Category Archives: NHS

New Covid strain ‘out of control’, says Matt Hancock – video

Posted on by

There is a 'long way to go' before a return to normality, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has warned, after saying a new Covid variant was 'out of control' in the UK. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show and Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Hancock suggested the new tier 4 restrictions announced on Saturday may have to remain in place for several months until vaccines have been administered across the country

Continue reading...

UK Covid live: tier 3 rules extended across southern England as secondary schools face staggered January return

Posted on by

Latest updates: ‘vast majority’ of areas currently in tier 3 will remain there; secondary school pupils’ return to class in England will be staggered

The Department of Health has released a written ministerial statement giving the reasons for the decisions taken today about why areas in England are staying in, or moving from, particular tiers. It’s here - although the version up at the moment only covers the north-west, the north-east and London.

The government is to provide interim cover for EU holiday healthcare costs for people who require routine hospital treatment such as dialysis and chemotherapy in the event there is no Brexit deal to replace the current European Health Care Insurance Scheme (EHIC).

In a written ministerial statement Edward Argar, a health minister, said:

This government will introduce the scheme with the intention that it is used by individuals who are certain to require treatment while abroad, such as regular dialysis, oxygen therapy or certain types of chemotherapy. The government recognises that these ongoing, routine treatment costs can be expensive, and makes travelling abroad extremely challenging for many people.

Continue reading...

Christmas plans in the balance as UK leaders re-examine Covid rules

Posted on by

Heads of four nations to meet to discuss tighter restrictions in break, but Johnson likely to push back

Christmas plans for millions of families were in the balance last night as ministers and devolved leaders held talks on curtailing freedoms over the festive period amid warnings that the NHS would be overwhelmed.

Boris Johnson is likely to face down calls to change course, though the government may issue new advice urging extreme caution. A government source said it was possible the four nations may diverge after no agreement was reached at a crisis meeting with devolved administrations on Tuesday chaired by Michael Gove.

Continue reading...

‘It made Boris seem like a normal person’: how did Johnson’s Covid change him?

Posted on by

The prime minister’s spell in intensive care underscored the severity of the pandemic. Did it also make him reassess his life?

It was an unexpected twist in what already felt like an excessively dramatic disaster movie. On 6 April, the British prime minister was admitted to the intensive care ward at St Thomas’ hospital in London, after contracting a new and potentially deadly virus. Donald Trump said he was “praying for his good friend”; the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said all his wishes were with the prime minister, his family and the British people in “this difficult time”. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, described it as “terribly sad news”.

Boris Johnson pulled through, of course, surviving to witness the birth of his son, Wilfred – given the middle name Nicholas, after the doctors, Dr Nick Price and Dr Nick Hart, who saved Johnson’s life. But more than eight months later, could the country still be feeling the impact of this dramatic turn of events?

Continue reading...

UK Covid self-isolation period set to be reduced to 10 days

Posted on by

Chief medical officers of all four UK nations expected to formally announce change later on Friday

Governments across the UK are to announce a reduction in the coronavirus self-isolation period, from 14 to 10 days, it is understood.

It is expected the chief medical officers of all four UK nations will formally announce the change later on Friday.

Continue reading...

NHS told not to give Covid vaccine to those with history of allergic reactions

Posted on by

Two health service workers experienced symptoms after receiving Pfizer vaccine

People with a history of significant allergic reactions should not receive the Covid vaccine, the medicines regulator has said, after two NHS workers experienced symptoms on Wednesday.

Both of the NHS staff carry adrenaline autoinjectors, suggesting they have suffered reactions in the past. These kind of devices, of which the best-known brand is the EpiPen, administer a swift adrenaline boost to counter allergic reactions that occur when some people, for instance, eat nuts.

Continue reading...

Covid vaccine: UK woman, 90, becomes first in world to receive Pfizer jab

Posted on by

Margaret Keenan was given vaccine on Tuesday morning in Coventry following its approval last week

Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 jab following its clinical approval as the NHS launched its biggest ever vaccine campaign on Tuesday.

Keenan received the jab at about 6.45am in Coventry, marking the start of a historic mass vaccination programme.

Continue reading...

Covid vaccine arrives in UK hospitals ready for first jabs

Posted on by

Medical director warns of great hurdles in largest vaccination campaign in UK history

Batches of the Covid vaccine have begun to arrive in hospitals around the UK, ready for the first jabs on Tuesday in what NHS England’s medical director warned would be the largest and most complex vaccination campaign in the country’s history.

The UK’s record-breaking approval of the vaccine and the rapid start of immunisation against Covid-19 did not mean the end of the pandemic was in sight, said Prof Stephen Powis. It would be a marathon and not a sprint, he said.

Continue reading...

Puberty blockers ruling: curbing trans rights or a victory for common sense?

Posted on by

A highly anticipated judgement on Tuesday concluded children under 16 are unlikely to be mature enough to give informed consent

A landmark high court ruling has focused a spotlight on the work of the Gender Identity Development Service for Children and Adolescents (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS trust in London.

The highly anticipated judgment on Tuesday concerned legal action taken by 23-year-old Keira Bell against the service – the only one of its kind for England and Wales.

Continue reading...

UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson leads Downing Street briefing after vaccine approved for use

Posted on by

Latest updates: PM holds press conference after earlier warning people not to ‘get hopes up too soon’ about early vaccination

Stevens is talking about the vaccination guidelines. (See 11.23am.)

The roll-out will be phased, he says.

Johnson urges people in tier 3 areas to take part in community testing.

And people should follow the restrictions, he says.

Continue reading...

UK likely to be first western country to license a Covid vaccine

Posted on by

Regulator expected to authorise Pfizer/BioNTech jab for emergency use within days

Britain is expected to become the first western country to authorise a coronavirus vaccine, raising the prospect of immunisations beginning weeks ahead of the rest of Europe.

The UK medicines regulator is set to license the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use within days, and possibly as soon as Wednesday. Britain has ordered 40m doses, of which 10m are expected to be available this year.

Continue reading...

Nearly a third of English hospital trusts exceed first peak of Covid patients

Posted on by

Scientists warn that scrapping or relaxing tier system too quickly could imperil NHS

Nearly a third of England’s hospital trusts have exceeded their first wave peak of Covid patients undergoing treatment, as scientists warned that relaxing or scrapping the three-tier system too quickly could further hamper the NHS.

Hospital trusts in south Somerset and Devon last week treated more than twice as many Covid patients as they did at the peak of the first wave in spring, Guardian analysis shows. But, reflecting the fact that tier decisions are based on a range of data, both areas will go into tier 2 from Thursday.

Continue reading...

Working in the NHS, it doesn’t feel like any end to Covid is in sight

Posted on by

The news about a vaccine doesn’t feel real to stressed and exhausted hospital staff, says a consultant

It turns out that a pandemic really is a marathon, not a sprint to a finish line. I guess that was obvious really.

It’s not all bad. We are no longer dealing with an unknown threat that we are having to discover as we go along. The disease is known, its presentation recognised, its complications understood.

Continue reading...

Hospitals in England told to prepare for Covid vaccine rollout in 10 days’ time

Posted on by

Exclusive: NHS could receive first deliveries of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as soon as 7 December

Hospitals have been told to prepare for the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in as little as 10 days’ time, with NHS workers expected to be at the front of the queue, the Guardian has learned.

NHS bosses said hospitals in England could expect to receive their first deliveries of a vaccine produced by Pfizer/BioNTech as soon as Monday 7 December, with regulatory approval anticipated within days.

Continue reading...

UK scientists warn of third wave of Covid after Christmas

Posted on by

Fears easing restrictions over festive period will lead to rise in cases and overwhelm NHS

Government scientists have warned the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas could lead to a third wave of the pandemic, with increased transmission and unnecessary deaths.

Families across the UK will be able to gather in three-household groups of any size over Christmas, the government has announced, prompting warnings from scientists that the plan will almost inevitably result in a rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

Continue reading...

Sunak refuses to apologise for PPE contracts given to firms with ties to MPs – video

Posted on by

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, declined to apologise for PPE contracts given to companies with links to MPs and ministers during the first wave of coronavirus. 

Appearing on BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show, Sunak was questioned on the government's purchase of 50 million face masks from Ayanda Capital that were later deemed unusable for NHS workers.  

'It was right to try to do everything we can, and I'm not going to apologise for us reacting in that way,' Sunak said. 

Continue reading...

Human rights must not be ‘trampled’ in global rush for PPE, say MPs

Posted on by

Calls come after Guardian finds UK sourced PPE from factories in China where North Koreans work in modern slavery

MPs and experts in the procurement of personal protective equipment have said human rights must not be “trampled” in the rush to secure PPE for frontline workers via global supply chains.

The calls come after a Guardian investigation found evidence that the British government had sourced PPE from factories in China where hundreds of North Korean women have been secretly working in conditions of modern slavery.

Continue reading...

UK health experts discuss relaxing Covid rules for Christmas – video

Posted on by

Government adviser Dr Susan Hopkins said that community transmission of Covid-19 would have to be low to guarantee a Christmas 'as close to normal as possible'.

The deputy director of Public Health England a said Sage scientific advice indicated that 'for every day that we release (measures) we will need two days of tighter restrictions'

Continue reading...

Test and trace needs radical reform in England, health experts say

Posted on by

Sir John Oldham suggests coronavirus lockdown will be futile unless system is overhauled

The government faces renewed calls for the central NHS test and trace system to be scrapped in favour of handing responsibility for contact tracing to local public health teams.

Weekly test and trace figures for England show it reached just under 60% of close contacts of people testing positive, the lowest since the service began. It comes as the Office for National Statistics indicated the steep rise in new infections was levelling off in England and stabilising at about 50,000 a day.

Continue reading...

Operation Moonshot: Covid mass-testing trial begins in Liverpool

Posted on by

Asymptomatic people encouraged to get tested as scheme launches amid some confusion

The UK’s first mass-testing trial is under way in Liverpool as part of the government’s Operation Moonshot drive to test up to 10 million people a day.

Six new testing centres opened their doors to Liverpudlians at noon on Friday as the city’s health chief urged the city’s 500,000-strong population to volunteer for a coronavirus test over the next fortnight.

Continue reading...