highly significant (p political participation (p political content and did not prepare them for political participation. Findings showed that nurse educators and leaders of professional nursing organizations need to model and cultivate greater psychological engagement among students and nurses.

Speaking Politely, Kindly, and Beautifully: Ideologies of Politeness in Japanese Business Etiquette Training

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Cynthia Dickel

2013-01-01

In recent years, politeness theory has increasingly focused on speakers' own conceptualizations of polite behavior, viewing politeness concepts as a type of language ideology. This article examines the construction of Japanese politeness concepts in the business etiquette training provided for new employees in Japanese companies. Drawing on…

School of Political Science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. D. Voskresensky

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Out of all the departments of political sciences in Russia - the Department at MGIMO-University is probably the oldest one. In fact it is very young. While MGIMO-University is celebrating its 70th anniversary the Department of Political Sciences turns 15. Despite the fact that political analyst is a relatively new profession in Russia, it acquired a legal standing only in the 1990s, the political science school at MGIMO-University is almost as old as the university itself. Unlike many other universities, focused on the training teachers of political science or campaign managers MGIMO-University has developed its own unique political science school of "full cycle", where students grow into political sciences from a zero level up to the highest qualifications as teachers and researchers, and campaign managers, consultants and practitioners. The uniqueness of the school of political science at MGIMO-University allows its institutional incarnation -the Department of Political Science - to offer prospective studentsa training in a wide range of popular specialties and specializations, while ensuring a deep theoretical and practical basis of the training. Studying at MGIMO-University traditionally includes enhanced linguistic component (at least two foreign languages. For students of international relations and political science learning foreign languages is particularly important.It allows not only to communicate, but also to produce expertise and knowledge in foreign languages.

A Safe Place to Stay Sharp: Action Learning Meets Cooperative Inquiry in the Service of NHS OD Capacity Building

Science.gov (United States)

Traeger, James; Norgate, Carolyn

2015-01-01

This is an account of practice. It explores the meeting point between action learning and action research, as a way of doing capacity building in organisational development (OD) in the NHS in the UK. The authors were part of a short cooperative inquiry (Heron, J. 1996. "Co-operative Inquiry: Research into the Human Condition." London:…

Effectiveness of a national cardiovascular disease risk assessment program (NHS Health Check): results after one year.

Science.gov (United States)

Artac, Macide; Dalton, Andrew R H; Majeed, Azeem; Car, Josip; Millett, Christopher

2013-08-01

We aimed to assess whether the National Health Service (NHS) Health Check, a systematic cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management program, was associated with reduction in CVD risk in attendees after one year. We extracted data from patients aged 40-74 years, with high estimated CVD risk, who were registered with general practices in a deprived, culturally diverse setting in England. We included 4748 patients at baseline (July 2008-November 2009), with 3712 at follow-up (December 2009-March 2011). We used a pre-post study design to assess changes in global CVD risk, individual CVD risk factors and statin prescription in patients with a complete and partial Health Check. There were significant reductions in mean CVD risk score (28.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI)=27.3-29.1 to 26.2%; 95% CI, 25.4-27.1), diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol levels and lipid ratios after one year in patients with a complete Health Check. Statin prescription increased from 14.0% (95% CI=11.9-16.0) to 60.6% (95% CI=57.7-63.5). The introduction of NHS Health Check was associated with significant but modest reductions in CVD risk among screened high-risk individuals. Further cost-effectiveness analysis and work accounting for uptake is required to assess whether the program can make significant changes to population health. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Study of LGBT Politics and Its Contributions to Political Science

Science.gov (United States)

Mucciaroni, Gary

2011-01-01

Although the study of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) politics appears to be widely accepted within political science, a recent survey of political scientists reported some skepticism about its legitimacy and scholarly worth (Novkov and Barclay 2010). This article examines potential concerns about LGBT studies and draws attention to the…

MAPPING CHILDREN’S POLITICS: SPATIAL STORIES, DIALOGIC RELATIONS AND POLITICAL FORMATION

Science.gov (United States)

