News | Health COVID death
toll tops 5,000 THE total number of COVID-19 deaths across Kent had topped 5,000 by March 10, Kent and Med- way CCG was told at its meeting on March 25. There were 4,327 deaths with COVID-19 recorded on death cer- tificates in Kent, and 760 in Med- way.
The level of hospital admissions,
need for acute beds and infection rates have slowly reduced since January, but hospital services con- tinue to operate “under extreme pressure”.
The latest seven-day infection rates for Maidstone have now fallen to the low 20s per 100,000 population, compared with more than 800 in the January peak. At the time of going to press, there had been four deaths in the last seven days and five patients ad- mitted to hospital. The vaccination programme for Kent progresses well, with high levels of uptake: 90% across the top four priority groups and 80% for the age group 65-69. By March 4, 581,293 had received their first dose and 29,583 the second dose.
downsmail.co.uk
Learning the lessons taught by pandemic
THE governing body of budget- holding NHS Kent and Med- way Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has been told by a GP member that “the pan- demic has laid bare the in- equalities of health and how the population has been ad- versely affected”, writes Dennis Fowle.
Dr Sarah MacDermott made a plea that as services were restarted, the focus should not primarily be on getting hospital- based services up and running, but that other services such as obesity, long-term conditions and diabetes should also be con- sidered. She was supported by Dr Bob
Bowes, CCG vice-chairman and chairman of the former West Kent CCG, who questioned the absence of an assessment of po- tential harm as a result of treat- ment delays during COVID-19.
and services had become more streamlined for patients ... dif- ferent waiting times in different areas had to be addressed.” Accountable Officer Wilf
Diabetes has been recognised as an area of health inequality for this region in terms of out- comes, and has become a strate- gic objective “with work progressing, despite everything else going on in the system”. This has been recognised nation- ally and extra funding has been received. The CCG was told as the recovery programme pro- gressed, nothing would remain the same. “Great innovations implemented during COVID-19 had removed unnecessary and unhelpful steps out of pathways,
p30 Book Online
Order your skip via secure 24hr online book facility
4 yard skip - £180 inc vat 6 yard skip - £222 inc vat 8 yard skip - £246 inc vat
10 yard skip - £300 inc vat 12 yard skip - £360 inc vat 16 yard skip - £420 inc vat
30
Many more services available See website for details
Skip Hire Roll On/Offs Road Permits Arranged Waste Recycling Facility
SKIP HIRE
Commercial & Domestic Recycling Services
Williams said it was important to reflect both locally and in the NHS as a whole on how changes to services impacted patients and communities rather than from a service and provider per- spective. Dr MacDermott pressed for a restart of the Patient Participa- tion Groups in GP practices and the need to work with local Pri- mary Care Networks formed by groups of practices. One aim is that patients’ voices should be heard and shared with the CCG. The CCG agreed a strategic priority is “to focus on health improvement and reduc- ing inequalities by developing our population health ap- proach”.
www.gboxkent.com 01233 660 099
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
