Latest rapid guidelines from NICE

• COVID-19 rapid guideline: acute kidney injury in hospital NG175  Published 06 May 2020
• COVID-19 rapid guideline: antibiotics for pneumonia in adults in hospital NG173 Published 01 May 2020
• COVID-19 rapid guideline: children and young people who are immunocompromised NG174 Published 01 May 2020
• COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing symptoms (including at the end of life) in the community NG163 Updated 30 April 2020
• COVID-19 rapid guideline: rheumatological autoimmune, inflammatory and metabolic bone disorders NG167 Updated 30 April 2020
• COVID-19 rapid guideline: dermatological conditions treated with drugs affecting the immune response NG169 Updated 30 April 2020

Recent updates from BMJ Best Practice

• Update on COVID-19 pandemic Topic:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)07 May 2020
• Guidelines recommend measures to manage acute and chronic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic: updated Topic:Management of coexisting conditions in the context of COVID-19 04 May 2020
• UK guideline provides recommendations for differentiating viral COVID-19 pneumonia from bacterial pneumonia Topic:Community-acquired pneumonia 27 Apr 2020

Coronavirus Act 2020: status
This table sets out the status of provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020. It shows which provisions in Part 1 of the Act have since came into force. It also shows, as per Part 2 of the Act, which provisions that were in force have since been suspended and reviewed.

Covid-19 Guidance: Occupational Health and Staff Deployment, Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) 
The latest FOM guidance, co-authored by a number of senior occupational physicians, working across the NHS, public and private sector organisations. COVID-19 presents new risks for staff, patients and their contacts at home and work. Occupational Health (OH) advises about the interaction between health and work, aiming to protect staff from harm at work, maximise health and wellbeing and so contribute to safe patient care.

Deaths involving COVID-19 by ethnic group – ONS
People from all minority ethnic groups apart from Chinese and Mixed are at greater risk of a coronavirus (COVID-19)-related death than the White population, in England and Wales. The ONS have looked at deaths involving COVID-19 up to 10 April and how they vary by ethnicity.

Deaths involving COVID-19 – ONS
Our latest data on weekly deaths registrations include deaths involving COVID-19. Up to 24 April, there were 27,356 deaths registered in England and Wales involving COVID-19 (15,964 men and 11,392 women).

Clinical characteristics and predictors of outcomes of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in a London NHS trust: a retrospective cohort study – Imperial College

Clinical characteristics and determinants of outcomes for hospitalised Covid-19 patients in the United Kingdom are important to guide the national response to this current pandemic and emerging evidence suggests ethnic minorities might be disproportionately affected. This report is one of the first studies to describe the characteristics and predictors of outcome for hospitalised Covid-19 patients in the UK. It finds that older age, male sex and admission hypoxia, thrombocytopenia, renal failure, hypoalbuminaemia and raised bilirubin are associated with increased odds of death. Ethnic minority groups were over-represented in the cohort and, compared to whites, people of black ethnicity may be at increased odds of mortality.

Coronavirus (Covid-19): Information and advice – NMC 
The NMC have put together this guide to address some common questions about their role as a regulator when it comes to novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Factors that influence whether healthcare workers follow infection prevention and control guidelines for respiratory infectious diseases, Cochrane Library 
This review is one of a series of rapid reviews that Cochrane contributors have prepared to inform the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this Cochrane review of qualitative research (“qualitative evidence synthesis”) is to explore factors that influence whether healthcare workers follow infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines for respiratory infectious diseases. To answer this question, the authors searched for and analysed qualitative studies about this topic.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): remote care through telehealth – Cochrane Special Collection 
The aim of this collection is to ensure immediate access to systematic reviews most directly relevant to remote health care through telehealth. The measures adopted internationally to curb the spread of COVID-19 have led to significant changes in how health care is accessed and provided. As face-to-face consultations between healthcare workers and patients pose a potential risk to both parties, remote care and telehealth offer alternatives.

Knock-on effects of coronavirus on access to healthcare: lived experience research – Traverse 
As lockdown continues, we’re starting to see data emerging about the knock-on effects of coronavirus on healthcare, from excess deaths reported in the FT, to concerns from Cancer Research about delayed diagnosis. Traverse interviewed a small sample of people whose healthcare had been disrupted to understand more about how the experience affected them.

