The NHS Confederation published a major report on how to ‘reset’ health and social care, following the coronavirus pandemic. It called for honesty about what can be achieved, investment, a leaner system, integrated care, and a focus on health inequalities. Much of this chimes with the NHS Long Term Plan agenda, but the report did not receive universal assent, with papers and think-tanks dividing over whether the NHS is up to the job and whether population health matters.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths rose again, as the government imposed more local lockdowns and issued a tough new law on self-isolation. In better news, the NHS Covid-19 app was widely downloaded and NHSX promised to deliver iPads to care homes to support digital healthcare and tackle loneliness.
