Rise in A&E visits in June at Northampton General Hospital Trust

Rise in A&E visits in June at Northampton General Hospital Trust More people visited A&E last month at the Northampton General Hospital Trust – but attendances were still far lower than in June last year. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Coronavirus: Thirty-six at Desborough home with Covid 'recovering'

Coronavirus: Thirty-six at Desborough home with Covid 'recovering' Thirty-six people who tested positive for Covid-19 at a Northamptonshire care home are recovering, the home said.

The outbreak at Cheaney Court, Desborough, had been put down to two Kettering General Hospital patients and one from a hospice moved to the home.

The hospital said its patients, sent to the home between 25 May and 4 June, had tested negative but were later found to be positive for the virus. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Too little, too late; many people won’t bother and it's the staff who will suffer — Northampton's view on wearing face masks in shops Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Health bosses link car sharing to rise in Covid-19 cases in Northampton and Kettering Northamptonshire Telegraph
• How the coronavirus pandemic unfolded at KGH as deaths finally slow down Northamptonshire Telegraph

It’s no longer enough to know, we must act: workforce race inequality in the NHS

It’s no longer enough to know, we must act: workforce race inequality in the NHS If the sheer weight of reports, reviews and inquiries was a measure of progress, race inequalities would have been consigned to historical textbooks long ago. This has not been the case, and while the pursuit of equity in opportunities and experiences for all has not yet been realised, including in the NHS, its promise still exists. The King's Fund

Strategic Health Authorities and regions: lessons from history

Strategic Health Authorities and regions: lessons from history In 2019, NHS England and NHS Improvement aligned to operate as a single organisation, resulting in the creation of seven regional teams. But this is not the first time national oversight of health care has been supported by these kinds of regional bodies. This report considers what lessons might be learned from recent previous experiences, what works, and what are the pitfalls for this kind of intermediate-level management. A range of senior representatives who were responsible for running regional health authorities in their previous incarnation were interviewed for the report and the issues were discussed with people working in other parts of the health system hierarchy at that time. Nuffield Trust

Coronavirus: impact on young people with mental health needs

Coronavirus: impact on young people with mental health needs This second survey with young people by YoungMinds investigating the mental health impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic shows that many are under increasing pressure and struggling to get the right support. The report reflects the results of a survey with 2,036 young people aged 13-25 with a history of mental health problems, carried out between 6th June and 5th July. It follows on from a similar survey carried out in March, at the start of the lockdown period. YoungMinds 

Rebuilding the NHS: improving medical pathways for acute care

Rebuilding the NHS: improving medical pathways for acute care The RCEM, together with the Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Physicians and the Society for Acute Medicine, have made recommendations for the immediate transformation of the urgent and emergency care pathway. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the public must be confident that they will receive urgent and emergency care in a safe environment The statement set out some principles and makes ten recommendations. Royal College of Emergency Medicine

£62 million to help discharge people with learning disabilities or autism into the community

£62 million to help discharge people with learning disabilities or autism into the community People with learning disabilities or autism who could be better supported in their community will have their discharges from hospital accelerated. Department of Health and Social Care

New focus on babies' and children's health as review launches

New focus on babies' and children's health as review launches A major new review into improving health outcomes in babies and young children has launched. Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Call to infect volunteers in Covid-19 vaccine hunt

Coronavirus: Call to infect volunteers in Covid-19 vaccine hunt Nobel laureates are among scientists calling for volunteers to be exposed to coronavirus after receiving a vaccine to see if it offers protection.

They signed an open letter to the head of the US National Institutes of Health, saying these "challenge trials" could accelerate vaccine development.

The Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine programme's director said such studies should be "feasible and informative". BBC News

See also: 

• Coronavirus: Russian hackers target Covid-19 vaccine research BBC News
• Matt Hancock admits he is 'worried' about Covid-19's 'debilitating' effects The Daily Mail
• Hopes build over UK Covid vaccine as Oxford drug trials work The Daily Mail
• Up to two thirds of elderly were discharged from hospitals to care homes without a Covid-19 test The Daily Mail
• Is Britain's coronavirus outbreak GROWING? Symptom-tracking app shows daily cases doubled in a week The Daily Mail
• More than a quarter of close contacts not reached by NHS Test and Trace The Daily Telegraph
• Mandatory face covering in GP practices vital as face-to-face contacts rise, warns BMA GPonline
• Hospital boss who blamed Covid-19 outbreak on staff pictured without mask The Guardian

Care costs in England should be capped, says social care adviser

Care costs in England should be capped, says social care adviser Sir Andrew Dilnot says uncapped care costs leave families at risk of losing assets

Care costs should be capped at £45,000 a year in England and more cash ploughed into provision for the poorest in society, according to Sir Andrew Dilnot, who has advised successive Conservative governments on reform.