Elwood, Sarah; Mitchell, Katharyne

2015-01-01

This article confronts a persistent challenge in research on children’s geographies and politics: the difficulty of recognizing forms of political agency and practice that by definition fall outside of existing political theory. Children are effectively “always already” positioned outside most of the structures and ideals of modernist democratic theory, such as the public sphere and abstracted notions of communicative action or “rational” speech. Recent emphases on embodied tactics of everyday life have offered important ways to recognize children’s political agency and practice. However, we argue here that a focus on spatial practices and critical knowledge alone cannot capture the full range of children’s politics, and show how representational and dialogic practices remain a critical element of their politics in everyday life. Drawing on de Certeau’s notion of spatial stories, and Bakhtin’s concept of dialogic relations, we argue that children’s representations and dialogues comprise a significant space of their political agency and formation, in which they can make and negotiate social meanings, subjectivities, and relationships. We develop these arguments with evidence from an after-school activity programme we conducted with 10–13 year olds in Seattle, Washington, in which participants explored, mapped, wrote and spoke about the spaces and experiences of their everyday lives. Within these practices, children negotiate autonomy and self-determination, and forward ideas, representations, and expressions of agreement or disagreement that are critical to their formation as political actors. PMID:25642017

Gateway Political Behaviors: The Frequency and Consequences of Low-Cost Political Engagement on Social Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leticia Bode

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to determine to what extent engagement in easy political behaviors on social media occurs across the range of political interest, what predicts such engagement, and what effect such engagement may have on other political behaviors. It pits the idea that social media may activate the politically uninterested against the idea that social media is just another outlet for the politically interested to demonstrate their engagement. Analyzing survey data collected by the Pew Research Center, it concludes that many people, including the politically uninterested, do engage in easy political behaviors like liking and commenting on political content on social media. When they do, it can lead to greater political activity offline. However, those most likely to engage in easy political behaviors are also those who engage in harder political behaviors, offering support for both the interest and activation hypotheses.

How do NHS general hospitals in England deal with patients with alcohol-related problems? A questionnaire survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Lynn; Gilmore, Ian T; Pirmohamed, Munir

2005-01-01

Alcohol-related disease represents a major burden on hospitals. However, it is unclear whether hospitals have developed the necessary expertise and guidelines to deal with this burden. The aim of this survey was to determine what measures general hospital NHS Trusts in England had in place to deal with alcohol-related problems, including the employment of dedicated alcohol specialist nurses. Two postal surveys of all NHS general hospital Trusts in England, the first in 2000 (n = 138; 54% response rate) and the second in 2003 after the publication of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) report on alcohol in secondary care (n = 164; 75% response rate). Between the two surveys, there was a significant increase (P = 0.005) in the number of dedicated alcohol nurses employed by general hospital trusts; however, the numbers remain low (n = 21). Additionally, the availability of prescribing guidelines for the management of alcohol withdrawal increased significantly (P = 0.0001). The survey indicates that most general hospitals do not have appropriate services in place to deal with such patients. Although there is a need and willingness to develop alcohol services in general hospitals, which is one of the key recommendations of the RCP report, the lack of funding is going to act as a major barrier.

Political scandal and the politics of exposure : from Watergate to Lewinsky and beyond.

OpenAIRE

Welch, S. E.

2007-01-01

The paper advances an interpretation of political scandal and its place in democratic politics, taking the scandals of the ‘Watergate era’ in American politics as its evidential basis. The interpretation focuses on an aspect of political scandal that has been neglected in existing treatments, namely the politically constructed rather than epistemologically simple nature of scandalous ‘exposure’. The career of the ‘smoking gun’ in the Watergate era provides illustration. The paper goes on to r...

Technology for Boundaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Susanne; Kristensen, Jannie Friis; Nielsen, Christina

2003-01-01

.After analysing the history and the current boundary work, the paper will propose new technological support for boundary work. In particular the paper will suggest means of supporting boundaries when these are productive and for changing boundaries when this seems more appropriate. In total, flexible technologies......This paper presents a study of an organisation, which is undergoing a process transforming organisational and technological boundaries. In particular, we shall look at three kinds of boundaries: the work to maintain and change the boundary between the organisation and its customers; boundaries...... seem a core issue when dealing with technology for boundaries....

Languages and Politics: A Political Football or a Tool for Empowerment?

