Here's where Covid infections are rising fastest in Northamptonshire as ‘Freedom Day’ approaches

Here's where Covid infections are rising fastest in Northamptonshire as ‘Freedom Day’ approaches Areas in and around Northampton, Daventry, Wellingborough where infection rates have risen by up to 1,000 percent in a week. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Three St Andrew's Hospital patients to feature in documentary to raise awareness of mental health

Three St Andrew's Hospital patients to feature in documentary to raise awareness of mental health Three Northampton hospital patients will feature in a documentary to raise awareness of mental health and to help quash the stigma associated with it.

‘I’m Not Mad, I’m Me’ follows Kayleigh, Charlie and Jo as they prepare to leave St Andrew’s Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Kettering General Hospital NHS FT commences major records digitisation

Kettering General Hospital NHS FT commences major records digitisation Kettering General Hospital has embarked on a major medical records digitisation project with partners System C, IMMJ Systems and SPS that will see more than 220,000 medical records securely scanned into the IMMJ Systems MediViewer™ Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). National Health Executive

Expansion of clinics at Brackley's new medical centre provides services on patients' doorstep

Expansion of clinics at Brackley's new medical centre provides services on patients' doorstep Travelling to Banbury, Oxford or Northampton will be less likely for some Brackley patients with the expansion of outpatient clinics at the town's new medical centre. Banbury Guardian 

‘Blame culture’ in maternity safety failures prevents lessons being learnt

‘Blame culture’ in maternity safety failures prevents lessons being learnt A wide-ranging report by the Health and Social Care Committee on maternity safety in England finds that improvements in maternity services have been too slow, with the CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals reporting evidence of a ‘defensive culture’, ‘dysfunctional teams’ and ‘safety lessons not learned’. Professor Ted Baker told the inquiry that more than a third of CQC ratings for maternity services identified requirements to improve safety, larger than in any other specialty. MPs recommend urgent action to address staffing shortfalls in maternity services, with staffing numbers identified as the first and foremost essential building block in providing safe care. 

See also:

• Culture of blame holding back maternity safety, report finds BBC News
• ‘A cascade of catastrophic failings’: the UK’s baby death scandals The Guardian
• MPs say 1,000 babies die preventable deaths in England each year The Guardian
• Ministers must invest £350m to make maternity units safe, MPs say The Independent
• Maternity services in England need urgent improvement and at least £200m more to reduce unnecessary deaths, says MPs' report Sky News

Government pledges £2.45 million to improve childbirth care

Government pledges £2.45 million to improve childbirth care  Maternity safety minister Nadine Dorries has announced £2.45 million funding which will benefit NHS maternity staff and improve the safety of the women and babies they care for. Department of Health and Social Care

Covid: Most rules set to end in England, says PM

Covid: Most rules set to end in England, says PM Face masks will no longer be legally required and distancing rules will be scrapped at the final stage of England's Covid lockdown roadmap, Boris Johnson has confirmed.

The rule of six inside private homes will be removed and work-from-home guidance abolished as 16 months of on-off restrictions on daily life end.

The PM said he expected the final step would go ahead as planned on 19 July. BBC News

See also:

• Covid: Fully jabbed people to be treated differently - Javid BBC News
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces 'five point plan for living with Covid' BBC News
• Covid: Johnson, Whitty and Vallance on when they'll still wear face masks BBC News
• Covid-19: New rules for schools in England to be set out BBC News
• Covid-19: 'For us it's not freedom day, is it?' BBC News
• Covid: What's the roadmap for lifting lockdown? BBC News
• Covid: Why is social distancing coming to an end? BBC News
• Coronavirus: When can we stop wearing face masks or coverings? BBC News
• What next for the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app? BBC News
• So just how long will your jab protect you from Covid? The Daily Mail
• Covid UK: 27,334 new daily cases and nine deaths as infections rise 20% in a week The Daily Mail
• Daily cases could hit 50000 by July 19 but Britain can start to live with Covid, says Sajid Javid The Daily Telegraph
• Lifting Covid rules in England: what has Boris Johnson announced? The Guardian
• Chris Whitty: keeping Covid restrictions will only delay wave The Guardian

Blood test to spot pancreatic cancer could be available within months

Blood test to spot pancreatic cancer could be available within months A test that spots pancreatic cancer from a single drop of blood could improve survival rates. The first blood test for early diagnosis of the hard-to-spot disease, it could be available within months.

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of the common cancers, with 7.3 per cent of patients alive five years after diagnosis, compared to 58.4 per cent of bowel cancer patients and 85 per cent of breast cancer patients. The Daily Mail

Northamptonshire's new Covid cases have doubled in a week

Northamptonshire's new Covid cases have doubled in a week Health chiefs say Covid cases are "escalating quite quickly" after seeing new positive tests DOUBLE in a week in Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also: 

• Face masks and social distancing measures in England set to end on 19 July, new reports suggest Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Boris Johnson to axe face mask laws and confirm July 19 end to Covid rules Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Face masks and social distancing could stay for next 5 years under Covid winter plan Northamptonshire Telegraph

St Andrew's Healthcare defends policies after carer kissed and sent explicit messages to Northampton mental health patient

St Andrew's Healthcare defends policies after carer kissed and sent explicit messages to Northampton mental health patient St Andrew's Healthcare has defended its policies after a former carer was sentenced for kissing and sending explicit messages to a mental health patient at its Northampton hospital.

