NHS Library and Information Service North Staffordshire

Health Inequalities Bulletin

ISSUE No: 29 October-November 2011
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, you 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: FeatureNet 8429 External calls 0300 123 1535 ext 8429 E-mail: lindsay.snell@northstaffs.nhs.uk clareh.powell@northstaffs.nhs.uk Health Library Tel: 01782 679500 E-mail: health.library@keele.ac.uk

Topics reviewed in this issue: Communities and social networks ..........2 Disability .................................................3 Employment ............................................3 Environment............................................3 Inequalities..............................................5 Mental health ..........................................5 Offenders ................................................6 Older people ...........................................6 Veterans .................................................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.dh.gov.uk Department of Health bulletins http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Bulletins/ IDeA Healthier Communities section - including Health inequalities briefing papers: http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=77225 Info4local http://www.info4local.gov.uk Joseph Rowntree Foundation http://www.jrf.org.uk/ Kings Fund http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/ NeLM (National Electronic Library for Medicines) news bulletin http://www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/ NICE http://www.nice.org.uk SIGN http://www.sign.ac.uk/new.html

Communities and social networks Communities connected: inclusion, participation and common purpose RSA This report concludes that by creating a more transactional' or impersonal relationship between the users and providers of public services, government reforms will not build or sustain the social networks that are vital for both people's physical and mental health. http://www.thersa.org/projects/connected-communities/communities-connected Opportunities for Volunteering: the legacy report: 30 years of funding volunteering in health and social care Department of Health The Opportunities for Volunteering scheme is designed to improve the profile and diversity of volunteers and develop the range and quality of volunteering opportunities in health, well-being and social care service provision. As OfV comes to an end, this report celebrates the achievements of volunteers across the life span of the scheme and looks to the future opportunities afforded by the new Volunteering Fund. http://www.dodsmonitoring.com/downloads/2011/Opportunities_for_volunteering.pdf Preventing loneliness and social isolation: interventions and outcomes Social Care Institute for Excellence This is one in a series of research briefings about preventive care and support for adults. Prevention is broadly defined to include a wide range of services that promote independence, prevent or delay the deterioration of wellbeing resulting from ageing, illness or disability and delay the need for more costly and intensive services. Preventive services represent a continuum of support ranging from the most intensive, tertiary services such as intermediate care or reablement, down to secondary or early intervention, and finally, primary prevention aimed at promoting wellbeing. http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/briefings/briefing39/index.asp

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Social action health and well-being: building co-operatives communities: strategic vision for volunteering Department of Health This document sets out to enhance the profile of volunteering; highlight its potential in terms of health, well-being and addressing health inequalities; and promote good practice across the health and social care system. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuid ance/DH_130503
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Disability The Impact of short breaks on families with a disabled child over time: The second report from the quantitative study Department for Education This report examines continuity and change in the usage of short breaks over a 10-month period and the ongoing impact of short breaks as reported by the families who use them. https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR173 Rethinking disability policy Joseph Rowntree Foundation This Viewpoint reviews some aspects of disability policy since the early 1990s before making a detailed assessment of the current polices being introduced by the Coalition Government. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/rethinking-disability-policy
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Employment Mental health, employment and the social care workforce Social Care Institute for Excellence This report summarises evidence on what prevents people with mental health problems from working or retaining work in social care and what can be done to enable them to work. It summarises a range of policy and programmes designed to enable people with mental health problems to gain, retain and regain work, with specific focus on employment in social care. Report: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/reports/report48 Briefing: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/briefings/briefing38 At a glance: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/ataglance/ataglance48.asp
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Environment Changing climate, changing conversations: climate change and health reforms Local Government Association It shows how climate change should be part of the conversations about the new structures, responsibilities and ways of working in health and social care. It argues that a relatively small investment now in strategic thinking and information gathering could make a big difference to the effectiveness of local action. http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=31670668

