Tag: primary care

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Alcohol is one of the biggest risk factors for breast cancer.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
[Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen by IARC. It is causally linked to 7 types of cancer. Besides female breast cancer, it increases the risk of developing oral cavity (mouth), pharynx (throat), oesophagus (gullet), liver, larynx (voice box) and colorectum (large intestine and rectum) cancers. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The risk of breast cancer increases with each unit of alcohol consumed per day.]

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.
[This guideline covers diagnosing and managing myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in children, young people and adults. It aims to improve awareness and understanding about ME/CFS and when to suspect it, so that people are diagnosed earlier. It includes recommendations on diagnosis, assessment and care planning, safeguarding, access to care and managing ME/CFS and its symptoms.]

Eligible for a free flu vaccine this winter? Don’t wait, book it.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2021.
[With flu and COVID-19 expected to be in wide circulation together this winter, UK Health Security Agency is urging more people than ever to get their free flu vaccine, if they are eligible. In this blog the UK Health Security Agency answers some common questions about this year’s flu season.]

The use of wearables and health apps and the willingness to share self-collected data among older adults.
Seifert A. Aging and Health Research 2021;1(3):100032.
[The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which older adults utilize mobile health tracking tools in everyday life and their willingness to share the collected health-related data with doctors, health insurance companies, or research institutions. 75.0% of the participants used at least one mobile device; 22.9% used health-related apps. Participants were more often willing to share their data with doctors than with health insurance companies or researchers.]

Changes in childhood experimentation with, and exposure to, tobacco and e-cigarettes and perceived smoking norms: a repeated cross-sectional study of 10–11 year olds’ in Wales.
BMC Public Health; 2021.
[Children’s experimentation with and exposure to tobacco, and their perceptions of smoking as a normative behaviour, have continued to decline alongside growth in exposure to e-cigarettes. Although a large majority of pupils reported they minded people smoking around them, there was some evidence of diminishing disapproval of secondhand smoke since 2007.]

Understanding Sexual Aggression in UK Male University Students: An Empirical Assessment of Prevalence and Psychological Risk Factors.
Sexual Abuse; 2021.
[University-based sexual aggression is an international public health issue; however, to date, there have been no formal assessments of the prevalence or psychological indicators associated with the proabuse behaviors of the most common perpetrators at UK universities: heterosexual male students.]

Patients as team members: Factors affecting involvement in treatment decisions from the perspective of patients with a chronic condition.
Health Expectations; 2021.
[From the patients’ perspective, this study shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to involving patients more actively in their healthcare journey. Strategies aiming to enhance active patient involvement among patients with a chronic condition should consider this diversity in perspectives among these patients.]

Lead exposure in children: surveillance reports (from 2021).
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2021.
[Results of laboratory-based surveillance of elevated blood lead concentrations in children in England.]

Seasonal flu vaccine uptake in children of school age: monthly data, 2021 to 2022.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); 2021.
[Cumulative vaccine uptake data for the childhood seasonal flu programme in England.]

Review: Physical activity interventions for the mental health and well-being of adolescents – a systematic review. [Abstract]
Hale GE. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(4):357-368.
[Rates of physical activity decline throughout adolescence, and evidence indicates that this has an adverse impact on psychological health. This paper aims to synthesise available evidence for physical activity interventions on the mental health and well-being of young people (11-19 years) from the general population.]

Telehealth interventions: remote monitoring and consultations for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). [Abstract]
Janjua S. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021;7:CD013196.
[BACKGROUND: Face-to-face visits with health professionals can be hindered by severity of COPD or frailty, and by people living at a distance from their healthcare provider and having limited access to services. Telehealth technologies aimed at providing health care remotely through monitoring and consultations could help to improve health outcomes of people with COPD.]

Strategies to improve smoking cessation rates in primary care. [Abstract]
Lindson N. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2021;9:CD011556.
[OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of strategies intended to increase the success of smoking cessation interventions in primary care settings. To assess whether any effect that these interventions have on smoking cessation may be due to increased implementation by healthcare providers.]

Living with dementia: my life, my goals.
Alzheimer’s Society; 2021.
[A new self-help guide for people living with dementia. The guide helps people with dementia achieve their goals step-by step. It was created by researchers from the GREAT trial in collaboration with people living with dementia.]

