New and updated items follow first.
Flu decreased. Norovirus remains seriously high. Week 9 – 15 February 2026:
- Flu activity decreased and is circulating at baseline levels.
- COVID-19 activity decreased and is circulating at baseline levels
- respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity decreased and is circulating at low levels.
- Norovirus activity remains high but has stabilised; cases are particularly high in adults aged 65 years and over; children also suffer badly. Hospitals outbreaks remain high. This continues to push hospitals to their busiest levels for this time of year since before COVID-19. To help reduce the spread, people are urged to make sure they practice good hygiene. Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus, so washing hands regularly with warm soapy water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces are the best steps people can take to protect themselves and reduce the chance of further spread.
WARNING: Measles outbreak: Parents in north London have been told their children could be excluded from school if they are not fully vaccinated against measles amid an outbreak of the highly-contagious disease. Unvaccinated pupils identified as close contacts of people with measles could be excluded for 21 days in accordance with national guidelines. Some 60 suspected cases had been confirmed – with the majority in schools and nurseries and some children requiring hospital treatment, “particularly those who have not been immunised”. Get all children vaccinated; outbreaks like this can easily spread and Essex is close by.
The UK has lost its measles elimination status, the World Health Organisation has announced. This decision was based on the spread of cases in 2024 when there were 3,600 suspected cases. Elimination status means there is no sustained transmission, so this decision was largely expected. There were more than 1,000 cases last year as well. The move is also a reflection of the fact vaccination rates are below the 95% threshold required to achieve herd immunity. “Infections can return quickly when childhood vaccine uptake falls; measles elimination is only possible if all eligible children receive two MMRV doses before school. Older children and adults who missed vaccination must be caught up. The NHS is making vaccination easier, including offering the second MMRV dose earlier at a new 18-month appointment to boost uptake and support elimination goals.”
Joint operations disrupted amidbone cement supply problems. A shortage in medical cement is likely to lead to delays in some patients getting joint surgery. The main supplier of bone cement to the health service has had to temporarily halt production at its main site affecting supply for up to two months. The firm supplies about three-quarters of the bone cement needed in the NHS. The product is used in more than 1,000 operations a week, mostly in knee replacements, but also in some hip and shoulder replacements. Hospitals are being told to prioritise emergency patients ahead of those on the waiting list. These are likely to be older patients who have suffered falls and those with broken hips. Currently there are 850,000 patients on the waiting list in England requiring planned treatment to their joints. Guidance from NHS England calls on hospitals to focus on providing care to those in the most pain or with the most complex conditions. Hospitals have about two weeks supply of bone cement in stock. NHS England and counterparts in the rest of the UK are seeking to increase supplies from four other manufacturers that supply the NHS. Patients are being told to assume their appointments and treatments will go-ahead, unless they are told otherwise. The best thing we can do is help everyone avoid falls.
At the end of December,the English hospital waiting list dropped to its lowest since February 2023. Staff delivered a historic high of 18.4 million treatments and operations in 2025, up from 18 million in 2024, as the waiting list dropped to 7.29 million. There were 1.43 million treatments delivered in December – an increase of 91,775 on last year – despite 5 days of industrial action by resident doctors, thanks to staff maintaining almost 95% of usual activity during strikes. The percentage of people waiting over 18 weeks for treatment slightly decreased to 61.5%, while the percentage of those waiting over 52 weeks dropped to just 1.9% – the lowest since June 2020 as the Elective Reform Plan continues to drive NHS services to tackle the longest waits and ensure more people are seen quicker. But in January 71,500+ patients waited longer than 12 hours for a hospital bed after assessment in A&E. Hospitals continue to be under severe pressures.
Thousands of people living with schizophrenia and severe depression are being recruited by the NHS for a major new study which could unlock a “new era” of personalised treatment for severe mental illness. As part of the world’s largest mental health study, researchers will analyse the DNA of thousands of people alongside detailed questionnaires to discover what can increase the risk and severity of serious mental health conditions. From this week, almost 50,000 eligible adults living with bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis or major depression in England and Wales are being invited to join the study, known as GlobalMinds.
During the last fortnight, twelve bereaved families and friends have given evidence to the Lampard Inquiry about how their loved ones were treated and died. They have shared details of admissions, communication, medication and other aspects of the treatment. The Lampard Inquiry is looking into more than 2,000 mental health deaths in Essex from 2000 to 2023. There will be some pre-recorded evidence sessions from bereaved families and others in April, followed by sessions in July and October looking at topics including assessments, admissions, sexual safety, ward safety and police involvement.
