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The Relatives and Residents Association (R&RA) is conducting a survey which aims to gather evidence on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on access to healthcare services for those living in care homes. R&RA is seeking responses from people who were living in care homes at any point during the pandemic, or from their relatives and friends. Our analysis of the responses will be shared with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, including anonymised examples. The survey should take around 10-15 mins to complete.

Poor mental health is an important and increasingly prevalent issue facing farmers and the farming industry. This article in the journal Sociologia Ruralis seeks to understand the factors that influence the adaptability of support systems for farmers facing mental health issues, especially at a time of crisis. The authors undertook a literature review as well as conducting interviews with 22 mental health support providers and an online survey of people working within support systems and farmers themselves. The study found that support-giving organisations adapted during the pandemic using a range of interventions, but that implementation was affected by organisational and operational challenges such as limited digital training, funding shortfalls, staff trauma, lack of capacity, the rural digital divide, tension between providers and stigma. The authors discuss how landscapes of support for farming mental health can be made more sustainable to deal with future shocks.

In this episode of the Wild Card - Whose Shoes? podcast, Rachel Power, CEO of the Patients' Association talks about the importance of treating patients as equal partners in the health service. She shares insight on how to measure impact in difficult areas and overcoming barriers to shared decision making.

Involvement activities enable people to influence and improve policies and services that affect their lives through activities such as focus groups, patient involvement forums and research studies. My Involvement Profile is a tool for lived experience experts to record and share their access needs when taking part in involvement activities in health and social care. My Involvement Profile has two parts: A personal information form to record your contact details and other experience you have A form to record your access and support requirements.

Primary care services are the front door to the NHS - they are the first port of call when we feel unwell and the main coordinator of care when we are living with health conditions. The primary care team have an important role in making people feel welcomed, listened to and taken seriously. Yet we often hear examples about people who have not had their communication needs met within primary care. This includes people with sensory impairments, people with learning disabilities, autistic people, people living with dementia, people who don’t speak English fluently, people with low or no literacy, people who are digitally excluded, people living nomadically, people experiencing homelessness and many others.   This report sets out the key issues faced by people with specific communication needs within primary care and what they feel would make the biggest difference, as well as key actions primary care leaders and teams can take to support inclusive communication.