South East England Research Articles

Keeping streets safe at night: navigating jurisdictional boundaries between the police and the private security industry

Purpose Keeping streets safe at night to protect users of the night-time economy (NTE) is a responsibility shared by the police and private security companies, yet little is known about this collaboration in practice. The study aims to explore the experience of both agencies to reveal examples of good practice as well as any tensions and risks that emanate from this partnership. Design/methodology/approach Focus groups with 19 police officers and four private security guards were conducted in one city in the Southeast of England, UK, during 2023, to elicit their narrative accounts of working at night and their attitudes towards one another. Findings The study revealed the importance of non-statutory agencies in maintaining order in the city centre at night, often in the absence of a police presence, at the expense of their own safety and without legal and physical protection. However, private security guards recognised that they sometimes traversed their jurisdictional boundaries. This practice concerned the police, as it compromised formal investigation and blurred lines of responsibility. Both the police and security guards identified training needs, experienced violence themselves, felt unsupported in their work and recognised that more could be done to build collaborative working relations. Practical implications The findings suggest several practical strategies that would enhance statutory and non-statutory collaboration, particularly through strengthening the understanding of where jurisdictional boundaries should be drawn. Specifically, the instatement of formal channels of communication between formal policing and private security, alongside joint training, would be beneficial. Originality/value This study explores a gap in the current knowledge and understanding of how order is maintained at night. There is limited research into the role of private security and our understanding of police experiences of night working is nascent. By holding focus groups simultaneously with both agencies gave new insights into the current working relationship and views of one another. The respondents articulated not only mutual respect but also significant levels of distrust and misunderstandings, leading to risks for both groups and users of the NTE. The findings provide recommendations to strengthen collaborative working.

Can architectural salvage contribute to net zero resource and waste management?

Factors that influence the success of architectural salvage and reclamation yards are unknown. This study aimed to: i) identify the architectural salvage supply chain and investigate barriers/incentives to processing salvaged materials efficiently, ii) categorise/quantify salvaged materials and critically evaluate their potential, financially and environmentally iii) evaluate perceived historical and aesthetic value of salvaged vs new objects, and iv) compare the environmental performance of common salvage vs new items. Data was collected from an online catalogue to review the scale/composition of the industry in the south-east of England. Surveys of reclamation/salvage yards and the public were undertaken. The architectural salvage market consists of small businesses sourcing salvage from few sources. Businesses have little influence on each other regarding market prices and decide these based on the qualities of individual items. There is limited customer awareness of environmental benefits. Storing architectural salvage items is a key barrier for businesses. Salvage businesses reduce disposal through sales. Raising awareness of salvage yards, their range of products and environmental benefits, are key if reclamation is to contribute to expansion of material reuse. Architectural salvage could make a small but important contribution to net zero resource and waste management, especially in the construction sector.

Pharmacist-led DE-eSCALation of opioids post-surgical dischargE (DESCALE) - A multi-centre, non-randomised, feasibility study protocol.

Opioids are frequently prescribed for short-term acute pain following surgery. Used appropriately, opioids deliver extremely favourable pain relief. Used longer than 90-days, however, can result in health complications, including unintentional overdose and addiction. Globally, >40 million people are dependent on opioids and annually >100,000 die from opioid misuse. With >4.7 million surgical procedures occurring annually in the United Kingdom it is imperative that opioid-use is managed upon discharge. A declining General Practitioner (GP) workforce and increased patient numbers, however, means gaps in healthcare during transfer of care. Here we report a mixed-methods protocol to understand the feasibility, and acceptability of a clinical pharmacist (CP)-led early opioid deprescribing intervention for discharged surgical patients. DESCALE is a multicentre, non-randomised, pragmatic feasibility study. Participants aged ≥18 years who have undergone a surgical procedure at a single NHS trust in Southeast England and discharged with opioids and without a history of long-term opioid use, cancer diagnosis or study contraindications will be offered a Medicines Use Review (MUR) within 7-10 days of discharge. The MUR will be delivered by CPs at participating GP practices. Feasibility outcomes will focus on recruitment, fidelity of CPs to deliver the MUR, and barriers within primary care that affect delivery of the intervention, with a maximum sample size of 100. Clinical outcomes will focus on the number of participants that reduce or stop opioid use within 91 days. Prescribing, medical, surgical, and demographic data for individual participants will be collected and analysed to inform future trial design. Qualitative interviews with participants and associated healthcare professionals will explore acceptability and implementation of the intervention. Data collected with respect to opioid use post-surgery, feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, patient experience and outcome data will inform the design of future research and larger clinical trials.

