We asked psychologists how they were using telephone and video calls to support people with learning disabilities and autism, since the Covid-19 lockdown. In all, 95 psychologists answered our questions. Most (80 per cent) psychologists were using telephone to offer support. A little more than half (58 per cent) were using video calls to offer support. Psychologists talked about some problems offering support using video calls, like problems with computers and internet, service users finding it hard to use the video calls, and making sure people felt comfortable talking over video. Psychologists said that using video calls can help to keep in touch and offer support to people with learning disabilities and autism when we cannot meet face to face.

Alcohol screening together with referral or intervention is becoming part of routine practice in England. Compared with our previous national survey, increases in alcohol screening and intervention activity are demonstrated, with improvements in routine questioning (among adults), the number of general practitioners being informed about alcohol-related attendances, provision of training, access to specialist services and the use of formal screening tools.

Our results showed some positive effects and a favourable adverse effect profile for bifeprunox, although there were few data overall and none were of high quality. It would seem that these data alone would not have been enough for the FDA to decide to halt progress of the drug to market. We can only assume that we are missing important data. Both the FDA and the relevant pharmaceutical companies have not made all relevant data accessible. As some of these trials also involved an additional haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, or risperidone arm, these data are not only relevant to evaluation of bifeprunox. In not making all data accessible, it is hard to see how the FDA and the drug companies have fulfilled their full obligations to people with schizophrenia or their clinicians.

No abstract