Coronavirus in Northampton: 'I wake up and hope we have no lockdown'

Coronavirus in Northampton: 'I wake up and hope we have no lockdown' A town where hundreds of factory workers tested positive for Covid-19 now has the highest rate of new cases in England. What does that mean for traders on an already struggling High Street?

Even before nearly 300 people tested positive for coronavirus at a sandwich factory, Northampton was already on a watchlist. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Coronavirus: Staff in Greencore outbreak 'using food banks' BBC Northampton
• Union fighting for change as self-isolating Northampton Greencore employees paid £95 a week Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Greencore Covid-19 outbreak sparks testing site plans for Northants' large business parks Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Face masks are 'tremendously effective' at curbing the spread of Covid-19 - here's the new evidence Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS leaders’ plea to Prime Minister – ‘honour your promise on social care’

NHS leaders’ plea to Prime Minister – ‘honour your promise on social care’ The NHS will not have any hope of clearing the backlog of routine operations unless there is a comprehensive and funded plan to support social care services through the winter months.
  
That is the stark message from leading health organisations who are warning that patients will end up stranded in hospital because arrangements are not in place in the community or in care homes to support them. NHS Confederation

See also:

• NHS leaders' warning to Boris Johnson: fix social care or face the consequences iNews

Number of volunteers offering to participate in UK COVID-19 vaccine studies

Number of volunteers offering to participate in UK COVID-19 vaccine studies The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine Studies Volunteers Dashboard shows the number of volunteers in the UK who are offering to be contacted for possible recruitment into approved trials to find an effective vaccine for the virus.

The registry dashboard provides an anonymous count of volunteers across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and can be broken down by region and local authority and by age and gender. NHS Digital

Coronavirus: UK 'not considering' compulsory face masks in workplaces

Coronavirus: UK 'not considering' compulsory face masks in workplaces The UK government is not considering making the wearing of face masks compulsory in offices and workplaces, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.

It comes as France ruled that coverings must be worn in most workplaces following a surge in coronavirus cases. BBC News

See also:

• 'I'm very anxious about getting back to work' BBC News
• Matt Hancock suggests 'no excuse' for people not to return to their desks The Daily Mail
• 10,000 NHS workers sign up to take part in study into Covid reinfection The Daily Mail
• Global daily Covid deaths nearing levels last seen in April as experts brand it 'wake up call' The Daily Mail
• Almost 75% of hospital Covid-19 patients still suffer symptoms three months later, study claims The Daily Mail
• Patient outcomes after hospitalisation with COVID-19 and implications for follow-up; results from a prospective UK cohort (open access preprint paper) MedRxiv
• Exclusive: Croatia to go on UK's quarantine 'red list' after infection rate triples in a week The Daily Telegraph
• The trouble with England's test and trace system – podcast The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Test and trace app unlikely to succeed without widespread public support, research suggests The Independent

Breast cancer: One-dose radiotherapy 'as effective as full course'

Breast cancer: One-dose radiotherapy 'as effective as full course' A single targeted dose of radiotherapy could be as effective at treating breast cancer as a full course, a long-term study suggests.

Researchers said people who received the shorter treatment were also less likely to die of other cancers and heart disease in the following five years.

But cancer specialists have raised concerns about the study's methodology. BBC News

See also:

• Long term survival and local control outcomes from single dose targeted intraoperative radiotherapy during lumpectomy (TARGIT-IORT) for early breast cancer: TARGIT-A randomised clinical trial (open access) The BMJ
• Single-dose radiotherapy as effective for treating breast cancer, long-term study finds University College London

Matt Hancock: abolishing PHE is 'best thing to do right now'

Matt Hancock: abolishing PHE is 'best thing to do right now' Health secretary rejects suggestion move will cause disruption as country continues to fight Covid-19

Matt Hancock has defended abolishing Public Health England and replacing it with a new body to tackle Covid-19, claiming the controversial move will not lead to disruption.

Ministers have been warned by major health bodies that axing PHE and launching a National Institute for Health Protection in its place is a hugely risky move that will distract staff who are working hard to prevent a second wave of coronavirus. The Guardian

See also:

• Abolition of Public Health England just 'passing of blame for coronavirus mistakes' The Guardian

Patient data rules could undermine vital NHS improvement projects

Patient data rules could undermine vital NHS improvement projects More than 1.5 million patients have already opted out of sharing their clinical information.

Crucial insights into how care and safety can be improved across the NHS are at risk of being undermined by new rules on patient data and confidentiality coming into force next month. The Independent

Review into death of man who spent his life 'incarcerated' in hospitals

Review into death of man who spent his life 'incarcerated' in hospitals A review has been launched into the care of a man with a learning disability who spent most of his adult life "incarcerated" in hospitals.

Clive Treacey died in 2017 following years of institutional care that his family described as "cruel and inhumane".

The review, commissioned by NHS England, will look at the circumstances leading up to Clive's death as well as the care he received from various organisations throughout his life. Sky News