Corby Covid case rate still number one but currently on the decline

Corby Covid case rate still number one but currently on the decline With lockdown restrictions easing, the Corby Covid case rate - the highest in England for most of 2021 has been dropping - but the town still tops the regional and countrywide charts.

Cases per 100,000 residents reported over seven days for Corby have been stubbornly high in comparison to those of other areas causing concern for Public Health officials. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Patients waste tens of thousands of doctor appointments in Northamptonshire during pandemic – costing NHS millions

Patients waste tens of thousands of doctor appointments in Northamptonshire during pandemic – costing NHS millions Tens of thousands of GP appointments were wasted during the coronavirus pandemic in Northamptonshire because patients failed to attend them. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Shaping the future of digital technology in health and social care

Shaping the future of digital technology in health and social care This report, commissioned by the Health Foundation, provides a summary of evidence for how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, smartphones, wearable devices and the internet of things are being used within care settings around the world. The King's Fund

Delivering prevention in an ageing world: using technology effectively

Delivering prevention in an ageing world: using technology effectively  As part of the ILC-UK’s 'Delivering prevention in an ageing world' programme, this consultation paper identifies the key areas where technology can play a crucial role in helping push forward the prevention agenda. The paper also collates examples of good practice, including learnings from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Feedback can be given through the survey within the paper before 30 June 2021. International Longevity Centre UK

The Better End of Life Report 2021

The Better End of Life Report 2021 We take a closer look at how Covid-19 has affected dying, death and bereavement and what we can learn from the pandemic for improving end of life experience in future.

See also:

• Covid: Unpaid carers 'struggled to get pain relief' for terminally ill BBC News

Covid-19 return to work in the roadmap out of lockdown

Covid-19 return to work in the roadmap out of lockdown These guidelines, published in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, are aimed at workers, employers and health practitioners to increase understanding of the risks of returning to work and the appropriate work-related control measures that could be implemented. Presenting a simple, stepwise approach, the document outlines the multiple factors needed to be considered in the Covid-19 return to work assessment. Society of Occupational Medicine

Statement on AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine following MHRA update

Statement on AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine following MHRA update The Government's statement following updated advice from the UK's medicines regulator. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Independent report: Use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: JCVI statement Department of Health and Social Care
• AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine: EMA finds possible link to very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets European Medicines Agency
• MHRA issues new advice, concluding a possible link between COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and extremely rare, unlikely to occur blood clots Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination and blood clotting Public Health England
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: blood clotting information for healthcare professionals Public Health England

Covid: Vaccines 'break link' between infections and death

Covid: Vaccines 'break link' between infections and death Increasingly strong evidence shows that the UK's vaccination programme is breaking the link between Covid-19 cases and deaths, scientists tracking the epidemic have said.

A study found infections had fallen by roughly two-thirds since February, before beginning to level off. BBC News

See also: 

• Covid: Under-30s offered alternative to AstraZeneca jab BBC News
• Livingston's Valneva vaccine shows 'strong immune response' BBC News
• Britain's daily Covid cases fall by a third in a week with 2,763 more infections The Daily Mail
• Moderna vaccine in the UK: What we know about Britain's third jab The Daily Telegraph
• UK 'secretly sent 700,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia' despite shortage The Daily Telegraph
• AstraZeneca jab ‘course correction’ could dent confidence outside UK The Guardian
• What do we know about blood clots and the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine? The Guardian
• Covid prevalence dropped by 60% in March but researchers warn decline ‘levelling off’ The Independent

Concern from patients after Nice advise against painkillers for chronic pain

Concern from patients after Nice advise against painkillers for chronic pain People with chronic pain which has no known cause should not be prescribed painkillers, health officials have said.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended physical and psychological therapies should be used instead. The Independent 

Maternity compensation claims cost NHS £4 billion

Maternity compensation claims cost NHS £4 billion Failures in maternity care over the past decade have left more than 1,200 children permanently brain damaged and cost taxpayers more than £4 billion in compensation, new data has revealed.

According to NHS Resolution, which handles compensation claims on behalf of the NHS, the number of maternity claims has increased dramatically from 391 in 2009 to 765 in 2019-20. The Independent

Inspectors tell Northampton care agency to improve after finding concerns with safety and leadership

Inspectors tell Northampton care agency to improve after finding concerns with safety and leadership A Northampton care agency has been told to improve by the health watchdog after a recent inspection found concerns around its safety and leadership.

