GP patient survey 2021: the 10 best-rated doctors’ surgeries in Northamptonshire as voted by you

GP patient survey 2021: the 10 best-rated doctors’ surgeries in Northamptonshire as voted by you In a year when GP appointments were more likely to be a phone call than a face-to-face meeting, it seems patients’ satisfaction with their local surgeries has remained high. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

What will it cost to get the NHS and social care on the road to recovery?

What will it cost to get the NHS and social care on the road to recovery? Next week parliament will return, with the government facing a number of important and pressing decisions. Looming large is the future funding of the NHS and social care.

The Chancellor has now set 27 October as the date for the Autumn Statement and it’s likely that will include the outcome of a Spending Review. To support planning in the NHS and social care, a multi-year spending review would be the preferred approach, but it might follow the pattern of previous years and only cover one year. Either way there is speculation that funding for the NHS and social care will be decided and announced in a matter of weeks. The Health Foundation 

A reckoning: the continuing cost of COVID-19

A reckoning: the continuing cost of COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has inceased the cost of running frontline NHS services by £4-5bn a year.

These costs are in addition to other key financial factors, such as the need to fund capital investment and recover care backlogs, and they will be with us for the duration of the three-year period that is expected to be covered by the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).

This joint briefing by NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation, based on survey data from 54% of the provider sector, explains the long-term impact of the pandemic on the NHS’s day-to-day running costs, and calls on the government to ensure these costs are met in full. 

See also: 

• Patients in peril as NHS future funding finalised NHS Providers
• Warning over cuts to NHS services without £10bn extra funding BBC News
• NHS ‘needs £10bn annual boost’ to tackle backlog and Covid cost The Guardian

Scrapping free prescriptions for over-60s “a kick in the teeth both for poorly older people and the NHS”

Scrapping free prescriptions for over-60s “a kick in the teeth both for poorly older people and the NHS” Charity launches new campaign to save free prescriptions for 60-65s, warning it will put older people’s health at risk and pile pressure on the NHS if government plans go ahead. Age UK 

See also: 

• Scrapping free prescriptions for over-60s ‘could have devastating impact’ The Guardian

Health Secretary and DCMO statements on JCVI advice on third jabs

Health Secretary and DCMO statements on JCVI advice on third jabs The government accepts JCVI's advice to offer a third COVID-19 vaccine to people with severely weakened immune systems. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Independent report: Third primary COVID-19 vaccine dose for people who are immunosuppressed: JCVI advice Department of Health and Social Care
• JCVI issues advice on third dose vaccination for severely immunosuppressed Public Health England

Coronavirus vaccines cut risk of long Covid, study finds

Coronavirus vaccines cut risk of long Covid, study finds Being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 not only cuts the risk of catching it, but also of an infection turning into long Covid, research led by King's College London suggests.

It shows that in the minority of people who get Covid despite two jabs, the odds of developing symptoms lasting longer than four weeks are cut by 50%. BBC News

See also: 

• Risk factors and disease profile of post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK users of the COVID Symptom Study app: a prospective, community-based, nested, case-control study (open access) The Lancet Infectious Diseases
• Third Covid jab advised for most vulnerable 1% BBC News
• Long Covid in children - time to be reassured BBC News
• Ivermectin developer begins trial of pill it hopes could prevent people from contracting Covid The Daily Mail
• Covid UK: Daily cases flatten at 35,693 positive tests amid fears schools' return will cause surge The Daily Mail
• WHO warns of potentially vaccine resistant 'Mu' variant that originated in Colombia The Daily Mail
• Just one in 20 pupils identified as contacts of children with Covid-19 went on to test positive The Daily Telegraph
• Who will be eligible for a third Covid jab in the UK? The Guardian
• UK sees 207 Covid deaths in 24 hours — highest daily number for six months The Independent

Mental Health: The ambulance workers feeding callers

Mental Health: The ambulance workers feeding callers The British Dietetic Association say they are concerned about a rise in mental health patients across the UK going without food during the Covid-19 crisis.

With specialist dieticians seeing an increase in patients arriving at hospital malnourished, there are calls for mental health assessments to include questions about people's access to food.

The BBC followed a mental health ambulance team in Merseyside who have been providing food parcels for patients. BBC News 

‘We’ve got to catch up’: inside an NHS hospital battling a long waiting list

‘We’ve got to catch up’: inside an NHS hospital battling a long waiting list University College hospital allows access to its new facility and staff to show how the health service is trying to tackle backlogs. The Guardian 

Children are facing a postcode lottery over NHS treatment

Children are facing a postcode lottery over NHS treatment Doctors warn that the pandemic has had a 'very detrimental effect' on youngsters after paediatric staff were redeployed to treat adults with Covid. It means young patients had operations cancelled. The Daily Mail