Everybody’s mental health has been challenged by the lockdowns and insecurities of the last year and it’s not over. As we emerge from what we hope will be the worst of the pandemic, questions, concerns and anxieties remain. Men’s Health Week 2021 (14-21 June) asks: how do we move forward?
Read more about how you can get involved here.
Source: The King’s Fund
Jo Davies, CEO at WILD Young Parents’ Project, discusses how the pandemic has shone a spotlight on health inequalities and impacted young families and their mental health in Cornwall.
She also shares the important role that charities and voluntary organisations have played during Covid-19 in providing practical and emotional support. Jo challenges leaders to be courageous in their ongoing response to the pandemic and to listen to the voices of local communities.
Watch her 4 minute video here:
WHO reviews effect of physical activity on enhancing academic achievement at school.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
(Today children and adolescents aged 5–17 years spend nearly two thirds of their time at school in sedentary activities and only five percent of school time doing physical activities. According to the WHO/Europe review, increasing the amount of physical activity can have a positive impact not only on children’s health and well-being, but also on their performance in the classroom.)
New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults Public Health England (PHE); 2021
(New data show both Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines significantly reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults.)
A window of opportunity for Public Health NHS Providers; 2021
(A new briefing by NHS Providers looks at the risks and opportunities which may arise from the dissolution of PHE and the creation of the National Institute for Health Protection. It outlines considerations for a new public health system, along with the role of Trusts and Integrated Care Systems.)
NHS entitlements: migrant health guide.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
(Advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant patients. 17 February 2021: Updated links to COVID-19 migrant health guidance, dental health, and access to healthcare for migrant and/or undocumented children.)
Healthy weight environments: using the planning system.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[How local authorities’ public health and planning teams can promote healthy weight environments.]
Physical activity: understanding and addressing inequalities.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
(Evidence-based guidance for addressing inequalities in physical activity locally. This guidance can be used by local level practitioners and commissioners to begin tackling inequalities in physical activity across and within protected characteristic groups. It presents the findings of a review, analysis and research aimed at understanding the enablers, barriers and opportunities for increasing physical activity across inequality groups.)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Keeping children safe from abuse and harm.
Home Office, Public Health England, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and Department for Education; 2021.
(Advice for parents and carers about the main risks children may be particularly vulnerable to at this time and information about available help and support.)
COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC); 2020.
(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures.)
Advancing mental health equalities strategy.
NHS England; 2020.
[This strategy summarises the core actions that we all need to take to bridge the gaps for communities fairing worse than others in mental health services. It is also an important element of the overall NHS plans to accelerate action to address health inequalities in the next stage of responding to COVID-19.]
Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Follow up of a 2018 review looking at the quality of, and access to, mental health services for children and young people. It sets out the findings of a 2019 independent follow-up self-assessment questionnaire, to find out the extent to which health and wellbeing board areas in England had progressed with implementing the local recommendations made.]
Mental health rehabilitation inpatient services: 2019 update.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Updated findings from 114 mental health rehabilitation inpatient providers about patients that were occupying a mental health bed at the time of the information request. Questions included number of beds, current number of patients and their distance from home, funding and number of locked wards.]
Assessment of mental health services in acute trusts.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Findings from over 100 acute hospital inspections, how well the mental health care needs of patients were met and where trusts, and the wider system, need to improve.]
MeeTwo mental health app: case study.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; 2020.
[The app provides safe, fully-moderated peer support to 40,000 young people aged 11 to 25 across the UK. The free app enables users to anonymously share their feelings and help each other in a safe, moderated digital environment. Peer support has been shown to improve quality of life, wellbeing, self-esteem and social functioning, as well as reductions in hospital admission rates and use of hospital emergency services.]
Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions QCQ – October 2020
(This report contains an update on work carried out in 2018 looking at the quality of mental health services for children and young people, as well as the access to these services. It sets out the findings of a 2019 independent follow-up self-assessment questionnaire, to find out the extent to which health and wellbeing board areas in England had progressed with implementing the local recommendations made.)
