News

What’s happening in the world of public health? We take a look at the latest stories affecting the professions.

Thousands of families in Stoke at risk due to proposed budget cuts, says Unite

Stoke-on-Trent families could be badly hit if proposed city council plans to cut £1 million from the children and young people services’ budget go ahead, Unite has warned.

News in numbers: May/June 2021

A breakdown of recent community health news, in numbers. Download the PDF, here.

Regional/CountryHealth and wellbeing

CP safety: expect the unexpected

Women’s safety has moved into the spotlight recently, and community practitioners – many of whom are female – face particular risks at work. Journalist Radhika Holmström asks how you can stay safe on the job.

ResearchHealth and wellbeing, Professional

Shedding the stigma of catching Covid can help defeat pandemic

Feelings of shame and stigmatisation at the idea of contracting Covid-19 are linked to lower compliance of social distancing and the likelihood of reporting infection to authorities and potential contacts.

ResearchHealth and wellbeing

Exercise helps curb low-grade inflammation in children

Doing more brisk and vigorous physical activity can help curb low-grade inflammation in children with a higher body fat percentage, suggests research in the European Journal of Sport Science.

ResearchHealth and wellbeing

Healthy body image protects against weight gain in teens

A two-year study of 1225 Norwegians in early adolescence found that positive ‘self-rated health’ and self-esteem protected them against weight gain.

ResearchMental Health, Growth and development

Poorer outcomes for mums and babies during the pandemic

Pregnancy outcomes for mothers and babies have worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed a global study.

ResearchHealth and wellbeing, Mental Health, Growth and development

Personal stories of vaccine side effects reduce the impact of hard science messages

Expert scientific messages on vaccine safety are effective at increasing public acceptance of vaccines, but this benefit is mostly lost when news programmes show a personal narrative on side effects, research has found.

Research Immunisation & illness

NMC consultation to modernise nursing education standards

The NMC has launched a consultation on new draft education standards ‘to modernise community and public health nursing standards’ in the UK.

Regional/Country Professional, Education

Scotland: more funding for students to ensure practical education

Nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students are set to access alternative clinical placements to ‘support their practical education disrupted by Covid’, the Scottish Government has announced.

Regional/Country Professional, Education

Caring during Covid: half of workforce are ‘overwhelmed’

In a survey asking about the impact of Covid on their work, 49.3% of health and social care workers said they felt overwhelmed by increased pressures, 46.1% felt impacted but not significantly – and only 4.6% said that their service had not been impacted or had been stepped down.

Regional/Country Professional, Mental Health