Life in the time of Covid-19: the 2020 UK consultant census

Life in the time of Covid-19: the 2020 UK consultant census The most recent census of the consultant physician workforce in the UK shows that the number of doctors needed to meet patient demand continues to significantly outnumber the supply. It found that the proportion of unfilled medical consultant posts across the UK is at its highest level in almost a decade. Nearly half (48 per cent) of advertised consultant posts across the UK were unfilled last year – up from 36 per cent in 2013. Most posts were not filled because there were no applicants. The three Royal Colleges of Physicians believe a lack of long-term workforce planning is the primary factor behind the 33 per cent increase in unfilled consultant posts across the UK since 2013. Royal Colleges of Physicians 

Thousands spared strokes thanks to new NHS drug agreements

Thousands spared strokes thanks to new NHS drug agreements More than 20,000 strokes and 5,000 deaths could be averted after NHS England struck new agreements to expand life-saving blood thinning drugs, chief executive Amanda Pritchard announced.

The NHS will now dramatically scale up the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with as many as 610,000 more patients set to benefit over the next three years. NHS England 

Government response: PPE procurement in the early pandemic

Government response: PPE procurement in the early pandemic The government is publishing further information about its exceptional procurement exercise to secure critical personal protective equipment (PPE) during the early months of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• UKHSA updates clinical guidance on vaccinations for 12 to 17 year olds UK Health Security Agency

Covid vaccines: Children told to wait longer for jab after infection

Covid vaccines: Children told to wait longer for jab after infection Healthy children aged 12 to 17 are being advised to wait 12 weeks after a coronavirus infection before having a Covid jab in the UK.

Previously the advice was to leave a four-week gap.

The UK Health Security Agency said the change was a precaution against the small risk of heart inflammation. BBC News

See also:

• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: checklist for parents of children aged 12 to 15 years UK Health Security Agency
• Merkel: Germany hit by full force of Covid BBC News
• Covid-19 UK: Britain's coronavirus cases FALL for first time in a week The Daily Mail
• Covid vaccines may only affect menstrual cycles of women on contraception, study claims The Daily Mail
• Covid immunity wanes after two doses of the Pfizer vaccine in all ages, Israeli study claims The Daily Mail
• Mask-wearing cuts Covid incidence by 53%, says global study The Guardian
• Delta offshoot ‘one to watch’ over fears of future mutations The Independent
• Researchers find way to filter coronavirus particles out of the air Sky News

Government changes rules on social care cap

Government changes rules on social care cap The financial help poorer people get to cover their care will not count towards a new cap on costs, according to updated government plans.

It was announced in September that from 2023 no-one in England would pay more than £86,000 for care.

Now a tweak to the plan has been published, which critics say could see the poorest having to use more of their assets than better off people. BBC News

See also: 

• Social care cap could expose poorer homeowners to ‘catastrophic’ costs The Guardian

Long-acting HIV jabs to replace daily pills in ‘great step forward’

Long-acting HIV jabs to replace daily pills in ‘great step forward’ The NHS has been given the green light to offer people living with HIV the first "long-acting injectable" to keep the virus at bay.

Charities have hailed the "incredible news" which offers an alternative to adults living with HIV who have to take daily antiretroviral drugs.

Many people living with HIV can keep the virus at very low levels by taking antiretroviral tablets each day. The Independent

See also: 

• NICE approves first long-acting injectable HIV-1 treatment NICE
• Cabotegravir and rilpivirine for treating HIV-1 (draft guidance) NICE
• First long-acting injection for HIV approved BBC News

Stakes high for both sides as dispute over GP appointments deepens

Stakes high for both sides as dispute over GP appointments deepens Talking to MPs recently, an effusive Sajid Javid lauded the vital role paid by “our fantastic GPs”. But his warm words are unlikely to have persuaded many of England’s family doctors that the new health secretary was softening his stance in an increasingly bitter dispute over his insistence on face-to-face appointments for any patient that asks.

The row has led to the first clash between the government and medical profession since Javid’s predecessor Jeremy Hunt confronted junior doctors in 2015 over weekend working, which led to a year-long struggle including a series of strikes by trainee medics. The Guardian

See also:

• GPs have decided whether they will strike, but they won't tell YOU (the person who pays their wages) The Daily Mail
• Sajid Javid’s criticisms fuelling abuse of doctors, says GPs’ chief The Guardian
• GP access improvement plans to be finalised this week, says NHS England Pulse

Confusion reigns over how many Northamptonshire care home staff missed 'no jabs, no job' deadline

Confusion reigns over how many Northamptonshire care home staff missed 'no jabs, no job' deadline Council claims 143 were forced to quit, NHS England says nearly 1,000 did not have two doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

Confusion reigns over fallout in Northamptonshire care homes from the government's no jabs, no job mandate. Northamptonshire Telegraph

Kettering GP surgery improvement sees practice move to 'good' rating

Kettering GP surgery improvement sees practice move to 'good' rating Staff at a Kettering medical practice are celebrating after they were graded as 'good' in their latest inspection by health regulators.

Lakeside's Headlands Surgery in Headlands, was rated as 'good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after the visit by inspectors in September, having previously been graded as 'requires improvement'. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

No end in sight to mammoth waiting lists for routine NHS treatment at Northampton General Hospital

No end in sight to mammoth waiting lists for routine NHS treatment at Northampton General Hospital Tens of thousands of patients were waiting for routine treatment at Northampton General Hospital Trust in September, figures show.

