BNSSG JSNAs:challenges and potential links with academia

Dr Christine Hine, Consultant in Public HealthDecember 2012

Challenges – general observations

Deciding what ‘the JSNA’ is• Need to conceptualise if trying to benefit from it

Integrating into ways of working• An aid to partnerships developing and working

• Getting beyond the front page(s)

• Reading and assimilating

Making an impact on commissioning and outcomes

In writing the JSNA, did you identify specific research evidence gaps that you considered very important?3 of 6 respondents answered ‘yes’

Please specify an example that you think might be a future research priority.

What question(s) remained unanswered after you had looked at the available evidence?

Evidence of the effectiveness of A&E based intervention for support of victims of Domestic Violence

Generalisability of evidence. Only found a small evidence base.

Local prevalence of alcohol and or drugs use/misuse among young people.

A regular and reliable source of local statistics, specifically on young people(in addition to hospital data).

Health inequalities around uptake amongst young people and people with LD for sexual health services.The link between alcohol use and sexual health (particularly young people).

….limited quick review of the literature , hence felt that assimilation of evidence related to interventions that tackled alcohol and sexual health together was difficult to 'easily' assimilate for JSNA.

Would you like to provide further examples of

future research priorities?

1. Impacts of Welfare Reform on health inequalities

2. Social Isolation and older people - including impact of Personalisation agenda

3. Emergence of Food poverty as potential issue

4. Autism - effectiveness of increased tracking of Autistic Spectrum Disorder as specific diagnosis & tailoring of services

Potential links with academia Have you already put forward any of the above as a

potential research question? ‘Yes - contacted a research team at University of

Bristol’ ‘The best models I have seen for generating

research questions is having academics on the steering / delivery groups for particular topics. This has worked well for suicide and sexual health. Health Integration Teams may also bridge this gap. Alternatively having themed days for academia / service PH.’

Potential links with academia ‘Workshops, brainstorming and

prioritisation events with relevant stakeholders including local authority (co-benefit of raising awareness of public health research input into augmenting service delivery)’

‘…for updates in the future, we could add a section with the title, "research questions to be addressed“ [to the authors template]’

Potential links with academia - comments

‘In theory research questions should fall out of the JSNA and the guidance does encourage this to happen. However in practice there is not enough detail to be able to do this.’

‘There is an evidence section - 'what works', but this usually contains links to NICE documents, DH guidance etc not detailed reviews.’

Conclusions

There is potential to develop: academic/service links and partnerships

within the JSNA processes PH practice towards generating research

questions

Challenges: How close a link? How high a priority?