Does this reflect a permanent change in workforce practice or a rebound from a low base? – Owl

Hannah Baker www.business-live.co.uk 

The South West economy is expected to grow faster than any other region of the UK in 2022 including London, according to a new report.

The region’s recovery is being driven by the performance of its cities as they rebound from the effects of the pandemic.

The Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index estimates the South West’s GVA – a measure of economic output – grew by 8.2% in 2021 and will grow another 6.1% in 2022.

Meanwhile the South East’s GVA is expected to grow by 5.9%, the East of England by 5.7% and London by 4.7%.

The report said the movement of city dwellers to commuter belts or rural areas amid a growing focus on wellbeing, the environment and income distribution is driving the South West’s performance.

Many cities with smaller populations have experienced – and are expected to continue to see – stronger GVA growth rates than larger metropolitan cities.

Cities in the West Country performed well in the index’s overall ranking, which takes into account factors such as health, work-life balance and income distribution.

The region’s cities were all within the top half of the 50 locations profiled, with Bournemouth coming in at second place on the list – only behind Oxford – and Swindon at third.

Meanwhile, Bristol ranked ninth on the list, Exeter at 11 and Plymouth at 18. There is evidence that some of the West’s more rural areas are also doing well, with Cornwall and Dorset both scoring highly in the index.

Ben Pykett, director in PwC’s West practice, said: “These findings confirm the resilience of our cities; we have recovered more quickly than anywhere else in the UK as we enter the post-pandemic economy.

“Combine that with the success of our cities against other metrics such as safety, health, wealth equality and work-life balance, and the West is well-placed to continue delivering sustainable growth.”

Ms Pykett said some of the West’s success since the pandemic was due to its ability to attract people who work flexibly or remotely – and who previously would have lived close to London or another major urban centre.

“Local authorities and businesses in smaller cities and other areas now have to consider how they can capitalise on changing public preferences and ensure the move away from large cities isn’t a temporary one,” she added.

The Good Growth for Cities Index measures cities’ performance against a series of 12 variables, with each one weighted relative to how important it is considered by the 1,000 people surveyed as part of the study.

In comparison to last year’s report, the importance given to these indicators by the members of the public who have been polled has shifted considerably.

Jobs and skills, two of the most important variables last year, saw significant decreases in importance in the updated Index, while the environment and income distribution saw increases.

Of the 12 variables included, the biggest driver for improvement for cities over the last three years was better work-life balance, PwC said.

Broad improvements in the skills of older workers, as well as income distribution and life expectancy, have also seen the gap narrow slightly between the highest and lowest ranked cities.

GVA growth rate by region

“Like the farrago over Downing Street parties during lockdown, the prime minister’s change of heart – if such it is – over MPs’ second jobs appears to fit a longstanding pattern, in which he says whatever it takes to get out of a tight spot, and thinks nothing of reversing course later”.

Heather Stewart www.theguardian.com 

Boris Johnson’s promise to crack down on MPs’ second jobs came at a perilous moment for his premiership last autumn, with backbenchers in open revolt over the botched attempt to save the disgraced MP Owen Paterson.

It was a classic Johnson manoeuvre – a bold bid to get ahead of the story, claiming to outflank Labour by promising that MPs would be “appropriately punished” if they put their second employers, not their constituents, first.

Yet, like the prime minister’s initial response to the Partygate stories that began to emerge in December, also aimed at making hostile headlines go away, it has unravelled completely.

In October the fury over MPs’ second jobs had been stoked by Johnson’s own behaviour. After marching Tory MPs through the voting lobbies to protect Paterson, the prime minister U-turned the next day, as opposition parties refused to take part in a cross-party committee to rewrite the parliamentary standards system.

As the outrage over the Paterson case grew, the government was rocked by story after story about Tory MPs’ lucrative second jobs – including the former attorney general Geoffrey Cox practising from the British Virgin Islands during the pandemic.

So febrile was the mood that when Johnson flew to Glasgow to join the crucial Cop26 climate summit for a day, he found himself challenged about parliamentary sleaze, telling the assembled journalists the UK was “not remotely a corrupt country”.

Several days later, with Labour poised to exploit Tory divisions by using an opposition day debate to force a vote on toughening up the rules, Downing Street abruptly announced that it would go further.

Cracks appeared almost immediately. Cabinet ministers, sent out to explain the move, which was tabled as an amendment to Labour’s motion, offered few details. Asked how exactly second jobs would be constrained, Dominic Raab said: “You could do it by the amount or you could do it by the number of hours.”

When the trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, was asked how many hours might be reasonable, she gave several different answers in a single morning broadcast round.

There was always an element of theatre to the plan, too. The long-established standards committee, chaired by Chris Bryant, which had handed down Paterson’s 30-day suspension, was already carrying out a review of MPs’ code of conduct, which was expected to cover issues including second jobs.

It is to that review that the government has now made its own submission – flatly contradicting the promises made by ministers in the autumn.

It is unclear whether Johnson and his aides knew at the time they made the proposal that they had no intention of pushing it through to a conclusion, or whether they have caved in in the face of intensive lobbying from backbench MPs keen to hold on to their lucrative side hustles.

Certainly, Johnson has never had any principled objection to second jobs, having edited the Spectator while an MP and then been a Telegraph columnist – as well as, for a short while, being both mayor of London and MP for Uxbridge.

Having described the £250,000 a year he was paid for his Telegraph outpourings as “chicken feed”, and frequently complained to friends about his money troubles, he may also have had some sympathy for those colleagues complaining that they couldn’t live on their parliamentary salary alone.

But like the farrago over Downing Street parties during lockdown, the prime minister’s change of heart – if such it is – over MPs’ second jobs appears to fit a longstanding pattern, in which he says whatever it takes to get out of a tight spot, and thinks nothing of reversing course later.

Looks like we are back in 1980’s with the politics of a “semi-house-trained polecat” – Owl

Harrison Jones metro.co.uk 

A Conservative MP has suggested that the best ‘opportunity’ for people to cope with soaring bills is to get a job.

Blackpool South MP Scott Benton made the comments amid dramatic increases in the cost of living in the UK, with countless people in work struggling to pay their bills.

Fuel, heating and food are among some of the essentials rocketing in the UK, with experts fearing petrol could hit £2.40 a litre amid the Ukraine war.

Tory backbencher Mr Benton told the Commons: ‘It would be remiss of me not to point out that the state can only do so much.

