NHS heroes at Northampton General Hospital can keep their free parking - Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS heroes at Northampton General Hospital can keep their free parking Health unions have given a warm welcome to Northampton General Hospital's decision not to make staff pay for parking again.

Parking fees were scrapped for all NHS workers during the Covid-19 crisis yet government ministers last month warned the measure "could not continue indefintely." Northampton Chronicle and Echo

'I think it's crazy': What do Northampton residents told to shield from coronavirus make of national pause?

'I think it's crazy': What do Northampton residents told to shield from coronavirus make of national pause? Many people told to shield in Northampton because of their potential vulnerability to coronavirus are worried about the policy being paused when cases are rising again. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Worries over coronavirus in Northampton and specific advice need to be taken seriously, insist public health bosses Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• THIS is why Corby is facing stricter Covid-19 lockdown measures Northamptonshire Telegraph

Detailed guide: How healthcare providers can prepare for 1 January 2021

Detailed guide: How healthcare providers can prepare for 1 January 2021 This guidance sets out the actions that healthcare providers should take to prepare for 1 January 2021. Doing this will help to plan for and manage potential service disruption to healthcare.

This guidance is for commissioners and healthcare providers, including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and community pharmacies. Department of Health and Social Care

Technology and innovation for long-term health conditions

Technology and innovation for long-term health conditions This report, commissioned by the Academic Health Science Network, looks at four digital innovations in health services from the UK and the Nordic countries. The case studies illustrate the potential of digital technology to transform care. The King's Fund

The Henry Fords of healthcare: lessons the West can learn from the East

The Henry Fords of healthcare: lessons the West can learn from the East This publication examines the lessons Western nations could learn from some developing countries in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in healthcare. Health systems in Western countries are “plagued by inefficiency and productivity growth”: in adopting a new approach they could cut costs, increase quality, and reduce waiting times. Institute of Economic Affairs

Resilient health and care: learning the lessons of covid-19 in the English NHS

Resilient health and care: learning the lessons of covid-19 in the English NHS This analysis of the state of the health and care system in England in the run up to the Covid-19 pandemic finds that underinvestment in social and community care left four in five hospitals with ‘dangerously low’ spare beds as crisis hit. The report calls for a long-term approach for the health and care service in England, to build resilience for any future crisis and to ensure the system isn’t always ‘running hot’ during normal times. Institute for Public Policy Research

Life on hold: children's well-being and Covid-19

Life on hold: children's well-being and Covid-19 This report looks in depth at the impact of Coronavirus and the associated lockdown on young lives. The charity’s annual survey of children’s well-being was completed by just over 2,000 young people and their parents between April and June. It found 18 per cent of children were dissatisfied with their lives overall. That is a marked increase in a figure which has ranged from 10 per cent to 13 per cent over the last five years and the coronavirus crisis and lockdown is likely to explain the worrying surge. Children's Society

Testing 'may not prevent new coronavirus wave' when schools reopen

Testing 'may not prevent new coronavirus wave' when schools reopen Current testing and contact tracing is inadequate to prevent a second wave of coronavirus after schools in the UK reopen, scientists have warned.

Increased transmission would also result from parents not having to stay at home with their children, they say.

Researchers said getting pupils back to school was important - but more work was needed to keep the virus in check. BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus testing: Demonstrating a 90-minute test BBC News
• Coronavirus: WHO says 0.6% of all patients die from infection The Daily Mail
• GPs told to restore patient activity to pre-pandemic levels in new NHS England guidance GPonline
• How cancer care was sidelined in the fight against Covid-19 – podcast The Guardian
• UK virologists criticise handling of coronavirus testing contracts  The Guardian
• England's bungled response to Covid-19 leaves it vulnerable to more outbreaks | Rowland Kao  The Guardian
• Coronavirus warning signs missed by scoring system used across the NHS The Independent
• GPs can't refuse patients who will not wear a face covering, says NHS England Pulse

Health committee launches inquiry into NHS staff burnout

Health committee launches inquiry into NHS staff burnout MPs have launched an inquiry examining workforce burnout across the NHS and social care, and the system’s ability to manage staff stress amid increased pressures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pulse

See also:

• Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee

UK warns drug firms to stockpile in case of Brexit disruption

UK warns drug firms to stockpile in case of Brexit disruption Companies should ensure six weeks’ worth of drugs for end of transition period, DHSC says

Pharmaceutical companies should stockpile six weeks’ worth of drugs to guard against disruption at the end of the Brexit transition period, the government has said.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has written to medicine suppliers advising them to make boosting their reserves a priority. The Guardian

See also:

• Detailed guide: Government contacts to help medical supply businesses after 31 December 2020 Department of Health and Social Care
• Correspondence: Letter to medicines and medical products suppliers: 3 August 2020 Department of Health and Social Care

Painkillers 'should not be prescribed for chronic pain'

Painkillers 'should not be prescribed for chronic pain' There is 'little or no evidence' the commonly used drugs work, according to England's health regulators, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). The Daily Mail 

See also:

• Chronic pain: assessment and management (guideline in development) NICE
• 'Patchy' access to chronic pain management therapies must be addressed if new NICE guidelines are to make a difference Royal College of General Practitioners
• GPs should not prescribe opioids, NSAIDs or paracetamol for chronic pain, says NICE GPonline