Christmas 'tree of light' helps Northamptonshire Health Charity raise over £1000 for local hospitals

Christmas 'tree of light' helps Northamptonshire Health Charity raise over £1000 for local hospitals People in Northampton will be able to honour their loved ones by brightening 'Christmas tree of light', as part of charity fundraiser. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

NHS backlogs and waiting times in England

NHS backlogs and waiting times in England Recovering elective and cancer care performance to the standards required will be a huge and lengthy challenge for the NHS, and there is a real risk that the waiting list for patients seeking elective care will be longer in 2025 than it is today, according to analysis from the National Audit Office.

See also:

• NAO delivers cold dose of reality for government’s NHS recovery plan The Health Foundation
• NHS will have to work harder than ever to clear momentous care backlog Nuffield Trust
• NHS backlog impacting on patient care and GP workload - needs addressing urgently, says RCGP Royal College of General Practitioners
• RCN responds to NAO report on NHS backlog Royal College of Nursing
• NHS waiting list could DOUBLE to 12 million in just four years, damning report warns The Daily Mail
• 'Biggest cancer catastrophe ever' to hit NHS as up to 740000 potential cases missed The Daily Telegraph
• Up to 12m people could be on NHS waiting list in England by 2025 The Guardian
• Up to 740,000 cancer cases needing urgent GP referrals could have been missed since first lockdown The Independent

Invisible crisis in home care unfolding as social care sector loses up to 50,000 staff in lead up to winter months

Invisible crisis in home care unfolding as social care sector loses up to 50,000 staff in lead up to winter months Our analysis reveals that the social care sector in England may have lost up to 50,000 workers across all providers of care, heaping pressure onto burnt out existing staff and restricting access to care in the leadup to a very challenging winter. Nuffield Trust

See also: 

• Through a glass darkly: the unseen crisis in home care Nuffield Trust
• Chart of the week: The tumbling numbers of social care staff Nuffield Trust

Over £23 million investment to end new HIV infections by 2030

Over £23 million investment to end new HIV infections by 2030 The government has bolstered its commitment to achieve zero new HIV infections, AIDS and HIV related deaths in England by 2030 via a new action plan backed by £23 million of funding.

Current HIV prevention methods are working – with a 35% reduction in new HIV diagnoses in England between 2014 and 2019. This represents one of the biggest decreases worldwide. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Policy paper: Towards Zero: the HIV Action Plan for England - 2022 to 2025 Department of Health and Social Care
• World Aids Day: 'I saw my partner and friends die of the disease' BBC News
• Even after 40 years the response to Aids in many countries is still held back by stigma | Hakima Himmich and Mike Podmore The Guardian
• World Aids Day: Government pledges millions to end HIV infections in England by 2030 Sky News

All adults to be offered COVID-19 boosters by end of January

All adults to be offered COVID-19 boosters by end of January All eligible adults in England aged 18 and over will be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine by the end of January.

Following advice from the independent experts at the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), everyone who is currently eligible - including those aged 40 and over, health and social care workers and those at increased risk from the virus due to health conditions - will be able to book their jab from three months after their second dose, meaning an additional 7 million people over 40 are now eligible. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Speech: Health and Social Care Secretary statement 30 November Department of Health and Social Care
• COVID-19 variants identified in the UK UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: booster dose resources UK Health Security Agency

Covid: Omicron may require 'very stringent response', say Sage scientists

Covid: Omicron may require 'very stringent response', say Sage scientists The impact of the Omicron variant on the UK is "highly uncertain" but may require a "very stringent response", government advisers have said.

The BBC has seen leaked minutes of a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies held on Monday.

They said officials should prepare now for a "potentially significant" wave of infections while data on the variant is being collected and analysed. BBC News

See also: 

• Covid: Can the NHS boost the booster programme? BBC News
• Covid booster: Hospitals and pharmacies urged to ramp up rollout BBC News
• Covid: GPs have 'no capacity' to help with booster jabs BBC News
• Covid: No need to change Christmas plans says Sajid Javid BBC News
• Covid: Is it safe to hit the office Christmas party? BBC News
• Covid: WHO urges those at risk from disease to delay travel if not fully vaccinated BBC News
• People who survive severe COVID are 2.5 times as likely to die within a year as those not infected The Daily Mail
• Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid try to quell hospitality fears over limiting socialising The Daily Mail
• Omicron variant is unlikely to cause severe illness in vaccinated people, BioNTech says The Daily Mail
• No 10 must implement plan B before hospitals fill up, NHS leaders warn The Guardian
• This time we know the Covid risks. We have simply decided to manage them | Zoe Williams The Guardian
• Boosters 'huge logistical challenge' for the NHS, experts say The Independent
• NHS asks for army to help with Covid booster vaccine drive The Independent
• Experts fear new Covid variant will impact effectiveness of key drugs The Independent

New 'NHS Reserves' scheme calls on retired nurses to return to work

New 'NHS Reserves' scheme calls on retired nurses to return to work The government is calling on retired NHS nurses and colleagues to return to work, as part of a health service “reserves” scheme being launched across the country. Nursing Times 

New social care plans risk backlash over failure to tackle England’s winter crisis

New social care plans risk backlash over failure to tackle England’s winter crisis Exclusive: long-awaited white paper provides no new funding to help with care providers’ immediate problems

Ministers are risking a fresh backlash over social care by unveiling long awaited proposals that will offer no new funding to help crisis-hit care providers through winter, the Guardian understands. 

Health chiefs recall batches of blood pressure pills because they contain cancer-causing chemical

Health chiefs recall batches of blood pressure pills because they contain cancer-causing chemical Dozens of batches of a blood pressure pills have been recalled due to being contaminated with 'unacceptable' levels of a potentially cancer causing chemical.

Pharmacies and health professionals were ordered to immediately stop supplying 44 batches of the drug irbesartan and quarantine all remaining stock after they were found to contain a substance called ABZT. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Precautionary recall of specific batches of blood pressure drug irbesartan Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency