CMA slaps pharma firms with £260m in fines for hiking prices for NHS July 15, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has slapped drug companies with fines totalling more than £260m for hiking prices for the NHS. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said prices of “life-saving” hydrocortisone tablets had risen by over 10,000 per cent. The price hike equated to the NHS being charged £80 for a single pack of tablets [...]
Covid-19 app sensitivity to be reviewed, amid rising infections July 9, 2021 The sensitivity of the NHS Covid contact tracing app will be reviewed, amid a rise in alerts as infections surge. The NHS Covid contact tracing app used in England and Wales may need to change as coronavirus restrictions change, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. He said that the end of the one metre plus rule [...]
NHS app self-isolation tracker could change if Covid cases see a summer spiral July 8, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has hinted that the way the NHS app ‘pings’ people for self-isolation could change as Covid-19 cases are expected to rise over the summer. Businesses have become increasingly frustrated with high staff absences due to employees being told to self-isolate. “I’ve spoken to the Health Secretary about this and he’s aware of [...]
London vaccine race: NHS crackdown on clinics allowing second dose queue-jumping July 7, 2021 London vaccine race: NHS crackdown on clinics allowing second dose queue-jumping
NHS Test and Trace: 600m tests unaccounted for and scheme still ‘wracked with problems’ June 25, 2021 NHS Test and Trace: 600m tests unaccounted for and scheme still 'wracked with problems'
2m people in England thought to have had Long Covid June 24, 2021 Some two million people in England are thought to have had Covid symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks, according to Imperial College London’s latest REACT study. Researchers for the government-funded study said their findings painted a “concerning picture”, as over a third of people who’d had coronavirus reported persistent symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks. [...]
NHS to receive £36m injection for AI tech in national health bounce back June 16, 2021 The NHS is set to receive a £36m injection to bolster its AI capabilities across 38 new projects designed to make diagnoses faster. While the NHS has been handling the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns over a diagnoses backlog have emerged, with people more hesitant to go to the GP or hospital for check-ups. The new [...]
Covid vaccines to become compulsory for care home staff in England June 16, 2021 Boris Johnson is backing compulsory vaccine measures, while ministers consider extending them to all NHS staff. Coronavirus vaccinations are to be legally required for care home staff who work with elderly and vulnerable people, under plans to be announced by ministers today. The government is also considering extending the policy to all NHS staff – [...]
All adults in England will be able to book Covid-19 vaccine ‘by end of this week’ June 15, 2021 NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has revealed that all over-18s should be able to book their Covid-19 jab “by the end of this week.” “I expect that by the end of this week, we’ll be able to open up the National Booking Service to all adults age 18 and above,” Stevens said, adding that [...]
Queen’s birthday honours local leaders who stepped up amid the pandemic June 11, 2021 In light of the Queen’s birthday and the global crisis that has bound communities together, 23 per cent of the monarch’s honours list are those who emerged as local leaders in the fight against Covid-19. Some local leaders reshaped their businesses to aid their communities while others put them on the back burner altogether. “Throughout [...]