Northampton General Hospital workers share how they feel after receiving Pfizer injection

Northampton General Hospital workers share how they feel after receiving Pfizer injection The head of pathology at Northampton General Hospital has said having the world-first vaccination against coronavirus is a "no-brainer" after what Covid-19 "has done to human beings". Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• 'It was like an early birthday present': 87-year-old woman among the first to receive Covid-19 vaccine in Northampton Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Covid vaccine site set to open in Kettering Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Two more coronavirus deaths at Kettering General Hospital, official figures show Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Covid cases at Irthlingborough food factory confirmed Northamptonshire Telegraph

Drop in visits to A&E at Northampton General Hospital last month

Drop in visits to A&E at Northampton General Hospital last month NHS England figures show 8,392 patients visited A&E at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust in November.

That was a drop of 6% on the 8,893 visits recorded during October, and 27% lower than the 11,539 patients seen in November the previous year. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Northampton's freezing rough sleepers 'should have been housed', forum admits

Northampton's freezing rough sleepers 'should have been housed', forum admits A homelessness forum has admitted its protocol for housing rough sleepers in freezing weather should have been activated twice in the last week.

More than 1,900 people have signed a petition calling for the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) to be activated in Northampton.

Rough sleepers will now be housed if it is predicted to drop below freezing for two hours overnight. BBC Northampton 

Rural, remote and at risk: Why rural health services face a steep climb to recovery from Covid-19

 Rural, remote and at risk: Why rural health services face a steep climb to recovery from Covid-19 Even before the pandemic, rural and remote health services faced long-standing workforce, financial and capacity issues. So how are those same services faring in the face of the biggest health crisis in generations? This analysis assesses the outlook for these vital providers of care. Nuffield Trust 

See also:

• Pandemic will leave rural health services facing a steeper climb to recovery without targeted support Nuffield Trust
• Covid response hits rural NHS services hard - report BBC News

What are we learning about leadership development in primary care networks?

What are we learning about leadership development in primary care networks? The King’s Fund has been providing development support to health and care organisations for nearly 70 years. When primary care networks (PCNs) were established in 2019, they were given some funding to support their development and the development of PCN clinical directors. At The King’s Fund, we soon found ourselves responding to a range of enquiries about the support we could provide to these emerging groups. We brought together our policy, research, leadership and organisational development expertise to work with PCNs across England and here share our reflections on what seems to help PCNs most. 

Considering health inequality impact in decision making: what does it mean for policy makers?

Considering health inequality impact in decision making: what does it mean for policy makers? When making the decision about whether to fund a public health intervention, information on whether the intervention has different impacts on different population groups is important. However, economic evaluations that provide information on costs and health benefits in order to inform funding decisions do not tend to address whether impacts differ across population groups. This briefing showcases the value of capturing differences between socioeconomic groups in the evaluation of how interventions impact on population overall health and health inequality. Centre for Health Economics 

Towards a new model of prevention

Towards a new model of prevention This briefing offers an overview of the discussions of a policy roundtable which focused on recognising the value of prevention across the health sector, as well as ensuring the right funding and structures are in place to improve public health. The write-up also looks at how a data-driven approach to prevention could encourage more personalised care and tackle health inequalities. Reform 

Ever more needed? The role of the Leeds Neighbourhood Networks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ever more needed? The role of the Leeds Neighbourhood Networks during the COVID-19 pandemic The Leeds Neighbourhood Networks (LNNs) aim to support older people to live independently and participate in their communities as they grow older, through a range of activities and services that are provided at a neighbourhood level. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there was a city-wide ambition for a symbiotic relationship between the LNNs and the health and care sector. This report draws on the findings of a real time evaluation of the LNNs during the pandemic, as a way to understand and share learning about their response. Centre for Ageing Better 

Local listening: fears and concerns about Covid-19 vaccination

Local listening: fears and concerns about Covid-19 vaccination As the vaccination programme for Covid-19 begins, there finally seems to be light at the end of a long and difficult tunnel. Huge effort is being put into organising the infrastructure and staff required for rollout to ensure the benefits of vaccination are seen at a population level. While still not certain, estimates suggest that around two-thirds of people will need to be vaccinated to reach population immunity. Alongside the operational efforts to ensure the supply of vaccines, a great deal of work is being done on the demand side. How many people will agree to be vaccinated? Are some groups more likely to agree than others and what can be done to encourage uptake? The King's Fund 

