Public Health

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2022.
[This guideline covers the management of COVID-19 for children, young people and adults in all care settings. In February 2022, NICE added recommendations on molnupiravir and remdesivir for people with COVID-19 who do not need supplemental oxygen.]

A systematic scoping review of research on COVID-19 impacts on eating disorders: A critical appraisal of the evidence and recommendations for the field.[Abstract]
Linardon J. International Journal of Eating Disorders 2022;55(1):3-38.
[Symptom escalation and mental health worsening during-and due to-the pandemic were commonly reported, and those most susceptible included confirmed eating disorder cases, at-risk populations, and individuals highly anxious or fearful of COVID-19. Evidence emerged for increased demand for specialist eating disorder services during the pandemic. The forced transition to online treatment was challenging for many, yet telehealth alternatives seemed feasible and effective.]

Growing problems: What has been the impact of Covid-19 on health care for children and young people in England?
Quality Watch; 2022.
[This analysis from QualityWatch (a Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation programme) shows that the pandemic has led to an unprecedented increase in demand for mental health services for children and young people. Despite children and young people being 10 times less likely to be hospitalised with Covid, the period has had a heavy toll on them. The briefing explains the findings and discusses the potential implications for the younger generation.]

Beyond recovery: the case for transforming UK clinical cancer research.
Cancer Research UK (CRUK); 2022.
[This position paper finds that Covid-19 has worsened pre-existing barriers to clinical cancer research, and recovering to a pre-pandemic ‘normal’ for research won’t be enough to deliver world-class cancer outcomes. Instead, the UK government must choose to go beyond recovery by expanding clinical research capacity, transforming how research is delivered, and supporting innovative cancer research.]

Living with Covid-19.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
[This page provides an overview of the Government’s strategy on Living with Covid-19 and a summary of the relevant policy changes.]

Social care reform: an independent review by Baroness Cavendish.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2022.
[A report looking at how the government can lock in the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic to build a more robust, sustainable and joined-up system of social care.]

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in England.
National Audit Office (NAO); 2022.
[According to this report, the Covid-19 vaccination programme met stretching and unprecedented targets, helping to save lives and reduce serious illness and hospitalisation. However, it concludes that there are risks to be managed as the programme continues to evolve in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and to new clinical advice and evidence about vaccines. The report concludes that the programme has provided value for money to date.]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination uptake in school pupils, England: up to 9 January 2022.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2022.
[Figures on vaccine uptake in school pupils aged 12 to 17 attending state funded schools, broken down by demographic and geographic characteristics, using a linked schools and vaccinations dataset, up to 9 January 2022 (experimental statistics).]

The response of the scientific community to a global crisis: a systematic review of COVID-19 research in 2020.
Srivastava PR. British Journal of Healthcare Management 2022;28(2):1-7.
[This article provides a bibliometric analysis of the direction of research relating to COVID-19 during the first year after the virus was first identified as a potential threat to public health.]

Current awareness updates

A retrospective investigation of the prodromal stages of eating disorders and use of health services in young patients the year prior to the diagnosis. [Abstract]
Gómez Del Barrio A. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 2022;16(2):162-167.
[CONCLUSIONS: The majority of reasons for consultation were related to symptoms that could be prodromal symptoms, but the patients were not diagnosed with an eating disorder. These findings highlight the importance of professionals understanding how to identify the warning signs of an eating disorder, so they can refer patients to a specialized unit to establish an early treatment.]

State of the nation 2021: children and young people’s wellbeing.
Department for Education (DfE); 2022.
[This report collates and presents new analysis of published evidence on the wellbeing of children and young people over the period of August 2020 to July 2021, including a wider set of indicators on their: mental and physical health; education and skills; relationships; activities and time use; views on the self, society, and future; an analysis of Covid-19 and the psychological health of young adults; and an analysis of individual predictors of school attendance in 2020 to 2021.]

Subnational indicators explorer.
Office for National Statistics (ONS); 2022.
[A core set of indicators which align with some of the metrics selected to measure the progress of levelling-up, where data is available. Indicators are grouped in three broad categories: boosting living standards, spreading opportunity and improving public services, and restoring local pride. Measures include healthy life expectancy, smokers, overweight, anxiety, happiness, internet capability. Searchable by UK local authority.]

Library Bulletin

Public Health

The current bulletin for Public Health, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view and download here.

For support accessing any of the articles within the bulletin please contact: academic.library@lancashirecarelibraryblog

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.]

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

How many care home staff in England have received two Covid-19 vaccine doses? Nuffield Trust chart.
Nuffield Trust; 2021.
[After the deadline passed, care home staff in England now need to have received two Covid-19 jabs to carry on working. Nina Hemmings looks at how many had been vaccinated twice only a few weeks before the deadline.]

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes in a cohort of early psychosis patients.[Abstract]
Szmulewicz AG. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 2021;15(6):1799-1802.
[AIM: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical outcomes, we used data from Electronic Health Records from 128 patients receiving care at a First Episode Psychosis clinic. CONCLUSIONS: We report that patients have avoided accessing higher levels of care, except in extreme cases. We argue that this is not a sustainable trajectory and that public health actions are required.]

Provider collaboration review: Mental health care of children and young people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2021.
[Review of care in 7 areas of England in June and July 2021 found COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the mental health of children and young people, and has led to an increased demand on services, particularly eating disorder services.]

Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis.
BMJ; 2021.
[This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence covid-19. Public health efforts to implement public health measures should consider community health and sociocultural needs.]

COVID-19 Young people and vaccines Toolkit.
Cabinet Office; 2021.
[An updated vaccines toolkit for younger people has been launched by the Cabinet Office. The toolkit includes links to assets and videos designed to encourage vaccine uptake among young people aged 18 to 29.]