New research has suggested unvaccinated young people may be at a higher risk of getting long-term symptoms. With restrictions being lifted on 19th July, concerns have been raised about the impact of the Delta variant.
Professor Danny Altmann has said “From every version of Covid we’ve ever seen on the planet, we’ve got a rule of thumb that any case of Covid, whether it’s asymptomatic, mild, severe, or hospitalised, incurs a 10 to 20% risk of developing long Covid, and we haven’t seen any exceptions to that.”
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Source: The Guardian, 13 July 2021
A new study has found nursing shortages may have negatively impacted patient safety, including unsafe practice management workarounds and cognitive failures.
Research has found cutting corners when understaffed may have been the only way to get the work done quicker due to the added strain and heavier workload and in another study, it was discovered nurse staffing demand increased to 245 percent between September and December 2020.
It was also reported that nurses who had little or no experience of working in the ICU environment were assigned to work there which may have led to higher stress levels and cognitive failures such as memory and attention lapses.
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Source: Recycle Intelligence, 13 July 2021
A new independent inquiry has been launched after reports of mother and baby deaths at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.
According to patient safety minister Nadine Dorries, the inquiry will be led externally and will be examining cases going back to 2016.
The review has been welcomed by families but they have said they want to be fully involved in the process including setting the terms of reference and making sure it is a truly independent inquiry.
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Source: The Independent, 13 July 2021
A new study has been published focusing on surgical innovation and how it could be made safer.
The research set out to develop a 'core outcome set', an agreed minimum set of outcomes to measure and report for safe surgical techniques in all audits, research, and clinical practice.
The study, co-led by Dr Kerry Avery, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol and NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has said "It may surprise many people to learn that surgical procedures haven’t traditionally been subject to the kind of regulation we see in other areas of medicine. But to ensure safety and improve efficiency, a core outcome set is an important step".
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Source: University of Bristol, 13 July 2021
The Royal College of Nursing has written to the Prime Minister demanding continued protective measures after the loosening of restrictions on July 19th.
In a joint letter with the British Medical Association, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, British Dental Association and College of Optometrists, they ask for support and protection for healthcare staff.
The letter says “The need to recognise health and care settings as unique environments for the care and safety of the most vulnerable is paramount. While you state that you would expect the public to continue wearing face coverings in healthcare settings, we ask that this is translated into action".
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Source: RCN, 14 July 2021
Since lockdown, people have not been exposed to viruses that normally circulate during the winter months, but now that restrictions are lifting, there are concerns the viruses may make a comeback. Now, leading medics have warned there will be a surge in respiratory viruses alongside Covid-19 this winter and have urged anyone experiencing symptoms to self-isolate.
Testing for flu, Covid and respiratory viruses common in children and elderly may help doctors treat cases quickly, doctors have said.
A report by Professor Azra Ghani, from Imperial College London found a surge in winter viruses during the summer. She has said "Whilst we expect the peak in deaths to be considerably lower than last winter, under some scenarios we could see hospital admissions rise to similar levels."
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Source: BBC News, 15 July 2021
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has warned there may be a risk to pregnant women when next weeks restrictions relax.
Experts are warning that infection rates among pregnant women may increase once the restrictions are lifted and encourage them to protect themselves and their families as women who are pregnant are more likely to become severely ill with Covid-19.
RCN chief executive Gill Walton, has said: "Along with mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing, vaccination is a vital tool in the fight to protect yourself against this virus.
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Source: BBC News, 15 July 2021
NHS Blood and Transplant have estimated that almost 7,000 people are waiting for lifesaving transplants in the UK, the highest number in six years.
During the first peak of the pandemic last year, several key services have had to be closed reveals the analysis from April 2020 to March 2021, although most were rapidly reinstated and 80% of NHS transplant work went ahead.
Figures from the report found 474 patients died while waiting for organs, a higher number than the year before and the majority of patients were waiting for kidney transplants.