Helicopter emergency medical services demonstrate reduced time to emergency anaesthesia in an undifferentiated trauma population: a retrospective observational analysis across three major trauma networks

BackgroundEarly rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia (RSI) and tracheal intubation for patients with airway or ventilatory compromise following major trauma is recommended, with guidance suggesting a 45-min timeframe. Whilst on-scene RSI is recommended, the potential time benefit offered by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) has not been studied. We compared the time from 999/112 emergency call to delivery of RSI between patients intubated either in the Emergency Department or pre-hospital by HEMS.MethodsA retrospective observational cohort study of major trauma patients in South-East England who received a pre-hospital RSI (PHRSI) or Emergency Department RSI (EDRSI) between 2 January 2018 and 24 September 2019. Data were extracted from the UK Trauma Audit and Research Network database. The primary outcome was the time from emergency call to delivery of RSI. Secondary outcomes included mortality at 30-days or hospital discharge, time from arrival of service at hospital or scene to RSI, time from emergency call to Computerised Tomography scan, and conveyance interval. Linear regression was used to model time to RSI in both groups.ResultsOf 378 eligible patients, 209 patients met inclusion criteria. 103 received a PHRSI and 106 received an EDRSI. Most patients were male (n = 171, 82%) and the median age was 48 years (IQR 28–65). 94% sustained a blunt injury mechanism and head was the most injured body region for both cohorts (n = 134, 64%). 63% (n = 67) of patients receiving a PHRSI were conveyed by helicopter. PHRSI was delivered significantly earlier with a median of 64 [IQR 51–75] minutes (95% CI, 60–68) compared with EDRSI with a median of 84 [IQR 68–113] minutes (95% CI, 76–94), p < 0.001).ConclusionMajor trauma patients who had a pre-hospital RSI received this time-critical intervention sooner after their injury than those who received an emergency anaesthetic after conveyance to a specialist hospital. Patient outcome benefit of HEMS delivered early RSI should be explored.

Community readiness to address disparities in access to cancer, palliative and end-of-life care for ethnic minorities

Abstract Background Inequalities in cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care services remain a significant challenge, particularly for ethnic minorities who face systemic barriers such as limited awareness, cultural stigmas, and language differences. These disparities hinder equitable access to essential services and contribute to poorer health outcomes for affected communities. Addressing these challenges requires targeted, culturally sensitive initiatives that promote both awareness and uptake of care. Community readiness is a critical factor in the success of such interventions, as it reflects the willingness and capacity of a community to engage with and support change. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used, combining individual interviews and two focus groups with key informants (N = 14). This study, conducted in the ethnically and geographically diverse region of Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes in southeast England, aimed to assess community readiness to embrace initiatives designed to reduce health inequalities in cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care. The key informants, including faith leaders and professional stakeholders, rated community readiness on five anchored scales: Knowledge of efforts, Leadership, Knowledge of the issue, Community Climate, and Resources. The focus groups facilitated a discussion of the ratings, providing deeper insights into community dynamics and barriers. Results Overall, the community was identified as being at the pre-planning stage of readiness to address disparities in cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care for ethnic minorities. Quantitatively, faith and religious leaders assessed readiness at the vague awareness stage (mean: 3.88), while professional stakeholders rated it at the pre-planning stage (mean: 4.87). Qualitative findings highlighted limited community knowledge, passive leadership with potential for ‘community champions’ to foster openness, a positive climate influenced by younger generations, widespread misconceptions, language barriers, and resource constraints affecting service accessibility. Conclusions The Community Readiness Model provides an insight into the community’s position regarding disparities in access to cancer, palliative and end-of-life services. In order to ensure that continuing efforts are successful in addressing existing inequalities rather than exacerbating them, this study emphasises how critical it is to evaluate the readiness of the community in order to avoid widening inequalities in access and use of services.

