The latest edition of the Mental Health, Learning Disability, and Autism Bulletin is now available! Stay updated with the latest insights and developments in these vital areas.
Category: Mental Health & Healthy Lifestyles
Current Awareness Bulletin
With thanks to our colleagues from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust please find the latest bulletin attached. Some articles are freely accessible, others require an Open Athens account. For support accessing any of the articles, please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk
Public Health
Current Awareness Updates
Source: KnowledgeShare
We’ve only just begun: Action to improve young people’s mental health, education and employment.
Resolution Foundation; 2024.
(This report is the culmination of a three-year research programme exploring the relationship between the mental health and work outcomes of young people. The research was funded by the Health Foundation and is part of their broader Young people’s future health inquiry. It finds that more than 1 in 3 (34%) of young people aged 18–24 reported symptoms that indicated they were experiencing a common mental health disorder like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.)
Cold at home: How winter cost of living pressures continue to impact older people and what more needs to happen to support them.
Age UK; 2024.
(This report highlights concerns about the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on older people who are not receiving support from the benefits system. Many of these people are likely to be eligible for support but will still be missing out for a variety of reasons. Government figures show that an estimated 800,000 pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit but are missing out on this much-needed support.)
Reducing the harm from illegal drugs.
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts; 2024.
(In response to Dame Carol Black’s review in December 2021, the From Harm to Hope strategy was launched. Two years on from when this strategy’s implementation began, overall progress has been mixed. This report outlines progress made and gives recommendations on next steps for the cross-departmental Joint Combating Drugs Unit in implementing this strategy.)
What patients want: a vision for the NHS in 2030.
Healthwatch England; 2024.
(Using experiences of care from more than 10 million people collected over the past 10 years, Healthwatch sets out where they think the NHS should be in six years and how it can get there.)
Smoking profile: March 2024 update.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2024.
(An overview of the extent of smoking, smoking-related harm and the measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level in England.)
Health hubs: A community-centred prevention initiative to address health inequalities.
NHS Providers; 2024.
(Prevention is a crucial part of the NHS’s approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities. One community-centred prevention initiative to address health inequalities is the creation of health hubs. This long read explores what health hubs are, how they can improve access for groups facing health inequalities, their broader social and economic benefits, and the role of trust leaders in their development.)
If you would like to receive personalised updates regarding your own interests, please complete the following form and send it to our team: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk
Public Health
Current Awareness Updates
Source: KnowledgeShare
Apps to support the mental health of young people: flashy and available versus evidence-based and hidden?
The Mental Elf; 2022.
(Belinda Platt highlights a new review of mental health apps for young people, which finds there are many apps which seem appealing to young people but have no evidence-base, but only a handful of apps with a sound evidence-base which are available to young people. The post Apps to support the mental health of young people: flashy and available versus evidence-based and hidden? appeared first on National Elf Service.)
Supporting healthy relationships among parents with mental health difficulties: A practical guide.
Early Intervention Foundation (EIF); 2022.
(This practical guide for local areas has been developed to improve understanding of how risk factors among parents with mental health difficulties can impact on parental conflict and in turn on child outcomes, how to effectively engage these parents, what evidence-based support can be offered, and how to appropriately assess progress for these families.)
UK Biobank: a globally important resource for cancer research.
Conroy MC. British Journal of Cancer 2022;:doi.org/10.1038/s41416-022-02053-5.
(UK Biobank is a large-scale prospective study with deep phenotyping and genomic data. Its open-access policy allows researchers worldwide, from academia or industry, to perform health research in the public interest. UK Biobank is uniquely placed to transform our understanding of the causes of cancer development and progression, and drive improvements in cancer treatment and prevention over the coming decades.)
Parental perception of mental health needs in young children.[Abstract]
McGinnis EW. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2022;27(4):328-334.
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(There is evidence of unmet psychiatric needs in children under 6. These young children are dependent on their parents to identify their mental health needs. This study tested child and parent associations with parent perception of young child mental health need. CONCLUSIONS: Most preschool children that meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder are not perceived as needing help by their parents, which is dependent on both child and parent factors.)
Talking to young people about online safety: the who, what, when and how.
The Mental Elf; 2022. (In his debut blog, Luke Bayliss explores a Delphi study that will help mental health practitioners to converse with young people about their online activities and impact on mental health. The post Talking to young people about online safety: the who, what, when and how appeared first on National Elf Service.)
To create your own personalised current awareness update, please complete the KnowledgeShare form and send it back to: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk
Public Health
Current Awareness Updates
ASH brief for local authorities on youth vaping.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH); 2022.
(This short briefing is to help local authorities respond to growing concerns about youth vaping in their communities. It is primarily for public health officials and trading standards officers, but also sets out important information for councillors, schools, parents and retailers. Links to further information are also provided.)
Quantifying health inequalities in England.
The Health Foundation; 2022.
(Results show health inequalities starting at a very early age and continuing to develop through adulthood. The early ages and changing structure of health inequalities reinforces the notion that nothing short of a joined-up policy approach can address the wide and complex health inequalities we see in England. We believe this new presentation of health inequalities shows powerfully that investing in the circumstances in which people live will help people stay healthier for longer.)
Advertising ban was linked to lower purchases of unhealthy food and drink.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.
(This is the first study to look at the implementation of the TfL advertising ban. It found that advertising restrictions are feasible, and could have a meaningful impact on population health. The findings could encourage governments and local authorities to consider similar policies to prevent obesity. The TfL restrictions were part of a childhood obesity strategy, but they could influence the whole population.)
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.)
Domestic abuse and mental health: the amplified risks created during the pandemic.
Hisham I N. BJPsych Advances 2022;28(5):316-327.
