First Covid death in nearly two months confirmed at Northamptonshire hospital

First Covid death in nearly two months confirmed at Northamptonshire hospital Northamptonshire s first Covid-related death for almost two months has been confirmed.

NHS England confirmed the a patient with Covid died at Kettering General Hospital on Monday (June 14) four days after being admitted.

It is the first coronavirus-linked fatality at KGH or at Northampton General Hospital in 52 days, since April 23. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Urgent appeal for volunteer stewards at NHS coronavirus vaccination centres in Northampton Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Corby man's Covid death is first at KGH for almost two months Northamptonshire Telegraph
• 'This announcement is fantastic news': No more isolating for Northamptonshire care home residents after visiting loved ones Northamptonshire Telegraph

‘We’re a lifeline’: Northampton charity urgently appealing for more voluntary drivers to take residents to medical appointments

‘We’re a lifeline’: Northampton charity urgently appealing for more voluntary drivers to take residents to medical appointments A Northampton charity that provides medical appointment transport for elderly and vulnerable residents is urgently seeking more voluntary drivers.

Northampton Community Transport takes people who are unable to drive or walk to bus stops to medical and wellbeing appointments. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Carl Holland: The success of front door triage in Northamptonshire

Carl Holland: The success of front door triage in Northamptonshire It’s been over two months since Northampton General Hospital started using Consultant Connect’s Referral Triage service. In this blog article Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Carl Holland shares how the project started and is now performing. National Health Executive

Moral distress and moral injury: recognising and tackling it for UK doctors

Moral distress and moral injury: recognising and tackling it for UK doctors This pan-profession survey report of UK doctors survey found that 78 per cent of respondents said they could identify with the term ‘moral distress’. This can be understood as occurring when ‘institutional and resource constraints create a sense of unease among doctors from being conflicted about the quality of care they can give’. British Medical Association

Long Covid: the NHS plan for 2021/22

Long Covid: the NHS plan for 2021/22 A five-point plan including advice for clinicians and information for patients, post-Covid assessment clinics, and specialist online rehabilitation support was published in October 2020. This plan outlines ten key next steps to be taken to support those suffering from long Covid. NHS England and NHS Improvement

NHS to invest £52 million to fast track online maternity records

NHS to invest £52 million to fast track online maternity records Every mum to be will be able to access their maternity records on their smart phones, England’s Chief Nurse announced today.

Speaking at the NHS Confederation Conference, Chief Nursing Officer for England, Ruth May, said “bulky paper records would soon be banished” and pregnant women will be able to access information on their pregnancy at their fingertips on phones or other electronic devices if they choose to. NHS England

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants identified in UK

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants identified in UK Public Health England releases weekly updates on the number of confirmed new cases of variants of concern and variants under investigation identified in the UK.

Covid: All adults able to book coronavirus vaccination in England

Covid: All adults able to book coronavirus vaccination in England Covid: All adults able to book coronavirus vaccination in England People aged 18 and over in England are being invited to book their first Covid-19 jab in what the NHS has described as a "watershed moment".

About 1.5 million texts are due to be sent to people aged 18 to 20 on Friday.

PM Boris Johnson said the speed of the programme was "one of our country's greatest collective achievements". BBC News

See also:

• Fewer than 1% of all patients who fall severely ill with COVID-19 are later reinfected The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: Signs of UK's Covid surge 'levelling off' The Daily Mail
• COVID-19 vaccines do not cause lower sperm counts and could actually increase sperm, study says The Daily Mail
• Covid England: Outbreaks growing in 90% of areas but rates SHRINKING in Indian variant  hotspots The Daily Mail
• Nearly 16,000 people in England have caught Covid twice The Daily Telegraph
• Scotland was eight hours from running out of some PPE in Covid first wave The Guardian
• Home quarantine in UK for travellers not working, experts warn The Guardian

Covid: Disruption to surgery 'will affect millions'

Covid: Disruption to surgery 'will affect millions' Disruption to surgery in England and Wales during the pandemic will continue to affect millions of patients for many years, researchers say.

Hospitals completed 1.5 million fewer surgical procedures in 2020 than would be expected from trends in previous years, a drop of about 33%, they say.

The NHS says the shortfall was "because fewer people came forward for care". BBC News

See also: 

• Surgical activity in England and Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide observational cohort study (open access) British Journal of Anaesthesia 
• Hospitals undertook 1.6m fewer operations last year because of Covid The Guardian
• Covid-19 pandemic 'led to 1.5 million NHS operations cancelled or postponed' iNews

Former Test and Trace boss and Tory peer Baroness Dido Harding applies for NHS top job

Former Test and Trace boss and Tory peer Baroness Dido Harding applies for NHS top job The former boss of the government’s coronavirus Test and Trace programme has applied to become the next head of the NHS.

Conservative peer Baroness Dido Harding, who is the wife of Tory MP John Penrose, formally entered the running to become the top boss of England's healthcare system on Thursday. Sky News

See also:

• Ex-Test and Trace boss Dido Harding applies to become head of NHS England The Daily Mail
• Dido Harding to head the NHS? Her position would be untenable The Guardian
• Ex-Test And Trace Chief Dido Harding Has Applied To Run The NHS Huffington Post UK
• Dido Harding applies to become next CEO of NHS England The Independent

Health chiefs recall dozens of batches of common blood pressure pills

Health chiefs recall dozens of batches of common blood pressure pills The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices the safety of drugs used in Britain, said the affected batches contained azido-tetrazole. The Daily Mail

See also:

• MHRA recalls contaminated Irbesartan and Losartan batches as precautionary measure Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency