Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

#HealthNow Literature review update: how has patient experience changed for people who are homeless?
Groundswell; 2022.
(People experiencing homelessness face significant health inequalities. They encounter barriers to accessing the health care they need and often have poor experiences of engaging with health care services. This report examines research published since the Groundswell 2020 #HealthNow literature review and outlines the findings from its five #HealthNow research reports.)

Health disparities and health inequalities: applying All Our Health.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Evidence and information for health and care professionals and the wider workforce on health disparities and health inequalities, and how they can be addressed. This resource will help frontline professionals and organisations use their trusted relationships with individuals, families and communities to address the impact of health disparities and health inequalities on groups or populations. We also recommend important actions that managers and staff holding strategic roles can take.)

National Audit of Dementia: Memory Assessment Services Spotlight Audit 2021.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP); 2022.
(The National Audit of Dementia (NAD) is a clinical audit programme commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership on behalf of NHS England and the Welsh Government. In 2019 we undertook an audit of community-based memory assessment services in England and Wales.)

World Mental Health Day: rising cost of living and mental health.
House of Commons Library; 2022.
(Our mental health can change depending on our financial situation and it’s thought this relationship works in both directions: suffering financial losses or living in poverty can worsen mental health; people with mental health conditions may end up in poverty or suffer financial loss because of their illness, for example, if they are not able to work. Financial difficulties and problem debt are also associated with suicidal thoughts and dying by suicide.)

Valuing health: why prioritising population health is essential to prosperity.
British Medical Association (BMA); 2022.
(This report calls on the government to consider the health of the population as crucial to sustainable economic growth, rather than being dependent on a prosperous economy. Raising alarm about rapidly declining population health and widening health inequalities, the report identifies that the nation is facing a ‘ticking time-bomb’ of ill health with current government policies insufficient to meet the scale of the challenge.)

Bereavement is everyone’s business.
The UK Commission on Bereavement; 2022.
(This report shows how bereavement impacts us all. From dealing with complicated administration, to coping with financial and housing insecurity, it explores the challenges of returning to work or school after a bereavement and highlights the challenges being bereaved throws up in every area of life.)


Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Preventing and controlling outbreaks of COVID-19 in prisons and places of detention.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[Information for prisons and other prescribed places of detention on coronavirus (COVID-19).]

COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.
[In September 2021, NICE added new recommendations on non-invasive respiratory support and doxycycline, and updated existing recommendations on heparins.]

COVID-19 shared learning from NHS trusts.
NHS Employers; 2021.
[Despite the relentless pressures of COVID-19 on NHS trusts, we have seen innovation, transformational change, and real improvements to enhance the experience of staff across the service. This page presents seven examples of good practice from trusts that have adapted and innovated during the pandemic.]

Debate: Is there a true global children and young people’s mental health crisis, fact or fiction?[Abstract]
Ford T. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(3):272-273.
[Following COVID-19, there has been increasing concern about the well-being of children and young people across the United Kingdom; however, our major problem is the lack of robust data. We discuss emerging research capturing the impact of restrictions and experiences of COVID-19 on children and young people.]

Debate: The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.[Abstract]
Melhem NM. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(3):274-275.
[The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in children are still not fully known. However, COVID-19 and the mitigation strategies to limit its transmission have affected children and adolescents through increased parental morbidity and mortality, increased poverty and financial strain, social isolation, and lost connectedness to school, peers, and afterschool activities.

Experiences of maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the North of England.
Stacey T. British Journal of Midwifery 2021;29(9):516–523.
[During 2020, UK maternity services made changes to service delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore service users’ and their partners’ experiences of maternity services in the North of England during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents (n=606) completed a co-produced survey during August 2020. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.]