[This article focuses on how COVID-19 and its anticipated aftermath exacerbate the risk factors for domestic abuse in the general population and discusses clinical implications for mental health practitioners in the UK. It aims to provide a point of learning based on previous disease outbreaks and recessions, with a focus on specific factors, such as unemployment and alcohol misuse, and how these contribute to increasing incidence and severity of abuse and how to mitigate these for patients…] Open Athens account required.
Public Health
Current Awareness Updates
Weight loss outcomes achieved by adults accessing an online programme offered as part of Public Health England’s ‘Better Health’ campaign.
Toon J. BMC Public Health 2022;22(1456):-.
(This service evaluation shows that an online programme, offered as part of a national campaign, can offer effective support to a large number of people with different starting BMIs and from different socioeconomic backgrounds. An increased level of engagement leads to better weight losses.)
National operational framework: asylum accommodation.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Home Office; 2022.
(This framework contains the minimum standard principles to support the health and wellbeing needs of asylum seekers living in initial and contingency sites.)
Supporting healthy relationships among parents of children with behaviours that challenge: A practical guide.
Early Intervention Foundation (EIF); 2022.
(This practical guide for local areas has been developed to improve understanding of how risk factors among parents of children with behaviours that challenge can impact on parental conflict and in turn on child outcomes, how to effectively engage these parents, what evidence-based support can be offered, and how to appropriately assess progress for these families.)
Heads Up: Rethinking mental health services for vulnerable young people.
Commission on Young Lives; 2022.
(The report looks at the growing crisis of mental health problems among children and young people in England and puts forward ambitious and innovative proposals to redesign young people’s mental health services, particularly for those young people at risk of harm.)
How can NHS anchors support communities to create health: Learning from the community response to COVID-19.
The Health Creation Alliance; 2022.
(This report provides real-world insight into how NHS anchor institutions are working in partnership communities, capitalising on both their strengths to address health inequalities.)
Healthy Ageing
Applying all our health
Source: The King’s Fund Health and Wellbeing Bulletin
This guide is part of All Our Health, a resource that helps health and care professionals prevent ill health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. The information will help frontline health and care staff use their trusted relationships with patients, families and communities to promote the benefits of healthy ageing. It also recommends important actions that managers and staff holding strategic roles can take.
Public Health
Current Awareness Updates
Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace UK Health Security Agency; April 14 2022
(Public health principles for reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace.)
Out of Area Placements in Mental Health Services, January 2022 NHS Digital; April 14 2022
(Publication of adult acute mental health patients being treated outside their provider of usual treatment in January 2022. Statistics are presented nationally and at regional, sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) footprint, clinical commissioning group (CCG) and provider level.)
Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics , Performance January, Provisional February 2022 NHS Digital; April 14 2022
(This publication provides the most timely statistics available relating to NHS funded secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services in England. This information will be of use to people needing access to information quickly for operational decision making and other purposes. These statistics are derived from submissions made using version 4.1 of the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS))
Thunderstorm asthma and public health – looking back to move forward UK Health Security Agency; March 18 2022
(In June 2021, the UK Health Security Agency detected a potential episode of
thunderstorm asthma; an increase in people reporting asthma symptoms linked to thunderstorm activity. In this blog post they look at the interplay between the weather and our health and how they can use their scientific surveillance systems to inform future public health responses.)
Integrated health and care services for people experiencing homelessness NICE Talks
(In this episode of NICE Talks they discuss NICE’s recently published guideline on integrated health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness.
The guideline was developed in partnership with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The guideline outlines how people experiencing homelessness can access services tailored for their needs. It highlights that more effort and targeted approaches are often needed to ensure that people experiencing homelessness have access to the same standard of health and social care as the general population.)
Public Health
Current awareness updates
Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.
[Outlines the provisions of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021, and provides assistance in understanding and applying them.]
United against health inequalities: a commitment to lasting change NHS Providers, April 2022
(This survey of trust leaders shows high board-level commitment and strategic emphasis on tackling health inequalities and commitment to making action on health inequalities ‘core business’. However, they describe several barriers to progress with nearly two in three (65 per cent) saying that wider pressures on the system and operational challenges hinder their ability to progress work on reducing health inequalities. Nearly half of trust leaders expressed concerns about the lack of access to data about health inequalities within trusts (49 per cent) and across the health system (48 per cent).)
Coronavirus Act 2020 two years on.
House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee; 2022.
[This report sets out concerns about parliament’s lack of ability to scrutinise and amend emergency provisions in the Coronavirus Act over the past two years and draws out the lessons that can be learnt in legislating for future emergencies.]
Covid-19: The public inquiries.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[The Covid-19 pandemic was a severe test of the state’s preparedness, resilience and co-ordination. The response from the UK Government and devolved administrations has raised broader questions about how effectively the challenges have been met. There have been longstanding calls for a public inquiry to be held into the UK’s pandemic response. Two public inquiries have been set up: one by the UK Government and one by the Scottish Government.]
Shifting the Dial: evaluating a community programme to promote young Black men’s mental health.
Centre for Mental Health (CMH); 2022.
https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/shifting-dial
[Young Black men are overrepresented in restrictive mental health settings, but are less likely to get early community-based mental health support. This report shares learning from a three-year project to promote the mental health and wellbeing of young Black men in Birmingham. The project built upon the findings from CMH’s evaluation of an earlier pilot, Up My Street. Shifting the Dial has worked with more than 500 young Black men.]
Can fermented foods boost mental health? Medscape: March 22, 2022
(Commentary by Dr Drew Ramsey)
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Begin your Tai Chi journey: An introduction to essential Tai Chi skills
Source: Eventbrite, Quality of Life Now
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