Plymouth Fish Finger made from bycatch to be served in schools
Active food system justice researcher, Dr Clare Pettinger, held workshops with the Whitleigh community, where it was identified better access to fish would encourage people to eat more of it.Dr Pettinger worked with multiple organisations and identified the use of bycatch species.According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, (WWF), bycatch is the incidental capture of non-target species.
The university said pupils at Sir John Hunt Community College held a series of taste sessions for the fish and breadcrumbs to design and make the new product.It said 36,000 fish fingers needed to be produced to fulfil the city's school meals, which it said needed investment.Dr Pettinger said: "Our amazing local partners have a shared vision for the Plymouth Fish Finger because it belongs to the community, promotes Plymouth seafood brand and provides true pride and identity in the product."We don't just have to accept that things won't change when it comes to accessing healthy food at a reasonable cost – together we can achieve so much."
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Alicehajic-Becic suggests that some clinicians may overestimate the benefits and underestimate the risks of certain medications, while the increasing prevalence of over 65s with multiple health conditions can make it difficult for doctors to strike the balance of trying to manage chronic illnesses while keeping medication load manageable. Gompertz points out that some patients question why a doctor is removing one of their medications or reluctant to prescribe them an additional pill, often assuming that it is due to cost saving rather than concerns of side effects. Alicehajic-Becic says that the issue can also occur because older people with more than one health condition can be seeing multiple consultants. 'Health records are also not uniformly shared, hence information pertinent to a new prescription may not be available in real time,' she says. 'Payments are also given to providers to achieve a certain target, such as cholesterol lowering, which incentivises prescribing.' However when it comes to mental health, Wield feels that doctors need to stop being so quick to medicalise what she describes as 'normal distress'. 'When I look back to that first time when I sought help from the GP, I just needed time to recuperate,' she says. 'I was overwhelmed, overtired and I just needed support, and I wanted to talk to somebody. If I'd had simple talking therapy, I think I would have been fine. Instead, it's cost the NHS a huge amount of money and resources, and personally impacted myself, my family, and my career.' What can you do? Gompertz says that anyone taking multiple medications should be having a structured medicine review at least every six to 12 months, but in some cases, for example medicines like blood thinners, a review should be carried out on a three monthly basis. 'It's something that adult children with an elderly parent can be aware of,' she says. 'If you notice that your mum and dad have got a build-up of their medication at home, it could be an idea to talk to whoever's prescribing those medications for your parents. And if the person themselves feels they're getting side effects or not tolerating them, it's important to have that conversation.' When it comes to psychiatric medications, Bundock advises people to be aware of the possible side effects listed in the accompanying leaflets in the medication box, provided by the drug company. For people who have been on a number of these drugs for a period of time, it is also important not to stop them too abruptly. 'The longer someone has been on a mental health medication, the more important it becomes for it to be stopped slowly,' she says. 'Because there is the possibility of injury to the nervous system from these medications being stopped too fast.' Wield has now been mostly medication-free since 2018. These days she only takes three pills – a hypertension drug, a hayfever tablet and thyroid hormone replacement drug called levothyroxine. But decades of inappropriate polypharmacy have had a lasting impact on her life. 'I'm very fortunate that my husband stuck with me, because it was very, very difficult for our children growing up to have their mother in that state. And with my career, I did manage to return to work and become a specialist in emergency medicine, but I was not able to complete my training and progress to become a consultant. So it's had a huge impact on us financially as well.' Despite her experience, Wield says she's not interested in blaming any individuals for what happened to her, but she is determined to keep raising awareness to try and drive greater systemic change. 'It's driven me to become an activist to try and stop this happening to anybody else,' she says. 'I really do think the prescribing system and doctor's training needs to be addressed so that this doesn't happen to other people.'
