HCT - Health Campaigns Together

Memorial of Health & Social Care Workers taken by COVID-19 Moving and interactive a digital tribute and memorial by Nursing Notes to the dedicated members of our health and social care family who gave their lives during the fight against Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19).
NursingNotes is committed to planting a new tree in a protected forest for every single health and social care worker who loses their lives because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(2 Jul 2022) Enhanced sick pay for NHS staff with Covid to be scrapped as infections rise Evening Standard article July 2 confirming that NHS England is once again driven by austerity limits on funding and seeking short term cash savings at the expense of any longer-term workforce strategy:
"Enhanced sick pay which was given to NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic is set to be cut next month.
"The special pay arrangements were offered to staff who were off work sick with either Covid or long Covid during the pandemic. Staff received pay if they were isolating from the virus and a full 12 months pay if they had long Covid."

(27 Jun 2022) The NHS wreckers cannot accept that the British public still back it Polly Toynbee in the Guardian June 27 brings together the growing and persistent round of political attacks on the NHS that are being rolled out by the right wing press. All the models for so-called right wing ‘reforms’ are more expensive, more exclusive than NHS. The Private sector has no interest in unprofitable services or patients, and represents no solution to A&E delays, waiting lists or mental health.
"Whenever the NHS falls into the abyss through underfunding it hits an existential crisis when its ancient ideological opponents, dormant in the good years, creep out of the earth like a revived locust plague.
"What excited them this time was the latest British Social Attitudes survey showing that public satisfaction with the NHS had plummeted to 36%. It has only ever been lower once, at 34% in 1997, presaging the fall of a Tory government.
"Hoping for a popular revolt against the NHS, critics ignore the rest of this survey. The reasons for dissatisfaction were obvious: waiting times for GP and hospital appointments, staff shortages and government underfunding. Only 25% think the NHS should not get more funds.
"Across Labour and Tory supporters there were “high levels of support” for NHS founding principles – 94% backing free for everyone, 86% for funding through taxes."

(27 Jun 2022) NHS patients to be offered chance to travel for surgery BBC News June 27 with the confirmation that the government has given up on ensuring timely local access to elective treatment, and now the NHS instead is offering the “choice” of long distance journeys to get treatment many miles from home. It seems from the small proportion of long-term waiters who have agreed to travel that this will make little or no difference to waiting lists.
“NHS patients in England who have been waiting more than two years for surgery are being offered hospital treatment in alternative parts of the country.
“More than 6,000 long-term waiting-list patients are being offered travel and accommodation costs where appropriate to help the NHS through the backlog.
Health officials want to ensure nobody is waiting more than two years by the end of July.
“More than 400 patients have already said they would be prepared to travel.
“Three patients waiting for surgery in Derby have already received treatment in the Northumbria health region, with another two patients booked in, NHS England said.”

(25 Jun 2022) NHS staff on track to suffer a further 7% real-terms pay cut Nursing Notes June 25 report:
"The independent body who advises on NHS pay has reportedly recommended a 4% to 5% pay award.
NHS staff are reportedly on track to receive yet another real-terms pay cut of up to 7%.
"According to the Guardian newspaper, the independent body (NHSPRB) who advises on NHS pay across England and Wales has recommend a pay award of 4% to 5% to the Government.
"Experienced frontline nurses are already around £6,000 per year worse off now than in 2010 when the Conservative party first took office and implemented austerity measures.
"With a cost of living crisis and inflation expected to hit 10%, this means NHS workers face another real terms pay cut of up to 7% if the Government accept the recommendation of the NHSPRB."

(23 Jun 2022) It looks likely the Government will be forced to come clean over companies handed VIP Test and Trace contracts Good Law Project press release June 23:
“For more than a year, Good Law Project has been working to uncover the politically-connected firms that benefitted from the Government’s £37 billion Test and Trace programme.
“We know that 50 companies with close links to Ministers, Peers and Government officials were given access to a priority route through which they secured lucrative Covid testing contracts. But, shockingly, the Government has refused to come clean over which firms profited.
“Now, following our long Freedom of Information battle, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which took over responsibility for the testing regime, has finally confirmed that it is making contact with the 50 ‘VIP’ firms in order to answer our request.
“We’ve gone back to UKHSA, calling on them to publish both the names of companies who received priority treatment and the names of those who referred them.
“We expect to hear back by 5 July and will publish their response, along with, we hope, the names of the 50 further VIPs.”

(23 Jun 2022) Rishi Sunak met private US social care firms to discuss ‘opportunities’ in the UK MSN News June 23 reveals previously hidden details of Rishi Sunak’s meeting with private sector health bosses in California last year. It strangely fails to mention the chronic under-funding of the NHS as the key reason why none of the major US players have been interested.
“Mr Sunak was told by firms that they had little interest in working in the UK at the time. The attendees told the Chancellor that they were focused on growing in the US, and currently would not consider expansion to the UK.
“Attendees reported that they saw UK healthcare as lacking innovation, although they thought it had improved in recent years.
“The minutes, labelled “Official Sensitive’” read: “US healthcare firms want to focus on their domestic market before contemplating expansion, because i) it’s so vast: population and spend per capita much higher than e.g. in the UK; ii) it’s complicated and idiosyncratic; it’s not a portable approach.
“UK healthcare has historically not been especially innovative, but some participants reported positive engagements where they’ve worked with the NHS recently.””

(21 Jun 2022) Battling the Crisis in Patient Safety Canadian publication The Tyee June 21 notes “The COVID-19 crisis has both divided and galvanized Canadians on health care.
“While the last three years have presented new challenges to health-care systems across the country, the pandemic has also exacerbated existing challenges, most notably the high levels of errors and mistreatment documented in Canadian health care.
“According to a 2019 report from the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Canada was already facing a public health crisis prior to the pandemic: a crisis of patient safety. As the report details, patient safety incidents are the third leading cause of death in Canada, following cancer and heart disease.
“Few studies calculate national data on this topic, but a 2013 report found that patient safety events resulted in almost 28,000 deaths.”

(19 Jun 2022) 1,000' foreign GPs are being threatened with deportation by the Home Office: Blow to the NHS after British taxpayers spent £50k a year training them Irony bypass in action. Daily Heil (June 19) flags up the nasty, racist and ultimately stupid and self-defeating Home Office policy which is driven by government concern to appease ... the Daily Heil and its racist, xenophobic readers.
“A 'thousand' foreign GPs are being threatened with deportation by the Home Office in another blow to the NHS after British taxpayers paid more than £50,000 a year training them.
“The NHS in England has already lost the equivalent of around 2,000 full-time GPs since 2015, which is making it harder for patients to secure an appointment.
“Now new recruits have been sent letters informing them of their 'removal' from the UK just weeks after they finished training for their roles.
“Home Office rules state foreign doctors must work under the skilled worker visa scheme for at least five years before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain - a timeframe that covers most specialist medical training.
“But GPs usually gain their certificate of completion of training after three years, leaving a two-year gap during which they have to secure sponsorship if they want to stay in the country when their visas run out.”

(15 Jun 2022) Sajid Javid: pouring money into NHS is unfair on the young Times June 15 report makes quite clear that there will be no retreat from the savage reimposition of austerity for at least the first half of this decade – but with a particularly bizarre justification from Javid who appears unaware that young people need and use the NHS:
“No more taxpayers’ cash will be poured into the NHS as this would be “unfair on younger generations”, Sajid Javid has said.
“The health secretary said “the answer can’t always be more money” as he rejected demands from hospital bosses for extra funding to resolve the crisis in A&E departments.
“Speaking at an NHS conference in Liverpool, Javid said healthcare would soon make up 44 per cent of day to day public spending, up from 27 per cent in 2000.
“ ‘I don’t want my children or anyone’s children to grow up in a country where more than half of public spending is taken up by healthcare, at the expense of everything else from education to housing,’ Javid said.
“ ‘That’s not a fair deal for the British people, particularly young people.’ ”

(15 Jun 2022) Integrated care systems: what do they look like? Useful June 15 report from Health Foundation in advance of ICSs gaining statutory status:
"ICSs face a mammoth task. Staffing shortages in the NHS are chronic, record numbers of people are waiting for routine hospital treatment, and health inequalities in England are wide and growing.
"But these challenges are not evenly distributed between ICSs – and some systems are better equipped to deal with them than others. Policymakers have allowed some flexibility in how local systems have been developed and organised, which means they vary widely in size, structure, and other characteristics.
"In this long read we analyse publicly available data on some of the characteristics of ICSs and context in each area – including the organisational and policy context, health challenges, and capacity within the health care system to address them. We compare areas and discuss implications for policy."

(15 Jun 2022) NHS racism making doctors 'anxious and depressed' BBC News June 15 highlights a BMA report, once again on NHS England’s abysmal failure to address discrimination or support its most vulnerable staff:
“A new report from the British Medical Association (BMA) - shared exclusively with BBC News - has found that 76% of respondents have experienced racism at work. About 60% say it has affected their mental health.
“More than 2,000 people took part in an online survey which formed part of the report, and was open to all UK doctors in medical workplaces. About 66% of people who responded were from ethnic minorities.
“About 40% of the NHS's 123,000 doctors are from minority backgrounds, compared with approximately 13.8% of the general population.
“BMA chairman Chaand Nagpaul warns of a mental health crisis among doctors - and that by making medics anxious and depressed, racism is putting patient safety at risk too.”

(14 Jun 2022) Universal Health Care Could Have Saved 330,000 Lives During Covid: Report The Fiscal Times June 14 picks up on important new research by US public health experts:
“The U.S. has recorded the highest number of deaths from Covid-19 in the world, at more than 1 million. According to a new analysis by a group of public health researchers, the uneven and fragmented nature of the American health care system has played a major role in running up that grim tally.
“The researchers argue that a single-payer universal healthcare system would have performed far better, saving as many as 330,000 lives during the first two years of the pandemic, as well as billions of dollars.
“… The researchers estimate that a universal health care system would save the U.S. $438 billion a year under normal, non-pandemic conditions. With Covid, a universal system would have provided another $105 billion in savings, the researchers estimate, thanks in large part to lower hospitalization costs.”

(14 Jun 2022) A&E waiting times last year almost eight times worse than NHS figures suggest Some real facts surface in the Daily Telegraph, (June 14) which draws on important research by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Away from the news pages, the Torygraph’s virulent right wing columnists are shamelessly exploiting these same service failures as a way to attack the NHS itself – even though the private sector has no ambition or facilities to treat the emergency patients in these delays:
“Accident and emergency waiting times last year were almost eight times worse than official NHS figures suggest, according to analysis by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
“Some 1,047 patients a day, on average, waited 12 hours or longer from their time of arrival at emergency departments across England in 2021, according to figures released to the College under Freedom of Information laws.
“According to official figures from NHS England, however, around 133 patients a day, on average, waited 12 hours or more to be admitted to hospital from A&E.
“But these figures only measure the time patients wait from the moment they are told by a doctor they will be admitted to a bed, known as Decision to Admit (DTA), which the Royal College argued is a "gross under-representation of the reality".
“The Royal College instead used the Time of Arrival (TOA) metric, which is measured from the moment the patient steps foot into A&E.”

(14 Jun 2022) Rundown NHS hospitals have become a danger to patients, warn health chiefs Guardian June 14 highlights figures and failures that have been frequently argued by Health Campaigns Together, SOSNHS and The Lowdown – and quotes timid requests from NHS leaders who should have been systematically raising these issues since last autumn’s hopelessly inadequate spending review.
“NHS patients are being put in danger and waiting lists are getting even longer due to a £9bn maintenance backlog and a major lack of capital funding that has left some parts of hospitals “extremely dilapidated” and unfit for patients, health leaders have warned.
“Boris Johnson promised in 2019 to “build and fund 40 new hospitals”. But the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), the government watchdog, later gave the project an “amber/red” ranking, meaning its delivery “is in doubt with major risks or issues apparent in a number of key areas”.
“At the same time, the NHS in England is facing a £9bn maintenance backlog. Half of that sum, which is up from £6.5bn just three years ago, is required to tackle failings classed as posing either a “high” or “significant” risk to patients and staff.”

(13 Jun 2022) UK doctors with long Covid say they have been denied disability benefits Guardian June 13 with yet more evidence of the complete indifference and contempt to NHS staff welfare from the government whose ministers led rounds of cynical, empty applause for them during the pandemic.
“Doctors who worked on the frontline during the pandemic and have been left with long Covid say they have been denied financial support by the UK government, with some left with little option but to sell their house.
“Months or even years after an initial Covid infection some people continue to have symptoms, from fatigue to brain fog. According to the Office for National Statistics, as of 1 May an estimated 2 million people in the UK reported having long Covid, as the condition is known.
“Now healthcare staff in the UK have told the Guardian that despite being left with serious impairments as a result of long Covid, they have been turned down for personal independence payment (Pip), a non means-tested benefit helping people with the extra living costs of their chronic illness or disability.”

(13 Jun 2022) UK’s biggest GP chain replacing doctors with less qualified staff BBC News June 13 flagging up the Panorama under-cover investigation into the services delivered by US corporation Centene, which has emerged as the largest private provider of GP services (although with fewer than 1% of GP practices).
“The UK's biggest chain of GP practices lets less qualified staff see patients without adequate supervision, an undercover BBC Panorama investigation has found.
“Operose Health is putting patients at risk by prioritising profit, says a senior GP.
“The company, with almost 600,000 NHS patients, is owned by US healthcare giant Centene Corporation.
“… BBC Panorama sent undercover reporter Jacqui Wakefield to work as a receptionist at one of the UK company's 51 London surgeries. The BBC is not naming the practice or the staff who work there.
“A GP working at the practice said they were short of eight doctors. The practice manager said they hired less qualified medical staff called physician associates (PAs), because they were "cheaper" than GPs.”

(13 Jun 2022) Don’t Let Them Rehabilitate Jeremy Hunt Timely reminder in Tribune June 13 from HCT editor John Lister on the real track record of the former health secretary who has tried to reinvent himself:
“On becoming Health Secretary… Hunt was still fending off claims by the Observer that he had personally intervened to speed up the award of a £650 million community services contract covering his constituency to Virgin Care.
“By the following year, Hunt was battling in vain to get the Court of Appeal to overturn a judicial review ruling that his efforts to impose heavy cutbacks on Lewisham Hospital Trust were unlawful. Hunt ignored powerful evidence of the damage that the plans would cause, and afterwards sought new legislation to give him wider powers to intervene.
“Then, in 2013, using cynical and distorted statistics, Hunt outlined plans to combat so-called ‘health tourism’ in line with Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’ for migrants. These plans included introducing a new £200 ‘immigration health surcharge’ for anyone seeking visas to enter the UK, and allowed NHS Trusts to charge up to 150 percent of the cost of treatment in secondary care.
“These fees have since been increased and enforcement tightened, with serious consequences for many migrant workers and their families. The fight to repeal them is still being waged by campaign group Patients Not Passports.
“In 2015, Hunt rashly—and implausibly—promised 5,000 extra GPs by 2020, which, of course, have not been delivered. Then he went on to provoke a bitter and lengthy dispute with junior doctors over pay and conditions, which only made recruitment of trainees more difficult.”

(11 Jun 2022) NHS ‘doesn’t need any more money’, says Sajid Javid as waiting lists rise More deluded nonsense from Sajid Javid reported by Guardian June 11. Javid compares NHS unfavourably to hugely indebted subscription based Netflix – and insists despite all of the evidence to the contrary that it needs no more money:
“The NHS needs reform rather than more money, the health secretary has said, while admitting that record-high waiting lists will continue to rise before they fall.
“Sajid Javid said the health service already had the resources it needed and did not require more to care for patients effectively. “The NHS now has locked in the resources it needs. It doesn’t need any more money. What it needs to deliver for more people is not money. It needs reform,” he said.
“In an interview with the Times, he compared the NHS to the now defunct video rental chain Blockbuster, arguing that it needed to be dramatically restructured in order to continue delivering healthcare free at the point of use.
“ ‘You want to have a system that, yes, it’s got the values of 1948 but looking at delivery towards 2048,’ he said.
“Javid made the same comparison in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying the country had a “Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix”, though he later defended his comments by saying he did not mean it should become a subscription-based service.”

(11 Jun 2022) Paramedics are ‘leaving in droves’ as ambulance callouts almost double Guardian report June11
“The number of calls for an ambulance in England have almost doubled since 2010, with warnings of record pressures on the NHS that are seeing A&E patients stuck in corridors and many paramedics quitting the job.
“Ambulance calls have risen by 10 times more than the number of ambulance workers, according to a new analysis of NHS data. An increase in people seeking emergency treatment, GPs unable to cope with demand and cuts to preventive care are all being blamed for the figures.
“The analysis, carried out by the GMB union, found that there were 7.9m calls in 2010-11. By 2021-22, however, the number had risen to 14m, an increase of 77%. Over the same period, the number of ambulance workers has risen by just 7%, heaping more pressure on staff.
“While the figures represent all calls for an ambulance, some of which go unanswered and do not lead to a vehicle being sent, they reveal the increasing pressures that have led to claims that patient safety is being put at risk by ambulance waiting times.”

(10 Jun 2022) £4bn of NHS Covid PPE to be burned as it is unusable, says committee report Guardian report on the latest episode in the PPE scandal:
“Protective clothing worth £4bn bought early in the pandemic to stop NHS staff being infected with Covid is to be burned because it is unusable, a report has revealed.
“The imminent destruction of so many items and waste of public money is disclosed in a report by the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) that is scathing of the DHSC’s strategy when the Covid pandemic struck in 2020.
“The PAC, which oversees spending by Whitehall departments, found that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has £4bn of PPE in storage which cannot be used by frontline workers because it is substandard.
In their report out on Friday, the cross-party group of MPs said: “The department has no clear disposal strategy for this excess PPE but told us that it plans to burn significant volumes and will aim to generate power from this.”

(9 Jun 2022) Palantir gears up to expand its reach into UK’s NHS Financial Times article June 9 warning of sinister new “partners” seeking a double profit – cash and data – from the NHS. The £360m 5-year contract is not enormous, but would further entrench Palantir’s links to the NHS.
“US data analytics group Palantir is gearing up to become the underlying operating system for the UK’s National Health Service, poaching senior NHS officials as part of a bid to win a £360mn contract to manage the data of millions of patients across England.
“The company, best known for its ties to the security, defence and intelligence sectors, has been the NHS’s go-to data analytics provider during its Covid-19 crisis response. Its Foundry software was used in the management of ventilators and PPE equipment, delivery of the nationwide vaccination programme and helping to tackle the backlog of 6mn patients waiting for elective care.
“The secretive company, co-founded by Peter Thiel, an early investor in Facebook and prominent supporter of former US president Donald Trump, is now manoeuvring to expand its reach into the NHS over the next decade.”

(9 Jun 2022) UK healthcare staff call in sick to avoid using car as cost of fuel soars, union says Guardian report June 9:
“Low-paid health and care workers are calling in sick because they cannot afford to fill their cars with petrol to travel to work, the head of the UK’s largest trade union has warned.
… Christina McAnea, general secretary of the public services union Unison, said some of her members were likely to strike in the coming months, faced by real-terms pay cuts as the cost of living crisis bites.
“[Petrol price rises are] having a big impact on people with jobs that mean they have to travel. So community health workers, health visitors, care workers, social workers … are saying they just cannot afford to do their jobs any more,” she said.
“We’re actually hearing of people who would rather phone in sick because they don’t have the money to fill up their cars and do their jobs. And more and more people are leaving public services, even in local government. There’s huge vacancies across local government.”

(7 Jun 2022) SoR reacts to "shocking news" of Rutherford Health collapse Radiographers’ union the Society of Radiographers responds (June 7) to the collapse of private sector diagnostics firm Rutherford Health:
“… the SoR would be asking questions about how NHS contracts were awarded to the company in the light of its seemingly precarious financial structure.
"We will be asking for full, honest reflection from those who gave these contracts to Rutherford. We had no direct warning that this was coming although we had warned the NHS about over reliance on firms borrowing huge amounts to compete essentially against the NHS for potential work. When Rutherford awas being awarded the contract in Taunton for the new CDC we specifically asked the NHS about what guarantees they had around their long term financial viability and what plan B might be. We were essentially told not to worry."
“… public funds should not be used by investors to make quick returns while putting patients and staff at risk through financial disaster.”

(6 Jun 2022) NHS nurse shortages a risk to safety, says Royal College of Nursing BBC June 6 report:
“Shortages of nurses in the NHS are posing a risk to patient safety, the Royal College of Nursing is warning.
“RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said patients were going without the care they needed because of the problems.
“Feedback from the union's members in the UK cited people going without medicines and deterioration of sick patients going unnoticed as concerns.
“One in 10 nurse posts in England is unfilled.”

(31 Mar 2022) Why is the UK seeing near-record Covid cases? We still believe the three big myths about Omicron Important Guardian article March 30 begins:
"We’re living in two realities: one in which people have returned to living life as if Covid is over, and the other in which we are approaching record levels of infections, with an estimated 4.26m cases last week. Most of us know people who have Covid, work and education are being disrupted, and the NHS is under severe pressure again due to new patients and sick staff. Admissions with Covid are only 2% below the first Omicron peak two months ago and still rising. "

(31 Mar 2022) Nation’s mental health hampered by Commons’ rejection of workforce amendment Royal College of Psychiatrists (March 31) joins the chorus of bodies and individuals slamming the government's refusal to take the NHS workforce crisis seriously:
“Despite a strong campaign by the College and over 100 other organisations, the House of Commons has rejected an amendment requiring the Government to publish regular independently verified assessments of current and future workforce numbers.
“The amendment to the Health and Care Bill requires the Secretary of State to report every two years: …
“Dr Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
“We’re disappointed that the House of Commons has rejected this crucial amendment. The nation’s mental health relies on long-term planning, yet successive governments have failed to take decisive action to tackle staff shortages.
“If the NHS is to avoid lurching from one crisis to another, health leaders must be able to predict where doctors, nurses and care staff are most urgently needed.”

(27 Mar 2022) Government paid firm linked to Tory peer £122m for PPE bought for £46m Guardian March 27 with another revelation of the scale of gross profiteering from crony contracts:
"PPE the government bought for £122m from a company linked to the Tory peer Michelle Mone was purchased from the Chinese manufacturer for just £46m.
"The extraordinary profits apparently made by PPE Medpro and its partners in the supply chain are revealed in documents leaked to the Guardian, including contracts and an inspection report for sterile surgical gowns supplied by the firm.
"Despite being bought at the start of the pandemic and delivered in 2020, the 25m gowns were never used by the NHS after government officials rejected them following an inspection."

(27 Mar 2022) Coronavirus keeps 200,000 pupils out of school as infection levels near record highs Canary article March 27:
“Some 200,000 children are off school in England due to coronavirus (Covid-19), the education secretary said. He also promised more details on rapid testing this week when universal free provision is stopped. It comes as infection levels have approached record highs in England.
“Nadhim Zahawi said further information about lateral flow tests will be set out on 1 April, when mass free testing will end in England. The government has said free tests will only be made available to the most vulnerable. But an education union has said removing free access when coronavirus cases are high “feels irresponsible”.”

(24 Mar 2022) Private emails reveal Gove’s role in Tory-linked firm’s PPE deals Guardian March 24:
“Michael Gove was secretly involved in the process through which a PPE company linked to the Tory peer Michelle Mone secured huge government contracts, according to newly released documents that show private emails being used for government business.
“The correspondence threatens to embroil Gove in the deepening controversy surrounding PPE Medpro, the company awarded government contracts worth £203m after it was referred to the “high-priority lane” for well connected companies.
“They will also add to the growing scepticism over Lady Mone’s repeated insistence that she was not involved with the company, and cast further doubt on statements made on her behalf by her lawyers.”

(24 Mar 2022) 1.3 million Brits will be pushed into absolute poverty next year, think tank claims Politics.co.uk March 24 focusing on the impact of the budget on the poorest, which will inevitably rebound also on their health and future demand for the NHS:
“Progressive think tank the Resolution Foundation have accused the chancellor of failing to deliver on his promises to cut taxes and help families in yesterday’s Spring Statement.
[…]
“The analysis claims that the scale of the cost of living squeeze is such that typical working-age household incomes are to set to fall by 4 per cent in real-terms next year (2022-23), a loss of £1,100, while the largest falls will be among the poorest quarter of households where incomes are set to fall by 6 per cent.
“The report also estimates that absolute poverty will rise by 1.3 million, including 500,000 children – the first time Britain has seen such a rise outside of recessions.”

(24 Mar 2022) The Messenger Review of health and social care leadership: what must it address? NHS Confederation March 24 with a report anticipating a new review of NHS leadership by a former general – but studiously avoiding any mention of the dire shortage of capital and revenue funding to get services back on track and the government and NHS England’s abject failure to address the staffing problems with 110,000 vacant posts and the immediate threat of a real terms pay cut for the 1 million staff in post:
“The review should emphasise the new operating environment we are moving into through integrated care systems (ICSs) and place-based partnerships. The focus on integration, collaboration and more blurred organisational boundaries will require different leadership characteristics than those incentivised by a system driven by marketisation and competition. The review should address and begin to explore the new skills and systems-focused mindset that will need to be ‘hard-wired’ into those in leadership positions within the NHS – much of which is already in evidence across the country.
“Key to developing effective system leadership will be establishing a culture of learning and improvement, with less emphasis on top-down performance management.”

(23 Mar 2022) Did the COVID lockdowns work? Here’s what we know two years on Article in The Conversation March 23 notes:
“Despite substantial variability across countries, there’s little doubt that lockdowns successfully slowed COVID’s spread in spring 2020, reducing cases in the first wave. There’s enough evidence to show that countries and regions that quickly introduced substantial and multiple restrictions also had fewer cases and deaths. Compare New Zealand’s and the UK’s responses.
“In both cases the introduction of lockdown regulations resulted in a rapid drop in mobility. Reported cases peak soon after. Deaths in turn took another week or two to respond.
“But New Zealand responded very quickly to its first reported case, with its lockdown introduced well before the first death in the country. Its resulting case numbers and deaths were low. In contrast, the UK delayed its lockdown response until almost two weeks after its first death.”

(23 Mar 2022) The claim that the NHS ‘coped’ with Covid is not true - it’s drowning and damaged Rachel Clarke article in The Guardian March 23:
“The truth is, Covid caused a collapse of healthcare as we know it – in both the first and subsequent waves. The NHS was overwhelmed.…
“NHS staff threw everything they had at increasing ICU capacity, but England’s starting point was only 4,000 critical care beds – one of the lowest numbers per head of any country in Europe. …
“The service did not cope so much as shut down. In the frantic scramble to claw together as many ventilated beds as possible, surgical procedures in their thousands were cancelled. Cancers were left undiagnosed. Vulnerable patients dug in at home, too fearful or obedient to present to hospital. …
“As for that “protective ring” Matt Hancock would later try to claim he threw around care homes, it was pure fiction. We all know what really happened to care home residents. Ignored and overlooked, they died in their thousands, not so much “cocooned” – as the government claimed – but incarcerated with Covid.”

(22 Mar 2022) Stop the decline: NHS needs £20bn now Pre-spring statement article by HCT Editor John Lister in Labour Outlook March 22:
“Rishi Sunak’s spending review last October boasted of an increase in funding averaging 3.8 percent in the next three years: but this is barely the amount needed just to keep pace with rising costs and increased demand, and does nothing to address the backlog of under-funding.
“Much of the increase is already being wiped out by soaring energy bills and cost inflation. Even more would be eaten up by any significant pay award to 1 million-plus NHS staff, since even the miserly 2-3% increase proposed by the government is not fully funded, and inflation is expected to hit 8%.
“Sunak even told health secretary Sajid Javid there’s no money for a further round of booster jabs to fight Covid without making cuts in other services.
“But for the ‘extra’ money it has been given the NHS is somehow also expected to cut waiting lists and deliver 30% more elective treatment by 2024-25 than before the pandemic.
“Last autumn, just after Sunak had announced the “settlement,” an NHS Confederation survey found almost 90% of trust bosses already believed the pressures on their organisation had become ‘unsustainable,’ putting patient safety at risk, and that the NHS was at a “tipping point.” Since then it’s all got much worse.”

(22 Mar 2022) Covid: Pupil absence more than triples in two weeks TES report March 22 on a resurgence of Covid in schools
“The Department for Education's latest attendance data, published today, reveals that Covid-related pupil absence in all state-funded schools rose from 58,000 on 3 March (0.7 per cent) to 202,000 (2.5 per cent) on 17 March.
“Covid-related pupil absences rose faster in primary settings, increasing by 264 per cent (from 33,200 to 120,900) in just a fortnight. …
“The data also revealed that almost one in 10 teachers and school leaders (48,000) were absent for any reason on 17 March.
“This figure has risen by 55 per cent in two weeks, compared with 3 March, when 31,000 (5.8 per cent) were absent.”

(22 Mar 2022) NHS campaigners to deliver 170,000-strong petition to Downing Street calling for increased funding Morning Star article March 22:
“HEALTH workers and campaigners from the alliance SOS NHS are set to join MPs on Tuesday to deliver a petition of over 170,000 signatures to Downing Street.
“The petition calls on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to deliver increased NHS funding ahead of the spring Budget on Wednesday.
“Campaigners hope to raise awareness of the urgent need for extra money to help the NHS recover from the pandemic and obtain fairer pay for health workers during a recruitment and retention crisis.”

(21 Mar 2022) NHS told to double efficiency in ‘crackdown’ on ‘wasteful’ spending Nursing Notes March 21:
“The NHS has had its efficiency targets doubled in a Treasury “crackdown” on “wasteful” spending. In an announcement over the weekend, Chancellor Rishi Sunak committed to reducing “wasteful” spending across all public sectors.
“… The plans include doubling the current NHS savings target to 2.2%, with a target of making £4.75 billion in savings, the chancellor claims.
“… Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the [NHS Confederation], warned; “Efficiency is strongly linked to capacity and the NHS is operating at well over the occupancy levels it would want to. You can’t run a highly efficient service with bed occupancy levels at such a continued high level.”

(21 Mar 2022) Mental health trust blames Covid for failures over Norwich student’s death Eastern Daily Press March 21 with yet another failure of care from the Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust:
“A mental health trust has admitted a Norwich student did not receive the help she needed in the months before she took her own life.
“Tobi Stevens, 19, a publishing design student at Norwich University of the Arts, was found dead on December 4, 2020, at her flat at New Mills Yard after friends became concerned for her welfare.
… “Assistant coroner Johanna Thompson said … “Tobi was in the system but she was not flagged as urgent,” she said. “By the time she was eventually seen she was assessed as being at medium risk of suicide and at high risk of misadventure.”
“The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) carried out an internal investigation which found a number of failures in her assessment and treatment, the inquest heard.”

(18 Mar 2022) UK hospitals ranked from best to worst across the country - see list in full Mirror report March 18 on a rather mysterious study of UK hospitals by the American-owned magazine Newsweek, with no explanation of the criteria on which they have been compared. The high rating of Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital seems to suggest that long waiting times for treatment are not taken into account: the trust has the worst waiting lists in the country.
“During the past two years, UK hospitals have been at the front line of the fight against Covid-19 with a time of huge upheaval, change and adaption for many medical institutions, with some faring better than others.
Now Newsweek has completed a study in which the hospitals have been ranked from best to worse.
The best ranked is St Thomas' Hospital in London while the worst ranked is Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Devon.”

(18 Mar 2022) Ahead of the spring statement, let’s keep fighting to end Tory privatisation and under-funding in our NHS HCT Editor John Lister's speech to March 16 SOSNHS campaign rally, reproduced in Labour Outlook (March 18)
“Real terms Tory cuts in spending every year since 2010 have left an enormous financial hole to fill. That’s why SOSNHS is calling out the government’s deliberate under-funding. Now, in every plan that comes forward, the government are using lack of NHS capacity as a justification for ever greater spending on private hospitals and private providers.
“Spending on private providers went up a staggering 26% in 2020 – £2.5bn – in a year as contracts were signed with private hospitals which we know were rotten value for money.
“The private hospitals pocketed profits – while 5,000 NHS beds have remained unused since March 2020 for lack of cash to remodel wards and buildings for social distancing and infection control.”

(17 Mar 2022) ‘Betting against the NHS’: £1bn private hospital to open in central London Guardian March 17 with a report on an extravagant new US-owned private hospital being completed in London that seems aimed at capturing a slice of the lucrative health tourism business from the NHS as Covid restrictions on travel are lifted, rather than treating NHS patients at much lower rates:
“A new 184-bed private hospital is about to open in London, the second-largest in the capital, where patients will enjoy views of Buckingham Palace and will be treated by doctors understood to be paid up to £350,000 a year.
“… The opening of the Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic’s first London hospital at the end of this month comes at a time when the private health sector is booming. With 29 intensive care unit beds and eight operating theatres staffed by 1,200 people, the eight-storey site – estimated by analysts to have cost £1bn – will add to concerns about the emergence of a two-tier healthcare system.”

(17 Mar 2022) Dying patients living longer than expected lose NHS funds BBC News story (March 17) that really should not shock us any more, but still does, not least in the casual cynicism of the NHS response:
“More than 1,300 patients a year are having NHS funding for their palliative care withdrawn after living longer than expected, BBC analysis shows.
“Terminally-ill or rapidly-declining patients are given fast-track support, allowing them to live outside hospital.
“From 2018 to 2021, a total of 9,037 people had this funding reviewed in England and Wales, with 47% of them losing all support.
“The NHS said patient eligibility was assessed in line with government rules.”

(14 Mar 2022) Shropshire hospitals trust declares another critical incident BBC report March 14 raises yet again the question of how the Trust expects to cope if they ever get the funding to carry through their “Future Fit” project to centralise emergency services in Shrewsbury:
“The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said it was pausing "a very limited number" of non-urgent services, after "exceptionally high" demand.
Urgent services, including cancer, and time-critical procedures will continue.
"The trust, which apologised, asked people to attend appointments unless they were contacted to reschedule.
"Chief Operating Officer Nigel Lee said the trust had seen a "continued high level of demand" and had been particularly busy since Saturday, especially in A&E."

(16 Feb 2022) Matt Hancock broke rules with Dido Harding Covid appointment, court finds Independent report Feb 16 begins:
“Former health secretary Matt Hancock broke equality law when appointing Conservative peer Dido Harding to an emergency health job during the Covid crisis, the High Court has ruled.
“Judges ruled that then-health secretary Matt Hancock failed to comply with public sector equality duty in the process of appointing Baroness Harding and her ex-Sainsbury colleague Mike Coupe to senior posts in 2020.
“It marks a victory for the Runnymede Trust following the think tank’s legal battle over appointments – having argued that the jobs were handed out without fair competition.”

(15 Feb 2022) Doctors' concerns about the future of Medicare Feb 15 letter to US health Secretary Xavier Becerra from American campaigners Physicians for a National Health Program, warning of the dangers of implementing Trump-era reforms that could further privatise the publicly-funded Medicare system:
“We are a group of 24,000 physicians and other health professionals who are deeply concerned about a threat to Traditional Medicare (TM). The Direct Contracting (DC) pilot program, initiated under President Trump but continued under President Biden, is handing control of TM beneficiaries’ health care to third-party middlemen called Direct Contracting Entities (DCEs); DCEs include firms controlled by commercial insurers, for-profit hospital and dialysis chains, and private equity investors.
“…Because of the industry influence during the program’s development, as well as the dangerous incentives for DCEs to earn greater profits by restricting patient care, we believe that superficial tweaks and cosmetic changes will not alter DC’s fundamental flaws.”

(15 Feb 2022) Covid impact in poorer areas of England and Wales ‘worse than first thought’ Guardian Feb 15 article highlighting a new research report:
“Comparing the number of deaths during the pandemic with data from previous years can shed light on its impact, researchers said, but looking at excess deaths alone underestimates years of life lost and does not account for the differences in ages at which people die in different social groups.
“In the new study, led by the University of Manchester, researchers measured years of life lost attributable to the pandemic – directly or indirectly, as well as excess deaths. Years of life lost is a strong measure of premature mortality because it takes into account both the number of deaths and the age at which they occur.
“The findings of the new analysis are striking, researchers say, and suggest the true toll of the pandemic has been even deadlier in poorer areas than initially thought. …
“Between March and December 2020, 1,645 years of life were lost per 100,000 of the population in the most deprived areas of England and Wales. In the most affluent areas, 916 years of life were lost per 100,000 people. The figures mean that almost twice as many years of life were lost in the very poorest areas of the country compared with the wealthiest.”

(15 Feb 2022) Doctors call for action not words from NHS in response to racial inequality report Guardian Feb 15 report on continued inaction:
“The Guardian revealed how a damning study – the largest of its kind – had found “vast” and “widespread” inequity in every aspect of healthcare it reviewed, and warned that this was harming the health of minority ethnic patients in England.
“In response, an NHS spokesperson said the health service was “already taking action” to improve the experiences of patients and access to services and was working “to drive forward” the recommendations made in the report.
“However, Dr JS Bamrah, a consultant psychiatrist in Greater Manchester and national chairman of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, said he was unsatisfied with the response.
“‘This 166-page review … is a terrible indictment of the current state of the NHS,” he told the Guardian. “As many of us have often said and reported, we don’t need any further reports. It’s action we need, as there are scores of patients who are not getting optimal treatment, and many are being neglected’.”

(15 Feb 2022) Free PCR tests to end 'in weeks' with new £100 fees to hit Brits, claim reports Mirror report Feb 15:
“Boris Johnson will end free PCR tests "within weeks" and is drawing up plans to make the public pay £100 to find out if they have Covid, it is reported.
“Part of the new approach of living with Covid, the new costs will come in as the Treasury pushes to save billions of pounds by scrapping free testing.
“Vulnerable people and those in hospital will continue to get the testing for free.
“The government is looking at different options about a new system this week before making a final call, say reports.
“The Prime Minister is keen to get rid of all Covid restrictions, including the need to self-isolate, by the end of February.”

(14 Feb 2022) Why numbers matter Another excellent BMJ blog by Dr Helen Salisbury, Feb 14, warns:
“Just as measuring something can highlight its importance, failure to do so can suggest the opposite. And ceasing to measure something that used to be regularly monitored and reported sends a strong message.
“Since we’re no longer required to do a confirmatory PCR test after a positive lateral flow, the only reliable count of covid-19 infections in the UK now comes from a weekly survey by the Office for National Statistics.
“Last week we learnt that not only does the government intend to stop publishing daily coronavirus statistics but the survey itself may be stopped in April—meaning that we’ll be flying blind as to the prevalence of infection, the emergence of mutations, and the ongoing risk to our vulnerable patients.”

(12 Feb 2022) Next Covid strain could kill many more, warn scientists ahead of England restrictions ending Guardian Feb 12:
“A future variant of Covid-19 could be much more dangerous and cause far higher numbers of deaths and cases of serious illness than Omicron, leading UK scientists have warned.
“As a result, many of them say that caution needs to be taken in lifting the last Covid restrictions in England, as Boris Johnson plans to do next week.
“At the same time, demands are growing for Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance, the government’s most senior advisers on Covid, to hold a press conference to reveal what evidence there was to back the decision to end all pandemic restrictions.
“The dangers posed by accepting the widespread assumption that Covid-19 variants would continue to get milder in their impact was highlighted by epidemiologist Prof Mark Woolhouse, of Edinburgh University.”

(30 Jan 2022) PPE worth £2.7bn bought for NHS will go unused, minister says Guardian Jan 30:
“Almost 5bn items of personal protective equipment worth £2.7bn will be wasted as they are no longer needed or cannot safeguard NHS staff, ministers have revealed.
“The huge sum of money involved has prompted the Liberal Democrats to accuse the government of “extreme negligence on an industrial scale” in its use of public funds during the pandemic.
“The revelation came in a written parliamentary answer by the health minister Edward Argar.…
“Argar said the government’s PPE programme had ordered more than 36.4bn items since the pandemic struck in March 2020. “Of this, approximately 3.4bn units are currently identified as potential excess stock. The estimated price for those items is £2.2bn,” he said. The minister did not explain why so much PPE had ended up as “potential excess stock”, or define precisely what that meant.”

(29 Jan 2022) GPs nationalised in Javid plan to reduce hospital admissions (£) Headline of Times report Jan 29 is both exaggerated and accelerated, but indicates a clueless Health Secretary unaware of the damage he could do by further annoying and frustrating the GPs who have held primary care together through the pandemic:
“GPs would be nationalised under plans from the health secretary to make them do more to keep patients out of hospital.
“Sajid Javid is considering radical changes to the 70-year-old structure of the NHS that could see many family doctors directly employed by hospitals instead of running their own surgeries.
“ … A review of primary care planned by Javid will look at how to better integrate GPs with hospital care as part of attempts to do more to stop people developing serious illness.
“Sources insisted there would be no forcible state takeover of GPs, who are likely instead to be given incentives to link up with hospital trusts.”

(28 Jan 2022) Care home residents found 'shivering' with some patients bathed 'once a week' Daily Record January 28 from Lancs Live report on grim conditions at a Southport care home:
"Care home residents were found to be "shivering" due to a lack of heating with some only bathed once a week, an inspection report has found.
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said that staff morale was also at "rock bottom" and blamed a failure in management and staff shortages for the list of issues.
"Dale Park Care Home in Southport was visited by inspectors in November 2021, with the home suffering from 'inadequate' leadership and deemed as requiring improvement, as reported by Lancs Live.
"… A spokesperson for Dale Park and HC-One Ltd apologised for the failures at the home and said that with a new management team in place, steps were being taken to make "urgent improvements."

(28 Jan 2022) Here's how to save the NHS £12bn... without damaging patient care: ROSS CLARK's forensic blueprint proves there are smarter ways to improve the Health Service than hitting us with a tax hike Annoying Daily Mail piece Jan 28 designed to infuriate their angriest and most ignorant readers. Spoiler alert – not many of them make any sense, but they are not as rabid as the comments that follow. The major proposals are:
“DON'T KEEP PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL SO LONG - Saving: £2bn
“END THE DISEASE OF BED-BLOCKING - Saving: £546m
“STOP RELYING ON SO MANY AGENCY STAFF - Saving: £360m
“PUT TEST AND TRACE OUT OF ITS MISERY - Saving: £7bn
“INCREASE STAFF PRODUCTIVITY - Saving: £280m
“MAKER BETTER USE OF BUILDINGS - Saving: £1bn”

(28 Jan 2022) IHSCM Hot Food for Health & Social Care Staff Survey Results Jan 28 findings of a survey by Institute of Health and Social Care Management confirming that only 28% of organisations covered supply any hot food to staff, and 38% supply no food at all for hard-working staff.

(27 Jan 2022) Men far more likely to die after using mental health services, data reveals Eastern Daily Press Jan 27 with more shocking facts about the Norfolk & Suffolk FT:
“In the last two years, at least 65 people have taken their own lives after using Norfolk and Suffolk mental health services.
“The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) which oversees mental health services revealed 320 people have died unexpectedly within six months of using their services.
“In 111 cases the cause of death has yet to be established.
“Data presented to the NSFT board on Thursday covers 24 months starting in December 2019, a period covering the pandemic.”

(25 Jan 2022) Delayed discharges worsen despite NHSE’s reduction targets (£) HSJ report Jan 25 on the complete failure to deliver an NHSE “priority”:
“Last month, NHS England told local systems to dramatically reduce their numbers of medically fit patients who remained in hospital, as they aimed to free up beds amid a surge in covid-19 admissions fuelled by the omicron wave. It told local leaders “a significant proportion of discharge delays are within the gift of hospitals to solve”.
“The message was reiterated by NHSE’s regional teams at the start of January, with systems told to reduce their numbers of medically fit patients by between 30 and 50 per cent.
“Yet the proportion of ‘medically fit’ for discharge patients occupying NHS general, acute or critical care beds has also been rising, from around 12 per cent in December to around 14 per cent in mid-January.”

(25 Jan 2022) GMB warns G4S sick pay non-payment may lead to strikes in Croydon Hospital GMB press release January 25:
“GMB is warning private contractor G4S denying full sick pay to workers may result in strike action.
“Outsourcing giant G4S - which holds the cleaning and portering contract with Croydon University Hospital NHS Trust - has stopped paying covid sick pay to employees, leaving workers reliant on statutory sick pay.
“Helen O’Connor, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “GMB Members were already angry over the removal of covid sick pay and are now absolutely incensed their employer is publicly accusing them of lying about it.
“… Our members are understandably worried about catching covid and spreading the virus around the hospital to patients and other members of NHS staff. They could do without any additional fears about being able to pay their bills and put food on the table.”

(24 Jan 2022) Rich Countries Lure Health Workers From Low-Income Nations to Fight Shortages New York Times Jan 24 report on overseas recruitment and its consequences:
“Canada is among numerous wealthy nations, including the United States and United Kingdom, that are aggressively recruiting medical workers from the developing world to replenish a health care work force drastically depleted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The urgency and strong pull from high-income nations — including countries like Germany and Finland, which had not previously recruited health workers from abroad — has upended migration patterns and raised new questions about the ethics of recruitment from countries with weak health systems during a pandemic.
“We have absolutely seen an increase in international migration,” said Howard Catton, the chief executive of the International Council of Nurses. But, he added, “The high, high risk is that you are recruiting nurses from countries that can least afford to lose their nurses.”
“About 1,000 nurses are arriving in the United States each month from African nations, the Philippines and the Caribbean …
“Since the middle of 2020, the number of international nurses registering to practice in the United Kingdom has swelled, “pointing toward this year being the highest in the last 30 years in terms of numbers,” said James Buchan, a senior fellow with the Health Foundation …”

(23 Jan 2022) Britain’s welfare system ‘unfit for purpose’ with millions struggling, experts warn Guardian report January 23 on a major root cause of ill-health amongst the poorest:
“Britain’s welfare system is “unfit for purpose” and in urgent need of reform, experts warned on Sunday amid fears that millions more families will struggle to make ends meet amid the dual pressures of the pandemic and the spiralling cost-of-living crisis.
“The soaring price of food and rent, along with energy bills – which are expected to more than double in April when the price cap is lifted, bringing the number of households under “fuel stress” to at least 6 million – is forcing families to choose between basic essentials such as food and heat, the experts said, while growing numbers are being forced into debt and relying on food banks.
“The warning comes as a damning report, due to be published on Monday, calls for rapid reforms to the social security system to protect low-income families from extreme hardship as its lead author cautioned that they “don’t have any resilience left”.”

(22 Jan 2022) U.S. opposes plans to strengthen World Health Organization Reuters report Jan 22 on US efforts to turn the WHO into a puppet organisation controlled by big donors:
“The United States, the World Health Organization's top donor, is resisting proposals to make the agency more independent, four officials involved in the talks said, raising doubts about the Biden administration's long-term support for the U.N. agency.
“The proposal, made by the WHO's working group on sustainable financing, would increase each member state's standing annual contribution, according to a WHO document published online and dated Jan. 4.
“The plan is part of a wider reform process galvanised by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the limitations of the WHO's power to intervene early in a crisis.
“But the U.S. government is opposing the reform because it has concerns about the WHO's ability to confront future threats, including from China, U.S. officials told Reuters.
“It is pushing instead for the creation of a separate fund, directly controlled by donors, that would finance prevention and control of health emergencies.”

(18 Jan 2022) Specialist mental health unit failures exposed by patients BBC report Jan 18 on serious concerns over the standards of specialist care being provided to patients with the most complex mental health needs:
“Patients sent by the NHS to stay in mental health rehabilitation units say they have been placed in unsafe environments, often far from home, with untrained staff.
“Experts say not enough is being done to regulate the sector, which costs the NHS half a billion pounds a year.
“The units, run by both NHS and independent providers, treat at least 3,500 patients each year considered too challenging for standard hospital settings.
“They aim to offer a specialised approach, enabling patients to recover with skills to manage their conditions and re-enter the community. But some have remained there for 10 or more years, the BBC's File on 4 programme has found.”

(17 Jan 2022) Collaborating on the wider determinants of health Health Foundation Jan 17:
“… I am struck by how clearly COVID-19 has amplified the stark health inequalities within our society, underlining the need to look beyond health care and improve the many wider determinants of health – from welfare and housing to employment and transport.
“Our recent programme, Collaborative action on the social determinants of health, has provided examples of developing capacity and understanding about the ways different sectors can influence health and wellbeing.
“The grant programme, led by the UK Public Health Network, awarded funding to five cross-sector partnership projects able to implement front-line interventions to address the wider determinants of health.
“… Despite the disruption from the pandemic, the five projects funded have provided valuable insights for those wanting to mobilise cross-sector action to address health inequalities.”

(16 Jan 2022) Better sick pay, testing and ventilation: Labour’s Covid plan to keep UK open Guardian January 16:
“Labour will today announce ambitious plans to create a country that can “live well with Covid” without the need for future harsh restrictions, as it seeks to prevent Boris Johnson claiming credit for his record on the virus.
“Keir Starmer said he wanted people to be able to “live their lives as normal” and never again face “tough restrictions on our lives, our livelihoods and our liberties”.
“Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting’s 10-point plan includes measures to raise sick pay, improve testing, share vaccines worldwide and transform social care.”

(15 Jan 2022) BHRUT chief: Winter at trust’s hospitals ‘not notably worse’ than pre-Covid Romford Recorder January 15 with a shocking quote from the new boss of the worst-performing A&E in England, with less than 30% pf patients treated and admitted or discharged within 4 hours -- and army staff propping up its ICU.
If this is not worse than usual what level of failure would get him upset? What must his staff think of this?
"Matthew Trainer, chief executive at Barking, Havering and Redbridge Universities NHS Trust (BHRUT), made the comment during his report to the trust’s board on Tuesday, January 11.
"He told the board while there were a “significant number” of Covid-19 patients at the hospital, many were “incidental Covid” patients – meaning they are being treated for other things in addition to Covid.
"Mr Trainer also said the use of oxygen was lower than 12 months ago.
"Additionally, latest figures from the two hospitals showed the rise in Covid-19 hospitalisations was slowing."
Which raises the question -- why, then, is the Trust's A&E performance by far the worst in England?

(14 Jan 2022) Recognising how big a problem we currently have in the NHS is the beginning of trying to solve it Jan 14 BMJ article by President of the excellent Royal College of Emergency Medicine, once more trying to inject some common sense into the debate over plunging A&E performance:
“This is not just about long waits for patients with a broken finger or minor illness. The patients who have been most adversely affected are those waiting for hospital admission.
“There has been a huge rise in those staying for over 12 hours (NHS England persists in publishing Decision to Admit plus 12 hours despite collecting the data from arrival, but even so the November figures of 10 600 was a new record).
“The underlying bed capacity and workforce problems are clear for everyone to see.
“There are no quick solutions, but ambulance delays and long waits in emergency departments have consequences for morbidity and mortality, just as delayed cancer surgery or heart surgery have consequences.”

(14 Jan 2022) I’m a Longtime Union Organizer. But I Had Never Seen Anything Like This New York Times Guest Essay from Oregon January 14 on why staff in long-term care facilities can't take it any more.
Last winter, workers at a memory care facility in Oregon decided they were done watching the residents suffer. The story of a lousy employer, a barbaric care home, and a brave but unsuccessful strike, in which only the strikers kept their dignity, by former union organiser Vanessa Veselka.
“I have often wondered what makes people fight when they suspect they aren’t going to win. Here, I knew. It was for the residents.
“I wish I could say that the Rawlin workers got their union, but they didn’t. The strike lasted for 14 days, after which many of the workers who were on strike decided to quit together. About 12 employees marched over to the facility and handed in their resignation letters in person.”

(14 Jan 2022) Sajid Javid signs off £1 billion private health windfall as MPs sound alarm Byline Times January 14 on the latest big bung of scarce NHS cash to private hospitals - again without and obligation on the private hospitals to treat a single patient:
“… both the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Labour MP Meg Hillier, and her Conservative deputy, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, were furious about having not been informed about this decision sooner.
“Quizzing Sir Chris Wormald, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Health and Social Care, Clifton-Brown made his scepticism clear.
“I do not have the papers in front of me as they only just emerged this afternoon, but as I understood it from what the chair was asking, the NHS has contracted with the private sector for £75 million a month – that is £1 billion a year – before a single service is even given by the private sector. That sounds like a very expensive insurance policy, doesn’t it?” he asked, rhetorically.
“Hillier, meanwhile, asked why plans had not already been formulated for NHS bed capacity in the event of a new variant, and why the Government had been forced to rush to the private sector.”

(14 Jan 2022) What is driving all cause excess mortality? BMJ Opinion piece January 14:
"Omicron may cause fewer hospital admissions as a percentage of all cases than previous variants, largely due to higher levels of population immunity, but much of that benefit has been squandered through allowing a higher, and more rapid, rise in case rates.
"The current overwhelming of the health and care system, and the further disruption to come, as cases and staff absences rise potentially into late January and early February 2022, is now likely to generate more avoidable deaths from non-covid causes than from covid.
"The risk and reality of this effect is not being clearly communicated in the public domain as part of the UK’s “pandemic related mortality” reporting."

(13 Jan 2022) Bristol's Nightingale 'surge hub' ready to be kitted out The intro line of this Jan 13 Bristol Post article, with a picture of a vast empty marquee in Southmead Hospital car park says it all really: “Hospital bosses hope it will never be needed as questions continue about who will staff it.”
The article takes up the same theme:
“The day after the ‘Nightingale surge hub’ announcements, Dr Azeem Majeed said it will be difficult to find enough staff to run the temporary NHS hubs set up for overspill patients amid rising coronavirus admissions. Speaking on Times Radio, the head of primary care and public health at Imperial College London said: “It’s going to be very difficult.
… “Hopefully those won’t be needed, but if we do need those extra beds it will be a struggle to find the staff to deal with those patients – I’m not quite sure where those staff will come from given the fact hospitals are struggling now with their current workload,” he added.”

(13 Jan 2022) NHS guarantees private sector at least £225m to reserve capacity in case of new covid surge HSJ Jan 13 on Sajid Javid’s instruction to NHS England to waste tens of millions by putting private hospitals “on call”:
NHS England has guaranteed to pay independent providers around £225m between now and March to reserve capacity in case of a covid admissions surge – but the figure could rise to up to £525m if the capacity needs to be fully utilised.
The monthly payments under the new national deal, detailed in a letter published late yesterday, will be between £75m and £90m each month until April to reserve the capacity. But if a major surge occurs and the capacity has to be released, the payments are likely to double to £175m a month.
Both scenarios would leave the NHS “exposed financially”, NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard has warned, and the arrangement creates “a material risk that the NHS pays for activity that is not performed”.

(13 Jan 2022) Sending out an SOS for our NHS Labour Outlook January 13 article by HCT Editor John Lister
“A powerful new alliance of campaigners and trade unions has launched the SOSNHS campaign, demanding an immediate injection of another £20 billion in capital and revenue to help put England’s crisis-ridden NHS back on its feet.
“… £20 billion sounds like – and is – a lot of money: but after more than a decade of real terms freeze or cuts in NHS funding it would only be a down payment to address some of the most pressing problems. Much more investment will be needed – not least to fulfil government promises of building 48 new hospitals, expanding the workforce, and fixing social care.
“To put £20bn in context we also need to remember the huge sums of money Rishi Sunak threw at the private sector with little or no accountability during the Covid pandemic.
“£48bn was shelled out on ‘bounce back loans’: the National Audit Office has found that that at least 37% of loans (£17.3bn) will not be repaid, and that 11%, worth (£4.9bn) were fraudulent.
“Billions more were squandered on dodgy deals for overpriced or useless PPE and equipment. Billions more were wasted on the disastrous privatised test and trace system.”

(13 Jan 2022) Peak of viral shedding is later with omicron variant, Japanese data suggest BMJ January 13 article warning that moves to cut Covid isoloation from 7 days to 5 could result in further spread of the virus:
“Patients with the omicron variant of covid-19 shed virus for longer after symptoms emerge, show data from Japan, potentially jeopardising hopes that the period of isolation for people testing positive could be shortened.
“Preliminary data from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases—which conducts disease surveillance in Japan—suggest that the amount of viral RNA is highest three to six days after diagnosis or symptom onset.
“The isolation period for people testing positive for covid-19 was recently cut from 10 days to seven in England if two lateral flow tests returned negative results on days six and seven. …
“Staff absences because of isolation have caused severe workforce shortages for critical services, including the NHS, schools, and transport, leading to calls for the UK to follow the US and cut the isolation period to five days.”

(12 Jan 2022) The NHS won’t ‘collapse’ Pulse Editor Jaimie Kaffash January 12 on the normalisation of NHS crisis:
“… every year, the NHS comes out the other side, leading some commentators to claim that the NHS has coped fine – that NHS staff are the Boys Who Cried Wolf.
“But let’s think about what this actually means. What is meant by health services ‘collapsing’ (or imploding, or anything similar)?
“… The effects are not obvious for those of us not affected directly, and they don’t make for a great 10pm news piece. Instead, it is patients who could have been treated in time deteriorating, care being rationed so you just need to learn to deal with your condition (or go private) or staff who are unable to cope having to go through the motions because there is no one else to provide care.
“The fact that this is part of everyday life is a tragedy that is so long in the making that it no longer feels like a tragedy, and the general public becomes desensitised to the latest shocking headlines.”

(12 Jan 2022) Twelve-hour A&E waits average over 400 a day, leak reveals HSJ report January 12 uses leaked data and gives comment from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on the developing problems in A&E performance:
“The number of ‘trolley waits’ of more than 12 hours has continued to rise into January, as senior medics warn of ‘appalling crowding’ in emergency departments.
“Internal operational data submitted to NHS England, and seen by HSJ, suggests the number of patients who waited 12 hours or more in an emergency department, from decision to admit to being given a ward bed, increased by around 15 per cent in December, compared to the previous month.
“The leaked data is from “situation reports” from NHS trusts, but is unvalidated. It reliably reflects the trend in 12-hour waits, but the final validated figures for December, due on Thursday, are expected to be even higher.”

(10 Jan 2022) Tory private health deal branded waste of money as experts fear no help for NHS Mirror report Jan 10, quoting HCT editor John Lister
“Critics condemned the three-month arrangement with 10 health care firms which is intended to offer cancer surgery and urgent care to NHS trusts if they are overwhelmed by Covid cases.
“Experts, campaigners and trade unions believe the new deal, backed by undisclosed amounts of taxpayers’ cash, will line multinational firms’ pockets and care for very few NHS patients.
“They say private hospitals can only take on extra patients by poaching medics from the NHS, which needs 100,000 more staff.
“Campaigner Dr John Lister … said: “Tory ministers now prefer to squander more millions on short-term stop-gap deals with profit-seeking private hospitals than invest in reopening thousands of NHS beds.”

(10 Jan 2022) NHS England strikes private hospitals deal to fight Omicron surge Guardian Jan 10:
“Hospitals in England will be able to use private hospitals and staff under a deal with the NHS to maintain services as Omicron cases surge, avoiding delays in treatment for patients with illnesses such as cancer.
“The move comes as hospitals have also been told to find extra beds in gyms and education centres owing to rising numbers of Covid patients.
“The three-month agreement means private healthcare staff and facilities will be on standby to support the NHS if required and to maintain services for patients who can be referred, including some of those waiting for cancer surgery.”

(9 Jan 2022) Free lateral flow tests are reportedly being scrapped by the government – and people are furious Indy report Jan 9:
"News of the UK Government reportedly planning to stop free lateral flow tests except for a number of “high-risk” settings has outraged members of the public, who have described the possible move as “reckless” and “completely and utterly dangerous”.
"In a report which suggests the government are more interested in testing our patience than testing for coronavirus, The Sunday Times said the proposals for free tests to be limited to places such as care homes, schools and hospitals are set to be announced by Boris Johnson “within weeks”.
"A senior Whitehall source told the outlet: “I don’t think we are in a world where we can continue to hand out free lateral flow tests to everybody forevermore. It’s likely we will move to a scenario where there is less testing but we have a capacity to ramp it up if necessary.”

(9 Jan 2022) Nadhim Zahawi Says There Are No Plans To Scrap Free Lateral Flow Tests Politics Home article Jan 9 gives the official denial which lends credibility to the Sunday Times story on the end of free access to lateral flow tests:
“The government has no immediate plans to scrap free lateral flow tests, according to Nadhim Zahawi, the Secretary of State for Education.
“Zahawi on Sunday told Sky News he was "puzzled" by a story published by The Sunday Times claiming that lateral flow tests will be scaled back as part of plans to live with the coronavirus.
“The report said Boris Johnson would confirm the decision in the coming weeks and quoted a senior Whitehall source as saying the UK would soon move to scenario whereby there is "less testing".
“They told the newspaper: "I don’t think we are in a world where we can continue to hand out free lateral flow tests to everybody for evermore. It’s likely we will move to a scenario where there is less testing but where we have a capacity to ramp it up if necessary, such as in the winter.”
“Zahawi said he did not "recognise" the story.”

(8 Jan 2022) NHS leaders accused of ‘bullying’ hospitals into silence over scale of Covid crisis Independent Exclusive Jan 8 begins:
"NHS leaders have been accused of downplaying the impact of the Covid crisis and putting hospitals under scrutiny for declaring critical incidents and postponing surgeries.
"A leaked email urges hospitals to use the “correct terminology” and make NHS leaders aware when declaring their status.
"Sources said the message was a “thinly veiled threat” and that there was “subtle pressure” amid the rapid spread of Omicron.
"At least 24 trusts have declared critical incidents this week, including one in Northamptonshire on Friday afternoon, while new figures show a 59 per cent rise in staff absences in just seven days.
"Trusts in London were told hospitals will be scrutinised for declaring a critical incident if there is “doubt” over the decision, according to an internal email sent from NHS England on Wednesday."

(8 Jan 2022) Is this NHS crisis really worse than ones before? Dreadful BBC News January 8 summary that ignores the record 6m and rising waiting list, the loss of almost 5,000 beds in 2020 for infection control, the cumulative pressure on staff with 93,000 vacancies after almost 2 years of crisis, and the inadequate funding locked in to 2025. It concludes:
“Traditionally winter would see around 1,000 admissions a day for all types of respiratory infections. Currently the NHS is seeing more than double that for Covid alone - although a chunk admittedly are people who are ill with something else, such as broken arms, strokes and cancer for example, and may well have come in anyway.
“But even if you discount these patients, you are still well above the 1,000 threshold.
“However, the NHS has been helped by lower pressures elsewhere. Flu is at rock-bottom levels. There are fewer than 50 patients in hospital with the virus in England.
“So what can we conclude? The challenges are certainly worse and that is translating into poorer quality services. But this is not the first year care has been compromised. What matters now is when Covid infections peak - that will determine just how bad this winter will be.”

(6 Jan 2022) Delayed surgery fears and PM faces fresh pressure on tax hikes Independent Premium report Jan 6:
“Health leaders are warning government ministers that urgent operations such as cardiac and cancer treatments are being delayed in hospitals as the PM confirmed in a statement to MPs in the Commons that England would continue with plan B restrictions.
“We are hearing from our members that virtually all intensive care units are under strain primarily because of staffing constraints and this is resulting in many having to limit access for patients having urgent operations,” Dr Stephen Webb, president of the Intensive Care Society, told The Independent. “Staff isolation and staff illness due to Covid restricts our ability to care for other patients.”
“Dr Webb’s comments came as a further 194,747 Covid cases were recorded in the latest 24 hour period and rules on Covid testing domestically and on travels entering England were relaxed.”

(6 Jan 2022) 'Unquantifiable challenge': Plans to tackle NHS backlog could be derailed by lack of staff, MPs warn ITV News report Jan 6:
“The “catastrophic impact” of the Covid pandemic on patients waiting for NHS treatment is clear, but plans to tackle it could be derailed by emergency care demands and a lack of staff, MPs have said.
“The record number of people on the waiting list for planned care in England – almost six million – is likely to grow but, at the same time, the NHS is also dealing with a record number of 999 calls and long waits to be seen in A&E.
“In its new report, the cross-party Health and Social Care Committee said that tackling the wider backlog caused by the pandemic is a major and “unquantifiable” challenge as it includes all the people who have yet to come forward for care.
“It calls for a broad national health and care recovery plan embracing emergency care, mental health, GPs, community care and social care.”

(5 Jan 2022) Cuba’s vaccine success story sails past mark set by rich world’s Covid efforts Guardian report January 5:
“This downtrodden island struggles to keep the lights on, but has now vaccinated more of its citizens against Covid-19 than any of the world’s major nations.
“More than 90% of the population has been vaccinated with at least one dose of Cuba’s homegrown vaccines, while 83% have been fully inoculated. Of countries with populations of over a million, only the United Arab Emirates has a stronger vaccination record.
“Cuba is a victim of magical realism,” said John Kirk, professor emeritus of Latin American studies at Dalhousie University, Canada. “The idea that Cuba, with only 11 million people, and limited income, could be a biotech power, might be incomprehensible for someone working at Pfizer, but for Cuba it is possible.”

(5 Jan 2022) NHS staff 'in tears as unable to deliver care for patients' due to Covid shortages Mirror report Jan 5:
“Staff shortages continue to mount as Covid cases surge in the UK with a further 218,724 people testing positive in yet another daily record. Now RCN director for England, Patricia Marquis, has said the government needs to be "honest" with the public about the pressure being put on the health service and that patient care is being impacted.
… Ms Marquis said:
"… Many nursing staff are going into work with only half the number of staff that are needed but with still the same number of patients to look after. They are being spread thinner and thinner and we are hearing of many being reduced to tears because they are not able to deliver the care to their patients."
Many public services are resorting to emergency plans to tackle shortages, with some hospital trusts declaring critical incidents, where priority services may be under threat.

(5 Jan 2022) Critical incidents declared over staff shortages BBC News report Jan 5:
“Norfolk and Waveney's care system, covering three hospitals, the ambulance service, community and social services, has declared a critical incident.
“Hospital trusts elsewhere have also declared critical incidents amid staff shortages and pressures from Covid-19.
“University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and Great Western Hospitals in Wiltshire have all raised the alarm.
Derriford hospital in Plymouth has problems offloading ambulances, and has recorded nearly 500 staff absences.
… “In a statement, Norgfolk & Norwich University Hospital medical director Erika Denton said: "Our hospital is extremely busy and it is an incredibly pressured time for everyone working in health and social care.
"The hospital is full and we have already taken steps to increase bed capacity in response to high emergency demand and a record number of Covid-19 infections that has led to a surge in admissions."

(5 Jan 2022) Two more NHS trusts declare critical incidents over staff Covid absences MSN report Jan 5:
“Morecambe Bay NHS trust, which operates three hospitals across north Lancashire and southern Cumbria, made its move on Monday evening, and the trust that runs Blackpool Victoria hospital followed suit on Tuesday morning, saying its beds were at full capacity.
“They join at least six other trusts that are understood to have issued alerts over “internal critical incidents” in recent days, including United Lincolnshire hospitals NHS trust.
“In an internal memo, Morecambe Bay’s chief executive, Aaron Cummins, said “relentless and sustained pressure” caused by “unprecedented staff absences” would lead to operations and appointments being cancelled and staff being redeployed to allow the hospitals to maintain safe services for patients.
“The trust operates three sites: Furness general hospital in Barrow-in-Furness, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, and Westmorland general hospital in Kendal. Barrow-in-Furness has the highest Covid infection rate of any local authority area in England, at 2,439.8 cases per 100,000 population.”

(5 Jan 2022) Private providers making the most of the pandemic January 5 Pulse magazine round-up on privatisation from the GP point of view. It notes:
“The new framework has wider implications. Dr Jackie Applebee, a GP in Tower Hamlets, east London, says one of the key issues with the private sector taking on NHS work to help clear the backlog is they don’t offer the full range of NHS services, and this can lead to patients waiting for months only to find they won’t be treated.
… “She adds: ‘The [private hospital] bounced pregnant women back before, and someone who was HIV positive but was very well controlled, on medication and whose viral load was really low. They won’t deal with anybody with a high BMI. Anything slightly complex and they will bounce it back.’
“There might be a positive outlook for private providers as waiting lists rise. But it seems GPs and the wider NHS will continue to provide the safety net.”

