Northampton General Hospital keeps visiting ban in place 'for a little while longer' on most wards

Northampton General Hospital keeps visiting ban in place 'for a little while longer' on most wards Bosses at Northampton General Hospital have made the decision to keep restrictions, which ban most visitors, in place ‘for a little while longer’.

Last week, the hospital announced that it was reviewing the situation and would announce the ‘new normal’ in due time. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• NHS reports two more coronavirus patients have died in the Anglia region ITV News

Mental health care in the time of Covid-19

Mental health care in the time of Covid-19 Since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, mental health has received a lot of attention but the focus has been largely on the mental health of NHS staff and care workers, and the impact of lockdown on the population’s mental health and wellbeing rather than on people with existing mental health problems. On 27 April Matt Hancock announced that the NHS was once again ‘open’ starting with restoration of priority services such as cancer and mental health. But for those working in mental health services, the idea that they had ever stopped providing care was another example of a lack of understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems and the care being provided to support them. The King's Fund

Returning the NHS to an even keel

Returning the NHS to an even keel This briefing provides insight into the challenges facing medical specialties. It shows that almost half of physician specialities, including cardiology, gastroenterology and rheumatology, expect to be working at less than previous pre-Covid activity levels for at least 12 months or more. The briefing captures several aspects of restarting activity including specialty capacity, adaptations to services, co-dependencies. It also provides an insight into potential capacity scenarios in genitourinary medicine and rheumatology. Royal College of Physicians

Recovery position: what next for the NHS?

Recovery position: what next for the NHS? This report, based on the first full survey of NHS trust leaders since Covid-19 started, sets out the scale of increased demand and the dramatic loss of capacity many trusts are now facing as the NHS juggles treating Covid-19 patients with restarting the full range of services. The report shows that, while trusts are restoring services as fast as they can, some trusts – particularly acute hospitals – believe this restoration will take more than six months. NHS Providers

Capturing beneficial change from the Covid-19 pandemic: response from the British Geriatrics Society

Capturing beneficial change from the Covid-19 pandemic: response from the British Geriatrics Society This report is a response to a request from NHS England and NHS Improvement for examples of beneficial innovations across the NHS that have been implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic and should be retained as the NHS starts to resume business as usual. BGS members contributed examples of innovations that have been implemented in their areas. British Geriatrics Society

Disparities in the impact of Covid-19 in Black and Minority Ethnic populations: review of the evidence and recommendations for action

Disparities in the impact of Covid-19 in Black and Minority Ethnic populations: review of the evidence and recommendations for action The question of why more people from black and ethnic minority (BME) backgrounds appear to be at greater risk of hospitalisation and deaths with Covid-19 – and the need for urgent action in order to address this – has become one of the most urgent issues in this pandemic in the UK. This report on the evidence suggests that the reasons why some BME groups appear to be at greater risk of dying with Covid-19 are complex with interplay between socio-economic disadvantage in BME populations, high prevalence of chronic diseases and the impact of long-standing racial inequalities being key explanations. The Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE)

Coronavirus: Majority testing positive have no symptoms

Coronavirus: Majority testing positive have no symptoms Only 22% of people testing positive for coronavirus reported having symptoms on the day of their test, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This hammers home the importance of "asymptomatic transmission" - spread of the virus by people who aren't aware they're carrying it.

Health and social care staff appeared to be more likely to test positive. BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus: Spanish study casts doubt on herd immunity feasibility BBC News
• Coronavirus: Pubs close after positive tests BBC News
• Coronavirus: Don't leave home without a face covering, says science body BBC News
• Coronavirus: Boris Johnson criticised over 'cowardly' care home comments BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Big outbreaks inevitable if rules aren't kept to The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus UK: Contact tracing app 'urgent' say NHS chiefs The Daily Mail
• Herd immunity to coronavirus may be 'unachievable' because 5% of people in Spain have antibodies The Daily Mail
• UK Government 'panic bought' £13.4million worth of Roche's coronavirus antibody tests The Daily Mail
• UK calls halt to data on number of people tested for Covid-19 The Guardian
• How many children at risk? UK health visitors count the cost of lockdown The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Unprecedented demand for action on NHS workforce shortages The Independent
• Photos unveiled documenting the NHS frontline's coronavirus experiences ITV News
• NHS prepares for second wave of COVID-19 as lockdown restrictions loosened OnMedica

NHS chief calls for social care revolution

NHS chief calls for social care revolution Coronavirus has shone a "harsh spotlight" on what is happening in settings like care homes, NHS England's chief executive has said.

"In my opinion, we must use this as a moment to resolve once and for all, to actually properly resource and reform the way in which social care works in this country," Sir Simon Stevens told the Andew Marr Show. BBC News