Covid-19: Corby 'might be left behind' as lockdown lifts

Covid-19: Corby 'might be left behind' as lockdown lifts The town with the highest Covid-19 case rate in England "might get left behind" as lockdown eases, a university professor warned.

In the week to 13 March, Corby in Northamptonshire had 181.4 cases per 100,000 people.

This was a 46% increase on the previous week and more than three times the England-wide rate. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Key workers can now get rapid Covid-19 tests in Daventry — even if they don't have symptoms Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• UK expected to see ‘significant reduction’ in Covid vaccine supply in April - here’s why Northamptonshire Telegraph
• More cases of highly transmissible Brazil and South African Covid variants found in England - the areas affected Northamptonshire Telegraph

Kettering nurse 'thrilled' by letter from Jacinda Ardern

Kettering nurse 'thrilled' by letter from Jacinda Ardern An NHS nurse said she was "thrilled" to receive a letter from her "idol", New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Dione Rogers's partner, Richard Adams, wrote to the leader and told her about the nurse's work at Kettering General Hospital. BBC Northampton

More than health care: why the NHS is a force for tackling poverty

More than health care: why the NHS is a force for tackling poverty As the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted existing health inequalities in UK society, it has also renewed a focus on poverty. People experiencing poverty are at the deep end of health inequalities, and are also more likely to be a part of minoritised groups who also experience health inequalities as a result of, for example, race, gender and disability. It’s important that work addressing health inequalities is also explicit about the impact of poverty, because those affected by poverty have a high risk of the worst health outcomes. The King's Fund 

Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19

Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during COVID-19 Our review of ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ decisions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were concerns that ‘do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ (DNACPR) decisions were being made without involving people, or their families and/or carers if so wished, and were being applied to groups of people, rather than taking into account each person’s individual circumstances. Care Quality Commission

See also:

• Improved oversight and reform needed as pressures of pandemic shine light on inconsistent and concerning approaches to DNACPR decisions Care Quality Commission
• Covid-19: Concern over 'do not resuscitate' decisions during pandemic BBC News
• Covid-19: Sister 'written off' by do-not-resuscitate order BBC News
• Care home residents put on 'do not resuscitate' orders without consent The Daily Telegraph
• Blanket 'do not resuscitate' orders imposed on English care homes, finds CQC The Guardian
• Hundreds of patients including care home residents subjected to unlawful ‘do not resuscitate’ orders, CQC confirms The Independent 
• Human rights of more than 500 people may have been breached in COVID-related 'do not resuscitate' decisions, shock report claims Sky News

Highly specialised services 2019

Highly specialised services 2019 This report provides information about highly specialised services in 2019.

It comprises: a description of each service; a list of the expert centres that delivered the service; NHS England’s total expenditure for each service; a measure of the activity that each service undertakes; clinical outcomes; and information about geographical equity of access to the service. NHS England 

More than 25 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 25 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. More than 25 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Figures out today show the UK health services vaccinated a total of 25,273,226 people between 8 December and 16 March with first doses of the Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, while 1,759,445 people have had their second dose. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Speech: Health and Social Care Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 17 March 2021 Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS England invites everyone aged 50 and over to be jabbed as NHS vaccination programme marks 100th day NHS England
• Guidance: COVID-19: letter to clinically extremely vulnerable people Public Health England
• PHE study shows three-quarters of over 70s have COVID-19 antibodies Public Health England
• Guidance: PHE monitoring of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination Public Health England

Covid vaccine: India shortfall behind UK's supply delay

Covid vaccine: India shortfall behind UK's supply delay An expected reduction in the UK's Covid vaccine supply next month is due to a delay in the delivery of five million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses from India.

The shipment, produced by the Serum Institute of India, has been held up by four weeks, the BBC has been told.

NHS England warned of a reduction in supply in April in a letter to local health organisations on Wednesday. BBC News

See also:

• Hancock: Covid vaccine supplies 'lumpy but on course' BBC News
• Coronavirus shielding advice to end on 1 April - Hancock BBC News
• Covid in Europe: Vaccine suspension hits rollout as cases rise BBC News
• Boris Johnson faces growing calls to launch public inquiry into handling of the coronavirus crisis The Daily Mail
• All over-50s can now book Covid vaccine in England The Daily Telegraph
• What will the delay mean for England's Covid vaccine programme? The Guardian
• 'It was avoidable': families bereaved in second wave call for Covid inquiry The Guardian
• Dominic Cummings: health department a 'smoking ruin' when Covid hit – video The Guardian
• Vaccination may ease long Covid symptoms, early research suggests The Independent
• ‘On bad days I can’t stand up in the shower: I am 31 and have had long Covid since March 2020’ The Independent

NHS chiefs fear collision course with ministers over Covid backlog

NHS chiefs fear collision course with ministers over Covid backlog Hospital bosses are bracing themselves for a clash with ministers over how quickly they can clear the backlog of NHS care that built up during the pandemic.

They are warning that it will take “years” to treat all those whose care was cancelled because Covid disrupted so many hospital services, particularly surgery and diagnostic tests. The Guardian

See also:

• NHS 'may need to prioritise those in need' rather than patients waiting longest ITV News