(4 Jan 2022) ‘Get a lift to hospital,’ ambulance trust tells patients with suspected heart attacks HSJ report Jan 4:
“Ambulance trusts have begun asking patients with heart attacks and strokes to get a lift to hospital with family or friends instead of waiting for an ambulance, because of high covid absences and ‘unprecedented’ surges in demand, HSJ has learned.
“An internal note at North East Ambulance Service Foundation Trust said that where there was likely to be a risk from the delay in an ambulance reaching a patient, call handlers should “consider asking the patient to be transported by friends or family”.
“This applies to calls including category two, which covers suspected strokes and heart attacks, according to the note seen by HSJ. It said call handlers should “consider all forms of alternative transport” for patients.
“The note from medical director Mathew Beattie gives the example of a person with chest pain who would normally get a category 2 response – with a target of reaching them within 18 minutes – but where the ambulance response time would be two hours.”

(4 Jan 2022) Heart attack patients told to make own way to hospital as Covid surge hits northern England Guardian report Jan 4:
"“NHS pressures in the north-east have become so intense that ambulance workers in the area have begun asking patients with suspected heart attacks and strokes to get a lift to hospital with family or friends instead of waiting for an ambulance, amid high staff absences and an “unprecedented” surge in demand, it emerged on Tuesday.
“An internal note at North East ambulance service NHS foundation trust said that where there was likely to be a risk from the delay in an ambulance reaching a patient, call handlers should “consider asking the patient to be transported by friends or family”, the Health Service Journal reported.
“The second-fastest growth rate in hospital Covid occupancy is in the north-west, which recorded a rise of 94% in the last seven days. It means all parts of northern England have more than double the growth rate experienced in London, which was 46% between 27 December and 3 January.”

(3 Jan 2022) NHS trusts in England declare critical incidents amid Covid staff crisis Guardian report January 3, again tacitly raising the question of how bad the situation in the NHS needs to get for the government to brave its right wing extremists and take action:
“Multiple NHS trusts across England have declared “critical incidents” amid soaring staff absences caused by Covid-19, with health leaders saying many parts of the service are now “in a state of crisis”.
“Boris Johnson on Monday ruled out the introduction of new curbs “for now” but said he recognised that the pressure on the NHS and its hospitals, was “going to be considerable in the course of the next couple of weeks, and maybe more”.
“More than half a dozen trusts have issued alerts over “internal critical incidents” in recent days, it is understood, as concerns mount that some may be unable to deliver vital care to patients.
“Health leaders said the “rapidly increasing” number of absent NHS staff was piling “very serious” pressure on hospitals already struggling to cope with increasing Covid admissions and “huge wider pressure” on urgent and emergency services.”

(2 Jan 2022) The Vaccine Centre Is the Latest Tory Privatisation Disaster Tribune article Jan 2 by HCT editor John Lister:
“The ‘offloading’ of the Centre marks a major about-turn by government. Back in May 2020, then chief executive of UK Research and Innovation Professor Mark Walport, welcoming fresh government investment to expand VMIC’s capacity, said it was ‘an essential new weapon in the UK’s arsenal against diseases and other biological threats.’
“In December 2020 the UK Vaccine Taskforce’s document ‘2020 Achievements and Future Strategy’ also insisted on its long-term importance: ‘We have worked with VMIC to increase VMIC’s delivery capability… to 70 million doses of pandemic vaccine… This is a permanent facility, with government step-in rights during a crisis.’
“… This short-sighted decision to prioritise cash, profits, and corporations over health is consistent with the Johnson government’s instinctive turn to the private sector rather than investing in the NHS or other public services.
“This has led to the disastrous squandering of up to £37 billion on a dysfunctional test and trace system, billions more on dodgy deals for PPE with firms owned by cronies and donors rather than established companies, and up to £12 billion more on treating NHS patients in private hospital beds rather than investing in remodelling NHS hospitals to reopen thousands of closed beds.”

(2 Jan 2022) COVID, Capitalism, and Collapse: A Roundtable Discussion with NYC Nurses and Teachers The Strike Wave Jan 2: Labor journalist and NewsGuild organizer Chris Brooks sat down with a group of New York City nurses and teachers to talk about how the institutions they work for are collapsing and what labor activists can do about it. A nurse explains:
“We are two years into the pandemic and there is still a testing shortage. Twenty City MD locations have closed so they can maintain a bare bones staff at their remaining locations. Lines for testing centers run on for blocks and blocks.
“The failure to provide adequate care where it is needed leads to increased reliance on the one place that everyone knows they can turn to if they are desperate: the emergency room. Our hospital has a public testing center and the line is so crazy that people give up and just come to the ER to get tested. In the ER, it’s still a five hour wait.
“The acuity is really high in the Bronx and the pandemic has only made it worse. Everyone we see in the ER is now sicker than they were a few years ago, because fewer people have access to the medications they need, many have lost their jobs and health insurance and hold off on getting care until it’s an emergency.
“The baseline for everything we see is getting worse while the system continues to be flooded with COVID patients and nurses are quitting.”

(2 Jan 2022) Healthcare giants 'must repay their furlough millions': Private firms helping NHS during Covid pandemic face calls to hand back fortune they pocketed while seeing bumper profits Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) grabs a Daily Mail Jan 2 headline with another reworking of the finances that propped up private hospital chains while the NHS werstled with the Covid pandemic:
“The NHS signed a series of contracts worth more than £2billion with private hospital firms in the first year of the pandemic to ease the burden of the crisis.
“Yet the companies delivered less than 0.1 per cent of the nation’s Covid care and took on fewer NHS patients than the year previously, the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) said.
“The think-tank’s analysis of HM Revenue and Customs figures has revealed private health bodies collected as much as £72million in furlough support – enough to pay the salaries of more than 2,000 nurses.
“… Australian firm Ramsay Health Care claimed up to £525,000 despite receiving £385million from the NHS. The company’s income increased 15 per cent last year and its profit margin rose 13 per cent to £100million.”

(2 Jan 2022) NHS struggles as sickness takes out 1 in 10 staff (£) Times Jan 2 report on the scale of the staff shortages, with NHS England’s under-reporting of the problem apparently helping fuel the complacency of ministers and the Tory right wing:
“On Friday NHS England released sickness data relating to acute hospitals up to December 26, which showed that 68,000 staff were absent, in 25,000 cases because of Covid.
“However, according to its own dashboard, sickness levels for acute trusts had jumped to 86,716 by December 31, a rise of 27 per cent. Covid-related absences reached 40,325, an increase of 62 per cent in five days. These numbers included 19,143 nurses and midwives and 2,120 doctors.
“… Reports from the health service suggest the scale of absence is worse than ministers have publicly recognised, days before the NHS experiences its busiest week of the year. In London, the centre of the Omicron surge, Covid absences account for 51 per cent of the total: 7,255 staff, including 3,340 nurses and 622 doctors. In the Midlands regions, 43 per cent of staff were off sick because of Covid, including 3,639 nurses and 419 doctors.
“At Lewisham Hospital in southeast London on Wednesday half of the unit’s nurses were off sick, prompting the trust to close some cubicles and redeploy staff from other parts of the hospital to keep patients safe.
“… In Northampton some patients are waiting more than 40 hours in A&E, and dozens are waiting 12 hours on trolleys until they can be given a bed.”

(2 Jan 2022) NHS faces 'crucial days' as Omicron soars to give UK one of world's worst case rates Mirror report Jan 2, with an interactive map showing relative levels of infection:
“A new map shows how the UK's Covid rate has soared above the rest of the world - with the country facing "crucial days" to see if hospitalisations surge.
“The number of people admitted with the virus has climbed in the past week, and staff absences across the NHS have stretched services to breaking point.
… Medics have warned that health services are "already overwhelmed", with more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases in the past - and the real number likely to be much higher.
“Latest data shows that the UK's daily infection rate is estimated to be among the highest in the world as Omicron rips through the country. According to figures from the Johns Hopkins University, just nine countries have a higher rate of daily infections.”

(31 Dec 2021) England’s Covid infection rate climbs to one person in 25 Financial Times report Dec 31:
“More than 2m people in the UK were infected with coronavirus last week, according to the latest official figures, causing a jump in staff absences in the health service and fast-rising admissions to hospitals.
“… In England, the rate was one in every 25 people, up from one in 45 a week earlier, while London had the highest rate, at one in 15 residents. The comparable rates in the devolved nations were each about one in 40.
“… Covid-related staff absences across the NHS in England were up 31 per cent week on week on December 26, according to NHS figures, with 24,632 employees either off sick or self-isolating. In total, about 68,000 staff — 5 per cent of the workforce — were off sick on that day for all reasons.”

(31 Dec 2021) I’m a UK Covid scientist. Here’s a sample of the abuse in my inbox This remarkably generous article in the Guardian December 31 begins with an appalling example of ignorant abuse, and continues:
“Most letter-writers have at best a very basic grasp of the English language – enough to get their point across, but extremely rudimentary. The spelling really is shocking.
“Sometimes it makes me wonder about the mental state of the sender; whether they are from the UK at all (Russian call centres come to mind); or whether they were even written by a human.
“I find it strangely comforting to think that some of them might have been generated by a clever bit of computer code rather than an angry, deluded member of our society.
Other things that I have learned is that if you mention vaccination in the media, particularly vaccination of children, then there is likely to be a reaction. However, this only occurs if one’s comments are picked up by the rightwing press – particularly the Daily Mail.”

(31 Dec 2021) Number of babies and toddlers in hospital with Covid up 90% in just three days Mirror with a worrying report Dec 31:
“Another 92 children aged between 0 and 5 were admitted to hospital with Covid in England in just one day this week, latest government figures show. The figure for December 28 is almost double the number who were admitted on Christmas Day, just three days earlier, which saw a then record of 50 babies and toddlers in just 24 hours.
“There were also 53 youngsters aged between 6 years old and 17 years old admitted on to wards in the same 24 hours, meaning a total of 145 children in one day.
“Children made up 10 per cent of all 1455 people admitted to hospital with covid that day, which included 325 of those aged over 85.
“The numbers also show that 621 children were admitted to English hospitals with coronavirus in the week to December 28, which is the biggest weekly rise in children being admitted since the pandemic began.”

(29 Dec 2021) Fauci says Trump ‘poisoned the well’ on vaccines before speaking in favour of the jab Independent report Dec 28:
“White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci has said he hoped Donald Trump “keeps up” his new found advocacy for Covid-19 vaccines - but lamented how the ex-president sowed the seeds of hesitancy to getting a jab among his supporters for many months.
“Speaking during an interview on CNN, Dr Fauci told correspondent Kaitlan Collins that the mixed signals Mr Trump sent by refusing to participate in public service campaigns or publicly acknowledge that he’d been vaccinated made an impression on many Americans.
"Poisoning the well early on about — even not being enthusiastic or outright not pushing vaccines and discouraging vaccines now has a lingering effect," said Dr Fauci, who has served as director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease since the Reagan administration.
"Even when you come out and say, 'Go get vaccinated,' some of the people that have been following his every word and what he does are now pushing back and not listening," he added.”

(29 Dec 2021) Covid update 29 Dec: Covid hospital patients increase by over 1000 in one day HSJ blog December 29:
“The number of covid positive patients in English hospitals increased by over 1000 yesterday, the first time this has happened since mid-January at the peak of last winter’s wave.
“The total of covid positive patients went from 8474 on 27 December to 9546 yesterday. The total has increased 38 per cent increase in the last week, but three quarters of that rise has come in the last two days.
“Over a quarter of the increase in the last two days has come in London, where covid hospitalisation now stands at 3024, the first time it has hit that level since 19 February. The second largest increase came in the North West, where occupation is at early March levels.
“The seven day total of admissions increased 49 per cent over the period 19 to 27 December (the latest data available).”

(28 Dec 2021) Covid update 28 Dec: Admissions now rising in every English region HSJ end of year blog highlights the increase in Covid in-patients is no longer only an issue in London:
“NHS in England records 8000 covid positive hospital patients for the first time since early March
“Admissions of covid positive patients are now rising in every region of England, with the South West now seeing increases.
“The increase in the seven day total of admissions is still rising fastest in London, which saw a 68 per cent rise between 18 December and Christmas day (latest figures available). However, the North West is hot on the capital’s heels with 60 per cent.
“The North East and Yorkshire, Midlands and East regions are seeing increases of between 42 and 48 per cent. The South East’s total is up 17% and the South West’s by two per cent.”

(28 Dec 2021) 'Big Pharma Uncut' Excellent spoof video from @peoplesvaccine highlighting the gross profiteering of the pharma corporations coining in cash from Covid vaccines while leaving the bulk of the world's population unprotected.
Big Pharma CEO - aka comedian @JolyonRubs - talks candidly about pharma companies attitude to the COVID-19 pandemic, and why he detests the idea of a #PeoplesVaccine

(28 Dec 2021) Tory MP visits a food bank Nothing directly to do with health -- but comedian Matt Green is a welcome and grimly amusing counter to the widespread hypocrisy of Tory MPs across the Christmas period.

(28 Dec 2021) UK prevented from donating ‘tens of millions’ of PPE items to poorer nations due to Whitehall red tape Independent Dec 28 on how the British government continues to find ways of doing the wrong things in dealing with the pandemic at home and abroad:
“The UK has been prevented from donating “tens of millions” of surplus PPE items throughout the pandemic due to Whitehall red tape, The Independent understands.
“Britain has an excess of personal protective equipment in its stockpile, which has been acquired at a “significant cost” – roughly £12bn, according to one Whitehall source.
“But attempts to donate surplus supplies of gloves, aprons and masks to poorer countries over the past 18 months have been hindered by a financial cap set by the Treasury and the Foreign Office.
“Up until September, international donations counted as overseas development assistance (ODA). For the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), its annual foreign aid budget was set at £160m.”

(28 Dec 2021) Covid vaccine ‘the most expensive in history’ for poorer countries Independent report Dec 28 on the rip off of poorer countries by big pharma:
“Despite international promises that the vaccines would be made available at the cheapest prices to lower-income countries, these nations are paying well above the expected cost.
“World Health Organisation (WHO) data analysed by The Independent shows that governments of lower-income countries are paying a median price of $6.88 (£5.12) per dose for Covid vaccines. Before the pandemic, developing countries paid a median price of $0.80 a dose for non-Covid jabs, WHO figures show.
“… Victorine de Milliano, a UK policy adviser for the global health NGO Médecins Sans Frontières, said the figures were “further evidence that the current pandemic response is failing people in low-income countries”.
“Pharmaceutical companies are more interested in making profits than improving public health,” she added. “It is deplorable that in a pandemic, companies are charging historically high prices, especially given the public funding that went into these vaccines.”

(28 Dec 2021) Health leaders in England warn surge in Covid absences threatens patient care Financial Times report Dec 28:

“Government figures show that a record 129,471 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England and Wales on Tuesday.
“Meanwhile, NHS England data showed a total of 9,546 people were in hospital across England with Covid on December 28, a rise of 38 per cent from a week earlier and the highest figure since March 3.
“The number of people hospitalised with Covid-19 in England is still behind the peak of 34,336 in January.
“The UK government on Monday decided against further coronavirus restrictions in England before the new year after reviewing the latest data on hospital admissions. But Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association’s ruling council, suggested Boris Johnson, the prime minister, had ignored “the elephant in the room” of staff absence levels.”

(28 Dec 2021) Covid News: U.S. Daily Record for Cases Is Broken New York Times report Dec 28:
“The U.S. record for daily coronavirus cases has been broken, as two highly contagious variants — Delta and Omicron — have converged to disrupt holiday travel and gatherings, deplete hospital staffs and plunge the United States into another long winter.
“As a third year of the pandemic loomed, the seven-day average of U.S. cases topped 267,000 on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database.
“The milestone was marked after a year that has whipsawed Americans from a relaxation of rules in the spring to a Delta-driven summer wave to another surge that accelerated with astonishing speed as Omicron emerged after Thanksgiving.”

(28 Dec 2021) Mental health patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E for beds as services face ‘desperate’ situation Hard-hitting Independent report Dec 28 on another aspect of the NHS crisis:
“NHS mental health services are facing a “desperate” situation as all hospitals across the country are dangerously full and leaked data shows hundreds of patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E, The Independent can reveal.
“The news comes as the spread of Omicron risks outbreaks in mental health hospitals, with a large hospital in London forced to close its doors to new admissions on three wards.
“In response to the growing bed pressures in the capital over the past month the NHS has commissioned 40 beds from private sector hospitals run by The Priory Group, The Independent understands.
“NHS data, seen by The Independent, has revealed that almost all mental health hospitals in London have been at “black alert” levels of bed availability during October and November, meaning their beds were nearly 100 per cent full.
“A senior national source has warned the situation is similar across the country, with nearly all mental health trusts 94 per cent full and services at their most stressed ever.”

(27 Dec 2021) How do death rates from COVID-19 differ between people who are vaccinated and those who are not? Our World in Data website explains how to understand statistics and compares death rates in England, Chile, US and Switzerland -- showing that in each case death rates among unvaccinated are much higher than among those who have been fully or partially vaccinated,

(27 Dec 2021) ‘A living nightmare’: Burnout could lead to tripling of NHS staff sickness next year Independent Dec 27:
“Hospitals could see as many as one in six doctors and nurses off sick throughout 2022, according to modelling, as the Omicron wave of Covid fuels burnout, stress and anxiety among NHS staff.
“Days of record Covid numbers – with 119,789 positive tests reported on Christmas Eve – have led to an increase in hospital admissions in recent weeks, while sickness has also increased among health workers, with NHS absences reaching 12 per cent last week.
“But analysis by London South Bank University shows that even after this Covid spike, the health service could be hampered by an absence rate of up to 17 per cent – almost three times as high as the highest seen after previous waves – because of burnout and long Covid. This is on top of a significant number of vacancies in frontline roles.
“Professor Alison Leary, whose team carried out the modelling on behalf of a number of NHS trusts, charities and professional organisations, said: “The impact of Covid is likely to impact the workforce and the ability to provide care in the longer term, not just during surges. We entered the pandemic with a workforce deficit, and we need to work to leverage supplementary workforce resources and deal with long-standing issues.”

(24 Dec 2021) Former banker Richard Meddings to become chair of NHS England You couldn't even make it up: Guardian report Dec 24. Yet another crony appointment of a reactionary figure with no appropriate or useful knowledge of qualifications to continue the redisorganisation of the NHS: the only consolation is that neither of the previous chairs had any discernible impact on the NHS and its policies.
“Ministers have chosen a senior banker as the new chair of NHS England, with a brief to push through changes in the way the service operates and cut spiralling waiting lists.
“Richard Meddings, a former chair of TSB Bank, will take over the role early in the new year. He will be paid £63,000 a year for working two to three days a week, the Cabinet Office said .
“He will succeed the Conservative peer David Prior, who has held the post for four years. However, unlike Lord Prior, who had been a health minister and chaired two NHS hospital trusts before taking over, Meddings is not thought to have any previous experience of the health service.
“He is taking over at a time when the government is keen for the NHS to improve the way it works, use innovative means to tackle the 5.7 million backlog of patients, and provide value for money for the record funding it is due to receive in the next few years.”

(24 Dec 2021) 96 per cent of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's critical care beds were in use last week Yorkshire Evening Post report Dec 24:
“There were 59 adult critical care beds available at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the week to December 19. That figure is for all critical care beds, not just the ones set aside for Covid patients.
“A total of 55 (96 per cent) of those beds were occupied, compared to 98 per cent in the previous week. The 96 per cent figure was the 12th worst out of 142 hospital trusts in England that week.
“The total number of staff absences at the Leeds trust in the week to December 19 was 1,391, compared to 1,319 for the previous week.
“Of the total absences, an average of 353 (24 per cent) were Covid-related in the week to December 19 compared to an average of 285 in the previous week.”

(24 Dec 2021) Nurses 'in despair' amid fears it's too late to protect NHS from Omicron wave Nottingham Post report Dec 24:
“The Government may have left it “too late” to protect the NHS against the Omicron wave unless it heeds the advice of scientific experts on tighter restrictions, the head of the Royal College of Nursing has said.
“Pat Cullen told BBC Breakfast that ministers would find it easier to make decisions on how to defend the health service if they “walk in the shoes of any nurse” for a day.
“She said nurses are in “despair” and facing a Christmas worse than last year amid mass staff shortages due to the Omicron wave, the head of the Royal College of Nursing has said.
“Mrs Cullen described staff as “exhausted” as they routinely work 14-hour days with a depleted workforce.
“She said: “Those staff that are isolating are actually quite sick, and the reason for that being their resources are so low, going off sick because of the shifts they’ve been working, some working 14-hour days.”

(24 Dec 2021) NHS hospital staff talk of pressure on them this Christmas Bournemouth Echo report Dec 24:
“PRESSURE on the emergency departments at Poole and Bournemouth hospitals is the worst staff have known.
“Speaking in the run up to Christmas as new variant Covid issues intensified, University Hospitals Dorset senior matron for urgent and emergency care, Bruce Hopkins, said: "I have been working in the trust since 2009 and the pressure now is extraordinary."
“Both departments are seeing a huge volume of walk-patients who would have better dealt in the primary care system, including GPs, the 111 service and pharmacies.
"There is a whole range of conditions were are seeing including chest pains, chest infections, accidents, foreign bodies, broken nails, things stuck in ears, that kind of thing."
“Mr Hopkins said: "For most of this it would be far better for patients to see someone in primary care but there is a perception that people can't get appointments.”

(24 Dec 2021) NHS is ‘grinding to a halt’ as even triple-jabbed staff fall ill in Covid surge Metro report Dec 24:
“An NHS doctor has warned that staffing is being depleted to its lowest point in the pandemic with even fully vaccinated workers falling ill.
“Dr Chris George, who has been helping to administer the booster rollout, said that some surgeries have been left with only a single doctor able to physically see patients as staff quit or fall ill with Covid.
“… The family doctor also described how low staff morale has led to health workers leaving the profession
“… Dr George warned that even staff who had received two jabs and the booster were succumbing to the virus.
“… ‘I have never known so many people to be off work because of Covid,’ he said. ‘I am seeing colleagues who have had all three vaccines that are falling ill with the virus and colleagues who possibly had Delta in August now catching Omicron, so it’s quite worrying.”

(24 Dec 2021) 2022/23 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance: what you need to know Christmas Eve summary and analysis by NHS Confederation of NHS England and NHS Improvement's latest operational planning guidance and priorities for the service in 2022/23 – published, as usual the day before the Christmas-New Year holidays. And, as usual it is not until paragraph five that the NHS bosses raise even the teeniest criticism of the demands being put upon them without matching resources:
“On 24 December 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) released its operational planning guidance for 2022/23, including its nine priorities for the service. The priorities are similar to those outlined for the second half of 2021/22 but do include important differences, which we describe in the overview section below.
“One of the most significant points to note is the delayed implementation of integrated care systems (ICS) from 1 April 2022 to 1 July 2022, due to parliamentary timings. In line with contingency planning, this requires straightforward changes to clinical commissioning group regulations that will enable ICS leaders to continue their development work during this transition. Current statutory arrangements will remain in place until July, with the first quarter of 2022/23 serving as a continued preparatory period.
“The planning timetable will be extended to the end of April 2022, with systems and providers asked to submit draft plans by mid-March. The deadline date for the submission of final plans remains under review, with further guidance setting out requirements yet to be published.
“The guidance is comprehensive and helpfully sets ambitions around recovery. The 2022/23 targets for elective activity at 110 per cent, reducing ambulance handover delays and increased focus on care in the community, reflect the transitional stage the NHS is in. They will require careful implementation which considers patient safety and the variation in capacity to deliver across the system. The recognition that much of the plan is dependent on the next phases of the pandemic, in maintaining elective activity through the winter, and regaining some of the efficiencies lost to operating constraints, is welcome.
“We welcome that the guidance leads with staff wellbeing, but there needs to be equal recognition that the reality on the ground is far from ideal, with pressure and exhaustion starting to have long-term effects.”

(24 Dec 2021) Social care: Immigration rules to be relaxed to recruit staff BBC report December 25 on an embarrassed retreat by ministers from racist laws that have made recruitment to social care posts even more difficult and created a growing crisis:
“Immigration rules are to be temporarily relaxed for overseas care workers in a bid to recruit and keep staff, the government has announced. Social care workers, care assistants and home care workers are to become eligible for a health and care visa for a 12-month period.
“The government said this would make it easier to fill gaps in workforces. It followed warnings the sector faced "severe and increasing" problems with hiring and keeping staff after Brexit.
“Care workers are to be added to the shortage occupation list, which is designed to help migrants get work visas to fill jobs where there are shortages.
“The temporary measures are expected to come into effect early next year, the Department of Health and Social Care said, and will be in place for a minimum of 12 months.”

(23 Dec 2021) '60% of Covid patients in in Essex have not had jab' Chelmsford & Mid Essex Times story Dec 23:
“MORE than 60 patients are being treated in hospitals across north Essex and Suffolk latest figures have shown.
“New data from the NHS shows there were 63 patients being treated at the East Suffolk and North Essex Trust as of Tuesday. Of these 13 patients were in medical ventilator beds.
“… Across Essex as a whole 193 beds were occupied by Covid-19 patients.
“… The latest statistics come as Essex County Council’s health boss Dr Mike Gogarty said 60 per cent of Covid patients in hospital in Essex were unvaccinated.”

(23 Dec 2021) Plans to cut ambulance depots in London is paused due to 999 calls Brent & Kilburn Times Dec 23:
“Plans to cut the number of ambulance depots in London have been put on hold after a high number of 999 calls. London Ambulance Service (LAS) is looking to replace 68 stations across London with 18 new ‘ambulance deployment centres’.
“But at a meeting with leaders from nine north and west London boroughs, including Brent, LAS boss Daniel Elkeles said the plan is paused. He told the joint health committee this was due to increased pressures over the summer.
“This has continued as health services help tackle the rising number of Covid-19 cases. Mr Elkeles said staff were grateful for the postponement.
“The proposal would see the ambulance deployment centres supported by nearby ‘standby points’ and ‘rest and refreshment posts’, which the LAS said will stop staff ferrying to and from one station several times a day.”

(23 Dec 2021) Mental health patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E for beds as services face ‘desperate’ situation Independent report Dec 23:
“NHS mental health services are facing a “desperate” situation as all hospitals across the country are dangerously full and leaked data shows hundreds of patients waiting over 12 hours in A&E, The Independent can reveal.
“The news comes as the spread of Omicron risks outbreaks in mental health hospitals, with a large hospital in London forced to close its doors to new admissions on three wards.
“In response to the growing bed pressures in the capital over the past month the NHS has commissioned 40 beds from private sector hospitals run by The Priory Group, The Independent understands.
“NHS data, seen by The Independent, has revealed that almost all mental health hospitals in London have been at “black alert” levels of bed availability during October and November, meaning their beds were nearly 100 per cent full.
“A senior national source has warned the situation is similar across the country, with nearly all mental health trusts 94 per cent full and services at their most stressed ever.”

(23 Dec 2021) Nursing Homes Bleed Staff as Amazon Lures Low-Wage Workers With Prime Packages US Kaiser Health News Dec 23 with a story that runs parallel to the same issues in England:
“Amazon’s ambitious expansion plans in northern Kentucky, including the $1.5 billion, 600-acre site that will serve as a nerve center for Amazon’s domestic air cargo operations, have stoked anxieties among nursing home administrators in a region where the unemployment rate is just 3%.
“Already buckling from an exodus of pandemic-weary health care workers, nursing homes are losing entry-level nurses, dietary aides and housekeepers drawn to better-paying jobs at Amazon.
“The average starting pay for an entry-level position at Amazon warehouses and cargo hubs is more than $18 an hour, with the possibility of as much as $22.50 an hour and a $3,000 signing bonus, depending on location and shift. Full-time jobs with the company come with health benefits, 401(k)s and parental leave. By contrast, even with many states providing a temporary covid-19 bonus for workers at long-term care facilities, lower-skilled nursing home positions typically pay closer to $15 an hour, often with minimal sick leave or benefits.
“Nursing home administrators contend they are unable to match Amazon’s hourly wage scales because they rely on modest reimbursement rates set by Medicaid, the government program that pays for long-term care.”

(23 Dec 2021) More than 18,000 NHS staff off sick with Covid last week – up by 50% Independent Dec 23:
“The number of NHS staff off sick with Covid reached 18,829 last week, up by 50 per cent in just seven days, while thousands of patients were stuck in hospital who shouldn’t be there, new data has revealed.
“The number of healthcare staff off sick with the virus in London, the epicentre of the Omicron wave, hit 3,874 last week which is more than three times the number off in the week of 12 December. The Midlands followed closely with 3,855.
“While the capital saw the biggest increase in staff off sick with Covid, the South East and the East of England followed, recording a 61 per cent and 58 per cent increase respectively.
“The total number of staff off sick, including for non-Covid reasons, reached 64,221 on 19 December, up by 12 per cent on the 12 December. In London a total of 8919 staff were off sick, meaning Covid absences accounted for 43 per cent of staff sickness overall.”

(23 Dec 2021) UK, EU and US ‘get more Covid vaccines in six weeks than Africa has all year’ Guardian Dec 23 with the real reasons why the NHS and European health systems are now facing the latest Covid variant:
“The UK, European Union and the US have received more doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the past six weeks than African countries have all year, according to analysis from the People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA).
“The research comes after the former UK prime minister Gordon Brown called the rollout a “stain on our soul” and organisations and charities stepped up calls for Moderna and Pfizer to share their vaccine recipes, and for governments to distribute urgently needed vaccines to poorer nations.
“The Amnesty International-backed organisation, which is made up of a number of not-for-profits including Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, says that despite making billions in profit Pfizer and Moderna continue to refuse to share the new generation of vaccine technology. Its push to get the companies to waive their intellectual property rights has won backing from global leaders, including Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
“Between 11 November and 21 December, the EU, UK and US received 513m vaccine doses while the continent of Africa received 500m throughout the whole of 2021.”

(23 Dec 2021) Health organisations call for accelerated action on global vaccine equity Joint statement Dec 23 from BMA, other professional bodies and UNISON calling for global vaccine equity
“We, the undersigned and the organisations we represent, express our deep concern at the ongoing inequity in access to Covid-19 vaccines globally. In addition to the strong moral imperative, failure to ensure high vaccine coverage in all countries puts everyone at risk from new, potentially vaccine resistant variants of the virus.
“Ninety-eight of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable low income and middle income countries will now miss WHO’s end of year target for vaccinating 40% of their populations. It was within our gift as high-income countries to make this happen. Yet too many nations have been shamefully slow in making good on their pledges – the UK among them.
“We are appalled that the world’s richest countries continue to accumulate surplus vaccine doses while the world’s poorest struggle with woefully inadequate supplies. The total number of vaccines administered worldwide in the past year was more than sufficient to cover 40% of the population in all countries, if it had been delivered equitably. Instead, only 1 in 10 people in low-income countries and just 25% of healthcare workers in Africa have received a single dose.
“As organisations representing healthcare professionals, we are deeply concerned by this lack of progress on sharing vaccines for the global good. We call on the UK to show true leadership by raising its ambition and commitment to expedite vaccines reaching those most in need. …”

(23 Dec 2021) Merck’s Covid Pill Is Authorized for High-Risk Adults New York Times Dec 23:
“The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized a second antiviral pill for Covid but said it should not be preferred over other treatments.
“The F.D.A. cleared the pill, developed by Merck and known as molnupiravir, for adults who are vulnerable to becoming severely ill from Covid and for whom alternative treatment options are “not accessible or clinically appropriate.”
However:
“The agency’s decision reflects concerns that Merck’s pill is only modestly effective and carries possible safety risks, including for pregnant women.
“Merck’s treatment is expected to be available early next month. With the Omicron variant driving an onslaught of infections, the drug will be in greater supply in the coming weeks than other treatments in the United States.”

(23 Dec 2021) The silent struggle behind the NHS waiting list Byline Times December 23, which appears to raise more questions than it answers, but underlines the fact that the growth in waiting lists pre-dates the Covid pandemic:
“While the problem has acutely worsened during the Coronavirus pandemic, the impact of austerity has meant that NHS waiting times were a problem long before the crisis hit in early 2020.
“According to a report by the House of Commons Library in October, waiting lists increased by 74% between December 2012 and December 2019 – rising to 4.5 million just three months before the pandemic.
“Treatment levels are now, slowly, beginning to return to pre-pandemic levels, though this is now threatened once again by the rise of the new Omicron variant.”

(22 Dec 2021) WHO says Covid booster programs limit vaccine supply for poor countries, could prolong pandemic CNBC report Dec 22:
“World Health Organization officials on Wednesday criticized blanket Covid-19 vaccine booster programs as poor countries struggle to obtain initial doses, warning that the unequal access to immunizations could lead to more mutated variants that drag out the crisis.
“Blanket booster programs are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than ending it, by diverting supply to countries that already have high levels of vaccination coverage, giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mutate,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing.
“The comments from the WHO come as health officials in the U.S. promote vaccine booster shots for all residents over the age of 16 amid a surge in Covid cases driven by the omicron strain. Israel on Tuesday announced it would offer a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccines to people older than 60.”

(22 Dec 2021) NHS boss quits after 'witch-hunt' against whistleblower... but he will continue to receive his £270k salary for another year Daily Heil Dec 22 report on the still less than total fall from grace of a once-high flying NHS boss who was feted by the private sector for his role in handing management of Hinchingbrooke Hospital over to Circle Health – with subsequent disastrous consequences.
“An NHS trust boss who quit amid outrage over a whistleblower 'witch hunt' is continuing to draw up to £275,000 a year in salary and pension contributions.
Dr Stephen Dunn stepped down in the summer ahead of a highly critical report about the way West Suffolk Hospital 'effectively ignored' warnings about a senior clinician's drug taking.
“Colleagues said they had seen the consultant anaesthetist – known only as Dr A – injecting himself with painkillers while caring for patients.
“But West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust came under fire after it hired fingerprint and handwriting experts to identify the author of an anonymous letter which claimed the anaesthetist should not have been involved in a botched operation.
“Despite stepping down amid the scandal, it has emerged that former chief executive Dr Dunn will continue to be paid until September next year – a situation the Doctors' Association described as 'deeply concerning'.
“Association chairman Dr Jenny Vaughan said: 'Saying that they [trust leaders] 'accept their failings and shortcomings' in no way makes up for the damage that has been done.”

(22 Dec 2021) Hospitals braced for ‘mass casualty’ scenario amid fears one-third of NHS staff could be off sick Independent report Dec 22:
“Hospitals in parts of England are being asked to plan for the equivalent of a “mass casualty” event in January as NHS managers fear up to one-third of staff could be off sick, The Independent has learned.
“… No extra Covid restrictions will be put in place before Christmas, Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday as another 90,629 cases were recorded.
“NHS England has asked hospitals to draw up plans to deal with a “mass casualty type scenario”, which one source described as similar to a “major incident on a grand scale”.
“The Independent understands “mass casualty” means hospitals are preparing for a short but “significant” wave of admissions across the region.”

(22 Dec 2021) NHS may set up ‘field hospitals’ in car parks to cope with Omicron Guardian report Dec 22 on the desperate measures that may follow from the lack of NHS staff and the capital investment needed to reopen unused NHS beds and restore pre-Covid capacity:
“The NHS may set up “field hospitals” in the car parks of existing hospitals staffed partly by army medical personnel to help cope with a potential Omicron-driven surge in Covid patients.
“Hospital canteens, offices and meeting rooms could also be turned into makeshift wards if the new variant leaves so many people seriously ill that the health service may be overwhelmed.
“NHS England has told hospital bosses to make plans to take both steps in the coming weeks as part of a series measures to give the service “super-surge” extra capacity. However, it will only order the implementation of such dramatic and unprecedented moves if Omicron leads to even greater numbers of patients with Covid needing treatment than during the last peak in January.
“The plans, first reported by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), come amid deepening fears that the numbers of health staff off work sick with Covid could hamper the NHS’s response to Omicron.”

(22 Dec 2021) RCP survey finds one in ten doctors off work Royal College of Physicians survey of members Dec 22 on the scale of Covid-linked absences:
“Across the UK, more than 1 in 10 (10.5%) doctors are off work and 1 in 24 (4.2%) due to COVID. In London these figures increase to 1 in 7 (13.9%) off work and 1 in 13 (7.4%) due to COVID. The RCP’s survey found that staff absence is growing, with absences in London comparable to the start of the pandemic, only this time further exacerbated by exhausted and demoralised staff working under the extreme pressure of rising COVID-19 cases coupled with usual winter illnesses.
“The high absence rate among doctors is likely to be due to the high community levels of infection and rapid transmission of the Omicron variant. Of those off work, 18% had suspected or proven COVID-19 and 19% were isolating due to having contact with cases.
“Further concern was raised with issues accessing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Across the whole of the UK, 14.5% of respondents felt they didn’t have the PPE they needed to wear for managing patients with COVID-19. 6.5% said they had been in a situation in the past two weeks where they had not been able to access the PPE that the UK Health Security Agency advises.”

(21 Dec 2021) Councils call for billions of pounds to be diverted from NHS to social care Guardian report Dec 21 on the latest counter-productive call by under-funded council leaders for cash to be snatched from under-funded NHS services to prop up the social care services many of them have neglected, cut and privatised since the late 1980s. Councils should join the SOSNHS call for increased funding for health and a national care and support service to be set up and properly funded.
“Town halls in England are calling for billions of pounds a year earmarked for the NHS to be diverted to social care amid warnings of severe care worker shortages and hundreds of thousands of people not getting the help they need.
“The cross-party Local Government Association wants a rethink of the government policy announced in October, which is to reserve 85% of receipts from the new 1.25% health and social care tax for the health service. It warned the measures, announced to deliver Boris Johnson’s promise to “fix social care”, fail to deal with “immediate, frontline pressures facing care services right now”.
“The demand “to immediately redirect a significantly greater share of the levy to frontline adult social care” comes amid concern the social care crisis is preventing hospital discharges amid rising Omicron admissions. A four-star hotel in Bristol has become the latest makeshift care home to be pressed into action, after NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, told hospital bosses to use hotel beds to prevent discharge blockages when conventional community care is unavailable.
“Across the UK, almost half of homecare providers also now say they can no longer take on new work, with worker shortages a key problem. A total of 38% said they were handing back contracts to councils and the NHS because they could no longer deliver, a survey by the Homecare Association found. Meanwhile, 95% of the largest private care home chains are struggling to find care staff, according to a poll published on Tuesday by the industry group Care England.”

(21 Dec 2021) London doctor says ‘nine in 10 ICU patients are unvaccinated’ Metro report Dec 21:
“An intensive care doctor working in the epicentre of the Covid-19 winter wave has revealed as many as 90% of his patients are unvaccinated.
“Professor Rupert Pearse said doctors are battling to save the lives of people who declined to get the jab. The top physician works across The Royal London Hospital and St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, where infections are higher than the rest of the country.
“Mayor Said Khan was forced to declare a major incident across the capital’s emergency service’s this week because of the pressure on resources and staffing.
“Hospitals and other critical services are being hit by the double blow of a steep rise in cases and workers who have caught the virus themselves being on the sick.
“More than four fifths of eligible people in the UK have had two doses of the vaccine but millions haven’t had a single dose, a problem which is particularly acute in London.”

(21 Dec 2021) LBC’s Nick Ferrari suggests limiting people to 12 GP appointments a year before being charged Indy report on LBC comment by Nick Ferrari Dec 21 which effectively proposes discriminating against the people with the most serious chronic health problems, and almost certainly least able to pay. And if they are deterred by charges also the most likely to wind up in hospital beds rather than their own homes. Daft and reactionary.
“Like some weird calendar of capitalism, LBC presenter Nick Ferrari has come under fire for his “radical” proposal to limit people’s GP appointments to 12 a year before paying a fee.
“Mr Ferrari, who hosts the weekday morning programme on the radio station, suggested the plan after saying NHS staff are “bouncing on the bottom” because of coronavirus cases.
“It is time for radical action, and today, I propose to you that you all have 12 appointments per annum, okay, which obviously works out at one a month. After that, you will be charged.
“Unless it is a desperately serious case such as cancer, whatever, and obviously that means all bets are off, you go into a different bracket.”

(20 Dec 2021) UK public spending as % GDP Excellent graphic showing consistent pattern of Tory rundown of public service spending in each spell of government since Thatcher

(20 Dec 2021) Global Covid vaccination failure will harm Britain, Gordon Brown warns Guardian report December 20:
“The failure to vaccinate the world against coronavirus will come back to haunt even fully vaccinated Britons in 2022, Gordon Brown has warned.
“The former prime minister said the emergence of Omicron was “not Africa’s fault”, and added that new variants would continue to wreak havoc because richer countries such as the UK had “stockpiled” hundreds of millions of vaccines.
“He rubbished suggestions wealthier nations faced a choice between offering boosters to their own citizens or sharing doses with people living in poorer countries.
“Ours is not a fraught choice between boosters and vaccinating the world. We are manufacturing enough vaccines … to immunise the whole world.” Instead, Brown said it was an “inescapable and unacceptable fact” that of the billions of vaccines administered, only 0.6% ended up in low-income countries.”

(20 Dec 2021) Rishi’s Next NHS Raid Tribune article Dec 20 by HCT Editor John Lister:
“Rishi Sunak, the Tory chancellor whose November 2021 Spending Review locked the NHS onto its course for a second decade of decline, is now warning that the limited NHS budget will not cover the extra costs of booster jabs for the latest variant of Coronavirus.
“While further tightening the financial straitjacket that has effectively frozen real-terms NHS funding since 2010—a decade in which the population and its health needs and cost pressures have grown — Sunak is, according to a recent Spectator article, also leading a cabal of cabinet ministers who are critical of the NHS itself — and, according to the Financial Times, involved in meetings with US health corporation bosses.
“Systematically starving the NHS of the revenue it needs to sustain services, and the capital it needs to repair and renew hospitals and equipment, has emerged as the main driver of privatisation. “Desperate NHS bosses, lacking the capacity to cope with rising demand, have been forced to turn to private hospitals to supply extra beds, and private contractors to supply cataract and other routine operations, imaging and laboratory services, and mental health care. The extra costs and inefficiencies of this fragmented system pile further pressures back on the NHS—while the private sector, which trains no staff, can only expand by recruiting from the limited pool of NHS-trained staff.”

(20 Dec 2021) Vaccine mandate could force hospital units to shut across England National Health Executive magazine’s shock report showing around 10% of NHS staff still refusing to get vaccinated against Covid:
“The mandatory vaccine decision made at the start of November will mean that all eligible NHS workers must have the Covid-19 vaccine by April 2022.
“An impact assessment carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care found that over 126,000 unvaccinated staff could lose their job if they are not vaccinated by the deadline. More than 55,000 NHS workers have had their first dose since the government announced the mandate but there are still 94,000 still yet to have the vaccine at all.
“In an interview with the Guardian, Chief Executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson has said that in one hospital trust 40 midwives are refusing to get vaccinated meaning that maternity unit may have to close.
“He added that, “trust leaders are acutely aware that, from April onwards, when Covid vaccinations will become mandatory, decisions by staff to remain unvaccinated could – in extreme circumstances – lead to patient services being put at risk.
“If sufficient numbers of unvaccinated staff in a particular service in a particular location choose not to get vaccinated, the viability and/or safety of that service could be at risk.”

(20 Dec 2021) Workers at hospital hit by staff shortages during Omicron wave warned annual leave is at risk Independent Dec 20:
“Staff shortages at two hospitals in the UK have forced one to warn time off may have to be cancelled and another to suggest planned operations will be cut in January as the Omicron variant causes soaring infections.
“University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust was forced to tell staff last week they could not make any new holiday requests and that current leave may be cancelled as it experiences “significant pressures”, according to an email seen by The Independent.
“Meanwhile, in an email seen by The Independent, Barts Health Trust wrote to doctors warning it may have to cancel “some or much” of its planned operations in January to cope with the coming Covid surge, caused by the fast-spreading new variant.
“The trust, which runs three hospitals in London, also suggested it will have to rely on staff volunteering for extra shifts to avoid cancelling leave and redeploying workers, as staff absences due to Covid have become a “major challenge”.”

(19 Dec 2021) A dangerous lie is stalking the NHS: that it is no longer fit for purpose Good Dec 19 Guardian explainer from Sonia Sodia
“Times have changed: recent years have brought us the phenomenon of Tory health ministers proudly sporting that logo on pin badges on their lapels. But there remain a number of politicians and commentators who are cynically using the pandemic to argue that the NHS is structurally unsound and in need of major reform.
“The argument goes like this. We are spending more on the NHS than ever. Too much is eaten up by bureaucracy. If we keep on at this rate, NHS demand will eventually crowd out spending on things like schools and the police. But despite all that record-breaking resource, we suffer inferior health outcomes than many of our European neighbours. The pandemic has made things worse, and the only way to fix this is to do the unthinkable: break up the NHS.
“Its proponents present themselves as cool-headed rationalists battling the pathetically romantic predilections of a nation. But the reality is that their argument is as ideologically fuelled as arguments come, and it relies on some highly disingenuous sleights of hand.…”
See also page 11 https://www.healthcampaignstogether.com/flip/NB14/NewsBulletin-14.html

(19 Dec 2021) London hospital staff speak out: ‘We’re not here to judge, but please get your Covid vaccines’ Observer report from King’s College Hospital, Dec 19:
“Staff who spoke to the Observer during a visit to the Covid wards said most of these dangerously ill patients recently admitted to critical beds were unvaccinated. Medical teams at King’s are now bracing themselves for a new influx of patients infected by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. They are urging people to get their jabs.
“About a third of patients who are transferred to critical care beds with Covid will die, according to several studies carried out during the pandemic. Most will gradually improve over a week to 10 days, and a small number will require long-term treatment – for three months and longer – in the unit.
“Doctors and nurses say they are deeply concerned at the number of seriously ill patients being transferred to critical care beds who are still unvaccinated.
“Michael Bartley, a critical care matron at King’s, estimated that “80 to 90%” in the hospital’s critical care beds were unvaccinated.”

(19 Dec 2021) ‘Huge worry’ over impact of Omicron on NHS staff, senior medic says “The impact of the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant on NHS staffing levels is a “huge worry”, a senior medic has said. Dr Lewis Morrison, chair of BMA Scotland, said the NHS was facing a “double whammy” of winter pressures and the latest coronavirus variant.
“… Asked about medical staff being required to self-isolate and the pressure this was putting on medical care, he said: “I think if we see a huge number of cases of the new variant it’s highly likely to impact the medical workforce.
“From a hospital perspective, it’s the effect it may have on nursing staff particularly because it’s nurses that keep the wards safe at the most basic level.
“Although we can to some extent redeploy staff, there are real limits on how much we can do that.
“It remains to be seen what proportion of the NHS workforce might end up self-isolating either temporarily or for longer, but that’s got to be a huge worry.”

(18 Dec 2021) Staff absence forecasts reveal ‘bleak picture’ for coming days Chilling (£) HSJ report December 18:
“The number of NHS staff in London absent due to covid has more than doubled in four days, and one in three of the workforce would be absent by new year’s eve if the growth rate continues.
“The rapid increase in recent days is set out by internal NHS monitoring figures seen by HSJ. It comes amid growing concern about the impact of the omicron variant, particularly in London, in the coming days and weeks. Sajid Javid this morning said the impact on the NHS was uncertain and it was still possible it may be overwhelmed.
“Covid-related absences in the capital increased 140 per cent from 1,926 on Sunday 12 December to 4,695 on Thursday 16 December.”

(18 Dec 2021) Covid patients treated at home to protect NHS Sunday Times report Dec 18:
“Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said the health service was on a “war footing”. Plans have been passed to treat 15 per cent of Covid patients at home, with remote monitoring of their oxygen levels.
“… Data presented at a No 10 press conference last week by England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, showed a stark difference between the rate of hospital admission after a positive Covid test between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.
“Unjabbed patients were more likely to be admitted to hospital across all age groups. They were more than twice as likely to be admitted if aged 50 or over and more than four times as likely if 80 or older.
“Patients on virtual wards are given oximeters that fit on their finger. Powis said the treatment would allow thousands of people to receive “the same care they would in hospital but from the comfort of their own home. This is better for patients, it is better for their families and it is better for the NHS, as it limits the spread of the virus, which we know at the minute is rising exponentially.”

(17 Dec 2021) Government backs social care with record funding Misleading December 17 press release from Department of Health and Social Care headlines on total of money that will be split over 3 years, money only available from April and a pathetically low sum to plug the growing gaps in staffing in under-paid, stressful social care posts:
"• New £1.4 billion fund to help local authorities offer a fairer cost of care to providers
"• More than £1 billion for local authorities to support social care
"• £300 million extra for workforce recruitment and retention
Care providers, residents and staff will all benefit from additional funding to support the social care sector.
"A total of £1.4 billion will be made available over 3 years to help increase the fee rates local authorities pay to care providers.
"Further funding of more than £1 billion will be available for local authorities in 2022 to 2023 to fund social care. This will help councils respond effectively to rising demand and cost pressures.
"This is on top of the £300 million announced last week for workforce recruitment and retention – taking the total to £462.5 million."

(17 Dec 2021) Omicron Gets Around Previous Covid Infection, Study Warns Bloomberg report Dec 17:
“A previous Covid-19 recovery provides little shield against infection with the omicron variant, a research team from Imperial College London showed in a large study that underlines the importance of booster shots.
“Having had Covid probably only offers 19% protection against omicron, the study showed on Friday. That was roughly in line with two doses of vaccine, which the team estimated were as much as 20% effective against omicron. Adding a booster dose helped dramatically, blocking an estimated 55% to 80% of symptomatic cases.
“The Imperial College London team analyzed all the PCR test-confirmed Covid cases in England between Nov. 29 and Dec. 11, making it one of the most expansive examinations yet at omicron’s potential to evade the body’s defenses. The results were in line with the picture emerging of the variant’s capacity to elude protection from previous infection or inoculation and spread faster than earlier iterations of the virus.
“There was no evidence of omicron cases being less severe than delta, based on the proportion of people testing positive who had symptoms or went to the hospital, the team said.”

(16 Dec 2021) Demand for apology from Tory MP after ‘outrageous’ attack on Chris Whitty Independent December 16:
“Labour is demanding an apology after a Conservative MP said that chief medical officer Chris Whitty should “defer” to Boris Johnson over advice on Covid precautions over the Christmas period.
“Joy Morrissey, who is a parliamentary aide in the Ministry of Justice, hit out after Prof Whitty said people should “deprioritise” unnecessary social gatherings, at a time when the prime minister insists he is not ordering the cancellation of Christmas parties.
“In a hastily-deleted tweet branded “outrageous” by Labour, the Beaconsfield MP suggested that the chief medical officer’s comments suggested the UK was turning into a “public health socialist state”.
“Perhaps the unelected covid public health spokesperson should defer to what our ELECTED Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister have decided,” wrote the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab. I know it’s difficult to remember but that’s how democracy works. This is not a public health socialist state.”

(16 Dec 2021) Quarter of ambulances getting stuck in A&E queues BBC News report Dec 16:
“Nearly a quarter of patients brought to hospital in an ambulance are facing dangerous delays getting into hospital in England, NHS data shows.
“Ambulances are meant to hand over patients within 15 minutes of arriving.
But in the past week 23% out of nearly 84,000 patients brought in waited over 30 minutes.
“Staff are warning patients are being put at risk by the delays - and they think the situation is only going to get worse as Covid infections rise.
“At seven NHS trusts more than half patients were left waiting over half an hour with nearly two thirds delayed at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust.”

(16 Dec 2021) Brexit-voting areas of UK have highest COVID-19 death rate, study finds Euronews Dec 16:
“COVID-19 is killing a high proportion of people in regions of the UK that voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum, a new report has claimed.
“… It reveals that the boroughs of Boston, Great Yarmouth, South Holland, and Hartlepool, for example, have the fourth highest fatalities from the virus in the UK and the biggest share of the vote for Brexit, with all four districts voting more than 75% for leave in 2016. By contrast, the 20 boroughs with the lowest death rates all voted heavily for Remain.
“For the authors, the results suggest that the same people who were swayed by the arguments in favour of Brexit -- which was defined by a distrust of political and financial elites and populist rhetoric shared via social media -- are also those that resist getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and have been hostile to lockdown measures including curfews and mask-wearing.
"There is a group of people in the population who just rejects any official advice, any mainstream advice, any expert advice,” Phalippou told Euronews.”

(16 Dec 2021) Man whose wife won legal bid to have his Covid treated with ivermectin dies Independent report December 15:
“A Pennsylvania man, whose wife fought a legal battle to have his Covid-19 infection treated with ivermectin, has died days after receiving the second dose of the drug.
“Keith Smith, 52, died on Sunday after being hospitalised for nearly three weeks. He was diagnosed with the coronavirus infection on 10 November and was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit in a medically induced coma on a ventilator on 21 November.
“As his health continued to degrade, his wife of 24 years, Darla Smith moved court to have the hospital administer ivermectin. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic medication, mostly administered to livestock to treat scabies and other ailments.
“Countless viral posts in conservative Facebook groups and other online spaces, driven in part by a pro-Donald Trump telemedicine service that sells prescriptions for ivermectin, have hailed it as a miracle drug and advised followers to do whatever they can to get it.”

(16 Dec 2021) Integrating health and social care A comparison of policy and progress across the four countries of the UK Nuffield Trust report revealing its researchers are less than fully convinced that the rhetoric about “integrated care systems” in England is matched by any actual improvements in patient care:
“Each of the UK’s four countries has a long-standing goal to integrate health and social care services, which has been a principle of successive major reforms by each government since devolution.
“Despite this, we found there is limited evidence that policies in any of the UK countries have made a difference to patients, or to how well services are integrated.
“Across countries, there has been a persistent mismatch between some of the stated objectives of integration, and what better collaboration between health and social care can meaningfully achieve.”

(16 Dec 2021) WTO TRIPS Council December 2021: UK statement December 16 statement of position of British government, effectively opposing attempts to secure a waiver of the WTO TRIPS agreement, in order to speed the production and distribution of Covid vaccines to developing countries, which otherwise face delays and unaffordable costs.
The UK statement "does not see how text-based negotiations could lead to consensus, solutions, or pragmatic outcomes," and notes
"many delegations point to the risks a TRIPS waiver would carry for this and future pandemics. I would like to reiterate that the UK is one of those Members."

(16 Dec 2021) Topsham doctors reverse 'no routine service' decision Radio Exe report December 16:
“An Exeter GP practice has reversed its decision to suspend routine services until the middle of January, after a health boss said their messaging to patients was "not accurate".
“The surgeries in Topsham and Countess Wear told patients on Wednesday not to get in touch and book appointments until well into the new year, but quickly changed its mind following interventions by the area's councillor and the NHS group in charge.
“Topsham Surgery and Glasshouse Medical Centre sent text messages to patients on Wednesday [15 December] which said: “…all routine GP services have been suspended until the second week in January to enable us to support delivery of the covid booster programme.”
“They continued: “Due to reduced clinical capacity, please do not ring the surgery for any routine matters until the middle of January,” instead directing them to 111 or 999 in case of an emergency.
“But following criticism, the message has now been altered, advising that “patients should continue to contact our GP practice for urgent health advice, but are urged to consider calling in the New Year if it can wait…”

(16 Dec 2021) GP surgery tells patients: 'No routine appointments until 2022' Stoke Sentinel Dec 16 reports on one GP practice response to extra task of rolling out booster jabs:
“GP practices are contacting their patients - to warn them there will be no 'routine appointments' until 2022.
“Biddulph Valley Surgery - which operates from within Biddulph Primary Care Centre - is one of the practices to bring in the new rules from Monday, December 20.
“It is in response to the Government's demand to offer a Covid booster jab to every adult in England by New Year's Eve.
“But the text message hasn't gone down well with some patients who have labelled the practice an 'absolute joke'.
“The message states: "Following the Prime Minister's announcement all NHS services are to concentrate on the Covid booster vaccines until the end of the year. From Monday, December 20, we can only offer a skeleton clinical service for urgent cases. Routine appointments will be rearranged for the New Year.…”

(15 Dec 2021) Government bullied safety watchdog over PPE supplied by ‘VIPs’ Good Law Project Dec 15 with more revelations of dodgy dealings:
“PPE supplied by high profile VIPs has repeatedly been cleared for use by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), overruling concerns of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) that it is not fit for purpose.
“Good Law Project challenged the award of £108m of PPE contracts to Clandeboye, a confectionery wholesaler. Clandeboye does not appear on the DHSC’s list of VIPs but Government’s internal documents tell a different story.
“What DHSC told the High Court was that: “Clandeboye answered the call to arms by making a viable offer and performing its contracts” and had been “approved in testing upon arrival”.
“However, emails obtained by the BBC show the [HSE] saying: “The outer packaging for these aprons indicates that they are fluid repellent gowns, which they are not… they are not Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and do not meet the requirements of the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations (EU) 2016/425.” Nevertheless, after months of email correspondence the DHSC issued a notice authorising their use.
“… Good Law Project has written asking Government to explain how it has adhered to its duties of candour and not to mislead the High Court.”

(15 Dec 2021) Colorado Hospitals in ‘Critical Condition’ as State Weathers Another Surge Kaiser Health News report December 15:
“The covid variant delta has overwhelmed the Colorado county of the same name. Hospitals on the Western Slope have been slammed for weeks, and the statewide picture is similarly grim. As of Monday, the state’s coronavirus website reported 1,294 patients hospitalized with covid-19.
“Half of the state’s hospitals said they anticipated a staffing shortage in mid-December; more than a third of them anticipated bed shortages in their intensive care units at the same time. And behind those numbers, patients are feeling the impact.
“… just 57% of eligible people in Delta County have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine. And 84% of hospitalized covid patients in Colorado are not vaccinated.”

(15 Dec 2021) GPs most likely to ‘bear the brunt’ of burnout, warns the GMC Pulse Dec 15 with a worrying report:
“GPs are the most likely to be at a high risk of burnout compared with other doctors, with around a third (32%) of GPs operating at this level, the GMC has warned.
“The proportion of GPs ‘struggling with workload’ – meaning they worked beyond rostered hours and felt unable to cope with workload on a weekly basis – has more than doubled in 2021 compared with 2020, the GMC’s annual state of medical education and practice (SOMEP) report said.
“Meanwhile, one in five GPs say they found it difficult to provide sufficient patient care on a daily basis, with a further one in five saying they feel this on a weekly basis.
“The GMC said that there ‘needs to be a fresh mindset in the way healthcare teams work together’, or more GPs will leave the workforce.
“More than half of the 895 GPs (54%) who responded to its survey are struggling with workload on a weekly basis, compared with 26% in 2020.”

(15 Dec 2021) East Lancashire NHS Trust intransigence forces new period of strike action by biomedical scientists. Unite press release on a long-running dispute Dec 15:
“Blackburn and Burnley biomedical scientists will re-start strike action today (Wednesday 15 December) in a dispute over unpaid wages.
“Union negotiators met with the Trust on Tuesday (7 December) last week in an attempt to identify a solution to the dispute. It was an opportunity to avoid further strike action and to re-establish union / Trust relations. On the eve of the strike, the Trust had still failed to take up the opportunity to end the dispute.
“The skilled NHS staff at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust are owed on average between £8000 and £12,000.
“Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Last week Unite met with the Trust with an offer to work constructively to get a deal to resolve this strike. Instead our offer has been met with a stubborn unwillingness to end the dispute.
“The Trust’s Chief Executive Martin Hodgson has the failed the staff, the patients, and he’s failed the taxpayer.
"The biomedical scientists are taking action because they have a genuine, legitimate, fair and reasonable case and they have Unite's unwavering support. This dispute will now go ahead and our campaign will escalate."

(15 Dec 2021) Covid hospital admissions could reach 2,000 a day as Omicron cases soar, professor warns Mirror Dec 15:
“Covid hospital admissions could reach 2,000 a day, an expert has warned.
“Leading infectious disease scientist, Graham Medley, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Most of the infections at the moment are in young adults, so these are people who are far less likely to need hospital treatment in any case.
"But in the past, in previous waves, we've seen that move out into more older and more vulnerable generations and there's no reason to suspect that won't happen during this wave.
"And then the numbers of people who end up in hospital is some combination of when people get infected, their vaccination status, as well as what Omicron is doing."

(14 Dec 2021) Norfolk and Norwich hospital moves to highest alert level due to demand BBC Norfolk report Dec 14:
“A hospital has gone into its highest level of alert due to increased pressure on services.
“The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital said there was high demand at A&E and many staff were working on the Covid-19 booster programme. It is also understood the hospital has cancelled all meetings and training to mobilise staff.
“A spokesman said it was "extremely busy" and moving into Opel (Operational Pressures Escalation Levels) 4.
“It means demand within the hospital has escalated to a level in which it is unable to deliver comprehensive care.”

(14 Dec 2021) Nearly one-third of Americans skipped care in past three months due to cost: poll US magazine The Hill, Dec 14:
“Almost one-third of Americans skipped necessary medical care in the past three months because they could not afford it, according to a poll released Tuesday.
“The survey from the West Health Policy Center and Gallup found that 30 percent of participants said they opted out of health care due to the cost — a percentage that tripled from nine months ago, reaching its highest point during the pandemic.
“One-fifth of respondents said they or a household member saw their health problem worsen after delaying care because of the cost.
“Twenty percent of those from households that earn more than $120,000 also reported they postponed health care due to financial reasons — an increase from 3 percent in March.
“Tim Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center, told The Hill that the data showing those earning “significantly higher” than the median income struggling “tells you that we have a real problem.” “It tells me that we're at a breaking point and that it's not just … those that are desperate are not just low-income individuals but even those that are more affluent,” he said. “And we’re gonna have to find a way out of that.”
“Almost a third of respondents said they would not have access to affordable care if they needed it today, compared to a spring survey in which 18 percent said the same. Plus, 42 percent said they worry they won’t be able to pay for necessary medical care within the next year.”

(13 Dec 2021) Half of UK families are £110 worse off a year since 2019 General Election New Economics Foundation Dec 13 with a report showing one reason why health inequalities are increasing at the same time as talk of ‘levelling up’:
“The 2019 Conservative manifesto promised “to unite and level up, spreading opportunity across the whole United Kingdom”. When Boris Johnson became prime minister he doubled down on this promise to “level up across Britain”, with a focus on “forgotten people and the left behind towns”.
“… Two years on from the election, and almost halfway through the current parliament, this analysis presents new modelling looking at who has benefited most so far, and who has lost out.
“… The overall picture of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ is stark. …
“On an annualised basis, the poorest 50% of families have seen their disposable incomes squeezed by an average of £110 in real terms (here and henceforth in December 2021 prices), while the top 5% of families have seen gains of more than £3,300. This has seen poverty – defined in terms of families with equivalised income below 60% of the UK median before housing costs – rise by 300,000 in two years.”

(13 Dec 2021) Wrong Prescription: The Impact of Privatizing Healthcare in Kenya Important new report Dec 13 from Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice lifts the lid on the damage done of health care in Kenya by privatisation and user charges:
"Wrong Prescription: The Impact of Privatizing Healthcare in Kenya is a collaboration between The Economic and Social Rights Centre-Hakijamii and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University School of Law.
"The 49-page report draws from more than 180 interviews with healthcare users and providers, government officials, and experts, and finds that the government-backed expansion of the private healthcare sector in Kenya is leading to exclusion and setting back the country’s goal of universal health coverage.
"The report documents how policies designed to increase private sector participation in health, in combination with chronic underinvestment in the public healthcare system, have led to a rapid increase in the role of for-profit private actors and undermined the right to health. Privatizing healthcare has proven costly for individuals and the government, and pushed Kenyans into poverty and crushing debt.
"While the wealthy may be able to access high-quality private care, for many, particularly in lower-income areas, the private sector offers low-quality services that may be inadequate or unsafe. The report concludes with a call to prioritize the public healthcare system."

(13 Dec 2021) Trust CEO drafted in to lead national push to halve delayed discharges HSJ report, Dec 15, notes top-down instruction to step up the use of private hospitals as NHS capacity remains restricted:
“The NHS has been told to discharge at least half the hospital patients who are medically fit to leave as it gears up to cope with a ‘tidal wave’ of omicron cases.
“A letter from NHS England and Improvement letter to system leaders sent out tonight also instructs them to “significantly step up” the use of private sector providers in an effort to mitigate any impact on elective waiting lists.
“The letter declares that in the light of the omicron threat: ”We are again declaring a Level 4 National Incident, in recognition of the impact on the NHS of both supporting the vital increase in the vaccination programme and preparing for a potentially significant increase in covid-19 cases.”
“This means that efforts to combat the latest surge in covid infections and, potentially, hospitalisations will once more be co-ordinated at national level as it was during spring 2020 and winter 2020-21.”

(13 Dec 2021) NHS in crisis mode as hospitals told to discharge patients where possible Guardian report December 13:
“The NHS was put on a crisis footing tonight as hospitals in England were told to discharge as many patients as possible while estimated daily Omicron cases hit 200,000 and the variant claimed its first life in the UK.
“… Amid a scramble for tests and booster jabs, the country’s doctors called for further restrictions to be imposed to stem the rise in cases and Downing Street did not rule out fresh measures.
“In a letter to hospitals, NHS England chiefs said patients who could be discharged to care homes, hospices, their own homes or hotels before Christmas to free up beds, should be. The letter from NHS England’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, and medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the service was facing a level 4 “national incident”.
“Hotels are already being turned into temporary care facilities staffed with workers flown in from Spain and Greece to relieve rising pressure on NHS hospital beds.”

(13 Dec 2021) Hotels being used as care facilities to relieve pressure on NHS Guardian December 13:
“Hotels are being turned into temporary care facilities staffed with workers flown in from Spain and Greece to relieve rising pressure on NHS hospital beds.
“Three hotels in the south of England are being used, including one in Plymouth into which 30 hospital patients have been discharged to be looked after by live-in carers. It is understood that the staff are staying on upper floors while patients are below.
“At least three other health authorities are considering the move, which is partly driven by the severe shortage of domiciliary care workers able to look after people in their own homes, according to Anne-Marie Perry, chief executive of Abicare, a home care company contracted to set up the facilities.
“She said they were for people who are ready to be discharged to their homes but couldn’t be because care packages were not available.
“The hospitals are on their knees and we are being contacted fairly regularly by clinical commission groups,” said Perry. “The problem Plymouth have is there is not enough domiciliary care provision, so that’s one of the reasons why they can’t discharge patients.”

(12 Dec 2021) Blood supplies could soon become ‘critical,’ NHS warns Grim warning from The Independent December 12:
“NHS stocks of blood may become “critical” this winter, a regulator has warned, as Covid and higher than average winter rates of cold and flu risk donation levels.
“The NHS Blood and Transplant authority declared a major incident at the end of October after its supply of blood supplies dropped to critical levels, nationally. The regulator’s supply was at risk of dropping to below two days’ supply across the country, when it aims to have at least five days at all times.
“This is the second time the regulator, which is responsible for blood donation supplies to the NHS, has declared a critical incident in the last 12 months.”

(10 Dec 2021) Revealed: The true effect of the withdrawal of MPIG funding on GP practices Pulse Today Dec 10 on how yet another government policy has gone horribly wrong, and ministers have yet again managed to piss off the GPs who they rely upon to keep the NHS running:
“The Government has been phasing out ‘minimum practice income guarantee’ (MPIG) funding since 2014, but its rationale was that this would lead to fair funding.
“The Pulse Intelligence analysis reveals, however, that practices that received MPIG funding in 2015 earned on average around £8 less per patient in 2020/21 than those who didn’t.
“They earned £4 less per patient through the global sum, and less in CCG discretionary funding such as GP Forward View payments and local enhanced services.
“The MPIG was introduced as part of the 2004 contract to ensure that practices who were disadvantaged through the introduction of a new funding formula would not miss out on funding.”

