Health Management and Policy Alert

Understanding the impact of Brexit on health in the UK

Nuffield Trust -
This report maps out the health areas that will be affected by the exit from the European Union and discusses the dilemmas faced by the health sector in the face of legislative changes. It suggests that new barriers to migration, an unknown level of disruption to medicines and devices, a prolonged economic slowdown and barriers to investment in science could impact the health sector almost immediately.

• Report
• Nuffield Trust - press release

Perspectives from the front line: the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BME communities

NHS Confederation -
This report finds that the effects of long-standing health and socio-economic inequalities and institutional racism lie behind the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds. It distils the findings of a research study into the underlying factors. It is based on interviews with BME NHS leaders, clinicians, community organisations and service users, and a survey of over 100 members of the NHS Confederation’s BME Leadership Network.

• Report
• NHS Confederation - news

State of health visiting in England

Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) - 

The iHV's seventh annual survey (completed by 1012 health visitors from across the UK during October and November 2020) finds that health visitors are concerned that the needs of vulnerable babies and young children are invisible as they are only able to focus on what feels like the “tip of a very large iceberg” of unmet need, with almost two-thirds of health visitors reporting an increase in cases of child neglect. Four out of five health visitors report soaring increases in domestic violence and abuse, perinatal mental illness, and the negative impact of poverty on families.

• Report
• Press release

Science advice in a crisis

Institute for Government - 

This paper draws on interviews with key players including current and former officials, scientific advisers and SAGE members. It concludes ministers must improve the way they use and communicate science advice or risk repeating mistakes made during the coronavirus crisis. While ministers have faced extraordinarily difficult choices, the government’s response to the pandemic has too often been undermined by misunderstanding the role of science advice and using it inconsistently.

• Paper
• More detail

Covid-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of Covid-19

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - 

This guideline covers identifying, assessing and managing the long-term effects of Covid-19, often described as ‘long COVID’. It makes recommendations about care in all healthcare settings for adults, children and young people who have new or ongoing symptoms 4 weeks or more after the start of acute Covid-19. It also includes advice on organising services for long Covid.

• NICE guideline
• Press release

Specialised supported housing: guidance for local government and NHS commissioners

Local Government Association -
Supported housing is typically defined as a housing service where housing, support and/or care services are provided to help people to live as independently as possible. This is guidance for local government and NHS commissioners about a category of supported housing referred to as ‘Specialised Supported Housing’ (SSH), particularly lease-based models of SSH.

• Guidance

How charges for NHS hospital care will apply to overseas visitors from 1 January 2021

Department of Health and Social Care - 
This guidance sets out information for overseas visitors on charging for NHS hospital care from 1 January 2021.

• Guidance
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

Cancer services recovery plan

NHS England - 
One of the most significant impacts of the coronavirus pandemic was a sharp reduction in the number of people coming forward and being referred urgently with suspected cancer and referred from screening programmes. This plan has several aims, including restoring demand at least to pre-pandemic levels and reducing the number of people waiting over 62 days from urgent referral.

• Report
• NHS England - publications

Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2020: health trends and variation in England

Department of Health and Social Care -
After a brief section on the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in England, the main report consists of a collection of charts that present a broad and high-level overview of the nation’s health across a range of health outcomes and public health indicators. A key theme is the variation in health that exists across different dimensions: over geographies, over time, and between groups of people.

• Report
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

Mend the gap: the independent review into gender pay gaps in medicine in England

Department of Health and Social Care - 
This review aims to take a comprehensive approach to understanding the structural and cultural barriers affecting the female medical workforce. It responds to two primary concerns: the gender pay gap in medicine is large for a single professional group; and the new NHS contract for Doctors and Dentists in Training has a potentially negative impact on the pay gap due to a loss of increments during maternity leave.

• Report
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications