Letter urges prime minister to reconsider lifting infection control measures

PIF has signed a joint letter urging prime minister Boris Johnson to urgently reconsider the decision to lift virtually all infection control measures.

The National Voices letter, sent on 13 July, was signed and endorsed by more than 60 organisations.

It said a sizeable proportion of the population may remain highly vulnerable to infection and poor outcomes should they fall ill.

The letters calls on the government to clearly and urgently address the rights and needs of people who remain at high risk from the virus by providing transparent, specific information.

National Voices

COVID-19 impact inquiry report

A new report produced by the Health Foundation's COVID-19 impact inquiry considers two main questions:

  1. How were people’s experiences of the pandemic influenced by their pre-existing health and health inequalities?
  2. What is the likely impact of actions taken in response to the pandemic on the nation’s health and health inequalities – now and in the future?

Key findings from Unequal pandemic, fairer recovery  include:

  • Poor health and existing inequalities left parts of the UK vulnerable to the virus.
  • Those younger than 65 in the poorest 10% of areas in England were almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those in wealthiest.
  • Government restrictions have had wide-ranging consequences: from unmet health needs and mental health problems to education gaps.

The report calls on the Government to address the root causes of poor health and invest in people and their communities.

Health Foundation

Improving communication between healthcare professionals and patients 

A systematic review of literature on interventions to improve clinician-patient communication has published its findings.

The review was undertaken by SQW, an independent research and consultancy organisation, on behalf of NHS England's Clinical Communications Steering Group.

It recommends initial investment in a single intervention – introducing patient-centred goals of care conversations with patients presenting in Acute Medical Units and Surgical Assessment Units at risk of dying in the next 12 months or at risk of serious clinical deterioration and death during their presentation.

The evidence suggests introducing these conversations as routine clinical practice will significantly improve the experience of patients nearing the end of their lives, enhancing their quality of life while reducing their requirements for critical care.

NHS England and NHS Improvement

Government publishes Health and Care Bill

The Government has published its Health and Care Bill which, if passed, will set into motion a major restructuring of the NHS.

The Bill aims to implement the reforms of the NHS Long Term Plan and build on the Integration and Innovation White Paper published earlier this year.

Its primary purpose is to legislate for Integrated Care Systems.

UK Parliament

Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award

The Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award (AI Award) has launched Competition 3 and is inviting applications to Phases 2-4.

Phase 2 of the award supports the development and clinical evaluation of AI technologies. 

Phases 3 and 4 of the award support real world testing, initial systems adoption of AI technologies into the NHS, evaluating the AI technology within clinical or operational pathways to determine efficacy or accuracy and clinical and economic impact.

Click on the link below for more information and to apply.

NIHR

Study: Measuring success of mobile health services for self-management of chronic conditions

A new study aims to develop a model to measure the success of patients’ continuous use of mobile health services for the self-management of chronic conditions.

It found information quality, system quality and service quality had a significantly positive influence on perceived usefulness but not on user satisfaction. 

Perceived usefulness had a significantly positive influence on user satisfaction. 

In a result opposite to the original hypothesis, perceived health status showed a significantly positive correlation.

JMIR

Liz O’Riordan on the patient journey

In this article for Digital Health, Liz O'Riordan says the empowered patient is here to stay and the health system needs to adapt to allow for those who are more engaged with their own care.

A  consultant breast surgeon and breast cancer survivor, she shares her own experience of navigating the 'sea of information' available to patients.

Digital Health

Urgent, palliative and end of life care survey

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has produced a survey on the information needed to support urgent, palliative and end of life care.

The survey closes at 5pm, Friday 30 July and should take around 15 minutes to complete.

It will help ensure NHS care staff and social care services have the right information to provide high quality urgent, palliative and end of life care and information can be viewed on digital devices in health and care settings.

Click on the link below to complete the survey.

PRSB

Video: Guidance on migrant health

Public Health England has produced two animations aimed at healthcare professionals working with migrants.

The videos are Clarifying NHS entitlements for migrants and Keeping up to date with vaccinations for migrants

DHCW enables Welsh vaccine passport

PIF member Digital Health and Care Wales has worked with NHS Digital to develop a solution to ensure Welsh vaccination data is available through NHS England’s digital COVID Pass service.  

This means people in Wales can now access their vaccination status on the internet if they need to travel urgently and meet the vaccine requirements relevant to the country they are travelling to. 

The NHS COVID Pass can be accessed via the link below.

Welsh Government

Event: The Business Case for Accessibility

AbilityNet is hosting a free webinar on the Business Case for Accessibility.

An expert panel will explore the issue at the webinar on 20 July.

All AbilityNet webinars are recorded and shared with those who have registered to attend even if you are unable to attend live.

Click on the link below to book.

AbilityNet