(9 Dec 2021) Gloucestershire: Health services urgently need more staff and beds BBC South West report Dec 9:
“Gloucestershire's health and social care services need more staff, beds and facilities, a councillor has claimed.
“Cheltenham Borough Council wants more government support because the county's hospitals cannot meet capacity.
“Councillor Flo Clucas said there were currently 200 people occupying hospital beds in Gloucestershire who should be elsewhere.
“… the borough's councillors said there were still not enough beds in the county's hospitals, which includes Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General.”

(8 Dec 2021) Dr Tim Ferris appointed executive sponsor of BAME Network for the NHS Healthcare IT News Dec 8, with the “couldn’t make it up” news that (as Roy Lilley summed up): “white middle-aged American bloke” appointed to lead NHS BAME Network!
“NHS national director of transformation Dr Tim Ferris has been appointed executive sponsor of the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Network.
“The BAME Network is a membership organisation which aims to help maintain a safe and positive working environment for BAME staff in the NHS, eliminate racial discrimination and help develop and maintain a representative workforce with inclusive leadership.
“In an internal email seen by Healthcare IT News, Ferris said the transformation directorate aimed to recover and transform services in light of COVID-19 through national priority programmes, including improving population health and reducing inequalities.
“…COVID-19 exposed health disparities across the country, with higher death rates among people from ethnic minorities, particularly from South Asian and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds.
“There has been debate about the cause of this disparity, with concerns raised about potential systematic racial bias in the NHS, such as the issue of race blind data.”

(7 Dec 2021) Where are all the missing hospital patients? IFS December 7 report askes some searching questions:
“Millions of people in England have missed out on hospital care during the course of the pandemic. That is partly because the NHS cancelled or delayed large volumes of non-urgent procedures in order to prioritise the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
“But it is also, at least in part, because people chose to stay away – perhaps because of a fear of catching the virus in a hospital environment, or a desire not to burden the NHS. In total, some 7.6 million fewer people joined a waiting list for NHS care in England between March 2020 and September 2021 than we would have expected based on pre-pandemic data. This suggests that there are millions of ‘missing’ patients: people who, in the absence of a pandemic, would have sought and received NHS hospital care but, in the event, did not.
“The question we pose here is: where are these missing patients? It is true that the waiting list for NHS care in England has grown: there are currently 5.8 million people waiting for treatment in England, 1.4 million more than in February 2020. But while that is a large increase – more than 30% in less than two years – it is actually rather modest when compared with the number of people who have missed out on care. So, while some of those who stayed away during the early stages of the pandemic have since joined (and may still be on) the waiting list, many more have not (yet) formally joined. In other words, they are still missing.
“This is a puzzle, and a hugely important one. For one, whether and when these patients do come forward to seek NHS care will have a massive impact on the length of future NHS waiting lists.”

(7 Dec 2021) Centene to pay $27.6M to settle PBM investigation in Kansas Fierce Healthcare Dec 7:
“Centene Corporation has settled yet another pharmacy benefit management case, this time in Kansas, where it agreed to pay $27.6 million to the state.
“After Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost investigated and filed suit against Centene over PBM practices, similar lawsuits cropped up in other states. In a statement, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the case alleged Centene failed to "satisfy its obligation to represent the state's best interests" in negotiating drug prices in Medicaid.
“We take seriously our role of protecting Kansas taxpayers and finding and stopping fraud and overpayments in the state Medicaid program,” Schmidt said. “Today’s settlement involving PBM practices is the first of its sort in Kansas, and other investigations continue.”
“Kansas officials began investigating Centene's practices following the Ohio investigation's publication in 2019, Schmidt said. In the settlement, Centene guarantees it will improve transparency by providing access to the necessary data to track pharmaceutical transactions.”

(6 Dec 2021) Care home in Kent gives families 10 hours’ notice of closure Guardian report Dec 6:
“Standards collapsed so quickly at a severely short-staffed care home that families were given just 10 hours’ notice of its final closure triggering a desperate scramble to find new homes for traumatised residents, the Guardian has learned.
“Berkeley House in Kent looked after adults with severe learning difficulties and autism but, five weeks ago, its operator suddenly decided it could no longer provide safe care and families were informed at 7.30am that their loved ones would have to leave by 5pm, a move branded “inhumane” by one family. Only four days earlier, families had been told by the operators the move would happen after 28 days.
“The case emerged amid calls for the government to take urgent action to boost staffing levels in care homes and home care across England. Earlier this year there were estimated to be more than 100,000 social care staff vacancies in England and it was calculated this week that about 60,000 workers quit between April and October.
“Half of councils surveyed in England have had to deal with care homes closing or going bankrupt in the last six months.”

(5 Dec 2021) The Observer view on the state of children’s social care Observer Dec 5:
“Perhaps the most important job that the state has is to protect children at risk of harm and abuse. Yet children’s social care is facing a mounting crisis that gets far less exposure than that confronting the NHS or even adult social care. Local councils, which are responsible for child protection, are having to provide for vulnerable youngsters against a backdrop of rising need, reduced funding from central government and a shortage of long-term foster and residential care places, many of which are overpriced by the private sector.
“… there are mounting pressures on the system as a result of growing numbers of children in care. The overall child population has grown over the past decade but, even allowing for this, there has been a 6% increase in the rate of children entering care in the past five years. …
“Despite this rising demand, local authorities have seen their central government funding drastically cut by almost 60% in the past decade. Councils have been expected to make up for this reduction by relying more heavily on receipts from council tax and business rates.
“This means councils in less affluent areas, with higher levels of need for children and adult social services and from people who are homeless have seen their overall budgets fall by more than wealthier areas.”

(5 Dec 2021) NHS under fire for paying private firms to jab kids which has 'slowed the process down' Sunday Mirror story Dec 5:
“The NHS is paying private companies to vaccinate 12 to 15 year olds - but fewer than half have been jabbed.
It was announced this week that this age group would be offered a second dose amid fears about the omicron variant. But it’s likely to be April before the majority are fully protected because only 1.2 million of the three million eligible children have had one dose - the equivalent of 40 percent.
“Experts fear the decision to pay private firms millions to jab hundreds of thousands of children in this cohort has actually slowed the process down.
“Dr David Strain, from the University of Exeter’s medical school, said: “There have been places where pools of students have been handed over to private companies and very little vaccination is taking place.
"It is very clear that not all children are going to be vaccinated by the end of January.”

(5 Dec 2021) Doctors and nurses vent anger as unvaccinated Covid cases delay vital operations Shaun Lintern’s first article in the Sunday Times Dec 5:
“Doctors and nurses have told of their anger and frustration at not being able to treat seriously ill patients as new figures show that more than 90 per cent of Covid sufferers requiring the most specialist care are unvaccinated.
“While the success of the vaccination rollout has reduced the overall impact of Covid-19 on hospitals, intensive care clinicians from across England have spoken out over the continuing pressure they are under.
“Between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of critical care beds in England are occupied by Covid patients and three quarters of those have not been vaccinated, according to the latest data up to July this year.”

(3 Dec 2021) Company 'could lose £54m Somerset healthcare contract' BBC Somerset story December 3, following the take-over of Virgin Care by venture capitalist group Twenty20 Capital.

“Virgin Care could see a £54m-a-year contract to deliver health and care services withdrawn.
“Councillors and clinicians in Bath and North East Somerset were told on Wednesday the company had been acquired by private equity firm Twenty20. Council leader Kevin Guy said the latest deal with Virgin Care had not been signed off.
“Campaign group Protect Our NHS feared the takeover could mean cuts in staff and services to boost profits. HCRG Care Group disputes this claim.
“Virgin Care took over services in the area in 2017, signing a seven-year contract.
“… Its contract with Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) was renewed for five years in November, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
However, it has now been acquired by Twenty20 Capital and rebranded as HCRG Care group.”

(3 Dec 2021) Hospital pass: The NHS is on life support Outlandish, misinformed Spectator article (Dec 3) ignores the 12 years of under-funding since 2010, and offers a predictably hostile comparison of the NHS with more generously funded and resourced health care systems around the world. Written by Kate Andrews, the ubiquitous BBC guest from the mysteriously-funded neoliberal “think tank” the IEA.
Her article does appear to lift the lid on top-level Tory impatience to push more privatisation:
“The cabinet meeting this week turned into a surprisingly frank conversation about the National Health Service. Rishi Sunak was asked to give his thoughts on the future of health and social care. … But once Sunak started, others joined in. Jacob Rees-Mogg added his concerns. Steve Barclay, the new Cabinet Office minister, and Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary, also contributed.
“By the end of the meeting, the ministers had heard each other say out loud what they have long been thinking: that the NHS, as it stands, is failing.”
She goes on to peddle her view of the NHS
“the NHS is designed to ration health-care, using waiting lists and running hospitals at nearly full capacity. This is why almost every winter the ‘NHS in crisis’ headlines appear. These stories are not really exaggerated: doctors and nurses work ridiculous hours, often in overflowing wards. This is, for political reasons, the way Britain chooses to run its health service: as a top-down bureaucracy, funnelling resources to management and keeping competition at bay. It wastes money and, worse, it costs lives. We’re long overdue a conversation about how to do better for everyone.”
For a response see 'Dodgy figures wheeled out to attack NHS' at https://healthcampaignstogether.com/newsroundup.php

(3 Dec 2021) £700 million to support NHS this winter Department of Health & Social Care Press Release December 3, giving ministers a chance for yet another round of naïve local and national press and media headlines by revealing the allocations of the same pitifully small amount of money announced back in September.

• £700 million targeted investment for 785 schemes across 187 hospital trusts to increase capacity and tackle waiting lists
• Government sets out plan to addresses NHS and social care challenges this winter including responding to high demand alongside COVID-19
• Public advised to play their part by getting COVID-19 and flu jabs, and contacting 111 for urgent medical advice
“Hospitals across the country will benefit from a share of £700 million to expand wards, install modular operating theatres, upgrade outpatient spaces and MRI and screening technology, to help reduce waiting lists.
“The funding, to be split across all regions in England, will help reduce waiting times for patients by expanding the number of operating theatres and beds, including new day surgery units to prevent people staying overnight and investment in technology to improve their experiences of care and help them manage their conditions.”

(2 Dec 2021) The social care White Paper: not wrong, just not moving far enough in the right direction Even the King’s Fund, normally quick to toady to ministers and government policy, struggles in this Dec 2 response to find much to cheer about in the White Paper:
“The White Paper is, to remind ourselves, the latest of four documents that together were intended to deliver the Prime Minister’s promise of ‘fixing’ adult social care. We had already had the Health and Care Bill, the Build Back Better policy document and the autumn Spending Review.
“The first introduced measures to give the Care Quality Commission oversight of local authority social care activities, with the possibility of intervention by the Secretary of State if necessary, as well as moves to greatly improve data collection within (and therefore insight into) the sector.
“The second, funded by a slice of the Health and Care Levy, introduced the headline reforms: introduction of a cap on lifetime care costs and a loosening of the means test, along with promises of ‘fair price for care’ for self-funders and £500 million to support the workforce.
“The third set local government funding for the next three years.
“Yet the detail – and the money available – has proved disheartening. Social care is getting just a small slice (£5.4 billion over three years) of the £30.3bn raised by the Health and Social Care Levy, with the majority of the money going to the NHS. The cap has been reconfigured to be less generous to people with low and moderate assets. Once you have taken off the extra costs that the policy document creates for local authorities, the spending power increase in the Spending Review is only 1.8 per cent at a time when social care costs – especially around workforce – and demand for services are surging.”

(1 Dec 2021) Shock takeover of Virgin Care which runs Sheppey, Sittingbourne, Dartford and Gravesend hospitals December 1 Kent Online report seems to have ben the first to break the news of Virgin Care takeover:
“Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Care, which runs four of Kent's community hospitals, has been taken over. The shock news was broken to stunned staff as they arrived at work this morning.
“The business, which has run the wards at Sheppey Community Hospital, Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital, the Livingstone Hospital in Dartford and Gravesham Community Hospital in Gravesend since 2016, has been rebranded to HCRG Care Group following a takeover by investment company Twenty20 Capital.
“Virgin Care had more than 5,000 staff of which 447 work in north Kent.
“… No money has changed hands in the top secret deal which suggests Sir Richard and the Virgin Group have been forced to write off their £75 million investment in healthcare.
“A Virgin Group spokeswoman confirmed: "Sir Richard Branson publicly committed that Virgin Group would never make a profit over and above its investment in Virgin Care and we stand by this commitment. Importantly, Virgin is not recouping its investment either.”

(30 Nov 2021) For-profit long-term care homes receiving bulk of new bed licenses, report finds Toronto Star, Nov 30 highlighting the major report from the Ontario Health Coalition on the plans that could further entrench for-profit care homes at the centre of Long Term Care in the Province:
“The Ontario Health Coalition has just completed a new report outlining their evaluation of the province’s bed allocation plan for long-term care.
“The province is in the process of awarding 30-year capital funding deals and operational licenses for 30,000 new long-term care beds, and upgrading thousands more outdated long-term care beds.
“For-profit, non-profit and municipal-run organizations providing long-term care can apply for the bed allocations. The Ontario Health Coalition found the majority of the bed licenses in progress, over 16,000, are being awarded to for-profit homes. They found almost 14,000 of the in-progress beds are going to non-profit and municipal homes.
“… The Ontario Health Coalition report says the pandemic illuminated issues of systemic negligence in for-profit long-term care that had been growing for years.”

(29 Nov 2021) Public Money, Private Profit: The Ford Government & the Privatization of the Next Generation of Ontario’s Long-Term Care. New report (Nov 29) by the Ontario Health Coalition warns the Province’s government led by Doug Ford is on the cusp of privatizing an entire new generation of long-term care beds unless public outrage stops them.
The Ontario Health Coalition was joined by families members of loved ones in for-profit long-term care in a press conference today to release the report, and are launching a province-wide virtual tour to issue a call to action.
The public is paying for the homes regardless of who owns them, explains the Coalition, who are calling for them to be built as public, non-profit entities operated in the public interest.
Among the key findings:
• The Ford government is midway through allocating 30,436 beds and 30-year licenses
• The majority of these (16,304) are in process of being allocated to for-profit companies. Of those, 12,084 or three quarters, have gone to 10 large chain companies with terrible records in the pandemic and prior
• The Ford government is giving a minority of the beds to non-profits (10,990) and publicly owned municipal homes (2,918)
Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, said: “Ontario is building 15,000 new beds over 5 years for a total of 46,000 beds. In the next year we will either win them as public and non-profit beds or we will lose them to the for-profits for the next generation.”

(29 Nov 2021) Closures and soaring waiting lists: crunch time for social care services Guardian report Nov 29: “Social care services across England are “rapidly deteriorating”, with waiting lists soaring and councils struggling with care home closures, social services chiefs have warned.
“Long-term waiting lists have almost quadrupled and 1.5m hours of necessary home care were not delivered in the three months to November, amid a deepening staffing crisis going into winter.
“Red lights are flashing right across our dashboard,” said Stephen Chandler, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass), which ran a survey of 85 councils. “Older and disabled people are suffering.”
“Half of councils have had to respond to a care home closure or bankruptcy in the last six months.
“The bleak assessment comes ahead of the government’s social care white paper, scheduled for Tuesday, which is expected to propose a new strategy for pay and career development for care staff amid an exodus of workers, who currently earn on average just over £9 an hour, to higher-paying employers including Amazon.”

(28 Nov 2021) Patient dies while waiting in ambulance for hospital bed Eastern Daily Press report Nov 28:
"A patient had a cardiac arrest and died while waiting in the back of an ambulance for a bed to become free at a hospital's A&E department.
“The patient, thought to be in their 70s, suffered the cardiac arrest around 30 minutes after arriving at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) on Friday night.
“They are the third person in the region in recent weeks to go into cardiac arrest in the back of an ambulance and die while waiting for a hospital bed.
“One woman died while queuing for 90 minutes at Addenbrooke’s Hospital at the end of October. Another patient died earlier that month while their ambulance waited for more than two hours at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston. "

(26 Nov 2021) How criminals are cashing in on Rishi's Covid largesse: Billions in 'emergency loans' to firms with minimal checking Shocking report from This Is Money (Nov 26) on the billions sloshed around with minimal controls while the NHS struggles on with minimal funding:
“The granting of coronavirus loans, though well-intentioned, was so lax as to be an open invitation to fraud and other misuse. Billions of pounds were handed to companies with minimal checking.
“For once, the banks cannot entirely be blamed for this, because they were acting at the behest of the Government which had set out a deliberate policy of abandoning any attempt at stringent scrutiny. Instead, the priority was for firms to receive their cash in double quick time.
“… The ultra-loose regime offered a golden opportunity for fraudsters, whether small-time opportunists or sophisticated organised crime.
“… In total, nearly £48billion of borrowing was approved under the scheme, which is now closed to new applications.”

(26 Nov 2021) Pensioners march wreath to Downing Street as elderly face choice 'between heating and eating' Mirror report Nov 26, reminding us of the health risks of pensioner poverty:
“Pensioners facing fuel poverty in the biting cold of winter marched a super-sized wreath up Downing Street to pressure Boris Johnson into action on energy bills.
“The National Pensioners' Convention warned the Prime Minister that there was a "death penalty awaiting our poorest and most vulnerable this winter" amid spiking inflation and Rishi Sunak's decision to break the pensions triple lock.
“It came as official figures revealed there were 60,000 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in the 2020/2021 winter period - the highest recorded rate since 1969/1970. Campaigners believe that cold homes may have contributed to some of the deaths.
“Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners’ Convention, which helped to organise the protest, said thousands of elderly people will have the grim choice between eating and heating their homes.”

(25 Nov 2021) Labour’s obsessive fear of NHS privatisation blinded it to the real flaws in the Health and Social Care bill Isabel Hardman, assistant editor of Boris Johnson’s old right wing rag the Spectator, uses her column in the Daily Mail-owned i-news (Nov 25) to dismiss any notion that Health & Care Bill leaves room for privatisation – or indeed that the Tories have ever been keen to maximise privatisation:
“This Bill is not about privatisation. It isn’t even secretly about it. The independent health think tanks examining it have made very clear that in many ways it reduces competition in the health service.
“The places for private companies on the ICBs will be chosen by local NHS leaders, will lead to meetings held in public and where decisions are taken that must, according to the legislation, preserve the independence of the NHS. The Nuffield Trust’s analysis asks, not unreasonably, for the evidence that it is “any more likely that a representative of a private provider will succeed in getting more money, rather than the representatives of NHS trusts or GPs?”
“If the Tories really wanted to privatise the NHS, you think they’d have managed it by now. After all, Labour MPs have been making similar accusations about their motives for decades.”

(24 Nov 2021) There’s Still an NHS Left to Save Article in Tribune (Nov 24) by HCT Editor John Lister on the next stage of the fight against the Health and Care Bill.
“The fight over the controversial issues is important, both to expose as widely as possible (and warn a wider public and the NHS staff) what new problems are coming down the line, and to make it absolutely clear that each and every negative consequence that flows from the Bill is down to ministers and the Tory MPs that vote it through, and nobody else.
“Even if some amendments are carried in the Lords, few if any are likely to be accepted by the Commons, and at the end of the process a government with a majority of 80 will get its Bill through.
“Whatever is passed we will have to find ways to fight on to repair and restore our battered NHS—just as we did back in 1991 as John Major’s government broke the NHS into an ‘internal market’ of purchasers and providers, and in 2012 after Andrew Lansley’s wide-ranging and fundamental Health and Social Care Act was forced through by the Tories, propped up only by the spineless Lib Dems.
“… The Bill reorganises the NHS—but it does not fundamentally change the system established in 2012. It does not ‘sell off’ the NHS, although services will still be contracted out, not least where capital investment is required to develop new centres or services.
“The fight goes on, to the Lords—and beyond. There’s still a lot of NHS to defend—and too much to lose.”

(24 Nov 2021) ‘My last lunch break was five months ago’: An ambulance service on the brink of collapse Counterfire Nov 24 interview with a paramedic in the London Ambulance Service, who asked to remain anonymous, about the crisis in the ambulance service and hospitals
“It is at breaking point. We are getting to the stage that we are unable to unload patients. At Whipps Cross the other day, for example, there was a three-hour waiting time before we could get patients out of the ambulance. …
“We had an eighty-year-old in an ambulance for two hours the other day, for example, and earlier an eight-year-old with chronic chest pains. Both were desperate for help and panicking that they weren’t getting it.
“Queen’s Romford is in meltdown. Virtually every day it’s an hour or more wait. At Queen’s they are getting staff to go in on overtime to wait with patients in the corridor, which can take hours. The corridor is not the place to be treated.
“In so far as there is one, management’s response is to shuffle people to different hospitals. This takes up even more ambulance time. The result is at certain points they will literally not have ambulances to send out to anyone. …”

(24 Nov 2021) Dismissing unwell people to argue for pandemic freedoms is abhorrent and unrealistic NHS consultant David Oliver in BMJ blog Nov 24:
“On 12 November the Daily Telegraph headlined with “Six healthy children died of covid in a year, but lockdowns fuel youth health time bomb.” It explained that, of 3100 child deaths in the 12 months since March 2020, only 61 were “with covid,” 24 were “from covid,” and six were in children with no underlying health conditions. The Daily Mail ran a similar piece, emphasising that mortality from covid in children had been around one in 500 000.
“… the headlines and graphics were clearly designed to push a message that our focus on covid protection measures had been disproportionate and unjustified for a condition unlikely to harm otherwise healthy children. It didn’t mention the role of children as unwitting spreaders of infection.
“The casual dismissal of people with underlying health conditions repeated a chilling pattern I’ve observed throughout the pandemic …
“… The reason I find all of this so problematic is the utter disregard for the rights or human value of older people, people with disabilities, or those with underlying conditions—not least in ethnic minority groups or deprived areas, given that inequalities played a huge part in poor covid outcomes. …
“Statistical analyses have shown that covid takes, on average, a decade off the life expectancy of the people who die. Most people who die from or with respiratory infectious diseases have underlying long term conditions, covid or otherwise. Are we going to write all of them off too, on the altar of individual freedoms?”

(24 Nov 2021) Small family run furniture firm's profits rocketed 4,700 PER CENT after shamed ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock personally recommended them for a PPE contract worth £29million Mail Online report Nov 24:
“The profits of a small family furniture business in Nottingham rocketed by an astonishing 4,700 per cent after disgraced former Health Secretary Matt Hancock helped it land a £29m government contract for PPE at the height of the pandemic, MailOnline has learned.
“Monarch Acoustics Ltd, owned and run by husband-and-wife team Stuart and Sophie Hopkin, was given the £28.8m contract to supply surgical gowns after being referred to the fast-track 'VIP lane' by Mr Hancock in May 2020.
“The effect on the company's finances were dramatic, according to its accounts.
“Turnover leapt from £9.8m in 2019 to £38m in 2020, and pre-tax profits ballooned from just £267,000 to a hefty £12.6m over the same period. At the end of the 2019 financial year the firm, which has only 80 employees, had just £41,000 in the bank, yet a year later that figure had grown to a cool £10.2 million.”

(23 Nov 2021) Government misses opportunity to protect patient care as it disregards RCN-backed amendments to the Health and Care Bill, despite broad support. RCN (November 23) on key amendments to Health & care Bill that were rejected by Tory votes:
“Among the key amendments, RCN members supported embedding accountability for workforce planning and supply with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to ensure that severe staff shortages – a patient safety issue – are resolved and addressed sustainably. This is important to ensure that such a significant shortage never develops again in the future.
“The RCN, in coalition with over 50 organisations, also supported an amendment tabled by former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that would require the Secretary of State to carry out and publish an assessment of current workforce as well as current and future workforce requirements in health and social care. This would ensure that the gap is clear and transparent.
“The government rejected the cross-party consensus on the need to tackle the workforce crisis in legislation, by voting down Jeremy Hunt's amendment.
“Patricia Marquis, RCN England Director, said: “A broad coalition of professional, political and public support has been overlooked by a government still unwilling to solve the staffing crisis in the NHS and care system. There is widespread disappointment and disbelief this evening. When vacancy levels are so high, the move is short-sighted at best and wilfully reckless at worst.”

(23 Nov 2021) Care cap 'con' on poorest passes but Boris Johnson suffers Tory revolt Mirror report Nov 23:
“Boris Johnson suffered a Tory rebellion over cruel plans which mean many of England's poorest pensioners pay more for social care. MPs voted the "con" reform by 272 votes to 246 - a majority of just 26 - in a move that will leave poorer homeowners in the North worse off.
“Only minutes before the vote, some Tories were quaffing champagne with millionaire donors, who paid up to £15,000 for a table at the party's winter fundraising ball in London.
“Ministers were given strict instructions by whips to dash back to Westminster in plenty of time amid fears the revolt could be worse than expected. The division list showed 19 Conservative MPs rebelled against the social care changes and a further 69 Tory MPs abstained.
“The architect of the care cap, Sir Andrew Dilnot, said the change will leave some poorer pensioners facing "catastrophic" costs.”

(23 Nov 2021) The King's Fund responds to the social care cap change vote Sally Warren, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund “Nov 23) with surprisingly forthright condemnation of Tory so-called reform of social care:

“The change to the social care cap is a regressive step that will leave people with low levels of wealth still exposed to very high care costs.

“It is likely to mean that some people with moderate assets living in poorer areas will still be forced to sell their home to pay for their care, while wealthier people from richer parts of the country will be protected from this.

“This change was sprung upon MPs with very little notice and with no impact assessment made available. It is not the end of the story though – the Health and Care Bill will now pass to the House of Lords for peers to consider the implications of this regressive policy shift.
“… People with low and moderate levels of wealth may well wonder why the Prime Minister’s promise that no one need sell their house to pay for care will benefit wealthier people but doesn’t seem to apply to them.’

(23 Nov 2021) Washington Mental Health Workers Win Safety Strike US Labor Notes (Nov 23) with an interesting story of a successful and legal strike on safety issues against a mental health unit owned by Acadia – former owners of the Priory group of hospitals in the UK:
“Nurses and mental health techs at a Tukwila, Washington, facility have won their safety strike after three and a half months on the picket line.
“Under the settlement, management agreed to staff three security guards for the day shift and two for nights, as well as to restore fired workers to their positions. The contract, which covers 220 workers, also includes 5 percent annual raises over its three-year term, plus a $5,000 bonus.
“And it establishes staff-to-patient ratios that the union says set a new national standard for behavioral health.
“When a patient attacked staff at for-profit Cascade Behavioral Health Center on August 1, injuring 11, it was the last straw for many. Staffers started calling out of work en masse, demanding that Cascade hire four security guards 24/7. Cascade quickly responded by charging the workers and their union, Service Employees (SEIU) Healthcare 1199NW, with an illegal wildcat strike, since the union hadn’t given the required 10-day notice. It sent termination letters to a couple dozen strikers.
“… By late October, 1199NW got word that the National Labor Relations Board had found no merit to Cascade’s claims that it was an illegal strike. In doing so, it condoned what 1199NW says may be the first instance of a safety strike in health care.”

(23 Nov 2021) The NHS is facing its hardest winter ever - but the Tories are still bent on destroying it Polly Toynbee in the Guardian Nov 23 commenting on the Health and Care Bill:
“Regardless of the vote on how much people will pay for the government’s social care reforms, Boris Johnson has never had a plan to rescue England’s stricken social care system itself. After this vote, not a penny extra will be put towards helping the 2,000 frail people whose requests for care are refused every day. Nor is there any strategy to integrate social care with the NHS. That great opportunity has been blown away.
“Indeed, the health and social care bill stumbling through the Commons this week seems curiously irrelevant to the oncoming NHS crisis. With the whole system sinking fast, the bill puts the health service through yet another re-disorganisation, while social care slides into collapse. Deckchair-shifting on the Titanic comes to mind.
… “Nor is there any plan to restore the 24% that has been cut from the public health budget since 2015-16, which reduces the number of people getting ill in the first place.”

(22 Nov 2021) UK minister refuses to rule out people having to sell homes to fund care Guardian report Nov 22:
“The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) caused alarm on Thursday when it revealed it would calculate the £86,000 cap on lifetime care costs in a way that could leave tens of thousands of England’s poorest pensioners paying the same as wealthier people.
“… Pressed on whether some people would have to sell their homes to pay for care, despite Boris Johnson’s pledge that his policy meant they would not, the business minister Paul Scully told Sky News: “There will be fewer people selling their houses and hopefully none.”
“He continued: “I can’t tell you what individuals are going to do. What I’m saying is the social care solution is all about getting a cap above which you do not need to pay – that gives people certainty.”
“Asked again whether some people receiving care may have to sell up under the proposals, he said: “It will depend on different circumstances.”

(22 Nov 2021) World must bolster WHO and agree pandemic treaty, expert panel says Reuters report, Nov 22:
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) must be strengthened with more funding and greater ability to investigate pandemics through a new treaty, an independent panel said on Monday, ahead of a conference of health ministers next week.
“Efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic have been uneven and fragmented, marked by limited access to vaccines in low-income countries while the "healthy and wealthy" in rich countries get boosters, the high-level experts said in their latest review.
“The panel co-chairs, former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, reiterated a call for urgent reforms. These included new financing of at least $10 billion a year for pandemic preparedness, and negotiations on a global pandemic treaty.
“In May, the panel evaluated how the WHO and member countries had handled the pandemic, and said a new global response system should be set up to ensure that no future virus can cause a pandemic as devastating.
"There is progress, but it is not fast or cohesive enough to bring this pandemic to an end across the globe in the near term, or to prevent another," the panel said in the report.”

(20 Nov 2021) Boris Johnson told: dump plan for social care charges or face Tory rebellion Guardian Nov 20:
“Senior Conservatives on Saturday urged Boris Johnson to ditch plans that would see many of England’s poorest pensioners paying more for their social care – or risk being forced by his own MPs into a humiliating U-turn.
“The prime minister, still reeling from sleaze allegations and fury among “red wall” MPs over scaled-back rail investment in the north, is facing another potentially damaging Commons rebellion at the hands of an increasingly mutinous party.
“The Observer has learned that several northern Tory MPs took part in an emergency call set up by care minister Gillian Keegan on Friday afternoon, during which she was said to have been “monstered” by backbenchers complaining that the plans were unfair and had not been fully explained or thought through.”

(19 Nov 2021) Buffalo Hospital Workers Beat Concessions, Win on Staffing US Labor Notes Nov 19 with an important story of a successful strike over safe staffing:
“After five weeks on strike, 2,000 Buffalo hospital workers returned to work November 10 with what they are calling a “landmark” agreement on their top demand: safe staffing ratios.
“The four-year contract sets staff-to-patient ratios for most positions—including nurses, nursing assistants, clerical staff, and X-ray techs—taking full effect by the beginning of 2023. Nurses in critical care units will be staffed at 1:1 or 1:2, depending on the severity of the patient’s condition, with ancillary staff at 1:5. Medical/surgical unit ratios will be 1:4.
“Workers will get bonus pay of $6 to $10 an hour for picking up additional shifts to help meet these ratios—and an additional penalty on top of the bonus if the hospital fails to meet them.”

(19 Nov 2021) Boris Johnson's vow to build 40 new hospitals branded 'unachievable' after HS2 U-turn Mirror report Nov 19:
“Boris Johnson’s vow to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 has been judged “unachievable” by a government watchdog.
“The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has given it a “red” rating. It means there are “major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which... do not appear to be manageable or resolvable”.
“The manifesto pledge has long been ridiculed because most of the schemes are refurbishments or the addition of extra units, rather than new hospitals, and many were planned long before the promise was made in 2019.
“Now a report leaked to the Health Service Journal suggests it may be yet another promise the Prime Minister breaks.”

(19 Nov 2021) Vulnerable children ‘damaged’ by government spending cuts Independent report Nov 19:
“A lack funding and cuts to early years and youth support services by local councils is leaving children at risk of “serious harm” a report by the House of Lords Public Service Committee has found.
“Spending on these vital services has fallen more in areas where the poorest children live, compared to those in wealthier areas.
“In places such as Walsall, which has some of the highest poverty levels in the country, spending decreased by 80 per cent between 2010 and 2019, while areas such as Surrey only saw a 10 per cent drop.
“It warned the government’s recent spending pledge of £494 million for early year services will not be enough to repair the “creaking public services infrastructure of children’s services”, following cuts equalling £1.7 billion a year for the last decade.”

(19 Nov 2021) Sajid Javid under pressure over share options in US health tech firm Guardian report Nov 19:
“The health secretary, Sajid Javid, is facing questions over share options he continues to hold in the hi-tech US company he worked for until rejoining the cabinet in June – and which operates in the healthcare sector.
“Javid was paid the equivalent of £150,000 a year by C3.ai, a California firm specialising in artificial intelligence (AI), from October last year until he was given the job of health secretary.
“As part of his remuneration package, he was also given “an option for 666.7 shares per month”. According to the health secretary’s current entry in the register of MPs’ interests, he continues to hold these options, which he reports have a market value of approximately £45,000.”

(18 Nov 2021) Dear Rishi … Letter to Rishi Sunak (Nov 18) from Treasury Committee Chair Mel Stride MP, asking for the basic information that should be produced to justify the abrupt introduction of the regressive “cap” on social care costs:
“The House is expected to take report stage of the Health and Care Bill on Monday and Tuesday next week, and that is likely to entail a decision by the House on amendments to the Care Act 2014 to implement the reforms announced yesterday.
“Given the potential impact on household assets against the original announcement in September, I would therefore ask that the Treasury (in cooperation with other departments) provide distributional and costings analyses of the impact of these reforms against a base case with no change to the Care Act 2014 but implementation of the other reforms.
“The distributional analysis should consider the impact by household and individual income and wealth. Any information on the impact by region would also be welcome.
“The Committee would also welcome an indication of the expectations of the number of people who may still have to sell their primary residence to fund their care, both before and after any change to the Care Act 2014, and also an indication of the number of households whose housing wealth is potentially at risk as a result of the changes proposed to the Care Act 2014.”

(18 Nov 2021) New report reveals shocking number of excess deaths caused by crowding in Emergency Departments last year A new report (Nov 18) by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine ‘Crowding and its Consequences’ has found that at least 4,519 patients have died as a result of crowding and 12 hour stays in Emergency Departments in England in 2020-2021.
“The new report investigates the extent of harm that crowding causes and applies NHSE’s own findings from the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) program which found that one in 67 patients staying in the Emergency Department for 12 hours come to excess harm.
Dr Adrian Boyle, Vice President (Policy) of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:
“October 2021 saw an unimaginable 7,059 12-hour stays from decision to admit, the highest number ever recorded, 40% higher than September 2021 which was the previous highest on record.
“The number of 12-hour stays has risen drastically for six months and is very likely to rise again in coming months. The picture is more bleak as Hospital Episodic Statistics show that 12-hour stays from time of arrival are 21 times higher than 12-hour DTA stays. We now know that at least one in 67 of these patients are coming to avoidable harm. It is appalling.”

(18 Nov 2021) Watchdog says new hospital building programme is ‘unachievable’ Report in (£) HSJ Nov 18, later picked up by national press:
“According to sources, the New Hospitals Programme – which was created to deliver the key manifesto pledge – has been downgraded to a “red” rating by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority following a review of the programme and its leadership.
“A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said it was “usual for there to be areas for development at this early stage of the programme”.
“HSJ understands that the IPA has carried out two reviews of NHP in the last six months, with the latest review – completed in July – resulting in the “red” rating. The previous published rating for the programme was in March this year, when the IPA gave an “amber/red” rating.
“According to the IPA’s annual report for 2020-21, an “amber/red” rating means the successful delivery of the project is “in doubt”, while a “red” rating means it “appears to be unachievable”.”

(18 Nov 2021) Covid patient died in hospital side room after breathing tube disconnected and calls for help went unanswered Independent report Nov 18:
“A pensioner died alone in a hospital side room after his breathing tube became detached and his appeals for help went unanswered.
“… The married father of six was given oxygen but levels of the gas in his blood repeatedly dropped below correct levels, so medics attached a breathing machine called a CPAP. The device produces positive pressure through a tube and mask, but is non-invasive.
He was placed in a side room off a ward because the CPAP process can pump respiratory particles into the air, …
“However, at about 8pm on his second day in hospital, Terry used his call bell to ask for help. In its report, the HSIB said: “The ward was extremely busy at this time because of a staff shortage, coupled with competing clinical priorities and a new patient arriving on the ward with more admissions expected.
… “The CPAP machine and other alarms, which would normally alert staff to a potential problem, could not be heard outside of the side room.”
“Terry’s breathing tube had become disconnected, though his mask was still on. He could not be resuscitated. At the time nurses on Terry’s ward had been treating 10 patients each, the investigation found.”

(18 Nov 2021) Social care architect ‘very disappointed’ and ‘uncomfortable’ with government changes to cost cap Independent report Nov 18:
“A leading architect of the government’s social care reforms said he is “very disappointed” and “uncomfortable” with watered-down proposals for the social care cap that hit less affluent households.
“Sir Andrew Dilnot told MPs that changes to the Social Care Act, due to be voted on next week, would mean the poorest households in the country will not actually benefit from the cap.
“He told the House of Commons treasury committee on Thursday that the changes will mean pensioners “will be much less protected against catastrophic risk.”
“A very large proportion of the population needing care will find itself materially less protected by the proposals the government has announced then they would’ve been,” he said.”

(17 Nov 2021) Crisis Point Front page lead from Health Campaigns Together November news Bulletin argues:
“The situation in the NHS was bad and worsening before Covid.
“But during 2020 hospitals lost around 15% of vital front-line capacity, and Covid-19 is still causing chaos, with 7,000+ Covid patients in English hospitals (Nov 5), and thousands more beds still left closed or empty.
“Capacity is further reduced by chronic staff shortages, with over 94,000 vacancies, 77,000 sickness absences at the last count and NO serious workforce strategy.
“Too many NHS hospitals are literally falling down, or struggling on with clapped out kit and dilapidated buildings – with the backlog maintenance bill now £9.2 billion – and no money to invest in reopening closed or unused beds.
“The danger is that delays, failures and gaps in care will mean growing numbers of patients and the wider public lose confidence in the NHS.
“… Twelve years brutal austerity policies require BIG spending now to repair and restore the NHS.
“The NHS can’t live off empty rhetoric about “record spending” and empty promises of “40 new hospitals by 2030” … any more than health workers could live off the applause they received in place of a pay increase.
“Campaigners urgently need to focus on the bigger picture here: the NHS itself is under threat, and while money alone is not enough, none of the problems can be solved without more cash and capital in the pot to rebuild, repair and reopen our NHS, and recruit, train and retain the staff we need.”

(17 Nov 2021) Health Education England to be merged into NHSE (£) HSJ report Nov 17:
Health Education England is to be incorporated into NHS England by April 2023, HSJ has learned. The decision … marks the climax of a long-running battle over HEE’s budget between the organisation and the Treasury.
A number of senior sources have confirmed the funding settlement HEE was arguing for was considered unaffordable, leading to the effective end of the independent education body.
A week before the spending review, NHSE medical director Steve Powis had warned it was “absolutely critical” HEE received a settlement which would enable it to increase staff supply.
Responding to the news King’s Fund chief executive Richard Murray said: “While there is logic to it, this move alone will not address staff shortages in the NHS. The workforce crisis has become a blind spot for the government which has made promises, pledges and manifesto commitments, but failed to back the fully funded workforce strategy needed to chart a path out of the staffing crisis.”

(17 Nov 2021) Analysis: Once again the vulnerable will suffer most from the Tories’ social care plans Detailed analysis (Nov 17) by Independent’s Shaun Lintern begins:
“The Conservatives still have deep scars from Theresa May’s disastrous attempt to implement what was dubbed a ‘dementia tax’, which contributed to the woeful 2017 election result that ultimately left her in office but without power.
“Legislation was passed following the landmark report by Sir Andrew Dilnot in 2011, but politics again scuppered the plans in 2015 despite the Care Act legislation being passed into law.
“Now the details of Boris Johnson’s plan for a lifetime cost cap of £86,000 – in effect, the maximum anyone will be expected to pay directly towards their care – are drawing criticism.
“Under the fine print of the scheme, quietly published on Wednesday, only the amount that individuals directly contribute to their social care costs will count towards the cap.”

(16 Nov 2021) Deceased NHS staff called on to do their part Amusing send-up by Julian Patterson in the HSJ Nov 16 should raise at least a smile from all but the dullest campaigners:
“The government is considering bringing back staff who have died to prevent the health service from collapsing in the wake of the pandemic.
“… Trade union leaders expressed concerns that the recently dead would be open to exploitation by unscrupulous employers who would exploit loopholes in the law to avoid paying them a living wage.
"Human rights groups called for equality and diversity laws to be amended to make death a protected characteristic like sexual orientation or religious belief.
“A spokesman for the public sector trade union Unite accused the government of using a dead workforce to further erode employment rights. Dead workers were potentially cheaper to employ, never took time off sick and would not need benefits such as health insurance. “This is just the thin end of the wedge. How long will it be before the dead are being used not just in management but in skilled roles too?” a spokesperson said.”

(16 Nov 2021) LEAKED: The Conservative politicians who referred companies to the PPE ‘VIP lane’ Excellent new information from the Good Law Project, Nov 16 as the Tory sleaze and corruption stories just run and run:
“A leaked document has revealed which Conservative MPs and Peers funnelled companies through a ‘VIP lane’ for lucrative PPE contracts, without competition. A staggering £1.6 billion worth of contracts were awarded as a result of referrals from just ten politicians at the heart of the Conservative party. The leaked list of the 47 companies in the VIP lane, first seen by Politico, can be found here.
“Michael Gove MP, Matt Hancock MP, Esther McVey MP, and Steve Brine MP are among the Conservative politicians who referred companies to the VIP lane. Those lucky enough to receive this VIP treatment were more than ten times more likely to win a contract than companies that went without.
Government claimed that the VIP lane for PPE contracts “was widely advertised across Government as a way of more quickly triaging offers of support”.
“But the explosive list of companies in the ‘VIP lane’ shows that no other political party successfully referred companies via this fast-tracked route.
“Some of the VIP lane companies have close links with Conservative party politicians. Take PPE Medpro. The company was founded by the former business associate of Conservative Peer Baroness Mone. It won two huge contracts, worth £200 million, just weeks after it was set up.”

(16 Nov 2021) Ex-Conservative chair helped multiple firms get UK PPE contracts Politico Nov 16 with a new list of all 47 firms that won PPE contracts via the “fast track” system for Tory donors and cronies:
“A former chair of the Conservative party helped secure lucrative protective equipment contracts for multiple companies during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Andrew Feldman — a peer who used to play tennis with former Prime Minister David Cameron and was drafted into the health department as Britain fought the virus — recommended contracts for three successful firms.
“It has been reported before that Feldman helped secure work for Bunzl Healthcare, a client of his lobbying firm Tulchan. It can now be revealed he also helped three other companies win contracts worth tens of millions of pounds.
“The revelations are contained in the full list of 47 firms that won contracts via the U.K. government's VIP fast-track system that sped up procurement for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the early stages of the pandemic, which POLITICO publishes in full today.”

(16 Nov 2021) Owen Paterson case: Randox won test deal despite lack of equipment (£) Sunday Times Nov 7 with more on the corruption story of the day:
“Randox, the diagnostics company that paid Owen Paterson as a lobbyist, won a £133 million Covid-19 testing contract days before government officials concluded that it did not have enough equipment, documents show.
“Paterson, 65, the Conservative MP who resigned last week, was found to have committed “egregious” breaches of lobbying rules in his work for Randox and Lynn’s Country Foods between November 2016 and February last year, just before the pandemic.
“However, questions remain about how Randox has been able to secure Covid-19 contracts worth roughly half a billion pounds, many awarded without tender, over the past year and a half.”

(16 Nov 2021) STATE OF THE PROVIDER SECTOR 2021: SURVEY FINDINGS NHS Providers (Nov 16) with results of their survey showing the dire state of the NHS after 12 years of under-funding.
• A large majority (87%) of trust leaders said they were extremely concerned about the impact of seasonal pressures over winter on their trust and local area.
• … Trust leaders highlighted … workforce shortages as one of the biggest risks to services over winter. Almost all (94%) trust leaders were extremely or moderately concerned about the current level of burnout across their workforce.
• 84% of trust leaders were very worried or worried about their trust having the capacity to meet demand for services.
• Just over half (51%) of trust leaders rated the current quality of healthcare provided by their local area as very high or high.
It’s conspicuous that well under half (43%) of trust leaders were confident or very confident that plans to embed system working, via statutory Integrated Care Systems, will support better collaboration between local partners and improve mutual aid. Just 41% were at all ‘confident’ that these plans will support better outcomes for patients.

(15 Nov 2021) Stop the Centene Take-Over of our GP Surgeries Stage 2 of the crowd-funding appeal to stop GP practices being taken over by the American corporation - Centene.
“In early 2021, Centene (through its UK company Operose Health Ltd) took over dozens of GP surgeries in London through the takeover of GP company AT MEDICS. This takeover now means that they are controlling the services for over 375,000 NHS patients - it is still unclear if any of them were told or consulted about the take-over. …
“The legal team think we will be taking our case to the High Court in January or February 2022. That is why we are asking for donations now to show the courts we are prepared.
“We need to raise an additional £30,000 to cover the 'capped costs' …
“Any additional funds will go towards the costs of extra court fees, solicitors and barristers who have already been working hard with us and are working on a very reduced fee.”

(15 Nov 2021) Mental health patient made to sleep overnight on hospital floor: ‘Animals are treated better’ Independent Nov 15 with a glimpse of the pressures on mental health care as patient is transferred from one hospital without an empty bed to another that also lacks beds:
“A patient suffering a mental health crisis was made to sleep overnight on the floor of an NHS hospital because it had no spare beds, The Independent has learned.
“On Sunday, Mr Ben Ashcroft was given a mattress on the floor at Barnsley Hospital where he had been admitted after waiting for 36 hours at a different mental health hospital.
“He described the situation as being “treated like a prisoner”, adding: “An animal is treated better than this. I’m poorly and you think this acceptable to put me in room like this. This all I have in room. Rather be in prison.”
“Mr Ashcroft was detained, earlier in the week, under the Mental Health Act at Calderdale Royal Hospital, in West Yorkshire. But this hospital had no beds available and transferred him to another site in Barnsley where he was taken to a room with just a mattress.”

(15 Nov 2021) How the UK sleepwalked into another Covid disaster Long read New Statesman article by Dominic Minghella concludes:
"If the story of the Johnson government’s back-to-school programme of autumn 2021 is strange, it is because we live in a period of data-denying, logic-defying, belief-beggaring inversion. Not for the first time, and not just in the arena of coronavirus, our current leaders have courted disaster and rejected mitigations. No surprise, then, that what they continue to deliver is – literally – unmitigated disaster.
"And winter, as they say, is coming."

(14 Nov 2021) Staffing agencies triple rates as care homes and NHS fight over nurses Guardian Nov 14 on the grimly predictable face of the private sector, which has never viewed itself as a "partner" of health or care, least of all at points of crisis:
“Nursing shortages are allowing “profiteering” staffing agencies to triple their rates, care leaders have warned, raising the risk of vulnerable patients being forced to move care homes and increasing the burden on the NHS.
“The crisis is forcing some nursing homes to become standard residential care homes without support for people with chronic diseases.
“The shortage also makes it harder for NHS hospitals to discharge patients. Some hospitals have redeployed their own staff into nursing homes to free beds in hospitals. In other places, NHS trusts are competing for staff with care providers.”

(14 Nov 2021) Ambulance delays outside hospitals are harming 160,000 patients, leaked report warns Independent Nov 14: we knew it was bad -- here's more proof.
“Tens of thousands of sick patients are being harmed as a result of ambulance delays outside hospitals, a report leaked to The Independent has warned.
“The study, carried out for ambulance service chiefs, estimates there could be as many as 160,000 patients experiencing harm every year in England as a result of being stuck in the back of ambulances.
“As many as 12,000 patients, or one in 10, could be suffering severe harm, such as a cardiac arrest, loss of a limb or brain damage.
“The damning report, by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) included examples of severely ill patients not being treated properly, being forced to go to the toilet in ambulances, and being denied food and drink, as well as antibiotics and fluids.”

(13 Nov 2021) Paramedics fear 'patients will be treated in ambulances outside hospitals' if queues at A&E continue to grow Manchester Evening News Nov 13:
“Paramedics have shared their fears that patients may have to be ‘treated in ambulances’ outside A&E departments if huge pressures on the system continue.
“NHS workers on the frontline have been warning for months that the service is under strain due to a combination of factors including a waning workforce, Covid, respiratory infections, a backlog of patients and a build-up of health problems through lockdowns.
“Last month, the Manchester Evening News told of reports from one paramedic that hospital staff were already treating ambulances as 'an extension of their department', with patient blood tests and assessments taking place on vehicle gurneys.
“But frontline staff are concerned this will be taken even further - with more advanced treatments administered outside department doors. "It's shocking. We are at maximum peak for queuing, patients are already being treated in corridors," said the paramedic, who asked not to be named.”

(12 Nov 2021) GPs dispute Javid’s claim lack of appointments is overloading A&Es Guardian Nov 12:
“Family doctors have reopened their bitter dispute with the government by accusing Sajid Javid of misleading MPs and the public by blaming overloaded A&Es on a lack of GP appointments.
“The Royal College of GPs has told the health secretary in a strongly worded letter that there is no basis for the claim, which he made to MPs last week and which was widely covered by the media.
“In it Prof Martin Marshall, the college’s chair, said that its 54,000 members “are dismayed and disappointed at the media coverage of your evidence session, which suggested that the lack of face-to-face GP appointments was placing additional strain on accident and emergency departments”.
“He disputed Javid’s claim that there is evidence which links the issues.”

(11 Nov 2021) Pressures in general practice very useful statistics on GP services and staffing from the BMA, notably:
“The overall number of GPs has seen little growth since 2015, with the number of GP partners significantly declining over that time.
“In February 2020, in a bid to reverse the stasis in GP workforce numbers, the Government announced a drive to recruit an additional 6,000 GPs by 2024. That’s a commitment of 1,200 - 1,500 extra doctors in general practice per financial year by the end of 2024.
“Yet despite these promises, as of September 2021 (latest data) we actually now have the equivalent of 1,704 fewer fully qualified full-time GPs compared to 2015.
“Over the last year alone, between September 2020 and September 2021, the number of GP partners reduced by 913 doctors, while the number of salaried and locum GPs increased by 759. This means that the number of fully qualified GPs by headcount actually decreased by 154 over the last twelve months.”

(11 Nov 2021) ‘It’s awful’: what it’s like to work a 12-hour ambulance shift in England Guardian Nov 11:
“One senior paramedic working part-time in England explains what it is like working a 12-hour shift in an ambulance.
“Things were OK up until about three months ago. I don’t know what exactly happened, but suddenly waiting times in getting patients admitted to hospital exploded. I think one reason was that social distancing guidelines were introduced in [our local] hospital, so the capacity of patients that could be in A&E at any given time was dramatically reduced. And there is much less care happening in the community now, so there are often no beds.
“I work 12-hour shifts. On my last shift, I only saw two patients because of waiting times. Normally, I see six or seven.”

(11 Nov 2021) NHS waiting list at record high as 5.8 million still waiting for treatment Independent Nov 11 reporting unmistakeable signs of crisis:
“More than 5.8 million patients were waiting for routine surgery by the NHS in England by the end of September, new data has revealed.
“This is the highest figure since August 2007 and comes as hospital leaders have warned the health service is at “breaking point”.
“Ambulance services answered 82,000 emergency 999 calls in October, which was more then any other month on record, while response times have skyrocketed.
“The average response time for category two patients who needed emergency, but not life threatening, care such as strokes, was nearly 54 minutes - the longest average waiting time since records began in 2017.
“Response times for urgent calls - such as late stages of labour, non-severe burns and diabetes - averaged three hours, nine minutes and 58 seconds. This is up from two hours, 35 minutes and 45 seconds in September, and again is the longest average since current records began.”

(10 Nov 2021) Whipps Cross development 'stalled by national uncertainty over funding', says trust chair Ilford Recorder Nov 10 with a story of paralysis that has been reported repeatedly in the Lowdown and Health Campaigns Together: even the 'priority' schemes out of Johnson's "fake forty" new hospital plans have no idea how much they can spend or whether their existing plans will have to be junked:
"“Delays in deciding how much can be spent to rebuild Whipps Cross are stalling the project, according to a local NHS leader.
“The board for Barts Health, which runs the hospital, heard last week the government had not yet reviewed the rebuild’s business case or decided how much funding it would provide.
“As a result, the trust is currently unable to choose a construction company, its new trust chair Jacqui Smith said.
“This is despite the fact that Waltham Forest Council expects to debate the planning application for the project as soon as November 24.”

(10 Nov 2021) NHS is at breaking point and putting patients at high risk, bosses warn Guardian November 10 with NHS Confederation’s admission that the NHS is deep in its biggest-ever crisis:
“Patient safety in the NHS in England is being put at “unacceptably high” risk, with severe staff shortages leaving hospitals, GP surgeries and A&E units struggling to cope with soaring demand, health chiefs have warned.
“… Nine in 10 NHS chief executives, chairs and directors have reported this week that the pressures on their organisation have become unsustainable. The same proportion is sounding “alarm bells” over staffing, with the lack of doctors, nurses and other health workers putting lives of patients at risk.
“Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has come under fire for recently claiming, at a No 10 press conference, that he did not believe the pressure on the NHS was unsustainable.
“But the survey of 451 NHS leaders in England finds the health service already at “tipping point”. The results of the poll, conducted by the NHS Confederation, which represents the healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, show that 88% of the leaders think the demands on their organisation are unsustainable, and 87% believe a lack of staffing in the NHS as a whole is putting patient safety and care at risk.”

(10 Nov 2021) Leak reveals ‘40 new hospitals’ cash must cover rising costs of existing schemes HSJ Nov 10 on yet further doubts how many, if any of the "fake forty" promised new hospitals will be built:
“Spiralling costs at delayed NHS construction projects will reduce available funding for new “hospitals” promised by the government, HSJ has learned.
“In a letter to NHS trusts, leaked to HSJ, New Hospitals Programme chief Natalie Forrest said a team has been set up to “review” costs of eight building projects, most of which had funding approved prior to the government’s “40 new hospital” promise in 2019.
“These eight projects were incorporated into New Hospitals Programme last year, taking the total number of schemes promised by the government within 2030 to 48.
“However, in the letter to trusts, Ms Forrest said “any increase in the cost” of these eight projects will “reduce the funding for the remainder of the NHP schemes” because they will all now be funded from the same pot. The government has so far committed £3.7bn up to 2025, of which £600m is expected to be spent in 2021-22, according to the 2020 Spending Review.”

(10 Nov 2021) NHS to lose tens of thousands of staff over mandatory Covid vaccines Independent Nov 10:
“…A government analysis has predicted 73,000 NHS workers, and 35,000 care workers, will not have had their Covid-19 jab by the time mandatory vaccines come into force on 1 April next year.
“It has warned, ‘any reduction in the numbers of health and social care staff may lead to reduced or delayed services. The health system is currently stretched with an elective waiting list of 5.72 million and high levels of vacancies.’
‘If a proportion of staff decides to leave the NHS, this would put pressure on NHS services.’
“Official estimates show it may cost the NHS £185 million to replace the healthcare workers lost as a result of the policy, while replacing care workers could cost £86 million.”

(9 Nov 2021) Helen Salisbury: What do GPs do all day? GP Helen Salisbury’s BMJ blog Nov 9 with common sense on why GPs are under pressure:
“… One of the most depressing aspects of the recent GP bashing in the national press is criticism of the “part time” nature of many GPs’ work. It’s been pointed out that a nurse who puts in three 12 hour shifts is regarded as a dedicated hero/heroine, whereas a GP who does the same is regarded as a part timer who’s somehow failing to pay back the nation’s investment in her training. And yes, it’s nearly always women who are the subject of these complaints.
“A major problem is the invisibility of much of our work, even within the surgery. The publicly visible parts—the face-to-face or telephone appointments—may be timetabled as surgeries lasting three or four hours. Some of us aren’t very good at running to time, but even when we’ve closed the door or hung up the phone there are prescriptions, laboratory results, hospital letters, referrals, emails, e-consults, and home visits waiting for us, which take many more hours.
“With good organisation and enough support staff some tasks can be delegated, but many still require a decision by a doctor. The colleagues we’ve recently welcomed to help us—physiotherapists, pharmacists, and paramedics—all need training and supervision as they adapt to the world of primary care.
“We may be teachers, researchers, specialists, or leaders, but we’re still GPs, and we need to count (and be proud of) all of our work that’s material to that role.”

(9 Nov 2021) Serious mistakes hidden by scandal-hit maternity trust Independent Nov 9
“A new inquiry into poor maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, one of the largest in England, has now started its work and it will investigate how mistakes were incorrectly downgraded in a way that meant the trust avoided scrutiny.
“This is thought to include baby deaths, stillbirths and children suffering brain damage during birth.
“It meant incidents were not reported to NHS England or local health bosses and gave the impression there were fewer mistakes happening on the trust’s maternity wards compared to other hospitals.
“The new inquiry comes after an investigation by The Independent and Channel 4 News earlier this year, which revealed dozens of babies had died or suffered brain damage at the trust over the past 10 years, with families accusing the hospital of covering up what happened to them.”

(9 Nov 2021) NHS chief warns ‘stretched’ staff face most challenging winter ever Independent Nov 9:
“The head of the NHS in England has warned NHS staff will be “stretched” during what she predicted would be an “unprecedented” winter. Amanda Pritchard said the next 100 days will be “significantly” challenging for the NHS and said she recognised “how difficult winter is going to be”.
“Her comments come after The Independent revealed patients are dying while waiting for paramedics, following a collapse in ambulance response times which has seen a spike in serious incidents across all NHS ambulance trusts.
“Ms Pritchard said: “We are pulling out all the stops to vaccinate as many people as possible, we cannot know the impact that Covid, flu or other respiratory diseases will have on the health and care sector in the coming weeks and months.
“We are simply facing an unprecedented situation, but as I said in my first week: I am optimistic, but realistic, about the challenges ahead.”

(8 Nov 2021) Malnutrition doubles to over 10,000 cases under Tory rule Metro Nov 8 with some shocking statistics on growing levels of gross inequality, which inevitably impacts on health:
“Cases of malnutrition have almost doubled in the decade since the Conservatives came to power in 2010. In the 2010/2011 financial year, people were treated in hospital 4,657 times for the condition. By the most recent year, 2020/2021, this had risen to 10,109.
“Statistics compiled by the NHS also show that cases of the Victorian disease scurvy, which comes from a lack of Vitamin C, have also doubled – although the figures are still relatively low.
“… In the decade since the Conservatives took power, the use of food banks in the UK has rocketed.
“For the year 2009/2010, the year before David Cameron won the election in 2010, The Trussell Trust provided 40,898 emergency three day food parcels. In 2020/21, approximately 2.5 million parcels were given out in the UK – over 600 thousand more than the previous year.
“… Compared to this time five years ago, need for food banks in their network has increased by 128%, they said.”

(8 Nov 2021) ‘This is far worse than January – the vaccine hasn’t saved us this time’ HSJ Nov 8 with loud pleas for help from desperate trust chief executives:
“We should all be rated inadequate.” The call HSJ received on Sunday lunchtime from one of the most respected chief executives in the NHS carried an air of desperation.
“His big, highly rated acute trust is struggling on every front.
“Emergency demand is at record levels, and elective referrals are increasing, as exhausted staff turn down the extra shifts needed to reduce the enormous, growing backlog, and intensive care is once again seeing a steady flow of acutely ill covid patients. One in five of his beds are filled by medically fit patients who cannot be discharged because no domiciliary or care home place can be found for them.
“… The situation, he said, was far worse than in January – when the service was able to bend every bit of discretionary effort towards combatting the Alpha covid wave and the vaccine roll out offered light at the end of the tunnel. “This time,” he said, “the vaccine hasn’t saved us.”

(7 Nov 2021) England’s hospitals already at peak winter bed occupancy, NHS bosses warn Guardian warning Nov 7:
“Hospitals in England are already at peak winter levels for bed occupancy, according to NHS bosses, who fear the health service will come under severe pressure in the months ahead.
“The chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents England’s 240 NHS trusts, said the situation was unprecedented and “very worrying” as exhausted hospital staff prepare for higher levels of Covid and other respiratory infections such as influenza while dealing with a backlog of care for patients.
“What’s very, very striking in talking to our trust chief executives is how worried some of the very long-term leaders, who’ve been around a long time, are at this point. What they are saying to us is they’ve never been so worried,” Chris Hopson told Times Radio on Sunday.”

(7 Nov 2021) Ambulance response times double as patients die waiting for paramedics Independent report Nov 7:
“Patients are waiting almost twice as long for a paramedic as they were at the height of the pandemic, The Independent can reveal, as ambulance services buckle under the strain of record demand with dwindling resources.
“Response times for all types of emergency – including life-threatening – are at their highest on record with patients dying before paramedics can reach them.
“An investigation by The Independent has found a 26 per cent spike in the most serious incidents reported by paramedics so far in 2021 compared to the whole 12 months of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
“With several months of 2021 left to run, deaths as a result of safety incidents in ambulance trusts are up 13 per cent compared to 2019.”

(6 Nov 2021) Return of scurvy under Tory rule as cases of Victorian illness double in decade Mirror with a shock report Nov 6:
“Cases of scurvy – a widespread illness in Victorian times – have more than doubled in a decade.
“NHS Digital statistics also reveal hospital admissions for malnutrition have tripled since the Conservatives came to power in the 2010 election.
“The increases coincide with soaring numbers of people relying on food banks in the wake of austerity policies. In 2010-11, 61,000 people needed food handouts but a decade on this figure now stands at 2.5 million.
“Hospitals reported cases of scurvy – a vitamin C deficiency that can cause fatigue, bruised skin, swelling of the limbs and tooth loss – rising from 82 in 2010-11 to 171 in 2020-21.”

(5 Nov 2021) Piles of unused PPE costing £1million a day to store in 'grotesque waste of public money' Mirror report on another aspect of the PPE scandal Nov 5:
“Huge stockpiles of excess PPE are costing the Government £1million a day to store, the Mirror can reveal today. It includes thousands of shipping containers piled high beside the UK’s largest commercial port.
“Over the last four months, the Department for Health paid contractor Uniserve £124m for “storage costs”. The Good Law Project’s Gemma Abbott has hit out at the “grotesque waste of public money”.
… “The Mirror can now reveal the Department of Health spent £7m this summer buying shipping containers to slash storage costs for tens of billions of items of PPE.”

(4 Nov 2021) Uninsured in South Would Win Big in Democrats’ Plan, but Hospitals Fear Funding Loss Kaiser Health News (US) November 4 on the obstacles in front of Biden’s health reforms”
“At least 2.2 million low-income adults — nearly all in Texas and the Southeast — would be eligible for government-funded health insurance under the Democrats’ $1.75 trillion social spending and climate change plan.
“That’s the number of people who are eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act but have been left uninsured because they live in one of the dozen states that have not expanded coverage under the 2010 law. They are in the coverage gap — with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but below the $12,880 annual federal income minimum for an individual to qualify for subsidized coverage in the insurance marketplaces created by the ACA.
“An estimated 60% of those caught in that Medicaid coverage gap are Black or Hispanic, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. And nearly two-thirds of those in the gap live in one of three Republican-controlled states: Texas (771,000), Florida (415,000) and Georgia (269,000), according to a KFF analysis.”

(4 Nov 2021) Degrading A&E visits left a frightened Gran soaked in urine TWICE after she spent '24 hours abandoned on a trolley' Manchester Evening News Nov 4:
“A beloved grandmother was found in A&E, ‘soaked in her own urine’, on two separate occasions, according to her devastated family.
One of the incidents saw the 72-year-old being wheeled out of the hospital in a ‘wet-through gown, without any underwear' as doctors said there were ‘no beds’ - despite other medics proclaiming that the patient needed treatment on a ward.
“Stays in hospital are a familiar experience for Bury mother-of-four Bridget, says her family. Known as Bridie to her loved ones, she suffers with a COPD diagnosis and does not yet qualify for oxygen treatment at home.
… But last month, Bridie was hit with two severe bouts of breathlessness and reductions in her oxygen levels.
“The grandmother was rushed to Bury’s Fairfield General A&E to be seen by medics, but family members who care for Bridie say they were left horrified by her treatment in both instances.”

(3 Nov 2021) One Patient’s Pain and UnitedHealth Group’s Payday Uncovered (US) with yet another of the endless lists of revelations on the horrors of US health care and naked profiteering of the health insurers:
"“It was another big quarter for UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer. On October 14, the company announced an eye-popping, Wall Street-pleasing $5.7 billion in profits between June 1 and September 30.
“The earnings were so unexpectedly positive that investors rushed to buy more shares, pushing the share price to an all-time high.
“The next day, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a story about a little girl who is in constant excruciating pain. Her doctors say she should be admitted immediately to a children’s hospital that has expertise in treating her condition.
“However, the same UnitedHealth has repeatedly denied her parents’ and her doctors’ request to approve coverage for her care.”

(3 Nov 2021) Sir Jeremy Farrar quits SAGE advisory group amid 'concerning' coronavirus transmission rate in the UK Sky News November 3:
“Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, quit the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) at the end of October.
“Sky News can reveal that Sir Jeremy is advocating for a "vaccine plus" strategy to curb the high levels of transmission seen in the UK.
“His plan calls for more mask wearing, ventilation and continued coronavirus testing to get the nation through what some experts predict will be a difficult winter.
“The government has so far declined to take this route and has not yet adopted a COVID Plan B - tougher measures designed to curb the spread of the virus and protect the NHS.”

(3 Nov 2021) Lords reveals 12 million pensioners lose £30 billion as rebel peers defeat government over scrapping the triple lock Westminster Confidential blog by David Hencke, Nov 3
“The government were roundly defeated in the Lords – by 220 votes to 178 – yesterday over its plans to abolish the triple lock for next year’s pension rise – reducing the up rating for pensioners from 8.1 per cent to 3.1 per cent.
“The loss of cash for pensioners in the next five years is enormous. They lose a share of £5.4 billion next year, £5.78 billion in 2023-24, £6.1 billion in 2024-25, £6.5 billion in 2025-26 and £6.7 billion in 2026-27. That amounts as Lord Sikka told peers to £30.5 billion removed from pensioners’ pockets over the next five years.
“What happened yesterday in the Lords were two separate approaches to challenging the government’s decision to end for next year the link between pensions and earnings.
….”Low pensions condemn our citizens to a life of misery. Some 1.3 million retirees are affected by malnutrition or undernutrition. Around 25,000 older people die each year due to cold weather, and we will no doubt hear the grim statistics for this year, possibly on 26 November when the next numbers are out. Despite the triple lock, the proportion of elderly people living in severe poverty in the UK is five times what it was in 1986, which is the largest increase among major western countries. Some 2.1 million pensioners live in poverty, and the poverty rate has actually increased since 2012-13.”

(3 Nov 2021) Wrangle over who pays for NHS workforce plans risks undermining care, Treasury told Independent Nov 3:
“A tussle between the Treasury, NHS England and the health department over how to pay for the government’s promises to increase the NHS workforce has sparked fears hospitals might be landed with the bill.
“The lack of clarity over who is going to pay for plans to expand the numbers of nurses, doctors and other staff in the NHS has left at least £1.7 billion of funding in doubt.
“In his budget at the end of October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak failed to outline any spending plans for Health Education England, the £5 billion body that trains nurses, doctors and clinical staff to work in the NHS.
“Now NHS bosses have written to the Treasury warning that hospitals must not be left to shoulder the cost if money isn’t found.”

