Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Young Changemakers tackling mental health inequalities in racialised communities.
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/voice-change
[It is well documented that people from racialised communities face inequalities in mental health. Young Changemakers is a programme created by UK Youth, The Diana Award and Centre for Mental Health to equip young people with the tools to produce youth-led social action projects aimed at tackling these mental health inequalities. This is a three-year programme funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery and Comic Relief to support mental health in young people from racialised communities.]

Evaluating a community programme to promote young Black men’s mental health.
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/shifting-dial
[Young Black men are overrepresented in restrictive mental health settings, but are less likely to get early community-based mental health support. Shifting the Dial shares learning from a three-year project to promote the mental health and wellbeing of young Black men in Birmingham. The project built upon the findings from an earlier pilot, Up My Street. Shifting the Dial has worked with over 500 young Black men, offering peer support, mentoring, skills development and community events.]

The People and Nature Survey.
Natural England; 2022.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/people-and-nature-survey-for-england#full-publication-update-history
[The People and Nature Survey for England gathers evidence and trend data through an online survey relating to people’s enjoyment, access, understanding of and attitudes to the natural environment, and its contributions to wellbeing. 13 April 2022: New data for February 2022 added to monthly interim indicators data section. Also new data for year 2 quarter 2 (1st April 2020 – 30th September 2021) added to Adult Survey section.]

Daily Insight: Infection control calls heeded.
HSJ: Health Service Journal (Daily Insight) 2022;:7032315.
[NHS England has relaxed the isolation period for inpatients with covid-19 after the UK Health Security Agency changed its recommendations. Also: Although describing integrated care system ratings as a “bit of a distraction” in an interview with HSJ the CQC chief executive Ian Trenholm set out what systems could soon expect to see over the coming months. 20 April.]

The public’s experience of monitoring their blood pressure at home.
Healthwatch; 2022.
https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/report/2022-04-26/publics-experience-monitoring-their-blood-pressure-home
[People with high blood pressure are increasingly being asked to monitor their condition at home. The NHS programme ‘Blood Pressure @Home’ (BP@Home) enables people with high blood pressure to measure and share their blood pressure readings with their GP from home. This report evaluates that programme to see how it is working for patients and how GPs use their readings, and suggests steps the NHS can take to improve support and outcomes for people who monitor their blood pressure from home.]

Adult tier 2 weight management services provisional data for quarters 1 to 3, 2021 to 2022 (experimental statistics).
Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID); 2022.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-tier-2-weight-management-services-provisional-data-for-quarters-1-to-3-2021-to-2022-experimental-statistics
[Provisional data from the adult tier 2 behavioural weight management services data collection from quarter 1 and 3 of the 2021 to 2022 financial year.]

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Smaller hospitals are urged to increase collaborative working to meet the needs of an ageing population.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.

[Collaborative working among staff is likely to be the best way to improve performance in smaller hospitals, a new study concluded. It explored the approaches smaller hospitals take to organising emergency care for people admitted to hospital. There were huge variations, but no single way of working (‘model of care’) was more effective than others.]

Eating Disorders.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN); 2022.
https://www.sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/eating-disorders/
[This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the management of people with eating disorders of all ages and gender groups, in any health or social care setting. Eating disorders covered are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and eating-disordered psychopathology occurring in the context of type 1 diabetes mellitus.]

HPV vaccination brings the WHO European Region closer to a cervical cancer-free future.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2022.
https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/pages/news/news/2022/4/hpv-vaccination-brings-the-who-european-region-closer-to-a-cervical-cancer-free-future
[New data from one of the first countries in the Region to introduce HPV vaccination reveal just how well the vaccines work to prevent invasive cervical cancer. In England researchers found that the HPV immunization programme has almost eliminated cervical cancer in women born since 1 September 1995 (who were vaccinated at age 12−13). Incidence among these women of late-stage (grade 3) CIN that could later develop into cancer has also been significantly reduced.]

Community Network: ‘Hidden waits: The lasting impact of the pandemic on children’s services in the community’.
NHS Providers; 2022.

[The Community Network, which is hosted by the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, has today published a new briefing which brings together new evidence about backlogs and increasing demand for children and young people’s services. It also demonstrates what community providers are currently doing to meet demand, including how they are innovating, and makes a series of recommendations on the national support needed, both now and in the longer term.]

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace UK Health Security Agency; April 14 2022

(Public health principles for reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace.)

Out of Area Placements in Mental Health Services, January 2022 NHS Digital; April 14 2022

(Publication of adult acute mental health patients being treated outside their provider of usual treatment in January 2022. Statistics are presented nationally and at regional, sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) footprint, clinical commissioning group (CCG) and provider level.)

Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics , Performance January, Provisional February 2022 NHS Digital; April 14 2022

(This publication provides the most timely statistics available relating to NHS funded secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services in England. This information will be of use to people needing access to information quickly for operational decision making and other purposes. These statistics are derived from submissions made using version 4.1 of the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS))

Thunderstorm asthma and public health – looking back to move forward UK Health Security Agency; March 18 2022

(In June 2021, the UK Health Security Agency detected a potential episode of
thunderstorm asthma; an increase in people reporting asthma symptoms linked to thunderstorm activity. In this blog post they look at the interplay between the weather and our health and how they can use their scientific surveillance systems to inform future public health responses.)

Integrated health and care services for people experiencing homelessness NICE Talks

(In this episode of NICE Talks they discuss NICE’s recently published guideline on integrated health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness.

The guideline was developed in partnership with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The guideline outlines how people experiencing homelessness can access services tailored for their needs. It highlights that more effort and targeted approaches are often needed to ensure that people experiencing homelessness have access to the same standard of health and social care as the general population.)

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.

[Outlines the provisions of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021, and provides assistance in understanding and applying them.]

United against health inequalities: a commitment to lasting change NHS Providers, April 2022

(This survey of trust leaders shows high board-level commitment and strategic emphasis on tackling health inequalities and commitment to making action on health inequalities ‘core business’. However, they describe several barriers to progress with nearly two in three (65 per cent) saying that wider pressures on the system and operational challenges hinder their ability to progress work on reducing health inequalities. Nearly half of trust leaders expressed concerns about the lack of access to data about health inequalities within trusts (49 per cent) and across the health system (48 per cent).)

Coronavirus Act 2020 two years on.
House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee; 2022.
[This report sets out concerns about parliament’s lack of ability to scrutinise and amend emergency provisions in the Coronavirus Act over the past two years and draws out the lessons that can be learnt in legislating for future emergencies.]

Covid-19: The public inquiries.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[The Covid-19 pandemic was a severe test of the state’s preparedness, resilience and co-ordination. The response from the UK Government and devolved administrations has raised broader questions about how effectively the challenges have been met. There have been longstanding calls for a public inquiry to be held into the UK’s pandemic response. Two public inquiries have been set up: one by the UK Government and one by the Scottish Government.]

Shifting the Dial: evaluating a community programme to promote young Black men’s mental health.
Centre for Mental Health (CMH); 2022.
https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/shifting-dial
[Young Black men are overrepresented in restrictive mental health settings, but are less likely to get early community-based mental health support. This report shares learning from a three-year project to promote the mental health and wellbeing of young Black men in Birmingham. The project built upon the findings from CMH’s evaluation of an earlier pilot, Up My Street. Shifting the Dial has worked with more than 500 young Black men.]

Can fermented foods boost mental health? Medscape: March 22, 2022

(Commentary by Dr Drew Ramsey)

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2022.
[This guideline covers the management of COVID-19 for children, young people and adults in all care settings. In February 2022, NICE added recommendations on molnupiravir and remdesivir for people with COVID-19 who do not need supplemental oxygen.]

A systematic scoping review of research on COVID-19 impacts on eating disorders: A critical appraisal of the evidence and recommendations for the field.[Abstract]
Linardon J. International Journal of Eating Disorders 2022;55(1):3-38.
[Symptom escalation and mental health worsening during-and due to-the pandemic were commonly reported, and those most susceptible included confirmed eating disorder cases, at-risk populations, and individuals highly anxious or fearful of COVID-19. Evidence emerged for increased demand for specialist eating disorder services during the pandemic. The forced transition to online treatment was challenging for many, yet telehealth alternatives seemed feasible and effective.]

Growing problems: What has been the impact of Covid-19 on health care for children and young people in England?
Quality Watch; 2022.
[This analysis from QualityWatch (a Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation programme) shows that the pandemic has led to an unprecedented increase in demand for mental health services for children and young people. Despite children and young people being 10 times less likely to be hospitalised with Covid, the period has had a heavy toll on them. The briefing explains the findings and discusses the potential implications for the younger generation.]

Beyond recovery: the case for transforming UK clinical cancer research.
Cancer Research UK (CRUK); 2022.
[This position paper finds that Covid-19 has worsened pre-existing barriers to clinical cancer research, and recovering to a pre-pandemic ‘normal’ for research won’t be enough to deliver world-class cancer outcomes. Instead, the UK government must choose to go beyond recovery by expanding clinical research capacity, transforming how research is delivered, and supporting innovative cancer research.]

Living with Covid-19.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[This page provides an overview of the Government’s strategy on Living with Covid-19 and a summary of the relevant policy changes.]

Social care reform: an independent review by Baroness Cavendish.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.
[A report looking at how the government can lock in the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic to build a more robust, sustainable and joined-up system of social care.]

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in England.
National Audit Office (NAO); 2022.
[According to this report, the Covid-19 vaccination programme met stretching and unprecedented targets, helping to save lives and reduce serious illness and hospitalisation. However, it concludes that there are risks to be managed as the programme continues to evolve in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and to new clinical advice and evidence about vaccines. The report concludes that the programme has provided value for money to date.]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination uptake in school pupils, England: up to 9 January 2022.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2022.
[Figures on vaccine uptake in school pupils aged 12 to 17 attending state funded schools, broken down by demographic and geographic characteristics, using a linked schools and vaccinations dataset, up to 9 January 2022 (experimental statistics).]

The response of the scientific community to a global crisis: a systematic review of COVID-19 research in 2020.
Srivastava PR. British Journal of Healthcare Management 2022;28(2):1-7.
[This article provides a bibliometric analysis of the direction of research relating to COVID-19 during the first year after the virus was first identified as a potential threat to public health.]

Public Health

Current awareness updates

A retrospective investigation of the prodromal stages of eating disorders and use of health services in young patients the year prior to the diagnosis. [Abstract]
Gómez Del Barrio A. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 2022;16(2):162-167.
[CONCLUSIONS: The majority of reasons for consultation were related to symptoms that could be prodromal symptoms, but the patients were not diagnosed with an eating disorder. These findings highlight the importance of professionals understanding how to identify the warning signs of an eating disorder, so they can refer patients to a specialized unit to establish an early treatment.]

State of the nation 2021: children and young people’s wellbeing.
Department for Education (DfE); 2022.
[This report collates and presents new analysis of published evidence on the wellbeing of children and young people over the period of August 2020 to July 2021, including a wider set of indicators on their: mental and physical health; education and skills; relationships; activities and time use; views on the self, society, and future; an analysis of Covid-19 and the psychological health of young adults; and an analysis of individual predictors of school attendance in 2020 to 2021.]

Subnational indicators explorer.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2022.
[A core set of indicators which align with some of the metrics selected to measure the progress of levelling-up, where data is available. Indicators are grouped in three broad categories: boosting living standards, spreading opportunity and improving public services, and restoring local pride. Measures include healthy life expectancy, smokers, overweight, anxiety, happiness, internet capability. Searchable by UK local authority.]

Library Bulletin

Public Health

The current bulletin for Public Health, 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

Public Health

Current awareness updates

10-Year Cancer Plan: Call for Evidence.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.
[The NHS Long Term Plan, published in 2019, set an ambition to save thousands more lives each year by dramatically improving how we diagnose and treat cancer. The DHSC is seeking the views of individuals, professionals and organisations to understand how we can do more to make progress against this ambition, and to build on lessons learned from the pandemic. You can respond as an individual, or on behalf of an organisation by completing the online survey (Closes 23:45, 01 April 2022)]

Improving annual albuminuria testing for individuals with diabetes. [Abstract]
Kam S. BMJ Open Quality 2022;11(1):doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001591.
[Conclusions: This project demonstrates that a series of simple interventions can significantly impact annual albuminuria testing. This project’s success likely hinged on using an existing workflow to systematically determine if a patient was due for testing and prompting the provider to sign a pended order for an albuminuria test. Other diabetes/endocrinology and primary care clinics can likely implement a similar process and so improve testing rates in other settings…]

Atrial fibrillation detection using a automated electrocardiographic monitoring in a transient ischaemic attack service. [Abstract]
D’Anna L. BMJ Open Quality 2022;11(1):doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001433.
[Conclusions: In conclusion, the present study suggests early initiation of automated continuous ECG monitoring (ACEM) in a rapid outpatient transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) clinic improves atrial fibrillation (AF) detection and is associated with a reduced risk of recurrent TIA/stroke. Further studies are required to confirm the enhanced rate of AF detected using ACEM]

Autism – overview of policy and services.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[This briefing provides an overview of policies and services for people with autism spectrum disorder in England.]

Measuring the economic value of community nursing: scoping the challenge.
Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA); 2022.
[NHS community services are an essential part of national ambitions to support people to manage their conditions, prevent ill health and deliver care closer to home. Community nurses are central to the care delivered for many people, across a broad range of conditions and needs. This briefing considers the challenge of understanding the economic value of community nursing, building on a roundtable discussion in March 2021 and drawing in other sources of evidence.]