Policy@Manchester Blogs

Bogus self-employment and COVID-19: an added layer of insecurity

By Martí López-Andreu Filed Under: Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: July 20, 2020

The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis has raised concerns about its impact on precarious and vulnerable workers when most of them have been at the front line during the crisis and their work has been revealed as essential. Dr Marti Lopez-Andreu, from the Work and Equalities Institute, investigates some of these key workers in areas […]

Black mental health matters: Time to eradicate long-standing ethnic inequalities in mental healthcare

By Jamal Alston, Henna Lemetyinen and Dawn Edge Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: July 15, 2020

In 2018, ethnic inequalities in mental health treatment led the Royal College of Psychiatrists to endorse the position that mental healthcare in the UK is institutionally racist. In this blog, Jamal Alston, Dr Henna Lemetyinen, and Professor Dawn Edge explain how these inequalities present themselves, and use their research to outline new policies for mental […]

How resilient were UK regions to the 2008 financial crisis? Recovery policies for COVID-19 crisis

By Marianne Sensier, Fiona Devine and Elvira Uyarra Filed Under: Growth and Inclusion Posted: July 14, 2020

Dr Marianne Sensier, Professor Fiona Devine and Dr Elvira Uyarra have conducted research comparing the economic resilience of UK sub-regions in recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. In this blog, they map the resilience across the UK in recovery from the financial crisis and suggest policies for increasing resilience for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. […]

The retrofitting challenge in Manchester

By Matt Ziembla, Elvira Uyarra and Jonatan Pinkse Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Urban Posted: July 13, 2020

During January-March 2020, Mateusz Ziembla, together with Dr Elvira Uyarra and Professor Jonatan Pinkse, undertook a study for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), funded by Research England, aimed at analysing the challenges associated with improving the energy efficiency of existing housing stock in order to articulate recommendations for policy action. Cost-effective decarbonisation of domestic […]

Addressing the health impacts of night shift work

By David Ray Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: July 7, 2020

Night shift work has been a common feature of industrial economies for decades, and it has long been known that working through the night can negatively impact upon health. In recent years, the evidence base about these health impacts has expanded considerably. Here, Professor David Ray introduces this evidence and highlights how employers and policymakers […]

Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-2021: Does the inclusion of ‘relatives’ go far enough in addressing the issue of adolescent to parent violence?

By Caroline Miles and Rachel Condry Filed Under: All posts Posted: July 6, 2020

The Domestic Abuse Bill 2019-2021 will receive its third reading today. Once this long awaited Bill passes through Parliament, assuming it receives Royal Assent, it will ultimately mean that for the first time in England and Wales, there will be a criminal offence of domestic abuse. In this blog, Caroline Miles and Rachel Condry examine […]

The Health and Social Care system under strain: Rethinking integration policies in the post-COVID-19 era

By Marcello Morciano, Kath Checkland, Matt Sutton and Jonathan Stokes Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: July 1, 2020

In 2019, the NHS published plans (‘The NHS Long Term Plan’) promising to introduce inventive, ambitious ways to bring NHS and social care together across England, working with the private and voluntary sector, and users and carers. Needless to say, things have changed since 2019. Nevertheless, the recent COVID-19 pandemic is showing us just how […]

#HereToDeliver: Valuing food delivery workers in the future

By Cristina Inversi, Aude Cefaliello and Tony Dundon Filed Under: Digital Futures, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Social Care Posted: June 25, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore a new cadre of valued workers. And it’s not the corporate CEO or senior business leader but the delivery workers that are helping cafes and restaurants stay open (in some form) during lockdown. Cristina Inversi, Aude Cefaliello and Tony Dundon of the Work and Equalities Institute (WEI) […]

Follow the science

By Martin Yuille and Bill Ollier Filed Under: Health and Social Care, Science and Engineering Posted: June 23, 2020

The underlying conditions that make COVID-19 into a killer disease are themselves pandemics. Here, Honorary Reader Martin Yuille and Professor Emeritus Bill Ollier outline the need to tackle these conditions by combining public policy reform with community change and technological innovation. Underlying health conditions are the greatest risk factor associated with COVID-19 mortality A new […]

Furlough, fraud and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

By Pete Duncan and Nicholas Lord Filed Under: All posts Posted: June 22, 2020

The Government-implemented Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) supports companies in their attempts to ride out the COVID-19 pandemic, permitting them to place employees on a temporary leave of absence known as ‘furlough’, and claim state aid to pay furloughed staff either 80% of their usual wages or up to £2,500 per month, whichever amount is […]