Science.gov (United States)

Broady, Elspeth

2006-01-01

In this review, the author explores various perspectives on language issues in political contexts, not least because languages have been prominent recently on the political agenda both in the UK and the US. She reviews articles that highlight different ways in which political pressures and contexts influence language teaching, learning and use.…

Arbitrating a fiction: Canadian federalism and the Nova Scotia/Newfoundland and Labrador boundary dispute

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baier, G. [University of British Columbia, Dept. of Political Science, Vancouver, BC(Canada); Groarke, P.

2003-09-30

The dispute between the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, regarding ownership of natural resources to be found in the offshore area lying between the two provinces is discussed. Constitutionally, ownership of offshore natural resources belongs to the federal government. In this instance, the intention was to share control over development and revenues with the provinces through joint management accords, however, a dispute over offshore boundary arose, which eventually resulted in an arbitration tribunal. This paper analyzes the terms of reference for the tribunal and its findings, and concludes that the tribunal process was flawed. The authors cast doubts on the appropriateness of the tribunal's role, the method by which it reached its decision, and the legality of its findings. They conclude that the tribunal merely cloaks a political decision in legal garb since there are no genuine boundaries between the provinces, and the tribunal process simply apportioned federal resources between two provinces. The authors ultimately conclude that by resorting to the tribunal process the federal minister of natural resources was able to avoid political responsibility for making an unpopular decision by relying on a pseudo-judicial body for technical recommendations, and in so doing undermined the legitimacy of the Canadian federal system by obscuring the already murky lines of accountability of the federal and provincial governments. 57 end notes.

Political Market Orientation and Strategic Party Postures in Danish Political Parties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ormrod, Robert P.; Henneberg, Stephan

2011-01-01

Purpose – This paper investigates the relationship between the strategic postures and political market orientation profile of two Danish parties. Profile stability at the organisational level is used as a control variable. Design/methodology/approach – The strategic political postures of two Danish...... are used to control for organisational stability. Findings – The self-typing study revealed that Party A was perceived to follow a Relationship Builder posture, and Party B a Convinced Ideologist posture. However, both market orientation profiles resembled the organisational structures of a Convinced...... in the political sphere. More specifically it empirically links political market orientation as an issue of political marketing implementation on the one hand, and strategic postures of parties as a strategic issue on the other, following a configuration theory logic. Research limitations...

Model-based estimation with boundary side information or boundary regularization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiao, P.C.; Rogers, W.L.; Fessler, J.A.; Clinthorne, N.H.; Hero, A.O.

1994-01-01

The authors have previously developed a model-based strategy for joint estimation of myocardial perfusion and boundaries using ECT (Emission Computed Tomography). The authors have also reported difficulties with boundary estimation in low contrast and low count rate situations. In this paper, the authors propose using boundary side information (obtainable from high resolution MRI and CT images) or boundary regularization to improve both perfusion and boundary estimation in these situations. To fuse boundary side information into the emission measurements, the authors formulate a joint log-likelihood function to include auxiliary boundary measurements as well as ECT projection measurements. In addition, the authors introduce registration parameters to align auxiliary boundary measurements with ECT measurements and jointly estimate these parameters with other parameters of interest from the composite measurements. In simulated PET O-15 water myocardial perfusion studies using a simplified model, the authors show that the joint estimation improves perfusion estimation performance and gives boundary alignment accuracy of <0.5 mm even at 0.2 million counts. The authors implement boundary regularization through formulating a penalized log-likelihood function. The authors also demonstrate in simulations that simultaneous regularization of the epicardial boundary and myocardial thickness gives comparable perfusion estimation accuracy with the use of boundary side information

Reflexions on Frasnian and Famennian stage boundary decisions as a guide to future deliberations

Science.gov (United States)

Ziegler, W.; Sandberg, C.A.

1996-01-01

The pros and cons of the three conodont-based boundaries of the Frasnian and Famennian Stages and their corresponding GSSPs (Global Stratotype Section and Point) are evaluated in terms of current taxonomic, biostratigraphic, and sedimentologic knowledge. Two of these boundaries are based on easily identified pelagic species, which provide excellent bases for global correlation. The third, for the base of the Frasnian, is based on a neritic species, whose taxonomy has been heatedly debated. The GSSPs for these three levels are all located in the Montagne Noire of southern France, partly because of political motivation to balance GSSPs selected in other regions. All three GSSPs are at levels from which global correlations cannot be effectively accomplished without aid from other, more complete sections or without making correlations strictly on the basis of taxonomic concepts - i. e., the entry of the definitive conodont species. Future deliberating bodies may want to reconsider the species chosen to delimit the base of the Frasnian and to select better GSSPs for all three boundaries.

