Category: Community Care

Podcast

Creative thinking to improve access to healthcare – Andrea Coleman

Source: Thinking Beyond Boundaries (Making More Health) Podcast Series by the NHS Confederation

Throughout this podcast series, Michael Wood, head of health economic partnerships at the NHS Confederation, will be interviewing a number of Making More Health Fellows – celebrating their achievements, discovering what drove them personally and discussing the particular role social entrepreneurs play in fostering long-term change.

In this episode learn how one woman’s passion for motorbikes led to the transformation of health access for rural communities in Africa.

As a former motorcycle racer, Andrea Coleman, founder and chief executive of Two Wheels for Life and co-founder of Riders for Health, has dedicated her life to using motorcycles for humanitarian causes. Listen in to hear how Andrea has harnessed her passions to optimise healthcare services by providing transport logistics in low-resource settings to ensure that patients receive the care and treatment they deserve.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Misuse of illicit drugs and medicines: applying All Our Health.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Evidence and guidance to help health professionals identify, prevent or reduce drug-related harm. The information will help front-line health and care staff use their trusted relationships with patients, families and communities to promote the benefits of asking patients about drug use.)

NHS population screening: identifying and reducing inequalities.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Guidance and resources to support providers and commissioners in reducing screening inequalities. Variation in participation exists both within and between national screening programmes. Barriers can result in some people being unable to maximise the benefits of screening. And people at higher risk of the conditions being screened for are generally less likely to participate.)

Alcohol dependence prevalence in England.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Estimates of the number of alcohol dependent adults in each local authority in England. The data is from national and local authorities, and is organised by age and gender.)

Children living with parents in emotional distress: March 2021 update.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(The proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress, by family type and work status.)

How can touch-free technology help the NHS? Open Access Government, 31 March 2021

(Videx UK aims to help the health care and business sector return to normal with hands-free door entry.)

From computers to communities: how remote technology will transform rural neighbourhoods TechRadar, 1 April 2021

(The pandemic has meant a change in the way we live and work. However, virtually all health care sectors have successfully implemented remote collaboration tools.)

Covid 19

Current Awareness Updates

The impact of Covid-19 on the lives of Latin American migrants IRMO Research Report; Feb 2021

(This report reveals the intersecting crises of rising unemployment, abusive employment practices, inadequate housing and increasing food poverty facing the Latin American community. This is compounded by digital exclusion and the language barrier, meaning that many find it difficult to access mainstream support. The lack of access to basic health care raises concerns about the rollout of the vaccine among the community.)

Community testing – GOV.UK

(Community asymptomatic testing helps identify and isolate individuals who have coronavirus (COVID-19) but do not have symptoms.)

COVID-19: migrant health guide – GOV.UK

(Advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant patients.)

Protecting and supporting the clinically extremely vulnerable during lockdown.
National Audit Office (NAO); 2021.

(Report looks at how effectively government identified and met the needs of clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) people. It found there was impressive initial support offered to many people, but it took time for people to be identified as CEV, and therefore access formal support.)

Creating community spaces for patient wellbeing

How could the NHS better use its facilities to support social prescribing, holistic care and community resilience?

Source: Kings Fund

The NHS long-term plan has pledged to refer at least 900,000 people to social prescribing by 2023/24 to help improve people’s wellbeing; the fitter, healthier and more socially connected people are, the less likely it is they’ll need to access local GP or other health professionals. This research, based on a survey conducted with more than 2,000 people in England, shows that there’s also a strong appetite from the public for these services.

To read the long term plan click here.

Greenspaces

Compelling evidence shows that access to greenspaces really matters for our health

Now more than ever we are becoming more dependent on outdoor spaces to improve our health and wellbeing. Green environments are associated with reduced levels of depression, anxiety and fatigue and can enhance quality of life for both children and adults.

Access to good quality greenspaces, such as parks, allotments, woodlands and fields varies greatly on where we live. However, evidence suggests that the most economically deprived areas often have less available public greenspace, meaning people in those communities have fewer opportunities to reap the rewards.

The new report from PHE offers policy, practice and research recommendations. Click here to find out more.

Report

Recreating parks: securing the future of our urban green spaces

In this briefing paper, the cross-party think-tank states that parks and green spaces should be seen as a tool of health care in the same way as medicines and therapies. Giving the NHS a role in supporting parks and green spaces would allow doctors to make more use of social prescribing techniques where patients are told to take exercise and spend time outdoors to boost physical and mental health.

Strength and balance quality markers: Supporting improvement through audit

Public Health England, August 2019

Strength and balance exercise programmes are an important intervention for falls prevention. This report details of 7 quality markers for strength and balance exercise, suitable for use by local areas as criteria to help them carry out self-audits. With an intended audience of both local commissioning and strategic leads in England with a remit for falls, bone health and healthy ageing and providers involved with strength and balance falls prevention exercise, this document has been produced by Public Health England (PHE) with the National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG) member organisations.

Click here to view the full report.