Health Management and Policy Alert

Neurodiversity guidance for employers, managers, staff and students

Royal College of Nursing -
This guidance has been developed for staff and students who are neurodiverse and for the managers and employers who support them. It is intended for the health and care sector but its overarching principles could be helpful in other settings.

• Guidance
• Royal College of Nursing - publications

Drug misuse prevention review

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) -
The ACMD was commissioned in December 2021 to provide advice on preventing drug use among vulnerable groups of people, and how those groups can be prevented both from first using and from developing dependence on drugs. This report explores the factors that contribute to vulnerability, then examines general principles and specific approaches to prevention that are supported by the available evidence. It also considers the need for the delivery of interventions to be embedded properly in the wider system and context if their potential is to be achieved.

• Report
• Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) - publications

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman scrutiny 2020–21

House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee -
This report looks at the performance of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) from 2020 to 2021. It notes the “substantial backlog” of cases which has developed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It welcomes progress in several areas, including the PHSO’s commitment to engaging more with its staff and ensuring diversity in the workforce, contributing to discussions in the international Ombudsman community, and developing a complaints standard for the NHS and Government bodies.

• Report
• House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee - news

Understanding the distinct challenges for nurses in care homes: learning from Covid-19 to support resilience and mental wellbeing

University of East Anglia -
This THRIVE research aims to understand Nursing and Midwifery Council registered nurses’ experiences of working in care homes for older people during the Covid-19 pandemic, how this impacted on resilience, mental health and wellbeing, and to collaboratively develop theory-informed approaches for ongoing and future support. The report makes six recommendations to support care home nurses to recover from the pandemic and plan for future major events.

• Report

Evidence paper: impact of investing in prevention on demand for statutory children’s social care

National Children's Bureau -
This paper sets out a case for investing in early family helps, improving outcomes and saving money. It studies the evidence on the association between expenditure on children’s services, poverty and children’s social care demand. The evidence shows that increased spending on children’s social care preventative services (including family support and early help) has a positive impact on: Ofsted judgements; numbers of Children in Need; and rates of 16 to 17-year-olds starting periods in care. It concludes with a summary of further research on the association between household income and intervention, and on systems-thinking in children’s social care.

• Evidence paper
• National Children's Bureau - publications

The Health and Care Act: six key questions

The King's Fund -
The Health and Care Act, which introduces significant reforms to the organisation and delivery of health and care services received Royal Assent in April 2022. In this long read, The King's Fund explains what the changes brought in by the Act mean in practice.

• Long read

Strategies to reduce inequalities in access to planned hospital procedures

Midlands Decision Support Network -
This report follows on from a previous publication which described how people living in more deprived areas have poorer access to planned hospital care than their more affluent counterparts. This report aims to provide practical support for those keen to address the issues. It looks at how much additional care, and of what type, would be required to ‘level-up’ access to planned hospital procedures. It also looks at the interventions that exist that might help reduce inequities.

• Report
• Midlands Decisions Support Network - publications

The power of youth volunteering: learning from the Pears #iwill Fund Network

Institute for Voluntary Action Research -
Since 2018, 32 NHS Trusts and their respective charities have been welcoming young volunteers into their hospitals. Funded through the Pears #i will Fund, these Trusts joined a network to share, support and reflect during the course of their funding. This report shares insight across participating NHS Trusts to develop youth volunteering programmes and explores the meaningful contribution and impact of young volunteers. It includes practical advice on how to embed and sustain youth volunteering programmes that would be useful for both health and voluntary sectors.

• Report
• Institute for Voluntary Action Research - publications

British Medical Association Covid review

British Medical Association (BMA) -
The BMA have undertaken a review into the UK Government’s handling of the pandemic and its impact on the NHS, the health of the population, and doctors. These reports conclude that the UK Government failed in its duty of care to protect doctors and the wider healthcare workforce from avoidable harm and suffering in its management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Report 1: protection
• Report 2: impact
• BMA - press release

Medical emergencies in eating disorders: guidance on recognition and management

Royal College of Psychiatrists -
This report finds that signs that someone with an eating disorder is dangerously ill are often missed by healthcare professionals due to lack of guidance and training. The research finds that hospital admissions for eating disorders have increased by 84 per cent in the last five years reaching a total of 24,268 admissions. Children and young people with eating disorders are the worst affected with a rise of 90 per cent in the five-year period. This guidance is aimed at frontline staff so that people with eating disorders needing urgent care can be identified and treated earlier.

• Guidance
• Appendices
• Royal College of Psychiatrists - press release