Month: February 2014

'Any Town' toolkit

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 18, 2014

By NHS England (2014)

This toolkit uses high level health system modelling and allows CCGs to map how interventions could improve local health services and close the financial gap. It is an additional guide to help commissioners with their five-year strategic plans, showing how a typical CCG could achieve financial balance over the strategic period up to 2018/19. Using 2013/14 as a baseline, ‘Any town’ uses detailed data including population size and disease prevalence, to predict what a typical health system’s quality and financial baseline may look like in 2018/19.

Click here to view this toolkit

Francis Inquiry Healthy Settings Licensing Planning

The Francis Report: one year on

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 14, 2014

By The Nuffield Trust (2014)

This report explores how acute trusts are responding to the Francis Inquiry report, one year on from Robert Francis QC’s original report into the failings in Mid Staffordshire hospitals.

Click here to view this report

change Commissioning Healthy Settings Library Licensing Local Government Planning

The views of public health teams working in local authorities: year 1

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 14, 2014

By Royal Society for Public Health (2014)

This report is based on a survey of public health professionals working in local authorities and it found the majority believe health decisions are being made based on politics rather than evidence. It also found that the public health workforce perceives that budgets which are meant to be reserved for public health initiatives are not being ring fenced in practice. Nearly three quarters of respondents also suggested that financial restrictions are impacting upon their team’s ability to deliver health improvement initiatives. Respondants expressed mixed views regarding the role of health and wellbeing boards which have been set up as a forum to discuss local needs and influence commissioning decisions.

Click here to view this report

Public Mental Health

Monitoring the mental health act in 2012/13

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 14, 2014

By Care Quality Commission (2014)

This annual report into the use of the Mental Health Act provides an insight into the experiences of patients who received care under the act throughout 2012/13. It highlights five key areas which CQC will examine following the results of this report: community care; reporting on death; emergency and mental health crisis; involving people who use services; and investigating complaints relating to the use of the Mental Health Act.

Click here to view this report

CVD Health Inequalities Health Promotion Integrated Care Liver Disease including NHS Health Checks Local Government Minority Groups Nutrition Obesity Respiratory Disease

Body mass index thresholds for intervening to prevent ill health among black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 14, 2014

By NICE (2014)

This briefing recommends lowering BMI thresholds as a trigger for intervening to prevent ill health among adults from minority ethnicities. Further examples of recommendations include developing an integrated regional and local plan, and promoting early intervention among minority groups. It also suggests that by reconfiguring services to meet the health needs of their local populations, local authorities can reduce health inequalities and address the costs associated with ill health.

Click here to view this briefing

Care of the Elderly Dementia Guidance Public Mental Health

The triangle of care: carers included: a guide to best practice for dementia care

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 14, 2014

By Royal College of Nursing (2014)

The triangle of care is a model for dementia care that supports a partnership approach between the person with dementia (the patient), the staff member and carer. It is designed to ensure that carers are appropriately included and involved in the care of people with dementia, particularly in hospital settings.

Click here to view this guidance

Good Practice Health Promotion Nutrition Obesity

Public Health England and Association of Directors of Public Health survey findings: tackling obesity

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 12, 2014

By Public Health England (2014)

In September 2013 Public Health England (PHE) surveyed 136 local authorities and Directors of Public Health on their obesity priorities. The following report gives an overview of the survey, findings and recommendations for reducing obesity in local communities.

Click here to view these findings

Children Nutrition Obesity

Tackling the obesity crisis: how do we measure up?

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 12, 2014

Jackson, A.A et al. Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 2014; 99(2): 95-98

This article discusses a recent report published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), Measuring up, the medical profession’s prescription for the nation’s obesity crisis.

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Alcohol Child Protection Children Health Protection (Emergency planning seasonal mortality) Smoking Tobacco & Drugs

A tobacco-free future: an all-island report on tobacco, inequalities and childhood

Post author By Sarah Woodhall
Post date February 5, 2014

By Institute of Public Health in Ireland (2013)

The central aim of the report is to contribute to knowledge on the exposure of children to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke at various stages of their development. The findings of the report can support policy makers and service providers in their efforts to make tobacco-free childhoods a reality on the
island of Ireland.

Click here to view this report