In the previous article I touched on some of the evidence emerging of the impact of housing on health during lockdown. The issues with poor housing stock are certainly not new and follow years of a lack of investment.

This issue has become all the more acute during lockdown and could provide real impetus for change. Moving forward, there are real opportunities to affect positive change — at both the local and national levels.

There is strong local case to be made for urgent community engagement, action and investment, as we move from the national to regional and local lockdowns…

Our homes and neighbourhoods are critical factors in our health and wellbeing. This has very much come to the fore during lockdown. In this two part series, first I touch on the current and emerging evidence of the impact of housing on health. I then put forward suggestions for where action is needed, now and in the longer term at both local and national levels.

The context

Disparities in living conditions have become all the more apparent during lockdown. Nearly a third, 31% of adults in Britain (15.9 million people) have had mental or physical health problems during lockdown as a result…

With the easing of lockdown restrictions, much attention is being paid to the ‘new normal’ of managing social distancing in public spaces. In my local area, Lambeth Council have narrowed some roads to widen footpaths to ensure people can pass each other at an appropriate distance. Navigating our public spaces safely is critical.

But how can we use technology and data to optimise our public spaces? And how can we do this in a way that preserves privacy while keeping us safe?

These were just a couple of the questions addressed in panel discussion chaired by Timandra Harkness, Writer, author…

This is the sixth article in a series on how data and tech are being used in the response to Covid-19. Here I cover some of the issues that need to be considered as part of discussions on the value and potential impact of ‘immunity passports’.

Discussions on immunity passports or certificates are increasingly being played out in the media. And ‘ systems of certification’ are being worked on in government. The aim is to potentially ‘liberate’ individuals to resume going about their day, and their work, without the requirements of social distancing and lockdown.

On the plus side, it…

This is the fifth article in a series on how data and tech are being used in the response to Covid-19. I look at some of the opportunities and issues that arise with tracking social distancing at work to reduce the risk of infection from Covid-19.

In responding to Covid-19, we’ve seen the rapid development and deployment of new tech to help reduce the risk of infection and track and trace those who may have been exposed. …

This is the fourth article in a series on how data and tech are being used in the response to Covid-19. In this, I look at how data driven care models are being reshaped in the delivery of health services.

The cases presented here were discussed as part of data analytics ‘huddle’. The session was chaired by Harry Evans from NHS England and Improvement. Presenters included:

• Dr Dan Alton — GP, CCIO and Clinical Lead, Berkshire West CCG
• Steve Laitner — NAPC, GP and Public Health Specialist
• Mark England — Health Navigator
• Dr Farzana Hussain — GP, Newham
• Scott Durairaj…

Over the coming months, I’ll be posting a series of blogs covering responses to Covid-19 in the UK and beyond. The focus is on data and related policy, outlining some of the key issues and potential opportunities and costs. This is the third article in the series.

Here I discuss public perception and behaviours in response to Covid-19. This picks up on a point raised in the first article — the need to consider different types of data in building local resilience and recovery including the need to reflect and embed lived experience in policy responses.

Data provides a critical…

Over the coming months, I’ll be posting a series of blogs covering responses to Covid-19 in the UK and beyond. The focus is on data and related policy, outlining some of the key issues and potential opportunities and costs.

In the first of this series, I discussed the role and value of data for local resilience and recovery. In this, I cover the different directions being taken by the devolved administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales with respect to data and tech responses to Covid-19. …