Oral health promotion and homelessness:a theory-based approach to understanding processes of implementation and adoption

Objective: To use the Theory of Diffusion of Innovations as a framework to explore the qualitative data gleaned from a process evaluation of the Smile4life intervention across Scottish National Health Service (NHS) Boards and to inform future oral health promotion and homelessness.Design: A qualitative exploration.Setting: In 2012, the Smile4life programme to promote the oral health of homeless people was launched in Scotland. Practitioners received training to ensure its successful implementation and adoption. A process evaluation began in February 2013.Method: A total of 20 oral health officers from the 11 participating NHS Boards took part in the process evaluation. They were interviewed each month for a 17-month period. Boards were placed into adoption categories based on the time taken to adoption. The data were analysed using a framework approach.Results: The Theory of Diffusion of Innovations was used to define ‘time to adoption’ and to classify participating NHS Boards’ adoption categories. It was also used to identify diffusion variables that underpinned Smile4life adoption. For Boards that more readily adopted Smile4life, the diffusion variables of familiarity and good social exchanges appeared to promote implementation. Numerous conflicts emerged, however, in late adoption Boards. These included a lack of resources and practitioner ambivalence, which slowed up implementation.Conclusion: The Theory of Diffusion of Innovations provided a useful theoretical framework for understanding the processes in the implementation and adoption of the Smile4life programme. It allowed specific training requirements for the practitioners to emerge to facilitate diffusion of the programme in their Boards

Bottling Scotland, drinking Scotland: Scotland's future, the whisky industry and leisure, tourism and public-health policy

Single-malt whisky is the product of over one hundred distilleries across Scotland, and is the subject of a number of claims about its status as an ‘authentic’ Scottish drink. The whisky industry in Scotland argues that it creates significant amounts of revenue for Scotland and the United Kingdom – not just in sales of single-malt whiskies and blended whiskies, but also from the contribution of whisky tourism. As such, Scottish policy-makers in tourism and local regeneration have used whisky both as an attraction to market to visitors to the country, and a vehicle for creating jobs. In this paper, the whisky industry and related whisky tourism industry in Scotland is explored alongside an analysis of tourist and local regeneration policies and strategies that explicitly nurture the notion that whisky is a necessary part of Scottish identity. I will then contrast this with policies on leisure that identify alcohol drinking as problematic, and argue that the whisky industry has worked to convince its public sector supporters that drinking single-malt whiskies in distillery visitor centres is harmless, while signing up to campaigns to moderate drinking in the wider Scottish public

Syndromic surveillance of influenza-like illness in Scotland during the influenza A H1N1v pandemic and beyond

Syndromic surveillance refers to the rapid monitoring of syndromic data to highlight and follow outbreaks of infectious diseases, increasing situational awareness. Such systems are based upon statistical models to described routinely collected health data. We describe a working exception reporting system (ERS) currently used in Scotland to monitor calls received to the NHS telephone helpline, NHS24. We demonstrate the utility of the system to describe the time series data from NHS24 both at an aggregated Scotland level and at the individual health board level for two case studies, firstly during the initial phase of the 2009 Influenza A H1N1v and secondly for the emergence of seasonal influenza in each winter season from 2006/07 and 2010/11. In particular, we focus on a localised cluster of infection in the Highland health board and the ability of the system to highlight this outbreak. Caveats of the system, including the effect of media reporting of the pandemic on the results and the associated statistical issues, will be discussed. We discuss the adaptability and timeliness of the system and how this continues to form part of a suite of surveillance used to give early warnings to public health decision makers

Acquisition and retention of DNA and fingerprint data in Scotland

This review examines the current legislation and practices in relation to the acquisition and retention of fingerprint and DNA data in Scotland. Three main issues were under consideration: given that law and practice in relation to DNA and fingerprints differs, should these be brought into line? For those who have criminal proceedings initiated against them for relevant sexual or violent offences but are not convicted; is the current regime for temporary retention of samples appropriate and effective? In relation to individuals who are dealt with by Children's Hearings for relevant sexual or violent offences, is the current law (which does not provide for the sampling or retention of forensic data) appropriate

Improving the education of looked after children : a guide for local authorities and service providers

This guide for practice is based on the key findings of research of Scottish Government-funded pilot projects in 18 Scottish local authorities carried out by the University of Strathclyde between 2006 and 2008. The guide focuses on four aspects of practice: raising the profile of looked after children; monitoring educational outcomes; advice on setting up a project with the aim of raising the educational attainment and achievement of looked after children; focusing on achievement and aspiration

Aquaculture development in Scotland:regulation as a moving equilibrium

The expanding interest in marine planning and management raises important questions for the spectrum of marine, coastal and terrestrial environments. The role of state regulation in mediating conflicts over the use and development of the marine resource has spatial implications across these domains. Governance of the marine represents a very particular challenge since it involves a highly complex mix of common, legal and customary property rights and sets of defined territorial jurisdictions. The Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 and subsequent policy iterations have changed institutional and organizational relations. The legislation included provisions for the extension of statutory land use planning controls to include coastal and transitional waters (i.e. to the 12-nautical mile limit), meaning that finfish and shellfish farming are subject to the terrestrial planning regime. This represents a turn from self-regulation to arrangements for state planning controls. This paper traces this evolution in terms of a moving equilibrium as both state and market have sought to minimize the transaction costs involved

'Nae too bad': job satisfaction and staff morale in Scottish residential child care

In 2003, the National Children's Bureau and the Social Education Trust published a report - Better Than You Think -on staff morale, qualifications and retention in residential child care in England (Mainey, 2003a; Mainey, 2003b). It found that levels of morale and job satisfaction were not low despite the adverse environment in which residential care operates. Residential care in the modern world is intended to be mainly a temporary placement for some of the most demanding young people who need to be looked after and accommodated. The sector also continues to struggle with the aftermath of a number of high profile public inquiries of the abuse of children and young people in residential care (Kent, 1997; Marshall, Jamieson & Finlayson, 1999; Utting, 1997; Waterhouse, 2000). Residential child care in Scotland is under pressure to improve standards of care in a climate of negative media attention and public suspicion. It was in this context that the Social Education Trust funded a parallel study of job satisfaction and staff morale in Scotland (Milligan, Kendrick & Avan, 2004)

Professional decision making and women offenders : containing the chaos?

This article draws on the findings from research undertaken in south-east Scotland in 2008 which sought to identify the characteristics of female offenders and to document the views of policy makers and practitioners regarding the experiences of women involved in the Scottish criminal justice system. Despite Scotland having retained a stronger 'welfare' focus than elsewhere in the UK (e.g. McAra, 2008), this is not reflected in the treatment of women who offend, with the rate of female imprisonment having almost doubled in the last ten years and community based disposals falling short of a welfare-oriented system. This article explores why the treatment that women offenders receive in the criminal justice system may be harsh and disproportionate both in relation to their offending and in relation to the treatment of men. It is argued that interventions with women need to be initiated earlier in their cycle of offending and at an earlier stage in the criminal justice process but also that the wide-ranging health, welfare, financial and behavioural needs of women who offend cannot be met solely within an increasingly risk-averse and punitive criminal justice environment