Introduction: “Local” Politics in Jakarta: Anomaly from Indonesia’s Local Politics?

OpenAIRE

Masaaki Okamoto; Jun Honna

2014-01-01

This special issue attempts to go beyond short essays and conduct a deeper analysis of Jakarta’s local politics. Some of the contributions show the peculiarities of Jakartan politics, while others identify similarities with other local politics in Indonesia.

Thinking Out of the Box: A Green and Social Climate Fund; Comment on “Politics, Power, Poverty and Global Health: Systems and Frames”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorik Ooms

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Solomon Benatar’s paper “Politics, Power, Poverty and Global Health: Systems and Frames” examines the inequitable state of global health challenging readers to extend the discourse on global health beyond conventional boundaries by addressing the interconnectedness of planetary life. Our response explores existing models of international cooperation, assessing how modifying them may achieve the twin goals of ensuring healthy people and planet. First, we address why the inequality reducing post World War II European welfare model, if implemented stateby-state, is unfit for reducing global inequality and respecting environmental boundaries. Second, we argue that to advance beyond the ‘Westphalian,’ human centric thinking integral to global inequality and climate change requires challenging the logic of global economic integration and exploring the politically infeasible. In conclusion, we propose social policy focused changes to the World Trade Organisation (WTO and a Green and Social Climate Fund, financed by new global greenhouse gas charges, both of which could advance human and planetary health. Recent global political developments may offer a small window of opportunity for out of the box proposals that could be advanced by concerted and united advocacy by global health activists, environmental activists, human rights activists, and trade unions.

A discussion: the future role of homeopathy in the National Health Service (NHS).

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Daniel Yu-Hin

2011-07-01

Homeopathy has been provided by the National Health Service in the UK for over 60 years, funded largely by taxpayer's money. However, in recent years, its provision has come under much criticism questioning its true value. Taking a neutral stance, arguments both for and against the provision of homeopathy on the NHS is presented. It includes issues such as the evidence and safety profile of homeopathy, but also takes into account costs and benefits of homeopathy in a wider perspective. Overall, the provision of homeopathy is justified as long as there is a need within the population, occupying a complementary role alongside conventional medicine. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Industrial relations: workings of the maintenance strike.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, N

1978-11-10

The frustrations leading to the maintenance dispute go back four years. Author highlights the NHS's inability to handle internal disagreements, and the problems of a bureaucratic and politically-directed profession.

Establishing Political Deliberation Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Jeremy; Sæbø, Øystein

2008-01-01

The extension and transformation of political participation is dependent on widespread deliberation supported by information and communication technologies.  The most commonly found examples of these eParticipation systems are political discussion forums.  Though much of the discussion...... of these technologies is conducted in the eGovernment and (particularly) the eDemocracy literature, political discussion forums present a distinct set of design and management challenges which relate directly to IS concerns. In this article we analyze problems in establishing political deliberation systems under five...... headings: stakeholder engagement, web platform design, web platform management, political process re-shaping and evaluation and improvement. We review the existing literature and present a longitudinal case study of a political discussion forum: the Norwegian DemokratiTorget (Democracy Square).  We define...

Complexity in the new NHS: longitudinal case studies of CCGs in England.

Science.gov (United States)

