Health & Social Care

Out of mind? What policymakers should learn from those who shielded from COVID-19

By Charlotte Sharp and Lynn Laidlaw Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: October 3, 2023

Between the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and September 2021, 4.1 million people in the UK were asked to ‘shield’, including those with autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Shielding recommendations included staying at home, avoiding all face-to-face contact with those outside shielders’ households, and limiting interactions within households. Here, Dr Charlotte Sharp and Lynn […]

Ill-health and deprivation: How we can address health inequalities in left behind neighbourhoods

By Luke Munford Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Growth and Inclusion, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: September 18, 2023

We have long known that the health of people living in deprived areas is worse than the national average. But this raises important questions, such as how big is the gap? Is it narrowing or growing over time? Are some deprived places worse off than others? And how do health inequalities affect economic performance? In […]

Capacity for change: improving the governance of dementia research

By James Fletcher Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care, primary care services, Research and development, Science and Technology Posted: September 11, 2023

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) outlines legal decision-making procedures in England and Wales for people above the age of 16 who have an impairment of, or disturbance in, the functioning of the mind or brain. It specifies that research involving these people must be approved by a research ethics committee (REC) sanctioned by the […]

Practice under pressure: how can the exodus of GPs be reversed?

By Imelda McDermott and Sharon Spooner Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: August 31, 2023

There is a workforce crisis in UK primary care. Analysis of the latest workforce data confirms a continuing drop in England’s number of general practitioners (GPs) – the equivalent of 2,133 fewer fully qualified, full-time GPs than in September 2015. One answer from policymakers has been the introduction of non-GP practitioners into surgeries, to alleviate […]

We all age differently: approaches to understand the diverse lives of older people

By Amy Barron Filed Under: Cities and Environment, Health and Social Care Posted: June 12, 2023

There’s no one kind of ‘older person’, and often, describing them as such overlooks the enormous diversity of this group. Policymakers and service providers have typically relied on one-size-fits-all approaches, which are not always appropriate for diverse populations within the umbrella of ‘older people’. Here, Dr Amy Barron outlines a new toolkit for policymakers to […]

ConnecteDNA – the implications of technology on donor conception anonymity

By Caroline Redhead and Lucy Frith Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care Posted: May 22, 2023

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has recently sought views about reforming the law on fertility treatment regulation and embryo research. They identified a number of issues with the current legal framework, around which the public consultation was structured. In this article, Dr Caroline Redhead and Dr Lucy Frith examine one such issue, the […]

Long in the tooth: is water fluoridation out of date?

By Michaela Goodwin and Mike Kelly Filed Under: All posts, Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: March 20, 2023

One ongoing intervention to tackle tooth decay in parts of the UK is the provision of fluoride in drinking water. But such moves aren’t always popular with the communities involved. There is also a lack of evidence based on contemporary populations. Here, Dr Michaela Goodwin and Professor Michael Kelly outline the findings of a new […]

Global partnerships: How can international research collaborations boost our health and economy?

By Keith Brennan, F. George Njoroge and Rob Bristow Filed Under: Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Technology, UK economy Posted: December 6, 2022

The University of Manchester is a founding partner of the Kenya-UK Healthcare Alliance, which aims to share best practice and reciprocal training between the two nations, particularly in the area of cancer care. In this article, from our On Cancer publication, Professor Keith Brennan, Dr F. George Njoroge, and Professor Rob Bristow outline how these […]

Fighting the war with drugs: How can psychedelic-assisted therapies help veterans?

By Jo Neill, Verity Wainwright and Frances Smith Filed Under: British Politics, Health and Care, Research and development, Science and Technology Posted: December 1, 2022

Around 17% of recent military veterans in the UK report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and currently available treatments don’t work for many of these. Here, Professor Jo Neill, Dr Verity Wainwright, and Frances Smith report the findings of a new study into the role that psilocybin (the active constituent of so-called ‘magic’ mushrooms) […]

“I don’t do anything”: It’s time to place more emphasis on strength training in later life

By Ashley Gluchowski Filed Under: Health and Care, Health and Social Care Posted: November 28, 2022

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 […]

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