Healthcare professionals can now call on local volunteers to help people for support in their community. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers in England are now available for tasks, including collecting shopping and prescribed medicines; driving patients to medical appointments and home from hospital; making regular phone calls to people isolating at home and transporting medical […]

The NHS has launched a mental health hotline as part of a package of measures to support the NHS’ 1.4 million staff as they help people deal with the coronavirus. NHS staff will be able to call or text a free number staffed by thousands of specially trained volunteers, to receive support and advice for […]

Hundreds of thousands of NHS Volunteer Responders will be able to report for duty today and start helping the NHS in its fight against coronavirus. Over 750,000 people signed up to the NHS’ call for volunteers in just four days when the scheme launched, three times the original target. Royal Voluntary Service, the charity delivering […]

New NHS Nightingale hospitals will be built in Bristol and Harrogate to provide hundreds of extra beds if local services need them during the peak of coronavirus in addition to those already in development in London, Manchester and Birmingham, NHS England is today announcing. NHS chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, will today confirm that sites […]

A National Patient Safety Alert has been issued on blood control safety cannula and needle thoracostomy for tension pneumothorax National Patient Safety Alert – Blood control safety cannula and needle thoracostomy for tension pneumothorax About this alert To prevent cardiac arrest, immediate temporary decompression is required when tension pneumothorax occurs, for example, following chest trauma, […]

Deaths announced up to 1 April 2020 Date of death Total deaths Up to 10 March 2020 16 11 March 2020 6 12 March 2020 10 13 March 2020 15 14 March 2020 22 15 March 2020 27 16 March 2020 41 17 March 2020 38 18 March 2020 53 19 March 2020 50 20 […]

A National Patient Safety Alert has been issued on the risk of harm from interruption of high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) during transfer. National Patient Safety Alert – Interruption of high flow nasal oxygen during transfer About this alert This alert relates to the risk of harm caused by the interruption of HFNO to babies, […]

England’s most senior nurse, Ruth May, speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning called for the public to show NHS staff more respect following a number of reports of abuse. Chief nursing officer for England, Ruth May said: “Our NHS and social care staff are pulling out all the stops in the face of an unprecedented […]

The NHS has enlisted easyJet and Virgin Atlantic to work alongside NHS clinicians at new Nightingale hospitals as part of the fight against coronavirus. The airlines are asking staff who have not been working since the COVID-19 pandemic grounded some planes to consider helping the thousands of doctors, nurses and other medics at the new […]

The number of people committing to join the NHS Covid-19 effort is three times higher than initially targeted, the Royal Voluntary Service has today announced. The NHS Volunteer Responders recruitment initiative has recruited 750,000 people just two days after the target was increased after hitting its initial quarter of a million target within less than […]