Category: Child Health

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

COVID-19: long-term health effects.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Information and guidance on persistent health problems reported following acute COVID-19 disease. There is accumulating evidence to suggest that cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) who have experienced both mild and severe symptoms can experience long-term health effects. This document provides information on the health problems reported in COVID-19 cases following acute disease, and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to advise recovering COVID-19 patients.)

COVID-19 in schools: study shows drop in infections Public Health England (PHE); 2021

(Round 4 of the Schools Infection Survey (SIS) shows a significant drop in the number of secondary school pupils and staff testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).)

Women’s Health Strategy: Call for Evidence.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.

(DHSC are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s Women’s Health Strategy. The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey. They also welcome written submissions from individuals or organisations who have expertise in women’s health, such as researchers and third-sector organisations. Written submissions can include the contribution of data, research and other reports of relevance to women’s health.)

Teachers’ concerns about pupils’ mental health in a cross-sectional survey of a population sample of British schoolchildren.[Abstract]
Mathews F. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(2):99-105.

(Understanding how well a teacher concern predicts mental disorder in a child or young person is important for mental health teams who need to respond to referrals. CONCLUSION: While teacher concern does identify those with poorer mental health, it is only moderately predictive of a disorder. When concerned about a child or young person, discussions with parents or others who know them may help teachers identify those who most need support.)

The relationship between alcohol-related hospital admission and specialist alcohol treatment provision across local authorities in England since passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
British Journal of Psychiatry 2021;:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.120.


(The results suggest that the local authority areas in England most in need of adequately funded specialist alcohol treatment are not receiving targeted increased funding, and that the national rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions may be fuelled by local authority funding cuts to specialist alcohol treatment.)

Please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk for any support accessing articles.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

One dose of COVID-19 vaccine can cut household transmission by up to half Public Health England (PHE)

(A new study by Public Health England (PHE) has shown that one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine reduces household transmission by up to half.)

Track and trace: identifying corruption risks in UK public procurement for the Covid-19 pandemic

(This study of procurement during the pandemic involved a painstaking review of nearly 1,000 contracts worth a total of £18 billion. It concludes that the way the UK government handled bids for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other Covid-19 response contracts appears partisan and systemically biased in favour of those with political access.)

Can SMS text messages help prevent relapse in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder?
The Mental Elf; 2021.

(A group of UCL Mental Health MSc students summarise a recent pilot study, which explores the acceptability and feasibility of the Texting for Relapse Prevention (T4RP) programme for people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.)

Can we teach schools how to improve care for young people who self-harm?
The Mental Elf; 2021.

(Douglas Badenoch appraises and summarises a recent systematic review of experimental studies, which looks at whether school staff training can improve responses to pupils who self-harm.)

JCVI issues new advice on COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women Public Health England (PHE)

(The JCVI has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.)

Neonatal infection: antibiotics for prevention and treatment.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

[This guideline covers preventing bacterial infection in healthy babies of up to and including 28 days corrected gestational age, treating pregnant women whose unborn baby is at risk of infection, and caring for babies of up to and including 28 days corrected gestational age with a suspected or confirmed bacterial infection. It aims to reduce delays in recognising and treating infection and prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics. The guideline does not cover viral infections.]

Public Health

Current Awareness

Use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: JCVI statement.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.]

COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine administration.
Gordon C. British Journal of Nursing 2021;30(6):344-349.
[This article provides an overview of current COVID-19 vaccines available within the UK, including their mode of action, storage and handling. It outlines the recommendations on priority groups for vaccination and provides insight into the training recommendations for vaccinators.]


How will the public mood shape care after the pandemic?
[The Health Foundation is hosting a webinar exploring what the public thought of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and what this means for future care – being held 15th April 11:45am]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child health and the provision of Care in Paediatric Emergency Departments: a qualitative study of frontline emergency care staff.
Conlon C. BMC Health Services Research 2021;21(1):279.
[This qualitative study utilized insight from multidisciplinary frontline staff to understand 1) the changes in paediatric emergency healthcare utilization during COVID-19 2) the experiences of working within the restructured health system.]

A connected recovery: Findings of the APPG on Loneliness Inquiry.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Loneliness; 2021.

[This inquiry makes the case for a ‘connected recovery’ from the pandemic. It explored four crucial policy areas, including: translating national policy into local action through local authorities; community infrastructure (including housing, transport and public spaces); how to adequately fund the voluntary and community sector upon which social prescribing depends; and designing and implementing ways to test the implications of government policies on loneliness.]

National Centre for Creative Health.
National Centre for Creative Health; 2021.

[The NCCH will advance good practice and research, inform policy and promote collaboration, helping foster the conditions for creative health to be integral to health and social care and wider systems. It was formed in response to the Creative Health report, the result of a two-year inquiry led by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing.]

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Preventing suicide in England: fifth progress report of the cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives Department of Health and Social Care; 27th March 2021

(This report details the steps taken to reduce deaths by suicide since 2019. It sets out the data and evidence on suicide and self-harm; the progress made against existing commitments designed to prevent suicides and self-harm; and further actions for the government and its agencies, particularly in the context of Covid-19.)

The cost of smoking to the social care system ASH; March 2021

(This report finds that on average smokers in England need care when they are 63, 10 years sooner than non-smokers. It estimates that £1.2 billion a year is spent on people who have care needs as a result of smoking. It calls for more comprehensive tobacco control strategies in order to ease the pressure on the social care system.)

