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Older people’s health and care needs are changing. Increasing numbers live with the combined effects of age-related chronic illness or disability, social isolation and/or poor mental health. Social prescribing has potential to benefit older people by helping those with social, emotional or practical needs to access relevant services and resources within the local community. However, researchers have highlighted limitations with the existing evidence-base, while clinicians express concerns about the quality of onward referral services, liability and upfront investment required. The current article provides a critical review of evidence on social prescribing, drawing on the RE-AIM Framework (Glasgow et al., 1999) to identify questions that will need to be addressed in order to inform both the design and delivery of services and the evolving research agenda around social prescribing. We emphasise the need for researchers and planners to work together to develop a more robust evidence-base, advancing understanding of the impacts of social prescribing (on individuals, services and communities), factors associated with variation in outcomes and strategies needed to implement effective and sustainable programmes. We also call on policymakers to recognise the need for investment in allied initiatives to address barriers to engagement in social prescribing programmes, provide targeted support for carers and improve access to older adult mental health services. We conclude that social prescribing has potential to support older people’s health and wellbeing, but this potential will only be realised through strategic alignment of research, local level implementation and national policy and investment.

Aim Research identifies a need for expanded therapeutic options for people with mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety disorders treated within the UK National Health Service (NHS). We aimed to examine potential benefits of a Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) based breath intervention delivered in this context. Background SKY is a structured programme derived from yoga in which participants are taught relaxation and stress-management techniques including body postures, breathing exercises and cognitive-behavioural procedures. Previous research has demonstrated benefits for patients with clinical and non-clinical depression and anxiety. However, SKY has not yet been evaluated as a therapeutic option for patients accessing NHS primary care mental health services. Methods We evaluated an existing programme available to NHS patients in South East England. The intervention is community-based and delivered via four weekly ‘stress buster sessions’ (1-h duration), one weekend intensive workshop (2.5 days) and four weekly (90 min) follow-up sessions. Analyses were conducted on existing data [measures of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and anxiety (generalised anxiety disorder-7)] collected as part of routine care, at the start of the programme and three follow-up assessments. Findings Baseline data were available for 991 participants, of which 557 (56.2%) attended at least three weekly workshops, 216 (21.8%) attended the weekend workshop and 169 (17.1%) completed the programme. Statistically significant (P

We report on two evaluability assessments (EAs) of social prescribing (SP) services in South East England conducted in 2016/7. We aimed to demonstrate how EAs can be used to assess whether a programme is ready to be evaluated for outcomes, what changes would be needed to do so and whether the evaluation would contribute to improved programme performance. We also aimed to draw out the lessons learned through the EA process and consider how these can inform the design and evaluation of SP schemes. EAs followed the steps described by Wholey, New Dir Eval 33:77, (1987) and Leviton et al., Annu Rev Public Health 31:213, (2010), including collaboration with stakeholders, elaboration, testing and refinement of an agreed programme theory, understanding the programme reality, identification and review of existing data sources and assessment against key criteria. As a result, evaluation of the services was not recommended. Necessary changes to allow for future evaluation include gaining access to electronic patient records, establishing procedures for collection of baseline and outcome data and linking to data on use of other healthcare services. Lessons learned include ensuring that: (a) SP schemes are developed with involvement (and buy in) of relevant stakeholders; (b) information governance and data sharing agreements are in place from the start; (c) staffing levels are sufficient to cover the range of activities involved in service delivery, data monitoring, reporting, evaluation and communication with stakeholders; (d) SP schemes are co-located with primary care services; and (e) referral pathways and linkages to health service data systems are established as part of the programme design. We conclude that EA provides a valuable tool for informing the design and evaluation of SP schemes. EA can help commissioners to make best use of limited evaluation resources and prioritise which programmes need to be evaluated, as well as how, why and when.

