Source: The King’s Fund Podcast
Helen McKenna talks with Dr Bola Owolabi, Director of Health Inequalities at NHS England and NHS Improvement, about the NHS’s spheres of influence, the power of gathering around a common cause, and whether the experience of the pandemic will lead to a step change in tackling health inequalities.
Listen to the podcast here
Health Education England has published the first roadmap into the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the NHS and the impact this could have on the workforce.
Read more here
Despite being one of the biggest employers in England, only 6 per cent of the NHS workforce is under 25.
Read more in this 3-minute read from the King’s Fund.
Source: BMJ Talk Medicine podcast
Ashling Lillis is a now consultant in acute medicine at Whittington Health NHS Trust, and she was almost a consultant in intensive care medicine – but a mental health crisis just 6 months before she qualified made her reassess her career, and choose a different path.
In this podcast, Ash talks to Abi and Cat about the difficulty many doctors have when discussing their mental health – and how speaking out about her own experiences, has encouraged others to talk to her privately – and opened her eyes to the extent of the problem in the NHS.
NHS England and the NHS Improvement Public Board, have reaffirmed their support for delivering the world’s first net zero national health service.
With a number of cost-effective solutions focused on anaesthetic gases, virtual appointments, and energy efficiency measures, the NHS has already made significant progress in decreasing emissions.
Join in on the 25th August as this event brings together health sector professionals for a day of innovation, education and collaboration around achieving a net-zero NHS.
If you haven’t already registered for this virtual event you can sign up here.
Patients, visitors, workers, and suppliers to the NHS account for roughly 3.5% of all road travel in England, accounting for nearly 14% of the system’s total emissions. Some of the broad interventions considered to reduce this, range from transitioning to low-emission vehicles, to reducing unnecessary journeys and enabling healthier, active forms of travel such as cycling and walking.
On 25 August NHE are bringing industry leaders together to share knowledge and insight on how we can achieve a net-zero NHS.
Register to join here.
The impact of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom on the positive behavioural support of people with an intellectual disability
Murray G. British Journal of Learning Disabilities 2021;49(2):138-144.
[It has been suggested that COVID-19 and the associated restrictions are likely to have a negative impact on the provision of positive behavioural support (PBS) to people with an intellectual disability. Participants reported a neutral or somewhat positive impact on all the areas measured and the learning from their PBS programme as helping them cope with COVID-19. Many staff developed creative solutions that allowed them to provide PBS despite COVID-19 restrictions.]
VacciNation: Exploring vaccine confidence.
Healthwatch England; 2021.
[Our new research explores vaccine confidence amongst people from African, Bangladeshi, Caribbean, and Pakistani backgrounds. We want to understand these barriers to ensure key lessons are taken forward for future public health campaigns.]
Lateral flow device performance data.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Analysis confirms lateral flow devices (LFDs) are successful at identifying infectious cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) and real-world data shows Innova LFDs are capable of detecting the Delta variant.]
COVID-19 surveillance and immunity studies.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Updated 01 July 21: Added link to Schools Infection Survey research findings – round 5.]
JCVI issues interim advice on COVID-19 booster vaccination.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has been asked to consider the options for a potential coronavirus (COVID-19) booster programme.]
COVID-19 and adult congenital heart disease services: impact on support and advice from nurse specialists.
Anthony J. British Journal of Nursing 2021;30(12):730-732.
[Although the focus on service provision in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has mainly been on acute and particularly intensive care, it is important to consider other services that are still needed. This is especially the case for vulnerable patients with long-term conditions, such as those under the care of an adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) service.]
Use of Telehealth in Mental Health (MH) Services During and After COVID-19.
Molfenter T. Community Mental Health Journal 2021;:Online ahead of print.
[COVID-19 social distancing guidelines caused a rapid transition to telephone and video technologies for the delivery of mental health (MH) services. The study examined: (a) adoption of these technologies across the MH service continuum; (b) acceptance of these technologies; and (c) intention of providers to use these technologies following the pandemic based on a sample of 327 MH organizations from 22 states during May-August 2020.]
Persistent symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a random community sample of 508,707 people.
Imperial College London; 2021.
[Random samples of the population between September 2020 and February 2021 found that nearly 27,000 (around 6%) reported experiencing at least one of 29 symptoms linked with COVID-19 for 12 weeks or more.]
Potential Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms reported through NHS Pathways and 111 online (18 Mar 2020-30 Jun 2021).
NHS Digital; 2021.