Checkland, Katherine; McDermott, Imelda; Coleman, Anna; Perkins, Neil

2016-01-07

The reform in the English National Health Services (NHS) under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 is unlike previous NHS reorganisations. The establishment of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) was intended to be 'bottom up' with no central blueprint. This paper sets out to offer evidence about how this process has played out in practice and examines the implications of the complexity and variation which emerged. Detailed case studies in CCGs across England, using interviews, observation and documentary analysis. Using realist framework, we unpacked the complexity of CCG structures. In phase 1 of the study (January 2011 to September 2012), we conducted 96 interviews, 439 h of observation in a wide variety of meetings, 2 online surveys and 38 follow-up telephone interviews. In phase 2 (April 2013 to March 2015), we conducted 42 interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and managers and observation of 48 different types of meetings. Our study has highlighted the complexity inherent in CCGs, arising out of the relatively permissive environment in which they developed. Not only are they very different from one another in size, but also in structure, functions between different bodies and the roles played by GPs. The complexity and lack of uniformity of CCGs is important as it makes it difficult for those who must engage with CCGs to know who to approach at what level. This is of increasing importance as CCGs are moving towards greater integration across health and social care. Our study also suggests that there is little consensus as to what being a 'membership' organisation means and how it should operate. The lack of uniformity in CCG structure and lack of clarity over the meaning of 'membership' raises questions over accountability, which becomes of greater importance as CCG is taking over responsibility for primary care co-commissioning. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go

From boundaries to boundary work: middle managers creating inter-organizational change.

Science.gov (United States)

Oldenhof, Lieke; Stoopendaal, Annemiek; Putters, Kim

2016-11-21

Purpose In healthcare, organizational boundaries are often viewed as barriers to change. The purpose of this paper is to show how middle managers create inter-organizational change by doing boundary work: the dual act of redrawing boundaries and coordinating work in new ways. Design/methodology/approach Theoretically, the paper draws on the concept of boundary work from Science and Technology Studies. Empirically, the paper is based on an ethnographic investigation of middle managers that participate in a Dutch reform program across health, social care, and housing. Findings The findings show how middle managers create a sense of urgency for inter-organizational change by emphasizing "fragmented" service provision due to professional, sectoral, financial, and geographical boundaries. Rather than eradicating these boundaries, middle managers change the status quo gradually by redrawing composite boundaries. They use boundary objects and a boundary-transcending vocabulary emphasizing the need for societal gains that go beyond production targets of individual organizations. As a result, work is coordinated in new ways in neighborhood teams and professional expertise is being reconfigured. Research limitations/implications Since boundary workers create incremental change, it is necessary to follow their work for a longer period to assess whether boundary work contributes to paradigm change. Practical implications Organizations should pay attention to conditions for boundary work, such as legitimacy of boundary workers and the availability of boundary spaces that function as communities of practice. Originality/value By shifting the focus from boundaries to boundary work, this paper gives valuable insights into "how" boundaries are redrawn and embodied in objects and language.

The Specific of Political Fundraising

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Евгений Викторович Смолянинов

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The following study is dedicated to the process of political fundraising as a subject of political science. Through the article one can find the definition of political fundraising and American political scientists' approaches to the analysis of this process. Comparative analysis of political fundraising in the U.S.A. and Russian Federation demonstrates that its' transparency has an important impact on public's control of lobby groups and other shadow political entities.

The Features of Political Crowdfunding in the Russian Political Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Александр Владимирович Соколов

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the process сrowdfunding’s formation in modern Russia. The authors highlighted the reasons for the appearance of this phenomenon. They justified choice of Russian politicians of mechanism for collecting funds in political campaigns. The article characterizes trends in political fundraising and сrowdfunding in Russia. The study highlighted their advantages and disadvantages for application in political activity. The authors give examples of successful сrowdfunding campaigns in modern Russia.

Politics, religion and gender equality in contemporary Mexico: women's sexuality and reproductive rights in a contested secular state.

Science.gov (United States)

Amuchástegui, Ana; Cruz, Guadalupe; Aldaz, Evelyn; Mejía, María Consuelo

2010-01-01

This article explores the complexities of the interaction between politics, religion and gender equality in contemporary Mexico, by analysing recent developments in public debate, legal changes and implementation of government policies in two areas: 1) the inclusion of emergency contraception in public health services in 2004; and 2) the decriminalisation of abortion in Mexico City in 2008, which was followed by a massive campaign to re-criminalise abortion in the federal states. Three main findings emerge from our analysis: first, that women's sexual and reproductive autonomy has become an issue of intense public debate that is being addressed by both state-public policy and society; second, that the gradual democratisation of the Mexican political system and society is forcing the Catholic Church to play by the rules of democracy; and third, that the character and nature of the Mexican (secular) state has become an arena of intense struggle within which traditional political boundaries and ideologies are being reconfigured.

Local knowledge, environmental politics, and the founding of ecology in the United States. Stephen Forbes and "The Lake as a Microcosm" (1887).