Adult social care app launched in England to support staff – Digital Health
A dedicated app for the adult social care workforce in England has been launched to support staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lifting lockdown: how to approach a coronavirus exit strategy – Institute for Government 
This reportconcludes that the government’s five tests for starting to lift the lockdown are not a good enough guide to the longer-term exit strategy. It suggest that the government must instead set out new tests which explain how it will balance economic and health concerns against each other in lifting the restrictions.

Recent updates and guidance from NHS Employers

• New support app for social care staff A new app has been launched for the adult social care workforce in England to support them through the pandemic.
• New COVID-19 staff terms and conditions FAQs Answers to more frequently asked questions around staff terms and conditions during COVID-19 have now been published.
• Bereavement support for NHS staff during COVID-19 NHS England and Improvement has a suite of compassionate resources to support staff.
• Supporting staff with childcare responsibilities New guidance on how to support your staff with childcare responsibilities during COVID-19.
• Pay calculation issue effecting some employees in bands 8 and 9 Read about latest pay issues affecting some staff in Bands 8 and 9.
• New guidance on risk assessments for staff New guidance for employers on how to carry out risk assessments to understand the specific risks that staff members face from exposure to COVID-19

Recent updates from the HSJ

• Exclusive: ‘Backsliding’ major teaching trust could lose general surgery trainees A major tertiary trust where junior doctors described their training as ‘the blind leading the blind’ has been warned it could lose its foundation year trainees in general surgery, HSJ has learned.
• Only 2pc of community providers can use government PPE website The great majority of primary, community and social care organisations are still unable to order personal protective equipment from central stocks through a new web portal expected to launch early last month.
• Only 2% of community providers can use government PPE website The great majority of primary, community and social care organisations are still unable to order personal protective equipment from central stocks through a new web portal expected to launch early last month.
• Most GPs still can’t use eBay-built PPE website Many primary care and social care organisations are still unable to order personal protective equipment from central stocks through a new web portal expected to launch early last month.
• CQC ‘breaking law’ by suspending inspections The Care Quality Commission is breaking human rights and equalities laws by deciding not to carry out routine inspections of care homes and hospitals, older people’s and disabled groups have argued.
• Government acts after claims covid deaths of disabled people are being ‘ignored’ Deaths of those with learning disabilities and autism from covid-19 are to be analysed by Public Health England, HSJ can reveal.
• Government cyber security chiefs warn NHS after hacking attacks Healthcare organisations have been attacked by cyber criminals seeking to exploit the covid-19 pandemic, according to hacking experts in the UK and USA.
• Physios call for ‘further assurances’ after visas extension granted The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has urged ministers for “further assurances” following their calls for government to extend overseas physios’ visas during the covid-19 pandemic.
• NHS faces ‘major problems’ as charities contemplate withdrawing support The NHS will face “major problems” from health charities having to withdraw their services due to the financial impact of coronavirus, it has been warned.
• Revealed: the NHS’ plan to protect BAME staff from covid-19 The NHS faces a new set of wide-ranging requirements as part of a comprehensive plan to mitigate the impact of covid-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic staff, HSJ has discovered.
• Trust loses appeal against tribunal which strongly criticised CEO’s evidence A major teaching trust has lost an appeal against an employment tribunal which had been highly critical of evidence given by its chief executive, in the unfair dismissal of a whistleblowing surgeon.
• NHS faces ‘extremely difficult’ winter – Vallance The UK should be able to avoid a second peak of covid-19 infections but this coming winter will be “extremely difficult” for the NHS, the government’s chief scientific adviser has said.
• New CCG starts work with £62m deficit A newly formed clinical commissioning group is starting work with a £62m deficit from last year.
• 100,000 people incorrectly told they needed to self-isolate because of coronavirus Over 100,000 people have been incorrectly informed that they were “extremely vulnerable” to coronavirus and needed to self-isolate until 30 June, HSJ has discovered.

Statistics and data 

• Personal and economic wellbeing in Great Britain: May 2020
• Children’s Commissioner: children in families at risk – local area maps
• Transparency data – Public Health England prompt payment data: 2020 to 2021
• Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 24 April 2020
• Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet: England, 2020
• Cardiovascular disease profiles: May 2020 update
• Child and maternal health profiles: May 2020 update
• Interactive Health Atlas of Lung conditions in England (INHALE): May 2020 update
• Public health outcomes framework: May 2020 data update