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Climate change, justice and vulnerability Joseph Rowntree Foundation The study provides a guide for analysing social vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and shows how we can learn from past UK flooding and heatwave events to measure socio-spatial vulnerabilities and map geographical distributions of climate disadvantage. It also supports the integration of the demands of justice into climate adaptation planning. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/climate-change-justice-and-vulnerability Cold Weather Plan for England Department of Health The Plan provides advice for individuals, communities and agencies on how to prepare for and respond to severe cold weather as part of wider winter planning and announces the Warm Homes, Healthy People fund. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuid ance/DH_130564 A foot in the door: a guide to engaging housing and health Northern Housing Consortium This toolkit aims to help the housing sector play a stronger and more visible role in tackling health inequalities and improving outcomes. http://www.northern-consortium.org.uk/Page/QualityOfLife/Afootinthedoorpublication.aspx An involving service: ambulance responses in urban and rural areas NHS Confederation This briefing sets out some of the solutions rural ambulance services have devised to help them deliver high-quality urgent care to rural communities, and is intended to start a conversation with local leaders and other public services about how best to work together for patients. http://www.nhsconfed.org/Publications/briefings/Pages/An-involving-service.aspx Making it happen wellbeing and the role of local government Local Government Association These recommendations for how councils can best work to promote the wellbeing of their local residents follow a series of conversations facilitated by the new economics foundation (nef) between July and September 2011. http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=31932189 Pluvial (rain-related) flooding in urban areas: the invisible hazard Joseph Rowntree Foundation This report assesses how many people in urban areas are at risk from pluvial flooding (surface water flooding resulting from intense rainfall). It also looks briefly at the impact of flooding on health inequalities. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/pluvial-flooding-invisible-hazard
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Inequalities A short guide to the benefit system for General Practitioners Department of Work and Pensions This guide provides a brief description of the main benefits GPs patients may be eligible for. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gp-benefit-guide.pdf NICEs social value judgements about equity in health and health care Centre for Health Economics. University of York. This paper aims to describe the social value judgements about equity in health and health care that NICE has hitherto used to guide its decision making. To do this, it reviews both the general social value judgements reported in NICE guidance on methodology and the case-specific social value judgements reported in NICE guidance about particular health care technologies and public health interventions. http://www.york.ac.uk/media/che/documents/papers/researchpapers/CHERP70_Nice's_so cial_value_judgements_about_equity_in_health.pdf Social determinants of health: what can doctors do? BMA The BMA's new report explains how doctors can use their expertise to act as community leaders to tackle this issue and explores how the social determinants of health are factors for which there is little control, for example, where we are born, grow up, live, work and our gender and age. http://www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/socialdeterminantshealth.jsp Tailor made Demos Through in-depth interviews and focus groups with care users and staff, this pamphlet explores how person-centred services can be achieved for those who need it most those with multiple and complex needs, and in settings where personalisation is most challenging such as residential care homes and palliative care centres. http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/tailormade
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Mental health Completing the Revolution: Transforming mental health and tackling poverty Centre for Social Justice This review investigates why mental ill-health is highly prevalent In the poorest communities. It argues that if effective and evaluated grassroots services were properly integrated into care pathways, through mechanisms provided by current health reforms, they would be far more sustainable and available to those people who need them. It makes policy recommendations across primary and secondary care and focuses on children, young people, older people, military veterans and those from BME communities. Report: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/CSJ_Mental_Health_Full_Report _WEBNEW.pdf Executive summary: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/CSJ_Mental_Health_Standalone _Summary_WEB.pdf

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Offenders Ending Gang and Youth Violence: A Cross-Government Report Home Office The report looks into the scale of the problem of gang and youth violence, analyses its causes, and identifies what can be done by government and other agencies, including the NHS, to stop the violence and to turn around the lives of those involved. It also looks at the role of the NHS in reducing the risk of people becoming involved in gang violence. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/ending-gang-violence/
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Older people A Better Life: what older people with high support needs value Joseph Rowntree Foundation This document explores the views of older people and the factors that help or hinder them; and proposes a model which demonstrates how their needs could be met. http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/older-people-high-support-needs-value Improving support for older people looking after someone with advanced cancer University of Nottingham The project was set up to study the experiences and main support needs of older carers looking after someone with advanced cancer and to facilitate the active involvement of carers in the research process. http://www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/publications/improving-support-for-older-peoplelooking-after-someone-with-advanced-cancer International Comparisons in Health Economics: Evidence from Aging Studies Rand Corporation The authors provide an overview of the growing literature that uses micro-level data from multiple countries to investigate health outcomes, and their link to socioeconomic factors, at older ages. Much of the analysis is at an early stage with analysis for the US and England being the most common. http://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR880.html Living Beyond 100: A report on centenarians International Longevity Centre UK This report considers the policy implications of the growing centenarian population, examining the demography; health and need for social care; housing and wealth; and quality of life for this group. It aims to understand more about this celebrated group through summarising evidence about the lives people lead past 100, while identifying gaps in the evidence base and proposing key policy recommendations to address the issues raised. http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/record.jsp?type=publication&ID=112

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Older Carers and Involvement in Research: why, what and when? University of Nottingham This briefing paper describes the views, experiences, motivations and plans of six older carers who decided to stay involved in research following their participation in a one year project at the University of Nottingham funded by Macmillan Cancer Support. http://www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/publications/older-carers-and-involvement-inresearch Voices on well-being: a report of research with older people WRVS This report, based on focus groups and interviews, looks at older peoples definitions of well-being and the different factors affecting their well-being. http://www.wrvs.org.uk/our-impact/involving-older-people
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Veterans A better deal for military amputees Department of Health This review of the prosthetic services currently offered to veterans by the NHS follows concerns that the NHS may not be equipped to provide prosthetic services to the same standard as the Defence Medical Service at Headley Court. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuid ance/DH_130824
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