AimTo explore, for the first time, whether a modified mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course has the potential to reduce stress and burnout among National Health Service (NHS) General Practitioners.BackgroundThere is a crisis of low morale among NHS GPs, with most describing their workload as ‘unmanageable’. MBCT has been demonstrated to improve stress and burnout in other populations, but has not yet been evaluated in a cohort of NHS GPs.MethodsNHS GPs in South East England (n=22) attended a modified version of the MBCT course approved by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for prevention of depressive relapse. This comprised eight weekly 2-h sessions with homework (mindfulness practice) between sessions. Participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) before (baseline) and then again one month (T2) and three months (T3) after attending the course. We also obtained qualitative data on participants’ experiences of the course.FindingsCompliance with the intervention was very high. All GPs attended at least six sessions and all completed baseline questionnaires. At T2, data were obtained from 21 participants (95%); PSS scores were significantly lower than at baseline (PPP=0.0421). At T3 we obtained data for 13 participants (59%); PSS scores and MBI emotional exhaustion scores were significantly lower (PP=0.0024, respectively) and personal accomplishment scores were significantly higher (P

Background: Previous research has highlighted a lack of knowledge, understanding and confidence among parents and teachers responsible for the postural care of children with a physical disability. Interventions designed to improve these qualities require a reliable and validated tool to assess pre and post intervention levels. Currently, however, no validated measure of postural care confidence (i.e. Self-efficacy) exists. Hence, the aim of this research was to develop a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess parents’ and teachers’ confidence, alongside knowledge and understanding of postural care– the Understanding Knowledge and Confidence in providing POSTural CARe for children with Disabilities (UKC PostCarD) Questionnaire. Methods: Items were developed by a multidisciplinary team and designed to map onto the content of ‘An A-to-Z of Postural Care’ (Hutton et al., 2009). Parents, teachers and therapists assessed items for face validity; scale reliability was then assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and known-groups validity was assessed by comparing scores of an ‘expert’ group (physiotherapists and occupational therapists) with those of a ‘non-expert’ group (with no formal training in postural care). Results: The total scale and all three subscales (understanding-and-knowledge, confidence and concerns) demonstrated adequate reliability (α>.83) and subscale correlations formed a logical pattern (understanding-and-knowledge correlated positively with confidence and negatively with concerns). Experts’ (N=111) scores were higher than non-experts’ (N=79) for the total scale and all subscales (p

Aim We aimed to evaluate a pilot service to facilitate discharge of patients with stable long-term mental health needs from secondary to primary care. Background Patients with stable long-term mental health conditions are often not discharged from secondary mental health services when no longer needed due to insufficient systems and processes to enable safe, effective, recovery-focussed treatment and support. The Primary Care Mental Health Specialist (PCMHS) Service was developed to address this gap; new PCMHS posts were introduced to act as a conduit for patients being discharged from secondary care and a single point of referral back into secondary care, should it be required. The two-year pilot, across six Clinical Commissioning Groups in South East England, began in March 2013. Methods Interviews were conducted with all PCMHS employed in the pilot service (n=13) and a sample of service users (n=12). The views of professionals working alongside the service, including GPs, Psychiatrists and Mental Health Nurses, were captured using a brief online questionnaire (n=50). Time and Activity Recording Sheets were used to capture data required for economic analysis. Findings Our findings indicate that the service is working well from the perspective of patients; staff employed within the service and professionals working alongside the service. Patients described the service as a ‘safety net’ they could fall back on in case of difficulties, whereas staff used the analogy of a ‘bridge’ to describe the way the service improved communication and collaboration between the various professionals and organisations involved in the patient’s care. Improvements in well-being were seen to result from increased support for those transitioning from secondary to primary care, a more pro-active approach to relapse prevention and increased engagement in daily activities. Each PCMHS covered 36 patients in a one-month period, with a unit cost of £73.01 per patient.

The purpose of this article is to consider the challenges faced by patients and clinicians in relation to long-term management of ankylosing spondylitis, a common rheumatic disease with an early age of onset, and to provide evidence-based recommendations for minimizing the impact of ankylosing spondylitis on the patient and society. The article is organized into three main sections; the first provides a general background in relation to epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis and classification; the second considers the impacts of ankylosing spondylitis on the patient and society; the third provides recommendations for minimizing these impacts. In particular, the importance of patient education, group exercise, ergonomic adjustment of the work environment, psychological therapies and spa therapies are highlighted. We also urgently recommend notifying patients of the advantages associated with active membership of a patient support group. Some general conclusions regarding the goals for lo...