NHS strengthens mental health support for staff NHS England -October 2020
(NHS staff will get rapid access to expanded mental health services that are being rolled out across the country as part of efforts to deal with the second wave of coronavirus. NHS England and NHS Improvement will invest an extra £15 million to strengthen mental health support for nurses, paramedics, therapists, pharmacists, and support staff.)
NHS encourages children and young people to seek help as new data shows rise in mental health problems NHS England – October 2020
(England’s top children and young people’s mental health doctor is encouraging youngsters to seek help if they need it, as NHS Digital’s new survey shows there has been a rise in mental health problems in children and young people during the pandemic.)
The impact of Covid-19 to date on older people’s mental and physical health Age UK- October 2020
(This research finds that some older people are coping with the pandemic, but a sizeable minority are finding life incredibly tough. Those who are not very well and have long term health conditions were particularly likely to report that this is an extremely challenging time for them.The research was made up of a survey of older people, their friends, families, and loved ones (promoted across the Age UK social media channels for two weeks in August 2020 and completed by 569 people) and representative online polling of 1,364 people over the age of 60, conducted by Kantar Polling in September 2020.)
Pushed from pillar to post: improving the availability and quality of support after self-harm in England.
Samaritans; 2020.
[This report finds that there is no consistently effective support available to people who self-harm. The research identified four key support needs for people who self-harm, which are seen as essential to providing effective care: distraction from immediate self-harm urges; emotional relief in times of stress; developing alternative coping strategies; and addressing the underlying reasons for self-harm.]
Commission for Equality in Mental Health: Briefing 3: Inequalities of experience and outcomes.
Centre for Mental Health; 2020.
[This third briefing from the Commission for Equality in Mental Health explores why communities with higher rates of mental ill health often get the least effective support. This is most dramatically evident for people from Black communities in the UK, who experience higher levels of coercion and poorer long-term outcomes. This briefing explores why these inequalities persist, and looks at what can be done to bring about more equal outcomes and experiences from mental health support.]
Mental health rehabilitation inpatient services – 2019 update.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Based on the results of a request to providers to review progress, the CQC has made recommendations to improve care for people in mental health rehabilitation inpatient services, in line with the recent NICE guidance for the rehabilitation of adults with complex psychosis.]
Advancing mental health equalities strategy NHS England – September 2020
(This strategy summarises the core actions all mental health services need to take to better address inequalities in access, experience and outcomes across the sector. It is also an important element of the overall NHS plans to accelerate action to address health inequalities in the next stage of responding to Covid-19.)
Source: Kings Fund Health Management and Policy Alert
There is a growing body of research on the links between volunteering and wellbeing. This review (co-published with Spirit of 2012, and in partnership with the Institute of Volunteer Research) brings together the most relevant studies. It focuses on the experience of adult formal volunteers, and looks at the key factors involved in improving wellbeing through volunteering.
For more information click here.
This report looks at the life events and circumstances that can affect people’s mental health in later life, including bereavement, loneliness, ill health and caring responsibilities. Focusing mainly on anxiety and depression, the report also describes people’s mixed experiences of seeking support from GPs, therapists and other services. It highlights the common barriers and makes recommendations for what needs to change to improve support for older people and ensure they can live a mentally healthy later life.
To find out more click here.
This evidence summary draws together literature on the role of arts in improving health and wellbeing.
It focuses on how arts engagement can impact on 1) social outcomes, 2) youth development and 3) the prevention of mental and physical illness. It also considers how Social Prescribing programmes that have used arts interventions can impact on the above three outcomes. The evidence summary assesses the type and quality of evidence available for each outcome.
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.
To sign up to KnowledgeShare and receive personalised research for your field of work, complete the form and send it to academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk
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:
So why not get involved:
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.
