Fears social care billions could be used to plug existing NHS gaps – without solving the problem

Fears social care billions could be used to plug existing NHS gaps – without solving the problem Social care experts have spoken of their concern whether any a potential tax rise aimed at raising extra funding for the sector will instead be diverted to help clear the growing backlog of non-urgent treatment in the NHS. iNews 

NHS England set to announce its new chief executive within days

NHS England set to announce its new chief executive within days Chief operating officer Amanda Pritchard seen as top contender above KPMG’s Mark Britnell

A senior NHS boss and former service high-flyer are among the leading contenders to succeed Simon Stevens in NHS England’s top job, with an announcement imminent.

Ministers and NHS England’s board have been assessing candidates for several weeks and are preparing to name the person who will become the service’s new chief in the next few days. The Guardian

Summer health drive in England as 40% say they gained weight in lockdown

Summer health drive in England as 40% say they gained weight in lockdown A drive to get people fit and healthy this summer has been launched by Public Health England (PHE), as research found more than 40 per cent of adults put on weight during lockdown.

The latest Better Health campaign, the third iteration, includes the updated NHS Weight Loss Plan, an app to help reduce alcohol consumption and measure BMI. The Guardian

New Covid-19 patients admitted every six hours at Northampton General Hospital

New Covid-19 patients admitted every six hours at Northampton General Hospital Under-pressure Northampton General Hospital staff are seeing the number of Covid-19 patients in NHS beds increase every six hours.

NHS England yesterday (Thursday) confirmed a third coronavirus patient died at NGH in the space of four days. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also: 

• Full list of 16 'critical' industries on Covid self isolation exemption list Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire's 'pingdemic' grows as 5,000-a-week are forced to self-isolate Northamptonshire Telegraph

The Women's Health Strategy: ensuring no women are left behind

The Women's Health Strategy: ensuring no women are left behind A call for evidence and an accompanying press statement for the first ever Women’s Health Strategy were released on International Women’s Day earlier this year. The strategy is a promising sign that the government is committed to finally addressing the difficulties women experience in accessing adequate health care and support in the UK. The King's Fund

Chart of the week: Are hospitals returning to pre-Covid activity levels?

Chart of the week: Are hospitals returning to pre-Covid activity levels? The latest guidance states that hospitals should aim to deliver at least 95% of the services they delivered before the pandemic, measured against the value of services delivered in the same month in 2019/20. But with rising numbers of Covid patients in hospital, Jenny Davies looks at how realistic this target is. Nuffield Trust 

Attitudes towards and experiences of the NHS during Covid-19: views from patients, professionals and the public

Attitudes towards and experiences of the NHS during Covid-19: views from patients, professionals and the public This report is the third and final report from a collaboration with Britain Thinks to understand how the experiences and perceptions of patients, professionals and the public have shifted during the pandemic and what this might mean for the future of the NHS in England. It looks at the NHS across three areas: primary care; secondary care; and community care. It also examines four patient types: mental health; long term health conditions; cancer patients; and surgery patients. Additionally, it looks into what patients and the public understand about the term 'health inequalities'. The Richmond Group of Charities

Improving communication between health care professionals and patients in the NHS in England

Improving communication between health care professionals and patients in the NHS in England This systematic review was undertaken by SQW. It aims to identify interventions that have previously demonstrated a positive difference to patient experience and clinical outcomes, while also reducing financial demands on the health system. The options identified needed to be interventions that policy makers, commissioners and service managers across the NHS could replicate accurately, with a reasonable return on their investment and at a manageable level of implementation risk. NHS England

Promotions of unhealthy foods restricted from October 2022

Promotions of unhealthy foods restricted from October 2022 Promotions on food and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) in retailers will be restricted from October 2022, the government has confirmed. Department of Health and Social Care 

Public urged to continue protecting family and friends

Public urged to continue protecting family and friends New government campaign launches across England to remind public of importance of continuing healthy behaviours to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Statement to Parliament: Minister Zahawi update to the House on step 4 and NHS COVID Pass Department of Health and Social Care
• Independent report: REACT-2 study of coronavirus antibodies: June 2020 results Department of Health and Social Care
• Weekly national flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published Public Health England

Covid vaccine: Eight-week gap seen as sweet spot for Pfizer jab antibodies

Covid vaccine: Eight-week gap seen as sweet spot for Pfizer jab antibodies A longer gap between first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine makes the body's immune system produce more infection-fighting antibodies, UK researchers have found.

Experts say the findings support the UK's decision on extending dosing intervals from the initial recommendation of three weeks.

An eight-week gap seems to be the sweet spot for tackling the Delta variant. BBC News

See also: 

• Sustained T cell immunity, protection and boosting using extended dosing intervals of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (open access preprint) The Pitch Study
• Daily contact testing in schools cuts absences, study finds BBC News
• Covid cases at record levels for 20 to 29-year-olds  BBC News
• Covid: China rejects WHO plan for second phase of virus origin probe  BBC News
• Rapid COVID-19 tests could be as effective as PCR lab tests if enough people get tested The Daily Mail
• Covid UK: NHS symptom-tracking app's data U-turns and estimates 60,000 people are still falling ill The Daily Mail
• Covid pass could be compulsory for entry to large events in England – video The Guardian

Nottingham maternity scandal: 'The pain never goes away'

Nottingham maternity scandal: 'The pain never goes away' More than 20 families have told BBC News they want a completely independent inquiry into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust. We met some of those still shell-shocked by the trust's failings.

