Month: November 2019

Get a move on: Steps to increase activity levels in the UK

British Medical Association, October 2019

British Medical Association briefing that examines the wide range of benefits of physical activity, the current low levels of physical activity in the UK and the significant inequalities that exist in levels of physical activity within the population. Policy recommendations across four core parts of people’s lives

• travel,

• leisure,

• school

• work

It sets out the steps government and policy-makers should take to increase physical activity levels across the UK.

Click here to view the full report.

Children and young people’s mental health: prevention evidence: Summary report and outputs from a review of evidence for universal approaches to improving children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Public Health England, October 2019

This series of reports summarises the evidence for the effectiveness of universal approaches to improving children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.  The documents are intended for strategic and operational leads, working on children and young people’s mental health.  The report of the findings of a Special Interest Group summarises the approach, findings and recommendations.

Click here to access the reports.

Introduction of nursing associates – year 2: evaluation report

Health Education England, November 2019

The Nursing Associate role is a new support role that sits alongside existing healthcare support workers and fully-qualified registered nurses to deliver hands-on care for patients.  This report provides an evaluation of the Nursing Associate test site programme of Nursing Associates which began in January 2017.  

Click here to view the full report.

The British Journal of Psychiatry – November 2019

The November issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry is now available.  This issue includes articles on cognitive deficits in problematic internet use, autism spectrum disorder in adults, and the clinical and biological effects of long-term lithium use in older adults.

Click here to view the table of contents.  Login with your LSCFT OpenAthens account to view the full text articles.

Social return on investment analysis of the health and wellbeing impacts of Wildlife Trust programmes

The Wildlife Trust, October 2019

This report finds that prescribing contact with nature for people who have low levels of mental wellbeing is excellent value for money by improving people’s health and wellbeing. Researchers at Leeds Beckett University analysed the social value of Wildlife Trusts’ nature conservation projects which offer outdoor volunteering opportunities and programmes that support people experiencing problems such as anxiety, stress or mild depression. The report draws on the conclusions of three years research which found that people participating in both sorts of outdoor nature conservation activities felt significantly better, both emotionally and physically, as a result.

Click here to view the full report.

Looking after your self-ie: A guide to finding your balance on and offline

Royal Society for Public Health, October 2019

The Royal Society for Public Health has developed a free online course which aims to help social media users to build a meaningful, more balanced relationship with platforms. The course focusses on awareness-raising; encouraging meaningful use by educating users on the potential harms and benefits of social media. It provides practical guidance and useful tips to support users to practice self-care on and offline.

Click here to access the resource.

Steps to expand placement capacity

NHS Employers, October 2019

The NHS Long Term Plan sets out ambitions to increase the number of people in learning placements across the NHS. To meet these ambitions, employers will have to scale up the ability to offer a safe and high-quality learning environment that supports workforce development. Based on conversations with those organisations which have already grown their capacity, this briefing sets out a series questions and actions, under six key areas to help employers reflect on what more they can do to increase placement capacity in a way that is sustainable for their organisation.

Click here to view the full report.

The state of medical education and practice in the UK: The workforce report 2019

General Medical Council, October 2019

This report draws on the GMC’s medical register data and findings from a new survey on doctors’ workplace experiences. It sets out recommendations to help inform emerging workforce strategies and people plans across the UK. The data shows that the UK’s medical register continues to grow, with many overseas doctors joining our workforce. However, the GMC states that health services must prioritise strategies to retain UK and non-UK trained doctors, and develop supportive workplace cultures with compassionate leaders.

Click here to view the full report.

Health and social care and LGBT Communities: First Report of Session 2019–20: Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report

House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, October 2019

This report finds that too often LGBT people are expected to fit into systems that assume they are straight and cisgender. But the Committee has found that deep inequalities exist in health outcomes for these communities and that treating them “the same” as non-LGBT people will not address these poor outcomes. The report finds that too few health and social care providers are actively thinking about LGBT people when they plan their services and that senior leaders are not doing enough to ensure that LGBT-inclusion is hardwired into commissioning strategies. This problem filters all the way down to training, where medics of the future are not taught how to provide LGBT-inclusive treatment. While few people set out to discriminate, training currently sends the message that sexual orientation and gender identity are not relevant to providing “person-centred care”. This is, in fact, essential. At the moment, there seems to be neither the leadership necessary to ensure services are designed to be LGBT-inclusive nor swift enough improvements among staff on the ground.

Click here to view the full report.