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 […]
Joining the dots: assessing the roll out of social prescribing link workers in primary care
Social prescribing is the referral of patients to non-clinical treatments – often for mental health needs and long-term health conditions. In 2019, the NHS Long Term Plan embedded the role of link workers to coordinate and refer patients from Primary Care Networks. But are the right areas getting the support they need – and how […]
Levelling up or widening the gap?
There are deep-rooted regional inequalities in health and wealth across England. ‘Levelling Up’ is the UK Government’s flagship policy to redress these inequalities through additional investment, with the Community Renewal Fund (CRF) one strand of this funding. In this article, Christine Camacho and Dr Luke Munford examine the allocation of the first round of the […]
“I don’t do anything”: It’s time to place more emphasis on strength training in later life
Since 2011, the UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) guidelines on physical activity have included strength recommendations. However, there is limited evidence that these recommendations are getting through to those who need them. In this blog, Dr Ashley Gluchowski outlines how older adults are engaging with the guidelines, and whether more can be done by public […]