Covid-19 mental health and wellbeing recovery action plan Department of Health and Social Care; 31 March 2021

(This action plan sets out an ambitious, cross-government, whole-person approach to promoting positive mental health and supporting people living with mental illness to recover and live well. While this plan sets out what the government will do in the coming year, it is also a call to action for the whole of society, for local communities, families and for individuals, who can take simple steps to look after their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around them – and can reach out for support, including from mental health services when necessary.)

The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days The Early Years Healthy Development Review Report

(This report sets out the findings of the Early Years’ Healthy Development Review, which was asked to review the first 1,001 critical days from pregnancy through to the age of two. The review sets out a vision for best practice across the health system to ensure babies and children can get the best possible start.)

Alcohol-related harm and drinking behaviour Nuffield Trust

(Excessive alcohol consumption can have harmful health consequences in the short term but also in the long term, through conditions such as liver disease, stroke and some cancers. This indicator explores whether alcohol-related harm and drinking behaviour has changed over time.)

Poverty, parenting and mental health

How the pandemic has impacted upon families

Source: The King’s Fund

Jo Davies, CEO at WILD Young Parents’ Project, discusses how the pandemic has shone a spotlight on health inequalities and impacted young families and their mental health in Cornwall.

She also shares the important role that charities and voluntary organisations have played during Covid-19 in providing practical and emotional support. Jo challenges leaders to be courageous in their ongoing response to the pandemic and to listen to the voices of local communities.

Watch her 4 minute video here:

Centre for Early Child Development

A good practice guide to support implementation of trauma-informed care in the perinatal period

Source: The King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert

This guide aims to help staff and services understand the impact of psychological trauma on women in the perinatal period and respond in a sensitive and compassionate way. It aims to support staff to ensure they ‘do no harm’ through care delivery that, without thought or intention, could retraumatise individuals.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

How to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Advice for everyone to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).)

Shooting Up: infections among people who inject drugs in the UK.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(This Public Health England report describes the extent of infections among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the United Kingdom.
27 January 2021: Added December 2020 update report, data tables and links to the slide set and infographic.)

Young people’s mental and emotional health: Trajectories and drivers in childhood and adolescence.
Education Policy Institute; 2021.

(Based on data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this report reveals insights into the determinants of young people’s wellbeing, including how it is affected by their relationships, background, and use of social media. The research shows that while the wellbeing of all young people declines by the end of their teenage years, there is a strong gender divide within this: girls see far lower levels of wellbeing and self-esteem than boys – driven by a sharp fall of both during mid-adolescence.)

Engaging men earlier: a guide to service design.
Samaritans; 2021.

(This handbook aims to provide a set of principles upon which wellbeing initiatives for men should be based. It is aimed at anyone commissioning, designing, evaluating or delivering initiatives, services or activities aimed at improving the wellbeing of men.)

Child obesity: patterns and trends.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Slide sets presenting the latest data on child obesity in England and the 9 English regions. These slide sets present the latest data on child obesity from the National Child Measurement Programme. The national slide set also includes data from the Health Survey for England. Trends in child overweight and obesity are shown and patterns are examined by age, sex, ethnic group, and area deprivation.)

Public Health Outcomes Framework: February 2021 data update.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(The Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) examines indicators that help health and care professionals and the public to understand trends in public health. The data are presented in an interactive tool that allows users to view them in a user-friendly format. The data tool also provides links to further supporting information.)

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Ethnic inequalities in Covid-19 mortality: a consequence of persistent racism Runnymede Trust

(This briefing (published in collaboration with the Centre of Dynamics of Ethnicity) discusses the reasons for ethnic minority people experiencing a much higher risk of Covid-19-related death. Ethnic inequalities in relation to Covid-19 mirror longstanding ethnic inequalities in health. A large body of evidence has shown that these inequalities are driven by social and economic inequalities, many of which are the result of racial discrimination.)

PPE portal: how to order COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) – Public Health England; Updated 26th January 2021

(Eligible health and social care providers can order PPE through the portal to meet the increased need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic)

COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers Public Health England; Updated 28th January 2021

(Genomically confirmed case numbers for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation.)

Risk related to the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the EU/EEA – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(This risk assessment presents the latest available information on the recent emergence of three variants of concern, VOC 202012/01 identified in the United Kingdom (UK), 501Y.V2 identified in South Africa, and P.1 identified in Brazil and Japan)

COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous report from ECDC on this topic, which was published on August 6, 2020 [4]. This report does not consider educational settings related to young adults or adults, such as universities or vocational schools or any school with overnight stays, such as boarding schools. This report does not consider the epidemiology of COVID-19 in relation to new variants of SARS-CoV-2, for which robust evidence on the potential impact in school settings is not yet available, such as one recently observed in the United Kingdom [2].)

COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Sarilumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that sarilumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting. Sarilumab was given within about 24 hours of starting organ support.)


COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Tocilizumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Unpublished preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that tocilizumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting (all randomised within 24 hours of starting organ support).)

Perspectives from the front line: The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BME communities.
NHS Confederation BME Leadership Network; 2020.

(A report into the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on BAME communities based on interviews with BME NHS leaders, clinicians, community organisations and service users, as well as a survey of more than 100 members of the BME Leadership Network. Overwhelmingly, participants point to long-standing inequalities and institutional racism as root causes.)

Mental Health Toolkit

A reading list to support the mental health of young people

House of Commons Library; 2020.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9100/
Research briefing: links to relevant reports, policies and research on supporting children and young people with mental health issues. It also includes links to sources of further information and advice.