Welsh Perspective Research Articles

‘I was not know for sure what be the Queen, Evan; was you?’: Fictions of Development in Amy Dillwyn’s <i>The Rebecca Rioter</i>

Amy Dillwyn’s The Rebecca Rioter (1880) combines attention to a historical contest over infrastructure with a narrative of personal development defined by infrastructural lack. Dillwyn thus uses the capaciousness of the novel form to offer a distinctly Welsh perspective on the connections between three intersecting nineteenth-century discourses of development: infrastructural improvement, education, and national civilization. The article begins by situating Dillwyn’s novel within the infrastructural imagination of ‘Victorian Britain’, examining how contrasting images of absent and intrusive infrastructure frame Evan’s recollections. I place the novel in dialogue with a central document in the political and cultural life of modern Wales: the 1847 Reports of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the State of Education in Wales, which castigated the Welsh for their failure to develop in step with modern British civilization, citing linguistic and religious differences as key obstacles to advancement. On the surface, Dillwyn’s narrative reflects the report’s assumptions, depicting its rural Welsh setting as a wilderness, where modern infrastructures are only tenuously established. The second part of the article, however, explores how the novel complicates these initial impressions, revealing a text that is finely attuned to the complexities of Wales’s status in Britain. Overall, this article seeks to demonstrate that, while the novel’s form, especially Evan’s retrospective narrative, foregrounds the power of infrastructures to shape individual, communal, and national futures, the text continually modulates between the project of imagining shared, collective foundations of individual development and the expression of anxieties about infrastructures’ potential to suppress cultural heterogeneity and political dissent.

A new generation of contract management? A welsh perspective

A new generation of contract management? A welsh perspective

Pharmacy Technicians' Roles and Responsibilities in the Community Pharmacy Sector: A Welsh Perspective.

Background: Healthcare delivery models in Wales are changing in response to unprecedented pressure on the National Health Service UK (NHS). Community pharmacies will be prioritised to address public health and clinical needs at a local level. To support the delivery of the new model, pharmacy technicians must be enabled and developed to optimize their roles. The aim of the study was to establish existing roles of pharmacy technicians working in the community pharmacy sector in Wales and to explore barriers and enablers to development. Methods: A combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies was used, with the main focus on quantitative methods. A total of 83 participants completed an online questionnaire and additional qualitative data were obtained from four semi-structured telephone interviews. Results: The dispensing and final accuracy checking of medicines were reported as core functions of the community pharmacy technician role, with an average of 43% and 57% of time being spent on these roles, respectively. There was some evidence of engagement in leadership and management roles (average of 19%) and limited evidence of delivery of services (average of 6%). Conclusions: There is scope to enable community pharmacy technicians to optimize and further develop their roles. Enablers include the effective use of delegation, workplace support, improved staffing levels and the prioritisation of extended pharmacy technician roles.

Barriers to reporting hate crime: A Welsh perspective

This study gathered 197 participants, interviewed within 48 hours of being victims of Hate Crime. This immediate follow-up should ensure accurate responses. The responses of the victims were compared to that of 113 Welsh front-line staff who respond to and support such victims. The barriers to reporting are found to be broadly similar with the findings of other UK studies. A considerable difference in understanding of the barriers to reporting hate crime was found between the victims and support services. The main reason given for non-reporting was common: the poor service, attitude and treatment from the police.

Medicines identified as low priority for funding: a Welsh perspective.

Medicines identified as low priority for funding: a Welsh perspective.

Fundamental movement skills and their relationship with measures of health-related physical fitness of primary school children prior to secondary school transition: a Welsh perspective

ABSTRACTThe aims of this study were to investigate levels of fundamental movement skills (FMS) proficiency and their relationship with measures of health-related physical fitness of primary school children prior to their transition to high school in Wales. The results demonstrated that overall levels of FMS proficiency with these children were low with significant differences existing between the genders. In addition, the measures of health-related physical fitness significantly correlated with FMS proficiency in both genders. In summary, these findings suggest that primary school children lack the foundational elements to support their transition to high school physical education.

How serious is a devolved data deficit? A Welsh perspective

Over the last decade the UK has seen greater fiscal devolution with both Wales and Scotland gaining additional powers. However, to date, such devolution has not been sufficiently accompanied by an increase in the production of more local economic data to assist policymaking choices. The paper considers this issue by first exploring, in general, the availability of local economic data with a focus on Input–Output tables and trade statistics. The case of Wales is then used to explore the problems associated with the lack of local economic data. The paper suggests that not providing the means to assess how fiscal policy might impact economic performance could present a particularly serious challenge for devolved governments. The conclusions discuss how a devolved data deficit might be overcome in a cost-effective manner.

Language and Culture in the Caregiving of People with Dementia in Care Homes - What Are the Implications for Well-Being? A Scoping Review with a Welsh Perspective.

