The holy grail for the Healthy Schools Programme? Maybe an ‘objective measurement of evidence of impact’? 
I tried to find it (and my question recently surfaced again, via Google, thanks) but failed; though I had a go presenting a kind of a v. short paper (‘From systems to evidence: a study in applying complexity theory to a health promotion programme’) on it at a conference in Vienna. That will teach me.
Like the Talkabouts forum feature on the Big White Wall website. Nice and easy to check the ‘Top Talkabouts’ first, and then when you feel like it create your own. It’s good to have somewhere you can get feedback & ideas on things you can’t always share with friends and family — like this blog!
Just come across theyworkforyou.com — nice, like the thumbnail pics of politicians. And by luck found the original PQ about the set up costs for Wired for Health.
Check out the NHS National Innovation Centre, it’s had a very nice revamp, with new features coming online soon such as an ‘incubator’ blog to get support and to discuss ideas.
Screenshot below:
In light of the fact I will be doing video work in Chicago soon it prompted me to remember earlier success when working at Mental Health Media on the Headlines project in getting Les Bailey on to Channel 4′s Weekly Planet discussion programme to talk about the issues he faced as a black mental health user. Admittedly that was ten years ago now, so I’m a bit rusty.
Looks like the European Commission has seen sense and postponed its EMF Directive which would have seriously effected the use of MRI for patients across Europe. It’s great that on Medicexchange.com we backed the campaign to stop the Directive implementation; for for the full story history, with today’s confirmation news see below:
European directive will halt use of MRI scans; cancer diagnosis and treatment will suffer
EU MRI Directive undermined by new scientific evidence
Top European radiologists campaign to counter EU directive which endangers use of magnetic resonance imaging
Prominent healthcare professors fighting against EU anti-MRI directive win one key battle, but lose another
Plus article on Cancer Focus on the effect it would have had on cancer patients if it had gone through.
The European Commission has today proposed to postpone for four years – until 30 April 2012 – the
deadline for introducing legislation on workers’ exposure to electromagnetic fields, which could have affected the use of technologies such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This will allow enough time to prepare a substantive amendment to the Directive in order to take account of recent research findings on the possible impact of the exposure limits on MRI.
“The Commission remains committed to the protection of the health and safety of workers. However, it was never the intention of this Directive to impede the practice of MRI. Obviously, the Commission recognises MRI as a technology offering clear benefits to patients, and continues to support MRI research financially”, commented Vladimír Špidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. “Postponement of the transposition will allow time to review the current Directive and amend those provisions which have been shown to be problematic by recent scientific studies. While this review is ongoing, the Commission recommends that Member States put the transposition of the current Directive on hold.”
The Commission indicates in its proposal that this postponement is being carried out in order to prepare a substantive amendment to the Directive. The future amendment will aim to ensure that limits will not have an adverse effect on the practice of MRI, whilst ensuring appropriate protection of personnel. Moreover, it is intended to review the situation for all sectors where personnel are exposed to electromagnetic fields while carrying out their work.
The proposed postponement will also allow sufficient time to take into account new recommendations from relevant international bodies. The International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is currently revising its recommendations for occupational limit values for static and low frequency electromagnetic fields (such as MRI), while the World Health Organisation is also revising its Environmental Health Criteria for electromagnetic fields. Those revisions are expected to yield results in the form of new, less stringent, recommended limit values for occupational exposure at the end of 2008.
Background:
Directive 2004/40/EC was adopted by Parliament and Council in April 2004 and was due to enter into force in April 2008. Its content was based on up-to-date scientific knowledge, as established by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) at the time.
In 2006, the Commission received indications from stakeholders that the implementation of the legislation might create difficulties. Commissioner Špidla immediately met the principal stakeholders and reassured them that the Commission would not hesitate to change legislation already adopted if it should be proved that it would have adverse effects on the practice of MRI. The Commission then launched a study to look into exactly what implications the Directive’s exposure limits would have on MRI and identify potential problems that could arise. The study is now under way in four installations across Europe (Germany, France, Belgium and the UK). The results should be finalised by end of January 2008.
To proceed in a transparent manner, the Commission wrote to all Member States in February 2007 informing them about its willingness to address the issue and draw the necessary conclusions from ongoing studies. In addition, the Commission has also conducted a number of meetings with MRI practitioners as well as representatives of the industry to discuss potential difficulties with the Directive in terms of limits affecting MRI as well as in terms of its potential impact on other sectors. In June 2007, the UK authorities published a study indicating that the practice of MRI could indeed be affected. On the occasion of its publication, Commissioner Špidla made a public statement to Members of the European Parliament and to stakeholders to the effect that the legislation already adopted would thus have to be changed.
MRI is currently the leading technique for detecting brain tumours and many other serious conditions. It allows doctors to help 8 million patients each year so the European Commission, as well as the Council, is well aware of the enormous benefits of magnetic resonance imaging and of its immense value for public health. The EU is also a driving force behind new research in this field. As part of its 7th Framework Programme for Research, it will in 2007 invest roughly €6.000.000 in projects to develop hybrid imaging systems such as MRI/PET and MRI/Ultrasound.
Further information:
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/health_safety
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PS: Congrats on the site, still in BETA. Love the brick idea where you can design your own message.
PPS: My first ‘brick’ is up — works a treat! 
Oh dear, apparently we are going to have to change to prevent obesity, which ranks up with climate change as a big problem.
Very sad to hear on BBC website about the 90 ward bug deaths.
A coincidence that just a week or so ago I reported on the threat to cleanliness in NHS hospitals: “Had a nice chat with someone very knowledgable about global healthcare and the NHS recently who suggested the NHS was going to ‘hell in a handbasket’ or whatever the correct phrase is. PS: If you do get sick the Netherlands is the safest place, talking hospital cleaniness so I’m told.” I can’t give away my source, but suffice to say he obviously knew what he was talking about (and I’m taking note).
Musically marking World Mental Health Day I played in a band for the very first time, playing the castanet, with the band at Hammersmith & Fulham Consumer Forum.
