Currently UK Health Security Agency publishes Covid-19 case counts for England by giving the number of first infections only. But with Omicron variant many people are being re-infected. From 31st January 2022 the case count will count episodes of Covid-19 infection. A new episode starts with a Covid-19 positive test more than 90 days from the last positive Covid-19 test. Click here for the formal announcement.

NHS ENgland has set priorities for 2022/3 in a planning guidance document issued on Christmas eve . The 10 priorities are as follows:

1. Invest in our workforce with more people (for example, the additional roles in primary care, expansion of mental health and community services, and tackling substantive gaps in acute care) and new ways of working, and by strengthening the compassionate and inclusive culture needed to deliver outstanding care.
2. Respond to COVID-19 ever more effectively delivering the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme and meeting the needs of patients with COVID-19.
3. Deliver significantly more elective care to tackle the elective backlog, reduce long waits and improve performance against cancer waiting times standards.
4. Improve the responsiveness of urgent and emergency care (UEC) and build community care capacity keeping patients safe and offering the right care, at the right time, in the right setting. This needs to be supported by creating the equivalent of 5,000 additional beds, in particular through expansion of virtual ward models, and includes eliminating 12-hour waits in emergency departments (EDs) and minimising ambulance handover delays.
5. Improve timely access to primary care maximising the impact of the investment in primary medical care and primary care networks (PCNs) to expand capacity, increase the number of appointments available and drive integrated working at neighbourhood and place level.
6. Improve mental health services and services for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people maintaining continued growth in mental health investment to transform and expand community health services and improve access.
7. Continue to develop our approach to population health management, prevent ill-health and address health inequalities using data and analytics to redesign care pathways and measure outcomes with a focus on improving access and health equity for under-served communities.
8. Exploit the potential of digital technologies to transform the delivery of care and patient outcomes achieving a core level of digitisation in every service across systems.
9. Make the most effective use of our resources moving back to and beyond pre-pandemic levels of productivity when the context allows this.
10. Establish ICBs and collaborative system working working together with local authorities and other partners across their ICS to develop a five-year strategic plan for their system and places.

NHS England has issued details of the changes to GP incentives to support the Covid-19 vaccination campaign. Some QOF incentive payments will be based on prior years performance. Other funds are diverted to the Covid-19 vaccination campaign provided all practices in a Primary Care network sign up to participate actively by 10th December. The changes persist until April 2022. Additionally NHS England had made arrangements with Microsoft for the telephony facility of Teams (that is telephony over broadband) to be usable for outgoing calls by GP practices until April 2022, thereby freeing up phone lines for in-coming calls. Details are given in the attached document.

A panel convened by the organisation "Keep Orur NHS Public" has heard evidence on the Government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its report is published under the title "Misconduct in Public Office". Please see the document linked below.

South Reading Patient Voice holds a combined meeting and Annual General Meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 17th November 2021. Please see below for meeting papers. Nominations and suggestions may be made at

The Governing bodies of BOB area CCGs meet in common at 9am on Tuesday 14th December 2021. Further details to follow.

The CCG Commissioning committees of the BOB area meet on common on Thursday 16th December 20231 at 10-12am. To join the meeting please click here Further details to follow

Reading's Health and Wellbeing board meets via MS Teams at 2pm on Friday 21st January 20222. Questions should be emailed to NIckySimpson@reading.gov.uk> a week before the meeting. Please click here to join the meeting. For meeting papers - see below.

The Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which provides for acute care at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and sites at Townlands Henley, Thatcham, Bracknell Healthspace, is holding its annual general meeting at 5.30pm on Tuesday 12th October 2021. The meeting will be online using Zoom. Please click this link The passcode is given as T6auGj but you may not need to use it.

Agenda

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust holds its AGM at 2pm on Wednesday, 22nd September 2021. Berkshire Healthcare provides community nursing, community hospitals and mental health care for Berkshire. A recording of the AGM can be viewed by clicking on this link .