Number of Covid-19 victims continues to rise at Northampton General Hospital

Number of Covid-19 victims continues to rise at Northampton General Hospital Northampton is continuing to report increasing numbers of people dying at the town's major hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 victims.

On the day further easing of the Government's lockdown restrictions came into force, NHS data revealed four more fatalities among patients testing positive for the coronavirus at Northampton General Hospital. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Northampton hospital reveals biggest one-day spike in Covid-19 deaths since April 23 Daventry Express
• Anglia region has second highest daily coronavirus death toll in England ITV News
• A further 19 patients have died with coronavirus in hospitals in the Anglia region ITV News

Preventing and managing the Covid-19 pandemic across long-term care services in the WHO European Region

Preventing and managing the Covid-19 pandemic across long-term care services in the WHO European Region This technical guidance identifies ten policy objectives for decision-makers, policy-makers and national or regional health authorities as they strive to prevent and manage the COVID-19 pandemic in long-term care settings. The focus is on older people above the age of 65 years who use long-term care services in their homes, day centres or designated facilities (residential homes and nursing homes). World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe

UK reaches 200,000 coronavirus testing capacity target a day early

UK reaches 200,000 coronavirus testing capacity target a day early Following the rapid expansion of coronavirus testing, the UK reached the 200,000 capacity target on Saturday 30 May, including capacity for 40,000 antibody tests a day. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• Detailed guide: Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Coronavirus (COVID-19): looking after people who lack mental capacity Department of Health and Social Care
• Top NHS doctor issues advice for children going back to school NHS England
• Guidance: COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable Public Health England
• Guidance: PHE data series on deaths in people with COVID-19: technical summary Public Health England
• Relaxation of lockdown measures is not a 'green light' to return to previous way of life, College warns patients Royal College of General Practitioners

Coronavirus: How dangerous is lifting lockdown?

Coronavirus: How dangerous is lifting lockdown? Lockdown is starting to ease.

Across the UK we can meet more people, while in England some children are back in school and car showrooms and open-air markets have reopened.

But some scientists, even those advising government, have been in mutinous mood - saying ministers are acting too soon.

And the lifting of restrictions has been described as a "dangerous moment" even by England's deputy chief medical officer. BBC News

See also:

• Relaxing lockdown 'risky' and 'political decision' BBC News
• Coronavirus: GPs not told when patients removed from 'shielding lists' BBC News
• Coronavirus: Shielders in England allowed outdoors again from Monday BBC News
• Coronavirus: More than two million in UK waiting for cancer care BBC News
• Coronavirus: UK exceeds 200,000 testing capacity target BBC News
• Coronavirus England: Experts warns end of shielding is 'rushed' The Daily Mail
• Chris Whitty thwarted Boris Johnson's wish to downgrade UK's coronavirus threat level The Daily Mail
• NHS contact tracing system to tackle coronavirus is STILL not working properly The Daily Mail
• Five new drugs to be trialled on NHS Covid-19 patients The Daily Mail
• NHS trusts were told to carry out thousands of tests with two days notice in race to hit 200000 target The Daily Telegraph
• What the new UK lockdown rules mean for you The Daily Telegraph
• Exercise Cygnus: NHS doctor's legal bid to force Government to release papers on pandemic preparedness The Daily Telegraph
• Privacy group prepares legal challenge to NHS test-and-trace scheme The Guardian
• Coronavirus in England: half of those with symptoms not isolating The Guardian
• NHS England 'knew nothing' of change to shielding guidance Health Service Journal
• NHS Test and Trace: Matt Hancock admits he can't say how many people have used Covid-19 contact tracing system five days after it launched iNews

Number of deaths in Northampton was double in April compared to average of last five years

Number of deaths in Northampton was double in April compared to average of last five years The number of people who died in Northampton was double last month compared to the average over the last five years. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Lockdown domestic abuse cases 'tip of the iceberg', says refuge BBC Northampton
• Coronavirus: Northampton rough sleepers will return, charity boss fears BBC Northampton
• A further 31 hospital patients have died with coronavirus in the Anglia region ITV News
• Forty-eight-year-old woman charged after PPE equipment was stolen from Northampton General Hospital Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Second personal protective equipment (PPE) survey of UK nursing staff report

Second personal protective equipment (PPE) survey of UK nursing staff report The RCN has undertaken two surveys of health and care staff to identify their experiences and ongoing issues with the supply of and access to PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic. This report details the findings of the second survey (May 2020). Although there has been some improvement since the April 2020 survey, there are still shortages of essential PPE in all settings, and health and care staff are still reliant on PPE items being donated or home-made in some cases. The findings also highlighted a contrast in the experience and safety of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) respondents. Royal College of Nursing

