COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 15th November 2024
10,644 deaths were registered in England and Wales, week ending 1 November 2024 (Week 44):
· 13.3% lower than the expected number (1,634 fewer deaths)
· 13.8% involved influenza or pneumonia (1,469 deaths)
· 2.5% involved COVID19 (262 deaths)
Office for National Statistics
The UK HSA have started publishing weekly virus watch reports for England. We currently have lots of RSV, especially in children under 5. COVID and flu are pretty stable.
During the UK Autumn budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced significant extra money for the NHS - £25.7 BILLION over the next 2 years.
It includes:
- funding to reduce waiting times by supporting the NHS to deliver an extra 40,000 elective appointments a week. This is part of the "plan to make sure patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from their referral to getting treatment". (Which would be utterly amazing if it ever happens.)
- £1.5 billion to fund new surgical hubs which will help build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures, and more than 1.25 million additional diagnostic tests (which use CT or MRI scanners)
- £70 million to invest in new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment
- Over £2 billion for NHS technology and digital improvements to increase productivity and save staff time
- Over £600 million increase in local government spending to support social care
- £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres
"Looking beyond this Budget, the government will publish a 10-year health plan for the NHS in spring 2025. This will set out the long-term vision for fixing the NHS."
Well that all sounds incredibly promising... as long as they can get, and keep, the staff to deliver it.
