Covid credited as stop smoking service reports rise in referrals

Covid credited as stop smoking service reports rise in referrals The number of people referring themselves to a service aimed at helping them stop smoking has increased rapidly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2020, a total of 1,242 people applied to the Northamptonshire Stop Smoking Service - an increase of 200% on the previous year. BBC Northampton 

Money talks: investing in proactive health measures to support healthy ageing

Money talks: investing in proactive health measures to support healthy ageing It is known that proactive (preventative health interventions and health promotion) health measures work, are cost-effective, and can save lives. However cross the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average countries spend just 2.8 per cent of their health budgets on these interventions. In this report, with ILC-Canada, Canada is used as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of spending on prevention and health promotion. Canada spends more of its health budget on proactive health measures than any other country in the OECD – at six per cent, it’s more than double the OECD average, which has contributed to positive outcomes. International Longevity Centre UK

Chart of the week: How many care home staff in England have received two Covid-19 vaccine doses?

Chart of the week: How many care home staff in England have received two Covid-19 vaccine doses? After the deadline passed last week, care home staff in England now need to have received two Covid-19 jabs to carry on working. In this week’s chart, Nina Hemmings looks at how many had been vaccinated twice only a few weeks before the deadline. Nuffield Trust 

The government’s preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk management

The government’s preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons for government on risk management Like many other governments across the world, the UK government was underprepared for a pandemic like COVID-19. It will need to learn lessons from its preparations for and handling of whole-system risks, which will include making judgements on what level of preparations is appropriate. National Audit Office

See also: 

• Covid: UK government wasn't ready for pandemic, report finds BBC News

13 million top-up COVID-19 vaccines given across the UK

13 million top-up COVID-19 vaccines given across the UK More than 13 million life-saving booster jabs have been given across the UK, marking another significant milestone in the phenomenal COVID-19 vaccination programme. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports: 2021 to 2022 season UK Health Security Agency
• Research: COVID-19 vaccine weekly surveillance reports (weeks 39 to 46) UK Health Security Agency

Covid cases highest in younger children in England

Covid cases highest in younger children in England Covid case rates in England are now highest among children aged five to nine, latest weekly surveillance figures reveal.

The data, up to 14 November, shows this younger age group has overtaken older, secondary school aged children for the first time.

In recent months, the 10 to 19 age group maintained the highest rate of infections per 100,000 tested. BBC News

See also:

• Covid: 50 firms got VIP fast-track equipment contracts BBC News
• Britain's daily Covid cases jump by 10% to highest level in a month The Daily Mail
• First-ever known case of Covid was a female seafood vendor at a Wuhan market The Daily Mail
• Covid-19 UK: Booster vaccine doses reduce the risk of infection by two thirds compared to two doses The Daily Mail
• Rollout of third Covid jabs in England condemned as ‘shambolic’ The Guardian
• Covid is surging in Europe. What does it mean for the UK? The Guardian
• AstraZeneca Covid antibody treatment more than 80% successful The Independent
• More infectious Delta variant accounts for one in 10 Covid cases The Independent

Oral drug for spinal muscular atrophy to be available on NHS in England

Oral drug for spinal muscular atrophy to be available on NHS in England The NHS is to introduce a revolutionary new treatment to tackle the leading genetic cause of death among babies and young children.

About 1,500 patients in England with certain types of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are expected to benefit from risdiplam, after a recommendation from the health watchdog. The drug, also called Evrysdi and made by Roche, is a syrup that can be taken at home and is the first non-injectable treatment for the condition. The Guardian

See also: 

• Risdiplam for treating spinal muscular atrophy in children and adults (draft guideline) NICE
• NICE draft guidance recommends new treatment for spinal muscular atrophy as part of a managed access agreement NICE
• Take at home treatment for spinal muscular atrophy BBC News
• NHS to give life-changing drug to spinal muscular atrophy patients The Independent

NHS trust 'failed to act' on inspectors' warnings before patient deaths, court told

NHS trust 'failed to act' on inspectors' warnings before patient deaths, court told Two patients suffering from sepsis died following treatment at the same NHS hospital after inspectors’ warnings about failings in care were not acted upon, a court has heard.

Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court was told the Care Quality Commission (CQC) informed the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust its staff were not clear on how to follow a 'sepsis treatment pathway' in the months leading up to both deaths. ITV News 

Grab a booster jab to keep Covid-19 off your Christmas list, plea from Northamptonshire health chiefs

Grab a booster jab to keep Covid-19 off your Christmas list, plea from Northamptonshire health chiefs Health chiefs in Northamptonshire are echoing a call by Boris Johnson to grab a booster jab and save Christmas.

The Prime Minister confirmed that follow-up jabs would be made available to 40-to-49-year-olds amid fears waning protection from initial doses could spark a rise in hospital cases. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Kettering mum's anguish at sons' mental health discharge as they are told: 'go to your GP instead of specialist unit'

Kettering mum's anguish at sons' mental health discharge as they are told: 'go to your GP instead of specialist unit' A Kettering mum says she is 'absolutely distraught' at the decision to discharge her adult sons from the mental health team that they have relied on since they were children.

Her sons, now in their twenties, received letters on the same day informing them that 'in line with the NHS long-term plan' review they were no longer under the immediate care of St Mary's Hospital's community mental health team. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Nurses’ pay over the long term: what next?

Nurses’ pay over the long term: what next? Our report looks at long-term trends in pay for UK nurses since the establishment of the NHS Pay Review Body in 1983 to the present day.