Furry, Feral, Foe: Temporalizing Heath and Invasion on an English Chalk Stream.

This article explores framings of life, death, health, and invasion on an English chalk stream. It focuses on the ways in which these notions have been put to work in recent history, in relation to each other, and in relation to particular species and spaces. By 2019, narratives of a chalk stream in South-East England as a dead river expanded beyond retort to intermittent waterlessness. The river's death came to be framed as part of a wider ecology of chalk stream (ill)health, influenced by twenty-first century biodiversity conservation narratives and hauntological effects, which rendered deathly chalk stream futures present and requiring of human-action now. These narratives and effects conditioned a powerful sense of which non-human life belonged and counted, and which non-human life did not. Absent flagship chalk stream species, water voles, and efforts to resurrect them, were made synonymous with restoring the river itself to life and health. Contrarily, the ongoing presence of "invasive" American mink served as a continued reminder of the river's demise and death as a chalk stream. The resurrection of chalk streams to health relied on their being dispatched. Once considered to belong as extracted "lively capital" dominating the fur industry and later tolerated as feral escapees in the wild of the UK, American mink had been resituated and their history progressively obscured. Humans became manager-come-saviors of chalk streams, whose lost health was agreed and rendered visible through the ghostly image of the water vole that must be saved from the invasive foe, American mink.

Integration of the aSSKINg framework into the electronic patient record: a quality improvement project.

Assessment of pressure ulcer (PU) risk is important in clinical practice and the need to document it in the patient's record is paramount. Despite national and international guidelines highlighting the need to document PU risk, nursing documentation remains variable. The first article in this series discussed the evidence base underpinning the development of clinical guidelines for PUs, alongside the creation of bundle approach for PU prevention. The second article presented the results of a clinical audit exploring compliance against a PU prevention bundle (aSSKINg framework) in an adult community nursing setting in the South East of England. This final article in the series presents the results of a quality improvement project that involved a clinical audit following the implementation of the aSSKINg framework into the electronic patient record (EPR). The aim was to improve nursing documentation for patients with PU risk. The clinical audit was conducted in two parts, with a pilot phase running between 6 February 2023 and 15 April 2023. After the template implementation into the EPR, a follow-up audit was undertaken between 1 November 2023 and 31 January 2024. Overall compliance against the aSSKINg framework improved, especially the completion of the PURPOSE-T on the first visit, full skin assessment and repositioning advice. Following the pilot phase, the aSSKINg template was rolled out in a phased approach to the adult community nursing, enhanced care home matrons and urgent community response teams.

A new approach to manage the connection queue

AbstractThe connection queue has seen unparalleled growth over the last 24 months. With the record number of connection agreement applications representing a pivotal time for system development as we drive investment that will enable us to transition into an electrified future. The authors look to address challenges posed to the connection queue through congestion management‐based techniques. Conducting a top down approach, the authors first visualise the state of the queue. Observing highest growth in pure storage based applications distributed close to traditional load centres, followed by wind projects along the East Coast and Northern Scotland. Supporting close analysis is performed on the representative B6 boundary. The authors compare methodologies, validate a process for the attribution of congestion cost and quantify the value of investment given by unit power changes. Finding that most significant value of investment in storage lies in the Southeast of England and the North of Scotland. This reflects the identified current state of constraint and most efficient current utilisation of available capacity. These approaches have been aligned with current system thinking and progress towards a new industry data sharing standard, forming strategy by which we look to transition the energy system and country into a decarbonised future.

