Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015

I do remember reading about the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 in Resurgence & Ecology, Russell Warfield, Acting for the future. Issue 322. 2020. pp.20-24 [with another gem to follow]. Belatedly, here it is:

The Well-being of Future Generations Act

There are 7 connected well-being goals for Wales. They are:

• A prosperous Wales
• A resilient Wales
• A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of more cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language
• A globally responsible Wales

 ...

This is about ensuring that future generations have at least the same quality of life as we do now. The act provides for better decision-making by ensuring that public bodies:

• take account of the long term
• help to prevent problems occurring or getting worse
• take an integrated approach
• take a collaborative approach, and
• consider and involve people of all ages and diversity.

Text source, video below with a 10th Anniversary video also:
 https://www.gov.wales/well-being-of-future-generations-wales

 

I wonder what tools they use to help the integration?

Definition: Individual and Group Counselling

INDIVIDUAL

|

    INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

"Counsellor"
	"Counsellor of state"

My source: Robert Wright, Starmer eyes succession law change for Andrew, FTWeekend, 21-22 February, 2026, p.2.

Previously: 'counselling' : 'therapy'

Winner of Wrecsam National Eisteddfod crown - 4th Aug.

Crown winner Owain Rhys
Image: https://nation.cymru/culture/winner-of-wrecsam-national-eisteddfod-crown-announced/

Owain Rhys is the winner of the Wrecsam National Eisteddfod crown for his poems about living with a loved one who is suffering with dementia.

The crown – sponsored by Elin Haf Davies – and a cash prize of £750 was presented to Owain in north Wales on Monday (August 4) by Prydwen Elfed Owens.

The prize was awarded for a “pryddest” or collection of poems not in the traditional Welsh style cynghanedd, of no more than 250 lines, on the theme of “Adfeilion” or ruins.

The adjudicators were Ifor ap Glyn, Gwyneth Lewis and Siôn Aled.

The crown was designed and produced by Neil Rayment and Elan Rowlands.

The pair previously created the impressive crown for the Rhondda Cynon Taf Eisteddfod in 2024 – won by Gwynfor Dafydd for his series of poems on “Atgof” – or remembrance.

Head judge Ifor ap Glyn said: “Llif 2 opens with the simple couplet ‘When you forget / every day as you wake’ – and it discusses living with someone suffering from dementia, namely the poet’s mother.

“It’s a quiet and sensitive treatment of what must be done to help the mother continue to live with dignity as her memory deteriorates.

“The collection presents a tender picture of a difficult situation faced by so many families today, and we sense the depth of the poet’s feelings toward his mother and her former strength.”

Text: https://nation.cymru/culture/winner-of-wrecsam-national-eisteddfod-crown-announced/

See also: https://eisteddfod.wales

My Source: BBC Four Episode 1 - 15mins
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002gwyq/eisteddfod-eisteddfod-2025-with-huw-stephens-episode-1

Save Cardiff University School of Nursing - Sign the Petition

Cardiff University have announced that the School of Nursing is set to close with cuts to staffing because of a funding shortfall. 

We condemn this action and urge the university to find another solution that does not involve closing the School of Nursing. 

This awful decision will have a direct impact on the number of nurses available to work in health boards across the country . At a time where there is a significant number of nursing vacancies within the NHS this action will undermine an already depleted workforce. 

With well over a 1,000 students within the department, Cardiff University School of Nursing contributes a very important number of nurses which are employed within the NHS each year. 

The school of nursing is ranked 1st in Wales and is an centre of excellence. It is a dynamic, innovative and forward looking school. They are recognised for their excellence in learning, teaching and research. They pride themselves on pursuing research of the highest quality, and are one of the leading healthcare departments in the UK.

As well as this, the staff  work incredibly hard, have invaluable diverse expertise and put their hearts and souls into making the school a vibrant and welcoming place. The nursing department is full of warm, intelligent, passionate people with a wealth of knowledge, who are at danger of losing their livelihoods. We stand in solidarity with the university staff affected by this decision. 

