Return to schools NOT linked to latest spike in Corby Covid cases, say health chiefs

Return to schools NOT linked to latest spike in Corby Covid cases, say health chiefs Public Health chiefs insist Corby's latest jump in Covid-19 cases is not connected with students returning to classrooms.

The borough has one of the highest infection rates in the country again according to official Government figures, despite recent improvements. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Ten areas in and around Northampton with two Covid cases or less in the last week Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• People in their 40s could be offered Covid jab before Easter as rollout doubles its pace Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• One year on from when Northampton's shelves were left bare by Covid-19 panic buying Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Maternal mental health during a pandemic: a rapid evidence review of Covid-19's impact

Maternal mental health during a pandemic: a rapid evidence review of Covid-19's impact This rapid evidence review report (produced together with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance) looks at the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of new and expectant mothers and the support that’s been available during the pandemic. Centre for Mental Health

State of health and care: The NHS Long Term Plan after Covid-19

State of health and care: The NHS Long Term Plan after Covid-19 After a decade of austerity, The NHS Long Term Plan was meant to be a turning point for healthcare.

However, those plans have been severely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Our new analysis shows the scale of the damage done by the pandemic across several major health conditions.

In a new report we recommend a package of six ambitious changes to ‘build back better’. Institute for Public Policy Research

See also: 

• NHS in England ‘needs £12 billion a year boost’ to recover from Covid Channel 4 News
• NHS staff should get 5% payrise next year, says thinktank The Guardian

Without skipping a beat: the case for better cardiovascular care after Coronavirus

Without skipping a beat: the case for better cardiovascular care after Coronavirus The toll of the Covid-19 pandemic on health far exceeds deaths caused directly by Covid-19. There have been widespread disruptions to routine and urgent health and care services, as well as the NHS Long Term Plan. As such, the health and care system needs not just to recover from Covid-19, but to ‘build back better’. This briefing considers the challenge in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) – the UK’s leading cause of death. Institute for Public Policy Research

Notable success of “Everyone In” exposed rough sleeping problem many times larger than Government “has previously acknowledged”

Notable success of “Everyone In” exposed rough sleeping problem many times larger than Government “has previously acknowledged” The notable pandemic response success of the "Everyone In" initiative has exposed gaps in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)’s approach to tackling rough sleeping, says the Public Accounts Committee in a report published today.

Guidance: COVID-19: guidance on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing

Guidance: COVID-19: guidance on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing Advice for parents and carers on looking after the mental health and wellbeing of children or young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Public Health England

See also: 

• Detailed guide: Households and bubbles of pupils, students and staff of schools, nurseries and colleges: get rapid lateral flow tests Department of Health and Social Care
• Confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants identified in UK Public Health England
• Research and analysis: COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers Public Health England

Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid jab safe, insists Hancock

Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid jab safe, insists Hancock The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is safe, the health secretary has said, after some European nations paused its use amid concern over blood clots.

Matt Hancock urged people to "listen to the regulators" and to "get the jab" as soon as they got the opportunity.

Some 13 countries have suspended use of the vaccine while they seek further clarification on its safety. BBC News

See also:

• Moderna begins testing Covid-19 vaccine on babies and young children BBC News
• 'The Gospel Truth?' Covid-19 vaccines and the danger of religious misinformation BBC News
• Covid: 'Prioritise prisoners for coronavirus vaccine' BBC News
• Half of all adults in the UK could be vaccinated by the end of THIS WEEK as total surges past 24m The Daily Mail
• Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine: which countries have paused jab and why The Guardian
• 'Somebody has to answer for this': voices from the frontline on why we need a Covid inquiry The Guardian
• Public support for Covid inquiry more than twice as high as opposition – poll The Guardian

Matt Hancock doubles down on NHS wages and insists 1% offer is a pay rise

Matt Hancock doubles down on NHS wages and insists 1% offer is a pay rise Matt Hancock has told MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee that a proposed 1 per cent pay rise for NHS staff would be a real pay rise because it was higher than inflation. The Independent

See also: 

• Matt Hancock insists NHS workers' 1% salary increase is a 'pay rise' and not real-terms cut - despite 1.5% inflation Sky News

Ministers seek powers to veto local NHS trust appointments

Ministers seek powers to veto local NHS trust appointments Ministers would have the power to veto the appointment of NHS chief executives and trust leaders under plans to reform the health service, it has emerged.

Health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs he wanted the ability to sign-off appointments of senior managers in the NHS, and that separately he was open to the idea of regulation for senior managers. The Independent