The Lancet : COVID-19 and the NHS—“a national scandal”

Excellent article which it is difficult to disagree with one word within it.

I’m amazed at the number of people, who I consider to be sane and rational, who keep saying what a good job Johnson is doing in this crisis. We had nearly 2 months to prepare for this and the experiences of China and Italy to learn from.

We failed to do anything adequate to prepare, culminating in the Health Secretary making a televised plea for manufacturers to switch to ventilator production some 7 weeks after the first confirmed case in this country.

I’m also surprised by the number of officials who seem prepared to do the Government’s bidding for them. I understand that they can’t disagree with politicians publicly, but it’s another thing to be reinforcing their mistruths (such as regarding PPE or the need to test more rigorously).
 
Its not that Richard Horton this one is Doctor and specialist and editor of the Lancet.
 
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I have just read the article, utterly damning. I wonder if anybody on this board still thinks the government is doing a good job under the circumstances?

What a total Fu(kup. You have to feel for the NHS staff who, and let's be clear about this, are putting their lives on the line. How dare this government expect them to work without the basic equipment required to keep them safe.

I find it difficult to put my contempt for Johnson and his advisers into words that would do my feelings justice.
 
I'm sure the people contacting the articles author is are genuine, but this appears to be a localised issue, largely dependent upon who is running the local NHS. London in under enormous pressure obviously, and was evidently unprepared. Not sure you can say the same about the entire NHS. And it may be that it is specific hospitals that have not planned well enough.

There will be a time for careful analysis of the supply issues after the worst of this pandemic is over. But for now what the NHS needs is practical help. The Lancet should be calling out to anyone that has PPE to supply it to the NHS. That might included dentists etc, or construction workers for masks. Construction masks often meet the specification as medical masks. Writing articles that simply compound the issue by generating panic and damaging morale in the middle of a pandemic is completely unprofessional.

For a less catastrophising view I recommend the following video log by a junior doctor. He's making a series of videos and there are some interesting insights to what is actually happening. At his hospital it sounds that while there are some problems, his hospital is doing an amazing job.

 
These two Surgeons that have died, died almost certainly because there was inadequate PPE a couple of weeks ago. We should have been ready by then, we had two months warning. Many frontline NHS staff may die.
 
John67 said:
These two Surgeons that have died, died almost certainly because there was inadequate PPE a couple of weeks ago. We should have been ready by then, we had two months warning. Many frontline NHS staff may die.
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Almost certainly John, neglect, reckless endangerment? Who knows. I wonder if anyone on this board still think the government are doing a good job under difficult circumstances. I noticed we don't seem to hear that so much anymore.

I am incensed by the lack of regard for human life shown by this government. I find it difficult to believe it is just imcompetence rather than by design.
 
I was shocked to hear that any medical person who goes within a metre of a suspected Covid-19 patient can now have full PPE. Would anyone here have treated patients with insufficient PPE, as has been happening until now?
 
Laughing, I have no doubt that the initial, strategy for herd immunity was one of the options the government were given, amongst others but then they panicked after they fully realised the expected death toll from that inaction. After that it is almost certainly simple incompetence. Johnson didn’t even attend COBRA meetings as he was on holiday after his election victory, just like he did when elected as London Mayor. can you imagine Churchill or Thatcher doing the same?
 
John67 said:
Laughing, I have no doubt that the initial, strategy for herd immunity was one of the options the government were given, amongst others but then they panicked after they fully realised the expected death toll from that inaction. After that it is almost certainly simple incompetence. Johnson didn’t even attend COBRA meetings as he was on holiday after his election victory, just like he did when elected as London Mayor. can you imagine Churchill or Thatcher doing the same?
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John there is more wrong than just the strategy. There is the lack of preparation from ventilators to basic PPE. Expecting, as Bear said above, for doctors and nurses to treat covid patients without adequate protection is criminal.

The governments lack of traction in purchasing the necessary equipment and their lack of regard for the 2016 testing on pandemic readiness point to a government who would rather give their rich backers tax breaks than care for the welfare of the citizens they are sworn to protect. It is criminal, I think I said that above, but fu(k me it is criminal. If its plain old incompetence the cabinet need removing now.
 
bear66 said:
I was shocked to hear that any medical person who goes within a metre of a suspected Covid-19 patient can now have full PPE. Would anyone here have treated patients with insufficient PPE, as has been happening until now?
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Yes, Bear certain protections were available but not the full biological suits that are now deemed mandatory, staff were told that it if you were young and healthy then mild symptoms and self isolation would be the worst outcome.

One of the secondary issues facing management in wards is the mental well being of those that feel they have been put at greater risk because of the lack of proper protective equipment initially available and the official government line of healthy with no underlying issues being not at risk of anything beyond minor symptoms.
 
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