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, D W

2000-12-01

Stephen Forbes's "The Lake as a Microcosm" is one of the founding documents of the science of ecology in the United States. By tracing the connections between scientists and local fishermen underlying the research on floodplain lakes presented in "The Lake as a Microcosm," this essay shows how the birth of ecology was tied to local knowledge and the local politics of environmental transformation. Forbes and the other scientists of the Illinois Natural History Survey relied on fishermen for manual labor, expertise in catching fish, and knowledge of the natural history of the fishes. As Forbes and his colleagues worked in close contact with fishermen, they also adopted many of their political concerns over the privatization of the floodplain and became politically active in supporting their interests. The close connection between scientists and local knowledge forced the ecologists to reframe the boundaries of ecology as objective or political, pure or applied, local or scientific.

Running an NHS community homeopathy clinic - 10-year anniversary 2001-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Bawden, Stella

2012-01-01

An outcome series was conducted over a five-year period of patients attending a community NHS homeopathy clinic in Dorchester, Dorset. 273 new patients were seen. 183 (67%) questionnaires were completed at six months after initial consultation. 44% of patients had been unwell for more than five years; 19% of all patients for more than 15 years. A wide variety of conditions were seen, the largest group with depression, anxiety or grief. For follow-up patients 75-81% indicated an improvement in their symptoms and activity while 58% recorded an improvement in their overall wellbeing. Six months after the initiation of treatment 155 (84.7%) felt an improvement in their condition with 148 (81%) attributing this to homeopathy. Nobody reported deterioration due to homeopathic treatment; conventional drug use was reduced in 46 patients (25%). Copyright © 2011 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maintaining Identity Political Culture In Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzi, AM; Sudrajat, A.; Affandi, A.; Raditya, A.

2018-01-01

This study investigates the portrayal of traditional political cultures in West Kalimantan Province, a growing of election process. Results showed that Political life in Indonesia leads to modern political culture after experiencing a change of paradigm of political life. Political life in Indonesia leads to modern political culture after experiencing a change of paradigm of political life. Beginning Indonesia’s independence in the Old Order Phase, the politics used using the ideological paradigm, subsequent to the New Order Period used the political paradigm of unification and simplification of political parties but in practice it became the strategy of the State’s rulers to facilitate subjugating its citizens. After entering the reform era, several phenomena of political culture are displayed, some are using modern paradigm by giving women the widest possible role in political parties, and so on. Besides that there is the opposite of displaying and practicing traditional political culture, this is as it runs in West Borneo Province. The change of political culture in the modern direction is different from the political culture of the citizens in terms of who will be chosen, most West Borneo Province residents determine their political choice by using traditional patterns.

Extractive industries and political frontiers in the Amazon during the elastic rubber boom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarate G, Carlos G

2008-01-01

The article analyzes the relationship between the extractive activity of elastic rubber, during the period between the fourth part of 19th century and the first decades of the 20 Th century, in the Amazonian frontier between Brazil, Peru and Colombia, and the process of configuration and definition of the boundaries between these countries. The central aspect of the analysis and the discussion is the questioning of the deterministic and simplistic interpretations that associate, in a mechanical way, the relationship between the kind of rubber species exploited and their production organization, the effects on the indigenous societies, and even the politic organization and delimitation of the bordering territories. It is also expected to show how these interpretations have been wrongly or instrumentally used even in the ideological field, to justify and explain the results of the bordering agreements of these countries, which conduced to establish the current Political frontiers in the Amazon

Belonging to the Land in Tura: Reforms, Migrations, and Indentity Politics in Evenkia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Povoroznyuk

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Tura is a mixed community where Evenks live alongside other indigenous groups and Russians. The establishment of Evenk autonomy, with the centre in Tura, in 1930 strengthened Evenk ethnic identity and unity through increased political and cultural representation, as well as through the integration of migrants from other regions. In the post-Soviet period, the community witnessed a population loss, a declining socio-economic situation, and the abolition of autonomy. In the long course of reforms and identity construction, the indigenous intelligentsia has manipulated the concept of belonging to the land either to stress or to erase cultural differences, and thus, to secure the access of the local elite to valuable resources. currently, the most hotly debated boundaries are those dividing Evenks into local and migrant, authentic and unauthentic, urban and rural. The paper illustrates the intricate interrelations between ethnic, indigenous, and territorial identities from an identity politics perspective.