The government’s approach to test and trace in England – interim report

The government’s approach to test and trace in England – interim report Today’s interim report from the National Audit Office (NAO) finds that the government has rapidly scaled up COVID-19 testing and tracing from a low base. It is not yet achieving all its objectives, with too few test results delivered within 24 hours, and too few contacts of infected people being reached and told to self-isolate. 

See also:

• NAO voices reservations about NHS test and trace system The Health Foundation
• UK's test and trace repeatedly failed to hit goals despite £22bn cost The Guardian

NHS Test and Trace continues to improve as contacts reached exceeds 85%

NHS Test and Trace continues to improve as contacts reached exceeds 85% NHS Test and Trace contact tracers have now successfully reached more than 1.28 million people who have tested positive since the service launched. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• New NHS Test and Trace plan to support return to more normal way of life Department of Health and Social Care
• Speech: Health and Social Care Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 10 December 2020 Department of Health and Social Care
• Transparency data: Coronavirus cases by local authority: epidemiological data, 10 December 2020 Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Test and Trace Support Payment scheme: claiming financial support Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS vaccine programme ‘turning point’ in battle against the pandemic NHS England
• Weekly national flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Public Health England

Covid testing of students finds few positive cases

Covid testing of students finds few positive cases The mass Covid testing of students before Christmas has so far found 0.2% testing positive at one of the universities taking part. 

The University of Portsmouth is reporting "very low numbers" of positive cases from its Covid testing.

"We are seeing fewer than two per day on average at present," said vice-chancellor Graham Galbraith. BBC News

See also:

• Covid vaccine: US experts recommend Pfizer vaccine approval BBC News
• Covid-19 app adds self-isolation payments BBC News
• Moderna has begun testing its coronavirus vaccine in children as young as age 12 The Daily Mail
• Frontline NHS staff fighting Covid were given 'rotten' masks and gowns crawling with INSECTS The Daily Mail
• How long will it take for life to return to normal after the Covid vaccine rollout? The Daily Telegraph
• 'Zombie mink' mass grave may have contaminated Danish ground water The Daily Telegraph
• GPs forced to rethink COVID-19 vaccine plans as 15-minute wait rules out some sites GPonline
• Vaccine progress is fantastic. But therapeutics can help Covid patients now The Guardian
• Pupils face mass testing as tier 3 Covid measures loom in London The Guardian
• Welsh secondaries and colleges to shut on Monday to stem Covid spread The Guardian

Covid: NHS long waits 100 times higher than before

Covid: NHS long waits 100 times higher than before The number of patients in England waiting over a year for routine hospital care is now 100 times higher than before the pandemic, figures show. 

Nearly 163,000 out of the 4.4 million on the waiting list at the end of October had waited over 12 months for operations such as hip replacements. 

There were just 1,600 year-long waiters in February, NHS England data shows. BBC News

See also:

• Covid's 'devastating impact' on NHS services exposed by latest figures The Guardian
• Number of people on NHS waiting lists hits 12-year high The Independent

Analysis: How did the NHS system miss another care scandal under its nose?

 Analysis: How did the NHS system miss another care scandal under its nose? The first report from the 60 experts working through the 1,862 complaints of poor care at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust has delivered a devastating analysis of the health body’s practices, doctors, and midwives over a 20-year period.

It describes a culture that put the target of low caesarean births above the wishes of mothers. There was a flagrant disregard for rules on using drugs that saw mothers medicated against their wishes and forced down the route of a vaginal birth, which for some was an horrific experience ending in death or disability. The Independent

See also:

• Statement to Parliament: Statement on the Ockenden review of maternity services Department of Health and Social Care
• Key points: Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals maternity services report The Guardian
• Maternity scandal report calls for urgent changes in England's hospitals The Guardian
• Shrewsbury maternity scandal: NHS plans ‘early warning’ system to spot future care mistakes The Independent