‘Work pays and so getting people into employment so that they can provide for themselves and their families ultimately gives them the very best opportunity.’

His intervention came after the SNP’s Stewart Hosie read out a letter he had received from a constituent living with her disabled partner in a single-income household, who had done ‘everything in her power’ to cut costs.

The unnamed individual could not afford to ‘turn on the storage heaters due to the sheer cost’, the Dundee East MP said.

Mr Hosie explained that his constituent’s standing charge had more than doubled even though her electricity all came from renewables, and added she had been ‘flatly denied’ a pay rise or increase in expenses for her work-from-home job.

He added: ‘This is someone who has already done everything she can and yet has been hammered by energy price rises.’

New Led By Donkeys episode of Line of Duty

View tweet here but now on YouTube

A scheme to provide decent broadband in rural Devon is actually preventing a village from getting it, residents say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Northleigh residents said they “took matters into their own hands” to get better broadband

Villagers in Northleigh, near Colyton, went directly to infrastructure provider Openreach to get connected.

But they said rural broadband arranger Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) had taken over and was using another provider, which would take years longer.

CDS said the village was due to be connected by the end of 2023.

‘A village divided’

About 30 homes in the village have been plugged in via the Openreach work since December 2021, but 90 homes were still without good connections, residents said.

Andy Cornish, who has a high-speed connection, said residents “took matters into their own hands” to get Openreach involved under the government’s gigabit voucher scheme, which gave it £82,000 in 2020.

He said “gatekeeper” CDS appointed provider Airband in 2021 to finish the work “without consulting our community, and so we are now precluded from receiving any further state aid to finish the project with Openreach”.

Mr Cornish said he understood it now meant his whole community would not get fibre connection “until the end of 2024” because of other work already scheduled ahead of Northleigh.

“We are now a village divided by a hill and 21st Century internet,” he added.

About 90 homes in Northleigh are still without good broadband connections

Andrea Wood, one villager waiting for full broadband, said the change “just doesn’t make sense” as it would be “duplicating the [Openreach] fibre that is already going right the way around our village”.

CDS is a taxpayer-subsidised programme, supplying rural areas not seen as cost-effective for commercial providers.

It said if it made changes it could undermine the viability and economic value of the contract with Airband, “which was tendered for in good faith”, and could “put at risk broadband delivery to other communities”.

The government-led partnership said Airband was awarded the contract at the end of 2020 “to deliver a full fibre open access network by the end of 2024 to around 40,000 premises in our region, including those in Northleigh not covered by the previous community scheme”.

It said: “Airband will begin design and survey work in the community in January 2023 and build is scheduled to be completed by the end of that year.”

It added that it had put in almost £5,000 to help Northleigh finish Openreach’s initial work and that it had delivered superfast broadband to more than 315,000 homes and businesses across England.

Plans for a £2-per-hour charge at all Sidmouth’s district council-run car parks are being amended to provide one cheaper parking area for short-stay shoppers. 

Philippa Davies http://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk 

It is now proposed that from April 1, fees at the Roxburgh car park will be 75p for 30 minutes and £1.50 per hour, with a maximum stay of two hours. The planned increase will still come into effect at Sidmouth’s other car parks. 

The recommendation will go before an extraordinary consultative meeting of East Devon District Council on Tuesday, March 22. 

The decision to increase parking charges across the district has been criticised widely, with a petition by Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce calling for the rise to be limited to £1.20 per hour. The Conservative group on the district council voted against the budget plan last month because it included the rise in parking fees. 

But leader, Cllr Paul Arnott, said the change of plan was not a U-turn. 

He said: “The last few months of finessing car park charges across East Devon has been intensely hard work. For more than a decade previous administrations ducked this issue, and when they then became the opposition with a duty to complete a charging review, they simply did not finish the work. Therefore, we needed to pick up the baton, and quickly, last December. 

“Cabinet had always intended to ensure that there was a shoppers’ car park in Sidmouth at an hourly rate of £1.50 rather than £2, but in the short time we had before budget setting last month, the detail was still being sense-checked. It had always been our intention for the Roxburgh to be designated at the lower rate and we had open discussions about how we could do this. 

“For the record, this decision, which will need to be agreed at full council, has nothing at all to do with local protests or petitions as we already had it in mind. However, due process meant that we could not announce it before now until after the agenda was published. I have repeatedly said in public and in this newspaper that we have had Sidmouth traders and shoppers uppermost in our thinking, and we are pleased to be able to deliver on that. 

“Finally, I once again commend to local people the extraordinarily good value of our monthly and yearly parking permits, where it is possible to park for under £2.40 a week, as well as our £8 all day charges, and our £2 all day rates between November and March.” 

The chairman of Sidmouth Town Council, Ian Barlow, said: “We criticised (the price rise) because it was going up so much. I thought £1.50 would be a better price, and  obviously it’s better for Sidmouth than £2. We still don’t like it, but it’s better than it was going to be.” 

Honiton’s four new town councillors have expressed delight at winning their seats, and said they are looking forward to making a positive difference in the community. 

Philippa Davies www.midweekherald.co.uk

Lisa Beigan, Jenny Brown, Robert Fowles and Cathy Maunder were all elected to the St Michael’s ward following the poll on Thursday, March 10. 

Two other candidates, John Taylor and Andrew Pearsall, stood but were not successful. 

After the results were announced, Lisa told the Herald: “I am very excited and proud to be voted on to Honiton Town Council. Being a town councillor will allow me to bring fresh ideas and positivity to a town that I know and love.”

“Helping our town recover from the difficulties caused by the recent pandemic are of particular interest to me, I own a restaurant so I have a lot of contact with the public, I therefore have an insight into their thoughts and anxieties. Mental well-being is a important issue, particularly at times like these, I feel it is important that the town council can help restore public confidence, support mental health and create positive experiences.” 

Jenny said: “Since my election to HTC I have been invited to join ‘East Devon Line Forum’ with representatives including Network Rail, South Western Railway and other key stakeholders, with a view to picking up where I left off and demonstrating that the benefits of the railway can also be a unifying, inspiring and positive force at the heart of the community. 

“Not least finally getting a ‘passing loop’ at Whimple, which would permit a twice hourly service to and from Honiton, with the prospects and opportunities that would bring for both work and leisure activities in town.” 

Robert said: “The Town Council has seen much discontinuity in recent times. I look forward to working on selected committee’s and working groups, with councillors existing and new, to bring some stability, as we all endeavour to deliver the improvements identified in the Work Programme for the benefit of all Honiton residents.” 

