Frontline direct care workers experiences of providing domiciliary care towards the end of life:a systematic literature review and narrative synthesis

Background An ageing population heralds a greater demand for palliative and end of life care. Many people approaching the end of life rely on domiciliary care services provided by a para-professional workforce. Despite low pay and status, these workers provide personal and social care to people at a difficult time in their lives. Little is known about the impact of this work on the workers themselves or how they are trained, supervised and supported. Methods A systematic search was conducted in six databases. All study designs were included. Titles and abstracts of retrieved papers were screened by two researchers working independently. Findings were analysed using a narrative synthesis approach. Results Of 747 retrieved references, 12 papers from six countries in four continents were selected for inclusion in the review. Few studies dealt directly with the experiences of direct care workers themselves. Most considered them as part of multi-professional care networks with many focusing on issues relating to the professionals involved in the teams under consideration. Internationally and within nations, workers job titles varied and in some cases obscured job role. Where this role was clear, there was much overlap between domestic, personal, social and health related tasks. There was little evidence of a consistent approach to training and supporting staff involved in care towards the end of life and a paucity of ‘voice’ for these workers in published studies. Conclusion The experiences of direct care workers in palliative homecare is poorly studied. There is considerable variability in how workers are named, the work they do, and who they report to. More research that privileges the voice of these workers and identifies the impact on them of caring for those approaching the end of life is required so that employing agencies may consider how to improve the training, supervision and support of this essential frontline workforce

Leisure centre entrance charges and physical activity participation in England

Reducing or eliminating the cost to the public of using leisure facilities is one tool that local authorities have available to reduce inequalities in physical activity (PA). There is limited evidence about the effect of leisure entrance charges and their impact on participation. This study aimed to ascertain how facility pricing influenced the decisions people made about how to pay and what to pay for and how, in turn, these decisions impacted on participation for different groups. A total of 83 members of the public living in 4 local authorities in the North West of England were involved in focus groups or individual interviews. The results show that cost was a key factor which influenced PA participation in low income neighbourhoods. In practise, however, the majority of service users navigated the range of prices or payment options to find one that was suitable rather than simply reporting whether leisure was affordable or not. Whilst pre-paid options (e.g. direct debit memberships) encouraged participation, entrance charges incurred each time an individual participated had a negative impact on frequency but were a convenient way of paying for occasional use or for people who were unable to afford a pre-paid option. Free access also helped people who could not afford pre-paid membership to exercise regularly as well as incentivizing non-users to try activities. The research concluded that policies that include components of free access and offer more flexible payment options are most likely to contribute to reducing inequalities in PA

Using local authority entrance charges to tackle inequalities in physical activity?:A qualitative study of leisure and public health perspectives

Background Reducing or eliminating entrance charges for the public use of leisure facilities is one potential tool that local authorities (LA) have to reduce inequalities in physical activity (PA). Facility charges are likely to be a greater barrier to access for those who have lower incomes. Methods Semi-structured 1-to-1 and group interviews were conducted with 33 leisure and public health professionals in seven LAs in north-west England. We investigated how approaches to pricing varied in these settings and rationales influencing decision making. Results Welfare orientated (e.g. affordability) and commercial drivers (e.g. income generation) featured most prominently across areas. Pricing policies placed less direct focus on public health goals, although tackling inactivity was articulated as part of leisure’s role more generally. Local targeting of free/concessionary offers was also defined and implemented differently. Decision makers described navigating competing pressures of providing services for the public ‘good’ yet remaining financially viable. Conclusion Many LAs are reviewing the extent of subsidy for facilities or are considering whether to invest public health budgets in leisure. The findings offer evidence of how pricing decisions are made and the approaches adopted in practice as well as the conflicting priorities for decision makers within an austerity context

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Public Perspectives of Social Prescribing

Background: There is a strong national drive within the UK government and NHS for social prescribing. Previous research studies have mainly focused on service user perspectives and evaluating their experiences. There is limited evidence on how the general public perceive and understand what social prescribing is and how these views could influence service planning and delivery. This paper seeks to understand perceptions of social prescribing within the wider community. Methods: Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 37 members of the public in four areas in north-west England. We explored public awareness and understanding of social prescribing. Results: Limited knowledge of the term social prescribing was found amongst participants as well as limited involvement in community discussions of the topic. Concerns were raised about the short-term nature of activities and the need for adequate resourcing to support continuity of service provision. The social prescribing link worker was considered to be important in supporting engagement with services and it was preferred this role was undertaken by people with local knowledge. Conclusions: The findings provide evidence of public perspectives on social prescribing and highlight how wider community perceptions can supplement service user feedback to support social prescribing service planning, commissioning and delivery

‘A lot of small things make a difference’:Mental health and strategies of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction The social and economic consequences of COVID-19 have the potential to affect individuals and populations through different pathways (e.g., bereavement, loss of social interaction). Objective This study adopted a solicited diary method to understand how mental health was affected during England's first lockdown. We also considered the experiences of diary keeping during a pandemic from the perspective of public participants. Methods Fifteen adults older than 18 years of age were recruited from northwest England. Diarists completed semistructured online diaries for 8 weeks, which was combined with weekly calls. A focus group captured participants' experiences of diary keeping. Findings Four key factors influenced mental health, which fluctuated over time and in relation to diarists' situations. These concerned navigating virus risk, loss of social connections and control and constrictions of the domestic space. Diarists also enacted a range of strategies to cope with the pandemic. This included support from social networks, engagement with natural environments, establishing normality, finding meaning and taking affirmative action. Conclusion Use of diary methods provided insights into the lived experiences of the early months of a global pandemic. As well as contributing evidence on its mental health effects, diarists' accounts illuminated considerable resourcefulness and strategies of coping with positive effects for well-being. While diary keeping can also have therapeutic benefits during adversity, ethical and practical issues need to be considered, which include the emotional nature of diary keeping. Public Contribution Members of the public were involved in interpretation of data as well as critiquing the overall diary method used in the study

How did communities in North West England respond to the COVID-19 lockdown?:Findings from a diary study

OBJECTIVES: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government and public health leaders advocated for community level responses to support vulnerable people. This activity could be planned and co-ordinated, however much was informal and developed organically. The effects on the individuals who were involved in providing and receiving informal support and implications for their communities have not been widely explored. The aim of this study was therefore to document and explore the nature, potential effects and longevity of community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS: We asked 15 individuals in North West England to keep a diary during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown. Over 8 weeks, diaries were completed and supported with weekly calls with researchers. A community capacity building framework was used to explore reported community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Diarists described community characteristics that enabled and hindered helpful responses in the lockdown context. Diarists frequently described informal approaches with residents acting alone or with near neighbours, although there were examples of community networks and residents recommencing formal volunteering activities. Diarists reported communities providing practical help and social support to vulnerable people. Participants perceived a greater sense of community, increased contact between residents and new networks during the period covered. CONCLUSION: The diaries provided valuable insights and the framework was a useful tool to explore the COVID-19 lockdown context. The findings indicate that organic capacity building took place, primarily via individual agency, highlighting the risk of communities being 'left behind' if there were not individuals or community networks available with resources to plug gaps in organisational support. Recommendations to sustain helpful responses to the pandemic include further consideration of ongoing community mobilisation, empowerment and community control within the capacity building framework