Tag: Samaritans

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

How to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Advice for everyone to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).)

Shooting Up: infections among people who inject drugs in the UK.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(This Public Health England report describes the extent of infections among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the United Kingdom.
27 January 2021: Added December 2020 update report, data tables and links to the slide set and infographic.)

Young people’s mental and emotional health: Trajectories and drivers in childhood and adolescence.
Education Policy Institute; 2021.

(Based on data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this report reveals insights into the determinants of young people’s wellbeing, including how it is affected by their relationships, background, and use of social media. The research shows that while the wellbeing of all young people declines by the end of their teenage years, there is a strong gender divide within this: girls see far lower levels of wellbeing and self-esteem than boys – driven by a sharp fall of both during mid-adolescence.)

Engaging men earlier: a guide to service design.
Samaritans; 2021.

(This handbook aims to provide a set of principles upon which wellbeing initiatives for men should be based. It is aimed at anyone commissioning, designing, evaluating or delivering initiatives, services or activities aimed at improving the wellbeing of men.)

Child obesity: patterns and trends.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Slide sets presenting the latest data on child obesity in England and the 9 English regions. These slide sets present the latest data on child obesity from the National Child Measurement Programme. The national slide set also includes data from the Health Survey for England. Trends in child overweight and obesity are shown and patterns are examined by age, sex, ethnic group, and area deprivation.)

Public Health Outcomes Framework: February 2021 data update.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(The Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) examines indicators that help health and care professionals and the public to understand trends in public health. The data are presented in an interactive tool that allows users to view them in a user-friendly format. The data tool also provides links to further supporting information.)

Caring for and supporting volunteers

How can leaders support the wellbeing of volunteers?

Source: The King’s Fund

In this latest article from our Leading through Covid-19 series, Samaritans branch director Helen Goldsmith outlines how the charity has prioritised the immediate and long-term wellbeing of volunteers during the pandemic.

To read the article click here.

Mental Health

Current Awareness

Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions QCQ – October 2020

(This report contains an update on work carried out in 2018 looking at the quality of mental health services for children and young people, as well as the access to these services. It sets out the findings of a 2019 independent follow-up self-assessment questionnaire, to find out the extent to which health and wellbeing board areas in England had progressed with implementing the local recommendations made.)

NHS strengthens mental health support for staff NHS England -October 2020

(NHS staff will get rapid access to expanded mental health services that are being rolled out across the country as part of efforts to deal with the second wave of coronavirus. NHS England and NHS Improvement will invest an extra £15 million to strengthen mental health support for nurses, paramedics, therapists, pharmacists, and support staff.)

NHS encourages children and young people to seek help as new data shows rise in mental health problems NHS England – October 2020

(England’s top children and young people’s mental health doctor is encouraging youngsters to seek help if they need it, as NHS Digital’s new survey shows there has been a rise in mental health problems in children and young people during the pandemic.)

The impact of Covid-19 to date on older people’s mental and physical health Age UK- October 2020

(This research finds that some older people are coping with the pandemic, but a sizeable minority are finding life incredibly tough. Those who are not very well and have long term health conditions were particularly likely to report that this is an extremely challenging time for them.The research was made up of a survey of older people, their friends, families, and loved ones (promoted across the Age UK social media channels for two weeks in August 2020 and completed by 569 people) and representative online polling of 1,364 people over the age of 60, conducted by Kantar Polling in September 2020.)

Pushed from pillar to post: improving the availability and quality of support after self-harm in England.
Samaritans; 2020.

[This report finds that there is no consistently effective support available to people who self-harm. The research identified four key support needs for people who self-harm, which are seen as essential to providing effective care: distraction from immediate self-harm urges; emotional relief in times of stress; developing alternative coping strategies; and addressing the underlying reasons for self-harm.]

Commission for Equality in Mental Health: Briefing 3: Inequalities of experience and outcomes.
Centre for Mental Health; 2020.

[This third briefing from the Commission for Equality in Mental Health explores why communities with higher rates of mental ill health often get the least effective support. This is most dramatically evident for people from Black communities in the UK, who experience higher levels of coercion and poorer long-term outcomes. This briefing explores why these inequalities persist, and looks at what can be done to bring about more equal outcomes and experiences from mental health support.]

Mental health rehabilitation inpatient services – 2019 update.
Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.

[Based on the results of a request to providers to review progress, the CQC has made recommendations to improve care for people in mental health rehabilitation inpatient services, in line with the recent NICE guidance for the rehabilitation of adults with complex psychosis.]

Advancing mental health equalities strategy NHS England – September 2020

(This strategy summarises the core actions all mental health services need to take to better address inequalities in access, experience and outcomes across the sector. It is also an important element of the overall NHS plans to accelerate action to address health inequalities in the next stage of responding to Covid-19.)

Report from the Samaritans

Out of sight out of mind: Why less well-off, middle-aged men don’t get the support they need

An ongoing Samaritan’s research project seeks to build on what is already known about the reasons for the high rate of suicide among less well-off, middle-aged men, by exploring what can be done to drive change. This report brings together the findings of the first stage of this research, which included a review of the evidence relating to existing wellbeing support and suicide prevention services, and primarily ethnographic research with this at-risk group. It explores the lived experience of less well-off, middle-aged men and how community-based support services can be made more appealing and effective for them.

Read the report here