Cathy said: “I’m looking forward to working with a team of councillors who all have the very best interests of Honiton at heart.  I hope we can work with our younger children, teenagers and supported living community to make Honiton all-inclusive.  A place to make happy memories.” 

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 in Devon has risen to 292, with a further 37 patients awaiting test results.

Anything to do with going “full ostrich”? – Owl

Exeter City Council news.exeter.gov.uk

That’s double the figure from a fortnight ago and higher than at any other point in the pandemic.  High COVID-19 numbers are having a very significant impact across Devon’s health and care system.

The last time COVID-19 numbers were this high was in January 2021, before most people had the benefit of COVID-19 vaccines.

Four COVID-19 patients are currently in intensive care, far fewer than previously, thanks to the success of the vaccine programme.

However, many people have tested positive for COVID-19 while in hospital for other conditions, this has led to patients who are already vulnerable, becoming more unwell and impacted on the ability to admit other patients.

Ian Currie, Medical Director, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We currently have more patients with COVID-19 in our hospitals than almost any time during the pandemic. While it is encouraging that the majority of our patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 are in hospital for other conditions and are asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms the impact that the presence of COVID-19 has in our hospitals is really significant.

“Under current infection prevention and control guidelines, one patient testing positive for COVID-19 can result in the closure of the whole ward, meaning that beds are unavailable for emergency admissions and for planned operations. This means people waiting longer for treatment in the community and operations being cancelled or postponed and long waits in Emergency Departments for people needing a hospital bed.”

NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group Medical Director, Dr Paul Johnson said, “These incredibly high numbers of patients with COVID-19 has a huge impact on the NHS ability to carry out planned care for patients who have already had long waits due to the pandemic. 

“Our staff are working incredibly hard and doing everything they can to prevent COVID-19 from spreading within hospitals, but it is essential that people support us.  Please do not come in to visit if you feel unwell or have Covid and you must still wear a face covering, unless you are exempt.”

Recorded Covid case rates in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are around 750 per 100,000, well above the England average of 542 per 100,000. This has led to a sharp increase in the number of staff absence.  Almost 1200 NHS staff are currently off work due to COVID-19.

Devon’s hospitals are not alone in experiencing huge pressure from outbreaks and staff absences.  The situation is mirrored across the entire health and care system.

183 care services, such as care homes and other social care providers currently have Covid outbreaks.  This also adds to the complexity of discharging patients from hospital who need onward care and means people stay in hospital for longer than needed.

Health experts have warned that hospitalisations of people with Covid-19 are rising rapidly in the UK with 1,600 people a day now going into hospital – and it appears that vaccine protection is fading. Infections are also rising rapidly among children.

Never mind April fool’s day will soon be with us. – Owl

Neil Shaw www.devonlive.com 

It comes after the relaxation of Covid rules across the country and with the arrival of a new variant – BA.2 Dr Hilary Jones today told GMB viewers that Covid restrictions may have to return to control the new wave of illness.

And experts in Australia said BA.2 is among the most infectious diseases ever seen – infecting even those who are triple jabbed – and warning that almost everyone will catch it.

Professor Christina Pagel of University College London and a member of Independent SAGE said the latest hospital data showed 1,600 people went into hospital with Vovid on March 13, the latest data available. She said the rate is still increasing and is now 50% higher than two weeks ago.

Prof Pagel said the numbers are going up in all regions, especially the South West and North East, and warned that vaccination protection is fading – especially among older people.

She said: “Hopefully boosters will hold. We’ll see what happens to NHS diagnosis data over the next few weeks. Either way, more Covid in hospitals makes care harder and affects staff absence too. There have been sharp increases in children’s admissions – at the very least this is highlighting yet another surge in Covid in children – the third in 7 months, worst in Jan 2022.

“When are we going to stop assuming previous surges will stop kids getting infected again?

“Each surge comes with more school disruption, more admissions, more Long Covid and more teachers and parents infected (teachers have some of highest rates of Long Covid). Teen vaccination is low and vaccination of 5-11s can’t came soon enough – how many waves do they need to face unprotected?”

Didn’t you love the pictures of a column of Metropolitan police officers running towards Oleg Deripaska’s house like it was a five-storey Greggs? Here they come, trotting with intent, a phalanx of shirt-sleeved, riot-shielded protect-and-servers who may or may not be available inside of six weeks next time your house is burgled.

Marina Hyde www.theguardian.com (Extract)

To recap, four protesters yesterday [Monday] occupied a house in London’s Belgravia that is supposedly owned by the Russian aluminium magnate Deripaska (now on the UK sanctions list). They unfurled some banners inviting Vladimir Putin to fuck himself and so on, before being removed by the largest Met police presence you’ll see outside of a women’s vigil for someone murdered by a Met police officer. Territorial support group, police negotiators, police climbers, riot police … and, my darlinks, one’s rarely seen so much hardware. The only big guns they left back at the station were the surface-to-air questionnaires.

There were at least eight vans and two squad cars, as well as a JCB, for some reason not being driven by Boris Johnson. Surely the prime minister should have just piloted it through the wall of the Belgrave Square house, then emerged from the driver’s cabin for the cameras gurning GET SANCTIONS DONE? Absolutely no sense of occasion…..

Here is a US news clip of the occupation pointing out that they were only following Gove’s instructions!

As everyone (in the racing fraternity) celebrates the return of the Cheltenham Festival, Owl remembers how the 2020 festival is credited with being the first super spreading event as Boris Johnson dithered and delayed over imposing any lockdown. This followed Johnson skipping the first five Cobra meetings. 

In 2020 The Cheltenham Festival began on 10 March. On 12 March Johnson asked people with a cough or a temperature to stay at home, and said this: “I must level with you, I must level with the British public. Many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.” This was known as the “Delay” phase or in Johnson’s terms “Squashing the Sombrero”.

Lockdown was finally announced on 23 March.

Had we not been ultimately “saved” by science we certainly wouldn’t have been saved by him.

Ironically, the 2022 Festival is being held as Covid surges again and when, from April fool’s day, Johnson’s libertarian government goes “full ostrich” on testing as we ‘Learn to live with this virus’.

How concerning is it that Covid infections are rising in the UK?

Nicola Davis www.theguardian.com 

Covid infection levels in the UK on are on the rise once more. We take a look at the current situation, and what the future might hold.

What is the Covid situation in the UK?

