We're nearly there! Just 7,000 Covid jabs to go before Northamptonshire hits its target

We're nearly there! Just 7,000 Covid jabs to go before Northamptonshire hits its target Northamptonshire will have shot past its target of delivering Covid jabs to 135,000 people by Sunday.

Official figures released today showed 128,137 had already received a first dose of the precious vaccine by last weekend. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

See also:

• Is lockdown working? Here's 25 Northamptonshire neighbourhoods where Covid rates are still going UP Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Key workers will get first priority for Covid vaccine after over-50s - including teachers and police Northamptonshire Telegraph

MEET THE GOVERNORS: East Northants governor says closer working between KGH and NGH is not a takeover

MEET THE GOVERNORS: East Northants governor says closer working between KGH and NGH is not a takeover A KGH governor has said closer working between the Kettering and Northampton hospitals is about working together, rather than a takeover.

The governors at KGH have teamed up with the Northamptonshire Telegraph to give our readers an insight into their role and the work they do. 

What enabled rapid digital change in primary care during the Covid-19 pandemic?

What enabled rapid digital change in primary care during the Covid-19 pandemic? In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, general practice in England transformed itself, rapidly adopting digital approaches to triaging and consulting at a speed that would have been unthinkable just months before. The timeline set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, which promised every patient the ‘right’ to digital primary care services by 2024, has been blown away. The King's Fund 

Working together to improve patient care: how PCNs are working in partnership to support people’s mental health

Working together to improve patient care: how PCNs are working in partnership to support people’s mental health Mental health disorders are one of the common causes of morbidity in England and primary care plays a key role in supporting patients’ mental health and wellbeing, so it has become a priority for many primary care networks (PCNs). This briefing provides examples of three models of partnership working that are currently underway in primary care to support mental health at place level. NHS Confederation Mental Health Network 

Digital health during the Covid-19 pandemic: learning lessons to maintain momentum

Digital health during the Covid-19 pandemic: learning lessons to maintain momentum This report draws on research and case studies of good practice in digital health during the pandemic and offers recommendations on how the UK could capitalise on digital health to benefit patients, the NHS and wider society, once the pandemic subsides. It highlights that uptake of digital health technologies has been limited, while patient experience of technologies, including video conferencing and mobile apps, has been mixed. Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health 

This report comes with a health warning

This report comes with a health warning This report finds that the health of more than 12 million people is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as heatwaves and floods. It studies the benefits of a net zero economy and active travel on health and the role of the NHS and health professionals in reaching this target. The Climate Coalition 

Coronavirus: no going back to normal

Coronavirus: no going back to normal Life after coronavirus will not feel like life before. This viewpoint states that it's best that governments acknowledge that and start planning now in order to capture the best that can come out of a very tough period while not raising expectations that life will suddenly snap back to an almost forgotten normal. Institute for Government 

Whitehall Monitor 2021

Whitehall Monitor 2021 This report reveals the way the pandemic has changed how the government takes decisions, spends money and makes policy. The last year saw a drop in the government’s transparency on its spending, only a small proportions of Covid contracts awarded on a competitive basis, and many policy U-turns. And 2020 also saw the highest number of ‘ministerial directions’ – formal instructions for civil servants to continue with a policy despite their concerns about value for money or feasibility – for decades. Institute for Government 

Policy paper: Working together to improve health and social care for all

Policy paper: Working together to improve health and social care for all White paper setting out legislative proposals for a Health and Care Bill. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock on proposals for a Health and Care Bill Department of Health and Social Care
• Statement to Parliament: The future of health and care Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS reform: 'No better time than now' for changes, says Matt Hancock BBC News
• Matt Hancock pledges to cut NHS 'burdensome bureaucracy' in major reforms The Daily Telegraph
• How NHS reforms will shake up healthcare, from cutting red tape to tackling UK's bulging waistline The Daily Telegraph
• In defence of Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms The Daily Telegraph
• NHS and social care blueprint: key points The Guardian
• Will the health service shake-up be a good thing? The experts' view | Richard Murray, Rachel Clarke, Chaand Nagpaul, Ann Robinson and Chris Hopson The Guardian
• NHS shake-up will leave ministers with no one to blame but themselves The Guardian
• Hancock’s re-disorganisation of the NHS won’t help a single patient The Independent
• Hancock promises social care plan this year amid criticism over NHS reforms The Independent
• NHS: What reforms does the government want to make? ITV News
• NHS reform plan promises clearer nurse staffing accountability Nursing Times

A record 3 million people tested by NHS Test and Trace this reporting week

A record 3 million people tested by NHS Test and Trace this reporting week More than 3 million people were tested by NHS Test and Trace this reporting week, the highest number ever in a single week. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Thousands more NHS patients to get life-saving COVID-19 treatment Department of Health and Social Care
• Government to introduce tougher measures and enforcement rules for quarantined passengers Department of Health and Social Care
• Transparency data: Coronavirus cases by local authority: epidemiological data, 11 February 2021 Department of Health and Social Care
• Hospitals admit one third of COVID patients in a single month NHS England
• Research and analysis: COVID-19: trend in deaths within 28 days of a positive test Public Health England

Covid: Disabled people account for six in 10 deaths in England last year - ONS

Covid: Disabled people account for six in 10 deaths in England last year - ONS Nearly six out of every 10 people who died with coronavirus in England last year were disabled, figures suggest.
Some 30,296 of the 50,888 deaths between January and November were people with a disability, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows.

It also suggests the risk of death is three times greater for more severely disabled people. BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19: UK 'not learning lessons of Australia quarantine' BBC News
• Covid: Wales first in UK to reach February vaccine target BBC News
• Arthritis drug tocilizumab cuts deaths from Covid BBC News
• Covid UK: 13,494 new cases as daily death toll falls 26% to 678 The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: Parts of country have already dished out first doses to nearly 90% of 70-74 year olds The Daily Mail
• Pfizer vaccine DOES work against super-covid variants, study suggests The Daily Mail
• Bristol Covid variant could reinfect vaccinated Britons, SAGE expert warns The Daily Mail
• Melbourne enters five-day lockdown over UK Covid strain The Daily Telegraph
• Who has received the Covid vaccine in the UK so far? The Guardian
• NHS figures show scale of January surge in Covid admissions The Guardian
• UK government not sure where billions of pounds' worth of PPE is The Guardian
• UK to be ‘more or less free’ of Covid by Christmas, says Sage expert The Independent

Doctors warn of ‘tsunami’ of pandemic eating disorders

Doctors warn of ‘tsunami’ of pandemic eating disorders Psychiatrists have warned of a “tsunami” of eating disorder patients amid data showing soaring numbers of people experiencing anorexia and bulimia in England during the pandemic. 

Dr Agnes Ayton, the chair of the Eating Disorder Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the number of people experiencing problems had risen sharply with conditions such as anorexia thriving in the isolation of lockdown. The Guardian

Who might replace Simon Stevens as the NHS England boss?

Who might replace Simon Stevens as the NHS England boss? Simon Stevens’ eventful seven-year stint as the high-profile, independent-minded boss of the NHS in England is coming to an end, NHS insiders and Whitehall sources have confirmed.

Attention is now falling on who might replace him whenever he does stand down. Formally NHS England’s board will select his successor, but Boris Johnson will also play a key role in the appointment. The Guardian