Covid cases up again in Northamptonshire hospitals as experts fear Freedom Day impact is still to come

Covid cases up again in Northamptonshire hospitals as experts fear Freedom Day impact is still to come Overwhelmed Northamptonshire hospital staff are braced for more Covid-19 patients coming through the door.

The number of people needing treatment for the virus in the county's two main hospitals jumped from 38 to 61 in a week according to latest figures published. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also: 

• Summer holidays are here and restrictions have lifted but Covid is still a serious health risk in Northamptonshire Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• More than 30m people to receive booster Covid jabs, starting next month Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Pandemic leaving ‘deep physical and emotional scars’ on large proportion of older population, charity warns Northamptonshire Telegraph

Union chiefs hail deal securing 10,000 NHS jobs at Northamptonshire's hospitals

Union chiefs hail deal securing 10,000 NHS jobs at Northamptonshire's hospitals Bosses at the UK's largest union are hailing a deal with the county's two biggest hospitals which will protect more than 10,000 NHS jobs in Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Public perceptions of the NHS in 2020

Public perceptions of the NHS in 2020 The British Social Attitudes survey has provided years of insight into public perceptions of the NHS. In 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey asked only one question about health and care issues. Here, Dan Wellings and John Appleby share the data collected. Nuffield Trust 

Continuity and change? Six things to distinguish Amanda Pritchard’s leadership of the NHS

Continuity and change? Six things to distinguish Amanda Pritchard’s leadership of the NHS  Congratulations to Amanda Pritchard on her appointment as Chief Executive of NHS England. While her predecessor has successfully led the health service through some of the greatest challenges in its history, she takes over with the NHS in a perilous state – still battling with a global pandemic and delivering its largest ever vaccination programme, with an exhausted workforce, rising waiting lists and increasing health inequalities. Faced with that to-do list, you may wonder why anyone would want to do the job. The King's Fund

Lessons from the 2000s: the ambition to reduce waits must be matched with patience and realism

Lessons from the 2000s: the ambition to reduce waits must be matched with patience and realism As a result of Covid-19 waiting times for NHS treatment, already an issue before the pandemic, have grown to historic highs – or have they? Richard Murray compares current waiting times to those seen in the 2000s – and asks what we can learn from the last time the NHS tackled long waits. The King's Fund

A perfect storm: health inequalities and the impact of Covid-19

A perfect storm: health inequalities and the impact of Covid-19 This report warns that Covid-19 has created a ‘perfect storm’ of existing inequality and disease, leading to higher rates of coronavirus infections and death amongst the most disadvantaged people. It says it is vital to act now and drive forward work programmes which reduce inequalities, prevent poor health and improve people’s opportunities to live healthier, more active lives. Examples from local authorities are included, ranging from providing mental health services for tackling loneliness and isolation, to accessing essential items such as food, medicine and financial support. Local Government Association 

Through the visor 2: further learning from member experiences during Covid-19

Through the visor 2: further learning from member experiences during Covid-19 This report is from a second survey of BGS members describing their experiences of working through the Covid-19 pandemic during winter 2020-21 and beyond. Respondents represented a variety of professions involved in the health care of older people. These included consultants, speciality registrars, specialist nurses, allied health professionals and GPs working in acute, community and primary care. While responses indicated that many practical aspects had improved since the first survey, concerns remained, including the mental and emotional toll on health care professionals caring for older people. British Geriatrics Society 

New study into COVID-19 vaccine dose interval for pregnant women

New study into COVID-19 vaccine dose interval for pregnant women The country’s largest clinical trial investigating the best gap between first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses for pregnant women is being launched in England.

Following 130,000 pregnant women being vaccinated in the US and no safety concerns being raised, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were recommended by the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for pregnant women in the UK. Almost 52,000 pregnant women in England have now been vaccinated – similarly, with no safety concerns reported. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• NHS COVID-19 app updated to notify fewer contacts to isolate Department of Health and Social Care
• More than 85 million COVID-19 vaccines administered in UK Department of Health and Social Care
• Chief midwife urges pregnant women to get NHS COVID jab NHS England
• COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report published Public Health England

Covid: NHS app in England and Wales tweaked to notify fewer contacts

Covid: NHS app in England and Wales tweaked to notify fewer contacts The NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales is being tweaked so fewer contacts will be advised to self-isolate following a close contact with a positive case.

The app will look for contacts two days prior, rather than five, when someone without symptoms tests positive. BBC News

See also: 

• Wuhan: Chinese city to test entire population after virus resurfaces BBC News
• No Covid traces found in railway stations or trains BBC News
• Hunt for certainty over Covid cases continues BBC News
• More detailed data released on Covid in hospitals BBC News
• Covid vaccines have prevented 60,000 deaths in England - Jonathan Van-Tam BBC News
• Covid: Pulse oxygen monitors work less well on darker skin, experts say BBC News
• Doctor shares X-rays showing difference in lungs of unvaccinated and vaccinated COVID-19 patients The Daily Mail
• Booster vaccine drive begins next month: ALL over-50s will get third dose 'alongside annual flu jab' The Daily Mail
• SAGE: Next Covid variant could kill one in three people The Daily Mail
• NHS made secret pandemic plan to deny care to elderly The Daily Telegraph
• NHS urged to redistribute near-expiry vaccines as take-up slows in young The Guardian
• Johnson dumps ‘amber watchlist’ plan as it emerges top adviser has quit The Guardian
• Only 13% of Covid test centres for critical workers are open, No 10 admits The Guardian

Assisted dying: Campaigners renewed hope for change in the law

Assisted dying: Campaigners renewed hope for change in the law David Peace has motor neurone disease, a terminal illness which gradually affects the brain and nerves.

He says he intends to travel to a Swiss clinic to end his life before his condition prevents him from making the journey.

David, who lives in central London, is one of a number of people behind renewed calls to update England and Wales assisted dying laws to allow terminally ill people, with six months to live, the right to end their life, subject to strict criteria.

A second reading of the assisted dying bill is due to take place in the House of Lords this autumn. BBC News 

Lack of doctors not to blame for higher weekend hospital deaths, landmark study shows

Lack of doctors not to blame for higher weekend hospital deaths, landmark study shows A lack of GP services and poor community healthcare could be behind higher death rates among hospital patients admitted at the weekend, according to a landmark study.

Until now, blame for higher mortality among weekend patients has been placed on a lack of senior doctors on duty in hospitals. The Independent

See also: 

• Increasing specialist intensity at weekends to improve outcomes for patients undergoing emergency hospital admission: the HiSLAC two-phase mixed-methods study National Institute for Health Research

Pharma firm Advanz fined after thyroid drug price hike of 6,000%

Pharma firm Advanz fined after thyroid drug price hike of 6,000% The UK’s competition watchdog has imposed fines of more than £100m on the pharmaceutical company Advanz and its former private equity owners after it was found to have inflated the price of its thyroid tablets by up to 6,000%.

An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that the private-equity backed pharmaceutical company charged “excessive and unfair prices” for liothyronine tablets, which are used to treat thyroid hormone deficiency. The Guardian

 

See also:

• Drug firm fined for huge price rise that hit NHS BBC News
• Pain aggravation: the human cost of medicine price hikes The Guardian
• Price gouging fine for Advanz is a rare story that is becoming common The Guardian