Covid-19 cases rising twice as fast in Northamptonshire after IT glitch added in nearly 250 positive tests

Covid-19 cases rising twice as fast in Northamptonshire after IT glitch added in nearly 250 positive tests Covid-19 cases appear to be accelerating in Northamptonshire twice as fast as local Public Health experts indicated just five days ago before the nationwide IT glitch was revealed. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Four Northampton school students test positive for coronavirus as bubble isolates Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• More than £281,000 in grants 'vital' to Northampton charities surviving coronavirus pandemic Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Children self-isolating after another Covid case at Kettering school Northamptonshire Telegraph

The state of the NHS provider sector 2020

The state of the NHS provider sector 2020 This briefing sets out the results of the annual survey which reflects trusts’ focus on learning from the first wave of the pandemic and doing all they can to restore services safely. However, the results also highlight a strong sense among trust leaders that we are entering an unpredictable time - at its very worst a ‘perfect storm’ consisting of a second wave of COVID-19, seasonal winter pressures, workforce burnout, staff shortages, an unstable social care system, and the ongoing threat of a no-deal Brexit looming. NHS Providers 

See also:

• NHS faces drug shortages as Brexit stockpile used in Covid crisis The Guardian 
• Coronavirus: NHS staff struggle with burnout as they warn hospital bosses about looming second wave The Independent

Protecting surgery through a second wave

 Protecting surgery through a second wave Leading surgeons have called for hospital beds to be ring-fenced for planned operations, to avoid a ‘tsunami of cancellations’ during the second wave of COVID-19.

The demand comes as the Royal College of Surgeons of England publish new data showing that the NHS has been unable to meet its target of returning surgery to 80% capacity by the end of September.  The service set an objective in July to return to 90% capacity by the end of October, but RCS England’s findings show efforts to meet the target falling behind.

See also:

• Covid could cause 'tsunami of cancelled NHS operations' BBC News
• Coronavirus: Hospital beds must be ring-fenced for thousands on waiting lists, say surgeons The Independent

Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu: nursing, resilience and building statues

 Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu: nursing, resilience and building statues (podcast) Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu sits down with host Helen McKenna to talk about what drew her to nursing, becoming the first Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia nurse specialist in the UK, and how to remain positive in the face of adversity. The King's Fund

Race equality infographic published

Race equality infographic published NHS Employers has published an infographic on racial equality in the NHS showing key findings from the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) 2019 report.

Green social prescribing pilots open for applications

Green social prescribing pilots open for applications Applications open to deliver four ‘green social prescribing’ pilots as part of a £4.27 million project to improve mental health and wellbeing in communities hardest hit by coronavirus. Public Health England

See also:

• Form: Green social prescribing: call for expressions of interest Public Health England

Statement to Parliament: Coronavirus update on testing and treatments

Statement to Parliament: Coronavirus update on testing and treatments The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock updated Parliament on the government's response to coronavirus. Department of Health and Social Care

'Long Covid': Why are some people not recovering?

'Long Covid': Why are some people not recovering? For most people, Covid-19 is a brief and mild disease but some are left struggling with symptoms including lasting fatigue, persistent pain and breathlessness for months.

The condition known as "long Covid" is having a debilitating effect on people's lives, and stories of being left exhausted after even a short walk are now common. BBC News

See also:

• Covid: How many cases might contact tracers have missed? BBC News
• Coronavirus: ‘Thousands unaware if exposed to Covid,' says Jonathan Ashworth BBC News
• Matt Hancock on 16,000 missing coronavirus test results BBC News
• Covid-19 updates: One in 10 worldwide may have had virus, WHO says BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Matt Hancock faces MPs' fury after 'Excel blunder' The Daily Mail
• More than 80% of hospitalized coronavirus patients have neurological symptoms, study finds The Daily Mail
• How Excel may have caused loss of 16,000 Covid tests in England The Guardian
• NHS races to reach 50,000 Covid contacts missed in data blunder The Guardian
• Grant Shapps signals testing plan to cut 14-day quarantine for travellers The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Almost 8,000 missed COVID-19 cases still haven't had their contacts traced Sky News

How Birmingham hospital staff stayed silent for decades as surgeon ‘harvested body parts’

 How Birmingham hospital staff stayed silent for decades as surgeon ‘harvested body parts’ For more than two decades, Derek McMinn harvested the bones of his patients, according to a leaked report – but it was not until last year that anyone challenged the renowned surgeon. The full scale of his alleged collection was apparently kept from the care regulator until just days ago, and thousands of those who went under his knife for hip and knee treatment still have no idea that their joints may have been collected in a pot in the operating theatre, and stored in the 67-year-old’s office or home. The Independent