Adam White, 32, of Woodside Green, was a given a 30-month community order at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday (June 30) after previously pleading guilty to engaging in sexual activity with the female patient. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Tackling obesity: the role of the NHS in a whole-system approach

Tackling obesity: the role of the NHS in a whole-system approach Rates of obesity in England are high and rising, with a strong systemic relationship between obesity and deprivation. Rates are also higher in women than in men, and in some ethnic minority groups compared to the white British group. 

Recent governments have taken a fragmented approach to tackling obesity, and while some individual policies have been successful, this approach has fallen short of the cross-cutting population health approach that is needed. This briefing explores the role of the NHS in tackling obesity, focusing on how the NHS can work with local partners and engage with communities to deliver targeted interventions to treat and prevent obesity. The King's Fund 

A missed opportunity: BMA response to the Race Report

A missed opportunity: BMA response to the Race Report In its response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ (CRED race) report, the BMA refutes the report’s overall findings. The BMA's report highlights structural race inequality as a major factor affecting the outcomes and life chances of many ethnic minority health care workers. British Medical Association 

Working well: How the pandemic changed work for people with health conditions

Working well: How the pandemic changed work for people with health conditions This research from the Centre for Aging Better, produced together with the Institute for Employment Studies, highlights the challenges faced by employees with long-term health conditions and warns that more support is needed to help people manage their conditions in the workplace if the state pension age is to rise further. 

Prime Minister to set out plans ahead of step 4

Prime Minister to set out plans ahead of step 4 The Prime Minister will host a press conference this afternoon (Monday 5th July) to set out plans for the final step of the Roadmap in England, giving businesses and the public more time to prepare.

The Health and Social Care Secretary will announce the plans to Parliament. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street

See also: 

• Health Secretary opinion piece in the Mail on Sunday Department of Health and Social Care
• UK exceeds 600,000 COVID-19 tests genomically sequenced Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: The R value and growth rate Department of Health and Social Care

Covid-19: Compelling health argument for easing lockdown - Javid

Covid-19: Compelling health argument for easing lockdown - Javid England will move into a period without legal restrictions where the public will have to exercise "personal responsibility" including on face masks, the housing secretary has said.

Robert Jenrick told the BBC's Andrew Marr people would "come to different conclusions" over masks, but he trusted people "to exercise good judgement". BBC News

See also:

• Boris Johnson to set out England's final Covid lockdown easing BBC News
• Covid: Keep some restrictions after 19 July, BMA doctors say BBC News
• Covid: Infections rising, but vaccines saving lives BBC News
• Why you shouldn't get a second Covid jab too early BBC News
• UK's daily Covid cases spike 70% in a week to 27,125 as deaths and hospital admissions tick upwards The Daily Mail
• Revealed: Boris Johnson’s five-point plan to end schools chaos The Daily Telegraph
• Politics trumps Covid science in Javid’s push to ‘live with the virus’ The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Delta variant cases in UK rise four-fold in less than a month The Independent

Thousands of patients hit by NHS data breaches

Thousands of patients hit by NHS data breaches The private data of thousands of NHS patients has been wrongly shared with strangers, including a case where a person’s HIV status was released, The Independent has learned.

In one example, strangers turned up at a woman’s door to let her know her private details, including her home address, had been mistakenly sent to other patients.

Johnson to announce controversial plans for greater NHS control

Johnson to announce controversial plans for greater NHS control Boris Johnson is set to spark a political row this week by announcing plans to seize greater control of the NHS, despite warnings that the “power grab” will see ministers blamed for delays in treatment and closure of local hospital units.

The prime minister has told the new health secretary, Sajid Javid, to put the long-awaited health and care bill before parliament despite Javid’s own misgivings and concerns among hospital bosses and doctors’ leaders. The Guardian

Number of NHS mental health beds down by 25% since 2010, analysis shows

Number of NHS mental health beds down by 25% since 2010, analysis shows The number of beds in NHS mental health hospitals has fallen by a quarter since 2010, forcing more patients who are seriously ill to be taken far away from home in order to receive treatment, Labour has revealed.

Its analysis of official figures shows that the NHS in England now has almost 6,000 fewer beds for people with conditions such as schizophrenia or eating and personality disorders. There were 23,447 consultant-led mental health beds in 2010-11 and 17,610 in 2020-21, a reduction of 5,837 (25%). The Guardian

Protests call for end to NHS underfunding and understaffing

Protests call for end to NHS underfunding and understaffing Dozens of protests have called for an end to underfunding and understaffing in the NHS across England, Scotland and Wales to mark the health service’s 73rd anniversary.

Campaigners from Keep Our NHS Public said they wanted an end to health service privatisation, better pay and to highlight threats to patient safety due to working conditions. The Guardian 

Queen awards George Cross to entire NHS for courage during pandemic

Queen awards George Cross to entire NHS for courage during pandemic The Queen has awarded the George Cross to the entire NHS, making public a handwritten note in which she praises the "courage, compassion and dedication" of health workers over more than 70 years.

It is only the third time the award – granted in recognition of “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most courage in circumstances of extreme danger” – has been given to a collective body.  The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• NHS Chief Hails ‘Unprecedented’ Honour For Staff NHS England
• Landmarks light up blue to mark NHS 73rd birthday and thank staff for contribution during pandemic NHS England
• Queen gives George Cross to NHS for staff's 'courage and dedication' BBC News
• Queen awards George Cross to NHS in honour of ‘courageous and compassionate’ staff The Independent
• People are thanking the NHS for their work during the pandemic ahead of the organisation’s birthday The Independent
• Queen gives 'courageous' and 'dedicated' NHS the George Cross as William and Kate mark its 73rd birthday Sky News