Government launches new data strategy
The Department of Health and Social Care has published a new health in data strategy – Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data.
The new strategy focuses on seven key principles:
- Improving trust in the health and care system’s use of data
- Giving health and care professionals the information they need to provide the best care
- Improving data for adult social care
- Supporting local decision-makers with data
- Empowering researchers with the data they need to develop life-changing treatments and diagnostics
- Working with partners to develop innovations that improve health and care
- Developing the right technical infrastructure
Announcing the strategy, the Government said it would give patients greater access to GP records through the NHS App and power over how data is used, including a simplified opt-out processes.
Eliminating HIV and tackling stigma
The Welsh Government has published a plan setting out 26 actions to eliminate new HIV infections, improve quality of life and end stigma by 2030.
The plan includes the creation of an HIV awareness programme, including introducing it into the school curriculum.
Other actions include increasing access to condoms and PrEP, breaking down barriers to testing and developing a national peer support programme for Wales.
New fathers feel 'patronised' and 'ignored'
A review of evidence found NHS systems are not set up to engage with, assess and support new fathers.
This was despite clear evidence that there is a strong case for routine engagement with them in the perinatal period.
The review of fathers and fatherhood in the first postnatal year, explores what fathers do as caregivers, what influences this, what impact they have and how services engage with them.
Many fathers reported feeling patronised and ignored. This led to opportunities to support positive health and other behaviours being missed.
Study: Health literacy in context – struggling to self-manage diabetes
A new study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the health literacy of people with type 2 diabetes in relation to their daily self-care practices.
It found treatment and follow-up were essentially functional, while diet and exercise remained more interactive.
Social support and relationship to health professionals were important determinants of disease management.
Making integrated care more person-centred
In this article for the International Journal of Integrated Care, Charlotte Augst discusses integration efforts and how they need to become more person centred.
She asks what real system change would follow if we moved from an 'ornamental approach' to health and care reform to reality.
International Journal of Integrated Care
Recommendations for using social media in clinical research
A framework has been published to help expand social media use in clinical research.
It says the use of social media technologies in research is dependent on the investigators’ awareness of their potential and their ability to innovate within regulatory and institutional guidelines.
The framework hopes to help overcome these challenges based on examples from the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health.
Supporting pregnant women using maternity services
NHS England has updated its guidance, Supporting pregnant women using maternity services and access for parents of babies in neonatal units.
The update provides detailed actions for NHS providers of maternity services to facilitate pregnant women having a support person of their choosing with them at all antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal contacts.
It also supports parents of babies on neonatal units having access to their babies.
Co-production Week 2022
Co-production Week is back for a seventh year, starting from 4 July.
It celebrates the benefits of co-production, shares good practice and promotes the contribution of users and carers in developing better services.
This year's theme is The Impact of Co-Production.
NHS launches sickle cell campaign
NHS England has launched a new campaign to boost public awareness of sickle cell disorder.
The campaign, ‘Can you tell it’s sickle cell?’, is aimed at increasing awareness of the key signs and symptoms of sickle cell disorder among emergency care staff, carers and the wider public.
A new NHS training programme will also help staff better understand the condition, crises, and how to care for patients during their greatest hour of need.
Sickle cell disorder disproportionately affects people from black African and Caribbean backgrounds.
Event: Reducing women's health inequalities in the most-deprived areas
The King's Fund is hosting a free webinar on reducing women's health inequalities in the most-deprived areas of England.
The event will consider the challenges and what needs to happen to narrow the health inequalities gap and improve diagnosis, early interventions and treatment for women.
It takes place from noon to 1pm on Wednesday, 29 June.