Our approach to developing communities of practice to foster research capacities for the adult social care workforce

Background Efforts to build and foster adult social care research in England have historically encountered more challenges to its growth and expansion compared with health research, with a sector facing significant barriers in facilitating research activity due to a lack of resourcing, poor valuation or understanding of the profile of social care research. The landscape for supporting the social care workforce to use, engage in and undertake research in adult social care has been rather bleak, but in recent years there has been recognition of the need to foster a social care workforce research community. The National Institute for Health and Care Research in England have committed to investing in social care research capacity by funding six adult social care partnerships, with one based in Southeast England. Setting up Communities of Practice (COPs) offers a model to build a shared learning space to foster a social care research community. Process developing COPs: Three online networking events were held in the first year of the project to engage managers and practitioners from the local authority and from the wider adult social care sector, taking place in July and November 2021, and March 2022. Two COPs were identified, following an ordering and thematising process of feedback from the networking events, of: (a) Supporting people with complex needs throughout the lifespan, and (b) Enhancing, diversifying and sustaining the social care workforce. Whilst it would be premature to identify their long-term impacts, the COPs have provided a space for regular communication, knowledge sharing and networking between members. Conclusions The COP framework offers a collaborative approach to initiating research from the grass-roots level in adult social care. This paper focuses on how the COP model offers great promise for knowledge-exchange providing a forum to generate and disseminate knowledge around social care in two COP domains.

Prepared for service? A mixed-methods study on psychosocial support in the UK public library, with a focus on staff perceptions and training

This mixed-methods study considers the ways in which the public library is increasingly supporting the mental, emotional and social – or ‘psychosocial’ – needs of individuals within its local communities; reflecting on an emerging body of US research which is exploring this topic. This research aimed to determine how prepared UK public library services are to support the psychosocial needs of users, with a focus on staff perceptions, confidence and training. The research identified the psychosocial services and relevant staff training currently taking place in Southeast England, through an online survey with public library staff. This data provided a background of understanding, before in-depth, semi-structured interviews were completed with nine public library staff within one library service, to uncover staff perceptions and attitudes around this area of work. The quantitative and qualitative data revealed findings which largely reflected the research that has taken place in the US. Public library staff are committed to delivering psychosocial support by providing information, signposting, delivering library groups and activities, and showing compassion to users. However, staff experience feelings of uncertainty around this work, particularly when responding to users with complex needs or those in crisis, and they have a strong desire for more targeted training in this area. This paper concludes that this aspect of modern public library work necessitates the development of targeted staff training and further research in this area.

Updating the epidemiology of canine leishmaniosis in the United Kingdom through the use of electronic health data

Dogs infected with Leishmania infantum have been increasingly reported in the UK mostly related to imported/travelled dogs. Up-to-date epidemiologic data are essential for a better control of this zoonotic disease in such emerging areas. This study aimed for the first time, to estimate the percentage and temporal variation of dog and cat samples testing positive for L. infantum infection at commercial diagnostic laboratories, and to describe the travel history of positive dogs and cats positive to leishmaniosis in a network of UK veterinary practices. Leishmania infantum serology and PCR data were collected by the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) from five UK national veterinary diagnostic laboratories between 2010 and 2022 and were analysed. In addition, electronic health records (EHRs) were collected from 251 veterinary practices across the UK between March 2014 and September 2022. Text mining tools were used to identify cases compatible with clinical leishmaniosis as recorded in the clinical narratives; these were subsequently manually validated. Data from a total of 25,327 diagnostic samples (25,201 from dogs and 126 from cats) were analysed including 20,517 sera tested by either quantitative ELISA or IFAT, and 4810 by PCR. Leishmania infantum antibodies were detected in 39.7 % of tested dog samples and 1.07 % of cat samples. In dogs, seropositivity increased from 2013 to 2022. Leishmania DNA was only detected by PCR in samples from dogs (11.8 %). A total of 368 dogs with canine leishmaniosis (CanL) were identified from clinical narratives. Of these, 189 had either visited, or were rescued/imported from, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and other southern European countries. Among factors associated with CanL in the UK canine population, dogs between 3 and 6 years of age were 4.71 times more likely to have CanL than those two years or younger. In addition, there was an increased risk of having recorded CanL clinical cases from 2017 to 2022, compared to 2014. Southeast of England was the UK region that accounted for the highest number of CanL cases (34.51 %). This study provides recent trends in Leishmania infection in dogs in the UK, identifies risk factors and countries likely associated with imported cases, and provides important insights to help plan and monitor national intervention strategies.

