South East England (south + east_england)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Pollen beetle in the UK; the start of a resistance problem?

EPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2008
D. M. Richardson
In 2003, the first report of poor control of pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus at a site in South East England in the UK was investigated but resistance to pyrethroid insecticides was not confirmed in subsequent laboratory testing. Bioassays of 26 UK samples of M. aeneus collected in 2004 with the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin showed little or no divergence from the response expected of a fully susceptible strain. In 2006 samples of pollen beetle from the UK were sent to Germany, and again these were shown to be fully susceptible. In 2007 using test kits supplied by Udo Heimbach, BBA, 19 samples of pollen beetle were tested, again from across the UK. Results indicated that a small number of individuals were fully resistant, surviving the highest dose of lambda-cyhalothrin tested (0.375 microg/L) after 5-h exposure at 4 sites, and after 24-h exposure at 2 of these sites. [source]


A past and a future for diversification on farms?

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2003
Some evidence from large-scale, commercial farms in South East England
Abstract Diversification has been identified as a common response to the agricultural crisis of the 1980s and to the changing ethos of agricultural policy in the closing decade of the twentieth century. In particular, farmers operating large-scale farms have been prominent in adopting this approach, just as they were innovative across a range of farming practices in the expansion and modernisation of their agricultural production in earlier decades. Can we identify serial diversifiers within this sector of the farming community, who are disposed to react in an entrepreneurial fashion to the changing fortunes of agriculture? The paper draws on results from a survey of large-scale commercial farmers in South East England and, by examining the sequence in which various forms of diversification were adopted, identifies a temporal pattern as farmers responded to the fluctuating fortunes of the agricultural industry over the past thirty years. But has the potential for diversification been exhausted? The paper also considers future prospects for diversification within the large-scale, commercially oriented sector of the agricultural industry. [source]


New labour and reform of the English NHS: user views and attitudes

HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 2 2010
Andrew Wallace PhD
Abstract Background, The British National Health Service has undergone significant restructuring in recent years. In England this has taken a distinctive direction where the New Labour Government has embraced and intensified the influence of market principles towards its vision of a ,modernized' NHS. This has entailed the introduction of competition and incentives for providers of NHS care and the expansion of choice for patients. Objectives, To explore how users of the NHS perceive and respond to the market reforms being implemented within the NHS. In addition, to examine the normative values held by NHS users in relation to welfare provision in the UK. Design and setting, Qualitative interviews using a quota sample of 48 recent NHS users in South East England recruited from three local health economies. Results, Some NHS users are exhibiting an ambivalent or anxious response to aspects of market reform such as patient choice, the use of targets and markets and the increasing presence of the private sector within the state healthcare sector. This has resulted in a sense that current reforms, are distracting or preventing NHS staff from delivering quality of care and fail to embody the relationships of care that are felt to sustain the NHS as a progressive public institution. Conclusion, The best way of delivering such values for patients is perceived to involve empowering frontline staffs who are deemed to embody the same values as service users, thus problematizing the current assumptions of reform frameworks that market-style incentives will necessarily gain public consent and support. [source]


The recognition of dementia in ,non-EMI' nursing home residents in South East England

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2003
A. J. D. Macdonald
Abstract Objectives To estimate the agreement between nursing staff's recognition of dementia and results of MMSE assessment in a probability sample of non-specialist nursing home residents in South East England, and to identify correlates of disagreement. Methods Prospective survey. The most senior nurse on duty was interviewed about each resident sampled, and optionally about their own training and experience. Residents were interviewed using the MMSE, and assessed using the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, the Barthel ADL index, and the Behave-AD scale for behavioural problems. Results 135 nurses were interviewed about 445 residents,116 reported on of the 291 residents scoring 23 or less on the MMSE,34% of these were acknowledged to have dementia. 46.4% of those with MMSE scores of 15 or less were acknowledged to have dementia. ,Missed dementia' was associated with higher MMSE and lower Behave-AD scores, and inversely associated with RMN training and private home ownership for profit. It was not associated with training or duration of staff employment. Conclusions Most cognitive impairment in non-specialist nursing homes appeared to be unrecognised. This has implications for the prospects of good dementia care in these homes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Using photographs and narratives to contextualise and map the experience of caring for a person with dementia

JOURNAL OF NURSING AND HEALTHCARE OF CHRONIC ILLNE SS: AN INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009
PGCLT (HE), Penny Hibberd RGN
Aim., To capture the meaning and context of how carers adapt and develop their relationships throughout their caring role. Background., Family carers play a pivotal role in supporting and caring for a person living with dementia at home. To date, the majority of social research on carers has focussed upon the stress and burden that such demands evoke, and limited attention has been paid to locating the carer's own construction of their role with a relationship-centred approach. This paper attempts to build on this emerging understanding. Design., A participative, qualitative study using photographs and supportive narratives to contextualise and map carer's experiences of caring for a person with dementia. The study was conducted in one area of South East England, UK with all necessary ethical permission to conduct the study obtained prior to data collection. Method., Data was obtained between May,June 2008 with nine carers recruited from a not for profit organisation based in the UK. Photographs were taken by participants using a 27-print disposable camera with supporting written narratives provided on six photographs that participants selected to best represent their caring role and relationship. These photographs and supporting text were then shared with other participants in a focus group. Through this process, participants were helped to sort and group the data into narrative themes. Results., From this collaborative process, the group identified four types of caring relationships, these were: recognising (1); transforming (2); stabilising (3); and ,moving on' (4). Photographs and the supporting narratives were used to illustrate each type of relationship that helped to give meaning and shape to everyday life. Conclusion., The four types of caring relationships help nurses and other service providers to understand how carers of people with dementia construct and manage their day-to-day life. Recognition of a carer's personhood needs to be acknowledged in order to promote and support their role throughout the caring trajectory. Relevance to clinical practice., Recognition of the knowledge and skills held by carers of people with dementia can help inform professional decision-making and provide a platform for practice intervention. [source]


Understanding the potential role of mobile phone-based monitoring on asthma self-management: qualitative study

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 5 2007
H. Pinnock
Summary Background National and international healthcare policy increasingly seeks technological solutions to the challenge of providing care for people with long-term conditions. Novel technologies, however, have the potential to change the dynamics of disease monitoring and self-management. We aimed to explore the opinions and concerns of people with asthma and primary care clinicians on the potential role of mobile phone monitoring technology (transmitting symptoms and peak flows, with immediate feedback of control and reminder of appropriate actions) in supporting asthma self-management. Methods This qualitative study recruited 48 participants (34 adults and teenagers with asthma, 14 asthma nurses and doctors) from primary care in Lothian (Central Scotland) and Kent (South East England). Thirty-nine participated in six focus groups, which included a demonstration of the technology; nine gave in-depth interviews before and after a 4-week trial of the technology. Results Participants considered that mobile phone-based monitoring systems can facilitate guided self-management although, paradoxically, may engender dependence on professional/technological support. In the early phases, as patients are learning to accept, understand and control their asthma, this support was seen as providing much-needed confidence. During the maintenance phase, when self-management predominates, patient and professionals were concerned that increased dependence may be unhelpful, although they appreciated that maintaining an on-going record could facilitate consultations. Conclusion Mobile phone-based monitoring systems have the potential to support guided self-management by aiding transition from clinician-supported early phases to effective self-management during the maintenance phase. Continuing development, adoption and formal evaluation of these systems should take account of the insights provided by our data. [source]