In this month's edition...
The mental health of men and boys
The UK Parliament Women and Equalities Committee has launched an inquiry into the mental health of men and boys. The Committee is inviting written submissions to the inquiry by 18th March. It wants to ensure the inquiry reflects the experience and thinking of as many people as possible, including practitioners who support men and boys, and those in secure settings. Clinks is submitting a response to the inquiry which will focus on the mental health of men and boys in contact with the criminal justice system. Find out more here
Survey on loneliness and social isolation
FaithAction is running a survey to find out what faith-based organisations are doing to tackle loneliness and social isolation. It wants to find out whether local health and care services are aware of what faith organisations are offering locally and whether there are links with social prescribing schemes and so on. But for now they just want people to tell them what's out there. You can take the survey here
Drug detection
Prisons Minister Rory Stewart has announced scanners which detect drugs on clothes and mail are up and running at 10 of the most challenging prisons as part of the 10 Prisons Project. The technology can detect invisible traces of drugs, including psychoactive substances, soaked into clothing and paper. Find out more here
Two charities to merge
Health and social care charity Humankind and alcohol and drug charity Blenheim CDP have confirmed that they will merge in April. The merged organisation, which will be named Humankind and employ over 1,100 staff, will build upon the charities' commitment to pursue their vision for people of all ages to be safe, building ambitions for the future and reaching towards their full potential. Eric Feltin, Chair of the Board of Trustee at Blenheim CDP, said: “By coming together, our joint organisation will have much greater reach to deliver this best practice and have the resources to drive further innovation, developing more compelling services as a result.” Find out more here
Care regulator on Facebook
The Care Quality Commission is trialling a Facebook group for its local Healthwatch and voluntary sector partners. The CQC Stakeholders and Partners Network is a closed group where all submissions are private. It aims to use the group to have discussions and information sharing on an informal platform, helping to get the public voice into more of its work. Participants will help provide public stakeholder evidence for its policy and regulation work. Find out more here
Safety in custody
The Ministry of Justice has published Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales. The statistics show that: The number of prisoners who died by suicide rose by 31% in 2018; overall deaths in custody rose by 10% in 2018; assaults increased by 20% in the 12 months to September 2018; assaults on staff rose by 29%; and incidents of self-injury increased by 23%. Read the report here
Easy read version of The NHS Long Term Plan
The audio and easy read version of The NHS Long Term Plan, as well as the full document, are now available on the resources page of the NHS Long Term Plan Hub. Find out more here (PDF)
Drug treatment monitoring
Public Health England has published its annual National Drug Treatment Monitoring System statistics report on specialist treatment interventions for drug and alcohol misuse in secure settings during 2017 to 2018. The report contains information on adults (aged 18 and over) in contact with treatment services in prisons, including youth offender institutions and immigration removal centres. Almost one in 10 adults in treatment said they had a problem with new psychoactive substances. Find out more here
Rough sleeping in England
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has released its annual statistics about the number of people sleeping rough in England. It finds that the number of rough sleepers has dropped by 2% since 2017, but is still 165% up from 2010. There was a 13% increase in London, with the rest of England experiencing a 6% drop. 14% were women. Find out more here (PDF)
Improving care for homeless and excluded people
The third edition of The Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health Standards for Commissioners and Service Providers has been launched. The document sets out the health challenges experienced by marginalised groups such as people who are homeless, people who sell sex, people from gypsy and traveller communities, and vulnerable migrants. It calls for the incorporation of values such as compassion and continuity of care to support integrated collaborative systems that improve patient outcomes. Find out more here
Domestic and sexual abuse against women
AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) and Agenda have published Hand in Hand, a report based on the findings of a national commission focusing on domestic and sexual abuse against women facing multiple disadvantage. It shows women are falling through the gaps in services. Service cuts and ever-increasing thresholds for accessing support are preventing women from getting the help they need. It recommends more awareness-raising campaigns about abuse; more involvement of experts by experience; multi-agency support; staff training to understand abuse; and more empathy from service providers. Find out more here
Social services
The Thomas Wall Trust has grants of up to £1,000 for individuals and registered charities that serve the social needs of the community. To apply you should create an account on the website and request a form. Applications can be made at any time and will be considered at Trustee meetings held twice a year usually in July and November. Find out more here
Inclusion health tool
The VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, of which Clinks is a member, has launched the VCSE Inclusion Health Audit Tool. This online tool will help your organisation to audit its engagement with Inclusion Health groups. These are the groups identified as experiencing the worst health inequalities in the UK. The tool consists of five sections and takes around 15 minutes to complete. Once you have completed the audit tool, you will be provided with a unique and tailored guide which will help your organisation to embed action on tackling health inequalities into its everyday activities. Access the tool here
Facing loss and bereavement
Revolving Doors Agency is holding a 'Loss and bereavement' seminar [6th March, London, £tbc]. Are researchers asking the right questions about loss and bereavement? Do practitioners know how to deal with loss and bereavement? This research and policy seminar will discuss these issues. Contact Dr Ann Hanrahan to request a place, at ann.hanrahan@revolving-doors.org.uk
Primary care networks
NHS England is hosting a series of regional primary care network events [various dates and locations, online and physical, free] looking at how primary care networks can change the way services are delivered at a local level to benefit people and communities. The events will provide an update on the national programme, the NHS Long Term Plan and the latest planning guidance, and provide an opportunity to discuss progress locally. The events are aimed at general practice providers, primary care providers and commissioners, the voluntary sector, local government, mental health services, social care, secondary care and the wider NHS. Find out more here
Modernising prisons for health
In this blog, Barry Godfrey writes for the Lancet on how outdated prisons are negatively impacting on prisoner health. He compares the Victorian prison estate with the modern estate. He writes, “Today, a more sympathetic attitude towards prisoners' complex health needs prevails among health professionals who work in prisons, yet society still tolerates a situation in which many prisoners endure ill health, particularly mental health problems.” Register for free to read the full article. Read the blog here
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This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary organisations involved in the health and care of people in the criminal justice system. It currently has 3,279 subscribers.
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