Evidence Updates Homepage – Public Health Key Documents

The Health Care Team produce a monthly report on evidence updates. The methods used to identify potentially relevant evidence and circulate it each month can be viewed here.

Past months’ updates (plus this months in PDF format) can be accessed at the bottom of the page.

Public Health Key Documents: January 2026

NIHR

Digitally enabled therapy for chronic tic disorders and Tourette Syndrome: a systematic review and economic evaluation

Both Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics and Neupulse appear to significantly reduce Yale Global Tic Severity Scale – Total Tic Severity Score.  However, there were no improvements in the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale-Impairment scores and mixed results across other secondary outcomes, meaning it is unclear to what extent improvements in tic severity scores can translate to improvements in quality of life. Cost-effectiveness estimates were highly uncertain due to a lack of long-term evidence.

Systematic search: Yes

January 2026

The impact and cost-effectiveness of scaling up HCV treatment for achieving elimination among people who inject drugs in England: a synopsis including evidence synthesis and economic modelling

Numerous regions may be on target to decrease hepatitis C virus incidence among people who inject drugs to < 2/100 person-years. In regions that are not on target, further scale-up of testing in drug treatment centres or prisons from 2024 could enable them to reach the WHO elimination target and be cost-effective.

Systematic search: Yes

January 2026

Methods and mechanisms for measuring and monitoring outcomes from newborn bloodspot screening: a scoping review

Many studies reported test accuracy metrics and genetic variants in newborn screening. Some data on programme effectiveness was identified, but assessment of potential harms remains limited, and methods for follow-up were poorly reported. Assessment of harms, including over diagnosis and psychological impact, is crucial to ensuring a net benefit at the population level.

Systematic search: Yes

January 2026

Reducing self-harm in adolescents: the RISA-IPD comprehensive synopsis

No evidence was found that any therapeutic intervention (overall or by intervention) was more or less effective than control for reducing repeat self-harm. Evidence indicated more effective interventions within specific subgroups – but analysis was constrained due to scarcity of data.

Systematic search: Yes

January 2026

Cost-effectiveness of endoscopic treatments for obesity: a clinical evidence map and systematic review to inform a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is likely cost-effective compared with endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty for patients’ obesity class II and III.  Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is likely cost-effective compared with semaglutide for patients’ obesity class I and II. Semaglutide is cheaper and more effective than intragastric balloon in patients’ obesity class I and II. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis found a degree of confidence in the estimates. The 5-year time horizon may not capture longer-term benefits from endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

Systematic search: Yes

December 2025

The King’s Fund

Leveraging Innovation to support care closer to home

Roche and the King’s Fund have launched a new multi-year programme exploring how innovation can help deliver more care closer to home.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Aligning research with care closer to home

While the NHS is shifting care from hospitals to the community, research remains largely focused around hospital-centric models.  This briefing puts forward the case for expanding research in community settings and makes suggestions on how this can be achieved.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

SIGN

Nil

Public Health Scotland

Transport poverty: a policy review

Transport poverty is defined as ‘a lack of transport of options that are: Available, Reliable, Affordable, Accessible and Safe that allow people to meet their daily needs and achieve a reasonable quality of life’. A review was conducted to assess whether selected national transport policies were likely to achieve a population level impact on dimensions of transport poverty in Scotland. Eight of the twelve policies reviewed were assessed as having a high likelihood of population level impact, three medium and just one low likelihood.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

The impact of multimorbidity on cancer treatment intent and mortality

Public Health Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support are working together to use data to improve the understanding of the impacts of cancer and its treatment on the cancer population. This project aims to bring together a variety of different PHS datasets to understand more about the prevalence of different measures of multimorbidity in cancer patients. It also aims to look at which measures of multimorbidity are associated with cancer treatment intent decisions or with mortality.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Understanding unscheduled care use among women with gynaecological cancers

This project aims to use Scottish Cancer Registry data linked to information on unscheduled care, cancer waiting times, hospital inpatient, critical care use records and mortality data to explore the use of unscheduled care among patients diagnosed with gynaecological cancers in Scotland.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Together we can: our 10-year strategy to 2035

This 10-year strategy attempts to set a clear direction to deliver improvement in health and wellbeing in Scotland.  The five drivers on which action will be focused are: 1. building a prevention‑focused system; 2. improving social and economic factors; 3. strengthening places and communities; 4. enabling healthy living; 5. providing equitable access to health and care.

