Five out of six Kettering neighbourhoods now have Covid case-rates over 400

Five out of six Kettering neighbourhoods now have Covid case-rates over 400 Kettering has been identified as a Covid-19 hotspot after a rise in case rates across the town.

Analysts use a formula to compare how the virus is spreading in different areas, by splitting towns into small areas, dividing the number of cases in each area by the population and multiplying by 100,000.

Of the six neighbourhoods in Kettering, five had case rates in excess of 400 per 100,000 people in the week to August 13. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Ten Northampton neighbourhoods with Covid case rates of over 400 Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Fewer than three-quarters people at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust discover bowel cancer diagnosis within four weeks

Fewer than three-quarters people at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust discover bowel cancer diagnosis within four weeks Fewer than three-quarters people urgently referred to Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust with suspected bowel cancer receive a diagnosis or an all-clear within four weeks, figures reveal. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

The full health and care data strategy must address its shortcomings

The full health and care data strategy must address its shortcomings On 22 June, NHSX published their draft data strategy for health and social care. This strategy could not have come at a more crucial time. Population health was already suffering before the pandemic, through stalled improvements in life expectancy and widening health inequalities. Now the NHS faces renewed and unprecedented pressure, with a growing backlog of care (4 million fewer people completed elective care in 2020 than in 2019), and the long-term health burden of the pandemic still unknown. The Health Foundation 

A combined health and care levy could create as many problems as it solves

A combined health and care levy could create as many problems as it solves Just before Parliament broke for its summer recess, rumours swirled that a new £10 billion-a-year health and care levy would be introduced this autumn. Funded through an increase in National Insurance contributions, the funds from the levy would initially focus on tackling the growing backlog for NHS care, before shifting towards supporting social care services in the medium to long term. But alongside issues of equity, there are two problems that mean this levy could be more trouble than it's worth. The King's Fund 

Pastoral support and induction for international recruits

Pastoral support and induction for international recruits This case study looks at what University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has done to effectively induct new overseas nurses over recent months. NHS Employers

Right time, right place: urgent community-based care for older people

Right time, right place: urgent community-based care for older people This document explores emerging community models for responding to an older person’s urgent care needs without them being admitted to hospital. It identifies commonalities and connections between different community responses, offering a brief explanation of the main models, such as hospital at home and urgent community response. There is a lack of consensus around definitions of services and provision in different parts of the country and the document sets out some principles that should underpin person-centred, timely care for older people. British Geriatrics Society 

A system approach to the demand crunch

A system approach to the demand crunch This briefing outlines NHS leaders' views on what must be done to ensure the NHS does not become overwhelmed. It outlines what we can learn now in order to plan well as a system for the winter, and highlights ten areas of focus for local systems. NHS Confederation 

Record number of children and young people waiting for eating disorder treatment, as soaring demand overwhelms services

Record number of children and young people waiting for eating disorder treatment, as soaring demand overwhelms services The number of under-19s waiting for eating disorder treatment has reached record levels as services are struggling to provide timely treatment in the face of overwhelming demand, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists. 

New NHS data analysed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists shows that while the number of those waiting for urgent and routine treatment has reached record levels during the pandemic, more children and young people are being treated than ever before.

See also:

• Record number of children on NHS waiting lists for eating disorder treatment amid Covid pandemic The Daily Mail
• Record number of young people wait for eating disorder treatment in England The Guardian
• Record numbers of children with eating disorders left waiting for help The Independent

85,000 people with osteoporosis in England are missing out on the drug treatments they need

 85,000 people with osteoporosis in England are missing out on the drug treatments they need New figures released by the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) show the scale of the ‘postcode lottery’ facing osteoporosis patients across the country, with many not getting the expert care they need.

The key to timely diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis is a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) – the British-born success story that has become the world standard. An FLS systematically identifies, assesses and treats anyone who sustains a fracture after age 50.

Yet ironically, FLS coverage in the UK is weak, and today’s new figures reveal the full extent of the postcode lottery.

See also: 

• Around 85,000 Britons are missing out on therapy, charity warns The Daily Mail

Covid vaccines still effective against Delta variant

Covid vaccines still effective against Delta variant Having two doses of Covid vaccine remains the best way to protect against the Delta variant, first identified in India and now dominant in the UK.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, though initially less effective, offers the same high protection as the Pfizer-BioNTech after four to five months, the largest study of its kind suggests. BBC News

See also: 

• Impact of Delta on viral burden and vaccine effectiveness against new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the UK (open access) Nuffield Department of Medicine
• Covid vaccine: US plans to offer booster Covid jabs in September BBC News
• UK's Covid cases rise again with 33,904 positive tests, marking a 15% week-on-week jump The Daily Mail
• Double-jabbed who catch Delta variant are just as likely to spread Covid as the unvaccinated The Daily Mail
• Covid hospital patient numbers hit five-month high in England The Independent
• NHS worker who died with Covid was refused shielding status despite history of respiratory problems ITV News

Covid-vaccine scientists begin plague-jab trial

Covid-vaccine scientists begin plague-jab trial UK scientists behind the AstraZeneca Covid jab have given the first trial volunteers a new plague vaccine.

One of them, Larissa, 26, hopes she can help save lives by volunteering for the research, at the University of Oxford, where she studies genetics.

The phase-one trial will see at least 40 healthy 18- to 55-year-olds test the vaccine, which uses the same technology as the coronavirus jab. BBC News

Aspirin may help treat aggressive breast cancer

Aspirin may help treat aggressive breast cancer Aspirin may help fight aggressive breast cancer by making hard-to-treat tumours more responsive to anti-cancer drugs, doctors say.

A team at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, in Manchester, are beginning a trial with triple-negative breast-cancer patients.

They suspect it is aspirin's anti-inflammatory properties rather than its analgesic effect that gives the boost. BBC News 

A potential first step forward’: Moderna to launch human trials for new HIV vaccines

A potential first step forward’: Moderna to launch human trials for new HIV vaccines Human trials for two new HIV vaccines developed by US biotech company Moderna are set to be launched on Thursday – a moment that has been described as a “potential first step forward” in protecting people against the deadly virus. The Independent