Belonging to the Land in Tura: Reforms, Migrations, and Indentity Politics in Evenkia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Povoroznyuk

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Tura is a mixed community where Evenks live alongside other indigenous groups and Russians. The establishment of Evenk autonomy, with the centre in Tura, in 1930 strengthened Evenk ethnic identity and unity through increased political and cultural representation, as well as through the integration of migrants from other regions. In the post-Soviet period, the community witnessed a population loss, a declining socio-economic situation, and the abolition of autonomy. In the long course of reforms and identity construction, the indigenous intelligentsia has manipulated the concept of belonging to the land either to stress or to erase cultural differences, and thus, to secure the access of the local elite to valuable resources. currently, the most hotly debated boundaries are those dividing Evenks into local and migrant, authentic and unauthentic, urban and rural. The paper illustrates the intricate interrelations between ethnic, indigenous, and territorial identities from an identity politics perspective.

International Contexts for Political Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Harber, Clive

1991-01-01

Uses international examples of the ways in which political learning takes place--indoctrination, political socialization, and political education--to suggest that open and democratic political education is not common, even in democracies. (SK)

Schisms in the church: National Health Service systems and institutional divergence in England and Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, David; Vincent-Jones, Peter

2008-12-01

Since devolution, the four countries of the United Kingdom have pursued strikingly different National Health Service (NHS) reforms. While England created a supply-side market more radical than the previous internal market system, Wales moved to a softer version of the purchaser/provider split emphasizing localism. This article deploys institutional theory to analyze the forces shaping change, and describes the hybrid forms of economic organization emerging, including the economic regulation model implemented in England. The schism that has resulted in separate NHS subsystems warrants a different analysis from the more familiar phenomenon of infield divergence. We argue that schism was triggered by political-regulatory influences rather than economic or other social institutional forces, and predict that other decentralized public health care systems may follow a similar path. While political-regulatory, normative, and cognitive institutional influences push in the same direction in Wales, the misalignment of political-regulatory and normative elements in England looks set to result in a period of organizational turbulence.

Political institutions as substitute for democracy: a political economy analysis of economic growth

OpenAIRE

Pereira, Carlos; Teles, Vladimir Kühl

2009-01-01

This manuscript empirically assesses the effects of political institutions on economic growth. It analyzes how political institutions affect economic growth in different stages of democratization and economic development by means of dynamic panel estimation with interaction terms. The new empirical results obtained show that political institutions work as a substitute for democracy promoting economic growth. In other words, political institutions are important for increasing economic growth, ...

Political regimes, political ideology, and self-rated health in Europe: a multilevel analysis

OpenAIRE

Huijts, T.; Perkins, J.M; Subramanian, S.V.

2010-01-01

Background: Studies on political ideology and health have found associations between individual ideology and health as well as between ecological measures of political ideology and health. Individual ideology and aggregate measures such as political regimes, however, were never examined simultaneously. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using adjusted logistic multilevel models to analyze data on individuals from 29 European countries and Israel, we found that individual ideology and political r...

Enhanced invitation methods to increase uptake of NHS health checks: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

OpenAIRE

Forster, Alice S; Burgess, Caroline; McDermott, Lisa; Wright, Alison J; Dodhia, Hiten; Conner, Mark; Miller, Jane; Rudisill, Caroline; Cornelius, Victoria; Gulliford, Martin C

2014-01-01

Background NHS Health Checks is a new program for primary prevention of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and vascular dementia in adults aged 40 to 74 years in England. Individuals without existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes are invited for a Health Check every 5 years. Uptake among those invited is lower than anticipated. Method The project is a three-arm randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that enhanced invitation methods, using the Question-Be...

Legitimacy, Political Disaffection and Discontent with (Democratic) Politics in the Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Linek, Lukáš

2016-01-01

Roč. 8, č. 2 (2016), s. 51-73 E-ISSN 1803-8220 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-29032S Institutional support: RVO:68378025 Keywords : Czech politics * political disaffection * regime legitimacy Subject RIV: AD - Politology ; Political Sciences http://acpo.vedeckecasopisy.cz/publicFiles/001208.pdf

5 CFR 734.408 - Participation in political management and political campaigning; prohibitions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... management or in a political campaign, except as permitted by subpart D of this part. [61 FR 35102, July 5... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Participation in political management and political campaigning; prohibitions. 734.408 Section 734.408 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL...

