Policy@Manchester Articles

Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues

Policy@Manchester Articles
Expert insight, analysis and comment on key public policy issues
Image of microfibres under a microscope.

Untangling the threads: addressing microfibre pollution

Headshot of Libby Allen. Libby pictured smiling in to camera, wearing black top.Headshot of Jingyi Li, pictured smiling into camera. By , and Filed Under: All posts, Environment, Science and Engineering Posted:

As clothes are washed and worn, tiny fibres below 5mm in length are broken off or released from the fabric itself, which are called microfibres. With increasing concerns over the persistence of this pollution, Libby Allen, Dr Claudia Henninger and Jingyi Li are exploring preventative solutions to reduce pollution released from the laundering of clothes. […]

A lead-acid solar home system battery being refurbished

Electricity access vs toxic lead pollution: tackling waste from solar power in sub-Saharan Africa

Dr Christopher KinallyDr Alejandro Gallego Schmid By and Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Environment, Science and Engineering Posted:

Millions of short-lived solar energy devices are being sold to households across sub-Saharan Africa each year as a strategy to increase access to electricity. However, the current lack of infrastructure to safely manage the resulting toxic waste flow raises significant environmental, human health, and social justice concerns. Here, Dr Christopher Kinally and Dr Alejandro Gallego […]

A directory sign at an NHS facility; one arrow points to the sexual health clinic

Did the UK fail in its management of mpox? Lessons for future pandemics

A picture of Maurice NagingtonA photo of Jeremy WilliamsA photo of Jaime By , and Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

In 2022, Europe, the US, and Canada experienced widespread community transmission of mpox, constituting a health emergency. Previously, mpox had been endemic to Central and Western Africa. In the UK, a wide response involving multiple stakeholders was developed. In this article, Dr Maurice Nagington, Dr Jeremy Williams, and Dr Jaime Garcia-Iglesias discuss the findings of […]

Can we upskill the health and social care workforce to meet the growing demand for digital transformation?

Dr Alan Davies headshot photoProfessor Angela Davies By and Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted:

There has been growing interest regarding the potential of digital transformation to aid the UK’s health and social care system in its ambition to meet modern demands placed upon it. But what skills do different employees in this sector need – and is the infrastructure in place to support them? Here, Dr Alan Davies and […]

Woman holding a baby while working

The Future of Work: Women’s Experiences of Employment in Greater Manchester

Anna SandersRosalind Shorrocks By and Filed Under: All posts, Inclusive Growth, Work, Working Futures Posted:

Women in Greater Manchester face a range of barriers relating to their employment. As of December 2022, 72% of women in Greater Manchester aged 16-64 were in employment, compared to 80% of men. Women’s economic activity in Greater Manchester is also lower than the national level, where 75% of women aged 16-64 are in employment. Increasing […]

A close up image of a person's hands resting on their knees. Sitting next to them is somebody with a clipboard and pen.

Mind your language: interpreters in Mental Health Act assessments

Photo of Professor Alys YoungRebecca TiptonPhoto of Dr Natalia Rodriguez-Vicente By , and Filed Under: Ethnicity, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Open Minds Posted:

In England and Wales, the Mental Health Act can be used to detain people experiencing a mental health crisis, and who may pose a danger to themselves or others. However, some of those assessed under these powers will not use spoken English. Here, Professor Alys Young, Dr Rebecca Tipton, and Dr Natalia Rodríguez-Vicente explore the effects on the assessment […]

Mind the gap: supporting prison leavers with mental illness

Dr Charlotte Lennox By , and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Open Minds Posted:

Many people in prison have severe mental health problems, but what is being done to help these individuals resettle when released? And how can policy and practice reduce reoffending rates, while ensuring prison leavers with mental illnesses are given the support they need to reintegrate into the community? Here, Dr Jane Senior, Professor Jennifer Shaw, and Dr Charlotte […]

Torso of nurse using digital tablet

Implications of the digital revolution for the nursing workforce

Photograph of author Dawn DowdingPhotograph of author Sarah Skyrme By and Filed Under: All posts, Health and Social Care, Science and Technology Posted:

As the largest professional group in the healthcare workforce, nurses have been at the frontline of a digital transformation. In this article, from our publication Working Futures, Professor Dawn Dowding and Dr Sarah Skyrme assess what this means for the workforce and suggest policy interventions. Ambitions for all NHS organisations in England to be paperless […]

Locked up like adults – COVID-19 experiences for children in custodial settings

Dr Charlotte Lennox By Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Open Minds Posted:

During the early period of the pandemic, there was a lack of detailed guidance for many groups, including the secure estate. For children in custodial settings, this meant staff often applied measures intended for adult prisons, in lieu of any other information. Here, Dr Charlotte Lennox shares her research showing children in such settings were an invisible group […]

The toll of ‘Deaths of Despair’ in England

By and Filed Under: British Politics, Cities and Environment, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, Levelling up, Urban Posted:

In 2015, a phenomenon coined as ‘Deaths of Despair’ (DoD) emerged in the US, highlighting an alarming increase in mortality due to drugs, alcohol, and suicides, particularly among white men without a college education. Here, Christine Camacho and Dr Luke Munford explore the spatial patterning of these deaths in England, where an estimated 46,200 lives […]

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Articles give the views of the author, and are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester.

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