scholarly journals A Profile of the SAIL Databank on the UK Secure Research Platform

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerina H Jones ◽  
David Vincent Ford ◽  
Simon Thompson ◽  
Ronan Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Public Engagement ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Privacy By Design ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Research Platform ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Background The Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank is a national data safe haven of de‑identified datasets principally about the population of Wales, made available in anonymised form to researchers across the world. It was established to enable the vast arrays of data collected about individuals in the course of health and other public service delivery to be made available to answer important questions that could not otherwise be addressed without prohibitive effort. The SAIL Databank is the bedrock of other funded centres relying on the data for research. Approach SAIL is a data repository surrounded by a suite of physical, technical and procedural control measures embodying a proportionate privacy-by-design governance model, informed by public engagement, to safeguard the data and facilitate data utility. SAIL operates on the UK Secure Research Platform (SeRP), which is a customisable technology and analysis platform. Researchers access anonymised data via this secure research environment, from which results can be released following scrutiny for disclosure risk. SAIL data are being used in multiple research areas to evaluate the impact of health and social exposures and policy interventions.    Discussion Lessons learned and their applications include: managing evolving legislative and regulatory requirements; employing multiple, tiered security mechanisms; working hard to increase analytical capacity efficiency; and developing a multi-faceted programme of public engagement. Further work includes: incorporating new data types; enabling alternative means of data access; and developing further efficiencies across our operations. Conclusion SAIL represents an ongoing programme of work to develop and maintain an extensive, whole population data resource for research. Its privacy-by-design model and UK SeRP technology have received international acclaim, and we continually endeavour to demonstrate trustworthiness to support data provider assurance and public acceptability in data use. We strive for further improvement and continue a mutual learning process with our contemporaries in this rapidly developing field.

Creating a culture of employability in mental health

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Boycott ◽  
Justine Schneider ◽  
Michael Osborne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Early Intervention In Psychosis ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw out the lessons learned from the implementation of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment in two contrasting adult mental health teams; one “standard” CMHT, and one early intervention in psychosis (EIP) team. Design/methodology/approach – These inferences are based on the evidence from a four-year study of IPS in one mental health care provider in the UK, which began by setting up a new service, and went on to run a RCT looking at the impact of psychological input as an adjunct to IPS alone. Findings – In attempting to introduce IPS to mental health teams in Nottingham the authors came across numerous barriers, including service reorganisation, funding cuts and the wider context of recession. Differences were observed between mental health teams in the willingness to embrace IPS. The authors argue that this variability is due to differences in caseload size, recovery priorities and client profiles. The authors have learnt that perseverance, strenuous efforts to engage clinical staff and the use of IPS fidelity reviews can make a positive difference to the implementation process. Practical implications – The experience suggests that setting up an IPS service is possible even in the most challenging of times, and that EIP services may be a particularly fertile ground for this approach. The authors also discuss potential barriers to implementing new services in mental health teams. Originality/value – This paper will be of value to service development and the science of implementation in mental health.

scholarly journals The price of a drink: the potential of alcohol minimum unit pricing as a public health measure in the UK

2012 ◽  
Vol 201 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Rice ◽  
Colin Drummond
Keyword(s):  
Control Measures ◽  
The Past ◽  
Alcohol Control ◽  
Health Measure ◽  
Alcohol Taxation ◽  
Unit Pricing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Alcohol Related Harm ◽  
Related Harm

SummaryThe UK has seen a dramatic increase in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm over the past 30 years. Alcohol taxation has long been considered a key method of controlling alcohol-related harm but a combination of factors has recently led to consideration of methods which affect the price of the cheapest alcohol as a means of improved targeting of alcohol control measures to curb the consumption of the heaviest drinkers. Although much of the evidence in favour of setting a minimum price of a unit of alcohol is based on complex econometric models rather than empirical data, all jurisdictions within the UK now intend to make selling alcohol below a set price illegal, which will provide a naturalistic experiment allowing assessment of the impact of minimum pricing.

Revival of an old problem: an increase in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium definitive phage type 8 infections in 2010 in England and Northern Ireland linked to duck eggs

2011 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. NOBLE ◽  
C. LANE ◽  
C. L. LITTLE ◽  
R. DAVIES ◽  
E. De PINNA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Phage Type ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Duck Egg ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARYSalmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium definitive phage type (DT) 8 is uncommon in humans in the UK. In July 2010, the Health Protection Agency reported an excess isolation rate of pan-susceptible S. Typhimurium DT8 in England and Northern Ireland. By the end of October, this amounted to 81 laboratory-confirmed human cases for all regions of England and Northern Ireland in 2010, an increase of 26% and 41% on 2009 and 2008, respectively. Descriptive epidemiological investigation found a strong association with infection and consumption of duck eggs. Duck eggs contaminated with S. Typhimurium DT8 were collected from a patient's home and also at farms in the duck-egg supply chain. Although duck eggs form a small part of total UK eggs sales, there has been significant growth in sales in recent years. This is the first known outbreak of salmonellosis linked to duck eggs in the UK since 1949 and highlighted the impact of a changing food source and market on the re-emergence of salmonellosis linked to duck eggs. Control measures by the duck-egg industry should be improved along with a continued need to remind the public and commercial caterers of the potential high risks of contracting salmonellosis from duck eggs.

