Guidance: COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection

Guidance: COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection Stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Public Health England

See also:

• Detailed guide: Full list of local COVID alert levels by area Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person Public Health England

Coronavirus: 14-day quarantine for Covid contacts could be reduced

Coronavirus: 14-day quarantine for Covid contacts could be reduced The two-week quarantine period for contacts of those who test positive for Covid-19 could be cut to 10 or seven days, amid criticism of Test and Trace. 

Writing in the Telegraph, Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said a "vacuum of leadership in Test and Trace" was affecting compliance.

Tests could be offered to people after a week of isolation, the paper said. BBC News 

See also:

• Coronavirus doctor's diary: 'We blame Eat Out To Help Out for our tragedy'  BBC News
• Covid nurse: 'I thought I wasn't going to make it'  BBC News
• Covid: The NHS workers 'still recovering' as second wave looms BBC News
• Coronavirus: Inside Europe’s most infected area BBC News
• Boots to offer 12-minute Covid nasal swab test BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Oxford vaccine works perfectly by safely triggering an immune response The Daily Mail
• Covid risk factors for ethnic minorities 'can't be changed overnight' The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus UK: SAGE warns against letting young 'go back to normal' The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus UK: Seven NHS trusts treat more patients than in April The Daily Mail
• US coronavirus cases hit record high as Donald Trump promises to 'quickly end' the pandemic The Daily Telegraph
• NHS short of over £1bn for Covid second wave and onset of winter The Guardian
• NHS denies elderly people were refused care during early Covid The Guardian
• NHS short of over £1bn for Covid second wave and onset of winter The Guardian
• Neil Ferguson says easing Covid rules for Christmas is 'a political judgment' The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Mounting fears over burnout among NHS staff as second wave intensifies The Independent 
• NHS staff put on standby for Covid-19 vaccine scheme 'in weeks' as jab safety stamp imminent iNews

Mother and baby units: 'It's our job to keep them safe'

Mother and baby units: 'It's our job to keep them safe' "Women may be suicidal or want to die. They may have thoughts about harming their baby. It's our job to keep them safe until they can keep themselves safe," says Debbie Sells.

She manages a mother-and-baby unit in Nottingham which supports a small group of new mothers and pregnant women with serious psychological problems. BBC News

Down's syndrome: 'In all honesty we were offered 15 terminations'

Down's syndrome: 'In all honesty we were offered 15 terminations' Ninety per cent of women whose unborn babies are diagnosed with Down's syndrome choose to have an abortion, which is legal right up until birth. But campaigners say expectant parents are routinely given outdated advice and encouraged to have a termination. We hear from three mothers who want the system to change. BBC News

Mass cancellations of NHS operations inevitable this winter, say doctors

Mass cancellations of NHS operations inevitable this winter, say doctors Exclusive: NHS England criticised for ordering ‘near-normal’ non-Covid care during pandemic

Mass cancellations of routine operations in England are inevitable this autumn and winter despite an NHS edict that hospitals must not again disrupt normal care, doctors’ leaders have said.

Organisations representing frontline doctors, including the British Medical Association (BMA), also criticised NHS England for ordering hospitals to provide “near normal” levels of non-Covid care in the second wave of the pandemic, and demanded that fines for failing to meet targets be scrapped. The Guardian

NHS bosses accuse Boris Johnson of 'structural discrimination' against mental health

NHS bosses accuse Boris Johnson of 'structural discrimination' against mental health PM ‘more interested in shiny new hospitals’ than tackling mounting toll of psychological problems

NHS bosses have accused Boris Johnson of “structural discrimination” against mental health and ignoring the huge psychological damage being wreaked by the pandemic.

A decade of progress on mental illness has come to a halt under a prime minister who seems more interested in building “shiny new hospitals” than tackling the mounting toll of debilitating ill-health, they say. The Guardian

Four more deaths among patients who tested positive for Covid-19 at Northampton General Hospital

Four more deaths among patients who tested positive for Covid-19 at Northampton General Hospital NHS England confirmed four more patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 have died within the last week at Northampton General Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Maternity boss at Northampton General Hospital explains why birth partner restrictions at scans remain in place Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northampton to host one of 14 plasma donation centres to help coronavirus patients Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• 'Work with us', pleads East Northants health boss as Covid cases rise Northamptonshire Telegraph

Chart of the week: The number of medicines that were hard to access grew during the first national lockdown

 Chart of the week: The number of medicines that were hard to access grew during the first national lockdown Each week we present analysis of data in chart form to illustrate some key issues and invite discussion. This week, Miranda Davies considers the difficult issue of the NHS's ability to get hold of basic drugs for patients who need them - and how the pandemic may be affecting this. Nuffield Trust

RCP survey uncovers years of discrimination against black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors

RCP survey uncovers years of discrimination against black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) doctors are consistently disadvantaged when applying for jobs, according to the RCP’s latest survey of clinicians within a year of medical certificate completion of training (CCT) holders.