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Contingency framework: education and childcare settings.
Department for Education (DfE); 2021.
[The updated framework describes the principles of managing local outbreaks of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (including responding to variants of concern) in education and childcare settings, covering: the types of measures that settings should be prepared for; who can recommend these measures and where; when measures should be lifted; how decisions are made.]

Use of telecritical care for family visitation to ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interview study and sentiment analysis.[Abstract]
Sasangohar F. BMJ Quality & Safety 2021;30(9):715-721.
[Conclusions: Use of virtual intensive care unit (vICU) for remote family visitations evoked happiness, joy, gratitude and relief and a sense of closure for those who lost loved ones. Identified areas for concern and improvement should be addressed in future implementations of telecritical care for this purpose.]

Impact of COVID-19 on migrants’ access to primary care and implications for vaccine roll-out: a national qualitative study.
British journal of general practice; 2021.
[COVID-19 has led to big changes in UK primary care, including rapid digitalisation, with unknown impact on migrant groups. The aim of this study is to understand the pandemic’s impact on recently-arrived migrants and their access to primary health care, and implications for vaccine roll-out.]

A rapid needs assessment of excluded people in England during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Doctors of the World UK; 2020.
[The aim of this rapid needs assessment was to identify and describe the needs of routinely excluded groups, arising from the COVID-19 pandemic in England, to raise awareness, inform advocacy and form recommendations for action. Groups included refugees, migrants, people affected by modern slavery, homeless, Roma and traveller communities, sex workers and people recently released form prison.]

Volunteering and wellbeing during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Wales Centre for Public Policy; 2021.
[Volunteering has played a crucial role in supporting communities during the pandemic. Interest in volunteering saw a dramatic spike early in the pandemic, and volunteers have helped meet people’s emotional and physical needs during the crisis. To inform this recovery planning, WCPP conducted 2 studies on the contribution of volunteering to individual and community wellbeing during the pandemic: a synthesis of 50 practice-based case studies using a synthesis method and a rapid evidence review.]

Public Health

Current awareness updates

Increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates amongst vulnerable groups: summary advice for GPs.
Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP); 2021.
[GPs will be aware of the disparity in uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine between different population groups; often, the groups most at risk from infection and serious illness are those least represented at vaccination centres. We continue to collect examples, case studies or evidence on what works in addressing this issue.]

Vaccination of people working or deployed in care homes: operational guidance.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[From 11 November 2021, anyone working or volunteering in a care home will need to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19), unless exempt.]

JCVI statement, August 2021: COVID-19 vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 17 years.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[This statement sets out JCVI’s latest considerations and advice regarding the potential extension of the COVID-19 vaccination programme to children and young people.]

JCVI issues updated advice on COVID-19 vaccination of young people aged 16 to 17.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is today advising that all 16 and 17 year olds receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.]

COVID-19 vaccination: resources for children and young people.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Information for eligible children and young people on COVID-19 vaccination.]

PHE women’s reproductive health programme 2020 to 2021.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Progress update on the PHE reproductive health programme, including a new return on investment tool and the next steps for 2021 to 2022. ‘Extending PHE’s contraception return on investment tool: maternity and primary care settings’ outlines a new return on investment (ROI) model for contraception in maternity and the provision of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) in primary care, building on the existing contraception ROI tool published in 2018.]

BHIVA guidance for virtual consultations for people with HIV: May 2021.
British HIV Association (BHIVA); 2021.
[This guidance was released in May 2021 in response to the increased proportion of consultations carried out remotely due to COVID-19. The guidance highlights issues important for safe and effective consultation, including awareness of the limitations of remote consultation.]

Expanding access to naloxone.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.
[Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can help to prevent overdose deaths. We are seeking responses to this consultation to assess the viability of proposals to widen access to naloxone by expanding the list of services and individuals that can give it out without a prescription or other written instruction.]

Quality indicators in lung cancer: a review and analysis. [Abstract]
Chiew KL. BMJ Open Quality 2021;10(3):DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2020-001268.
[Conclusions: We found a large number of published QIs in lung cancer but they focused on relatively few areas not reflective of patterns of contemporary practice. We identified gaps in lung cancer QIs especially for systemic therapies, radiotherapy, palliative care and patient-reported outcomes. In order to comprehensively assess the care of patients with lung cancer, future efforts should focus on developing readily measurable QIs in these areas…]

Now or never: A systemic investment review of mental health care in England.
Centre for Mental Health; 2021.
[This report, commissioned by the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, sets out ten key areas where strategic investment could solve systemic issues in the mental health system, with significant benefits to the lives of people with mental health difficulties and their experiences of support.]