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, based on swabs from randomly selected households, infection levels are rising in the UK. In the week ending 5 March, about one in 25 people in the community in England had Covid, with the figures even higher in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where they were one in 18 and one in 13 respectively. In Wales the latest figure was 1 in 30.

Why are infections rising?

Experts say there are likely to be many factors at play, including the relaxation of Covid measures, changes in people’s behaviour – such as increased socialisation and reduced mask-wearing – the rise of the BA.2 Omicron variant, which appears to be more transmissible than the earlier BA.1 Omicron variant, school half terms, and possible waning of immunity conferred by booster jabs.

However, it is difficult to unpick which is having the biggest impact, and this may differ around the UK.

Does this mean more hospitalisations and deaths?

Sadly, yes. While Covid vaccinations have weakened the link between infections and serious outcomes, they have not broken it. Hospitalisations are already rising in the UK, although it is difficult to unpick how many are directly because of Covid.

Dr David Strain, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter medical school, said the length of stay for patients was also increasing.

“This is likely to represent a difference in disease course of BA.2 compared to BA.1,” he said. “The increased transmissibility of BA.2 is causing a higher number of patients and staff contracting it even after very brief contact,” he added, which is having an impact on staffing levels.

The impact on deaths will take a little longer to become clear, given the lag between people becoming sick and their condition deteriorating.

How much pressure is the NHS under because of this latest resurgence of Covid?

The number of people with Covid in hospital across the UK rose from 10,500 on 26 February to 11,944 on 10 March, in line with rising infections. However, just 254 of them are on mechanical ventilation, reflecting Omicron’s less serious impact than Delta and fact that eight out of 10 adults have had a Covid booster vaccine. Intensive care doctors say that many Covid inpatients are partly or wholly unvaccinated.

The UK health secretary, Sajid Javid, has said that the rising numbers were “expected” and are “not something that’s of particular concern”. However, Chris Hopson, chief executive of English hospitals body NHS Providers, has warned that “while it is positive that the overall number in hospital remains low compared to previous waves, rising admissions can have knock-on effects for patient care”.

How worried are the experts?

The mood appears to be one of unease rather than alarm. Speaking in a personal capacity, Prof Cath Noakes, an expert in environmental engineering for buildings at the University of Leeds and a member of Sage, said the current situation was not unexpected.

“It was always predicted that as restrictions are removed that cases would rise,” she said. “But as this happened at a time when cases were already very high it will have more of an impact both on the pressure on the NHS and the disruption to schools and business from the very high numbers of people who are off sick.”

Noakes added it was very important to keep a close eye on hospitalisations and cases among older people, given outcomes for this group could be far more serious.

“With the prevalence at least one in 25 and higher in some parts of the UK, the chance of infection is really high and the reduction in testing and lack of requirement to isolate mean that there may be far more infectious people who are still interacting in the community than before,” she said.

One concern raised by experts is that public behaviour was still a long way from what it was pre-pandemic, meaning there is potential for a further rise in infections.

“I’m expecting cases to go up and down and maybe up again as the balance between increased mixing, immunity following vaccination and infection, and waning immunity shifts, and as the next variant emerges,” said Prof Tim Colbourn of University College London, adding cases could be in the range of 30,000 to 100,000 a day for the foreseeable future.

“Hospitalisations and deaths should stay relatively low because of protection via vaccination, drugs and prior infection, and this should apply to new variants too as it has done for previous variants,” Colbourn said, noting excess mortality had been negative since the start of 2022.

What is happening elsewhere in the world?

The UK is not alone in seeing a rise in infections. An increase has also occurred in Germany and the Netherlands, among other countries in Europe, while China has recently reinstated lockdowns in certain hotspots to try to tackle a surge related to the Omicron variant, with Hong Kong warning its hospitals were being overwhelmed.

Why is Hong Kong so hard hit?

The main reason appears to be low rates of vaccination among older age groups. Recent government data suggests just over 55% of those aged 80 and over have had one dose, with just over 36% having had two and far fewer having had three. In addition, a zero Covid approach means there is little natural immunity in the population.

“There are indications that hesitancy is high and actual access to vaccines appear to be an issue,” said Dr Michael Head is a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton.

Noakes said a similar situation was unlikely to occur in the UK in the short term.

“But it serves as a reminder that this virus is still a killer among an unvaccinated population and that the milder effects that we are experiencing in the UK are almost certainly due to our high levels of vaccination coverage,” she said.

Two new support programmes have been launched by Devon County Council – one catering for those looking to start a new business or social enterprise in Devon, and another to help existing businesses to grow.

[Owl is confused. At least one of these help packages is being offered by Devon County Council through a support package already part of our Heart of the South West (HotSW) Local Enterprise Partnership. Are we doubling up on bureaucracy, doubling up on announcing “new money” or is HotSW ineffectual? – Owl]

Lewis Clarke www.devonlive.com

Devon Get Started has been established to help anyone aged 25 and over in the county to get their ideas off the ground. Start-ups or social enterprises in their first six months who are facing continuity challenges, are also eligible for support.

For businesses that are already up and running, the County Council is offering help through Thrive Devon which aims to support SME productivity and competitiveness, helping businesses to grow, create jobs and reach new markets.

Devon Get Started focuses on support prior to start-up, aiming to build confidence, managing start-up costs, and covering any skills gaps.

An assessment will help participants in the scheme through the various stages of business planning to discover their strengths, identify their goals and highlight opportunities as well as potential barriers to growth. It will also define what tools might be needed to implement their vision.

Led by qualified business coaches and advisors, the initiative offers a mix of workshops, peer support activities and one-to-one support.

– Workshops will help participants learn how to identify their resources, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to manage, organise, run, market, finance and grow a new business.

– Business advisors can offer one-to-one support on creating a sustainable business plan, accessing funding, and creating partnerships. They will also organise a follow up session after six months to overcome any issues which may arise in launching new products, breaking into new markets (both in the UK and abroad), developing a growth strategy, improving productivity and increasing profitability.

The programme is suitable for businesses operating in almost all industry sectors and will specifically aims to reach individuals in Devon within sectors hardest hit by COVID-19 such as tourism, hospitality, retail, food and drink. Support will be offered across the Devon County Council area, especially in the priority areas of West Devon, Torridge, Teignbridge and Mid Devon.

Thrive Devon will offer a free diagnostic and training service, with tailor-made support that will enable businesses to improve and grow, including specialist workshops on topics such as digital skills, finance, marketing, HR and business planning.

