Tag: Diabetes

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

WHO European regional obesity report 2022

(Overweight and obesity affect almost 60 per cent of adults and nearly one in three children in the WHO European Region. Recent estimates suggest that overweight and obesity is the fourth most common risk factor for noncommunicable diseases in the Region, after high blood pressure, dietary risks and tobacco. This report examines the growing challenge and impact of obesity in the Region and focuses on managing obesity throughout the life course and tackling obesogenic environments. It also considers more recent challenges, including problematic digital marketing to children and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on obesity prevalence.)

Doctor’s orders: Why adherence is critical to improving health outcomes across the life course

(Nearly half of all adults and approximately 8% of children worldwide have a chronic condition. Yet, studies have shown that adherence to medication is poor. This is expensive for governments, requiring three extra medical visits per year. This article from the ILC suggests some key recommendations to support adherence.)

Thousands of people with diabetes set to benefit from real time information after updated NICE recommendations

(More than 250,000 people living with type 1 diabetes are set to be offered new technology to help them manage their condition and at the same time reduce the need for finger prick testing by up to 50%, following new advice from NICE.)

Link workers for population health: it’s time to get with the (social prescribing) programme

(Embedding a population health approach into health care at the local, regional and national level in England will require slow, incremental cultural shifts over the space of years, as suggested in their report; A vision for population health.)

Public Health

Current awareness updates

10-Year Cancer Plan: Call for Evidence.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.
[The NHS Long Term Plan, published in 2019, set an ambition to save thousands more lives each year by dramatically improving how we diagnose and treat cancer. The DHSC is seeking the views of individuals, professionals and organisations to understand how we can do more to make progress against this ambition, and to build on lessons learned from the pandemic. You can respond as an individual, or on behalf of an organisation by completing the online survey (Closes 23:45, 01 April 2022)]

Improving annual albuminuria testing for individuals with diabetes. [Abstract]
Kam S. BMJ Open Quality 2022;11(1):doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001591.
[Conclusions: This project demonstrates that a series of simple interventions can significantly impact annual albuminuria testing. This project’s success likely hinged on using an existing workflow to systematically determine if a patient was due for testing and prompting the provider to sign a pended order for an albuminuria test. Other diabetes/endocrinology and primary care clinics can likely implement a similar process and so improve testing rates in other settings…]

Atrial fibrillation detection using a automated electrocardiographic monitoring in a transient ischaemic attack service. [Abstract]
D’Anna L. BMJ Open Quality 2022;11(1):doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001433.
[Conclusions: In conclusion, the present study suggests early initiation of automated continuous ECG monitoring (ACEM) in a rapid outpatient transient ischaemic attacks (TIA) clinic improves atrial fibrillation (AF) detection and is associated with a reduced risk of recurrent TIA/stroke. Further studies are required to confirm the enhanced rate of AF detected using ACEM]

Autism – overview of policy and services.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[This briefing provides an overview of policies and services for people with autism spectrum disorder in England.]

Measuring the economic value of community nursing: scoping the challenge.
Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA); 2022.
[NHS community services are an essential part of national ambitions to support people to manage their conditions, prevent ill health and deliver care closer to home. Community nurses are central to the care delivered for many people, across a broad range of conditions and needs. This briefing considers the challenge of understanding the economic value of community nursing, building on a roundtable discussion in March 2021 and drawing in other sources of evidence.]

Public Health

Current awareness updates

The cost effectiveness of ecotherapy as a healthcare intervention, separating the wood from the trees.
Hinde S. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) 2021;18(-):11599.
[This paper explores the capacity for ecotherapy to be cost-effective as a healthcare intervention. We show that there is the potential for ecotherapy for people with mild to moderate common mental health problems to be cost-effective but significant further research is required.]

Community support versus health care services: time to change our definition of impact.
Evidence & Policy Blog; 2021.
[Non-profit community anchor organisations in England typically provide a range of support to local people, including wellbeing support, advocacy, social activities, and training and employment advice. This array of services takes a wider perspective on the determinants of health than the approach taken within the NHS, which generally focuses on mental and physical ill health. Despite the different approaches, the funding for organisations is often dependent on the impact on health outcomes.]

National Pregnancy in Diabetes (NPID) Audit Report 2019.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP); 2021.
[The National Pregnancy in Diabetes (NPID) Audit measures the quality of antenatal care and pregnancy outcomes for women with pre-gestational diabetes. Overall, there were 4,525 pregnant women with diabetes in 2020 – 325 fewer pregnancies than 2019 – of which, 54% had type 2 diabetes (44% had type 1 diabetes and 2% were recorded as having ‘other diabetes’). The audit includes analysis by age, ethnicity, social deprivation and weight.]

