UK coronavirus lives: those living in disadvantaged areas have double death rates in wealthy areas, new statistics show | Politics

the Duchess of Sussex he has lost the first stage of his skirmish in the High Court with the editor of the Mail on Sunday about his privacy claim about publishing a letter to his separated father.

The judge said that some of the charges were dismissed as “irrelevant for the purpose for which they were declared” and some were struck out “for the additional or alternative reason that they are not adequately detailed.” They added:

I have also acted to limit the case to what is reasonably necessary and proportionate in order to do justice between these parties.

I do not consider that the allegations made on that basis go to the “heart” of the case, which essentially refers to the publication of five articles that reveal the words and information extracted from the letter written by the applicant to her. father in August 2018.

Some aspects of the case that I have discovered at this stage can be revived if put in the right way.

More about this story to follow.

The number of mortgages approved for home buyers plummeted to a seven-year low in March.

The sharp deterioration occurred amid signs that households are driving a “tight ship” by making large repayments on other types of loans, such as credit cards.

Bank of England figures show that 56,161 mortgages were approved for home purchases in March.

This was a drop of almost a quarter (24%) compared to the previous month, and the lowest monthly total since 54,341 approvals were recorded in March 2013.

The pause button has been pushed into the housing market as individuals and businesses adhere to the blocking measures imposed on March 23 to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Dame Cally Palmer, National Cancer Director for the NHS England, said the chemotherapy treatments were running at 70% of normal levels, but the two-week referrals were reduced by 62%.

She told MPs from the Health and Social Care Committee: “Generally speaking, chemotherapy appointments are running at about 70% of normal levels and the reason for that, and we believe we can delay them very quickly because, Of course, they use different facilities and general labor from surgery and the other resources needed to respond to Covid-19. ”

She added: “We had just under 15,000 people reserved for an appointment, but that is a 62% reduction and clearly it is very important that we address that because early detection is vital for longer survival.”

When asked if that meant up to two-thirds of cancers were being lost, Dame Cally replied, “I don’t think that’s the case because the service has a conversion rate of about 8% for urgent referrals.
“It is really important to say that urgent referrals and urgent cancer treatments continue; obviously, we must adapt that to the individual risk of the patient, but I think it would be a mistake to make a mathematical calculation on that basis.

“It is very important that we get people to introduce themselves, but I think translating that into lost diagnosis and poor survival would not be a responsible position at the moment.”

Flights between Great Britain and Northern Ireland will continue to operate through 5.7 million taxpayer funds, transport secretary Grant Shapps announced.

The package is being funded by the UK government and Northern Ireland executive to ensure that airports and airlines do not eliminate “vital services” due to the collapse of demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Aer Lingus and Loganair will receive subsidies to maintain London flights to and from Belfast City Airport and Derry City Airport, respectively.

The Northern Ireland airports involved will also receive funds to provide ground services for the flights.

The Belfast-London route “would be at risk without financial assistance given the low number of passengers,” said the Department of Transport.

Shapps said: “Maintaining air links between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is vital.

“We must ensure that critical workers can continue to fly over the Irish Sea and today’s investment in these lifeline services guarantees this.”

When asked about the provision of mental health care for pregnant women, Walton said members of the Royal College of Midwives had reported that many patients had become more anxious during the pandemic.

She said: “Many women get anxious during pregnancy anyway, and I think the counseling and referral pathways have improved in recent years.

“During the pandemic, women have become even more anxious because pregnant women are a vulnerable group, so there has been an increase in referrals to perinatal mental health services, we know.

“What we are trying to do is return some of that support and care to the midwife.

“Every woman has a midwife, midwives have training to support women who have anxiety and apprehension, and the ability to refer if they believe a broader mental health team would be helpful.”

Walton emphasized the importance of ordering pregnant women to call their midwives with mental health problems in the first instance.

The executive director of the Royal College of Midwives told parliamentarians that she is concerned that high-risk pregnancies may be lost due to the pandemic, leading to a possible increase in fetal and neonatal deaths.

Addressing the health and welfare committee, Gill Walton said: “Some of that is related to fear of the pregnant population and presentation to maternity services during the pandemic, and that fear sometimes prevents them from even simply picking up the phone. to say that you may be concerned.

“I think the maternity services have done everything possible to try to continue to provide as many normal services as possible.

“I think it is really important to convey that message that maternity services are still open and that women need to show up so that we can keep them and their babies as well as possible.”

Walton said the tracking of women who miss scans and appointments has been improved.

She added: “One of the positive aspects of the pandemic is the use of technology, so there has been more virtual contact and follow-up with women through midwives and maternity services than before.”