Posts Tagged ‘Children’
New website launched to support children and young people’s mental health
Published on Nov 6, 2018
A new website to support children and young people from North Yorkshire with their mental health and wellbeing has been launched, thanks to the local NHS.
Compass BUZZ, who are commissioned by the five North Yorkshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to provide mental health services for children and young people, has launched the site to build on the existing service which offers help and support around some of the most common mental health and wellbeing difficulties.
The new website, gives children and young people as well as parents, carers and professionals, direct access to videos and helpful tips on identifying and managing difficulties including anxiety, bullying, eating problems, loss, low mood and self-esteem as well as stress and self-harm.
Lisa Gale, Service Manager for Compass REACH and Compass BUZZ, North Yorkshire, said: “For young people aged 11-18, it can be hard growing up and they can face lots of different issues.
“We have designed the website for a wide audience; to appeal to children and young people and also provide details for parents and professionals on how to support them. It focusses on four key areas: Being Bullied, Being Angry, Being Worried and Being Sad.
“There are some amazing video clips which were filmed with the help of young people from Stokesley School and Harrogate Youth Council. For more brilliant clips you can also access the new Compass BUZZ YouTube channel.
“We will be keeping the website up to date with Compass BUZZ news and events, so please take a look.”
The website follows the earlier launch of a text messaging service ‘BUZZ US’ which is a confidential text messaging service for young people aged 11-18 across North Yorkshire. Named by children, BUZZ US can be contacted confidentially on 07520 631168 Monday – Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm (excluding Bank Holidays).
On behalf of the five North Yorkshire CCGs, Janet Probert, Chief Officer of NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG, said: “There’s some really fantastic work going on with services for children and young people and we’re increasingly grateful to Compass BUZZ for launching initiatives like these. We hope our health and social care professionals, schools and community groups will help spread the word so that more children and young people can continue to feel supported by this service.”
Read MoreMums and dads urged to take up flu vaccination offer for their children
Published on Sep 18, 2018
Mums and dads in Scarborough and Ryedale are being urged to get their child vaccinated against the flu.
The vaccine is free for the majority of children aged two and three years old, primary school age children and youngsters with a health condition that puts them at greater risk from flu.
The annual vaccination programme in schools in our area is being delivered by nurses from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s Childhood Immunisation Team.
Parents are being reminded to complete the online consent form for their child, available at www.hdft.nhs.uk/flu-consent or complete the paper form circulated by some schools.
The online consent form is easy to fill in and will take around 10 minutes. Parents will be prompted to type in their child’s school code, provided on the website and can also read a range of Frequently Asked Questions about the nasal flu vaccine.
For children aged two and three, the vaccine is available at their local GP practice.
Dr Greg Black, Governing Body member and Medicines Lead for NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children causing fever, stuffy nose, dry cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints, and extreme tiredness. This can last several days or more and in many cases will lead to a parent having to take time off work to look after their poorly child.
“Some children can get a very high fever, sometimes without the usual flu symptoms, and may need to go to hospital for treatment. Children under the age of five have the highest rate of hospital admissions due to flu. Serious complications of flu include a painful ear infection, acute bronchitis, and pneumonia.
“The nasal vaccine provided through the schools vaccination programme offers good protection against flu, particularly in young children. It also reduces the risk of a child passing on the virus to a more vulnerable member of their family, such as a baby brother or sister who is too young to be vaccinated, or elderly relative who is at greater risk from complications caused by the flu.
“This particular flu vaccination has been given to millions of children worldwide and is the single most effective protection against flu we have.”
Meanwhile, in a series of films for social media – also available to watch at www.hdft.nhs.uk/flu-consent – children from North Yorkshire have been giving their opinions about the nasal flu spray and why it’s important to have it. Youngsters Maisie, Jude, Reggie, Oliver and Noah remarked how “it tickles”, “it goes up a nose hole” and how “it protects my grandma”.
Lois Alderson, Clinical Lead for Childhood Immunisations in North Yorkshire said: “We had a lot of fun talking with our five youngsters and finding out what they thought about the nasal flu spray.
“As nurses we know the benefits of having the vaccine and we know parents do too. But we thought it would be interesting to see what some of the young people actually receiving the vaccine thought about it and if they understood why it was so important.
“And even if one child thought it would protect the moon too, it was great to see they knew why it was important and what the benefits were of having it.”
You can also watch each film here:
Maisie: https://youtu.be/Ts_4QU8r7x8
Reggie: https://youtu.be/mscrFf8vAFo
Jude: https://youtu.be/rRE2IK3QBPQ
Oliver: https://youtu.be/1DKuMFDTre0
Noah: https://youtu.be/ngu2pbd08QI
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