Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Tackling mental health disparities.
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
(The pandemic is accompanied by a rise in demand for mental health services. Even before the pandemic, mental ill health was one of the most prevalent forms of illness. Inequalities mean that while it is true that anyone can experience mental illness, the risks are much higher for certain groups who experience structural discrimination and disadvantage. Tackling mental health disparities shares ten evidence-based actions that the Government could take in the forthcoming white paper.)

Grassroots participation in sport and physical activity.
National Audit Office (NAO); 2022.
(This report examines how far the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Sport England have achieved value for money in their spending on grassroots sport and physical activity amongst those aged 16 and over, and have supported value for money in the system-wide spending across government. We consider the decade since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a particular focus on the period since 2015, when government launched its Sporting Future strategy.)

Menopause and the workplace: how to enable fulfilling working lives: government response Department for work and pensions; July 2022 This report lays out the government’s response to the recommendations made in the independent report Menopause and the workplace, published in November 2021. This report aimed to bring about comprehensive change and support for those experiencing the menopause, in key areas of government policy, employer practice, and wider societal and financial change.

The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine programme in England House of Commons Comittee of Public Accounts; July 2022 This report calls for efforts to be redoubled to reach those not vaccinated or fully vaccinated as it warns that nearly three million adults in England are unvaccinated against Covid-19. It finds that comparatively low vaccination rates persist in many vulnerable groups and have even dropped further for some. It calls for NHS England and UKHSA to urgently evaluate which methods are most effective for increasing uptake, including fresh approaches to tackle the persistent low uptake observed in some ethnic groups.

Creating a smoke-free South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw integrated care system  NHS Confederation; June 2022 This case study details a smoking cessation programme in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw that aims to saves lives, decrease health inequalities and reduce hospital re-admissions by making effective treatment for tobacco addiction part of the routine care offered in hospitals.

Royal College of Psychiatry

National Clinical Audit of Psychosis: England national report for the Early Intervention in Psychosis Audit 2021/2022

Source: The King’s Fund

Based on data from 10,557 case notes submitted by 54 trusts in England, this audit report presents national and organisation-level findings on services provided to people with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The report commends teams for maintaining early intervention in psychosis (EIP) service delivery at a high level in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. It found that 66 per cent of teams had an increase in staff in the past year. The report also looked at the disparities in EIP care between different groups of people with FEP to highlight inequalities.

Library Newsletter

August 2022

Take a look at our latest newsletter including some highlights of the month and our resource of the month – ORCHA (app library). For any support or advice relating to news from this month, please get in touch with academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

NHS Pension Scheme

Proposed uplifts to the member contribution tier thresholds

Further to the consultation NHS Pension Scheme: proposed changes to member contributions from 1 April 2022 and the associated regulations, this consultation document sets out how the pensionable earnings thresholds in the member contribution structure will be uplifted to account for the Agenda for Change pay increase. The consultation document also includes part of a table that was omitted from the regulations, and the draft regulations contain technical amendment to correct this omission. The closing date for comments is 12 August 2022.

Library Bulletin

Serious Mental Illness

The current bulletin for Serious Mental Illness, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view and download. Some articles may require an Open Athens account to read the full text articles. For support accessing any of the articles within the bulletin please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

The Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab

Improving children and young people’s mental health services: local data insights from England, Scotland and Wales

This briefing presents analysis from The Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab (NDL) about children and young people’s mental health. The analysis from local teams across England, Scotland and Wales has highlighted three key areas for urgent investigation, to help ensure children and young people get the care they need. These are: rapid increases in mental health prescribing and support provided by GPs; the prevalence of mental health problems among adolescent girls and young women; and stark socio-economic inequalities across the UK.

Nuffield Trust

Fronting up to the problems: what can be done to improve the wellbeing of NHS staff?

The NHS is not in a position where it can lose staff, but many workers in the health service have faced almost unimaginable difficulties during the pandemic. How worried should we be about NHS staff health and wellbeing? This long read looks at how bad the situation is and what can be done to improve things.

Podcast

Supporting refugee and migrant health care in England

We know people who are refugees, asylum seekers and migrants can arrive at their destination with complex physical and mental health needs. So how does the health and care system respond when they arrive in England? Take a listen to this King’s Fund podcast as they discuss refugee and migrant health care.