Social Care Institute for Excellence

We use de-identified data from Facebook Groups to study and provide a descriptive analysis of local gift-giving communities, in particular Buy Nothing groups. These communities allow people to give items they no longer need, reduce waste, and connect to local community. Millions of people have joined Buy Nothing groups on Facebook, with an increasing pace through the COVID-19 pandemic. Buy Nothing groups are more popular in dense and urban US counties with higher educational attainment. Compared to other local groups, Buy Nothing groups have lower Facebook friendship densities, suggesting they bring together people who are not already connected. The interaction graphs in Buy Nothing groups form larger strongly connected components, indicative of norms of generalized reciprocity. The interaction patterns in Buy Nothing groups are similar to other local online gift-giving groups, with names containing terms such as `free stuff" and `pay it forward". This points to an interaction signature for local online gift-giving communities.

#### What you need to know In spite of a wealth of guidance,1 young people making the transition from children’s to adults’ services are often inadequately or inconsistently supported.2 3 4 This can lead to disrupted care.5 It can also mean they disengage from services, which can be costly, both for them and for care providers. Transition is a process and should not be conflated with transfer, which is a discrete event. Simple transfer may result in poor understanding of the young person’s treatment needs by the new adult team. Healthcare transition is a gradual, purposeful, and goal oriented process. It can be difficult and often coincides with other transitions such as development into adulthood, which adds complexity. Transition should start well before transfer and enable patients to understand the service changes they can expect. See linked infographic on supporting young people in their transition to adults’ services. We summarise the most recent recommendations from the Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aimed at improving the transition process and outcomes across health and social care.6 NICE recommendations are based on systematic reviews of best available evidence and explicit consideration of cost effectiveness. When minimal evidence is available, recommendations are based on the guideline committee’s experience and expert opinion of …

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to formulate recommendations from international and local examples to aid the design and delivery affirmative housing and care options for older LGBT individuals in England. Design/methodology/approach – This paper combines a desk-top review conducted by the author with personal views and recommendations for practice by discussing the levers within both the Care Act and Equality Act for greater LGBT participation in the design, delivery and evaluation of housing with care services. Findings – The provision of LGBT affirmative housing and care options for individuals in England is currently limited. International and European evidence suggests that multi-faceted, person-centred approaches are central in delivering affirmative services to older LGBT individuals. Originality/value – This paper adds to a growing literature on minority housing and care services. The author draws on both a professional and personal interest in facilitating the development of LGBT affirmative services in England.

Many people with learning disabilities are able to make their own healthcare decisions, but some lack the mental capacity to do so. This article discusses how the Mental Capacity Act can be used to guide decision-making for people with learning disabilities in hospital, and ensure all decisions are made in the patient's best interests.

Abstract Ecosystem management demands simultaneous consideration and integration of ecosystem services in monitoring, planning, and management activities, but specialization has led to independently developed traditions in wildlife biology and management and forestry. We drew on the literature to explore the use of filters in wildlife conservation and ecological classification systems in forest management and to ask the question, “Can combining these tools improve our integration of wildlife and forest management?” Although each tool has been successfully applied independently, relatively few examples still exist for their combined use. We conclude that this approach has potential for enhancing research, monitoring, and management in areas beyond wildlife management, including forest health.

User involvement in health services has been a priority for government since 1990. In mental health, concern has been expressed that involved service users (activists) are not representative of 'ordinary' patients. (i) To investigate service users' perceptions of the outcomes of user involvement in two London boroughs. (ii) To determine whether the perceptions of outcomes differ between activists and non-activists. The study was user-led. The user-researchers compiled a semi-structured interview schedule which they then administered to a sample of 40 people; 20 were defined as activists and 20 as non-activists. There were also 20 participants in each borough. Activists were aware of more user groups and forms of user involvement than non-activists. However, in terms of perceptions of the outcomes of user involvement, there was little difference between the activists and non-activists. There is very little extant work on the outcomes of user involvement in mental health services. This study examined this and, contrary to reservations often expressed, there was little difference between activists and non-activists. This is a pilot study. Further work should examine perceptions of the outcomes of user involvement by other stakeholders, for example, front-line workers, managers, carers and commissioners.