Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Weight loss outcomes achieved by adults accessing an online programme offered as part of Public Health England’s ‘Better Health’ campaign.
Toon J. BMC Public Health 2022;22(1456):-.
(This service evaluation shows that an online programme, offered as part of a national campaign, can offer effective support to a large number of people with different starting BMIs and from different socioeconomic backgrounds. An increased level of engagement leads to better weight losses.)

National operational framework: asylum accommodation.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Home Office; 2022.
(This framework contains the minimum standard principles to support the health and wellbeing needs of asylum seekers living in initial and contingency sites.)

Supporting healthy relationships among parents of children with behaviours that challenge: A practical guide.
Early Intervention Foundation (EIF); 2022.
(This practical guide for local areas has been developed to improve understanding of how risk factors among parents of children with behaviours that challenge can impact on parental conflict and in turn on child outcomes, how to effectively engage these parents, what evidence-based support can be offered, and how to appropriately assess progress for these families.)

Heads Up: Rethinking mental health services for vulnerable young people.
Commission on Young Lives; 2022.
(The report looks at the growing crisis of mental health problems among children and young people in England and puts forward ambitious and innovative proposals to redesign young people’s mental health services, particularly for those young people at risk of harm.)

How can NHS anchors support communities to create health: Learning from the community response to COVID-19.
The Health Creation Alliance; 2022.
(This report provides real-world insight into how NHS anchor institutions are working in partnership communities, capitalising on both their strengths to address health inequalities.)

Nuffield Trust

Fronting up to the problems: what can be done to improve the wellbeing of NHS staff?

The NHS is not in a position where it can lose staff, but many workers in the health service have faced almost unimaginable difficulties during the pandemic. How worried should we be about NHS staff health and wellbeing? This long read looks at how bad the situation is and what can be done to improve things.

Public Health

Current Awareness

How can local authorities reduce obesity? Insights from NIHR research.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.
(This themed review draws on the breadth of NIHR research relevant to obesity, conversations with staff at local councils and at national organisations, and feedback from a group of practitioners, researchers and members of the public. Together they identify evidence-based actions that local authorities, working with their local partners, can take to reduce obesity in their communities.)

Support at the end of life: The role of hospice services across the UK.
Nuffield Trust; 2022.
(This new analysis draws on a nationwide survey of hospices conducted by Hospice UK to address a large gap in our understanding of the services that the hospice sector provides across the UK, including how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted those services.)

Fit for the Future: The Health Value of Wellbeing and Leisure Services.
District Councils’ Network; 2022.
(This new report from DCN, produced with health consultants HEC at University of East Anglia and Economics By Design, delivers strong evidence of the potential of these services to tackle health inequalities and level up our communities.)

Estimating suicide among higher education students, England and Wales: Experimental Statistics: 2017 to 2020.
Office of National Statistics (ONS); 2022.
(The suicide rate for higher education students in the academic year ending 2020 in England and Wales was 3.0 deaths per 100,000 students (64 suicide deaths); this is the lowest rate observed over the last four years, although the small numbers per year make it difficult to identify statistically significant differences. Higher education students in England and Wales had a significantly lower suicide rate compared with the general population of similar ages.)

Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan

Discussion plan and call for evidence

Source: The King’s Fund

The government is committed to improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes, particularly for people who experience worse outcomes than the general population. To support this objective, it has committed to develop a new cross-government, 10-year plan for mental health and wellbeing for England. This discussion paper and call for evidence seek views on what can be done to improve everyone’s mental health and wellbeing.

Lunch and Learn

Recovery college and wellbeing

Thank you to everyone who attended our May lunch and learn session with Suzie Smith who talked us through what goes on in the recovery college. She discussed the importance of working with NHS volunteers and how people can get involved with the college. There are a wide range of courses held for free by the college focusing on both mental health aspects and life skills (how to cope financially with the rising costs of living). If you or anyone you know may be interested then make sure you get in touch with Suzie or the Recovery College. They are open Monday to Friday 9-4:30 and are based at Minerva in Deepdale.

If you would like to catch up on the session, please feel free to watch our recording here:

We really value your feedback, if you have a spare 2 minutes please complete our short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DN77CCD

King’s Fund Podcast

Leading with compassion: supporting the health and wellbeing of NHS staff

In this new podcast episode the Director of Policy, Sally Warren, sits down with Annie Laverty, Chief Experience Officer at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and Steve Ned, Director of Workforce at Barnsley and Rotherham NHS Foundation Trusts, to explore the role of compassionate leadership in supporting the health and wellbeing of staff.

To listen click the image below:

Library Bulletin

Arts and Wellbeing

The current bulletin for Arts and Wellbeing, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view and download here

For support accessing any of the articles within the bulletin please contact: academic.library@lancashirecarelibraryblog

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022

Longlist announced

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award celebrating and honouring fiction by women. The Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women in English from throughout the world. The 2022 longlist was announced recently, with the winner being announced on the 15th June.

Source: Women’s Prize for Fiction

Take a look at the list here to find out more about individual books and how you can get involved.

Free Online Event

Begin your Tai Chi journey: An introduction to essential Tai Chi skills

Source: Eventbrite, Quality of Life Now

Learning even basic Tai Chi skills can promote balance, calmness, and mental focus. Every Sunday: 11am EST (Boston, MA)

Movement is the key to maintaining mental and physical health.

This series uses seasonal training to help you develop a wide range of skills which will enhance both your mental and physical health. Introducing basic Tai Chi skills, such as posting, walking, breathing, stretching, energy work, bone tapping and hand movements.

Even outwardly simple movement when practiced correctly promote organ health, lower body strength and mental focus.

Enjoy learning at home through these weekly online lessons.

To register click here

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Student Space: An evaluation of a web-based intervention supporting student mental wellbeing over the pandemic.
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
[This report is based on Centre for Mental Health’s independent evaluation of Student Space, which was launched by Student Minds in August 2020 to support the mental wellbeing of students during the pandemic. The report finds that the platform was a valuable extra resource for students’ mental health, and offered a high quality, rapid response to a crisis when it was set up in 2020.]

Understanding local patterns of volunteer activity during COVID-19.
The Young Foundation; 2021.
[This research, commissioned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, seeks to improve understanding of the ways in which volunteers were mobilised at local authority levels in England during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the overarching aim to support future policy development on volunteering. The findings reflect the experiences of community organisations, local authorities and funding bodies, among others, during the spring and summer of 2020.]