Public Health Scotland

Getting out the door for #GreenHealthWeek? Spending time outdoors and connecting with nature has a positive impact on health and wellbeing. Benefits can include reducing stress and anxiety, boosting your immune system improving your mood, and helping you relax. Using greenspace regularly can have a positive effect on mental health and wellbeing, particularly during difficult or challenging times. During the COVID-19 pandemic a study published by PHS showed that ‘more than 73% of people felt that spending time outdoors in nature helped them to de-stress, relax and unwind’. You can read more about the publication’s conclusions here: https://lnkd.in/e7rniD_B

This week sees the annual crossover of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek & #GreenHealthWeek. Our latest blog gives a view on the links between these indicating that the increase of green space can facilitate a positive effect on both physical and mental health. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e5kinFq2

This year’s International Nurses Day was celebrated yesterday, 12 May. Public Health Scotland (PHS) is very proud of our nurses and the important roles they have in supporting the health of people in Scotland. In this article, we outline four areas of work where our nurses have a vital role. #InternationalNursesDay #IND2024

Public Health Scotland is encouraging pregnant women to ensure they are immunised against whooping cough. The vaccine offers vital protection to babies after birth until they are old enough to have the routine immunisation at 8 weeks old. Read more at https://lnkd.in/eKGndZit

A RADAR alert has been issued for the drug xylazine, which is increasingly being detected in overdoses and deaths across Scotland. Xylazine is a non-opioid tranquiliser used in veterinary medicine as a sedative, muscle relaxant and painkiller. It reduces breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. People who take drugs may not be aware of the potential presence of xylazine in the supply. It is likely to be consumed unintentionally and is commonly found as an adulterant in brown powders sold as heroin. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eNFw56GU

Hear reflections from our CEO, Paul Johnston, following yesterday's Scottish Public Health Conference, which was delivered in partnership with the UK Faculty of Public Health and Scottish Directors of Public Health. The conference heard clear evidence that to improve health, determined action is needed to support the building blocks of health in areas such as tackling poverty, supporting children and young people, providing good quality housing, good jobs, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Find out more: ⬇ https://lnkd.in/ep7kP6Gf

Today, Scotland’s public health community has come together at a major new Conference to drive forward work to protect and improve health for the people of Scotland. Jointly hosted by us, the UK Faculty of Public Health, and the Scottish Directors of Public Health Group, this new Conference centred on the leadership role for public health in inspiring change and tackling the big issues creating problems for Scotland’s health including poverty, obesity, drug-related deaths, and tobacco. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ep7kP6Gf

The latest Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report, which presents changes on drug trends, harms and use of services in Scotland, has published today. The objective of the report is to monitor these factors in order to provide an early warning of emerging drug trends and identify actions to reduce and prevent drug harms and deaths. View report here: https://lnkd.in/eDK5qz3V View the accompanying RADAR digital dashboard : https://lnkd.in/eFNaUkV5 Watch our video on RADAR to find out more: https://t.co/gVgWOIPTth The unregulated drug supply is increasingly toxic and unpredictable. Know what to do in an emergency response to a drug overdose by reading our 'How to save a life' resource. View the resource here: https://lnkd.in/eX4FGbmG

Along with Research Data Scotland, we have launched the brand new Researcher Access Service. The service makes it quicker and simpler to access data for research in the public benefit. At launch, nine of our most frequently requested datasets are available through the streamlined service. Carole Morris, Head of Data and Modelling Services at PHS said: “We are proud to be a key partner in RDS and are working very closely with them to improve and streamline the access routes for the research community wishing to access public sector data to undertake research that will, ultimately, improve the health and social wellbeing of the population. Additionally. RDS has commissioned PHS to develop, implement and subsequently operate the RAS on their behalf through our researcher support services and to provide access to the data through our secure national safe haven. This is being carried out by our highly experienced eDRIS team in a trusted research environment.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eSBpju4t

Chief Executive of the Cyrenians homelessness charity, Ewan Aitken, guest authors our blog this week where he tells us about the current housing crisis in Scotland and how taking a public health approach can be part of the solution. "A public health approach to homelessness prevention recognises that, like many health inequalities, homelessness is a complex social problem that arises from a system of multiple interrelated causes and consequences and addressing it effectively requires both population level prevention, as well as individual level interventions with services and sectors working together." Read the blog here ⬇ https://lnkd.in/gM-_UF36