Better together: a public health model for mentally healthier integrated care systems.
Centre for Mental Health; 2021.
[According to this briefing paper, England’s 42 integrated care systems have an opportunity to protect and promote mental health in the communities they serve. The briefing explores how integrated care systems can address the social and environmental factors that affect people’s health in their communities.]

Saving lives, improving mothers’ care: lessons learned to inform maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2017-19.
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU); 2021.
[This report finds that pregnancy remains safe in the UK, with the overall maternal death rate showing a slight decrease. Among 2,173,810 women who gave birth in 2017-2019, 191 died during or up to six weeks after pregnancy, and 495 during or up to one year after their pregnancy. However, the findings show a continued inequality in the mortality rates for women of different ethnic backgrounds, ages and socio-economic circumstances.]

Ethnic and socio-economic Inequalities in NHS maternity and perinatal care for women and their babies.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP); 2021.
[This report describes inequalities in maternity and perinatal care for women and their babies in England, Scotland and Wales during the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2018. Using routinely collected data, care and outcomes experienced by women and babies using NHS maternity services are measured and stratified by ethnicity and by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), a proxy for socio-economic deprivation.]

Fulfilling the promise: how social prescribing can most effectively tackle loneliness.
British Red Cross; 2021.
[This report draws on practical experience of delivering social prescribing services to those experiencing or at risk of loneliness through Red Cross Community Connector schemes.]

What works when evaluating social prescribing? A realist review report.
Wales School for Social Prescribing Research; 2021.
[An analysis of approaches used to evaluate social prescribing.]

Newcastle GP Services Social Prescribing Navigator Service: an independent evaluation.
North of England Commissioning Support Network; 2021.
[The aims of this evaluation were to: • Understand the update and usage of the service across Newcastle with regards population, conditions, and sites. • Analyse trends in unplanned access to secondary care. • Understand the experience and impact from the patient as end user of this service and navigators as deliverers of the service • Recommend data collection and analysis for the ongoing service to have greater comprehension of the impact of the service.]

The role of data in unlocking the potential of social prescribing.
Open Data Institute; 2021.
[A report by Frontier Economics for the ODI concludes there are a number of barriers to social prescribing reaching its full potential, including the lack of available data, and solid data infrastructure, such as statistics, maps and real-time service-use data that could help social prescribers and the providers of services to make decisions, build services and gain insight.]


Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Health on the high street: Embedding healthy living into urban regeneration after the pandemic Social Market Foundation; January 2021

(This report argues that town centres where shops and offices fall vacant should be used to establish new ‘health hubs’ combining GP surgeries, health and social care services and gyms. The report profiles examples where local authorities and health care bodies are already developing such hubs, which it suggests could be a model for other areas in future)

New Every Mind Matters campaign Public Health England; 18th January 2021

(The new campaign launches to support the nation’s mental health, as half of adults say they are more worried during this current lockdown than in March 2020.)

SACN statement on nutrition and older adults living in the community Public Health England; 20th January 2021

(This position statement by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) provides an overview of the currently available evidence on nutrition in older adults and its impact on healthy ageing. It considers evidence relating to adults aged 65 years and over living in the community.)

Memory aids in parks and gardens for people with dementia.
Carried out by Frankie Marcelline from Brighton and Sussex on 8/1/2021
https://www.knowledgeshare.nhs.uk/index.php?PageID=literature_search_request_download&RequestID=26876
(This search report contains evidence on the use of memory aids of garden flora in the outdoor setting. Results include a study on Enrico Sassi’s conception of a garden where patients can wander around safely and has memory aids in the shape of vertical structures with fragrant plants and herbs for patients to freely touch, smell and taste. Results include reviews on the effectiveness and more general benefits of gardens as memory aids for those with neurodegenerative conditions.)

National Diabetes Audit – Care Processes and Treatment Targets, Quarterly Data Release, January to September 2020.
NHS Digital; 2021.

(This is the quarterly release of data from the National Diabetes Audit (NDA). It is the mid-year data release for the second extraction of NDA 2020-21 data. It shows progress to date covering the period 1 January to 30 September 2020. It shows partial year progress against care processes and treatment targets. It also provides the latest position on structured education. It therefore can be used as an operational planning tool to assess progress to date.)

