News

Childhood bullying places 'long term strain' on UK mental health services

New research by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and King’s College London shows that childhood bullying has a strong link to mental health service use throughout a person’s life, putting additional strain on an “already overstretched” UK healthcare system. Read more... 27 October 2016

Is intergenerational living the secret to good mental health in old age?

Intergenerational cohabitation (parents and adult children living in the same household) may have contributed to curbing high rates of depressive symptoms among older people during the Great Recession, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and King’s College London. Read more... 28 September 2016

Health experts report US$246 billion cost of workplace depression across eight countries                      

New data released today shows that workplace depression is a major issue across different cultures and economies, with “wide and devastating” consequences for thousands of organisations worldwide. Read more... 26 September 2016

Report calls for global action to tackle dementia crisis

A new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International, authored by researchers at King’s College London and LSE's Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) reveals that most people with dementia have yet to receive a diagnosis, let alone comprehensive and continuing healthcare. Read the press release. Download the report. 21 September 2016

Dementia toolkit to help patients, carers and healthcare workers

A comprehensive web tool bringing together scientific evidence on dementia care and treatment has been developed by researchers at LSE's Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU). Launched today (Wednesday 3 August), the Dementia Evidence Toolkit is the first of its kind in the world. Read more... 3 August 2016

Report outlines Chinese pharmaceutical system reforms

A report published by LSE Health and the State Council of China finds that China’s pharmaceutical system will struggle to cope with the twin challenges of a rapidly aging population and increases in non-communicable diseases. Read the press release. Download the report. 7 July 2016

Kosovo's Health Minister visits LSE                      

Kosovo's Health Minister, Dr Imet Rrahmani gave a public lecture at the LSE on the revival of Kosovo’s health system. The event was part of a week-long visit to the UK by a delegation from the Ministry, facilitated by LSE Health. Read more... 23 June 2016

Targeting Innovation in Antibiotic Drug Discovery                      

A new LSE Health study - Targeting Innovation in Antibiotic Drug Discovery: The Need for a One Health – One Europe – One World Framework - published by the WHO's European Observatory, offers an in-depth review and critical analysis of the existing European and international initiatives that support innovation of novel antibiotic drugs. Read more… 16 June 2016

Impact of Brexit on the NHS

Britain's withdrawal from the EU would negatively affect the NHS in a number of ways, a report by academics at the LSE and Imperial College London has warned. Read more. 6 June 2016

New transatlantic partnership

LSE and the University of Chicago have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aiming to create the world's first transatlantic partnership in global health policy and economics. Read more. 6 June 2016

Chinese partnership approved

LSE Council has approved the establishment of an institutional partnership with Fudan University. LSE Health and Fudan's School of Public Health signed an MoU in November 2015 to work together on collaborative research, and the development of collaborative Executive education in hospital management. Read more... 20 May 2016

The Good Pharma Model

Medical and economic sociologist Professor Donald Light visited the LSE in May to talk about the crisis of unaffordably high prices for cancer and other specialty medicines and to describe a potential alternative for developing better medicines at lower costs. Discussant Professor Alistair McGuire responded with his own thoughts on Light's thesis. Read more and download the presentations here. 20 May 2016

Huge investment in cancer drugs leads to £14 billion net benefit for UK patients

The UK has more than doubled its spending on cancer drugs over the past decade, leading to a £14 billion (2014 GBP) net economic benefit in terms of increased life outcomes for cancer patients, according to new research published by LSE Health's Professor Elias Mossialos and Sebastian Salas-Vega. You can find the article here or read the full press release here. 3 May 2016

EU Commissioner Stylianides visits LSE

European Commissioner Christos Stylianides met with faculty from a range of LSE departments on March 15 at an informal discussion event hosted by LSE Health. Commissioner Stylianides, the EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management and the EU's Ebola Coordinator, kicked off discussions with an overview of the EU response to the refugee crisis. Read more... 23 March 2016

Chinese Health Policy: Options for Reform

Leading academics from Fudan University, Shanghai, presented recent research on Chinese Health Policy reform to a packed hall at the LSE on Monday 21^st March. The event was part of a broader collaboration between LSE and Fudan, who recently signed an MOU to work together on public policy research. Read more... 23 March 2016

Youth mental health neglect a 'moral scandal and enormous economic mistake', says LSE report

More than half of teenagers and young people with mental health problems in the UK do not receive any clinical treatment, amounting to a ‘’moral scandal and enormous economic mistake,’’ according to Professor Martin Knapp, lead author of a new report prepared by LSE’s Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) and funded by the NHS Confederation Mental Health Network. Read more... 12 February 2016

Evidence submitted to parliament for the Psychoactive Substance Bill 2015-16

Dr Ornella Corazza of the University of Hertfordshire and Dr Andres Roman-Urrestarazu  of LSE Health have submitted evidence to parliament arguing about the importance of giving further consideration to Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) in the Psychoactive Substance Bill 2015-16. It presents some preliminary results on the rapid diffusion and motivations behind PIEDs use in society. Read the full submission here.  17 December 2015

LSE Health broadens engagement with China

LSE Health has announced a range of new initiatives with Chinese partners across academia and government, including a collaboration with the School of Public Health at Fudan University to explore issues of policy reform in China’s developing health-care system, joint research with Peking University, and a Sino-European forum on food and medicine quality. Read more...  24 November 2015

Transparency, big data and international cooperation at the heart of Korean health system success

A transparent system, data analysis and active international cooperation are at the heart of Korea's successes in health system development said Dr Myongsei Sohn (pictured right), President of the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Centre (HIRA) at a public lecture hosted by LSE Health last night (Monday 16 November). Read more... 17 November 2015

Interactions between state pension and long-term care reforms: An overview

The Care and State Pension Reform (CASPeR) research team is today publishing ‘Interactions between state pension and long-term care reforms: An overview’. Sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation, the report  assesses how reforms to the state pension and the English long-term care financing system interact to affect different groups. To download the report, please click here. Read more... 5 November 2015.

Regular brisk walking is best exercise for keeping weight down, says LSE research

People are more likely to have a lower weight if they regularly engage in high impact walking compared to doing other vigorous activity like going going to the gym, according to new LSE research. The results are particularly pronounced in women, people over 50, and those on low incomes. Dr Grace Lordan, a specialist in health economics who led the research, examined reported physical activity levels from the annual Health Survey for England (HSE) from 1999 to 2012. Read more...  3 November 2015

News from the Action and Research Centre at the RSA

Today the RSA has launched its latest report, Community Capital: The Value of Connected Communities. The final report from the Big Lottery funded Connected Communities programme, which includes contributions from PSSRU's Martin Knapp and A-La Park, is based on five years of community engagement and research with people in seven locations around the country, and partners at the University of Central Lancashire. You can download the report here and read a blog introducing the work here. 30 October 2015.

Evaluation of the North West London Whole Systems Integrated Care programme

A report led by PSSRU's Gerald Wistow has been published on the findings of a study carried out between February 2014 and April 2015 to evaluate the early stages of an integrated care programme in North West London.The evaluation does not aim to draw a verdict on the success of integrated care and the impact on care services in North West London, but rather to assess and provide feedback on the approach to designing an integrated care programme. 
Read more... 2 October 2015

NHS health check programme wasting £450 million a year, says new report

The NHS health check programme is ineffective and currently wasting £450 million a year in scarce reosources, according to a new report from LSE and the University of Liverpool. However, according to the report, Invited Debate. NHS Health Checks—a naked emperor?, published in the Journal of Public Health, the NHSHC programme fails to achieve both of its primary objectives. Read more...  21 September 2015 

The internet is both harming and helping older people in social interactions

Almost five million Britons aged over 64 do not have any internet skills, with many older people believing digital technology is “too difficult to use” and a luxury rather than a tool for improving life quality.
The report, co-authored by Jackie Damant and Martin Knapp, found that digital technology has the potential to both harm and help social networking. Read more...  13 August 2015.

Attending church is the key to good mental health among older Europeans

A study of depression among older Europeans has found that joining a religious organisation is more beneficial than charity work, sport or education in improving their mental health. LSE Health's Dr Mauricio Avendano said the only activity associated with sustained happiness was attending a church, synagogue or mosque. Click here to read the linked journal article. Read more... 5 August 2015.

Modelling a cognitive footprint to meet the global challenge of dementia

The increase in dementia cases around the world has led to predictions of unaffordable treatment costs over the coming decades, to the point that many countries have had to develop "national dementia plans".
In this article in The Lancet, Martin Rossor, together with PSSRU's Martin Knapp, discuss the concept of a "cognitive footprint"; similar to a carbon footprint, the cognitive footprint can either be negative or positive. This can be used to assess and model potential cognitive effects of medical and public health interventions. Click here to read the full article.

LSE report shows dementia costs Wales £1.4 billion a year

A new PSSRU report commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Society reveals the hidden cost of dementia in Wales is estimated at £1.4 billion, an average cost of £31,300 per person each year. The report is the first of its kind to analyse the economic impact that dementia has on Welsh society and was the subject of a panel discussion ‘Can Wales afford to ignore dementia?’ on Tuesday 14 July at the National Assembly for Wales. Click here to view the full report. Read more... 7 July 2015 

LSE Research Festival winners

PSSRU is delighted that two of our colleagues have won prizes at the 2015 LSE Research Festival; Madeleine Stevens’ entry, “Children at risk of developing antisocial and criminal behaviour” is a poster of research depicted in a comic strip format which came first “highly commended” in the Poster category. Francesco D’Amico’s entry “Public costs for young adults with behavioural problems in their childhood” came second “highly commended” in the Group Research category. 1 June 2015

Thousands miss out on palliative care due to unfair health system

The UK’s palliative care system needs a major overhaul, according to an LSE report (released Wednesday 8 April), which reveals widespread inequities and a lack of services for non-cancer patients. An editorial published in The Lancet journal comments on the findings of the report. This can be viewed here. Read more... 17 April 2015

Family beliefs a barrier to aged care health reform

A new study of 15 European countries, including the UK, by Dr Joan Costa-i-Font shows that older parents are boycotting the development of long-term care funding and insurance, fearing their children will relinquish all responsibility for looking after them in their old age. Dr Costa-i-Font says people need to adjust their expectations of family responsibility to become more in tune with reality so that much-needed reforms in the aged care sector can be pursued. Read more... 16 January 2015

Professor Julian Le Grand awarded Knighthood in New Year Honours list 2015

Congratulations to Professor Julian Le Grand, Richard Titmus Professor of Social Policy, who was awarded a Knighthood in the New Year Honours list 2015 for services to social science and public service. To view the New Year Honours list 2015 in full, please click here. Read more... 4 January 2015