Category: Current Awareness

Mental Health

Current Awareness

Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions QCQ – October 2020

(This report contains an update on work carried out in 2018 looking at the quality of mental health services for children and young people, as well as the access to these services. 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.)

NHS strengthens mental health support for staff NHS England -October 2020

(NHS staff will get rapid access to expanded mental health services that are being rolled out across the country as part of efforts to deal with the second wave of coronavirus. NHS England and NHS Improvement will invest an extra £15 million to strengthen mental health support for nurses, paramedics, therapists, pharmacists, and support staff.)

NHS encourages children and young people to seek help as new data shows rise in mental health problems NHS England – October 2020

(England’s top children and young people’s mental health doctor is encouraging youngsters to seek help if they need it, as NHS Digital’s new survey shows there has been a rise in mental health problems in children and young people during the pandemic.)

The impact of Covid-19 to date on older people’s mental and physical health Age UK- October 2020

(This research finds that some older people are coping with the pandemic, but a sizeable minority are finding life incredibly tough. Those who are not very well and have long term health conditions were particularly likely to report that this is an extremely challenging time for them.The research was made up of a survey of older people, their friends, families, and loved ones (promoted across the Age UK social media channels for two weeks in August 2020 and completed by 569 people) and representative online polling of 1,364 people over the age of 60, conducted by Kantar Polling in September 2020.)

Pushed from pillar to post: improving the availability and quality of support after self-harm in England.
Samaritans; 2020.

[This report finds that there is no consistently effective support available to people who self-harm. The research identified four key support needs for people who self-harm, which are seen as essential to providing effective care: distraction from immediate self-harm urges; emotional relief in times of stress; developing alternative coping strategies; and addressing the underlying reasons for self-harm.]

Commission for Equality in Mental Health: Briefing 3: Inequalities of experience and outcomes.
Centre for Mental Health; 2020.

[This third briefing from the Commission for Equality in Mental Health explores why communities with higher rates of mental ill health often get the least effective support. This is most dramatically evident for people from Black communities in the UK, who experience higher levels of coercion and poorer long-term outcomes. This briefing explores why these inequalities persist, and looks at what can be done to bring about more equal outcomes and experiences from mental health support.]

Mental health rehabilitation inpatient services – 2019 update.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.

[Based on the results of a request to providers to review progress, the CQC has made recommendations to improve care for people in mental health rehabilitation inpatient services, in line with the recent NICE guidance for the rehabilitation of adults with complex psychosis.]

Advancing mental health equalities strategy NHS England – September 2020

(This strategy summarises the core actions all mental health services need to take to better address inequalities in access, experience and outcomes across the sector. 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.)

Covid 19

Updates

Covid-19: Second wave death rate is doubling fortnightly but is lower and slower than in March | The BMJ

Ongoing support from Government and public vigilance imperative as more regions enter Tier 3 – NHS Confederation

Themed Review: Living with Covid19.
NIHR Evidence; 2020.
(This rapid and dynamic review draws on the lived experience of patients and expert consensus as well as published evidence to better understand the impact of ongoing effects of Covid19 (‘Long Covid’), how health and social care services should respond, and what future research questions might be. 15 October.)

Covid-19: Most trainees have faced disruption to their training, GMC survey shows | The BMJ

(A national survey has found that more than seven in 10 junior doctors have had their training disrupted by the pandemic.)

Workforce flexibility in the NHS: utilising Covid-19 innovations – Kings Fund

(This briefing argues that speed at which workforce innovations and flexibilities have been implemented in the NHS since the outbreak of Covid-19 has been both impressive and encouraging. It explores and makes recommendations on six key areas of change: staff wellbeing; flexibility in staff deployment and roles; cross-organisational working and regulation; technology; making use of new roles; and funding.)

Our Covid Voices – National Voices

(A website, run by National Voices, with collected first-person accounts of living through the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. It is a place to read about what matters to people for health and care, during COVID19 and beyond.)

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Prime Minister announces new local COVID Alert Levels Press release, Gov.uk, October 2020

(On 12th October, the Prime Minister set out how the government will further simplify and standardise local rules by introducing a three tiered system of local COVID Alert Levels in England.)

So what now? Supporting students through a global pandemic and beyond Health Management and Policy Alert, King’s Fund, October 2020

(This report finds that many student midwives are struggling under the weight of financial concerns, poor mental health and an unpredictable job market. It finds that 96 per cent of student midwives reported having mild or moderate mental health problems since the pandemic began. The survey shows that by the end of July just 36 per cent of students in their final year of midwifery training had been offered a job in the NHS. At the same time, midwifery educator numbers are not keeping pace with the rise in student midwife numbers, potentially leaving students less supported throughout their training.)

Stoptober 2019 Campaign Evaluation Health Management and Policy Alert, King’s Fund, October 2020

(Stoptober is an annual event to encourage smokers to quit for 28 days in October, with the aim of stopping smoking permanently. This report aims to measure the impact of Stoptober during 2019.)

