Month: October 2020

Covid 19

Leaders warn of “full blown second surge” as hospital admissions rise

Healthcare leaders have warned that the NHS will face a full blown second suge of Covid without immediate action.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England, said, “We’re seeing a definite and sustained increase in cases and admissions to hospital. The trend is clear, and it is very concerning. Numbers of deaths from covid-19 are also rising so we must continue to act to reduce transmission of this virus.”

There are rising concerns that we could soon be back to where we were in April if we do not take action now. To find out more click here.

Mental Health

Current Awareness Updates

Inquiry into the support available for young people who self-harm  This inquiry, led by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention and supported by Samaritans, explored the experiences of young people who self-harm in accessing support services. In particular, it examined: support services currently available in both clinical and the wider community settings (including schools); plans for improving and expanding this support; and the changes needed to ensure that support is made more effective and widely available. It concludes that young people who self-harm are often made to wait until they reach crisis point before receiving support.

How are UK adults managing stress during the pandemic? A survey from the Mental Health Foundation looks at how people are managing their stress during the pandemic. The most popular coping mechanisms were walking, visiting green spaces and contacting family and friends.

Laying foundations: attitudes and access to mental health nurse education Mental health nurses account for over a third of the mental health workforce in England and work across a wide range of health and care settings. However, this report finds that the pipeline of people choosing to study and qualify to become a mental health nurse is unable to meet sharply rising demand for this service. It looks at ways more people might be attracted to apply to study mental health nursing – and reasons why numbers are currently limited.

Digital interventions for suicidal thinking: a tale of two reviews.
In his debut blog, Wouter van Ballegooijen summarises two recent systematic reviews on digital interventions for suicidal thinking, which include more or less the same research, but come to quite different conclusions.

Reducing demand for inpatient mental health beds evidence review
This evidence review explores the evidence for initiatives and interventions which aim to avoid mental health inpatient admissions and re-admissions and reduce inpatient length of stay.

Should European cities be going green for our mental health?
Eleana Frisira summarises a recent scoping review on the impact that green spaces can have on the mental health of people living in urban settings.

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Mental Health Day

10th October 2020

This year’s theme is; ‘Mental health for all’

Mental health can affect anybody at any time. Mental health day is about showing support for better mental health. Why not take some time today for your own wellbeing.

Mind offers some top tips to improve your mental health and wellbeing:

  • only try what feels comfortable
  • give yourself time to figure out what works for you, going at your own pace
  • take small steps. Pick one or two things that feel achievable at first, before moving on to try other ideas.

So why not get involved:

  • have a virtual tea and chat with a friend
  • talk about your and your family’s wellbeing and create plans to involve everyone’s ideas
  • get moving for mental health
  • celebrate your differences

To read some personal stories about World Mental Health Day click here.

For more ideas or to find out more visit the Mental Health Foundation.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Support resources for challenging times

More than six months after the Covid-19 pandemic began many of us are feeling exhausted, anxious and overwhelmed. Now, more than ever, it’s so important to take some time to look after your wellbeing. King’s Fund have put together some useful resources, from ‘wellbeing plans’ to useful toolkits.

Click here to access.

They also offer some top tips for dealing with anxiety and encourage you to think about your breathing:

  • Notice your breathing.  
  • In noticing your breathing connect with how you are feeling physically. 
  • Take a moment to take some deep and slow breaths in and out and count them as you do this. 
  • Ask yourself how aware you are of your breathing patterns.   
  • Our breathing helps inform us of how stressed and/or anxious we might be if we allow ourselves to notice it.  
  • A greater awareness of our breathing can help anchor ourselves in our roles as leaders in these difficult to navigate times.   

Managing anxiety: breathing | The King’s Fund

Public Health

Keeping up to date with current awareness

Childhood during coronavirus: protecting children from the effects of poverty

Action for Children

This report presents findings from an analysis of applications submitted to Action for Children’s Emergency Fund. It reflects on the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic for children and families and in doing so, the report also considers the recovery measures needed to ensure that children are supported to thrive – both now, and in the months and years ahead. More detail.

It’s everywhere’: alcohol’s public face private harm

Independent Commission on Alcohol Harm

This Commission was set up by alcohol health experts and parliamentarians to examine the full extent of alcohol harm across the UK. In this, its final report, the Commission outlines recommendations for reducing harm and calls for a national strategy for alcohol. More detail.

The broken plate 2020: the state of the nation’s food system

The Food Foundation

This report presents 10 vital signs that document the health of our food system, how it impacts on our lives, and why we must change the food environment. It highlights the struggle for lower-income families to afford a healthy diet, arguing that 20 per cent of households with the lowest levels of disposable income would have to spend 39 per cent of their disposable income in order to eat a healthy diet, as defined by the government’s recommended Eatwell Guide. More detail.

NHS Covid App – over 10 million downloads

Department of Health and Social Care, September 2020

More than 10 million people downloaded the new NHS Covid-19 app between its launch on Thursday 24 September and Sunday 27 September.Six million of those downloads were on the first day.

Surge in people checking their risk of type 2 diabetes

NHE, September 2020

Almost 300,000 people have accessed the tool to check their risk of type 2 diabetes online less than two months after the NHS fast tracked access to its world leading Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Programme. Latest figures show that 291,325 people used the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk tool since the end of July – a 637% increase compared to two months previously.

Creating the workforce of the future

A new collaborative approach for the NHS and colleges in England

This report follows a November 2019 roundtable held by the NHS Confederation and the Independent Commission on the College of the Future. It focused on the relationship between colleges and the NHS through the lens of integrated care systems. The report argues that by better embedding colleges into core NHS workforce development, and better using local recruitment and training power, a sustainable, agile and innovative future health and care workforce can be assured.

For more information click here.