Category: Public Health

Public Health

Current Awareness

Staying mentally well: winter plan 2020 to 2021 Gov.uk. 23rd November 2020

(This plan sets out the support that will be in place in the immediate term to help support individuals to stay well during the second wave of Covid-19 and the winter months ahead.)

Learning from local authorities with downward trends in childhood obesity Public Health England

(This report, a set of practice examples researched by University College London and an executive summary by Public Health England, identifies common approaches being implemented by local authorities that had a small but significant 10-year downward trend in childhood obesity. The findings show the value of engagement with and integration of the National Child Measurement Programme and the importance of addressing health inequalities, with 76 per cent of local authorities having a focus on deprivation.) To view the summary click here.

How are the lives of families with young children changing? The changing face of early childhood in the UK Nuffield Foundation

(This evidence review reveals the extent of changes to family life in the UK over the past 20 years and highlights how these changes are experienced unequally across the population. The report argues that, without understanding family life today, the policies and initiatives that seek to address other key areas of society – education, the economy, physical health and mental health – will falter.)

National Child Measurement Programme: childhood obesity.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

(Research by University College London shares learning from local authorities that have a downward trend in childhood obesity, including practice examples.)

COVID-19: suggested principles of safer singing.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

(Outlining the available evidence on virus transmission associated with singing and suggested actions to reduce the risk of transmission while singing.)

The state of ageing in 2020.
Centre for Ageing Better; 2020.

(This online, interactive report captures a snapshot of how people in the UK are ageing today, while looking at past trends and our prospects if action isn’t taken. It warns that the Covid-19 pandemic risks setting people in mid-life on a path to poverty and ill health in old age.)

Public Health

Current Awareness

Total restriction of online advertising for products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) .
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport; 2020.
[Open consultation. They want your views on their proposal for a total online advertising restriction for HFSS products to reduce the amount of HFSS advertising children are exposed to online. This consultation closes at
11:59pm on 22 December 2020.]

Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England April 2019 to March 2020.
NHS Digital; 2020.
[Data show of 221,678 people setting a quit date, 114,153 were successful. Quitting success increased with age; 41% under 18 and up to 56% aged 60 and over. Also 45% of 13,779 pregnant women who set a quit date successfully quit.]

Online bullying in England and Wales: year ending March 2020.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2020.
[Estimates of the prevalence and nature of online bullying among children using data from the 10- to 15-year-olds’ Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).]

COVID-19: deaths of people with learning disabilities.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
[Review of available data on the deaths of people identified as having learning disabilities in England during the COVID-19 pandemic.]

COVID-19: mental health and wellbeing surveillance report.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
[This is a routinely updated report about population mental health and wellbeing in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. 12 November 2020: All relevant chapters updated. Academic studies included up to 4 September 2020; weekly data may be more recent.]

People with learning disabilities had higher death rate from COVID-19.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
[England death rate up to 6 times higher from coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic than the general population, Public Health England study finds.]

Public Health

Current Awareness

Health matters: cold weather and COVID-19 Public Health England

(As we approach the first winter with coronavirus (COVID-19) circulating, it’s essential that action is taken across the health and social care sector to enable people to stay safe and well and to ensure that the NHS is not overwhelmed. This edition of Health Matters will cover the impact of cold weather on health, how COVID-19 amplifies cold-related risks, and actions that can be taken to prevent harm, particularly to those most vulnerable.)

KINSHIP IN THE CITY REPORT: Urban Loneliness and the built environment Future Spaces Foundation

(This report explores the impact of urban loneliness and ideas for reshaping our built environment to improve social cohesion. Produced as part of the Future Spaces Foundation’s Vital Cities programme, it builds on our existing body of research into the building blocks of dynamic, socially sustainable cities where individuals and communities can thrive.)

Play and social skills may protect children who have difficulties with spoken language.
NIHR Evidence; 2020.

(NIHR Alert. Researchers looked at the social and play skills of young children with developmental language disorder (DLD). They found that those with good early social and play skills developed fewer behaviour or mental health problems as they grew up. The research suggests that therapies and education techniques based on play and understanding other children could help children with DLD avoid later problems.)

COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.

[Updated guidance in line with national restrictions commencing 5 November 2020.]

Behaviour change: guides for national and local government and partners.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

(Based on the Behaviour Change Wheel framework, these guides are for national and local government and partners, such as the NHS, emergency services and third sector, to support people to have healthier behaviours.
6 November 2020: Added document: ‘Achieving behaviour change: a guide for national government’ and policies to change behaviour.)

Community pharmacies: promoting health and wellbeing NICE

(This quality standard covers how community pharmacies can support the health and wellbeing of the local population. It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.)

Performance Tracker 2020: How public services have coped with coronavirus.
Institute for Government; 2020.

(This report analyses the disruptions in hospitals, general practice, adult social care, schools and criminal courts, and the changes made in response. It finds that coronavirus has resulted in backlogs across public services and calls for reviews of the impact of remote general practice and hospital appointments.)

Long Covid

Evidence, recommendations and priority research questions

Long Covid: evidence, recommendations and priority research questions.
House of Lords; 2020.

[Written evidence from the House of Lords’ COVID-19 Committee: Life beyond COVID Inquiry. “Long Covid is a distinct condition affecting approximately 60,000 people in the UK … Clinical guidance and local protocols for long Covid are currently highly variable. This is likely to be contributing to the patient experience of inconsistent and fragmented care.” The paper recommends that a 4-tier clinical service be developed.]

Public Health

Current Awareness

Behaviour change: digital and mobile health interventions.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2020.
[This guideline covers interventions that use a digital or mobile platform to help people eat more healthily, become more active, stop smoking, reduce their alcohol intake or practise safer sex. The interventions include those delivered by text message, apps, wearable devices or the internet. The guideline only includes those that are delivered by the technology itself and not by healthcare professionals using technology to deliver interventions.]

The association between parental supply of alcohol and supply from other sources to young people: a prospective cohort.
Addiction; 2020.
[Despite legal age limits set for alcohol consumption, parents are one of the main suppliers of alcohol to underage minors. This study investigated the associations between parental supply of sips and whole serves of alcohol on subsequent other supply, conditional on current supply from non-parental sources.]

Reducing parental conflict: Outcomes framework.
Early Intervention Foundation (EIF); 2020.
[This outcomes framework highlights what risk factors can influence interparental conflict and, ultimately, affect child outcomes. The risk factors fall into three categories – relating to individual parents, the parental relationship, and the family or economic circumstances – which in turn are associated with the central risk, of children being exposed to harmful conflict between parents. The outcomes fall into four categories: social & emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioural.]

Alcohol Awareness Week is taking place on 16th-22nd November
The week will focus on raising awareness of the link between alcohol and mental health, as drinking too much or too often can mask or enhance underlying mental health problems. You can get involved and download free digital resources from their website.

Best start in speech, language and communication.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
[Guidance to improve speech, language and communication (SLC) in the early years. The main guidance document supports local areas to develop a whole-systems approach to reducing inequalities in SLC. This document is accompanied by supporting evidence and case studies of good practice from local areas.]

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.

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.

Public Health

Keeping up to date with current awareness

PHE launches the Stoptober campaign for 2020. Gov.uk – September 2020

This year has seen an increase in both the number of smokers attempting to quit and an increase in the success rate of quit attempts. Stoptober is offering a range of support tools including the Stoptober app, Facebook messenger bot and online communities, SMS and daily emails.

COVID 19 – Vaccination Nuffield Foundation- September 2020

Survey finds 1 in 5 people are unlikely to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 Social Study by UCL researchers showed substantial levels of misinformation about vaccines. 22% of people surveyed said they were unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine when approved, with 10% being ‘very unlikely’ and only 49% being ‘very likely’ to get vaccinated.

Healthwatch Report – Covid 19

Shares the experiences the public faced because of the pandemic and how this has affected their experiences using health and social care.


The future of public health

The NIHP and other public health functions

Sets out the government’s plans for protecting and improving the public’s health, including the creation of the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP).

Click here to access the policy paper.