It explores changes over time, how nurses’ pay has changed relative to other public sector workers, and how pay for UK nurses compares to other countries. The Health Foundation

Funding saga proves bad for HEE’s health

Funding saga proves bad for HEE’s health The long-running dispute between Health Education England and the Treasury over HEE’s budget has come to a head with news that the body will be incorporated into NHS England.

HSJ understands from senior sources that the funding settlement sought by HEE was deemed unaffordable, triggering its demise. It is expected the independent education body will become part of the NHSE by April 2023. Health Service Journal

See also: 

• The King's Fund responds to the Health Education England merger with NHS England The King's Fund

A joint thematic inspection of the criminal justice journey for individuals with mental health needs and disorders

A joint thematic inspection of the criminal justice journey for individuals with mental health needs and disorders Inspectors looked at more than 300 cases from six regions, interviewed 550 professionals, and heard from 67 people with mental health issues who had been through the criminal justice system, from first contact with the police to release from prison. The inspection report found poor support for people with mental health issues and concludes that too little progress had been made since the last review in 2009. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation

See also: 

• Every part of justice system fails mentally ill people, inspectors find The Guardian

Crowding and its Consequences: RCEM insight report

Crowding and its Consequences: RCEM insight report Emergency Department (ED) crowding is a major threat to public health and represents a serious policy challenge that must be urgently tackled. Although it is present in health systems across the globe, it has worsened significantly in recent years in the UK due to the severe mismatch between demand and capacity in the NHS. Increasing patient demand coupled with high hospital bed occupancy has resulted in exit block - the key reason for crowded EDs. Royal College of Emergency Medicine

See also: 

• At least 4,500 patients in England have died because of 'shocking' overcrowding at A&E and 12-hour ambulance handover delays in the last year, damning report finds The Daily Mail
• More than 4,500 people died after waiting 12 hours on hospital trolleys last year The Daily Telegraph
• A&E overcrowding in UK ‘killing thousands a year’, say doctors The Guardian
• A&E waits ‘kill’ as long delays drive thousands of patient deaths The Independent

Life in the time of Covid-19: the 2020 UK consultant census

Life in the time of Covid-19: the 2020 UK consultant census The most recent census of the consultant physician workforce in the UK shows that the number of doctors needed to meet patient demand continues to significantly outnumber the supply. It found that the proportion of unfilled medical consultant posts across the UK is at its highest level in almost a decade. Nearly half (48 per cent) of advertised consultant posts across the UK were unfilled last year – up from 36 per cent in 2013. Most posts were not filled because there were no applicants. The three Royal Colleges of Physicians believe a lack of long-term workforce planning is the primary factor behind the 33 per cent increase in unfilled consultant posts across the UK since 2013. Royal Colleges of Physicians 

Thousands spared strokes thanks to new NHS drug agreements

Thousands spared strokes thanks to new NHS drug agreements More than 20,000 strokes and 5,000 deaths could be averted after NHS England struck new agreements to expand life-saving blood thinning drugs, chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced.

The NHS will now dramatically scale up the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with as many as 610,000 more patients set to benefit over the next three years. NHS England 

Government response: PPE procurement in the early pandemic

Government response: PPE procurement in the early pandemic The government is publishing further information about its exceptional procurement exercise to secure critical personal protective equipment (PPE) during the early months of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• UKHSA updates clinical guidance on vaccinations for 12 to 17 year olds UK Health Security Agency

Covid vaccines: Children told to wait longer for jab after infection

Covid vaccines: Children told to wait longer for jab after infection Healthy children aged 12 to 17 are being advised to wait 12 weeks after a coronavirus infection before having a Covid jab in the UK.

Previously the advice was to leave a four-week gap.

The UK Health Security Agency said the change was a precaution against the small risk of heart inflammation. BBC News

See also:

• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: checklist for parents of children aged 12 to 15 years UK Health Security Agency
• Merkel: Germany hit by full force of Covid BBC News
• Covid-19 UK: Britain's coronavirus cases FALL for first time in a week The Daily Mail
• Covid vaccines may only affect menstrual cycles of women on contraception, study claims The Daily Mail
• Covid immunity wanes after two doses of the Pfizer vaccine in all ages, Israeli study claims The Daily Mail
• Mask-wearing cuts Covid incidence by 53%, says global study The Guardian
• Delta offshoot ‘one to watch’ over fears of future mutations The Independent
• Researchers find way to filter coronavirus particles out of the air Sky News

Government changes rules on social care cap

Government changes rules on social care cap The financial help poorer people get to cover their care will not count towards a new cap on costs, according to updated government plans.

It was announced in September that from 2023 no-one in England would pay more than £86,000 for care.

Now a tweak to the plan has been published, which critics say could see the poorest having to use more of their assets than better off people. BBC News

See also: 

• Social care cap could expose poorer homeowners to ‘catastrophic’ costs The Guardian

Long-acting HIV jabs to replace daily pills in ‘great step forward’

Long-acting HIV jabs to replace daily pills in ‘great step forward’ The NHS has been given the green light to offer people living with HIV the first "long-acting injectable" to keep the virus at bay.

Charities have hailed the "incredible news" which offers an alternative to adults living with HIV who have to take daily antiretroviral drugs.

Many people living with HIV can keep the virus at very low levels by taking antiretroviral tablets each day. The Independent

See also: 

• NICE approves first long-acting injectable HIV-1 treatment NICE
• Cabotegravir and rilpivirine for treating HIV-1 (draft guidance) NICE
• First long-acting injection for HIV approved BBC News