Historic day for Northampton General Hospital as staff among first people in the world to get coronavirus vaccine

Historic day for Northampton General Hospital as staff among first people in the world to get coronavirus vaccine Northampton General Hospital (NGH) became one of the first hospitals in the world to start giving out the coronavirus vaccine today (Tuesday, December 8).

The first hospital employee to receive the long-awaited vaccine was consultant maxillofacial surgeon Philip Ameerally. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Whole year group sent home from Northampton school after positive Covid case Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Covid restrictions could ease from spring - with hopes that summer 2021 will be 'normal' Northamptonshire Telegraph

What impact did cuts to social care spending have on hospitals?

What impact did cuts to social care spending have on hospitals? In a new IFS working paper, published today and funded by the Health Foundation, we examine what impact cuts to social care spending had on use of NHS hospitals. Exploiting the fact that the size of funding cuts varied considerably across areas, we examine the impact on the use and associated costs of three types of NHS hospital services: Accident & Emergency (A&E), inpatient care, and outpatient care. Institute for Fiscal Studies

See also:

• Social care cuts led to increase in over-65s going to A+E, says IFS study The Independent

11 new integrated care systems

11 new integrated care systems NHS organisations will need to intensify partnership working with local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle health inequalities resulting from COVID-19, the head of the NHS has said.

Sir Simon Stevens confirmed 11 more parts of the country will be formally designated “integrated care systems” (ICS) from 1 April 2021 serving a combined population of 14.5 million people. NHS England

Guidance: Supporting public health: children, young people and families

Guidance: Supporting public health: children, young people and families Documents to support local authorities and providers in commissioning and delivering maternal and child public health services from preconception up to 24 years. Public Health England

Covid vaccine: What you need to know about vaccine safety

Covid vaccine: What you need to know about vaccine safety In any conversation about vaccine safety, there is one statistic worth holding on to: one in 1,000.

One in 1,000 people in the UK have already died after being infected with coronavirus during the pandemic. This is the known threat from the disease that any risks have to be balanced against.

In medicine there is an important difference between "safe" and "harmless" and between "risk" and something being "risky".

So, what do we mean when we talk about Covid vaccines being "safe" to use? BBC News

See also:

• Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK (open access) The Lancet
• Oxford Covid vaccine 'safe and effective' study shows BBC News
• Safety data on Pfizer jab released by US BBC News
• Covid-19 vaccine: GPs to starting immunising next week BBC News
• Rich countries hoarding Covid vaccines, says People's Vaccine Alliance BBC News
• Covid: The day the UK received 'a shot in the arm' BBC News
• Johnson & Johnson may know whether its one-dose coronavirus vaccine works by January The Daily Mail
• 'It has given people hope': patients and NHS staff on day one of Covid vaccination The Guardian
• Masks could be needed for another year, warns government chief scientific adviser The Independent
• A tribute to the NHS workers who have died with coronavirus The Independent

Brexit: The NHS could face supply shortages during winter peak even with a deal

Brexit: The NHS could face supply shortages during winter peak even with a deal Whitehall is gripped by the drama of Brexit as the end game of negotiations approaches and the question of deal or no deal is finally resolved one way or the other.

But for the NHS, whatever happens – deal or no deal – problems getting enough drugs and medical equipment into the UK and to the hospitals and patients who need them is a growing concern. The Independent

More years of obesity associated with higher risk of disease, study finds

More years of obesity associated with higher risk of disease, study finds More years of obesity are associated with a higher risk of disease, a new study suggests.

Greater obesity duration is linked with worse values for all cardiometabolic disease factors, researchers found. The Daily Telegraph

See also:

• Duration of obesity exposure between ages 10 and 40 years and its relationship with cardiometabolic disease risk factors: A cohort study (open access) PLOS Medicine

Northamptonshire's hospitals are under stress faced with winter coupled with coronavirus pande

Northamptonshire's hospitals are under stress faced with winter coupled with coronavirus pandemic Pressure is building at Northamptonshire's two public hospitals as healthcare staff face the stress of winter pressures coupled with the coronavirus pandemic.

Northampton and Kettering General Hospital set out a direct appeal to members of the public over the weekend urging them to only visit in an emergency because they were dealing with "very high demand" over December 5 and 6. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

More than 1,900 University of Northampton students test negative for coronavirus before Christmas exodus

More than 1,900 University of Northampton students test negative for coronavirus before Christmas exodus More than 1,900 students at the University of Northampton have tested negative for coronavirus at its testing centre before going home for Christmas, as of Friday (December 4). Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Thousands of people not tested for HIV in Northamptonshire in 2019

Thousands of people not tested for HIV in Northamptonshire in 2019 Opportunities to screen for HIV are being missed in Northamptonshire with almost 5,000 people not offered or declining a test at sexual health clinics. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Support for redesigning care pathways

Support for redesigning care pathways NHSX has published four ‘digital playbooks’ to help achieve the Long Term Plan’s aim of reducing face-to-face outpatient appointments by up to a third over the next five years.

