The North East and North Cumbria Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub has published its August 2026 briefing, highlighting the free, confidential support available to anyone working in health or social care across the region. Demand for the service continues to grow. Between May and July, 755 staff contacted the Hub, including a record 288 referrals in July. The Hub still has capacity to support more people, with 99% of those providing feedback saying they felt listened to and supported, and 92% reporting that the service helped them remain in or return to work. Support when you need it The Hub offers timely appointments with experienced NHS clinicians, followed by […]

Women with poor access to financial, educational, and social and health resources engage less with health and care services throughout their pregnancy. This is due to a range of reasons such as social stressors, low health literacy, digital exclusion, lack of support, language barriers, transport difficulties, and stigma and judgement from healthcare professionals. Research led by the NIHR School for Public Health Research and supported by the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria examined these barriers, and the work has led to the development of new toolkits to support improvement of care. The toolkits aim to help policy makers and practitioners implement actionable changes to service delivery, to help […]

A new NHS Leadership and Management Framework has been launched by the NHS College of Leadership and Management alongside new NHS Staff Standards, including the first national staff standard for line management. For the first time, the NHS has a single national framework that clearly defines what excellent leadership and management look like across all professions and career stages. Applicable to both clinical and non-clinical roles, the framework introduces a new Leadership and Management Code and a consistent set of standards designed to support leaders and managers at every level. The launch also marks an important milestone for the newly established NHS College of Leadership and Management, which will act […]

A new Alcohol Toolkit for Primary Care has been launched to help healthcare professionals confidently identify, discuss and respond to alcohol-related harm in everyday practice. Developed through a collaborative programme led by the North East and North Cumbria Alcohol Harm Prevention Programme, the toolkit brings together practical resources, evidence-based guidance, training and support in one accessible location. It has been designed to help primary care teams have consistent, effective conversations about alcohol and connect people with the right support at the right time. Alcohol remains a significant public health challenge, particularly across the North East and North Cumbria, where rates of alcohol-related harm are among the highest in the country. […]

Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 30 June 2026 saw James Crosbie (GP, Gastroenterologist, Clinical Lead for Alcohol Harm Prevention) deliver a presentation on ‘Introducing the Alcohol Toolkit for Primary Care’. This session explored the newly launched Alcohol Toolkit for Primary Care – a practical, evidence-based resource designed to help primary care teams confidently identify and respond to alcohol-related harm. Primary care teams are well placed to have meaningful conversations about alcohol, and this toolkit supports a consistent, effective approach aligned with national guidance. In this session, we introduced the toolkit and demonstrated how it can […]

A new toolkit has been launched to help services work more effectively together when supporting families affected by domestic abuse. Developed through research supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria, the toolkit focuses on strengthening ‘whole family approaches’ – where adult and children’s services work in a more coordinated way to support parents and children. Domestic abuse can have long-term impacts on both adults and children, including lasting mental health challenges. While policy has long encouraged multi-agency working, delivering joined-up support in practice can be challenging, with differences in how services operate sometimes leading to gaps in care.   Supporting more joined-up, consistent practice […]

The North East and Yorkshire Leadership Academy (NEYLA) is offering a series of free, virtual workshops to support colleagues across the system to strengthen their improvement knowledge and skills. The Improvement Fundamentals sessions provide a practical introduction to the mindset, thinking and principles that underpin successful improvement – helping staff build confidence to understand problems and make meaningful changes in practice.   Two workshops to support your learning There are two upcoming sessions, designed with linked themes but also accessible as standalone workshops: Improvement Fundamentals #1 Thursday 9 July, 9:00am – 12:00pm, Virtual This introductory session focuses on building a strong foundation in improvement thinking. It will: Explore key principles […]

Brought to you by Boost in collaboration with North Cumbria Knowledge and Library Service, this LUNCH & LEARN session on 29 April 2026 saw Lisa Jones (Assistant Director for Integrated Commissioning, Sunderland City Council) deliver a presentation on ‘Learning from failure, before it happens: the Sunderland approach’. This session explored how Sunderland City Council used a whole‑system pre‑mortem to stress‑test their neighbourhood health programme before implementation. Instead of asking what might go wrong, the team intentionally imagined the programme had already failed – and worked backwards to uncover the real risks, blind spots, and assumptions that could derail success. Lisa shared why this proactive approach was chosen, how it helped […]

The North East and North Cumbria Learning Disability Network has been working with partners across North East North Cumbria on a Learning Disability Women’s Health programme. As part of this they have launched the Learning Disability Menopause Passport. This is an easy read patient held document and is about: Sharing accessible information to understand what the menopause and perimenopause is Helping women with a learning disability and their families / carers to understand signs and symptoms Helping women to understand how to stay well Who can I talk too for information, support and treatment? What might be my treatment options? Reasonable adjustments Empowering women to have the conversation about the […]

A new evidence-based Falls Management Exercise Programme (FaME) Implementation Toolkit has been launched to help reduce falls in people aged over 65 by up to 30%. Created through a major collaboration between NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) across the South West Peninsula, East Midlands, Wessex and Greater Manchester – alongside Health Innovation South West, Later Life Training, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, and universities in Nottingham, Manchester, Exeter and Glasgow Caledonian – the toolkit provides practical guidance for delivering the proven six‑month, group‑based FaME exercise programme. The online resource is designed for commissioners, providers and practitioners supporting older adults to improve strength, balance and independence. Early regional […]