(2 Nov 2021) Legal threat to health secretary over false negative Covid tests Times November 2:
“As many as 43,000 people wrongly received the all-clear because of problems at a laboratory in Wolverhampton run by the private company Immensa.
“Testing at the facility was suspended but Immensa is still processing PCR tests for travellers via a sister company at another centre.
“Sajid Javid, the health secretary, is now facing demands to strip the company of its government contracts and to compensate people affected by the false negative results.
“The campaigning organisation Good Law Project has sent a pre-action letter to Javid and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) calling for greater scrutiny of private laboratories carrying out PCR testing on the government’s behalf.”

(2 Nov 2021) No 10 set to break promise of 6,000 more GPs in England, Sajid Javid says Guardian November 2, with an entirely predictable revelation:
“No 10 is likely to break its promise to increase the number of GPs in England by 6,000, Sajid Javid has admitted. The health secretary disclosed that the figure, a key promise in the Conservatives’ general election manifesto in 2019, was unlikely to be met given the number of GPs retiring early.
“He made the disclosure while giving evidence to the cross-party Commons health select committee. Asked by the committee chair, Jeremy Hunt, if the government was on track to implement the 6,000 pledge, Javid relied: “No. I’m not going to pretend that we’re on track when we are clearly not.”
“Increasing the number of GPs in England by 6,000 by 2025 was one of the commitments to improve the NHS Boris Johnson repeatedly made in the election campaign. Others included expanding the nursing workforce by 50,000 and offering 50m more GP appointments a year.”

(2 Nov 2021) Red Book reveals £30bn pensions rip-off in Spending Review Prem Sikka tweet Nov 2:
UK govt admits that suspension of the triple-lock will rob retirees of £5.4bn of pensions in 2022/23, £5,78bn in 2023/24, £6.1bn in 2024/25, £6.5bn in 2025/26 and £6.7bn in 2026/27, totalling £30.5bn over 5yrs (see page 136 of the link).

(2 Nov 2021) Poverty causing more than 1,000 stillbirths every year, study finds Grim news Nov 2 from Independent’s new recruit from HSJ, Rebecca Thomas:
“More than 1,100 stillbirths in England every year are directly linked to the effects of poverty, according to an “alarming” new study.
“Research, published in the Lancet on Tuesday, examined more than one million births including 4,505 stillbirths, between 2015 and 2017.
“It found women living in the most deprived areas were particularly at risk and linked almost a quarter of all stillbirths to what it called the socioeconomic inequalities in the areas where mothers lived.
“It also warned 12 per cent of stillbirths, more than 500 a year, were linked to racial inequalities.”

(2 Nov 2021) Hospital waits: Patient faces 44-hour wait at Ulster Hospital ED BBC News report Nov 2:
“One person had to wait 44 hours in an emergency department to be admitted to the Ulster Hospital at the weekend.
“The South Eastern Health Trust confirmed that another patient spent 12 hours in an ambulance before admission.
“Emergency departments across Northern Ireland have reported extremely high numbers of patients over the weekend.
“One senior doctor warned there was a serious possibility an emergency department (ED) would have to close its doors to new admissions.
“BBC News NI understands that all the trusts have breached targets for waiting times, but figures for other trusts have not yet been made available.”

(2 Nov 2021) Woman charged nearly $700 for being forced to wait seven hours in emergency room and leaving without treatment Independent Nov 2 with yet another US health care outrage:
“A Georgia woman was charged $688.35 (£504.4) for waiting in the emergency room of a hospital in Atlanta city for seven hours without receiving any treatment.
…“I didn’t get my vitals taken, nobody called my name. I wasn’t seen at all,” Ms Davis told news channel Fox 5 Atlanta.
“The bill was sent to her home by mail a few weeks after her hospital visit. She was convinced it was a mistake and decided to call the hospital.
“So I called them and she [an employee] said it’s hospital protocol even if you’re just walking in and you’re not seen. When you type in your social, that’s it. You’re going to get charged regardless,” Ms Davis said.
“The hospital said the bill was an emergency room visitation fee that is added to the total hospital bill and is not normally as noticeable as it was in Ms Davis’ case. In a reply to an email sent by Ms Davis subsequently, the hospital said: “You get charged before you are seen. Not for being seen.”

(1 Nov 2021) South Central Ambulance Service declares critical incident BBC News Nov 1:
“An ambulance service has declared a so-called critical incident because of "extreme pressures" and an "overwhelming" number of calls.
“South Central Ambulance Service pleaded for people to only dial 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
“It said a surge in demand since May had been exacerbated by growing Covid-related pressures in October.
… On Saturday evening the service tweeted: "Please, please support us by using our services wisely, we're here for life threatening illnesses and injuries."
“It said several factors were to blame including GP waiting-list backlogs, ambulance queues at hospitals and people who had not been able to get medical help during the pandemic.”

(29 Oct 2021) Sajid Javid seeks business leader to oversee NHS (£) Times Oct 29: As campaigners and opposition MPs battle to ensure private providers get no voice on Boards or committees of so-called “Integrated Care Systems” the Health Secretary is working to install a strong private sector voice at the very top to replace the current incumbent:
“A senior business executive will be brought in to oversee the NHS under government plans to ensure the health service uses extra cash to reform services.
“Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has launched a search for a senior private sector candidate to chair NHS England and ensure that health chiefs are held to account
“Lord Prior of Brampton, a Tory peer and former health minister, is stepping down as NHS England chairman in the new year and Javid wants an external candidate to replace him to ensure that bosses make the changes needed to bring down record waiting lists.
“An outsider with private-sector experience in digital and data is understood to be Javid’s ideal candidate …”

(29 Oct 2021) NHS facing ‘mass exodus’ of GPs in England, experts warn Guardian Oct 29 – as ministers and the right wing news and ‘social’ media whip up abuse and attacks on GPs:
“The NHS faces a “mass exodus” of GPs, experts have warned as figures reveal nearly one in four are nearing retirement amid a growing row over staff shortages and access to family doctors.
“Official data show that 23% of family doctors in England – or more than 6,000 – are 55 or over and expected to quit within the next few years. The average age at which doctors retire is now 59, and only one in 10 is under 35. The number of doctors retiring early has more than trebled since 2008.
“The NHS Digital figures also show nearly four in 10 GPs (38%) are aged 50 or over, underlining a demographic “time bomb” set to hit surgeries. Senior doctors said the figures were a huge concern, especially as burnout and “overbearing scrutiny” from politicians are prompting thousands more to say they are considering quitting.”

(29 Oct 2021) A&Es to set up ‘arrival lounges’ to slash waits in ambulances Evening Standard Oct 29: reveals a stupid ‘solution’ that simply builds in another delay for treatment and could put patients at risk in under-staffed areas:
“Airport-style “arrival lounges” are being trialled in London A&Es in a bid to stop patients spending hours stuck outside in ambulances, the Evening Standard can reveal.
“The initiative has been launched at Queen’s hospital, in Romford, and could be expanded to “many” outer London hospitals to improve care and release ambulance crews to respond to “massive numbers” of 999 calls.
“London Ambulance Service (LAS) said the volume of calls this month has returned to a peak last seen at the outset of the pandemic in March last year, with almost 7,000 calls a day to 999 and 5,000 to its 111 non-emergency helpline.
“At the same time, delays in handing over patients at overloaded emergency departments are so long that on one night recently about 100 of the 250 ambulances on duty in the capital were effectively out of action at any one time.”

(28 Oct 2021) With hands tied behind its back, Sunak tells NHS to deliver Excellent but scary summary of the plight of the NHS after the spending review by the Independent’s Shaun Lintern Oct 28:
“Mr Sunak ended his speech with a clear ideological warning: “We’ve taken some corrective action to fund the NHS and get our debt under control.
“But as we look towards the future, I want to say this simple thing to the House and the British people. My goal is to reduce taxes.”
“He effectively put NHS England’s chief executive Amanda Pritchard and health secretary Sajid Javid on notice that now they must deliver. But what he didn’t say was that their hands are tied behind their back.
“Annual real-term increases of 3.8 per cent sounds a lot after a decade of austerity but is actually quite close to the average annual spending of 3.7 per cent since the health service was founded in 1948.
“And there was scant detail in the budget about any attempt to boost the workforce beyond the arbitrary 50,000 nurses pledge which is almost certainly not enough. Similarly beyond the new health and care levy there was no new funding for social care to help prevent admissions to hospital and get people out faster.”

(28 Oct 2021) Hospitals told to stop ‘catastrophic’ ambulance delays as patients die in queues Independent with surreal news Oct 28 as NHS England adopts King Canute stance demanding an instant end to ambulance handover delays:
“Hospitals across England have been told to “immediately stop all delays” for ambulances stacking outside A&E units to handover patients as one ambulance trust today warned the problem had reached “catastrophic” levels.
“The message from Mark Cubbon, NHS England’s chief operating officer, was sent to leaders on Tuesday night after it emerged a patient had died while waiting over an hour in the back of an ambulance outside Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge.
“At a meeting of the board of West Midlands Ambulance Service on Wednesday, nursing director Mark Docherty told bosses patients were dying before paramedics could reach them because of delays at hospitals.
“The West Midlands service, like ambulance trusts across the country, has seen record levels of 999 calls while also seeing crews delayed for hours outside NHS trusts. Data seen by The Independent shows there were 5,752 ambulances waiting longer than 60 minutes to handover patients in September across the Midlands.”

(27 Oct 2021) Nurse shortages leave people dying in pain, charity warns Independent Oct 27:
“People are dying at home without the correct nursing support or pain relief because of staff shortages, according to the end-of-life charity Marie Curie.
“One in three nurses, responding to a survey by the charity and Nursing Standard, say a lack of staff is the main challenge providing quality care to dying people.
“More than half of the nurses said they feel the standard of care has deteriorated during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Some 548 nursing staff across acute and community settings in the UK completed the survey in September.”

(26 Oct 2021) Mythbusting the ‘rescue plan’ Oct 26 analysis by Pulse magazine editor Jaimie Kaffash teases out the contradictions in the so-called plan to increase face to face GP consultations (plan statements here in CAPITALS):
PRACTICES SHOULD RESPECT PREFERENCES FOR FACE-TO-FACE CARE UNLESS THERE ARE GOOD CLINICAL REASONS TO THE CONTRARY”
Paragraph 7
“This depends on the definition of ‘good clinical reasons’. GPs will point out this is exactly what is happening. There is a lack of capacity in general practice, and GPs prioritise the demand based on just such reasons – like every other part of the NHS. But by making patients think they have the ‘right’ to see GPs face to face, NHSE is removing GPs’ ability to do this.
IN AUGUST 2021 OVER 15% OF PRACTICES RECORDED LESS THAN 20% OF THEIR GP APPOINTMENTS BEING HELD FACE TO FACE. THAT IS LIKELY TO BE CONTRARY TO GOOD CLINICAL PRACTICE, EVEN IF IT WERE TO REFLECT THE PREFERENCES OF THEIR PATIENTS”
Paragraph 8
“This seems to be in direct contradiction to the ‘digital-first’ strategy laid out in 2019, which said: ‘The development of digital general practice now offers the possibility that has never before existed – to expand GP capacity for patients in an area even when the GP sessions are provided at some distance.’ But by NHSE’s latest definition, the ‘digital first’ strategy is ‘likely to be contrary to good clinical practice’.”

(26 Oct 2021) Patient dies in ambulance waiting outside ‘extremely busy’ A&E Independent Oct 26:
“An investigation has been launched after the death of the patient, understood to be an elderly woman, on Sunday night outside Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge.
“The patient suffered a cardiac arrest while paramedics were waiting to hand her over to hospital staff. They were forced to wait outside with other ambulances because the A&E unit was “extremely busy”.
“One NHS worker with knowledge of the incident said: “People do die in the back of an ambulance on the way to hospital or at a scene of an incident. But no one should die in an ambulance parked outside an emergency department which can give higher level care than an ambulance. There is no dignity in that.”
“They added: “This is the sort of thing that should never ever happen. This is exactly the sort of thing that will break staff and drive up absences or leavers and make it worse. This is not an Emergency Department problem but a symptom of a broken system.”

(26 Oct 2021) Ambulance service goes to highest ever alert over 999 delays - as patients face 'risk of death' Birmingham Mail report October 26 on dire warnings from ambulance trust:
“More patients will suffer serious harm or die - that was the clear warning from West Midlands ambulance chiefs tonight as they prepare to move to the highest state of alert in the service's history amid fears over delays in getting 999 patients into hospital.
“The move to an unprecedented 'level 25' rating (out of 25) means the service expects patients to suffer 'catastrophic consequences' with repeated serious harm or death 'almost certain'.
“Urgent action is needed to avert the crisis.
“It comes as ambulances with critically ill patients on board are being held routinely outside emergency departments across the region - sometimes for a staggering 10 hours or more. Handovers are meant to take 15 minutes.
“Investigations are already under way after a patient who had been waiting on an ambulance for five hours outside Worcestershire Royal Hospital deteriorated and later died.
“A similar incident occurred outside Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.”

(25 Oct 2021) Homecare costs outstrip funding from councils, says report BBC News Oct 25:
“Many councils are not paying homecare companies a high enough hourly rate to cover basic costs like travel time between clients, says a report. It means, despite losing staff faster than they can be replaced, companies are unable to raise wages, says the Homecare Association.
“… The Homecare Association, which represents some 2,340 care providers, calculates the true minimum cost of providing an hour of homecare in the UK is £21.43. This covers the minimum wage, travel time, pensions, holidays, training, PPE, office staff and 60p for profit or reinvestment in services.
“Private clients who hire care direct from providers pay an average £24.94 for an hour of homecare, according to separate analysis by software company The Access Group.
“But private clients are a minority, with the bulk of homecare (about 70%) funded by the state, says the Homecare Association.
“Freedom of Information data collected for the Association shows the average paid by councils in Great Britain and health boards in Northern Ireland is £18.45. The report found that areas with some of the highest levels of deprivation also had the lowest average fee rates for homecare.”

(24 Oct 2021) Rishi Sunak to hand NHS £6bn to tackle waiting lists and boost tech Independent Oct 24 on plans to spend on equipment that lack any proposals on finding staff to use it:
“A £5.9bn billion package aimed at tackling NHS waiting lists in England will form part of chancellor Rishi Sunak’s autumn Budget, the Treasury has said.
“… The number of people waiting for routine hospital treatment in England has hit 5.6 million people, the latest NHS figures show – the highest number since records began in 2007.
“The chancellor will set out £3.8bn in extra spending to get the health service “back on track” after the Covid crisis, with investment going into diagnostic services, surgical hubs and boosting bed capacity.
“Roughly £2.1bn of the new package will not go directly on care, however, and will instead be spent on “digitising” the NHS, as the government attempts to push the health service into an efficiency drive.”

(23 Oct 2021) Breaking point: Inside the NHS’s looming crisis Excellent overview on the building crisis in the NHS by Independent’s Shaun Lintern Oct 23:
“As one NHS chief suggested Mr Javid was living in a “parallel universe”, The Independent found:
• The Royal College of Emergency Medicine is warning this will “likely be the hardest winter the NHS has ever had”;
• Intensive care beds up and down the country are lying empty because of a lack of nurses, according to the Intensive Care Society;
• A sick two-year-old girl was forced to sleep on two chairs pushed together in a waiting room during a 14-hour A&E wait;
• One hospital is to begin turning away non-emergency patients at A&E from Monday;
• A leaked survey of more than 114 NHS surgical teams found two-thirds have reduced operations with almost a fifth unable to do hip replacements;
• The military has been called in to support three hospitals in Scotland as the area moved to a “black alert” level; and
• NHS data shows the patients are staying in hospital significantly longer because community services cannot be found to look after them.”

(23 Oct 2021) English local health chiefs urge extra Covid measures in break from guidance Guardian Oct 23:
“Local public health chiefs in England are breaking from the government’s official guidance and recommending so-called plan B protective measures to combat a surge in coronavirus cases.
“At least a dozen directors of public health (DPHs) have called on residents in their areas to readopt protective measures such as mask-wearing and working from home.
“The government is likely to face questions over why local authority public health experts feel it necessary to break from the official national guidance.
“Alice Wiseman, the DPH for Gateshead who is among the health leaders to call for changes, said: “Given the concerning rise in case numbers and the considerable pressures that we’re already seeing on NHS services, now is the time for us all to do whatever we can to avoid reaching crisis point. Taking basic precautions now like wearing face masks, working from home where possible and keeping indoor spaces well ventilated could help us to avoid returning to more disruptive restrictions.”

(22 Oct 2021) Cancer patients face ‘perfect storm’ as Covid piles pressure on NHS Guardian October 22 with a grim warning:
“Progress in clearing the NHS cancer treatment backlog in England has gone into reverse amid high Covid cases and staff shortages, analysis suggests.
“With rising coronavirus hospitalisations also now piling pressure on the health service, experts have warned patients should brace themselves for worse to come as a “perfect storm” looms in cancer care.
“The NHS has been striving to catch up with the pandemic backlog of cancer care but the analysis by Macmillan Cancer Support of official data suggests the drive has recently suffered a setback, with growing numbers of potential cancer diagnoses missed.
“Four key cancer measures have fallen back, with two dropping to their worst ever recorded level….”

(22 Oct 2021) Boris Johnson’s recklessness over Covid-19 has led to a new NHS crisis Rachel Clarke in the New Statesman Oct 22:
“This week, in the first national Covid press conference to be held in five weeks, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid looked the population in the eye and claimed: “We are a lot closer to normal than we were a few months ago.”
“I suppressed the impulse to swear in front of the children, but only barely. The truth is that, in the week ending 17 June, the number of Covid hospital admissions numbered 1,220. By the week ending 17 October, that number had surged to 5,250 patients.
“As I write, the daily Covid death toll has reached a seven-month high, and one in five intensive care beds are occupied by patients gravely unwell with the virus. Javid may deny on camera that the NHS is facing unsustainable pressures, but even he has to be aware that this is disastrously far from “normal”.
“The truth – and it’s a truth the government seems to be doing everything in its power to deny – is that the NHS has been in the grip of a crisis ever since early summer. For months, events have been regularly occurring that should never take place in a properly functioning health service….”

(22 Oct 2021) Sajid Javid's alternative reality Blog by Independent health expert Shaun Lintern (Oct 22) nails the complete lack of leadership from ministers or NHS England:
“… It seems there is real denial at the top of the NHS and government. At yesterday’s Downing Street press conference Sajid Javid said: “We don't believe the pressures on the NHS are unsustainable”. The UK’s military has been called in to help ambulance services to cope this summer in just one sign of how bad the situation is. I’m not sure what Sajid Javid’s definition of ‘unsustainable’ is but having to rely on soldiers to drive ambulances is in all four UK nations is not business as usual.
“The health secretary also described almost 1,000 deaths a week as "mercifully low" - a comment he should not be allowed to forget anytime soon.
“A day earlier NHS England’s CEO Amanda Pritchard told MPs on the health committee the NHS had not been overwhelmed during the pandemic – again she didn’t define what she meant by being overwhelmed but for a bit of a reality check consider that the NHS paused routine treatment for millions of patients, called in the military to staff wards and cancelled life-saving surgery.
“Staff worked 20 hours days with makeshift critical wards set up and staff who had no experience of critical care being drafted in to look after sick and dying patients….”

(22 Oct 2021) Horrified paramedic says people are dying needlessly across Cornwall due to ambulance crisis Cornwall Live Oct 22:
“A horrified paramedic has spoken out to say people are dying across Cornwall because ambulances are unable to reach them.
… The anonymous paramedic, who has previously risked their job to speak to us about their concerns, added: "Imagine if we piled the bodies that have died because we have arrived too late outside the hospital next to each other so that everyone could see how badly the system is failing the public, then there would be public outcry.
"There have been loads of reports in the press about ambulances queuing up and it never strikes a nerve with the public. Why is it a big story that patients are having to wait six to eight hours in the back of an ambulance? But if they knew how many were dying needlessly then it would be on the front pages of every national newspaper."
Speaking on the phone after emailing CornwallLive with their concerns, the paramedic said: "I have sat with the wife of a man who has died and she apologises for inconveniencing us, when it's us that have let her down. We are putting people's lives in danger.
“… The system is utterly, utterly broken."

(21 Oct 2021) Covid booster jabs: New vaccines minister hasn’t made a single national media appearance during slow roll-out MSN report Oct 21 showing how seriously Johnson is pushing for booster jabs:
"Boris Johnson’s newly appointed Minister for Vaccines and Public Health has been accused of going missing in action during a crucial period in the UK’s fight against Covid.
"Opposition MPs and a leading medical expert have condemned Maggie Throup for failing to keep up the pace of vital public health messaging and effectively “hiding away” from the media since taking the post.
"The Tory MP for Erewash joined the Government under Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle on 15 September but has so far made no national media broadcast appearances – despite a sluggish uptake of the Covid booster jabs and rising case numbers.
"Ms Throup has only made two appearances on BBC local radio, in her constituency, since taking up the post."

(21 Oct 2021) ‘Tsunami of unmet need’: Care watchdog contradicts government with dire NHS warning Independent Oct 21:
“England’s NHS and care services face a “tsunami of unmet need”, the health watchdog has warned, despite ministers insisting that hospitals are coping with the huge surge in demand.
“… The Care Quality Commission’s chief executive, Ian Trenholm, said NHS and care staff “cannot be expected to work any harder than they already are if we’re to get safely through this winter”.
“What we’re seeing is many services are at capacity, and in many cases beyond capacity, and problems that traditionally could have been diverted can no longer be diverted,” he said.
“Organisations needed to come together and work differently, he warned: “If these things don't happen there is the genuine risk of a tsunami of unmet need with many people not getting the care that they so desperately need this winter.”

(21 Oct 2021) NHS hospital declares ‘critical incident’ as demand higher ‘than any time during pandemic’ Independent Oct 21:
“A major hospital has declared a “critical incident” after a surge in demand saw more than 100 patients awaiting treatment in A&E and 25 ambulances queueing outside. The Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske, in Truro said “unprecedented” pressure this week is worse “than at any point during the pandemic.”
“It urged “families, friends and neighbours” to collect any patients who are able to “to leave hospital sooner.”
“Managers at Cornwall’s main hospital raised the operating level from OPEL4 — known as a ‘black alert’ — to an ‘internal critical incident’ to allow for greater cooperation to ease the crisis.
“It comes as the government is under intense pressure to reimpose some Covid-19 measures amid a surge in cases, with many other NHS clinics and hospitals across the country facing similar pressure.”

(21 Oct 2021) Care sector pushed to brink by staffing catastrophe UNISON Press Release Oct 21:
“UNISON and the National Care Forum (NCF) have written jointly to Sajid Javid today (Thursday) calling for urgent action over the staffing crisis engulfing the care sector.
“The letter to the health and social care secretary says they’ve taken this “unprecedented step” in response to daily reports from care providers and staff of serious worker shortages.
“They say this “recruitment and retention emergency” has been triggered by “chronic underfunding leading to low wages, staff burnout, and mandatory vaccination”.
“It comes ahead of the government’s spending review next week, and amid warnings that social care desperately needs an injection of cash just so care providers can maintain existing levels of service.
“UNISON – the largest union representing employees in social care – and the NCF, the organisation representing not-for-profit care providers, say social care is gripped by a staffing crisis of “a magnitude that threatens to overwhelm the sector” unless the government steps in.”

(21 Oct 2021) Covid: UK daily cases surpass 50,000 for first time since end of lockdown Independent Oct 21:
“The UK has recorded over 50,000 Covid-19 infections for the first time since the end of lockdown, latest government figures show.
“A total of 52,009 cases were reported today, marking an increase of almost 3,000 cases since yesterday.
“The news comes after Britain recorded more than 40,000 new positive cases for eight consecutive days leading up to 20 October.
“Latest figures show there have been 372,603 people with a confirmed positive test result over the past 7 days - an increase of 18 per cent compared to the previous week.”

(21 Oct 2021) Third of low-income households unable to pay bills, finds research Guardian October 21 report on the government-driven worsening of poverty, and with it the health and prospects of millions of children and their parents:
“Nearly 4 million low-income households are behind on rent, bills or debt payments, up threefold since the pandemic hit, according to a study revealing the growing cost of the living crisis facing the UK’s poorest families.
“A third of the 11.6 million working-age households in the UK earning £25,000 or less were found to be in arrears on their rent or mortgage, utility bills, council tax bills or personal debt repayments, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).
“The charity called for urgent government action to support families at the sharp end of pandemic-related financial pressures, including the reinstatement of the £20 uplift in universal credit, which was withdrawn earlier this month, and help with debts.
“Behind these figures are parents gripped by anxiety, wondering how they will put food on their children’s plates and pay the gas bill; young people forced to rely on friends to help cover their rent and avoid eviction,” said Katie Schmuecker, the JRF deputy director for policy and partnerships.”

(21 Oct 2021) The UK government’s covid complacency shows lessons haven’t been learned BMJ analysis Oct 21:
“This week, England’s health secretary, Sajid Javid told a Downing Street covid briefing that the government would not “at this point” be implementing its so-called “Plan B” measures to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed—including mandatory face coverings indoors and advising people to work from home.
“… On 20 October 2021—the day of the briefing—the UK recorded 49 139 new cases of covid-19, 179 deaths, and 869 hospital admissions. Javid warned that rising daily infection rates “could yet go as high as 100,000 a day.” The NHS and the BMA say ministers must implement Plan B now, amid warnings of a torrid winter ahead for the health service.
“Javid said the government was “looking closely at the data,” and “staying vigilant preparing for all eventualities.” But by failing to act now, this amounts to little more than burying its head in the sand.”

(20 Oct 2021) Yes, we have to live with Covid – but not with such irresponsible ministers Guardian Oct 20:
“The UK has one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world: four times higher than Germany, nine times higher than France, and 25 times higher than Spain. Britain is a total outlier in western Europe.
“By the start of October, 1 in 20 schoolchildren were Covid-positive. Already, before winter sets in, the NHS is struggling to cope with hospitalisations – one in five intensive care beds are occupied by Covid patients – while still having a backlog of more than 5m delayed treatments to clear.
“The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, said today, “We are right on the edge”, and called for the government to implement its Plan B for Covid. This would entail compulsory masks in indoor spaces and secondary schools, vaccine passports and advice to work from home. None of these things would cause significant economic disruption: no one is calling for a lockdown. They could mostly be implemented tomorrow.
“They won’t be, as the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, indicated today. Downing St says it is keeping a “close eye” on the situation – which makes you wonder what they would need to see before acting.
“This complacent attitude was exemplified by the health secretary, Sajid Javid, who reassured us recently that the infection rate “feel[s] quite stable”. As though the relatively massive absolute numbers – well over 40,000 new infections recorded every single day, which he now admits could hit 100,000 this winter – don’t matter so long as they don’t change….”

(20 Oct 2021) They let Covid rip through our care homes Good Law Project Oct 20:
“… In May 2020 Matt Hancock the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care claimed the Government ‘right from the start…threw a protective ring around care homes’. This was simply untrue. Good Law Project has exclusive access to the evidence – and it is horrifying.
“Despite knowing elderly people were more likely to die from Covid, Government prioritised the rapid discharge of patients from hospitals into care homes, without sufficient testing. Incredibly, there is no mention of testing at all in the Government note: ‘How can we free up hospital bed capacity by rapidly discharging people into social care? 17 – 18 March 2020’.
“Government ignored the pleas of care home staff, who were forced to take in patients discharged from hospital who had not been tested, knowing it would put their residents at risk.
“One email dated 22nd March 2020 shows Dr Jenny Harries, now Head of Test and Trace, and officials in the Department for Health, discussing the fact that care homes on the ground did not want to take people from hospital without a negative test. Instead of listening and implementing testing, it appears the Government asked Dr Jenny Harries to issue statements to reassure worried care home staff ‘it’s safe to accept patients from hospital’.
“As history records, it wasn’t.”

(20 Oct 2021) MPs set to reject move to make water firms cut sewage discharges Guardian on October 20 with yet another brazen example of Tory contempt for public health and the environment:
“The government is to reject calls to place a legal duty on water companies to reduce raw sewage discharges into rivers.
“MPs will debate the environmental bill on Wednesday in its final stages through parliament, and clean water campaigners want them to back what they say is a key amendment on sewage that was agreed in the House of Lords.
“In 2020 raw sewage was discharged into waters more than 400,000 times over a total of more than 3.1 million hours. Sewage pollution is a key component of what MPs have heard is a chemical cocktail of pollutants going into rivers.”

(20 Oct 2021) Charge Bolsonaro with murder over Covid toll, draft Brazil senate report says Guardian Oct 19:
“The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, should face murder charges for his role in the country’s “stratospheric” coronavirus death toll, a draft report from a senate inquiry into Brazil’s Covid crisis has recommended.
“The 1,078-page document, published by Brazilian media on Tuesday afternoon, is not due to be voted on by the commission until next week and could yet be modified by senators.
“But the draft text paints a devastating portrait of the neglect, incompetence and anti-scientific denialism many believe has defined the Bolsonaro administration’s response to a public health emergency that has killed more than 600,000 Brazilians.
“Bolsonaro’s “deliberate and conscious” decision to delay buying Covid vaccines needlessly condemned thousands of citizens to early graves, the report claims.”

(20 Oct 2021) Implement ‘plan B’ winter measures now or risk NHS crisis, Johnson warned Guardian Oct 20 on increasing warnings from NHS professionals and management on the need for action to contain the new surge of Covid-19:
“Ministers must urgently implement sweeping “plan B” winter measures or derail efforts to tackle the backlog of 5 million patients, the head of the NHS Confederation warned as the UK recorded its highest daily Covid death toll since March.
“Infections have been rising sharply since the start of October but the government is resisting introducing the extra restrictions set out in its winter plan such as masks, vaccine passports and advice to work from home.
“… Downing Street said it was keeping a “very close eye” on the situation. But Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents the healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said immediate action was required to prevent the NHS “stumbling into a crisis” where the elective care recovery would be jeopardised.
“Taylor said: “We are right on the edge – and it is the middle of October. It would require an incredible amount of luck for us not to find ourselves in the midst of a profound crisis over the next three months.”

(19 Oct 2021) Single rooms should be ‘default’ in hospitals, says Powis (£)HSJ story October 19 indicating the extent to which the preoccupation with infection control has left no room for priority to be given to re-organising existing buildings to restore capacity lost because of Covid. The single room set-up would reduce the numbers of beds and increase the costs of building and running any new hospitals that may eventually be built. But NHS England's medical director says:
“Single rooms should be the ‘default’ for inpatients in English hospitals as they would improve infection control and patient flow, NHS England and Improvement’s national medical director has said.
“Stephen Powis told the Commons health and social care committee the need to move towards individual rooms was a key consideration in determining the NHS’s capital budget which is being negotiated with ministers.”

(19 Oct 2021) England’s GPs overwhelmingly reject Health Secretary’s plan to ‘support’ general practice BMA Press Release Oct 19:
“Thousands of GPs in England have told the BMA that the Health Secretary’s package of measures to supposedly rescue general practice is useless. 93% of respondents surveyed by the BMA say it is an unacceptable response to the current crisis.
“Almost 3,500 GPs in England took part in the snap poll1 after Sajid Javid published details of a package which he claimed was to improve access to GPs. However, doctors have made clear it would in fact increase workload and bureaucracy on GPs and their colleagues, reduce the number of appointments available, and impact the quality of patient care, while threatening to name-and-shame and penalise practices that need the most help.
“The 93% figure is the clearest articulation yet that frontline GPs working across the country do not believe the plan will go any way to addressing the pressures facing general practice, staff and patients.
“The BMA is warning that the impact of such a damaging move from the Government on staffing levels could be disastrous. The latest GP workforce figures show that England has lost around 1,800 full-time equivalent, fully-qualified GPs since 2015, despite the Government promising 6,000 more.
“However, Sajid Javid could be to blame for this number plummeting further. In addition to today’s survey results, a separate survey2 of more than 6,000 GPs in England, conducted in the week before the announcement, found that two-thirds (66%) of respondents were prepared to reduce their hours to protect themselves from the current crisis, while more than half (54%) shockingly said they would consider leaving the NHS all together if the Government did not provide them with the support they needed.”

(19 Oct 2021) Third Scottish health board asks for military assistance for winter Independent Oct 19:
“A third Scottish health board has requested help from the armed forces as it faces staffing shortages ahead of the winter months.
“A formal request for military support was made by NHS Grampian as the health service faces growing pressure as a result of coronavirus and the backlog of care built up during the pandemic.
“Last week, the British Army was called in to help NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders, with a total of 86 personnel deployed for a three-week period.
“Soldiers are also helping the Scottish Ambulance Service vehicles under a separate arrangement.
“… Staffing pressures mean acute services - such as emergency departments, surgeries and diagnostics - in the NHS are operating at capacity.”

(19 Oct 2021) Millions waiting to receive booster jab amid fears of rising Covid hospitalisations Independent Oct 19:
“Almost 5 million people are at a greater risk of catching Covid as they have yet to receive their booster jabs, health officials and experts have warned.
“Under government guidance, those aged over 50 and vulnerable groups who were double vaccinated at least six months ago are eligible for a third dose, but there are fears that poor communications around the programme and logistical complications could be hindering uptake.
“Although vaccine coverage is high across the UK, infection rates are returning to those seen during the winter wave. Some 49,156 tested positive for Covid on Monday, a weekly rise of 22 per cent and the highest figure since the end of lockdown.
“The failure to “top up” waning protection levels could place further pressure on the NHS, with hospitalisations of the elderly already beginning to creep up.”

(18 Oct 2021) Patients waiting almost 50 hours for a bed in crowded A&E departments Independent on the escalating crisis in acute hospitals Oct 18:
“Patients are waiting almost 50 hours for a bed in accident and emergency departments – including children with serious mental health problems – amid warnings a winter crisis in the NHS is already underway.
“The Independent has seen information showing multiple patients at Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire have faced lengthy waits for a bed in recent days with some spending in excess of 40 hours before getting a bed.
“One patient last week spent at least 47 hours in the A&E with staff warning the long waits are a regular occurrence.
“The situation is being replicated across England with multiple hospitals declaring incidents and seeing record waits for patients to see doctors. Some patients have waited 13 hours in the back of an ambulance before even getting into A&E.
“At Ipswich Hospital, in Suffolk, a child under the age of 16 with serious mental health problems waited almost 48 hours in the A&E department there last week. The trust confirmed this was because of a lack of specialist mental health beds being available for children – a problem being reported across the NHS.”

(18 Oct 2021) Statement on accreditation status of Immensa Health Clinic Ltd / Dante Labs Ltd Statement from UKAS, the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom, clarifying that it never accredited the latest company to be embroiled in a Covid procurement scandal:
“From the beginning of the pandemic, UKAS has been working with government to provide advice on quality assurance and accreditation of laboratories performing COVID-19 testing including laboratories that have been supporting the national testing provision (NHS Test and Trace) and also private testing providers.
“Since November 2020 UKAS has been working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to develop a three stage UKAS accreditation process for private providers of COVID-19 testing. Under the scheme, organisations that take swab samples and/or test them are required to demonstrate their ability to meet the required standard by progressing through each stage – application, appraisal and accreditation – with increasing levels of assessment by UKAS.
“Only after successfully completing the third stage is the organisation accredited by UKAS. To date, UKAS has received over 500 applications/extensions to scope requests for COVID-19 testing/sampling and has accredited 245 public and private sector laboratories/sample-takers.
“Neither Immensa Health Clinic Ltd nor its related company Dante Labs Ltd has been accredited by UKAS.”

(18 Oct 2021) UK government ordered to reveal firms awarded ‘VIP’ Covid contracts Guardian Oct 18:
“The UK government has been ordered to reveal which companies were given “VIP” access to multimillion-pound contracts for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the early months of the Covid pandemic, in a ruling from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
“The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has previously refused to disclose the names of 47 companies that had contracts awarded through the privileged, fast-track process allocated to firms with political connections.
“A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) last year found that companies referred as possible PPE suppliers by ministers, MPs or senior NHS officials were given high priority by the DHSC procurement process, which resulted in a 10 times greater success rate for securing contracts than companies whose bids were processed via normal channels.”

(18 Oct 2021) UK lab investigated for false negative Covid tests is not fully accredited Guardian Oct 18 on the scandal surrounding the lab company that gave thousands of false negative tests for Covid:
“The private laboratory that is under investigation for potentially issuing more than 40,000 false negative Covid tests was not fully accredited to perform the work, contrary to assurances made by health officials.
“The UK’s independent accreditation service, Ukas, told the Guardian on Monday that neither Immensa Health Clinics Ltd nor its sister company, Dante Labs, had ever been accredited by the service, and that it had informed the Department of Health that statements suggesting otherwise were incorrect.
“The UK Health Security Agency announced on Friday that it was suspending operations at Immensa’s laboratory in Wolverhampton pending an investigation into concerns that at least 43,000 people with coronavirus had been wrongly told their swabs tested negative for the virus.”

(18 Oct 2021) NHS hospitals still using out-of-date MRI and CT scanners, report says Independent Oct 18:
“NHS hospitals are still using body-scanning equipment long past its recommended lifespan which could potentially have negative impacts on care, according to a report.
“Channel 4’s Dispatches used freedom of information rules to find out how many CT and MRI scanners were in use after the 10-year mark, when NHS bosses recommend they be retired. More than one-quarter (27.1 per cent) of trusts in NHS England had at least one out-of-date CT scanner, a figure which leapt to 34.5 per cent for MRI machines.
“Among the potential problems with obsolete units are the need for higher radiation doses to achieve image quality comparable to newer machines, and an end to software upgrades reducing their usefulness, according to an NHS report from last year. Ultimately these and other shortcomings can impact care, the document said.
“Dispatches found several hospitals were using outdated CT scanners. All four machines at the Royal Berkshire Hospitals Trust were 10 or more years old, while King’s College Hospital was found to possess a CT scanner acquired in 2007 and another that was 11 years old.”

(14 Oct 2021) Woman dies after two hour wait in ambulance outside James Paget Hospital Norfolk Live story Oct 14:
“A woman has died after suffering a heart attack while waiting in a queue of ambulances at the James Paget Hospital, Gorleston-on-Sea. The woman had been waiting in a queue of ambulances for more than two hours and died just as she got into the Emergency Department.
“The incident happened on Monday morning (October 11), just days after local NHS services declared a maximum alert due to acute pressures.
“The BBC reported that Norfolk and Waveney went to OPEL 4 the previous Wednesday over fears patient care could be compromised. Operations Pressure Escalation Level (Opel) 4 is declared when a "comprehensive care" is unable to be delivered and patient safety is at risk.
“Speaking anonymously, an ambulance worker told the BBC: "We're under a tremendous amount of pressure.”

(14 Oct 2021) Austerity in England linked to more than 50,000 extra deaths in five years Guardian Oct 14:
“Austerity cuts to the NHS, public health and social care have killed tens of thousands more people in England than expected, according to the largest study of its kind.
“Researchers who analysed the joint impact of cuts to healthcare, public health and social care since 2010 found that even in just the following four years the spending squeeze was linked with 57,550 more deaths than would have been expected. The findings, worse than previously thought, were revealed in the journal BMJ Open.
“The research by the University of York also found that a slowdown in life expectancy improvement coincided with the government’s sharp cuts to health and social care funding after David Cameron came to power a decade ago.
“Restrictions on the growth in health and social care expenditure during ‘austerity’ have been associated with tens of thousands more deaths than would have been observed had pre-austerity expenditure growth been sustained,” said Prof Karl Claxton of the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York.”

(13 Oct 2021) 50% Of Americans Now Carry Medical Debt, A New Chronic Condition For Millions Forbes magazine Oct 13:
“Fully half of Americans now carry medical debt, up from 46% in 2020, according to new data from Debt.com, a consumer financial education company.
“More than half (57%) of Americans with medical debt owe at least $1,000, driven by diagnostic tests, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits, the survey showed.
“In a weird way, Covid didn’t have as big an impact on medical debt as you might think—but only because medical debt was such a huge problem before the pandemic,” said Don Silvestri, CEO of Debt.com. “If anything, Covid forced more people to consider the seriousness of the problem.”
“Though more people reported having medical debt compared to last year, less than half (46%) said their bills were in collections this year, down from 56% in 2020.
“Despite the decrease, a recent JAMA study showed that debt collectors hold $140 billion in medical debt, not including credit card balances and unpaid medical bills that haven’t hit consumers’ credit reports.”

(11 Oct 2021) Plans to hand over NHS data to police sparks warning from government adviser Independent report Oct 11:
“Plans to force the NHS to share confidential data with police forces across England are “very problematic” and could see patients giving false information to doctors, the government’s data watchdog has warned.
“In her first national interview, the data guardian for England told The Independent she has serious concerns over Home Office plans to impose a responsibility on the NHS to share patient data with police which she said “sets aside” the duty of confidentiality for clinicians.
“Dr Nicola Byrne also warned that emergency powers brought in to allow the sharing of data to help tackle the spread of Covid-19 could not run on indefinitely after they were extended to March 2022.
“… The legislation could impose a duty on NHS bodies to disclose private patient data to police to prevent serious violence and crucially sets aside a duty of confidentiality on clinicians collecting information when providing care.
“Dr Byrne said doing so could “erode trust and confidence, and deter people from sharing information and even from presenting for clinical care”.”

(10 Oct 2021) The Observer view on benefit cuts Observer Editorial Oct 10 on the benefit cuts that will undermine the health of millions for years to come:
“The government enacted the biggest ever overnight benefit cut last week. In one fell swoop, low-paid parents and unpaid carers of disabled people have lost more than £1,000 a year from their annual budgets, at a time when energy and food costs are steadily climbing and many are still feeling the impact of the pandemic.
“The result of these political choices is that more children will grow up without the fundamentals no child should ever be without: a warm and secure home; going to bed without feeling hungry at night. Not even Marcus Rashford, the footballer who speaks with such moral clarity about child poverty and who has forced the government to U-turn from enacting policies that cause harm to children, could extract a concession from the government this time.
“It has justified this unconscionable policy on two grounds. First, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has argued this is not a benefit cut, but simply a removal of a temporary and pandemic-related uplift to low-income families with children. Second, Boris Johnson claimed in his speech to the Conservative conference last week that by dramatically reducing low-skill immigration in the wake of Brexit, he was setting the country on a path to productivity and wage growth that we are led to believe will more than compensate for his decision to slash financial support to parents and carers.
“Both are rhetorical sleights of hand. The £20 a week boost in universal credit introduced at the start of the pandemic must be set in the context of a decade of cuts to financial support for low-income parents that cost some families thousands of pounds a year. These were delivered while Conservative chancellors initiated income tax cuts to the tune of billions a year that disproportionately benefited more affluent families.”

(10 Oct 2021) Sajid Javid working on radical plan to merge social care with health in England Observer report October 10, reporting on Tory plans for social care changes drive not by concern for social care but by problems in the NHS:
“Radical plans for a new national care service under which health and social care would be delivered by the same organisation are being actively considered by the government for inclusion in a white paper next month, according to senior Conservatives and Whitehall sources.
“The idea of local authorities and the NHS taking joint responsibility for social care, perhaps working from a single combined budget for the first time, would amount to one of the most far-reaching reforms since the NHS was founded in 1948.
“At present, local authorities have responsibility for running social care services in their own areas. Critics say there is, as a result, insufficient incentive for cash-strapped councils to develop better care for people in their homes or in the community, as it is cheaper for them if those in need go into hospital where the cost is met from the separate NHS budget.
“The result is that many people who could be cared for at home or in the community end up occupying much-needed hospital beds.”

(9 Oct 2021) Revealed: Hospitals face ‘severe’ shortages of medical supplies ahead of winter due to Brexit and Covid Independent report October 9:
“Hospitals are experiencing shortages of essential medical equipment triggered by a combination of Brexit and the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains, The Independent can reveal.
“Manufacturers and suppliers of beds, lifts and life-saving defibrillators have also warned of being under “unparalleled pressure” due to the supply chain crunch this winter. NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard has warned that the winter season was already going to be “tougher” than a summer which experienced unprecedented demand.
“Medical supplies are the latest casualty of widespread disruption that has left gaps on supermarket shelves and prompted panic buying at petrol stations.
“Managers at London’s St George’s Hospital, one of the largest NHS trusts in England, are having weekly meetings with suppliers to stay on top of the problems and warned staff in an email leaked to The Independent that some companies were folding or exiting the UK market as a result of the pressures.”

(9 Oct 2021) Nursing crisis sweeps wards as NHS battles to find recruits Guardian October 9 reporting the utterly predictable and widely predicted impact of Brexit in worsening NHS staff shortages:
“Ministers are being warned of a mounting workforce crisis in England’s hospitals as they struggle to recruit staff for tens of thousands of nursing vacancies, with one in five nursing posts on some wards now unfilled.
WHospital leaders say the nursing shortfall has been worsened by a collapse in the numbers of recruits from Europe, including Spain and Italy.
“The most recent NHS figures reveal there are about 39,000 vacancies for registered nurses in England, with one in 10 nursing posts unfilled on acute wards in London and one in five nursing posts empty on mental health wards in the south-east.
“The number of nurses from the European Economic Area joining the Nursing and Midwifery Council register has fallen more than 90%, from 9,389 in the year to 31 March 2016 to 810 in the year to 31 March 2021.
“Thousands of nursing shifts each week cannot be filled because of staff shortages, according to hospital safe staffing reports seen by the Observer.”

(8 Oct 2021) One in six adults in Great Britain not able to buy essential foods, ONS finds Guardian report October 8
“Almost nine million people, representing one in six adults in Great Britain, have not been able to buy essential food items in the past two weeks because they were not available, official research suggests.
“According to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey, 17% of adults could not buy some of the grocery products they needed between 22 September and 3 October, reflecting the widespread impact of supply chain disruption and labour shortages.
“Nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) told the ONS they had not been able to purchase other essential non-food items.
“Meanwhile, 15% reported they had not been able to buy fuel for their vehicle during the fortnight, which covered the acute phase of the fuel supply crisis in which forecourts have run dry as motorists queued for long periods to fill up their cars.”

(7 Oct 2021) Private hospitals treated just eight Covid patients a day during pandemic – report Guardian Oct 7 with an important report on the real agenda of the private sector in health care:
“Private hospitals treated a total of just eight Covid patients a day during the pandemic despite a multi-billion pound deal with the government to help stop the NHS being overwhelmed, a report reveals. And they also performed far fewer operations on NHS-funded patients than usual, even though hospitals has suspended much non-Covid care, according to research by a thinktank.
“The Treasury agreed in March 2020 to pay for a deal to block-book the entire capacity of all 7,956 beds in England’s 187 private hospitals along with their almost 20,000 staff to help supplement the NHS’s efforts to cope with the unfolding pandemic. It is believed to have cost £400m a month.
“However, the Centre for Health and the Public Interest’s report (Pdf) says that on 39% of days between March 2020 and March this year, private hospitals treated no Covid patients at all and on a further 20% of days they cared for only one person. Overall, they provided only 3,000 of the 3.6m Covid bed days in those 13 months – just 0.08% of the total.
“And while private hospitals undertook 3.6m NHS-funded planned procedures the year before, that dropped to only 2m during the first year of the pandemic – a fall of 43% – the thinktank says. Its conclusions are based on its analysis of two major sets of published NHS activity data.”

(7 Oct 2021) Coronavirus report warned of impact on UK four years before pandemic Guardian October 7 excluive:
“Senior health officials who war-gamed the impact of a coronavirus hitting the UK, warned four years before the onset of Covid-19 of the need for stockpiles of PPE, a computerised contact tracing system and screening for foreign travellers, the Guardian can reveal.
“The calls to step up preparations in areas already identified as shortcomings in the government’s response to Covid, emerged from a previously unpublished report of a health planning exercise in February 2016 that imagined a coronavirus outbreak.
“It was commissioned by Dame Sally Davies, then chief medical officer, who attended alongside officials from NHS England, the Department of Health, Public Health England, and observers from the devolved administrations.
“The participants imagined cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) arriving in London and Birmingham and spreading rapidly resulting in “a large scale outbreak”. Like Covid, MERS causes potentially fatal respiratory illness and can spread asymptomatically; there were no known treatments or vaccines.
“… The disclosure of the 23-page report on Exercise Alice is set to trigger fresh scrutiny of the adequacy of UK preparations.”

(6 Oct 2021) Tory party conference: Sajid Javid urges families to care more for elderly (£) Times Oct 6. Another day, another daft and reactionary speech from Thatcher's truest disciple to the Tory faithful, as Sajid Javid effectively argues that there is 'no such thing as society':
“People need to take responsibility for looking after their elderly relatives and stop looking to the state to provide, the health secretary has said.
“Sajid Javid said that people needed to ask “what I can do to help my own family” before calling on government provision, as he attempts to get the most out of the billions of pounds given to the NHS and social care sector.
“… In his speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, he insisted on the importance of “family first” as he stressed the expanded role for the state seen during the pandemic could not become permanent.
“He is said to be concerned that high profile promises on social care will encourage more people to come forward for help that would otherwise be provided by relatives.
“Government shouldn’t own all risks and responsibilities in life,” he stressed. “We as citizens have to take some responsibility for our health too.”
“Speaking later at a fringe event, he said that the “default position” should not be that government was responsible for all care. “I think we should all also step back a bit sometimes and just think, ‘What can I do about it? What can what can I do to help my loved ones and my own family?” he said.”

(6 Oct 2021) Tory MP reveals grim reality of living on just £82,000 as he asks for payrise Metro October 6: as Universal Credit cuts officially started, ending the £20-a-week uplift for the poorest families which was introduced during the coronavirus pandemic, a Tory MP spoke out about the struggles of living on an MP’s salary.
“Sir Peter Bottomley, the ‘Father of the House’ as the MP in the Commons with the longest continuous service, called it ‘desperately difficult’ for many of his colleagues.
“He thinks MPs, who are paid £81,932 annually, should be paid the same amount as GPs – whose average salary in England is £100,700.
“The average salary across the UK was £31,461, as of last year.
“Although he said he currently is not struggling financially, he believes the situation is ‘desperately difficult’ for his newer colleagues. The representative of Worthing West in West Sussex added: ‘I don’t know how they manage. It’s really grim.’”

(6 Oct 2021) Sajid Javid says health and social care ‘begins at home’ and people should turn to family before NHS Independent October 6 with a different take on Sajid Javid’s revival of the Thatcher philosophy:
“Sajid Javid has said health and social care “begins at home” and people should rely on their families in the first instance rather than on the state.
The health secretary’s comments came during his speech at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Tuesday.
Mr Javid said: “The state was needed in this pandemic more than any time in peacetime. But government shouldn’t own all risks and responsibilities in life. We as citizens have to take some responsibility for our health too.
“We shouldn’t always go first to the state. What kind of society would that be? Health – and social care – begins at home. Family first, then community, then the state.
“If you do need support, we live in a compassionate, developed country that can afford to help with that. There are few higher callings than to care for another person.”

(5 Oct 2021) Tory party conference: NHS bosses face sack for failing to cut waits More counterproductive Tory Conference posturing and regeneration of failed Thatcher-era experiments by Sajid Javid, reported in the (£) Times Oct 5:
“Hospital managers who fail to clear mounting NHS backlogs will be sacked under government plans for reform, The Times understands.
“Sajid Javid, the health secretary, is said to be preparing new powers to seize control of poorly performing hospitals with the insistence that ministers cannot just “throw cash” at the NHS.
“Business people and other outsiders will be encouraged to take jobs running hospitals as Javid argues that good leadership is key to improving care.
“He is under pressure from Downing Street and the Treasury to produce results by cutting waiting times for routine treatments following last month’s £36 billion spending plan for health and social care.”

(5 Oct 2021) ‘Stupid’ and ‘wrong’ for NHS to compete for overseas nurses, claims health minister HSJ report October 5 on yet another ill-informed speech from another ignorant health minister:
“A new health minister has said NHS efforts to compete to attract overseas nurses are ‘stupid’, despite the approach being government policy.
“Gillian Keegan also said that hiring nurses from overseas was “bizarre, unbelievably inefficient and also wrong”.
“Ms Keegan became a health minister last month, with responsibilities including social care, mental health and integration. Before becoming an MP in 2017 she served as a governor of Western Sussex Hospital Foundation Trust.
“She was speaking at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference on Tuesday organised by Age UK. Ms Keegan – who was previously apprenticeship and skills minister – was asked about the impact of Brexit on the health and care workforce. Her answer focused mostly on nursing.
“She said: “One of the things I found interesting when I first became an NHS board governor, [was that at] the very first meeting I’d been to, they’d all just come back from the Philippines. This is in Chichester, I was thinking, ‘What are you doing in the Philippines?’ They said, ‘We were recruiting nurses’, and I said, ‘What are you doing there recruiting nurses?’
“They said, ‘Well, we’ve already depleted the availability of the Spanish and the Portuguese nurses.’ I said, ‘What about, you know, people who are here who would love to go into this profession? And it struck me as just bizarre – unbelievably inefficient and also wrong and just bizarre.”

(4 Oct 2021) Overseas nurse recruitment and the NHS Nuffield Trust report, Oct 4, refutes Tory minister's view that it is "stupid and wrong" to recruit NHS staff from overseas:
“There are some 342,300 nurses working in NHS hospital and community health services, and 23,900 working in general practice. Yet vacancies are widespread: there were 39,000 full-time equivalent nurse vacancies by mid-2021, representing a 10% vacancy rate. The equivalent figure for doctors is 7%.
“The 2019 NHS Long Term Plan committed to reducing the nursing vacancy rate to 5% by 2028. Later that year, the government pledged to increase the number of NHS nurses by 50,000 by 2025.
“Achieving these ambitious goals will require sustained effort using a variety of approaches, including improved retention, an increase in the number of nurses being trained domestically, and attracting previous NHS workers back into practice and employment.
“However, given the time required taken to train new nurses, recruitment of international staff remains vital for addressing the current widespread vacancies.”

(3 Oct 2021) UK might not be over the worst, scientists warn, as Covid case numbers stay high Guardian October 3 with a worrying reminder:
“Britain is heading into winter with the number of Covid cases remaining at a worryingly high level. At the same time, the nation’s vaccination programme appears to have stalled.
“That is the bleak view of leading epidemiologists who have warned that the worst effects of the pandemic may not yet be over for the UK. As the weather gets colder, more and more people are likely to socialise in restaurants, bars and cinemas rather than in parks or gardens with the result that transmission rates of Covid-19 are likely to rise.
“At the same time, employees are being encouraged to return to their workplaces, which will also drive up infections. At present, new Covid cases are being reported at a rate of about 35,000 a day – though Britain’s vaccination programme has kept hospitalisations to below the 7,000 level with fewer than 200 deaths occurring every day. These figures have remained fairly stable for the past few weeks.
“Crucially, the majority of those in hospital with severe Covid are unvaccinated. It is therefore very important to continue to give jabs to as many people as possible, said Professor Mark Woolhouse of Edinburgh University.”

(3 Oct 2021) Medicare for all is a matter of justice – and healthcare savings Cleveland.com Oct 3 comment from Dr. Johnathon Ross is a past president of Physicians for a National Health Program, arguing for the ambitious reform that would cover all Americans -- AND save money:
“For decades, the Commonwealth Fund has tracked U.S. healthcare system performance vs. other rich nations. In 2021, we are again ranked last in performance and highest in cost. With Medicare for all, we can do better.
“In December 2020, after congressional hearings, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a working paper that estimates that Medicare for all would save over $400 billion in administrative waste annually -- dollars that could be applied to universal coverage and care.
“Even eliminating copayments for patients while maintaining current average payments for doctors and hospitals, national health expenditures would still fall by $40 billion annually. Compare this to our current system, which leaves 31 million uninsured and half of Americans fearful they cannot afford an unexpected medical bill.
“Surveys of U.S. physicians find that 80 percent spend more than five hours weekly on administrative tasks; 30 percent spend more than 20 hours. The simplicity of universal coverage and a single fee schedule without copays would slash billing- and insurance-related costs, while increasing caregivers’ time for patient care.”

(2 Oct 2021) Tories order biggest shake-up of NHS leadership in England for 40 years Guardian Oct 2 report on Sajid Javid reviving yet another failed tactic from the Thatcher years – calling in a general to sort out the crisis in the NHS:
“The Conservatives have ordered a shake-up of NHS leadership in England on the eve of their party conference, with Sajid Javid saying that with more funding must come “change for the better”.
“The health secretary said he wanted to see the most far-reaching review of NHS bosses in England for 40 years, appointing a former vice-chief of the defence staff, Gen Sir Gordon Messenger, to lead the work.
“However, some NHS bosses were furious about what they described as a political move to shift blame on to trust, hospital and social care leaders as the health service struggles with a big backlog.
“Under the terms of the review, Messenger will be asked to look at the best hospitals, GPs’ services and social care delivery to work out how this can be replicated across the country.”

(2 Oct 2021) “I've given you the most important metric which is, never mind life expectancy, never mind cancer outcomes, look at wage growth." Classic Boris Johnson interview clip revealing how hollow are promises of "levelling up" which the BBC took off its website, still available on Twitter.
Apart from the arrogance and callousness of this, it's obvious that if healthy life expectancy is reduced by Tory policies widening inequalities and worsening social determinants of health a few pounds extra in the pay packet for a few years is poor compensation.

(2 Oct 2021) Covid backlogs: No more business as usual, Sajid Javid tells NHS managers (£) Times Oct 2 version of the story on Sajid Javid calling in a retired general to sort out the problems in the NHS that have been exacerbated by a brutal decade of real terms Tory spending cuts and frozen or falling pay for staff. Javid appears unaware of the fresh wave of demoralisation his tough talk will generate amongst hard pressed NHS chiefs:
“Business as usual” must end, NHS bosses will be told as ministers launch what they hope will be the biggest review of health service management for four decades.
“All aspects of NHS leadership will be scrutinised as ministers seek to ensure any extra cash brings results.
“Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said management must “change for the better” in exchange for a £16 billion funding over the next three years to deal with Covid-19 backlogs.
“… General Sir Gordon Messenger, the former vice-chief of the defence staff who oversaw the coronavirus testing scheme last year, will lead the review. He is due to report back in about four months and ministers are promising an action plan shortly afterwards.”

(2 Oct 2021) Conservatives: Who funds them, and what's in it for them? Surprisingly hard report from BBC News October 2 begins:
“Welcome to the One Million Pound Club.
“To make the top ten donors to the Conservative Party since Boris Johnson became prime minister, you need to have stumped up a seven figure sum.
“At the top of the chart, by a considerable margin, the providers of one of the most memorable political images of the last few years. Boris Johnson at the wheel of a JCB, a polystyrene wall smashed, his 'Get Brexit Done' slogan in the mechanical shovel.
“JC Bamford Excavators Limited has given just over £2.5m in the last two years. Lord Bamford, the chairman of the family owned company, has personally given £100,000 since 2010, when the Conservatives returned to government. He became a Conservative peer in 2013.
“I've been trying to find out what motivates people to give money to the Conservative Party, how do they choose how much to give and how do they measure if it is worth it?”

(2 Oct 2021) Boris Johnson condemned for saying ‘never mind’ about cancer outcomes Independent Oct 2:
“Boris Johnson has sparked outrage on the eve of the Conservative Party conference after saying “never mind” about cancer death rates and the recent fall in life expectancy.
“Grilled about his plans for Britain’s recovery from the Covid crisis, the prime minister chose to emphasise economic growth over health measures.
“Pointing to the recent growth in wages, Mr Johnson told the BBC: “I’ve given you the most important metric – never mind life expectancy, never mind cancer outcomes – look at wage growth.”
“Opposition parties pounced on the prime minister’s remarks, with Labour accusing him of showing an “outrageous” disregard for the health of British citizens.
“Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told The Independent: “Boris Johnson starts his conference with the most chilling words ever spoken from a prime minister dismissing the importance of cancer outcomes”.”

(2 Oct 2021) Doctors, receptionists and practice teams quit after wave of hostility over GP appointments Guardian Oct 2 reporting the grim and predictable consequences of the hate campaign against GPs waged by the right wing press and far right in recent weeks:
“Senior doctors have warned that practice staff and GPs are quitting after an unprecedented and escalating wave of abuse from patients that has followed weeks of public pressure over face-to-face appointments.
“Practice managers, receptionists and doctors have spoken of daily confrontations with patients over issues including appointments, vaccinations and blood tests.
“Some said that patients had been responding to media campaigns over recent weeks, which have led to Boris Johnson and the health secretary, Sajid Javid, pledging to increase in-person appointments.
“Many practices are maintaining Covid-19 protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, including the use of face masks; some patients have refused to wear them and become abusive when asked to do so.
“The number of permanent GPs has been declining steadily over the last five years – down by 1,904 since 2016, or about 7% – to the point that by March this year there were only 26,805 remaining in post.”

(1 Oct 2021) GP flu jabs in England hit by vaccine shortages despite government claims of ‘no impact’ Independent report October 1 on more frustration GPs as the face a barrage of hostile media reports and snide comments from ministers:
“GP surgeries in England are continuing to experience delays in the delivery of influenza vaccines - weeks after the government downplayed fears of disruption to the country’s flu programme amid a nationwide shortage of lorry drivers.
“GPs in Reading and West Suffolk have recently been forced to cancel vaccination appointments due to the delays, telling patients that the “situation is completely outside of our control”.
“Manufacturers have assured the government they have sufficient staff and fuel reserves to deliver the flu vaccines as planned, The Independent has been told, but some surgeries are still waiting to receive their supplies.
“One GP in West Suffolk told its patients earlier this week that it is “one of the thousands of surgeries across the country being affected” by distribution issues and delays - despite “having ordered our vaccine 12 months ago to guarantee our delivery date”.

(1 Oct 2021) This Black History Month, I’ll be remembering the nurses who lost their lives on the Covid front line i-News feature October 1:
“The theme of 2021’s Black History Month celebration is “Proud To Be” and black people across the globe are being invited to focus on how they’re making history all the time in their own ways.
“For black and ethnic minority nursing staff, this is especially relevant.
“We’ve long known the indispensable role that nursing staff have played in protecting the health of the nation, but over the last 18 months those staff, and particularly black and ethnic minority nursing staff, the contribution and sacrifices they have made have really come to the fore.“The pandemic presented huge problems for all healthcare staff, no more so than black and ethnic minority nursing staff, who, despite being at increased risk of dying from Covid-19, put their lives on the line to help service users and their families.”

(1 Oct 2021) More NHS maternity units criticised for poor cultures, bullying and staff shortages Independent report October 1:
“Two more NHS maternity units have been criticised by the care watchdog over concerns about safety, with inspectors highlighting poor cultures and bullying as well as staff shortages leaving midwives visibly upset.
“The Care Quality Commission has published two reports into inspections at maternity services in Queens Hospital, in Romford, Essex and at Walsall’s Manor Hospital.
“Both hospitals have been told they must make improvements and the latest criticism from CQC follows its decision to inspect dozens of maternity units amid fears over the safety of maternity care throughout England.”

(1 Oct 2021) England needs one million more NHS and social care staff over the next decade Independent October 1:
“A new analysis by the Health Foundation reveals the growing workforce gap in England with an extra 488,000 NHS staff needed to meet rising demand and the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. This would represent a 40 per cent increase in the workforce – double the level of growth seen over the past 10 years.
“In social care the need is even greater with 627,000 more staff needed. This would be a 55 per cent rise over the next decade and four times more than the level of growth since 2001.
“… The Health Foundation said in order to deliver this level of staff funding for the NHS alone would need to grow at twice the rate of the last decade and reach at least 3.2 per cent a year – the equivalent of an extra £70 billion by 2030/31.”

(1 Oct 2021) One in six children in England suffering poor mental health Independent October 1:
“Figures released today by NHS Digital also show there has been a significant deterioration in mental health for children and young people in the past four years.
“Separately, NHS England has today accepted, in new guidance to the NHS, that up to 1.5 million people may be waiting for mental health treatment and are yet to receive it as a result of the impact of coronavirus.
“The survey of more than 3,600 young people found 17 per cent of children aged six to 16 in England had a probable mental health disorder, with the same rate for teenagers aged 17 to 19.
“The results are similar to rates in 2020, but show a considerable increase in child mental health problems in the past five years, with rates rising from one in nine in 2017.”

(1 Oct 2021) Patients in new NHS regions experience widespread variation in care Independent 30 Sept:
“A new analysis of the different experiences for patients living in one of 42 new NHS regions has revealed wide discrepancies in treatment in different parts of the country.
“Ministers are pushing through parliament one of the biggest NHS re-organisations in almost a decade with the aim of creating new integrated care systems across England from April next year. They will be tasked with delivering better joined up care across different organisations.
“But the new bodies face an uphill struggle with widespread variation in outcomes revealed in a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).”

(1 Oct 2021) New era of public health to tackle inequalities and level up the UK Oct 1 launch of new Office for Health Improvement and "Disparities" – shrinking from the word and concept of inequalities, not least because the gulf between richest and poorest has widened each year since 2010.
It cites figures on the scale of the problem, apparently unaware which government has been in power for the past decade:
"Health disparities across the UK will be tackled through a new approach to public health focused on stopping debilitating health conditions before they develop, as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) launches today (Friday 1 October).
"OHID marks a distinct shift in focus at the heart of government in addressing the unacceptable health disparities that exist across the country to help people live longer, healthier lives and reduce the pressure on the health and care system as work is done to reduce the backlog and put social care on a long-term sustainable footing.
"The latest figures show clear trends, based on geographical location, of a person’s life expectancy and the years they can expect to live a healthy life."

(1 Oct 2021) When It Comes to Health Insurance, What are We Paying For? October 1 reminder from un-covered on the horrors of US health care:
“Insurer by insurer, health plans are making COVID-19 patients pay thousands of dollars out of their own pockets before they will pay a dime.
“UnitedHealth and Anthem both stopped waiving deductibles and other out-of-pockets requirements for COVID patients at the end of July. Now most, if not all, of the other payors are following their lead, which means bills will hit patient mailboxes, and hospitals will be saddled with even more uncompensated care.
“This is because out-of-pocket maximums – the amount patients have to pay before payors pony up – have gotten so high that millions of Americans with insurance are falling deeply and hopelessly into debt.
“They simply don’t have the cash to pay the doctors and nurses trying to keep them out of the cemetery.
“Too bad, so sad, is the payors’ attitude. High-deductible health plans enable insurance companies to avoid paying billions of dollars a year in claims they once covered, and that has enabled them to rack up record profits year after year.”

(1 Oct 2021) Marketing firm given £40m PPE contract made staff work on furlough Open democracy October 1 with another PPE scandal:
“A company that won £40m in COVID contracts made its staff work “flat out” when they were meant to be furloughed – and threatened to fire anyone who spoke out.
“An investigation by openDemocracy has found that KAU Media Group wrongly claimed furlough support while being handed a series of multi-million-pound government contracts to deliver personal protective equipment (PPE).
“The deals were awarded without competitive tender, despite the London-based digital marketing firm having no prior experience with PPE.
“One of the company’s directors, Mohammed Kashif Khokhar, quickly banked £10m for him and his wife. Over the last year, he has boasted about his expensive lifestyle – posting photos online wearing a £130,000 watch in a Lamborghini sports car, and at Wembley watching England play football in the European Championships.”

(30 Sep 2021) Pitting patients and GPs against each other is unhelpful and dangerous Comment article from Independent September 30, opposing the vilification of GPs by the right wing media and politicians begins:
“People aren’t always getting the support they need from their GPs. True. GPs are working around the clock, doing everything they can in response to unprecedented levels of demand for healthcare. Also true.
“These two statements are not mutually exclusive. Both accurately reflect how many patients and primary care teams feel about what is happening at the front door of the NHS in the wake of a brutal pandemic.
“Yet, it is becoming increasingly evident that patients and primary care teams are being pitted against each other. This tension is then spilling over with devastating consequences, from totally unacceptable abuse against staff to some patients not seeking treatment because they are being made to feel like a burden.”

