Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Smaller hospitals are urged to increase collaborative working to meet the needs of an ageing population.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.

[Collaborative working among staff is likely to be the best way to improve performance in smaller hospitals, a new study concluded. It explored the approaches smaller hospitals take to organising emergency care for people admitted to hospital. There were huge variations, but no single way of working (‘model of care’) was more effective than others.]

Eating Disorders.
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN); 2022.
https://www.sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/eating-disorders/
[This guideline provides recommendations based on current evidence for best practice in the management of people with eating disorders of all ages and gender groups, in any health or social care setting. Eating disorders covered are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and eating-disordered psychopathology occurring in the context of type 1 diabetes mellitus.]

HPV vaccination brings the WHO European Region closer to a cervical cancer-free future.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2022.
https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/pages/news/news/2022/4/hpv-vaccination-brings-the-who-european-region-closer-to-a-cervical-cancer-free-future
[New data from one of the first countries in the Region to introduce HPV vaccination reveal just how well the vaccines work to prevent invasive cervical cancer. In England researchers found that the HPV immunization programme has almost eliminated cervical cancer in women born since 1 September 1995 (who were vaccinated at age 12−13). Incidence among these women of late-stage (grade 3) CIN that could later develop into cancer has also been significantly reduced.]

Community Network: ‘Hidden waits: The lasting impact of the pandemic on children’s services in the community’.
NHS Providers; 2022.

[The Community Network, which is hosted by the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, has today published a new briefing which brings together new evidence about backlogs and increasing demand for children and young people’s services. It also demonstrates what community providers are currently doing to meet demand, including how they are innovating, and makes a series of recommendations on the national support needed, both now and in the longer term.]

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.

[Outlines the provisions of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021, and provides assistance in understanding and applying them.]

United against health inequalities: a commitment to lasting change NHS Providers, April 2022

(This survey of trust leaders shows high board-level commitment and strategic emphasis on tackling health inequalities and commitment to making action on health inequalities ‘core business’. However, they describe several barriers to progress with nearly two in three (65 per cent) saying that wider pressures on the system and operational challenges hinder their ability to progress work on reducing health inequalities. Nearly half of trust leaders expressed concerns about the lack of access to data about health inequalities within trusts (49 per cent) and across the health system (48 per cent).)

Coronavirus Act 2020 two years on.
House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee; 2022.
[This report sets out concerns about parliament’s lack of ability to scrutinise and amend emergency provisions in the Coronavirus Act over the past two years and draws out the lessons that can be learnt in legislating for future emergencies.]


Covid-19: The public inquiries.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[The Covid-19 pandemic was a severe test of the state’s preparedness, resilience and co-ordination. The response from the UK Government and devolved administrations has raised broader questions about how effectively the challenges have been met. There have been longstanding calls for a public inquiry to be held into the UK’s pandemic response. Two public inquiries have been set up: one by the UK Government and one by the Scottish Government.]

Shifting the Dial: evaluating a community programme to promote young Black men’s mental health.
Centre for Mental Health (CMH); 2022.
https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/publications/shifting-dial
[Young Black men are overrepresented in restrictive mental health settings, but are less likely to get early community-based mental health support. This report shares learning from a three-year project to promote the mental health and wellbeing of young Black men in Birmingham. The project built upon the findings from CMH’s evaluation of an earlier pilot, Up My Street. Shifting the Dial has worked with more than 500 young Black men.]

Can fermented foods boost mental health? Medscape: March 22, 2022

(Commentary by Dr Drew Ramsey)


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Covid 19

Current Awareness Updates

Specific COVID-19 messaging targeting ethnic minority communities.
EClinical Medicine, The Lancet; 2021.

(The proportion of ethnic minority groups accepting vaccines remains low. A culturally appropriate COVID-19 information and messaging platform is urgently required (Fig. 1). The messaging should be clear in style and content, conveying simple, easy to understand, visual, consistent, and generic to all communities, ethnic groups, cultures, and faiths. Trust between healthcare staff and communities is essential for the success of any COVID-19 intervention.)

Mental health policy in England.
House of Commons Library; 2021.

(This briefing examines the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the potential impact on human rights. It also looks at the impact of the pandemic on population mental health, including for specific groups such as BAME communities. It briefly sets out resources to support population mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic, including specific mental health support for the health and social care workforce.)

COVID-19 vaccination: accelerating second doses for priority cohorts 1-9
NHS England & NHS Improvement; 2021.

(Letter from Emily Lawson (SRO Vaccine Deployment, NHS England and NHS Improvement), Dr Nikki Kanani (Medical Director for Primary Care) and Eleanor Kelly (LA CEO advisor). In response to advice from the independent JCVI, the Government sets out further action aimed at tackling rising cases of the COVID-19 B1.617.2 variant.)

Communicating with patients about COVID-19 vaccination: evidence-based guidance for effective conversations to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake (2021).
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.

(This training module is designed to equip health workers (HWs) with knowledge, skills, confidence and resources to help them in their role to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine. It is tailored to specific patient positions on vaccination and provides a structured approach to assist HWs with interpersonal communication during COVID-19 vaccination consultations.)

Pandemic Pressures: How Greater Manchester equalities organisations have responded to the needs of older people during the Covid-19 crisis.
Ambition for Ageing; 2021.

(This report highlights a number of recommendations for service commissioners, funders and contractors to contribute to future emergency planning and responses. It recognises the expertise of equalities organisations in understanding and meeting the needs of the communities they represent, and to involve them in coproducing emergency planning and responses.)

Characteristics and predictors of acute and chronic post-COVID syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
EClinical Medicine, The Lancet; 2021.

(A significant proportion of individuals experience lingering and debilitating symptoms following acute COVID-19 infection. NICE have coined the persistent cluster of symptoms as post-COVID syndrome. The aim of this review was to detail the prevalence of clinical features and identify potential predictors for acute and chronic post-COVID syndrome.)