Current awareness updates
To read the latest updates on public health download below.
Tag: Current Awareness
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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Psychiatric Nursing
Current awareness bulletin
The October bulletin, produced by Greater Manchester Mental health, is now available to access.
Public Health
Keeping up to date with current awareness
Childhood during coronavirus: protecting children from the effects of poverty
Action for Children
This report presents findings from an analysis of applications submitted to Action for Children’s Emergency Fund. It reflects on the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic for children and families and in doing so, the report also considers the recovery measures needed to ensure that children are supported to thrive – both now, and in the months and years ahead. More detail.
It’s everywhere’: alcohol’s public face private harm
Independent Commission on Alcohol Harm
This Commission was set up by alcohol health experts and parliamentarians to examine the full extent of alcohol harm across the UK. In this, its final report, the Commission outlines recommendations for reducing harm and calls for a national strategy for alcohol. More detail.
The broken plate 2020: the state of the nation’s food system
The Food Foundation
This report presents 10 vital signs that document the health of our food system, how it impacts on our lives, and why we must change the food environment. It highlights the struggle for lower-income families to afford a healthy diet, arguing that 20 per cent of households with the lowest levels of disposable income would have to spend 39 per cent of their disposable income in order to eat a healthy diet, as defined by the government’s recommended Eatwell Guide. More detail.
NHS Covid App – over 10 million downloads
Department of Health and Social Care, September 2020
More than 10 million people downloaded the new NHS Covid-19 app between its launch on Thursday 24 September and Sunday 27 September.Six million of those downloads were on the first day.
Surge in people checking their risk of type 2 diabetes
NHE, September 2020
Almost 300,000 people have accessed the tool to check their risk of type 2 diabetes online less than two months after the NHS fast tracked access to its world leading Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Programme. Latest figures show that 291,325 people used the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk tool since the end of July – a 637% increase compared to two months previously.
Public Health
Keeping up to date with current awareness
PHE launches the Stoptober campaign for 2020. Gov.uk – September 2020
This year has seen an increase in both the number of smokers attempting to quit and an increase in the success rate of quit attempts. Stoptober is offering a range of support tools including the Stoptober app, Facebook messenger bot and online communities, SMS and daily emails.
COVID 19 – Vaccination Nuffield Foundation- September 2020
Survey finds 1 in 5 people are unlikely to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 Social Study by UCL researchers showed substantial levels of misinformation about vaccines. 22% of people surveyed said they were unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccine when approved, with 10% being ‘very unlikely’ and only 49% being ‘very likely’ to get vaccinated.
Shares the experiences the public faced because of the pandemic and how this has affected their experiences using health and social care.
Library Bulletin
Community Health (September 2020)
To read this month’s bulletin on community health please click the link below.
KnowledgeShare
A web based tool which connects you with evidence
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Public Health Updates
Keeping up to date with current awareness
Cycling to work lowers risk of illness and death compared to driving.
NIHR Evidence; 2020.
(People who cycle to work are at lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death than those who drive. This is seen across all occupational groups and suggests that cycling to work could benefit people from all economic backgrounds. If fewer people are able to travel by public transport due to social distancing, measures to make cycling easier and safer could improve the nation’s health.)
Lung health checks in supermarket car parks reach older smokers in deprived communities.
NIHR Evidence; 2020.
( Tests carried out on mobile units parked in supermarket car parks were a popular and effective way to check the lungs of at-risk current and former smokers in a study in Manchester.)
Statement from the UK Chief Medical Officers on schools and childcare reopening.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.
(Statement from the Chief Medical Officers and Deputy Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools and childcare settings reopening. 23 August.)
Drinking in the dark: alcohol labelling is failing consumers.
Alcohol Change UK; 2020.
(In this study we reviewed a random sample of 424 alcohol containers on shop shelves in October 2019 to assess whether labels included the UK’s Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) low-risk drinking guidelines and other essential pieces of information that would allow consumers to make informed choices.)
Recovering from COVID-19: Post viral-fatigue and conserving energy.
Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT); 2020.
(Rehabilitation is fast becoming the new priority in dealing with the impact of this pandemic and is crucial for people recovering from COVID-19 infection. We’ve published three guides to support people to manage post-viral fatigue and conserve their energy as they recover from COVID-19. These guides are endorsed by the Intensive Care Society.)
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