Extra Covid tests required from today for visitors to Northampton General Hospital childrens' wards

Extra Covid tests required from today for visitors to Northampton General Hospital childrens' wards People visiting Northampton General Hospital children's wards face extra Covid testing from today.

Parents or guardians need to take regular PCR tests and will not be able to visit kids together. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Wollaston emergency body storage unit ready for reactivation - and it's not if, but when Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Scientists ‘discover' way to speed up vaccine production for future pandemics Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Covid forces cancellation of Northamptonshire village Carols on the Square Christmas Eve event for second year running Northamptonshire Telegraph

'It wasn't the death she deserved': Northampton man backs assisted dying law after terminally ill mum takes her own life

'It wasn't the death she deserved': Northampton man backs assisted dying law after terminally ill mum takes her own life Adam Wellesley and his sister were questioned by police after their terminally ill mum took her life and now he is backing the Dignity in Death campaign as momentum builds up across the UK and Ireland. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Over two thirds of eligible adults boosted ahead of Christmas

Over two thirds of eligible adults boosted ahead of Christmas More than two thirds of people aged 18 and over and who are eligible, have now received their top up protection against COVID-19 as the NHS booster campaign continues to protect the nation against the virus.

In total, 25,130,453 people who are three months on from their second dose have already been boosted in England, with the online service opening to eligible adults last Wednesday. NHS England

See also: 

• Research: COVID-19: Omicron daily overview UK Health Security Agency
• Test and Trace services continue over the festive period UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: COVID-19: infection prevention and control (IPC) UK Health Security Agency

Covid: Self-isolation cut from 10 days to seven with negative test

Covid: Self-isolation cut from 10 days to seven with negative test People infected with Covid in England can stop self-isolating up to three days early if they test negative twice, it has been announced.

They will now be able to end quarantine after seven days instead of 10 by providing negative lateral flow results on day six and day seven.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it would minimise disruption caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. BBC News

See also: 

• Covid: No new restrictions in England before Christmas - Boris Johnson BBC News
• Covid-19: Israel could become the first country to give four vaccine doses BBC News
• Covid Omicron: European nations reinstate restrictions BBC News
• Many mutations of Omicron variant allow it to bond with human cells better than other Covid strains The Daily Mail
• Boris Johnson's pledge to get every adult a booster jab by New Year looks a bust The Daily Mail
• Previous Delta infection alone provides little protection against Omicron The Daily Mail
• Government will have to act before Christmas if hospitalisations increase, warns expert The Daily Telegraph
• GP practices forced to close or reduce services after COVID-19 outbreaks GPonline
• Suspected Covid outbreaks in UK hospitals double in a week The Guardian
• Minister says Covid plan B has caused significant behaviour change – video The Guardian
• UK government’s wait for Omicron evidence is a high-stakes gamble The Guardian
• How long is Omicron’s incubation period? The Independent
• Hospitals braced for ‘mass casualty’ scenario amid fears one-third of NHS staff could be off sick The Independent

Councils call for billions of pounds to be diverted from NHS to social care

Councils call for billions of pounds to be diverted from NHS to social care Town halls in England are calling for billions of pounds a year earmarked for the NHS to be diverted to social care amid warnings of severe care worker shortages and hundreds of thousands of people not getting the help they need.

The cross-party Local Government Association wants a rethink of the government policy announced in October, which is to reserve 85% of receipts from the new 1.25% health and social care tax for the health service. The Guardian 

Just 10% of patients take up 40% of GP appointments and visit their practice 60 TIMES a year

Just 10% of patients take up 40% of GP appointments and visit their practice 60 TIMES a year Family doctors are being overwhelmed by a small group of ‘frequent attenders’ who have five times more appointments than other patients, research shows.

A study of 1.7 billion GP consultations over the past two decades UK found 40 per cent of all appointments are taken up by just ten per cent of patients.

These ‘regulars’ attend their GP surgery around 60 times a year, five times more than other patients. The Daily Mail

See also: 

• Consultation patterns and frequent attenders in UK primary care from 2000 to 2019: a retrospective cohort analysis of consultation events across 845 general practices (open access) BMJ Open

Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2021

Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2021 Technology has been central to the National Health Service response to the Covid-19 pandemic – we look back at the stories that made the headlines on 2021. Computer Weekly