Government plans October firebreak lockdown if Covid hospital admissions remain high

Government plans October firebreak lockdown if Covid hospital admissions remain high The Government has drawn up plans for an October “firebreak” Covid lockdown should hospitalisations continue at their current level and threaten to overload the NHS, a senior Government scientist has told i.

The member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the UK is about to enter “an extended peak” of infections and hospitalisations, which are in danger of pushing the NHS beyond breaking point and could force the Government to re-introduce restrictions over the school half term period at the end of next month. iNews

See also: 

• United States eclipses more than 1,500 COVID-19 deaths per day - the highest in six months The Daily Mail
• Weekly Covid tests for pupils could be scrapped this month, Gavin Williamson says The Daily Telegraph
• No 10 intent on keeping Covid powers amid expected rise in cases The Guardian
• NHS 'ready to go' with Covid jab booster programme, says vaccines minister The Independent
• Covid antibodies ‘tumbling’ among elderly, fuelling calls for booster jab rollout The Independent

Mental health patients in shared wards despite calls for NHS to end practice

Mental health patients in shared wards despite calls for NHS to end practice Concerns raised after minister says there are more than 1,100 beds still in dormitory settings in England.

People with serious mental health problems are being forced to share wards with distressed fellow patients, 20 years after the NHS was told to give them all their own rooms.

There are still more than 1,100 beds in dormitory wards in mental health units in England, despite sustained criticism of their potentially damaging effects on patients, the government has said. The Guardian 

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests GP surgery staff are facing abuse from patients who are “angry and upset” that their blood test has been cancelled because of the NHS-wide chronic shortage of sample bottles.

“Patients are angry when we ring them up and say, ‘Sorry we can’t do your blood test after all’. A lot of people are quite angry and concerned about their own health,” Dr David Wrigley, the deputy chair of council at the British Medical Association, said. The Guardian 

Corby's Covid rate now highest in England again

Corby's Covid rate now highest in England again Corby holds the unenviable position of having England's highest Covid-19 case rate once more after a surge in people testing positive for the virus.

The town's high rates topped the chart for the majority of the first three months of 2021 before cases rapidly dropped. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Car sharing could be adding to Covid increase in Northamptonshire warn NHS officials Northants Live 

Corby medical practice warns patients of flu vaccine delays

Corby medical practice warns patients of flu vaccine delays Corby's biggest GP practice has warned patients to not turn up for flu jab appointments because the shipment of life-saving vaccines has been delayed. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Almost £17bn needed to clear backlog and treat expected rise in patients needing NHS hospital care

Almost £17bn needed to clear backlog and treat expected rise in patients needing NHS hospital care Further support and investment in staff and infrastructure also essential to address ‘huge challenge’ facing the NHS, warns The Health Foundation

New analysis from the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre sets out the scale of the challenge facing government if it wants to clear the backlog in NHS care over the course of this parliament and return hospital waiting times to 18 weeks. 

We need to move from person-centred to community-centred services

We need to move from person-centred to community-centred services For many years, health and social care organisations have aimed to create 'person-centred' services built around the individual. But if we want to make a meaningful difference to people's health and wellbeing, I believe there is a need to shift from person-centred to community-centred ways of working. My argument in this blog is that to do so we need to reframe what success would look like; promote more 'mutual' approaches; give community building the same billing (and resource) as public service reform and be open and honest about what gets in the way. The King's Fund 

Clinical and care professional leadership in integrated care systems

Clinical and care professional leadership in integrated care systems This report was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement, to inform its guidance to support embedding system-wide clinical and professional leadership in all integrated care systems. NHS Confederation 

Prospective parents given more choice over when to start a family

Prospective parents given more choice over when to start a family People across the UK will have more choice over when to start a family as the government sets out plans to increase the storage limits for eggs, sperm and embryos.

Following a public consultation last year, proposals will be introduced to increase the statutory storage limits for everyone from the current 10 years, to a 10 year renewable storage period up to a maximum of 55 years. Department of Health and Social Care 

New body to tackle health disparities will launch 1 October, co-headed by new DCMO

New body to tackle health disparities will launch 1 October, co-headed by new DCMO The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) will officially launch on 1 October with the aim of tackling health inequalities across the country. It will be co-led by newly appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy.

The OHID will be a vital part of the Department of Health and Social Care and will drive the prevention agenda across government to reduce health disparities, many of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and improve the public’s health.

People seeking NHS weight loss help heavier than those before COVID new study finds

People seeking NHS weight loss help heavier than those before COVID new study finds People seeking NHS help to lose weight during the pandemic are on average five pounds heavier than those starting the programme during the previous three years, new NHS research has revealed. Extra weight, gained as people lived through the COVID pandemic, means people are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. NHS England 

Covid: Shaken to the core, can the NHS cope this winter?

Covid: Shaken to the core, can the NHS cope this winter? With autumn arriving, the NHS is bracing itself for a tough few months.

Covid, plus the return of normal winter illnesses and a growing backlog, could stretch the NHS to its limit.