The latest ONS data about UK Healthy life expectancy says:
In 2022 to 2024:
- Males in the UK could expect to spend 60.7 years (77% of life) in “good” general health, compared with 60.9 years (73%) for females; these were decreases of 1.8 and 2.5 years, respectively, compared with the last non-overlapping period (2019 to 2021).
- Despite modest increases in life expectancy since 2019 to 2021, healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth in the UK, for both males and females, decreasedto its lowest level since our time series began in 2011 to 2013.
- England continued to have the highest HLE at birth among UK constituent countries for both males (60.9 years) and females (61.3 years); Scotland had the lowest for males (59.1 years) and Wales had the lowest for females (58.5 years).
- In England, for both males and females, the South East remained the region with the highest HLE at birth (63.0 and 64.3 years, respectively), and the North East remained the region with lowest (57.0 and 56.9 years, respectively); the North East has had the lowest HLE at birth in every period since our time series began.
- HLE decreased in most of the UK’s local areas compared with 2019 to 2021 (in 83% of areas for males and 88% for females); it decreased in a majority of areas within every constituent country and every region of England.
- The gap in HLE at birth across local areas of the UK, measured as the difference between the 97.5th and 2.5th percentiles, was 14.7 years for males and 15.8 years for females; this continued a trend of increasing spatial inequality since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Some infant formula products have recently been recalled because they might contain a harmful toxin called cereulide. Cereulide is a toxin produced by food poisoning bacteria Bacillus cereus, and can cause food poisoning symptoms which can be quick to develop and include vomiting, and stomach cramps. The formula products which have been recalled include some batches from SMA, Aptamil and Cow & Gate. You can read more on the Food Standards Agency website’s infant formula recall page. As of 3 February 2026, UKHSA and partner agencies have received 36 notifications where children who have consumed implicated batches have symptoms consistent with cereulide toxin poisoning. The FSA advice is that parents, guardians and caregivers should:
- Check which formula your baby is using.
- If it is one of the affected batches, stop using it immediately, even if your baby seems well.
- If you have already fed one of the recalled formulas to your baby and are concerned about symptoms, contact your GP or call NHS 111.
UKHSA has updated previous advice regarding contaminated non-sterile alcohol-free wipes after continuing detection of cases and a recent death attributable to Burkholderia stabilis infection. There have been 59 confirmed cases in an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis in the UK from 2018 up to 3 February 2026, associated with several non-sterile alcohol-free wipe products. These have included some serious infections in addition to the attributable death. Patients at highest risk include:
- patients managed at home with intravascular devices;
- immunocompromised individuals; and,
- individuals with other risk factors such as cystic fibrosis
No person-to-person transmission has been identified. As previously communicated, the following products were found to be contaminated with the strain of Burkholderia stabilis causing the current outbreak:
- ValueAid Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes
- Microsafe Moist Wipe Alcohol Free
- Steroplast Sterowipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes
Testing also revealed contamination of Reliwipe Alcohol Free Cleansing Wipes, with a Burkholderia strain not related to the outbreak cases.
These products, which may have been used for ‘skin cleansing’ and cleaning in or around wounds have been withdrawn from sale but may still be found in some first aid kits and in people’s homes. Patients should be advised to check for these wipes in homes, including in first aid kits. Those who still have any of the affected products should stop using them immediately and dispose of them in standard household waste. Health and care providers are also advised proactively to check that any first aid kits being used in routine care do not include these items. If found, they should be immediately removed from use and disposed of appropriately.
Guidance to standardise community health services has been published. It provides detailed descriptions of the core components of community health services (CHS) which account for the majority of CHS activity, including guidance on local and national reporting. This relates to the Neighbourhood Health 10-Year NHS Plan priority.
Travellers to Cape Verde are urged to protect against gastrointestinal infections
New data highlights cases of Shigella and Salmonella linked to travel to Cape Verde, a popular winter sun destination. UKHSA is sharing advice to help families stay healthy and enjoy their trips. Travellers are advised to visit the Travel Health Pro website, which provides comprehensive information to help people plan their trips. Recently updated guidance includes precautionary measures on how to protect yourself from gastrointestinal infections.
Standards have also been published for the care of acutely unwell patients in their first 72 hours in hospital. The Model Acute Pathway provides evidence‑based standards to improve care during the first 72 of hospital care. Developed in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians, the Society for Acute Medicine and the British Geriatrics Society, the standards set out the practical actions needed to overcome persistent barriers and deliver meaningful improvement.
