Source: The King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert
This year’s Social Care 360 report uses the latest available data (2019/20) to describe the key trends in adult social care as the Covid-19 pandemic struck and to suggest what the impact of the pandemic might be. It paints quite a bleak picture of adult social care in England, with many key indicators already going in the wrong direction before the pandemic struck.
Care homes: visiting restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic House of Commons; 2021
(This report calls on the government to make the existing requirements for individualised assessment for visits mandatory by laying its draft regulations, as soon as possible. Government guidance now makes clear that care home providers should not impose blanket bans on visiting but should instead conduct individualised risk assessments for each resident. However, without statutory force, there is no legal recourse for residents to require their providers to implement the guidance.)
Racism and discrimination: the experience of primary care professionals in the Humberside region Humberside LMC: April 2021
(This report highlights discrimination faced by staff and patients from ethnic minority backgrounds in general practice. It finds that respondents reported experiences of discrimination in a wide range of areas such as training, working patterns and complaints, and it calls for a zero-tolerance approach to tackle racism in all its forms. )
Pandemic patient experience II: from lockdown to vaccine roll-out The Patient’s Association; April 2021
(In 2020, patients told the Patients Association about their experiences of living with health and care needs during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their testimony painted a bleak picture in many ways. This follow-up survey (drawing on 453 responses, submitted over February, March and early April 2021) finds that many aspects of their experiences are not much better, and some are worse. Accessing general practice services remains difficult for many, and patients overall do not regard remote consultations as an adequate replacement for in-person appointments.)
Outpatient appointments intended but not booked after inpatient stays Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB); April 2021
(This investigation explores the patient safety risk of outpatient appointments that are intended but not booked following an inpatient stay. It also considers opportunities for building resilience into the process to ensure timely appointments. It concludes with two safety recommendations that are aimed at reducing the chance that patients will be lost after an inpatient stay and supporting the staff within trusts who are responsible for arranging appointments and tracking patients.)
Unemployment and mental health The Health Foundation; April 2021
(This analysis estimates that an increase of 900,000 people in unemployment expected by the end of the year, compared with before the pandemic, will lead to 200,000 more people with poor mental health in the UK. It acknowledges that while government action to reduce a rise in unemployment by extending the furlough scheme to September will support mental health, it suggests that the benefits system and employment support programmes currently fail to properly account for the mental health needs of those who are unemployed. It concludes that there is now an opportunity to ensure that efforts to tackle unemployment in the pandemic recovery are designed to better support mental health.)
Skin cancer awareness month toolkit Skin Cancer Foundation; May 2021
(A social media toolkit giving you downloadable skin cancer images and resources to help you share the facts during Skin Cancer Awareness Month)
Source: The King’s Fund Health and Policy Alert
This report presents the findings of a survey commissioned by the network to find out how the impact of the pandemic on women working across health and care changed as the crisis progressed. It finds that since summer 2020, the impact of the pandemic on the female workforce has demonstrably worsened and more women are reporting an even greater negative impact on their physical and emotional wellbeing.
For more information click here.
COVID-19: long-term health effects.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
(Information and guidance on persistent health problems reported following acute COVID-19 disease. There is accumulating evidence to suggest that cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) who have experienced both mild and severe symptoms can experience long-term health effects. This document provides information on the health problems reported in COVID-19 cases following acute disease, and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to advise recovering COVID-19 patients.)
COVID-19 in schools: study shows drop in infections Public Health England (PHE); 2021
(Round 4 of the Schools Infection Survey (SIS) shows a significant drop in the number of secondary school pupils and staff testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).)
Women’s Health Strategy: Call for Evidence.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
(DHSC are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s Women’s Health Strategy. The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey. They also welcome written submissions from individuals or organisations who have expertise in women’s health, such as researchers and third-sector organisations. Written submissions can include the contribution of data, research and other reports of relevance to women’s health.)
Teachers’ concerns about pupils’ mental health in a cross-sectional survey of a population sample of British schoolchildren.[Abstract]
Mathews F. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(2):99-105.
(Understanding how well a teacher concern predicts mental disorder in a child or young person is important for mental health teams who need to respond to referrals. CONCLUSION: While teacher concern does identify those with poorer mental health, it is only moderately predictive of a disorder. When concerned about a child or young person, discussions with parents or others who know them may help teachers identify those who most need support.)
The relationship between alcohol-related hospital admission and specialist alcohol treatment provision across local authorities in England since passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
British Journal of Psychiatry 2021;:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.120.
(The results suggest that the local authority areas in England most in need of adequately funded specialist alcohol treatment are not receiving targeted increased funding, and that the national rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions may be fuelled by local authority funding cuts to specialist alcohol treatment.)
Please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk for any support accessing articles.