Daily Insight: New wave, new problems.
Health Services Journal (HSJ); 22nd September, 2020.
(The second wave of the Covid pandemic appears to be upon us. While the approach of the second wave has been accompanied by stories of faults and failings in the system delivering vital Covid tests, the first wave in March was accompanied by a crisis in the supply of essential personal protective equipment. The onset of the second wave has also brought a warning from RCEM about English emergency departments reporting “dangerous” overcrowding similar to levels seen pre-covid.)

Use of the NHS COVID-19 app in schools and further education colleges.
Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care; 2020.
(Actions for schools and further education colleges when using the NHS COVID-19 app in education settings. Published 22 September 2020.)

Childhood in the time of Covid.
The Children’s Commissioner; 2020.
(While for some children there were certain aspects of the pandemic that brought benefits such as spending more time with their families, this report sets out how for many of the most vulnerable children the disruption of the past six months has been damaging and compounded existing inequalities. It calls for a comprehensive recovery package for children and provides a roadmap for what should be done to help children to recover from their experiences of the past six months and the ongoing crisis.)

Financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for older people ELSA, September 2020

Older people have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but less focus has been given to the financial impact on older adults. ELSA investigate how adults in their 50s and older have been affected financially by the pandemic.

Mental Health

Current Awareness Updates

Inquiry into the support available for young people who self-harm  This inquiry, led by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention and supported by Samaritans, explored the experiences of young people who self-harm in accessing support services. In particular, it examined: support services currently available in both clinical and the wider community settings (including schools); plans for improving and expanding this support; and the changes needed to ensure that support is made more effective and widely available. It concludes that young people who self-harm are often made to wait until they reach crisis point before receiving support.

How are UK adults managing stress during the pandemic? A survey from the Mental Health Foundation looks at how people are managing their stress during the pandemic. The most popular coping mechanisms were walking, visiting green spaces and contacting family and friends.

Laying foundations: attitudes and access to mental health nurse education Mental health nurses account for over a third of the mental health workforce in England and work across a wide range of health and care settings. However, this report finds that the pipeline of people choosing to study and qualify to become a mental health nurse is unable to meet sharply rising demand for this service. It looks at ways more people might be attracted to apply to study mental health nursing – and reasons why numbers are currently limited.

Digital interventions for suicidal thinking: a tale of two reviews.
In his debut blog, Wouter van Ballegooijen summarises two recent systematic reviews on digital interventions for suicidal thinking, which include more or less the same research, but come to quite different conclusions.

Reducing demand for inpatient mental health beds evidence review
This evidence review explores the evidence for initiatives and interventions which aim to avoid mental health inpatient admissions and re-admissions and reduce inpatient length of stay.

Should European cities be going green for our mental health?
Eleana Frisira summarises a recent scoping review on the impact that green spaces can have on the mental health of people living in urban settings.

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Public Health

Keeping up to date with current awareness

Childhood during coronavirus: protecting children from the effects of poverty

Action for Children

This report presents findings from an analysis of applications submitted to Action for Children’s Emergency Fund. It reflects on the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic for children and families and in doing so, the report also considers the recovery measures needed to ensure that children are supported to thrive – both now, and in the months and years ahead. More detail.

It’s everywhere’: alcohol’s public face private harm

Independent Commission on Alcohol Harm

This Commission was set up by alcohol health experts and parliamentarians to examine the full extent of alcohol harm across the UK. In this, its final report, the Commission outlines recommendations for reducing harm and calls for a national strategy for alcohol. More detail.

The broken plate 2020: the state of the nation’s food system

The Food Foundation

This report presents 10 vital signs that document the health of our food system, how it impacts on our lives, and why we must change the food environment. It highlights the struggle for lower-income families to afford a healthy diet, arguing that 20 per cent of households with the lowest levels of disposable income would have to spend 39 per cent of their disposable income in order to eat a healthy diet, as defined by the government’s recommended Eatwell Guide. More detail.

NHS Covid App – over 10 million downloads

Department of Health and Social Care, September 2020

More than 10 million people downloaded the new NHS Covid-19 app between its launch on Thursday 24 September and Sunday 27 September.Six million of those downloads were on the first day.

Surge in people checking their risk of type 2 diabetes

NHE, September 2020

Almost 300,000 people have accessed the tool to check their risk of type 2 diabetes online less than two months after the NHS fast tracked access to its world leading Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Programme. Latest figures show that 291,325 people used the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk tool since the end of July – a 637% increase compared to two months previously.

Dyslexia Week

5th to 11th of October

Dyslexia is a learning difference which mainly affects reading and writing skills. and can also affect the way information is processed. 10 to 15% of the population have dyslexia and this week is all about raising awareness to support those with dyselexia.

The British Dyslexia Association have created a pack of useful resources which you can access here.

The Association are encouraging workplaces, schools and organsisations to support them by:

• #GoRedForDyslexia to raise awareness
• Take 30 minutes for staff to come together to learn about dyslexia
and the positive impact dyslexia creates
• Signing their petition to help secure a vital increase in assessment and
targeted support in schools

Our Library team will be wearing red for dyslexia. We also have a range of coloured reading rulers, which can be used when reading or using the computers.

Reading rulers to place over text

If you would like to find out more, why not develop your understanding with the book- How to Detect and Manage Dyslexia – available to borrow from our Library collection. Simply login here or visit the Library with your membership card to self issue.

For more information about Dyslexia week click here.