Digital Mental Health
The January edition of Digital Mental Health current awareness bulletin, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view and download.
Tag: Current Awareness
Covid 19
Current awareness updates
COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.
(Information for shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19. Updated 31 December: Added new shielding advice for the clinically extremely vulnerable in Tier 4.)
COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21: COVID-19 Enhanced Service Vaccination Collaboration Agreement.
NHS England; 2020.
(The purpose of this COVID-19 ES Vaccination Collaboration Agreements to support the delivery of the individual and collective responsibilities of the Collaborating Practices as part of the COVID-19 vaccination programme as set out in COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 Enhanced Service Specification.)
New SARS-CoV-2 variant.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
(Information on the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.)
Rapid evaluation confirms lateral flow devices effective in detecting new COVID-19 variant.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
(Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed that lateral flow devices (LFDs) used in mass testing can detect the new COVID-19 variant.)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 variant from South Africa identified in UK.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.
(Two cases of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant, which originated in South Africa, have been identified in the UK.)
Persistent symptoms after Covid-19: qualitative study of 114 “long Covid” patients and draft quality principles for services.[Abstract]
Ladds E. BMC Health Services Research 2020;20(1):1144.
Full-text availability
(Suggested quality principles for a long Covid service include ensuring access to care, reducing burden of illness, taking clinical responsibility and providing continuity of care, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation, evidence-based investigation and management, and further development of the knowledge base and clinical services.)
Covid-19 Insight: issue 6.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
(In this month’s report, we share regional data on the designated settings that allow people with a COVID-positive test result to be discharged safely from hospital, and also the latest data on registered care home provision. We also look at how providers have collaborated to provide urgent and emergency care during the pandemic.)
Coronavirus data dashboard
UK Government; 2020.
(The official UK Government website for data and insights on Coronavirus (COVID-19))
Digital mental health
Current Awareness Bulletin
The December edition of digital mental health, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view or download.
Psychiatric Nursing
Current awareness bulletin
December’s bulletin, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust, is now available to view and download.
Library Bulletin
Suicide Prevention
The November edition of the suicide prevention bulletin is now available to view and download.
Covid 19
Current awareness updates
Vital to cut COVID-19 transmission to avoid more loss of life NHS Confederation (The NHS Confederation has responded to reports that a new national lockdown could be imposed.)
NHS response to the Prime Minister’s announcement NHS England 31 October 2020
HSIB report illustrates challenges of COVID-19 spread in hospitals NHS Confederation
Investigation into COVID-19 transmission in hospitals Kings Fund (This report charts a four-month patient safety investigation that was launched following concern that patients were contracting COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital. It presents the voices of those working across the health service, from strategic national planners to hospital porters. It also captured experiences of patients and families, providing further insight into the challenges of managing the transmission of COVID-19.)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey: characteristics of people testing positive for COVID-19 in England, October 2020 – Office for National Statistics Office for National Statistics
(Data about the characteristics of people testing positive for COVID-19 from the COVID-19 Infection Survey. This survey is being delivered in partnership with University of Oxford, University of Manchester, Public Health England and Wellcome Trust.)
How coronavirus has affected equality and human rights.
Equality and Human Rights Commission; 2020.
(This report summarises evidence that helps in understanding the effects of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on different groups in society. It highlights potential long-term risks to equality and human rights covering key issues in the areas of: work; poverty; education; social care; and justice and personal security. It makes targeted recommendations for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.)
Generation COVID: Emerging work and education inequalities.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); 2020.
(The study found, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, young workers to be twice as likely to have lost their jobs compared to older employees and that employment and earnings losses are more pronounced for women, the self-employed and those who grew up in a poor family. The survey provides further evidence that young people are suffering substantial and sustained losses, not only to their employment, but also their education.)
Country reports: COVID-19 and Long-Term Care.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); 2020.
(These reports aim to document the impact of COVID-19 on people who use and provide Long-Term Care and the measures adopted by different countries to contain and mitigate the impact of the virus. They are updated regularly as new information becomes available.)
Public Health Bulletin
Current awareness updates
To read the latest updates on public health download below.
Covid 19
Updates
Covid-19: Second wave death rate is doubling fortnightly but is lower and slower than in March | The BMJ
Ongoing support from Government and public vigilance imperative as more regions enter Tier 3 – NHS Confederation
Themed Review: Living with Covid19.
NIHR Evidence; 2020.
(This rapid and dynamic review draws on the lived experience of patients and expert consensus as well as published evidence to better understand the impact of ongoing effects of Covid19 (‘Long Covid’), how health and social care services should respond, and what future research questions might be. 15 October.)
