NHS Library and Information Service North Staffordshire

Health Inequalities Bulletin

Issue no. 41 October - November 2013
About this Bulletin: Aims to draw attention to some of the key documents and reviews of research in health inequalities that have been published in the two previous months. Where possible, links to the full text documents are included. If the article is in a journal, NHS and Public Health staff in Stoke and North Staffordshire can contact the Health Library for a copy. Link to request form: http://www.keele.ac.uk/healthlibrary/usingthehealthlibrary/interlibraryloans/#d.en.27437 [A charge of 2 per request is payable for most copies] If you need further assistance in obtaining any of the resources listed in the bulletin or have other information needs, please contact the Outreach Librarians or the Health Library, details below. The bulletin can be e-mailed to colleagues who may also find it useful. A list of websites that are checked in the production of this bulletin is given on the first page. Please suggest others that may be useful. Feedback is welcomed to inform future issues of the bulletin.

Contact information
Bulletin produced by NHS Outreach Librarians Tel: 01782 679564 or 0300 123 1535 ext/FeatureNet 8429 E-mail: Andrew.Hough@northstaffs.nhs.uk or clareh.powell@northstaffs.nhs.uk Health Library Tel: 01782 679500 E-mail: health.library@keele.ac.uk

Topics reviewed in this issue: Health Inequalities Bulletin ..................1 Disability .................................................2 Ethnicity ..................................................3 Inequalities..............................................3 Mental Health.......................................... 4 Migrants .................................................. 6 Older people ........................................... 6 Travellers ................................................ 7

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Sources checked for this bulletin Please suggest further sites that should be monitored in the production of this bulletin CRD Centre for Reviews and Dissemination http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/crdweb/ - DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects) - NHS Economic Evaluation Database Daily Health Bulletin http://www.sheffield.nhs.uk/healthbulletin/ Department of Health http://www.gov.uk/dh Department of Health bulletins http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Bulletins/ Social Care Institute for Excellence http://www.scie.org.uk/ Inside Government local government alerts https://www.gov.uk/government/email-signup Joseph Rowntree Foundation http://www.jrf.org.uk/ Kings Fund http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/ Better Health http://www.better-health.org.uk/ NICE http://www.nice.org.uk SIGN http://www.sign.ac.uk/new.html Disability Commissioning guidance for urgent eye care, low vision and AMD The Royal College of Ophthalmologists This guidance recommends how to improve the efficiency and quality of services for urgent eye care, low vision and age-related macular degeneration, the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK. http://www.collegeoptometrists.org/filemanager/root/site_assets/guidance/low_vision_guidance_25_11_13.p df Green light toolkit 2013 National development team for inclusion This guidance from the National development team for inclusion supports the provision of auditing and improving mental health services. http://www.ndti.org.uk/uploads/files/Green_Light_Toolkit_22_Nov_2013_final.pdf Making every day better Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) The RNIB has published its annual report and strategy for 2014-2019. http://dl.groovygecko.net/anon.groovy/clients/rnib/annual-review-2012-13-pdf.pdf Saving money, losing sight Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Delays in diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care are resulting in people losing their sight needlessly, according to a report published by the RNIB. http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/yoursight/Documents/saving-money-losingsight-full-report-word.doc

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Learning disabilities good practice project Department of Health The Department of Health has published 'Learning disabilities good practice project report'. The report gives people who commission, design and deliver services a better understanding of how to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261896/Lear ning_Diasbilities_Good_Practice_Project__Novemeber_2013_.pdf Ethnicity Black and minority ethnic communities and dementia: Where are we now? Race Equality Foundation This briefing considers developments in the UK dementia strategy. Since its launch in 2009. a review which focuses principally on the health support provision and the care needs of citizens diagnosed with dementia from black and minority ethnic communities. http://www.better-health.org.uk/briefings/black-and-minority-ethnic-communities-anddementia-where-are-we-now Inequalities Community engagement to reduce inequalities in health: a systematic review, meta-analysis and economic analysis OMara-Eves, A; et al. This systematic review published in Public Health Research, considers the evidence on whether community engagement supports the reduction of health inequalities. http://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/93820/FullReportphr01040.pdf Coping with the cuts? Local government and poorer communities Joseph Rowntree Foundation This report looks at the retrenchment in local government spending and the impact this has had on vulnerable communities. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/coping-with-cuts Governance for health equity in the WHO European region World Health Organization An analysis of policies and interventions which address why the social determinants of health and health inequities succeed or fail.. It also discusses important features of governance and systems for service delivery that increase the likelihood of success in reducing inequities. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/235712/e96954.pdf Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in Wales 2013 Joseph Rowntree Foundation This study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation evaluates the latest recorded evidence on poverty in Wales. In particular the project considers such factors as, government legislation, regional variation and income, to assess the trends of poverty in Wales. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/monitoring-poverty-wales-2013

