Covid jabs: Northamptonshire's total hits a whopping 168,000 in just 68 days

Covid jabs: Northamptonshire's total hits a whopping 168,000 in just 68 days Northamptonshire's Covid vaccination roll-out hit delivered first doses to nearly 97 per cent of over-70s in the county by last weekend.

County teams targeting 135,000 of those offered first doses, gave 158,086 initial jabs — 91,632 in the older age groups plus 66,454 under-65s, including healthcare workers — in just 68 days between December 8 and February 14. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

See also:

• 'It's been the worst week of our lives' BBC Northampton
• Northampton Sikh food bank answers 'huge need' in pandemic BBC Northampton
• 'I will not tolerate it': Northamptonshire hospital chief scolds those who are aggressive to her staff about masks Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• New ‘Finnish’ Covid strain discovered may not show up in tests - and could be spreading undetected Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Corby council leader urging PM not to be "premature" as he plots lockdown exit Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Corby Covid rates 'unacceptably high' with police issuing nearly 100 fines Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Pfizer vaccine is far more effective after one dose than first thought - new findings show Northamptonshire Telegraph

'I want to give them a little joy': Northampton student nurse starts initiative to give patients wellbeing packs

'I want to give them a little joy': Northampton student nurse starts initiative to give patients wellbeing packs A Northampton nursing student working on the Covid-19 front line has launched an initiative to donate wellbeing packs for patients to keep them occupied while spending long hours in care. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Do we care enough?

Do we care enough? We all need care at some point in our lives – when we’re young, when we’re ill and when we grow older. And caring calls for many of the qualities at the very core of what it is to be human: empathy, compassion, selflessness and commitment.

And yet care is so often undervalued, skimped on, commoditised or ignored. Examples of that indifference are everywhere: at home, in the NHS and in social care. And just at a time when the need for care is growing fast, many commentators feel that we have is a ‘crisis of care’.

Why is that? And what can be done about it? Podcast from The Health Foundation. 

Where next for London’s integrated care systems?

Where next for London’s integrated care systems? London has been hit hard by Covid-19 and the pandemic will leave a long shadow on the health and care of its residents. Perhaps this makes it all the more important to take whatever positives there are from the past year and ensure they endure. The King's Fund 

NHS wellbeing guardians

NHS wellbeing guardians NHS trusts are expected to appoint a wellbeing guardian to their executive board to drive organisational expectations, monitor performance, and provide reassurance that the organisation is a healthy workplace.

We have collated guidance to support HR directors, line managers, and health and wellbeing leads, understand the role and its benefits. NHS Employers 

Reviewing our process for health technology evaluation

Reviewing our process for health technology evaluation NICE has launched a public consultation on proposals for changes to the processes it uses to develop its guidance on medicines, medical devices, diagnostics and digital health technologies. The consultation is open until the 15th of April 2021.

The future of adult social care

The future of adult social care This Report argues that a new blueprint for delivering social care in England could help tens of thousands of adults each year who need care and support to live more independent lives – if councils are given the ability to reshape services through the government’s long-awaited reforms. It warns that this model can only be delivered if councils are given the clarity of a long-term funding model for care, due to be outlined in the government’s long–awaited green paper, and remain under local democratic control. County Councils Network 

Care home residents to be allowed one visitor as part of cautious easing of lockdown

Care home residents to be allowed one visitor as part of cautious easing of lockdown Care home residents will be able to be visited indoors by a single, named individual from 8 March as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• Detailed guide: The R value and growth rate in the UK Department of Health and Social Care
• “Full steam ahead” for NHS vaccination programme as two-thirds of 65-69 year olds already vaccinated NHS England
• PHE launches new Psychological First Aid training Public Health England

Covid: Boris Johnson to unveil 'cautious' plan to lift England's lockdown

Covid: Boris Johnson to unveil 'cautious' plan to lift England's lockdown All schools in England are to reopen on 8 March as part of the prime minister's "cautious" four-part plan to lift the coronavirus lockdown. 

Boris Johnson will share his finalised roadmap with ministers later, before unveiling it to MPs and then leading a news conference at 19:00 GMT. BBC News 

See also:

• Covid: Vaccines having big impact on hospitalisation risk BBC News
• Covid vaccine: All UK adults to be offered jab by 31 July - PM BBC News
• Coronavirus doctor's diary: Don't ask me which vaccine is best, please BBC News
• UK sees further drop in coronavirus numbers BBC News
• Ambulance delays led to 'secondary Covid victims' BBC News
• Covid: Confusion over gestational diabetes advice BBC News
• Over 10% COVID-19 survivors 'can't taste or smell six MONTHS later' The Daily Mail
• Covid UK: Britain records another 12,027 cases plunging by 20% in a week and deaths fall by a third The Daily Mail
• Schools to reopen for primary and secondary pupils from March 8 The Daily Telegraph
• Covid has created legions of unpaid carers who urgently need support themselves The Guardian
• How has England's Covid picture changed since third lockdown began? The Guardian
• Long Covid: ‘It’s a year since I’ve felt like myself’ The Guardian
• NHS sets up mental health hubs for staff traumatised by Covid The Guardian
• Matt Hancock acted unlawfully by failing to publish Covid contracts The Guardian
• Matt Hancock's ex-neighbour under investigation by UK's medical regulator The Guardian
• UK’s Covid vaccines cut hospital admissions by around 90%, study shows The Independent
• Pfizer vaccine ‘highly effective’ in reducing coronavirus transmission, study suggests The Independent

About 7% of UK 17-year-olds have tried to take own life – study

About 7% of UK 17-year-olds have tried to take own life – study About 7% of children have attempted suicide and almost one in four say they have self-harmed in the last year, according to a paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry, and experts say the figures could rise as a result of the pandemic. The Guardian

See also:

• Psychological distress, self-harm and attempted suicide in UK 17-year olds: prevalence and sociodemographic inequalities (abstract) British Journal of Psychiatry 

Telling children they need to 'catch up' creates added pressure, warns psychological society

Telling children they need to 'catch up' creates added pressure, warns psychological society Telling pupils they need to "catch up" on lost learning creates added pressure on children, educational psychologists have warned.

Young people should be supported through socialisation and play if the Government decides to extend the amount of time that they spend in school, the British Psychological Society (BPS) has urged. The Daily Telegraph 

See also:

• Unhelpful ‘catch up’ narrative about lost learning during the pandemic places unnecessary psychological pressure on children and young people British Psychological Society

Heart transplant breakthrough: NHS doctors become first in world to complete transplants in children using organs brought back to life by a machine

Heart transplant breakthrough: NHS doctors become first in world to complete transplants in children using organs brought back to life by a machine The technique has saved the lives of six British youngsters and the transplants have all happened during the coronavirus pandemic. 

A 14-year-old girl has told Sky News she feels "blessed to have a second chance at life" after having a heart transplant using a donor organ that had started beating again thanks to a new machine.

See also:

• Child heart transplants: Record year for new-style operations BBC News
• Child heart transplants: 'I'm ecstatic I got such an amazing gift' BBC News
• Children given reanimated hearts by NHS in world first Evening Standard
• UK doctors pioneer use of 'heart in a box' transplant technique in children The Guardian

First cases of H5N8 bird flu detected in humans

First cases of H5N8 bird flu detected in humans The first cases of the H5N8 bird flu strain have been detected in humans, scientists have said - though there are no signs of transmission between people.

Authorities in Russia have sent information to the World Health Organisation on seven cases that were detected in workers at a poultry farm last December in the south of the country. The Independent