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Concern over ‘consistent net loss’ of nursing students in South of England

Nursing Times reports that too few student nurses are choosing to study in the South of England, where cost of living is typically more expensive than other regions and university offerings are more sparse. Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) shows over the past five years the South East and South West have “consistently experienced a net loss in nursing students”.

Covid-19: Military medics deployed to help hospital pressures

BBC reports that up to 60 military medics are to be deployed in Northern Ireland’s hospitals to help deal with Covid-19 pressures. The news comes as education, Translink and the prison service announced moves towards more normal service.

Small period changes after Covid jab seen to be short-lived

BBC reports that more than one in 10 school entry-age children in England are at risk of measles because they have not had their vaccine jabs, data reveals. Coverage for the two doses of MMR that helps protect five-year-olds against measles, mumps and rubella is currently at 85.5%.

Patient safety watchdog launches community mental health care inquiry

The Independent  also reports that the NHS patient safety watchdog has launched an investigation into community mental health care following the death of a 56- year-old woman. The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), which has recently been hit with its own scandal, has begun examining how patients in crisis with severe mental health needs are assessed by NHS services.

New national body to take powers from scandal-hit watchdog

The health secretary has announced a new national body to carry out ‘independent’ and ‘family-focused’ investigations of maternity services. Sajid Javid told the Commons today that a new special health authority would be established to run the national maternity investigation programme, which is currently a responsibility of the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch.

NHSE warns of significant variation in pregnant women’s vaccination uptake

HSJ reports that an NHS England letter has warned of “significant variation” in the uptake of the covid-19 vaccine amongst pregnant women, and called on systems to enable more “spontaneous” antenatal vaccination. NHS England says there’s “significant variation in uptake between regions and systems and in every system, between women of different ethnicities, decile of deprivation in their local area, and age groups.

Mandatory vaccination: we’ll keep it under review, says minister

The Independent reports that the health and social care secretary has said the requirement for patient-facing nursing and other NHS staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will be kept under review. Sajid Javid told the Commons health and social care committee that it is the professional duty of every NHS worker to be vaccinated but added it was right to keep COVID-19 policies under review. Please check that this info above is in the actual link below

Trainee nurses: Covid inspires record numbers to sign up

The work of NHS nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic has inspired record numbers of students to apply to join the profession, a report has found. Universities admissions service UCAS, based in Cheltenham, said the number of 18-year-olds choosing to study nursing has increased by 38% since 2019.

RCM calls for immediate delay to NHS staff mandatory vaccination plans

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is calling for an immediate delay to Government plans for mandatory COVID vaccination of NHS staff in England, fearing a catastrophic impact on maternity services. Under current regulations, introduced late last year, all patient-facing NHS staff must be fully vaccinated by 1 April 2022, unless exempt, or risk losing their jobs. That means that staff who are currently unvaccinated would need to have had their first dose by 3 February to comply.

NHS app to helps families eat healthily

The Guardian has reported that Public health minister Maggie Throup has announced that an updated NHS app will help families switch to healthier food as part of the Better Health campaign and to tackle high levels of childhood obesity. The NHS Food Scanner app will be able to scan product barcodes to bring up information about the food’s nutritional content – and will now suggest healthier alternatives. Ms Throup said: “The new year is a good time for making resolutions, not just for ourselves, but for our families. Finding ways to improve their health is one of the best resolutions any of us could make.”

Government set to scrap free lateral flow tests

The Times has reported that the Government is reportedly set to end the universal distribution of free lateral flow tests for COVID-19, with free tests to be reserved for high-risk settings like care homes, schools and hospitals, and for those showing symptoms of the virus. A senior Whitehall source told the Sunday Times that it is “likely we will move to a scenario where there is less testing but where we have a capacity to ramp it up if necessary, such as in the winter”, while contact tracing by NHS Test and Trace is also likely to be scaled back. Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, warned against the move, saying it would be an “utterly wrongheaded” move and raising concerns about the implications for devolved nations’ testing budgets under the Barnett formula.

Covid: Armed Forces send 200 personnel to support the NHS in London

The BBC has reported that the Armed Forces have sent 200 personnel into NHS hospitals across London to plug staff shortages. The Ministry of Defence will provide 40 defence medics and 160 general duty personnel for the next three weeks.