This evidence summary draws together literature on the role of arts in improving health and wellbeing.
It focuses on how arts engagement can impact on 1) social outcomes, 2) youth development and 3) the prevention of mental and physical illness. It also considers how Social Prescribing programmes that have used arts interventions can impact on the above three outcomes. The evidence summary assesses the type and quality of evidence available for each outcome.
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.
Read the latest bulletins on Learning Disabilities and Dementia
This month’s bulletin on suicide prevention is available to view and download.
To celebrate Black History Month, taking place through October, we have added new books to our collection. A variety of fiction, autobiographies, poetry and historical stories for all tastes of genres. Take a look at our online catalogue (what’s new section) or view our collection at the Gosall Library- The Lantern Centre to issue your books today. Remember, we can send books out to you, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the library team by emailing academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk.
Six new research projects have been awarded a share of £2m funding by NIHR and UKRI to investigate and reduce the impacts of Covid-19 and the pandemic on mental health.
The projects will focus on reducing the negative effects of the pandemic on the mental health of three at-risk groups: healthcare workers, children and younger people, and those with serious mental health problems.
To find out more click here.
This podcast includes talks with experts from The King’s Fund and beyond about the NHS, social care, and all things health policy and leadership.
For more podcasts or to subscribe visit the Kings Fund site.
This report provides an account of the NHS’s modelling and analytics underpinning the latest NHS carbon footprint, trajectories to net zero, and the interventions required to achieve that ambition. It lays out the direction, scale and pace of change. It describes an iterative and adaptive approach, which will periodically review progress and aims to increase the level of ambition over time. A greener NHS is on the way.
To find out more click here.
There is increasing evidence to suggest that 10% of Covid sufferers are still experiencing symptoms more than 3 weeks after infection and an estimated 60,0000 people suffering after 3 months of infection.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens announced that £10 million is to be invested this year in addition to local funding to help kick start and designate long covid clinics in every area across England, to complement existing primary, community and rehabilitation care.
He explained;
“While this is still a relatively new virus, we are learning more about covid with every passing week. It is now clear that long covid can have a major impact on the lives of a significant minority of patients weeks or months after they have contracted the virus. So just as the NHS quickly put in place specialist hospital care for acutely ill Covid patients at the start of the pandemic, now we must respond sensitively and effectively to these new patient needs.”
To read more about this, including the 5 part package of measure to boost NHS support for long covid patients click here.
Healthcare leaders have warned that the NHS will face a full blown second suge of Covid without immediate action.
Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England, said, “We’re seeing a definite and sustained increase in cases and admissions to hospital. The trend is clear, and it is very concerning. Numbers of deaths from covid-19 are also rising so we must continue to act to reduce transmission of this virus.”
There are rising concerns that we could soon be back to where we were in April if we do not take action now. To find out more click here.
