Northamptonshire care homes back in spotlight after spike in coronavirus deaths

Northamptonshire care homes back in spotlight after spike in coronavirus deaths Northamptonshire’s care homes are under more scrutiny following a sharp rise in coronavirus deaths.

Regulatory body the Care Quality Commission has reported 30 deaths linked to Covid-19 in county care homes during a 19-day period between November 23 and December 11. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Covid-19: Latest figures for Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire BBC Beds, Bucks & Herts
• Matt Hancock will announce the results of the latest Covid tier review today Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• NHS confirms 16 Covid deaths in five days at Northamptonshire hospitals Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• When is the Covid tier review announcement? Northamptonshire waits to find out its fate from central Government Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Kettering drive-thru Covid vaccine hub up and running Northamptonshire Telegraph

Tens of thousands missed out on life-saving cancer scans at Northamptonshire hospitals this year

Tens of thousands missed out on life-saving cancer scans at Northamptonshire hospitals this year Tens of thousands of people missed out on potentially life-saving scans at Northamptonshire hospitals when non-Covid NHS services were cancelled during the pandemic.

Northampton and Kettering hospitals carried out 71,610 fewer scans between April and September compared to the same period in 2019, analysis by the BBC Shared Data Unit, which this newspaper is part of, found. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Teen mental health unit in Northampton has 'shown improvements'

Teen mental health unit in Northampton has 'shown improvements' A mental health hospital for children and teenagers that was threatened with closure has "shown improvements", health inspectors said.

St Andrew's Healthcare Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) has left special measures and is now rated as "requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). BBC Northampton

See also:

• Northamptonshire children's mental health service taken out of special measures but inspectors still have concerns Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Placement of nasogastric tubes

Placement of nasogastric tubes This investigation report looks at nasogastric tubes and how previously identified safety improvements for the placement of these tubes are put into practice.

Nasogastric (NG) tubes are used to deliver fluid, food and medication to patients via a tube that passes through the nose and down into the stomach. There is a risk of serious harm and risk to life if NG tubes are incorrectly placed into the lungs, rather than the stomach, and feed is passed through them. Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

See also:

• NHS guidance ‘too long to read,’ say hospital staff as safety watchdog exposes systemic risks to patients The Independent

Transformation of urgent and emergency care: models of care and measurement

Transformation of urgent and emergency care: models of care and measurement This report sets out the recommendations from the clinically-led review of NHS access standards for urgent and emergency care. NHS England

New poll finds BAME groups less likely to want COVID vaccine

New poll finds BAME groups less likely to want COVID vaccine New polling commissioned by the Royal Society for Public Health has revealed that three in four (76%) of the UK public would take a COVID-19 vaccine if advised to do so by their GP or health professional, with just 8% stating they would be very unlikely to do so. The findings reiterate just how much trust the public has in NHS professionals, showing that most people are more than happy to get a vaccine providing they are getting the right information from the right source.

However, of particular concern were findings that 57% of respondents from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds (199 respondents) were likely to accept a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 79% of White respondents. Confidence was lowest among respondents of Asian ethnicity, of whom 55% were likely to say yes.

See also:

• Hesitancy about the Covid-19 vaccine is ‘disproportionately high’ among Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups The King's Fund
• People from ethnic minorities less likely to accept Covid vaccine, says poll The Guardian

Prevalence of long COVID symptoms and COVID-19 complications

Prevalence of long COVID symptoms and COVID-19 complications Experimental estimates of the prevalence and duration of long COVID symptoms, and rates of adverse events for hospitalised coronavirus (COVID-19) patients compared with those for matched control patients. Office for National Statistics

See also:

• Coronavirus: 'Long Covid' impact estimated BBC News
• One in 10 suffer from 'long Covid' three months after recovering The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: one in 10 patients have symptoms lasting three months or more The Independent

More than 137,000 people in UK receive first dose of COVID vaccine in one week

More than 137,000 people in UK receive first dose of COVID vaccine in one week The majority of the vaccines have been administered to the over-80s, care home workers and NHS staff through more than 70 sites across the UK. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Community testing offer rolled out to highest risk Tier 2 areas Department of Health and Social Care
• Policy paper: Community testing Department of Health and Social Care

Covid and vitamin D: 'Not enough evidence' for treatment

Covid and vitamin D: 'Not enough evidence' for treatment There is not enough evidence that vitamin D supplements protect people against Covid-19, an expert panel says.

Made up of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, it said more research was needed.

But everyone is still advised to take a daily supplement this winter to keep bones and muscles healthy. BBC News

See also:

• COVID-19 rapid guideline: vitamin D NICE
• Independent report: SACN rapid review: Vitamin D and acute respiratory tract infections Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition
• Covid Christmas risk 'hard to control' BBC News
• Covid vaccine: More than 130,000 vaccinated in UK in first week BBC News
• Coronavirus doctor's diary: 'Have I got Covid for a second time?' BBC News
• Vaccine doctors on TikTok: 'Come for the fun, stay for the science' BBC News
• Covid: Cancer scan backlog raises late detection fears BBC News
• PM is told NO areas should be dropped from Three to Two in new review The Daily Mail
• UK's daily Covid cases continue to rise with 25,161 more positive tests The Daily Mail
• Boris Johnson defends UK Christmas bubble chaos The Daily Mail
• New Covid strain has 17 mutations, scientist say The Daily Mail
• UK to stick with relaxed Christmas Covid rules but nations split on guidance The Guardian
• UK Covid Christmas: what the law says and what the four nations say The Guardian
• UK Covid death toll rises to more than 65,000 The Independent

Ella Kissi-Debrah: Air pollution a factor in girl's death, inquest finds

Ella Kissi-Debrah: Air pollution a factor in girl's death, inquest finds A nine-year-old girl who died following an asthma attack has become the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who lived near the South Circular Road in Lewisham, south-east London, died in 2013.

Southwark Coroner's Court found that air pollution "made a material contribution" to Ella's death. BBC News

See also:

• Inside the case to prove air pollution contributed to death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah The Independent
• Ella Kissi-Debrah inquest: Coroner says air pollution contributed to death of nine-year-old in landmark ruling The Independent
• Air pollution is deadly – now it’s official. This is a wake-up call for serious action The Independent

Nurses leaving the NHS – the consequences of COVID

Nurses leaving the NHS – the consequences of COVID A third of nurses in the UK are considering leaving the profession due to burnout and exhaustion as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In this episode of the Sky News Daily Podcast, host Jayne Secker speaks to Anthony Johnson, a nurse in London, about the effects the COVID-19 crisis has had on him; and Rachael Browning, who's in charge of nurse recruitment at the Warrington NHS Trust. 

NHS hospital trusts told to rethink pregnant women partner ban

NHS hospital trusts told to rethink pregnant women partner ban Fresh guidance issued after growing outrage about women being forced to go through labour alone

Hospital trusts have been ordered by the NHS to review their current rules and allow pregnant women to have their partner present throughout scans, labour and birth. The Guardian

Unicef steps in to feed British children for the first time in its history

Unicef steps in to feed British children for the first time in its history Unicef is helping to feed hungry children in the UK as part of the charity's first domestic emergency response in its 70-year history.

Some 1,800 families struggling as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will receive breakfast boxes over the Christmas school holidays, the charity School Food Matters said. The Daily Telegraph