The effect on habitual dietary vitamin D intake of changing to a plant-based diet

The number of people following a plant-based (PB) diet has increased in recent years. This has led to concerns regarding vitamin D intake, as natural dietary sources of vitamin D are primarily animal based(1) and cross-sectional studies have reported lower intakes amongst vegetarians and vegans(2). Some PB foods, primarily dairy alternatives, are now fortified with vitamin D. Whilst vitamin D is synthesised in the skin following exposure to UV light, this does not happen in the autumn and winter months in areas of northern latitude (such as the UK). Hence, dietary supply of vitamin D becomes particularly important. This study aimed to investigate whether it is possible to maintain dietary vitamin D intake when transitioning to a PB diet, through careful choice of PB alternatives.A subset of 4-day diet diaries, from 81 women (72 Caucasian and 9 South Asian, mean age 52 ± 12y) living in South East England, was randomly selected from those collected for the D-FINES study (Vitamin D, Food Intake, Nutrition and Exposure to Sunlight in Southern England, 2006–2007; FSA funded Project N05064, NHS REC 06/Q1909/1)(3)and analysed for vitamin D intake. No subjects followed an entirely PB diet at baseline. Data modelling was carried out to substitute animal-based foods with equivalent amounts of PB alternatives. For dairy products, the equivalent fortified PB alternatives were chosen. Meat, fish and eggs were replaced with equivalent amounts of protein from PB sources, such as lentils and tofu, as no fortified direct alternatives were found. The diaries were then re-analysed. Pre- and post-substitution intakes were compared by paired t test, and ethnic groups by independent t test.There were no differences in Vitamin D intake between ethnicities either at baseline (p = 0.087) or post-substitution (p = 0.361). Vitamin D intake increased in the South Asian group post-substitution (from 2.4 ± 1.3 to 4.3 ± 1.8 µg/day, p = 0.002), with no change observed in the Caucasian group (3.6 ± 2.0 to 3.7 ± 1.8 µg/day, p = 0.660). There was no difference between vitamin D intake pre- and post-substitution overall (3.5 ± 2.0 and 3.8 ± 1.8 µg/day respectively, p = 0.222). Twenty cases decreased by ≥1 µg/day, all in the Caucasian group, with the largest decrease being from 9.6 to 2.2 µg/day.This study demonstrates that it is possible to move to a PB diet, whilst maintaining existing dietary patterns, without a reduction in vitamin D intake, but it is largely dependent on dairy intake in the original diet, as no meat/fish substitutes in the UK are currently fortified. It also requires care when choosing PB dairy substitutions as many, including organic options, are not fortified. Mean daily intakes, both pre- and post-substitution, were substantially below the recommended intake of 10 µg/day(4), suggesting that supplementation may be necessary, particularly during winter months.

UK’s first heathland green bridge

Cockcrow Bridge will be the UK’s first green bridge to support heathland habitats, reconnecting two internationally valuable heathland areas. At 68 m long and 30 m wide, spanning the A3 in southeast England, it will be an exceptional example of green infrastructure. There are hundreds of green bridges in Europe, but currently only ten in the UK. Green bridges have the potential to be a key part of the solution for our nature crisis, providing safe crossing points for wildlife, joining up disconnected habitats and vulnerable populations. Cockcrow Bridge is being delivered as part of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project; however, funding was secured separately based on the multitude of benefits the bridge delivers for nature and people. The design of the green bridge is inspired by the nature surrounding it. Typically, green bridges in the UK are planted with hedgerows/trees but Cockcrow will connect two areas of historic common land and provide a corridor of one of the rarest habitat types in the UK – lowland heathland. The article focuses on the design journey – how a required ‘grey’ access bridge for non-motorised users/occasional vehicle access was adapted so that it could deliver a multi-functional ecological corridor.