The role of epigenetics in psychological resilience. [Abstract]
Smeeth D. The Lancet Psychiatry 2021;8(7):620-629.
[In this Review, we propose a new conceptual model for the different functions of epigenetic mechanisms in psychological resilience. After reviewing empirical evidence for the various components of the model, we identify research that should be prioritised and discuss practical implications of the proposed model for epigenetic research on resilience.]

Effect of telehealth interventions on quality of life in cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Li J. International Journal of Nursing Studies 2021;122:103970 .
[Telehealth interventions are effective and alternative methods for improving quality of life among cancer survivors. The most effective approach was application-based intervention, the most common approach was website-based intervention, and in terms of intervention durations, the short-term telehealth intervention was the most effective. Most telehealth interventions included breast cancer survivors.]

Library Bulletin

Mental Illness and Primary Care

The mental illness and primary care current awareness bulletin, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view and download.

Mental-health-and-Primary-Care-Bulletin-March-2021Download

For support accessing any of the articles within the bulletin please contact academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

Evidence updates

Recommendations for continued care and support of people who are clinically extremely vulnerable
Royal College of Physicians (RCP); 2020.
(Statement from the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, National Voices and specialist societies highlighting the challenges faced by both doctors and patients in identifying and reducing the risks associated with COVID-19 for the most clinically vulnerable people.)

Expanding the primary care workforce in 2020/21 .
NHS England & NHS Improvement; 2020.
(Actions for CCGs, PCNs and STPs resulting from People Plan and Third phase of NHS response to covid-19.)

Reintroduction of NHS continuing healthcare.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2020.
(Sets out how clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will restart NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) assessment processes from 1 September 2020.Published 21 August 2020.)

Virtual training for midwives during a pandemic.
Abramson P. British Journal of Midwifery 2020;28(8):502–503.
(When a baby dies, it is a tragedy at any time but during the COVID-19 pandemic, bereaved families and the professionals supporting them have been faced with additional and often distressing challenges. Restrictions have made access to hospitals difficult for partners and other family members, while support services that would normally be provided for bereaved parents have been unavailable or severely limited.)

Ketamine as a mental health treatment: Are acute psychoactive effects associated with outcomes? A systematic review.
Grabski M. Behavioural Brain Research 2020;392:112629.
(The databases Medline, Embase and PsycInfo were searched. The studies reviewed displayed great variability in methodology and quality of reporting. The most commonly assessed effect was dissociation, measured by the CADSS. Our results suggest that the CADSS total is not consistently associated with antidepressant outcomes. Apart from this, the current literature is too limited to draw definite conclusions on an association between acute psychoactive effects and mental health outcomes.)


GPs and Nurses new to practice programme

Operational guidance 2020/2021

This guidance supports Integrated Care Systems and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, Primary Care Networks, training hubs and other local partners to understand and continue delivery of the General Practice Fellowship programme, supporting newly-qualified GPs and nurses working in primary care.

Mental Health

Mental health and primary care networks: understanding the opportunities

The establishment of primary care networks (PCNs) is one of the most important reforms to primary care in England in recent years. This report, published jointly by The King’s Fund and the Centre for Mental Health, explores the opportunities the emergence of these new networks creates for improving the support and treatment provided to people with mental health needs in primary care, and describes why such improvement is badly needed. 

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

How to enhance the integration of primary care and public health? Approaches, facilitating factors and policy option

This policy brief explores how primary care and public health can be brought together to improve the health of patients and populations. It describes the types of initiatives that have been undertaken; provides examples of such initiatives in Europe and beyond; and summarises the factors that can help to enhance or hinder the integration of primary care and public health.

Filling the chasm: Reimagining primary mental health care

Centre for Mental Health, December 2018
Report from the Centre for Mental Health exploring a number of local initiatives which are bridging the gap between primary care and secondary care services, supporting people who fall into this ‘grey area’ due to having more complex needs, not meeting secondary care thresholds, or presenting with multiple or medically unexplained symptoms.  It looks at

  • Identifying the opportunities for prevention and promotion of mental health
  • Maximising social interventions for mental health
  • Culture change – embracing the holistic approach
  • Empowering the person – moving ‘from patient to person’
  • Bridging the gap between primary and secondary care

Click here to view the full report.