'We want Northamptonshire to be proud': How the county has led the way in the vaccination rollout

'We want Northamptonshire to be proud': How the county has led the way in the vaccination rollout For the team behind the vaccination roll out, there was one aim. To make Northamptonshire proud. They have done that, and then some.

Northamptonshire has been leading the way across the country for the way in which it has approached the mammoth logistical task of mass vaccination. At the last count, it was the third best in country with other health authorities looking on in envy. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

See also:

• "This vaccine is as safe any other": Prominent doctor urges Northampton BAME community to get vaccinated Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• "We'll be with you as soon as we can!" Vaccinations chief's message for Northamptonshire care homes Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• One area of Northamptonshire is nearly Covid-free while case rates tumble in ten more Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire’s Covid-19 weekly briefing: ‘Solid improvement but no room for complacency’ Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Covid leaflet to be sent to EVERY Corby home in bid to stop spread of virus Northamptonshire Telegraph
• This is who will get Covid vaccine next as rollout moves into new phase Northamptonshire Telegraph

Speak up for community as Northamptonshire NHS governor

Speak up for community as Northamptonshire NHS governor Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), the county’s mental health and community healthcare provider, has announced details of its governor elections for 2021. Northamptonshire Telegraph

KGH boss confirms children will return to Skylark Ward next month

KGH boss confirms children will return to Skylark Ward next month Kettering General Hospital's boss confirmed that children would be able to use the bespoke Skylark Ward from March - two months after the facility was converted for use by Covid patients. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

We can’t prevent childhood obesity by education alone: lessons from the evidence base

We can’t prevent childhood obesity by education alone: lessons from the evidence base This briefing examines randomised control trials across a range of countries and settings. It analyses the focus of the trials through a wider determinants of health lens, and compares the focus of interventions against previously-mapped causes of obesity - which show that approximately 60 per cent of the causes come from living and working conditions, such as housing or transport, or wider conditions, such as income equality or land-use. University of Bristol

Covid-19 recovery and resilience: what can health and care learn from other disasters?

Covid-19 recovery and resilience: what can health and care learn from other disasters? What do communities need to be able to recover from Covid-19 and build resilience? This long read identifies key insights from people involved in disaster recovery around the world. The King's Fund 

At the limit – COVID-19 one year on

At the limit – COVID-19 one year on Exhausted and emotionally drained, doctors from across the NHS tell the story of the first year of COVID-19. BMA 

See also:

• COVID-19: The moral cost BMA

NHS offers Covid jab to clinically vulnerable and people 65 to 69

NHS offers Covid jab to clinically vulnerable and people 65 to 69 NHS staff will begin vaccinating people aged 65 to 69 and those who are clinically vulnerable against Covid from Monday with over one million people already invited to book a jab.

Almost 1.2 million letters were due to land on doorsteps by yesterday (Saturday) asking people to log on to the national booking service at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination with another 1.2 million due to arrive this week. NHS England 

See also:

• New vaccine uptake plan published Department of Health and Social Care
• Policy paper: COVID-19 vaccination uptake plan Department of Health and Social Care
• Groundbreaking COVID-19 treatments to be fast-tracked through clinical trials Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Managed quarantine: what to expect Department of Health and Social Care
• Travel and quarantine update for new UK arrivals NHS Employers
• Guidance: Investigation of novel SARS-CoV-2 variant: Variant of Concern 202012/01 Public Health England

Covid: New phase begins after first vaccine target hit in England

Covid: New phase begins after first vaccine target hit in England The Covid-19 vaccine rollout in England has entered its next phase, after the health secretary told the BBC a jab has been offered to everyone in the UK's top four priority groups. 

In total, more than 15 million people in the UK have had their first dose. BBC News 

See also:

• Covid-19: Hotel quarantine comes into force in UK BBC News
• Covid-19: 'Significant milestone' as 15 million get Covid jab in UK BBC News
• Covid infecting humans through animal host 'probable' BBC News
• Covid: Virus cases are going down across the UK BBC News
• Covid: No evidence that vaccinations harm fertility BBC News
• Covid: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be tested on children BBC News
• Half of Covid victims go on to suffer depression, says study The Daily Telegraph
• I'm a junior doctor in A&E. The Covid emergencies never stop The Guardian
• 'It shows what we're capable of': the NHS's vaccine triumph The Guardian
• Experts warn of huge UK Covid wave if restrictions lifted too soon The Guardian
• Ministers flatly reject Tory demands to end Covid controls by May The Guardian
• Vaccine caution in some health workers in England 'may undermine rollout' The Guardian
• NHS rule which forces pregnant women with Covid to give birth alone ‘legally wrong’ The Independent
• Just 0.67% of Covid vaccine doses wasted during first month of national rollout, analysis shows The Independent
• Long Covid could create burden on NHS 'equivalent to arthritis' iNews

Community nursing faces ‘rehabilitation disaster’ as Covid leaves thousands in need

Community nursing faces ‘rehabilitation disaster’ as Covid leaves thousands in need Tens of thousands of coronavirus survivors needing long-term care are heaping pressure on Britain’s stretched community services, threatening a crisis that experts warn could dwarf that seen in hospitals over the past 12 months.

As many as 100,000 intensive care patients, including up to 15,000 Covid-19 survivors, will need long-term community nursing care after being discharged from hospitals during the past 12 months, The Independent has been told. 

Hero to zero: the NHS staff abused online

Hero to zero: the NHS staff abused online In the early weeks, we clapped for our carers, the doctors and nurses on the frontline who gave their all. With the second wave, the clapping stopped and the conspiracies started – and so did the hate. To some, our NHS was no longer full of heroes – but full of fakers. Our Home Affairs Correspondent, Andy Davies, has met the brave NHS staff speaking out about the online abuse and why they want big tech to do more to stop it. Channel 4 News podcast. 

Contraceptive pill to be given over the counter under 'landmark' plans announced by medical watchdogs

Contraceptive pill to be given over the counter under 'landmark' plans announced by medical watchdogs The contraceptive pill is set to be sold over the counter by pharmacies under “landmark” proposals from the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Until now, it has only ever been available on prescription following a medical consultation. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Views sought on making the oral contraceptive pill desogestrel available from pharmacies Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
• 'Mini pill' contraception could be sold in pharmacies for the first time BBC News

NHS dental clinics forced to close early last year due to Covid have struggled to fully reopen

NHS dental clinics forced to close early last year due to Covid have struggled to fully reopen It's not just routine check-ups that have stalled - in some cases for up to two years. Patients left in pain and discomfort from broken teeth and fillings say they are also being denied urgent access. The Daily Mail