Ministerial powers on reconfiguring NHS services

Government guidance which comes into force on 31 January 2024 sets out the process for ministerial intervention in reconfiguration of NHS services, including when and how NHS commissioning bodies must notify the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of NHS service changes.

Reconfiguring NHS services – ministerial intervention powers – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people

The Department of Health and Social Care has published a framework of ‘modifiable factors’ on improving the mental health of babies, children and young people. This document aims to highlight the wide range of modifiable factors that interact to influence the mental health of babies, children and young people; summarise these in a framework and convey opportunities across the life course for promotion and prevention.

Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: a framework of modifiable factors – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness

NHS England has published new guidance for Integrated Care Systems on improving the physical health of people living with severe mental illness(SMI). People living with SMI have a life expectancy that is 15-20 years shorter than the general population and this disparity is largely due to preventable or treatable physical illnesses.

NHS England » Improving the physical health of people living with severe mental illness

Million people in England lived shorter lives than they should have done, report claims

A new report from the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) has confirmed that a million people in 90% of areas in England lived shorter lives than they should between 2011 and the start of the pandemic.

Using several published ONS data sources, the IHE made these calculations from the number of excess deaths (the increase in the number of deaths beyond that would be expected) in the decade from 2011 in England.

The report finds that of the one million people who died prematurely, 148,000 of them were additional to what might have been expected if the post-2010 austerity measures hadn’t been imposed. Additionally in 2020, during the pandemic, inequality between the least and most disadvantaged 10% of areas contributed further 28,000 excess deaths, when compared to that over the previous five years.

read-the-report.pdf (instituteofhealthequity.org)

Impact of BAME vaccine volunteers

During the Covid 19 pandemic, many health and care professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists volunteered their time as professional networks to support better access to vaccines and health advice for communities across the UK.

This report by the Faculty of Public Health looks at the impact of interventions aimed at vaccine uptake and vaccine confidence by Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) health and care professional networks and explores how voluntary health networks supported vaccine uptake in the community and how this support was received.

What are the threats to health posed by climate change?

This report outlines the threats posed to climate change by health including heat and cold related deaths, with health threats from heat, mosquitos, flooding and food security becoming more significant in the near future.

Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK: state of the evidence 2023 (publishing.service.gov.uk)