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LIBRARY NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY
NICE Endorses Online Programme for Bulimia and Binge Eating
Source: Medscape UK
An online therapy programme can be offered to people aged 16 or over with eating disorders while they wait for specialist NHS treatment, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said.
In new guidance, the regulator said the programme could be used in the NHS in England while further clinical and cost-effectiveness evidence is generated.
The Overcoming Bulimia Online unguided self-help programme is aimed at people who binge eat, including those with bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and similar conditions. It is based on eating-disorder-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and is designed to be completed independently over eight sessions.
Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Bulletin
January 2026
The latest Suicide Prevention and Self Harm bulletin from Mersey Care Evidence and Library Service can now be viewed at https://www.evidentlybetter.org/bulletins/suicide-prevention/
This webpage features key links and emerging reports about suicide prevention.
In this issue:
- LGB+ people in England and Wales ‘much’ more likely to die by suicide than straight people
- Suicidal ideation among people with different gambling behaviour profiles: analysis of a longitudinal survey of people who gamble regularly in the UK
- Visual content and thematic analyses of images shared on social media before and after episodes of self-harm in a UK clinical youth sample
- What lies beneath hair-pulling and skin-picking behaviours? The role of early maladaptive schemas
- Plus much more
Supporting clients who want to stop vaping
National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT); 2025.
NCSCT stopping vaping v9
This guidance is directed to stop smoking practitioners to guide clients who ask about stopping vaping. The NCSCT guidance provides practical advice for stop‑smoking practitioners on how to support people who want to stop vaping, while ensuring they do not relapse to smoking. It recognises that many people use vaping as an effective stop‑smoking aid, but some eventually want to quit vaping — either gradually or immediately.
Key Points:
Clients can choose to stop vaping gradually (reducing nicotine strength, reducing frequency) or in one step, depending on personal preference and relapse risk.
Vaping is an effective quitting tool, and NICE recommends using vapes for as long as they help prevent relapse to smoking. The main priority when assisting someone to quit vaping is avoiding a return to cigarette use. [ncsct.co.uk]
Support should be tailored to the person’s stage of quitting and their risk of relapse. This includes understanding their reasons for wanting to stop vaping.
Stopping vaping does not require a full behavioural support programme. Instead, practitioners should offer information, reassurance, and guidance. [ncsct.co.uk]
The guidance suggests using the familiar Ask, Advise, Act model to structure conversations with clients.
Guiding Principles of Deaf Awareness in Healthcare Settings for Adults
Guidance Document
British Society of Audiology; 2026.
Effective clinician-patient communication is critical for patient care. Deaf awareness ensures that healthcare providers understand the communication needs of people who are deaf or have hearing loss (PDHL), leading to improved communication and better health outcomes. This practice guidance and the underpinning research has been developed in line with the best available evidence and in consultation with PDHL.
https://www.thebsa.org.uk/guidance-and-resources/current-guidance/
Depression and Anxiety Bulletin
January 2026
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/2026/01/20-january-2026/
In this edition:
- Resilience and its external determinants: cross-sectional survey and network analysis of parenting, trauma and stress in college students
- Childhood adversities and post-traumatic stress: predictive pathways through acute stress disorder
- Mental health impacts of sexual violence in older adults: a qualitative study
- Is depression a cause or consequence? Using genetics to untangle causal relationships
- Plus much more
NIHR helping health and social care delivery adapt to climate change
UK News
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded almost £700,000 to seven research projects aimed at helping UK health and social care services adapt to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. The funding supports early‑stage development work focused on strengthening climate resilience across care systems, including improving preparedness for extreme heat, floods and storm surges, which increasingly disrupt hospitals, care homes, community services and access to essential facilities.
The projects will build research capacity, develop stronger partnerships between academics and health/social care professionals, and identify evidence gaps around how extreme weather affects infrastructure, staffing and service delivery—particularly for vulnerable populations. Each project can receive up to £100,000 and may progress to larger NIHR Climate Change and Health Research Collaboration Awards, offering up to £2 million for programme‑level research.
Overall, the initiative represents a major long‑term investment by NIHR and the Department of Health and Social Care to embed climate resilience into the future of UK health and social care. [nationalhe…cutive.com]
NIHR helping health and social care delivery adapt to climate change | UK Healthcare News
NHS providing training to spot early signs of eating disorders
New guidance for professionals working with children
The NHS has launched new national guidance and training to help teachers, GPs, and school nurses identify early signs of eating disorders in children and young people. This follows a significant rise in demand for specialist eating disorder services, with cases increasing from 8,034 in 2019/20 to 11,174 in 2024/25.
A key change in the guidance is a move away from relying on BMI thresholds, which NHS England now considers outdated and potentially unsafe. Instead, professionals are advised to look at behaviour changes, eating patterns, rapid weight loss, psychological distress, and family concerns to support early intervention. [nationalhe…cutive.com]
The new online training, developed with the charity Beat and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, will help staff outside specialist services recognise warning signs and understand referral routes. Every area in England now has access to specialist children’s eating disorder services, and the average treatment wait time is around three weeks from referral.
NHS England » NHS staff to train teachers, school nurses, and GPs to spot eating disorders
Dementia Bulletin
January 2026
The latest dementia bulletin from Mersey Care Evidence and Library Service has now been published at https://www.evidentlybetter.org/dementia/2026/01/19-january-2026/
In this issue:
- Alzheimer’s finger-prick blood test could transform diagnosis, experts say
- Suicidal Behavior in Alzheimer’s Disease: Preliminary Study
- Increased Dementia Risk in Higher-Functioning Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from 21,648 Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- A new psychosocial goal-setting and manualised support intervention for independence in dementia (NIDUS-Family): longer-term outcomes of a randomised controlled trial
- Plus much more
Evidence Informed Practice in NHS Settings
Accessing research for practitioners
Research in practice work with and for professionals within social care, health, criminal justice and higher education to offer resources, learning opportunities and expertise. Anyone with a Trust email can sign up to start accessing their resources.
Research in practice brings together: research evidence, practice wisdom, and lived experience. Turning this into practical, accessible resources and learning opportunities that fit real‑life professional needs. [researchin…ice.org.uk]
At its heart, Research in Practice is about equipping professionals with the confidence and tools to use evidence well. Take a read of how one of our colleagues reflects on the similarities and differences of working in the NHS and local authority settings:
Evidence-informed practice in NHS settings | Research in Practice