Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Source: KnowledgeShare

We’ve only just begun: Action to improve young people’s mental health, education and employment.
Resolution Foundation; 2024.

(This report is the culmination of a three-year research programme exploring the relationship between the mental health and work outcomes of young people. The research was funded by the Health Foundation and is part of their broader Young people’s future health inquiry. It finds that more than 1 in 3 (34%) of young people aged 18–24 reported symptoms that indicated they were experiencing a common mental health disorder like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.)

Cold at home: How winter cost of living pressures continue to impact older people and what more needs to happen to support them.
Age UK; 2024.

(This report highlights concerns about the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on older people who are not receiving support from the benefits system. Many of these people are likely to be eligible for support but will still be missing out for a variety of reasons. Government figures show that an estimated 800,000 pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit but are missing out on this much-needed support.)

Reducing the harm from illegal drugs.
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts; 2024.

(In response to Dame Carol Black’s review in December 2021, the From Harm to Hope strategy was launched. Two years on from when this strategy’s implementation began, overall progress has been mixed. This report outlines progress made and gives recommendations on next steps for the cross-departmental Joint Combating Drugs Unit in implementing this strategy.)

What patients want: a vision for the NHS in 2030.
Healthwatch England; 2024.

(Using experiences of care from more than 10 million people collected over the past 10 years, Healthwatch sets out where they think the NHS should be in six years and how it can get there.)

Smoking profile: March 2024 update.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2024.

(An overview of the extent of smoking, smoking-related harm and the measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level in England.)

Health hubs: A community-centred prevention initiative to address health inequalities.
NHS Providers; 2024.

(Prevention is a crucial part of the NHS’s approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities. One community-centred prevention initiative to address health inequalities is the creation of health hubs. This long read explores what health hubs are, how they can improve access for groups facing health inequalities, their broader social and economic benefits, and the role of trust leaders in their development.)

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Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) for monkeypox outbreaks: Interim guidance, 24 June 2022.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2022.
(This Interim Guidance outlines recommendations, considerations and methods to raise awareness, manage risk perception, maintain trust and proactively support people at risk to make informed decisions to protect themselves and others from monkeypox.)

Addressing local inequalities through employment.
NHS Employers; 2022.
(A series of case studies showcasing how NHS and non-NHS partners are coming together to support people into work.)

Flooding and public mental health: assessment and management UK Health Security Agency (This guidance on flooding and health aims to provide information for public health authorities, emergency services and health professionals on the measures needed to prevent major effects on health arising from floods in England.)

New resources for safeguarding and empowering young people with SEND when online Learning disability today (A UK-based charity has created new resources to safeguard and empower young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) when they are online. Childnet’s new project, Thrive Online, is designed to help educators, parents and carers to support young people aged 11 and over to use the internet in a safe and meaningful way. The free resources cover important topics such as digital wellbeing, healthy online relationships and online pornography.)

Cracking Good Food; Promoting Healthy Eating

(Cracking Good Food have created a support booklet that includes a weekly
guide to family meals that are low fuel and nutritious. Their in-house nutritionist has researched current food prices at ALDI and Tesco to compile a guide to create a nutritionally balanced meal plan costing between £45-£60 each week to feed a family of 4.)

National Health Executive News

Volunteer initiative launched to combat NHS workforce shortage

A volunteering organisation has launched a new initiative which will help five NHS trusts in England. It will encourage the trusts’ volunteers to think about a long-term career in the NHS. The ‘Volunteer to Career’ programme is thought to tackle the workforce shortages in the NHS.

Read more about the initiative here.

Carnegie UK Trust

Race inequality in the workforce: exploring connections between work, ethnicity and mental health

This report, a joint initiative with Operation Black Vote and UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, presents new data from Next Steps, a longitudinal study of the ‘millennial generation’ in England. The work reveals persistent issues around the relationships between employment, ethnicity and mental health and underlines that there are enduring inequalities in the workplace between ethnic groups. The report presents recommendations for actions – for government, for mental health services and for employers.

Read the report here