There are 17 neighbourhoods in Northamptonshire where Deltacron has seen Covid cases DOUBLE in a week

There are 17 neighbourhoods in Northamptonshire where Deltacron has seen Covid cases DOUBLE in a week Health chiefs are confident vaccinations can keep Covid hospitalisations in check amid warnings of a new Omicron sub-variant which is almost as infectious as measles.

The number of new coronavirus cases doubled in 17 out of Northamptonshire's 91 neighbourhoods in the week to March 10. Just five areas saw a fall in the number of positive tests recorded. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Private hospital in Northampton set to sponsor visas for Ukrainian refugees

Private hospital in Northampton set to sponsor visas for Ukrainian refugees A private hospital in Northampton is looking to sponsor visas for Ukrainian refugees.

Three Shires Hospital in Cliftonville is part of Circle Health Group, which is collectively sponsoring up to 500 work visas for Ukrainian refugees. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Equity and endurance: how can we tackle health inequalities this time?

Equity and endurance: how can we tackle health inequalities this time? The case for tackling health inequalities is clear and overwhelming, and yet attempts to do so in recent decades have had mixed success. Crucially, none of these efforts have translated into the enduring focus on addressing health inequalities that is needed. The King's Fund

Building public understanding of health and health inequalities

Building public understanding of health and health inequalities There is a mismatch between the public’s perceptions of what influences health (namely individual behaviour and access to care) and the clear evidence base demonstrating the significance of wider determinants of health.

In this long read we draw on polling and recent research to explore the reasons behind public attitudes towards health and health inequalities. The Health Foundation

Living in a Covid world: a long-term approach to resilience and wellbeing

Living in a Covid world: a long-term approach to resilience and wellbeing This report concludes that the pandemic has shown that our current understanding of resilience and preparedness is not fit-for-purpose. It sets out a range of recommendations to improve resilience and preparedness, reconsider the role and purpose of the state, and move from a Welfare State to a Wellbeing State. The purpose of the Wellbeing State would be to secure the wellbeing of all its citizens, and tackle those inequalities that hold back specific groups and communities. House of Lords Covid-19 Committee

Policy paper: Inclusive Britain action plan: government response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities

Policy paper: Inclusive Britain action plan: government response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Inclusive Britain is the government’s response to the report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which was published in March 2021.

The Commission was established in July 2020 to review inequality in the UK, with a particular focus on education, health, employment and criminal justice. Its report included 24 recommendations for government, other public bodies and the private sector. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Dying patients living longer than expected lose NHS funds

Dying patients living longer than expected lose NHS funds More than 1,300 patients a year are having NHS funding for their palliative care withdrawn after living longer than expected, BBC analysis shows.

Terminally-ill or rapidly-declining patients are given fast-track support, allowing them to live outside hospital.

From 2018 to 2021, a total of 9,037 people had this funding reviewed in England and Wales, with 47% of them losing all support. BBC News

'Dangerous' tanning products promoted by influencers

'Dangerous' tanning products promoted by influencers Dozens of social-media influencers are promoting banned tanning products to millions of followers, a BBC News investigation has found.

It is illegal in the UK to sell nasal sprays or injectables made with "melanotan-2", an artificial hormone that can accelerate tanning.

The unlicensed drug is dangerous, dermatologists say, and users should stop immediately. BBC News

GPs buckling under the strain as they support patients stuck on NHS waiting list

GPs buckling under the strain as they support patients stuck on NHS waiting list GPs are spending an increasing amount of time caring for patients who are stuck on the NHS waiting list, MPs have heard.

A record number of people are waiting for hospital care in England after being referred for specialist care by their GP – some 6.1 million people in England alone. The Independent

New air pollution proposals ‘too weak’ when lives at stake

New air pollution proposals ‘too weak’ when lives at stake New proposals for air pollution are too “weak” when people’s lives are at stake, the mother of a nine-year-old girl whose death was linked to toxic air has said.

The mother of Ella Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK to have air pollution on their death certificate, told The Independent she was “incredibly disappointed” by the government’s plans to toughen up legal limits by 2040, saying this was too far in the future.

See also:

• Delivering on the Environment Act: new targets announced and ambitious plans for nature recovery Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Environment Act 2021: environmental targets Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• £11.6m boost for local authorities to tackle air pollution Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Research: Air pollution: quantifying effects on hospital admissions UK Health Security Agency
• Research: Particulate air pollution: effects on mortality UK Health Security Agency
• Guidance: Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5): setting targets UK Health Security Agency
• Clean air: Campaigners criticise pace of new particles targets BBC News
• Legal limit on pollution will be HALVED by 2040 - but campaigners criticise 'incredibly weak' target The Daily Mail
• Proposed air pollution limit in England is twice as high as WHO recommends The Guardian

UK's Covid wave grows on all fronts as another 91,000 Brits test positive overnight

UK's Covid wave grows on all fronts as another 91,000 Brits test positive overnight The UK's Covid outbreak continued to rebound today as daily cases, hospital admissions and deaths all rose.

Another 91,345 Britons were diagnosed with the virus over the past 24 hours, Government dashboard data shows, up by a third in a week.

The surge in cases over the past fortnight coincides with the rise of a more transmissible subvariant of Omicron, which is feared to be as contagious as measles and is now dominant across the country. It also comes after all of England's restrictions were ditched on February 24. The Daily Mail

See also:

• Wiltshire care home staff continue working with Covid BBC News
• Covid CAN spread from mothers to babies, study confirms The Daily Mail
• Fourth Covid jabs could be rolled out from NEXT WEEK amid rising admissions, cases The Daily Mail
• Omicron death rates are 14 TIMES lower after a booster, official data The Daily Mail
• Jordan Henderson says trauma of pandemic will stay with NHS staff 'forever' The Independent
• Nearly half of Hong Kong infected with Covid as city struggles to contain new outbreak The Independent
• Doctors urge Boris Johnson to do better on global Covid-19 vaccine drive The Independent
• COVID-19: Cases up nearly 50% week-on-week - as expert accuses ministers of 'wanting to get rid of data and move on' Sky News

HRT access is postcode lottery, health minister admits

HRT access is postcode lottery, health minister admits Women face a postcode lottery of menopause care with some GPs unaware they can even prescribe HRT, a health minister admitted.

Maria Caulfield told MPs that standards are a 'bit hit and miss', with patients in different parts of the country getting a 'very different service'. The Daily Mail