Mondays at the Museum

Mondays at the Museum is a Creative Health initiative aimed at reducing health inequalities in underserved areas by providing accessible health and wellbeing activities at the Tolson Museum in Huddersfield. Museum staff collaborate withSocial Prescribers, Primary Care Networks (PCN) and Local Anchor organisations to expand access to mental and physical health support, outside clinical settings. The council-run Tolson is uniquely placed to provide a welcoming space, accessible without stigma. Activities provided include Big Drum, Wellbeing walks, Yoga, Tai Chi, Flex and Stretch and Crafts. Mondays at the Museum is a key example of the delivery of Kirklees Heritage Strategy approach to Heritage in Action

Unlocking the potential of primary healthcare nurse practitioners globally:A concept analysis of their added value

Background: Primary healthcare nurse practitioners (PHCNPs) are expanding globally to meet rising healthcare demands. Despite positive outcomes, their added value remains underexplored. Purpose: To clarify and refine the added value PHCNPs bring. Methods: Building on a previous concept analysis of the added value of nurse practitioners, we analyzed 37 systematic reviews focusing on PHCNPs’ roles across various settings, using Rodgers' evolutionary approach. Findings: Attributes include PHCNPs’ skills and competencies, activities, positive outcomes, and professional autonomy. Antecedents involve PHCNP characteristics and structural and institutional factors, while consequences highlight improved patient outcomes, satisfaction, professional dynamics, and system efficiency. Discussion: Understanding PHCNPs' added value is crucial for policy development, role implementation, and healthcare optimization. Clear regulatory frameworks and supportive policies are needed to maximize their impact. Conclusion: This analysis provides and updates the conceptual definition of PHCNPs' added value, offering insights for policy, education, and research to support their critical role in healthcare.</p

The quest for efficiency in higher education in England:lessons learned for developed economies

Over recent decades, universities in England have transitioned from providing higher education (HE) for the elite to HE for the masses. Funding mechanisms have changed, cost-sharing has shifted from public to private sources, and efficiency and productivity have been emphasized. Three excellence frameworks relating to research, teaching, and knowledge exchange have been introduced to assess performance. In this paper, we explore the systems of performance measurement and funding implemented in English HE and critically appraise these against the recommendations from the relevant literature. We conclude that these frameworks, by separately assessing performance in the three missions, inadequately account for synergies between activities, thereby ignoring the civic nature of universities and possibilities for economies of scale and scope. We conclude by highlighting some emerging areas for future research. While the focus of the paper is English HE, the themes and findings are relevant to all HE sectors around the world.</p

Initial Teacher Education in England during the COVID-19 Pandemic:One University’s Experience - From Challenge to the New Normal

In late March 2020, university-based schools of education across England were forced to close and cease in-person teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Online teaching and learning was quickly adopted, and while it was initially considered a provisional solution, it became apparent that such methods would remain for at least another academic year. The transition from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning to online environments required considerable modification of content, resources and the development of digital competences. Expectedly, concerns have been raised about the quality of provision and student support. Since the start of the crisis, there has been an increased interest in blended learning approaches to teacher education and different frameworks have been created to manage the new reality. However, research on the practical implications, the challenges that teacher educators face, and the innovative solutions embraced is scarce. Set in the English teacher education system, this chapter provides a critical overview of both the initial and continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on initial teacher education in a large UK University

Sustainable Pharmacy Practice:A Qualitative Exploration of Pharmacist Prescribing Practices in Respiratory Disease Management

Background: Sustainable pharmacy practice integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions to optimise healthcare delivery and long-term viability whilst minimising the environmental impact of prescribing. Increasingly, pharmacists’ pivotal role in pharmaceutical care in respiratory disease in general practice may contribute to sustainable pharmacy practice.Aim: This study aimed to explore the prescribing practices of pharmacists working in a general practice setting in England to manage respiratory diseases, focusing on sustainable practices, using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).Method: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with independent prescribing pharmacists working in general practice settings in England involved in respiratory disease management. Independent prescribing pharmacists working in a general practice setting were eligible for this study. The interviews explored pharmacists’ experiences, decision-making processes, and the perceived impact of their practices on sustainability. Data were analysed thematically using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify key themes and influencing factors. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Huddersfield.Results: Eleven pharmacists (five male and six female) participated in interviews. Interviews typically lasted approximately 20 min. The prominent TDF behavioural domains that were found to influence the choice of inhaler therapies prescribed for patients with respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were knowledge and skills; training; and intentions and motivations. Participants reported a balance between patient choice and preference of inhaler therapy, concordance with prescribed therapies and national prescribing indicators as key considerations influencing prescribing behaviours. Knowledge regarding a structured approach to manage inhaler prescribing to align with national prescribing indicator targets was inconsistent.Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the sustainable prescribing practices of pharmacists in respiratory disease management in a general practice setting. Findings highlight the significance of knowledge, training, intentions, and motivations in influencing prescribing practices. The identified key behavioural determinants can be mapped to evidence-based behavioural change strategies to develop a more structured approach to interventional development to environmental sustainability in respiratory disease management in a general practice setting in the UK