(29 Sep 2021) Woman with agonising burns sent away from TWO hospitals after falling foul of new rules meaning people have to get urgent care at unit closest to home Grim news on new bureaucratic obstacles to urgent care from Manchester Evening News Sept 29:
“Patients needing urgent care may be sent to the unit closest to their homes under new rules, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.
“Hospital bosses admitted the ‘protocol’ after one patient, suffering horrific burns, reported being sent away from two hospitals before receiving any care.
“The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group has introduced the directive as part of a ‘reconfiguration of services across Greater Manchester’, saying that patients will be sent to the 'most appropriate place for their needs', 'closest to their home', in the 'quickest time possible'.
“However, anyone needing care for emergency and life-threatening conditions can still go to their nearest A&E department for treatment, hospital chiefs have stressed.
“The group operates Salford Royal Hospital, the Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital, and Rochdale Infirmary, among other local care services.”

(29 Sep 2021) Social care system 'progressively failing' people, says ombudsman Sky News Sept 29:
“The social care system is "progressively failing" people and there has been a "relentless rise" in upheld complaints, according to the ombudsman.
“There is a "gulf" between what the public expects and what it gets, said the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in its yearly complaints' review.
“It received 2,033 complaints and enquiries about adult care provided by councils and independent providers in the year to April 2021. That was down on the year before due to the pandemic, but the proportion upheld rose from 69% to nearly 72%.
“The ombudsman said the last decade had seen a "relentless rise" in the percentage of cases in which care users and families had been let down. Complaints are also said to be increasingly stemming from measures by care providers and councils to "mitigate the squeeze on their resources".

(29 Sep 2021) Ministers under fire over breaking of mental health crisis pledge in England Guardian report Sept 29:
“Ministers are under fire for breaking a key pledge on mental health after statistics showed that hundreds of patients are being sent far from home every month because of a beds crisis.
“The government pledged to end “inappropriate” out-of-area placements in mental health for adults in England – those caused by a lack of beds in treatment units near the person’s home – by April this year.
“However, figures show that 695 people were sent out of area in April. The figure includes “inappropriate” placements and those deemed “appropriate” because the patient needed specialist psychological or psychiatric help that is only available in a few units.
“A large majority of placements have always been “inappropriate” because they are caused by a lack of beds.”

(28 Sep 2021) ‘The system is broken’: Sick patients forced to sit for hours outside A&E under blankets and heat lamps Independent shock story Sept 28:
“Sick patients have been forced to wait outside a hospital A&E department on chairs and wrapped only in blankets while being treated by nurses in shocking photographs and videos captured by one worried relative.
“The situation, at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, is a regular occurrence, workers have told The Independent.
“Footage shared with The Independent by a concerned member of the public shows one patient being cannulated, where a needle and intravenous line is inserted into a vein, while another patient has a monitor attached to track their vital signs. Patients waiting outside the A&E were said to be extremely sick, with some vomiting and complaining of worsening symptoms.
“It was like something out of a horror movie,” said Maria, who has asked for her surname not to be used. “The system is completely broken from the beginning to the end. From the moment we tried to call the GP and they tried to get through to the hospital,” she said.”

(27 Sep 2021) Social distancing and covid testing relaxed to ‘help hospitals treat patients more quickly’ HSJ report Sept 27:
“Covid infection control rules for health services have been relaxed in what national officials say will help the service ‘treat more patients more quickly’.
“The UK Health Security Agency – part of the Department of Health and Social Care – which has been created to advise on the pandemic and future threats, has recommended three changes to guidance.
“The first is that physical distancing requirements be reduced from two metres to one metre in areas “where patient access can be controlled”. This excludes emergency departments. It will allow some services to remove space restrictions introduced early in the pandemic to prevent spread.
“Secondly, testing requirements for elective surgery are set to be relaxed. Patients in low-risk groups who are fully vaccinated, have no covid symptoms and take a negative lateral flow test on the day of their procedure will no longer need to have a negative PCR test and isolate for three days beforehand. This requirement has made elective recovery more difficult.
“Finally, standard cleaning procedures can be restarted in low-risk areas such as elective care, and “enhanced” cleaning — which involves more frequent cleansing of items that are regularly touched — can be discontinued in these areas, the UKHSA said.”

(27 Sep 2021) Elective care: how has COVID-19 affected the waiting list? Health Foundation report Sept 27:
“While the NHS delivered a remarkable amount of elective treatment during the pandemic, the pressure of caring for large numbers of patients seriously unwell with COVID-19 has led to the waiting list for elective care reaching the highest level since current records began.
“Data show that 6 million fewer people completed elective care pathways between January 2020 and July 2021 than would have been expected based on pre-pandemic numbers.
“Services in every part of England were placed under enormous strain during the pandemic, but the backlog in elective care is not evenly distributed. Elective care has been hit harder – and recovered more slowly – in certain parts of the country.
“Just as COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in other parts of life, access to elective treatment fell further in the most socioeconomically deprived areas of England between January 2020 and July 2021 than in less deprived areas.”

(27 Sep 2021) NHS waits: More people feeling forced into private healthcare BBC report Sept 27 that lacks any real statistics on private sector treatment to back up the headline:
“62,000 patients [have] been waiting more than 12 months to get joint replacement surgery.
“New research conducted by charity Versus Arthritis and given exclusively to BBC Panorama reveals that half (54%) of people with arthritis who are currently waiting for surgery are facing an average cost of £1,739 a year to keep their pain at bay, through things like private physio appointments and over-the-counter painkillers.
“Inevitably, GPs are the ones patients turn to for help managing their pain as they wait. One of them, Dr Leora Harverd, from a practice in north London, says she's overwhelmed by her current caseload.
“Some of her patients are anxious about long delays for treatment, and says it's not unusual that people go private, but "it's not how it should be".”

(27 Sep 2021) NHS backlog disproportionately affecting England’s most deprived Guardian report Sept 27
“Waiting lists for routine treatments have grown by 50% in the most deprived parts of England, compared with nearly 35% in the most affluent areas. Those in deprived areas were also nearly twice as likely as those in the wealthiest to wait more than a year for treatment, according an analysis by the King’s Fund.
“The thinktank analysed the backlog of 5.61 million people – equivalent to almost one in every 10 people in England – who are waiting for treatments such as knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery and other common procedures.
“Of patients on waiting lists in the most deprived areas, 7% have been waiting a year or more for treatment, compared with 4% of those in the most affluent areas, according to the research, which was shared with BBC Panorama and PA Media.
Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, warned that the long waiting lists were in danger of leading to privatisation of the NHS.
“Waiting times have got so bad that you’ve got people taking out payday loans, sometimes even remortgaging their homes, because they cannot bear the pain, or the disruption to their lives, or fear they will lose their lives,” he said. “That is eroding the fundamental universal system that we created.”

(26 Sep 2021) Labour launches bid to end NHS ‘culture of secrecy’ and improve safety following care scandals Independent report Sept 26:
“Labour is to push for key changes to the government’s NHS reforms, with new laws on transparency in the NHS and a demand for safe staffing levels on hospital wards, following a series of scandals relating to failures in patient care.
“Amendments to the government’s Health and Care Bill will also include plans for the investigation of stillbirths by medical examiners, and for limits on the power of the health secretary to interfere in investigations.
“Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth believes the changes – which also include giving local NHS regions the ability to object to some spending limits if they consider them to pose a risk to patient safety – will attract the support of Conservative MPs.
“In an exclusive interview with The Independent ahead of the Labour Party conference in Brighton, Mr Ashworth said it was vital that the NHS learned from mistakes and improved its record on safety, which he said could only be achieved through greater transparency.”

(25 Sep 2021) UK care homes face funding crisis as banks refuse loans Guardian report Sept 25:
“Care homes are facing a credit crunch with banks refusing to lend money or provide new services for fear that the care sector is about to crumble, senior care leaders have warned.
“A survey of care providers in Hampshire found that 20% had been told their bank was concerned about their long-term viability. Several reported that their bank said they had “no appetite for the care industry” and had refused basic services such as additional accounts.
“Nadra Ahmed, the chair of the National Care Association, said providers elsewhere were under similar pressure. “We haven’t seen surveys but I know these conversations are beginning to be held across the country with all banks. Some a bit more aggressive than others. Definitely we are hearing that providers are beginning to feel the pressure.”
“Care providers are reluctant to reveal any problems to their local authority clients or the Care Quality Commission for fear of being put into special measures or losing care contracts.”

(24 Sep 2021) Region aims to clear all two-year waiters by March HSJ report Sept 24:
“An NHS region is aiming to have no patients waiting more than two years on its waiting lists by the end of March. Senior sources in London told HSJ the region has set the “aspiration” to clear all two-year waiters by the end of the financial year.
“According to the latest data, London had around 1,100 patients waiting more than two years for treatment at the end of July, which was up from around 670 at the end of April. “This equates to around 12 patients per 100,000 population, compared to the national average of 14.
“A report to the board of King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust said plans from the southeast London integrated care system were submitted to the London regional director’s office last month.
“The board papers continued: “Achieving this [eliminating two-year waiters by March 2022] target is reliant on a range of issues including, potential further covid-19 waves, multiple actions, capacity assumptions, patient choice, independent sector capacity uptake and NHS patient transfers.”

(24 Sep 2021) Chemotherapy rationed amid shortage of NHS staff to deliver it Telegraph report Sept 24:
“NHS cancer patients in some areas have had their chemotherapy stopped because there are not enough staff to deliver it.
“… On Friday night, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said it was urgently trying to fill vacant posts and hoped to be able to offer chemotherapy to all who needed it by some stage next month.
“It came after an oncologist spoke out about deteriorating levels of care, warning that the situation was now worse than at any point since the start of Covid.
“The warning follows a report predicting that even if oncology departments boost the number of patients they see by five per cent, the cancer treatment backlog will take more than a decade to clear. Experts also believe there are an estimated 19,500 people living with undiagnosed cancer as a result of the pandemic.”

(22 Sep 2021) Social care plan furthers inequality and unfairness BMJ Sept 22 blog by Dr David Oliver:
“The “health and social care levy” is a planned 1.25 percentage point rise in national insurance contributions from April 2022. But this applies only to people in employment and younger than the state retirement age. From 2023 people still working beyond retirement age will also have to pay the levy.
“The number of people older than 65 in work has increased sharply in recent years and is now estimated at around 900 000 in England. But because around half of all adult social care spending goes on care for older people (as opposed to disabled people of working age) this means that younger working people bear the bulk of care costs. The “triple lock” protecting state pensions has been temporarily suspended as part of the plan, but that does not fully mitigate the inequity.
“Unlike income tax, which is progressive, rates of national insurance paid fall as income rises, falling disproportionately as a share of income as pay increases, and placing a higher relative burden for the collective contribution to the cost of care on lower paid workers.
“National insurance does not apply to income from dividends, pensions, investments, or rents. The government does not propose to levy tax on these to help increase funding for social care or healthcare and so it protects wealth from assets relative to income from labour.
“The planned cap on social care costs to be borne by individuals—£86 000 over a lifetime—means that people with savings and assets well above this amount, including equity tied up in owned homes, will be disproportionately protected when compared with those for whom £86 000 is most of what they have.”

(22 Sep 2021) Tracking U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Donations Useful work by US Kaiser Family Foundation Sept 22:
“There remains a significant gap in vaccine access across the world, with only 2% of the population in low-income countries (LICs) receiving at least one vaccine dose, compared to 30% in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), 54% in upper-middle-income countries (UMICs), and nearly two-thirds in high-income countries (HICs).
“One way to address this gap is for countries that have vaccines to donate them to countries in need, either via the multilateral COVAX mechanism or directly to countries and/or regions via bilateral donations.
“For its part, the U.S. government has pledged to donate at least 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine for global use by 2022 and has been delivering doses to countries around the world since June.
“To understand more about these donated doses and where they have been directed, we analyzed data from the U.S. State Department, COVAX, and other sources.”

(22 Sep 2021) Ministers to crack down on overprescription of medicines on the NHS More grief and GP-blaming in the latest government policy shift as reported by the Independent Sept 22:
“The government is to crack down on the NHS’s over use of medicines by encouraging doctors to challenge prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and point patients towards local wellness charities.
“The move, which has been backed by health secretary Sajid Javid, comes after a government-commissioned review found that 10 per cent of medicines prescribed by doctors, nurses and other primary care workers are not wanted or needed.
“Ministers have accepted all of the recommendations laid out in the review, led by England’s chief pharmaceutical officer Dr Keith Ridge, which seeks to “support shared decision-making between clinicians and patients” and calls for “cultural changes to reduce a reliance on medicines”.
“Health professionals should instead increase “social prescribing”, it continues, which involves “helping patients to improve their health and wellbeing by connecting them to community services which might be run by the council or a local charity”.”

(18 Sep 2021) Private hospitals profit from NHS waiting lists as people without insurance pay out Guardian September 18 with a possibly exaggerated view of a real threat to the NHS:
“People on modest incomes, and even those claiming benefits are turning to private providers for knee or hip replacements, cataract removal or even expensive cancer treatment.
“This week, a survey of 4,000 adults commissioned by charity Engage Britain showed more than a fifth had gone private because they could not get the treatment they needed. While support for the NHS remains high, a quarter said the wait for treatment for themselves or a loved one had had a serious impact on their mental health.
“Roughly 13% of the UK population has some kind of health insurance, mostly through their employers. The rest are faced with a stark choice – wait months and even years for badly needed treatment, or dig into savings to jump the queue."

(18 Sep 2021) Asylum seeker given £100,000 hospital bill after suffering stroke Guardian September 18 with another grim example of Johnson government racist policies undermining the core principles of the NHS and levying extortionate charges:
“Simba Mujakachi, a personal trainer, was just 29 years old in June 2019 when he suffered a catastrophic stroke that left him comatose. When he awoke, he was paralysed on his left side and unable to talk or eat.
“His stroke could have been prevented by relatively inexpensive medication for a blood clotting condition that, as a refused asylum seeker, he was not entitled to on the NHS.
“Now Mujakachi, who has lived in the UK since he was a child, owes nearly £100,000 for the emergency treatment that saved his life, a staggering sum which he does not know how he will ever repay.
“No one can pay £100,000, who has got that? I’m looking at the bill and I’m thinking, that’s a house,” he said.”

(18 Sep 2021) Brain health and its social determinants Lancet Sept 18 editorial underscores the importance of social determinants in understanding mental health
"Opinions about the relative importance of the biological and sociological causes of mental ill health have moved wildly from one extreme to another over the past 50 years. So, when Vivian Pender, the newly elected President of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), pronounced in July that “we need to be more aware of the broader context in which that illness occurred and how that context has shaped the health outcome”, cynics could be forgiven for thinking it just another swing of the pendulum. However, perhaps this time Pender—and many others, for she is not alone—has got it right.
"Much evidence has been published supporting Pender's call for social determinants to be considered as key in understanding and treating mental illness. The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development stated that research consistently shows a strong association between social disadvantage and poor mental health.
"At the individual level, the Commission reported that poverty, childhood adversity, and violence are key risk factors for mental disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has further focused attention on the importance of social determinants in causing both mental and physical illness.
"That Pender has felt the need to create a taskforce to examine this issue, reporting to the APA's annual meeting in May, 2022, probably reflects the strength with which many US psychiatrists are wedded to the biomedical model of mental ill health and the utility of pharmacotherapy. Reaching for the prescription pad is certainly easier than fixing a patient's economic and social circumstances. But current treatments, including medication and talking therapy, have their limitations."

(18 Sep 2021) More patients should expect their operations to be cancelled, warns top doctor Independent report September 15:
“Dr Fiona Donald, new president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, told The Independent the workforce gaps among anaesthetists, the largest group of hospital specialist doctors, had deteriorated since the pandemic with one in three reporting mental health problems following their experiences during the Covid crisis.
“In her first interview, Dr Donald, a consultant anaesthetist at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, said she was very worried about the demand on hospitals during winter, adding that doctors were being asked to do extra work that was “beyond reasonable.”
“She said she feared it was “inevitable” there would be more cancellations of operations in the coming months as the NHS comes under extra pressure – with the shortage of doctors placing a limit on how many surgeries could be done.”

(18 Sep 2021) Hospital admits patient care is being compromised as cancer operations delayed September 14 report from The Independent:
“Cancer operations at one of England’s largest hospital trusts are being delayed as bosses admit patient care on wards is being compromised.
“Nottingham University Hospitals Trust has been forced to convert one of its few remaining wards for cancer surgery patients into an emergency medical ward to cope with an influx of patients.
“The Independent understands the trust’s A&E department is regularly overcrowded with 40 or more patients waiting for a bed at the start of most days.
“The trust, which is set to begin filming on a new series of 24 Hours in A&E this week, said staff were going “above and beyond on a daily basis”.
“It is one of a number of NHS trusts hit hard by rising demand for NHS services and increasing numbers of coronavirus patients. The East Midlands trust had more than 140 Covid-19 patients on its wards on Monday.”

(18 Sep 2021) Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust continues to miss out-of-area care target BBC Sept 18 with another tale of failure and broken promises from one of the country’s worst mental health trusts:
“In 2014, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) bosses vowed to stop sending patients out of the area within four months, a target which was moved to October 2017, then March 2018.
“NSFT said pandemic demand meant it failed to meet its September deadline.
“A report ahead of a meeting on 23 September said the deadline has now been pushed back to April 2022.
“Recent figures show there were 235 out of area placement days in July 2021, down from a high of 1,974 in April 2019, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“But campaigners have said any number is too high.
“A spokesperson for the Norfolk and Suffolk Crisis campaign group said: "We are absolutely disgusted that they haven't moved further towards achieving this objective”.”

(17 Sep 2021) NHS trusts ‘wrongly charging’ vulnerable migrant women for maternity care Shocking Sept 17 report from the Independent on the racist policies imposed by government and NHS management:
“NHS trusts are wrongly charging deeply vulnerable migrant women for their maternity care, new research has found.
“Maternity Action, who carried out the study, said “terrified women” are ringing their helpline saying they are too scared to attend antenatal appointments in case they are charged for their healthcare.
“The organisation discovered many NHS Trusts are “routinely ignoring or misinterpreting” the law on requesting payment from overseas women for maternity care, despite the fact the government's own policy stipulates the most vulnerable women should not be charged.
“Rules specify overseas women from outside the European Union who are expecting a baby must be charged for NHS care – with debt from maternity care affecting future immigration applications. Charges start at around £7,000 but potentially double if there are complications with the pregnancy.”

(17 Sep 2021) Bad managers ‘never get fired’ in the NHS, complain doctors Yet another appalling badly informed Torygraph article, Sept 17, attacking the NHS and its management – despite never criticising the huge fat cat packages trousered by bosses of private companies – or indeed low-talent right wing journalists.
“Ten years ago, NHS super-managers with six-figure salaries, expense accounts and hefty pensions were a rare breed in the country’s hospital boardrooms and local commissioning groups.
“Not any more. While nurses have seen their pay fall in real terms over the past decade during an era of austerity, the ranks of these richly rewarded health bosses have swelled dramatically.
“In September 2010, there were 985 hospital directors and healthcare managers in England earning more than £110,000, according to NHS Digital, the health information centre that tracks the numbers of “very senior managers” for salary reviews. But by September 2020 there were 2,788. It means their numbers have almost tripled in a decade.”

(17 Sep 2021) NHS unions express fury as health minister admits £2.8bn of PPE unfit for purpose Morning Star Sept 17:
“NHS unions and campaigners reacted with fury today to a government admission that £2.8 billion of personal protective equipment (PPE) is not fit for purpose.
“Health minister Lord Bethell revealed that nearly two billion items of PPE are unusable and lying in warehouses labelled “do not supply” — more than 6 per cent of the volume purchased.
“The government admitted in July that it was in dispute with a number of companies over 40 contracts for £1.2bn worth of PPE that was either substandard or simply undelivered — including a million masks found to be below the FFP3 standard used in intensive care.
“Unite union national officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe said that the latest revelation was “a searing indictment of the secretive fast-track fashion (in which) many of the PPE contracts were awarded to ‘friends’ of the Tory Establishment, something we have suspected for a long time.”

(17 Sep 2021) Man With Insurance Left With $80K Hospital Bill After COVID Battle Newsweek Sept 17 with another glimpse into the disastrous world of US health care:
“Jim Sweeney, 63, from Nevada, tested positive for COVID-19 last November and was admitted to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus in Henderson, before quickly being moved into intensive care and being placed on a ventilator, according to a fundraiser started by his son, Scott Sweeney. Jim Sweeney was on the ventilator until mid-February and remained in hospital and a rehab center until April.
"From that time he has racked up some ridiculous hospital bills. Most of which his insurance helped with but they won't cover everything, and that leaves him with a $80,000+ bill that he is now solely responsible for," his son says on the fundraising page, which was set up on Thursday.”

(15 Sep 2021) EU, Switzerland, UK continue opposition, amid support for TRIPS waiver Shocking Sept 15 Third World News report on British government, EU and Switzerland blocking steps to increase production and distribution of Covid vaccine
“Amid the groundswell of international support for the TRIPS waiver at the WTO coupled with more countries, including Malaysia, joining as co-sponsors of the waiver, three members – the European Union led by Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom – seem determined to undermine an expeditious decision on the temporary waiver for combating the COVID-19 pandemic, said people familiar with the development.
“The intransigent positions adopted by these three members against the waiver appears more like an attempt to protect the monopolies and massive profits of Big Pharma over the enormous loss of lives globally due to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic and the denial of vaccines to the global South, said people familiar with the discussions.
“The much-delayed temporary TRIPS waiver seeks to suspend certain provisions in the TRIPS Agreement relating to copyrights, industrial designs, patents, and protection of undisclosed information for ramping-up the production of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines across countries on an expeditious basis.
“The EU, Switzerland and the United Kingdom escalated their opposition to the waiver on “ideological” grounds that could create a permanent state of “vaccine apartheid” as well as loss of millions of lives due to Covid-19, said people, who asked not to be quoted.”

(15 Sep 2021) Canada: Alberta healthcare system on verge of collapse as Covid cases and anti-vax sentiments rise Guardian report September 15 on the consequences of rejecting any restrictions to limit the spread of Covid:
“A surge in coronavirus cases has pushed the healthcare system in the Canadian province of Alberta to the verge of collapse, as healthcare workers struggle against mounting exhaustion and a growing anti-vaccine movement in the region.
“The province warned this week that its ICU capacity was strained, with more people requiring intensive care than any other point during the pandemic – nearly all of them unvaccinated.
“It’s not easy to go to work every day and watch people in their 30s die,” an ICU nurse in Edmonton told the Guardian. “Having to help a family say goodbye and then going through the actions that are required at the end of someone’s life, is worse than anyone can imagine.”
“Alberta has long boasted of its loose coronavirus restrictions – including advertising the previous months as the “best summer ever” as it rolled back those few restrictions. It has also been the site of North America’s highest caseloads.”

(15 Sep 2021) NHS app storing facial verification data via contract with firm linked to Tory donors Guardian report September 15:
“The NHS app is collecting and storing facial verification data from citizens in England in a process which has fuelled concerns about transparency and accountability.
“The data collection is taking place under a contract with a company linked to Tory donors called iProov, awarded by NHS Digital in 2019, which has yet to be published on the government website.
“Privacy campaigners say the opacity of the relationship between London-based iProov and the government raises questions about how securely the information is held, with one saying they were “deeply concerned” about the secrecy surrounding the use of data.
“An NHS spokesperson confirmed law enforcement bodies were able to request data, but that a special panel reviewed such requests, taking into account the health service’s duty of confidence.”

(15 Sep 2021) ‘Severe pressures’ driving two-month waits for urgent scans HSJ report Sept 15 on the growing delays of an under-funded NHS:
“An internal update at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, labelled “September turnaround times” and seen by HSJ, suggested the current response time for the most urgent “two-week” CT scans is nine weeks.
“The waiting times then rise to 15 weeks for scans which are still urgent but do not need a two-week response, and more than six months for routine scans. For routine scans the document adds: “Currently unable to appoint due to capacity available”.
“… Diagnostics data that is published by NHS England shows the proportion of all cases waiting more than six weeks, regardless of their urgency. The latest data from July showed 27 per cent of cases waiting for a CT scan at SaTH breached this standard, against the national average of 16 per cent. This meant it was among the 30 worst trusts on this measure.”

(15 Sep 2021) Essex: Children harmed by mental health service failings BBC News September 15 report on a troubles trust where parents and relatives have been campaigning for action for years:
“Young people cared for by an NHS mental health service "came to harm" because of its failings, inspectors said.
“The care provided by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has been rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
“It has now been stopped from admitting new patients after inspectors found "serious concerns" in the children and adolescent mental health services.
“EPUT said it had increased staffing levels and had been coaching staff.
“The inspection was prompted by a serious incident and concerning information received about safety and quality, the CQC said.”

(14 Sep 2021) Child Covid rates in Greater Manchester spiked by 56 per cent after first week back at school Grim report from Manchester Evening News Sept 14:
“The reopening of schools has brought a large spike in the number of pupils infected with Covid.
“Infection rates among children aged 10-14 are now higher than in any other age group. Figures for the week ending September 8 show that rates have risen by more than 50 per cent in all-but three areas of Greater Manchester.
Rochdale has had the largest percentage increase, of 128pc, followed by Bolton at 87pc.
“But Tameside has the highest infection rate among 10 to 14-year-olds, at 859 cases per 100,000, followed by Stockport with 780.3 cases per 100,000.”

(14 Sep 2021) The NHS is broken – GPs know it and the patients are suffering the consequences Another (Sept 14) instalment of the Daily Torygraph hate campaign against the NHS in general and GPs in particular – in which not one word is said about the decade of under-funding and endless broken promises of Tory ministers. Fortunately behind a paywall:
“…the starkest gap between how we want the NHS to be and how it actually is comes in general practice. It is in this aspect of the nation’s health provision, found a recent poll for The Patients Association, that most Britons have struggled to access care.
“Before the pandemic, a quarter said they found it hard to see a GP. By April this year, that had risen by half to 36 per cent – worse than for any other NHS service. And now, a survey conducted over the summer reveals, it has jumped again, with 52 per cent finding it hard to get a GP appointment.
“GPs are the front door to the NHS,” notes The Patients Association, “and patients are increasingly perceiving that that door is closed to them.”
“The impact is very real. Some 56 per cent of patients admit to putting off appointments, and more than half also expect their health to suffer as a result of changes to provision during the pandemic. The toll may already be emerging. For the last 18 months the number of so-called “excess deaths” in private homes has remained stubbornly above the five-year average.”

(14 Sep 2021) The Long-Term Safety Argument over COVID-19 Vaccines Boston Review article September 14 takes on the “safety” argume t employed by anti-vaxxers:
“Vaccine hesitancy remains a very serious and costly obstacle for many countries, with the United States very much in the spotlight. While some hesitancy is rooted in longer trends, much of it appears to be driven by coordinated disinformation campaigns specific to this pandemic.
“Despite highly impressive safety profiles, strong efficacy, and continually encouraging data showing real-world vaccine effectiveness, numerous spurious and scientifically illiterate arguments to avoid the jab are reaching millions of people each day.
“These efforts have taken a variety of forms. Staunch anti-vaxxers sow doubt more by fearmongering than by reasoned argument. Others present more specific concerns.
“Some have expressed concern at emergency use authorization rather than full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This point is now moot, given that Pfizer/BioNTech won full approval in late August. (Moderna has submitted its own application for full approval and will almost surely win it soon.)
“Perhaps the most stubborn challenge, however, is the contention that we lack “long-term” safety data for the vaccines. Assertions have been made on widely viewed broadcast media that the recent FDA approval has been rushed.
“The mRNA shots seem to attract the lion’s share of this particular scare, due to the claim that these are “new” technologies. Given their novelty, the worry goes, we need more data before we can make a more informed decision about how they might impact us in the long run.”

(14 Sep 2021) ‘The virus is painfully real’: vaccine hesitant people are dying – and their loved ones want the world to listen Guardian report September 14:
“In the UK and other developed nations such as France and the US, Covid-19 has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated.
“Last month, Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, tweeted that: “The majority of our hospitalised Covid patients are unvaccinated and regret delaying [their vaccines].”
“About 60% of all hospitalisations due to Covid in the UK are of unvaccinated people. An Office for National Statistics report published on Monday says that in the first six months of 2021, Covid was involved in 37.4% of deaths in unvaccinated people – and just 0.8% of deaths in fully vaccinated people.
“While 80% of the UK adult population is fully vaccinated (and 89% have received a first dose, indicating they will go on to be fully vaccinated), vaccine uptake rates have been tapering off in virtually all regions of the UK.”

(14 Sep 2021) NHS leaders ‘set for fight’ amid signs mental health will miss out on new funding HSJ article Sept 14:
“Last week, the government announced an additional £15bn for NHS England over the next three years, with a clear aim to increase elective activity in acute hospitals by 30 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. Other priorities were described as putting services on a sustainable footing, and focusing on prevention.
“But there were no new commitments specified for mental health services, despite an acknowledgement of “unprecedented demands placed on staff and the public as a whole”.
“In recent years there has been a firm commitment to reaching “parity of esteem” for mental health services, meaning the sector has generally received a fair share of any spending increases, and a growing proportion of the overall budget.
“But well-placed sources told HSJ there are currently no additional increases planned for mental health over the three years from 2022-23.”

(14 Sep 2021) Multinational care companies are the real winners from Johnson’s new tax Excellent Sept 14 Guardian Opinion column by Allyson Pollock dissecting the dysfunctional social care system and the profits milked out of it:
“Social services for community and long-stay care in the UK are among the most privatised and fragmented in the western world – even more so than in the US.
“Local authorities in England commission most of their care services from private providers, of which there are 14,800 registered organisations providing care across 25,800 locations.
“This situation arose as local authorities, facing budget shortages and central government-imposed regulatory and financial incentives, sold off their care homes and turned to outsourcing. Scotland and the other devolved administrations face similar structural issues.
“According to a study by the Competition and Markets Authority carried out in 2016 and updated in 2018, the care homes industry alone was worth around £15.9bn a year in the UK with 5,500 different providers operating 11,300 care homes for older people.
“In 2020, there were more than 456,000 care home beds in England, with local authorities and the NHS combined having closed and sold off an equivalent number during the preceding decades. For-profit providers, many of them large multinational chains, own 83% of care home beds with a further 13% provided by the voluntary sector.
“At the same time, government funding for local authority adult social care in England fell by 55% in 2019-20 compared with 2010-11, resulting in a 29% real-terms reduction in local government spending power. By 2019-20, local authority net spending on care was £16.5bn, 4% lower in real terms than in 2010-11.”

(14 Sep 2021) UK near top of ‘league table of shame’ for delivering just 7pc of Covid jabs promised to poor countries Boris Johnson’s former employers the Daily Telegraph Sept 14 pointing out the broken promises by the government they normally refuse to criticise:
“The UK has delivered less than seven per cent of the vaccines it has promised to developing countries, coming near the bottom in what critics are calling a “league table of shame”.
“Data compiled by Our World in Data, a research hub based at the University of Oxford, show the world's major economies have promised to donate many more doses of vaccine to poor countries than they have delivered.
“The data looks at donations to Covax, the initiative to share vaccines globally, and finds that of the 554 million doses promised by the world's richest nations, only 90.8 million, or 16 per cent, have been delivered.
“The UK is the second biggest pledger of vaccines after the United States, promising 80 million doses to Covax. But is towards the bottom of the league table when it comes to delivery. So far it has only delivered 5.1 million doses, just 6.38 per cent of what it has promised.”

(13 Sep 2021) Anti-Vaxxers Are Now Gargling Iodine to Prevent Covid-19 Rolling Stone Sept 13 uncovers more idiocy from anti-vaxxers:
“As if attempting to one-up last week’s stupidity with regards to ivermectin, anti-vaxxers on Facebook and Twitter are advocating for a new and unproven Covid-19 treatment: Betadine, an antiseptic used to treat cuts and scrapes.
“Povidone iodine, often sold under the brand-name Betadine, is an iodine-based treatment largely for topical use that kills bacteria.
“It’s a “commonly used cleanser in the ER and OR,” says Kenneth Weinberg, an emergency room physician in New York City. “If you’re in the ER and someone has a wound to sew it up, you use it to clean with.”
“When told that anti-vaxxers had taken to gargling with Betadine, Weinberg said, “Fuck me! Of course they are.”

(12 Sep 2021) Early CT scans deliver huge fall in lung cancer deaths, study shows Guardian Sept 12:
“Low-dose computerised tomography (CT) scans can detect tumours in people’s lungs early and cut deaths by 16%, according to the UK Lung Cancer Screening Trial (UKLS).
“The findings have prompted renewed calls from lung cancer experts for the government to bring in routine screening across the UK of all those who are at risk because of their smoking history. They say that early detection means patients can have potentially curative surgery or radiotherapy.
“‘Lung cancer early detection and surgical intervention saves lives,’ said Professor John Field of Liverpool University, an author of the trial. …
“About 47,000 Britons a year are diagnosed with lung cancer, and 35,000 die of the disease. It kills more men than prostate cancer and more women than breast cancer. Only a quarter of lung cancers are found when they are at stages one or two – when treatment may keep someone alive.”

(12 Sep 2021) ‘Only a fraction’ of long Covid sufferers able to access NHS support clinics Independent report, Sept 12:
“Hundreds of thousands of people suffering from long Covid in England may be struggling to access NHS clinics dedicated to treating the condition, figures suggest, with patients waiting up to six months for an appointment following a GP referral.
“Between 5 July and 1 August just 5,737 referrals were made to the support centres, which were established by the NHS at the beginning of the year to offer a range of treatments and rehabilitative services to those with long-lasting Covid symptoms.
“But data from the Office for National Statistics show that an estimated 970,000 people are experiencing long Covid in the UK – more than a third of whom have suffered from the condition for over a year.
“This means “only a fraction” of the number of people thought to have the condition are being seen by the clinics, said one member of the NHS Long Covid Taskforce, who asked to remain anonymous.”

(11 Sep 2021) Covid hospitalisations moving in ‘alarming’ direction, experts and NHS officials say Independent report Sept 11:
“Covid-19 hospitalisations are increasing at an “alarming” rate, experts have warned, putting increased pressure on the NHS as it struggles to cope with a spike in demand for emergency care and the largest waiting list on record.
“Figures show that the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has increased by more than 1,000 within the last 11 days, jumping from 7,091 to 8,098 – a 14 per cent rise. In the previous 11 days, from 19 August to 29 August, the number of Covid patients increased by 590, or 9 per cent.
“Covid bed occupancy levels are now at their highest levels since 10 March, according to government data, after daily admissions passed the 1,000 mark this week.
“And analysis suggests that the UK could be forced back into another lockdown by mid-November if the number of daily admissions continues on its current trajectory.”

(11 Sep 2021) Should Meirion Thomas be subject to disciplinary action for expressing his offensive views? Useful 2015 blog illustrating the dodgy political track record of the surgeon who has just knocked out a Telegraph hate piece attacking GPs:
“Meirion Thomas is a consultant surgeon who works at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He also has a sideline publishing controversial opinions in publications such as the Spectator and the Daily Mail.
“He has published articles (e.g. here and here) in the Spectator on the subject of immigration that would, no doubt, delight the National Front and UKIP.
“He has published in the Daily Mail, expressing:
• “views on female doctors that even the Daily Mail described as "provocative"; and which many considered offensive - see the Royal College of General Practitioner's response here; and
• “another which many felt was extremely inaccurate and offensive to general practitioners - see a response in GP magazine Pulse here."

(11 Sep 2021) If the GPs went on strike, would anybody notice? Rant by a right wing surgeon against GPs in, of course, the Torygraph Sept 11:
“Most of the complaints of the GPs themselves, however, do not pass muster. Dr Samira Anane, workforce policy lead of the BMA GP Committee, recently seemed to suggest that GPs were cutting their hours to avoid burnout because of the stresses and pressures of the job.
“But in my 33 years as a hospital consultant surgeon I didn’t see this happen once, even in cardiac, brain or cancer doctors who take life and death decisions daily. Why should GPs be so badly affected given that they work at the opposite end of the medical complexity spectrum?
“The wider problem with all the new money that the Government is committing to the NHS is that it comes without any reform, and I predict that the bureaucrats that the health service seems to be hiring, charged in part with spending the £36 billion wisely, will never have worked at the bedside. I know from experience that the natural instinct of hospital managers when faced with a problem is to appoint more managers.”

(11 Sep 2021) Covid crisis as hospitals axe operations and move to highest alert level Mirror Sept 11 report on a situation in Derbyshire that is increasingly affecting the whole of England:
“A county's healthcare system under 'severe pressure' has moved to its highest alert level and begun cancelling some operations.
“NHS and care services across Derbyshire and Staffordshire sounded the alarm after seeing a huge surge in patients in recent days.
“Health bosses in the region said there had been a 'significant increase' in sick patients and that in a single day the A&E departments saw 1,038 patients. The numbers were seen at Chesterfield Royal, Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital, Burton on Monday.
“It has now prompted some hospitals to reportedly move to 'Opel 4' - which signifies a hospital is 'unable to deliver comprehensive care.'”

(11 Sep 2021) Betsi Cadwaladr health board cancels some surgery amid Covid rise BBC News Sept 11 on the worsening crisis in Welsh hospitals:
“A Welsh health board has cancelled some surgical operations due to a rise in Covid-19 cases in hospitals.
“Betsi Cadwaladr health board, which covers north Wales, said the decision was not taken lightly but was necessary to "safely care for patients".
“And the health board has also decided to significantly restrict hospital visits as it battles outbreaks at four of its hospitals.
“First Minister Mark Drakeford has said cases are "likely to get worse".
“It comes after Hywel Dda health board suspended some planned orthopaedic surgery, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board banned most hospital visiting.”

(10 Sep 2021) Chart of the week: How much of the health and care levy will social care receive and what is this intended to do? Useful Nuffield Trust diagram (Sept 10) on the breakdown of the £30bn allocated to England over 3 years, showing how little goes to social care, and how little of that to address the workforce crisis:
"What we do know is that £500 million of the £5.4 billion is meant to go towards the professional development of care staff. But critics have questioned whether this will be enough for the 1.52 million strong social care workforce, given the known low pay and working conditions they experience. To put this in perspective, the NHS Pay Review Body reports the government has estimated a cost of £1.2 billion to bring the lowest paid care workers in line with their NHS counterparts."

(10 Sep 2021) Long waits for ambulances continue in England BBC News report Sept 10:
“Patients needing ambulances for life-threatening calls are often waiting longer than they should, latest NHS England figures show.
“The average response time was around eight and a half minutes in August - the target for urgent calls is seven minutes.
“Data also reveals the number waiting for routine operations rose to a record high of 5.6 million in July.”

(10 Sep 2021) Social care plan will help just a tenth of UK’s older people in need Guardian September 10:
“After it comes into effect in 2023, the new policy will directly help about 150,000 more people at any one time, according to government documents. But already about 850,000 older people who receive care have at least some of the cost paid by local authorities.
“Age UK estimates that a further 1.5 million older people need care but are ineligible for support – up from about a million in 2014. Some pay for it themselves, some get help from their families and some go without any care at all.
“But while the prime minister’s £36bn national insurance tax rise focused on how care will be paid for after 2023, he made no provision to ensure that the sector survives the crisis engulfing it now.”

(10 Sep 2021) CCG closes private firm's GP practice in remote area HSJ (September 10) reports on a CCG rolling back privatisation of GP services – in unusual circumstances:
“Nine thousand patients in an isolated part of Kent have been given two months to find a new GP surgery after the clinical commissioning group did not renew a contract with the existing practice – despite the area being short of GPs.
“DMC Healthcare has run the practice at Sheppey Community Hospital for 12 years, under an alternative provider medical services contract which ends on 31 October. The company also runs a GP walk-in service at the hospital which will move to a new, unnamed, provider on 31 October.
“DMC has already had some surgeries in Medway closed by the Care Quality Commission and a dermatology contract in Medway and north Kent was suspended over concerns about long waits for high risk patients: the contract was later terminated by mutual agreement. However, a Care Quality Commission inspection of the Sheppey service in 2020 raised no major concerns.”

(10 Sep 2021) The vaccination paradox #2 Useful infographic explaining why – even though vaccination is key to reducing serious infection with Covid – as more people are vaccinated, the proportion of vaccinated people hospitalised with Covid increases.

(10 Sep 2021) Against all odds: how New Zealand is bending the Delta curve Guardian report Sept 10 from New Zealand:
“Across the Tasman, a bleak picture was emerging: Australia, like New Zealand, had maintained a zero-Covid elimination strategy throughout the first year of the pandemic but was now struggling with outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria.
“Both countries had less than a third of their total populations immunised. With cases in NSW now regularly hitting more than 1,400 a day, the state provided a stark worst-case scenario of what New Zealand might see.
“But now, against all odds, New Zealand is bending the Delta curve.
“It’s looking very good for ending this outbreak,” says Prof Michael Baker, an epidemiologist and public health expert. “I wouldn’t say ‘absolute certainty’, but it’s now far more a matter of when, rather than if.”

(10 Sep 2021) GPs in England ‘finding it increasingly hard to guarantee safe care’ Guardian September 10:
“Amid a debate over access to face-to-face appointments, Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), defended the growing use of remote consultations during the pandemic. He said a 4.5% fall in GP numbers across England was to blame for the crisis in primary care and warned it had led to a risk of mistakes being made.
“In 2015, the government vowed to hire 5,000 more GPs within five years. But the number has instead fallen. The number of family doctors working the equivalent of full-time hours fell by 1,307 to 28,096 between September 2015 and March 2021, according to an analysis of NHS data by the RCGP, with growing numbers quitting due to burnout both early and late in their careers.
“At the same time a growing and ageing population with complex conditions in addition to an overall increase in demand for care means GPs are beginning to crack under the pressure of unsustainable workloads, according to Marshall. As a result, overworked family doctors are increasingly fearful of making serious mistakes or missing crucial signs of potentially life-threatening conditions.”

(9 Sep 2021) ‘Heavy-handed, expensive’ inspections wrong way to regulate hospitals, says ex-CQC chair HSJ (9 Sept) reports that the man who has chaired the organisation carrying out heavy-handed inspections now says it doesn’t work
“‘Very heavy-handed, laborious and expensive’ inspections ‘have not been the right way’ of regulating hospitals, according to the Care Quality Commission’s former chair.
“Speaking at a Royal Society of Medicine event on Wednesday, Lord David Prior, who is now the chair of NHS England, said “very few” physicians will have improved their work after reading a report from the regulator.
“He added that there is a role for the CQC to move in when “things are going wrong” although he is “sceptical” the regulator can actually drive improvement in hospitals.
“Lord Prior said: “I am highly sceptical as to whether or not CQC or any regulator can really drive improvement and drive the top hospitals to make them better.'”

(9 Sep 2021) Nearly half of all NHS staff have no medical qualifications Telegraph Sept 9 with a classical display of ignorance, prejudice and disinformation:
“Almost half of all NHS staff are managers, administrators or unqualified assistants, it has emerged, as Boris Johnson came under pressure to insist on health service reforms as the price of increased funding.
“The proportion of clinical staff who are professionally trained has declined from 55.5 per cent in 2013 to just 52.5 per cent now, meaning 47.5 per cent of staff have no medical qualifications.
“Separately, it has emerged that the number of NHS managers paid more than the Prime Minister is about to rise to more than 400. Some hospitals have as many as nine managers earning more than Mr Johnson’s £157,000.
“MPs said the figures showed that with £36 billion extra going to the NHS and social care, funded by a 1.25 percentage point increase in National Insurance, it was time to have a root and branch review of NHS spending.”
Actual figures show just 34,000 managers & senior managers, 160,000 non-clinical support staff and 373,000 clinical support staff – without whom the 626,000 clinically qualified staff would have to run the whole NHS and clean the hospitals themselves, leaving little time to treat patients.

(9 Sep 2021) Don’t let them tell you we are back to ‘normal’. Excellently concise statistical Sept 9 warning note from The Brief Today:
“There should be a real concern that some people feel they are no longer at risk and appear to have stopped taking steps to protect themselves and others. No social distancing. No proper ventilation. No masks in buses. No masks in the tube. No masks in trains. No masks in the streets. No masks at school gates...
“Data are trending upwards, week by week, steadily but worryingly, reaching new levels. 3,069 deaths were reported in the last 28 days in the UK.
“And what is the government doing about that?
“They hold their cabinet meeting without masks or social distancing. Because they want you to believe we are back to ‘normal’.”

(9 Sep 2021) London ambulance under significant pressure with summer months among busiest ever Evening Standard Sept 9:
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) has faced “significant pressure” this summer as it tackles “unprecedented” demand. June, July and August were three of the top five busiest months ever for the NHS service’s 999 call operators this year.
July was its second busiest month on record, second only to March 2020 when paramedics worked through the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic. August and June were the fourth and fifth busiest ever months respectively.
“It’s never been this consistently busy over a whole summer. Demand this high for this long and at this time of year is unprecedented,” a spokesperson said.”

(9 Sep 2021) To bounce back from COVID-19 the NHS needs investment, not reform Health Foundation comment September 9:
“Political eyes … will be on how to reduce the waiting list. The NHS knows how to do this: the remedy as shown in the early 2000s was mainly investment with clear plans, incentives, targets and good performance management. The extra investment announced this week will help, but isn’t likely to be enough according to detailed modelling from the Health Foundation's REAL Centre.
“Far from the NHS being a bloated sponge, the hard truth is the UK spends significantly less per capita on health care (and its administration) than most countries in western Europe. And it has done for decades, which is why these countries have far more staff, beds and equipment to cope with the pandemic and its effects than the UK.
“So the priority now will be to continue to orientate the NHS towards better preventing and managing patients with long term chronic conditions, as in the NHS Long Term Plan. But at the same time double down on the waiting list using techniques proven to work as we saw in the early 2000s.
“As we head into a likely difficult winter, and as the extra funding for the NHS just announced stretches too thinly, the political stakes will rise.
“While shrill calls for further ‘reform’ might increasingly circulate among some backbench MPs and associated think tanks, the politicians should hold their nerve: yet more reform would be costly and risky.”

(8 Sep 2021) Record profits for Tory donor's firm that won huge PPE contracts
Open Democracy Sept 8 investigation:
“A company linked to the Conservative Party that won 'VIP contracts' has boasted of record £13m profits – saying that the pandemic provided an "unprecedented opportunity to support the government".
“Meller Designs Ltd was awarded £160m in deals provide personal protective equipment (PPE), all without competitive tender.
“The company was fast-tracked by the government through a ‘VIP lane’, after being recommended by a government insider.
“Until January this year, it was co-owned by a prominent Tory donor, David Meller. Reports say that he personally lobbied Lord Bethell, a health minister, to speed up the awarding of one of the contracts.
“Accounts now reveal that Meller Designs Ltd – which is normally a fashion manufacturer – made more than £13m profit after tax in 2020. The year before, it managed just £144,000.”

(8 Sep 2021) The hidden catches: ‘Capped’ social care could still cost some pensioners hundreds of thousands Unusually useful story in the Telegraph Sept 8 highlights the danger that the new social care proposals will herald a growth in private insurance to cover the continued high costs:
“Sir Keir [Starmer] said during Prime Minister's Questions: “Someone with £186,000, if you include the value of their home – that is not untypical across the country in all of your constituencies – facing large costs because they have to go into care, will have to pay £86,000 under his plan.
“That is before living costs. Where does the Prime Minister think that they are going to get that £86,000 without selling their home?”
“Mr Johnson responded: “This is the first time that the state has actually come in to deal with the threat of these catastrophic costs, thereby enabling the private sector, the financial services industry, to supply the insurance products that people need to guarantee themselves against the costs of care.”
“Asked whether his policy meant the Government was encouraging people to take out insurance to avoid selling their home, Mr Johnson's official spokesman said: “The private insurance market will now have the ability, because of the certainty provided, to come forward. It's not for me to say what actions they will take.””

(8 Sep 2021) NHS spends millions hiring an army of £200,000 bureaucrats Telegraph Sept 8 with a different twist on the implications of the Health and Care Bill, which almost all Tory MPs nodded through at its second reading in July, and are likely to rubber stamp through the Commons, establishing new and unaccountable Integrated Care Boards – headed by these new “bureaucrats”:
“The NHS is hiring an army of 42 new executives on salaries of up to £270,000 each as Boris Johnson faces mounting anger over his tax rise to fund healthcare.
“More than £9 million will be spent employing dozens of chief executives of new integrated care boards, each of whom will earn more than the Prime Minister.
“Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, promised on Wednesday he would be “watchful for any waste” of the £12 billion a year tax revenue, but has yet to fully explain how the money will be spent.
“On Wednesday night, senior Tories said they were “appalled” by the decision to hire the new executives, saying workers on low salaries would struggle to understand why they were having to pay more tax to fund “mega” pay packets for a legion of new managers.”

(8 Sep 2021) UK ministers braced for ‘catastrophic’ end to welfare uplift Financial Times report Sept 8, warning on the impact of another looming government policy to worsen the plight of the poorest, with consequences for living standards, their health and that of their children:
"Some senior Conservative MPs have voiced their opposition to ending the uplift, including six of the party’s former work and pensions secretaries. A well-placed Whitehall official said the government’s own analysis highlighted the deep impact of reversing the change.
“The internal modelling of ending the UC uplift is catastrophic. Homelessness and poverty are likely to rise, and food banks usage will soar. It could be the real disaster of the autumn.”
"One minister warned that the political backlash over universal credit, which is claimed by 6m people, was likely to be more serious for prime minister Boris Johnson than the debate about social care.
“There’s no doubt that this is going to have a serious impact on thousands of people and colleagues are really worried, I think it will definitely eclipse social care as a political problem. It’s not just red wall MPs who are fearing a major backlash from the public.”

(8 Sep 2021) NHS waiting lists risk spiralling higher, experts warn FT report Sept 8 on the critical views of think tanks on the latest government plans to cut waiting lists:
“Anita Charlesworth, director of research at the Health Foundation, pointed out that former prime minister Tony Blair’s successful push to cut waiting lists in the early 2000s had been on the back of an average 6 per cent annual increase in health funding over five years.
“… Charlesworth pointed to huge uncertainty about how many of the estimated 8m patients who have stayed away from the NHS during the pandemic would ultimately seek healthcare. She said the government had “committed to an increase in the amount of activity the NHS is doing but they’ve resisted making any commitment, or even saying what they think the extra money will achieve, in terms of waiting lists and waiting times”.
“If 75 per cent of the “missing” patients sought treatment, it could cost £17bn to restore 18-week waiting times, said Charlesworth, noting the government had instead provided £10bn between 2021-22 and 2024-25 to tackle the backlog.
“… Even holding waiting lists at the current level of 5.5m patients would cost £13.3bn, according to Charlesworth’s calculations. “In all probability we will find ourselves at the next general election with a longer waiting list than we have at the moment — not a shorter one,” she said.”

(8 Sep 2021) Will the cap really fix the social care system? BBC's Nick Triggle Sept 8 with a particularly rigorous dissection of why the government's £36bn plan will make little difference to most people receiving social care:
The £86k cap on spending does not include “daily living costs:”
“In many ways, this is understandable - after all, they would be liable for living costs if they remained in their own home. But it would mean - based on the average care home cost of £36,000 a year - only £24,000 of the spending counting towards the cap once those £12,000 living costs are taken off.
“That would mean it would take the average care home resident more than three and a half years to hit it.
“But the problem is not many people live that long once they move into a care home. Half die in little over a year, with three-quarters not making it past three years.
“Care you receive in your own home will count towards the cap. But this tends to cost much less and therefore people would normally need to be in receipt of that care for many, many years to hit the cap.”

(8 Sep 2021) The Tories sold a social care con-trick yesterday that will do almost nothing to help those in real need Tax expert Richard Murphy Sept 8, explores the actual implications of the government’s £30bn package for England’s health and social care:
“On policy delivery what was very apparent yesterday was that what was being delivered on social care was a tax increase on low paid workers so that the wealthy could retain more of the value of their properties to pass on to their children.
“That was the driving force behind this change. Everything else is a footnote to that goal. As policy priorities go few are as perverted in the face of need as that.
“When it comes to practical delivery the statements made were even worse. Social care is largely delivered by local authorities. There was no indication of additional support being supplied to them.
“Nor was there any indication of how the social care sector might attract the staff needed to supply the services that are now so essential, including by providing funding for better pay. Nor was there a hint as to how the staffing crisis caused by Brexit is to be solved.”

(7 Sep 2021) The government’s health and care proposals must address the problems in the existing care system Sept 7 analysis from the Institute for Government
“The government plans to spend an additional £12bn in each year between 2022/23 and 2024/25. In theory, this is enough to reform social care with some money left over for tackling the backlog of elective operations.
“Of the £36bn allocated over the next three years, 44% will go to NHS England and Improvement, 16% to the devolved nations as Barnett consequentials, 15% to social care in England, and the remaining 25% to the Department of Health and Social Care – although the government has said that it will only confirm the allocation of additional money between local authorities and the Department of Health and Social Care in the 2021 spending review.
“Previous funds for specific tasks for the NHS have ended up being swallowed into the NHS budget permanently. The 2015 Sustainability and Transformation Fund – which was designed for NHS trusts to eliminate deficits and transform services – was ultimately used to “to address the financial deficit in the trust sector, rather than improving and developing services for patients”.
“There is a risk that the funding for the NHS to tackle backlogs goes into the baseline NHS budget and the funding never ends up going to local authorities to reform social care.”

(7 Sep 2021) Extra £6.5bn next year falls short of what NHS says is needed HSJ Sept 7 analysis:
“The spending increases government announced today provide an additional £6.5bn for NHS England’s revenue budget next year, falling significantly short of what health sector bodies say is necessary.
“Last week, NHS Providers and NHS Confederation said a £10bn annual rise was needed for NHS-specific budgets in 2022-23, to avoid service cuts and placing patients at increased risk, which is also thought to reflect what NHS England has asked for.
“But detailed tables published alongside today’s headline announcements show an additional £6.5bn for NHSE next year, followed by an additional £3.6bn in 2023-24, and £5.5bn in 2024-25. This equates to £15.6bn spread over three years.
“… In a joint statement responding the announcement, NHS Providers and NHS Confed said: ‘No one should be in any doubt that this extra funding is welcome. But the government promised to give the NHS whatever it needed to deal with the pandemic, and, while it makes a start on tackling backlogs, this announcement unfortunately hasn’t gone nearly far enough. Health and care leaders are now faced with an impossible set of choices about where and how to prioritise care for patients.’”

(7 Sep 2021) NHS chief warns hospitals could face ‘one of the most challenging winters on record’ i-news report September 7:
“The NHS is heading into “one of its most challenging winters”, with Covid-19, waiting lists and staffing issues increasing fears that it will be pushed beyond capacity, a leading health service chief has told i.
“The warning comes after i revealed on Monday that the Government has contingency plans for an October half-term “firebreak” lockdown should NHS hospital admissions threaten to breach capacity in the coming weeks.
“Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers – the membership organisation for NHS trusts in England – said that on top of Covid-19 admissions and record NHS waiting list of 5.45 million people, the NHS was expecting high levels of flu and of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among children in the coming months.
“Ms Cordery told i: “The NHS is likely to face one of the most challenging winters on record as it tackles the backlog of care, the continuing presence of Covid-19, potentially high levels of flu and RSV and general winter pressures.

(6 Sep 2021) Social care reform plans facing Tory tax backlash BBC news report September 6:
“Boris Johnson will unveil his long-term plans for social care and the NHS as early as Tuesday, amid rows over how to pay for multi-billion pound funding.
“The PM said he had a plan to reform social care when he took power in 2019, but has yet to announce the detail.
“Now, reports of an increase in National Insurance to cover the cost - which would break his commitment not to raise taxes - has led to anger from Tory MPs.
“An extra £5.5bn for the NHS is also expected to be announced on Monday.
“… Organisations representing the NHS have warned services may have to be cut unless NHS England receives an extra £10bn in funding next year.”

(6 Sep 2021) Hospital-acquired infection caused one-in-five covid deaths at several trusts HSJ report underling the issue of safety and quality in care during and after the peak of the Covid pandemic:
“More than one in five ‘covid deaths’ were both probably hospital-acquired, and caused at least in part by the virus, at several trusts, according to analysis they have released to HSJ.
“We obtained figures from more than 30 trusts which have looked in detail at cases where patients died after definitely, or probably, catching covid in hospital.
“Previous reports of nosocomial covid deaths have been questioned on the basis that the patients may have died “with covid” coincidentally, while other conditions or injuries caused their death. The data newly shared with HSJ appears to dispel that theory.
“Thirty-two acute trusts provided HSJ with robust data, out of the total 120 in England. Across all 32, they had recorded 3,223 covid hospital deaths which were either “definitely” or ‘probably’ nosocomial — making up around 17 per cent of their total reported 19,020 hospital deaths.”

(6 Sep 2021) 'Absolutely nobody' will challenge National Insurance hike to pay for social care, says minister ITV News September 6, focused on spending issue rather than the lack of any promised plan for long term reform of social care:
"Plans to fund social care reform by increasing National Insurance have been widely criticised by Tories and Labour - but a minister has suggested the British public will accept a tax hike if shown honesty by the government.
"Armed forces minister James Heappey would not confirm widely reported claims that the government was planning to break a manifesto pledge by raising National Insurance this week. Instead he urged people not to speculate about yet-to-be announced plans.
"Reports say National Insurance will be increased by 1.25% to raise between £10 billion and £11 billion per year in order to pay for social care reforms, which many say should include a pay rise for carers."

(6 Sep 2021) Boris Johnson faces open warfare with his own party over national insurance hike Independent September 6:
“Boris Johnson is facing open warfare with members of his own party over plans to hike national insurance contributions (NI) of 25 million of workers to raise £10bn for social care for the elderly.
“Former chancellor Philip Hammond on Sunday became the latest senior Tory to denounce the plan, warning it will provoke “a very significant backlash” causing serious damage to the Conservative Party.
“Ex-prime minister Sir John Major has blasted the use of NI to pay for care as “regressive”, while former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith warned that Mr Johnson’s plans could turn the Tories into a “high-tax, high-spend party” without resolving the long-standing shortage of funds for care.
“And cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg sent a thinly-veiled warning to the PM about the danger of breaching his 2019 manifesto promise not to raise NI, income tax or VAT during this parliament.”

(6 Sep 2021) … a tissue of lies and deception Summary article by John Lister for Roy Lilley's online newsletter.
It concludes:
"… behind the Playbook spin NO new hospitals are yet being built, and plans are being hacked back – while older hospitals not prioritised for funding, like QEH Kings Lynn, James Paget and Hinchingbrooke are actually falling down."

(5 Sep 2021) The Observer view on the urgent need for extra social care funding Observer editorial September 5 argues the need to tax the rich rather than the poor:
“The government urgently needs to set out a proper funding plan as part of the forthcoming spending review. There is no good reason why, while people who get cancer have their care funded through the NHS, the vast majority of those who develop dementia in older age are expected to fund their own care: it is ageism.
“The principled case for free personal care is stronger in older age than for universal healthcare; very few people in their 30s and 40s feel inclined to imagine, plan and save for a future with dementia and the costs of care can be far more crippling than many other conditions whose associated costs are absorbed by the NHS.
“Commission after commission – from the royal commission on social care in 1999 to the Barker commission in 2014 – has recommended that the NHS principle should be extended to personal care in older age and shown that it is eminently affordable for a society as rich as ours. It can be funded through an increase in taxation on wealthier individuals, as the TUC is calling for today.”

(5 Sep 2021) Cuts to NHS mental health beds mean more than £100m spent on private providers Independent September 5:
“Plummeting numbers of mental health beds in the NHS have led to a steep rise in spending on private hospitals in England as patients are increasingly sent miles from home to be treated, according to Labour research.
“The party’s mental health spokesperson Rosena Allin-Khan says the money spent by the NHS on placing patients in private mental health beds soared by more than a third from £80m in the financial year 2017-18 to £108m in 2019-20. And the number of placements where patients were sent more than 300km – 186 miles – away from their home has almost doubled from 38 in 2017 to 75, she says.
“The government had set a national ambition to eliminate inappropriate out-of-area placements in mental health services for adults in acute inpatient care by April.
“But Labour says that the problem is being exacerbated by a 25 per cent decline in NHS mental health beds since 2010, equating to almost 6,000 fewer places over a period when numbers of people in contact with mental health services has risen by 20 per cent.”

(4 Sep 2021) Tax the wealthy to give care workers a pay rise, don’t raid ordinary workers’ pockets TUC comment in the Guardian September 4 offers some advice to fill in the yawning gap in Labour's policies:
“… in the UK seven in 10 social care staff earn less than £10 an hour and one in four are employed on zero-hours contracts.
“There has been no mention so far of supporting the care workforce in all the chatter about last week’s forthcoming proposals on funding social care. Instead, ministers seem focused on selling their plan to wallop workers through higher national insurance contributions.
“Our social care system needs a cash injection, but this isn’t the right way to do it. Young and low-paid workers, who have already borne the brunt of this pandemic, would see a disproportionate hit from an NI hike. It’s not right to hit them when ministers are leaving the wealthy untouched.
“That is why the TUC is today calling on the government to raise capital gains tax (CGT) to provide a long-term funding settlement for our social care system, starting with paying all care workers at least £10 an hour.”

(4 Sep 2021) Long Covid hell could blight 2000 children a day amid row over vaccine for kids “As top scientists decide whether to vaccinate kids aged 12-15, experts warn that more than 2,000 children a day may develop long Covid.
“England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty is looking at the benefits of jabbing all in the age group, which was opposed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
“The JCVI thinks the benefits are too small to vaccinate millions of the youngsters.
“But now some medics fear the highly infectious Delta variant is about to rip through schools and may cause more severe disease in -unvaccinated sufferers.
“A report, based on figures before Delta took hold, suggests one in seven infected children, aged 11 and over, still have symptoms 15 weeks on.”

(3 Sep 2021) GP surgeries in England cancel flu jabs amid vaccine shortage Guardian September 3:
“GP surgeries are being forced to cancel appointments for the winter flu jab after the NHS’s biggest provider warned that it could not deliver supplies for up to two weeks due to “unforeseen road freight challenges”.
“Practices in England have begun contacting patients to postpone their immunisation without being able to rebook them at a later date. The problem emerged on Friday when vaccine maker Seqirus wrote to surgeries alerting them to the possibility of having to rearrange booked appointments.
“… The letter did not explain whether the delays were related to the continuing shortage of lorry drivers that has led to supermarkets running out of certain goods and fast food outlets having to close as they are unable to serve signature dishes.
“The British Medical Association warned that the delay in delivery would have a major impact. It comes on top of a severe shortage of blood sample bottles, which last week led NHS England to order GPs and hospitals to cut back dramatically the number of blood tests they carry out, which has forced doctors to ration which patients have their blood taken.”

(3 Sep 2021) Rise in national insurance could fund post-Covid boost for NHS Guardian report September 3:
"A manifesto-busting 1p increase in national insurance contributions for workers and employers could be used for a post-Covid boost for the NHS and to address long-term social care funding.
"With MPs returning to Westminster after their summer recess on Monday, one source suggested the government was keen to rush the necessary legislation through in the three weeks before the Commons breaks again for the party conference season, with the funding badged as a health and social care levy.
"The final details of the funding package to help the NHS deal with the legacy of Covid are to be thrashed out in crunch talks on Friday, with health service leaders fearing the final figure could be just half the £10bn they are demanding."

(3 Sep 2021) My father died because of paramedic staff shortages – the public should know about this worsening crisis Article by Dr Aseem Malhotra in i-News September 3 on the tragic circumstances of the death of his father, doctor and campaigner Kailash Chand:
“I’ve treated countless patients in a similar situation myself and even published articles in medical journals on improving the survival of those suffering out of hospital cardiac arrest. Because effective CPR was being carried out by fully trained bystanders and the ambulance had been called immediately, I was confident he would be ok. In such cases survival rates can be as high as 75 per cent.
“But it took 35 minutes from when the ambulance call was made and 30 minutes from when the cardiac arrest occurred before the paramedics got to the flat. By then it was too late. Through FaceTime I was able to see the cardiac monitor of the defibrillator. It was a flat line. There was nothing to shock. He was gone.
“… Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Throughout the country, because of staff shortages, the ambulance services are now failing to meet the most basic levels of timely care.”

(3 Sep 2021) Care sector facing its worst ever staffing crisis, survey for ITV News finds ITV News with a very useful survey, Sept 3:
“The largest survey of home care providers ever conducted has found the sector is facing its worst staffing crisis in history, with thousands of vulnerable people going without care as a result.
“Some 78% of providers who responded to the exclusive survey, carried out by ITV News in conjunction with the UK Homecare Association, said recruiting carers is the hardest it has ever been. Many describe being at "breaking point".
“Due to the staffing crisis, 30% of the 843 providers surveyed said they are handing back some, or all, of their care to local authorities because they can no longer fulfill their contracts.
“ITV News has seen lists of people who are waiting more than three months to have a provider assigned to them.”

(2 Sep 2021) Yet more stress for nurses and doctors as they are forced to choose which patients are allowed blood tests Nursing Notes September 2 on yet another aspect to the crisis impacting on the NHS:
“The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued a stark warning about the “very difficult choices” healthcare workers will be forced to make amid a shortage of blood test tubes.
“A severe national shortage of Yellow top and Purple top blood tubes is having a significant impact on hospitals and GP surgeries.
“Earlier this month NHS England released formal guidance advising NHS providers to cancel routine blood tests amid the national blood tube shortage.
“The shortage means doctors and nurses are having to make “very difficult choices” about who is allowed blood tests.”

(2 Sep 2021) NHS ‘needs £10bn annual boost’ to tackle backlog and Covid cost Guardian September 2
"The NHS needs a £10bn a year budget boost to cover the costs of Covid-19 and tackle the huge treatment backlog, health service leaders in England will tell ministers.
"The plea comes in a rare joint initiative on Thursday from the two organisations that represent the 213 NHS care trusts.
"Services will have to be cut, waiting lists will soar and the quality of hospital care will fall if the government increases NHS funding by anything less than £10bn, NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation said.
"Their intervention is intended to put pressure on Downing Street, the Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), where ministers and officials are finalising how much more money the NHS will get in the next three years.
"An announcement is expected imminently on the final figure, despite the comprehensive spending review not being due until November."

(2 Sep 2021) Eight in 10 African countries to miss crucial COVID-19 vaccination goal WHO Africa update September 2:
“Africa is set to miss the urgent global goal of vaccinating the most vulnerable 10% of every country’s population against COVID-19 by the end of September. Forty-two of Africa’s 54 nations—nearly 80%—are set to miss the target if the current pace of vaccine deliveries and vaccinations hold, new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows.
“Nine African countries, including South Africa, Morocco and Tunisia, have already reached the global target set in May by the World Health Assembly, the world’s highest health policy-setting body. At the current pace, three more African countries are set to meet the target. Two more could meet it if they speed up vaccinations.
“With less than a month to go, this looming goal must concentrate minds in Africa and globally. Vaccine hoarding has held Africa back and we urgently need more vaccines, but as more doses arrive, African countries must zero in and drive forward precise plans to rapidly vaccinate the millions of people that still face a grave threat from COVID-19,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.”

(2 Sep 2021) GPs face patients' anger over cancelled tests as NHS awaits extra blood tubes GP Online September 2 on the GPs once again in the firing line for systems failure in the NHS or beyond their control:
“NHS England last week ordered GPs to stop all non-urgent blood tests until 17 September amid a global shortage of tubes, with NHS officials warning supplies would become ‘even more constrained before they improved’.
“In a statement on 31 August, supplier Becton Dickinson said it was importing millions of additional tubes this week for ‘immediate distribution’ under emergency measures.
“However, GPs warned that practice teams are facing abuse from patients angry about disruption to blood tests, with one doctor saying their team was ‘at wits' end’ - urging the government to ‘speak out’ on the issue.
“The warning comes after the BMA said last week that GPs must not take blame for delays to care due to the blood test tube shortage, which it said were likely to add to the ‘enormous backlog of care’ created by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

(30 Aug 2021) Worcestershire NHS managers knew cancers missed due to X-ray backlog BBC report August 27 on a shocking cover-up by Worcestershire Hospitals:
“Senior managers at an NHS trust knew up to 30 cancers may have gone undetected two years before an official probe into a backlog of thousands of X-rays.
“Three lung cancers were missed at Worcestershire hospitals NHS Trust, a sample check of results in 2014 found.
“Neither the Care Quality Commission (CQC) nor Worcestershire Healthwatch were told of potential harm to patients despite both investigating in 2016.
“… The whistleblower who revealed the backlog was struck off as a radiographer after allegations of fraud. He has now been reinstated after previously undisclosed documents were found to make the strike-off judgement unsafe.”