[Data published on potential COVID-19 symptoms reported through NHS Pathways and 111 online Dashboard shows the total number of NHS Pathways triages through 111 and 999, and online assessments in 111 online which have received a potential COVID-19 final disposition. This data is based on potential COVID-19 symptoms reported by members of the public to NHS Pathways through NHS 111 or 999 and 111 online, and is not based on the outcomes of tests for coronavirus. This is not a count of people.]
Coronavirus Shielded Patient List Summary Totals, England – as at 01 July 2021.
NHS Digital; 2021.
[Snapshot on 22 Jun 2021 – England only.]
Primary Care Workforce in Alternative Settings – General Practitioners in the Covid Clinical Assessment Service.
NHS Digital; 2021.
[28 Mar 2020 to 31 Mar 2021.The COVID-19 Clinical Assessment Service was operative from 28 March 2020 to May 2021 and there were fluctuations in the demand for patient appointments during this period according to the COVID-19 infection rates. Recruitment to the service ceased in January 2021 and all GPs were onboarded by March this year.]
Remote home monitoring (virtual wards) for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients: a rapid systematic review.
Vindrola-Padros C. EClinicalMedicine 2021;37:Vindrola-Padros.
[A rapid systematic review on models led by primary and secondary care across seven countries (US, Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, Ireland, China, UK) identified 27 articles. Monitoring was carried out via online platforms, paper-based systems with telephone calls or (less frequently) through wearable sensors. No substantive conclusions regarding patient safety and the identification of early deterioration due to lack of standardized reporting and missing data.]
Bridging the uptake gap – COVID-19 vaccination toolkit for Black African and Black African Caribbean communities.
NHS England; 2021.
[Evidence-based good practice for increasing vaccination confidence and uptake among Black African and Black African Caribbean populations.]
High quality health information can have a huge impact on people’s ability to stay healthy and manage illnesses effectively, giving them a better quality of life.
In response to these needs, Health Information Week 2021 runs from 5th to 11th July and focuses on the themes of:
Read more about today’s theme, Uplifting resources for the NHS from the NHS
A five-point plan including advice for clinicians and information for patients, post-Covid assessment clinics, and specialist online rehabilitation support was published in October 2020. This plan outlines 10 key next steps to be taken to support those suffering from long Covid.
Read the plan here.
Specific COVID-19 messaging targeting ethnic minority communities.
EClinical Medicine, The Lancet; 2021.
(The proportion of ethnic minority groups accepting vaccines remains low. A culturally appropriate COVID-19 information and messaging platform is urgently required (Fig. 1). The messaging should be clear in style and content, conveying simple, easy to understand, visual, consistent, and generic to all communities, ethnic groups, cultures, and faiths. Trust between healthcare staff and communities is essential for the success of any COVID-19 intervention.)
Mental health policy in England.
House of Commons Library; 2021.
(This briefing examines the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the potential impact on human rights. It also looks at the impact of the pandemic on population mental health, including for specific groups such as BAME communities. It briefly sets out resources to support population mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic, including specific mental health support for the health and social care workforce.)
COVID-19 vaccination: accelerating second doses for priority cohorts 1-9
NHS England & NHS Improvement; 2021.
(Letter from Emily Lawson (SRO Vaccine Deployment, NHS England and NHS Improvement), Dr Nikki Kanani (Medical Director for Primary Care) and Eleanor Kelly (LA CEO advisor). In response to advice from the independent JCVI, the Government sets out further action aimed at tackling rising cases of the COVID-19 B1.617.2 variant.)
Communicating with patients about COVID-19 vaccination: evidence-based guidance for effective conversations to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake (2021).
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
(This training module is designed to equip health workers (HWs) with knowledge, skills, confidence and resources to help them in their role to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine. It is tailored to specific patient positions on vaccination and provides a structured approach to assist HWs with interpersonal communication during COVID-19 vaccination consultations.)
Pandemic Pressures: How Greater Manchester equalities organisations have responded to the needs of older people during the Covid-19 crisis.
Ambition for Ageing; 2021.
(This report highlights a number of recommendations for service commissioners, funders and contractors to contribute to future emergency planning and responses. It recognises the expertise of equalities organisations in understanding and meeting the needs of the communities they represent, and to involve them in coproducing emergency planning and responses.)
Characteristics and predictors of acute and chronic post-COVID syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
EClinical Medicine, The Lancet; 2021.
(A significant proportion of individuals experience lingering and debilitating symptoms following acute COVID-19 infection. NICE have coined the persistent cluster of symptoms as post-COVID syndrome. The aim of this review was to detail the prevalence of clinical features and identify potential predictors for acute and chronic post-COVID syndrome.)