Enhancing Political Participation in Jamaica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lloyd George Waller

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Youth participation through political talk appears to be shifting to the online public sphere in many parts of the world. Many attribute this shift to online social networks such as Facebook. Emerging research seem to suggest that this may be a cure for the problem of political apathy among the youth. This study explores such a possibility in Jamaica. In all, 752 youth ages 15 to 24 were surveyed to ascertain whether Facebook encourages political talk among this age cohort, and what if any are the primary factors that discourage this practice. The findings suggest that (a Facebook is an extension of offline political talk among the civically engaged and politically charged youth of Jamaica; (b Facebook does not substantively encourage political talk among the politically apathetic Jamaican youth; and (c fear of political victimization is the primary factor that discourages many Jamaican youth to engage in political talk on Facebook.

Boundaries of dreams, boundaries of dreamers: thin and thick boundaries as a new personality measure.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, E

1989-11-01

Previous work by the author and his collaborators on frequent nightmare sufferers demonstrated that these people had striking personality characteristics which could be called "thin boundaries" in a number of different senses. In order to measure thin and thick boundaries, a 145-item questionnaire, the Boundary Questionnaire, has been developed which has now been taken by over 1,000 persons. Preliminary results are presented indicating that, as predicted a priori, several new groups of nightmare sufferers and groups of art students scored usually "thin," whereas a group of naval officers had usually "thick" boundaries. Overall, thinness on the Boundary Questionnaire correlated highly positively (r = .40) with frequency of dream recall and also significantly (r = .16) with length of sleep.

Critical Care nurses' understanding of the NHS knowledge and skills framework. An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Laura F M; Rae, Agnes M

2013-01-01

This small-scale research study aimed to explore Critical Care nurses' understanding of the National Health Service (NHS) Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) in relationship to its challenges and their nursing role. The NHS KSF is central to the professional development of nurses in Critical Care and supports the effective delivery of health care in the UK. KSF was implemented in 2004 yet engagement seems lacking with challenges often identified. This qualitative study adopted an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework. Data were collected from five Critical Care nurses using semi-structured interviews that were transcribed for analysis. Two super-ordinate themes of 'engagement' and 'theory-practice gap' were identified. Six subthemes of 'fluency', 'transparency', 'self-assessment', 'achieving for whom', 'reflection' and 'the nursing role' further explained the super-ordinate themes. Critical Care nurses demonstrated layers of understanding about KSF. Challenges identified were primarily concerned with complex language, an unclear process and the use of reflective and self-assessment skills. Two theory-practice gaps were found. Critical Care nurses understood the principles of KSF but they either did not apply or did not realize they applied these principles. They struggled to relate KSF to Critical Care practice and felt it did not capture the 'essence' of their nursing role in Critical Care. Recommendations were made for embedding KSF into Critical Care practice, using education and taking a flexible approach to KSF to support the development and care delivery of Critical Care nurses. © 2012 The Authors. Nursing in Critical Care © 2012 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

The Politics of Inclusion and Empowerment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, John; Siim, Birte

The objective of the book is to analyse different politics of inclusion and empowerment and the different paradigms of inclusion/exclusion in order to underline the close link between politics of scoial equality and politics of recognition of ciultural difference. Politics of inclusion is thus...... identities. Politics of empowerment has to do with the agency and mobilisation dimension of social and political change. The title of the book "Politics of Inclusion and Empowerment" address the leitmotiv: namely to discuss plussumgame between politics of inclusion and politics of empowerment...

Teaching American Politics through Student Projects: Electoral Reform Issues and Political Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Alper, Donald K.; Hogan, Eugene

1979-01-01

Describes two projects which involve college students in political science courses on American politics in doing research and giving class reports on proposals for reforming the electoral college and the electoral process. Findings indicate that students participating in the projects become more aware of political realities and learn how to use…

A struggle on two fronts: boundary drawing in the lower region of the social space and the symbolic market for 'down-to-earthness'.