(30 Aug 2021) Checking the NHS’s reality: the true state of the health service’s finances Important and revealing August 20 blog by Nuffield Trust’s Sally Gainsbury gets to the roots of the chronic NHS revenue funding crisis – but does not add in the growing problem of lack of capital to reopen closed beds or fund backlog maintenance:
“The single biggest driver of that spending baseline is the costs of NHS providers – the hospital, mental health, ambulance and community service trusts, which together consume the equivalent of over three-quarters of the total £133 billion revenue budget for NHS England.
“In the financial year 2018-19, the gross expenditure of those 230 NHS trusts came to £87.4 billion, against an original plan (after adjusting upwards to take in extra funding provided mid-year to cover the new staff pay settlement) of £85.3 billion.
“That £2 billion gap between plan and reality was created in almost equal measure by unrealistically low assumptions on behalf of commissioners about the likely number of patients requiring care on one side, and unrealistically high assumptions about the value of cost savings that could be extracted from providers’ expenses on the other.”

(30 Aug 2021) The ICS house of mirrors HSJ’s Sharon Brennan in a farewell August 26 Expert Briefing spells out some of the unspoken problems already dogging Integrated Care Systems even before the real discussion on the Health and Care Bill begins in the Commons:
“As the April 2022 deadline for integrated care systems to become statutory moves closer, leaders cannot find many more ways to say the timeline is becoming incredibly tight.
“With seven months to go, there remain crucial unanswered questions. For example, for every piece of guidance NHS England releases, there is another piece of guidance mentioned within it that is due to be published.
“Creating a new ICS is like a house of mirrors where no one knows where the exit is.
“… In April, expect ICSs to look like very large clinical commissioning groups as they take time to think through the transformative work that would elevate them above this.”

(30 Aug 2021) NHS mental health therapists pressurised to exaggerate success rates, expert claims Independent August 26 with a report that shows it’s not just acute hospital bosses being called upon to lie to the public:
“The provision of psychological treatment on the NHS has undergone an “Uberisation”, in which counsellors are pressurised to exaggerate their success in treating patients, a conference has heard.
“Elizabeth Cotton, of Cardiff Metropolitan University, an expert in mental health at work, said that more than four in 10 – 41 per cent – of therapists working for the NHS’s talking treatments programme had been asked to manipulate data about patients’ progress.
“… Dr Cotton carried out four surveys between 2016 and 2020. One, of 1,500 therapists working for the NHS or privately, found that more than a third - 38 per cent - had raised concerns about patient care, a figure rising to 58 per cent among the 223 currently employed by IAPT.
“In another survey of 650 IAPT employees, carried out in 2019, 41 per cent said they had been asked to manipulate data.”

(30 Aug 2021) Waiting times for elective (non-urgent) treatment: referral to treatment (RTT) Kings Fund August 5 analysis of the most recent waiting list figures:
“The NHS constitution sets a standard that 92 per cent of people waiting for elective (non-urgent) treatment, for example, cataract surgery or a knee replacement, should wait no longer than 18 weeks from their referral to their first treatment.
“The standard was last met in February 2016, since when performance has declined steadily until the Covid-19 pandemic when it deteriorated rapidly.
“In addition to the 18-week standard, to prevent very long waits for treatment, NHS England introduced a policy in 2013/14 that said no one should wait more than 52 weeks from referral to first treatment.
“The number of people waiting more than a year was maintained at a low level for a long period of time but has never reached zero. Long waits started to creep up again in 2018, and then climbed significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Additional data released for April 2021 showed that almost 3,000 people had been waiting more than 2 years (104 weeks) for treatment.”
“… the NHS was already missing these key waiting time standards before the pandemic started. It will take considerable time and resources to reduce waits for routine NHS care.”

(30 Aug 2021) Outspoken conservative radio host Phil Valentine dies after battling COVID-19 Nashville Channel 5 August 22 on the death of 61 year-old Conservative talk radio host Phil Valentine from COVID-19.
“Recently Valentine voiced skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine.
“In December of 2020 he tweeted "I have a very low risk of A) Getting COVID and B) dying of it if I do. Why would I risk getting a heart attack or paralysis by getting the vaccine?"
“He even recorded a parody song - Vaxman - mocking the vaccine.
“In July, he told his audience he had COVID and he expected to be back soon. But later updates from family and friends indicated how serious it was.
“Valentine's brother said Phil regretted not being more pro-vaccine and wrote if he got back on the radio he would encourage people to get vaccinated.”

(30 Aug 2021) Propaganda stepped up as new hospital schemes are stalled August 27 comment from The Lowdown pointing out that not only are NHS managers being required to lie about new hospitals, but even the projects that were supposedly funded are at a standstill and being called upon to scale back their plans to reduce costs:
“Only a few of the promised 40 new hospitals by 2030 were guaranteed immediate funding, with the remainder fobbed off with less than £5m each in “seed funding” to work up projects that could not go ahead until at least 2025.

“But so far none of the initial ‘pathfinder’ schemes has started, or even finalised a plan. They are replacing Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow; Watford General Hospital; Whipps Cross Hospital, part of Bart’s trust in East London; a new Specialist Emergency Centre for Epsom & St Helier in South West London; reconfiguration of University Hospitals of Leicester; and a new wing for Leeds General Infirmary.
“Last October two more schemes, rebuilding Hillingdon Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital, were added to the priority list – to make eight pathfinders.
“But with only £2.8bn allocated so far for the first round of new projects up to 2025, doubts have been growing over their affordability.
“In early July the leader of the New Hospital Programme, Natalie Forrest, admitted to a conference that the ‘brakes had come on’ for some of the pathfinder projects, most notably Princess Alexandra, while some are having to change designs due to new requirements, and concerns over the capacity of the construction industry to complete so many projects by 2030.”

(28 Aug 2021) ‘Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon’: Hospital boss issues frank warning to staff Independent August 28:
“The chief executive of Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust, Chris Long, told staff in a leaked message seen by The Independent that more operations would have to be postponed at Hull Royal Infirmary with new areas opened for Covid patients.
“The hospital has already issued a warning to A&E patients that they face being turned away if they come to the hospital with non-urgent complaints after the trust reported 400 patients were being seen daily in the A&E with 100 able to go elsewhere.
“Elsewhere on Friday, The Independent has learned a “makeshift” intensive care unit has been opened at the University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire Trust after a rise in Covid patients. The trust 59 Covid patients on Friday with 17 in intensive care.”

(27 Aug 2021) GPs ordered to halt all non-urgent blood tests across England until September Shaun Lintern Aug 27 in the Independent flagging up yet another knock-on impact of Brexit (aka ‘UK border challenges’):
“All non-urgent community blood testing by GPs and other health services has been stopped by NHS England today as the nationwide shortage of blood collection tubes became “critical”.
“In a new alert to the health service on Thursday, NHS England also told hospitals they needed to reduce the amount of blood test requests by doctors by 25 per cent.
“NHS trusts have been warned they need to put plans in place to help each other out if some organisations come close to running out of tubes.
“NHS England said the shortage of blood collection tubes was likely to get worse before it gets better.”

(27 Aug 2021) Expansion of pharmacies’ clinical offering fails to offset crisis in general practice Lowdown article August 27:
“The move by the NHS community pharmacy sector to bolster its clinical offer to patients by expanding into hypertension case-finding and smoking cessation services is a welcome development, but the wider crisis in primary healthcare provision remains.
“From October, more than 11,000 pharmacies which have signed up to the ‘community pharmacy contractual framework’ (CPCF) – a five-year deal already agreed by NHS England (NHSE), the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) – will offer the first of these services, providing blood-pressure checks to people aged 40 and over, under the mantle of hypertension case-finding.
“According to NHSE, this service simply involves a free blood-pressure check as part of a 10-15 minute consultation with a trained member of the pharmacy team, following which patients “may be invited to take home a blood-pressure monitor” to take further readings, or alternatively they may be referred on to a GP.
“Whether the roll-out of this quick-turnaround service, piloted last autumn, turns out to be an effective move only time will tell – NHSE claims that 3,700 strokes and 2,500 heart attacks could be prevented, and around 2,000 lives saved, over the next five years as a result of its introduction – but GP surgeries, by contrast, often recommend taking readings at home over the course of seven days to gain a more reliable idea of a patient’s blood-pressure.”

(26 Aug 2021) DHSC ‘playbook’ orders trusts to describe big building projects as ‘new hospitals’ HSJ (August 26) breaks the story that the government’s propaganda chiefs are trying to instruct NHS CEOs to describe any substantial building project as a “new hospital”:
“A communications ‘playbook’ for the government’s NHS building programme tells trusts that major refurbishments and new wings/units which are part of the scheme ‘must always be referred to as a new hospital’.
“The instructions for comms on the Department of Health and Social Care’s “new hospital programme”, leaked to HSJ, also state that trusts should reiterate ministers’ commitment to open “48 new hospitals by the end of the decade”.
“There has been a running controversy over the description of the prominent Conservative manifesto commitment, with questions raised about how many new hospitals will be delivered in reality, and the fact that many of those planned are not full hospital builds.
“Last week, Sajid Javid was criticised for describing the Northern Centre for Cancer Care — which is part of the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and the first of the 48 schemes to open — as a “new hospital”. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust, which runs it, did not describe it as a hospital.”

(26 Aug 2021) Plymouth hospital declares critical incident over bed shortages Independent August 26:
“A Plymouth hospital has declared a critical incident over bed shortages as its emergency department becomes overrun by coronavirus cases.
“A spokesperson for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which runs Derriford Hospital near Devon, said that the service is experiencing its highest rate of Covid-19 occupancy of the virus’s third wave.
“The critical incident declaration means that all hospital departments must focus on tackling the problem. Already, bed capacity has been reconfigured to try to meet the demand of patients with and without Covid-19.
“The hospital has also cancelled routine surgery appointments and temporarily banned visitors to try to prevent the virus being spread.”

(26 Aug 2021) Rush to clear NHS backlog could leave poorest behind, warns new analysis Independent August 26 on an important new report from the Health Foundation, revealing that far from “levelling up,” health inequalities are widening, not least in the areas that swung to the Totis in 2019:
“A rush to cut NHS waiting lists for surgeries such as hip replacements could inadvertently worsen health inequalities with richer patients being treated sooner, according to a new analysis.
“The study by the Health Foundation think tank has identified a large gap between the most and least deprived parts of London, in terms of the number of admissions for hip surgery during 2020, as the NHS recovered from the first wave of Covid.
“While the most deprived parts of London saw a 30 per cent fall in admissions for hip replacements during 2020, the least deprived areas of the city saw only a 15 per cent fall.
“The disparity is also regional too, with London managing to get back to its pre-Covid levels of activity for hip surgery while other parts of the country fell behind. The Health Foundation found the Midlands and the northeast and Yorkshire regions were worst affected with 50 per cent fewer admissions. This meant 15,000 more patients in the Midlands and 11,000 more in the northeast and Yorkshire waiting for surgery.”

(26 Aug 2021) NHS trusts told to describe building work on existing sites as ‘new hospitals’ Independent August 26 picks up on HSJ Exclusive on the leaked NHS Comms “Playbook” setting out how NHS chief executives need to big up even the smallest building or refurb project as a “new hospital”:
“Under the definitions of a new hospital, the document stated that this could include “a major new clinical building on an existing site or a new wing of an existing hospital, provided it contains a whole clinical service, such as maternity or children’s services; or a major refurbishment and alteration of all but building frame or main structure, delivering a significant extension to useful life which includes major or visible changes to the external structure”.
“The guidance says that, where NHS trusts are promoting the programme, they must mention the government’s manifesto commitment.
“… Nuffield Trust director of strategy Helen Buckingham told the HSJ: “Stretching the definition of a ‘new hospital’ to cover all these initiatives is not going to convince the average patient or taxpayer, and might lead to a poor reception for what are actually much-needed local improvements.”

(26 Aug 2021) UK records 35,847 new cases and 149 more deaths, daily figures show Sky news August 26 with some grim figures on a new surge of Civid infection:
“The UK has recorded 35,847 new COVID cases and 149 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, government data shows.
“The figures compare with 30,838 infections and 174 fatalities recorded yesterday - the highest daily death total since 12 March. This time last week, 18 August, 33,904 cases and 111 deaths were announced.
“Since the pandemic began, 132,003 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 and there have been 6,590,747 lab-confirmed cases.”

(25 Aug 2021) For a doctor, the Tories’ empty promises on hospitals are soul-destroying Guardian comment by Dr Rachel Clarke, August 25 in response to Sajid Javid’s August 20 tweet: “Looking forward to opening one of new 48 hospitals [sic] later today:”
“Javid’s tweet met with a chorus of derision. The fact was, the health secretary was not en route to a “new” hospital at all, but rather to a new cancer unit, built within the existing Cumberland Infirmary in Cumbria, which was itself opened in 2000 – by the then prime minister, Tony Blair.
“As Siva Anandaciva, chief policy analyst at health think tank the King’s Fund, puts it, the phrase new hospital “might suggest the NHS will see its stock of hospitals grow with … brand new, fully staffed hospitals that offer a full range of services. But – in reality – the promised investment is likely to pay for new facilities on existing hospital sites and the redeployment of existing staff.”
“I shared the public fury. For what, precisely, is wrong with simply telling the truth and saying you are delighted to be opening a new cancer unit? Why devalue all the effort, hard work and rightful pride among its staff by pretending it is an actual hospital?
“I don’t lie to my patients. So why does the health secretary think he is exempt from the NHS’s duty of candour, lying to NHS staff, patients and voters alike?”

(23 Aug 2021) UK Covid deaths average 100 a day with fears of rise when schools return Guardian with alarming figures August 23:
“Deaths from Covid-19 are now averaging 100 a day across the UK, according to official data, and scientists have warned that case rates will jump again when millions of pupils return to schools next week.
“The seven-day average for deaths within 28 days of a positive test now stands at 100, figures released by Public Health England on Monday show, a number that was last exceeded on 18 March.
“Although the vaccination programme means deaths are far below the peaks of last winter – the highest daily total was 1,248, reported on 23 January – it is a notable rise from late May and early June, when they were consistently in single figures.
“Confirmed infection numbers have also started to rise once more following a dramatic fall in mid-July, with 31,914 cases reported on Monday, the seven-day average figure having increased 13% from a week before. Hospitalisations have risen from 672 on 31 July to 948 on 17 August.”

(23 Aug 2021) Ending restrictions with 80% vaccinated could cause 25,000 Australian deaths, new modelling suggests Guardian August 23 with a warning for Australia – and against relaxing precautions or the drive for vaccination:
“Ending lockdowns and other public health restrictions once 80% of the adult population is vaccinated could result in 25,000 deaths in total and 270,000 cases of long Covid, new modelling warns.
“The work by researchers at three leading Australian universities predicts more than 10 times as many deaths as the Doherty Institute modelling that underpins the national four-phase roadmap. That plan was adopted by national cabinet in July but is subject to different interpretations by state and territory leaders.
“The Doherty modelling looked at the number of deaths in the first 180 days of reopening at the 70% and 80% thresholds that lead to phase B and C – when lockdowns would be “less likely” and then “highly targeted”.
“The latest research models total cumulative deaths over a longer time frame during phase D of the national plan – when no restrictions remain.”

(23 Aug 2021) 82 testing providers to be issued warnings over misleading prices Gov.uk press release August 23 tacitly concedes how desperately poor was the information on its website – and how lax are the controls on rip-off companies, 80 of whom are given warnings rather than simply being removed from the website.
“More than 80 private travel testing companies will be issued a 2-strike warning and could be removed from GOV.UK for misleading prices, the Health and Social Care Secretary has announced today (Monday 23 August).
“Following a rapid review of the pricing and service standards of day 2 and day 8 testing providers listed on GOV.UK, 82 providers – making up around 18% listed – have been identified as displaying lower prices on GOV.UK than are available on their website at the point of checkout.
“GOV.UK will be updated to reflect the true cost of the tests and companies will be warned this week that they will be removed if they advertise misleading prices again.
“A total of 57 companies will be removed from the GOV.UK list today as they no longer exist or don’t provide day 2 and day 8 testing.”

(22 Aug 2021) Nurse issues warning against Covid misinformation after her anti-vaxxer mother dies of virus aged 57 Independent August 22 with a tragic story of another person who preferred injections of fake news to the vaccine:
“A nurse has issued a warning against coronavirus misinformation after her anti-vaxxer mother died of the disease aged just 57.
“Amy Crosby said her mother Geraldine Mount, who had no pre-existing health conditions, passed away from the virus at the same hospital where she has been working on the vaccine rollout.
“In a Twitter post on Thursday, the 34-year-old nurse, who works at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, admitted that her relationship with her mother had become “strained” in the past 18 months due to her belief that the virus didn’t exist.
“Amy said she was sharing the post in the hope it may prevent others from falling prey to dangerous misinformation around coronavirus and vaccines.
“… “Today in hospital she died of complications caused by Covid, she spent the last month of her life without any family around her and her last memories were of sheer terror at having to be intubated and not knowing if she would wake up.”

(21 Aug 2021) Raging Delta variant takes its toll as Philippines runs out of nurses Guardian August 21 highlights the growing crisis as the Philippines tries to cope with Covid having for years exported many of its mots experienced nursing staff:
“The Philippines is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of nurses, with 17,000 leaving to work overseas, including in the UK and the US, in 2019. But it is increasingly struggling to staff its own wards, where pay is low and conditions poor. Last week, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines estimated 40% of private hospital nurses quit last year, and more have left followingafter new waves of infections this year.
“Maristela Abenojar, president of Filipino Nurses United, warned more will go unless the government begins large-scale recruitment to ease the pressure on wards, and pays overdue benefits to staff. “If they don’t act immediately in the next few days there might be a huge mass mobilisation among the health workers,” she said.
“The warning comes as cases in the country, one of the worst hit in south-east Asia, continue to rise. On Saturday, 16,694 infections were reported, as well as and 398 deaths – the second-highest daily death toll since the pandemic began. So far, 31,596 people have died.”

(21 Aug 2021) ‘They worry they will never get better’: a day in Bolton’s long Covid clinic Guardian August 21 on the fight against Long Covid in Bolton, revealing that only a minority are able to return to work:
“Almost 40,000 people in the Greater Manchester town have tested positive for Covid over the pandemic, just over 20% of the local population. In May Bolton found itself once again in the eye of a Covid storm as the first place the Delta variant took hold.
“Bolton’s health leaders believe they will be dealing with the fallout from Covid for many years to come. They do not know how many Boltonians will develop long Covid, but a report in June estimated that 37.7% of people in England who had symptomatic Covid experienced at least one symptom lasting 12 weeks or more – equivalent to 2 million people. Almost 15% experienced three or more persistent symptoms.
“In January Bolton started its first long Covid pilot clinic, offering a mixture of group and individual therapy for the three main symptoms: respiratory issues, fatigue and speech difficulties. Of the 60 patients who took part, 45% were able to return to work and 43% felt well enough to resume hobbies.”

(20 Aug 2021) NHS Wales: Waiting times hit record levels BBC report August 20 – note the cynical condemnation from Tories whose govt in Westminster controls the Welsh budget:
“The numbers on waiting lists for non-urgent hospital treatment in Wales have again hit record levels.
“There were 624,909 people waiting in June, with the list climbing steadily each month and up by 41% since the early days of the Covid pandemic.
“Those waiting the longest, more than nine months, rose again to 233,210.
A&E waiting time performance was the worst on record and Conservatives called the figures "catastrophic".
“Emergency departments and the Welsh ambulance service both had their busiest months since the pandemic began.”

(20 Aug 2021) Morecambe Bay maternity unit labelled ‘inadequate’ after drop in care standards Independent with a saddening report on the fresh failures of a notoriously failing trust to deliver safe maternity care:
“A maternity unit at the centre of a major NHS care scandal six year ago has again been labelled inadequate by inspectors over fears for the safety of mothers and babies.
“Maternity care at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust has been heavily critcised by the Care Quality Commission in a new inspector report which criticises the care across the trust’s three hospitals and raises concerns over the trust’s culture and leadership.
“The trust has now been effectively put into special measures by NHS England and has had conditions imposed by the CQC which is demanding urgent improvements.
“… James Titcombe, whose son Joshua died as a result of mistakes at the trust in 2008, told The Independent he was shocked by the CQC’s findings and felt “deeply let down”. He said it was clear the trust had “lost its memory” after the tragic events that led to the Kirkup report.”

(20 Aug 2021) Inequalities in the distribution of the general practice workforce Cambridge University's Primary Care Unit has published a hard hitting report on the growing inequality in access to GP services, with the poorest facing the least access: here they offer the data as an interactive map.
"A fair distribution of primary care staff is a key building block to reducing health and care inequalities. To accompany our recently paper published in the BJGP Open exploring inequalities in primary care workforce, which can be found here, we have developed an interactive data dashboard."

(20 Aug 2021) Record 1 million 999 calls made to NHS in July Independent August 13:
“More than a million 999 calls were made to ambulance services in July – the highest number ever recorded – as the NHS battles a summer crisis in patient demand.
“The latest data shows major A&E departments saw their second-highest ever numbers of patients in July, while paramedics were sent out to 82,000 emergencies last month, 8,000 more than the record set in June.
“… The Independent has learned that more operations were cancelled on Wednesday at the University Hospitals Birmingham Trust and in Manchester, while doctors have been told that wards are dangerously understaffed, with one hospital trust at “full capacity”.
“Earlier this week, major hospitals in London declared “black alerts”, with a shortage of beds at St Mary’s Hospital and Charing Cross Hospital, while operations have been cancelled in Sheffield, where bosses have converted a second ward to cope with Coronavirus admissions.”

(20 Aug 2021) Extra wards open and more staff recruited as high number of Covid patients likely to last 'months' Birmingham Mail August 20:
“Hospital chiefs in Birmingham are predicting the number of Covid patients they are caring for will continue to top 150 into the autumn as still-high infection rates in the community and low vaccination uptake in some areas persist. Today there are 212 patients with coronavirus in the Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands and Good Hope hospitals, plus one in Solihull.
“… The presence of so many Covid-positive patients is continuing to stretch hospital resources and staff, especially as they battle to help record numbers of patients through A&E and a backlog of thousands of operations.
“Jonathan Brotherton, operations director for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals, spelt out to staff the impact during a briefing seen by Birmingham Live.
"We are likely to be continuing with over 150 inpatients for some time yet, which is a significant chunk of our available capacity," he said. "We don't run with 150 empty beds, ever, so those patients are in beds that would otherwise be used for other patients who need to be in hospital, so it's displacing people.”

(20 Aug 2021) Over 3,200 Royal Blackburn shifts filled by 'off-framework' nurses Lancashire Telegraph August 20 on the scale of staff shortages at one key hospital:
“OVER 3,200 shifts were worked at Royal Blackburn Hospital by ‘off-framework’ agency nurses over the last year, reflecting ' chronic work shortages' across the NHS.
“‘Off-framework’ refers to nurses who have been supplied by private agencies which are not on an approved list of contractors and as such do not have to apply through an open tender process nor provide as much information about their organisation and policies.
“This means that off-framework agencies are able to charge far above the normal rate for hiring nurses and do not always abide by the same pay scale, with one agency having been recently reported in The Times as having charged Worcestershire Acute Hospitals £170.61 an hour for nurses, four times the approved framework rate.
“… In total the NHS spent £6billion on agency and temporary staff across England last year. Of this, £3.8bn was spent on NHS England ‘bank’ staff and £2.4bn on agency workers.”

(19 Aug 2021) Concerning number of children and young people waiting for eating disorder treatment NHS Providers August 19 sharing concerns over the growing gaps in mental health services driven by Tory cash squeeze:
“ * New analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists finds that at the end of the first quarter (April, May and June) of 2021-22, 207 patients were waiting for urgent treatment, up from 56 at the same time last year.
“ * A further 1,832 patients were waiting for routine treatment, up from 441 at the same time last year. And 852 patients received urgent treatment, compared with 328 in the first quarter of 2020-21.
“… deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

"It is deeply concerning so many children and young people having to wait for urgent and routine treatment for eating disorders.

"This analysis confirms the findings of a survey by NHS Providers in May which found 85% of mental health trust leaders said they could not meet demand for children and young people's eating disorder services.”

(19 Aug 2021) Maternity scandal trust issued with CQC warning over poor culture Independent August 19 with yet another worsening of the crisis in a growing number of maternity units:
“A major hospital at the centre of the latest NHS maternity scandal has been served with a warning notice by the care watchdog over its culture and governance.
“An internal briefing to staff at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust on Wednesday, seen by The Independent, revealed the Care Quality Commission had issued the formal warning to the trust after an inspection of the hospital at the end of July.
“… The trust is already facing an inquiry into poor maternity care at the trust after an investigation by The Independent highlighted dozens of deaths and babies left with brain damage as a result of negligence, with families accusing the trust of trying to cover-up serious incidents over many years.
“Whistleblowing midwives have warned the service is still unsafe today with the trust struggling to fill more than 70 midwifery vacancies.”

(19 Aug 2021) Failure to vaccinate the world’s poorest is not just a health hazard it could threaten global security Independent August 19 comment article from a former Tory minister:
“When the G7 met in June, they pledged 1 billion vaccine doses to Covax for the developing world. But they haven’t yet arrived or even been purchased, let alone packed and sent.
“While European countries boast vaccination rates above 70 per cent, some of the poorest African countries haven’t reached 2 per cent.
“They can’t access enough doses because richer countries are quietly paying premium rates to secure supplies. They also lack the medical, logistical and transport infrastructure required for delivery that we take for granted.
“That’s why the World Health Organisation’s director-general has urged a moratorium on booster shots until all countries have vaccinated at least 10 per cent of their population.
“In the west, we must recognise the resentment and fear that this inequality foments. There’s an obvious moral issue here, as millions in Africa will be admitted to hospital and may die, while in Europe we debate vaccinating teenagers. …”

(19 Aug 2021) Covid Politics and Fatigue Work Against Contact-Tracing Foot Soldiers KHN in the US, August 19, with news that will appal but not surprise many HCT supporters:
“many public health departments were overwhelmed by the onslaught of covid. Last winter — before vaccines provided relief — they were unable to stay ahead of the virus through contact tracing.
“And as case counts dropped by virtue of increased vaccination rates in the spring and early summer, more than a dozen state health departments scaled back the workforce, said Crystal Watson, a senior scholar and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The resources were needed for vaccination initiatives and to restart other public health programs.
“The situation has grown critical in a number of states during the past month or so as local health officials find themselves once again behind the curve as the delta variant drives up case counts. Resources are already stretched, and the politicization of covid-19 has left these local officials making tough calls regarding whom to trace in places like Missouri and Texas.
“… Arkansas, where Republican Gov. Asa Hutchison now says it was an error to sign a law in April banning mask mandates, is averaging around 2,000 new cases a day, one of the steepest upsurges among states. But the state health department has significantly fewer contact tracers now — 192 compared with 840 in December, when case counts were at the same level, according to the department and data collected by Johns Hopkins. …”

(19 Aug 2021) Jabbed adults infected with Delta ‘can match virus levels of unvaccinated’ Guardian August 19:
“Fully vaccinated adults can harbour virus levels as high as unvaccinated people if infected with the Delta variant, according to a sweeping analysis of UK data, which supports the idea that hitting the threshold for herd immunity is unlikely.
“There is abundant evidence that Covid vaccines in the UK continue to offer significant protection against hospitalisations and death. But this new analysis shows that although being fully vaccinated means the risk of getting infected is lower, once infected by Delta a person can carry similar virus levels as unvaccinated people.
“The implications of this on transmission remain unclear, the researchers have cautioned. “We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get Covid-19 after being vaccinated – for example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time,” said Sarah Walker, a professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Oxford.”

(19 Aug 2021) NHS backlog maintenance is shooting through the roof Nuffield Trust’s Jon Appleby with strangely belated statistics on backlog maintenance that have been available for many months and published repeatedly by Health Campaigns Together and The Lowdown:
“The latest estimates of the cost of repairs and maintenance that should have been carried out for English NHS trusts rocketed by 37% in one year to over £9 billion in 2019/20. This is now equivalent to the total annual cost of running all accident and emergency departments, ambulance services and critical care services combined.
“It is also equivalent to an average of over £40 million for each of the 224 hospitals, ambulance services, community and mental health units in the country.
“But backlog costs are not spread evenly. Three trusts – Imperial, West Suffolk and Guy’s and St Thomas’ – account for over a fifth of the total, with backlog costs ranging from £563 to £672 million.
“Although some of the backlog maintenance is low priority, around 17% is not. Over £1.5 billion of the total cost is for high priority repairs or replacement which must be addressed urgently, … The costs of such high-priority maintenance have increased nearly four-fold in real terms over the last decade.”

(19 Aug 2021) English schools told to delay seeking help with small Covid outbreaks Guardian August 19 on how the Government is now completely at odds with what the rest of the world is doing, and advising schools and universities to do nothing in response to Covid outbreaks until 10% of people test positive.
“Universities, schools and nurseries in England have been advised to delay seeking help in dealing with Covid-19 outbreaks until a cluster involving as many as 10% of staff, students or children have contracted the virus.
“A new “contingency framework” issued by the Department for Education (DfE) to all education settings in England – ranging from universities and colleges to after-school tuition and youth clubs – advises that preventive measures such as wearing masks or remote learning should be used only after discussion with public health officers, once a “threshold” of infections has been reached.
“School, university and college union leaders said the updated framework was likely to be inadequate.”

(18 Aug 2021) Four ICSs and four trusts placed in new ‘special measures’ regime HSJ report August 18 demonstrates the failure of the old “success regimes” and indicates “Integrated Care Systems” will be tightly controlled from above. Those in special measures do not (yet) include Lancashire & South Cumbria, facing deficits in excess of £350m.
“Integrated health systems have yet to be created in law, but four areas have already been classed as requiring “intensive mandated support” in the regulator’s new “recovery support programme”. Those systems are: Devon; Lincolnshire; Norfolk and Waveney; and Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
“The Devon health economy has a long history of regulatory oversight, having been subject to a previous iteration of special measures in 2015, which was branded the “success regime”.
“At the time, NHSE said the success regime would “seek to address deep-rooted and systemic issues that previous interventions have not tackled”.
“NHSE will subject the four systems to strict control measures, including the ability to enforce changes to the ICS board and executive team, and appointing an improvement director. It can also bring in an external third party to provide intensive support, and there are stringent approval processes over finances and decision making.”

(18 Aug 2021) Poorer areas have fewer GPs as national shortage hits the least healthy more Independent August 18 on a report that exposes the hollowness of Tory claims to be in any “levelling up” or eliminating health inequalities, especially in northern areas which saw the greatest Tory successes in the 2019 election:
“People in the poorest areas of England are less likely to get appointments when they need them because of a shortage of GPs where they live – the result is a deepening gulf in health inequalities between rich and poor.
“One doctor with 15 years experience in the NHS told The Independent the situation was akin to a “humanitarian disaster and national emergency” and said ministers must act to tackle the problem.
“A new study by researchers at the University of Cambridge found there were significantly fewer full time GPs per 10,000 patients in practices based in areas of higher levels of deprivation.
“They warned the gaps between rich and poor had also widened since 2015.
“The study, published today in BJGP Open, compared GP workforce data from between September 2015 and December 2020 with practice population sizes and deprivation levels across England.”

(18 Aug 2021) Were Nightingale units and fever hospitals ever workable responses to covid-19? BMJ August 18 blog by David Oliver on the false assumptions that led to building half a dozen ultimately useless “new hospitals”:
“The Health Service Journal estimated the total set-up cost of the Nightingale hospitals at £220m, with a further £200m for running costs.
“Yet between them they admitted fewer than 1000 patients over the whole course of their existence, before they were mothballed and then decommissioned from late 2020.
“There were simply never enough clinical and support staff to cover anywhere near those bed numbers, and even the established NHS sites struggled with rota and recruitment gaps, sickness, and self-isolation.
“The Nightingale units were created at such speed that there was no clear vision of precisely which patients they’d be used for, potentially hours away from their homes and support structures.
“… We must stop putting infrastructure and buildings before the people needed to staff them—or putting headlines and publicity before workable solutions.”

(17 Aug 2021) BMA and RCGP publish updated GP workload guidance Pulse August 17 report:
“The BMA and RCGP have updated their guidance on workload prioritisation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The advice has been changed because ‘the situation with Covid-19 continues to evolve’ and aims to give GPs more freedom to organise their workload as public life returns to ‘normal’ but general practice is still ‘under intense pressure’.
“They advise that commissioners should carry on restricting or halting ‘additional expectations of practices, such as local enhanced services’.
“Meanwhile, GPs should continue to evaluate and reprioritise their workload, ‘using clinical judgement and reflecting both patient need and local circumstances’, they say.”

(17 Aug 2021) Bigger tumours, delayed diagnoses as cancer patients struggle amid pandemic Report August 17 from CBC Canada:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has left an estimated backlog of 15.9 million surgeries in Ontario alone — a total that includes diagnostic exams, screenings and other medical procedures that should have otherwise been performed.
“In the pandemic's first wave, and again this spring, the province instructed hospitals to suspend procedures deemed non-urgent to keep beds free as COVID-19 cases climbed.
“Compared to the year prior, Ontario Health says there has been a 94 per cent increase in Priority 2 cancer surgeries — those treating non-life threatening cancer — between March 15, 2020 to July 25, 2021 to catch up on the backlog.”

(17 Aug 2021) Almost 124,000 patients waiting more than three months for NHS tests in England Guardian report on the worsening crisis driven by Tory squeeze on funding and capital – and the chronic shortage of key staff, which will not be helped by the miserly 3% pay award:
“NHS patients are waiting more than three months for tests including MRIs, colonoscopies and heart scans, with overall waiting lists doubling in some parts of England.
“The number of people waiting more than three months for tests was 22 times that in 2019 as the health system continues to tackle the Covid pandemic backlog. Almost 124,000 people were kept waiting more than three months in 2021, compared with 5,675 in 2019. It is a slight fall from the May 2021 figure, which stood at just over 127,000.
“People referred to hospital for tests are supposed to be treated within six weeks, according to NHS England’s constitution. But more than 306,000 people were waiting more than six weeks for a range of diagnostic tests. This is 7.6 times the equivalent figure in the same month in 2019, but lower than in June 2020 – by which time services had been massively disrupted by the pandemic and lockdown – when 539,433 people were waiting six weeks or more.”

(17 Aug 2021) Raising free prescription age would be ‘kick in the teeth’ for 2.4 million people, charity warns Independent August 17 on the campaign launched by Age UK against the planned imposition of prescription charges in England on millions of people aged over 60 -- while all prescriptions are free of charge in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland:
“A government proposal to raise the age at which people qualify for free prescriptions by six years would be a “kick in the teeth” for 2.4 million elderly Britons, a charity has warned.
“Ministers launched a consultation on aligning the upper age for NHS prescription exemptions with the state pension age – pushing the age at which people qualify for free over-the-counter medicines from 60 to 66 – in July.
“… Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said on Tuesday: “This proposed policy is a kick in the teeth, both for poorly older people and the NHS.
“It is also extremely ill-judged because the money the government will save will almost certainly be outweighed by the additional costs to the NHS, if people fail to take their medication because they can’t afford it and become ill.”

(17 Aug 2021) Labour attacks Javid over lack of clarity on NHS budget with just weeks to go Independent August 17:
“… The government has only agreed a budget for the NHS until the end of September with negotiations between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Treasury ongoing.
“In his letter to Sajid Javid, Jonathan Ashworth said the health service needed “immediate certainty” adding: “The service is in a summer crisis, with huge numbers of people in need of urgent and emergency care, record calls to ambulance services, and a soaring waiting list.
“With only 16 days to the beginning of September, it is incredible that the service still does not have the budgetary clarity it needs to make major decisions about service planning.”
“In the first few days of your tenure as secretary of state, you said that you wanted to give the NHS what it needs to recover from the pandemic. The NHS will now be wondering why you have not made a decision on this budget. Patients and NHS staff will consider this a test of whether you are true to your word to them.”

(16 Aug 2021) A grim warning from Israel: Vaccination blunts, but does not defeat Delta Science August 16 with a warning from Israel, where high vaccination rates run in sharp contrast to the lack of vaccination of the Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank:
“Now is a critical time,” Israeli Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz said as the 56-year-old got a COVID-19 booster shot on 13 August, the day his country became the first nation to offer a third dose of vaccine to people as young as age 50. “We’re in a race against the pandemic.”
“His message was meant for his fellow Israelis, but it is a warning to the world. Israel has among the world’s highest levels of vaccination for COVID-19, with 78% of those 12 and older fully vaccinated, the vast majority with the Pfizer vaccine.
“Yet the country is now logging one of the world’s highest infection rates, with nearly 650 new cases daily per million people. More than half are in fully vaccinated people, underscoring the extraordinary transmissibility of the Delta variant and stoking concerns that the benefits of vaccination ebb over time.
“… Israel’s experience is forcing the booster issue onto the radar for other nations, suggesting as it does that even the best vaccinated countries will face a Delta surge.”

(16 Aug 2021) Covid Vaccines Produced in Africa Are Being Exported to Europe New York Times August 16 report:
“Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine was supposed to be one of Africa’s most important weapons against the coronavirus.
“The New Jersey-based company agreed to sell enough of its inexpensive single-shot vaccine to eventually inoculate a third of the continent’s residents. And the vaccine would be produced in part by a South African manufacturer, raising hopes that those doses would quickly go to Africans.
“That has not happened.
“South Africa is still waiting to receive the overwhelming majority of the 31 million vaccine doses it ordered from Johnson & Johnson. It has administered only about two million Johnson & Johnson shots. That is a key reason that fewer than 7 percent of South Africans are fully vaccinated — and that the country was devastated by the Delta variant.
“At the same time, Johnson & Johnson has been exporting millions of doses that were bottled and packaged in South Africa for distribution in Europe …”

(16 Aug 2021) NHS doctors know too well how waiting times damage all aspects of patient care Guardian Opinion article August 16 by an NHS doctor:
“Damaging waiting times have existed for years, caused by the government’s refusal to properly fund the NHS. Waiting times for GP and hospital appointments were the second most common reason given in a 2019 King’s Fund study about why patients were dissatisfied with the NHS. The pandemic has exacerbated this problem. Some 1.2 million people in England have now been waiting over six months for essential services, a figure that is almost five times higher than it was in 2019.
“NHS workers have watched the number of people waiting to be seen for essential care grow during the pandemic, and now many doctors and healthcare workers face the almost impossible task of increasing the number of patients they see in clinics, or increasing the number of operations they perform. Many have responded with disbelief and anger; others have felt they have no choice but to leave the health service altogether.
“Behind these statistics are people in pain, fearful about the effect long waits could have on their health. When targets are missed for urgent operations or cancer diagnoses, mortality increases. Waiting times were a primary reason for the downgrading of the UK’s healthcare system in a recent report by the Commonwealth Fund, a US thinktank, from best in the world to fourth.”

(16 Aug 2021) Suffolk hospital assessed legal risk of fatal roof collapse BBC report August 16 on the growing list of 30-50 year old hospitals that are literally falling down as the Tory squeeze on capital continues:
“An NHS hospital commissioned a report into the risk of corporate manslaughter charges should a fatal roof collapse occur, leaked documents reveal.
“West Suffolk Hospital is spending tens of millions of pounds making dangerous reinforced concrete planks in its main building safe.
“Hinchingbrooke Hospital, which is of similar design, has set a weight limit on patients at two of its theatres.
“NHS England said the affected trusts were maintaining safe services.
“The problems related to the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) planks that have deteriorated or have structural weaknesses. Between the 1960s and 1980s they were used in roofs, floors and walls of NHS buildings and schools and had an expected lifespan of 30 years.
“The West Suffolk, in Bury St Edmunds, currently has 27 metal supports under the planks, while the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn in Norfolk has more than 200 - a temporary measure ahead of more comprehensive safety works.”

(16 Aug 2021) 5 demands for a national care service UNISON publishes a new set of demands in response to the growing crisis in social care.
“The UK’s response to the coronavirus left vulnerable people and the heroes that care for them unprotected. Never again. It’s time for a national care service. We have 5 demands we want the government to immediately guarantee:
1. A real living wage for all care workers, as an absolute minimum.
2. A standard employment contract for care work – including sick pay, contracted hours and pay for all hours on duty, including ‘sleep ins’ and travel time.
3. Significant, emergency government funding.
4. Professional standards – the Care Certificate should be upgraded and expanded and professional registration should be standardised throughout the UK.
5. A partnership working group of commissioners, providers, governments and trade unions must be established to action solutions.”

(15 Aug 2021) People who skip second jab ‘effectively unvaccinated’ as winter wave looms, warns vaccine adviser MSN August 15 appears to be one of the few outlets for discussion on Times Radio:
"People who have not had their second vaccine remain “effectively unvaccinated” and unprotected in the face of a winter wave, a vaccine adviser has cautioned.
"Dr Maggie Wearmouth, a GP and member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said it is “tragic” that people are not getting fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
"Speaking to Times Radio, she said: “I think my main concern as a jobbing general practitioner is looking at the number of people in my own practice who’ve either had no jabs or only one jab.
“And that’s my concern, speaking as a GP, is that people who had them maybe in March or April this year and they’ve clearly not had their second jab.
“And these people are effectively going to be unvaccinated going through the winter period, and I’m very worried about these people.
“I personally send a lot of text messages to my patients asking them to make contact with me so we can talk through this, whether they’re worried, whether they’ve had side effects, whether they feel that one jab is enough for them.”

(15 Aug 2021) More than 32,000 patients in East Lancashire waiting for hospital treatment Lancashire Telegraph August 15 on the worsening situation in the cash-strapped Lancashire & South Cumbria area:
“Figures from NHS Digital have revealed that some 32,030 patients were waiting for elective operations or treatment, in East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of June, up from 31,936 at the end of May.
“And this was 35 per cent more than were waiting a year previously, when there were 23,651 patients on the list.
“In Lancashire and South Cumbria, 3,191 patients were waiting for elective operations or treatment at the end of June – though this was down from 3,228 at the end of May.
“A year previously, there were 1,561 patients on the list.”

(15 Aug 2021) ‘Lost samples and late results’: the Tory donor, his son and their travel-test firms Guardian August 15 on yet another Covid-related rip-off by Tory cronies that is putting the NHS under greater pressure:
“A Tory donor and his son are facing questions about two private companies they run offering Covid-19 PCR tests for travellers, amid complaints about poor service.
“Dr Ashraf Chohan, founder and chair of Conservative Friends of the NHS, which aims to forge ties between politicians and healthcare workers in the private and public sectors, is the sole director of 1Rapid Clinics, a government-approved Covid-19 testing company that some customers have claimed sent results back late, lost samples and refused refunds.
“Chohan’s testing company is just one of a number of private firms with links to the Conservatives. Details of his involvement have emerged amid concern that the for-profit Covid testing regime put in place by the government is on the brink of collapse.
“The industry has left a trail of unhappy holidaymakers complaining that the testing kits, or the results from those kits, often failed to arrive as promised, ultimately placing an extra burden on the NHS, which is supplying free tests for those let down by private providers.”

(14 Aug 2021) Latest NHS performance data confirm the service is under huge pressure NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson August 14 blog:
“…COVID-19 is just one of several pressures the NHS is currently dealing with. This week's publication of the latest NHS performance data confirms what everyone on the NHS frontline already knew.
“Although the COVID-19 caseload may not be as large as feared, the service is under huge pressure. And, for many NHS trusts, although the pressure is differently shaped, it feels just as busy as it was in January and February.
“To get an accurate picture of the pressure the NHS is under, it's vital to look at the full range of demand and staffing pressures facing the service, not just the COVID-19 caseload. Trusts have identified six different pressures that are currently causing them significant operational problems and could make this winter even more difficult.”
The six are:
• waiting list and diagnostics backlogs.
• much lower bed capacity
• staffing pressures
• the peak summer leave period
• increased demand for urgent and emergency care
• 5,000 or so COVID-19 patients in hospital over the last fortnight

(14 Aug 2021) Spike in UK coronavirus cases likely in next weeks, experts warn Financial Times warning August 14:
“By mid-August, ministers and scientists feared the UK would be reporting 100,000 coronavirus cases a day because of the highly infectious Delta variant and a surge in social mixing after England’s July 19 “freedom day”.
“Instead, cases currently stand at about a third of that figure, having dropped from a mid-July peak of more than 50,000 a day to a low of just above 20,000 in early August.
“They are now starting to creep up again. The trajectory for Covid-19 is uncertain, but some scientists expect cases to rise significantly because social mixing will increase in the coming weeks, posing a big test for the effectiveness of vaccines.”

(14 Aug 2021) Doctors advocate establishment of health bank Dead end policies from The Nation in Nigeria, where private doctors (August 14) are urging the government to invest in private provision, setting up a “health bank” to lend money so that poor patients can pay their bills, rather than establish a universal health care system.
“Private medical practitioners have urged the federal, state and local governments to invest more in the health sector, especially the establishment of a health bank.
“They noted that with more access to loans at minimal interest rates, the private sector, which provides nearly 70 per cent of all health care services in the country, can increase access to affordable and qualitative health care for the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“Speaking during a round table dialogue on private sector intervention in the health sector, the President of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Dr. Iyke Odo, said: “The private sector has demonstrated that it is the present strength of our health system. The future of healthcare in Nigeria is the private sector. The best in our country today is in the private sector despite the near lack of support. All it needs is an enabling environment.
“May I inform Nigerians and the international community that the health sector of Nigeria with over 200 million people and a potentially viable economy and deep natural endowments, is a huge investment location. I therefore call on our businessmen and women, local and international investors to invest in the health sector and invest in the private doctors.”

(14 Aug 2021) Staff at UK medicines regulator express alarm at plan for budget cuts Financial Times August 15:
“Senior personnel at the UK regulator responsible for medicines have expressed “deep concern” over outline plans to make up to 25 per cent of staff redundant as it is forced to embark on budget cuts.
“… Their concerns were raised following a staff meeting last month at which plans were outlined to take a “light-touch” approach to authorising generic medicines and rely heavily on approvals from larger regulators in the EU and the US.
“A senior MHRA insider present at the meeting said that staff were concerned that despite government promises to create a “world-leading” regulator, the agency was in danger of being hollowed out.
“The fear is companies will go to Europe or the US [for regulatory approvals of medicines] and then come back to us for a cheap, rubber-stamping exercise,” added the insider. “So we’ll just check the labelling and say ‘Yes, fine’.”

(13 Aug 2021) NHS summer crisis: Hospital suspends all inpatient surgery for three weeks over bed shortages Independent report August 13 tracking the crisis in A&E and its consequences:
“All routine inpatient surgery at a hospital in Yorkshire is to be suspended from Monday to help the hospital trust cope with overcrowding in A&E caused by a lack of beds.
“Bosses at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust told staff in an email, shared with The Independent, that they had been forced to make the decision because of the lack of beds for waiting patients, which they said had been a “critical issue for too long.”
“Martin Barkley, chief executive of the trust, told staff that he had been forced to act because of serious overcrowding in A&E, which was having an impact on patient care:
“… the extreme pressure on beds has to be reduced and quickly. The trust consistently has between 25 and 50 patients waiting for a bed at any one time at Pinderfields emergency department, causing serious overcrowding and long delays [and] contributing to an unacceptable patient and staff experience.”

(13 Aug 2021) The NHS is running very fast to recover the care backlog only to stand still August 13 blog from NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson:
“Back in the 1990s, one of the features of ITV's Gladiators series was the travelator. Contestants had to run faster and faster just to stand still as the travelator's slope got steeper and steeper.

“Yesterday's NHS performance statistics show that NHS staff are currently on their own, 2021 version of the travelator.
“They're running faster and faster to recover the care backlogs created by COVID-19. It feels like they are running as fast as our medal winning Olympic athletes in Tokyo. For example, they performed 84,000 more diagnostic tests in June than the previous month – the highest number for a year. They checked 230,000 people for cancer – the second highest figure on record. And, once again, they reduced the number of people waiting for surgery for more than a year by 32,000.
“… But despite this effort, waiting lists have grown again.”

(12 Aug 2021) NDP promises universal pharmacare, mental health supports in first mandate, if elected CBC Canada August 12 article on the developing programme of the country’s nearest equivalent to a social democratic party, the NDP:
“If elected, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is promising to bring in universal prescription drug coverage, dental care and mental health supports within his first mandate and is vowing to bring in a wealth tax to help pay for it all.
“This morning the federal party released a list of commitments focusing on health care and affordability, which is expected to form the backbone of its campaign platform during the looming federal election.
“The document signals the party's long-term vision, but a party spokesperson speaking on background said they believe universal prescription drug coverage, dental care and mental health care for the uninsured is doable within the first mandate.
“The commitments document doesn't contain a costing breakdown on its promises, so it's not clear how much the fourth-place party's promises would cost.”

(12 Aug 2021) THE CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF THE NHS What Does ‘Privatisation’ of Health Services Really Mean? Byline Times August 12 gives a partial view of the problem of #NHS privatisation that at least avoids wild conspiracy theories and claims that the Americans are taking over.
“The perception persists that ‘NHS privatisation’ means patients having to get out their wallets and pay for a GP appointment or having to fill out insurance forms in A&E waiting rooms, as is the case in America.
“While NHS treatment is not, in fact, free to all people living in the UK, privatisation is not currently about charging patients for healthcare at the point of service. Instead, it is focused on outsourcing NHS services to private companies, which can then make a profit.
“In 2019/20, NHS commissioners spent £9.7 billion on services delivered by the private sector – an increase of 14% since 2014/15.
“In addition, Department of Health and Social Care accounts for 2019/20 show that, if spending with not-for-profit and voluntary providers is taken into account, the spending increases to £14.4 billion – or 10.8% of total revenue spending by the department. A further £1.5 billion was spent on services from non-NHS organisations in 2019/20, as well as £271 million on outsourcing services to other providers including in the private sector.”

(12 Aug 2021) Lowest ever levels of A&E performance show NHS ‘near boiling point’ Royal College of Emergency Medicine August 12, restating its familiar warnings over lack of resources in A&E – ignored as usual by ministers:
“Responding to the latest set of performance figures released by NHS England for July 2021, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Katherine Henderson, said: “The NHS has been running hot for months now and these figures show we are nearly at boiling point.

“We are worried that the public think that things are getting back to normal on the virtual eve of a further reduction in restrictions, and messages from the centre that says things are OK are disingenuous – the reality is that the health service is really struggling.

“Four-hour performance has sunk to its lowest ever level, we have levels of 12 hour waits we would usually associate with winter, and July saw the second highest ever number of attendances across emergency care units. Yet there is no sign of rescue ahead of winter. Despite our calls for action, crowding is back with us and is compromising patient care.”

“… Dr Henderson said: “The NHS was in a pretty dreadful state going into the pandemic – we were seeing record waits across the board, due to insufficient resourcing – but the sheer determination of an overstretched workforce, combined with a ‘whatever it takes’ approach, got us through.”

(12 Aug 2021) UnitedHealth settles charges it denied mental health, substance abuse coverage Reuters report from US August 12 on United Health buying its way out of allegations it ripped off mental health patients:
"UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N), the largest U.S. health insurer, has settled federal and New York state charges it illegally denied coverage to thousands of patients suffering from mental health problems and substance abuse.
"The U.S. Department of Labor said on Thursday that UnitedHealth will pay about $15.7 million, including $13.6 million in restitution and a $2.1 million fine, to settle with that agency and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
"Authorities accused UnitedHealth of violating federal and state laws by imposing more restrictive limits on coverage and treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders than it imposed for physical health conditions.
"UnitedHealth was also accused of overcharging patients for out-of-network mental health services by reducing reimbursements.
"Without admitting liability, UnitedHealth agreed to stop using algorithms, including in a program called ALERT, that required extra layers of review before continuing mental health treatment and often resulted in coverage being cut off."

(12 Aug 2021) WIZARDS OF OZ? The obscurely-funded, right wing IEA, who recently lost a court case complaining at being described as "some herberts," publish yet another dishonest attempt to paint up insurance-based health care as superior to the NHS.
This latest effort, on Australia, hinges on a quite significant lie, claiming Australia spends less on health than the UK
“Total healthcare spending is lower in Australia, and it has been for nearly two decades. In 2019, it stood at 9.3 per cent of GDP, compared to 10.3 per cent in the UK. Public healthcare spending stood at 6.3 per cent of GDP in Australia, and 8 per cent of GDP in the UK.”
Yet the most recent OECD figures show spending per head on health care at £3,631 in Australia, 21% higher than the £2,989 in the UK.
The summary reveals the IEA focus is no more than the promotion of private insurance and private medicine: “If nothing else, the Australian system can teach us to be more relaxed about the benefits of private sector involvement in healthcare delivery, private insurance and decentralisation.”

(11 Aug 2021) Children’s hospitals are swamped with Covid patients — and it may only get worse US comments from Politico, August 11:
“Nearly 1,600 kids with Covid-19 were hospitalized last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a new seven-day record and a 27 percent increase from the week before. Tennessee’s health commissioner expects the state’s children’s hospitals to be full by the week’s end. Louisiana reached that point more than a week ago. And Arkansas’ only children’s hospital has just two ICU beds remaining.
“As dire as the situation is now, hospital leaders and public health officials predict it will get even worse in the coming weeks. They are already contending with unseasonably high levels of RSV, a respiratory virus that can be dangerous for young children and infants. Flu season is on the horizon. And schools across the country are welcoming children back, creating opportunities for Covid-19 and other viruses to spread even faster.
“Yet the escalating crisis has had little political impact thus far, even in the southeastern states where Delta is hitting hardest. Most GOP [Republican] governors and state officials who have banned vaccine mandates, mask requirements and other public health tools to fight Covid-19 are sticking with those policies.
“Nor has the unprecedented wave of infections in children meaningfully moved parents of school-age children; nearly 60 percent said they opposed mandating shots for kids attending school in person, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. And almost 70 percent of Republican parents told pollsters they continue to oppose school mask mandates.”

(11 Aug 2021) NHS summer crisis: Hospitals declare ‘black alerts’ as more operations are cancelled Independent (August 11) warns of ‘black alerts’ as London’s hospital beds fill up – in August:
“Hospital chiefs have warned the NHS is now the busiest it has ever been, and the health secretary, Sajid Javid, has accepted the health service will need more investment.
“Two major London hospitals have declared “black alert” incidents in recent days due to bed shortages and increasing numbers of Covid patients, as well as rising numbers of people turning up in A&E.
“Bosses at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington were forced to issue a black alert warning on Tuesday and Wednesday this week because of bed pressures across its surgery and medical ward areas.
“Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith also issued alerts to staff on Tuesday, with doctors across both sites being told to prioritise patients who could be discharged to try and free up beds.”

(11 Aug 2021) Almost 1.2m people waiting at least six months for vital NHS services in England Guardian August 11:
“Almost 1.2 million people in England are waiting more than six months for essential NHS services such as brain surgery and eye treatment because of the Covid backlog, analysis shows.
“The May 2021 figure is almost five times that recorded in the same period in 2019 , before the pandemic hit, and also includes patients requiring gynaecological services.
“Senior doctors said such long delays were causing patients to be left in pain, while experts said the full impact of the pandemic may not yet be known.
“The deputy director of research of the Nuffield Trust, Dr Sarah Scobie, said: “We haven’t yet seen the peak of pent-up demand or the full impact of the multiple waves of this pandemic. Despite staff working flat out, overturning a backlog of this scale will take years.”

(10 Aug 2021) Is crowdfunding to pay hospital bills ethical? Hindu Business Line article August 10 focuses on a funding method that is inefficient, unfair and which effectively props up the rotten Indian system:
“… In India, the healthcare affordability gap, however astonishing, is nothing new. According to a 2018 study by the Public Health Foundation of India, out-of-pocket medical expenses drove 55 million Indians into poverty in 2011-2012; and these numbers are steadily rising.
“The World Health Organisation’s health financing profile of 2017 also reveals some alarming stats — 67 per cent of health expenses in India are out-of-pocket compared to 18 per cent globally.
“Despite higher budgetary allocations, India’s public expenditure on healthcare is still only 1.2 per cent of GDP, the lowest among countries committed to Universal Health Care (UHC), where the average is 6 per cent. The impact of this dismal fact has been made horribly clear during the pandemic.
“In this scenario, the growth of medical crowdfunding platforms — and access to them — has come as a boon for thousands of Indians … But by facilitating expensive medical interventions to replace or cover gaps in a woefully inadequate public healthcare system in India, are we creating a new health disparity?
“That is, only patients who have access to crowdfunding platforms or find themselves in the right hospital — those that are collaborating with these platforms — are the fortunate few.”

(9 Aug 2021) NHS workers ‘have no more reserves’ as mental health-related absences hit all-time high Some shocking news statistics from Nursing Notes (9 August) on the mental health toll of Covid on staff:
"The number of NHS workers away from work with mental health-related absences has hit an all-time high, according to new data.
"The data reveals that almost 4,000 more NHS staff were off work in June 2021 than at the same time last year.
"Research from wellbeing group FirstCare suggests that workers are having around three times as much time away from work with mental health issues than with COVID-19.
"A staggering 2.5 million working days have been lost in the NHS due to mental health-related absence which equates to a financial cost of £371 million.
"FirstCare has called for a close look at the mental health and wellbeing of NHS workers."

(9 Aug 2021) 500 GP surgeries pledge to ensure undocumented migrants can access healthcare Morning Star report August 9 on a significant stand by GPs, which needs to be spread to every practice in the land:
“FIVE hundred GP practices have now pledged to ensure that undocumented migrants and other vulnerable communities can access healthcare.
“The Safe Surgeries initiative, created by leading health charity Doctors of the World, was launched in 2018 in a bid to tackle barriers faced by marginalised communities, including migrants, refugees and rough sleepers, when they try to access primary healthcare.
“Doctors of the World head of policy and advocacy Anna Miller said yesterday she was “delighted” that the charity had reached the milestone of having 500 GPs sign up.
“GPs that declare themselves a “Safe Surgery” have pledged that a lack of ID or proof of address, immigration status or language will not prevent patient registration.
“Despite rules stating that patients do not need to provide proof of address or ID to register with a GP, recent research found that less than a quarter of practices would register someone without these documents.”

(8 Aug 2021) It’s up to you, Rishi Sunak: your next move is make or break for the NHS NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson in the Guardian August 8 does not even include the £9bn backlog maintenance bill in his list of pressures on the NHS, but still makes some useful points on the need for more resources to restore lost NHS capacity:
"Rishi Sunak has up to now largely met his pledge of giving the NHS what it needed to cope with the pandemic. But recently the Treasury mood music has sharply switched to recovering the national finances, reducing the NHS share of public spending, and a worryingly misplaced assumption that Covid-19 costs will fall quickly, so the NHS can return to its “generous” June 2018 settlement.
"Frontline leaders cannot provide the quality of care patients need, and deliver the government’s manifesto commitments, unless they are properly funded to do so.
"They won’t be able to reach the much higher levels of activity needed to clear surgery backlogs without substantial investment in extra diagnostic equipment, new technology and new ways of working.
"Similar challenges apply to meeting growing demand for ambulance, community and mental health services. NHS leaders can’t build 40 new hospitals or maintain safe estates without the right capital funding. They can’t ensure a sustainable workload for NHS staff without a fully funded long-term workforce plan."

(8 Aug 2021) Fears over patient safety amid plans to ‘water down’ training for nurses Shaun Lintern in the Independent August 8 on a worrying plan:
“Plans to simplify specialist nurse training across the UK pose “huge risks” to patient safety, health leaders have warned.
“Nursing leaders are united in opposition against proposals by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to ostensibly simplify the qualification process.
“They warn the watchdog is moving away from its core function – to protect the public – with a “reductionist” approach to the training of nurses working with the most at-risk groups.
“One NHS trust chief said the plans would leave bosses unable to be certain that nurses possessed the skills required to care for patients’ safely.”

(7 Aug 2021) How Australia Won Universal Health Care — And How Workers Saved It With a General Strike Jacobin August 7 article with a fascinating account of the belated moves to establish universal health care in Australia in 1974 – and explanation of why it was not based on the successful British NHS model:
“In 1967, Moss Cass, a medical doctor and left-wing member of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), invited the Labor opposition leader Gough Whitlam to a meeting at his house in in Canterbury, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Whitlam met a coterie of health-policy experts, including two health economists, Dick Scotton and John Deeble.
“Scotton and Deeble proposed that Australia could replace private health insurance with a universal public health insurance scheme that would be funded by a 1 percent levy on taxable income. Whitlam was interested and asked them for a copy of their paper.
“The ALP leader subsequently announced that Labor would introduce a national health insurance scheme known as Medibank. The proposal became a centerpiece of Labor policy in the lead up to the 1969 election.
“Labor lost that time, but only just. Crucially, Medibank seemed to win the party votes. Labor formed a government after the 1972 election and Whitlam became prime minister. In August 1974, his government passed Medibank at a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament.”

(6 Aug 2021) Six EU states overtake UK Covid vaccination rates as Britain’s rollout slows Guardian August 6 unpicks another Brexiteer lie:
"Six EU states have now fully inoculated a larger share of their total populations with a coronavirus vaccine than the UK, after the bloc’s dire initial rollout took off while Britain’s impressive early jab rate has slumped.
"According to government and health service figures collated by the online science publication Our World In Data, Malta, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Ireland have all overtaken the UK in terms of the percentages of their populations who are fully vaccinated.
"While Britain’s hugely successful campaign was bound to slow first as it ran into harder-to-reach, more vaccine-hesitant groups, the rate of decline is dramatic: the UK is currently administering a fraction of the daily doses of some EU states."

(6 Aug 2021) The refugee doctors helping the NHS in the fight against the pandemic Sky News August 6:
“Through the pandemic the ranks of the NHS have been bolstered by a special group of doctors, who also happen to be refugees.
“They've been taken on as Medical Support Workers (MSW), part of a £15m NHS England scheme that helps international medical graduates living in the UK pass the exams needed to register with the GMC.
“The MSW role is suitable for those who have a medical qualification but have been out of clinical practice for over a year and need to work under clinical supervision.
“There are thought to be more than a thousand refugees on the scheme in hospitals and trusts across the country.”

(5 Aug 2021) NHS Test and Trace cost £13.5 billion in its first year Full Fact August 5 with figures that will surprise many of us:
“A photo on Facebook claiming that “Westminster’s “Track & Trace” system” is costing £37 billion, and building the Channel Tunnel only cost £12 billion, has gone viral on Facebook.
“How much has Test and Trace cost so far?
“£37 billion was budgeted for NHS Test and Trace (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Track and Trace) in its first two years. That amount hasn’t been spent yet.
“NHS Test and Trace spent £13.5 billion up to April 2021, and its budget for that year was £22.2 billion.
“According to a National Audit Office report on its progress, this £8.7 billion underspend was primarily due to the fact that “the high level of demand for testing forecast for January and February 2021 did not materialise, in part due to national lockdown measures”.”

(5 Aug 2021) Analysis: As Covid cases fall, why are things still tough for the NHS? Independent August 5:
“The Independent has doggedly reported the pressures across the NHS in recent weeks with many frontline staff describing what feels like a real summer crisis.
“The reality is that the effect of Covid on the NHS may have a very long tail. The health service went into the crisis with fewer beds, nurses and doctors than most of its western neighbouring countries. The capacity to cope was never really there in the first place.
“With just under 900 patients currently in intensive care, that is still a significant chunk of England’s total capacity — more than 20 per cent. Those are beds that cannot be used for hip operations, cancer surgery and other treatments.
“On top of that, the end of lockdown and the delays in treating non-Covid patients has, apparently, triggered a tsunami of demand at the hospital front door with A&Es seeing record numbers of patients.”

(5 Aug 2021) Fifth of Covid hospital admissions are aged 18-34, says NHS England Guardian August 5:
“More than one-fifth of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 are aged between 18 and 34, according to the new NHS England boss, who is urging young people not to delay getting vaccinated.
“The NHS England chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said the proportion of patients aged 18-34 in hospital had nearly quadrupled from 5.4% at the peak of the winter wave in January to reach more than 20% last month, with 5,000 seriously ill in hospital.
“On Thursday there were 30,215 new cases of coronavirus, while there were 86 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive test.
“Pritchard warned that young people “are not immune and the best way they can protect themselves absolutely is to get that vaccine if they haven’t already”.”

(5 Aug 2021) Intensive care units face ‘grim’ situation despite fall in Covid cases Independent August 5:
“Hospital intensive care units remain under substantial pressure despite a fall in Covid cases, the president of the Intensive Care Society has warned, as more NHS trusts cancel operations across England.
“Stephen Webb, a consultant in intensive care and deputy medical director at the Royal Papworth Hospital Trust, told The Independent many ICUs were facing a “grim” situation despite the dramatic drop in infections in recent weeks.
“With the numbers of Covid patients in critical care at just under 900 across England, he said this represents more than 20 per cent of intensive care capacity at a time when the NHS was facing a summer crisis in non-Covid emergency demand, as well as pressure to do more operations to cut its growing waiting list.
“His comments come as more operations have been cancelled at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals and at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.”

(4 Aug 2021) David Oliver: Is more statutory power for the health secretary to intervene in the NHS wise? David Oliver's August 4 BMJ blog on the Health and Care Bill concludes:
"With over £130bn of public money spent on the NHS each year and with ministers often blamed by the press and public for failings in delivery or planning (even in areas they don’t directly control), it’s easy to see why the government wants more power to intervene. The NHS’s scale means that it can’t be free from party politics. But ministers’ recent track record in operational matters during the pandemic has been unimpressive next to NHS professionals on the ground.
"For the good of the service and our patients I’d like to see less, not more, ministerial control and more trust in experts at the local and national level. The King’s Fund has described the bill as a “threat to the operational independence of the NHS.”5 There’s still time to influence the final legislation."

(4 Aug 2021) Mirror, Mirror 2021: Reflecting Poorly. Health Care in the U.S. Compared to Other High-Income Countries August 4 report from the US Commonwealth Fund compares 11 health care systems in the developed countries, ranking the US bottom (as usual), but pushing the UK down from 1st to 4th:
"The top-performing countries overall are Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia. The United States ranks last overall, despite spending far more of its gross domestic product on health care.
"The U.S. ranks last on access to care, administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes, but second on measures of care process.
"Four features distinguish top performing countries from the United States: 1) they provide for universal coverage and remove cost barriers; 2) they invest in primary care systems to ensure that high-value services are equitably available in all communities to all people; 3) they reduce administrative burdens that divert time, efforts, and spending from health improvement efforts; and 4) they invest in social services, especially for children and working-age adults."

(3 Aug 2021) Poorer communities see twice as many smoking related cancers as richer areas, says study Independent report August 3:
“There are nearly twice as many cancers caused by smoking among the poorest people in England compared to the wealthiest, new figures by Cancer Research UK show.
“In the first study to try and quantify the effect of avoidable cancers linked to smoking researchers say there were 11,000 cases of smoking related cancers in the lowest income groups compared to only 6,000 cancers in the highest.
“This is despite the overall number of cancers being higher in the older, more wealthy population. Younger people tend to earn less and dominate in the lower income groups, once the cases are standardised by age, the level of cancer is higher among the most deprived.”