Parents urged to look out for RSV and other infections in children

Parents urged to look out for RSV and other infections in children Parents are being urged to look out for signs of severe respiratory infection in their children over the summer amid a rise in cases.

Hospitals are treating a growing number of children with illnesses usually only seen in winter after the levels of such cases fell during the pandemic, health officials in England have said. The Guardian

See also: 

• Health chiefs issue warning as childhood respiratory infections rise ahead of winter Public Health England
• Child winter respiratory illness on rise in summer BBC News
• Summer cold season is worse than ever after a year of masking and social distancing The Daily Mail

NHS trust fined over lack of honesty with family after mother’s death

NHS trust fined over lack of honesty with family after mother’s death An NHS trust has been fined twice by the care watchdog over a lack of honesty with a family following the death of a woman in childbirth.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust was issued with the fixed penalty fines by the Care Quality Commission after the trust failed to comply with the law around the NHS duty of candour. The Independent

NHS workers lose up to £9,000 per year during decade of real-terms pay cuts

NHS workers lose up to £9,000 per year during decade of real-terms pay cuts NHS workers in England have lost up to £9,000 a year during a decade of Conservative led real terms pay cuts, GMB analysis shows. 

Long-serving cleaners have had more than £1,000 pinched from their pay packet every year, 999 call handlers £3,500, nurses more than £6,000, midwives more than £7,500, the union’s calculations found. GMB Union

 

See also:

• NHS pay review announcement - key questions and guidance Department of Health and Social Care
• Pay is important, but it is not the only factor contributing to high staff turnover The King's Fund
• How can we suddenly afford a 3pc rise for the NHS? The Daily Telegraph
• 'Shameful and divisive' 3% pay rise threatens death-knell for GP partnerships GPonline
• Ministers force NHS England to cover part of 3% staff pay rise The Guardian
• NHS staff have lost thousands in real pay since 2011, studies find The Guardian
• Business secretary says 3% pay rise for NHS staff in England and Wales is fair – video The Guardian
• NHS told to find £1.5bn of savings to fund staff pay rise, despite fears of service cuts The Independent

Pleas to get jabbed grow more urgent after first Covid deaths since April at Northampton General Hospital

Pleas to get jabbed grow more urgent after first Covid deaths since April at Northampton General Hospital Health chiefs have launched a fresh plea to more than 60,000 Northampton adults who are yet to take up the offer for their first Covid-19 vaccination. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also: 

• Pop-up Covid vaccine clinic in Corby town centre this weekend Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Health chiefs' plan with a van to deliver swabs on wheels as Covid-19 testing goes mobile in Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Telegraph

Plea to "avoid A&E if you can" as pressures grow on Northamptonshire's hospitals

Plea to "avoid A&E if you can" as pressures grow on Northamptonshire's hospitals Hospital chiefs have warned people could be turned away from the county's Accident & Emergency departments if their condition is not life-threatening as pressure grows on NHS staff. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

NHS staff to receive 3% pay rise

NHS staff to receive 3% pay rise NHS staff including nurses, paramedics, consultants, and dentists in England will receive a 3% pay rise backdated to April 2021 after the government accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) and the Review Body for Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration (DDRB). Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Independent report: Senior Salaries Review Body Report: 2021 Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS pay offer is 'treading water' The Health Foundation
• Agenda for Change 2021/22 Pay Scales Nursing Notes
• NHS pay deal 'a bitter blow' to nursing staff in England and Wales Royal College of Nursing
• NHS workers in England offered 3% pay rise BBC News
• Nurses may consider industrial action over 3% NHS pay rise, union says BBC News
• NHS Pay: Government accepts recommendation and gives 3pc rise The Daily Telegraph
• The government’s ‘3% pay rise’ is a cut in real terms for nurses | Rachel Ambrose The Guardian
• For an NHS burnt out from Covid, praise without a raise means little The Guardian
• Threat of nurses’ strike over 3% pay award for NHS staff The Guardian
• NHS staff in England get pay rise of 3% after their contribution during 'unprecedented year' Sky News

How will we know integration of health and care services is working?

How will we know integration of health and care services is working? Listening to people and learning from their experiences offers the opportunity to change care for the better. Imelda Redmond, National Director of Healthwatch England, explains why involving users will give a better, bigger picture of how integration is working. The King's Fund 

A wait on your mind? A realistic proposal for tackling the elective backlog

A wait on your mind? A realistic proposal for tackling the elective backlog The waiting list for elective treatment in the NHS in England has reached an unprecedented level. It is likely to become the defining NHS issue as we approach the next general election, and brings a very real human cost as millions endure a long and uncertain wait. So what can be done? Policy Exchange