The RCP analysed data from 8 years’ worth of annual surveys reporting on the experiences of, and outcomes for, clinicians within a year of passing their CCT. The findings provide consistent evidence of trainees from BAME background being less successful at consultant interview. Royal College of Physicians

See also:

• Medical CCT class of 2018: 2019 survey results Royal College of Physicians
• Racial discrimination widespread in NHS job offers, says report The Guardian

The impacts of volunteering on the subjective wellbeing of volunteers: a rapid evidence assessment

The impacts of volunteering on the subjective wellbeing of volunteers: a rapid evidence assessment There is a growing body of research on the links between volunteering and wellbeing. This review and accompanying briefing  (co-published with Spirit of 2012, and in partnership with the Institute of Volunteer Research) brings together the most relevant studies. It focuses on the experience of adult formal volunteers, and looks at the key factors involved in improving wellbeing through volunteering. What Works Centre for Wellbeing

Patients not passports: learning from the international struggle for universal healthcare

Patients not passports: learning from the international struggle for universal healthcare This report focuses on the set of policies introduced as part of the government’s Hostile Environment immigration policies – which restrict access to public services and criminalise everyday activities – to expand border enforcement into the NHS and restrict access to healthcare. To understand what might happen if the government continues to restrict access to healthcare in this way, the report explores what can be learned from international practice, describing levels of migrant access to healthcare across Europe and the impact of different policies and practices. New Economics Foundation

Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions

Children and young people’s mental health review: findings from a questionnaire to health and wellbeing boards on local actions This report  contains an update on work carried out in 2018 looking at the quality of mental health services for children and young people, as well as the access to these services. It sets out the findings of a 2019 independent follow-up self-assessment questionnaire, to find out the extent to which health and wellbeing board areas in England had progressed with implementing the local recommendations made. Care Quality Commission

Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: Wave 1 follow up to the 2017 survey

Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: Wave 1 follow up to the 2017 survey This is the first in a series of follow up reports to the Mental Health and Young People Survey (MHCYP) 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in July 2020, during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and changes since 2017. Experiences of family life, education and services, and worries and anxieties during the COVID-19 pandemic are also examined. NHS Digital

See also:

• Response to NHS figures on children’s mental health Children's Commissioner
• Survey presents a worrying picture of children's and young people’s mental health The Health Foundation
• Lockdown made life worse for two in five children, NHS report says BBC News
• One in six children aged 5-16 in England 'likely to have a mental disorder' The Guardian
• 'Scarred for life': Sage experts warn of impact of Covid policies on the young The Guardian
• Figures lay bare toll of pandemic on UK children's mental health The Guardian 

Workforce flexibility in the NHS: utilising Covid-19 innovations

Workforce flexibility in the NHS: utilising Covid-19 innovations This briefing argues that speed at which workforce innovations and flexibilities have been implemented in the NHS since the outbreak of Covid-19 has been both impressive and encouraging. It explores and makes recommendations on six key areas of change: staff wellbeing; flexibility in staff deployment and roles; cross-organisational working and regulation; technology; making use of new roles; and funding. NHS Providers

Over 13,700 more nurses working in the NHS

Over 13,700 more nurses working in the NHS The number of nurses in the NHS in England increased by 13,718 compared with last year, and the number of doctors has risen by 7,810, figures to the end of July show. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• NHS workforce shortages still a big risk even as nursing numbers grow NHS Employers

Sewage signals early warning of coronavirus outbreaks

Sewage signals early warning of coronavirus outbreaks Government-led programme is providing an early warning of coronavirus outbreaks by monitoring sewage and sharing data with NHS Test & Trace. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Detailed guide: Full list of local COVID alert levels by area Department of Health and Social Care
• Weekly national flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Public Health England

Covid: Why is coronavirus so deadly?

Covid: Why is coronavirus so deadly? A simple virus has brought life as we know it to a screeching halt.
 
We have faced viral threats before, including pandemics, yet the world does not shut down for every new infection or flu season.

So what is it about this coronavirus? What are the quirks of its biology that pose a unique threat to our bodies and our lives? BBC News

See also:

• Covid: Sewage sites to test for traces of virus BBC News
• Covid: US gives full approval for antiviral remdesivir drug BBC News
• Wales 'fire break' lockdown: what are the new rules? The Daily Telegraph
• Sweden loosens Covid lockdown rules for elderly and vulnerable due to mental health impact of lockdown The Daily Telegraph
• Study finds that plasma of recovered Covid-19 patients is of limited use as a treatment The Daily Telegraph
• 'It has been a trauma': nurses on 'shambolic' 111 Covid-19 clinical service The Guardian
• Nightingale to reopen as Liverpool sets new Covid patient record The Guardian
• England test and trace reaching fewer Covid contacts than ever The Guardian
• Room for improvement with test and trace, says Patrick Vallance – video The Guardian
• NHS leak reveals true impact of coronavirus second wave on hospitals The Independent
• Coronavirus: More than half of British public don’t ‘fully understand’ current rules The Independent

The experts who created a new form of PPE to restart surgery for deaf children

 The experts who created a new form of PPE to restart surgery for deaf children With so many operations put on hold when the pandemic started in March, surgeon Douglas Hartley and a team of medical veterans got to work pioneering new types of protective equipment. The Independent

Number of coronavirus patients in Northants hospitals rising quickly as county cases soar

 Number of coronavirus patients in Northants hospitals rising quickly as county cases soar The number of Covid-19 patients being admitted to Northamptonshire hospitals is rising fast, leading health bosses to warn other services could come under threat if covid admissions continue to rise. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Covid-19: Northamptonshire schools close and 3,500 pupils sent home BBC Northampton
• Third death in one day confirmed among Covid-19 patients at Northampton General Hospital Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Public Health Northamptonshire has ‘no plans’ to shut more schools after string of closures announced Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• University of Northampton makes care packages for isolating students Northamptonshire Telegraph

Failings at Northampton mental health ward set up for women with eating disorders

 Failings at Northampton mental health ward set up for women with eating disorders Inspectors have scolded a ward set up to treat women with eating and personality disorders at a Northampton mental health hospital during the pandemic in a new quality report.

The Spencer South ward at St Andrew's Hospital was established in April 2020 to take weight off the NHS after fears arose that patients with eating disorders (ED) would be at risk during the pandemic. Northampton Chronicle and Echo