Identifying priorities for increasing life expectancy within the East Midlands

A set of life expectancy profiles for each Local Authority, County and Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the Region. These profiles highlight the causes of death that result in the largest reduction in life expectancy using England's mortality experience as the benchmark. They are part of wider programme of work aimed at supporting the regional Health Inequalities Task Group and local organisations in identifying key priorities for tackling health inequalities. This document contains all five county profiles in one: they are also available individually.

Identifying priorities for increasing life expectancy in the most deprived areas within the East Midlands

A set of life expectancy profiles for each Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the Region. These profiles show the causes of death that account for the largest shortfall in life expectancy in the most deprived areas of the PCT using the PCT's mortality experience as the benchmark. They are part of wider programme of work aimed at supporting the regional Health Inequalities Task Group and local organisations in identifying key priorities for tackling health inequalities.

Progress in tackling Health Inequalities in the East Midlands

This article, which is part of EMRA's State of the Region report for 2006, examines progress since the early 1990s across the East Midlands region in reducing the health gap on infant mortality and life expectancy by 2010, which are the Government's two key national health inequalities targets. It shows that although health is improving for the East Midlands population as a whole, there is a continuing widening of the inequalities gap as measured by life expectancy at birth between the overall East Midlands population and those living within local authorities in the East Midlands that are the most disadvantaged, and that the inequalities gap for the infant mortality rate has not reduced since the early 1990s.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Tier 4 Service Review - East Midlands

The project objectives were to: - Review the current situation for the population of the East Midlands, across the Tier 4 services and for young people in Out of Area Placements. - Examine current commissioning arrangements across the region and across the agencies of health, social care and education. - Consider the development of a shared framework within which future Tier 4 services could be planned and delivered. - Identify care pathways across the continuum of CAMHS services and highlight any gaps within CAMHS Tier 4 provision.

Delivering Choosing Health: Making healthier choices easier

This delivery plan outlines the key steps that will be taken over the next three years to deliver the Governnment White Paper Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier. This delivery plan highlights how the DH and the NHS, within the framework of government policies, will help more people make more healthy choices and reduce health inequalities. It outlines clearly the priorities for delivery at national, regional and local levels and what will be done by whom and when. It brings into one place all of the actions on the White Paper commitments, alongside related Public Service Agreements and local targets to improve health. It lists 45 'big wins' - key interventions which the evidence and expert advice suggest will make the greatest impact on health in the shortest period of time It explains how new policies and programmes will be developed and implemented. It describes how Government will drive forward delivery through Government targets to improve health new partnerships

Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004

This report first describes the prevalence of mental disorders among 5- to 16-year olds in 2004 and notes any changes since the previous survey in 1999. It then provides profiles of children in each of the main disorder categories (emotional, conduct, hyperkinetic and autistic spectrum disorders) and , where the sample size permits, profiles subgroups within these categories.

Strategic review of health inequalities in England post 2010 (Marmot review consultation paper)

In November 2008, Professor Sir Michael Marmot was asked to advise the Secretary of State for Health on the future development of a health inequalities strategy in England post-2010. The consultation relates to the first phase of the review and is based on submissions from nine task groups, who considered the evidence base across the social determinants of health. This document discusses issues raised during this first phase of the review and identifies key questions for respondents. The consultation document is set out in the following sections: Section 1 The Review Consultation: Aims and consultation questions Section 2 The Strategic Review of Health inequalities: The Background to the Review, the remit, structure, context and the social determinants approach to health inequalities. Section 3 Key Strategic Themes: A summary of a thematic analysis of proposals made by the Review task groups. Each task group was asked to assess national and international evidence about interventions and policies from within their policy area, which would likely lead to reductions in health inequalities. Section 4 Cross-Cutting Challenges for the Review: A summary of challenges currently under consideration by the Review.

Indications of public health in the English regions - 7: mental health

This report is the eigth in the series, "Indications of Public Health in the English Regions" commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer and has been produced jointly by the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) and the North East PHO. This report presents a wide range of data on the factors which can give rise to poor mental health, the mental health status of populations, provision of interventions of care for mental illness, service user experience and traditional outcomes such as suicide. In 2006, the United Kingdom rated third highest across 25 EU member states for the number of drinks consumed in one sitting. This Regional Indications report is produced alongside the new national strategy Safe. Sensible. Social: The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy.

Health Profile of England 2007

This profile is an update of the first published in 2006. The Health Profile of England is intended to be of use to public service professionals and officials within the local community - such as local councillors and primary care trust directors of public health - who are in a position to exert influence over the planning, commissioning, procurement and delivery of public health programmes. But the document will also be of interest to a much wider audience - anyone with an interest in the profile of health and health determinants in this country.

National, regional, and global trends in fasting plasma glucose and diabetes prevalence since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 370 country-years and 2·7 million participants.