Source: The King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert
Learning the lessons from Covid-19 would allow England to better prepare for future pandemics, and understand the weaknesses and strengths of the health, care and public health systems. This framework sets out a structure to help untangle the complicated interactions between different elements of the response in England.
Source: The King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert
This report provides an overview of the public’s mental health and how it is affecting people’s lives, although it does not aspire to be a comprehensive record because of the scale of research now being undertaken. It also provides new, previously unpublished, analysis by NatCen from the Understanding Society longitudinal study showing the impacts of the Covid–19 pandemic on the public’s financial and mental health.
For more information click here.
One dose of COVID-19 vaccine can cut household transmission by up to half Public Health England (PHE)
(A new study by Public Health England (PHE) has shown that one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine reduces household transmission by up to half.)
Track and trace: identifying corruption risks in UK public procurement for the Covid-19 pandemic
(This study of procurement during the pandemic involved a painstaking review of nearly 1,000 contracts worth a total of £18 billion. It concludes that the way the UK government handled bids for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other Covid-19 response contracts appears partisan and systemically biased in favour of those with political access.)
Can SMS text messages help prevent relapse in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder?
The Mental Elf; 2021.
(A group of UCL Mental Health MSc students summarise a recent pilot study, which explores the acceptability and feasibility of the Texting for Relapse Prevention (T4RP) programme for people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.)
Can we teach schools how to improve care for young people who self-harm?
The Mental Elf; 2021.
(Douglas Badenoch appraises and summarises a recent systematic review of experimental studies, which looks at whether school staff training can improve responses to pupils who self-harm.)
JCVI issues new advice on COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women Public Health England (PHE)
(The JCVI has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.)
Neonatal infection: antibiotics for prevention and treatment.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.
[This guideline covers preventing bacterial infection in healthy babies of up to and including 28 days corrected gestational age, treating pregnant women whose unborn baby is at risk of infection, and caring for babies of up to and including 28 days corrected gestational age with a suspected or confirmed bacterial infection. It aims to reduce delays in recognising and treating infection and prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics. The guideline does not cover viral infections.]
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR); 2021.
This is the second of two dynamic reviews of the evidence around people’s experience of the enduring symptoms following a Covid19 infection.
A dynamic review of the evidence around ongoing Covid19, discussing the current evidence, what ‘Long Covid’ is along with the causes, diagnosis and management of Long Covid.
“The complexity of needs in some people with Long Covid mirrors the needs of people with multiple long-term conditions who benefit from a holistic, integrated approach rather than symptom by symptom management. Many people with Long Covid complain of fragmented care and 23% of our survey respondents wanted a case worker/key worker to co-ordinate care.”
NIHR
COVID-19: advice for smokers and vapers.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
(Advice for people who smoke or vape during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. People who smoke generally have an increased risk of contracting respiratory infection and of more severe symptoms once infected. Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms may therefore be more severe for smokers. This guidance advises how to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 for those who smoke or vape, and how to access support to stop smoking and remain smokefree.)
Crisis, Communities, Change: demands for an equitable recovery.
Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA); 2021.
(This report explores how communities have fared during the pandemic. The survey of 2,600 people in Great Britain found that discrimination in local services was twice as high among ethnic minorities: 52 per cent of Asian and 50 per cent of black respondents have faced discrimination when accessing local services – compared with 19 per cent of the white population. The data suggests that institutional distrust because of discrimination may play a role in vaccine hesitancy.)
Covid 19 and the BAME population Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust
Levelling up health All Party Parliamentary Group for Longevity
(This report states that Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the United Kingdom, exposing the nation’s poor health and health inequalities – 90 per cent of those who died with Covid had significant prior poor health. The report explains why a new health care system is essential to confront how unhealthy the UK population is. It proposes a 10-year health improvement plan and new health improvement fund, a shift in political attitudes that have impeded progress, clear priorities for action, and the need to challenge and change organisations that harm children and health.)
NHS Covid-19 app: early adopter evaluation report Department of Health and Social Care
(An NHS Covid-19 app was developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NHS Covid-19 app has been trialled in the London Borough of Newham, the Isle of Wight and among NHS Volunteer Responders. This trial period is referred to as the early adopter phase. The NHS Covid-19 app programme commissioned a formal evaluation to ascertain perceptions of the NHS Covid-19 app and (intended) usage of its features during the early adopter phase.)
Longer waits, missing patients and catching up The Health Foundation
(This analysis looks at the impact of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on elective care in England. The waiting list has now reached the highest level since comparable records began, with more patients experiencing long delays in diagnosis and treatment.)
Helen McKenna sits down with Suzie Bailey, Director of Leadership and Organisational Development at The King’s Fund and Professor Michael West to explore the results of the 2020 NHS Staff Survey and discuss how the NHS can create an inclusive, compassionate, and supportive working environment for staff.
To listen to the podcast, click on the image below.
