Kent Public Health Observatory Health and Social Care Bulletin 1st April 2016

Your guide to what's new in public health and social care locally and nationally.  Produced by the Kent Public Health Observatory.

>>> Click here to view the latest bulletin

UpToDate Expert User Series - New Topic Primary Care Sports Medicine

NICE News January 2016

New guidance and standards Updated tuberculosis guidelines will help target most vulnerable Updated tuberculosis (TB) guidelines call for greater education and prevention to help target people from socially deprived backgrounds who are most vulnerable to contracting the infection. The guidelines also raise the upper age limit for the treatment and diagnosis of latent TB from 35 to 65 years and under.

Read more

New quality standard on obesity prevention NICE has published a quality standard on obesity in adults. The quality standard contains 8 statements which cover ways of preventing adults becoming overweight or obese. It also covers the provision of lifestyle weight management programmes for adults who are overweight or obese.

Read more

Diabetes in pregnancy quality standard launched NICE's new quality standard on diabetes in pregnancy covers managing diabetes and its complications in women who are planning a pregnancy and women who are already pregnant. It also covers areas in which additional or different care should be offered to women with diabetes and their newborn babies.

Read more

News New recommended drinking guidelines welcomed by NICE NICE has welcomed proposed new guidelines on alcohol which aim to limit the health risks that result from drinking. The proposed guidelines, published by the Department of Health and out for consultation, make 3 main recommendations on safe levels of alcohol consumption.

Read more

Call for entries for 2016 NICE Shared Learning Awards NICE is calling for organisations that have used its guidance or advice products to enter its 2016 Shared Learning Awards. Now entering its ninth year, the awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of organisations that have put NICE products into practice.

Read more

NICE appoints new Non Executive Director NICE has appointed Dr Rosie Benneyworth, a GP and former commissioner, as a new Non-Executive Director (NED) to its Board. As a NED Dr Benneyworth, will assist NICE in ensuring the organisation is fulfilling its role in helping the health and social care system provide the highest quality care.

Read more

Have your say Comment on our draft sepsis guidance Our draft guidance on sepsis is currently open for consultation. The guidance aims to help improve recognition of the condition so that treatment can be provided earlier. Organisations can register as a stakeholder and have until Monday 22 February 2016 to submit their comments.

Read more

Get involved  GP practices - help us develop our asthma guideline NICE is looking for single GP practices or groups of practices to help with the development of its guideline on asthma diagnosis and monitoring. We are running a project to measure the impact and feasibility of carrying out two of the diagnostic tests which are recommended in the draft guideline. Practices will receive support and assistance from NICE for the duration of the project.

Read more

Take a short survey on our savings and productivity collection We are updating and improving our savings and productivity collection. The collection includes our: 'do not do' recommendations cost saving guidance case studies key therapeutic topics return on investment tools If you have used any of these resources please complete a short survey so that we can make sure the resources fully meet your needs.

Take the survey

Pharmacists – help NICE evaluate health and medical apps NICE is developing a framework for evaluating health and medical apps. With the support of Public Health England and Imperial College London, it is hoped the framework will enable citizens, healthcare professionals, and healthcare organisations to identify higher quality apps and to use these with greater confidence. If you are a fully qualified pharmacist currently practicing in the United Kingdom and working in either the community or primary care setting, please complete a short survey.

Take the survey

Into Practice  Take a look at examples of organisations putting NICE guidance into practice Have a look at examples of organisations of putting NICE guidance into practice. A number of Local Safeguarding Children Boards collaborated to make their messages about sudden infant death syndrome more consistent with NICE guidance. University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust used the NICE quality standard on sarcoma to develop referral, diagnostic and treatment pathways of the 17 million residents in its area. Public Health England ran a project based in London to improve TB prevention and control.  Among the project’s aims was to support NHS screening in line with NICE Guidance.

Public Health Matters - preventing and reducing harm from alcohol Public Health England has launched its latest edition of Public Health Matters. The resource aims to prevent and reduce the harms caused by alcohol. It supports the commissioning and delivery of evidence based treatment interventions to address harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in adults. The resource links to a number of tools including NICE guidance that can help tackle harmful drinking and alcohol dependence.

Read more

New quality standard service improvement template NICE has developed a new template that allows providers to assess how their services compare to NICE quality standards. The template is an interactive Excel spreadsheet, which allows users to track progress over time, and to create an audit dependent on their own specific needs and requirements. The template is currently available on the tools and resources tab, for quality standards 1-102.

Read more

Online learning tool for type 1 diabetes NICE has launched a new online learning tool on type 1 diabetes. The interactive tool will help healthcare professionals understand how the NICE guideline can be applied to support adults with type 1 diabetes to self-manage their regimen more effectively.

Read more

New from the Reading Agency - Reading Well Mood-boosting Books 2016

A selection of books chosen by readers for their uplifting and mood-boosting qualities. The list features fiction, non-fiction, poetry, short-stories, classics, children’s books and even a cook book!

Whether you are in need of a boost, or know someone else who might be, take a look at the reader recommendations and share with your friends and family.

Click here to view the list...

Kent Public Health Observatory Health and Social Care Bulletin 15th January 2016

Your guide to what's new in public health and social care locally and nationally.  Produced by the Kent Public Health Observatory.

>>> Click here to view the latest bulletin

NICE Eyes on Evidence - Issue 80 January 2016

This month in Eyes on Evidence

Oxygen therapy for acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction
A randomised controlled trial in Australia found that administering inhaled oxygen did not limit damage to heart muscle and could be associated with an increase in muscle damage in people with acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.

Managing chronic rhinosinusitis in adults
A systematic review found evidence supporting daily high-volume nasal irrigation with saline and topical corticosteroid treatment as a first-line maintenance treatment for adults with chronic rhinosinusitis (symptoms for 12 weeks or longer).

Thyroid function testing in primary care
A cross-sectional study at a single UK general practice found that only 2% of people who underwent thyroid function tests in primary care had thyroid disease. The study identified specific clinical characteristics, such as hair loss or constipation, that could possibly be used to target testing at people most likely to have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

Occupational therapy for older people with stroke-related disabilities who live in care homes
A UK randomised controlled trial found that brief individualised occupational therapy delivered solely by occupational therapists had no effect on the degree of functional independence among older care home residents with stroke-related disabilities who had experienced stroke several years before.

Long-term mental health effects of bullying during adolescence
A UK prospective cohort study found that young people who experienced frequent bullying at age 13 were more likely to report depression at age 18 than those who were not bullied.

Evidence summaries from NICE’s Medicines and Prescribing Programme
NICE has recently published summaries on:
Diabetes mellitus type 1 and type 2: insulin glargine biosimilar (Abasaglar)
Type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults: high-strength insulin glargine 300 units/ml (Toujeo)
Diabetic nephropathy: blood pressure-lowering therapy
Early breast cancer: adjuvant bisphosphonate treatment beneficial in postmenopausal women