The SIPHER Consortium: Introducing the new UK hub for systems science in public health and health economic research.

The conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age are key drivers of health and inequalities in life chances. To maximise health and wellbeing across the whole population, we need well-coordinated action across government sectors, in areas including economic, education, welfare, labour market and housing policy. Current research struggles to offer effective decision support on the cross-sector strategic alignment of policies, and to generate evidence that gives budget holders the confidence to change the way major investment decisions are made.

Association of Cognition and Age-Related Hearing Impairment in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Importance: Evidence has linked age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) with cognitive decline; however, very few studies (none in the United Kingdom) explore this link in large well-characterized groups of community-dwelling individuals.

Objective: To investigate the link between ARHI and cognitive decline using a cohort of elderly individuals from the United Kingdom and explore untreated hearing loss and social isolation as potential explanations for the observed link.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional analysis of wave 7 (June 2014 through May 2015) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) sampled men and women 50 years or older and living in the United Kingdom in a community setting.

Integrating specialist advice following reforms: an interview-based survey.

Objectives: To investigate the importance of incorporating secondary care input to aid commissioning following National Health Service reforms which will see the replacement of Primary Care Trusts with Clinical Commissioning Groups; to determine barriers that might arise given that this issue had been raised during public consultations and to explore ways to improve this input.

Design: Qualitative project with semistructured one-to-one interviews which were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis by two investigators. The findings were discussed and organized into a framework.

Principles for high-quality, high-value testing.

A survey of doctors working in two large NHS hospitals identified over 120 laboratory tests, imaging investigations and investigational procedures that they considered not to be overused. A common suggestion in this survey was that more training was required. And, this prompted the development of a list of core principles for high-quality, high-value testing.

Learning from a Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a proposed maternity service reconfiguration in the English NHS.

Background: Within many parts of the country, the NHS is undertaking reconfiguration of services. Such proposals can prove a tipping point and provoke public protest, often with significant involvement of local and national politicians. We undertook a rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of a proposed reconfiguration of maternity services in Huddersfield and Halifax in England.

Preparedness of residential and nursing homes for pandemic flu.

Background: Work is being undertaken across a wide range of agencies to ensure a high level of preparedness for pandemic influenza. In England, the Department of Health has published a range of guidance to support this. The impact of pandemic flu on care homes, especially if unprepared may have a major knock on effect on the rest of the health and social care system.