Hospital trust accused of risking lives after raising patient-to-nurse ratio to dangerously high levels

Hospital trust accused of risking lives after raising patient-to-nurse ratio to dangerously high levels A hospital trust in Bristol has been accused of risking lives after raising its patient-to-nurse ward ratio to dangerously high levels, having allegedly dismissed staff concerns and national guidance on safe staffing. The Independent

Four BILLION people worldwide will be overweight by 2050, report predicts

Four BILLION people worldwide will be overweight by 2050, report predicts In a matter of three decades, nearly half of the world's population (45%) will be obese, and 16% will be overweight, while food waste surges in wealthy nations, new Potsdam Institute research predicts. The Daily Mail

See also:

• The ongoing nutrition transition thwarts long-term targets for food security, public health and environmental protection (open access) Scientific Reports
• Starved, stuffed and squandered: New study reveals consequences of decades of global nutrition transition Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Health chief's fears for over-60s after four more coronavirus deaths in Northamptonshire

Health chief's fears for over-60s after four more coronavirus deaths in Northamptonshire We are seeing patients in hospital who were fit and well before they caught Covid, says county director.

Four more coronavirus deaths have today been confirmed at Northamptonshire's two main hospitals and in county care homes. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Northampton dorm rooms a 'Covid-secure' solution for town's homeless BBC Northampton
• A stricter post-lockdown tier system could be decided for England next week Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northampton car wash fined after continuing to operate during lockdown Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Kettering school sends whole year group home to self-isolate after third Covid case Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Coronavirus pandemic 'may have reversed progress on lung cancer survival' in Northamptonshire, experts fear Northamptonshire Telegraph

NHS urges people with mental health worries to seek help

NHS urges people with mental health worries to seek help People with mental health worries are being urged to seek help in a new phase of the NHS’s Help Us Help You campaign.

Although mental health services have been running throughout the pandemic there was a marked dip in referrals despite evidence that coronavirus is making problems more common. NHS England

Investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic

Investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic The National Audit Office (NAO) reports a lack of transparency and adequate documentation of some key decisions, such as why particular suppliers were chosen or how government identified and managed potential conflicts of interest, in the awarding of some contracts while government was procuring large volumes of goods and services at high speed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some contracts were also awarded after work had already begun, and many were not published in the timeframe they should have been. 

See also:

• Covid spending: Watchdog finds MPs' contacts were given priority BBC News
• Lord Feldman: Department of Health adviser's firm took work from Covid company BBC News
• PPE suppliers with political ties given 'high-priority' status, report reveals The Guardian
• 'No documentation, no justification': NAO criticism of Covid contracts The Guardian
• Businessman was paid £21m of taxpayer cash for securing NHS PPE The Guardian

New film shows importance of ventilation to reduce spread of COVID-19

New film shows importance of ventilation to reduce spread of COVID-19 New short film released by the government shows how coronavirus lingers in enclosed spaces, and how to keep your home ventilated. Department of Health and Social Care 

 

See also:

• NHS launches 40 ‘long COVID’ clinics to tackle persistent symptoms NHS England
• Research and analysis: COVID-19: comparison of geographic allocation of cases in England by lower tier local authority Public Health England

More than 70,000 excess deaths during the pandemic

More than 70,000 excess deaths during the pandemic Rising numbers of Covid-19 deaths have pushed the total number of UK deaths further above the expected level for this time of year.

2,225 deaths involving Covid-19 were registered in the week of 6 November, up by 628 in a week.

Deaths registered for any reason were 15% above the level expected at this time of year. BBC News

See also:

• Covid vaccine: Pfizer says it's '94% effective in over 65s' BBC News
• Coronavirus: Doctors spell out how to exit England's lockdown BBC News
• Too early for Christmas Covid rules, says minister BBC News
• Coronavirus: Head of NHS Test and Trace Dido Harding self-isolating BBC News
• Covid: Thousands of cases relocated in England in data change BBC News
• Coronavirus: What are the EU coronavirus schemes? BBC News
• Doctors and nurses were not prepared to see 'so much illness and death' during Covid pandemic The Daily Mail
• UK 'may have paid TWICE as much as the US' for Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine The Daily Mail
• Has a five-day delay ruined England's second lockdown? The Daily Mail
• Chinese Covid vaccine appears safe and provokes immune response, says study The Daily Telegraph
• Call to protect UK doctors from prosecution over life-or-death Covid rationing The Guardian
• Vaccinating patients against Covid will be a mammoth task for GPs like me | Zara Aziz The Guardian
• Number of global daily Covid deaths hits new record The Independent
• Immunity against coronavirus lasts at least eight months, new study finds The Independent

Lockdown plus autumn sends loneliness soaring

Lockdown plus autumn sends loneliness soaring The week after the clocks went back saw Britain's highest levels of loneliness since the pandemic began, according to Office for National Statistics figures.

The start of November, with darker evenings, had 4.2 million adults always or often lonely, compared with 2.6 million before the pandemic.

This was the peak in levels of acute loneliness since the lockdown in March. BBC News

See also:

• Lockdown loneliness advice from a 91-year-old BBC News

Suicide bereavement: 'Just reach out to us'

Suicide bereavement: 'Just reach out to us' Dr Sharon McDonnell and colleagues at Manchester University have carried out the largest ever survey of suicide bereaved families in the UK. 

More than 7,000 people responded, and the results show a third have suffered from mental health problems, and have considered taking their own lives.

Dr McDonnell began researching the subject after losing her brother in 1990, going on to earn a PhD despite leaving school with no qualifications. BBC News

Lesbian couple demand equal fertility treatment from NHS

Lesbian couple demand equal fertility treatment from NHS They just want to become mothers, but say they’re being discriminated against because of their sexuality.

