Further evidence that singing fosters mental health and wellbeing: The West Kent and Medway project

Purpose Clift and Morrison (2011) report that weekly singing over eight months for people with enduring mental health issues led to clinically important reductions in mental distress. The present study tested the robustness of the earlier findings. Design Four community singing groups for people with mental health issues ran weekly from November 2014 to the end of 2015. Evaluation place over a six-month period using two validated questionnaires: the short Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation questionnaire (CORE-10), and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Findings Twenty-six participants completed baseline and follow-up questionnaires. CORE-10 scores were significantly reduced, and WEMWBS scores significantly increased. Comparisons with the earlier study found a similar pattern of improvements on CORE items that are part of the 'problems' sub-scale in the full CORE questionnaire. There was also evidence from both studies of participants showing clinically important improvements in CORE-10 scores. Research limitations The main limitations of the study are a small sample size, and the lack of a randomised control group. Originality No attempts have been made previously to directly test the transferability of a singing for health model to a new geographical area and evaluate outcomes using the same validated measure

Kent and Medway: making a success of Brexit: a sectoral appraisal

In the 2016 referendum of June 23, the people of Kent voted decisively by 59% to 41% to leave the European Union. Brexit is the future, and Kent and Medway are now at the forefront of the debate on the opportunities and changes that lie ahead for the UK, as we plan for a successful future outside the European Union. This report sets out how Brexit could unfold across the key sectors of Kent and Medway. It is also of course only an initial snapshot, as our work will continue throughout 2017 to understand the issues and identify the opportunities. We want to support an open and objective debate on the ways in which national government and regional leaders can work together to deliver a successful future for everyone across the whole of Kent and Medway. The report has benefited from contributions, comments and suggestions from a wide range of stakeholders across and beyond the county. From May 2016 onwards, we have worked to distil this wealth of material into a balanced and accessible document with the aim of stimulating debate and enhancing insights on this most complex of contemporary issues. While we believe that the information here has been sourced accurately and objectively from those many contributors, the use and understanding of the material is that of the authors

Journalists views and use of social media: Cision Social Journalism Study 2012: global report

The annual Social Journalism Study conducted by Cision and Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, is charting the changes of how journalists and media professionals use social media for work. Unique to this year’s study is the identification of five profile groups of professional social media users who differ in terms of patterns of use, attitude and knowledge.These groups are: Architects, Hunters, Observers, Promoters and Sceptics. This report also includes a Social Journalism Barometer which was developed to assess social media involvement, practice, knowledge and attitudes among journalists and media professionals in different countries. To put journalists in the wider social context of the changing use of technology, we also included a comparison to Forrester’s Social Technographics® framework of general population‘s use of social media

The unitary ability of IQ in the WISC-IV and its computation

Flanagan and Kaufman (2009) use a difference of 23 IQ points between the highest score (Max) and the lowest score (Min) reported by subjects in the 4 Indexes of Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory and Processing Speed to define unitarity of IQ in the WISC-IV. Such a difference in scores is considered very rare and the authors therefore conclude that the total IQ scores in these cases cannot be interpreted. Hereby, we want to argue against the choice of this cut-off threshold value by showing that it was based on the wrong standard deviation value when first computed

Protecting the Public: The Current Regulation of Midwifery

Throughout the 20th century, the regulatory frameworks that govern midwifery in the UK have grown, such that the current practice of midwifery and the provision of maternity care are now influenced by a myriad of regulation. Despite these controls there is little empirical data, especially in relation to the practice of midwives, which demonstrates the effectiveness of these systems and strategies. Whilst maternal mortality rates are at an all-time low, patient safety incidents still occur and claims of clinical negligence have continued to climb over the past thirty years. This raises the question of whether the regulatory mechanisms which are designed to ensure the health and wellbeing of the pregnant woman undermine or promote quality care and, whether the current statutory aim of ‘protecting the public’ is being realised. Whilst this is too ambitious a question to resolve fully in a doctoral thesis, I aim to make a contribution to answering it by giving voice to one specific group who are particularly well placed to comment but to whose voices are rarely heard, namely midwives. The study offers a socio-legal exploration of midwifery governance through an examination of the understanding and experience of a group of midwifery practitioners. The study gathered both quantitative and qualitative data from a cohort of midwives practising in the South East of England between the period of May 2012 and March 2013. This data was analysed in order to establish the views and opinions of the midwives in relation to the regulatory frameworks. As a result, a complex picture of regulation emerged, with a particular focus on the importance of clinical governance, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and statutory supervision of midwives. The themes that emerged included: the impact of regulation on the provision of care, the role of regulation in facilitating woman centred care, and the unease about mechanisms used to address issues of poor practice. Whilst good practice was evident, concerns and challenges also arose in terms of the regulatory framework, which, to the study participants, at times did not appear to support the provision of safe quality care

Kent and Medway: delivering a Brexit border: policing, security, freight and customs

This is the fifth of the Kent and Medway Brexit Impact Assessment reports, this one focusing on the impacts of Brexit in the short and medium term on the county of Kent, with a particular focus on border management issues, taking into account socio-economic impacts, policing, freight and logistics, altered customs arrangements, and a series of 7 port profiles, including Dover and Calais. It was launched on 13 November 2018 in both Westminster, and in Kent, at CCCU, and was authored by the Centre for European Studies and the Canterbury Centre for Policing Research

'Social Journalism' Studie 2012-2013 - Deutschland

This report chart the use, attitudes, behaviours and views of German journalists towards social media

Canine recommended breed weight ranges are not a good predictor of an ideal body condition score

Breed-specific ideal bodyweight range information is widely used by dog owners and breeders as a guideline to ensure animals are within a healthy weight range. Body Condition Scoring, a method used by veterinarians to assess an animal’s overall shape with regard to weight is considered to be an excellent method to determine an animal’s overall body condition; these values, however, do not always correspond to published weight ranges. Here, the weight, neuter status, age and a nine- point Body Condition Score of a population of 140 purebred dogs were recorded and subsequently analysed to determine whether bodyweight was an effective predictor for Body Condition Scores. This comparison indicated that published recommended, breed- specific body weight ranges are not a good predictor for an ideal BCS and as such, guidelines for owners and breeders need to be systematically reviewed