UK Government launches call for evidence to inform Men’s Health Strategy for England 

The UK Government has launched a 12 week call for evidence to inform England’s first ever Men’s Health Strategy.  Men of all ages and backgrounds are being urged to contribute their insights, along with health and social care professionals, academics, employers and stakeholder organisations.  The call for evidence asks for participants views on what is…

Respondents wanted for survey into inequalities facing ethnic elders within dementia healthcare 

The Old Age Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists are running a survey on the inequalities facing ethnic elders within dementia healthcare.  The Old Age Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists say:  “Your responses will help us understand the current service status and the challenges faced by minority ethnic elders within dementia assessment…

Study challenges assumptions about digital device usage and cognitive decline 

A study published in Nature Human Behaviour has suggested that using a computer, smartphone, the internet or some combination of these is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment.   These findings contrast with the previous ‘digital dementia hypothesis’, which had suggested that a lifetime of using digital technology could drive cognitive decline.   Dr Michael…

Research project launched to test dementia driving decision aid 

A research study, funded by The Road Safety Trust, will see the University of Surrey and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust collaborating to test a UK-adapted dementia driving decision aid (DDDA-UK).  Running for 18-months, the study will test the DDDA-UK within Surrey memory services to see if the resource can effectively support people living…

The Care Workers’ Charity publish Impact Report 

The Care Workers’ Charity (CWC) has published their latest Impact Report entitled, ‘Shaping the Future of Care: Our Work in 2024’.  The report highlights CWC’s support for care workers personally and professionally, and documents how they are ensuring the voices of care workers remain at the heart of policy and debate around social care.  You…

Government announce single access point for NHS data to support researchers 

The UK Government, in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, has announced a new £600 million Health Data Research Service that will give scientists quicker and safer access to large-scale NHS datasets.  The new system is intended to reduce the time it takes to set up clinical trials to 150 days (it was over 250 days…

MELODIC highlights the value of music therapy for NHS inpatients with dementia 

MELODIC, a collaborative study between Angela Ruskin University’s Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), has shared a film from an event MELODIC co-hosted with Dementia UK to highlighting the impact of music therapy on reducing distress for people with dementia on NHS inpatient wards.  You can…

New tool more accurately predicts frailty to support greater independence as people age 

A new tool, The Electronic Frailty Index 2 (eFI2), created as a result of NIHR funding into research led by the University of Leeds, has begun to be used in primary care, with 3 in 5 GPs in England able to access it through Optum (formerly known as EMIS) software.  The researchers behind the tool,…

Failings in care co-ordination for people with long-term conditions identified in HSSIB report 

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) has published a report entitled, ‘Workforce and patient safety: primary and community care co-ordination for people with long-term conditions’.  The report describes failures by NHS and care organisations to coordinate care for people with long-term health conditions, including dementia. Concerns documented include people struggling to navigate the health…