Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

#HealthNow Literature review update: how has patient experience changed for people who are homeless?
Groundswell; 2022.
(People experiencing homelessness face significant health inequalities. They encounter barriers to accessing the health care they need and often have poor experiences of engaging with health care services. This report examines research published since the Groundswell 2020 #HealthNow literature review and outlines the findings from its five #HealthNow research reports.)

Health disparities and health inequalities: applying All Our Health.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Evidence and information for health and care professionals and the wider workforce on health disparities and health inequalities, and how they can be addressed. This resource will help frontline professionals and organisations use their trusted relationships with individuals, families and communities to address the impact of health disparities and health inequalities on groups or populations. We also recommend important actions that managers and staff holding strategic roles can take.)

National Audit of Dementia: Memory Assessment Services Spotlight Audit 2021.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP); 2022.
(The National Audit of Dementia (NAD) is a clinical audit programme commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership on behalf of NHS England and the Welsh Government. In 2019 we undertook an audit of community-based memory assessment services in England and Wales.)

World Mental Health Day: rising cost of living and mental health.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
(Our mental health can change depending on our financial situation and it’s thought this relationship works in both directions: suffering financial losses or living in poverty can worsen mental health; people with mental health conditions may end up in poverty or suffer financial loss because of their illness, for example, if they are not able to work. Financial difficulties and problem debt are also associated with suicidal thoughts and dying by suicide.)

Valuing health: why prioritising population health is essential to prosperity.
British Medical Association (BMA); 2022.
(This report calls on the government to consider the health of the population as crucial to sustainable economic growth, rather than being dependent on a prosperous economy. Raising alarm about rapidly declining population health and widening health inequalities, the report identifies that the nation is facing a ‘ticking time-bomb’ of ill health with current government policies insufficient to meet the scale of the challenge.)

Bereavement is everyone’s business.
The UK Commission on Bereavement; 2022.
(This report shows how bereavement impacts us all. From dealing with complicated administration, to coping with financial and housing insecurity, it explores the challenges of returning to work or school after a bereavement and highlights the challenges being bereaved throws up in every area of life.)


Out of sight, out of mind: Bereaved parents falling through the gaps in mental health care

Sands, the Miscarriage Association, the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, ARC and Babyloss.com, October 2019

Report from Sands, the Miscarriage Association, the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, ARC and Babyloss.com calling on Governments across the UK to take action to ensure that all parents who experience pregnancy and baby loss and need specialist psychological support can access it, at a time and place that is right for them, free of charge, wherever they live. Information gathered by the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance shows that there is a clear need for specialist psychological support for this group. However, across the UK provision is too often unavailable, inaccessible or inappropriate. Too many people who experience a psychiatric illness after their loss do not receive the support they need. The negative impact individuals experience if they do not get the right support is vast. It affects all aspects of people’s lives including future pregnancies, personal relationships, physical health and employment. The repercussions are felt across wider society, costing the NHS more in the long run. There are pockets of good practice emerging across the UK, showing that bereaved parents can receive excellent specialist psychological support if the need is recognised and steps are taken to meet it. We must act to learn from this good practice and develop a shared understanding of what needs to be done, so that all bereaved parents requiring specialist psychological support get the help they need.

Click here to view the full report.

Life after loss: an economic evaluation of specialist counselling after baby loss

Centre for Mental Health, November 2019

This report is an economic evaluation of the baby loss charity Petals, which provides counselling to women who have experienced the death of a baby and their partners. The evaluation calculates that national provision of counselling to 4,822 mothers would cost £3.17m per annum, which would create a national safety-net of support to help parents at this immensely difficult time. No such service currently operates across England and Wales. The report highlights that specialist baby loss counselling is inexpensive, effective and reduces government expenditure.

Click here to view the full report.