Library Bulletin

Psychosis/ Schizophrenia

With thanks to our colleagues at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust the latest edition of psychosis and schizophrenia bulletins are now available to view and download.

Some articles may require Open Athens accounts to access. Please get in touch with the library; academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk for any support setting up an Athens account or retrieving articles.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Vulnerability in infancy.
Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Descriptive analysis of vulnerability in infancy using data from the Community Services Dataset (CSDS). Analysis which describes and quantifies the reasons given for hospital and community services recording children as vulnerable in a child’s health record. Vulnerable children are at greater risk of experiencing physical or emotional harm or experiencing poor outcomes because of one or more factors in their lives.)

Unemployment and insecure housing are linked to less successful treatment for depression.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.
(The study found poorer outcomes after treatment for depression among people who are unemployed, struggling financially, not homeowners, and have educational qualifications beyond school. The research concluded that housing and employment status are likely to have a clinically meaningful effect on recovery, independent of the severity of depression, age, marital status or other factors.)


Commission on Young Lives,
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
(Alongside the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Centre for Mental Health have co-authored the fourth report from the Commission on Young Lives on rethinking mental health services for vulnerable young people. It reviews the latest data with a focus on those who are at higher risk, including those from racialised communities, lower socioeconomic backgrounds, young people with SEND, those in contact with the criminal justice and care systems, as well as LGBTQI+ communities.)

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Suspected acute viral respiratory infections: managing outbreaks in schools. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2022.
(Guidance for local UKHSA centre health protection teams about assessing and managing outbreaks of suspected acute viral respiratory infections in schools.)

COVID-19: testing during periods of low prevalence.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2022.
(Explains the purpose of ongoing testing and sets out who is currently eligible for access to testing and when tests should be used.)

Moderate alcohol consumption linked with higher iron levels and poorer thinking skills Alzheimer’s Research UK (July 2022)

(UK researchers have found moderate alcohol consumption is linked with higher iron levels in a region of the brain and was associated with poorer thinking skills. Above seven units weekly was associated with higher iron levels in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia, which is responsible for movement.)

NHS to roll out variant busting booster jab from September ahead of winter (NHS England; August 2022)

(The NHS will become the first healthcare system in the world to use the next generation, bivalent COVID vaccine when it kickstarts the autumn booster rollout in early September.)


Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

COVID-19 vaccines for autumn 2022: JCVI advice, 15 August 2022.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.
(Statement setting out the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on COVID-19 vaccines for autumn 2022.)

NHS prescription charges in England.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
(The cost of an NHS prescription, who is entitled to free prescriptions and how to get help with prescription costs.)

Homeless hostel residents and staff struggle to access health and social care services.
The Mental Elf; 2022.
(In her debut blog, Ava Phillips summarises a paper that finds both people living in homeless hostels, and staff working there, feel marginalised and struggle to access the health and social care they need.)

As waiting lists grow for anxiety disorders, should we be turning to digital interventions?
The Mental Elf; 2022.
(Theo Kyriacou and Andie Ashdown explore a recent systematic review that brings together two decades of research, which suggests that digital health interventions for anxiety disorders may be a more effective alternative to inactive controls, such as waiting-list groups.)

No place for cheap alcohol: the potential value of minimum pricing for protecting lives.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2022.
(Pricing policies and taxation are among the most effective measures that policy-makers can use to address these harms, but they remain underutilized across the Region. This report reviews the status of implementation of minimum pricing globally, provides an overview of the most recent evidence behind the policy, addresses its main strengths and limitations and offers practical considerations for countries.)

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Family hubs and start for life programme: local authority guide.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.

(Guidance and sign up form for local authorities pre-selected to take part in the family hubs and start for life programme.)

Commissioning quality standard: alcohol and drug services.
Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas.)

Direct and indirect health impacts of Covid-19 in England: emerging Omicron impacts

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022 This paper (produced together with the Office for National Statistics) gives an overview of the direct health impacts of Covid-19 in terms of morbidity and mortality and the indirect impacts arising through behavioural changes and health system pressures.

Public Health Outcomes Framework: August 2022 data update

Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID); 2022.

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 is presented in an interactive tool that allows users to view it in a user-friendly format. The data tool also provides links to further supporting information, to aid understanding of public health in a local population.

Library Bulletins

Learning Disabilities and Suicide Prevention

The current bulletins for Learning Disabilities and Suicide Prevention, produced by Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust, are now available to view and download.

For support accessing any of the articles within the bulletins please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

The British Journal of Psychiatry

BJPsych Themed Issue 2022: Precision Medicine and Personalised Healthcare in Psychiatry published online

The latest themed issue from the British Journal of Psychiatry (BJPsych) explores the field of precision medicine; the clinical applications, tools and treatments of personalising precision in psychiatry. To find out more watch the guest editor video below and access the entire issue.