Health Management and Policy Alert

National survey of malnutrition and nutritional care in adults

British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition -
The purpose of this survey was to gain an understanding of the prevalence of malnutrition according to the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (‘MUST’), and the use of nutritional care across England, in all settings. The survey recorded a high prevalence of malnutrition (42 per cent), higher than previous national surveys.

• Report
• British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition - news

Covid-19: guidance for those leading a nomadic way of life

Public Health England -
This guidance covers what to do if someone develops symptoms of Covid-19 when living on a traveller site, in a vehicle or on a canal boat.

• Guidance
• Public Health England - publications

Covid-19: assessing the risk to public protection posed by a doctor as a result of concerns about their practice during the pandemic

General Medical Council -
This guidance details how to take the context created by Covid-19 into account when considering complaints about doctors. It means that, in line with the General Medical Council's normal practice, concerns about doctors will be considered in the context of the pandemic and, in certain circumstances and where there are no risks to patients or to public confidence, some issues might not put into question a doctor’s fitness to practice.

• Guidance
• General Medical Council - news

What influences improvement processes in healthcare? A rapid evidence review

RAND Europe - 

Although many healthcare organisations are engaging in activities to improve the quality of healthcare, there are still considerable challenges in doing so. RAND Europe was commissioned by The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute at the University of Cambridge to conduct a rapid review of literature exploring the influences on improvement processes in healthcare. The study identified a number of themes and issues relevant to future research in this space, including the key influences affecting the implementation of improvement processes in healthcare.

• Review
• More detail

Towards resilience: redesigning our systems for a better future

New Local Government Network - 

From both a public health and an economic perspective, Britain performed poorly during the Covid-19 crisis in comparison to similar countries. When put to the test, many of Britain's core systems were revealed to be incapable of withstanding extra stress and demand. In partnership with Local Trust, this paper intends to start a conversation about the country can move towards resilience for a more prepared and better future. It identifies five pillars that need to form the centre piece of any approach: economic resilience, public sector resilience, community resilience, environmental resilience and workforce resilience.

• Paper
• More detail

Next steps for funding mental healthcare in England: prevention

Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) - 

The RCPsych has identified four areas that must be fully and sustainably resourced if access to quality of mental health services in England that have been promised by government is to be realised. These are: infrastructure; prevention; people; and technology. This paper focuses on prevention and considers the next steps for funding mental healthcare in England, with a specific focus on public health and prevention, promoting resilience in social care and budgeting for workforce growth, education and training.

• Report
• More detail

Making history: health visiting during Covid-19

Institute of Health Visiting - 

This collection of case studies presents a window into the working lives of health visitors and families navigating the ups and downs of the Covid-19 pandemic. The case studies, family stories and creative pieces contained capture the pace and scale of change as health visiting services adapted to working during “lockdown”.

• Case studies
• More details

 

National Data Strategy

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport - 

The aim of the National Data Strategy (NDS) is to drive the collective vision that will support the UK to build a world-leading data economy while ensuring public trust in data use. It will help ensure that people, businesses and organisations trust the data ecosystem, are sufficiently skilled to operate effectively within it, and can get access to data when they need it.

• Strategy
• Press release

Women’s lives, women’s rights: strengthening access to contraception beyond the pandemic

All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sexual and Reproductive Health (APPG SRH) - 

The APPG SRH opened this inquiry in 2019, in response to reports of women being unable to access contraception in a way that meets their needs. Evidence submissions were reopened in May 2020 in order to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women's access to contraception. The report finds that women in England are facing difficulty in accessing contraception, with many being bounced from service to service, which can result in more unplanned pregnancies and increased demand for maternity and abortion care. The APPG SRH states that the national reorganisation of public health is an opportunity to tackle funding and commissioning challenges in sexual and reproductive healthcare.

• Report
• More detail

‘It’s everywhere’: alcohol’s public face and private harm

Commission on Alcohol Harm - 

This Commission was set up by alcohol health experts and Parliamentarians to examine the full extent of alcohol harm across the UK. In this, their final report, the Commission outlines recommendations for reducing harm and calls for a national strategy for alcohol.

• Report
• More detail