They are designed to help clinical staff use technology to redesign care pathways and cover the four highest-volume specialties: cardiology, respiratory, ophthalmology and musculoskeletal. 

Five-year strategy for transfusion care

Five-year strategy for transfusion care NHS Blood and Transplant has published Transfusion 2024 for NHS providers and other stakeholders. It sets out key priorities for clinical and laboratory transfusion practice for safe patient care for the next five years.

Levelling up health for prosperity

Levelling up health for prosperity  The government’s manifesto contained ambitious pledges on the economy and health. However, to achieve these aims we need a coordinated approach to health and the economy, nationally and locally.

The economic gains from reducing place-based health inequality could be significant, and doing so is crucial for our national economy, local prosperity, and our recovery from Covid-19. 

Local government has a pivotal role in achieving these gains. This report outlines policy to make health improvement a joint enterprise between local and national government, and recommends three ‘paradigm shifts’ for a new approach to health and prosperity. Institute for Public Policy Research

See also:

• Public health grant cuts 'worst in poorest areas' BBC News

All hands on deck: public private partnerships during Covid-19

All hands on deck: public private partnerships during Covid-19 This report examines how government has worked with the private sector to respond to COVID-19. It suggests that there are lessons from the pandemic that, if acted on, would allow government to more effectively leverage the private sector to respond to future crises. Reform

See also:

• Driving the UK’s leadership in vaccine research & innovation Reform

Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: what to expect after vaccination

Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: what to expect after vaccination Information for people who have had their first COVID-19 vaccination. Public Health England

See also:

• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: guide for healthcare workers Public Health England
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: why you are being asked to wait Public Health England
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: a guide for social care staff Public Health England
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: guide for older adults Public Health England
• Promotional material: COVID-19 vaccination: care home and healthcare settings posters Public Health England

Moment first person receives Pfizer vaccine

Moment first person receives Pfizer vaccine A 90-year-old woman in Coventry has become the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19, outside trial conditions.

Margaret Keenan, from Enniskillen, received the injection at University Hospital in Coventry on Tuesday morning. BBC News

See also:

• Coronavirus: Your vaccine questions answered by an expert BBC News
• Covid-19 vaccination: Needle phobia - it's the jab, not the vaccine, some fear BBC News
• 'Mix-and-match' coronavirus vaccines to be tested BBC News
• Covid vaccine: 'Thrilled' Hancock warns of long way to go BBC News
• Are Covid cases beginning to creep back UP? The Daily Mail
• How a THIRD of local authorities in England saw a spike in Covid cases in over-60s The Daily Mail
• Northern England was hit hardest by both the Covid-19 and 1918 Spanish flu pandemics, study shows The Daily Mail
• January could see a 'severe peak' of coronavirus infections if we 'take our foot off the pedal' The Daily Mail
• The hospitals that will have the Covid-19 vaccine, and how it will be rolled out The Daily Telegraph
• One of first people in UK to receive Covid jab says: 'I feel it's my duty' The Guardian
• Wales considers new Covid lockdown amid rapid rise in infections The Guardian
• Coronavirus: ‘Majority’ of vulnerable to be vaccinated by end of February, says No 10 The Independent
• Sewage tests at schools and offices could reveal whether Covid lockdowns are working The Independent

Great Ormond Street: Hospital may have broken law by failing to reveal errors led to boy’s death

Great Ormond Street: Hospital may have broken law by failing to reveal errors led to boy’s death Great Ormond Street Hospital may have broken the law by failing to share information with parents that showed its errors had contributed to their son’s death, The Independent understands.

The care watchdog is speaking to Great Ormond Street about its handling of an expert report into five-year-old Walif Yafi in 2017.

Confirmed: Northampton General Hospital to be one of the country's first coronavirus vaccination hubs

Confirmed: Northampton General Hospital to be one of the country's first coronavirus vaccination hubs Northampton General Hospital has been confirmed as one of the country's first coronavirus vaccination hubs as part of the biggest immunisation programme in history.

People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers will be first to receive the jab along with NHS workers who are at higher risk. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Northampton infection rates are 'knocking on Tier Three's door' compared to rest of county, says council leader Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• There's 63 Northants people who knew they had Covid-19 but wouldn't tell test and tracers who they might have passed it on to Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Coronavairus deaths in Northamptonshire pass a sobering milestone  Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Warning from public health officials as coronavirus hospital admissions keep rising in Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Northamptonshire areas with consistently high coronavirus rates will be targeted by public health officials Northamptonshire Telegraph

Northampton and Kettering General Hospital set out direct appeal to public after 'very high demand' this weekend

Northampton and Kettering General Hospital set out direct appeal to public after 'very high demand' this weekend Both of Northamptonshire's hospitals have directly asked the public to think twice before visiting A&E after struggling with "very high demand" this weekend. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Northamptonshire County Council: Failing children's service improves from low base

Northamptonshire County Council: Failing children's service improves from low base A children's services department that was "failing to keep children safe" has started "to improve, albeit from a very low base", Ofsted inspectors said.

Northamptonshire County Council's children's services were rated inadequate in July 2019. 

An independent trust took control of children's services last month. BBC Northampton