Northamptonshire's hospitals are on alert for rise in Covid-19 cases, says county GP

 Northamptonshire's hospitals are on alert for rise in Covid-19 cases, says county GP Health officials say they are monitoring "extremely closely" the number of Covid-19 patients in county hospitals.

Public Health Northamptonshire has so far revealed publicly how many coronavirus cases are currently being treated in Northampton and Kettering.

Yet regional figures published by the Government confirm numbers of patients in hospitals are rising sharply. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Concerns over safety at Northampton skatepark after more than 100 people seen 'ignoring coronavirus rules' Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Older people have been excluded from most coronavirus vaccine and treatment trials - and experts are concerned Northampton Chronicle and Echo

An uncomfortable truth: digital isn’t perfect, but neither is face to face

An uncomfortable truth: digital isn’t perfect, but neither is face to face Unprecedented – there’s that word again , the word of 2020, a word I have never seen, read or used more than I have during the first nine months of 2020. Despite the risk of a pandemic having been a topic of discussion for several years (and even the plot for Hollywood blockbusters), the world has found itself ill prepared to respond to unprecedented challenges of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19). The King's Fund

Worst hit: dementia during coronavirus

Worst hit: dementia during coronavirus Since the coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown on 23 March, this investigation found family and friends have spent an extra 92 million hours caring for loved ones with dementia, due to the double impact of lockdown making dementia symptoms worse, and the chronically underfunded social care system leaving them nowhere else to turn. The report states that government must fix social care now, learning lessons to avoid further winter tragedy, as dementia carers struggle with depression, insomnia and exhaustion. Alzheimer’s Society

See also:

• Dementia wellbeing in the COVID-19 pandemic NHS England

Childhood in the time of Covid

Childhood in the time of Covid While for some children there were certain aspects of the pandemic that brought benefits such as spending more time with their families, this report sets out how for many of the most vulnerable children the disruption of the last six months has been damaging and compounded existing inequalities. It calls for a comprehensive recovery package for children and provides a roadmap for what should be done to help children to recover from their experiences of the last six months and the ongoing crisis. Children's Commissioner

Review of the Shortage Occupation List: 2020

Review of the Shortage Occupation List: 2020 The MAC advises in a new report that senior care workers and nursing assistants are among the occupations that should be added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) to relieve pressure when freedom of movements for those born in the Europen Union ends. The committee has, however, warned of the stark consequences of low wages in social care, with most frontline occupations in the sector ineligible for the skilled worker route and the SOL. It has reiterated the need to make jobs more attractive to UK workers by increasing salaries rather than relying on migrants, particularly during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Migration Advisory Committee

Investigation into how government increased the number of ventilators available to the NHS in response to COVID-19

Investigation into how government increased the number of ventilators available to the NHS in response to COVID-19 Today’s report by the National Audit Office finds that the government acted with urgency to increase the number of ventilators available to the NHS. It prioritised speed over cost and spent a total of £569 million. So far, most of these ventilators have not been needed.

Coronavirus: NHS well stocked for ventilators this winter

Coronavirus: NHS well stocked for ventilators this winter The NHS now has 30,000 ventilators that can help people breathe if they are very unwell with coronavirus.

That is about one for every 2,200 people in the UK - many more than are likely to be needed this winter. BBC News

See also:

• Ex-Sainsbury's boss takes key Test and Trace job BBC News
• Coronavirus doctor's diary: Trying out tech that may help make worship Covid-secure BBC News
• Just 1,800 out of 110,000 occupied hospital beds are currently taken up by Covid-19 patients The Daily Mail
• Scientists to develop live coronavirus vaccine in UK trial The Daily Mail
• Arthritis drug to be trialled as Covid treatment in UK care homes The Guardian
• Williamson sets out plan to allow students in England home for Christmas The Guardian
• Care home coronavirus outbreaks cast doubt on official PHE data The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Plasma treatments for COVID-19 quadruple – but the NHS still needs more donations Sky News

Breast screening: One million women in UK may have missed scans

Breast screening: One million women in UK may have missed scans Almost one million women in the UK have missed vital breast screening due to coronavirus, a leading charity has estimated.

Breast screening programmes were paused in March as the NHS focused resources on tackling the pandemic.

Breast Cancer Now calculates that around 8,600 women who have not had a scan have undetected breast cancer. BBC News

See also:

• Almost one million women in UK miss vital breast screening due to COVID-19 Breast Cancer Now

Maternity units 'too defensive' and failing to learn from mistakes

Maternity units 'too defensive' and failing to learn from mistakes Some maternity units are too defensive when births go wrong and causing a danger to patients, the chief inspector of hospitals in England has said.

Prof Ted Baker of the Care Quality Commission said health workers need to learn from errors.

He told the Health and Social Care Committee that individuals are "blamed" rather than the system. BBC News

Consultant accuses NHS trust of forcing him into modern slavery

Consultant accuses NHS trust of forcing him into modern slavery Dr Shankar Chappiti says he was told to run clinics without pay after an unfounded and racist fraud allegation

A consultant has accused an NHS trust of forcing him into enslavement after making an unfounded and racist allegation of fraud against him that was later dropped.

Dr Shankar Chappiti has lodged a complaint at the Birmingham employment tribunal concerning managers at New Cross hospital, part of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust. The Guardian

Elderly face wait for flu vaccine as leading chemists suspend appointments amid shortage of jabs

Elderly face wait for flu vaccine as leading chemists suspend appointments amid shortage of jabs High street pharmacies Boots has decided to suspend bookings for those aged 65 and over at branches across the UK. The Daily Mail