Feasibility study to boost ascertainment of FH in diverse primary care populations using FAMCAT tool and pharmacist review

Abstract Background Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a greatly underdiagnosed genetic lipid disorder with high risk of morbidity from premature cardiovascular disease. However, early diagnosis can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk with lipid-lowering medicines. Patients identified with high risk primary dyslipidaemia are recommended for lipid clinic referral to inform patient management. Improving FH identification and addressing ethnic disparities in dyslipidaemia management, is a current NHS priority in the UK. Aim We aimed to explore inequalities in the FH care pathway within and across areas with different socio-demographic UK populations. Methods The study was carried out in 6 general practices in the South East of England with divergent ethnic densities and socioeconomic status. Eligible patients aged 18 years or over, fulfilling the NICE (1), Simon-Broome (2) and current NHS Directed Enhanced Service criteria (3) for possible FH were screened using our previously validated PRIMIS FAMCAT2 tool (4) to prioritise those most likely to have FH. The PRIMIS FAMCAT2 tool generated a report highlighting patients with a "High Risk" of FH Tier 1 and a "Higher Risk if family history is positive" of FH- Tier 2. Tier 1 patients were assessed for FH using local lipid pathways. For the 243 Tier 2 patients, an online family history questionnaire/telephone enquiry was administered. The accuracy of the information collected was assessed by a practice-based clinical pharmacist (overseen by the GP). This included repeat testing for full lipid profile, excluding secondary causes of raised cholesterol. New patients meeting the criteria for FH were referred to a lipid/specialist clinic to assess for genetic testing. Patients who did not meet the FH criteria were managed accordingly to the local lipid pathways. Results 131,930 records from 6 general practices in South East England were screened using the PRIMIS FAMCAT tool. In total, the high priority list yielded 369 patients (126 Tier 1 and 243 Tier 2). Ethnicity breakdown was White (40%), Asian (8%), Black African/Caribbean (22%), Mixed (14%), Other (16%) NS (1%). A total of 25/369 (7%) patients were previously referred to lipid clinics (4 underwent genetic testing, 2 had confirmed FH, 12 did not have FH, and 7 were not seen/missed appointments). There were 14/244 (4%) new referrals to lipid clinics. Only 1 patient had received a coded FH diagnosis in the primary care record. For Tier 2 patients, 65/243 (27%) patients completed an online family history questionnaire, the remainder were ascertained by phone (75% response rate overall). Conclusion Incorporating enhanced case-finding from electronic medical records based on current guidelines, and online family history questionnaire can enhance FH identification. However large inequalities remain in referral, attendance and testing at lipid clinics, and further work is underway to evaluate the FH care pathway in diverse populations.

Using satellite tracking to assess the use of protected areas and alternative roosts by Whooper and Bewick's Swans

Protected areas are one of the major tools used in the conservation of biodiversity, but animals are unlikely always to remain within these human‐made boundaries. Understanding when and why species choose to leave protected areas can help us to improve the effectiveness of these management tools. Here, we investigate the use of protected and non‐protected areas by two migratory species undergoing rapid wintering population changes in northwest Europe: Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus and Bewick's Swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii. Global positioning system tags were fitted to 15 Whooper Swans in winter 2008/09 and to 18 Bewick's Swans from winter 2013/14 to 2014/15 at the Ouse Washes Special Protection Area (an internationally important roost for wintering waterbirds) and on adjacent fields in southeast England. Here, swans feed on farmland during the day but return to designated reserves to roost at night, where they receive protection from predators and disturbance within managed roost habitats. When swans roost elsewhere at alternative sites, they may face more adverse conditions, and so understanding the extent and causes of the use of alternative roosts is important for swan conservation efforts. The alternative roosting proportion, defined as the proportion of nights spent outside protected reserves, was 0.237 for Bewick's Swans and challenging to quantify accurately for Whooper Swans. A generalized additive mixed model to model repeated measurements on individuals showed that the proportion of time that Bewick's Swans spent at alternative roosts correlated positively with river level and negatively with temperature. Competition and foraging flight distances are thought to drive these relationships, as swans seek access both to roost space and to nearby feeding habitats. Our findings improve our understanding of the environmental conditions under which migratory waterbirds may choose to roost outside protected areas.

