Corby Beanfield Covid test pilot scheme 'successful' as only ten per cent refuse

Corby Beanfield Covid test pilot scheme 'successful' as only ten per cent refuse An operation to target a Corby estate using an army of volunteers for an intensive door-to-door Covid blitz offering PCR and Lateral Flow (LFT) test kits has been 'successful'. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Fifteen alleged lockdown breachers from towns including Corby, Northampton and Irthlingborough to appear in court Daventry Express
• Kettering Traveller funeral: case dropped against man accused of breaching Covid laws Northampton Chronicle and Echo

KGH to build outdoor gym with Captain Tom's fundraising cash

KGH to build outdoor gym with Captain Tom's fundraising cash A new outdoor gym is on the cards for KGH thanks to charity funds raised by the late national hero Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The Rothwell Road hospital plans to build the gym, with 12 exercise stations, in their pocket park area for staff and members of the public. Northamptonshire Telegraph

National addiction charity launches new homeless outreach programme in Northamptonshire

National addiction charity launches new homeless outreach programme in Northamptonshire A national charity which helps people beat addiction has launched a new homeless outreach programme in Northamptonshire.

Change Grow Live is a health and social care charity and one the UK’s largest providers of drug and alcohol treatment services. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Financial incentives and prescribing behaviour in primary care

Financial incentives and prescribing behaviour in primary care Many health care systems prevent primary care clinicians from dispensing the drugs they prescribe due to concerns that this encourages excessive, ineffective or unnecessarily costly prescribing. This report uses data from the NHS to model the impact of clinican dispensing rights on prescribing behaviour. Centre for Health Economics, University of York 

Government launches COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce to roll out innovative home treatments this autumn

Government launches COVID-19 Antivirals Taskforce to roll out innovative home treatments this autumn A new Antivirals Taskforce has been launched by the government to identify treatments for UK patients who have been exposed to COVID-19 to stop the infection spreading and speed up recovery time.

The taskforce will search for the most promising novel antiviral medicines that can be taken at home and support their development through clinical trials to ensure they can be rapidly rolled out to patients as early as the autumn. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• New global partnership launched to fight future pandemics Department of Health and Social Care
• Speech: Preparing for future pandemics Department of Health and Social Care
• India added to the growing list of travel banned countries NHS Employers

Covid-19: India red list add 'may be too late', Prof Mark Walport says

Covid-19: India red list add 'may be too late', Prof Mark Walport says India's addition to the UK's "red list" of banned countries due to rising Covid cases and concerns over a new variant may have come too late, the UK's former chief scientific adviser has said.

Prof Mark Walport told the BBC he believed the new variant was "more transmissible" and there were "good reasons" for keeping it out of the UK. BBC News

See also:

• Johnson & Johnson vaccine: EU regulator says blood clot 'very rare side effect' BBC News
• Covid-19: Boris Johnson announces plan for pills to treat virus at home BBC News
• Coronavirus may NEVER be eradicated expert predicts The Daily Mail
• Covid-19: Britain records 33 Covid deaths as fatalities rise slightly on last week The Daily Mail
• Covid-19: GPs are told to CANCEL planned AstraZeneca vaccination appointments for pregnant women The Daily Mail
• UK in drive to develop drugs to take at home to ‘stop Covid in its tracks’ The Guardian
• NHS director warns health service 'won't stand for' anti-vaccine protests The Independent
• Scientists call for caution and calm over Covid variant detected in India The Independent

Suicide rate 'did not rise during first lockdown'

Suicide rate 'did not rise during first lockdown' The number of suicides in England did not rise following the first national lockdown in 2020, research has found.

Charities had reported more people seeking mental health support, leading to fears the number of suicides would also increase. BBC News

See also: 

• Suicide in England in the COVID-19 pandemic: Early observational data from real time surveillance (open access) Lancet Regional Health Europe 

The beauty ideal fuelling an illicit drugs trade

The beauty ideal fuelling an illicit drugs trade For Altou, a 19-year-old model, having a ‘slim thick’ body is the key to getting more likes and more work.

She’s one of thousands of women worldwide who have taken Apetamin, an appetite-stimulant promoted by social media influencers as a quick fix for the extreme hourglass figure popularised by celebrities like Kim Kardashian.

It’s widely available online. But a new BBC Three documentary, Dangerous Curves: Get Thicc, Get Sick?, reveals that many don’t realise Apetamin is actually an unlicensed medicine - and its misuse is causing serious harm. BBC News 

Lockdown baby boom may be on the way as NHS antenatal bookings rebound

Lockdown baby boom may be on the way as NHS antenatal bookings rebound Contrary to fears that the coronavirus pandemic could cause a “baby bust”, the numbers of women in England expecting a baby appear to be on the rise.

Maternity statistics collected by the NHS show that although there was a dip in the number of antenatal booking appointments in May 2020, numbers quickly rebounded and continued to grow. The number of antenatal booking appointments during the fourth quarter of 2020 was the highest for five years. The Guardian 

Ageing NHS hospitals hit by sewage leaks, power failures and rat infestations as maintenance backlog hits £9 billion

Ageing NHS hospitals hit by sewage leaks, power failures and rat infestations as maintenance backlog hits £9 billion Raw sewage flooding wards, power failures, and rat infestations were just some of more than 1,200 critical incidents at NHS trusts in the past year caused by ageing equipment and crumbling infrastructure.

NHS leaders have said more investment is needed to reverse a backlog in buildings maintenance across the health service which has now reached an unprecedented £9bn. The Independent 

David Cameron lobbied for NHS staff's personal data

David Cameron lobbied for NHS staff's personal data Former UK prime minister David Cameron lobbied the NHS for access to staff’s personal data, weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cameron was acting on behalf of financial services firm Greensill Capital, which he had financial interest in. His work for the firm, which filed for administration in March 2021, has led to increased scrutiny of private companies’ lobbying. Healthcare IT News