Covid-19: Corby 'worried' about staying in lockdown

Covid-19: Corby 'worried' about staying in lockdown For the last month Corby in Northamptonshire has had one of the highest Covid-19 rates in England. So how do people there feel about the easing of restrictions and what do they think is behind their persistently high rates? BBC Northampton

See also:

• Northamptonshire's Covid map now shows 12 areas where virus is on its way out Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire parents warned: don't send your kids to school if the have Covid symptoms Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Covid-19: 'There is a very, very bright light at the end of the tunnel,' say Northamptonshire health chiefs Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Police ‘reviewing footage’ of Corby Glasgow Rangers celebration and could fine organiser £10,000 Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS England says it may have to start cutting care without additional funding

NHS England says it may have to start cutting care without additional funding NHS England bosses have warned the service needs an extra £8 billion in funding to cover coronavirus costs - or they may be forced to cut care.

Chiefs have called on UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to provide extra funding to the NHS, saying that the Chancellor is attempting to pay for coronavirus care by taking money out of the usual health service budget, leading to delays in care for non-Covid patients. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Exploring referral-to-treatment waiting trajectories in 2021

Exploring referral-to-treatment waiting trajectories in 2021 This briefing explores recent trends in waiting times and considers how waiting patterns may unfold in 2021. It accompanies Building Back Elective Care, an NHS Confederation briefing on what the NHS needs to clear backlogs of planned care as the immediate pressures of COVID-19 start to subside. NHS Confederation

See also:

• Health bosses warn of 'hidden' waiting list of six million patients The Daily Mail
• Six million ‘hidden’ patients could flood NHS waiting lists this year The Independent

Involving and supporting partners and other family members in specialist perinatal mental health services: good practice guide

Involving and supporting partners and other family members in specialist perinatal mental health services: good practice guide This best practice guidance describes women and their families with a positive experience of care, with services joined up around them and earlier diagnosis and intervention, and support to recover, ensuring fewer women, their infants and partners suffer avoidable harm. NHS England

Living safely with Covid: moving toward a strategy for sustainable exit from the pandemic

Living safely with Covid: moving toward a strategy for sustainable exit from the pandemic This report aims to support Directors of Public Health, local authorities and wider partners in considering the approaches that are most appropriate as the country moves out of lockdown. It focuses specifically on the inequalities that have been observed during the pandemic and the actions that should be taken to address them. It also explores early thinking on recovery and how this might be maximised to address the wider health and economic impacts of Covid-19 in an equitable and fair way. Association of Directors of Public Health 

Government launches call for evidence to improve health and wellbeing of women in England

Government launches call for evidence to improve health and wellbeing of women in England Women are being encouraged to share their experiences of the health and care system via a call for evidence aimed at improving healthcare for women. Department of Health and Social Care 

Free rapid tests for all businesses for regular workplace testing

Free rapid tests for all businesses for regular workplace testing All businesses in England are now able to sign up to the government’s free COVID-19 workplace testing programme. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• NHS invites people aged 56 to 59 for their COVID jab NHS England
• Schools and colleges to reopen from tomorrow as part of Step One of the roadmap Public Health England

Covid-19: Vaccine offers for those aged 56 or over

Covid-19: Vaccine offers for those aged 56 or over People aged 56 to 59 in England are being invited to book their coronavirus vaccine from this week.

Letters for people in the age group, offering them the vaccine, started being delivered to homes on Saturday.

It comes after eight in 10 people aged 65 to 69 have taken up the offer of a jab, NHS England said. BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19: School rapid test cannot be overruled, says minister BBC News
• Covid: Nurses condemn 'fundamentally flawed' PPE rules BBC News
• Covid-19: Vaccinated NHS staff numbers vary across England BBC News
• Covid-19: Mystery UK person with Brazil variant found BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Britain's daily Covid cases drop to 5,947 and deaths fall by a third The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: UK will have to 'live with a substantial degree of death' in post-lockdown era The Daily Mail
• Daily Covid-19 deaths fall below 100 for first time since October The Daily Telegraph
• 'There’s a lot of nasty stuff': the people living with long Covid The Guardian
• Young, poor and black Britons most hesitant about getting Covid vaccine, new statistics show The Independent
• ‘Inevitable’ children returning to school will cause Covid cases to rise, says government adviser The Independent

What is going on with government Covid contracts?

What is going on with government Covid contracts? During the pandemic, the government has awarded thousands of contracts to private companies, spending billions of pounds of public money in the process.

They cover everything from personal protective equipment (PPE) - masks, gowns and gloves - to services such as researching public opinion about the government's Covid measures.

But the way these contracts have been awarded - and the huge sums of money involved - have led to accusations of a lack of transparency. BBC News

Spinal muscular atrophy: Gene therapy approved by NHS

Spinal muscular atrophy: Gene therapy approved by NHS A life-changing drug has been approved by the NHS to treat babies with a rare fatal genetic disorder.

The gene therapy Zolgensma offers hope to infants with a type of severe spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

With a list price of £1.79m it could become the most expensive drug ever approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. BBC News 

Nurses' union prepares for strike action over 1% pay offer for NHS staff

Nurses' union prepares for strike action over 1% pay offer for NHS staff Royal College of Nursing sets up fund to cover members’ lost earnings should they decide to walk out

A nurses’ union is preparing for strike action as anger grows about the 1% pay rise proposed for NHS staff in England.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said that at an emergency meeting called by its governing council, members voted to set up a £35m fund to support workers facing loss of earnings owing to industrial action. The Guardian

See also:

• Johnson defends 1% pay rise despite NHS staff exodus warnings The Guardian
• How is NHS pay decided and what is the case for a 1% rise? The Guardian
• Boris Johnson: we've tried to give NHS staff as much as we can – video The Guardian
• Vast majority of those affected by controversial NHS pay offer are women The Independent