Lucy Wightman's LAST column: Everyone needs to help to ensure we can live safely in Northamptonshire with Covid among us

Lucy Wightman's LAST column: Everyone needs to help to ensure we can live safely in Northamptonshire with Covid among us 'We all need to continue to play our vital part in preventing further cases across Northamptonshire' says county's public health director. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also: 

• Northamptonshire 16 and 17-year-olds urged to take up coronavirus vaccine offer to protect themselves and loved ones Northampton Chronicle and Echo

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

GP patient survey 2021: The 10 worst-rated doctors’ surgeries in Northamptonshire as voted by you Patients’ satisfaction with their local surgeries has remained high despite all of the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Gynaecological cancer awareness month: Specialist nurse from Northampton busts common myths

Gynaecological cancer awareness month: Specialist nurse from Northampton busts common myths A specialist nurse from Northampton has busted a number of common myths about gynaecological cancer as part of an awareness month.

Claire Campbell, Macmillan’s Gynae-Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Northampton General Hospital, has put the facts straight on gynaecological cancers and is correcting some of the most common myths. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Osteoporosis: Woman had nine spinal fractures in 10 months

Osteoporosis: Woman had nine spinal fractures in 10 months A woman with osteoporosis said she had nine spinal fractures in 10 months and was left unable to walk.

Karen Faulkner, 61, from Northampton, said prior to being diagnosed with osteoporosis she was a regular gym-goer with a full-time job.

But she said has been now unable to work for more than a year. BBC Northampton

Fixing social care is not all about a cap on costs

Fixing social care is not all about a cap on costs Einstein said that everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler. He would surely turn in his grave at the state of the debate about social care reform in England which, increasingly, has been reduced to whether the government will introduce a 'cap' on social care costs and, if so, how it will pay for it. The King's Fund

Deaths from suicide that occurred in England and Wales: April to July 2020

Deaths from suicide that occurred in England and Wales: April to July 2020 This is the first assessment of suicides in England and Wales, based on official death registrations, that occurred during the early months of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, until now not feasible because of death registration delays. Office for National Statistics

See also:

• England's first Covid lockdown DIDN'T trigger a spike in suicides, official data shows The Daily Mail
• Suicide rate fell during first Covid lockdown The Daily Telegraph
• Suicide rate did not rise during first Covid lockdown, reports ONS Evening Standard

New hospitals join pioneering study to improve prostate cancer diagnosis using AI

New hospitals join pioneering study to improve prostate cancer diagnosis using AI Six new NHS trusts across England will receive funding for ground-breaking trial of Artificial Intelligence to diagnose prostate cancer quicker. Department of Health and Social Care 

UK and Australia agree to share vaccines to tackle global pandemic

UK and Australia agree to share vaccines to tackle global pandemic The UK and Australia will share COVID-19 vaccine doses to benefit each other’s life-saving vaccine rollout programmes, the government has announced today.

The UK will send 4 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines to Australia to rapidly enhance their vaccination programme, with the first batch of 292,000 doses due to be shipped shortly. Australia will return the same overall volume of doses before the end of the year. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Half of all 16 and 17-year-olds receive life-saving COVID vaccine NHS England
• COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report published Public Health England
• Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports: 2021 to 2022 season Public Health England

Covid: Schools aren't infection hubs, says public health boss

Covid: Schools aren't infection hubs, says public health boss Schools are not "drivers" or "hubs" of Covid infection, Public Health England's medical director has said.

Dr Yvonne Doyle said she understood parents' nervousness about schools returning after the summer in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

She stressed that lots of measures to cut Covid spread remained in place.

But Prof Calum Semple, a government scientific adviser, said with most adults vaccinated, schools were likely to be a "greater part of the problem". BBC News

See also: 

• Covid map: Coronavirus cases, deaths, vaccinations by country BBC News
• Covid: Australia to get Pfizer doses from UK in vaccine swap BBC News
• HALF of all 16 and 17 year olds in England have already had their Covid vaccine The Daily Mail
• No urgency on Covid booster shots for healthy adults, says UK scientist The Guardian
• Covid: NHS 'ready' to vaccinate over-12s in schools in 'very near future', Gavin Williamson says ITV News

Jeremy Hunt: Taxpayers must pay more to fund social care

Jeremy Hunt: Taxpayers must pay more to fund social care The government must find a way for social care to be adequately funded, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said, amid reports ministers plan to raise national insurance.

Downing Street did not deny reports of an increase of at least 1% to improve social care and tackle the NHS backlog. BBC News

See also: 

• Why the time has come for a new health and care premium The Daily Telegraph
• Tax rise for 25 million to pay for social care The Daily Telegraph
• Increase taxes not national insurance to fund social care, says Jeremy Hunt The Guardian
• Rise in national insurance could fund post-Covid boost for NHS The Guardian

Sexual abuse of children happening in broad range of religious settings, report finds

Sexual abuse of children happening in broad range of religious settings, report finds Most major religions are guilty of "blatant hypocrisy" for covering up sex abuse while preaching "right from wrong", a government-ordered inquiry has concluded. 

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) examined child protection in 38 religious organisations and settings in England and Wales. The Daily Telegraph

See also: 

• Religious groups in UK failing children over sex abuse, report says BBC News
• Child sexual abuse victims let down by ‘blatant hypocrisy and moral failing of religions’, inquiry finds The Independent
• A 'moral failing': Report finds child sexual abuse prevalent in institutions across major UK religions Sky News

Around 78 million people may have dementia by 2030 - a 45% increase - WHO predicts

Around 78 million people may have dementia by 2030 - a 45% increase - WHO predicts About 78 million people may have dementia by 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates in a new report. 

It would be a 42 percent increase from current figures - the number was 55 million in 2019.

By 2050, the number of people with dementia could be 139 million, the WHO says - a whopping 153 percent increase from 2019. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• World failing to address dementia challenge World Health Organization
• Global status report on the public health response to dementia World Health Organization