The programme works alongside the European Regional Development (ERDF) Thrive support and is available to Devon SMEs who may not be eligible to receive help under the ERDF funded programme.

Both Devon Get Started and Thrive Devon will continue until March 2023 and they are part of a wider package of support being delivered through Devon’s £6 million recovery programme, aiming to provide help and support in four key areas: small and medium enterprises, employment and skills, the green recovery and the hardest hit towns and communities.

Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery and Skills, said: “All potential entrepreneurs face different challenges before setting out on their self-employed journey and the Devon Get Started scheme can help address those challenges by creating a supportive and motivational environment. We want to enable everyone who takes part in Devon Get Started to be able to turn their idea into a successful and sustainable enterprise or business.

“Thrive Devon provides a great opportunity for existing businesses to improve and grow. The tailored backing offered through the scheme will help signpost businesses to the most relevant support, advice and training.”

For more information about Devon Get Started and to enrol, visit Devon-Get-Started.

To find out more about Thrive Devon and to enrol go to https://www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk/business-support-programmes/thrive/

Almost 800 medical graduates could be denied the chance to train as doctors in the NHS this year, despite the health service’s crippling shortage of medics.

Denis Campbell www.theguardian.com 

A total of 791 medical undergraduates who have applied to start training as junior doctors at the start of August have been told there are no places for them – the highest number ever.

The risk that young would-be doctors may not be allocated to start their training at a hospital in the UK has sparked concern among the medical students affected, as well as medical organisations.

Pressure is growing for action to close the gap between the number of training places available across the NHS and the number of graduates seeking one, so medical talent is not wasted and hospitals hire as many fresh recruits as they can to help tackle the widespread lack of medics.

Doctors are worried that the mismatch between demand for and supply of training places will lead to the NHS missing out on medics it sorely needs and that some of those denied a place will either go to work abroad instead or give up medicine altogether. The most recent official figures showed that the NHS in England is short of almost 8,200 doctors.

Dr Dustyn Saint, a GP in Norfolk, tweeted the health secretary, Sajid Javid, about the situation, saying: “Sajid Javid sort this out! You know how much general practice needs these people in a few years, standing by and doing nothing is inexcusable.”

Another doctor said: “It’s bonkers that 800 would-be doctors could be denied training places at a time when the NHS in England is short of 8,200 doctors.”

Half (393) the 791 will soon graduate from UK medical schools while the other half (398) are “eligibility applicants” – those with a medical degree from an overseas medical school who are entitled to work in the UK or who graduated from a British medical school before August 2020.

The UK Foundation Programme (UKFPO) ensures that aspirant doctors who have just graduated from medical school are able to start foundation one training, the bottom rung of the ladder that leads to medics becoming fully qualified. Training usually starts in the August after graduation.

But the UKFPO has warned that the foundation programme is “over-subscribed” to a record level this year, raising the prospect that some of the 791 may not be allocated a training slot.

While it has already filled 8,209 foundation training places, the 791 who have missed out so far have been put on a reserve list.

The UKFPO, which is run by Health Education England (HEE), has told them that: “We would like to reassure the applicants on our reserve list, who may be feeling anxious, that we are currently working very hard to find additional places for everyone who needs one.”

It works with the health departments in the four home nations to ensure that the NHS has as many new trainee doctors as they need and works with them to increase numbers if necessary.

The 791 is the largest number of applicants on record that the UKFPO has not placed by this stage of the year. In 2017 only 25 graduates were in that position, though that number has risen sharply in recent years and by last year had risen to 494.

HEE has blamed the situation on a record number of applicants and promised “pastoral support” to medical graduates on the reserve list, many of whom are anxious about their futures.

“There have been record numbers of applicants for the 2022 foundation programme. Although the statutory medical education bodies have increased the number of foundation posts available, we recognise that 791 students have been placed on the reserve list,” said Prof Liz Hughes, HEE’s deputy medical director.

It has sought to reassure graduates without a training place that they will get one somewhere in the UK by August. Places will be freed because historically about 7% of applicants withdraw between applying and starting their F1 training, it said.

The British Medical Association has voiced concern about the large number of unallocated medics. “Now we have a situation where a record number are left with unnecessary uncertainty about where they are headed this August,” said Khadija Meghrawi, the co-chair of its medical students committee. “In a time where student mental health is declining, this additional source of uncertainty and stress is particularly unfair.”

Prof Martin Marshall, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It is important we get to the bottom of why this has happened and address it as soon as possible. It’s encouraging that we have so many people completing medical school and wanting to continue their training. This needs to be matched by capacity in foundation training schemes.”

Azeem Majeed, a professor of primary care and public health at Imperial College London, said: “It’s essential that workforce planning in the NHS is adequate, given that there are shortages of many health professionals, including doctors. This means having enough foundation posts for newly qualified doctors.

“It’s likely that most of the 791 people without foundation doctor posts will eventually be allocated one but it does create undue stress for them and they may be allocated a role in a part of England where it may be difficult for them to work due to family reasons.”

Lateral flow tests could cost care home visitors £73 a month, a leading UK charity has said, as it renewed calls to keep the devices free in such settings.

Nicola Davis www.theguardian.com 

The government has previously announced that free testing for the general public will end from 1 April, and that this will include care home visitors.

However, charities have warned the shift away from free tests could place a heavy financial burden on those visiting care homes, where testing is still advised.

Boots has announced it will offer the devices at £2.50 for one or £12 for a pack of five, or £17 for a pack of four with the extra option to send results to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

James White, the head of public affairs and campaigns at the Alzheimer’s Society, said the proposed charge on lateral flow tests for visitors to care homes was a cruel tax on care.

“Over the past two years, we’ve consistently heard many tragic stories from families struggling to visit their loved ones in care homes. For many people with dementia, this isolation has led to a significant deterioration in their condition and mental health,” he said.

“With infection rates rising once again, the government must provide free lateral flow tests for all visitors to care homes so that families are not put in an agonising position where they are forced to ration visits, leaving people with dementia once again isolated and alone.”

Dr Sam Royston, the director of policy and research at Marie Curie, which runs hospices, also raised concerns.

“Without the provision of free testing, many people living with a terminal illness and their families will face additional costs at a time when we know people are often struggling. This extra cost would put further strain and pressure on people’s lives at a time when their basic living costs are already rising exponentially due to the high cost of living and energy,” he said.

