Month: November 2020

Tackling Loneliness

Useful resources

With the support of Library Service from across the country, we have compiled a list of resources to provide support or advice for anyone who is suffering from loneliness during the pandemic. The initiatives aim to reduce loneliness and help people stay connected during this unprecedented time.

Tackling loneliness Research briefing, 16 June 2020 This briefing looks at research into the causes and impact of loneliness and possible interventions

Loneliness: a reading list Research briefing, 18 February 2020

This reading list provides links to various publications considering the causes and impact of loneliness, as well as possible interventions to deal with the issue in society. (Section 17 is Loneliness interventions)

Loneliness: Care Homes Research briefing, 17 March 2020 This briefing examines recent Government policy to tackle loneliness in care homes in the UK.

How has Covid-19 affected loneliness?
What Works Centre for Wellbeing, August 2020
https://whatworkswellbeing.org/resources/loneliness-lockdown-and-covid/ This briefing highlights findings from the Covid Social Study, as part of ongoing data analysis work with University College London. The study has surveyed more than 70,000 people since March 2020, asking different questions about their experiences and wellbeing over the past few months, including asking people about loneliness.

Life after lockdown: tackling loneliness
British Red Cross, June 2020
https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/we-speak-up-for-change/life-after-lockdown-tackling-loneliness The Covid-19 crisis has made loneliness worse, with some people more affected than others. This report shows that although social distancing and lockdown measures will continue to be eased, loneliness will remain. And for those most left behind, it may continue to grow. The research draws on findings from a collection of national-level polling, interviews and evaluations from British Red Cross services during Covid-19. Quick overview of key findings and recommendations, as well as the full report, from the link above.

Loneliness, social isolation and COVID-19: practical advice
Local Government Association / Association of Directors of Public Health, 21 May 2020
https://www.local.gov.uk/loneliness-social-isolation-and-covid-19-practical-advice “The LGA and ADPH have jointly produced this practical advice for Directors of Public Health and others leading the response to the loneliness and social isolation issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

What you can do if you feel lonely during the coronavirus outbreak: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coping-loneliness-during-coronavirus-outbreak/

Campaign to end loneliness https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/helpful-links/

We hope that none of our friends, family or colleagues have to face the feeling of loneliness. If you do, we hope that these resources may bring a sense of hope or enlighten you to try something new.

Wellbeing

Supporting mental health in the UK

How has Covid-19 and the associated lockdown measures affected mental health and wellbeing in the UK?

This briefing provides insights into how mental health conditions have changed and which risk factors need to be recognised when supporting people’s mental health.

To find out more click here.

The gift of time

The impact of Library and knowledge services

According to this report, specialist library services are freeing up the time of clinicians, enabling them to devote more hours to patient care, and could be saving the NHS as much as £77 million a year. It finds that if the ratio of librarians to health professionals was increased to the level recommended by Health Education England, it’s thought that figure could rise to as much as £106 million. It also finds that health librarians and knowledge specialists make the gathering of information as easy as possible for health care professionals, relieving the burden of sourcing and making sense of evidence. This helps NHS organisations meet their statutory duty to use evidence from research within the service.

To find out more click here.

To find out about all our Library services on offer visit our Trustnet page, or feel free to email us; academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk with any questions or queries you may have. We are always here to support you and your colleagues.

Support for mental health social workers

Guidance to develop the role across all mental health settings

This guidance is designed to support all agencies that employ social workers. It has been produced to sit alongside the Local Government Association’s employers’ guidance and give detailed advice and support to develop the social work role across all mental health settings and organisations. It is based on the learning from the ‘social work for better mental health’ programme, working across more than 70 organisations, assessing and developing their integrated arrangements.

For more information click here.

Public Health

Current Awareness

Health matters: cold weather and COVID-19 Public Health England

(As we approach the first winter with coronavirus (COVID-19) circulating, it’s essential that action is taken across the health and social care sector to enable people to stay safe and well and to ensure that the NHS is not overwhelmed. This edition of Health Matters will cover the impact of cold weather on health, how COVID-19 amplifies cold-related risks, and actions that can be taken to prevent harm, particularly to those most vulnerable.)

KINSHIP IN THE CITY REPORT: Urban Loneliness and the built environment Future Spaces Foundation

(This report explores the impact of urban loneliness and ideas for reshaping our built environment to improve social cohesion. Produced as part of the Future Spaces Foundation’s Vital Cities programme, it builds on our existing body of research into the building blocks of dynamic, socially sustainable cities where individuals and communities can thrive.)

Play and social skills may protect children who have difficulties with spoken language.
NIHR Evidence; 2020.

(NIHR Alert. Researchers looked at the social and play skills of young children with developmental language disorder (DLD). They found that those with good early social and play skills developed fewer behaviour or mental health problems as they grew up. The research suggests that therapies and education techniques based on play and understanding other children could help children with DLD avoid later problems.)

COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.

[Updated guidance in line with national restrictions commencing 5 November 2020.]

Behaviour change: guides for national and local government and partners.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

(Based on the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, these guides are for national and local government and partners, such as the NHS, emergency services and third sector, to support people to have healthier behaviours.
6 November 2020: Added document: ‘Achieving behaviour change: a guide for national government’ and policies to change behaviour.)

Community pharmacies: promoting health and wellbeing NICE

(This quality standard covers how community pharmacies can support the health and wellbeing of the local population. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.)

Performance Tracker 2020: How public services have coped with coronavirus.
Institute for Government; 2020.

(This report analyses the disruptions in hospitals, general practice, adult social care, schools and criminal courts, and the changes made in response. It finds that coronavirus has resulted in backlogs across public services and calls for reviews of the impact of remote general practice and hospital appointments.)

The Strategy Unit

Working together for a healthier post- Covid future

Source- King’s Fund

This analysis, commissioned by the Healthier Futures Academy in the Black Country and West Birmingham, illustrates the effects that a Covid-driven recession could have on population health. It frames a discussion about how the NHS, with other local organisations, can more effectively address the causes as well as the effects of ill health.

To read the summary click here.

Mental Health

Current Awareness Updates

Advancing mental health equalities strategy.
NHS England; 2020.
[This strategy summarises the core actions that we all need to take to bridge the gaps for communities fairing worse than others in mental health services. It is also an important element of the overall NHS plans to accelerate action to address health inequalities in the next stage of responding to COVID-19.]

Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Follow up of a 2018 review looking at the quality of, and access to, mental health services for children and young people. It sets out the findings of a 2019 independent follow-up self-assessment questionnaire, to find out the extent to which health and wellbeing board areas in England had progressed with implementing the local recommendations made.]

Mental health rehabilitation inpatient services: 2019 update.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Updated findings from 114 mental health rehabilitation inpatient providers about patients that were occupying a mental health bed at the time of the information request. Questions included number of beds, current number of patients and their distance from home, funding and number of locked wards.]

Assessment of mental health services in acute trusts.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
[Findings from over 100 acute hospital inspections, how well the mental health care needs of patients were met and where trusts, and the wider system, need to improve.]

MeeTwo mental health app: case study.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; 2020.
[The app provides safe, fully-moderated peer support to 40,000 young people aged 11 to 25 across the UK. The free app enables users to anonymously share their feelings and help each other in a safe, moderated digital environment. Peer support has been shown to improve quality of life, wellbeing, self-esteem and social functioning, as well as reductions in hospital admission rates and use of hospital emergency services.]