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: May – July 2026
NIHR
Colon capsule endoscopy is expected to be more expensive – and less effective – than colonoscopy. However, it could lead to a reduction in the number of colonoscopies required.
Systematic search: Yes
July 2026
No implications for current practice could be recommended due to heterogeneity of reviews/randomised controlled trials within reviews.
Systematic search: Yes
June 2026
Despite a lack of data, and heterogeneity across studies, the use of placental growth factor-based tests to rule out and rule in pre-eclampsia does have the potential to provide improved outcomes at reduced cost when compared with standard clinical assessment.
Systematic search: Yes
June 2026
Current evidence alone is not adequate to fully support implementation of newborn blood spot screening for severe combined immunodeficiency.
Systematic search: Yes
June 2026
The King’s Fund
Neighbourhood health: an international exploration
Examines successful initiatives in Brazil and New Zealand.
Systematic search: No
July 2026
A Shared Heart: The Story Of Fleetwood’s Community Health Hub
Details of how one of the poorest towns in England bought its abandoned hospital and successfully turned it into a thriving hub used by multiple organizations seeking to improve the health and happiness of the community.
Systematic search: No
June 2026
What Can England Learn From Japan and Sweden About Meeting the Challenge of an Ageing Society?
Includes information on ageing in Japan and Sweden where there is a sense of “national mission” around this topic. The briefing also outlines some key themes which could be adopted in England.
Systematic search: No
June 2026
SIGN
SIGN 155 Pharmacological management of migraine (2026 update)
The update adds new sections on CGRP receptor antagonists for people with acute migraine and for the prevention of migraine, revised advice on the use of ibuprofen during pregnancy and additional advice on combination therapies. The section on prevention of migraine has been restructured to reflect current prescribing practices and safety advice on sodium valproate and topiramate.
Systematic search: Limited
May 2026
Public Health Scotland
Presents the findings from two studies forming part of the PHS evaluation of the Mission:
The effectiveness of peer support in problem alcohol and drug use: Rapid evidence review
Key findings from a review commissioned from Glasgow Caledonian University: “there is limited or no review-level evidence on the effect of peer support in preventing substance-related deaths; there is good evidence that mutual aid groups, particularly Alcoholics Anonymous, support abstinence and reduce substance use; there is some review-level evidence that PBRSS [peer-based recovery support services] can reduce substance use, although findings are mixed; PBRSS can help people engage with and remain involved in treatment and support services; there is some evidence that peer support can improve recovery-focused outcomes, particularly quality of life; there is limited review-level evidence on the impact of peer support on recovery capital outcomes; evidence on the cost effectiveness of peer support is limited. However, the available evidence suggests that mutual aid groups and PBRSS have the potential to be cost effective”.
Systematic search: Limited
July 2026
Key findings: “Significant investment has been made in alcohol and drug services during the first 5 years of the National Mission … ; it was difficult to track exactly how National Mission funding was spent on specific treatments at a local level. In many areas, National Mission funding was combined with other funding streams or used to enhance existing services; much of the funding was invested in services for which there is strong review-level evidence that they are effective and cost effective in reducing drug-related deaths, non-fatal overdoses and problematic drug use. This includes for example take-home naloxone and opioid substitution therapy; there is limited review-level evidence on the effectiveness or cost effectiveness of psychosocial interventions, detoxification services, residential rehabilitation and stabilisation facilities …; Treatments are rarely delivered in isolation. This makes it difficult to assess the cost effectiveness of individual interventions.”
Systematic search: No
July 2026
Gambling harm and suicide – a small case study
This case study, using a small sample of anonymised data from a local NHS board over a 9 year period, is intended for professionals working on suicide, mental health and gambling harm. It provides an opportunity to analyse a local data set and adds to the limited evidence in Scotland.
Systematic search: No
July 2026
Substance use services from a lived experience perspective
This release summarises a qualitative secondary analysis of lived and living experience evidence about substance use services across Scotland, focusing on implementation of the 10 Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards during 2024-25.
Systematic search: No
June 2026
Scottish Government
Understanding Local Authority and Health Board Processes for Good Food Nation Plan Development
This report, from a Scottish Graduate School of Social Science Internship research project, shows that most organisations are still at an early stage of planning – possibly caused in part by limited funding and capacity.
Systematic search: No
July 2026
Detoxification and other support available in residential rehabilitation settings
Using the results of a survey of providers, this report seeks to establish the current provision, operation and governance of detoxification across residential rehabilitation facilities.
Systematic search: No
June 2026
Scottish Health Information Integrity Strategy
The strategy seeks to provide “a framework for a safe, coherent, evidence-based and ethical approach to address the negative health effects of false health information in Scotland.”
Systematic search: No
October 2025
NICE – Guidelines
NG258 Anaphylaxis: assessment and referral after emergency treatment
This guideline seeks to improve the quality of care for people with suspected anaphylaxis. It covers needed assessments and referral to specialist allergy services.
Systematic search: Yes
May 2026
UKHSA
Only one study suggests that an alternative hand hygiene agent to soap and water – a hypochlorous acid-based agent – reduced C. difficile spores on hands more effectively. Other evidence suggested chlorhexidine soap may be as effective as soap and water, but antiseptic parachlorometaxylenol hand wipes were less effective. The evidence found was of low to moderate quality. It does not provide conclusive evidence that there is a more effective hand hygiene agent as an alternative to soap and water to reduce the transmission of C. difficile in care settings.