Six-country survey on Covid-19

Six-country survey on Covid-19 This discussion paper presents a new data set collected on representative samples across six countries: China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, the UK and the four largest states in the US. The information collected relates to work and living situations, income, behavior (such as social-distancing, hand-washing and wearing a face mask), beliefs about the Covid-19 pandemic and exposure to the virus, socio-demographic characteristics and pre-pandemic health characteristics. Institute of Labor Economics

Loneliness, social isolation and Covid-19: practical advice

Loneliness, social isolation and Covid-19: practical advice The LGA, together with the Association of Directors of Public Health, have produced this guide for directors of public health and others leading the response to the loneliness and social isolation issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Local Government Association

Government failing to follow advice of own SAGE group in opening schools June 1

Government failing to follow advice of own SAGE group in opening schools June 1 It is not safe enough for all schools to re-open on June 1, says a report from Independent SAGE, the 12-strong committee chaired by former Chief Scientific Adviser Sir David King, The report concludes that the government is not following the advice of its own scientists.

The report says that modelling from the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) shows R increasing if schools re-open. It notes that since it published its draft report last week, the government has also heightened the risks of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases by undermining its own messaging.

It says: ‘Public adherence to social distancing is influenced by trust in the government and its messaging. This trust is increasingly strained.’

£5 million funding given to mental health community projects

£5 million funding given to mental health community projects Community projects supporting people with their mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will benefit from their share of £5 million of additional funding. Department of Health and Social Care 

See also:

• Detailed guide: Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK Department of Health and Social Care
• Updated guidance on risk assessments for staff NHS Employers
• Research and analysis: National COVID-19 surveillance reports Public Health England
• Guidance: COVID-19: advice for smokers and vapers Public Health England
• Research and analysis: Statements regarding COVID-19 tests evaluated by PHE Public Health England

About 7% have had coronavirus, says ONS survey

About 7% have had coronavirus, says ONS survey About 7% of people in England have been infected with coronavirus, antibody tests on a random sample of households suggest.

"Herd immunity is not worth worrying about" at that level, say experts involved in the Office for National Statistics study.

The results are based on blood samples taken from 885 people from private households after 26 April. BBC News

See also:

• NHS Seacole: Covid-19 rehab centre takes first patients BBC News
• Coronavirus: How the virus is hitting some harder than others BBC News
• Coronavirus: Dental practices to reopen from 8 June BBC News
• Coronavirus: R number 'very similar' across UK BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Government's contact tracing site crashes The Daily Mail
• April was the deadliest month on record in England and Wales: Figures show 88,000 people died The Daily Mail
• Contact tracing in England 'not fully operational until end of June' The Guardian
• Government rejected radical lockdown of England's care homes The Guardian
• I'm an NHS consultant. We're exhausted – and a second surge is on its way The Guardian
• Matt Hancock's obsession with hospitals has warped priorities and cost lives The Guardian
• NHS will keep personal data of people with coronavirus for 20 years The Guardian
• Nearly 17,000 fines for alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules issued in England and Wales The Independent
• Coronavirus: What’s the risk of catching Covid-19 from a surface? The Independent

Covid-19 death-rate may be slowing but we're far from out of the woods yet, warns Northampton hospital boss

Covid-19 death-rate may be slowing but we're far from out of the woods yet, warns Northampton hospital boss Doctors fear Northampton is far from out of the woods yet over Covid-19 despite a falling death-rate and the Government easing lockdown laws.

Schools and are due to reopen next week with non-essential shops also unlocking their doors for the first time in 12 weeks on June 15.

Yet staff at Northampton General Hospital are warning the county's death-rate may be slowing, but it is not slowing as fast as in major cities such as London and Birmingham. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Returning NHS waiting times to 18 weeks for routine treatment: the scale of the challenge pre-Covid-19

Returning NHS waiting times to 18 weeks for routine treatment: the scale of the challenge pre-Covid-19

Returning to ‘normal’ levels of activity is expected to take some time and, even before Covid-19, there were substantial challenges with waiting times. As the NHS looks to start to recover services, this long read looks at the context in which planned treatment will recommence. Specifically, it looks at what would have been needed – if the NHS were operating within a ‘business as usual model’ – to return to delivering the standard of 92 per cent of patients being treated within 18 weeks, given the waiting lists and waiting times backlog that had built up by January 2020. The Health Foundation

