Strategy to improve palliative care; Report looks at lives and deaths; Misinformation found in online pregnancy advice

Measures set out in new palliative care strategy

Improving public information about living with life-shortening conditions, death, dying and bereavement is one of 26 actions set out in a new strategy to improve palliative care across Scotland. Palliative Care Matters for All, published by the Scottish Government, is a five-year strategy produced in partnership with NHS Scotland, charities, health and social care professionals and people with experience of palliative care services. The strategy is supported by a delivery plan for 2025-28 and highlights the changes needed to ensure everyone in Scotland can access timely, high-quality and compassionate care. 

Ideas to improve public information include campaigns to raise awareness about what palliative care can do for people and their families and carers. Making information inclusive and adapting it to suit people of all ages with different personal circumstances, health conditions, cultures and languages is also highlighted in the strategy. The strategy notes that help with health literacy and/or digital literacy is particularly important as is the role of health staff providing information and signposting people to more advice and support. 

Read more about the strategy on the Scottish Government website here.

Reports looks at deaths of adults with a learning disability

The findings of an annual report, which looks at the lives and deaths of adults with a learning disability and autistic people, have been published. The 2023 Learning from Lives and Deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) is an independent analysis by King’s College London and was presented to Parliament on 2 September. The report is funded by NHS England and the aim is to improve services by collating data on deaths to identify improvements that should be made to reduce health inequalities and early deaths. It found: 

• In 2023, adults with a learning disability on average died 19.5 years younger than the general population.
• Nearly 6 in 10 of adults with a learning disability who had a LeDeR review died before the age of 65 years.
• Avoidable deaths have declined since 2021, however, the rate for adults with a learning disability who died in 2023 is still nearly double the rate compared to the general population.

Read more about the report on the King's College London website here.

Study found pregnancy warning misinformation 

A study examined the accuracy of online information about reduced fetal movements (RFM) by analysing Google search results for misinformation. Reduced fetal movements is a warning sign during pregnancy and must be assessed immediately. For pregnant women who might search online for RFM information before consulting with healthcare professionals, misinformation can lead to delayed medical attention and adverse outcomes. 

Half of the search results used in the study contained misinformation driven by commercial US webpages. The most common misinformation targets were advice to conduct a kick count, claims that a set number of kicks in a timeframe indicates the baby is well, and suggestions for ways to stimulate movements. Public health websites from the UK and Ireland appeared less frequently but were more accurate and appeared higher in the search results than less accurate webpages. Researchers said the poor quality of online information about RFM is concerning and called for Google to deprioritise webpages containing misinformation, add a warning to RFM searches and have medical experts vet results. 

Read about the study via the ScienceDirect website here.

Learning how other countries are moving care closer to home

A new report from the Nuffield Trust looks at how England can learn from two countries already pursuing bold reforms to rebalance care towards communities. The research paper has examined the experiences of Denmark and Ireland and discovered common challenges and practical approaches when it comes to shifting care from hospitals into community settings – a key aim of the government's 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS in England. 

Part of the conclusion in the in-depth report states: "Some of what we observe internationally supports the direction set out in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan... The problem is not with the specific initiatives and models being proposed in the plan, but that the NHS is introducing them without the same levels of investment and historical funding needed to make them work and make up for years of paltry funding for community services."

Find out more and download the full report on the Nuffield Trust website here.

Report highlights the wealth of patient experience work

The Patient Experience Library has published a new report sharing "some of the fantastic work" already being carried out to understand patient experience. The Patient Experience in England report responds to suggestions that data-driven solutions will be used to improve the collection of patient feedback and to manage and learn from concerns and complaints. The report says: "... to fully understand patient experience, we need to do more than simply channel feedback through the App and then 'deploy AI to help translate it'. There is already a wealth of knowledge translation going on in the world of patient experience and involvement – and it is not being run by bots." The report looks through national surveys and polling among patients and public from the last 12 months and highlights reports on patient experience and involvement published by government bodies, health charities, patient voice organisations and academic institutions. There are also examples of studies that give insights into "voice".

Read the full report on the Patient Experience Library website here.

Health inequality gaps revealed in annual report

The 2025 Health Inequalities Annual Report, which analyses the health inequality gaps between the most and least deprived areas of Northern Ireland, has been published. Northern Ireland's Health Minister has said the report should be a “challenge to us all to make life better” for everyone in Northern Ireland. Findings included: 

• People in the most deprived communities in Northern Ireland continue to die younger than those in the least deprived areas
• While deaths from treatable conditions improved everywhere, preventable deaths got worse.
• Males in the most deprived areas live on average 7.3 fewer years than males in the least deprived areas. The gap for females was 5.2 years.
• The deprivation gap for drug-related deaths is the largest with mortality in the most deprived areas almost six times that of the least deprived.

Find out more and read the full report on the Northern Ireland Department of Health website here.

The wide-ranging impact of non-commercial clinical research

Clinical research funded by charities and the public sector bring a "triple dividend" to the UK, according to a new report commissioned by the Association of Medical Research Charities and Wellcome. The report says non-commercial clinical research unlocks economic growth, supports the NHS by driving improvements in treatment and care, and increases staff satisfaction and retention. Such research also brings direct benefits to patients through improved health outcomes and more effective treatments, the report found. The report includes several case studies including the START Dementia programme, which improved carers’ quality of life, valued at £10 million a year.

Read the full report on the AMRC website here.

Helping councils continue to reduce teenage pregnancy

A new teenage pregnancy prevention guide has been published for local councils. The Local Government Association briefing sets out the evidence, challenges and opportunities for councils to continue leading the way with their work to reduce under-18 conception rates, improve outcomes for young parents, and tackle the inequalities that underpin early pregnancy. The guide highlights the importance of embedding high-quality relationships and sex education, ensuring access to youth-friendly contraceptive services, and supporting young people most at risk. 

Read the full briefing on the Local Government Association website here.

Webinar: Discussing the next steps on AI for the NHS

People are being invited to join a webinar exploring how the 10 Year Health Plan can achieve its ambition of making the NHS the most AI-enabled care system in the world. The Digital Health 10-Year Plan webinar will include a panel of NHS digital leaders to discuss the next steps on AI and explore factors like what clinical administrative tasks lend themselves to AI tools and how receptive NHS teams are to introducing AI tools.

Register for the webinar on the Digital Health website here.