Covid-19 vaccine: Figures reveal whopping 99.6 percent take-up in one area of Northamptonshire

Covid-19 vaccine: Figures reveal whopping 99.6 percent take-up in one area of Northamptonshire An astonishing 996 people out of every 1,000 aged 50 or over in one area of Northamptonshire have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Covid-19: New Northampton councillor 'was hospital's first virus patient' BBC Northampton
• Where India variant is dominant in UK - amid concerns lockdown end could be delayed Northamptonshire Telegraph

Hospital admissions for abused woman in Northampton 'just the tip of the iceberg' warn campaigners

Hospital admissions for abused woman in Northampton 'just the tip of the iceberg' warn campaigners Campaigners have warned that hospital admissions for abuse – which have risen steadily across England – are just "the tip of the iceberg".

NHS Digital data shows at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust, there were between five and 35 admissions of female victims following abuse by a spouse or partner in the five years to March 2020. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Government reforms could improve care services for patients

Government reforms could improve care services for patients A report by the Health and Social Care Committee into Government reforms of the NHS and social care is supportive of proposals, subject to accountability mechanisms on the safety and quality of care being built into legislation.

See also:

• The King's Fund responds to the Health and Social Care Committee’s report into the government’s proposals for the reform of health and social care The King's Fund
• New laws could lead to politicisation of the NHS, leading MPs warn The Independent

Child Mortality and Social Deprivation

Child Mortality and Social Deprivation This report, which is based on data for children who died between April 2019 and March 2020 in England, finds a clear association between the risk of child death and the level of deprivation (for all categories of death except cancer). More specifically, Child Mortality and Social Deprivation states that over a fifth of all child deaths might be avoided if children living in the most deprived areas had the same mortality risk as those living in the least deprived – which translates to over 700 fewer children dying per year in England. National Child Mortality Database

See also:

• Child deaths are linked to social deprivation in England – NHS report  The Guardian

What happened to English NHS hospital activity during the Covid-19 pandemic?

What happened to English NHS hospital activity during the Covid-19 pandemic? This briefing uses administrative hospital data from across the NHS in England to describe how the use of inpatient (elective and emergency) and outpatient hospital care in 2020 compared with that in the previous year. It shows how overall levels of care changed in the period after the start of the pandemic in March until the end of December 2020 and examines how changes in activity varied across regions and clinical specialties. It also looks at how these patterns differ across patient age, ethnicity and local area deprivation. Institute for Fiscal Studies 

Tackling Covid-19: A case for better financial support to self-isolate

Tackling Covid-19: A case for better financial support to self-isolate Asking people with Covid-19 to self-isolate is vital to keep the pandemic under control as lockdown measures ease, yet only 52% of people who have symptoms isolate. This briefing by the Nuffield Trust and the Resolution Foundation argues that financial support through schemes similar to furlough should be expanded so that workers isolating can continue to receive their full wages.

See also:

• Increase self-isolation support or risk undermining exit from lockdown, think tanks warn Nuffield Trust
• Boost self-isolation payments or risk Covid resurgence, experts say The Guardian

New measures to boost response to the B1.617.2 variant

New measures to boost response to the B1.617.2 variant The B1.617.2 variant of concern is beginning to spread increasingly rapidly in certain areas across the country and decisive action is being taken to further control its spread including additional surge testing, increased genomic sequencing and enhanced contact tracing. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Guidance: Surge testing for new coronavirus (COVID-19) variants Department of Health and Social Care
• Policy paper: Use of scientific advice in the UK response to COVID-19: government response to Science and Technology Committee report Department of Health and Social Care
• Employers unite to encourage over a million staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine Department of Health and Social Care
• All data relating to: Deaths involving COVID-19 by religious group, England Office for National Statistics
• COVID-19 vaccines: 11,700 deaths prevented Public Health England
• Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports Public Health England
• Research: Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: variant risk assessments Public Health England

Covid vaccines have saved 11,700 lives and 33,000 hospital admissions

Covid vaccines have saved 11,700 lives and 33,000 hospital admissions Coronavirus vaccines have saved 11,700 lives and stopped 33,000 people becoming seriously ill with Covid-19 in England, research suggests.

The Public Health England analysis, up to the end of April, found people in their 70s and 80s had seen the biggest fall in deaths and hospital admissions. BBC News

See also:

• Indian variant: Government concern at speed of growth BBC News
• Covid: Surge vaccinations could be used to tackle Indian variant BBC News
• Covid vaccine: Period changes could be a harmless side effect BBC News
• Calls for post-Covid 'revolution' in building air quality BBC News
• Covid in Bolton: What's causing the spike? BBC News
• Covid England: Infections DOUBLE in a week in four Indian variant hotspots The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: UK records 2,657 cases and 11 deaths The Daily Mail
• Covid case rates have increased ‘slightly’ across most English regions, says PHE The Independent
• 70% of people in England now have Covid antibodies, ONS figures show The Independent

Almost 5m people now waiting for hospital treatment in England

Almost 5m people now waiting for hospital treatment in England Almost 5 million people in England are waiting for hospital treatment – the most since records began – as the NHS struggles to recover from the impact of Covid-19 on normal care.

The number of people waiting for more than a year to get into hospital has risen to over 400,000, the most since 2007. The Guardian

See also:

• ‘Almost indescribable pain’: life stuck on an NHS waiting list The Guardian
• Record 5 million people now on NHS waiting list for routine treatment The Independent

Every patient to have right to see a GP as NHS abandons 'total triage'

Every patient to have right to see a GP as NHS abandons 'total triage' The NHS on Thursday night performed a climbdown over plans to use online and telephone "screening" for GP appointments and announced that every patient would now have the right to see their doctor face-to-face. The Daily Telegraph

AI and robots will be used to assess patients in NHS plan to tackle record waiting lists

AI and robots will be used to assess patients in NHS plan to tackle record waiting lists Artificial intelligence will be used to decide who gets treated most quickly under NHS schemes aimed at tackling record waiting lists.

One scheme in Lancashire and South Cumbria will be used for patients waiting for non-urgent surgery, with “AI” systems used to assess which patients would fare worst from long waits. The Daily Telegraph