Investigating factors associated with loneliness in adults in England – Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) 
The DCMS commissioned National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to explore factors associated with loneliness in adults in England. The research investigated: the characteristics of those at risk of loneliness; whether the risk factors for loneliness have changed over time; whether any factors predict the alleviation of loneliness over the short term; and the relationship between loneliness and mental wellbeing.

Update to fit note guidance – NHS Employers 
The government has announced new legislation allowing a wider range of professions to sign a fit note and be responsible for that episode of care.

NICE endorses new drug to prevent myocardial infarctions and strokes – The BMJ 
Patients with established cardiovascular disease and raised triglyceride concentrations, despite taking statins, can be prescribed icosapent ethyl to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events

Pressure ulcers: applying All Our Health – OHID 
This updated guidance contains a new definition of ‘pressure ulcer’ and the latest data on NHS costs for pressure ulcer treatment.

New GIRFT metrics on Model Health System can support NHS gastroenterology teams to recover and improve – Getting It Right First Time 
A range of key GIRFT metrics to help gastroenterology teams gauge their performance and work to recover services impacted by the pandemic are now available on the Model Health System. More than 70 metrics relating to endoscopy, hepatobiliary, luminal gastroenterology and nutrition services can now be found by logging in at https://model.nhs.uk/  and navigating to the GIRFT clinical metrics compartment for the specialty.

Prioritising Responses Of Nurses To deteriorating patient Observations (PRONTO): a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a facilitation intervention on recognition and response to clinical deterioration – BMJ Quality & Safety
Most hospitals use physiological signs to trigger an urgent clinical review. We investigated whether facilitation could improve nurses’ vital sign measurement, interpretation, treatment and escalation of care for deteriorating patients.

HSJ Roundup

Exclusive: Cost of treating mental illness soars during covid Dramatic increases in prescribing spend for the treatment of mental health conditions have been recorded following the onset of the pandemic, a new report concludes.

New national ‘commercial function’ will be built ‘by the NHS for the NHS’ A new ’central commercial function’ will take command of NHS procurement strategy in an effort to improve how the service buys goods and services, NHS England chief commercial officer Jacqui Rock has told HSJ.