scholarly journals Local government reform: Community planning and the quality of life in Northern Ireland

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Knox ◽  
Paul Carmichael
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Community Planning ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Legal Power ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Local government in Northern Ireland has undergone a significant reform process in terms of both the number of councils (from twenty-six to eleven) and their functional responsibilities. Councils in Northern Ireland have always been regarded as the ‘poor relation’ of central government or non-departmental public bodies which deliver many of the services performed by local government in other parts of the UK (education, social services, housing). The reforms in Northern Ireland, while devolving relatively minor additional functions, offer councils a significant role in community planning – the legal power to hold central departments to account for services provided by them in local areas. This paper argues that councils can use this power to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants.

4. How the UK is organised

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-99
Author(s):  
Anne Dennett
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
National Security ◽  
Central Government ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Government Power ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

This chapter details how power is allocated in the UK, and its organisation in terms of devolution and regional and local government. Power in the UK is divided into three branches or arms of state: legislature (law-makers), executive (government and administration), and judiciary (courts and judges). Before devolution, the government’s (executive’s) administrative power was centralised and it extended to the whole of the UK, but devolution has made significant changes to the constitution and has brought a substantial rebalancing of power in the government of the UK. Since devolution’s introduction, the power of central government no longer extends to the growing areas of domestic policy that have been devolved to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The UK government’s remit therefore now covers England and the whole of the UK on non-devolved matters including the conduct of foreign affairs, defence, national security, and oversight of the Civil Service and government agencies.

Person-centered support for adults with learning difficulties: an evaluation

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 384
Author(s):  
Roger Ellis ◽  
Elaine Hogard ◽  
Juli Carson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Block Grant ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Assess Quality ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Individual Service

This paper describes an evaluation of a Personalisation Programme provided by the UK Charity Choice Support for adults with learning difficulties.Personalisation, synonymous with patient-centred care, means thinking about care and support services in an entirely different way. This involves starting with the person as an individual with strengths, preferences and aspirations and putting them at the centre of the process of identifying their needs and making choices about how and when they are supported to live their lives. It requires a significant transformation of adult social care so that all systems, processes, staff and services are geared up to put people first.The Choice Support Personalisation Programme had three main features: Person Centred Planning; Individual Service Funds and Better Nights, a new form of night support which encourages greater independence. Person Centred Planning means exploring in detail what each individual wants and needs and planning support accordingly. An Individual Service Fund represents a notional allocation of money to each individual for support based on individual need and preference as opposed to a block grant and a standard support for all. Better Nights was a shift from ‘Waking Nights’ with support staff available and monitoring individuals throughout the night to ‘Sleep In’ where the care staff followed normal waking and sleeping patterns together with the individuals thus encouraging a more normal life style with greater independence. The Social and Health Evaluation Unit (SHEU) of the Buckinghamshire New University, UK, has completed two programme evaluations; one of Better Nights and one of personalisation more broadly. In each case the Unit’s Trident method was used focusing evaluation questions on outcomes; process and stakeholder perspectives. Data from the evaluation were assessed together with the substantial savings achieved. Specially devised audit tools were used to assess quality of life and risk management. Overall the results of these audits showed a maintenance or improvement in quality of life for the service users and effective management of risks. The process of implementation was described in sufficient detail to allow replication, learning and continuous improvement. Stakeholder perspectives were surveyed from care staff, parents and relatives and social services staff. Overall the programme had achieved its stated outcomes in person-centred care with substantial savings. For the minority of service users whose quality of life did not appear to improve, further detailed analysis and planning is being undertaken.

4. How the UK is organised

2019 ◽  
pp. 69-96
Author(s):  
Anne Dennett
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
National Security ◽  
Central Government ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Government Power ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

This chapter details how power is allocated in the UK, and its organisation in terms of devolution and regional and local government. Power in the UK is divided into three branches or arms of state: legislature (law-makers), executive (government and administration), and judiciary (courts and judges). Before devolution, the government's (executive's) administrative power was centralised and it extended to the whole of the UK, but devolution has made significant changes to the constitution and has brought a substantial rebalancing of power in the government of the UK. Since devolution's introduction, the power of central government no longer extends to the growing areas of domestic policy that have been devolved to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The UK government's remit therefore now covers England and the whole of the UK on non-devolved matters including the conduct of foreign affairs, defence, national security, and oversight of the Civil Service and government agencies.

scholarly journals What would most help improve the quality of life of older family carers of people with dementia? A qualitative study of carers’ views

Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 939-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Oliveira ◽  
Lidia Sousa ◽  
Aimee Aubeeluck
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
Online Forums ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Future Care ◽  
Simple Question ◽  
The Uk

Older family carers of people with dementia provide a substantial amount of care for people with dementia in the UK. Caregiving can be stressful and burdensome for these individuals, who are also experiencing psychological and physical changes resulting from their own ageing process. However, little is known about what impacts their quality of life, how this can be improved and what we should prioritise. This brief report asks one simple question to older family carers of people living with dementia – “What would most help improve your quality of life as a carer?” Qualitative data were collected from 150 carers who completed an anonymous paper survey during the development and validation of a quality of life tool for use with this population (DQoL-OC). Participants were individuals aged 60 and over and were providing care for a family member with dementia at home in the UK. Carers were recruited from a variety of voluntary organizations, community-based carers’ groups, health services and via online forums. A thematic approach was used to analyse the carers’ comments and three main overarching themes were identified. The quality of life of older family carers can be enhanced by having more time away from caregiving, accessing health and social services that are dementia friendly and by having economic support. Future care, policies and research should aim to address these key areas in order to promote better quality of life for older carers of people with dementia. Further implications for practice, policy and research are discussed.