“For those who can’t afford the extra financial burden of paying for testing, this could lead to more people facing further social isolation towards the end of life.”

The Alzheimer’s Society is running a petition to keep testing free for care home visitors – which has been signed by more than 7,000 people – with the charity suggesting there are a number of options to do so, including providing tests to care homes or sending weekly tests to essential caregivers.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: “No one should have to pay out of their own pocket for tests in circumstances where the expert advice is clear that testing remains an important safeguard against Covid,” she said.

“If care home visitors are going to continue to be asked to keep testing to protect their loved ones, it would be completely unacceptable to expect them to pay.”

The concerns come as data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests infection levels in the UK are on the rise once more, with the proportion of those over 70 who had Covid in the most recent week the highest since the ONS survey began.

The Department of Health and Social Care currently advises that testing for visitors to care homes should continue, in line with the wider care home testing regime.

However the Guardian understands measures around testing as well as infection, prevention and control measures – including for care home visiting – are currently under review. The DHSC has said further details are to be set out by 1 April.

The DHSC is also soon expected to announce which at-risk groups will be eligible for free symptomatic testing. At present, it is thought this will include people over 80 or with compromised immune systems, as well as NHS and social care staff.

A DHSC spokesperson said: “As set out in the government’s Living With Covid plan, the approach to managing Covid-19 in adult social care services will continue to evolve in the coming months. We will continue to focus on providing care for those that need it and supporting people who are most vulnerable to Covid-19.”

More than a thousand NHS staff in Devon are currently off work due to “Covid-related problems,” a health boss has revealed.

Ollie Heptinstall, Local Democracy Reporter sidmouth.nub.news 

Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of the NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, warned a recent increase in Covid cases across the county is having an impact on the health service.

However, addressing a monthly Team Devon meeting of local leaders, he said it was not leading to an increase in the number of people seriously ill with the virus.

“We’re seeing a significant increase in the number of people who are testing positive for covid and the number of staff who are testing positive and having to absent themselves,” Dr Johnson said.

“So, what that means is that we have fewer staff available. And at the moment, there are over a thousand staff in the NHS in Devon who are off because of Covid-related problems.

He added: “On top of that, we are having to have people in cohorted wards [a ward where people with the same infection are put] because they test positive [for] Covid, and that means often they’ve come into hospital with something separate and so they are not on the specialist ward that they should be on.

“Rather, they’re on that general ward and it does mean that giving them specialist nursing and medical input becomes more difficult. It also means the number of beds that we have available is reduced because of infection contacts.”

“And lastly, it means that many people are delayed in their ability to be discharged, particularly if they need a care package or into a care home because they’re testing positive.”

Few patients need intensive care

The meeting was told that despite the number of people in hospital with Covid rising to more than 230, very few of them need intensive care.

“At the height of the pandemic, it was about 10 per cent needing intensive care, whereas at the moment we only have four in our intensive care units,” Dr Johnson said.

“So, the good news is that this particular variant doesn’t seem to be having the impact [in making people seriously ill] and it’s also testament to the effectiveness of the booster vaccine and the number of people within Devon who have actually got that booster.”

Despite the end of legal Covid restrictions, the public is still being asked to wear masks, keep hands clean and to maintain distancing in healthcare settings.

People are also expected not to attend hospital, for visiting or for outpatients’ appointments, if they have symptoms of an infection – whether Covid or not. Visiting may also be in a timed slot to control numbers.

New ERS research finds over two-thirds of councillors feel they lack the powers to represent the needs of their local community.

[“The yeast that lifts the whole mattress of dough, the magic sauce, the ketchup of catch-up”  Boris Johnson, remember his vacuous speech of last July? – Owl ]

Author: Jon Narcross, Acting Head of Communications www.electoral-reform.org.uk 

Local government is at the front line of our democracy. It’s the closest level of government to our communities and deals with many of the bread-and-butter issues that affect people in their day to day lives in the places where they live.

But for too long our local democracy has suffered at the hands of an over-centralised Westminster system where the ‘centre-knows-best’ mentality has left local democracy to wither – and councillors without the power to represent the needs of their local community.

In a survey of almost 800 local representatives from across England conducted as part of the research for our new report Democracy Made in England, the ERS found growing support for moving the balance of power away from Westminster and to communities across the country.

Exclusive new ERS survey research shows:

• Over two-thirds (68%) of local representatives feel they do not have sufficient powers to represent the needs of their community
• 70% called for decisions to be made in partnership between the national and local levels and implemented locally
• 65% of local representatives think citizens should be more involved in making decisions about their local area

It is clear that, for many who serve their communities at the coalface of local democracy, questions remain unanswered about how relations between the centre and localities can be better structured in favour of local decision making.

With so many local councillors feeling powerless to serve their constituents’ needs, we must find a better balance between those two levels of government that truly serves the interests of communities across England.

One of the basic ways to shift the balance of power between the local and the national is by creating genuinely empowered local government – real devolution that recognises the democratic, as well as economic, benefit of bringing power closer to communities.

Levelling up?

We’ve seen much talk recently of ‘levelling up’ and the need for devolution to English regions and localities. But as it stands England remains one of the most centralised countries in Europe and, unlike in the other nations, the balance of power has never deviated from the British political tradition of centralisation, power-hoarding and Westminster dominance.

Decisions around devolution have always been taken top-down, and there has never been an attempt from the centre at creating empowered alternative centres of power and a healthy democracy at the sub-national level.

The ERS are calling for parties to back new proposals for an overhaul of English local government – with a plan for genuine and democratic devolution underpinned by principles and values that put communities, not Westminster, in the driving seat.

But as well as radically overhauling our approach to devolution, we also need to shift the balance of power between the local and the national, and radically reform democracy in England.

Reform locally and at the centre

We too must tackle the warping effect of First Past the Post on our local elections – an undemocratic anomaly in the 21^st century. Proportional representation for local elections, as used in Scotland, would help reinvigorate democracy at the local level, ending the proliferation of one-party states and single-party domination of council chambers, and opening up councils to a diversity of voices.

And those voices must have a place in Westminster too – an elected second chamber that allows for the fair and equal representation of the UK’s nations, regions and localities could play a crucial role in improving the central-local relations.

Something must be done to address the lack of democracy across England. With this call, we are showing not only why but how devolution within England should be comprehensively reformed.

Because only when our local communities and those that serve them have the powers they need can we begin to address England’s democratic deficit.