Covid-19: Most trainees have faced disruption to their training, GMC survey shows | The BMJ
(A national survey has found that more than seven in 10 junior doctors have had their training disrupted by the pandemic.)
Workforce flexibility in the NHS: utilising Covid-19 innovations – Kings Fund
(This briefing argues that speed at which workforce innovations and flexibilities have been implemented in the NHS since the outbreak of Covid-19 has been both impressive and encouraging. It explores and makes recommendations on six key areas of change: staff wellbeing; flexibility in staff deployment and roles; cross-organisational working and regulation; technology; making use of new roles; and funding.)
Our Covid Voices – National Voices
(A website, run by National Voices, with collected first-person accounts of living through the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. It is a place to read about what matters to people for health and care, during COVID19 and beyond.)
Public Health
Current awareness updates
Prime Minister announces new local COVID Alert Levels Press release, Gov.uk, October 2020
(On 12th October, the Prime Minister set out how the government will further simplify and standardise local rules by introducing a three tiered system of local COVID Alert Levels in England.)
So what now? Supporting students through a global pandemic and beyond Health Management and Policy Alert, King’s Fund, October 2020
(This report finds that many student midwives are struggling under the weight of financial concerns, poor mental health and an unpredictable job market. It finds that 96 per cent of student midwives reported having mild or moderate mental health problems since the pandemic began. The survey shows that by the end of July just 36 per cent of students in their final year of midwifery training had been offered a job in the NHS. At the same time, midwifery educator numbers are not keeping pace with the rise in student midwife numbers, potentially leaving students less supported throughout their training.)
Stoptober 2019 Campaign Evaluation Health Management and Policy Alert, King’s Fund, October 2020
(Stoptober is an annual event to encourage smokers to quit for 28 days in October, with the aim of stopping smoking permanently. This report aims to measure the impact of Stoptober during 2019.)
Daily Insight: New wave, new problems.
Health Services Journal (HSJ); 22nd September, 2020.
(The second wave of the Covid pandemic appears to be upon us. While the approach of the second wave has been accompanied by stories of faults and failings in the system delivering vital Covid tests, the first wave in March was accompanied by a crisis in the supply of essential personal protective equipment. The onset of the second wave has also brought a warning from RCEM about English emergency departments reporting “dangerous” overcrowding similar to levels seen pre-covid.)
Use of the NHS COVID-19 app in schools and further education colleges.
Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care; 2020.
(Actions for schools and further education colleges when using the NHS COVID-19 app in education settings. Published 22 September 2020.)
Childhood in the time of Covid.
The Children’s Commissioner; 2020.
(While for some children there were certain aspects of the pandemic that brought benefits such as spending more time with their families, this report sets out how for many of the most vulnerable children the disruption of the past six months has been damaging and compounded existing inequalities. It calls for a comprehensive recovery package for children and provides a roadmap for what should be done to help children to recover from their experiences of the past six months and the ongoing crisis.)
Financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic for older people ELSA, September 2020
Older people have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but less focus has been given to the financial impact on older adults. ELSA investigate how adults in their 50s and older have been affected financially by the pandemic.
Mental Health
Current Awareness Updates
Inquiry into the support available for young people who self-harm This inquiry, led by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention and supported by Samaritans, explored the experiences of young people who self-harm in accessing support services. In particular, it examined: support services currently available in both clinical and the wider community settings (including schools); plans for improving and expanding this support; and the changes needed to ensure that support is made more effective and widely available. It concludes that young people who self-harm are often made to wait until they reach crisis point before receiving support.
How are UK adults managing stress during the pandemic? A survey from the Mental Health Foundation looks at how people are managing their stress during the pandemic. The most popular coping mechanisms were walking, visiting green spaces and contacting family and friends.
Laying foundations: attitudes and access to mental health nurse education Mental health nurses account for over a third of the mental health workforce in England and work across a wide range of health and care settings. However, this report finds that the pipeline of people choosing to study and qualify to become a mental health nurse is unable to meet sharply rising demand for this service. It looks at ways more people might be attracted to apply to study mental health nursing – and reasons why numbers are currently limited.
Digital interventions for suicidal thinking: a tale of two reviews.
In his debut blog, Wouter van Ballegooijen summarises two recent systematic reviews on digital interventions for suicidal thinking, which include more or less the same research, but come to quite different conclusions.
Reducing demand for inpatient mental health beds evidence review
This evidence review explores the evidence for initiatives and interventions which aim to avoid mental health inpatient admissions and re-admissions and reduce inpatient length of stay.
Should European cities be going green for our mental health?
Eleana Frisira summarises a recent scoping review on the impact that green spaces can have on the mental health of people living in urban settings.
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