(3 Aug 2021) Paramedics left in tears from ‘unsustainable demand’, warns union Independent report Augsut 3:
“Paramedics are being left in tears at the end of stressful shifts, with some forced to work five hours over a typical 12-hour shift, union bosses have warned.
“In a letter to ambulance trust chief executives, seen by The Independent, UNISON officials have warned the health of paramedics and 999 call centre staff is being put at risk because of the “unsustainable demand” on the NHS.
“The letter comes after weeks of revelations in The Independent over the summer crisis in emergency care demand on the NHS which has seen hospital accident and emergency departments overwhelmed and ambulance services unable to answer 999 calls quickly, with hundreds of people a day waiting hours for an ambulance.
“All 10 ambulance trusts across England were operating at their highest level of demand last week. This is what used to be known as a black alert. Some like London have been at this level since June.
"West Midlands Ambulance Service dropped back to level three but nine out of 10 trusts are still under “extreme pressure” demand.”

(2 Aug 2021) US sues Kaiser Permanente over alleged Medicare fraud MSN News August 2 report from the US:
“The federal government has sued Kaiser Permanente, alleging the health care giant committed Medicare fraud and pressured doctors to list incorrect diagnoses on medical records in order to receive higher reimbursements, officials said late last week.
“The U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in San Francisco, consolidates allegations made in six whistleblower complaints. Kaiser, based in Oakland, Calif., is a consortium of entities that together form one of the largest nonprofit health care plans in the U.S. with more than 12 million members and dozens of medical centers.
“The lawsuit said Kaiser entities gamed the Medicare Advantage Plan system, also known as the Medicare Part C program, which gives beneficiaries the option of enrolling in managed care insurance plans, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The lawsuit contends that Kaiser “pressured its physicians to create addenda to medical records,” often months or more than a year after an initial consultation with an enrollee, because more severe diagnoses for beneficiaries generally result in larger payments to the plan.”

(2 Aug 2021) Doctors mourn passing of ‘unique’ BMA leader August 2 BMA website tribute to Dr Kailash Chand, the leading BMA member and campaign activist, who died suddenly on July 26, begins:
“By any definition, Kailash Chand was a towering figure in general practice, medical politics and life. His titles, honours and public achievements are many – not least his OBE, of which he was very proud.
“He was deputy president of the BMA, had been the first Asian elected as deputy chair of the organisation, he was a fellow of the Royal College of GPs, and had played an almost impossibly active role in local and national medical politics. He was also a prolific writer.
“To his friends, family, colleagues – and patients – he was all these things, but also a very human and empathetic man whom they loved.”

(2 Aug 2021) Ben Elliot’s firm sold Covid tests to clients when NHS was struggling to increase capacity (£) Times report August 2 on yet more Tory sleaze:
“The Conservative chairman’s company arranged for its clients to buy coronavirus tests for hundreds of pounds while the government was struggling to ramp up testing capacity, The Times has learnt.
“Quintessentially, a luxury concierge company, arranged for its wealthy clients to purchase PCR and antibody tests in April last year, during the pandemic’s deadly first wave.
“Quintessentially’s co-founder, Ben Elliot, has been co-chairman of the Conservative Party since July 2019, when Boris Johnson became prime minister. He remains a director and shareholder.
“Emails show that at the same time as Elliot’s Conservative colleagues in government were battling to ramp up NHS testing, Quintessentially was willing to introduce its clients to private companies offering testing.”

(1 Aug 2021) The Conservatives and the whiff of chumocracy Hard-hitting August 1 statement on growing corruption in the Tory Party from Financial Times Editorial Board. And if wealthy donors are shaping government policy on housing, we can expect they will also be keen to influence NHS policy, too:
“Is the UK’s democracy for sale? A select coterie of financiers and grandees have made substantial donations, some to the tune of £250,000, and gained membership of an invite-only club known as the Advisory Board that has the ear of the prime minister, Boris Johnson, and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak.
“What is discussed is not minuted. Who is a member is not clear. The very existence of the board is not documented, which is precisely the issue: a shadowy world of privileged access exists.
“That is a problem for good governance and good government, increasing perceptions of cronyism and sleaze.
“In addition to the so-called board, made up of some of the most generous Conservative party benefactors, the Financial Times has detailed that donors from the property sector have poured close to £18m into Tory coffers since Johnson became prime minister in 2019.
“Housebuilders have long enjoyed strong connections to the party, where an article of faith holds that voters are more likely to vote Tory if they are homeowners. But the proportion of money backing the party from the property sector has soared in recent years to a quarter of all donations, from the previous high of 12 per cent of party income enjoyed under Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May.”

(1 Aug 2021) ‘Why should we die?’ Covid surgery delay leaves cancer patient in limbo Independent story August 1 highlights strain on front-line NHS resources as hospitals struggle with Covid cases as well as urgent and elective surgery:
“A woman whose urgent cancer surgery has been postponed by the NHS because of a surge in Covid patients has warned that people like her are paying the costs of opening up society too early.
“Angela DePastino, aged 46, was left distraught after being told the surgery to remove cancer in her womb – scheduled for Monday – had to be delayed because of the numbers of coronavirus patients being admitted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.
“Ms DePastino, who lives in Essex, has not been given a new date for the surgery, and was not allowed to speak with her consultant. Her pleas to be referred somewhere else were ignored, she says.
“She decided to speak out to The Independent after seeing headlines in other media outlets celebrating the “end” of the pandemic and life returning to normal. The consequences of opening up for people like her, she said, were “terrifying”.”

(30 Jul 2021) Amanda Pritchard appointed NHS Chief Executive Health Estates and Facilities Management Association July 29 welcomes the new NHS boss:
“Lord David Prior, Chair of the NHS England Board, says: “Amanda is imbued with the values of the NHS and is perfectly qualified to lead the health service through challenging times. ‘She has had first-hand experience of implementing digital technologies and worked closely with the Life Sciences industry and recognises how both can transform the way healthcare is delivered. She will build a great team and I and the Board look forward to working with her.’
“Amanda has already served as the NHS’s Chief Operating Officer for two years, overseeing NHS operational performance and delivery, as well as implementation of service transformation and patient care improvements set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Chief Operating Officer is also accountable to the NHS Improvement Board as NHS Improvement’s designated accountable officer with regulatory responsibility for Monitor.
“Before joining NHS England and NHS Improvement in 2019, she was Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and has also served as Deputy Chief Executive at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust.”

(30 Jul 2021) Abandon NHS power grab, former chairman tells Javid (£) Times report July 30:
“Professor Sir Malcolm Grant, founding chairman of NHS England, today warns against a ministerial power-grab over the health service, saying it “opens the door to a muddle of second-guessing and micromanagement”.
“Stressing that ministers “cannot run the NHS from the sidelines”, Grant says the appointment of a successor to Lord Stevens of Birmingham as chief executive is the time for a rethink of controversial health reforms that Javid himself is known to have doubts about.
“A bill introduced to parliament this month aims to undo much of the controversial 2012 market-based reforms of the health service but also gives ministers significant new powers to issue orders to NHS England, which has had operational independence for a decade.
“Writing in The Times Red Box online, Grant says it would be “foolish to imagine this is to be innocent intervention”, after Lord Stevens often stood up publicly to the government and succeeded in pressing the Treasury into several multi-billion pound budget increases.”

(30 Jul 2021) Hospital staff complain to regulator about bullying, harassment and racism Independent report July 30:
“A review of the imaging departments at the Royal London Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital revealed concerns over the culture of the service and conflict between staff. Both hospitals are run by Barts Health NHS Trust, one of the largest hospital groups in the country.
… In its report the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said: “The service faced significant challenges relating to the culture of the division. There were factions and separate interests within the workforce and nearly all staff suggested that this conflict created a difficult and hostile working environment.
“We were informed of numerous allegations of bullying, harassment, racism, and sexism that had been escalated to requiring intervention from human resources.
“… The watchdog carried out the inspection after concerns were raised about the safety of the service.
“Inspectors found equipment repair records were poorly maintained with multiple reports of repairs not being carried out. Staff said it often needed multiple reports to get equipment fixed.”

(30 Jul 2021) Rates of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and vaccination impact the fate of vaccine-resistant strains Scientific report in Nature magazine July 30 warns of dangers of purely relying on vaccines while Covid infections continue:

“Counterintuitively, when a relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions happened at a time when most individuals of the population have already been vaccinated the probability of emergence of a resistant strain was greatly increased.
“Consequently, we show that a period of transmission reduction close to the end of the vaccination campaign can substantially reduce the probability of resistant strain establishment.
“Our results suggest that policymakers and individuals should consider maintaining non-pharmaceutical interventions and transmission-reducing behaviours throughout the entire vaccination period.”

(30 Jul 2021) ‘We went from heroes to zeroes’: US nurses strike over work conditions Guardian article July 30 on US nurses fighting back on staffing levels and working conditions”
“Last April people across America came out of quarantine each night to cheer the healthcare workers fighting to save lives at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Sixteen months on, nurses around the US are holding strikes and picket actions amid claims of deteriorating working conditions and severe understaffing issues.
“Most of us felt like we went from heroes to zeroes quickly,” said Dominique Muldoon, a nurse for more than 20 years at Saint Vincent’s hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“For over four months, more than 700 nurses at the Tenet Healthcare-owned Saint Vincent hospital have been on strike, the second longest nurses’ strike in Massachusetts’ history. The hospital has brought in replacement workers throughout the strike and have spent more than $30,000 a day on police coverage during the strike.
“Muldoon, co-chair of the local bargaining unit, said understaffing worsened during the pandemic, with more staffing cuts and furloughs, while nurses worked through breaks and past scheduled shifts to try to keep up with the demand for patient care.”

(29 Jul 2021) Government tells hospitals to submit cheaper rebuild plans HSJ Exclusive July 29 on major problems coming down the line for “new hospital” projects around the country:
“NHS trusts hoping to build the first new hospitals under the government’s flagship infrastructure project have been told to submit plans for schemes costing less than £400m, prompting concern about plans being watered down.
“Last week, the New Hospital Programme team – which oversees the government’s “40 new hospitals” programme – wrote to the eight “pathfinder” trusts asking them to submit three sets of plans for evaluation.
“The letter, seen by HSJ, ordered trusts to send:
• An option costing no more than £400m;
• The trust’s preferred option, at the cost they are currently expecting; and
• A “phased approach” to delivery of the preferred option.”

(29 Jul 2021) ‘Completely unacceptable’: Drug firm Advanz fined £100m for making thyroid drug unaffordable for NHS Independent July 29 on a major scandal in rip-off drug pricing, which led to the drug ceasing to be available through NHS prescription:
“Boris Johnson has branded a drug firm “completely unacceptable and exploitative” after it hiked the price of some thyroid medication by more than 6,000 per cent.
“An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that from 2009 until 2017 Advanz charged “excessive and unfair prices” for supplying liothyronine tablets, which are used to treat thyroid hormone deficiency.
“The watchdog said this was because the drugs faced “limited or no competition”, meaning it could sustain repeated price increases, which were “not driven by any meaningful innovation or investment”.
“The price increase began in 2007 and by 2009 tablets were £20 per pack. This had increased to £248 by 2017 – a 6,000 per cent rise on the 2006 price of £4, the CMA said.
“… Advanz was handed a fine of £40.9m, while its former private equity owners HgCapital and Cinven, which now form part of the company, were fined £8.6m and £51.9m respectively.”

(29 Jul 2021) RCGP demands emergency rescue package for 'crisis-torn' general practice GP Online July 29:
“Day-to-day general practice was ‘largely undoable’ even before the COVID-19 pandemic, college chair Professor Martin Marshall has warned - and the pandemic has stretched the profession still further.
“Pointing to data on surging workload and a GP workforce that is 4.5% smaller than it was in 2015, Professor Marshall warned: ‘We simply do not have enough GPs to meet the needs of a growing and ageing population, with increasingly complex conditions, on top of managing the fallout and work backlog from the pandemic. If general practice collapses, the rest of the NHS will follow not far behind it.’
“Professor Marshall called on the health secretary Sajid Javid to implement a five-point recovery plan to prevent GPs from burning out and to safeguard patients care.”

(28 Jul 2021) West Suffolk hospital chief resigns prior to bullying claims review Guardian July 28 reports on the resignation of Stephen Dunn, once honoured by the private sector for masterminding the Hinchingbrooke Hospital privatisation, from the CEO post at West Suffolk Hospital:
"The chief executive at Matt Hancock’s local hospital is to step down before the publication of a delayed review into bullying allegations involving an unprecedented demand for fingerprints from senior clinicians first revealed by the Guardian.
"In January 2020, a “rapid review” was ordered into claims of a “witch-hunt” at West Suffolk hospital trust, from which the former health secretary had to recuse himself because of his friendship with the trust’s chief executive, Stephen Dunn.
"On Tuesday, Dunn announced he was resigning after what he acknowledged were “operational, structural and cultural challenges within the trust”. The trust’s deputy chief executive, Craig Black, will be taking over as interim chief executive while a replacement is found."

(28 Jul 2021) Abusive man jailed for attacking and threatening ambulance staff 40 times Independent July 28:
"A man who attacked and threatened ambulance staff around 40 times has been jailed for almost half a year.
"John Dannaher, 33, routinely spat, assaulted and threatened London Ambulance Service paramedics and across the south east of England over several years, including threatening to murder women in the service and to follow them home.
"Clinical team manager Scott Lummes spent two years building a case against Dannaher after the serial offender abused a colleague at Kings Cross station, shouting and screaming at her as she tried to treat him.
"Lummes found that Dannaher had made dozens of 999 calls despite his GP confirming that he had no serious medical problems."

(28 Jul 2021) A third of middle-aged UK adults have at least two chronic health issues – study Guardian July 28:
"More than one in three middle-aged British adults are suffering from at least two chronic health conditions, including recurrent back problems, poor mental health, high blood pressure, diabetes and high-risk drinking, according to research that warned that health in midlife is on the decline.
"The study of “generation X” adults born in 1970 found that those who grew up in poorer families were 43% more likely to have multiple long-term health conditions than their peers from wealthier households. Those who had been overweight or obese as children, who had lower birthweight and who had experienced mental ill-health as teenagers were also at increased risk of poor health in midlife.
"Dawid Gondek, the UCL researcher who authored the paper, said: “This study provides concerning new evidence about the state of the nation’s health in midlife. It shows that a substantial proportion of the population are already suffering from multiple long-term physical and mental health problems in their late 40s, and also points to stark health inequalities, which appear to begin early in childhood.”

(28 Jul 2021) UK ministers lay out ‘most ambitious’ plan for disabled workers “Ministers have announced plans to help disabled people in the workplace, part of a wider disability strategy billed as the most ambitious in a generation, but condemned by some campaign groups as notably thin in specific policies.
“… Boris Johnson described the strategy – which applies in England – as “the most far-reaching endeavour in this area for a generation or more”.
“However, some charities have expressed scepticism. Kamran Mallick, the chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said the strategy was “disappointingly thin on immediate actions, medium-term plans and the details of longer term investment”.
“There has also been criticism of the consultation, which ran from January to April, and prompted about 14,000 responses.
“Kevin Shinkwin, a Conservative peer who chairs a disability commission for the Tory thinktank the Centre for Social Justice, has previously said that the lack of engagement risked making the strategy “another car crash”.”

(27 Jul 2021) The British government’s Covid strategy was never designed to manage the virus Guardian Opinion column July 27:
"It may be tempting to explain the government’s lagging public health advice by a lack of clear evidence, the novelty of the situation, or just “bad luck”.
"But this obscures the degree to which the government has also exploited the uncertainty generated by the Covid-19 pandemic for economic and political gain, by using the facade of incompetence to narrow the political choices available to the public.
"In a report released last December, the cross-party joint committee on national security strategy condemned the government for having “failed seriously to consider how it might scale up testing, isolation and contact-tracing capabilities during a serious disease outbreak”. But the report missed a key aspect: the delay in scaling up public testing helped to prime the space for private UK-based firms to enter the market. In January 2020, the UK passed on the early chance to use a viral sequence developed by a German lab and made freely available by the WHO to make a Covid test.
"It did, however, award last-minute public contracts for testing, tracing, and the production of PPE and ventilators to companies with little or no prior experience in similar tasks."

(27 Jul 2021) England is sleepwalking towards a two-tier health system Interesting Opinion article in the Guardian July 27:
"The impact of the pandemic on NHS waiting lists worsened health inequalities, with a 31% fall in completed treatments in the most deprived areas of England compared with 26% in the least deprived. The flight to private healthcare means the poorest communities are hit three times: people are more likely to be chronically ill, more likely to be waiting for an operation and have no chance of buying their way out.
"The growth of a more mixed healthcare economy, in terms of both NHS treatment carried out in private sector and self-payers, is starting to normalise the idea of private healthcare. The numbers are still relatively small, and even people with comprehensive insurance are likely to need the NHS, but a waiting list with more than 5 million people on it undermines the idea of being free at the point of need. There is not much virtue in being free if the need cannot be met.
"If wealthier people start to buy their way out of trouble in significant numbers they will be less willing to pay taxes to improve the NHS. With public spending under intense pressure, and key figures such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove having strongly criticised the NHS in the past, there is a danger that we will look back on the pandemic as the moment that the seeds of a two-tier healthcare system were really sown."

(27 Jul 2021) UNISON launches consultation over NHS rise that meets neither expectations nor real living wage UNISON press release flags up the biggest health union's criticism of the proposed 3% increase in NHS pay for staff in England (Scottish staff have already accepted a 4% offer):
"The award announced last week doesn’t meet the real living wage of £9.50 per hour for the lowest paid health service workers and widens the gap between those at the top and bottom of the scale, the union says.
"The 3% increase means the lowest earners will get a rise which is just one sixth of those at the top of the NHS pay scales.
"UNISON will begin consulting NHS workers later this week on whether they accept the rise, or oppose it and are prepared to take industrial action.
"More than 300,000 people across all disciplines – including nursing, ambulance, operational and technical services – will be asked for their views from this Friday until 10 September. UNISON says its elected leadership body is giving a clear steer that 3% is “unacceptable”."

(27 Jul 2021) Failure to help poor countries fight Covid ‘could cost global economy $4.5tn’, says IMF Guardian July 27:
“The world economy risks losing $4.5tn (£3.3tn) from highly infectious variants of Covid-19 spreading through poor countries where vaccination rates are lower, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
“Calling on rich countries to take urgent action to share at least 1bn doses with developing nations, or risk severe economic consequences, the Washington-based fund said the gap between rich and poor economies had widened during the pandemic and risked worsening further next year.
“A speedy rollout of vaccines has improved the economic outlook in wealthier countries, including the UK, while a lack of resources to improve vaccination rates and support the reopening of their economies has depressed growth rates across low-income countries.
“Setting out the downside risk scenario in its six-monthly health check of the global economy, the IMF said the new coronavirus variants would wipe $4.5tn from global GDP by 2025 with the potential for more than two-thirds of that loss falling on middle- and low-income countries.”

(27 Jul 2021) Paramedics abused and assaulted while on duty, survey reveals Independent July 27 with a distressing story:
"Hundreds of paramedics have reported being physically abused or verbally abused while working to serve the public, new data has revealed.
"More than 1,600 paramedics from across the country said they feared for their own safety or had been threatened while on duty.
"The College of Paramedics survey of 2,345 paramedics comes after NHS England data showed there had been a 32 per cent rises in assaults over the past five years, with 3,569 incidents recorded in 2020-21.
"The revelations come as nine out 10 ambulance services across the country are in the grip of a summer crisis in demand with trusts reporting delays in answering 999 calls and patients forced to wait hours for an ambulance crew to get to then."

(27 Jul 2021) Our eight-point plan to ensure the NHS gets the funding it so desperately needs NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson July 27:
“Our NHS Providers letter today, to the prime minister, the chancellor, the health secretary and the chief executive of NHS England, sets out what's needed. Continuation of the discharge funding that's been so successful over the last 18 months in enabling the NHS and social care to keep patients flowing through the system. Avoiding the tens of thousands of discharge delays we used to see.
“Replenishing the funding to treat elective surgery backlogs where trusts are recovering activity so fast they've already used up most of the £1bn allocated for this task this year.
“An emergency round of precious capital funding, similar to the £450m the NHS received last year, to enable trusts to speed up backlog recovery and expand their emergency departments, crisis mental health services and community and ambulance capacity in time for winter.
“Full funding of the government's recently announced 3% pay award so trusts don't have to cut patient care to give hardworking NHS frontline staff the pay rise, and recognition, they obviously deserve. Helping trusts speed up recovery by funding the use of all possible available capacity, including the independent sector, as happened in earlier phases of COVID-19. …”

(27 Jul 2021) Tributes to Dr Kailash Chand OBE Pulse magazine publishes tributes to Dr Kailash Chand, a fearless and long-standing campaigner for the NHS and for primary care services, who will be much missed.

(27 Jul 2021) NHS 'as stretched now as it was in January', health leaders say Sky News July 27 reporting the concerns of NHS Providers:
“The NHS is as stretched now as it was at the pandemic's peak in January and things could get worse, health leaders have said.
“NHS providers have warned of "the scale of challenges over the next nine months" in a letter to the prime minister, the chancellor, the health secretary, the chief secretary to the Treasury and the chief executive of NHS England.
"Many trust chief executives are saying that the overall level of pressure they are now experiencing is, although very different in shape, similar to the pressure they saw in January of this year when the NHS was under the greatest pressure in a generation," the letter said.”

(27 Jul 2021) Covid vaccine hesitancy among Britain’s under-30s alarms ministers Financial Times July 27:
“According to NHS England data up to July 22, only 66 per cent — or 5.6m — of 18 to 29-year-olds in England have had their first jab, compared with 88 per cent of the whole adult population.
“Office for National Statistics research found that between 7 and 10 per cent of adults under 30 have expressed hesitancy about having a jab, compared with 4 per cent for the entire adult population.
“Some within the scientific community have argued that the public health messaging throughout much of the pandemic, which emphasised the risks of the virus to elderly and vulnerable rather than younger groups, has led to complacency. “I think there is probably a false sense of security . . . but we know that infection in the younger age groups is quite rampant,” said Professor Lawrence Young, an infectious diseases expert at Warwick Medical School.”

(26 Jul 2021) ‘I advise everyone to get it’: UK Covid patients tell of regrets over refusing jab Guardian July 26:
“For some people, the moment the ambulance arrives is the time they start expressing regrets about not receiving a coronavirus vaccine. For others, it’s the death of a loved one.
“Healthcare workers and Covid patients have spoken out about growing numbers who, once faced with the serious reality of catching the virus, realise that they made a huge mistake.
“Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, a senior intensive care registrar, said she had only come across one patient in critical care who had received both vaccination doses, and that the “vast majority” of people she was seeing were “completely unvaccinated”.
“According to official statistics, about 60% of people being admitted to hospital with Covid are unvaccinated.”

(26 Jul 2021) Coronavirus infections continue to fall in UK BBC News July 26 with evidence the vaccination is working – but also that fewer tests are being taken.
“The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 has continued to fall in the UK, the latest daily figures show.
“The UK recorded 29,173 new cases on Sunday - down from 48,161 logged a week earlier on 18 July.
“The number of new infections by date reported has fallen for five days in a row for the first time since February.
“It is also the first time since the start of the pandemic that a sustained drop in cases has not coincided with a national lockdown.
…
“The figures show the number of people taking Covid tests has fallen over the past fortnight, which scientists say could explain some of the drop in reported case numbers but is very unlikely to be the only factor.”

(26 Jul 2021) About 200 nurses at Community First hospital in Portage Park go on strike Chicago Tribune report July 26:
“About 200 nurses at Community First Medical Center in Portage Park went on strike Monday, citing safe staffing as a top concern.
“The nurses are part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United union. They became part of the union in December 2019 and have to been negotiating to secure their first contract. The strike is scheduled to last one day, until Tuesday morning.
“Main sticking points include nurse staffing and health and safety precautions for nurses, among other things, said nurse Patricia Ryan, who is on the bargaining committee.
“… The union alleges that the hospital has had a turnover rate among nurses of 51% since February 2020 because of problematic working conditions.”

(26 Jul 2021) Zimbabwe seeks to limit doctors, nurses striking over pay Bloomberg report July 26:
“Zimbabwe plans to prevent the frequency of doctors and nurses going on strike over pay that often cripples the country’s fragile health sector.
“Under the proposed Health Service Amendment Bill published July 23, members of the health industry will be barred from participating in strikes that last longer than three days, or more than 72 hours in a two-week period. Health-care workers will also be obligated during any collective job action, “to provide the skill, expertise, care and service to patients in a medical emergency or needing critical or intensive care,” according to the bill.
“A notice of strike must be given in writing 48 hours prior to the start of the industrial action, according to the proposal, which also states that labor-union leaders that incite protests are liable to fines and jail sentences of three years.
“… Enock Dongo, president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association, which has 12,000 members, said there was no consultation by government on the proposed law. “The authorities can’t force health workers to give services when they are disgruntled,” he said by phone Monday. “The laws are demoralizing and most workers are contemplating going outside the country.”

(25 Jul 2021) Doctors warn over increasing number of young people with Covid in ICU Guardian July 25:
“Increasing numbers of young people with coronavirus are being admitted to hospital – including to intensive care wards – doctors have said, begging them not to “suffer unnecessarily” and to get the vaccine.
“During the first weekend after the majority of Covid restrictions were lifted in England there were pictures of crowded nightclubs, filled with revellers not wearing masks or social distancing. Medics raised the alarm that unvaccinated young people urgently needed to protect themselves against infection to avoid serious illness.
“The warning came as scientists gave a cautious welcome to the fifth day in a row of falling Covid case rates – the first time that cases have seen a sustained fall without a national lockdown. These figures, however, do not include the impact of 19 July’s easing of restrictions.”

(25 Jul 2021) LA man who mocked Covid-19 vaccines dies of virus BBC News July 25:
“A California man who mocked Covid-19 vaccines on social media has died after a month-long battle with the virus.
“Stephen Harmon, a member of the Hillsong megachurch, had been a vocal opponent of vaccines, making a series of jokes about not having the vaccine.
"Got 99 problems but a vax ain't one," the 34-year-old tweeted to his 7,000 followers in June.
“He was treated for pneumonia and Covid-19 in a hospital outside Los Angeles, where he died on Wednesday.
“… Despite his struggle with the virus, Mr Harmon still said he would reject being jabbed, saying his religious faith would protect him.”

(25 Jul 2021) Nurses’ pay in England to fall 7% in a decade even after government offer Guardian July 25:
“Pay for nurses and other NHS staff in England will have fallen in real terms by more than 7% since 2010, even if they accept the latest offer from the government, according to new analysis that will fuel rising anger about public sector pay deals.
“Figures produced by the TUC show that remuneration for nurses, community nurses, medical secretaries, speech therapists, physiotherapists, paramedics and radiographers will have dropped by between 7.3% and 7.6% in real terms in just over a decade, even after factoring in the 3% rise offered last week.”

(25 Jul 2021) £420 per visor: the price of ministers’ PPE panic (£) Times July 25:
“A former Conservative councillor received a £120 million government contract for face shields whose quality is so doubtful that fewer than 1 in 400 have been used, meaning each one has so far cost the equivalent of £423.
“Steve Dechan, 53, is the owner of Platform-14, a Gloucestershire firm that had specialised in devices for managing chronic pain. It recorded significant losses in the year before the pandemic.
“In April last year, however, his offer to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) from China was fast-tracked through the “VIP” procurement lane. The government then invoked emergency rules to directly award him a series of contracts.
“It heralded a change in his company’s fortunes as well as his own: he recently swapped his modest home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, for a £1.5 million 17th-century mansion with 100 acres of land in Painswick Valley, an area of outstanding natural beauty nicknamed the “Queen of the Cotswolds”.
“… Only a tiny fraction of the total order of 120 million medical-grade plastic face shields has reached doctors and nurses on the front line amid confusion about their safety. None of them could be used last year.”

(25 Jul 2021) Nottingham maternity scandal: Midwives reveal their fears for the safety of mothers and babies July 25 – Independent’s Shaun Lintern again digs out the truth behind the empty rhetoric
“A hospital facing an inquiry into scores of baby deaths on its wards still poses a danger to mothers and infants, according to midwives who work in its maternity unit.
“An investigation by The Independent revealed the scale of avoidable errors at the Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Trust that have led to infants dying or being left brain-damaged. Ministers have since announced an independent review into cases at the trust, which is one of the largest in England.
“But while the hospital concerned – the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham – claims it is making significant changes and recruiting more staff, midwives have told The Independent that there are still not enough resources to help mothers give birth safely, with dangerous levels of understaffing as well as a shortage of beds and equipment.
“One said they were regularly left in tears by the conditions at the hospital, which the care regulator rated inadequate in December last year.”

(25 Jul 2021) Health Secretary Sajid Javid apologises for saying people should no longer 'cower from' virus Sky News July 25 with the revelation that the new Health Secretary is as crass and insensitive as the last one:
“The health secretary has apologised for saying people should no longer "cower from" coronavirus.
“Sajid Javid said he had deleted the tweet, which he posted on Saturday to say he had made a "full recovery" a week after testing positive for COVID-19.
"I was expressing gratitude that the vaccines help us fight back as a society, but it was a poor choice of word and I sincerely apologise," he said.
"Like many, I have lost loved ones to this awful virus and would never minimise its impact."
“Mr Javid's initial tweet drew criticism for being insensitive to those who had stayed home during the pandemic due to health conditions or in an effort to protect others.”

(24 Jul 2021) Hospitals experiencing ‘perfect storm’ as Covid infections and holiday season collide Independent July 24:
“Hospitals are experiencing a “perfect storm” as Covid hospitalisations, high infection rates and record-breaking demand for A&E collide with the holiday season, NHS executives have warned.
“Across England, admissions to hospital for patients with Covid have risen by more than 30 per cent over the past week with hospitals now being told by NHS England to prepare for a difficult period ahead as the summer crisis worsens.
“New Covid wards have been opened and operations cancelled across the country as the healthcare system buckles under the crisis. But hospital leaders say the start of the summer holidays – already a peak season for emergencies – could prompt a fresh wave of pressure.”

(24 Jul 2021) Fears social care billions could be used to plug existing NHS gaps – without solving the problem i-News report July 24:
“Social care experts have spoken of their concern whether any a potential tax rise aimed at raising extra funding for the sector will instead be diverted to help clear the growing backlog of non-urgent treatment in the NHS.
“The Head of Age UK told i that the Government must find the money to do help both areas and not promise investment for social care only to see it diminished before it is even put to use. Ministers are considering a rise in national insurance contributions to raise £10bn for social care reform but any announcement is not expected until autumn at the earliest.
“Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “We have noticed, with concern, that there’s still talk that any money earmarked for social care may have to go to the NHS first to help reduce their lengthy waiting lists.”

(23 Jul 2021) Sage adviser claims ministers trying to get as many as possible infected with Covid Guardian July 23:
“A scientist advising the government has accused ministers of allowing infections to rip through the younger population in an effort to bolster levels of immunity before the NHS faces winter pressures.
“The allegation comes after England’s remaining Covid restrictions were eased on Monday, with nightclubs throwing open their doors for the first time in the pandemic and all rules on social distancing and mask wearing dropped even as infections run high.
“Ministers were made aware of scientists’ concerns about reopening nightclubs and other crowded, close-contact and poorly ventilated venues without testing or other checks in place. On Monday Boris Johnson made the surprise announcement that Covid passports will be required for such settings – but not until the end of September, in two months’ time.
“ ‘What we are seeing is a decision by the government to get as many people infected as possible, as quickly as possible, while using rhetoric about caution as a way of putting the blame on the public for the consequences,’ said Prof Robert West, a health psychologist at University College London who participates in Sage’s behavioural science subgroup.”

(23 Jul 2021) Prof Prem Sikka: Pandemics destroy lives but neoliberalism is deadly too Prem Sikka in Left Foot Forward July 23:
“An independent public inquiry is needed to scrutinise the handling of the pandemic in all four home nations. It also needs to scrutinise the politics, economic and social policies which have delivered the high death-toll.
“UK politics is increasingly framed by markets, corporate profits and tax cuts for a select few rather than concerns about humanity, compassion and care.
“This is signified by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reluctance to tighten Covid restrictions because ‘Covid was only killing 80-year-olds’. Some 83,000 over 80s died. Such callous politics will bring more deaths and misery.
“Cutting investment in public services has become a neoliberal dogma. The National Health Service (NHS) has been starved of resources and was in a poor shape to handle the pandemic. An indication is provided by the number of beds.
“As we entered the pandemic, the UK had 2.4 beds per 1,000 of the population, compared to 5.4 in France, 7.9 in Germany and 12.8 in Japan. In April 2020, NHS England had 118,510 beds to serve a population of 56 million, compared to 299,000 in 1988.”

(23 Jul 2021) Government rules out searching Matt Hancock's private emails BBC News July 23 on a decision not to ask too many questions for fear of getting answers that reveal the truth:
“The government has said it will not search the private email account of former Health Secretary Matt Hancock for discussions on official business.
“Downing Street has admitted Mr Hancock, who quit last month, used his personal address for this reason.
“The campaign group Good Law Project argued his inbox should be checked for the sake of transparency. But the government rejected this, saying a sweep of emails was "neither necessary nor proportionate".
“The Sunday Times has reported that, as a result of Mr Hancock's use of his personal account, the government does not have a record of much of his decision-making during the pandemic.
“This, it said, included negotiating PPE contracts, creating the test-and-trace programme and overseeing the care homes strategy.”

(23 Jul 2021) Why are fully vaccinated people testing positive for Covid? Financial Times July 23 with some common sense on the strengths and weaknesses of the Covid vaccines
“The yellow fever jab … is widely understood to be the most effective live-virus vaccine ever invented, with a single dose generating long-lasting immunity in 98 per cent of those vaccinated.
“But even that means that on average 2 per cent of people will still get infected. Phase 3 trials for most of the leading Covid-19 jabs showed an efficacy against symptomatic infection of more than 90 per cent.
“Real-world studies of effectiveness in the UK, Israel and Canada suggest that vaccines are displaying a slightly lower effectiveness outside of the trial environment, probably because of the spread of the more vaccine-resistant Delta variant.
“Estimates put protection against symptomatic infection, depending on the vaccine, at between 60-90 per cent. According to Public Health England, about 17 per cent of the 105,598 Delta variant cases reported across England in the four weeks to July 19 were among fully vaccinated people. PHE counts people as fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose.”

(22 Jul 2021) Are hospitals returning to pre-Covid activity levels? Useful Nuffield Trust study July 22 looks at activity levels – but not the substantially reduced front line capacity in terms of bed numbers:
“The latest NHS guidance for hospitals has increased the expectation for recovering services, stating that they should aim to deliver at least 95% of the services they delivered before the Covid-19 pandemic measured against the value of services delivered in the same month in 2019/20. However, the pandemic has caused huge disruption to services that were already under considerable pressure, so how realistic is this target?
“At the start of the pandemic, planned care (including hospital appointments and admissions) was scaled back due to the number of Covid-19 patients requiring treatment. The number of people attending A&E and GP appointments also fell, which may have been due to fear of catching Covid-19 or concerns about increasing the burden on the NHS. This fall in hospital activity was more pronounced for elective care (treatment that is planned in advance) than in emergency services. In April 2020, GP referrals were 75% lower than before the pandemic, while unplanned admissions fell by a third.
“Since then, activity levels have fluctuated but been maintained at higher levels than during the first wave of the pandemic. In recent months, emergency activity has reached pre-pandemic levels, while elective activity remains lower. Last month, the number of A&E attendances reached the highest level for any June since records began and trusts are reporting considerable pressure on urgent care services.”

(22 Jul 2021) Watchdog warns ‘exceptional’ NHS pressure is affecting patient care Independent report July 22:
“The care watchdog has warned that “exceptional” pressures on the NHS is affecting the care of patients across England with healthcare workers pushed to the brink.
“Professor Ted Baker, the Care Quality Commission’s chief inspector of hospitals has spoken out as ambulance services report record levels of 999 calls with patients waiting hours in the backs of ambulances outside hospitals.
“He criticised the inaction of NHS leaders for not reforming services in recent years before the Covid-19 pandemic, despite previous warnings, which he said meant the NHS was not meeting the needs of patients.
“The CQC’s chief inspector of primary care, Rosie Benneyworth, also warned GPs were suffering significant stress, with some unable to sleep because of the pressure they were under.”

(22 Jul 2021) Ministers respond to Cumberlege Inquiry Toughly-worded July 22 blog from Independent’s Shaun Lintern:
“For those who need a reminder, the Cumberlege inquiry exposed the harm to tens of thousands of women caused by the use of vaginal mesh as well as the effects of medications sodium valproate and Primodus, which left scores of babies deformed and disabled.
“When her inquiry was published Baroness Cumberlege said patients remained at risk from a “disjointed, siloed, unresponsive and defensive” healthcare system which “cannot be relied on” to identify safety risks.
She added women had been repeatedly “dismissed, overlooked, and ignored”.
“Enter Boris Johnson’s government who in responding to the inquiry have accepted only four of its nine recommendations and rejected one of the most important – a Redress Agency for those harmed by medical devices and drugs to help those who need it to get financial support. …
“The health department has said no. And Nadine Dorries has vanished.”

(22 Jul 2021) ‘The system is broken’: Patients waiting 10 minutes for 999 calls to be answered Independent July 22 on a worsening crisis in ambulance services:
“Some people dialling 999 are having to wait up to 10 minutes to get an answer, The Independent has learned.
“With no way for ambulance call handlers to know if the call is a life-threatening situation or not before they answer, staff have warned there is a chance some patients are coming to harm, or even dying, due to the delays.
“One paramedic told The Independent: “The system is profoundly broken.”
“Leaked data from West Midlands Ambulance Service shows on Monday afternoon this week, some patients had waited as long as 29 hours for an ambulance. And once an ambulance was sent out, 10 per cent of category three, or urgent but non-life threatening patients in the West Midlands so far this week were waiting almost 12 hours for an ambulance, with an average wait of five hours.”

(22 Jul 2021) NHS told to find £1.5bn of savings to fund staff pay rise, despite fears of service cuts Independent report July 22, raising the question BBBC News did not bother to ask:
“The NHS has been told to find £1.5bn of savings from within existing budgets to fund the pay rise for staff announced on Wednesday, in a move branded “brutally unfair” by nurses’ representatives.
“The chaotic announcement of the 3 per cent boost for 1 million workers prompted suspicions of a battle between chancellor Rishi Sunak and health secretary Sajid Javid over who pays the bill.
“In the Commons, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt demanded a commitment that the £1.5bn cost would not mean “cuts” to wider health or care spending.
“But Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said, shortly afterwards: “The pay uplift will be funded from within the NHS budget.” He claimed the move would “not impact funding already earmarked for the NHS frontline”, but it was unclear how that could be avoided if savings are required.”

(22 Jul 2021) 'Staggering' drop in sequencing of PCR tests to track Covid variants Torygraph July 22:
“Potential Covid variants are entering the UK unchecked as the rate of positive tests being genome sequenced from amber-listed countries has fallen to just three per cent, official figures show.
“The analysis shows that just 44 - or three per cent - of the 1,388 positive test results on people arriving from amber countries in the three weeks to June 30 were genome sequenced to identify variants. That compares with 61 per cent in the three weeks to March 17.
“There was a similar decline even for travellers returning from red list countries - including South Africa, South America and India where three of the variants first emerged.
“The official data, analysed by the House of Commons Library, showed the proportion of positive tests from red list countries that were sequenced dropped from 65 per cent to 13 per cent over the same period.
The disclosure comes as it emerged that travellers to and from the UK have forked out £380 million for expensive PCR tests in the past six months supposedly so that the Government can track variants.”

(22 Jul 2021) Cognitive deficits in people who have recovered from COVID-19 Lancet article July 22:
“There is growing concern about possible cognitive consequences of COVID-19, with reports of ‘Long COVID’ symptoms persisting into the chronic phase and case studies revealing neurological problems in severely affected patients. However, there is little information regarding the nature and broader prevalence of cognitive problems post-infection or across the full spread of disease severity. …
“[Findings]: People who had recovered from COVID-19, including those no longer reporting symptoms, exhibited significant cognitive deficits versus controls when controlling for age, gender, education level, income, racial-ethnic group, pre-existing medical disorders, tiredness, depression and anxiety. The deficits were of substantial effect size for people who had been hospitalised … but also for non-hospitalised cases who had biological confirmation of COVID-19 infection …
“… These results accord with reports of ‘Long Covid’ cognitive symptoms that persist into the early-chronic phase.”

(21 Jul 2021) Tories quietly ditch plans to extend sick pay to 2million more Brits Mirror report July 21 on the government decision to do nothing to make it easier for low-paid workers to isolate or quarantine to block the spread of Covid:
"Tory ministers were blasted tonight for scrapping plans to extend Statutory Sick Pay to 2million more people.
"Two years ago the government said there was "a case" for removing the requirement for claimants to earn at least £120-a-week. But the reforms were quietly ditched in a long-awaited response - prompting fury from unions.
"TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "The government has abandoned millions of low-paid workers at the worst possible time.
“With Covid cases going through the roof, its refusal to make sick pay available for all is grossly irresponsible and will help drive infections still higher."
"Ms O'Grady also called for the government to raise the £96.35-a-week rate of statutory sick pay. She added: "This boils down to political choices. Giving everyone access to statutory sick pay would cost less than 1% of the failed test and trace scheme."

(21 Jul 2021) Hospitals face ‘most difficult period’ since start of pandemic, NHSE warns HSJ Exclusive report July 21 begins:
“NHS England has told hospitals they may be entering the “most difficult period” of the pandemic for more than a year — and said high rates of admissions are “closely linked” to low vaccine uptake.
“In a letter to trust chiefs in the Midlands this morning, seen by HSJ, NHS England regional officials said trusts were facing increased pressures from covid-19, particularly in areas with lower levels of vaccination.
“It says: “[The pressures are] compounded by the impact on staff absences and the need to maintain separate pathways.
“At the same time, we are seeing unprecedented pressure on urgent and emergency care while trying to maintain the momentum created to tackle the long waiting elective patients…”

(21 Jul 2021) NHS workers in England offered 3% pay rise BBC News July 21 on the pay offer to NHS staff at a time when average earnings elsewhere have increased by between 3.2% and 4.4% in the last year and are forecast to increase by 2.4% this year:
“Nurses and other NHS workers in England have been offered a 3% pay rise by government "in recognition of unique impact of the pandemic" on staff.
“It comes after heavily criticised proposals made by the Department for Health and Social Care in March said only a rise of 1% was affordable.
“All NHS staff in Wales will be offered a 3% rise by the Welsh government.
“But some health unions opposed the new figure saying it does not reflect the sacrifices made by staff.
“They point out the NHS workforce has been under unprecedented pressure.
“The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors, said the pay rise was disappointing and that junior doctors and some GPs could miss out on it altogether.”

(21 Jul 2021) Ministers ignored Government recruitment process to appoint Gina Coladangelo Good Law Project press release July 21:
“Documents uncovered by Good Law Project suggest Ministers at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) abandoned their own recruitment procedures to directly appoint Gina Coladangelo as a non-executive director.
“We have unearthed a DHSC job advertisement posted in August 2020 seeking “expressions of interest for four non-executive directors”. The deadline for the application was 11 September 2020.
“However, Coladangelo’s contract confirms she commenced her role as a non-executive director on 1 September 2020 – 10 days before the closing date for other applicants to apply for the same role.
“Both the job ad uncovered by Good Law Project and Gina Coladangelo’s contract released to the Metro contain the same £15,000 per annum salary.
“This raises serious concerns that Matt Hancock may have bypassed his own department’s recruitment process to fast-track the appointment of Gina Coladangelo."

(21 Jul 2021) White Vaccination Rates Lag in States Where Covid Is Surging Bloomberg July 21 report reveals the deadly side-effects of voting Republican and Christian fundamentalism:
“As the Covid-19 delta variant spreads throughout the U.S., states facing the biggest spikes in new cases also tend to be those doing an especially poor job vaccinating their largest racial group, White people.
“In almost a dozen states reporting more than 50 cases per 100,000 people last week, White people make up a disproportionately low share of the vaccinated population, which was not the case in the earliest months of the national inoculation drive.
“In Missouri, Louisiana and Nevada, where new cases are running at least twice as high, the White vaccination rate trailed the Hispanic rate, which had long been held down by the group’s relatively low median age.
“Recent polls have found Republicans and White evangelicals are least likely to say they’ll get the shots, which may account for less uptake among White people in certain states, especially in the South, Midwest and West. Since cases, hospitalizations and deaths are now primarily among the unvaccinated, these groups with less vaccine uptake are most vulnerable.”

(20 Jul 2021) NHS summer crisis deepens as Covid surge leads to cancelled operations and ambulance ‘black alert’ Independent July 20 update on the mounting crisis:
"Hospitals and ambulance services are in a deepening crisis caused by the surge in infections as the removal of Covid-19 rules coincides with added pressure from the heatwave and the return of thousands of workers to offices.
"More than half of staff at one NHS trust are absent because of Covid-19 isolation rules, forcing operations to be cancelled, while the number of Covid patients in England has leapt by one-third in the past week.
"The chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, told a Downing Street press conference that he expected the NHS to see 1,000 patients a day being admitted to hospital soon.
"His comments come as hospitals and ambulance services report surging demand from patients with staff being redeployed to new Covid wards and 999 calls going unanswered for vital minutes because of a lack of staff."

(20 Jul 2021) NHS summer crisis: London Ambulance Service declares incident as 999 calls surge Independent July 20:
“London Ambulance Service was forced to declare an incident on Monday after a surge in 999 calls threatened to overwhelm it, The Independent has learned. Emergency calls increased by a third compared to a normal day, with a sudden wave of more than 400 calls in a single hour during the early afternoon.
“Paramedics were told the service was under extreme demand with bosses making the decision shortly before 4pm to declare a “business continuity incident”.
“This means there was a risk of normal services being disrupted below an acceptable level, leading to delays in answering 999 calls and a lack of crews to respond to emergencies.
“The LAS has been at the highest level of demand, previously known as a “black alert”, since 17 June. Seven out of 10 ambulance services across England are in a similar situation.”

(20 Jul 2021) Lord Sumption made several errors about Covid on Today Full Fact July 20 does its best to retrospectively highlight the false information peddled unchallenged on the Today programme by the reactionary peer:
“First of all, he said that the virus had not killed more than 100,000 people, because many of the deaths recorded may have been people who were infected with Covid, but died for other reasons.
“This is not true. … data from death certificates, which records whether or not Covid itself was the “underlying cause” … shows that up to 2 July this year, 124,082 people died with Covid as the underlying cause of death in England and Wales alone.
“Lord Sumption went on to say that the people who died of Covid would soon have died anyway. He said: “At the age which they had reached, they would probably have died within a year after, as even Professor Ferguson has I think admitted." [1.19.00]
“This is not supported by the evidence.
… Research suggests that people dying of Covid lost far more than a year of life—about a decade on average.
“… Lord Sumption also said: "The number of people who have died who are not in highly vulnerable groups who have died without a sufficiently serious comorbidity to appear on the death certificate is very small. It's a matter of hundreds and not thousands." [1.19.42]
“This is not true either.”

(20 Jul 2021) Doctors from ethnic minorities earn 7% less than white colleagues, report finds BMJ July 20:
“Discrimination against doctors from ethnic minorities begins early and continues throughout their careers, the first report of the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES) has found.
“The standard is a set of indicators which uses data from a range of sources to expose ethnic disparities in the medical workforce. Sources include NHS Digital, the NHS staff survey, and the General Medical Council.
“The report found that compared with the overall proportion of doctors in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), doctors from ethnic minorities are underrepresented in consultant, clinical director, and medical director roles and overrepresented in other grades and postgraduate training.
“… The report also found that on average, ethnic minority doctors earn 7% (£4310; €4974; $5851) a year less than their white colleagues.”

(20 Jul 2021) Boris Johnson to delay social care reform plans until autumn Guardian report July 20 on yet another postponement of the plan which Johnson claimed to have had ready in 2019:
"“Boris Johnson has delayed plans for a tax rise to fix the crumbling social care system until the autumn, amid worries about the proposal from within his own party.
“The prime minister had hoped to be able to make the announcement before recess on Thursday but it was put off once again after details of the funding mechanism could not be agreed in time.
“The Guardian revealed on Monday that talks were focused on a potential 1p increase in national insurance contributions, potentially branded as a social care levy or premium.
“… Some Conservative MPs are already deeply worried about the prospect of a rise in national insurance hurting working people, especially in red wall seats won in 2019, and the prospect of breaking an electoral promise not to raise the levy.
"One backbench Tory MP said the prime minister would “probably get it through but I am worried about losing the trust of many of our new voters”.”

(19 Jul 2021) Boris Johnson’s ‘freedom day’ isolation tells us the virus is everywhere Polly Toynbee in the Guardian July 19:
"The Health Service Journal reports that three NHS chief executives have been banned from speaking to the media about the “unsustainable pressure” their hospitals are facing, and banned from commenting on the reckless removal of masks, social distancing and indoor gathering limits. They confirmed that NHS chiefs’ WhatsApp group has “quite a few angry people” commenting on leaders’ failure to signal the present danger. “There is a sense that we are expected [by government] to pretend it’s all over.”
"Silencing the NHS is absurd, and it never works. Some un-cowed souls will always speak out – especially seasoned seniors such as Nick Hulme, a well-respected troubleshooter, now chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex trust. “We are breaking every previous A&E record every day,” and not in a good way, he tells me. Covid cases are filling beds.
“This is still a major crisis and we expect a third more cases for the rest of this year as they relax the rules.”

(19 Jul 2021) Why the UK’s new Covid-19 strategy is uniquely dangerous Gabriel Scally in New Statesman July 19:
“I know of no episode in history where a government has willingly aided and abetted the spread of a dangerous infectious disease among its own population. History is being made. The government of the United Kingdom seems to actually want people to catch Covid-19 in the summer, rather than in the autumn and winter.
“Ministers reason that the understaffed and underfunded NHS will be in major trouble over the winter. To “go now” with the removal of all legal restrictions, thus producing an even higher level of infections, appears to be regarded as the right thing to do as it will reduce the inevitable problems later this year.
“This extraordinary policy has been revealed to the population in small dollops via Downing Street press conferences where the Prime Minister is flanked by civil servants.
“There is no obvious strategy and there is no published plan. In the view of much of the rest of the world, and most of the medical organisations in the UK, there is no possibility that this will be anything other than yet another failure that will cost lives and livelihoods.”

(19 Jul 2021) Ministers failed to ask for advice on reopening clubs DutchNews July 19 revealing ours is not the only government disregarding the science:
“Ministers decided to reopen night clubs on June 26 without waiting for the results of a Fieldlab experiment and ignored advice from its own health experts about how events could be held safely…
“The government lifted most of the coronavirus restrictions in the Netherlands on June 26 after infections fell to around 500 day. Three weeks later, over 10,000 new infections are being reported on a daily basis, nightclubs are now closed again and ‘test for entry’ festivals have also been halted.
“Fieldlab, an alliance of the events sector, government and scientists, held a series of controlled, but criticised, events in the run up to June 26 to assess how theatre shows, festivals and concerts could be held safely using mass testing.
“But Fieldlab’s only club event, at Shelter in Amsterdam, was not held until the end of May and the results had not been made available to ministers before they decided clubs could reopen safely, as long as all guests had a negative test or had been vaccinated…”

(17 Jul 2021) Boris Johnson pursuing Covid policy of mass infection that poses ‘danger to the world’, scientists warn Independent report July 17:
“More than 1,200 scientists from around the globe have condemned the prime minister’s decision to forge ahead with so-called “freedom day” on 19 July, describing it as “unscientific and unethical”.
“Some of the experts convened an emergency summit on Friday, warning that the UK government’s decision to lift its rules on social distancing and masks amounted to a “murderous” policy of “herd immunity by mass infection”.
“The group of scientists – who all signed a recent letter to The Lancet warning against the plans – fear next week’s reopening in England will allow the Delta variant to spread rapidly around the world.
“The warning comes as more than 50,000 cases were recorded on Friday, the highest figure since mid-January. A further 49 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were also reported – bringing the UK’s total death toll from the pandemic to 128,642.”

(17 Jul 2021) Government won't publish records of meetings between Dido Harding and Covid firms Mirror July 17 on the latest episode of Tory sleaze:
“None of the meetings Dido Harding held with private firms and consultants while running the UK’s £37 billion Test and Trace programme will be declared, the Government has said.
“Ministers and senior officials are required to publicly declare any meetings with stakeholders or private companies. But no public record exists of any meetings held by Baroness Harding, a Tory peer and ally of shamed minister Matt Hancock.
“Justin Madders, Labour ’s Shadow Health Minister, said: “Under Dido Harding’s leadership test and trace has been an absolute bonanza for the plethora of private companies who have been contracted to deliver elements of the service, despite the failure of the service to work properly.
"Failing to disclose details of these meetings is part of the wider pattern with this Government including the use of private emails, and handing contracts to their mates”."

(17 Jul 2021) Sajid Javid tests positive as health chiefs tell PM: don’t let Covid rip Observer July 17:
Another 54,674 new cases of Covid-19 were announced on Saturday, confirming that numbers are back to levels last seen in January. A further 41 Covid deaths were also announced.
"There has been widespread dismay from public health officials at the prime minister’s claim that people must “learn to live” with Covid and “exercise their personal responsibility”.
"In a letter to the Observer, all four of the UK’s independent public health bodies warn: “Living with Covid-19 is not the same thing as letting it rip. We should proceed carefully, not recklessly … The government must promote effective public health measures because personal responsibility will not be enough.”

(17 Jul 2021) British ministers decide against mass vaccination for teens - The Telegraph Reuters report July 17 on a baffling JCVI decision to leave teens at risk of long covid:
"Britain has opted against mass COVID-19 vaccinations for all children and teenagers, with ministers instead preparing to offer doses to vulnerable 12 to 15-year-olds and those about to turn 18, the Telegraph newspaper reported late on Saturday.
"The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is believed to have advised ministers against the rollout of vaccines to all children until further evidence on the risks is available, the report added.
"Under guidance the newspaper said are due to be issued on Monday, vaccine doses will be offered to children between 12 and 15 who are deemed vulnerable to COVID-19 or who live with adults who are immunosuppressed or otherwise vulnerable to the virus.
"They will also now be offered to all 17-year-olds within three months of their 18th birthday, according to The Telegraph, which reported that the committee would keep the possibility of vaccinating all children "under review."

(16 Jul 2021) NHS summer crisis: Birmingham Queen Elizabeth hospital cancels all planned operations for two days Independent July 16 tracing the rapid growth of the crisis in England's hospitals:
"“One of the largest hospitals in the country has cancelled all its planned operations for Thursday and Friday because of a lack of beds and space in intensive care.
“The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, which has more than 1,100 beds, has had to stop dozens of elective operations, including liver transplants, because of increasing numbers of coronavirus patients as well as wider demand.
“The hospital’s intensive care unit, one of the largest in Europe, was full on Thursday with 10 patients in the wider hospital on a watch list who may need a bed in the critical care unit. This meant there were no spare beds for planned operations and transplants where patients would need an ICU bed post-surgery.
“… Staff at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospital were told on Wednesday that operations were being cancelled, while earlier this month The Independent revealed cancer operations were being delayed at Leeds Teaching Hospitals because of rising pressures.”
Shaun Lintern comments on Twitter: "And we only know this because NHS staff from across the country have leaked info to journalists. All my recent stories about NHS pressures have been leaks.
"Thank goodness some staff want to actually tell the public the truth. The corporate NHS certainly doesn't."

(16 Jul 2021) NHS staff asked to postpone holidays due to 'extreme pressure' caused by Covid spike Mirror report July 16:
"NHS staff who have been in the frontline in the Covid pandemic are now being asked to postpone holidays by health bosses in Sunderland due "extreme pressure" caused by a surge in coronavirus cases.
"Staff at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust are tackling one of the highest infection rates in the country with hospital cases doubling week-on-week.
"In an internal note to staff earlier this week, bosses said there were 80 Covid patients receiving hospital treatment compared with just two exactly a month before.
"The message began: "The Trust is currently under extreme pressure due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.
"Many people are seriously ill and receiving intensive care support."

(16 Jul 2021) Chris Whitty warns England could be plunged back into lockdown curbs in just 5 weeks Mirror July 16:
“Boris Johnson could be forced to order new Covid lockdown curbs in five weeks, Chris Whitty has warned just days before Monday's "Freedom Day".
“The Chief Medical Officer sounded the alarm over a potential "scary" growth in hospitalisations which could leave the NHS "in trouble again surprisingly fast" once restrictions are lifted.
“The top medic said if hospital admissions begin doubling and the jabs rollout was not "topping out" the pandemic, in "five, six, seven eight weeks' time" the Prime Minister may need to "look again" at restrictions.
“It comes after Mr Johnson insisted Brits must "learn to live with Covid" and ignored calls to keep the legal requirement for face masks in enclosed spaces beyond Sunday.
“Speaking at a British Science Museum event, Professor Whitty underlined that epidemics are "either doubling or they're halving", adding: "And currently this epidemic is doubling. It's doubling in cases. It is also doubling in people going to hospital, and it's doubling in deaths”."

(16 Jul 2021) Melbourne: Australian city enters snap lockdown with 18 cases BBC News July 16 on how a government serious about public health responds to Covid 19:
“Melbourne had largely avoided new cases despite an outbreak in neighbouring New South Wales, home to Australia's largest city, Sydney.
“But earlier this week, a team of Sydney furniture movers travelled to Melbourne, leading to a spread in cases.
"You only get one chance to go hard and go fast. If you wait, if you hesitate, if you doubt, then you will always be looking back wishing you had done more earlier," Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews said.
"I am not prepared to avoid a five-day lockdown now," he added, only to be forced into a much longer one later on.”

(16 Jul 2021) Health and Care Bill seeks to add more political interference into the NHS July 16 Canary article interviewing three campaigners on Health & Care Bill concludes:
"There is still time to stop the bill. However, as we can see, the worrying elements of the bill are numerous and complex. Once again, this is another change coming from Westminster which requires difficult and consistent activism."

(16 Jul 2021) Profits swell when insurers are also your doctors Axios follow-up on how UnitedHealth keeps as much of its subscriber income as possible:
“UnitedHealth Group isn't just making more money because people deferred care throughout the coronavirus pandemic. It's making more money because it's owning a bigger piece of the health care system.
“The bottom line: Insurers keep more of the premiums they collect when they also own the medical providers that are paid those premium dollars. And no insurer has expanded as aggressively into care delivery over the years as UnitedHealth.
“Zoom in: Each quarter, UnitedHealth reports what it calls "intercompany eliminations."
• This is when money transfers from one part of the company to another. UnitedHealth can't record the transaction as revenue because it is just paying itself.
• For example, if a worker with UnitedHealthcare insurance goes to a surgery center or physician practice owned by Optum? That's an intercompany elimination. A 70-year-old with a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan fills a prescription through Optum's specialty pharmacy? That's one, too.
“By the numbers: UnitedHealth recorded $43.8 billion of eliminations in the first half of 2021, putting it on pace for roughly $91 billion for the entire year.
• That amount would be four times as much as the eliminations UnitedHealth recorded a decade ago.”

(16 Jul 2021) Time to end shady health insurance practices: Nicole M. Johnson Cleveland.com report July 16:
“The Ohio legislature could soon take an important step to protect patients from unfair, profit-driven insurance practices. Unfortunately, it won’t completely solve this problem.
“Ohio patients are subjected to shady contracting practices between some pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which manage drug plans for insurers. Instead of lowering drug costs for patients, these companies are using drug rebates to block competition with other drugs even if they’re cheaper or a better treatment for the patient.
“As a physician and patient, I’ve seen insurance companies tell patients they won’t cover a medication the doctor prescribed unless they first take another medication on their list and prove it doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter to these middlemen if this other medicine costs more or causes bad side effects, or even if the patient’s health worsens during that time. This is a practice called “nonmedical switching.”

(15 Jul 2021) Hospitals cancel operations and appeal for help as summer crisis bears down Independent July 15:
“London’s Barts Health Trust is seeking volunteers among its staff who would be willing to be redeployed to help treat Covid patients in the coming weeks, The Independent has learned.
“… It comes as hospitals across England continue to experience rising numbers of Covid-19 admissions.
“In Manchester, hospitals have opened up extra Covid wards and are already transferring patients between hospitals to try and maintain capacity. In the northeast, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust has told staff it cancelled some operations last week with more expected in coming days.
“Across England on Wednesday there were 3,110 Covid patients in hospital, a 45 per cent increase in the past week. In total there were 489 patients in intensive care.”

(15 Jul 2021) Experts call for new powers for ministers to be stripped from NHS legislation Independent July 15 on second reading of Health & Care Bill:
"As the first major reforms of the health service in almost a decade come before MPs for a second reading of the Health and Care Bill, ministers were facing calls to row back on sweeping powers that would granted to the health secretary Sajid Javid.
"There also calls by thinktanks, experts and charities to change the legislation to require workforce projections for the NHS to be published annually showing whether the health service will have enough staff to meet future demand.
"Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said “this single measure would make the biggest difference” ahead of the debate.
"While the bill is designed to bring about a new way of working for the NHS, with more integration between local organisations so that care for patients is more joined-up, the bill also includes an array of measures that experts say could lead to politicians interfering in the day-to-day work of the NHS and endangering patient safety."

(15 Jul 2021) Ex-Bullingdon Club member appointed to Whitehall’s sleaze watchdog Guardian July 15 with another sign of the corrupt times we live in under the Johnson regime:
"A former Bullingdon Club member and university friend of Boris Johnson has been appointed to Whitehall’s independent sleaze watchdog, the Guardian can disclose.
“Ewen Fergusson, a City solicitor, was announced on Thursday as one of two new members for the committee on standards in public life. A Whitehall source said the appointment was approved by No 10.
“Fergusson, who has spent most of his career at international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, appeared behind Johnson and two along from David Cameron in the infamous 1987 photograph of the exclusive, male-only Oxford dining club.
“Fergusson’s appointment has enraged one former chair of the committee. Sir Alistair Graham, who held the role for four years until 2007, said the appointment was a “pathetic” attempt to recruit an old friend of the PM to an independent committee.

(15 Jul 2021) Most GP surgeries refuse to register undocumented migrants despite NHS policy Bureau of Investigative Journalism July 15 report on a scandalous failure of GP practices to provide primary care:
“There are thought to be up to 1.2 million undocumented migrants in the UK, according to a 2019 report by the Pew social science research centre. Many are cut off from public services, often with the fear of deportation hanging over them.
“… During the pandemic, those who live in the UK, but have an uncertain immigration status, have faced major barriers to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
“… NHS England policy is clear. It says on its website: “Anyone in England can register with a GP surgery. It’s free to register. You do not need proof of address or immigration status, ID or an NHS number.”
“But an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has found that less than a quarter of GP surgeries (24%) surveyed in cities across England, Scotland and Wales would register someone without proof of address, proof of ID or legal immigration status.
“Almost two-thirds (62%) told us they would not register the patient, while the remaining 14% said they were unsure whether they could.”

(15 Jul 2021) Patients getting more care trims UnitedHealth's profit Axios.com July report on how UnitedHealth is trying to minimise the amount it pays out for treatment of its subscribers:
"UnitedHealth Group collected $4.3 billion of profit in the second quarter, a 36% decline from the health care conglomerate's historically profitable second quarter last year, when the coronavirus suppressed care and led to the company paying out fewer medical claims.
"Yes, but: The company's revenue in this quarter soared 15% year over year, and the $4.3 billion of profit was still 30% higher than the same period in 2019, before the coronavirus hit. UnitedHealth remains the most financially powerful private entity in the health care system.
"By the numbers: UnitedHealth's medical loss ratio — or how the industry refers to how much of its premiums were spent on health care — was 82.8%. That was significantly higher than the 70.2% during same period last year (i.e., the height of the pandemic), but lower than the 83% Wall Street had expected.
"People have definitely been returning to doctors and hospitals, but UnitedHealth is still keeping more profit now than it was before the pandemic."

(15 Jul 2021) We need nothing short of an overhaul to our global health system: Priti Krishtel on vaccine equity Alliance Magazine July 15:
“While it may feel like the pandemic is ending for those of us who are fully vaccinated, most of the world is still at risk and suffering.
“It’s also important to recognize that as new variants emerge, the pandemic will not end: none of us are safe until all of us are safe. This is why we need to do everything necessary to vaccinate the world.
“Over a third of the world’s population lives in India and Africa, and to date less than 4 per cent have been vaccinated. This reflects what we see globally, with only 1 per cent of vaccines going to low-income countries.
“Charity is not the answer. Donations alone will never be sufficient to ensure that vaccines reach every corner of the world. We need to get every viable manufacturer in the world going to increase supply, which is why the World Trade Organization’s intellectual property (IP) waiver is such a critical turning point.”

(15 Jul 2021) 'It's shocking': Hundreds of Lancs carers paid less than real living wage This is Lancashire report July 15:
“AN INVESTIGATION has revealed that hundreds of Lancashire’s vital care workers are being paid less than the ‘real living wage’.
“Data shows that in Blackburn with Darwen 35 posts for home care workers were advertised between October 2020 and April that paid less than the living wage of £9.50 per hour, while in the rest of Lancashire 175 posts were advertised in the same period, coming to a total of 210.
“For care workers, who have been on the front line during the pandemic, low pay has left them struggling to feed and clothe their families, has brought on physical and mental health difficulties and has caused many to consider leaving their jobs, campaigners say.
“Colne carer Carol Thompson, who is paid just £8.91 an hour, said: “Staff are starting to think you might as well be working in a supermarket. You get paid more, with no responsibilities”.”

(14 Jul 2021) Masks to remain compulsory on London tube, buses and trains A welcome blast of common sense interrupting the kamikazi rush to "freedom day" 00 Guardian July 14:
"Mask wearing will remain compulsory on the tube and other London transport services after next Monday, Transport for London is to announce, as national rail and bus operators in England said they would only request passengers follow government guidance.
"Unions and bus industry bodies attacked the government for its confused messaging over the changes from 19 July, when face coverings will no longer be mandatory, saying the changed rhetoric had left operators unable to plan and could put staff and services at risk.
"Airlines have already indicated that they will continue to demand passengers wear masks, and cross-Channel train service Eurostar has now said it will make mask-wearing a condition of carriage, from check-in at London St Pancras station."

(14 Jul 2021) Greater Manchester starts opening extra critical care beds amid extreme NHS pressures Manchester Evening News July 14:
“Hospitals in Greater Manchester are standing up extra critical care beds as the pressure of rising Covid admissions and record-breaking A&E attendances continues to hit hard, the Manchester Evening News understands.
“This weekend the system also had to call mutual aid in from Cheshire and Merseyside as a result of the growing strain..
“As Covid patients continue to increase, emergency departments are also still struggling with very high numbers of patients, driven in particular by unseasonal cases of winter respiratory viruses among children, as well as pressures in primary care.
“On Tuesday the M.E.N. reported on queuing ambulances outside North Manchester General’s emergency department, as health sources described patients also on foot being unable to get into the waiting room. It is understood a similar situation played out at Fairfield General in Bury on Friday afternoon, while last week Wythenshawe also saw queues, with paramedics reporting more than a dozen ambulances waiting outside at one stage.”

(14 Jul 2021) David Oliver: Hospital bed numbers were inadequate before the pandemic and will continue to be so BMJ blog July 14 from consultant David Oliver:
"“As we approach the planned end to most covid-19 restrictions in England on 19 July, our general hospitals remain under unprecedented midsummer pressures, even though admissions and beds occupied by people with covid-19 are still way below peak pandemic levels.
“Bed capacity was a glaring problem for the NHS well before covid, and even with no more surges in infections it will remain a huge limiting factor to our health system’s resilience and performance.
“Between 2010-11 and 2019-20 England’s overall number of NHS hospital beds fell by 11%, from 144 455 to 128 943. The number of available general and acute beds fell by 8%, from 110 568 to 102 194.
“…. Overnight bed occupancy was around 90% before the pandemic and exceeded that in serial pre-covid winters.
“…. In June 2021, however, emergency department attendances in England reached an all time high for that month, at over 2.1 million, with 407 000 emergency department admissions to beds (up 21% on June 2020 and 8% on June 2019), and waits for over 12 hours rose sharply.”

