Two in five 16 to 17-year-olds in Northampton receive first Covid jab

Two in five 16 to 17-year-olds in Northampton receive first Covid jab Two in five 16 to 17-year-olds in Northampton have received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, figures reveal.

It comes as pupils across England return to school after the summer holidays, amid a warning over a potential rise in cases. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Covid-19: Low jab rate 'a factor' in Corby's high case rate BBC Northampton 
• Northampton Covid-19 testing centre staff not paid for three weeks continue working due to 'human spirit' Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Kettering drugs overdoses linked to hazardous substance

Kettering drugs overdoses linked to hazardous substance Police have warned that a "potentially dangerous batch of crack cocaine and heroin" has led to four overdoses in a town in a few days.

Northamptonshire Police said "lifesaving interventions" have been needed in a number of incidents in Kettering.

It believed "a very hazardous substance - possible isotonitazene or fentanyl - has been used as a cutting agent". BBC News

See also: 

• Police issue warning over dangerous batch of Class A drugs Northamptonshire Police

Record £36 billion investment to reform NHS and Social Care

Record £36 billion investment to reform NHS and Social Care The Prime Minister today set out responsible, fair, and necessary plans to tackle the Covid backlogs, reform adult social care, and bring the health and social care system closer together on a long term, sustainable footing.

£36 billion will be invested in the health and care system over the next three years, to ensure it has the long term resource it needs. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Social care cap a bold step forward but funding won't ‘fix’ social care or tackle the NHS backlog The Health Foundation
• The King's Fund responds to the announcement of a health and social care levy The King's Fund
• Care providers, care users and workers will feel short-changed by proposed health and social care levy and reform Nuffield Trust
• Why the cap on care costs is not all it seems BBC News
• MPs to vote on health and social care tax rise BBC News
• Boris Johnson outlines health and social care tax to pay for reforms BBC News
• Nursing sector bosses hail plan to fund social care reforms but fear NHS will hoover up billions The Daily Mail
• Levy will ensure our NHS can cope with this unprecedented challenge The Daily Telegraph
• Funding social care is 'permanent new role for Government', says Rishi Sunak The Daily Telegraph
• Boris Johnson raises taxes by £12bn a year to fund NHS and social care – video The Guardian
• More money for the NHS is overdue, but there's not nearly enough to fix social care | Andy Cowper The Guardian

Four in five people aged 16 and over vaccinated with both doses

Four in five people aged 16 and over vaccinated with both doses Four in five people aged 16 and over in the UK have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the latest figures show.

A total of 43,535,098 people have received two doses (80.1%) and 48,292,811 people have received one dose (88.8%). Department of Health and Social Care 

Covid: No plans for October lockdown, says government

Covid: No plans for October lockdown, says government The government has denied newspaper reports that it is planning an October lockdown in England.

The i newspaper said plans had been drawn up to extend the school half-term holiday, if the number of hospitalisations continue at the current level.

The i said a full lockdown was unlikely - but the government could introduce some rules as part of a "firebreak". BBC News

See also:

• Cases of the Mu variant begin to rise, experts fear the variant could be more contagious than Delta The Daily Mail
• COVID-19: AstraZeneca boss says booster jabs may not be needed for everyone and widespread rollout could put extra pressure on NHS Sky News

Sexually transmitted infections fall during pandemic

Sexually transmitted infections fall during pandemic Cases of newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are down by a third in England, data reveals.

Experts say the drop is partly due to people changing their behaviour during the pandemic but also because fewer tests have been done.

With few Covid restrictions remaining, people are now being warned not to swap social distancing for an STI - and to get checked if they have risky sex. BBC News

See also: 

• STI rates remain a concern despite fall in 2020 Public Health England
• Official Statistics: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): annual data tables Public Health England
• STI rates plunged by a third last year as Covid lockdowns forced 'changes in behaviour' The Daily Mail

Thousands of cancer patients could qualify for 'effective and valuable' treatment

Thousands of cancer patients could qualify for 'effective and valuable' treatment Some 8,000 people in England with hormone-sensitive or hormone-relapsed prostate cancer will be eligible for apalutamide treatment after it was recommended by a health watchdog. The Daily Mail 

Long-term air pollution linked to greater risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation

Long-term air pollution linked to greater risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation A new report finds a link between long-term exposure to air pollution and the severity with which a person will experience the effects of COVID-19.

Air pollution has harmful effects on the lungs. When COVID-19, a disease which infects the airways of the lungs, became a global pandemic it raised the question - does air pollution increase the chance of catching COVID-19 or worsen health outcomes if you do contract it? Imperial College London Environmental Research Group

Dismissed for too long: recommendations to improve migraine care in the UK

Dismissed for too long: recommendations to improve migraine care in the UK This report found a wide range of issues with migraine healthcare including slow or no diagnosis and lack of access to specialist care. It sets out the action needed from government, healthcare systems and other organisations to give everyone living with migraine in the UK the support they need. Migraine Trust 

Additional £5.4 billion for NHS COVID-19 response over next six months

Additional £5.4 billion for NHS COVID-19 response over next six months The NHS will receive an extra £5.4 billion over the next six months to support its response to COVID-19 and help tackle waiting lists, the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid have announced.