Please sign this petition in the hope that Cardiff University reconsider its decision to close the School of Nursing. 

https://t.co/HU5Cyn8j8p

QR code also available.

Previous posts: 

Nursing, history and (future) travels

Wales

It would be marvellous to be able to deliver a lecture on Hodges' model to new nursing course entrants. Vital though to secure the future of all.

Variable Hours Tutor: Take II

Consultation: Community Mental Health Services [ UK Parliament ]

Source: Health and Social Care Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

'Community Mental Health Services

Inquiry

The Committee is undertaking an inquiry into community mental health services. The inquiry will examine what good looks like from the perspective of service users and their families/carers. The Committee would like the inquiry to shine a light on case studies of innovative practice and high-quality care across the country, and to undertake meaningful and impactful engagement with people accessing these services. 

The inquiry will consider how service users’ wider health and social needs can be addressed, including in employment and housing, and to understand what policy interventions are required to improve how these needs are met. As part of this inquiry, the Committee also wants to assess to what extent the Community Mental Health Framework is driving improvements in the delivery of more integrated, person-centred care. 

This inquiry is focussing on adults with severe mental health needs in particular, which includes but is not limited to people with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and severe depression. The Committee recognises the scale of the challenge in children and young people’s mental health, and plans to do further work in this area in due course, building on its predecessor Committee’s 2021 inquiry. 

In line with the general practice of select committees, the Health and Social Care Committee is not able to take up individual cases or complaints. If you would like political support or advice you may wish to contact your local Member of Parliament.

This inquiry is currently accepting evidence

The committee wants to hear your views. We welcome submissions from anyone with answers to the questions in the call for evidence. You can submit evidence until Tuesday 4 February 2025.' 

Read the call for evidence before submitting:

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8755/community-mental-health-services/

Podcast: Local green spaces and mental health

Dear CHAIN member,

We would like to draw your attention to the following NIHR alert. Please pass on as appropriate. Thank you.

NIHR

Local green spaces are linked with better mental health

Podcast: Local green spaces and mental health

In this podcast, Helen Saul, Editor in Chief of NIHR Evidence, and study author Sarah Rodgers, Professor of Health Informatics, University of  Liverpool, discuss the impact of local green spaces on people's mental health.

Researchers analysed data on more than 2 million people in Wales over 10 years to explore the impact of green spaces on mental health. They linked information about people’s mental health with information about the greenness of their home’s immediate surroundings and how close they lived to green or blue spaces (such as parks, lakes, and beaches). They found that people had a lower risk of anxiety and depression if:

· their home’s immediate surroundings (within 200-300 metres) were greener
· they could access green and blue spaces nearby.

The researchers say that local authorities could improve the mental health of their community by increasing the greenery in their towns and cities and improving access to green and blue spaces.

Read more at: https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/local-green-spaces-are-linked-with-better-mental-health/?source=chainmail

Regards,

Irina Johnston
CHAIN Administrative Assistant

(and my source.)

Previously: 

c/o @TheLancetPlanet - Paper: Residential greenness and prevalence of major depressive disorders... or "All colours fictitious"

'nature'

Hospital Passports or Traffic Light documents

Today I heard "They just aren't read". Hospital Passports or Traffic Light documents for individuals with learning disabilities are still under popularised and often not utilised. Here's an academic poster from my previous @USWnurs_mid HCSW studies to help disseminate the message pic.twitter.com/uE11VdrTbu

— John-Marc Comperat (@comperat) June 6, 2018

Hospital Passport / Traffic Light Poster

I hope this helps a little John-Marc and colleagues...?

The health career - life chances - model was developed with the care and positive life experiences of people with learning disability very much in mind. Consider the model's intra- interpersonal care (knowledge) domain and the political. We are prompted to simultaneously factor in individual and collective autonomy.

As a possible learning exercise (CPD!) sketch out the model and use the poster to reflect on the concepts and aspects of individual and person-centred care that are highlighted.

Identity and care in recognising that identity is paramount whatever 'condition' places members of the public in our hands (and hearts).