YouTube stars Megan and Whitney have launched a campaign demanding equal fertility treatment – after they were told they’d have to pay up to £30,000 to a private clinic before they could get any help from the NHS. Channel 4 News

Northampton councillor shares his severe battle with Covid-19 in hospital

Northampton councillor shares his severe battle with Covid-19 in hospital A Northampton councillor has implored residents to follow Government guidelines after sharing his own battle against Covid-19 in hospital. 

Talavera ward councillor Dennis Meredith has revealed he is now recovering after fighting the virus for several weeks in and out of Northampton General. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Northampton additional needs school closes for two weeks after whole senior leadership team tests positive for Covid Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• The UK has bought 5m doses of the new Moderna Covid vaccine - here’s everything you need to know about it Northamptonshire Telegraph

Council to run four Northamptonshire care homes nine years earlier than costly and controversial PFI contract planned

Council to run four Northamptonshire care homes nine years earlier than costly and controversial PFI contract planned The management of four care homes in Northamptonshire is being taken over by the council nine years earlier than a controversial PFI contract planned. Northamptonshire Telegraph

What does the future hold for digital health and care? Eight key technologies explained

What does the future hold for digital health and care? Eight key technologies explained The Covid-19 pandemic has seen many health and care services turn to digital technology to continue meeting patients’ needs. But beyond remote consultations, what are the key technologies to look out for in the future? We explain eight key innovations and their potential to transform health and care delivery. The King's Fund

Fears for maternity as staffing shortages hit safety and morale

Fears for maternity as staffing shortages hit safety and morale The safety of maternity services is under serious threat, according to a new survey by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The survey found that eight out of 10 midwives (83%) do not believe their NHS Trust or Board has enough staff to operate a safe service. Services are already stretched almost to breaking point, with 42% reporting that half of shifts are understaffed, and a third saying there are very significant gaps in most shifts.

See also:

• More than 75% of NHS midwives think staffing levels unsafe, says RCM The Guardian

Restoring services: NHS activity tracker November 2020

Restoring services: NHS activity tracker November 2020 This briefing highlights detailed examples of the innovations trusts and their staff are developing to improve capacity, respond to unmet demand despite the constraints created by Covid-19, and the need to prepare for additional winter pressures. NHS Providers

Mental health for all?

Mental health for all? This final report of the Commission finds that mental health inequalities mirror wider economic and social inequalities. Wealth and power inequalities put at risk the mental health of people experiencing poverty, racial injustice and discrimination. This creates sharp social divisions, meaning that many groups of people face two or three times the risk of mental ill health. Yet the same groups of people find it harder to get help for their mental health, and in some cases also get poorer outcomes when they do. This report highlights, however, that effective action is possible. It sets out what a system designed for equality would look like, and how communities, local organisations, public services and national government can work together to generate change at scale. Commission for Equality in Mental Health

Government secures 5 million doses of Moderna vaccine

Government secures 5 million doses of Moderna vaccine The UK government has completed negotiations with biotech company Moderna to secure access to 5 million doses of its promising vaccine, enough for around 2.5 million people. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• Health and Social Care Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 16 November 2020 Department of Health and Social Care
• Government response: UK government’s response to Moderna’s publication of efficacy data for its COVID-19 vaccine Department of Health and Social Care
• Pilot for family members to get regular testing for safer care home visits Department of Health and Social Care
• Research and analysis: COVID-19: comparison of geographic allocation of cases in England by lower tier local authority Public Health England

Moderna: Covid vaccine shows nearly 95% protection

Moderna: Covid vaccine shows nearly 95% protection A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows. 

The results come hot on the heels of similar results from Pfizer, and add to growing confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic.

Both companies used a highly innovative and experimental approach to designing their vaccines. BBC News

See also:

• Covid: Visitor tests in all care homes in England 'by Christmas' BBC News
• WHO worried young people won't want Covid vaccine BBC News
• Coronavirus: Dentists warn millions of treatments have been missed BBC News
• £100 billion Operation Moonshot will 'fail miserably because the tests are poor' The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: UK scientist says risk of reinfection is 'low' but people should still be cautious The Daily Mail
• UK Covid-19 cases and deaths: how the UK is coping with a second wave The Daily Telegraph
• Covid vaccine: Volunteers with no medical experience will be trained to give out jab The Daily Telegraph
• Mothers needlessly separated from babies under UK hospital Covid rules The Guardian
• Care homes pour cold water on Hancock's visitor-testing promise The Guardian
• Operation Moonshot 'like building Channel tunnel without civil engineers' The Guardian
• Covid: England's tiers 'need strengthening to get through winter' The Guardian
• Coronavirus: NHS publishes guidance for COVID-19 app glitch on iPhones Sky News

'How I learned to love my stoma'

'How I learned to love my stoma' A woman who had an ileostomy bag fitted has been documenting her life on social media in a bid to inspire others. 

Sarah Smith, who has ulcerative colitis, was fitted with the bag following emergency surgery in 2019.

The 31-year-old, from Wigston in Leicestershire, said after living in pain for years she now felt happy and healthy and wanted to help people who have stomas feel better about their bodies. BBC News

'Diabetes burnout': The mental-health impact of diagnosis

'Diabetes burnout': The mental-health impact of diagnosis "It's a full-time job that you can't quit. It's a massive burden that you didn't ask for, didn't expect."

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 19, Naomi, now 33, says she reached a point where she simply could not handle "the physical or mental challenges of diabetes any more", a condition known as "diabetes burnout". BBC News

See also:

• Diabetes: My baby saved my life BBC News