Health chiefs draft in extra testers to tackle worrying rise in Northampton's Covid-19 cases

Health chiefs draft in extra testers to tackle worrying rise in Northampton's Covid-19 cases Health chiefs are drafting in extra testing capacity to tackle rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in Northampton.

A mobile unit will be deployed in the town centre from tomorrow (Thursday) through to Monday enabling more local people to get a drive-through or walk-in test closer to where they live. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Coronavirus: Northampton food bank sees demand rocket BBC News
• Four more coronavirus deaths in hospitals in the Anglia region ITV News
• Police: 'We won't answer calls about shoppers not wearing face coverings in Northamptonshire' Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The new NHS and mental health

The new NHS and mental health A dear patient, a gentleman in his mid-50s, was desperate to see me. ‘I want… I need to see you in person’, were his exact words. The remote consultations we have been offering to most of our patients since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic would clearly not be enough. The King's Fund

The doctor of the future is a generalist

The doctor of the future is a generalist Health Education England (HEE) has been engaging with the system to develop our understanding of what the doctor of the future should look like. The Covid-19 global pandemic brought into sharp focus how crucial generalist skills are in enabling doctors to manage complex patient care across different specialties.

HEE’s Future Doctor report sets out a vision for future clinical teams and how education and training can evolve so that our future doctors are equipped with the right skills to deliver care in an ever-changing health care landscape.

The impact of Covid-19 on the health and care voluntary sector

The impact of Covid-19 on the health and care voluntary sector The health and care voluntary sector continues to provide invaluable information and support to millions of people with long term conditions as statutory health and care services refocus their efforts on Covid-19. National Voices, together with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) and the Neurological Alliance, asked it’s members about the impact of the coronavirus emergency on their services and their income. Forty charities responded to the survey between responded between 17th April and 13th May 2020. National Voices

Delivering integrated care at neighbourhood level: developing shared working practices

Delivering integrated care at neighbourhood level: developing shared working practices This briefing forms part of a series published as part of the Neighbourhood Integration Project. The project focuses on how long-standing local partnerships have resolved the operational challenges that so often hold back the integration agenda. A member survey carried out by the Community Network found that the need to develop shared working practices was one of the four main barriers to more joined-up care at the local level. This briefing focuses on how organisations in Devon, Hull and Worcestershire have found ways to overcome this barrier and establish agreed ways of working across their local partnerships. Community Network

Best Beginnings: a proposal for a new early years guarantee to give all children in England the best start in life

Best Beginnings: a proposal for a new early years guarantee to give all children in England the best start in life This report looks at the provision of early years services for children across the country, alongside a warning that many nurseries are at risk of closure, hitting the life chances of some of the most vulnerable children and holding back the economic recovery following lockdown. The Children's Commissioner calls for a new Best Beginnings early years investment plan, ranging from Children and Family hubs to midwives and health visitors, to tackle these problems at the beginning of a child’s life rather than waiting until crises develop in later years. Children's Commissioner for England

New service enables people to sign up to be contacted for COVID-19 vaccine studies

New service enables people to sign up to be contacted for COVID-19 vaccine studies A new NHS service has been launched to enable people across the UK to sign up for information on COVID-19 vaccine trials.

The NHS Covid-19 vaccine research registry, developed in partnership with NHS Digital, will help large numbers of people to be recruited into trials over the coming months - potentially meaning an effective vaccine for coronavirus can be found and made available.

Detailed guide: NHS Test and Trace service in the workplace

Detailed guide: NHS Test and Trace service in the workplace Guidance on the NHS Test and Trace service for employers, businesses and workers. Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Care home visits to resume in England

Coronavirus: Care home visits to resume in England Care home residents in England can begin to be reunited with one of their loved ones, the government has said, as it publishes new guidance.

Visits will resume in care homes once local authorities and local public health directors say it is safe.
 
Residents will be limited to seeing the same one visitor, where possible, the guidance says. BBC News

See also:

• Guidance: Visiting care homes during coronavirus Department of Health and Social Care
• Coronavirus: Ministers urged to end face coverings 'confusion' BBC News
• Coronavirus: The great contact-tracing apps mystery BBC News
• Has the handshake gone forever? Public health experts say traditional greeting may never return The Daily Mail
• Covid vaccine could be rolled out for vulnerable Britons before it is approved by regulators The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus UK: 'SAGE and COBRA no longer control decisions' The Daily Mail
• Test and trace failing to contact thousands in England's worst-hit areas The Guardian
• Coronavirus: New strand helping outbreaks spread faster around world, scientist warns The Independent
• Coronavirus: New NHS England contact-tracing app could use Fitbit-style contact counts Sky News

Cutting screen time lowers risk of death, study finds

Cutting screen time lowers risk of death, study finds Restricting television viewing to two hours a day could prevent or delay poor health, according to a new study.

Health risks associated with screen time, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, were at their lowest when daily TV time was two hours or less. BBC News

See also:

• Understanding How Much TV is Too Much: A Nonlinear Analysis of the Association Between Television Viewing Time and Adverse Health Outcomes (abstract) Mayo Clinic Proceedings

New £100m NHS intensive care unit shut over fire safety fears

New £100m NHS intensive care unit shut over fire safety fears Exclusive: King’s College hospital in London forced to shut ICU after it failed checks

A newly built £100m intensive care unit at an NHS hospital has been closed after it failed fire safety checks, leading to seriously ill patients being moved out.

King’s College hospital in south London has had to shut the critical care unit after its own engineers and the London fire brigade identified problems that could potentially make it unsafe. The Guardian

The Tories' new trade bill means the NHS is now unquestionably up for sale

The Tories' new trade bill means the NHS is now unquestionably up for sale | Emily Thornberry By rejecting Labour’s proposed amendments, the government has left our health service at the mercy of hungry US corporations. The Guardian

See also:

• Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris defends NHS Trade Bill vote on residents' Facebook page Northampton Chronicle and Echo