Scottish Government

Children and young people mental health services: school counselling and community support

Analysis of information provided by local councils in their areas from July 2023 to March 2025.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Women’s Health Plan – phase two: lived experience focus groups report

As part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to gather the views of women and girls to inform the second phase of the Women’s Health Plan, five third sector organisations were funded to carry out focus groups. This report provides a summary of the key findings from these groups.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Cervical Cancer Elimination in Scotland Expert Group Final Report

This report sets out the work needed to eliminate cervical cancer in Scotland as a public health problem. While it highlights that Scotland is making considerable progress, improvement is required to ensure that elimination is achieved. The Expert Group and the three subgroups (covering vaccination, screening and treatment) have made specific recommendations to ensure that efforts in Scotland are equitable and inclusive for all.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Scottish allied health professions public health strategic framework implementation plan: 2022 to 2027 midway report

Midway progress report on Scotland’s Allied Health Professions Public Health Strategic Framework (2022–2027). It showcases achievements in workforce development, leadership, and wellbeing, driving prevention and reducing health inequalities across communities.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

The First National Good Food Nation Plan

The first national Good Food Nation Plan sets out six over-arching outcomes; the range of targets and indicators used to gauge progress towards achieving them; and details of food-related policies and initiatives from across the Scottish Government.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

NICE – Guidelines

Nil

UKHSA  

Health emergency planning

Eight rapid evidence summaries were undertaken in summer 2023 to identify and summarise evidence to help inform public health advice in the event of a national power outage. The summaries cover review questions within 3 key health topics: water and sanitation; food and nutrition; keeping warm or cool in extreme weather.

Systematic search: Limited

December 2025

Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre

Person-reported outcome measures for goal achievement or functional change in people undergoing rehabilitation with allied health professionals: a rapid evidence map and synthesis

AHPs play a key role in delivering rehabilitation across Wales, but service-access and evaluation vary. To improve consistency, a national framework is being developed to measure how much care is delivered, its quality, and its impact on quality of life, wellbeing, agency, activity and participation. This review focuses on identifying the best PROMs for tracking goal achievement and functional improvement, which includes activity and participation. The findings will form part of a standard set of tools that can be used across different conditions and services in Wales.

Systematic search: Limited

January 2026

The impact of changes in active travel infrastructure on disabled people: a rapid review

Active travel infrastructure changes have complicated and sometimes contradictory effects on disabled people. To prevent new obstacles, inclusive design is crucial. Future planning should strike a balance between different accessibility needs, actively involve disabled people in decision-making, and apply consistent, evidence-based design standards.

Systematic search: Limited

January 2026

Learning Disability Liaison services in acute care: a rapid review of effectiveness, barriers, and facilitators

This review provides a broad overview of the functioning of LDL services across different health boards and trusts in the UK and ROI, with wide-ranging types of outcomes and examples of practice. The review also summarises evidence on the barriers of implementing and accessing LDL services.

Systematic search: Limited

December 2025

EPPI Centre

Children’s views of body size, shape and weight: systematic review of UK qualitative evidence

The review included 34 studies from the UK. Children think that people who are overweight or obese are likely to have health problems and to be limited in what they can do physically. They also think that children who are overweight or obese will be bullied or socially excluded. They see diet and physical activity as the main factors influencing weight. Children who are overweight or obese say that they often experience negative attitudes and bullying, and this can be a barrier to participating in social interaction and physical activity.  Children’s views are influenced by their own experiences, family members, and sometimes by content in the media or on social media. There are some differences between older girls and boys but both girls and boys are concerned about weight.

Systematic search: Yes

December 2025

AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – USA)

Nil

Health Foundation

Health at the heart of local growth

This briefing shares some of the ways public health and economic development teams can work together to incorporate health into local growth strategies. It focuses on three interconnected ‘pillars’ for improving local economic growth: employment support and skills development; employers’ role in good work and local procurement; investment and infrastructure.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Canadian Agency for drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)

Antiviral Drugs for the Treatment of Suspected or Confirmed Influenza A or Influenza B

Decisions on stockpiling antivirals should consider the efficacy, safety, and potential benefits for populations at high risk for infection, as well as the impact of symptoms on health care resources and the risk of antiviral resistance. While baloxavir marboxil may provide some benefits, its potential for resistance requires careful management.  A diversified stockpile of antiviral medications may be warranted instead of reliance on drugs with a single mechanism of action.

