Best time to book Covid test appointment in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough 'between 6pm and 8pm' say experts

Best time to book Covid test appointment in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough 'between 6pm and 8pm' say experts Walk-in Covid centres in our towns have switched to an appointment-only system this week because of a national shortage of testing capacity, public health chiefs confirmed today. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Higham Ferrers pub given licence warning after 'queues 10-deep' BBC Northampton
• Hundreds tested daily for coronavirus on Northampton industrial estate Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Higham Ferrers pub given formal warning for Covid-19 breach Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Police chiefs' pledge "proportionate approach" to enforcing new Covid-19 rules in Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Telegraph

Billing Road 'one-way street' plan will impact Northampton's A&E and traffic problems, say councillors

Billing Road 'one-way street' plan will impact Northampton's A&E and traffic problems, say councillors A plan to turn a main Northampton road into a one-way street has sparked a mixed reaction from the town's councillors. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Chart of the week: What effect will the return to schools and universities have on infection outbreaks this autumn?

 Chart of the week: What effect will the return to schools and universities have on infection outbreaks this autumn? As children return to schools this week and universities prepare to open their doors later this month, we look back at national reporting of acute respiratory infection outbreaks to see what previously happened in schools and educational settings – and discuss whether Covid-19 might have unpredictable effects on historical trends. Nuffield Trust

Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the Covid-19 Pandemic

Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the Covid-19 Pandemic The APPG SRH opened Inquiry into Access to Contraception in 2019, in response to reports of women being unable to access contraception in a way that meets their needs. We reopened evidence submissions in May 2020 in order to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women's access to contraception.

The Inquiry's report, Women's Lives, Women's Rights: Strengthening Access to Contraception Beyond the Contraception can be downloaded below: All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Full report
• Executive summary

See also:

• Contraceptive services 'even worse' after coronavirus BBC News
• Women in England struggling to access contraception as result of underfunding The Guardian

Ageing in place for minority ethnic communities: the importance of social infrastructure

Ageing in place for minority ethnic communities: the importance of social infrastructure This research project was developed to explore the types of social infrastructure that people aged 50 and over from ethnic minority communities use in specific places. The aim of this project is to understand how organisations working with ethnic minority groups engage with older members from their community and how this might have changed over time. The report demonstrates the importance for older people with a shared cultural identity to have places where they can meet together, not only to maintain their sense of identity but also for bonding social connections. Ambition for Ageing

Fixing social care: better quality services and jobs

Fixing social care: better quality services and jobs This report argues that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown how essential social care is to society. It looks to the future and building a better system, including a demand for long-term, sustainable funding of services that provide value for money to the public purse while meeting the needs of individuals and communities. It also calls for appreciation of care workers through improved pay and working conditions. Trades Union Congress

Venues required by law to record contact details

Venues required by law to record contact details Premises and venues across England must have a system in place to record contact details of their customers, visitors and staff in the latest move to break the chains of transmission of coronavirus. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Statement to Parliament: Update on new social distancing rules Department of Health and Social Care
• Press release: NHS Test and Trace statistics for 27 August to 2 September released Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: What are the challenges of mass testing?

Coronavirus: What are the challenges of mass testing? The prime minister talked about his "Moonshot" plan, on Wednesday, to test millions of people every day using tests that can produce results in as little as 20 minutes.

He said they "would allow people to lead more normal lives" by giving them the all clear to go to the theatre or a football match after a negative on-the-day test result.

No virus would mean a free pass to mix freely with other people without the need for social distancing.

But just how realistic is that plan to test vast numbers of people regularly and very quickly? BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus: Jonathan Ashworth grills Matt Hancock over Covid-19 test guidelines BBC News
• Coronavirus: Who would get the vaccine first? BBC News
• Coronavirus: Doctors study brain of 'miraculous' young patient BBC News
• What are the tests that could be used in Operation Moonshot? The Daily Mail
• What are the new social distancing rules for gatherings in England? The Daily Telegraph
• UK should brace for further restrictions, warns Professor Neil Ferguson The Guardian
• Number of positive Covid tests in England rises by 43% in week The Guardian
• Boris Johnson's 'Covid marshals' plan criticised as shambolic The Guardian
• Covid test seekers may be ranked by priority, says Matt Hancock The Guardian
• Exclusive: NHS coronavirus test and trace 'shambolic, frustrating, unfit for purpose', 119 call handler ITV News

Coronavirus: Long waits for hospital operations soar

Coronavirus: Long waits for hospital operations soar The disruption to hospitals in England during the pandemic has meant the number of patients facing long waits for routine operations has soared.

More than two million people on the waiting list - half the total - have been waiting more than 18 weeks, the highest since records began in 2007.

Some 83,000 have waited over a year, up from 2,000 before the pandemic. BBC News

See also:

• Long waits for care are a 'timely reality check on the challenges facing NHS services' The King's Fund
• One in 50 NHS patients have now been waiting a YEAR or more for planned surgery The Daily Mail
• Hospital waiting list numbers in England triple since last year The Guardian
• NHS England sees record 2.15 million patients waiting for hospital treatment Sky News

Hospital boss praised by Matt Hancock told to end ‘toxic management culture’

Hospital boss praised by Matt Hancock told to end ‘toxic management culture’ Royal College of Anaesthetists criticise West Suffolk hospital chief executive after staff complaints

A hospital boss championed by Matt Hancock has been told to end “a toxic management culture” after doctors were asked to provide fingerprint samples to identify a whistleblower.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) has urged the chief executive of West Suffolk hospital, Steve Dunn, who Hancock described as an “outstanding leader”, to take urgent action to improve the wellbeing of senior clinicians and “thereby the safety of patients”. The Guardian