The COVID-19 backlogs in routine NHS treatment are being addressed, despite staff helping patients during the busiest winter ever, new figures show today. Despite record 999 volumes and ambulance call-outs for life-threatening conditions between December and March this winter, staff ensured that the number of patients waiting over one year for treatment had fallen by […]

Thousands of patients with COVID-19 who are most likely to be admitted to hospital are receiving a cutting-edge NHS antiviral treatment at home that improves symptoms “within hours”. Game-changing COVID treatments, which cut the risk of serious illness from the virus and have been praised by at-risk patients as “brilliant”, have been provided to more […]

Over one million people have received a spring booster in just over two weeks since the latest phase of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme kicked off. Since 95-year-old grandad Devraj Jhalam became one of the first people to receive their latest dose on 21 March, 1,023,750 spring boosters have been delivered. As part of the […]

Leading Muslim NHS doctors are today stressing that having a life-saving COVID vaccine during Ramadan does not break the daylight hours fast with the NHS spring booster campaign now underway. Resident TV doctor Dr Nighat Arif, a GP in Buckinghamshire, and Dr Farzana Hussain, a senior GP in East London and 2019 GP of the […]

The NHS will start vaccinating children aged 5-11 today, as the biggest and most successful vaccination drive in health service history moves to the next phase. Almost five million children in this age group are eligible for two doses of the vaccine following updated JCVI guidance, which recommended children can benefit from non-urgent offer of […]

Parents and carers of 5 to 11 years olds will be able to book a COVID vaccine for their children today, as the biggest and most successful vaccination programme in NHS history expands again. The service will open at 7am for bookings with appointments available at hundreds of sites from Monday and more coming online […]

A new ‘planned care’ hospital dedicated to non-emergency treatment is due to open in Berkshire today, as the NHS continues its efforts to address COVID-19 backlogs. Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, part of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, will focus on cutting waits for routine care with staff prioritising patients who have been waiting longest, including […]

More than 600,000 people will be invited for their life-saving COVID jab next week, as the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Programme spring booster campaign ramps up. Since rolling out spring boosters last week, more than 470,000 people have come forward for a jab, with hundreds of thousands more booking their slot via the National Booking Service […]

Since the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Programme began rolling out spring boosters for the first time yesterday, just under 150,000 eligible people had booked their vaccination as of 12 noon today. Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and deputy lead for the NHS Vaccination Programme, said: “It is fantastic to see so much enthusiasm from the public for […]

A 95-year-old granddad has today become one of the first people in England to receive a  spring booster, as part of the latest phase of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination rollout. Former engineer and grandfather of two, Devraj Jhalam, 95, received his spring jab from Salt Hill Park vaccination site in Slough earlier this afternoon. As […]