BACKGROUND: Data for trends in glycaemia and diabetes prevalence are needed to understand the effects of diet and lifestyle within populations, assess the performance of interventions, and plan health services. No consistent and comparable global analysis of trends has been done. We estimated trends and their uncertainties in mean fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and diabetes prevalence for adults aged 25 years and older in 199 countries and territories. METHODS: We obtained data from health examination surveys and epidemiological studies (370 country-years and 2·7 million participants). We converted systematically between different glycaemic metrics. For each sex, we used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate mean FPG and its uncertainty by age, country, and year, accounting for whether a study was nationally, subnationally, or community representative. FINDINGS: In 2008, global age-standardised mean FPG was 5·50 mmol/L (95% uncertainty interval 5·37-5·63) for men and 5·42 mmol/L (5·29-5·54) for women, having risen by 0·07 mmol/L and 0·09 mmol/L per decade, respectively. Age-standardised adult diabetes prevalence was 9·8% (8·6-11·2) in men and 9·2% (8·0-10·5) in women in 2008, up from 8·3% (6·5-10·4) and 7·5% (5·8-9·6) in 1980. The number of people with diabetes increased from 153 (127-182) million in 1980, to 347 (314-382) million in 2008. We recorded almost no change in mean FPG in east and southeast Asia and central and eastern Europe. Oceania had the largest rise, and the highest mean FPG (6·09 mmol/L, 5·73-6·49 for men; 6·08 mmol/L, 5·72-6·46 for women) and diabetes prevalence (15·5%, 11·6-20·1 for men; and 15·9%, 12·1-20·5 for women) in 2008. Mean FPG and diabetes prevalence in 2008 were also high in south Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and central Asia, north Africa, and the Middle East. Mean FPG in 2008 was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, east and southeast Asia, and high-income Asia-Pacific. In high-income subregions, western Europe had the smallest rise, 0·07 mmol/L per decade for men and 0·03 mmol/L per decade for women; North America had the largest rise, 0·18 mmol/L per decade for men and 0·14 mmol/L per decade for women. INTERPRETATION: Glycaemia and diabetes are rising globally, driven both by population growth and ageing and by increasing age-specific prevalences. Effective preventive interventions are needed, and health systems should prepare to detect and manage diabetes and its sequelae. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and WHO.

Molecular characterization of Leptospira sp. strains isolated from human subjects in São Paulo, Brazil using a polymerase chain reaction-based assay: a public health tool

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay which amplifies repetitive DNA elements present within bacterial genomes was used to characterize and differentiate Leptospira sp. Thirty-five strains from a reference culture collection and 18 clinical isolates which had been previously analyzed by cross agglutinin absorption test (CAAT) were evaluated by this technique. PCR results from analysis of the reference culture collection showed no bands corresponding to serogroups Australis, Autumnalis, Bataviae, Celledoni, Cynopteri, Djasiman, Panama, Pomona, Pyrogenes, and Tarassovi. However, the PCR method was able to clearly discriminate the serogroups Andamana, Ballum, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Javanica, Sejroe, Semaranga, and Shermani. Clinical isolates previously characterized by CAAT as serovar Copenhageni, serovar Castellonis, and as serovar Canicola were in agreement with PCR results. The clinical isolate previously characterized as serovar Pomona was not differentiated by PCR. Forty additional clinical isolates from patients with leptospirosis obtained in São Paulo, Brazil were also evaluated by this PCR method. Thirty-nine of these were determined to belong to serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae (97.5%) and one to serogroup Sejroe (2.5%). These results demonstrate that the PCR method described in this study has utility for rapid typing of Leptospira sp. at the serogroup level and can be used in epidemiological survey.

A new pathway for the regulation and governance of health research

The Academy's review, 'A new pathway for the regulation and governance of health research' was published in January 2011. The report was prepared by a working group, chaired by Professor Sir Michael Rawlins FMedSci, convened in response to an invitation from Government to review the regulation and governance of UK health research involving human participants, their tissue or their data.The report proposes four key principles that should underpin the regulation and governance framework around health research in the UK, and makes recommendations to:Create a new Health Research Agency (HRA) to rationalise the regulation and governance of all health research. Include within the HRA a new National Research Governance Service to facilitate timely approval of research studies by NHS Trusts. Improve the UK environment for clinical trials.Provide access to patient data that protects individual interests and allows approved research to proceed effectively. Embed a culture that values research within the NHS.

Regional Health and Social Care Personal and Public Involvement Forum: Annual update report

This is the first annual report of the Regional Health and Social Care Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum. It gives a brief introduction into the concept of PPI, which seeks to involve service users and the public in the planning, delivery and commissioning of services across healthcare in Northern Ireland. The report also provides a background to the development of PPI in Northern Ireland and details on the establishment of the forum.The bulk of the report centres on how PPI is being implemented across all the partner organisations within the healthcare system. Each organisation is introduced and each provides a summary of PPI work it has delivered and planned for the near future. A list of relevant contacts is also included.

Temporal distribution of dengue virus serotypes in Colombian endemic area and dengue incidence: re-introduction of dengue-3 associated to mild febrile illness and primary infection

We have investigated the temporal distribution of dengue (DEN) virus serotypes in the department (state) of Santander, Colombia, in relation to dengue incidence, infection pattern, and severity of disease. Viral isolation was attended on a total of 1452 acute serum samples collected each week from 1998 to 2004. The infection pattern was evaluated in 596 laboratory-positive dengue cases using an IgG ELISA, and PRNT test. The dengue incidence was documented by the local health authority. Predominance of DEN-1 in 1998 and DEN-3 re-introduction and predominance in 2001-2003 coincided with outbreaks. Predominance of DEN-2 in 2000-2001 coincided with more dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DEN-4 was isolated in 2000-2001 and 2004 but was not predominant. There was an annual increase of primary dengue infections (from 13.7 to 81.4%) that correlated with frequency of DEN-3 (r = 0.83; P = 0.038). From the total number of primary dengue infections DEN-3 (81.3%) was the most frequent serotype. DHF was more frequent in DEN-2 infected patients than in DEN-3 infected patients: 27.5 vs 10.9% (P < 0.05). DEN-3 viruses belonged to subtype C (restriction site-specific-polymerase chain reaction) like viruses isolated in Sri-Lanka and other countries in the Americas. Our findings show the importance of continuous virological surveillance to identify the risk factors of dengue epidemics and severity.

Project Initiation Document Phase One: Scoping Exercise within special schools

This Project Initiation Document outlines the purpose and plan of Phase One of the Review of AHP Support for Children with Statements of Special Educational Needs in Special Schools and Mainstream Education.