Carebank Healthcare's rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was been downgraded from 'good' to 'requires improvement' following the visit in February. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

See also:

• Northampton care home must ask for permission to accept new residents after scathing inspection Northampton Chronicle and Echo

The role of trauma-informed care during the Covid-19 pandemic

The role of trauma-informed care during the Covid-19 pandemic At the end of 2019, I wrote about the importance of trauma-informed care and the need for system-level change to better meet the needs of people who sleep rough and others who have experienced traumatic events. The ensuing Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated even more clearly the need for, and the potential of, trauma-informed approaches. The King's Fund

A record of our own: lockdown experiences of ethnic minority prisoners

A record of our own: lockdown experiences of ethnic minority prisoners The report reveals the impact of the first six months of Covid-19 restrictions on ethnic minority prisoners and their families. These restrictions have effectively reduced the spread of Covid-19 and saved lives, but they have also had profoundly affected prisoners’ mental health. Zahid Mubarek Trust

Face coverings in schools and colleges to remain in place

Face coverings in schools and colleges to remain in place Face coverings in schools and colleges are to remain in place at start of summer term, following an ongoing review of the evidence and data. Public Health England

Covid: Moderna vaccine roll-out to begin in Wales

Covid: Moderna vaccine roll-out to begin in Wales The UK is beginning the rollout of its third coronavirus vaccine in Wales.

Patients in Carmarthenshire are the first to get the Moderna jab, with 5,000 doses arriving at Hywel Dda University Health Board vaccination centres on Tuesday. BBC News

See also:

• Covid biggest NHS challenge since World War Two, says NHS boss BBC News
• Covid: Brazil has more than 4,000 deaths in 24 hours for first time BBC News
• Covid: Child vaccine trial paused over possible clot link BBC News
• Covid: Trust regulator on AstraZeneca vaccine safety, Boris Johnson says BBC News
• Boris confirms shops CAN reopen on Monday - but is lockdown roadmap in doubt? The Daily Mail
• Life WON'T return to normal on June 21 because Covid vaccines aren't good enough, SAGE warns The Daily Mail
• COVID-19 could become the new common cold: Experts predict the virus is here to stay The Daily Mail
• UK's long Covid patients facing postcode lottery for support The Guardian
• England’s Covid vaccine programme could slow sharply, Sage warns The Guardian
• Oxford/AstraZeneca jab could have causal link to rare blood clots, say UK experts The Guardian
• ‘Pandemic far from over’: Warning as only 3% of people vaccinated globally The Independent
• 'I couldn't go to work and I couldn't face another dead body': the NHS staff traumatised by the Coronavirus pandemic ITV News

Covid-19 raises risk of depression and dementia, study suggests

Covid-19 raises risk of depression and dementia, study suggests People diagnosed with Covid-19 in the previous six months were more likely to develop depression, dementia, psychosis and stroke, researchers have found.

A third of those with a previous Covid infection went on to develop or have a relapse of a psychological or neurological condition. BBC News

See also:

• 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236 379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records (open access) Lancet Psychiatry 
• Covid-19 linked to increased risk of psychiatric and neurological conditions ITV News

Evidence for puberty blockers use very low, says NICE

Evidence for puberty blockers use very low, says NICE The evidence for using puberty blocking drugs to treat young people struggling with their gender identity is "very low", an official review has found.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said existing studies of the drugs were small and "subject to bias and confounding".

The assessment of the evidence into the drugs was commissioned by NHS England. BBC News

Multiple opportunities missed to prevent suicide death at NHS mental health unit, inquest hears

Multiple opportunities missed to prevent suicide death at NHS mental health unit, inquest hears A 40-year-old mother of four took her own life at an NHS mental health unit after multiple opportunities were missed to keep her safe, an inquest has found, prompting her family to call for a public inquiry.

Azra Parveen Hussain was allegedly the seventh in-patient in seven years to die by the same means while in the care of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHT). The Independent 

NHS hospital trust facing prosecution after death of woman and child

NHS hospital trust facing prosecution after death of woman and child A hospital trust is facing prosecution for alleged breaches of patient safety that are said to have led to the deaths of a mother of six and a child who was brain damaged at birth.

The Care Quality Commission, which regulates NHS and social care in England, has charged Dudley group NHS foundation trust with providing illegally substandard care. The West Midlands trust is due to appear at Dudley magistrates court on Wednesday over alleged lapses in safety and patient care at Russells Hall hospital in the town. The Guardian

What Boris Johnson said in his lockdown roadmap press conference

What Boris Johnson said in his lockdown roadmap press conference Beer gardens, non-essential retail and outdoor attractions will be able to open next week, and a new testing regime will see every adult in England able to access two rapid covid tests per week, the prime minister announced. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also: 

• Covid-19 case rates and vaccine rollout for Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire BBC News
• 60,000 more jabs done in a week and nearly six out of ten people have been vaccinated in Northamptonshire Northampton Chronicle and Echo