This report from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy raises awareness of health inequities in rehabilitation and recovery services across the UK. It finds that those people who experience systemic discrimination and marginalisation, and those who live in poor communities, are missing out on rehabilitation after experiencing illnesses such as strokes, cardiovascular disease or cancers.
Increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates amongst vulnerable groups: summary advice for GPs.
Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP); 2021.
[GPs will be aware of the disparity in uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine between different population groups; often, the groups most at risk from infection and serious illness are those least represented at vaccination centres. We continue to collect examples, case studies or evidence on what works in addressing this issue.]
Vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes: operational guidance.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[From 11 November 2021, anyone working or volunteering in a care home will need to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19), unless exempt.]
JCVI statement, August 2021: COVID-19 vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 17 years.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[This statement sets out JCVI’s latest considerations and advice regarding the potential extension of the COVID-19 vaccination programme to children and young people.]
JCVI issues updated advice on COVID-19 vaccination of young people aged 16 to 17.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is today advising that all 16 and 17 year olds receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.]
COVID-19 vaccination: resources for children and young people.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Information for eligible children and young people on COVID-19 vaccination.]
PHE women’s reproductive health programme 2020 to 2021.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Progress update on the PHE reproductive health programme, including a new return on investment tool and the next steps for 2021 to 2022. ‘Extending PHE’s contraception return on investment tool: maternity and primary care settings’ outlines a new return on investment (ROI) model for contraception in maternity and the provision of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) in primary care, building on the existing contraception ROI tool published in 2018.]
BHIVA guidance for virtual consultations for people with HIV: May 2021.
British HIV Association (BHIVA); 2021.
[This guidance was released in May 2021 in response to the increased proportion of consultations carried out remotely due to COVID-19. The guidance highlights issues important for safe and effective consultation, including awareness of the limitations of remote consultation.]
Expanding access to naloxone.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can help to prevent overdose deaths. We are seeking responses to this consultation to assess the viability of proposals to widen access to naloxone by expanding the list of services and individuals that can give it out without a prescription or other written instruction.]
Quality indicators in lung cancer: a review and analysis. [Abstract]
Chiew KL. BMJ Open Quality 2021;10(3):DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2020-001268.
[Conclusions: We found a large number of published QIs in lung cancer but they focused on relatively few areas not reflective of patterns of contemporary practice. We identified gaps in lung cancer QIs especially for systemic therapies, radiotherapy, palliative care and patient-reported outcomes. In order to comprehensively assess the care of patients with lung cancer, future efforts should focus on developing readily measurable QIs in these areas…]
Now or never: A systemic investment review of mental health care in England.
Centre for Mental Health; 2021.
[This report, commissioned by the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, sets out ten key areas where strategic investment could solve systemic issues in the mental health system, with significant benefits to the lives of people with mental health difficulties and their experiences of support.]
The role of epigenetics in psychological resilience. [Abstract]
Smeeth D. The Lancet Psychiatry 2021;8(7):620-629.
[In this Review, we propose a new conceptual model for the different functions of epigenetic mechanisms in psychological resilience. After reviewing empirical evidence for the various components of the model, we identify research that should be prioritised and discuss practical implications of the proposed model for epigenetic research on resilience.]
Effect of telehealth interventions on quality of life in cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Li J. International Journal of Nursing Studies 2021;122:103970 .
[Telehealth interventions are effective and alternative methods for improving quality of life among cancer survivors. The most effective approach was application-based intervention, the most common approach was website-based intervention, and in terms of intervention durations, the short-term telehealth intervention was the most effective. Most telehealth interventions included breast cancer survivors.]
The Government is committed to saving more lives and detect up to three quarters of all cancers at an early stage by 2028. A £50 million funding investment has been made for work involving Digital Pathology and Imaging Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence with the aim to improve the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer.
The 3 centres identified to access a share of the funding include London, Coventry and Leeds, benefiting 26.5 million patients across the UK.
National Pathology Imaging Co-operative Director and Consultant Pathologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Darren Treanor said:
“This investment will allow us to use digital pathology to diagnose cancer at 21 NHS trusts in the north, serving a population of 6 million people. We will also build a national network spanning another 25 hospitals in England, allowing doctors to get expert second opinions in rare cancers, such as childhood tumours, more rapidly. This funding puts the NHS in a strong position to be a global leader in the use of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of disease.”
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