Tag: covid 19

Public Health

Keeping up to date with current awareness

PHE launches the Stoptober campaign for 2020. Gov.uk – September 2020

This year has seen an increase in both the number of smokers attempting to quit and an increase in the success rate of quit attempts. Stoptober is offering a range of support tools including the Stoptober app, Facebook messenger bot and online communities, SMS and daily emails.

COVID 19 – Vaccination Nuffield Foundation- September 2020

Survey finds 1 in 5 people are unlikely to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 Social Study by UCL researchers showed substantial levels of misinformation about vaccines. 22% of people surveyed said they were unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine when approved, with 10% being ‘very unlikely’ and only 49% being ‘very likely’ to get vaccinated.

Healthwatch Report – Covid 19

Shares the experiences the public faced because of the pandemic and how this has affected their experiences using health and social care.


Public health

Keeping up to date with current awareness

Commission on Alcohol Harm
King’s Fund
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 here.

Suicide risk in young people who self-harm and visit emergency departments.
The Mental Elf; 2020
(Katerina Kavalidou reviews a prospective observational cohort study on mortality and suicide risk in young people after they present to hospital emergency departments following episodes of self-harm.)

COVID-19 surveillance in school KIDs (sKIDs): pre and primary schools.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020
(A report on the preliminary results of the COVID-19 testing and antibody prevalence surveillance in schools programme, colloquially known as sKIDs. Prospective active national surveillance of preschools and primary schools for SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in England, June 2020. The report concludes that SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission rates were low in preschool and primary schools under surveillance during the summer.)

Calorie reduction: guidelines for the food industry.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
(A technical report outlining guidelines for industry, 2017 baseline calorie levels and next steps. This report sets out the calorie reduction ambitions for all food industry sectors, including: the approach to calorie reduction and reformulation; the different ambitions set across food industry sectors recognising that more action is required in the eating out, takeaway and delivery sectors; food products included in the categories; baseline figures for the different food sectors.)

Making a support bubble with another household.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.
(How you can safely expand the group of people you have close contact with during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Published 9 September 2020.)

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Covid 19 vaccine

A clinical study to trial the inhalation of Covid -19 vaccines

With research suggesting that vaccines via a nasal spray or inhalation can protect people against the disease and help to reduce the transmission of this disease, a new clinical trial, funded by UKRI and NIHR, has been launched. The trial aims to explore the effect of the virus by administering the vaccine as inhaled airborne droplets rather than injection to the muscle. The aim is to induce a more effective immune response, potentially leading to the acceleration of an effective vaccine.

Lead researcher Dr Chris Chiu, from the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London explained;

“The current pandemic is caused by a respiratory virus that primarily infects people through the cells lining the nose, throat and lungs.

“These surfaces are specialised and produce a different immune response to the rest of the body, so it is critical we explore whether targeting the airways directly can provide an effective response compared to a vaccine injected into muscle.”

With the clinical trials already going ahead and many countries working on their own form of vaccine- this trial may give some guidance on whether we have the right vaccine but wrong delivery method.

To read more about this click here.

Digital Transformation and Covid 19 – Online Event

Implementing quality standards and solutions

The Kings Fund are hosting a free online event next week, Tuesday 15th September 10-11am and will discuss the changes in service and delivery of healthcare over the past few months.

The event will include:

  • what an inclusive, person-centred digital revolution would look like for the NHS and social care
  • the standards from before the pandemic and what the gains from this rapid transformation should consolidate
  • what this transformation will mean for people and staff on the ground

To register your place click here.

Local restrictions in the North of England

What you can and can’t do

The department of Health and Social Care have released new guidelines for areas under local restrictions. It outlines; affected areas, business and venue closures, travel restrictions and childcare and social limitations.

If you live in an infected area you must NOT

  • host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support bubble
  • meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected areas unless they’re in your support bubble
  • socialise with people you do not live with in other indoor public venues – such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions.
  • visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances.

You CAN:

  • attend venues (pubs, restaurants, shops, places of worship, places of leisure and entertainment) with people you live with (or are in a support bubble with), but should avoid interaction with individuals or groups from other households.
  • socalise in outdoor public spaces in groups of up to 6 people
  • travel outside your area or go on holiday with people from your household
  • go to work
  • move house
  • arrange and use childcare provision

For more information and to read the whole guidance click here.