CQC State of Care report: Covid-19 has increased collaboration among health and care services, highlighted inequalities and left non-Covid patients behind
The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England, which analyses the quality of care over the past year has highlighted the huge change that Covid-19 has caused.
The report highlights the collaboration among services, where new procedures and ways of working were created within days. Changes that were forecast to take years, such as flexible GP consultations online, took place rapidly, and this has made a difference to people’s care.
The report also mentions that there must be learning to ensure non-Covid-19 patients are not forgotten. For example, some life-changing operations have still not been rescheduled and people with cancer have not been diagnosed of treated.
Other things that urgently need to be addressed include social care which faced significant challenges around access to PPE, testing and staffing. Of importance, it has emphasised the fact Covid-19 has more severely affected Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities and those living in more deprived areas.
Read the full story in the Care Quality Commission.
A 25-year old man from the US has caught Covid-19 twice, with the second infection being more severe than the first, doctors report.
Scientists say the man caught coronavirus twice, rather than the original infection becoming dormant and then bouncing back. The patient had no known health problems or immune defects that would make him particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 but needed hospital treatment on his second infection after his lungs could not get enough oxygen into his body.
”Our findings signal that a previous infection may not necessarily protect against future infection. The possibility of reinfections could have significant implications for out understanding of Covid-19 immunity.” said Dr Mark Pandori, from the University of Nevada.
Read the full story in the BBC.
Two studies suggest people with blood type O may have a lower risk of Covid-19 infection and a reduced likelihood of severe illness
New studies are contributing to growing evidence that there may be an association between blood type and susceptibility to Covid-19. Researchers compared Danish health registry data from more than 470,000 Covid-19 patients, and found that fewer people had blood type O compared to types A, B, and AB.
In another study, researchers in Canada found that blood types A and AB are associated with an increased risk of severe clinical outcomes of Covid-19 infection when compared with blood types O or B.
More research is needed to better understand why and what this means for patients.
Read the full story in Science Daily.
The National Institute for Health Research to review the evidence around ongoing Covid-19 symptoms, known as ‘Long Covid’
The review, focussing on the lived experience of patients and expert consensus on Covid-19, is aiming to improve understanding of the ongoing impact of coronavirus.
An initial group review highlighted the need for a diagnosis which is recognised by healthcare services, employers and government to provide a basis for planning appropriate services and support for patients.
In addition, the group found that there are a range of symptoms associated with Long-Covid which need to be acknowledged. A general theme is that symptoms occur in one system, such as the heart or lungs, and following this a new symptom arises in a different place. This ‘multisystem’ aspect of Long-Covid needs to be considered both in service provision and in research, say the NIHR.
Read the full story in the PharmaTimes.
Quote of the week
Ian Trenholm, Chief Executive of CQC, reflects on the latest State of Care report. He said: ”Pre-Covid, the health and care system was often characterised as resistant to change. Covid has demonstrated that this is not the case. The challenge now is to maintain the momentum of transformation, but to do so in a sustainable way that delivers for everyone – driven by local leadership with a shared vision and supported by integrated funding for healthcare”
Read the full article in the Care Quality Commission.