Star date: 8th September 2020

ALMOST HALF OF NORTH WEST PARENTS WORRIED ABOUT CHILDREN'S MENTAL WELLBEING

Salford has 19 new confirmed cases of coronavirus bringing the cumulative total to 1,989, as the Salford Health Protection Board states that it's shifting from responding to outbreaks, to "focus efforts on areas where there are no current outbreaks to prevent future outbreaks". There have been no new virus-related deaths at Salford Royal Hospital, although patient numbers in the North West are rising.

Today, Public Health England launches a new Every Mind Matters mental health campaign, as its new survey reveals that almost half of North West parents are worried about their children's mental wellbeing during the virus crisis.

Full details here...

Salford has 19 new confirmed cases of coronavirus bringing the cumulative total to 1,989, up from the previous day's 1,970.

Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, cases in Manchester rose to 4,634 (up from 4,568), followed by Oldham with 3,070 (up from 3,047), Wigan 2,415 (up from 2,393), Bolton 2,740 (up from 2,695), Rochdale 2,404 (Up from 2,383), Stockport 2,049 (up from 2,039), Tameside 2,075 (up from 2,045), Trafford 1,769 (up from 1,758), and Bury 1,693 (up from 1,677).
 
There have been no new virus-related deaths at Salford Royal Hospital, although patient numbers in the North West are rising with 25 new admissions reported on the last data day, 5th September. As of 7th September, there were 164 patients in North West hospitals, compared to 113 a week ago.

A new report from the Salford Health Protection Board states that there is a "Need to move away from responding to outbreaks and focus efforts on areas where there are no current outbreaks to prevent future outbreaks".

The report adds that the Board's focus for the next three months will be on "supporting and gaining assurance from settings deemed 'high risk'", including the 19,000 University of Salford students coming into the city and children and young people going back to schools and college. Today sees Salford authorities begin to have access to the national contact tracing system (CTAS).

Also today, Public Health England (PHE) launches its Better Health - Every Mind Matters mental health campaign to support children, young people and their parents, with the backing of all leading children's and mental health charities including Young Minds, The Mix and Place2Be.

It comes as 69% of North West parents surveyed by PHE said that their children's behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic, and almost half (47%) said their top worry around coronavirus was the mental wellbeing of their children.

"As young people go back to class, it's understandable that while many will be excited to get back, some may also have concerns and anxieties about the new academic year, following the uncertainty and upheaval of COVID, which is why this important campaign is offering practical tips to help kids cope" explains Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, NHS England Associate National Clinical Director for Children and Young People's Mental Health.

"Parents, carers, teachers and students should also be reassured that the NHS has been and will continue to be there for everyone with concerns about their mental health, whether through 24/7 crisis support lines, video and phone consultations, or face to face appointments" she adds.

TV presenter Davina McCall explains: "Children have missed out on so much during lockdown and like lots of other parents, I've wanted to support mine as much as I possibly can. As we're starting to go back to normality and there's still lots of uncertainty for our kids, it's important we're there for them through their ups and downs – communication is so important. For anyone that's concerned or worried, or just want some tips on how to support them, please search Every Mind Matters."

The website is designed to help parents and carers spot the signs that children may be struggling with their mental health, and gives tips and advice to support their children's mental wellbeing. The site also provides tools to help young people build resilience and equips them to look after their mental wellbeing.

The top five tips on the website are...

1. Be there to listen: Ask the children and young people you look after how they are doing regularly so they get used to speaking about their feelings

2. Stay involved in their life: Try to know something about all parts of your child's or young person's life

3. Support positive routines: Be a positive role model and support positive behaviours including regular bedtime routines, healthy eating and getting exercise.

4. Encourage their interests: Children and young people are often drawn to particular interests, so support them in exploring them.

5. Take what they say seriously: help the children and young people you look after feel valued in what they say.

There is absolutely loads of stuff on the site dealing with every age group and how to cope with most potential issues – click here for full details.

There is also a short film featuring a range of celebrity parents including Davina McCall, Marvin Humes, Sean Fletcher, Katie Piper and Edith Bowman, reading extracts from Charlie Mackesy's well-known book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, touching upon mental health and encouraging parents to visit the Every Mind Matters website.