scholarly journals A UKSeRP for SAIL: striking a balance

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerina Jones ◽  
David Ford ◽  
Caroline Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Data Linkage ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Access System ◽  
Data User ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Uk

ABSTRACT ObjectivesWhilst the current expansion of health-related big data and data linkage research are exciting developments with great potential, they bring a major challenge. This is how to strike an appropriate balance between making the data accessible for beneficial uses, whilst respecting the rights of individuals, the duty of confidentiality and protecting the privacy of person-level data, without undue burden to research. ApproachUsing a case study approach, we describe how the UK Secure Research Platform (UKSeRP) for the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank addresses this challenge. We outline the principles, features and operating model of the SAIL UKSeRP, and how we are addressing the challenges of making health-related data safely accessible to increasing numbers of research users within a secure environment. ResultsThe SAIL UKSeRP has four basic principles to ensure that it is able to meet the needs of the growing data user community, and these are to: A) operate a remote access system that provides secure data access to approved data users; B) host an environment that provides a powerful platform for data analysis activities; (C) have a robust mechanism for the safe transfer of approved files in and out of the system; and (D) ensure that the system is efficient and scalable to accommodate a growing data user base. Subject to independent Information Governance approval and within a robust, proportionate Governance framework, the SAIL UKSeRP provides data users with a familiar Windows interface and their usual toolsets to access anonymously-linked datasets for research and evaluation. ConclusionThe SAIL UKSeRP represents a powerful analytical environment within a privacy-protecting safe haven and secure remote access system which has been designed to be scalable and adaptable to meet the needs of the rapidly growing data linkage community. Further challenges lie ahead as the landscape develops and emerging data types become more available. UKSeRP technology is available and customisable for other use cases within the UK and international jurisdictions, to operate within their respective governance frameworks.

scholarly journals Are we allowed to visit now? Concerns and issues surrounding vaccination and infection risks in UK care homes during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Marie Giebel ◽  
Kerry Hanna ◽  
Jacqueline Cannon ◽  
Paul Marlow ◽  
Hilary Tetlow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Home Visitation ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Background: Vaccination uptake in the UK and increased care home testing are likely affecting care home visitation. With scant scientific evidence to date, the aim of this longitudinal qualitative study was to explore the impact of both (vaccination and testing) on the conduct and experiences of care home visits. Methods: Family carers of care home residents with dementia and care home staff from across the UK took part in baseline (October/November 2020) and follow-up interviews (March 2021). Public advisers were involved in all elements of the research. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Across 62 baseline and follow-up interviews with family carers (n=26; 11) and care home staff (n=16; 9), five core themes were developed: Delayed and inconsistent offers of face-to-face visits; Procedures and facilitation of visits; Frustration and anger among family carers; Variable uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine; Misinformation, education, and free choice. The variable uptake in staff, compared to family carers, was a key factor seemingly influencing visitation, with a lack of clear guidance leading care homes to implement infection control measures and visitation rights differently. Conclusions: We make five recommendations in this paper to enable improved care home visitation in the ongoing, and in future, pandemics. Visits need to be enabled and any changes to visiting rights must be used as a last resort, reviewed regularly in consultation with residents and carers and restored as soon as possible as a top priority, whilst more education needs to be provided surrounding vaccination for care home staff.

scholarly journals Is there an I in Impact? Considering the two-way process of public engagement.

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-93
Author(s):  
Isabelle Heyerick
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Society Research

This article is a critical reflection on public engagement and the concept of impact in UK research institutions, based on a recent experience. The UK impact agenda, driven by the Research Excellence Framework (REF), requires researchers to engage with the public in order to potentially have an impact on society.  This, I argue, constitutes the implicit directionality of impact as a one-way process. Recently, I provided a workshop for Flemish Sign Language (VGT) interpreters entitled ‘I interpret, therefore I am’ at the Faculty of Arts of the KU Leuven (Antwerp, Belgium). The aim of the workshop, in line with the impact agenda, was to increase participants’ awareness about the interpreting process and change their perception of how an interpreter’s personal beliefs potentially influence his/her linguistic choices. However, interacting with the participants also had an impact on my current research design and me as a researcher. This particular experience led me to reconsider the implicit idea of impact as a one-way process. In what follows I argue that, impact can and - in my opinion - should be a two-way process, encouraging interaction with the public in order to have a valuable impact on society, research and the researcher.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Early Dynamic Trends in Novel Coronavirus Outbreak: A Modeling Framework