Raw sewage spills into the sea more than 100 times during the bathing season at some blue flag beaches, according to water industry data that challenges official claims of excellent water quality.

Ben Webster www.thetimes.co.uk 

Campaigners are calling on councils to lower the flag when there is a spill to avoid giving swimmers and water sports enthusiasts false assurance.

Almost half of England’s 76 blue flag beaches were affected by sewage spills last year during the official bathing season, from May 15 to September 30, according to analysis by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) of discharge notifications issued by water companies.

There were 123 notifications at Sandown on the Isle of Wight, 108 at Tankerton, in Kent, 92 at Sheerness, also in Kent, and 28 at Scarborough North Bay, North Yorkshire.

Councils left the blue flag flying after notifications, prompting accusations that they prioritise tourism over bathers’ health.

Councils wanting a beach to have blue flag status pay £730 a year to the charity Keep Britain Tidy, which checks it meets minimum standards, including on water quality, cleanliness and information displayed.

On water quality, the sea must be rated “excellent” based on tests carried out by the Environment Agency once a week or more often at one location on the beach during the bathing season.

SAS said the testing gave results only for part of the beach at a specific time and therefore might fail to detect significant sewage pollution. It said there was also a loophole in bathing water regulations under which up to 15 per cent of samples can be discounted when pollution is “exceptional” or “untypical”.

SAS compared Environment Agency ratings for each bathing water location with the number of sewage notifications and found those rated “excellent” had on average twice as many discharge notifications as those rated “sufficient” or “poor”.

Hugo Tagholm, chief executive of SAS, said visitors to beaches could be misled by the blue flags.

“Blue flag status in the public’s mind is an absolute clean bill of health and they would never expect to encounter sewage pollution at one of those beaches,” he said.

He said blue flags should not be flown when there had been a spill because that “could be misleading and might subject people to health risks”.

The Environment Agency issues “pollution risk forecasts” for beaches based on its weekly tests and computer modelling of rainfall, tide, wind and other factors. Councils put up signs warning against bathing in response to these forecasts but SAS said that they were not based on sewage discharge information, meaning they might miss serious pollution incidents.

Testing by volunteers for Hayling Sewage Watch in Hampshire found potentially dangerous levels of faecal pathogens in the water on several days last August at Beachlands, a blue flag beach on Hayling Island.

The highest reading was taken the day before an Environment Agency test that detected no problem.

Southern Water issues online notifications via its Beachbuoy service about sewage spills affecting Beachlands and other beaches in Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.

However, Mike Owens, founder of Hayling Sewage Watch, said most beach visitors would be unaware of the notifications. He said councils should warn swimmers by displaying information on electronic signs and replacing the blue flag with a brown one.

But he said councils used blue flags to attract visitors and were more concerned with protecting tourism income.

Havant borough council, the local authority, said: “There is no evidence, from the data taken by the Environment Agency, that the releases [of storm or wastewater] affect the water quality in the bathing area. In the event of a confirmed pollution incident of the beach the flag would be lowered.”

It said there were signs directing beach visitors to the Beachbuoy service.

Scarborough borough council said there was no legal requirement to notify the public of legal discharges into the sea but that they did put up signs advising against bathing when advised to do so by the Environment Agency.

Canterbury city council said it displayed signs advising against bathing at Tankerton when it received a pollution risk warning but left the blue flag flying.

Sandown town council said its lifeguards flew a red flag when there was a pollution incident but kept the blue flag flying as it was not an indication that it was safe to enter the water.

Swale borough council said it used signs and a red flag to warn people “if swimming isn’t advised due to water quality”.

The Environment Agency said that 95 per cent of bathing waters were classed as good or excellent but there was “clearly much more to do”,

Live pollution tests for bathers

Will this be introduced to East Devon beaches, paid for by South West Water? – Owl

Ben Webster www.thetimes.co.uk 

Swimmers will be able to get live updates on water quality under plans for real-time monitoring of bacteria from sewage and other sources.

The first monitor will be trialled this summer off Beachlands on Hayling Island in Hampshire, which is visited by up to 7,000 people a day.

Beachlands is a Blue Flag beach, which means it is officially rated as having “excellent” water quality, but it is sometimes contaminated by raw sewage from storm overflow pipes.

The Environment Agency’s existing water quality testing system does not reliably warn swimmers of the risks on the day because it involves taking samples from one location off the beach no more than once a week from May 15 to September 30. The samples are tested in a laboratory and the results take several days to be published.

The new £40,000 Proteus monitor, funded mainly by Southern Water, will be fixed to a buoy around 1,300 ft (400 metres) offshore and will test bacteria levels every 15 minutes all year round. The information will be uploaded automatically to a website where results can be checked.

A second monitor will be installed off Tankerton beach in Kent — and the water company then plans to roll them out at other popular locations.

Mike Owens, the founder of Hayling Sewage Watch, welcomed the monitors, which he said would particularly benefit the growing number of people who swam in the sea all year round, as well as windsurfers, kitesurfers and paddleboarders.

“All bathing waters affected by sewage overflows should have accurate real-time monitors so people can see the quality of the water at the time that they plan to be in it,” he said. “All water companies that pollute bathing waters should fund these monitors.”

Alex Rennie, the leader of Havant borough council, said: “This is new, ground-breaking technology that will allow our residents and visitors to check the water quality at Hayling Island and swim with confidence.

“This will be the first time this system is used in this country and could be the first of many such monitors along our shorelines in the future.”

Surfers Against Sewage, a marine conservation charity, received 286 reports of people falling ill after swimming in the sea or rivers across the UK last year, almost double the previous year’s total. The charity said it was able to link a third of the cases to a notification of a sewage spill.

Woman who lost dad to Covid challenges Government

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

Two women have begun a High Court fight after complaining of government failure to protect care home residents during the pandemic, after their fathers died from Covid-19.

Cathy Gardner – from Sidmouth – and Fay Harris have taken legal action against Health Secretary Sajid Javid, NHS England and Public Health England, wanting declarations that unlawful decisions were made.

Dr Cathy Gardner, 60, lost her father Michael Gibson, 88, in April 2020 with his death certificate claiming the cause was “probable Covid” as he had not been tested.

At that time, elderly patients were sent into care homes from hospital without being tested, leading to thousands of deaths.

And now, both Cathy and Fay want declarations that unlawful decisions were made.

Lawyers representing Mr Javid, NHS England and Public Health England are fighting the claim.

Two judges began overseeing a hearing – which is due to last six days – at the High Court in London on Monday.

