Blogs

Our blogs highlight the voices of people working across the health and social care sector, talking about a range of timely issues.

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- 12 January 2023
Pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis
Helen Hughes
Last month Patient Safety Learning published an independent report written by risk expert Tim Edwards. The report highlights serious and widespread safety concerns around the misdiagnosis of pulmonary embolism. In this blog, Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive Helen Hughes discusses how the charity is now working with Tim to raise awareness of his findings and to help improve pulmonary embolism outcomes.
- Communication and administration
- Lived experience
- 5 January 2023
Translated health information is essential to tackling health inequality
Sophie Randall and Dr Alice Wood
1 million people in the UK cannot speak English well. They have less ‘good’ health than English speakers. Yet translated health information is largely absent from strategies to tackle health inequality. NHS.uk and the NHS App are provided in English only. PIF’s new guidance on health information translation calls for a new approach.
- Communication and administration
- Health inequalities
- Digital health and care
- 8 December 2022
Knowing where to turn – peer research reveals the reality of accessing mental health support for people experiencing homelessness
Jo Brown
We know that mental health and homelessness are complexly linked, that’s why we worked with #HealthNow peers from across Newcastle, Birmingham and Greater Manchester to explore barriers to accessing mental healthcare for people who are homeless.
- Health inequalities
- Lived experience
- 30 November 2022
Measuring our health: The Health Index 2020
Emma Rourke
As the ONS publish their Health Index 2020, Deputy National Statistician Emma Rourke explores its findings and explains how the data is already helping shape local health provision.
- Communication and administration
- 24 November 2022
Caring Costs
Emily Holzhausen OBE
New research published by Carers UK for Carers Rights Day (24 Nov 2022) shows vast numbers of people new to caring, 12,000 a day, prompting a rethink of how we identify unpaid carers.
- Communication and administration
- 3 November 2022
Working in partnership to deliver integrated care
Karen Hallt
Understanding people’s needs and aspirations is essential to improve health and wellbeing and address health inequalities. The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector is a valued partner of the NHS and local councils within the new integrated care systems and plays a key role in local health and care services.
- Integrated care
- Lived experience
- 22 September 2022
National Voices has never been more important
Georgina Carr
It is no surprise to me that National Voices has reached yet another impressive milestone, as we celebrate 200 members joining the community. National Voices provides an influential collaborative to bring about practical changes in support for millions of people across the country – never has this collaboration been more needed than now.
- Lived experience
- 14 September 2022
It’s Not Impossible: Reflections on Coproduction and Best MSK Health
Sue Brown
In this blog, Sue Brown, CEO of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, reflects on her experience of working with NHS England to improve services for people living with musculoskeletal conditions.
- Person-centred care
- Lived experience
- 7 September 2022
The more the merrier (and wiser!)
Clare Woodford
As the new Integrated Care Systems get underway in difficult circumstances, Clare Woodford from Macmillan Cancer Support reflects on how National Voices membership has created opportunities to shape the rollout of the reforms.
- National Voices’ Conference on ICSs
- Integrated care
- 1 September 2022
Health and social care Multi-Disciplinary Teams: will Integrated Care Systems encourage them to come together or play apart?
Robin Miller, Agato Pacho and Garry Brough
Whilst Integrated Care Systems only became legal entities in July 2022, more person-centred and co-ordinated care in England has been in development for over 50 years. One of the most common approaches to encourage health and social care professionals to work together over these decades has been multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs). This blog reflects on two virtual workshops held at the National Voices Integrated Care Systems (ICS) event in June 2022.
- National Voices’ Conference on ICSs
- Integrated care
- Primary care