Despite the importance of early diagnosis of dementia, little is known about the factors underlying help-seeking in relation to signs of the condition. In this pilot study, we aimed to examine the potential utility of the common sense model (CSM) of illness representations for understanding lay perceptions of dementia and predicting intentions to seek help in relation to possible signs and symptoms. A secondary aim was to develop a measure of (dementia-related) illness representations as a tool for future research. After reading a vignette describing a "relative" with mild or moderate dementia, participants (N = 118) completed measures of illness representations and help-seeking intentions. Analyses compared perceptions of the mild and moderate vignettes and determined the extent to which illness perceptions differentiated between alternative forms of help-seeking (e.g. seeking professional help vs. help from family members). Results indicated that cognitive deficits were more readily identified as dementia than non-cognitive symptoms; these were commonly attributed to stress or depression. Participants were more likely to indicate an intention to seek professional help if they identified the problem in the vignette as dementia, perceived symptoms as severe, as having serious consequences and as likely to be permanent, but less likely to do so if they identified the problem as stress or attributed symptoms to psychological causes. Our preliminary data suggests that help-seeking may be prevented by inaccurate illness representations or misattribution of symptoms. The CSM may provide a useful framework for understanding perceptions of dementia symptoms and for informing help-seeking pathways.

Although youth smoking in Europe has been highlighted as a significant public health concern, there is little data available to guide development of population-specific smoking prevention measures. In this study, we examined smoking-prevalence and smoking-related attitudes and perceptions among 118 young adults in Malta (a country for which there is little existing data), with comparison data from a sample of young adults in the UK (N = 112). To ensure that samples were demographically similar (e.g. in terms of age, level of education, and social status) we obtained data from university students. Only students of Maltese nationality (in Malta), or British nationality (in the UK) were invited to participate. Participants completed measures of smoking behavior, perceived risks of smoking, subjective norms, temptation to smoke, and attitudes towards smoking cessation. Almost half (46%) of the Maltese students were current smokers, compared to 25% of the British students. British students were more aware of the risks of smoking than their Maltese counterparts, perceived greater social pressure not to smoke and held more positive attitudes towards smoking cessation; Maltese students reported greater temptation to smoke and were around others who smoke more often than the British students. Attitudes and perceptions were associated with smoking behavior in both samples although the relative importance of psychological determinants of smoking varied between the two samples. Our data indicate higher smoking prevalence and more pro-smoking attitudes/ perceptions among students in Malta, consistent with data for other Southern European countries. Findings also indicate that the influence of smoking-related attitudes and perceptions varies between populations and the influence of social norms in particular may be moderated by nationality.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a potentially debilitating chronic condition that necessitates a biopsychosocial approach for successful long-term management. However, the psychosocial consequences of AS are not well understood. In this study patients ( N = 68) reported impacts of AS across a wide range of life domains; negative impacts included physical effects of AS, changes in mood or personality, effects on social life and relationships with friends and family, low self-esteem, stigma and worry about the future; positive impacts included increased exercise, feelings of achievement and empathy, stronger relationships, slower pace of life and a more positive perspective. Implications for treatment are discussed.

This study investigated the attentional control of restrained eaters when exposed to food. Restrained (N = 55) and unrestrained eaters (N = 56) completed a color word Stroop task. Top–down attentional control was assessed by adaptation effects (the Stroop effect is smaller when the previous trial is an incongruent color word than a congruent color word). Adaptation effects differed between restrained and unrestrained eaters according to the type of background image presented (high-fat food vs. non-food). Specifically, in restrained eaters adaptation effects did not differ as a function of image. In contrast, adaptation effects in unrestrained eaters were not observed with high-fat food. Motivation to either approach or avoid food may explain these differences.

Following a number of mumps outbreaks in universities and colleges, the UK Health Protection Agency has suggested that it is appropriate to consider offering the MMR vaccine in these settings. However, little is known about the factors associated with uptake of the MMR jab or perceptions of risks/benefits of the vaccine among higher education students. The current study focused on a sample of students offered the MMR vaccine following an outbreak of mumps on a university campus. Perceptions of risks/benefits of the vaccine varied considerably and students were unlikely to have the jab when perceived risks of immunising were equivalent to perceived risks of not immunising. Results suggest that public health interventions should address students’ attitudes towards the vaccine, perceptions of peer expectations, and perceptions of barriers to uptake.