Spring boosters rolled out to vulnerable groups in Northampton

Spring boosters rolled out to vulnerable groups in Northampton The NHS has started rolling out its Spring vaccine programme against Covid-19 this week. About 5m people vulnerable people - including care home residents, the over-75s and people who are immuno-suppressed - will be eligible to receive the booster.

Northamptonshire recorded 6,029 Covid-19 cases in the week up to and including 17 March, which is a 32% rise from the previous week.

How do people getting their booster at Moulton Park Vaccine Centre feel about the Spring programme? BBC Northampton

Campaigners in Northamptonshire post slow handclap videos to protest over three per cent pay rise for NHS staff

Campaigners in Northamptonshire post slow handclap videos to protest over three per cent pay rise for NHS staff People across Northamptonshire have been joining a mass slow handclap against the government’s three per cent pay rise for NHS staff, in a campaign backed by the country’s biggest trade union. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Restraint, segregation and seclusion review: Progress report

Restraint, segregation and seclusion review: Progress report Not enough progress has been made to address the recommendations made by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its 2020 ‘Out of sight – who cares?’ restraint, segregation, and seclusion review. In a progress report published today, CQC finds that there are still too many people in hospital. Once in hospital they often stay too long, do not always experience therapeutic care and are still subject to restrictive interventions.

Economic and fiscal outlook - March 2022

Economic and fiscal outlook - March 2022 This report sets out forecasts for the economy over a five year horizon and outlines the impact of the economic outlook on the NHS and associated public services, particularly in relation to pressures on the health service. Office for Budget Responsibility

NHS announces £127m maternity boost for patients and families

NHS announces £127m maternity boost for patients and families The NHS in England has today announced a £127 million funding boost for maternity services across the England that will help ensure safer and more personalised care for women and their babies.

Announced at the NHS England board meeting today, the NHS said that the major investment will boost the workforce and help improve the culture in maternity units.

See also:

• NHS to invest millions to keep experienced midwives as mentors for next generation NHS England 

Microplastics found in human blood for first time

Microplastics found in human blood for first time Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested.

The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year. The Guardian

See also:

• Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood (open access) Environment International

Pregnant women to receive life-saving pre-eclampsia check

Pregnant women to receive life-saving pre-eclampsia check A simple blood test can help spot pre-eclampsia, a potentially dangerous condition in pregnancy, and should be offered to women on the NHS, new draft guidelines for England say.

Early diagnosis of this disorder, which affects up to 6% of pregnancies, can save lives, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says. BBC News

Persistent cough may be tuberculosis not Covid, doctor warns

Persistent cough may be tuberculosis not Covid, doctor warns The UK's top public health doctor says anyone with a persistent cough and fever should not dismiss it as Covid - and should consider other infectious illnesses like tuberculosis (TB).

Dr Jenny Harries' warning comes as provisional data shows there were 4,430 cases recorded in England in 2021, despite sharp declines in recent years. BBC News

Government’s ‘living with Covid’ plan to cost NHS £500 million

Government’s ‘living with Covid’ plan to cost NHS £500 million The NHS has been asked to cut £500 million from its budget to fund Covid testing as the national programme is wound down by the government.

The government’s “living with Covid” plan will cost the NHS millions as it is forced to channel funding from its “core” budgets, according to the NHS’s chief finance officer. The Independent

See also:

• Covid: UK marks second anniversary of first national lockdown BBC News
• Government 'fast and loose' over Covid contracts BBC News
• Covid's comeback continues as daily cases hit 98,000 The Daily Mail
• Covid's comeback continues as daily cases hit 98,000 The Daily Mail
• Number of Brits dying 'with' rather than 'from' infection continues to grow amid milder wave The Daily Mail
• England's Covid wall of immunity revealed The Daily Mail
• Ivermectin was only effective against Covid in areas where parasitic diseases were endemic The Daily Mail
• We’ve found one factor that predicts which countries best survive Covid The Guardian
• Long Covid could create a generation affected by disability, expert warns The Guardian
• Private emails reveal Michael Gove’s role in Tory-linked firm’s PPE deals The Guardian
• Covid patients in English hospitals up 21% in a week The Independent
• Hospital staff absences in England due to Covid-19 jump 31% week-on-week
• COVID-19: More elderly people being admitted to hospital with coronavirus than at peak of Omicron wave, latest data shows Sky News

Thousands more women getting tested for autism after ‘being missed for decades’

Thousands more women getting tested for autism after ‘being missed for decades’ Tens of thousands more women tested themselves for autism last year with numbers seeking tests now far outstripping men, new data shows.

Statistics seen by The Independent show around 150,000 women took an online test verified by health professionals to see if they have autism last year, up from about 49,000 in 2020.

People with depression or anxiety are twice as likely to get health benefits from regular exercise

People with depression or anxiety are twice as likely to get health benefits from regular exercise People with depression or anxiety are twice as likely to get health benefits from regular exercise, a study suggests.

Researchers tracked the exercise regimes of more than 50,000 people in their late 50s, up to a third of which were diagnosed with the conditions.  The Daily Mail