The loss of language skills is one of the most challenging aspects of living with dementia. This is particularly true for bilingual individuals, who have difficulty in maintaining fluency in more than one language. Language and culture overlap greatly, with potential implications for the well-being of people with dementia (PWD) being cared for in their 'second' language or culture. Our aim was to review the available relevant literature, together with an examination of the potential effects of linguistic incongruity on healthcare in general for Welsh speakers in Wales. A literature search yielded 50 articles, which were analysed using the scoping review methodological framework. We found that the presence of cultural and linguistic congruity was beneficial for PWD living in care homes, and that their absence was detrimental. The absence of linguistic congruity is a strong predictor for decreased well-being in people in such settings, due to communication barriers between residents and carers, which result mainly from the loss of PWD's second language skills. Such barriers may lead to inappropriate care, e.g. being unable to obtain help to self-care, as well as social isolation. This review suggests that strategies need to be developed across the world to accommodate bilingual individuals requiring a care home for their dementia needs. There is a particular dearth of research regarding the influence of bilingualism on the experience of dementia care in those areas of the UK where the indigenous population are most likely to be bilingual (i.e. parts of Wales).

“Enwau Prydeinig gwyn?” Problematizing the idea of “White British” names and naming practices from a Welsh perspective

Our personal names are a potential source of information to those around us regarding several interconnected aspects of our lives, including our: ethnic, geographic, linguistic and cultural community of origin, and perhaps our national identity. However, interpretations regarding identifiably “White British” names and naming practices are problematic, due to the incorrect underlying assumption of a homogeneity in the indigenous communities of ‘Britain.’ The field of names and naming is a particularly good example of the wide linguistic and cultural chasm between the Welsh and English indigenous ‘British’ communities, and thus the generally paradoxical concept of “Britishness” in its wider sense. In this paper, I will explore names and naming practices which are particularly distinctive to a Welsh context, thus unearthing and opening up for wider debate the hidden diversity within the assumed and imposed category of “White British privilege.”

A patient notification exercise for Mycobacterium chimaera infection associated with cardiac bypass surgery: the Welsh perspective

A patient notification exercise for Mycobacterium chimaera infection associated with cardiac bypass surgery: the Welsh perspective

Micro-Sized Enterprises, Innovation and Universities: A Welsh Perspective

This study considers the linkage between micro-sized enterprises and other organizations, especially universities, in relation to the innovation process. The focus of the research is on non-start-up enterprises in Wales and how they develop their products. The research methodology adopted is a thematic literature review and the case study approach. The findings demonstrate that there are additional barriers to innovation in terms of legislation and regulation when micro-sized enterprises endeavour to overcome their knowledge gap through collaborating with universities. It is noted that there has been minimal research examining the knowledge gap encountered by micro-sized enterprises and how they attempt to overcome the barriers to collaborating with universities.

School nurse education: A Welsh perspective

British Journal of School NursingVol. 8, No. 10 RepresentationSchool nurse education: A Welsh perspectiveDwynwen SpargoDwynwen SpargoSearch for more papers by this authorDwynwen SpargoPublished Online:17 Jan 2014https://doi.org/10.12968/bjsn.2013.8.10.515AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses. London, NMC. Google ScholarWelsh assembly Government (2009) A framework for a school Nursing service in Wales. Cardiff, WAG Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 1 December 2013Volume 8Issue 10ISSN (print): 1752-2803ISSN (online): 2052-2827 Metrics History Published online 17 January 2014 Published in print 1 December 2013 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

Falls and fractures: a literature review and Welsh perspective

Purpose – This paper has three main elements to it. The first is to present some of the epidemiological considerations of this situation. The second is to describe some of the risk factors and by extension, the interventions that might be helpful. Third, a case study on the Welsh situation will be described. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws from the published literature and combines this with the professional experience of the author in Wales. Epidemiological calculations are presented using readily available data and summarised diagrammatically. Findings – Falls and fractures constitute a significant public health challenge due to the number of individuals affected and the seriousness of impacts. Risk factors, such as vitamin D deficiency, are open to modification and interventions such as exercise are also helpful. In Wales, policy could be geared to improving the response to this, such as an expansion of cost saving fracture liaison services. Originality/value – This paper draws together a diverse literature to help develop policy in Wales.

The Think Project: An Approach to Addressing Racism and Far-Right Extremism in Swansea, South Wales

The Think Project is a grassroots project initiated by the Ethnic Youth Support Team in Swansea, South Wales to provide a response for preventing far-right extremism. The project was designed to offer disengaged young people the opportunity to take part in a program of workshops, where the facts about race, religion, and migration are explored. This article discusses the results and the opportunities of the initial pilot project and will give a Welsh perspective on the implications for policy and practice in terms of community cohesion and fulfilling the UK government's PREVENT agendas.

Deactivation of ICDs in end-of-life care: A Welsh perspective

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small cardiac implant that monitors, detects and treats life-threatening arrhythmias. If a patient has advanced or terminal disease requiring end-of-life care, it is questionable whether life-sustaining treatments such as defibrillation are appropriate. In such situations it is important that patients and their relatives are given the opportunity to discuss elective deactivation of their ICDs. While deactivation is a simple procedure, from a psychological perspective it is sometimes thwarted with challenges for the patient, relatives and health-care professionals. Furthermore, deactivation of an ICD is often left until the last days of life, which can cause unnecessary distress for all concerned. The evidence, the views of patients, relatives and health-care professionals will be explored, along with a description of the development of the All-Wales ICD deactivation pathway.

