Army arrives at Northampton and Kettering hospitals as figures show ambulances queuing more than an hour for A&E

Army arrives at Northampton and Kettering hospitals as figures show ambulances queuing more than an hour for A&E Nearly one in five ambulances carrying A&E patients were forced to queue for more than an hour outside Northampton General Hospital (NGH) during the first full week of 2022. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Chart of the week: Are a greater proportion of NHS hospital beds being occupied this winter?

Chart of the week: Are a greater proportion of NHS hospital beds being occupied this winter? Winter presents a period of significant pressure on the NHS – there are more illnesses and deaths, and individuals’ existing conditions often get worse. One clear marker of that pressure is the percentage of beds available in hospitals that are occupied by patients. In this chart, Liz Fisher looks at how the bed occupancy rate so far in English hospitals this winter compares with previous winters. Nuffield Trust 

Ethnic minority-led GP practices: impact and experience of CQC regulation

Ethnic minority-led GP practices: impact and experience of CQC regulation Providers led by GPs of an ethnic minority background have raised with us concerns that they do not receive the same regulatory outcomes from CQC as providers led by GPs of a non-ethnic minority background.

To investigate and respond to these concerns, we started a programme of work in February 2021. The focus of this has been on how our own regulatory approach affects ethnic minority-led GP practices and how we can improve our methods to address any inequalities we identify. Care Quality Commission 

CQC publishes new survey showing the impact of lockdown on mental health and dignity

CQC publishes new survey showing the impact of lockdown on mental health and dignity New research published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carries a stark message on the challenges faced by health and social care services in England and has highlighted the importance of feedback for improving care. 

New plans to boost veterans employment launched

New plans to boost veterans employment launched New programmes to make better use of the unique skills and experience of military veterans, including as prison officers and the uniformed and health services, have been launched.

The programmes are part of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan, which will launch a range of measures to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran. The Cabinet Office 

England to return to Plan A following the success of the booster programme

England to return to Plan A following the success of the booster programme The government has announced that England will fully return to Plan A on Thursday 27 January thanks to the success of the booster programme, with ministers urging anyone who has still not had a top-up jab to come forward and Get Boosted Now. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Health Secretary statement from COVID-19 press conference Department of Health and Social Care

Covid infections falling across the UK, says ONS

Covid infections falling across the UK, says ONS The number of people infected with coronavirus in the UK is showing the most significant fall since the start of the Omicron wave, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates.

In the week to 15 January, 3.5 million people tested positive - down from 4.3 million the week before, it says. BBC News

See also: 

• PM announces end to Plan B Covid measures BBC News
• FactCheck: tens of thousands of NHS England staff face dismissal over compulsory vaccines Channel 4 News
• Machine learning process can predict which Covid patients will recover from the disease The Daily Mail
• Covid-19 UK: Common blood thinner can spare virus patients from severe lung damage, study claims The Daily Mail
• Free lateral flow Covid tests to be scrapped by JULY under No10's 'Operation Rampdown' The Daily Mail
• Covid lateral flow tests don't work as well on children The Daily Mail
• The NHS doctors picking 'no jab' over a job The Daily Telegraph
• Work from home and and mandatory mask rules to be dropped as England moves back to plan A – video The Guardian
• Plan A: what are the new Covid rules in England? The Guardian
• Sajid Javid’s axing of all Covid restrictions draws warnings from NHS The Guardian
• Removal of Covid rules in UK risks premature signal of victory The Guardian
• Dropping Plan B will not ease pressure on NHS, nurses warn The Independent
• No Covid lockdown rules needed says NHS boss with severe cases stable Metro

Millions are dying from drug-resistant infections, global report says

Millions are dying from drug-resistant infections, global report says More than 1.2 million people died worldwide in 2019 from infections caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics, according to the largest study of the issue to date.

This is more than the annual death toll from malaria or Aids.

Poorer countries are worst affected but antimicrobial resistance threatens everyone's health, the report says. BBC News

See also:

• Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis (open access) The Lancet
• Antibiotic-resistant superbugs killed 1.2MILLION people in 2019 - more than HIV or malaria The Daily Mail
• Antibiotic-resistant infections killing more than HIV or malaria, major study shows The Independent

Patients 'wait two years' for check-ups as dentists drop NHS work

Patients 'wait two years' for check-ups as dentists drop NHS work NHS dentistry is "hanging by a thread" with some patients facing two-year waits for check-ups, the British Dental Association has said.

Department of Health data analysed by the BBC shows almost 1,000 dentists working in 2,500 roles across England and Wales left the NHS last year. BBC News

Changes will give NHS patients 'quicker access to new medicines'

Changes will give NHS patients 'quicker access to new medicines' Changes to the way medicines and devices are assessed for NHS use in England will give patients “better access to life-changing medicines”, experts have said.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has proposed a raft of measures changing the way that it assesses new medicines and devices for NHS use. The Independent

Ex-banker NHS chair must ‘get up to speed’ on social care, MPs warn

Ex-banker NHS chair must ‘get up to speed’ on social care, MPs warn The new chair of the NHS must get up to speed on social care, MPs have warned as they approved the banking chief’s appointment.

The appointment of Richard Meddings as new chair of NHS England has been approved by the government’s Health Committee, following an interview on Tuesday. The Independent