The National Health Service (NHS) celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. Its founding principles of care for all, free at point of need, funded from general taxation, a source of British pride. However the public has growing concerns about the standard of care and is pessimistic about the future. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP),…

Background: Two UK academic centres were commissioned to provide a responsive rapid evidence synthesis service. The service covered topics identified by the National Institute for Health Research Health Services & Delivery Research (NIHR HSDR) programme as priorities for the National Health Service or to inform research commissioning. Aims and…

Background; In the UK, there is increasing pressure on ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinicians and departments, which is anticipated to amplify in the coming months and years due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and other workforce pressures. In the context of a national drive to advance practice of Allied Health Professionals to address…

Aims: Digital living is now an integral part of many children and young people's (CYP) everyday experience. Practitioners who work with them are increasingly focused on effectively deploying technology to help those with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. Throughout all aspects and phases of work, practitioners must adhere to legal…

Background: The need to review health service provision for children and young people (CYP) with disabilities and their families in the United Kingdom has been expressed in multiple reports--the most consistent message being that services need to be tailored to meet their individual needs. Our aim was to understand the hospital-related needs and…

Background: There is increasing recognition of the impact that dementia has upon swallowing and at mealtimes, and the significant effect this can have on people with dementia's health and well-being. However, there remains a paucity of evidence for assessment and intervention practices for dysphagia and mealtime difficulties. Furthermore, there is…

Specialist intellectual disability inpatient units have come under increased scrutiny, leading to questions about the quality of service provision in this sector. A care pathway-based approach was implemented in such a unit and its impact on outcome variables was measured. The care pathway-based approach resulted in the turnover of more patients,…

Many speech and language therapy (SLT) services have limited capacity for providing school-based input. Some offer commissioned SLT input, to enhance the service provided by the UK National Health Service (NHS), giving schools the option to increase the amount and scope of SLT intervention. This two-tiered model of service provision is relatively…

International studies have shown poor uptake of public health initiatives by people with learning disabilities. In addition, studies have shown that people with learning disabilities experience poor access to public health services. The contribution of community learning disability nurses in meeting the public health needs of people with learning…

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme aims to provide equitable access to NICE-recommended psychological therapies to people from all sectors of the community. There is evidence that people with mild to moderate learning disabilities can benefit from the therapies offered by IAPT services, especially when reasonable…

This study examines the location of British health visiting in contemporary policy discourses concerned with public health and safeguarding children. It argues that professional identity and orientation can be understood through health visiting's long history of public health work with children and families, which has included an engagement with…

The objective of the study was to qualitatively evaluate the managerial and organisational issues associated with service quality in a privately funded alcohol treatment centre in the UK. Two different groups of participants at a private treatment clinic were interviewed. The first group comprised 25 of its patients. The second group comprised 15…

This publication focuses on national and international policy initiatives to develop a better understanding of part-time learners and the types of flexibility that may enhance their study especially pedagogically. As part of our five-strand research project "Flexible Pedagogies: preparing for the future" it: (1) highlights the challenges…

The commissioning and provision of mental health services for people with intellectual disability is often complex and characterised by different service delivery models. This paper looks at the current situation 7 years after the White Paper, Valuing People (From words into action: London learning disabilities strategic framework, Department of…

An emphasis on the outcomes of health and social care services has become increasingly apparent within public policy in the United Kingdom. Alongside this, working in partnership has been a key theme, despite a relatively underdeveloped evidence base. Of central importance, however, must be whether directives toward partnership working are…