Vital materialism from social theory to sociological lines of flight

This paper reflects on the contributions of Jane Bennett and William Connolly at the seminar in Cardiff from the perspective of a new materialist social scientist. I first consider the distinction between philosophy and social inquiry, focusing on translating complex philosophical concepts into practical research methods. The paper then explores how – using Deleuze’s ethological framework – new materialist, posthuman and vital materialist ideas offer fresh perspectives on sociological data. I then make links between vital materialism and the monism and post-anthropocentrism of new materialism, indigenous ontologies and feminist posthumanism, applying these insights to the topics of environmental sustainability, sustainable development and environmental justice. I suggest that this interdisciplinary approach can provide innovative frameworks for addressing real-world challenges for society and the environment

Danger on Discord:How 764 prey on and extort minors

Group ’764’ targets minors to extort them into creating child sexual abuse material, self-harming, and other nefarious activities. This article utilises seven posts from open-source Reddit data, to examine children and young peoples’ experiences of 764. The harm posed has been labelled as sadistic, involving blackmail and stalking. The comments revealed that perpetrators specifically target vulnerable minors, who are witnesses to and forced to engage in animal torture, self-harm, and child sexual abuse material, to name a few. These groups operate across servers and platforms designed for children, including Discord, Minecraft and Roblox, and social media sites such as Telegram. Research and action are vital to understand the risks posed to children on these platforms and prevent harm

Exploring dyslexic readers’ perceptions of dyslexia-friendly Arabic typeface:a focus group study

Dyslexia-friendly Latin typefaces have been proliferating during the last decade with academic evidence that they improve the reading experience. However, a significant gap exists for Arabic readers with dyslexia, as there is a lack of dyslexia-friendly typefaces designed specifically for the Arabic script. The understanding of dyslexic readers’ perceptions regarding text written in dyslexia-friendly Arabic typefaces remains limited. This study addresses this gap by investigating participants’ perceptual responses to a prototype Arabic-accessible typeface, particularly in its visual aspect. Grounded in User-centred Design (UCD) principles and Maag’s Pillars of Accessible Typography (MPAT) framework, the research aims to assess the efficacy of a dyslexia-friendly Arabic typeface in alleviating visual distortions experienced by dyslexic readers while ensuring aesthetic appeal and user satisfaction. Utilizing focus group methodology, participants’ emotional engagement, legibility, and readability of the typeface were evaluated, thus informing the refinement of design criteria established in a previous study. By engaging dyslexic readers in the early stages of typeface design, this research contributes valuable insights into the complex requirements of designing inclusive Arabic typography, advancing accessibility efforts, and enhancing reading experiences for dyslexic individuals as well as encouraging inclusive design practices

Comparing City Governance Models for Economic Development:The Emergence of Shared, Visionary Leadership

This article provides a theoretically informed and empirically grounded analysis of the local political leadership of economic development policy. It is a small-N comparative study examining two cities in England and two in Spain: Birmingham in the Midlands and Manchester in the north-west of England, and Seville and Malaga, both in the southern region of Andalusia. Our analysis draws on the literature of political leadership styles informed by the typology of urban leadership developed by John and Cole in 1999. Our core purpose was to advance empirical knowledge of how local leadership styles affect the governance of economic development policy. We do so by identifying the decisive actors involved in the ecosystem of municipal economic development policy, the style of local political leader in each case and the impact of different local government systems in Spain and England on the governance of municipal economic development policy. Our findings point to the scope for further theoretical development of John and Cole's typology to fully capture a shared and collaborative leadership style which our research revealed as increasingly prevalent in local governance.</p