The measures to bring care funding closer into line with the NHS would cost an extra £3.1bn a year – a 14% increase on councils’ social care budget – Dilnot said in evidence on Tuesday to the House of Commons health and social care committee. The Guardian

Poor work-life balance is a likely cause of ill health

Poor work-life balance is a likely cause of ill health Those who struggle to achieve a balance between their professional and personal lives are twice as likely to report physical ill health, according to a new study published in the journal BMC Public Health. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Work-life balance and self-reported health among working adults in Europe: a gender and welfare state regime comparative analysis (Open Access) BMC Public Health
• A balancing act: gender and welfare regimes in the association between work-life conflict and poor health BMC Nwetwork

Northamptonshire NHS scheme shortlisted for national award

Northamptonshire NHS scheme shortlisted for national award The yellow bracelet scheme has been selected as a finalist in the Improving Care for Older People category at this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Patient Safety Awards. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Health officials admit Covid-19 cases ARE on the rise again in Northampton and Kettering

Health officials admit Covid-19 cases ARE on the rise again in Northampton and Kettering Health officials admit the number of reported Covid-19 cases is on the rise again in parts of Northamptonshire.

Reports leaked over the weekend listed Northampton and Kettering among the top 20 “areas of concern” based on data up to July 4. Daventry Express

Obesity: time for action

Obesity: time for action Speculation is building that we are about to see another obesity strategy, ‘chapter’ or plan from government. There have been repeated attempts at tackling the challenge of obesity, or rather childhood obesity, since 2010. The most recent attempts are known, oddly but tellingly, as ‘chapter 1’, ‘chapter 2’ (and ‘chapter 3’ tucked away in the consultation on prevention) and reveal the government’s ambiguity about how far to go on obesity: to settle for minor changes over time, or to go big? Chapter 2 published in June last year added some welcome changes, particularly around marketing, but pulled back from more major change. The King's Fund

Time to be radical? : the view from system leaders on the future of ‘system by default’

Time to be radical? : the view from system leaders on the future of ‘system by default’ The NHS Confederation’s ICS Network conducted a poll to assess the direction of travel systems themselves would like to see, beyond the emergency response to Covid-19 and towards a possible future vision. The results of the poll are outlined in this report. NHS Confederation

Reimagining the future of health and social care: how to learn the lessons from the Covid-19 crisis for a next generation health and care system

Reimagining the future of health and social care: how to learn the lessons from the Covid-19 crisis for a next generation health and care system The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a real-time experiment of the capacity of the health and care system to meet population needs over the coming years. This report looks at what has been learnt about the UK’s health and social care system through the Covid-19 crisis, and how this might translate to profound change within the system. Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

The hidden impact of Covid-19 on patient care in the NHS in England

The hidden impact of Covid-19 on patient care in the NHS in England The Covid-19 pandemic led to an extensive shift in the package of care provided by the NHS as hospitals had to prepare for a large surge in patients requiring intensive care. Whilst these changes meant that intensive care did not have to be rationed to Covid-19 patients, data indicates that the shutdown of most non-Covid services, combined with drastic changes in patient behaviour, mean the NHS is now facing a large backlog of non-Covid-19 care, storing up greater problems for the future. This report investigates the extent to which non-Covid care has been disrupted over April, May and June 2020, and the likely impact this will have in the longer term. British Medical Association

UK among highest COVID-19 health worker deaths in the world

UK among highest COVID-19 health worker deaths in the world More than 540 health and social worker deaths in England and Wales, from 3,000 global fatalities

Health workers in Pakistan, Mexico and the Philippines attacked - others detained or dismissed for speaking out

‘It is tragic that we’ve seen so many of our dedicated healthcare workers in England and Wales die from COVID-19’ - Kate Allen

The UK has recorded the among the highest number of COVID-19 health worker deaths in the world, according to a new report by Amnesty International.

Press release: Largest testing programme for coronavirus publishes its initial findings

Press release: Largest testing programme for coronavirus publishes its initial findings Over 120,000 volunteers tested across England between 1 May and 1 June as part of the country’s largest study into coronavirus. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Statement to Parliament: Face coverings to be mandatory in shops and supermarkets from 24 July Department of Health and Social Care
• Official Statistics: REACT-1 study of coronavirus transmission: May 2020 results Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: R number 'lower than thought' before lockdown eased in England

Coronavirus: R number 'lower than thought' before lockdown eased in England The rate of coronavirus infections in England was significantly reduced before lockdown eased in May, according to a government-commissioned study.

Imperial College research showed there were on average 13 positive cases for every 10,000 people and the reproduction number - or R - was 0.57.

The R number was estimated to be between 0.7 and 1 at the time. BBC News

See also:

• Fewer heart attacks seen by NHS amid coronavirus BBC News
• Coronavirus: Smokers quit in highest numbers in a decade BBC News
• Medics demand government releases plans for how the NHS should get ready for second Covid wave The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus England: 85 people A DAY may die until end of July The Daily Mail
• Google dropped from NHS Covid-19 'Data Store' The Daily Telegraph
• 11-day delay for mandatory face coverings will endanger lives, doctors warn GPonline
• New points-based tool could gauge Covid-19 risk for health workers The Guardian
• Can mental health services cope with the devastating effects of Covid-19? The Guardian
• Coronavirus: nurses not wearing masks led to A&E closure, inquiry finds The Guardian
• Coronavirus: Contact tracers in England 'locked out of accounts' Sky News