Investigating the Role of Cover-Crop Spectra for Vineyard Monitoring from Airborne and Spaceborne Remote Sensing

The monitoring of grape quality parameters within viticulture using airborne remote sensing is an increasingly important aspect of precision viticulture. Airborne remote sensing allows high volumes of spatial consistent data to be collected with improved efficiency over ground-based surveys. Spectral data can be used to understand the characteristics of vineyards, including the characteristics and health of the vines. Within viticultural remote sensing, the use of cover-crop spectra for monitoring is often overlooked due to the perceived noise it generates within imagery. However, within viticulture, the cover crop is a widely used and important management tool. This study uses multispectral data acquired by a high-resolution uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) and Sentinel-2 MSI to explore the benefit that cover-crop pixels could have for grape yield and quality monitoring. This study was undertaken across three growing seasons in the southeast of England, at a large commercial wine producer. The site was split into a number of vineyards, with sub-blocks for different vine varieties and rootstocks. Pre-harvest multispectral UAV imagery was collected across three vineyard parcels. UAV imagery was radiometrically corrected and stitched to create orthomosaics (red, green, and near-infrared) for each vineyard and survey date. Orthomosaics were segmented into pure cover-cropuav and pure vineuav pixels, removing the impact that mixed pixels could have upon analysis, with three vegetation indices (VIs) constructed from the segmented imagery. Sentinel-2 Level 2a bottom of atmosphere scenes were also acquired as close to UAV surveys as possible. In parallel, the yield and quality surveys were undertaken one to two weeks prior to harvest. Laboratory refractometry was performed to determine the grape total acid, total soluble solids, alpha amino acids, and berry weight. Extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost v2.1.1) was used to determine the ability of remote sensing data to predict the grape yield and quality parameters. Results suggested that pure cover-cropuav was a successful predictor of grape yield and quality parameters (range of R2 = 0.37–0.45), with model evaluation results comparable to pure vineuav and Sentinel-2 models. The analysis also showed that, whilst the structural similarity between the both UAV and Sentinel-2 data was high, the cover crop is the most influential spectral component within the Sentinel-2 data. This research presents novel evidence for the ability of cover-cropuav to predict grape yield and quality. Moreover, this finding then provides a mechanism which explains the success of the Sentinel-2 modelling of grape yield and quality. For growers and wine producers, creating grape yield and quality prediction models through moderate-resolution satellite imagery would be a significant innovation. Proving more cost-effective than UAV monitoring for large vineyards, such methodologies could also act to bring substantial cost savings to vineyard management.

The impact of weather patterns on inter-annual crop yield variability

Inter-annual variations in crop production have significant implications for global food security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. Existing crop yield prediction models primarily using meteorological variables may not adequately encapsulate the full breadth of weather influences on crop development processes, such as compound or extreme events. Incorporating weather patterns into crop models could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental conditions affecting growth, enabling more accurate and earlier yield predictions.Our study examines 30 distinct UK Met Office weather patterns (MO30) based on mean sea level pressure. We investigate their association with weather conditions that limit winter wheat yield in the UK (1990–2020). Blocked, negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) patterns create the highest risk of temperatures that are below optimal for crop yield. However, the connection between weather patterns and yield is complex, with differing effects at a regional scale and even at which point in the growth cycle they appear. It was found that anticyclonic weather patterns during sowing, emergence, vernalisation, anthesis, and grain filling exhibit a relationship with good crop yields with a Spearman correlation coefficient of up to 0.55 for a single weather pattern (WP3 during vernalisation in South East England), whilst cyclonic patterns can help during the terminal spikelet phenological phase. The strongest positive correlations were during sowing, emergence, and vernalisation, whilst the largest negatives were observed in anthesis and grain filling.The potential of combining weather patterns with existing crop simulation models to produce earlier and more accurate yield predictions is shown. This would enable effective crop management and climate mitigation strategies, critical to strengthening food security. Projected changes in weather pattern occurrences in the late 21st century will likely reduce crop yields. This is due to increased cyclonic weather patterns, which bring warmer, wetter conditions during the wheat's vernalisation stage, followed by warmer, drier conditions during the anthesis and grain-filling phases.

