Northamptonshire could be left in lockdown limbo, warns top health official

Northamptonshire could be left in lockdown limbo, warns top health official Northamptonshire's top official is "deeply concerned" Boris Johnson's big announcement on Monday will leave the county in lockdown limbo. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

See also:

• Lockdown roadmap rumours analysed - what do we know about next week’s plans?  Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Think tank says NHS has become a ‘National Covid service’ - but medical director says this is a ‘disservice’ to staff Northamptonshire Telegraph

Plans unveiled to build 66-bed care home in Northampton

Plans unveiled to build 66-bed care home in Northampton Plans have been submitted to build a two-storey, 66-bed care home in Overstone Leys, Northampton, to provide a "high-quality" of life for elderly residents. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices: updated guidance

Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices: updated guidance Updated ethical guidance on Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices.

It will come into effect on 5 April 2021 following a six week familiarisation period. 

The guidance supports doctors to be able to prescribe safely for their patients, whatever the setting. It sets out standards for good practice when prescribing face to-face or remotely, when prescribing unlicensed medicines and for when patient care is shared with another doctor.

It’s been updated following a call for evidence on remote prescribing in early 2020, and responds to the huge increase in remote consultations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and has been restructured to integrate information on remote consultations and prescribing throughout. GMC 

Resource allocation in public sector programmes: does the value of a life differ between governmental departments?

Resource allocation in public sector programmes: does the value of a life differ between governmental departments? This report examines whether there are differences in the value of life estimates recommended for use across government departments in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the UK. The departments of interest were those known to use some form of valuation of human life: health, social care, transport, and environment. For each country, a literature review was conducted to identify evidence from technical reports, guidelines, and tools published directly by government departments indicating methods for conducting impact assessments or appraisals. Office of Health Economics 

February interim findings from COVID-19 REACT-1 study published

February interim findings from COVID-19 REACT-1 study published The interim findings from the ninth report of REACT-1, one of the country’s largest studies into COVID-19 infections in England, have been published today by Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI.

Over 85,400 volunteers were tested in England between 4 and 13 February to examine the levels of infection in the general population. The findings show infections in England have fallen significantly since the last report in January. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• Transparency data: Coronavirus cases by local authority: epidemiological data, 17 February 2021 Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: How to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) Public Health England

Covid: Ethnicity vaccine gaps in over-70s

Covid: Ethnicity vaccine gaps in over-70s Black and mixed heritage people in their 70s are being vaccinated against Covid-19 at much lower rates than white people, GP records suggest.
 
And fewer Bangladeshi and Pakistani people had been jabbed by 11 February.

This follows data from earlier in the vaccination programme showing similar gaps among the over-80s. BBC News

See also:

• Long Covid: MPs call for compensation for key workers BBC News
• Covid-19: World's first human trials given green light in UK BBC News
• Covid-19: What are challenge trials and why do we need them? BBC News
• Strong decline in coronavirus across England since January, React study shows BBC News
• Covid: Seven symptoms should trigger virus test, study says BBC News
• Covid UK: Symptom-tracking app raises fears cases are on the RISE The Daily Mail
• UK and California Covid variants merged in US coronavirus case, scientists say The Daily Mail
• Covid prevalence 'really high' despite lockdown causing infection rates to fall by two-thirds The Daily Telegraph
• When will Boris Johnson announce the roadmap to end lockdown and what might be in it? The Daily Telegraph
• NHS fighting ‘epidemic’ of misinformation about Covid vaccines, says top GP Evening Standard
• Covid infections in England fall by two-thirds but spreading fastest among young The Guardian
• 'I've accepted the risk': volunteering to be exposed to Covid in new trials The Guardian
• England’s poorest areas hit by Covid ‘perfect storm’ – leaked report The Guardian
• Why Leicester, Blackburn and Bradford have been hit hard by Covid The Guardian
• Mass testing still a vital tool in Covid efforts despite UK vaccine success The Guardian
• Poorer areas falling behind on vaccination against coronavirus The Independent
• NHS reveals blueprint for tackling BAME vaccine hesitancy iNews

Dogs from Milton Keynes charity trained to sniff out prostate cancer

Dogs from Milton Keynes charity trained to sniff out prostate cancer Dogs can detect the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer and could help develop a "robotic nose" to find the disease in the future, a study says.

Under an international research programme, a Labrador, Florin, and a vizsla, Midas, sniffed out the cancer's odour in urine samples from patients.

They were trained to find the most lethal tumours by Medical Detection Dogs, a Milton Keynes charity. BBC News 

Why there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment for asthma

Why there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment for asthma Asthma may be a disease with one name, but experts say that unbeknown to most people who have it, it is not just one condition, nor is there a “one-size-fits-all” treatment for it. The Independent 

Applications to study nursing soar as NHS inspires new recruits amid pandemic

Applications to study nursing soar as NHS inspires new recruits amid pandemic Nursing applications have soared as thousands are inspired by the commitment of NHS staff, new data from the university applications body UCAS suggests. Sky News

See also:

• Nursing applications in England up by over a third to 48,830 Department of Health and Social Care
• Nursing applications rise by a third amid pandemic, UCAS data shows The Independent