But those who are being seen, are being seen quicker than they were a year ago. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

Strengthening workforce planning in the Health and Care Bill

Strengthening workforce planning in the Health and Care Bill The RCP is one of over 60 organisations (including The King's Fund) supporting an amendment to the Health and Care Bill tabled by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt MP to strengthen workforce planning. Ahead of Report Stage of the Health and Care Bill on 22 November 2021, Jeremy Hunt has tabled an amendment to Clause 34 of the Health and Care Bill that would require the secretary of state to publish independently verified assessments of current and future workforce numbers every two years consistent with Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) long-term fiscal projections. This briefing explains the amendment. Royal Colleges of Physicians 

The NMC Register mid-year update: 1 April–30 September 2021

The NMC Register mid-year update: 1 April–30 September 2021 This report shows that the NMC register of nurses, midwives and nursing associates has grown by 13,011 to 744,929. A big driver of growth is more than 10,600 professionals from outside Europe joining the register between April and September. There’s been an overall increase in people leaving the register, now at the highest level for the period since 2017. The number of nurses and midwives eligible to practise in the UK, and nursing associates who can practise in England, continues to rise. This is amid severe pressure on health and care services heading toward winter. Nursing and Midwifery Council 

Levelling up men’s health: the case for a men’s health strategy

Levelling up men’s health: the case for a men’s health strategy Across the UK, men’s mental and physical health is unacceptably poor – with around one man in five dying before the age of 65. Covid has worsened the situation with completely disproportionate effects amongst men. Many services are failing to reach men in time, especially working-age men, even though there are ever more examples of how services can be designed to reach and engage men more effectively. The lesson from other countries is that introducing a men’s health strategy alongside the government’s planned women’s health strategy can change this. This document lays out the case for change. Men's Health Forum 

The cost of poor housing in England

The cost of poor housing in England This briefing paper quantifies the cost burden to the NHS caused by hazards arising from poor quality homes in England. Findings reveal that 2.6 million homes in England – eleven per cent of the country’s housing stock – are categorised as ‘poor quality’ and therefore hazardous to occupants. Most common hazards are those that cause injuries on stairs, while the costliest issue for the NHS (£857million p/a) is poor quality housing leading to excess cold. BRE Group 

Antibiotic-resistant infections fell in 2020 for first time since 2016, but UKHSA warns drop likely temporary

Antibiotic-resistant infections fell in 2020 for first time since 2016, but UKHSA warns drop likely temporary New data published ahead of World Antibiotics Awareness Week (WAAW), 18 to 24 November, shows that antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections fell in 2020 (from 65,583 in 2019, to 55,384) for the first time since 2016 but still remain at a higher level than 6 years ago. Importantly, the decline was largely driven by a reduction in recorded bloodstream infections overall, likely due to less social mixing, enhanced hand hygiene and changes to healthcare access and delivery. UK Health Security Agency

See also: 

• Research: English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report UK Health Security Agency
• Hidden pandemic of antibiotic-resistant infections, health officials warn BBC News
• Antibiotic-resistant infections ‘set to rise after Covid pandemic’ The Independent

Rare case of woman's body ridding itself of HIV

Rare case of woman's body ridding itself of HIV A woman from Argentina appears to have rid herself of HIV without drugs or treatment - the second documented case of its kind in the world.

Doctors believe the patient's immune system cleared the virus on its own. BBC News

See also:

• A Possible Sterilizing Cure of HIV-1 Infection Without Stem Cell Transplantation (abstract) Archives of Internal Medicine

'We're not battle-axes' - GP receptionists

'We're not battle-axes' - GP receptionists Getting through to a GP in England is becoming more difficult. Demand has bounced back since the pandemic and it's getting harder to recruit new doctors. Staff in Bristol say they have never seen pressure like this before - and winter hasn't even started yet. BBC News 

The death of Dr Kailash Chand: how a lethal mix of NHS privatisation and lack of resources led to tragedy

The death of Dr Kailash Chand: how a lethal mix of NHS privatisation and lack of resources led to tragedy A lethal mix of NHS privatisation, overwhelming demand on ambulance services and lack of staff combined with human error led to a fatal delay in paramedics reaching a prominent doctor.

The series of failures outlined in a review of the case, seen by i, included an ambulance crew having to stop to ask a pedestrian directions to the street where Dr Kailash Chand lived because they had conflicting details. iNews 

Regularly drinking tea and coffee linked to lower risk of stroke and dementia

Regularly drinking tea and coffee linked to lower risk of stroke and dementia Drinking multiple cups of tea and coffee a day has been associated with a lower risk of stroke and dementia, according to a new study.

Research published in the PLOS Medicine journal said those who drank two to three cups of coffee, or three to five cups of tea – or a combination of four to six cups of both – could possibly have a lower risk of developing a condition. The Independent

See also: 

• Consumption of coffee and tea and risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia: A cohort study in the UK Biobank (open access) PLOS Medicine
• Why tea and coffee could reduce the risk of stroke and dementia explained iNews

Childhood obesity in England soars during pandemic

Childhood obesity in England soars during pandemic Thousands of children are facing “serious” and even “devastating” consequences as a result of weight gain during the pandemic, experts warn, as “alarming” figures reveal one in four 10- and 11-year-olds in England are obese.

Health leaders are calling for a “relentless drive” to boost child health as official NHS data lays bare for the first time how child obesity levels have soared during lockdowns. The Guardian

See also: 

• NHS to open first specialist clinics for severely obese children NHS England
• Pandemic sees big rise in obese children in England BBC News
• Childhood obesity hits record high during Covid, NHS data shows The Daily Mail
• NHS to set up 15 special clinics in England for severely obese children The Guardian
• Child obesity clinics open after pandemic shone light on crisis The Independent