Hospitals say they are prepared for second wave of Covid-19 in Northamptonshire

Hospitals say they are prepared for second wave of Covid-19 in Northamptonshire The CEO of Northamptonshire's two main hospitals says he is concerned the Covid-19 second wave currently hitting parts of the UK is heading for the county. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Cystic fibrosis: Shielder, 24, hopes 'everyone is sensible' over Covid BBC Northampton
• First death of patient with Covid-19 for 73 days is confirmed at Northampton General Hospital Daventry Express
• NHS 111 services recorded eight times more children with coronavirus symptoms in Northamptonshire when schools reopened Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• One-year waiting list for routine treatment hits record high at Northampton General Hospital Trust due to pandemic Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Seventy four positive coronavirus cases reported today across Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Another Kettering secondary school confirms coronavirus cases Northamptonshire Telegraph

The Comprehensive Spending Review needs to be genuinely comprehensive: and that means investing in social care

The Comprehensive Spending Review needs to be genuinely comprehensive: and that means investing in social care The clue to what needs to happen in this year’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) is in the first word of its title. While some areas of public spending have been largely protected in the past decade, others, including local authorities and adult social care, have seen heavy cuts. As social care reels from the impact of Covid-19, it is time to redress some of that balance and make public spending more comprehensive, focusing not just on health services but on care, and not just on spending by national government but by local government too. The King's Fund

The bigger picture: learning from two decades of changing NHS care in England

The bigger picture: learning from two decades of changing NHS care in England This report looks back at how NHS care in England has changed over the last two decades. It finds a disconnect between the way services have developed and the changing health needs of the population. It finds that, while the volume of health care delivered grew substantially, growth varied significantly across different services. The Health Foundation

COVID-19 is magnifying inequalities and “risks turning fault lines into chasms” – focus now must be on shaping a health and care system that delivers for everyone

COVID-19 is magnifying inequalities and “risks turning fault lines into chasms” – focus now must be on shaping a health and care system that delivers for everyone The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England looks at the quality of care over the past year. This includes the period before the full impact of COVID-19 began to be felt and CQC’s routine inspections were suspended as a result of the pandemic.

See also:

• The King’s Fund response to Care Quality Commission's State of care report The King's Fund
• England's 'fragile' care sector needs immediate reform, says regulator The Guardian

How will Brexit affect the UK’s response to coronavirus?

How will Brexit affect the UK’s response to coronavirus? This briefing considers how leaving the single market might affect UK health and social care services in the short term as they try to deal with coronavirus while maintaining normal services. It also looks at what difference a deal might make, and the options that the UK and the EU have. Nuffield Trust

Day surgery for children and young people

Day surgery for children and young people This report highlights the specific needs of children and young people undergoing day surgery, outlining pre- and post-operative aspects of care and preparation, parental involvement and facilitating discharge. Royal College of Nursing

Heart failure: a blueprint for change

Heart failure: a blueprint for change This report reveals that prior to lockdown, UK hospital admissions for heart failure had risen by nearly a third over the last five years to more than 100,000 per year. It suggests that this could partly due to missed opportunities to diagnose and treat people with the condition before they become more unwell and need to be admitted to hospital. It concludes that disjointed and unequal care, likely exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, is leading to more people dying with heart failure. British Heart Foundation

Living with Covid-19

Living with Covid-19 A dynamic review of the evidence around ongoing Covid19 symptoms (often called Long Covid).

This rapid and dynamic review draws on the lived experience of patients and expert consensus as well as published evidence to better understand the impact of ongoing effects of Covid19, how health and social care services should respond, and what future research questions might be. National Institute for Health Research

Local COVID-19 alert level update: 15 October 2020

Local COVID-19 alert level update: 15 October 2020 The following areas will move from local COVID alert level: medium to local COVID alert level: high from Saturday. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Detailed guide: Full list of local COVID alert levels by area Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Coronavirus (COVID-19): looking after people who lack mental capacity Department of Health and Social Care
• Transparency data: DCMO coronavirus briefing, situation report 14 to 15 October 2020 Department of Health and Social Care
• Weekly national flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Public Health England

Covid restrictions: Matt Hancock says 'things will get worse before they get better'

Covid restrictions: Matt Hancock says 'things will get worse before they get better' The Health Secretary has announced that tougher Tier 2 Covid measures will come into force in London, Essex, York and other areas.

Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that the measures are "vital" to deal with the pandemic, and the decision to bring them in was made "with a heavy heart". BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19: Is Sweden getting it right? BBC News
• Circuit breaker lockdown: What is a circuit breaker? BBC News
• Coronavirus testing lab 'chaotic and dangerous', scientist claims BBC News
• Coronavirus: Remdesivir has 'little effect' on death risks, says WHO The Daily Mail
• AstraZeneca took ONE MONTH to give the FDA vaccine trial data after the study was paused The Daily Mail
• Test and Trace records another worst-ever performance as just 63% of contacts reached The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus UK: Agency staff are STILL working in multiple homes The Daily Mail
• Chinese coronavirus vaccine candidate safe, early results suggest The Daily Telegraph
• Leaking vials supplied for NHS test and trace, say whistleblowers The Guardian
• Liverpool Covid admissions will 'devastate' other hospital care The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Test and trace system ‘rendered ineffective’ by rate of infections, government scientific advisers believe The Independent
• Coronavirus: UK cases rise to 673,622, with 138 more deaths The Independent
• Exclusive: NHS in discussions with BMA and others around December Covid vaccine programme Pulse

Lack of mental health help: 'I felt nobody cares'

Lack of mental health help: 'I felt nobody cares' The number of under-18s getting NHS help for mental health issues in England nearly halved in the first two months of lockdown.

Young people who weren't able to get support say they felt like they "didn't really matter".

Lucy, who's 17, says she she didn't know where to go for help.

The number of people in England referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) dropped 47% in April and May, compared with last year. BBC News

Baby loss: 'Being a black woman the odds were stacked against me'

Baby loss: 'Being a black woman the odds were stacked against me' Genelle Aldred was 19 when her baby girl Sade-Rose was still born in 2002 and felt because of her age and ethnicity the "odds were stacked against her".

She believes racial bias within the maternity care sector played a role in her daughter's death as she was not listened to when she said she was not feeling well and saw seven midwives in one week.

According to research at Queen Mary's University Hospital in London, black babies are twice as likely to be stillborn compared to white babies. BBC News

Parents win six-year battle for truth after NHS 'cover-up' of son's death

Parents win six-year battle for truth after NHS 'cover-up' of son's death The parents of a three-year-old boy whose death was part of an alleged NHS cover-up have won a six year battle for the truth about how he died.

Shropshire coroner John Ellery backed the parents of three-year-old Jonnie Meek in a second inquest into his death on Thursday and rejected evidence from nurses about what happened at Stafford Hospital in August 2014. The Independent