A barrister representing the two women told Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham that between March and June 2020 – when Matt Hancock was Health Secretary – more than 20,000 elderly or disabled care home residents had died from Covid-19 in England and Wales.

Jason Coppel QC said the fathers of Dr Gardner and Ms Harris were part of that “toll”.

“The care home population was known to be uniquely vulnerable to being killed or seriously harmed by Covid-19,” said Mr Coppel in a written case outline.

“The Government’s failure to protect it, and positive steps taken by the Government which introduced Covid-19 infection into care homes, represent one of the most egregious and devastating policy failures in the modern era.”

Mr Coppel told judges: “That death toll should not and need not have happened.”

He added: “Put together, the various policies were a recipe for disaster and disaster is what happened.”

Mr Coppel said other countries, particularly in the Far East, had shown the way to safeguard residents by stopping the virus getting into care homes.

“This claim is a legal challenge to the Government’s failure to protect care home residents and to the key policies and decisions which led to the shocking death toll,” he said.

“The most notorious of these policies is that of mass discharge of around 25,000 elderly or disabled patients from NHS hospitals into care homes – including the homes of the claimants’ fathers – without Covid-19 testing or ensuring that suitable isolation arrangements were in place.”

Dr Gardner, who has an academic qualification was at the hearing.

She said her father, Michael Gibson, had died at the age of 88 at a care home in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in April 2020.

Ms Harris was not at the hearing.

Sir James Eadie QC, who is representing Mr Javid and Public Health England, told judges, in a written case outline, that the women’s claim should be dismissed.

“This is a judicial review challenge to six specific policies made in the early stage of the pandemic,” he said.

“As the evidence demonstrates, the defendants worked (and continue to work) tirelessly to seek to protect the public from the threat to life and health posed by the most serious pandemic in living memory; and specifically sought to safeguard care homes and their residents.”

He added: “The lawfulness of the decisions under challenge must be assessed in the context of the unprecedented challenge faced by the Government and the NHS at that time, in particular March and April 2020.”

Eleanor Grey QC, who represented NHS England, also argued that the claim should be dismissed.

“(NHS England) wishes first to express its regret that Dr Gardner and Ms Harris have lost their fathers, and that others who have filed evidence in this matter, as well as others across the country, have lost loved members of their families in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” she said in a written case outline.

“Although it is necessary to respond to the factual and legal merits of this claim, nothing which follows should be read as detracting from this sincere regret.

“(NHS England) and its staff have sought throughout the pandemic to ensure provision of the highest quality care possible to all those who need it in England.”

A Government spokesman said outside court in a statement: “Every death is a tragedy and we worked tirelessly to protect the public from the threat to life and health posed by the pandemic, and specifically sought to safeguard care homes and their residents.

“We have provided billions of pounds to support the sector, including on infection and prevention control, free PPE and priority vaccinations – with the vast majority of eligible care staff and residents now vaccinated.”

Miss Grey said evidence did not show that Ms Harris’s father Donald died as a result of the “March hospital discharge policy”, and the death of Dr Gardner’s father could not have been caused by the policy.

The hearing continues.

Britons should brace for rising Covid cases, says Sajid Javid

But with testing becoming “unfunded“ and free testing stopping on April fool’s day, how will we know what is happening? – Owl

Rachel Hall www.theguardian.com 

Britons should brace for a rise in Covid infections after the easing of restrictions, the health secretary has said, as the latest figures show rates are increasing as people socialise more.

Sajid Javid said the UK remained in a “very good position” but rising infection rates were to be “expected”. To reduce the risk of serious infection, he urged adults eligible for a booster vaccine to have one, given that one in five had not yet received it.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics Covid-19 Infections Survey showed an increase in cases across the whole of the UK. In the week ending 5 March, one in every 25 people in England, one in 13 in Northern Ireland, one in 18 in Scotland and one in 30 in Wales were estimated to have Covid-19.

Asked about the newly identified Deltacron variant, which contains elements of Delta and Omicron, Javid told BBC Breakfast a “handful” of cases had been identified in the UK but were “not of particular concern”. About 99.9% of infections in Britain were of the Omicron variant, he said.

Javid told Sky News: “We keep the situation very carefully under review. There’s no other variant of concern out there that is an issue at this point in time.”

Javid told Times Radio that officials continued to monitor infections, case numbers, hospital admissions and capacities. “We’re the most open country in Europe and that’s happened because of the country’s approach and the British people’s approach to vaccination,” he said.

“But also the support that we have from all the different treatments that the NHS is now able to offer and on our testing offer where we focus very much on the most vulnerable.”

There were 72,898 cases of Covid-19 reported in the UK on Friday. On 24 February, when most of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England ended, there were 38,933 cases reported.

There are also almost 12,000 people in hospital in the UK with Covid-19.

X

Britons should brace for rising Covid cases, says Sajid Javid

But with testing becoming “unfunde “, how will we know? – Owl

Rachel Hall www.theguardian.com 

Britons should brace for a rise in Covid infections after the easing of restrictions, the health secretary has said, as the latest figures show rates are increasing as people socialise more.

Sajid Javid said the UK remained in a “very good position” but rising infection rates were to be “expected”. To reduce the risk of serious infection, he urged adults eligible for a booster vaccine to have one, given that one in five had not yet received it.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics Covid-19 Infections Survey showed an increase in cases across the whole of the UK. In the week ending 5 March, one in every 25 people in England, one in 13 in Northern Ireland, one in 18 in Scotland and one in 30 in Wales were estimated to have Covid-19.

Asked about the newly identified Deltacron variant, which contains elements of Delta and Omicron, Javid told BBC Breakfast a “handful” of cases had been identified in the UK but were “not of particular concern”. About 99.9% of infections in Britain were of the Omicron variant, he said.

Javid told Sky News: “We keep the situation very carefully under review. There’s no other variant of concern out there that is an issue at this point in time.”

Javid told Times Radio that officials continued to monitor infections, case numbers, hospital admissions and capacities. “We’re the most open country in Europe and that’s happened because of the country’s approach and the British people’s approach to vaccination,” he said.

“But also the support that we have from all the different treatments that the NHS is now able to offer and on our testing offer where we focus very much on the most vulnerable.”

There were 72,898 cases of Covid-19 reported in the UK on Friday. On 24 February, when most of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England ended, there were 38,933 cases reported.

There are also almost 12,000 people in hospital in the UK with Covid-19.