Changing the trajectory for people living with long-term health conditions
The Richmond Group of Charities has published a report on the impact of the pandemic on people living with long-term, chronic or complex illnesses.
No time to lose says those with long-term health conditions were among the hardest hit and still find themselves lagging far behind in terms of recovering their health and wellbeing.
The analysis highlights the issues before the pandemic, the impact of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, and the ongoing and long-term effects.
It calls for action to change the trajectory for people living with long-term health conditions.
Co-producing accessible health information
Understanding Patient Data and Thinklusive have published a best practice guide for co-producing accessible health information.
They have also produced easy-read resources explaining how patient data is used.
Both resources are openly available for teams to use in their work.
NHS website attracts 1.2bn visitors in 12 months
NHS Digital has revealed the NHS website received an estimated 1.2 billion visits from October 2021 to September 2022.
That is an average of 23 million visits each week or 2,300 views per minute.
The coronavirus vaccination booking page was the most visited on the site, registering 131 million visits.
The BMI healthy weight calculator attracted 22 million visits – the most for a non-COVID page.
Read more about the figures here.
Study: Use of #DataSavesLives on Twitter
A new study explores how #DataSavesLives was used on Twitter.
It focuses on Tweets sent between April and July 2021 when the UK government and its agencies adopted the hashtag to support plans to set up a database of NHS patient data.
It found discussion around #DataSavesLives was largely positive or neutral.
Themes included ethical sharing, proactively engaging the public, co-producing, harnessing potential and gaining an understanding of big data research.
However, the results indicate communication around big data research is driven by the professional community and remains one-way as members of the public rarely use the hashtag.
Authors concluded the results demonstrate the potential of social media while drawing attention to hashtags being confined to 'bubbles' of like-minded users.
Read the study findings in full here.
Cardiovascular disease – supporting leaders to take action
A new report by The King's Fund aims to inform and support local and national leaders to take action to tackle cardiovascular disease (CVD).
CVD causes one in four deaths in England and is a leading cause of morbidity, disability and health inequalities.
It is also largely preventable with the same risk factors applying to other major conditions, including cancer, dementia and diabetes.
The report calls for urgent action to deliver coherent CVD and public health strategies focusing on prevention and management.
Download the full report and read a summary here.
Data-driven systems and inequalities in health and social care
A new report by the Ada Lovelace Institute aims to describe the interplay between data and inequalities in the health and social care system across the UK.
It acknowledges the potential for data-driven technologies to improve health and social care outcomes.
However, it also scrutinises the ‘pipelines’ of data that power health technologies.
The report identifies trends, approaches or limitations in data and data use that might undermine the beneficial outcomes sought.
The six principles of good peer support
NHS England has published a document setting out 'what good looks like' for peer support.
While the document has a specific focus on Type 1 diabetes, many of the principles can be applied to any peer support activities. They include:
- Being driven by shared experiences
- Opportunities for reciprocal support
- Ensuring groups are accessible and inclusive
The guidance is available in PDF and HTML formats here.
Evidencing culture change on person centred care
A new report brings together case studies from across Scotland to evidence culture change towards compassionate, person-centred care.
The ALLIANCE publication includes examples of person-centred care from a range of partners.
They include PIF members Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, NHS Ayrshire & Arran and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Read more about the report here.
Study: Co-development of a digital self-management programme
A new paper describes the systematic co-development of My Kidneys & Me (MK&M), a digital self-management resource for people with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease.
Developers found applying an Intervention Mapping framework enabled the systematic application of theory, empirical evidence and practical perspectives in the co-development of content and materials.
Adopting and adapting the pre-existing MyDESMOND platform provided a cost and time-efficient approach.
In the next stage of work, the efficacy of MK&M in increasing patient activation will be tested in a randomised controlled trial.
Read the study results in full here.
Securing the future of sexual health services
A new report calls on the government to address long-term funding and capacity challenges across local authority commissioned sexual health services.
Breaking point: Securing the future of sexual health services was published by the Local Government Association and English HIV and Sexual Health Commissioners’ Group.
The report delves into the trends since local authorities took responsibility for sexual health services in 2013.
It says, unless greater recognition and funding is given to councils, a reversal in the encouraging and continuing fall in some sexual-transmitted infections and more unwanted pregnancies is a real risk.
Spinal MRI leaflets for clinicians and patients
NHS England has produced two new spinal MRI leaflets for clinicians and patients.
The leaflets are designed to support clinicians and patients when considering whether an MRI scan is appropriate and interpreting the scan report.
Reflecting on medical scandals and their impact on women
In this blog, Lizzie Feltoe from the Centre for Public Health and Interest reflects on a recent screening of the ITV documentary on the Ian Paterson scandal.
The screening at the Royal Society of Medicine included discussions on ongoing patient safety issues in the private hospital sector and the impact of patient safety scandals on women.