scholarly journals The Role and Significance of the Local Government to Improve the Level and Quality of Life of the Population in the Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 335-343
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
State Budget ◽  
The Social ◽  
Comprehensive Development ◽  
Detailed List

This topic is relevant because local government is a very important element in building a democratic society in the Russian Federation. According to the current Constitution of Russia, local government bodies are the basis of the democratic system, as well as one of the key factors in the development of civil society in the country. In this regard, the authors decided to study the activities of municipal authorities and understand their role and importance in improving the level and quality of life of the population in the regions of Russia. The article describes the activities of local government bodies, their main purposes, tasks and functions, and describes a number of problems that local authorities may face when performing their municipal tasks. The authors considered such terms as «standard of living» and «quality of life» and defined them. In the article, the authors provide a detailed list of ways to improve the level and quality of life of the population in the region. The authors also tried to identify their role and significance in the socio-economic development of municipalities. As an example, which shows the competent work of local government bodies in the implementation of social policy, the municipal district of Tekstilschiky in Moscow was taken. The social policy of this municipality was considered in the system of providing social services to the population in the state budget institution territorial center for social services Kuzminki branch Tekstilschiky for 2020. In general, the authors express the hope that their article will be in demand in scientific circles, since it is part of their master's dissertation. The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that the activities of local self-government bodies should be aimed at the comprehensive development of the municipality in social and economic terms. It is worth saying that today the problem of the effectiveness of local self-government bodies has not yet been fully studied, as a result of which many scientists and experts are puzzled by this issue. The purpose of the study is to analyze the activities of the local government to improve standard of living and quality of life of the population and to determine the main directions of its improvement.

scholarly journals The impact of symptoms on quality of life before and after diagnosis of coeliac disease: the results from a Polish population survey and comparison with the results from the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Majsiak ◽  
Magdalena Choina ◽  
Dominik Golicki ◽  
Alastair M. Gray ◽  
Bożena Cukrowska
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Coeliac Disease ◽  
Gluten Free Diet ◽  
Gluten Free ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background Coeliac disease (CD) is characterised by diverse clinical symptoms, which may cause diagnostic problems and reduce the patients’ quality of life. A study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) revealed that the mean time between the onset of coeliac symptoms and being diagnosed was above 13 years. This study aimed to analyse the diagnostic process of CD in Poland and evaluate the quality of life of patients before and after CD diagnosis. In addition, results were compared to the results of the original study conducted in the UK. Methods The study included 2500 members of the Polish Coeliac Society. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire containing questions on socio-demographic factors, clinical aspects and quality of life, using the EQ-5D questionnaire. Questionnaires received from 796 respondents were included in the final analysis. Results The most common symptoms reported by respondents were bloating (75%), abdominal pain (72%), chronic fatigue (63%) and anaemia (58%). Anaemia was the most persistent symptom, with mean duration prior to CD diagnosis of 9.2 years, whereas diarrhoea was observed for the shortest period (4.7 years). The mean duration of any symptom before CD diagnosis was 7.3 years, compared to 13.2 years in the UK. CD diagnosis and the introduction of a gluten-free diet substantially improved the quality of life in each of the five EQ-5D-5L health dimensions: pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, usual activities, self-care and mobility (p < 0.001), the EQ-Index by 0.149 (SD 0.23) and the EQ-VAS by 30.4 (SD 28.3) points. Conclusions Duration of symptoms prior to the diagnosis of CD in Poland, although shorter than in the UK, was long with an average of 7.3 years from first CD symptoms. Faster CD diagnosis after the onset of symptoms in Polish respondents may be related to a higher percentage of children in the Polish sample. Introduction of a gluten-free diet improves coeliac patients’ quality of life. These results suggest that doctors should be made more aware of CD and its symptoms across all age groups.

scholarly journals The burden of periodontal disease

Dental Update ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 907-913
Author(s):  
Kasim Butt ◽  
Razia Butt ◽  
Praveen Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Tooth Loss ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Severe Form ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Obesity And Diabetes ◽  
The Uk

Periodontal disease is the most common chronic inflammatory disease seen in humans. It is a major public health concern, and in its severe form affects approximately 10.8% or 743 million people aged 15−99 worldwide. Trends such as the rise of smoking in developing countries, the obesity and diabetes epidemic, coupled with an ageing population with greater tooth retention, are all likely to increase the burden of periodontitis still further in the UK and worldwide. Consequences of periodontitis include hypermobility of teeth, tooth migration, drifting and eventual tooth loss. Tooth loss can directly affect the quality of life of a person in terms of reduced functional capacity, self-esteem and social relationships. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article reports the prevalence of periodontal disease in the UK and worldwide, along with the consequences of periodontitis. The importance of timely diagnosis to avoid litigation is discussed, as is the importance of effective management of periodontitis in order to improve patients' oral health-related quality of life.

scholarly journals The Quality of Life of Suburbanities: A Case Study of the Gdańsk Agglomeration

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 91-101
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Masik
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Made In

The Quality of Life of Suburbanities: A Case Study of the Gdańsk Agglomeration The article explains the meaning of the concept of ‘quality of life’, placing emphasis on its subjective dimension. As the concept is more and more discussed in the literature, the author intends to examine the satisfaction within public spaces for which local government is responsible. According to research made in Canada it is worth measuring not only satisfaction as such but also the importance of its constituent dynamics. Therefore, a survey made in the suburbs of the Gdańsk agglomeration asked respondents about their satisfaction with public transport, roads, environment, etc., including questions about the relative importance of such issues. The combination of satisfaction and importance provide the overall quality of life. At the end of the paper the author considers if there is a chance to improve the quality of life through a brief analysis of local governments expenditure.

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