UK coronavirus live: those in deprived areas have double death rates of affluent areas, new statistics show

Peers have announced plans to form a Covid-19 committee to scrutinise the government’s response to the pandemic.

A report by the Lords liaison committee recommended the new Covid-19 committee should undertake “cross-cutting” scrutiny of the government’s response, developing understanding of the lessons learned and how they can be applied in the future.

The recommendation to establish the new committee will be put to a motion for agreement in the House of Lords. Members will then be appointed to the committee in the coming weeks.

Lord McFall of Alcluith, the senior deputy speaker of The House of Lords, said:

This is the first time either House has sought to establish a new committee dedicated to the Covid-19 emergency and the government’s response to it.

Two key strengths of Lords committees are their cross-cutting nature, they are thematic in approach rather than set-up to shadow government departments, and the real world experience our members can bring to them.

These strengths will be much in evidence in the new Covid-19 Committee which will be made up of experts across a whole range of relevant professional backgrounds and be free to consider all the aspects and impact of the current crisis including on the economy, education and the social bonds between generations.

I firmly believe the new committee will have a key role to play in ensuring we learn the right lessons from the crisis and understand to the fullest extent its effects upon our society, economy and way of life.

Downing Street said the prime minister Boris Johnson chaired the daily Covid-19 meeting on Friday.

Number 10 said the the government would announce that the Rugby Football League will receive a £16m cash injection “to safeguard the immediate future of clubs in England”. A spokesman said:

The emergency loan will help the sport deal with the extreme financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak while the season remains suspended, due to social distancing measures.

High-risk pregnancies may be missed during the coronavirus pandemic because expectant mothers are too scared to pick up the phone to their midwife, according to Gill Walton, the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

Anxiety in the pregnant population is becoming more pronounced during the Covid-19 outbreak, a committee was told, with an increase in referrals to perinatal mental health services.

Walton told MPs she was concerned this may be a factor which could lead to a potential rise in stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

She told the Commons health and social care committee messaging is key in ensuring women come forward if they need help:

Some of that is related to the fear of the pregnant population and presenting to maternity services during the pandemic, and that fear then prevents them even sometimes just picking up the phone to say they may be concerned.

I believe that maternity services have tried their very best to try and keep providing as much of a normal service as possible.

I do think it’s really important to be getting that message out that maternity services are still open and that women should come forward so that we can keep them and their babies as well as possible.

RCM members have reported many patients becoming more anxious during the pandemic, she added, emphasising the importance of directing pregnant women to call their midwives with mental health concerns in the first instance.

Walton also said she was concerned about the apparent disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME staff and pregnant women.

She said expectant mothers from BAME backgrounds should be treated “as more vulnerable than the general population and midwives are aware of that”.

Home births have faced the biggest impact from the pandemic, she said, with services disrupted due to reasons including staffing issues and paramedic ambulance capacity.

She said returning to home births would require risk assessments, the return of staffing and testing of women in the community who want to have a baby at home.

Olivia Strong, founder of the Run for Heroes 5km Challenge, which has raised £5m for NHS charities, has received the prime minister’s daily Point of Light award.

In a personal letter to Olivia, Boris Johnson wrote:

As we persevere with the restrictions to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives, I have been inspired by the ingenuity of your Run for Heroes 5km Challenge.

Using your daily lockdown exercise to run 5K, donate 5 and nominate 5 people, you have raised more than 5 million to support the extraordinary work of our true heroes – the men and women of our unique NHS. With over a million participants from more than 20 countries, you have roused a global movement that has collectively run the entire distance to the moon and back!

Thank you for your brilliant initiative and for all that you have done to support our wonderful NHS.

Strong said:

It’s an absolute pleasure and delight to accept this award on behalf of the whole Run For Heroes community.

Not only the amazing people who have helped with the campaign (India, Alice and my family), but everyone who has continued to run, donate and nominate! It’s been so wonderful to see people coming together for such a worthwhile cause!

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

The sharp deterioration happened amid signs that households are running a “tight ship” by making large repayments on other types of borrowing such as credit cards.

Figures from the Bank of England show that 56,161 mortgages were approved for house purchase in March.

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

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

Dame Cally Palmer, national cancer director for NHS England, said chemotherapy treatments were running at 70% of normal levels but two-week referrals were down by 62%.

She told MPs at the Health and Social Care Committee: “Broadly, chemotherapy appointments are running at about 70% of normal levels and the reason for that, and we think we can set them back very quickly because, of course, is they use different facilities and workforce broadly from surgery and the other resources required to respond to Covid-19.”

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

When asked if that meant up to two-thirds of cancers were being missed, Dame Cally replied: “I don’t think that’s the case because the service has roughly an 8% conversion rate for urgent referrals.
“It’s really important to state that urgent referrals and urgent cancer treatments is continuing – obviously we need to tailor that to patient’s individual risk but I think it would be wrong to make a mathematical calculation on that basis.

“It’s very important that we get people coming forward but I think to translate that into missed diagnosis and poor survival would not be a responsible position at this point.”

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

The package is being funded by the UK government and the Northern Ireland executive to ensure airports and airlines do not axe “lifeline services” because of the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Aer Lingus and Loganair will be subsidised to maintain London flights to and from Belfast city airport and City of Derry airport respectively.

The Northern Irish airports involved will also be given funding to provide ground services for the flights.

The Belfast-London route “would be at risk without financial assistance given low passenger numbers”, the Department for Transport stated.

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 that.”

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

She said: “A lot of women get anxious during pregnancy anyway and I think the pathways for advice and referrals have got better over 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 that.

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

“Every woman has a midwife, midwives have training in supporting women who have anxiety and apprehension, and the ability to refer onwards if they believe a wider mental health team would be of assistance.”

Walton emphasised the importance of directing pregnant women to call their midwives with mental health concerns in the first instance.

The chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives has told MPs she is concerned high-risk pregnancies may be missed due to the pandemic, leading to a potential rise in stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

Addressing the health and social care committee, Gill Walton said: “Some of that is related to the fear of the pregnant population and presenting to maternity services during the pandemic, and that fear then prevents them even sometimes just picking up the phone to say they may be concerned.

“I believe that maternity services have tried their very best to try and keep providing as much of a normal service as possible.

“I do think it’s really important to be getting that message out that maternity services are still open and that women should come forward so that we can keep them and their babies as well as possible.”

Walton said that follow-ups on women who miss scans and appointments has been enhanced.

She added: “One of the positives from 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.”