Systematic search: Limited
July 2026
Hantavirus: vaccine effectiveness following Andes virus exposure: a systematic evidence summary
The evidence for the protective efficacy of vaccines for hantavirus after exposure to Andes virus is only available from pre-clinical animal studies. While there is some evidence to suggest potential for effectiveness of hantavirus vaccines for pre-exposure prophylaxis for Andes virus, sample sizes were small. Post exposure prophylaxis evidence was too limited to make any conclusions on effectiveness.
Systematic search: Limited
July 2026
Evidence suggests incubation period could range from 9 to 40 days, with studies reporting a mean between 21.6 to 27.5 days. The reported serial interval ranged from 4 to 40 days with means from 19.6 to 25.7 days. Although no studies were able to confirm route of transmission, some proposed routes through exposures, including the possibility of direct contact via breast-feeding, and sexual transmission or contact. No studies reported evidence of asymptomatic or presymptomatic transmission. All of the evidence is of low quality.
Systematic search: Limited
July 2026
Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre
What is the effectiveness of population health management in improving health delivery, health outcomes, and reducing inequalities? A Rapid Review (by partner organisation – Public Health Wales)
Three comparative studies evaluating the effectiveness of a PHM approach in improving health delivery, health outcomes, or reducing inequalities were identified. Four further studies, developed using a PHM approach, evaluated the effectiveness of specific interventions targeting high risk groups. Included studies were conducted in the USA and the UK.
Systematic search: Limited
July 2026
EPPI Centre
Wider determinants of health: systematic map of meta-analyses
The map comprises “742 systematic reviews with meta-analysis of observational data linking wider determinants to health outcomes”. Among determinants, the largest body of evidence concerned environmental pollutants. The reviews covered a wide range of health outcomes including cardiovascular health, cancer, diabetes, and mental health outcomes.
Systematic search: Yes
July 2026
AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – USA)
Nil
Health Foundation
Immigration and the NHS: the evidence
The evidence summary notes that “the average person who migrates to the UK is more likely to work in the NHS, less likely to use health services and contributes significantly to NHS funding. NHS pressures are largely down to funding constraints, workforce shortages and changing health needs.”
Systematic search: Limited
June 2026
Young people with mental health conditions are now more likely to be NEET
A young person is “three times more likely to be NEET if they report having a mental health condition than those who do not”. The report stresses that a range of factors including poverty, school experience, adversity and the labour market also influence the probability of becoming NEET. Early intervention is required to reduce the risk of developing a mental illness. Policies should focus on supporting young people with a mental health condition into employment.
Systematic search: No
May 2026
Canadian Agency for drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
Nil
McGill University Health Centre (Canada)
Nil
Health Information & Quality Authority (Ireland) – Health Technology Assessments
Nil
Campbell Collaboration
This map shows there is a “clear bias towards interventions orientated around a biomedical view of health … and relatively little on the wider functional and psychosocial aspect of health, or on enabling environments, such as adaptations to health and care services, or models of care”. More research on understanding the experiences and preferences of adults aged 80 years or more is required.
Systematic search: Yes
June 2026
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Trust the process: Big Noise impact on participants, families and their wider communities
This evaluation finds strong evidence that Big Noise makes a lasting difference with children and young people experiencing “improvements in emotional wellbeing, social connection, alongside clear musical development and access to wider post-school opportunities, as a direct result of participating in the Big Noise programme”. The project has also had a “broader positive influence across their wider social communities; through their family, school and friendships”.
Systematic search: No
June 2026
LGBT+ health and wellbeing in Scotland: A landmark census analysis
This analysis offers “a population-wide insight into the lives, demographics and health outcomes of LGBT+ communities, highlighting both their growing presence and the persistent inequalities they face”. An Infographic is also available.
Systematic search: No
June 2026
Selected other recent reports
The report details how “inequity related to ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation is present throughout the whole of a baby’s neonatal journey”.
Faculty of Public Health (2026) Growing up in an online world
Contains recommendations for actions to protect children from harm.
Food Studies Centre, SOAS University of London (2026) Food poverty & digital power: The social realities of digitalising food assistance in England
Examines, with the help of case studies, how people in marginalised communities can miss out on digitalised welfare and food assistance because they cannot pay for digital access.
Men’s Health Forum (2026) An Unfilled Prescription: tapping pharmacy’s potential to boost men’s health
While many men visit pharmacies, relatively few engage with pharmacists on their health concerns. The report examines how pharmacies can become more “male friendly” and encourage more engagement to boost men’s health.
Mental Health Foundation (2026) The state of mental health inequality in the UK
The report, based on longitudinal data, tracking the mental health of 40,000 people over time, shows a “huge decline in the nation’s mental health, and a widening gap in mental health inequality”.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (2026) State of Child Health 2026
The report finds that “across nearly all major measures, outcomes have worsened or stagnated across the UK, reversing years of progress, and the impact is felt most sharply in deprived areas and among ethnic minority communities”.
UK Parliament (2026) Healthy Ageing: physical activity in an ageing society
Includes recommendations on how conversations on physical activity could be embedded in clinical practice, programmes developed and leisure infrastructure utilised, to promote healthier ageing.
NICE FORWARD PLANNING – Publications due August 2026
Epilepsies in children, young people and adults
Clinical Guideline – update (new clinical practice evidence)
Diabetes in pregnancy: management from preconception to the postnatal period – Managing type 1 diabetes (T1D) using hybrid closed loops (update)
Clinical Guideline – update (new clinical practice evidence)
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