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Source: BBC News, 15 July 2021
NHS England have issued a safety alert on the risk of inappropriate anticoagulation of patients with a mechanical heart valve.
Published guidance supported clinical teams in reviewing patients being treated with a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) early on in the pandemic and change their medication to an alternative anticoagulant where needed.
However, there have been reports that those with a mechanical heart valve have been prescribed a molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) which the guidance lists as an exception to its use in such patients.
The alert asks GPs and other NHS providers to urgently identify patients with a mechanical heart valve and ensure they are on the most appropriate anticoagulant.
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Source: NHS England, 14 July 2021
A new study has found younger adults admitted to hospital with Covid-19 may suffer similar complications as to those over 50 year old.
The research, conducted by 7 different universities, the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England found that around half of all adult patients in hospital with Covid-19 suffered a least one complication.
Professor Calum Semple who led the work has said, "The message is that this is not just a disease of the elderly and frail".
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Source: BBC News, 16 July 2021
A major new study has found Long Covid is associated with at least 200 symptoms, the most common of which includes fatigue, post-exertional malaise and cognitive dysfunction.
The research led by a team at University College London spoke to thousands of people, many of whom have said they experienced symptoms for months.
Other symptoms include: visual hallucinations, tremors, itchy skin, changes to the menstrual cycle, sexual dysfunction, heart palpitations, bladder control issues, shingles, memory loss, blurred vision, diarrhoea, and tinnitus.
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Source: The Independent, 15 July 2021
Hospital waiting lists across the country could hit 13 million in the months to come.
Reports have found Manchester Hospitals are having to provide extra beds for critical care patients as the number of people coming in has surged.
Hospitals are struggling to cope due to increase in patients attending hospitals in the city a reports the Manchester Evening News.
The “number of people attending emergency departments across Greater Manchester has seen a significant increase in recent weeks” and that assistance from hospitals in other parts of the country was “part of our usual processes”, a spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership has said.
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Source: The Independent, 15 July 2021
1.6 million people in England have been told to self-isolate in a week and the government say it is unlikely the Covid app will adjusted to make it less sensitive.
Robert Jenrick, communities secretary told the BBC, “It is important we have the app, that we take it seriously and that when we do get those messages, we act accordingly”.
According to reports, UK coronavirus cases climbed to 48,553 on Thursday, the highest since January. Concerns have now been raised about the climbing number of cases with fears there may be chaos to come.
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Source: The Guardian, 16 July 2021
Owing to a lack of beds and space, one the of the largest hospitals in the country has had to cancel all it's planned operations for two days.
The hospital, which has more than 1,100 beds has had to cancel cancer operations and liver transplants due to an influx in coronavirus patients increasing demand for bed space.
Deputy medical director at the University Hospitals Birmingham, Ian Sharp has said “The pressure at the front door, whether its people who should be able to access care elsewhere, or people with Covid, or people with other acute issues, flooding our front door makes it very difficult to function effectively".
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Source: The Independent, 16 July 2017
While most of the UK is double vaccinated, there is still a steady rise in the number of Covid cases, raising concerns about the safety of the unlocking of the UK.
On Monday 19th July, England will lift Covid restrictions including mandatory mask wearing as well as limits on indoor mixing. However, if someone is notified by the NHS app, they will still need to self-isolate, a rule that will no longer apply from 16th August if the person is double vaccinated.
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Source: CNN 18 July 2021
£140m that was spent on developing ventilators has been written off by ministers. According to the Observer, the ventilators were never put to use in the NHS in the months after the pandemic began.
The 'ventilator challenge' was launched to help provide more machines where needed, however problems began early last year when companies complained their expertise was not being used, while others who had no relevant experience of building ventilators, were asked to do so.
A government spokesperson has said: “Throughout the pandemic, we have done whatever it takes to protect the NHS and save lives. This included launching the ventilator challenge, which saw more than 15,000 new machines delivered to the NHS, meaning every patient who needs a ventilator has been able to access one".
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Source: The Guardian, 18 July 2021
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