NHS England has announced changes to Covid rules in line with new guidance from the UK Health Security Agency. It means patients and staff no longer need to follow social distancing when seeing their doctor, sitting in the waiting area or visiting a hospital.
Hospitals have been asked to identify sites for up to 4,000 emergency beds to deal with a potential wave of Omicron admissions in England, as cases hit a record 183,000.
Hospitals in England have been ordered to “eliminate” ambulance queues after two deaths were linked to handover delays.
More than half of hospitals do not have a budget for children’s toys, a charity has warned.
Hospitals have been told they can axe the two-metre social distancing rule in measures designed to help the NHS treat more patients.
