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
Prostate cancer.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.
[This quality standard covers managing prostate cancer in people referred to secondary care or having follow-up for prostate cancer in primary care. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement. In December 2021, changes were made to align this quality standard with the updated NICE guideline on prostate cancer.]
Combined adult and paediatric respiratory clinical assessment service (RCAS) hubs for acute respiratory infection.
NHS England and NHS Improvement; 2021.
[This document supports systems to plan for a likely rise in respiratory infections (for example, Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and other infections) this winter.]
Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy for England.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Analysis of call for evidence consultation response has informed development of this document, which is published alongside the consultation response. This document sets out the government’s vision and the publication of the strategy will follow in 2022.]
Children and young people’s mental health:eighth Report of Session 2021–22.
House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee; 2021.
[This report calls for urgent action to prevent mental health services slipping backwards as a result of additional demand created by the pandemic and the scale of unmet need prior to it. MPs found that despite progress in numbers of young people receiving treatment, it was unacceptable that more than half with a diagnosable condition pre-pandemic do not receive the mental health support they need.]
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.
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.)
A package of wellbeing measures has been launched as part of a bid to support the health service’s 1.4 million staff as they work to tackle the Coronavirus.
Read more here
This document contains the government’s mandate to NHS England and NHS Improvement and confirms the objectives and budget for the year ahead. The financial directions provide further details on how NHS England’s budget is broken down.
Read the mandate here
