Covid-19: Northampton's new mass vaccination centre opens

Covid-19: Northampton's new mass vaccination centre opens A new mass vaccination centre aimed at expanding the roll-out of the Covid-19 jab has opened in Northamptonshire.

The NHS said the hub, based at Moulton Park in Northampton, could enable thousands of people to vaccinated each week.

The centre will operate seven days a week from 08:00 to 20:00 GMT. BBC Northampton 

See also:

• Thousands to be treated a week at vaccination centre set to open in Northampton Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Workers urged by police to contact authorities if employers breach Covid restrictions Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• More than 200 teachers absent from Northamptonshire schools due to coronavirus on just one day, report reveals Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• KGH's unsung heroes who are volunteering to help in the pandemic
• ‘No vaccine has ever been 100% effective’ - public warned to remain cautious even after receiving Covid jabs Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Moderna says Covid vaccine is effective against new variants - but a 'booster shot' is being developed Northamptonshire Telegraph
• More than 130 attacks in Northamptonshire where police officers were 'coughed on, spat at or bitten' during pandemic Northamptonshire Telegraph

How has Covid-19 changed the evaluation landscape?

How has Covid-19 changed the evaluation landscape? The coronavirus has brought significant and speedy changes to how health care services are delivered. That has further highlighted the need for rapid evaluations, with evaluators under pressure to produce timely findings to support decisions. Ahead of this week’s rapid evaluation in health care conference, Nadia Crellin and John Appleby run through some of the key issues. Nuffield Trust

Good communication with patients

Good communication with patients The challenge COVID-19 poses means that clear, concise and timely communication with patients is more critical than ever. This guidance, and these supporting documents, present providers with core principles that will help deliver personalised, patient-centred communications to patients who are waiting for care. NHS England 

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman scrutiny 2019–20

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman scrutiny 2019–20 This report calls for a new legal framework for Ombudsman services in England as a way of improving people’s experiences of enquiries and complaints about the NHS and other government bodies. The report states the ability of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to obtain value for money from its work was limited by the outdated legislation that governs it. As part of this reform, the Committee report called for the combining of the PHSO with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee 

Unequal impact? Coronavirus, disability and access to services: government response

Unequal impact? Coronavirus, disability and access to services: government response This is the government's response to the Women and Equalities Committee's interim report on temporary provisions in the Coronavirus Act and the use of these for disabled people. The report states that it has taken several actions to achieve an appropriate balance between responding to the pandemic and ensuring that disabled people have access to the services they need. These relate to Care Act Easements, removing Mental Health Act provisions from the Coronavirus Act and deciding not to renew the modification notice regarding education, health and care assessments. Women and Equalities Committee

More than 30 new vaccination centres join biggest NHS jab drive

More than 30 new vaccination centres join biggest NHS jab drive NHS staff will start delivering life-saving Covid vaccinations at the Blackpool Winter Gardens, a former DIY store and the museum where BBC hit Peaky Blinders was filmed today.

The new NHS Vaccination Centres are among more than 30 opening across the country as the vaccination drive continues to accelerate.

There is now a network of 50 large scale centres, capable of jabbing thousands of people a week, across the country. NHS England

See also:

• Speech: Health and Social Care Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 25 January 2021 Department of Health and Social Care

Covid-19: Vaccine minister 'confident' of supplies

Covid-19: Vaccine minister 'confident' of supplies Supplies of vaccines are "tight" but the UK is confident it will receive enough doses to meet its targets, the vaccine minister has said.

Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Breakfast that manufacturers were "confident" they would deliver for the UK amid warnings of production delays.

It comes as the EU said it might tighten vaccine export controls. BBC News 

See also: 

• Covid: Virus deaths top grim milestone of 100,000 BBC News
• Hancock: 'Difficult to put timeline on exiting lockdown' BBC News
• Moderna vaccine appears to work against variants BBC News
• Covid vaccines: Why some countries will have to wait until 2022 BBC News
• Scientists will begin testing vaccine that can be given as a NASAL SPRAY The Daily Mail
• Heavy smokers face nearly DOUBLE risk of dying of COVID-19 compared to people who have never smoked The Daily Mail
• I told the woman in the next bed she'd be ok - she died hours later The Daily Telegraph
• Vaccine hesitancy: what is behind the fears circulating in BAME communities? The Guardian
• What are Boris Johnson's options to stop Covid variants from abroad? The Guardian
• Why are people still flying into the UK despite Covid rules? The Guardian
• Covid vaccine failing to reach older people cared for at home, UK firm says The Guardian
• Matt Hancock fires coded warning at MPs calling for lockdown easing The Guardian
• NHS has half the ‘empty’ beds available to non-covid patients than previously reported HSJ
• ‘Stretched to limit’: NHS intensive care dealing with record number of Covid patients, warns Hancock The Independent
• Men working in care, leisure and service jobs three times more likely to die from Covid, ONS says The Independent
• ‘Completely incorrect’: AstraZeneca denies its Covid vaccine is less effective among elderly The Independent

Air pollution exposure could increase risk of irreversible sight loss, study suggests

Air pollution exposure could increase risk of irreversible sight loss, study suggests Exposure to air pollution could increase the risk of developing a form of irreversible sight loss in older age, researchers have claimed following a large-scale observational study. The Independent

See also:

• Association of ambient air pollution with age-related macular degeneration and retinal thickness in UK Biobank (open access) British Journal of Ophthalmology