Month: May 2023

Almshouse living can add to an extra two and a half years of life, report finds

A report from the Bayes Business School says the longevity of those who move into one of the UK’s 30,000 almshouses – the oldest form of social housing – is boosted by as much as two and a half years.

Given that residents typically move into almshouses in their early 70s, this is equivalent to an extra 15 per cent of future life.

Almshouses are a charitable form of self-sufficient, low-cost community housing held in trust for local people in housing need. They are managed and run by almshouse charities made up of local volunteers. Almshouses usually encourage residents to take part in social activities and have responsibilities for fellow residents, increasing their sense of belonging, giving them a greater sense of purpose and reducing isolation.

Residents pay rent, usually called a maintenance contribution, which is often less than the average rent in local properties rented from a council, housing association or private landlord.

Almshouse-Longevity-Study-Report.pdf (city.ac.uk)

Call for mental health evidence

A call for evidence has been launched by the DHSC to invite views on how best to prevent, early diagnose, treat and manage the six major groups of conditions that drive ill health and contribute to the burden of disease in the population in England. The six major health conditions – cancer; cardiovascular diseases including stroke and diabetes; chronic respiratory diseases; dementia; mental ill health; and musculoskeletal disorders – affect millions of people in England, with data showing that one in four suffer from two or more of these major long-term conditions. The closing date for comments is 27 June 2023.

The call for evidence was originally intended to inform two individual plans: a mental health and wellbeing plan and a separate suicide prevention strategy. The decision has since been taken to incorporate tackling mental ill health into a major conditions strategy instead of a standalone mental health strategy. This aims to ensure that mental ill health is considered alongside other physical health conditions and that the interactions between them are reflected in any resulting commitments.

Major conditions strategy: call for evidence – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Mental health and wellbeing plan: discussion paper and call for evidence – results – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Increases in mental health nursing lagging far behind that seen in adult and children’s nursing, report finds  

An update report on progress in mental health nursing education that has taken stock of progress across the country in mental health staffing levels has found that recruitment is lagging behind that of adult and children’s nursing and mental health trusts account for nearly a third of all nursing vacancies. The report has been commissioned and supported by NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network.

In train? Progress on mental health nurse education (nuffieldtrust.org.uk)

Not enough progress made for mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers

A Maternal Mental Health Alliance report on specialist perinatal mental health community services in the UK highlights the progress made in all four nations since 2013 but finds that access to life-saving mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers remains uneven. Many regions are still lacking the necessary resources and mental health-related deaths during pregnancy or up to six weeks after birth are increasing, emphasising the urgency of addressing this issue. The report finds this is largely due to workforce planning and shortage issues, made worse by insecure or late allocation of funds.