Schools focus on Mental Health Awareness Day as survey shows more than half of Northamptonshire youngsters experienced depression

Schools focus on Mental Health Awareness Day as survey shows more than half of Northamptonshire youngsters experienced depression Health chiefs in Northamptonshire are focusing on young people on Mental Health Awareness Day after surveys revealed more than half have experienced depression.

A recent survey undertaken by the county's Talk Out Loud programme showed 46 percent of youngsters believe society does not understand their mental health needs. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Six Northampton neighbourhoods where Covid case rates are falling and six more where they're not

Six Northampton neighbourhoods where Covid case rates are falling and six more where they're not The PM said on Wednesday he that expects anybody testing positive would no longer need to self-isolate from sometime just after February 21 'providing the current encouraging trends in the data continue.'

Those 'encouraging trends' in and around Northampton have seen falls in Covid case rates in 25 out of the 31 neighbourhoods in the last week of official data with drops of up to a third.

Yet there are still more than 3,000 people stuck indoors after testing positive and case rates remain higher than the national and regional average, according to figures on an interactive map which reflects official data for the locality where you live. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS Performance Summary: December – January 2021

NHS Performance Summary: December – January 2021 Today, NHS England published the latest data on key activity and performance measures for December 2021 and January 2022. Here we show NHS performance against some key targets, including some of those set out in the latest planning guidance released earlier this week, as well as other indicators of patient safety and care. Nuffield Trust

See also:

• No let up for staff or patients with NHS facing historic levels of pressure The Health Foundation
• The King's Fund responds to the latest NHS performance data and weekly hospital situation reports The King's Fund
• Millions of patients will face long waits for treatment for some considerable time to come Nuffield Trust
• Despite intense pressure, NHS making significant strides in tackling the backlog NHS Confederation
• More tests and checks delivered despite Omicron winter NHS England
• Sickest face record long waits for hospital bed BBC News
• No. 10 U-turned on hospitals waiting list target as forecast hit 10m The Daily Mail
• Number of people in England on NHS waiting list hits record high The Guardian
• NHS waiting list in England surges past 6 million people as delays rise again iNews

Digital and remote primary care: the inverse care law with a 21st century twist?

Digital and remote primary care: the inverse care law with a 21st century twist? The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to how people access primary care services, including the rise of online bookings and remote consultations. This long read discusses whether the shift towards digital primary care risks making access easier for people with less need and harder for those more likely to be in poorer health – and describes the actions that would help in getting access right. Nuffield Trust

The state of integrated care systems 2021/22

The state of integrated care systems 2021/22 This report is based on the views of system leaders, gathered through a national survey and interviews with a range of stakeholders. It sets out areas where leaders feel they have progressed well and where improvements are needed. It concludes that there is a risk that if integrated care system leaders are not given sufficient time and space they will not be able to deliver the changes to health and care services that the pandemic has demonstrated are needed. NHS Confederation 

Policy paper: Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data (draft)

Policy paper: Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data (draft) The draft strategy sets out ambitious plans to harness the potential of data in health and care, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and ethics. Department of Health and Social  Care

UK completes over 2 million SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences

UK completes over 2 million SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences The UK has surpassed 2 million SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences uploaded to the international Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database. UK Health Security Agency

See also:

• Boosters prevented over 105,000 hospitalisations, UKHSA analysis estimates UK Health Security Agency
• National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published UK Health Security Agency
• Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports: 2021 to 2022 season UK Health Security Agency

End of Covid regulations: What if I'm still worried?

End of Covid regulations: What if I'm still worried? One of the last remaining Covid restrictions in England - the legal requirement for people to isolate if they test positive for Covid - may be scrapped in the coming weeks.

Boris Johnson says he intends to present the country with a strategy for "living with Covid" on 24 February. BBC News

See also:

• Covid isolation rules: 'How am I supposed to know who's infected?' BBC News
• Daily Covid cases plunge by a quarter in a week, deaths sink by a third The Daily Mail
• Researchers find RAT-BORN Covid variant circulating among rodents in the New York City The Daily Mail
• What is an NHS Covid pass and when do I need to use it? The Independent
• Covid testing: ‘Gold standard’ ONS testing set to be scrapped making it more difficult to monitor virus spread iNews
• Chris Whitty and scientists 'blindsided' by plans to scrap Covid rules in two weeks The Mirror
• Scrapping Covid self-isolation 'could have serious impact' on NHS, BMA warns Pulse

'Dental deserts' with no NHS provision on the rise in England, MPs warn

'Dental deserts' with no NHS provision on the rise in England, MPs warn Campaigners have called on MPs to "act now" to improve patchy and under-funded NHS dental provision.

Toothless in England said reform of the current dental system was "long overdue" and the government was "continuing to ignore the very real and acute needs of the general population".

MPs debated the issue, warning some areas in England were "dental deserts". BBC News 

Two cases of rare rat-borne Lassa fever found in UK

Two cases of rare rat-borne Lassa fever found in UK Two cases of the rare rat-borne Lassa fever have been found in England, with a further “probable” case being investigated.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the cases which have been identified are within the same family in the east of England and are linked to recent travel to west Africa. The Independent

See also: 

• Lassa fever cases identified in England, following travel to West Africa UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: Lassa fever: origins, reservoirs, transmission and guidelines UK Health Security Agency