Systematic search: Limited

January 2026

Botulinum Toxin a products comparison for upper limb spasticity, lower limb spasticity and cervical dystonia

OnaBoNT-A, aboBoNT-A, and incoBoNT-A can be used to treat upper and lower limb spasticity in children and adults and CD in adults. Switching between products is possible if the recommended conversion ratios are applied.

Systematic search: Limited

January 2026

Flexible dentures for edentulism

The evidence informing the comparative clinical effectiveness of removable partial or complete flexible dentures and removable partial or complete conventional dentures is inconsistent. 

Systematic search: Limited

December 2025

Quetiapine for bipolar disorder

Quetiapine, among other antipsychotics, could be used as first-line treatment option for the management of bipolar disorder in adults.  The prescribing of antipsychotics for the management of bipolar disorder should be guided by patient characteristics, patient tolerability, patient values, side effect profiles of individual antipsychotic medications, and clinician expertise.

Systematic search: Limited

November 2025

McGill University Health Centre (Canada)

Nil

Health Information & Quality Authority (Ireland) – Health Technology Assessments

Nil

Campbell Collaboration

Nil

Glasgow Centre for Population Health

Glasgow City Food Plan Annual Report – Year 4 2024/2025

Summary of work between July 2024 and June 2025.

Systematic search: No

January 2026

Selected other recent reports

Children and Young People’s Health Equity Collaborative (2025) Born Unequal Tackling the Root Causes of Health Inequity in Childhood

The CHEC is a partnership between Barnardo’s, IHE, NHS Birmingham and Solihull, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS South Yorkshire.  The report demonstrates the important role that the healthcare system and partners can play in addressing health inequalities.  It examines three pilot projects: NHS Birmingham & Solihull used corporate social responsibility and social value in procurement to direct meaningful support from businesses to children and families in deprived communities; In Cheshire & Merseyside, Tell Me a Story, Liverpool helped teenage parents build an emotional bond with their children, develop their early language skills and get them ready to start school by providing monthly picture books and specialist storytelling support; in South Yorkshire, the Friday Fun Club in Rotherham offered safe, nurturing after-school sessions that strengthened children’s emotional wellbeing, confidence, and engagement in learning.

Institute of Health Equity (2025) Inequalities, pandemics and social protection: evidence review for the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics

This evidence review is based on over 1,500 sources of scientific and grey literature on the links between inequalities and COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, SARS, Influenza, Ebola and TB.  The evidence shows that being ready for a pandemic goes well beyond having the necessary surveillance mechanisms in place. A strong health system is also not enough. Improving conditions in the social determinants of health and reducing inequalities would significantly improve outcomes during pandemics.

Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (2025) 2025 Inequality Landscape

Part 1 of the report provides a stock-take of key data that capture health inequality trends and the underpinning socio-economic conditions that shape population health in Scotland; Part 2 offers a deep dive into deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide and highlights young adult men experiencing socio-economic deprivation as a population group at high risk of these preventable deaths.

Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (2026) Comparing poverty rates in Scotland and the rest of the UK  

There has been a gradual convergence in poverty rates between Scotland and rUK since the early 2010s.  There are signs in the latest period (2021-24) that this convergence may be starting to reverse.  The convergence in poverty rates is broad-based, though increases in poverty risk in Scotland among single adults without children, households receiving Universal Credit where at least one adult is in work but not all are working full time, and social renters account for the largest shares of the convergence between 2011-14 and 2021-24. 

NICE FORWARD PLANNING – Publications due February 2026

Type 2 diabetes in adults: management

Clinical Guideline – update (new pharmaceutical evidence)

Blood transfusion – Tranexamic acid

Clinical Guideline – update (new clinical practice evidence)

Rare diseases

Various Quality Standard (new)

 Key Document

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

Previous Months

2020

2019

2018

2017

 2016

2015