Multidisciplinary care of diabetes.
Carried out by Kevin Burgoyne from Brighton and Sussex on 9/1/2021
https://www.knowledgeshare.nhs.uk/index.php?PageID=literature_search_request_download&RequestID=26607
(Some qualitative and mixed methods research is available on this question, including 3 systematic reviews looking at various aspects related to the question. Case studies from UK networks looking at aspects of wider integrated care have also been found and included in case they can be useful. Foot care seems to be a big driver in diabetes care in the UK at the moment, and there are more publications focused on multidisciplinary care around this which can be retrieved if necessary.)

Effects of Pfizer mRNA vaccine on female fertility.
Carried out by Frankie Marcelline from Brighton and Sussex on 11/1/2021
https://www.knowledgeshare.nhs.uk/index.php?PageID=literature_search_request_download&RequestID=26845
(It is early days and currently there is no evidence to suggest fertility is affected by the Pfizer vaccine (or any other COVID-19 vaccine). There is guidance and advice on being vaccinated while pregnant, but nothing on long/short term female fertility.)

Daily contact testing in schools: statement from PHE and NHS TT about next steps.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Position statement regarding daily contact testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) in schools from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace.)

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK Household Longitudinal Study.
Robertson E. medRxiv 2020;:doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.27.20248899.
(Herd immunity may be achievable through vaccination in the UK but a focus on specific ethnic minority and socioeconomic groups is needed to ensure an equitable vaccination programme. This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.)

Learning from the first wave of COVID-19.
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System; 2020.

(A new research-led report details how health and care partners across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw were able to continue delivering non-essential patient care and services during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic through digital innovation, reconfiguring services and enhanced partnership collaboration.)

Please contact Academic.Library@lscft.nhs.uk if you are struggling to access any research articles.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Hepatitis C in England and the UK.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

[Latest PHE hepatitis C virus (HCV) reports and supporting documents, for England and the UK. 14 December 2020: Added Hepatitis C in the UK: 2020 report and accompanying slide set and infographic.]

Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2020.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2020.

[This publication reports on trends in drug use across England and Wales for the year ending March 2020. This publication is largely unaffected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as it mainly relates to the period prior to the lockdown. Overall drug use continued to remain stable, with around 1 in 11 adults aged 16 to 59 years having taken a drug in the past year.]

Whole systems approach to obesity.
Public Health England (PHE); 2020.

[A guide and set of resources to support local authorities with implementing a whole systems approach to address obesity and promote a healthy weight.
14 December 2020: Added ‘Opportunities to strengthen place-based systems approaches’ report and annexes.]


Coronavirus and the social impacts on Great Britain: 11 December 2020.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2020.

[One in five adults in Great Britain experienced some form of depression in November. This is similar to levels reported earlier in the year, but double that reported before the pandemic. Since late October, more adults say they believe life will return to normal within six months. However, a lower proportion of adults experiencing some form of anxiety and/or depression felt this was the case.]

The government’s approach to test and trace in England – interim report.
National Audit Office (NAO); 2020.

[This interim report provides an overview of test and trace services for addressing COVID-19 in England, including how the government’s approach has developed, and how it managed performance and capacity in the period from May to October 2020.]

A ‘new normal’? How people spent their time after the March 2020 coronavirus lockdown.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2020.

[During the first national coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, many people in Great Britain were forced to make changes to their lifestyles. But it appears that some of those changes may not have lasted long. On the whole, people returned to pre-lockdown behaviour in September to October 2020.]


Sexual and Reproductive Health Services, England (Contraception) 2019/20.
NHS Digital; 2020.

[This publication primarily covers contraceptive activity taking place at dedicated Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services in England, as recorded in the Sexual and Reproductive Health Activity Dataset (SRHAD), a mandated collection for all providers of NHS SRH services. People attend SRH services for a variety of reasons, but the main focus of this report is contraception.]

National Diabetes Audit – Report 1 Care Processes and Treatment Targets 2018-19, Full Report.
NHS Digital; 2020.

[This report details the findings and recommendations relating to diabetes care process completion, treatment target achievement and structured education for the 2018-19 audit.]


Statistics on Smoking, England 2020.
NHS Digital; 2020.

[This report presents newly published information on smoking including:
Smoking-related hospital admissions from NHS Digital’s Hospital Episode Statistics (HES).Smoking-related deaths from Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality statistics. Prescription items used to help people stop smoking from prescribing data held by NHS Prescription Services. Affordability of tobacco and expenditure on tobacco using ONS economic data.]