The new Model Emergency Department for high performing urgent and emergency care pathways sets out the core principles and components of high-performing emergency departments. It’s accompanied by a detailed guide to the core operating principles for extended emergency medicine outpatient care. Together these offer a structured, actionable approach to improving urgent and emergency care pathways and patient experience, as well as reducing waiting times – for adults, children and young people alike.
The National Cancer Plan for England was launched on 4 February, setting out the long-term approach to improving cancer outcomes, experience and equity over the next decade. The Plan is shaped by extensive engagement with patients, partners and professionals, and details the modernisation of cancer care become a genuine global leader in cancer outcomes.
The Plan sets out how performance will improve to meet the Cancer Waiting Time standards by the end of this Parliament. It includes how survival will improve. The headline ambition is that, by 2035, three in four people diagnosed with cancer will be cancer-free, or living well with cancer after five years. Finally, the Plan will improve quality of life for people being diagnosed with, treated or living with cancer. Additionally, this Plan takes the 10 Year Health Plan’s three shifts, and the new care model they combine to create, and hardwires it into cancer pathways. The publication of this Plan marks an acceleration of change – one that over ten years, aims that 320,000 more lives will be saved, and many more people be supported to live well after treatment, or when living with cancer as a long-term condition. Every cancer patient will receive a tailored support plan covering treatment, mental health and employment support under National Cancer Plan. Patients will be linked to cancer charity help through the NHS App as soon as they’re diagnosed. Every patient will be given a named local care lead to provide support after treatment.
The government has confirmed the expansion of the eligibility criteria for the NHS respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme. Since September 2024, RSV vaccination has been routinely available to older adults as they turn 75 years of age, with an initial catch up also offered to adults who were aged 75 years and over on 1 September 2024 and had not yet reached 80 years of age. The forthcoming change from 1 April 2026 will expand the eligibility criteria for the older adult RSV programme to also include those aged 80 years and over (with no upper age limit). In addition, all residents in care homes for older adults will also become eligible, regardless of their age, due to their increased risk from RSV.
“Essential repairs” are being carried out to keep the historic St Peter’s Hospital in Maldon open and “ensure the building remains safe and secure.” NHS Essex said: “Regular maintenance is currently being completed at St Peter’s Hospital. In addition, we are carrying out essential repairs to damaged roofs and windows to ensure the building remains safe and secure for patients and staff. These works mean we can continue to provide services onsite, including maternity, X‑rays, blood tests and a wide range of outpatient clinics.” The site was originally a Victorian workhouse and was built 150 years ago.
Our NHS trust has increased referral options for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism care to tackle wait times. Tom Abell, CEO of Mid & South Essex NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB), said families were waiting “too long” for assessments and patients have a right to choose an alternative treatment provider. The ICB has added five new providers for ADHD assessments for adults, and three new providers for autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people and four more will be added in the spring.
In 2024, a BBC Freedom of Information request revealed 6,459 people were on the waiting list for ADHD care. The ICB added that support would also be offered to young people who have been waiting for longer than a year for an assessment, along with those who were currently transitioning to adult services. One of the clinics added by the ICB to its list of providers is Body and Mind Healthcare Clinic, based in Edgware, north London. “The new providers that we have commissioned for adults and children’s services will give more choice for families requiring assessment and treatment and will help to bring down waiting times.”
The Government has announced a £200 million investment to boost local cancer services, aiming to increase screening uptake and reduce inequalities in the most deprived communities.
A new pilot using Artificial Intelligence and robotic tools will help clinicians identify suspected lung cancer earlier aiming to reduce waiting times, support earlier diagnosis and help tackle long‑standing inequalities in lung cancer outcomes.
We continue to monitor progress after the recent CQC report that the leadership of our local hospitals was inadequate. The Essex Joint Committee, managing the transition to launch the Essex Integrated Care Board in April, was told that a Quality Summit was held in December, and a series of follow-up meetings have been set by NHS England to ensure action continues to address the concerns. Those meetings will seek assurance that the governance framework and delivery of key workstreams will evidence sustained improvement in outcomes and deliverables. Our weekly newsletter includes everything we’ve published in the previous 7-days. Libraries provide online services and help with internet access. For welfare information and subscription to our newsletter, email swfhealthsocial@outlook.com or leave a voicemail on 01245 322079.
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