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Since 2010 there have been large reductions in funding for local government services in England. This has led to reduced income to fund services, such as housing services, that potentially promote health. Housing services expenditure includes spending on housing advice services, homelessness relief and provision of temporary accommodation. During the same period there has been an increase in homelessness and drug related mortality. We carried out an ecological study by linking data on housing services expenditure to deaths from drug and alcohol abuse by local authority in England between 2013 and 2018, to assess whether those areas that experienced a greater decline in spending, also experienced more adverse trends in mortality rates. Our results demonstrate that spending cuts were associated with increased mortality rates due to drug misuse, however, we found no strong evidence of an association with alcohol-specific mortality. This study suggests that reduced fiscal support alongside the introduction of policies that changed how funds are distributed between areas may in part explain the recent adverse trends in drug-related mortality. Since housing expenditure decreased more in the most deprived areas of England compared to less deprived areas, such spending cuts may have contributed to the widening of health inequalities. KEYWORDS Housing services; spending; drug; alcohol; mortality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a growing concern about the mental health of children and young people (CYP) in the UK, with increasing demand for counselling services, admissions for self-harm and referrals to mental health services. We investigated whether there have been similar recent trends in selected mental health outcomes among CYP in national health surveys from England, Scotland and Wales. Methods: Data were analysed from 140 830 participants (4–24 years, stratified into 4–12, 13–15, 16–24 years) in 36 national surveys in England, Scotland and Wales, 1995–2014. Regression models were used to examine time trends in seven parent/self-reported variables: general health, any long-standing health condition, long-standing mental health condition; Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Score (WEMWBS), above-threshold Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total (SDQT) score, SDQ Emotion (SDQE) score, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) score. Results: Across all participants aged 4–24, long-standing mental health conditions increased in England (0.8–4.8% over 19 years), Scotland (2.3–6.0%, 11 years) and Wales (2.6–4.1%, 7 years) (all p < 0.001). Among young children (4–12 years), the proportion reporting high SDQT and SDQE scores decreased significantly among both boys and girls in England [SDQE: odds ratio (OR) 0.97 (0.96–0.98), p < 0.001] and girls in Scotland [SDQE: OR 0.96 (0.93–0.99), p = 0.005]. The proportion with high SDQE scores (13–15 years) decreased in England [OR 0.98 (0.96–0.99), p = 0.006] but increased in Wales [OR 1.07 (1.03–1.10), p < 0.001]. The proportion with high GHQ scores decreased among English women (16–24 years) [OR 0.98 (0.98–0.99), p = 0.002]. Conclusions: Despite a striking increase in the reported prevalence of long-standing mental health conditions among UK CYP, there was relatively little change in questionnaire scores reflecting psychological distress and emotional well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]