Impact of lockdown on mental health and dignity
New research published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) uncovers the impact of lockdown measures on the wellbeing of people who use care services.
Nearly three quarters of carers (73%) say COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have had an impact on the mental health of the person they care for.
More than half (56%) of carers say restrictions have had an impact on the dignity and independence of the person they care for.
The report highlights the importance of feedback for improving care.
Study: Optimising readability and format of plain language summaries
A survey study found infographics were the most popular format for plain language summaries of medical research articles.
Researchers selected three medical articles about illnesses affecting different age groups– psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis – and created four summaries of each.
One was a graphical summary, and the other three were words-only summaries of high, medium, and low complexity.
Surveys were then posted on UK patient group websites and Facebook patient groups.
The graphical summaries of all three articles were the most popular, followed by the medium complexity word-only summaries.
Explainer: Learning from people and communities
The King's Fund has published a new explainer on how the health and care system can hear from people and communities.
The explainer is intended as an introduction for those wanting to know more about the insight and data which can be collected by engaging with communities.
It looks at some of the terminology used in this area and outlines the different methods organisations can use to hear from people and communities at both a national and local level.
Submit your examples of engaging with children and young people
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is looking for examples of children and young people getting involved in making a difference to child health across the UK.
Twenty engagement projects, showcasing ideas, new ways of working, new resources or learning, will be chosen to create a poster for the RCPCH Annual Conference.
The deadline for submissions is 17 February.
Bowel Cancer UK launches Colonoscopy Confidence campaign
PIF member Bowel Cancer UK has launched a Colonoscopy Confidence campaign.
The campaign aims to address patient barriers to attending appointments and emphasise it is important to have the test if referred.
Current assets include a short film, factsheet, leaflet, patient stories, animation and a toolkit for those working in healthcare settings.
Translated versions of the factsheet in Welsh, Urdu, Bengali, Mandarin and Arabic will be available soon.
Addressing vaccine hesitancy in different ethnic communities
A case study published by the NHS Confederation outlines how a programme of work in Cheshire and Merseyside led to a significant increase in vaccine uptake in ethnic minority communities.
The project engaged with hundreds of residents, worked closely with GPs, employed translators and made use of partnership working to identify key concerns and ensure the right messages reached the right people.
It resulted in an increase in vaccination uptake in ethnic minority communities from 0.66 per cent in February 2021 to 38.35 per cent in May 2021.
The campaign also influenced a cultural shift in NHS communication and engagement with ethnic minority groups.
NICE publishes draft guideline on self harm
PIF member NICE has said all professionals working across the health and social care system have a role to play in supporting people who self-harm.
A new draft guideline, the first looking at self harm in 11 years, says the issue should not just be seen as the responsibility of those with mental health expertise.
A public consultation on the recommendations is open until 1 March.
Applying insight from people with chronic illness to COVID-19
In this opinion piece for The BMJ, Charlotte Augst, chief executive of PIF member National Voices, says, if we are going to learn to live with COVID-19, then we need to listen to people living with ill health.
She says decision makers should apply insights learned from people living with chronic illness when planning how to collectively manage COVID-19.
Accelerating patient access to GP records
From April 2022, patients with some online accounts, like the NHS App, will be able to read new entries in their health record.
The NHS England programme, supported by NHSX and NHS Digital, applies to patients whose practices use the TPP and EMIS systems.
Arrangements with practices which use Vision as the clinical system are under discussion.
Event: NHS Confed Expo 2022
The NHS Confederation, alongside NHS England and NHS Improvement, will unite their two longstanding events this June.
NHS ConfedExpo, postponed from 2020, will take place from 15-16 June in Liverpool.
Pre-registration is now open and more details are available by clicking on the link below.