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huazhen Lin ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Hong Gao ◽  
Jinyu Nie ◽  
Qiao Fan
Keyword(s):  
Growth Model ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Peak Time ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Epidemic Size ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackgroundThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents a significant public health threat globally. Here we describe efforts to compare epidemic growth, size and peaking time for countries in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia in the early epidemic phase.MethodsUsing the time series of cases reported from January 20, 2020 to February 13, 2020 and transportation data from December 1, 2019 to January 23, 2020 we have built a novel time-varying growth model to predict the epidemic trend in China. We extended our method, using cases reported from January 26, 2020 - or the date of the earliest case reported, to April 9, 2020 to predict future epidemic trend and size in 41 countries. We estimated the impact of control measures on the epidemic trend.ResultsOur time-varying growth model yielded high concordance in the predicted epidemic size and trend with the observed figures in C hina. Among the other 41 countries, the peak time has been observed in 28 countries before or around April 9, 2020; the peak date and epidemic size were highly consistent with our estimates. We predicted the remaining countries would peak in April or May 2020, except India in July and Pakistan in August. The epidemic trajectory would reach the plateau in May or June for the majority of countries in the current wave. Countries that could emerge to be new epidemic centers are India, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia with a prediction of 105 cases for these countries. The effective reproduction number Rt displayed a downward trend with time across countries, revealing the impact of the intervention remeasures i.e. social distancing. Rt remained the highest in the UK (median 2.62) and the US (median 2.19) in the fourth week after the epidemic onset.ConclusionsNew epidemic centers are expected to continue to emerge across the whole world. Greater challenges such as those in the healthcare system would be faced by developing countries in hotspots. A domestic approach to curb the pandemic must align with joint international efforts to effectively control the spread of COVID-19. Our model promotes a reliable transmissibility characterization and epidemic forecasting using the incidence of cases in the early epidemic phase.

scholarly journals Lessons from a publicly funded tier 2 healthy weight programme in Cornwall, UK

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J Williams ◽  
T Barter ◽  
R A Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Anthropometric Measures ◽  
Prevention Services ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Weight Management Programme ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The UK has one of the highest prevalence rates of obesity worldwide. Public health departments have a duty to provide some obesity treatment and prevention services. With evidence of effective programmes lacking, we investigate lessons learned from a healthy weight programme in Cornwall, UK. Methods Data from the 12-week multi-component adult healthy weight management programme were obtained for 2012–2016. Descriptive statistics and statistical tests were used to describe participants’ demographics, health status and anthropometric measures to explore the enrolment and retention of the programme as well as the impact. Results A total of 1872 adults were referred into the programme. Overall, 646 completed the programme and, 48.8% achieved the programme’s aim of a >3% reduction in weight. Those who completed and met the programme aim tended to have had healthier outcomes at baseline. Conclusions For those who engage with the programme the impact can be meaningful. However, <1% of the population of Cornwall with overweight or obesity enroled in the programme, and those who benefitted most might have been in least need. Providing services that meet the needs of the population is challenging when a variety of services is needed, and the evidence base is poor.

Learning in lockdown: exploring the impact of COVID-19 on interprofessional education

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 648-652
Author(s):  
Alison Power ◽  
Michael Palapal Sy ◽  
Maggie Hutchings ◽  
Tracy Coleman ◽  
Alla El-Awaisi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the learning experiences of students undertaking health and social care programmes across the globe. In the UK, the Nursing and Midwifery Council introduced emergency standards for undergraduate programmes in 2020, making significant short-term changes to programme delivery. However, the mandate for all students to undertake interprofessional education remained. Interprofessional education is key to preparing students on health and social care programmes, as it enables students to work as effective members of multi-agency/multi-professional teams on qualification. It is an important element of training, as it has a direct impact on quality of care and service user experience. This series of articles will explore the experiences of ‘lockdown learning’ from the perspective of academics, students and service users from a global perspective in relation to the delivery of interprofessional education during the pandemic, which necessitated a wholesale move from face-to-face, blended and online learning to include emergency remote teaching. The series was written by members of the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education Research Subgroup (Interprofessional Education Experiences) and aims to identify barriers and facilitators to successful shared learning and provide suggestions for how lessons learned can be taken forward to further enhance this important element of pre-registration education. The perceptions and attitudes of academics and students on such comprehensive changes are a unique and rich data source to explore and inform future provision.

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