How well equipped is the NHS for what is coming? BBC News

See also: 

• Millions of pupils return to school amid Covid spike concern BBC News
• Covid: What Israel tells us about the way out of the pandemic BBC News
• Covid-19: Vaccine passports to start in England this month BBC News
• Covid: Decision to jab children 'entirely up to parents' BBC News
• Nadhim Zahawi hints full vaccination will be required of NHS staff The Daily Mail
• NHS staffing crisis fears as Sajid Javid pushes ahead with compulsory Covid vaccines The Daily Telegraph
• Give pupils Covid jab to prevent virus running through UK, expert says The Guardian
• COVID-19: Forcing all NHS staff to have coronavirus jab 'not necessary', says leading health group Sky News

Flu jab delay: Doctors call for MPs to take action

Flu jab delay: Doctors call for MPs to take action Doctors have queried why the government did not plan for a delay to flu vaccine deliveries in England and Wales.

Seqirus, one of the UK's largest suppliers of seasonal flu vaccines, has said the delay of up to two weeks is due to a shortage of HGV drivers.

British Medical Association vice-chairman David Wrigley urged MPs to "to take some action and say why are there were no contingency plans in place". BBC News 

See also: 

• Winter flu vaccine programme ‘cannot fail’ says College in response to delivery delays Royal College of General Practitioners
• GP surgeries in England cancel flu jabs amid vaccine shortage The Guardian
• Winter flu jabs in England face disruption from vaccine shortage The Independent

NHS to receive extra £5.5bn to help Covid recovery, says government source

NHS to receive extra £5.5bn to help Covid recovery, says government source Boris Johnson will unveil his long-term plans for social care and the NHS as early as Tuesday, amid rows over how to pay for multi-billion pound funding.

The PM said he had a plan to reform social care when he took power in 2019, but has yet to announce the detail.

Now, reports of an increase in National Insurance to cover the cost - which would break his commitment not to raise taxes - has led to anger from Tory MPs. BBC News

See also:

• Social care: Plans for reform in England likely this week - sources BBC News
• Chancellor is 'playing hardball' over PM's proposed £10billion tax to ease Covid pressures on NHS The Daily Mail
• Increase taxes not national insurance to fund social care, says Jeremy Hunt The Guardian
• Boris Johnson faces open warfare with his own party over national insurance hike The Independent
• Politicians' obsession with NHS funding has left social care fat cats to milk the system dry iNews

Reports of sex abuse between children double in two years

Reports of sex abuse between children double in two years Reports of children sexually abusing other children doubled in the two years to 2019, according to police figures obtained by BBC Panorama.

The programme has followed up on research from 2017, when police recorded almost 8,000 reports of abuse among under-18s in England and Wales.

Yearly reports have risen to between 15,000 and 16,000, but cases fell in 2020-21 during the pandemic. BBC News 

Cuts to NHS mental health beds mean more than £100m spent on private providers

Cuts to NHS mental health beds mean more than £100m spent on private providers Plummeting numbers of mental health beds in the NHS have led to a steep rise in spending on private hospitals in England as patients are increasingly sent miles from home to be treated, according to Labour research. The Independent

Coroners warned of mental health care failings in dozens of inquests

Coroners warned of mental health care failings in dozens of inquests Shortfalls in mental health services and staffing have been flagged as concerns in dozens of inquests since 2015, the Observer can reveal, with coroners issuing repeated warnings over patients facing long waiting lists or falling through gaps in service provision.

The Observer has identified 56 mental health-related deaths in England and Wales from the start of 2015 to the end of 2020 where coroners identified a lack of staffing or service provision as a “matter of concern”, meaning they believed “there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken”.

NHS gender identity clinic whistleblower wins damages

NHS gender identity clinic whistleblower wins damages A child safeguarding expert who faced vilification after raising concerns about the safety of children undergoing treatment at a London NHS gender identity clinic has won an employment tribunal case against the hospital trust.

Sonia Appleby, 62, was awarded £20,000 after an employment tribunal ruled the NHS’s Tavistock and Portman trust’s treatment of her damaged her professional reputation and “prevented her from proper work on safeguarding”. The Guardian

See also: 

•  NHS child gender identity clinic whistleblower wins tribunal BBC News

Pilot scheme to link up NHS and social care is increasing delays

Pilot scheme to link up NHS and social care is increasing delays Patients waited longer for treatment under a flagship pilot scheme to integrate health and social care, figures reveal, as experts warn the programme may exacerbate the backlog. The Daily Telegraph

Lucy Wightman's LAST column: Everyone needs to help to ensure we can live safely in Northamptonshire with Covid among us

Lucy Wightman's LAST column: Everyone needs to help to ensure we can live safely in Northamptonshire with Covid among us 'We all need to continue to play our vital part in preventing further cases across Northamptonshire' says county's public health director. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also: 

• Northamptonshire 16 and 17-year-olds urged to take up coronavirus vaccine offer to protect themselves and loved ones Northampton Chronicle and Echo