Age, death risk, and the design of an exit strategy: a guide for policymakers and for citizens who want to stay alive

Age, death risk, and the design of an exit strategy: a guide for policymakers and for citizens who want to stay alive This discussion paper provides information on the strong age-pattern in the risk of death from three countries (China, Italy, the UK). If politicians want an imminent removal of the lockdown, the safest approach in our judgment would be a rolling age-release strategy combined with the current principle of social distancing. But even if that is not the policy adopted, citizens need to be shown graphs of the kind in this paper. Honest guidance ought to be given to those in midlife and beyond. Governments have to allow people to understand their personal risk after any release from lockdown. Institute of Labor Economics

Government launches NHS Test and Trace service

Government launches NHS Test and Trace service New guidance means those who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive must isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Detailed guide: NHS test and trace: how it works Department of Health and Social Care
• Detailed guide: NHS test and trace: workplace guidance Department of Health and Social Care
• Detailed guide: Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK Department of Health and Social Care
• Latest COVID 19 guidance updates NHS Employers
• Guidance: COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection Public Health England
• Guidance: Guidance for contacts of people with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person Public Health England

Coronavirus: Matt Hancock outlines new isolation guidelines

Coronavirus: Matt Hancock outlines new isolation guidelines From Thursday, those who have been contacted by the NHS will be asked to isolate, even if they do not have symptoms. 

In the government's daily briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out details for the test and trace system, which will start tomorrow in England.

The aim of the test and trace system is to move from lockdown for all towards more targeted measures. BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus: Test and trace system kicks off in England BBC News
• Coronavirus: Everyone in the UK is now eligible for a test BBC News
• Coronavirus: Schools and workplaces could see 'local lockdowns' BBC News
• Cheltenham Festival and Liverpool's Champions League match led to MORE deaths The Daily Mail
• UK's test, trace and isolate scheme will only cut infections by 5%, scientists warn The Daily Mail
• The NHS Test and Trace system, explained The Daily Telegraph
• Significant regional variation in COVID-19 care home deaths GPonline
• Coronavirus is whipping up a mental health storm for NHS workers The Guardian
• England's coronavirus tracing plan: 'beset by conflict and confusion' The Guardian
• Cancer, transplant and asthma patients axed from shielding list by text message The Guardian
• Test and trace: New NHS coronavirus track scheme could prove very difficult to put into practice, doctors warn iNews
• Coronavirus: New guidance issued to protect black, Asian and ethnic minorities working in English hospitals Sky News

NHS hospital car parking policies in the UK

NHS hospital car parking policies in the UK This briefing sets out policies on NHS hospital parking charges in the UK. Hospitals may charge for car parking in all NHS hospitals in England and Northern Ireland. Most hospital car parking charges were abolished in Wales in 2008 and Scotland in 2009. House of Commons Library

Northamptonshire's Covid-19 death toll still trending downwards, despite rise in positive tests

Northamptonshire's Covid-19 death toll still trending downwards, despite rise in positive tests Northamptonshire's Covid-19 death-rate in our two main hospitals continued to slow with one more victim in the latest 24-hour period.

The death at Kettering General Hospital on Sunday (May 17) took the total to a sobering 357 at the two NHS trusts since the coronavirus outbreak claimed its first victim on March 3. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• NHS reports 18 more coronavirus deaths in hospitals in the Anglia region ITV News
• Covid-19 claims its 500th victim among Northamptonshire's hospital patients and care home residents Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Zero Covid-19 deaths at KGH announced today Northamptonshire Telegraph

Shielded voices

Shielded voices At the beginning of the acute phase of the Covid-19 crisis, we could reason that it might have been necessary and understandable to make big decisions about health and care (and much else) quickly without much input from patients or users. However, as we move tentatively out of the acute phase, with health and care services working through how they deliver much needed support, the need to ensure we are hearing from people and communities using services, particularly those living with ill health or disabilities, becomes ever more pressing. The King's Fund

The Covid-19 pandemic, financial inequality and mental health

The Covid-19 pandemic, financial inequality and mental health This briefing discusses the mental health effects of financial inequalities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. It draws evidence from the “Coronavirus: Mental Health in the Pandemic” research – a UK-wide, long-term study of how the pandemic is affecting people’s mental health. The study is led by the Mental Health Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, Swansea University, the University of Strathclyde and Queen’s University Belfast.