Money and Mental Health [i] Impact of Mass Unemployment Events (MUEs)

This post was prompted by an infographic on twitter and an associated report that includes the infographics:

Davies AR, Homolova L, Grey C, Bellis MA (2017). Mass Unemployment Events (MUEs) – Prevention and Response from a Public Health Perspective. Public Health Wales, Cardiff ISBN 978-1-910768-42-6.

The report is very interesting, not just in it demonstrating the conceptual scope and application of Hodges' model, but in the real-world examples of people who have experienced this socioeconomic phenomena which impacts so heavily on the individual, spouses (partners) and communities. In addition the research is global across countries and industries. It is sobering to reflect also on the dynamic that is the workforce. Paradoxically, at present UK employment is at a high:

"The employment rate (the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work) was 74.8%, the joint highest since comparable records began in 1971." (ONS June 2017).

The report does not mention the 'gig economy', but the rise of 'zero hours' a feature of the new economy is found on page 48. With demographers, forward thinking policy makers and media seers predicting the future of work as the robots not only find their feet, but walk, run and jump - you wonder where we are headed. Children will need to be educated in such a way that they are prepared to retrain, possibly several times in their working lives. Other avenues to ease the human pain are a basic universal income, and a reduced working week. You do wonder if another hidden and subtle MUE is underway? It is not so much massive, as yet, but it is happening in not so slow - slow motion ...?

What follows is drawn from section 4.

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group - population

Effect on mental health and well-being loss of self-esteem, increased stress, anxiety, changes to perceived control, shame and loss of status, withdrawal experiencing a grieving process insomnia, depression, self-harm, attempted and completed suicide loneliness financial strain  Effect on pre-existing poor health behaviours -  helplessness, hopelessness loss of individual and collective* identity

physical health reduced freedom from disability back-pain mortality reduced life expectancy stroke, myocardial infarction weight gain relapse to smoking ... again - such as, increased alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, illegal and prescription drug misuse, and being overweight "job for life" hidden morbidity

spousal mental health reduced household income change in family dynamics emasculation increased conflict and domestic violence, increased unplanned pregnancy, and reduced infant growth - child educational attainment Community impact: loss of cohesion and identity* the already unemployed social inequalities women seeking community mental health support as their (male) partners will not seek help having to work away from home intergenerational impact culture of worklessness, unemployability "job for life of a family"

hidden unemployed accumulation of debt jobs offered not local labour market competition housing market - affordability commuting costs reliance on food banks  increased expenditure on antidepressants  and related drugs financial hardship increased hospitalisation, out-patient attendance Community impact: labour market and economy Loss of industries youth move away -  no workers for new initiatives/industries loss to local economy of MUE reliance on welfare benefits

A future post will conduct a similar treatment of a publication by The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.

Self-determination: individual - group (high-low) resolution

individual
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

group

	Border Binary Decision
magnanimity

Image sources:
"Flag of Scotland (Union Jack colours and proportion)" via Wikimedia Commons.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg

Nursing, history and (future) travels

From: Stu Young c/o Facebook, Royal College of Nursing Students, 3:28pm Jul 19

Dear All,

Please look up the "Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal" page on facebook it has moved to a new page, please support this cause for a nurse often forgotten by history.

Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal

Mary Seacole born in Jamaica in 1805, died in London 14th May 1881: Jamaican / Scottish nurse, doctres.

<->

PJ: The other week I took my mother and aunt to Tywyn, Wales to trace family history and meet some friends. On the way back we stopped in Bala. I had heard of another nurse and a bookshop reminded me: Elizabeth Cadwaladr - with a movement for another memorial.

The lady in the shop explained the way to Betsy Cadwaladyr's home. That's a walk for the next trip.


UK Centre for the History of Nursing and Midwifery (disbanded 2018)

RCN: History of Nursing Society community

Walls, Lines, Dykes and Health Care

We are accustomed to defensive care and medicine.


Costs aside it seems the driving mantra (always served with a smile) is avoid risk at all cost; but we also recognise the need to balance risk in its negative and positive forms.