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The NHS Atlas of Variation in Diagnostic Services Public Health England Public Health England has published 'The NHS Atlas of Variation in Diagnostic Services'. The Atlas identifies local variations for a wide range of diagnostic services covering imaging, endoscopy, physiological diagnostics, pathology, and genetics. Examples highlighted by this Atlas include: big variations in the speed of response to stroke, with significant numbers of patients waiting 24 hours for a brain scan; delays in CT scans for some trauma patients; and very large local variations in many specialised tests, including those for sleep disorders, thyroid, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and vitamin D. The maps provide information down to the level of local primary care trusts. In some cases, there are also maps for the first time for the new Clinical Commissioning Groups. http://www.rightcare.nhs.uk/downloads/Right_Care_Diagnostics_Atlas_hi-res.pdf
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Mental Health Dementia care and support Department of Health An initiative commissioned in the wake of the government launched; Dementia challenge. The report evaluates dementia care in England and highlights a huge variation in the quality of care nationally. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/262139/De mentia.pdf Global impact of dementia Alzheimers disease international Alzheimer's Disease International has published a policy brief for heads of government ahead of the first G8 Dementia Summit, which will take place in London on 11 December 2013. 'The Global Impact of Dementia 2013-2050 updates ADIs prevalence figures published in the World Alzheimer Report 2009, showing that the number of people with dementia will increase from 115 to 135 million by 2050 (an increase of 17%). http://www.alz.co.uk/research/GlobalImpactDementia2013.pdf Interactive map of dementia services Department of Health The Department of Health has published an interactive online map bringing together existing information on dementia services in England. The map builds a transparent picture of dementia services across the country, drawing on data and information about dementia health and care, dementia friendly communities and research. It highlights where improvements and progress are being made, but it also highlights the variation of services across the country and the need for better data. http://dementiachallenge.dh.gov.uk/map/ Peer support networks and dementia advisers: evaluation Department of Health This report, commissioned by the Department of Health, provides evidence on the importance of post diagnostic support for people with dementia and their carers, and the role that dementia advisers and peer support networks can provide. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246406/De monstrator_Sites_Evaluation_-_Final_Report_Master.pdf

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A place for parity: health and wellbeing boards and mental health Centre for Mental Health This report is the result of a study which reviewed 100 strategies and found that nine did not include mental health in their priorities at all. It looks at how much focus the boards have given to mental health in their strategies, which areas of mental health they focus on and what factors helped or hindered the agenda of mental health during the development of the strategies. http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/a_place_for_parity.pdf North West Mental Wellbeing Survey Public Health England Public Health England has published 'North West Mental Wellbeing Survey 2012/13 Report'. This is a follow up report to a survey published in 2009. The follow up report reveals that while there has been little change in average mental wellbeing across the North West between 2009 and 2012 to 2013, there have been significant changes in some of the key factors that influence wellbeing. There has been an increase in people within the region reporting to be in very good health (increase of 18.2%), and more people with greater life satisfaction (increase of 10.5%), however people with long-term conditions had a significantly lower level of mental wellbeing than average. http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/Publications/NW%20MWB_PHE_Final_28.11.13.pdf New approach to inspecting specialist mental health services Care quality commission The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is to put a greater emphasis on inspecting the care that people with mental health problems receive in the community. Details of the new approach have been published in 'A fresh start for the regulation and inspection of mental health services'. http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/documents/cqc_afreshstart_mental_health_ 2013_final.pdf 12 minutes more... The importance of physical activity, sports and exercise, in order to improve health, personal finances and the pressures on the NHS Nuffield Health This report reveals that early indicators of poor mental health are on the increase. It also finds that GPs are 46 times more likely to prescribe medication than explore medically proven alternative options, like exercise. This report calls for all GPs in the UK to take a diagnose, consider exercise, refer, treat approach to physical activity when patients present with early signs of mental ill health. http://www.nuffieldhealth.com/sites/default/files/inline/Nuffield%20Health_%20LSE_LowFitness_Report.pdf Welfare advice for people who use mental health services Centre for mental health The Centre for Mental Health has published 'Welfare advice for people who use mental health services: developing the business case.' The report details research highlighting the link between poor mental health and a frequent experience of welfare problems and finds that specialist welfare advice is likely to save mental health services money by improving peoples health and reducing hospital admissions. http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/Welfare_advice_MH_services.pdf
Items in the Ethnicity and Inequalities Sections may be of interest Back to topics

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Migrants The effectiveness of primary care based risk stratification for targeted latent tuberculosis infection screening in recent immigrants to the UK: a retrospective cohort study Panchel RK, et al. According to research published in the Thorax; GP screening of recent migrants for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection when they register with them could prevent the majority of new cases in this group of patients, suggests a UK study. http://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2013/11/19/thoraxjnl-2013-203805.abstract Older people GP services for older people: a guide for care home managers Social Care Institute for Excellence The health and wellbeing of older people in care homes depends on them accessing GP services in a timely way. Joint working between GP and care home management, the involvement of residents and their relatives and the engagement of care staff are factors that will affect the outcome and lead to quality improvements. http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide52/files/guide52.pdf The Dynamics of ageing The institute for fiscal studies The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing is a multidisciplinary study of a representative sample of men and women aged 50 years and over living in England. This report launches the fifth wave of data collection, carried out in 2010-11. This report discusses the evolution of pension wealth and contribution dynamics; change in social detachment; and the psychological well-being, health and functioning of older people in England. http://www.ifs.org.uk/elsa/report12/elsaW5-1.pdf Towards whole person care Institute for public policy research (IPPR) This report reviews the case for change in the English health and care system and considers how to move towards a whole person care approach. It sets out broad themes on creating a health and care system that is fit for the future. It makes a case for a number of person-centred guarantees at the heart of the vision for whole person care, focused on people with long-term conditions and older people. http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2013/11/whole-personcare_Dec2013_11518.pdf
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Travellers EU directive on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare Department of Health This document accompanies the National Health Service (Cross Border Healthcare) Regulations 2013. It explains the rights and entitlements of patients and helps the NHS understand their obligations. It also includes some information for NHS providers, who may receive requests from overseas patients for treatment in the UK under the provisions of the directive. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252940/Cro ss_Border_Healthcare_Information.pdf Staying healthy during winter sun holidays Public Health England This guidance has been published by Public Health England for UK travellers, to ensure they take appropriate health precautions when travelling abroad. http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317140394414

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