Northamptonshire hospitals see number of Covid patients double in four weeks

Northamptonshire hospitals see number of Covid patients double in four weeks Hospital chiefs fear more pressure piling on to local NHS services after the number of Covid patients needing treatment more than doubled in a month. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also: 

• Covid vaccine rollout begins on Monday for Northamptonshire secondary school students Northamptonshire Telegraph
• England unlikely to need ‘full-blown lockdown’ this winter, leading expert says Northamptonshire Telegraph

What's the plan for ambulances to get through traffic chaos outside Northampton General Hospital?

What's the plan for ambulances to get through traffic chaos outside Northampton General Hospital? Three-month major roadworks near Northampton General Hospital (NGH) have caused standstill traffic during the rush hours this week - but is there a plan for emergency vehicles to get in and out of NGH? Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Northants hospitals warning over scam texts inviting patients for operations

Northants hospitals warning over scam texts inviting patients for operations Northampton General Hospital has issued vital information for customers on how to identify a real NHS text from a scam.

The Northamptonshire hospital has offered the advice with patients being increasingly contacted by their doctors by text. Northants Live 

Northants care workers paid the lowest wage in the country - as pay talks continue for Corby home care staff

Northants care workers paid the lowest wage in the country - as pay talks continue for Corby home care staff Figures analysed by our sister news site NationalWorld showed that council-employed carers across Northamptonshire are paid the lowest wages in the whole country. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Tackling the elective backlog – exploring the relationship between deprivation and waiting times

Tackling the elective backlog – exploring the relationship between deprivation and waiting times Long waiting times and growing waiting lists for hospital treatment have been a problem for some time, but now the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the issue and waiting lists have grown rapidly. As with other aspects of the pandemic, this has not been experienced equally. Our analysis of waiting list data shows a clear relationship with deprivation, which sees those living in the most deprived areas nearly twice as likely to wait more than a year for treatment compared to those living in the least deprived areas. The King's Fund

See also: 

• NHS waits: More people feeling forced into private healthcare BBC News
• Agony for half of over-50s as it emerges thousands are waiting for surgery amid crisis in the NHS The Daily Mail
• NHS backlog disproportionately affecting England’s most deprived The Guardian

Elective care: how has COVID-19 affected the waiting list?

Elective care: how has COVID-19 affected the waiting list? This analysis looks at what we know about the waiting list for elective care in England.

While the NHS delivered a remarkable amount of elective treatment during the pandemic, the pressure of caring for large numbers of patients seriously unwell with COVID-19 has led to the waiting list for elective care reaching the highest level since current records began.

Data show that 6 million fewer people completed elective care pathways between January 2020 and July 2021 than would have been expected based on pre-pandemic numbers. The Health Foundation

How primary care is delivering for patients

How primary care is delivering for patients This infographic demonstrates how primary care teams in England have been supporting patients. NHS Confederation 

Consultation on the future regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom

Consultation on the future regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom The MHRA is inviting members of the public to provide their views on possible changes to the regulatory framework for medical devices in the United Kingdom. The MHRA wants to develop a future regime for medical devices which enables: improved patient and public safety; greater transparency of regulatory decision making and medical device information; close alignment with international best practice and; more flexible, responsive and proportionate regulation of medical devices. It welcomes the views of patients, medical device researchers, developers, manufacturers and suppliers, clinicians, other healthcare professionals and the wider public to help shape the MHRA’s future approach to regulating medical devices in the UK. This consultation closes on 25 November 2021. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

People aged 16 and 17 urged to get lifesaving COVID vaccine as NHS bookings open

People aged 16 and 17 urged to get lifesaving COVID vaccine as NHS bookings open People aged 16 and 17 are able to book their COVID-19 jabs through the National Booking Service from today as the NHS vaccination programme pulls out all the stops to protect people ahead of winter.

Almost three quarters of a million young people in England – around 60% – have already received their vaccine thanks to the NHS ‘Grab a Jab’ campaign, where the NHS online site finder helps people find their nearest walk-in vaccine clinic. NHS England 

Margaret Keenan: First UK person to get the Pfizer jab gets booster

Margaret Keenan: First UK person to get the Pfizer jab gets booster A woman who became the first person in the world to get the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has had her booster.

Margaret Keenan, 91, from Coventry, got her third injection at University Hospital in the city on Friday, the same place she was first vaccinated.

Also getting the booster was Matron May Parsons, who administered Ms Keenan's first jab back in December. BBC News

See also: 

• World Health Organisation will start NEW Covid investigation The Daily Mail
• Invented in Britain: New anti-viral nasal spray that dramatically cuts the chance of catching Covid The Daily Mail
• England's Covid outbreak shrunk by 11% last week, official data shows The Daily Mail
• ‘We haven’t finished the job’: JVT reflects on 18 months of Covid The Guardian
• Children ‘paying the price’ for delayed approval of Covid vaccine, warn experts, as cases soar The Independent
• Campaign sending schools legal letters over Covid jabs stopped due to ‘censorship issues’ The Independent

NHS ‘on the edge’ with some patients waiting 48 hours for a bed

NHS ‘on the edge’ with some patients waiting 48 hours for a bed The NHS is struggling to cope with growing demand for urgent and emergency care, health officials have warned, with hospitals under the kind of pressure “usually seen at the height of winter”.

A&E units across the UK are so crowded that 50% are being forced to hold sick patients outside or turn ambulances away every day, Britain’s top emergency doctor told the Guardian. The figure is the highest ever recorded; it was 27% in October 2020 and 17% in March this year.

See also: 

• QE Hospital Birmingham: Winter looms with staff 'hanging on by a thread' BBC News
• ‘Things are grim here’: doctor tells of dire situation in north-west England ICU The Guardian
• Gas crisis, Covid and food shortages: Tories fear perfect winter storm The Guardian

Labour launches bid to end NHS 'culture of secrecy' and improve safety following care scandals

Labour launches bid to end NHS 'culture of secrecy' and improve safety following care scandals Labour is to push for key changes to the government’s NHS reforms, with new laws on transparency in the NHS and a demand for safe staffing levels on hospital wards, following a series of scandals relating to failures in patient care.

Amendments to the government’s Health and Care Bill will also include plans for the investigation of stillbirths by medical examiners, and for limits on the power of the health secretary to interfere in investigations. The Independent

See also: 

• NHS On 'Slippery Slope' To Insurance System, Claims Shadow Health Secretary Huffington Post UK
• Ashworth sets out Labour’s prescription for the health of the nation The Independent

Stillbirths fell to lowest EVER rate in 2020 amid Covid pandemic, official figures show

Stillbirths fell to lowest EVER rate in 2020 amid Covid pandemic, official figures show Office for National Statistics figures show there were 3.8 stillbirths per 1,000 births in England and Wales last year, the lowest since records began in 1927. The Daily Mail