When it comes to thinking about care though we need to be open to new ideas, territories and opportunities and what being defensive means in practice and theory in the 21st century.



Additional links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa%27s_Dyke

It is unlikely that the Dyke was constructed as a defensive earthwork. No army of the period could defend a 120 plus mile long earthwork. It is more likely that the Dyke was constructed as a political statement of power and intent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

GP launches YouTube health films

Bob Pyke posted the following today:
--------------
I wrote about this about a year ago and they recently updated it, but it is still pretty cool.
http://www.builthsurgery.co.uk/

A GPs' surgery in mid Wales has launched a series of health education films on YouTube, better known as a website featuring home videos.

Advice about flu vaccination and cervical screening are two of the topics covered by Builth and Llanwrtyd Medical Practice in Powys.

Doctors said they wanted to help educate their 7,700 patients and a wider global audience.

Last year, the surgery launched a series of podcasts to advise patients.

YouTube allows users to upload their home videos and other clips online.

Dr Richard Walters, who helped to develop the practice's project, said surgeries normally printed leaflets to advise patients, but added that things were changing.

He told the Western Mail newspaper: "There are a lot of things that we do in a GP practice that have to be conveyed to patients, some of which are not easy to demonstrate within the surgery.

"Sometimes getting patients to watch a quick video on the computer screen is a lot easier."

He added: "We are a practice in rural mid Wales, shops in Hereford and Aberystwyth are an hour away, Cardiff an hour-and-a-half, so although broadband access is not ideal, people tend to use the internet for all sorts of things."

The practice, which covers more than 500 square miles (1,295 sq kms), hopes its advice online will avoid unnecessary travelling to a see a doctor. The videos include tips about asthma inhalers, smear testing, blood sugar testing and the winter flu vaccine, and are made by two practice nurses.

New topics are planned to be added every month. As well as being available on YouTube, the videos are posted on the practice's own website and can be downloaded onto an MP3 player. The surgery is no stranger to using modern technology to get across its health messages to patients. Last year, it launched podcasts demonstrating, among other topics, how to use an asthma inhaler properly.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6234141.stm

Rag dolls and empty bottles

Grief is a frightening character.

A thief who can steal you away and get away with it....

Why?

Because grief cannot be denied. We must leave that small window ajar, the spare key under the mat, best wear your collar loose for when you're grabbed by the scruff of the neck...

Sometimes he finds you 'in' when you wish he hadn't.

Like when you're driving on the motorway and the windscreen wipers don't work somehow. He strikes and turns the sensible into a non-sensible rag doll.

Spring last year I found myself with a choice - head North for home from the Midlands or head back in time. The time traveller with a penchant for the past won out.

I headed West past Telford then Shrewsbury into and across mid-Wales. The weather was strange. There was lightening, but no thunder as I crossed the border and headed into Wales.

Rain then sunshine. Through Welshpool, stopping in Aberdovey through Tywyn, I worked my way around the coast then inland towards Cadre Idris and Llanegryn.

Another Home.

It's no wonder time has mythic status. In the village I imagined, the house standing there, the worn step. The many passing feet, tiny hands growing day by day.

There was the former hotel, the school and old chapel. I could hear voices from yesteryear. And remembered my grandfather's steel stomach from working in the slate quarry. True grit. True work.

Heading NE I came to Bird's Rock.

I made my way to the top.

Walking and running alone.












The valley there stretched out before me was like so many in Wales, green, beautiful and timeless.



I could trace out my journey, along the Dysynni valley and see the bay in the far distance, sunlit and misty.

I stood reflected, remembered and rejoiced.

Savouring some deep breathes and that space, I noticed the strong breeze cutting across the Rock and my face. If my mouth was open I found I had become an open yet empty bottle. A special bottle - one of those human ones - full of raw emotion thinking about a lost other.

I've no idea where it came from but I'm still there

My lips moved but I did not speak.

The wind spoke my words for me.

"It's ok son I'm right here and always will be...."