Phenology of the spruce bark beetle Ips typographus in the UK under past, current and future climate conditions

Societal Impact StatementIn 2018, a breeding population of the European spruce bark‐beetle, Ips typographus, was discovered in woodland in southeast England. Ips typographus is a major forest pest in continental Europe; however, despite previous findings at ports and sawmills, this was the first recorded infestation in the UK. The number of generations per year (voltinism) varies with latitude and altitude. Applying a phenological model, we find that the current climate in southern UK could support two generations, while temperature accumulation in parts of Scotland may be insufficient to support one generation. Global warming will increase voltinism and hence the risk of establishment.Summary The European spruce bark‐beetle, Ips typographus, is a major pest of Norway spruce across mainland Europe; however, until 2018, it was considered absent from the United Kingdom (UK). The finding of a breeding population of I. typographus in Kent, England, in 2018 and subsequent findings in pheromone traps across the southeast of England, has led to an urgent need to improve understanding of environmental suitability across the UK. Two distinct published phenological models for I. typographus, developed in Sweden and Austria, were adapted for use in the UK and validated against pheromone trap data collected at the original site of infestation and in the surrounding area from 2019 to 2022. Both models captured some, but not all, of the within‐season variation in trap catches. One, the PHENIPS model, more accurately captured early season flight patterns. The climate in the southeast of England is mild enough to facilitate two generations of the beetle, while further north the pest is expected to be univoltine. At high altitude in Scotland, there is insufficient thermal warming within a season for the completion of one annual generation. Phenological modelling does not explain why the pest failed to establish in England prior to 2018 including when a large amount of infested material was imported to sawmills in the 1940s. Under 2 and 3°C global warming scenarios, we might expect to see an increase in potential voltinism across the UK in the next few decades, increasing the risk of large outbreaks of I. typographus were it allowed to establish.

Improving assessment for work-based learning and degree apprenticeships in business through a co-designed peer review process

Involving students in peer review has substantial benefits for students’ learning and development and, more pragmatically, for staff workload. This paper reports on a student-led effort to co-design a peer review formative assessment task. The assessment is part of a personal development module within a higher education degree apprenticeship programme delivered via blended mode by a business school in South-East England. This case study on student-staff partnership offers a description of the process and a reflection on the impacts from both the student and staff perspective. It suggests that student co-design and peer review activities complement work-based learning, effectively bringing the prior experiences and academic skills of mature/professional students into the classroom.

Foraging distance distributions reveal how honeybee waggle dance recruitment varies with landscape

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies use a unique collective foraging system, the waggle dance, to communicate and process the location of resources. Here, we present a means to quantify the effect of recruitment on colony forager allocation across the landscape by simply observing the waggle dance on the dancefloor. We show first, through a theoretical model, that recruitment leaves a characteristic imprint on the distance distribution of foraging sites that a colony visits, which varies according to the proportion of trips driven by individual search. Next, we fit this model to the real-world empirical distance distribution of forage sites visited by 20 honeybee colonies in urban and rural landscapes across South East England, obtained via dance decoding. We show that there is considerable variation in the use of dancing information in colony foraging, particularly in agri-rural landscapes. In our dataset, reliance on dancing increases as arable land gives way to built-up areas, suggesting that dancing may have the greatest impact on colony foraging in the complex and heterogeneous landscapes of forage-rich urban areas. Our model provides a tool to assess the relevance of this extraordinary behaviour across modern anthropogenic landscape types.