The funding will immediately go towards supporting the NHS to manage the immediate pressures of the pandemic. This includes an extra £1 billion to help tackle the COVID-19 backlog, £2.8 billion to cover related costs such as enhanced infection control measures to keep staff and patients safe from the virus and £478 million to continue the hospital discharge programme, freeing up beds. Department of Health and Social Care

Social care: PM to unveil overhaul of sector in England

Social care: PM to unveil overhaul of sector in England Boris Johnson will vow to end "catastrophic costs" for social care users in England when he sets out long-awaited reform proposals later.

The prime minister will announce the plans to MPs, alongside money to help the NHS respond to the Covid pandemic.

He is expected to breach election promises and raise National Insurance (NI) by about 1.25%.

And the plan has prompted a backlash from some of his own Tory MPs. BBC News

See also: 

• Fixing social care is not all about a cap on costs The King's Fund
• There is an alternative to the Government's social care reform plans The Daily Telegraph
• What has gone wrong with social care in England? The Guardian
• Boris Johnson faces growing red wall rebellion over social care tax rises The Guardian
• Boris Johnson to defy Tory anger with social care plan set to hit workers with higher national insurance bills The Independent
• UK National Insurance rise: How social care reform plans could impact income – and why there’s a backlash iNews
• Why is Boris Johnson's plan for social care reform being widely criticised? ITV News

Government plans October firebreak lockdown if Covid hospital admissions remain high

Government plans October firebreak lockdown if Covid hospital admissions remain high The Government has drawn up plans for an October “firebreak” Covid lockdown should hospitalisations continue at their current level and threaten to overload the NHS, a senior Government scientist has told i.

The member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the UK is about to enter “an extended peak” of infections and hospitalisations, which are in danger of pushing the NHS beyond breaking point and could force the Government to re-introduce restrictions over the school half term period at the end of next month. iNews

See also: 

• United States eclipses more than 1,500 COVID-19 deaths per day - the highest in six months The Daily Mail
• Weekly Covid tests for pupils could be scrapped this month, Gavin Williamson says The Daily Telegraph
• No 10 intent on keeping Covid powers amid expected rise in cases The Guardian
• NHS 'ready to go' with Covid jab booster programme, says vaccines minister The Independent
• Covid antibodies ‘tumbling’ among elderly, fuelling calls for booster jab rollout The Independent

Mental health patients in shared wards despite calls for NHS to end practice

Mental health patients in shared wards despite calls for NHS to end practice Concerns raised after minister says there are more than 1,100 beds still in dormitory settings in England.

People with serious mental health problems are being forced to share wards with distressed fellow patients, 20 years after the NHS was told to give them all their own rooms.

There are still more than 1,100 beds in dormitory wards in mental health units in England, despite sustained criticism of their potentially damaging effects on patients, the government has said. The Guardian 

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests GP surgery staff are facing abuse from patients who are “angry and upset” that their blood test has been cancelled because of the NHS-wide chronic shortage of sample bottles.

“Patients are angry when we ring them up and say, ‘Sorry we can’t do your blood test after all’. A lot of people are quite angry and concerned about their own health,” Dr David Wrigley, the deputy chair of council at the British Medical Association, said. The Guardian 

Corby's Covid rate now highest in England again

Corby's Covid rate now highest in England again Corby holds the unenviable position of having England's highest Covid-19 case rate once more after a surge in people testing positive for the virus.

The town's high rates topped the chart for the majority of the first three months of 2021 before cases rapidly dropped. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Car sharing could be adding to Covid increase in Northamptonshire warn NHS officials Northants Live 

Corby medical practice warns patients of flu vaccine delays

Corby medical practice warns patients of flu vaccine delays Corby's biggest GP practice has warned patients to not turn up for flu jab appointments because the shipment of life-saving vaccines has been delayed. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

Almost £17bn needed to clear backlog and treat expected rise in patients needing NHS hospital care

Almost £17bn needed to clear backlog and treat expected rise in patients needing NHS hospital care Further support and investment in staff and infrastructure also essential to address ‘huge challenge’ facing the NHS, warns The Health Foundation

New analysis from the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre sets out the scale of the challenge facing government if it wants to clear the backlog in NHS care over the course of this parliament and return hospital waiting times to 18 weeks. 

We need to move from person-centred to community-centred services

We need to move from person-centred to community-centred services For many years, health and social care organisations have aimed to create 'person-centred' services built around the individual. But if we want to make a meaningful difference to people's health and wellbeing, I believe there is a need to shift from person-centred to community-centred ways of working. My argument in this blog is that to do so we need to reframe what success would look like; promote more 'mutual' approaches; give community building the same billing (and resource) as public service reform and be open and honest about what gets in the way. The King's Fund 

Clinical and care professional leadership in integrated care systems

Clinical and care professional leadership in integrated care systems This report was commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement, to inform its guidance to support embedding system-wide clinical and professional leadership in all integrated care systems. NHS Confederation 

Prospective parents given more choice over when to start a family

Prospective parents given more choice over when to start a family People across the UK will have more choice over when to start a family as the government sets out plans to increase the storage limits for eggs, sperm and embryos.

Following a public consultation last year, proposals will be introduced to increase the statutory storage limits for everyone from the current 10 years, to a 10 year renewable storage period up to a maximum of 55 years. Department of Health and Social Care