Author: swfhealthsocial

Thousands more people in the East of England have been booking their winter vaccines after the NHS warned of a “tidal wave” of flu and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals. The number of flu and Covid jab appointments booked through the NHS’s national booking system more than doubled from 9,452 on Wednesday to 21,144 on … Continue reading Flu and Covid “tidal wave” warning

Recently we reported the dangerous shortage of stocks of donated blood. We visited the most recent blood donation session on a Sunday in William de Ferrers School. We saw a stream of people queuing to donate their blood. The staff told us they get a tremendous regular response for donors from SWF and surrounds. We … Continue reading Blood donors

Hospitals hit by 'tidal wave' of flu and winter illness. About 1900 hospital beds were occupied by flu patients last week, up 70% on the previous week. That’s 3+ times higher than this time last year. Hospitals are struggling to stop the spread of the virus within hospitals as well as admitting new patients. Covid, RSV … Continue reading Health update

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The end of November saw two separate cyber attacks on Merseyside hospitals. Such attacks are hugely disruptive. The NHS has to be vigilant against cyber threats and this is regularly considered by NHS Digital, NHS England and all NHS organisations. Keeping hackers and malicious software out of NHS systems is one of several financial costs … Continue reading An update from SWF Health & Social Care Group

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is introducing a new feature that will allow patients to access some hospital test results online. This will include radiology reports (such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans) and pathology results (such as blood tests, biopsies, and urine analyses).  To allow clinicians time to review and discuss … Continue reading Help us improve access to hospital test information

As we release data showing a significant rise in travel-related infections like dengue and malaria, we speak to Colin Johnston, Senior Medical Entomologist at UKHSA, about his team’s work on invasive mosquito surveillance. Read on to find out how we are monitoring our borders for disease-carrying insects. Can you explain what you do? I am … Continue reading How we monitor invasive mosquitoes and stop them spreading in the UK

Avian influenza (bird flu) is an infectious disease that affects birds, caused by the influenza A virus. Birds are the hosts for a variety of influenza virus subtypes, particularly waterfowl and shore birds. All birds are susceptible to avian influenza and the virus can rapidly cause significant mortality in flocks but some species of bird show … Continue reading What is bird flu and how are we protecting people against it in the UK?

Unsure where to seek help? Here’s your guide to getting the right care when you need it. If you are unwell or injured, it’s important to choose the right service to make sure you get the best treatment as quickly as possible. You may not need to call your GP practice or go to A&E. … Continue reading Find the right care this winter – where to go and when

Data for the current 2024/2025 season in England shows that norovirus laboratory reports are notably higher than the 5-season average. Norovirus cases typically increase through autumn and into winter, but this year cases have risen earlier than usual and are expected to continue to increase. This rise comes alongside a shift in circulating common norovirus genotypes. Data indicating … Continue reading Why is norovirus reporting in England so high at the moment?