The UK alert level has moved from level 5 to level 4, meaning the immediate threat of the NHS being overwhelmed has receded. But with transmission rates, hospital pressures and deaths still high, the four UK chief medical officers have called for continued compliance with social distancing rules.
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The NHS in England could need an extra 639,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff by 2033/34 if it is to go beyond keeping pace with expected activity growth and meet rising expectations, according to the Health Foundation.
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With the government due to reveal its roadmap for relaxing lockdown measures next week, there have been more encouraging signs that Covid-19 infections are reducing. But health leaders have called for a cautious approach with NHS pressures likely to last six to eight weeks.
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It will be difficult for the NHS in Scotland to deal with the backlog in demand for healthcare created by the Covid pandemic alongside the financial and operational challenges it already faced, Audit Scotland has warned.
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NHS organisations have been given guidance on accounting for new items in 2020/21 needed during the Covid pandemic, including centrally procured consumables and equipment, inventory balances and Nightingale facilities.
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A more sombre tone was struck by ministers this week amid concerns about vaccine efficacy against new Covid-19 variants, with hospital pressures reducing steadily but still remaining high.
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The government has confirmed it plans to boost integration of services, including changes in financial flows to facilitate collaboration, in its white paper on health reform.
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Foundation trust capital spending could be capped under proposed reforms, but the new powers will only be used on individual trusts in response to a potential breach of spending limits.
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This week saw more good progress with the Covid-19 vaccination programme amid rising concerns about the threat of new variants of the virus and calls for a more comprehensive closure of borders to restrict their spread.
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From April, finance directors and audit committees will be required to oversee new counter-fraud actions across 12 categories.
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