Second Covid-19 death in six days is confirmed at Kettering General Hospital

Second Covid-19 death in six days is confirmed at Kettering General Hospital NHS England has confirmed a second Covid-19 patient has died at Kettering General Hospital in the space of six days. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Volunteer befriending phone line extended until April in Northamptonshire as 788 calls are made during pandemic

Volunteer befriending phone line extended until April in Northamptonshire as 788 calls are made during pandemic The welfare call service was supported by just three volunteers who make calls to patients and service users in need of emotional wellbeing support at the start of the pandemic.

Northamptonshire Healthcare's welfare call service has been extended to deliver befriending support in the county. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

It is time to put trust, transparency and fair value at the centre of digital health and care

It is time to put trust, transparency and fair value at the centre of digital health and care Health data has the potential to change health and care provision, but it also reveals some of the most personal information about ourselves. Emerging examples demonstrate a remarkable potential for data to give new insights that enable service improvements, such as better understanding the unmet need in universal childhood vision screening, enabling blood cancer treatment to be tailored, and training AI software potentially improving detection of eye disease. The King's Fund

England, Wales and Scotland among nations with highest death toll from pandemic

England, Wales and Scotland among nations with highest death toll from pandemic England, Wales and Scotland had among the highest rate of deaths from all causes, including COVID-19, as a result of the first wave of the pandemic.

This is the finding of an international study, led by Imperial College London

See also:

• Magnitude, demographics and dynamics of the effect of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on all-cause mortality in 21 industrialized countries (open access) Nature Medicine

Health equals wealth: the global longevity dividend

Health equals wealth: the global longevity dividend This report (launched ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting) looks at the significant, and growing, economic contributions of older people across the G20. It argues that leveraging the economic contributions of older people will be instrumental in the global post-pandemic recovery, and that addressing health barriers to spending, working, caring and volunteering for longer can unlock a significant ‘longevity dividend’. The analysis finds that countries that spend more on health as a proportion of GDP see higher employment participation, volunteering, and spending by older people. Furthermore, increasing preventative health spending by just 0.1 per cent is associated with a nine per cent increase in annual spending by people aged 60 and over. International Longevity Centre UK

Guidance: COVID-19: reducing transmission – what you can do to help

Guidance: COVID-19: reducing transmission – what you can do to help Advice on how you can help reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). Public Health England

See also:

• Research and analysis: COVID-19: impact on vaccination programmes Public Health England

Covid: NHS staff testing 'dismantled' in virus hotspots

Covid: NHS staff testing 'dismantled' in virus hotspots A number of NHS trusts stood down in-house coronavirus testing for staff in the summer, ahead of a surge in virus cases, a health leaders' body says.

This followed assurances from government about the capacity of the centralised system, says NHS Providers.

But it left some staff, including in virus hotspots, unable to access testing when the national system came under strain earlier in the autumn. BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19: Vaccine should be widely available ‘next year’ BBC News
• Covid: Two-week circuit breaker 'may halve deaths', report says BBC News
• Covid-19: Talks continue over new restrictions for parts of England BBC News
• Coronavirus: 'Long Covid could be four different syndromes' BBC News
• London due to move from Covid Tier 1 to Tier 2 BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Infected to be sent from hospital back to care homes The Daily Mail
• NHS hospitals in England are cancelling operations to make way for a surge in coronavirus patients The Daily Mail
• PHE told peers on September 15 that UK 'on same trajectory as Germany' The Daily Mail
• What is a 'circuit breaker' lockdown, and how could it help curb rising Covid-19 cases? The Daily Telegraph
• NHS staff in northern England 'exhausted' amid second wave fears The Guardian
• Ministers and north of England leaders clash over further Covid restrictions The Guardian
• Hospitals battle coronavirus outbreaks as workforce shortages drive cancellation fears The Independent
• Second COVID wave will be '10 times harder' for the NHS, says CEO OnMedica

East Kent Hospitals: 'Toxic culture risks patients' lives'

East Kent Hospitals: 'Toxic culture risks patients' lives' A "toxic culture" at a troubled NHS trust is risking patients' lives, say several current and former staff.

Managers and medics have told BBC News that people are fearful of speaking up amid a bullying, blame culture at the East Kent Hospitals Trust. BBC News

Down's syndrome language: 'No-one meant anything hurtful"

Down's syndrome language: 'No-one meant anything hurtful' A mother of a young boy with Down's syndrome is helping to teach people about appropriate language. BBC News

NHS trust apologises after dementia patient, 77, was 'restrained on 19 occasions at hospital

NHS trust apologises after dementia patient, 77, was 'restrained on 19 occasions at hospital An NHS trust has apologised unreservedly to a patient and his family amid accusations that he was restrained on 19 occasions so staff could forcibly treat him.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said care for the man 'fell far short' of what patients should expect. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Kent NHS trust apologises after patient was forcibly restrained by staff 19 times ITV News