Please find here the latest LSCFT Research Bulletin highlighting research done by current and former LSCFT staff. If you are unable to access any of the articles included please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk
Amplifying Our Voices
Racialised Perspectives in Suicide Prevention
National Suicide Prevention Alliance; 2025
This report describes the lived experiences, insights, and reflections of racialised people working in suicide prevention. The report summarises themes on the strength of global majority perspectives, the invisibility of racialised communities in suicide prevention, the impact of systemic racism and the wider global context, and the power of self-care
Depression & Anxiety Bulletin
The latest Depression & Anxiety Bulletin from Mersey Care Evidence and Library Service is ready for you to view at https://www.evidentlybetter.org/depression-anxiety/2025/07/8-july-2025-2/
In this edition:
- Ten-year health plan misses the mark for mental health
- NHS App could offer AI-driven mental health support
- Harnessing digital innovation for children’s mental health
- One in four young people in England have mental health condition, NHS survey finds
- Plus much more
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Adult Social Care
Sustaining the workforce
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST); 2025.
What investments and actions are required to create a sustainable health and social care workforce?
Key issues discussed included:
1. Workforce Challenges
- High vacancy rates: Over 100,000 NHS and 131,000 ASC vacancies in 2023/24.
- Heavy reliance on international staff: 21% of NHS and 19% of ASC workers are from overseas.
- Retention issues: High leaver rates, use of temporary staff, and limited uptake of return-to-practice schemes.
2. Strategic Plans and Reforms
- NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan (2023): Aims to reduce international reliance and address a 150,000 staff shortfall.
- ASC Workforce Strategy (2024): Focuses on sector growth, education, and changing care demands.
- Government reforms (2025): £86M for facilities, new career structures, digital platforms, and a national care commission.
3. Systemic and Structural Issues
- Underinvestment in community care: Primary care funding fell from 8.9% to 8.1% (2015–2022).
- Infrastructure and training gaps: Outdated systems, limited training opportunities, and fragmented ASC labour market.
- Leadership diversity: Ethnic minority staff underrepresented in senior roles despite making up 25% of ASC workforce.
4. Policy and Organisational Changes
- NHS England to be absorbed into DHSC (2025): Aims to reduce bureaucracy and improve care delivery.
- New roles introduced: Enhanced care workers and others to address skill shortages, though concerns remain about regulation and outcomes.
5. Improving Retention and Productivity
- Beyond pay: While better pay helps, non-monetary factors like flexible working, wellbeing, and leadership are crucial.
- Management and morale: NHS is under-managed; better training and support for managers needed.
- International recruitment concerns: Reports of exploitation led to a £12.5M fund and new guidance for ethical recruitment.
Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey
Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England 2023/4
NHS Digital
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) series provides data on the prevalence of both treated and untreated psychiatric disorder in the English adult population (aged 16 and over). This survey is the fifth in a series and was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, in collaboration with the University of Leicester and City St George’s, University of London, for NHS England.
Highlights included:
Increased prevalence across a range of indicators of poor mental health-The proportion of 16 to 64 year olds, identified with a common mental health condition, increased from 17.6% in 2007 and 18.9% in 2014, to 22.6% in 2023/4. The proportion was higher in women than men at each point. Lifetime non-suicidal self-harm was reported by 3.8% of 16 to 74 year olds in 2007, rising to 6.4% in 2014 and 10.3% in 2023/4 – Similarly, the proportion of adults screening positive for ADHD rose from 8.2% in 2007 and 9.7% in 2014, to 13.9% in 2023/4.
Young adults remain a key group– The proportion of young adults (aged 16 to 24), with a common mental health condition, rose from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/4. Younger adults were also more likely to report lifetime non-suicidal self-harm and to screen positive for PTSD and ADHD than older age groups.
Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health persist– Adults with problem debt and those who were not in employment were more likely to have a common mental health condition, report lifetime non-suicidal self-harm and to screen positive for PTSD. Living in the most deprived fifth of areas was associated with increased prevalence of common mental health conditions, suicide attempts and PTSD.
Physical and mental health were strongly related– People with a doctor diagnosed physical health condition, that limited their activities, were more likely to have a common mental health condition, report non-suicidal self-harm and screen positive for PTSD.
Mental health treatment use increased in prevalence– The proportion of 16 to 74 year olds, with common mental health condition symptoms (CIS-R 12+), reporting receipt of treatment rose from 24.4% in 2007 and 39.4% in 2014, to 47.7% in 2023/4. Receipt of psychological therapies, among those with symptoms (CIS-R 12+), rose from 10.4% in 2007 to 17.9% in 2023/4; and receipt of medication rose from 19.6% in 2007 to 38.4% in 2023/4.
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Community Bulletin
The latest Community Health Bulletin is ready for you to view at https://www.evidentlybetter.org/community-bulletin/2025/07/1-july-2025/
In this edition:
- Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/4
- The healthy food standard is a win for the nation’s health
- What is prevention in health?
- Assisted dying Bill risks preventable deaths of people with treatable mental illness warns RCPsych
- NHS England responds to ADHD Taskforce interim report
- Engaging parents digitally: learning from the Tiny Happy People text messaging service
- Plus much more
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Resources for Health Play Services for England
Play Well Toolkit
NHS England
This toolkit, produced by NHS England and Starlight, will help commissioners, service managers, health play practitioners and clinical leaders to design, plan and deliver high-quality health play services for babies, children and young people. It includes guidelines, recommended standards and a quality checklists.
NHS England » Play well – resources for health play services for England
Learning Disabilities & Autism Bulletin
The latest Learning Disabilities & Autism bulletin is ready for you to view at https://www.evidentlybetter.org/learning-disability-autism/2025/07/1-july-2025-2/
In this edition:
- Living Through the COVID‐19 Pandemic: The Experiences of People With Profound and Multiple Intellectual Disabilities Through a Family Carer Lens
- Re-imagining connection: the role of late autism diagnosis in eating disorder recovery and social support
- Oliver McGowan code of practice
- Webinar recording – Love and relationships for people with learning disabilities
- Community feedback leads to better care for people with learning disabilities
- ‘I love my fans, but also dread meeting them’ – life as an autistic elite footballer
- Plus much more
Please let me know if you think there are other people who would benefit from receiving this and I will add them to the mailing list.
Thank you
Inpatient mental health
Improvement guide
NHS England
This improvement guide is for staff involved in planning and improving mental healthcare inpatient flow and the discharge of adult patients from mental health settings (including NHS, local authority, housing and other partners). It is part of a wider series of guidance designed to support staff delivering clinical operational improvement initiatives. The guide provides suggestions and exemplars for staff involved in patient flow improvements.
NHS England » Inpatient mental health: Improvement guide
Library Newsletter
July 2025
Keep up to date with current news and resources in our monthly newsletter. Please get in touch for any support accessing any materials mentioned in this months update: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk