Health chiefs backing jabs and testing to beat rise in Northamptonshire Covid-19 cases

Health chiefs backing jabs and testing to beat rise in Northamptonshire Covid-19 cases Health chiefs say they are prepared for sharp rises in new Covid-19 cases across Northamptonshire.

Numbers of positive tests across the county have gone up by nearly 70 percent in ONE WEEK, according to government data. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• June 21 lockdown lifting ‘to be delayed by two weeks’ to allow time for more jabs Northamptonshire Telegraph

Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care

Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care In a highly critical report, the Health and Social Care Committee finds that workforce burnout across the NHS and social care has reached an emergency level and poses a risk to the future functioning of both services.

Only a total overhaul of workforce planning can provide a solution, say MPs.

Though covid-19 had a huge impact on workforce pressures, the Committee was told of staff shortages across the NHS and social care prior to the pandemic, with such shortages identified as ultimately the biggest driver of workforce burnout.

See also:

• ‘Bitter irony’ that health and care staff are made ill by their work The King's Fund
• NHS and social care staff burn-out at an emergency level - report BBC News
• Staff burnout in health and social care putting safety at risk, say MPs The Guardian
• NHS frontline heading for 'burnout emergency' even before Covid Metro
• NHS and social care staff burnout 'extraordinarily dangerous' to future of services, warns MP Hunt Sky News

Organ donation and transplantation 2030: meeting the need

Organ donation and transplantation 2030: meeting the need This strategy sets out a ten-year vision for deceased and living donation and transplantation in the UK. It outlines the key areas that need to be addressed as the UK continues to save and improve more lives through organ donation and transplantation after 2020. It also sets out the actions to support and maximise the potential for living donation, as well as focusing on areas for research and innovation. NHS Blood and Transplant

Chronic pain in adults 2017

Chronic pain in adults 2017 This updated report explores the responses to questions on chronic pain in the 2017 Health Survey for England. It sets out the overall prevalence of chronic pain amongst the general population as well as identifying differences between sub-groups. It examines the site and severity of the chronic pain for those who are experiencing pain, as well as the impact on their mental health. It finishes with an analysis of the use of specialist pain services. Public Health England

NHS COVID vaccine first dose drive enters ‘the home straight’ as final cohort called forward

NHS COVID vaccine first dose drive enters ‘the home straight’ as final cohort called forward The NHS COVID vaccination programme will start inviting remaining adults for their COVID-19 jabs from tomorrow, on the six month anniversary of administering the world-first approved jab. NHS England 

Covid vaccines for 25 to 29-year-olds offered in England

Covid vaccines for 25 to 29-year-olds offered in England People aged 25 and older in England will be able to book a Covid vaccine from Tuesday morning, the health secretary has announced.

And Matt Hancock said that would bring “us ever closer to the goal” of offering all adults in the UK a vaccine by the end of July. BBC News

See also: 

• Fully vaccinated adults had a 91% reduced risk of contracting COVID-19 The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: Covid test positivity three times higher in people returning from Portugal The Daily Mail
• No10's former scientific adviser says ministers should delay June 21 reopening by a 'few weeks' The Daily Mail
• What could it mean if England’s June 21 reopening is delayed? The Daily Telegraph
• Dozens of schools in English Covid hotspots reintroduce mask rules The Guardian
• NHS trust contacts hundreds of families in effort at honesty over Covid hospital infections The Independent
• NHS spending on antidepressants rose by £139m during pandemic, study finds The Pharmaceutical Journal

US approves first new Alzheimer's drug in 20 years

US approves first new Alzheimer's drug in 20 years The first new treatment for Alzheimer's disease for nearly 20 years has been approved by regulators in the United States, paving the way for its use in the UK.

Aducanumab targets the underlying cause of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, rather than its symptoms.

Charities have welcomed the news of a new therapy for the condition. BBC News

See also:

• Alzheimer drug: 'I'm heading in the right direction' BBC News

Dido Harding defends test and trace and says expectations too high

Dido Harding defends test and trace and says expectations too high Tory peer and former TalkTalk boss confirms she is considering applying for top job at NHS England.

Dido Harding has confirmed she could apply to lead NHS England, and has defended her much-criticised record leading the Covid test-and-trace system, saying the main issue with the service was that “expectations were set too high”.

Covid testing in the UK was now “the envy of the world”, Harding told BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. The Guardian

See also: 

• Dido Harding to head the NHS? Her position would be untenable | Polly Toynbee The Guardian
• Dido Harding ‘thinking about’ applying for NHSE chief exec job HSJ
• Dido Harding may want to be the head of the NHS but some people aren’t so keen The Independent
• Should Dido Harding end up running the NHS? The Spectator

Thousands of UK men to benefit after NHS approves prostate cancer drug

Thousands of UK men to benefit after NHS approves prostate cancer drug Enzalutamide, which can be taken at home, is especially beneficial to those who cannot have chemotherapy

Thousands of men in the UK with advanced prostate cancer are to benefit from a new drug after it was approved for NHS use.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has recommended enzalutamide as an option for treating some types of prostate cancer. The Guardian