Category: Mental Health

Community Health Bulletin

The latest Community health Bulletin produced by the Evidently Better team at Mersey Care NHS FT is now available.

In this edition:

  • Crisis and acute mental health care
  • For urgent action: campaign to vaccinate all frontline healthcare staff
  • Do we really understand what a healthy weight looks like for all ethnicities?
  • When healthcare advice feels like blame – the problem with ‘Making Every Contact Count’
  • No Neighbourhood Health Without Mental Health
  • New healthier food standards to give babies best start in life

If you are unable to access any of the included articles please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.

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Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Bulletin


The latest Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Bulletin produced by the Mersey Care Evidently Better team is now available.

In this issue:

  • Suicide and self-harm content still recommended ‘at industrial scale’ by TikTok and Instagram
  • ‘Sliding into an abyss’: experts warn over rising use of AI for mental health support
  • Youth Suicide Myths: Talking to Save Lives (Podcast)
  • Join the ZSA train-a-thon

If you are unable to access any of the included articles please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.

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Exploring evidence regarding vision-based monitoring in inpatient mental health units

The Care Quality Commission commissioned a rapid evidence review to assess vision-based monitoring systems (VBMS) in inpatient mental health settings. The study examined 68 documents and conducted 11 interviews to understand how VBMS are used and their impact on safety and care.

Key insights include:

  • VBMS can track location, activity, vital signs, and support informed interventions, helping reduce sleep disturbances, self-harm incidents, restraint use, and operational costs.
  • Some evidence shows reductions such as a 44% drop in bedroom self-harm incidents and a 26% fall in restraint use, though findings are limited and mixed.
  • Significant concerns around consent, privacy infringement, diminished patient dignity, and risk of re-traumatisation were raised.
  • The report highlights gaps in regulation, policy guidance, and evidence quality—calling for clearer oversight, ethical safeguards, and further independent research to inform CQC’s stance.

Read the full report here: Exploring evidence regarding vision-based monitoring in inpatient mental health units – Care Quality Commission

Suicide Awareness Month

September is Suicide Awareness Month, a time to raise understanding, reduce stigma, and highlight the support available for anyone affected by suicide.

Talking about suicide can be difficult, but starting the conversation is vital. Libraries play a role in signposting to trusted information and resources that can help people find support for themselves or others.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available:

Our library also offers a range of Reading Well titles, including books on mental health, resilience, and coping strategies, all free to borrow.

Together, we can help break the silence and support suicide prevention.

Depression and Anxiety 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.

In this edition:

  • NHS talking therapy is less effective for younger adults
  • New Mental Health Foundation study shows 32-hour work week boosts staff wellbeing without harming productivity
  • Tackling poverty could be key to improving mental health in Wales, Mind Cymru report finds
  • Verbally abused children more likely to have poor mental health as adults, study finds

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

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Record number of dementia diagnoses on NHS

A recent NHS milestone shows 506,549 people in the UK have received a dementia diagnosis, up from 490,163 a year ago—reflecting improved awareness and access to testing under the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has also launched MinderCare, an at-home monitoring service using discreet sensors on beds, appliances, and doorways. It helps clinical teams monitor routines, medication responses, and early signs of decline—supporting safer, more responsive care at home.

In the past year, the NHS delivered 330,460 care plans or reviews and 114,447 medication reviews, reinforcing a stronger support system for those with dementia.

Read more here: Record number of dementia diagnoses on NHS | UK Healthcare News

How Accurate Is HADS-A for Detecting Anxiety Disorders?

A new Cochrane review (Issue 7, 2025) examines the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—Anxiety subscale (HADS-A) as a screening tool for anxiety disorders (such as generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder) in adults. Based on research published between 1990 and July 2024, the review highlights high variability across studies, methodological weaknesses, and insufficient details about participants’ prior mental health status.

Takeaway: Although HADS-A is widely used due to its convenience, current evidence on its accuracy remains inconclusive—underscoring the need for higher-quality, rigorous studies before using it confidently in isolation.

Read the full review here: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Anxiety subscale (HADS‐A) for detecting anxiety disorders in adults – Fomenko, A – 2025 | Cochrane Library

Digital Front Door Technologies for NHS Talking Therapies (NICE HTE30)

Published 24 July 2025, NICE’s EVA guidance (HTE30) evaluates two promising “digital front door” tools—Limbic Access and Wysa Digital Referral Assistant—that help gather service-user information in advance of NHS Talking Therapies assessments for anxiety and depression. These tools can be used during a three-year evidence-generation period if they have the required approvals. NICE emphasises that more evidence on effectiveness, accuracy, equality, and system impact is needed, with future recommendations contingent on the outcomes of this data collection.

Read more on the NICE website: Overview | Digital front door technologies to gather service user information for NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression assessments: early value assessment | Guidance | NICE

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Forensic Psychiatry Bulletin August 2025

With thanks to our colleagues at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation trust the latest Forensic Psychiatry bulletin is now available to view and download. Some articles are freely accessible, others require an Open Athens account.

Please get in touch for support with this: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.

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