ABA and Diverse Cultural and Linguistic Environments: A Welsh Perspective

Gwynedd Local Education Authority (LEA) in North West Wales, UK, is funding a small-scale autism-specific specialist education service using ABA methodology. The program is available through the medium of Welsh, English or bilingually, depending on the individual needs of the child (Jones and Hoerger in Eur J Behav Anal 10:249–253, 2009). Delivering an ABA curriculum within a Welsh context raises issues regarding how ABA interventions work in a non-Anglo-American cultural and linguistic context. We describe one part of the program, as well as the mechanics of translation and interpretation: How ABA fits conceptually in a different language, how Skinner’s original ideas about developing a scientific terminology to describe behavior can be applied to a different cultural and linguistic tradition, and cultural variation in reinforcement practices.

St Winifred, Bishop Fleetwood and Jacobitism

During the Middle Ages, the cult of St Winifred was the most important of the many Welsh cults centred on wells. Winifred’s story was recounted in two medieval Lives: the Vita prima by Pseudo-Elerius (c. 1100), written from a Welsh perspective, and the Vita secunda by Robert, prior of Shrewsbury, written after the translation of the saint’s supposed relics to his abbey in 1138. According to these, Winifred (fl. c. 650) was educated by St Beuno in North Wales; and, although she had vowed herself to virginity, she inspired the lust of a local prince, Caradog, who, when repulsed, decapitated her. Where her head fell, a spring erupted; and Beuno restored Winifred to life and killed Caradog with a curse. Winifred subsequently became abbess at Gwytherin and, after her death, the spring’s waters were held to cure the sick miraculously. The spring, at Holywell in Flintshire, attracted countless pilgrims in the later Middle Ages, and Henry VII’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, encased it in a fine building. At the Reformation, however, the cult of saints was abolished, the Twenty-Second of the Thirty-Nine Articles specifically denouncing their invocation.

Evaluating Innovations in the Delivery and Organization of Endoscopy Services in England and Wales

This article presents four focus groups conducted with health professionals, part of a mixed-method evaluation of modernization of endoscopy services in England catalyzed by the UK National Health Service Modernisation Agency. Transcripts were analyzed adapting van Manen's "sententious" or "wholistic" approach to thematic analysis. Seven analysts worked to distil lengthy transcripts into summative paragraphs to capture the essentiality of text. Five major themes emerged: lack of senior management understanding and appropriate management systems, inadequate resources, loss of personal autonomy and erosion of professionalism, barriers and facilitators to change, and differences between English and Welsh units-the Welsh perspective. Achieving long-lasting, positive effects of modernization within complex systems demands senior management to actively support innovations, consider staff morale, and provide appropriate levels of funding. However, although professional morale was low, ambition to improve services was strong. The methodological framework offered a comprehensive and applicable approach to data analysis, and our analysis approach was inclusive and collaborative, with far-reaching possibilities for experimental studies and large-scale, mixed-method studies, including trials.

Higher education conference attendendance and engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning: a Welsh perspective

There are a number of indicators of academic engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) that have been used in previous studies, such as analysing journal publications. However, this snapshot survey uses attendance at higher education conferences as a measure. Attendances were analysed at three conferences in the UK between July‐December 2008. The country in which each conference delegate was based and (for Wales only) their institution, was recorded. The results indicate that there were 991 attendances including delegates from 33 countries. The Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education had the most international delegates (from 32 countries), compared to two conferences run by (or in association with) the Higher Education Academy, both with delegates from seven countries. Delegates from English institutions dominated all conferences, followed by Wales, Australia, Scotland and Ireland. It is estimated that to raise conference attendance by Welsh academics to the same proportion as English academics, an increase of 25 per cent would be required. Of the 11 Welsh institutions analysed, the four ranked top are all regarded as teaching‐focused universities, whilst the tail comprises three universities regarded as research‐intensive. The four remaining Welsh institutions did not have any representation at any of the conferences studied. Although limitations of this study are discussed, the data may be used to inform strategy for further engagement with SoTL in Wales and elsewhere.

‘A Source of Sad Annoyance’: The Irish and Crime in South Wales, 1841–81

This study seeks to explore the concept of the Irish ‘Other’ by reference to a range of hitherto little-used records from petty sessions, priests and police in Glamorgan in order to expose the limitations of the stereotype of ‘the criminal Irish’. In particular, it examines the perceptions and realities surrounding the Irish threat to property, persons and the community in Victorian South Wales. By examining contemporary attitudes through each stage of the legal process, this essay not only highlights the significance of deploying an additional identifying label in the study of the relationship between overwhelmingly poor Irish migrants and crime, that of the Roman Catholic criminal, but also offers a specifically Welsh perspective on the subject.