It takes leaders to break down siloes: Integrating services for disabled children –

Council for Disabled Children, July 2019

Over the past decade, successive governments have brought in a range of legislation, policies and programmes in an attempt to deliver on a vision of coordinated, person-centred care and better outcomes for children and young people with SEND. However, despite this visible drive towards integration, services for children with SEND remain fragmented. The reality of integrated working between different services and agencies, such as NHS and local authority services, children’s and adults’ services and specialist and universal services, is challenging. The report identifies key factors that are helping and hindering the integration of services around special education needs and disability (SEND). The report finds that:

  • • The system of disabled children’s services, nationally and locally, is highly complex and fragmented. Those who work in it face multiple practical barriers to integration.
  • Leadership is the most important factor in enabling or hindering integration; service leaders play a pivotal role in uniting agencies around a whole-system approach to SEND and wider vulnerable children’s services.
  • Good quality population data is vital to developing a whole-system approach, and the measurement of shared outcomes.
  • Local Areas’ efforts to integrate services in the complex SEND system must be part of a wider strategic vision

Click here to view the full report.

Shaping services around your child: A parent carer’s guide to integrated commissioning

Council for Disabled Children, July 2019

Integrated commissioning is where commissioners (those who plan, develop and purchase services) pool budgets across traditional boundaries, such as ‘health’ and ‘social care.’ The intention of this is to reduce duplication in service provision, where, typically, different bits of local government or the NHS fund or commission (purchase) similar things. This guide aims to explain it to parents and carers.

Click here to view the full report.

Towards mental health equality: a manifesto for the next Prime Minister –

The Mental Health Policy Group, July 2019

This manifesto sets out five areas that the next Prime Minister must address in order to improve the lives of people with mental health problems and promote the mental health of the nation. By addressing these areas, the new Prime Minister will lead the way towards mental health equality and bring us closer to the ambition of a fair deal for mental health.

  • 1. Take action to prevent mental illness
  • 2. Create a cross-government plan for mental health and establish a ‘mental health in all policies’ approach across government
  • 3. Reform the Mental Health Act
  • 4. Ensure everyone can access the right mental health support, in the right place, at the right time
  • 5. Build a mental health workforce fit for the future

Click here to view the document.

Involving patients and the public in research

The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, July 2019

Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute learning report aims to build a better understanding of the role of patient and public involvement (PPI) in research, thereby helping ensure meaningful involvement that has tangible impacts and mitigate against undesired consequences.

Click here to view the full report.

Strength and balance quality markers: Supporting improvement through audit

Public Health England, August 2019

Strength and balance exercise programmes are an important intervention for falls prevention. This report details of 7 quality markers for strength and balance exercise, suitable for use by local areas as criteria to help them carry out self-audits. With an intended audience of both local commissioning and strategic leads in England with a remit for falls, bone health and healthy ageing and providers involved with strength and balance falls prevention exercise, this document has been produced by Public Health England (PHE) with the National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG) member organisations.

Click here to view the full report.

Health, care and the 100-year life

Social Market Foundation, July 2019

A child born today has a one in three chance of living to 100. Increased longevity should be celebrated. However, it will bring a range of challenges for society. This is the first in a series of reports focusing on how the 100-year life may affect Britain’s society, economy and public services. This report focuses on health, care and medicine.

Click here to view the full report.

Care in places: inequalities in local authority adult social care spending power

The Salvation Army, July 2019

The International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) was commissioned by The Salvation Army to explore local-level inequalities in adult social care. It reveals there is significantly less money to care for older people who live in rural areas across England. Adult social care is largely funded by local business rates, council tax and other local charges but areas with lower house prices, fewer businesses and lower populations cannot raise as much money as more urban areas. This has led to deep levels of funding inequality across the entire country and prevents most local authorities from providing adequate social care for older residents.

Click here to view the full report.

Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies: Process Evaluation Report

Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care, July 2019

This research looks at stakeholder views of the Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies pilot which began in March 2018. The Employment Advisers in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies pilot provides tailored employment support to people with depression and anxiety who are currently accessing free cognitive behavioural therapies through the NHS. This research was commissioned to better understand:

  • experiences of implementation of the employment adviser provision
  • views on the effect of the programme on patient employment and mental health outcomes
  •  any service benefits, including increased recognition among therapists of the importance of employment for recovery
  • any operational challenges with the pilot such as employment adviser training and recruitment

Click here to view the full report.

Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s

Department of Health and Social Care, July 2019

The DHSC, together with the Cabinet Office, has published this Green Paper setting out proposals to tackle the causes of preventable ill health in England. It signals a new approach to public health that involves a personalised prevention model. It will mean the government, both local and national, working with the NHS to put prevention at the centre of decision-making. These proposals are open for consultation. The closing date for responses is 14 October 2019.

Click here to view the full report.