Where eight covid outbreaks in Northamptonshire are right now

Where eight covid outbreaks in Northamptonshire are right now Latest public heath data shows that there are currently eight outbreaks of Covid-19 in Northamptonshire.

They are relatively spread across the area, in Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton and South Northamptonshire. Northants Live

See also:

• Sajid Javid says 'get Covid booster jabs to prevent restrictions over Christmas' Northamptonshire Telegraph

Charity's plan to 'Light Up a Life' as part of Christmas countdown at Northampton General Hospital

Charity's plan to 'Light Up a Life' as part of Christmas countdown at Northampton General Hospital Charity workers raising cash for patients and staff at county hospitals plan to 'Light Up a Life' as part of their countdown to Christmas.

Northamptonshire Health Charity will dedicate hundreds of lights on a tree to loved ones no longer with us at a special ceremony at Northampton General Hospital next month. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Corby: Bleed control kits installed by anti-knife charity

Corby: Bleed control kits installed by anti-knife charity Bleed control kits have been installed in a town where a teenager was fatally stabbed earlier this year.

Rayon Pennycook, 16, died in May on Constable Road in Corby, Northamptonshire, on 25 May.

The four bleed control kits and three bleed control cabinets, which are available 24 hours a day, were provided by the East Midlands Knife Amnesty. BBC Northampton

Attracting, supporting and retaining a diverse NHS workforce

Attracting, supporting and retaining a diverse NHS workforce The vital work of the NHS would be impossible without the contribution of a broad range of people, and a diverse and inclusive workforce ensures better care for patients. Yet despite considerable efforts and initiatives, it is clear that issues such as discrimination and harassment are present at every level of the health service. In this major new report commissioned by NHS Employers, we examine the representation of under-served groups and provide a set of recommendations for change as the NHS strives to become an exemplar of equality, diversity and inclusion. Nuffield Trust

See also: 

• More resource needed to stamp out discrimination experienced by NHS staff NHS Providers
• NHS does not have the fundamentals in place to tackle discrimination, report warns Nuffield Trust
• RCN responds to Nuffield Trust report that says NHS does not have fundamentals to tackle discrimination Royal College of Nursing

Anchor institutions must re-imagine how public bodies immerse themselves within local communities

Anchor institutions must re-imagine how public bodies immerse themselves within local communities Most people go into public service fired by a high ambition, wanting to change the world! But sadly, institutional life can narrow our aims. In the NHS in particular, we can slip into constant enquiry about role – is this our job, is it my job, who else’s job might it be? And so, bit by bit, year by year, the high aims are whittled down to what is possible and what is deemed relevant, and a fear of failure translates into a worry about experimenting. The King's Fund 

£250 million in NHS technology to modernise diagnostics

£250 million in NHS technology to modernise diagnostics The NHS will receive £248 million over the next year to invest in technology that will deliver more diagnostic tests, checks and scans to help provide faster diagnosis of a health condition, earlier treatment and reduce waiting lists. Department of Health and Social Care 

Over 10 million people in the UK receive COVID-19 top-up vaccines

Over 10 million people in the UK receive COVID-19 top-up vaccines More than 10 million people have now received their COVID-19 booster or third jabs, the latest figures show, ensuring the vital protection they have secured from their first two doses is maintained over the winter months. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• People urged to get COVID-19 boosters as almost 10m people jabbed Department of Health and Social Care
• Booster bookings to be opened a month early Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS offers residents in every eligible care home a COVID booster jab NHS England

Where are we at with Covid?

Where are we at with Covid? There is a never-ending stream of data about Covid and at times it can seem completely contradictory. So where do we stand at the moment?

The number of people testing positive is continuing to fall, but are we wrong to constantly tout this number around? It is looking certain that the epidemic in schoolchildren is in decline, but why, and will it last? And do we need to pay more attention to infections in older age groups? After all, they are the people at highest risk. BBC News

See also: 

• Covid: Pfizer says antiviral pill 89% effective in high risk cases BBC News
• Covid: Unvaccinated urged to come forward before winter BBC News
• Covid: Ten million boosters now given in UK but more needed - PM BBC News
• Covid: Booster jabs to open earlier for booking in England BBC News
• Covid-19: Dr Sharon Hopkins says it's 'so important' for people to get booster vaccine BBC News
• Covid-19: US reopens border to UK travellers after almost two years BBC News
• Millions put at risk by booster shot chaos with vulnerable patients struggling to get appointments The Daily Mail
• Is THIS why Delta is so infectious? Scientists find little-known mutation on part of Covid variant The Daily Mail
• Boosters will see Covid 'fade into the background', Oxford scientist says The Daily Telegraph
• UK government could restrict travel for people who refuse Covid boosters The Guardian
• Support and education more effective than forcing Covid vaccination of NHS staff, warns RCN Nursing in Practice

Ambulance response times double as patients die waiting for paramedics

Ambulance response times double as patients die waiting for paramedics Patients are waiting almost twice as long for a paramedic as they were at the height of the pandemic, The Independent can reveal, as ambulance services buckle under the strain of record demand with dwindling resources.

See also:

• England’s hospitals already at peak winter bed occupancy, NHS bosses warn The Guardian
• Long waits at A&E becoming normal, warn doctors’ groups The Guardian

Care boss blasts ministers for treating NHS like ‘favoured child’

Care boss blasts ministers for treating NHS like ‘favoured child’ Ministers have deepened the split between social care and the health service since the pandemic began, the chief executive of trade group Care England has said.

In a devastating attack on the government, Professor Martin Green said that ministers tested out controversial policies on social care and treated it “like the child they are irritated with” while the NHS was “the favoured child”. The Guardian 

See also:

• Hundreds of care units may close as 60k staff could face axe if they aren't double jabbed this week The Daily Mail

Married lesbian couple launch discrimination action against NHS

Married lesbian couple launch discrimination action against NHS A married lesbian couple are launching a landmark legal test case against a branch of NHS England’s fertility sector, claiming it discriminates against LGBT+ families.

Influencers Megan Bacon-Evans, 34, and her wife Whitney, 33, from Windsor in Berkshire, have accused their clinical commissioning group (CCG), Frimley, of penalising them financially because of their sexuality. The Guardian

NHS saves more than 2 million hours using Microsoft Teams

NHS saves more than 2 million hours using Microsoft Teams More than two million hours of staff time have been saved since the NHS rolled out Microsoft Teams, a new survey has found.

In the first six months, the communications platform was used across the health service as it replaced 14.5m phone calls and hosted more than 32m virtual meetings. Digital Health