Military personnel brought in to support East Midlands Ambulance Service with non-emergency responses

Military personnel brought in to support East Midlands Ambulance Service with non-emergency responses Arrangements have been made for 60 military personnel to support East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) with responding to non-emergency patients in the coming weeks. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Integration and innovation in action: community capacity

Integration and innovation in action: community capacity This report outlines a range of examples where NHS organisations are working collaboratively to improve outcomes for patients and local communities. Based on interviews with NHS leaders, it reflects on the opportunities and challenges of models of care that aim to treat patients in the community. NHS Confederation 

Diverting children from unnecessary hospital attendances in York

Diverting children from unnecessary hospital attendances in York This case study shows how local GP provider organisation Nimbuscare worked with the local authority, volunteers, local businesses and health providers in York to turn an area of wasteland into the beginnings of a health village. The disused car park hosts an innovative paediatric hub pilot scheme to help prevent under-fives from going into hospital, provides preventative health checks and delivers flu, Covid-19 and booster vaccinations on behalf of the eleven GP practices within the city. NHS Confederation 

People with a positive lateral flow test no longer required to take confirmatory PCR test

People with a positive lateral flow test no longer required to take confirmatory PCR test From 11 January, most people with a positive lateral flow test do not need to take a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm they have COVID-19. UK Health Security Agency 

Is the worst of Omicron really over?

Is the worst of Omicron really over? Covid cases in the UK are on the way down - at least according to the daily figures released by the government.

The number of cases confirmed over the past seven days is 13% down on the previous week.

But does this really mean the Omicron wave has peaked? BBC News

See also: 

• Covid: Half of Europe to be infected with Omicron within weeks - WHO BBC News
• Covid: Quebec to impose health tax on unvaccinated Canadians BBC News
• Covid-19 vaccine: Why are some athletes so reluctant to get the jab? BBC News
• Downing Street party: What Covid rules would it have broken? BBC News
• MPs demand answers over Covid drinks claim BBC News
• Doctor reveals every critically ill Covid patient being treated at his hospital is unvaccinated The Daily Mail
• Pfizer plans to produce up to 100 million doses of new Omicron-specific Covid vaccine by spring The Daily Mail
• Garden party hangover might explain why Boris Johnson didn’t sack Dominic Cummings straight away The Daily Telegraph
• What does the Omicron winter crisis mean for the NHS? The Guardian
• One in seven could still be infectious after five-day Covid isolation The Guardian
• ‘The party’s over, Boris’: what the papers say about Johnson’s No 10 crisis The Guardian
• UK records 379 Covid deaths and 120,821 new cases as PCR test rule change begins The Independent
• No 10 staff told to ‘clean up’ phones amid lockdown party allegations, sources claim The Independent
• Police fined more than 800 people for breach of Covid rules in week of Downing Street party The Independent

RSV: Parents should be alert to symptoms of common winter virus

RSV: Parents should be alert to symptoms of common winter virus A charity is warning parents to be alert to a common winter virus that can cause breathing problems in very young children.

The British Lung Foundation says respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) could rebound in January after few cases last winter - but numbers are currently low.

As with Covid, most children have mild symptoms but a small number need hospital treatment. BBC News 

Ex-NHS chief bids to force ministers to 'reveal hand' on mental health cash

Ex-NHS chief bids to force ministers to 'reveal hand' on mental health cash A move that would force the Government to show it is “putting its money where its mouth is” on mental health funding has been proposed at Westminster by a former NHS boss.

Against the backdrop of other pressing issues such as tackling operation waiting lists, Lord Stevens of Birmingham stressed the need for the sector to remain a priority. The Independent 

As a paramedic, I see an NHS ambulance service at breaking point, letting down those who need it most

As a paramedic, I see an NHS ambulance service at breaking point, letting down those who need it most | The Secret Paramedic Patients wait up to 12 hours. Some die waiting. How long must we wait for this dire situation to improve?

Waiting, and waiting, and waiting. For a GP appointment, a routine screening, a vaccine. To see a clinician in A&E, or for an ambulance to take you there. Waiting for a referral appointment, for the community nurse to arrive, for a care worker to call. The NHS waiting list feels endless. The Guardian