Source: The King’s Fund
What is the role of the NHS in tackling health inequalities? | The King’s Fund
Helen McKenna talks with Dr Bola Owolabi, Director of Health Inequalities at NHS England and NHS Improvement, about the NHS’s spheres of influence, the power of gathering around a common cause, and whether the experience of the pandemic will lead to a step change in tackling health inequalities.
Listen to the podcast here.
Source: The King’s Fund
What can the NHS do to meet the health needs of people sleeping rough? What was the inside story of the Everyone In initiative during Covid-19? And will the government end rough sleeping by 2024? Helen McKenna sits down with Dame Louise Casey, recent Chair of the Prime Minister’s Rough Sleeping Taskforce, Dr Caroline Shulman, a GP working in inclusion health, and Paul Atherton (FRSA), who shares his lived experience of homelessness.
To listen to the podcast click on the image below.
Source: Kings Fund
The NHS long-term plan has pledged to refer at least 900,000 people to social prescribing by 2023/24 to help improve people’s wellbeing; the fitter, healthier and more socially connected people are, the less likely it is they’ll need to access local GP or other health professionals. This research, based on a survey conducted with more than 2,000 people in England, shows that there’s also a strong appetite from the public for these services.
To read the long term plan click here.
A podcast by Marvin Rees, Major of Bristol, about big ideas in health and care. They talk with experts from The King’s Fund and beyond about the NHS, social care, and all things health policy and leadership.
To listen to the podcast, click the image above.
Remember, you can sign up to future episodes, released each month here.
Source – The King’s Fund
All health systems must find ways to ration limited resources. The question is whether they do so with their eyes closed or with their eyes open. In 2018/19, the English NHS spent almost £19 billion on drugs, almost 15 per cent of total public spending on health. Should the NHS increase drugs spending to pay for the latest drugs for hepatitis or cancer, drugs that might prolong life for some patients but cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds per course of treatment? Or should it spend the money in other areas, for example, ensuring that people can see a GP when they need one, ensuring that vulnerable people get basic treatment for long term-conditions or tackling health inequalities? How health systems make these decisions determines, in large part, their effectiveness. The choices determine the quality of people’s lives and, in some cases, who lives or dies.
To find out more and understand the process click here.
Following the release of the Kings Fund report on The courage of compassion last month, they are providing a free online event on 3 December in partnership with the RCN Foundation. Their panel will discuss how we can better support nurses and midwives to flourish at work and to provide compassionate care in a sustainable way.
To book your place click here.
Source: Kings Fund Health Management and Policy Alert
There is a growing body of research on the links between volunteering and wellbeing. This review (co-published with Spirit of 2012, and in partnership with the Institute of Volunteer Research) brings together the most relevant studies. It focuses on the experience of adult formal volunteers, and looks at the key factors involved in improving wellbeing through volunteering.
For more information click here.
Source – Kings Fund Health Management and Policy Alert
This report tells the story of restrictive practices from the perspective of people who have experienced it first-hand and looks at how long-term segregation was used. The review finds that the environment of mental health hospitals was often not therapeutic. It also finds that some people were admitted without proper assessment and did not have an assessment of their needs while in hospital, resulting in the lack of a clear care and treatment plan.
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.
This podcast includes talks with experts from The King’s Fund and beyond about the NHS, social care, and all things health policy and leadership.
For more podcasts or to subscribe visit the Kings Fund site.