(13 Jul 2021) The Tories’ Latest Plan to Wreck the NHS July 13 Tribune article by John Lister analysing the Health and Care Bill:
“The continued Covid pandemic, now again on the rise, the record summer demand for emergency ambulance services and emergency admissions to hospital, the ever-growing waiting list for elective treatment, mounting pressures on mental health services, and chronic staff shortages – these are just some of the problems faced by the NHS in 2021 going forward. But the government’s new Health and Care Bill does nothing to address any of them, and could even drive some demoralised staff to leave.
“The Bill brings no extra funding for services, and no additional investment to tackle the mounting backlog of maintenance that has now risen above £9 billion. Instead, it is yet another major top-down reorganisation of the NHS, less than ten years after the last one. It will hugely disrupt and divert the energies and resources of local NHS bosses for at least the next two years, and cost many millions in redundancy and consultancy services.
“Far from ‘integrating’ services, as claimed by the February White Paper that preceded it, the Bill as it stands could make disintegration easier, enabling private companies to pick up NHS contracts with minimal scrutiny or regulation.”

(13 Jul 2021) New Zealand scientists say UK’s ‘awful experiment’ on Covid will threaten the country Independent July 13:
“… New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has already dismissed the strategy being adopted by UK policymakers, and said that “different countries are taking different choices”.
“University of Auckland microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles told Newsroom: “The question is, how much worse is Delta going to get?
“They are running a really quite awful experiment.”
“Jemma Geoghegan, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Otago, expressed concern that just over half of the UK adult population has been vaccinated and that this could encourage new vaccine resistant variants to be produced.
“She told Newsroom: “If you are going to train a virus to escape vaccine-induced immunity, you would do exactly what they’re doing.”

(13 Jul 2021) Trusts to remind public they must wear masks after 19 July HSJ July 13 report on trusts attempting to protect staff and patients despite Johnson government's irresponsibility:
“Multiple trusts are planning to tell the public they must comply with current covid infection control measures, such as mask wearing, beyond 19 July when they visit NHS premises, HSJ can reveal.
“Numerous trust chiefs told HSJ they will insist public visitors continue to wear masks within their hospitals. This is despite Boris Johnson confirming yesterday mask-wearing will be advisory in crowded and enclosed spaces, rather than a legal requirement, from Monday.
“Public Health England guidance requiring mask wearing in clinical areas is still in force, and the trusts strategies are largely aimed at reminding the public that is still the case despite the change in law.”"

(13 Jul 2021) Failed music festival loses Derby NHS Trust £360,000 Derby Telegraph July 13 on a trust that has turned the clock back to the 1980s era of "income generation," with disastrous results:
“A failed music festival created a loss of £360,000 for a company owned by the Derby hospital NHS trust.
“The Derby Sound event was organised by health bosses in a bid to raise extra money, but instead the failed event lost a huge sum. The money could have paid the wages of 10 nurses for a year at the trust, which runs the Royal Derby Hospital.
“The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust tried to keep the loss secret, but Derbyshire Live has forced it to reveal the details following a two-year Freedom of Information battle.
“And now the largest trade union in the UK is calling for an “independent and transparent” inquiry into how the doomed venture could have cost a “cash-strapped NHS” so much money.
“… It was organised by D-Hive, a company wholly owned by the hospital trust, which the trust says works on commercial projects with the aim of injecting profits back into local healthcare.”

(12 Jul 2021) Greensill Capital paid Cameron salary of more than $1m a year FT July 12 with revelations that former PM trousered £40k per day for promoting the schemes of failed financier Lex Greensill:
“Two people familiar with the matter said Cameron received the large annual salary for his part-time advisory role, which included an increasingly desperate attempt to secure government funds for the ailing company.
“A spokesman for Cameron declined to comment. Cameron was contracted to work 25 days a year as an adviser to the board, meaning he earned the equivalent of more than $40,000 a day.
“His efforts to secure access to state-backed emergency coronavirus loans, first revealed by the FT, have landed the former Conservative party leader in the biggest Westminster lobbying scandal for a generation.”

(12 Jul 2021) Ministers shift responsibility for fighting coronavirus to the public Analysis July 12 from Shaun Lintern in the Independent, which begins:
"After 16 months of government-imposed curbs on our everyday life, it appears the government has decided that enough is enough and that it’s time for it to depart the pitch, mid-game, as a summer wave of infection builds.
"Johnson’s message was simple. It is up to each and every one of us to look out not just for ourselves but for each other, because the government has now returned to the idea of herd immunity as the only way out of the pandemic.
"The vaccines have done the hard yards, with 66 per cent of us double-dosed, but the rest, with only one dose or no dose, are at the mercy of chance and the Delta variant.
"Not everyone will survive the next few months."

(12 Jul 2021) Coronavirus summer wave could lead to hundreds of daily deaths within weeks, officials warn Independent July 12:
“… modelling for the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), shows that ending restrictions could lead to between 1,000 and 2,000 hospital admissions a day within weeks, with up to 200 deaths daily now thought to be likely.
“The new modelling from experts from the University of Warwick, Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine predicts a summer wave of Covid infections in the coming weeks, with Warwick making a central estimate of around 33,700 deaths by June next year.
“The size and scale of infections, hospitalisation and deaths will depend on how the public responds to measures being eased from next week.”

(12 Jul 2021) Dutch PM Rutte 'sorry for easing restrictions too soon' BBC News July 12:
"Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has apologised for "an error of judgement" in scrapping most coronavirus restrictions in the country.
"The easing three weeks ago led to infection levels surging to their highest this year as nightlife resumed for large numbers of young people.
"Curbs on bars, restaurants and nightclubs were reimposed on Friday.
"Previously Mr Rutte had refused to take any blame for the opening up, describing it as a "logical step"."

(12 Jul 2021) Dutch PM sorry for early reopening as France tightens Covid rules Guardian July 12:
“As governments in multiple EU states struggle to curb an increasingly alarming surge in Covid-19 cases, the Dutch premier, Mark Rutte, has apologised and conceded that restrictions reinstated this weekend were lifted too soon.
“Meanwhile France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, unveiled a raft of new measures on Monday, including making health certificates mandatory in cafes, bars and restaurants and on planes and long-distance trains from next month.
“While cases are rising, hospital admissions in most EU countries have not so far followed the same curve, prompting officials to suggest that as vaccination campaigns advance, hospital data should become a bigger factor in responding to the pandemic.”

(12 Jul 2021) UK’s outsourcing of COVID response has cost more than the GDP of 140 countries The excellent Byline Times July 12 with an overview of where the Covid contract cash has gone:
“More than £21.6 billion has been awarded by the UK Government to the 50 companies that have earned the most in COVID-19 contracts, the Byline Intelligence Team and The Citizens can reveal.
“The top five companies alone have won some £8.8 billion of contracts, or 27% of the total amount awarded by the Government to the private sector since March 2020 – this being more than the GDP of countries like Nicaragua and Namibia in 2019, according to World Bank data.
“The total value of all the contracts that have been awarded in relation to the pandemic and analysed by the Byline Intelligence Team and The Citizens amounts to £54.2 billion – more than the GDP of 140 countries and territories in 2020 according to World Bank data.
“In total, some 1,593 companies have been awarded contracts. A third of this spend went to just five companies, data from The Citizens’ review of UK pandemic-related contracts reveals. More than 2,500 UK Government contracts have been awarded in response to COVID-19.”

(10 Jul 2021) Rising hospital admissions tipping already delicate balance, NHS chief says Independent July 10 concludes:
"Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, said high levels of vaccination could “challenge the virus” to mutate into variants against which the jab is less effective.
“There is a risk with 19 July in terms of exposing more people to infection as a result of further reopening,” he told Times Radio.
"He warned: “Of course, the more cases you have, particularly with high levels of vaccine protection, that does then kind of challenge the virus a little bit more and gives more potential for it to mutate into a form where the vaccines are less effective.”
"A further 32,367 Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths were reported across the UK on Saturday."

(10 Jul 2021) Public alarm grows at Boris Johnson’s plan for Covid ‘freedom day’ Guardian July 10:
"Boris Johnson faces a growing revolt over plans to end most Covid restrictions on 19 July – including the mandatory wearing of face masks on public transport and in hospitals – as half of the public now say they want “freedom day” to be delayed.
"Last night, as doctors and other NHS workers demanded that mask-wearing continue in hospitals, regional political leaders broke ranks, saying they would override the national government on the issue and strongly advise people to continue wearing masks on public transport.
"Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, told the Observer that with Covid cases rising rapidly again, “freedom day” risked becoming “anxiety day” for huge numbers of vulnerable people, because the government was making unwise decisions."

(10 Jul 2021) Sajid Javid warns NHS waiting lists backlog could reach 13m Stark warning and empty words from Health Secretary, Guardian July 10:
Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Javid said the growing number of people waiting for non-Covid treatment on the NHS had been what shocked him the most since returning to the cabinet following Matt Hancock’s resignation.
“What shocked me the most is when I was told that the waiting list is going to get a lot worse before it gets better,” he said.
“It’s gone up from 3.5m to 5.3m as of today, and I said to the officials so what do you mean ‘a lot worse’, thinking maybe it goes from 5.3m to 6m, 7m. They said no, it’s going to go up by millions … it could go as high as 13m.
“Hearing that figure of 13m, it has absolutely focused my mind, and it’s going to be one of my top priorities to deal with because we can’t have that.”

(9 Jul 2021) Patients face 15-hour wait in hospital A&E as summer crisis grips NHS Independent July 9 with the big story obscured by football hysteria and NHS Bill:
"As NHS England data confirmed June was the busiest month on record for A&E departments in the NHS, Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital has confirmed some if its patients had to wait for 15 hours at several points earlier this week.
"Elsewhere in the country, hospitals have reported patients facing long waits including up to eight hours at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust on Wednesday, where operations for some cancer patients were cancelled due to an increase in coronavirus patients.
"The Royal College of Emergency Medicine on Thursday warned unless action was taken the NHS could be in a crisis worse than any previous winter."

(9 Jul 2021) Thousands of 999 calls put on hold with record A&E waits as health service buckles before lockdown ends Independent July 9:
"Hospitals across the country are already in crisis mode with more than a week to go before the end of lockdown restrictions exacerbates the surge in Covid cases.
"The care regulator on Thursday said the summer crisis was causing “very real” challenges as demand increased significantly in emergency departments and hospital wards.
"Data seen by The Independent shows thousands of patients are being kept on hold for at least two minutes before 999 calls are answered, while new figures show record numbers of trips to A&E last month."

(9 Jul 2021) ‘There is no question patients are coming to harm’: Ambulance trusts on ‘black alert’ as 999 demand soars Another scorching hot Independent story on the scale of the crisis growing in the NHS:
"A leaked briefing to staff at West Midlands Ambulance Service, seen by The Independent, said patients were being delayed outside hospitals for hours, meaning ambulances could not respond to 999 calls.
"Some staff working for the trust have faced delays of four hours or more at the end of their 12-hour day waiting to transfer a patient to A&E staff.
"Six out of the 10 busiest days ever for the West Midlands service have been this month, with 36,336 999 calls between 1 and 7 July, a 32 per cent rise on the same period in 2019."

(9 Jul 2021) Government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy left fearful NHS patients avoiding treatment Independent July 9:
"The government’s ‘hostile environment’ for charging overseas visitors for the cost of NHS services has been blamed for causing fear among vulnerable patients, with some avoiding treatment.
"An independent review of the charging regime at one NHS trust found that while the trust was complying with government rules it did not act with compassion or empathy towards affected patients.
"In some cases, patients at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust faced bills of thousands of pounds while living on benefits or without any income. The trust referred 1,085 debts worth £5.4 million to debt collectors between 2016 and 2018 – more than any other trust in the country."

(9 Jul 2021) New Health & Care Bill will gag local voices Lowdown early July 9 analysis of the Health & Care Bill after its first reading in the Commons:
“A major loss of local accountability and control, coupled with a massive expansion of centralised powers, and the danger of a new wave of lucrative NHS contracts to be awarded without competition are among the main features of the government’s controversial Health and Care Bill to drive another major top-down reorganisation of the NHS.
“The Bill would abolish local Clinical Commissioning Groups, 207 of which were established back in 2012-13, with 106 still functioning in April 2021, and reduce “local” control over the NHS in England to just 42 “Integrated Care Systems” (ICSs), some of which would cover very wide areas, and populations of up to 3.2 million.
“In preparation for this, CCGs in many parts of the country have already been systematically merged into bigger, less accountable and more unwieldy bodies, leaving only the hollow pretence of local voice for local communities and council scrutiny committees, while decisions are taken by new, remote bodies with little or no concern for local health needs and inequalities.”

(9 Jul 2021) England’s reopening: ‘The world is looking at us with disbelief’ FT analysis July 9:
“Cases of coronavirus are doubling every 10 days in England and hospital admissions have risen more than 50 per cent in the past week alone. Yet with 65 per cent of the adult population double vaccinated against the virus the government is set to lift restrictions, from social distancing to mask wearing, in a bid to restore normality.
“It would make England the first country to lift restrictions in the face of exponentially rising Covid-19 cases and the decision has divided the country with some scientists suggesting it threatens the health of many thousands of people.
“Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, and his new health secretary Sajid Javid argue that the next stage of the lifting of legal restrictions on July 19 can go ahead because the vaccination rollout has broken the link between infection, hospitalisation and deaths.
“… Yet many scientists and health experts have angrily challenged the government’s argument. “The world is looking at us with disbelief — a country with some of the best universities and minds acting with arrogance, yet again underestimating our adversary,” says Ravi Gupta, professor of clinical microbiology at Cambridge university.”

(9 Jul 2021) Two-year waiters for elective care up by half to just under 4,000 HSJ report on latest waiting list figures July 9:
"NHS England’s latest referral to treatment data, published yesterday, shows a 46 per cent increase in patients waiting more than 104 weeks for treatment, rising from 2,597 to 3,802 across April and May. NHSE only started publishing figures for patients waiting more than one year last month.
"Five trusts contributed more than half of the total increase from April to May. All of them except University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust had a disproportionately high number of two-year waiters on their lists. The trusts (see table below) have been approached for comment.
"The news comes as the overall waiting list for elective treatment hit 5.3m people.
"Analysis by waiting list expert Rob Findlay, published by HSJ, reveals referrals to consultant-led care are now almost back to pre-covid levels."

(8 Jul 2021) Police called to vaccination centre in Hull park as abuse hurled at nurses and staff Depressing story of wilful malice and ignorance from Hull Live July 8:
"Police have been called to guard a new pop-up Covid vaccination centre in Hull after staff and volunteers were subjected to a string of abuse.
"The temporary walk-in clinic opened in Peel Street Park off Spring Bank on Wednesday.
"However, earlier today a handful of anti-vaxxers and Covid conspiracists gathered near where people were being given jabs, at one point using a megaphone to harass people.
"The site is part of a new initiative aimed at making vaccinations available to all adults in Hull aged over 18 without the need to book an appointment beforehand.
"Staff are also going door-to-door in the immediate neighbourhood where each clinic is being held to encourage those who are not already vaccinated to attend.
"In a live post shared on Facebook, one anti-vaxxer was seen seen filming nurses. shouting into a megaphone and swearing at staff."

(8 Jul 2021) Patient safety at risk as NHS struggles to cope with summer crisis, warn healthcare bosses Independent with an early warning July 8:
"Across the country NHS leaders are warning of unparalleled numbers of patients needing non-Covid treatment, with A&E departments and GPs seeing record levels and hospitals already having to cancel operations, including for some cancer patients.
"Ambulance services are receiving thousands more 999 calls a day while community services and mental health trusts are battling with increased pressures and the fallout of the pandemic.
"Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare organisations across the country, told The Independent: “The quality and safety of patient care is always going to be more at risk in a system which is struggling to cope, and we have a system that is struggling to cope."

(8 Jul 2021) Government’s mass infection plan pushed by Great Barrington Declaration lobbying effort to end COVID protections Byline Times exposee July 8:
“A Government advisor on the Coronavirus pandemic, who claimed that young people and children are better off getting infected than vaccinated as a way of “topping up” population immunity, was behind an effort by supporters of the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) in April to convince the Government to end all COVID-19-related protections, Byline Times can reveal.
“The GBD advocated a “focused protection” – or ‘herd immunity’ approach – to the pandemic. The lobbying effort also involved a range of notorious COVID-19 disinformation groups which have promoted anti-vaccine pseudoscience.
“Professor Robert Dingwall sits on the Government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Viral Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) sub-group on COVID-19 vaccines.
“He is a sociologist by profession who has also provided technical assessments to the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) and the Moral and Ethical Advisory Group, advising Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty.”

(6 Jul 2021) Health bill could see NHS contracts awarded without tender process Guardian July 6 on the new Health & Care Bill:
"Private companies could be handed NHS contracts for treating patients without going through a tender process as a result of the government’s shakeup of the NHS, critics claim.
"The Labour party, doctors’ leaders and anti-privatisation campaigners warned that the new health and care bill would allow NHS bodies to simply award contracts for clinical care to private healthcare providers without considering other bids.
"The bill, which was laid before parliament on Tuesday, sparked fears that it could see repeats of the “Tory cronies” contracts scandal involving multi-billion-pound deals for personal protective equipment during the pandemic replicated in the awarding of contracts covering the care of NHS patients."

(6 Jul 2021) Tory health bill published today despite fears it puts 'private firms at heart of NHS' Mirror report on new health & Care Bill July 6:
"Dr John Lister, Secretary of Keep Our NHS Public and health policy academic, said:
“The very last thing the NHS needs now is another top down reorganisation along the lines of the February White Paper.
"This Bill will not treat even one extra patient, or recruit one extra nurse – and there’s no extra cash on the table: so one must question why this reform is deemed so urgent.
"We know even Sajid Javid has reservations about the Bill, lots of Conservative MPs don’t like the new plans and NHS employers are warning it means more central powers and bureaucracy.
"Just like Andrew Lansley’s disastrous Health and Social Care Act, that this Bill is supposed to correct, nobody supports this except ministers and their cronies and donors pressing for even more lucrative NHS contracts to be handed out – this time without competition.”

(6 Jul 2021) Maternity services in England need urgent improvement and at least £200m more to reduce unnecessary deaths, says MPs' report Sky News report July 6:
“Maternity care in England requires improvement, a report by MPs says - and more needs to be done to reduce the numbers of deaths among babies and mothers.
“The Health and Social Care Select Committee says urgent action is required to address staffing shortages and a "culture of blame" that prevents mistakes being admitted and lessons being learned.
“The committee's chair, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, said "although the majority of NHS births are totally safe, failings in maternity services can have a devastating outcome for the families involved".
“He added: "Despite a number of high-profile incidents, improvements in maternity safety are still not happening quickly enough. Although the NHS deserves credit for reducing baby deaths and stillbirths significantly, around 1,000 more babies would live every year if our maternity services were as safe as Sweden."
“The report recommends the annual budget for maternity care in England should be increased by a minimum of £200m to £350m with immediate effect.”

(5 Jul 2021) Doctors in Unite Appeal for the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Important appeal from Doctors in Unite points out:
"Israel’s high tech military – which gets an annual $3.8 billion from the US in a 10 year agreement made in 2016 under President Obama – does precision targeted bombing.
"Key infrastructure, 25 storey tower blocks, dense neighbourhoods of homes and shops, schools, hospitals, clinics, mosques were hit. There was no safe place to run to for shelter.
"Among the 242 people killed were 66 children, pregnant women, the elderly, the sick.
"And two of the community’s most senior doctors were murdered with their families as they slept. Additionally, 1948 people are wounded, many very seriously.
"The disabling effects of such trauma of fear and grief on the community is devastating, and psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers are working more than overtime to help.
"The demands on the internationally respected Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) are pushing its limits. We must support these key pillars of this community."

(5 Jul 2021) More capacity – the best birthday present the NHS could get Royal College of Physicians publish a telling survey on the 73rd birthday of the NHS:
"A new survey reveals that more than a quarter of senior consultant physicians expect to retire within 3 years, many within 18 months, while the majority of trainees entering the NHS (56%) are interested in working part-time.
"A fifth of doctors already work part-time, and the new figures from the RCP suggest this trend is set to increase as wider expectations around work/life balance change.
"The RCP is calling on new Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid to give the NHS the best birthday present it could ask for – more capacity. It wants a doubling of medical school places to avoid medical staff shortages worsening in the future, with increased funding for social care and action to address health inequalities also needed to reduce demands upon the NHS."

(4 Jul 2021) UK scientists caution that lifting of Covid rules is like building ‘variant factories’ Guardian July 4:
“UK scientists have warned that the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions is like building new “variant factories” at a very fast rate, and said the attitude of the new health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, is “frightening”.
“Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Javid said the best way to protect the nation’s health was by lifting the main Covid-19 restrictions. “Rules that we have had to put in place have caused a shocking rise in domestic violence and a terrible impact on so many people’s mental health,” he said.
“Reacting to the comments, Prof Stephen Reicher at the University of St Andrews, a member of the Sage subcommittee advising on behavioural science, tweeted:
“It is frightening to have a ‘health’ secretary who still thinks Covid is flu. Who is unconcerned at levels of infection. Who doesn’t realise that those who do best for health, also do best for the economy. Who wants to ditch all protections while only half of us are vaccinated.”

(3 Jul 2021) SAJID JAVID: The economic arguments for opening up Britain are well known. But, for me, the health case is equally compelling New Health Secretary Sajid Javid, July 3, using a ‘debate’ slot in the Mail on Sunday to show how little he understands and confirm he is even more anti-science than Matt Hancock, and has not even got the message that Covid is completely different in its potency and potential long term damage than flu.
Indeed 'living with Covid' also means living with continued more dangerous variants, especially since infection rates among 10-14 year olds are rocketing and vaccination rates are falling. He says:
“Amid the endless policy memos and reams of data, I see two immediate challenges. The first is how we restore our freedoms and learn to live with Covid-19. The second is to tackle the NHS backlog – something that we know is going to get far worse before it gets better.
“We are on track for July 19 and we have to be honest with people about the fact that we cannot eliminate Covid.
“We also need to be clear that cases are going to rise significantly. I know many people will be cautious about the easing of restrictions – that’s completely understandable. But no date we choose will ever come without risk, so we have to take a broad and balanced view.
“We are going to have to learn to accept the existence of Covid and find ways to cope with it – just as we already do with flu.
“The economic arguments for opening up are well known, but for me, the health arguments are equally compelling.”

(3 Jul 2021) More shocking revelations about maternity care show something is very wrong Independent editorial, following up shocking revelations from around the country of poor quality and dangerous maternity services.
“The revelations about the state of maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust are as shocking as they are depressingly reminiscent of previous episodes across England. Thanks to whistleblowers and strong investigative journalism, yet another example of neglect and worse has been identified, despite the attempts of hospital managers to obfuscate and obstruct. The truth, though, is coming out, and is reported today.
“In recent years, families in Morecambe Bay, in Shrewsbury and in east Kent have all had to deal with multiple and systemic medical failures resulting in needless loss of life, injury, and every sort of pain. Involving as they do the lives of newborn babies, the stories are inevitably distressing, but the institutional callousness so often experienced would be unacceptable in any branch of medicine.
“The circumstances in the various maternity units are not identical – they could hardly be, given the nature of the cases – but something of a pattern seems apparent. Or, rather, it should have become apparent when the first of this series of scandals became public knowledge. The disturbing possibility is that many more hospital maternity services across England, at least, may be subject to similar shortcomings – a major national problem.”

(2 Jul 2021) Sajid Javid must act to save an NHS on its last legs Financial Times July 2 comment from former No 10 Policy Unit chief Camilla Cavendish:
"The health secretary’s in-tray looks more daunting than at any point since 1945. For decades, we’ve been warned that the NHS was on its last legs. Now, for the first time, I fear it’s true. The backlog of non-Covid cases is overwhelming.
"Almost 5m people are waiting for treatment and there is no convincing plan to handle it.
"Staff I speak to are demoralised and burnt-out. GPs have been retiring in droves for several years, partly to avoid paying tax on their pension pots.
"Infection control measures for Covid-19 have reduced hospital capacity. I cannot see how business as usual will deliver anything near to what is required."

(2 Jul 2021) The Hancock scandal shows why we need proper regulation for non-executive directorships in government Prof Prem Sikka in Left Foot Forward July 2:
"“The resignation of Matt Hancock as the health secretary for England has drawn attention to cosy arrangements between the government and elites who have been showered with non-executive directorships (NEDs) at government departments.
“He personally appointed his lover as a non-exec at the Department of Health for a job which pays £20,000 for 15 days work, 14 times more than the salary of a junior nurse.
“The concept of NEDs in the public sector is imported from the private sector. The key idea is that NEDs should offer an independent perspective on an organisation’s strategy and practices. However, in reality they are the chums of the executive directors and dare not bite the hand that feeds them. Scandals such as the banking crash, Carillion and BHS show that NEDs were the nodding donkeys who hardly ever objected to corporate excesses.
“Ministers have eagerly embraced the idea of NEDs and enrol trusted soldiers to advance their ideological projects. The official position is that advertisements for NEDs appear on the government website and anyone can apply. Selection panels shortlist the applicants who are then invited for interviews before being appointed.
“A nudge and a wink can also persuade individuals close to ministers to apply. However, the secretary of state can bypass all formalities and make direct appointments and there is no limit to the number of cronies that they can appoint as NEDs or advisers.”

(2 Jul 2021) Maternity scandal trust could now face criminal prosecution Independent July 2:
“The NHS care watchdog is considering a criminal prosecution against Nottingham University Hospitals Trust over its failure to provide safe care to mothers and babies, it can be revealed.
“The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has warned the Nottingham trust that it may bring a criminal case against it following the death of baby Wynter Andrews in September 2019.
“It is also examining evidence of whether the trust may have committed a criminal offence in not being open and transparent with families after deaths and incidents of avoidable harm.
“Wynter Andrews died after being starved of oxygen due to gross failings in care by maternity staff in 2019 which saw her delivered by caesarean section after long delays. A coroner ruled last year she would have survived if action had been taken sooner and criticised the “unsafe culture” at the trust.
“Earlier this month East Kent Hospitals University Trust was fined a record £761,000 after a CQC prosecution following the avoidable death of baby Harry Richford in 2017.”

(2 Jul 2021) New wards and theatres at crumbling hospital Eastern Daily Press July 2 reveals that the number of props holding up the collapsing Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn is now up to 200 -- but it is still not on the Johnson government list for a new build.

(1 Jul 2021) Consultation on aligning the upper age for NHS prescription exemptions with State Pension age Consultation on massively undermining health care for millions of over-60s quietly sneaked out to run through the holiday season, under cover of the Euros and Javid's plans to axe all precautions and let Covid rip.

(1 Jul 2021) States Are Leading the Way on a Public Health Insurance Option Time magazine US, July 1:
"“When Joe Biden ran for president, he campaigned on lowering health care costs and expanding coverage by adding a government-run health insurance option to compete with private insurers. That’s far from becoming a reality at the federal level, but three states have now passed their own versions of a public option—test cases that can reveal the possibilities and pitfalls of implementing such a system in the U.S.
“Colorado and Nevada both signed public health insurance options into law in June, and Washington state recently updated its public option, first approved in 2019. All three plans are more limited in scope than what Biden and other Democrats have suggested a federal version might look like, but members of Congress are nevertheless watching closely to see how they fare.
“… With an evenly divided Senate and a slim Democratic majority in the House, it’s highly unlikely lawmakers will pass a federal public option any time soon. Instead, Democratic states are tackling what Congress has failed to do ever since Republicans and centrist Democrats spiked a public option plan during the Affordable Care Act (ACA) negotiations in 2009.
The new state level public option plans attempt to decrease health care costs by paying lower rates to hospitals, doctors and other medical providers than private insurance companies do.”

(1 Jul 2021) Ministers plan to end social distancing in England on 19 July Guardian July 1:
"Ministers are planning to remove all mandatory mask and social distancing restrictions in England on 19 July, but national guidance may still encourage caution in high-risk areas such as public transport.
"A number of key scientific advisers including England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and the government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, are said to be behind ministers’ plans to lift restrictions, though they have cautioned that the NHS may come under pressure in the winter.
"However, hospital bosses fear the reopening date will lead to a new spike in admissions due to Covid. NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts in England, warned it could lead to the cancellation of surgery and other care."

(1 Jul 2021) For Surprise Medical Bills, It’s the Beginning of the End New York Times July 1:
“The Biden administration took its first steps Thursday toward finalizing the details of a ban on surprise medical bills that Congress passed and President Trump signed into law last winter. Some experts see the policy as the most important consumer protection in health care to come out of Washington in more than a decade.
“Surprise medical bills happen when a doctor or other provider who isn’t in a patient’s insurance network is unexpectedly involved in a patient’s care. Patients may go to a hospital that accepts their insurance, for example, but get treatment from emergency room physicians or anesthesiologists who don’t — and who then send patients big bills directly.
“Surprise billing had been widely seen, by academics and legislators, as one of the most exasperating common practices in medicine. Millions of Americans receive these type of bills each year, with as many as one in five emergency room visits resulting in such a charge. The new law effectively bans the practice.
“… Outlawing surprise medical bills was the rare health policy that garnered widespread and bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. Legislators were spurred on by numerous stories of patients who faced thousands of dollars in debt for bills they never could have prevented. A Texas man, for example, received a $7,924 bill from an out-of-network oral surgeon who performed an emergency operation at an in-network hospital.”

(1 Jul 2021) Revealed: Dozens of baby deaths after errors at one of UK’s largest hospitals Excellent, but harrowing Independent special report July 1 from Shaun Lintern:
“Dozens of babies have died or been left brain-damaged after errors during childbirth at one of Britain’s biggest hospitals – while managers failed to properly investigate concerns and altered reports to take blame away from the maternity unit.
“An investigation by The Independent and Channel 4 News has uncovered repeated examples of poor care over the past decade at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, with parents forced to fight to find out the truth about what happened to their child.
“Families say that if lessons had been learnt, further tragedies at the hospital could have been prevented. Naomi Lewin, whose baby Freddie died after a harrowing labour, told The Independent: “They don’t listen to families. It’s ignorance. If they don’t learn from it, it’s going to be a repeat cycle over and over and over again.”
“During a panicked delivery, Freddie’s throat was cut during an attempt to free him and his leg was so bruised it had become blackened. He died soon after birth with no post-mortem examination despite the traumatic injuries.”

(30 Jun 2021) Health Department failed to declare minister’s 27 meetings held at outset of pandemic The excellent Byline Times June 30, reporting more Tory sleaze:
"“The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) failed to declare 27 meetings held by Health Minister Lord James Bethell at the outset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Byline Times can reveal. The companies involved in these meetings went on to acquire public sector contracts worth £1.14 billion.
“Yesterday, the DHSC updated its records for the ministerial meetings held with external individuals and organisations during the period from April to June 2020. The DHSC did not declare which meetings had been added to the register – merely noting that a number of meetings had been “left off the original publication due to an admin error”.
“However, Byline Times has uncovered that 27 meetings held by Lord Bethell between 1 April and 6 April 2020 were omitted from the original publication and only added yesterday. The original publication was released on 29 October last year – meaning that these previously undeclared meetings were published eight months late and 14 months after they took place.
“The release of these 27 previously undeclared meetings may have been spurred by the work of the Good Law Project, which earlier this week revealed that Lord Bethell held a meeting with Abingdon Healthcare on 1 April without disclosing it in his transparency data. Lord Bethell went on to hold several meetings with Abingdon during this period, which subsequently secured two contracts from the DHSC totalling £85 million for testing services. Both deals were awarded without competition.”

(30 Jun 2021) Serco expects 50% jump in profits on back of Covid contracts Guardian June 30:
“The outsourcing company Serco predicts its profits will jump 50% during the first half of the year because of its continued work on Covid-19 contracts for various governments, including the UK’s test-and-trace service.
“The firm expects its underlying trading profit for the first six months of 2021 to reach between £120m and £125m, more than 50% higher than a year earlier.
“In addition, it forecasts revenues of £2.2bn, almost 20% higher than the same period in 2020, about £340m of which being related to Covid-19.
“Serco said it had won record levels of new orders during the period, worth almost £4bn, including large contracts with the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Work and Pensions in the UK, as well as with the Royal Canadian Air Force.
“Serco runs large parts of the UK’s largely privatised test-and-trace service, which is labelled NHS test and trace. The firm runs a quarter of Covid-19 testing sites and half the tier 3 contact tracers, who are mostly required to phone the contacts of people who have tested positive.”

(30 Jun 2021) ‘Jaw-dropping’ fall in life expectancy in poor areas of England, report finds Guardian June 30 on more bad news of widening health and social inequalities in Johnson's deeply divided Britain:
"“Boris Johnson’s post-Covid “levelling up” agenda will fail unless it addresses declining life expectancy and deteriorating social conditions in England’s poorest areas, a leading authority on public health has warned, as he published figures showing the impact of the pandemic on Greater Manchester.
“Sir Michael Marmot revealed the coronavirus death rate in Greater Manchester was 25% higher than the England average during the year to March, leading to “jaw-dropping” falls in life expectancy and widening social and health inequalities across the region over the past year.
“The deteriorating health equalities picture in the region and across similarly deprived areas of the country was a result of longstanding, avoidable socioeconomic inequities and ethnic disadvantage, exacerbated by a decade of spending cuts and amplified by Covid and the effect of prolonged lockdowns, he said.”

(30 Jun 2021) UK poorest nation per capita in northwest Europe, research shows Independent June 30 on the economic figures the Tories are definitely not keen to boast about:
"Boris Johnson is prime minister of the poorest country in north west Europe based on wealth per head of population, research shows.
"Analysis by the House of Commons research library – based on International Monetary Fund (IMF) data – shows the UK lags behind all 13 of its closest neighbours when it comes to per capita wealth.
"The 2021 figures show that the UK has a gross domestic product (GDP) income per head of the population of just £31,038 – behind other poor performers France on £32,622 and Finland on £34,187.
"Luxembourg was found to have the highest GDP per capita in north west Europe, with more than £80,000 per person – followed by Ireland (£65,411) and Switzerland (£50,015)."

(29 Jun 2021) Hospitals at breaking point in summer Independent’s Shaun Lintern writes in his Health Check newsletter, June 29:
“At the weekend The Independent reported on the record levels of demand in accident and emergency departments across England. Since then I have been inundated with stories from people experiencing long waits to be seen and clinicians fearful of the consequences.

“On Tuesday we reported that Barnsley Hospital was on black alert and warned its staff that patient safety was at risk because of the huge numbers coming through the doors.

“Yesterday, we reported on Plymouth Hospital also declaring a black alert – known as an OPEL 4 – after it saw hundreds turn up at A&E with medical beds in the trust at more than 100 per cent occupancy.

“These are just two examples but it is being replicated across the country – with serious consequences. … Corridor care, normally associated with hospitals in full winter crisis mode, is now appearing in our A&Es in June. This month is set to be the busiest in A&E ever.”

(29 Jun 2021) 'Taking taxpayers for fools': Anger over £39m cuts and savings Eastern Daily Press June 29 flags up plans by Norfolk Tories to cut social care by £17.7m and children's services by £8m:
"Andrew Jamieson, the council's cabinet member for finance, said: "We’re facing a menu of unpalatable options, unless the government grasps the nettle and sorts out council funding – especially for adult social care.
“We can only stretch the elastic so far. Without fair, sustained funding, we’re going to have to make painful choices over savings, higher council tax, or both.”
"But Labour opponents highlighted how the council was prepared to borrow millions - and pay interest on that - to underwrite part of the cost of the controversial £198m Norwich Western Link."

(29 Jun 2021) Third health minister reportedly used private email for government work London Economic report June 29:
“A third health minister, Helen Whately, has allegedly used a private email account to carry out government affairs, The Guardian has revealed.
“According to the newspaper, Whately, the social care minister, was found to have copied in a private email address to a diary invitation but the department for health said her account was only used for diary invitations and that this respects government guidance.
“The news come after the UK’s information watchdog announced it may launch an investigation into Matt Hancock and James Bethell’s use of non-official email addresses.
“Bethell, who oversaw Covid contracts, allegedly used his private email address in at least four official exchanges with a businessman trying to secure contracts during the pandemic.”

(29 Jun 2021) Covid: Masks upgrade cuts infection risk, research finds BBC News June 29:
“The quality of face masks healthcare workers wear makes a huge difference to their risk of coronavirus infection, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust research has found.
“Wearing a high grade mask known as an FFP3 can provide up to 100% protection.
“By contrast, there is a far greater chance of staff wearing standard issue surgical masks catching the virus.
“Professional bodies have long campaigned for staff to be given better personal protective equipment.
“The data was gathered during a programme of regular testing for Covid at the trust.”

(29 Jun 2021) Matt Hancock: the walking app who couldn’t cope with the virus Excellent Pulse June 29 summary of an undistinguished spell as Secretary of State:

“Matt Hancock arrived on the scene as health secretary in July 2018 as a low-profile Government minister, who was perhaps most famous for starting his own self-titled social media app.
“But he resigned over the weekend as a household name, following the biggest public health crisis in a century and a string of public scandals. It was the most recent scandal – the publication of leaked pictures showing him kissing an aide, breaking social distancing guidelines – that led to him stepping down and being replaced by Sajid Javid.
“Pressure had been mounting on the ex-health secretary for months in light of his and the Government’s response to the Covid crisis, which has so far claimed 130,000 lives – to put into horrible context, government advisers said at the start of the pandemic that 20,000 lives would be considered a success.
“… Hancock has been at the centre of the PPE procurement row, as well as heavily criticised for catastrophic failures with the £37bn Test and Trace system and for not doing enough to protect care homes from the virus at the start of the pandemic.”

(28 Jun 2021) Health Minister Lord Bethell failed to declare meeting with firm that subsequently won £85m Covid contract Good Law Project June 28 confirms that even after the departure of Matt Hancock the revelations of dodgy dealings around the handing out of PPE contracts on his watch just keep on coming:
"According to explosive emails published by The Sunday Times, Health Minister Lord Bethell held a ‘private meeting’ with controversial Covid testing firm Abingdon Health on 1 April 2020 without disclosing this meeting in its transparency data.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is required to publish quarterly schedules of ministerial meetings with outside companies, but the 1 April meeting with Abingdon is missing from the departmental records covering the period of April to June 2020. The meeting was only uncovered in emails published by the Sunday Times.
"Lord Bethell, a hereditary Peer and current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation held two further meetings with Abingdon Health on 29 April 2020 and 13 May 2020 – these were declared by the DHSC.
"Abingdon Health went on to secure two contracts from the DHSC totalling £85million – both deals were awarded without any competition."

(28 Jun 2021) RCEM explains: hospital beds Royal Colleage of Emergency Medicine June 28 Parliamentary Briefing sums up the scale of the shortage of front line beds after a decade of cutbacks and the additional cuts due to Covid in 2020:
“While bed numbers have begun to slowly increase again, hospitals are short of 6,000 beds compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“Importantly, bed numbers prior to the pandemic should not be seen as the standard that we need to return to, as bed occupancy levels were higher than what is deemed safe and putting strain on hospitals, which in turn can decrease the quality of care that patients receive.
“… Insufficient bed availability can lead to increased waiting times for patients, crowding and consequently corridor care in EDs, and it can increase the rate of hospital-acquired infections, which has become even more dangerous due to the pandemic.
“… with a similar number of admissions this winter as the winter of 2017/18, the NHS will need just over 7,500 additional beds. If demand broadly mirrors that of 2019/20 (which saw Covid-19 significantly diminish admissions), just under 5,000 more beds will be needed. If demand rises to the same levels as 2018/19 however, almost 16,000 more beds will be required to keep the bed to admission ratio broadly in line with recent years.”

(28 Jun 2021) NHS Test and Trace: Serco wins new year-long contract City am report June 28:
"Outsourcing giant Serco today announced it has been awarded a new contract with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to continue providing Covid test and trace services.
"It comes just days after a National Audit Office (NAO) review into the largely privatised service found that 600m tests were unaccounted for and the £22bn scheme was still missing targets and ‘wracked with problems’.
"Serco’s new contract with the government could be worth up to £322m, though the outsourcing company specified that “the actual amount could differ materially from this” as the service matches demand for testing in the coming months.
"The contract will initially last for 12 months, with the possibility to extend for a further six months."

(28 Jun 2021) Just three months to end mental health bed scandal Eastern Daily Press June 28 on a long-running saga of failures from the mental health trust:
“The scandal of mental health patients being sent many miles from home is coming to a head - with just three months left for health chiefs to end the practice.
“Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) has promised for almost a decade to stop sending patients out of area.
“But a trust spokesman said it had "more to do" ahead of the national deadline to end the placement days by September.
“… Since March 2017, there have been 41,473 out of area bed days, and the closest the trust has been to no out of area days was July 2020 with 110.”

(27 Jun 2021) The Babylon Health Bad Bot Archive Youtube presentation from Dr Murphy (aka David Watkins) asks
"Is @babylonhealth's AI technology, the biggest #HealthTech scam since Theranos?"

(27 Jun 2021) Hancock faces scrutiny for using private email for official business Guardian June 27 report
“Matt Hancock’s use of private emails that bypassed disclosure rules when doing government business came under scrutiny this weekend, as exchanges emerged showing the former health secretary had personally referred an old neighbour wanting an NHS contract on to an official.
“Hancock has repeatedly denied that he had any involvement with £50m worth of contracts for NHS test-and-trace supplies secured by Alex Bourne, who used to run the Cock Inn, near Hancock’s old constituency home in Thurlow, Suffolk.
“The Guardian revealed last year that the former publican had won the work after sending Hancock a personal WhatsApp message last March, despite having no experience producing medical supplies. Bourne’s company, Hinpack, was at that time producing plastic cups and takeaway boxes for the catering industry.”

(27 Jun 2021) Matt Hancock could get £16k golden handshake June 27 report from The London Economic:
“Matt Hancock … could still be entitled to a £16,000 golden goodbye – despite resigning in disgrace.
“Ministers under 65 who leave their office – whether sacked or resigning – are entitled to a quarter of their annual salary under the 1991 Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act. The salary for a Secretary of State is £67,505 according to latest figures, which would in theory lead to a payout of £16,876 for 42-year-old Mr Hancock.
“It is not yet known whether Mr Hancock intends to take and keep the payment.
“… But shadow housing secretary Lucy Powell said Boris Johnson must step in and deprive Mr Hancock of the payment.
“She told Sky News: “I think most of your viewers would be appalled to think that there’s going to be a severance payment to Matt Hancock in this circumstance.
“Let’s not forget, he as the health secretary was the guy who recommended that our NHS workers, after the year they’ve just had, in the pandemic, on the front line, who have worked flat out, who are now on their knees – he recommended that they have a pay cut.”

(26 Jun 2021) NHS staff in Manchester reveal ‘major incident’ over hospital pressures Independent report June 26 on a mid-summer ‘winter crisis’:
“Doctors and nurses working at Manchester’s Royal Infirmary say they were told the hospital had declared a major incident on Thursday amid mounting pressures in its emergency department, long waits for patients and fears of a shortage of staff and beds.
“Multiple sources at the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, from different departments, said staff were told the declaration was made, but then rapidly reduced to an internal incident to “avoid bad press”.
“The trust denied declaring any incident but has taken what is known as ‘business continuity measures” which is part of NHS England’s incident response and is designed to ensure hospitals can maintain patient services in the face of increased demand.
“In A&E, staff said patients were facing long waits for admission to the wards, while only 65 per cent of patients in the emergency department were being seen within four hours.”

(26 Jun 2021) Matt Hancock keeps job as Boris Johnson accepts apology and considers matter ‘closed’ Independent June 26:
“Pressure is mounting for an investigation into Matt Hancock’s lockdown-breaching relationship with an aide, as Boris Johnson attempted to save his health secretary by declaring the matter “closed”.
“The prime minister was branded “spineless” after brushing aside demands to sack Mr Hancock, who was caught on camera in a romantic clinch in his departmental office with a longtime friend whom he had put on the government payroll.
“Mr Hancock, 42, acknowledged that his embrace with married 43-year-old Gina Coladangelo had broken social distancing rules and said he was “very sorry”. But he made clear that he intended to fight to keep his job, and Mr Johnson later said he accepted his apology.
“… A snap poll by Savanta ComRes found that a clear majority of 58 per cent – including 46 per cent of Tory supporters – thought Mr Hancock should resign, against just 25 per cent who said he should not.”

(25 Jun 2021) Beyond the numbers: understanding the diversity of covid-19 epidemiology and response in South Asia BMJ June 25 article on Covid in South Asian countries concludes:
"Perhaps the single largest risk for a continued covid-19 crisis in South Asia is the abysmal vaccination strategy in the region.
"India implemented an intense vaccine diplomacy initiative with donations to all strategic neighbours (except Pakistan), but given the massive domestic burden of infections, reneged on the promised supplies to the global Covax facility.
"The supply and pace of vaccinations has not kept up with the spread of covid-19 in any low or middle income country.
"A large increase in global finances will be needed to support and enhance Covax, which given limited supplies also poses enormous ethical challenges for targeting in recipient countries.
"With current half-hearted mitigation measures and covid-19 fatigue, this pandemic could extend its course, exacerbate disparities, and impact development for years to come.
"We need global solidarity and concerted evidence informed efforts to contain this existential threat, and countries of South Asia need to find common ground and solutions."

(25 Jun 2021) Test And Trace Has Lost Track Of Nearly 600 Million Covid Tests Huffington Post June 25:
“Boris Johnson’s £37bn Test and Trace service is facing fresh criticism after a damning new report found that it had lost track of nearly 600 million Covid tests.
“The National Audit Office spending watchdog concluded that the system was still failing to “deliver value for taxpayers”, with a lack of any targets for self-isolation by the public and a continued reliance on private consultants.
“Test and Trace, which was run by Tory peer Dido Harding, has already come under fire for its use of private firms Serco and Deloitte and its repeated failures in 2020 to track down contacts of people who had Covid.
“The latest report sets out a raft of problems, including paying for tracing staff it does not use, the use of emergency procurement powers that dole out contracts without competition and a lack of data sharing with local public health chiefs that hinders efforts to tackle outbreaks.”

(25 Jun 2021) A+Es seeing record numbers of children Independent June 25:
“A&E departments are being flooded with children with often mild fevers, creating a “winter in June” for the NHS, experts are warning.
“Three royal colleges have joined forces to issue new guidance for parents worried about fevers, after seeing a large rise in the numbers seeking emergency help for conditions that are not Covid.
“As lockdown eases, more children are mixing and coming into contact with viruses that are usually seen in the winter months. These include a range of respiratory infections, bronchiolitis, paraflu and rhinovirus, all of which produce symptoms of cough, runny nose and fever.”

(24 Jun 2021) How the NHS Waiting List Crisis Can Accelerate the Reimagining of Care May 24 masterpiece of abstract twaddle from US management consultancy Bain:
It offers such gems as the summary:
“A micro-battle mindset and Win-Scale-Amplifysm approach can enable healthcare providers to recover the backlog and transform productivity through innovation.”
And later on, it all boils down neatly to a matter of thinking rather than finance, capacity or staffing:
“NHS systems have a key role in rapidly identifying winning solutions that can accelerate recovery. The boldest and most willing will lead this mission.
“A first wave of systems with the potential to excel must have the operational freedom and financial incentives to shrink the problem.
“Following the micro-battle approach, each system will first translate the mission to eliminate the waiting list into the constraining themes (e.g., shrink the orthopaedic waiting list), then break each theme into specific issues and actions within each provider organisation and specialty (e.g., increase orthopaedic theatre throughput).
"Within this first wave, agility, speed, and a test-and-learn mindset are crucial.”

(24 Jun 2021) Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated AP News in the US June 24 with a warning for anti vaxxers everywhere:
“Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.
“An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%.
“And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average.
“The AP analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC itself has not estimated what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people, citing limitations in the data.”

(23 Jun 2021) Hospital declares ‘black alert’ after A&E is flooded with hundreds of patients Metro report June 23:
“Barnsley Hospital is struggling to keep up with the demand for beds, just days after top doctors from across the NHS warned of mounting pressure from record admissions.
“Internal emails show the trust was forced to declare OPEL 4 status – (operational pressures escalation level) – on Tuesday amid a struggle to find beds. The system is used by the NHS to assess the stress, demand and pressure a hospital is under.
“OPEL 4, also known as the ‘black alert’, is the highest warning used when a hospital is ‘struggling or unable to deliver comprehensive care’ and patient safety is at risk.
“… It is understood that the spike in patient numbers is due to A&E sickness demand rather than coronavirus, suggesting the delay in people missing out on medical treatment over lockdown is finally catching up on the NHS.”

(23 Jun 2021) NHS alarm over rise in number of UK Covid patients on ventilators Guardian June 23:
“NHS bosses have sounded the alarm over the number of people on ventilators in hospital in the UK, which has risen over the past week.
“The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said the number of Covid patients in hospital on ventilation beds had increased by 41% in the last week to 227, which she said was a strong indication Covid was having an impact on health services.

“Cordery told BBC Breakfast: “Trusts on the frontline are really coming under huge pressure ... they have plans in place to tackle the backlog, but with more Covid cases and demand for emergency care going up, that’s really challenging.”

(23 Jun 2021) NHS data strategy: Hancock defends data sharing plan BBC News June 23 wakes up to the big fight going on over plans to potentially sell NHS data to commercial companies:
“NHS patients in England will get greater control over their health and social care data under plans set out by the government, Matt Hancock says.
“It means people will be able to access their medical records from different parts of the NHS through various apps.
“… In defending the plan, the health secretary said more effective use of data would deliver better patient care.
“… But Cori Crider, co-founder of Foxglove, which campaigns to stop abuse of digital technology, said the government took a "collect it all first and ask questions later" approach when it came to GP data and said the strategy included potential commercial uses of information.
“She told the Today programme that GP data was "possibly the most valuable" set of health information in the world and called for the DHSC to send a consent form to individuals offering them the chance to opt out.”

(21 Jun 2021) Dido Harding’s pledge to cut overseas NHS staff is a kick in the teeth Guardian June 21 comment by Gaby Hinsliff:
“Jenny McGee was originally from New Zealand, and Luis Pitarma from Portugal.
“Both risked their lives to work on Britain’s Covid frontline, and the prime minister later marvelled at the dedication with which they watched over him “every second of the night”.
“But words are cheap; it’s action that counts. Which brings us to the Tory peer Dido Harding, fresh from presiding over the chaos of track and trace, and her audacious application to follow that by taking over the running of the NHS in England.
“Crucially, her pitch for the job reportedly includes a pledge to stop relying on overseas-born doctors and nurses and train British-born replacements instead.
“Short of stringing up a banner reading “Go Home, Foreigners!” outside every hospital, it’s hard to think of a bigger kick in the teeth for the 14% of NHS staff who weren’t born in Britain and who will have arrived for work this morning, presumably wondering which of the patients whose lives they may save today would secretly prefer they weren’t here.”

(21 Jun 2021) ‘A sustained threat to patient safety’: Hospitals across the country swamped by record numbers in A&E Independent June 2:
“Hospital emergency departments across the UK are at breaking point with record numbers of patients swamping A&Es, raising fears that lives will be lost, The Independent can reveal.
“Some hospitals have been forced to declare major incidents in the last few days because of the swelling numbers of patients.
“Hospitals across the country have set new records for patient numbers in recent weeks, surpassing the worst days of the winter of 2019 – the most recent winter crisis in the NHS before the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK.
“A&E doctors from across the country have shared details with The Independent, revealing that in some units patients are waiting as long as nine hours to be seen, with overall numbers up by 50 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels.”

(20 Jun 2021) Dido Harding’s bid to lead the NHS is symptomatic of a grim populism i-news June 20 slamming disgraceful comments from Dido Harding:
“If you want an example of so much that is wrong with our country, consider this fact: Dido Harding has applied to become chief executive of England’s National Health Service.
“She thinks she should run our most cherished, complex and arguably important institution, the biggest employer in Europe, at this time of immense crisis.
“… And despite her dismal track record in both private and public sectors, she might just get the job.
Clearly Baroness Harding of Winscombe is not the best person in the world to lead the salvaging of a post-pandemic health service and forge a new path for its future. Yet it is worth considering her candidature.
“For she exemplifies the breathtaking arrogance of the governing elite, the insouciance of those who think they are born to rule over the rest of us, the inequality that bedevils our nation, the cronyism and tribalism that stymies progress, the casual contempt for the little people who fund their activities and the disturbing ability of a few well-connected folk to thrive despite persistent failure.”

(20 Jun 2021) Dido Harding: Make NHS less reliant on foreigners (£) Times report June 20 that manages to complete the whole article without a single quote from the woman herself:
“Baroness Harding of Winscombe has vowed to end England’s reliance on foreign doctors and nurses if she becomes the next head of the NHS.
“Harding, the former head of Test and Trace, formally applied last week to succeed Sir Simon Stevens to lead the health service.
“… Her candidacy is controversial. The Conservative peer has chaired NHS Improvement since 2017 and is close to ministers, but her testing programme was condemned as ineffective and a waste of billions of pounds.
“Harding, 53, would challenge the “prevailing orthodoxy” in government that it is better to import medical professionals from overseas and benefit from the investment of other countries because of the huge cost of training a doctor.
“According to the House of Commons Library, 170,000 out of 1.3 million NHS staff say their nationality is not British, amounting to almost 14 per cent of the workforce.”

(18 Jun 2021) NHS backlog twice as big as we had thought, admits Matt Hancock Torygraph report June 18 helps Hancock’s efforts to blame Covid for the growth of waiting lists that mostly took place before the pandemic hit:
“The NHS is facing the "biggest pressure in its history" from a backlog potentially twice as big as previously feared, Matt Hancock has warned.
“On Thursday, the Health Secretary told hospitals to brace for a flood of up to 12.2 million people in need of elective procedures such as hip, knee and eye operations. “This includes 5.1 million patients currently on waiting lists.
“Health bosses believe there could be a further 7.1 million who stayed away during the Covid pandemic but who will come forward demanding treatment, Mr Hancock revealed.
“He said that even with the NHS "running at 100 per cent", coping with this total would be the greatest challenge the service had yet encountered.”
(Of course the NHS is nowhere near running at 100 per cent and lacks the capital and staff to do so.)

(18 Jun 2021) Tracing chief Dido Harding ‘will change the NHS’ (£) Times report on Dido Harding’s latest job application:
“Baroness Harding of Winscombe has applied to become head of NHS England, declaring there can be no return to pre-Covid business as usual.
“The former Test and Trace chief has formally entered the running to take over from Sir Simon Stevens this summer after being bolstered by a positive reaction to her candidacy from senior NHS leaders.
“The Conservative peer, 53, who was heavily criticised over the inability of Test and Trace to keep infections under control last year, would be a divisive choice to run the biggest public service.
“Some in the NHS argue that her closeness to the government would make it difficult for her to convince staff that she is on their side.”
[For “difficult”, read “impossible”].

(18 Jun 2021) Is Matt Hancock ‘hopeless’? Here’s 14 times he made the case for it i-news report June 18:
“New texts published by Dominic Cummings allege that Boris Johnson called Matt Hancock,“totally f***ing hopeless” in terms of his testing and procurement policies.
“The messages were the latest grenade lobbed in the war between the former adviser and the Health Secretary, after the two presented contradictory narratives about the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in evidence sessions to Parliament, and “hopeless” has become the refrain of lobby journalists and opposition politicians used in their scrutiny of the government.
“It is also a charge Hancock swiftly denied but one that causes us to reminisce about the minister’s track record.”

(18 Jun 2021) Trust fined £733,000 in groundbreaking CQC prosecution HSJ June 18 report on a landmark case that also underlines the inadequacy of inspection and retrospective court actions to improve and uphold standards of care in the NHS:
“An acute trust has been fined £733,000 for failing to meet fundamental standards of care, in a groundbreaking case brought by the Care Quality Commission.
“East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing harm by failing to provide safe care and treatment to baby Harry Richford – who died a week after birth – and his mother Sarah.
“It is the first time the CQC has prosecuted a trust for the quality of care it provided — three previous prosecutions, of mental health trusts, focused on unsafe premises. Their fines were significantly lower than the £733,000 fine, £28,000 costs and £170 surcharge East Kent will have to pay.
“But the Richford family, responding to the sentence, said: “We are unsure if the system currently in place [of fines] is suitable for publicly funded organisations such as NHS trusts. Taking money away from a financially challenged resource does seem counterintuitive and we would encourage policy makers to consider alternative options.”

(18 Jun 2021) Why it suits Boris Johnson to have a cabinet of all the hopeless Amusing June 18 Guardian comment from Marina Hyde:
"So, then, to the unbearable hopelessness of Matt Hancock, who somehow still remains health secretary in the most eyecatching miscasting since the Bond movie in which Denise Richards played a nuclear physicist.
If you wished to distil the minister’s entire pandemic performance into one six-second clip, you could do a lot worse than this week’s footage of a reporter shouting “Are you hopeless?” through Hancock’s open car window.
As the Range Rover pootles off, from the back seat comes the reedy reply: “I don’t think so … ”
"(Incidentally, I understand that convention states all cabinet ministers have to be driven around in Range Rovers, but surely Matt should be downgraded to an Evoque. Or even one of those toy cabriolet versions you occasionally see in the park driven by some remorseless three-year-old future landlord.)"

(17 Jun 2021) Nigeria’s Healthcare cost gallop past 15%, highest on record Nairametrics.com article June 17 noting that health cost inflation in Nigeria has risen to a record 15%, but making no mention of the idea of curbing healthcare inflation by to publicly financing the health system:
“According to the World Bank, Nigeria spends about 3.89% of its GDP on Health Care Expenditure, a significantly high amount when compared to the GDP of Human Health Sector.
“Nigerians pay for healthcare via private pockets, community funded programs, or via private sector or government-supported medical insurance via the NHIS or the 54 Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).
“Unfortunately, the number of people who pay for health care via medical insurance is not enough to drive down healthcare cost, worsening an already bad situation. To pay for their health care, most Nigerians often rely on self-medication in pharmacies and roadside chemists. Yet, it is these shops that have seen prices rise the most since the pandemic.
“Rich Nigerians on the other hand spend more abroad fuelling a growing medical tourism industry that gets more money out of Nigeria.”

(17 Jun 2021) Dido Harding applies to become next CEO of NHS England Independent report on one of the worst bits of news for a while as Hancock’s jockey chum bids to do the same to the NHS as she did to Talk Talk and the disastrous privatised Test and Trace:
“Tory peer Baroness Dido Harding has formally applied to become the next chief executive of NHS England.
“The former head of the government’s much criticised test and trace service has officially put in a bid to run the £130 billion and stepped aside from her role as chair of NHS Improvement while her bid is considered.
“Baroness Harding is the wife of Conservative MP John Penrose and when she was appointed to lead NHS Improvement - now part of NHS England - she refused to give up the Tory whip in the House of Lords.
“She had previously confirmed she was considering making a bid for the top job in a move which drew criticism because of her clear political stance.”

(17 Jun 2021) Stevens' silent grin says it all In a pool interview Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, reacts to the question ‘Do you believe the Health Secretary is hopeless’

(16 Jun 2021) Hospital at centre of Covid surge appeals for help from nearby trusts as critical care beds fill up A worrying Independent June 16 report:
“A hospital at the centre of the coronavirus surge in the northwest of England has started sending critically ill patients to neighbouring hospitals so it can cope with a growing demand for beds.
“Multiple sources told The Independent the hospital has come under growing pressure as the numbers of Covid-19 admissions have risen in recent weeks, forcing it to activate “mutual aid” plans with other hospitals in the region.
“Bosses at the Royal Bolton Hospital confirmed it had transferred a small number of critically ill patients to hospitals nearby to help it cope.
“It comes as the latest data for hospitalisations in England show the number of Covid-19 patients has increased by 30 per cent in the two weeks since 2 June, rising from 801 to 1,057 on Wednesday.”

(16 Jun 2021) Eldertree Lodge: Troubled Staffordshire mental health unit forced to close BBC Midlands report June 16 on yet another failed private mental health unit:
“A troubled mental health unit in special measures and subject to a police investigation said it has been forced to close.
“The Care Quality Commission (CQC) put Eldertree Lodge in Staffordshire in special measures after ruling it unsafe during an inspection.
“The unit said it received a variation of registration notice, meaning changes to the care it can legally provide.
“It means 41 patients will have to find new accommodation by 17 July.
“In April, the high dependency clinic had its rating suspended over concerns about the quality of care around the use of restraint.”

(16 Jun 2021) NHS mental health trust fined £1.5m over care failures that led to 11 deaths Guardian June 16 on a verdict on a chronically poor mental health trust that has been the subject of sustained campaigning:
"An NHS mental health trust has been fined £1.5m over serious lapses in care that led to the death of 11 patients who were found hanging.
"Mr Justice Cavanagh, the judge who imposed the fine, said a “litany” of failings in safety standards had been identified at Essex Partnership University NHS foundation trust (EPUT) over many years, which meant that it had failed to “prevent suicides”.
"The fine relates to 11 deaths in which a “point of ligature was used within the ward environment of the trust’s premises” between 1 October 2004 and 31 March 2015.
"EPUT pleaded guilty last November to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The judge imposed the £1.5m fine in a sentencing hearing on Wednesday at Chelmsford crown court."

(12 Jun 2021) ‘We’ll re-engineer the whole NHS to make sure people don’t wait in pain’ Times June 12 with an alarming story on how much interest Murdoch's favoured Michael Gove has been taking in “innovations” to tackle problems facing the NHS:
“A plan is beginning to take shape. Bringing waiting times down to pre-Covid levels will mean the NHS doing more routine procedures and operating at a greater capacity than before.
“A group of hospitals and other NHS institutions have been identified to act as “accelerators” looking at ways of doing more operations than they did before and using data in a new way.
“The idea is to get a “real-time” picture of staffing levels, operating theatre capacity and patient need so that all spare capacity can be used, as well as identifying where more is needed.
“We are looking at the whole process end to end from a patient first presenting with symptoms to treatment,” Gove says. “We are looking at how we can re-engineer the system to use technology and in particular data analytics to reform the process and treatments.”

(11 Jun 2021) Fixing NHS waiting times could cost £40bn, leaked No 10 estimates show Guardian report June 11:
“Calculations for No 10 drawn up by the Cabinet Office make clear that the prime minister may have to commit anywhere between £2bn and £10bn a year for up to four years, on top of core NHS funding, to tackle what is fast becoming a major political headache for the government.
“The figures, disclosed by Whitehall sources, underline the huge scale of the challenge in getting NHS waiting times back to manageable levels before the next election.
“The latest NHS England performance figures, out on Thursday, showed that the total number of people waiting for hospital treatment, especially surgery, had topped 5 million for the first time. It stood at 5,122,017 in April, the highest since records began in 2007.
“However, despite negative publicity, Downing Street thinks it does not need to start throwing money at the problem soon because the public are not yet “distressed” about long delays, a source with knowledge of No 10’s thinking said.”

(10 Jun 2021) NHS trust contacts hundreds of families in effort at honesty over Covid hospital infections Independent report June 10 on what appears to be sadly a unique effort at transparency:
"An NHS trust has become the first in the country to individually contact every family of patients who caught coronavirus while they were in hospital in a large-scale bid to be transparent over the scale of infections.
"Bosses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust have set up a team to work through hundreds of cases where patients caught coronavirus in hospital.
"At least 99 patients are known to have died after becoming infected with more cases still to review.
"In a unique approach to transparency the trust is sending a letter by recorded delivery to every affected patient or family where it is thought the patient picked up the virus within the hospital."

(10 Jun 2021) NHS hospitals told to protect staff working in PPE during warm weather amid heat stress warning Independent June 10 with a fresh warning about PPE:
“NHS hospitals have been urged to protect frontline staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) amid a warning about the risks of heat stress as the UK basks in a period of prolonged warm weather.
“A letter from Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive to hospital trusts, GPs and pharmacies said doctors and nurses should be given regular breaks and recommended that a buddy system be established with people urged to watch for the signs of heat stress, which can lead to more serious heat stroke.
“Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in warm/hot environments increases the risk of heat stress,” the PHE memo said.”

(10 Jun 2021) Labour warns on next NHS England chief as Dido Harding expected to apply Guardian June 6 report:
“The next chief executive of NHS England must be someone with “a proven track record”, Labour has said, after it emerged that the former test and trace chief Dido Harding was expected to stand.
“It is understood that Harding, a Conservative peer, is considering formally applying to replace Sir Simon Stevens, who is leaving the job in July after seven years.
“While Stevens’ whole career has been in healthcare and health management, Harding spent the bulk of her working life in areas such as supermarkets and telecoms, notably as head of the Talk Talk group.
“Since 2017, she has chaired the board of NHS Improvement, an oversight arm of NHS England. Her first day-to-day management job in health came a year ago when she was appointed to lead the Covid test and trace service in England, with a budget that rose to £37bn.”

(10 Jun 2021) Private ambulance firm suspended after Norfolk woman's death Eastern Daily Press with a shocking June 10 report:
“A private ambulance firm has been suspended after a grandmother "died while sitting between" staff as they transported her back to Norwich.
“The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has suspended Premier Rescue Ambulance Services (PRAS), based in Taunton, following an inspection in April.
“The company was driving Peggy Copeman, from New Buckenham, on December 16 from Taunton back to Norwich when she was taken ill and died in the ambulance in an M11 layby in December 2019.
“Norfolk's senior coroner Jacqueline Lake sent a report to prevent future deaths to PRAS, which said staff transporting Mrs Copeman did not recognise she was in distress and that the 81-year-old had "effectively died whilst sat between them".
“Amanda Williams, CQC’s head of hospital inspection for the south of England, said: “Premier Rescue Ambulance Services Limited has the right to appeal and further information will be published by CQC when we are able to do so."

(10 Jun 2021) Five million over-50s 'sleepwalking' into a retirement crisis Daily Telegraph June 9 with a story that helps to underline the scale of health inequalities and old age poverty worsened by a decade of Tory austerity:
“Five million older workers face a retirement crisis as they will fall short of an “adequate” income once they leave work, an industry report has warned.
“More than 90pc of private sector workers with “defined contribution” pensions will not be able to afford a comfortable retirement, and will be forced to live on less than their expected income, according to research by the Pensions Policy Institute, a think tank.
“… The report, which was sponsored by the Centre for Ageing Better, a charity, warned a low state pension and increasing unemployment were key factors that would leave a quarter of those approaching retirement without enough to pay for an “adequate” standard of living.
“… Meanwhile, the full state pension, currently £9,350, pays just 24pc of the national average income, which means it falls short of providing an adequate income.

(10 Jun 2021) Anger as Matt Hancock says he has 'no evidence' PPE shortages cost lives Mirror report June 10 on reaction to Matt Hancock lying through his teeth:
"Matt Hancock stands accused of "insulting" NHS staff after he denied a scarcity of protective gear "led to anyone dying" on the Covid frontline.
"The Health Secretary admitted to MPs on Thursday that PPE shortages came "pretty close" last year, but he claimed "at a national level", there was "never a point" when the UK "ran out".
"But campaigners hit out at the claims, saying shortage which left some medics forced to rely on bin bags for protection meant "unnecessary deaths" at the height of the pandemic.
"It came as NHS Providers revealed to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus that supplies were “dangerously low” at some points and a dearth of gowns and visors left frontline staff in fear.
"Mr Hancock insisted in evidence to the Commons health and science select committee, however, that: "We've looked into this and there is no evidence that I have seen that a shortage of PPE provision led to anyone dying of Covid."

(9 Jun 2021) Political Pressure ‘Watered Down’ Public Health England Care Home Guidance Over COVID Testing Byline Times revelation June 9: “Public Health England was forced to alter its original scientific advice demanding elderly patients only be released into care homes after testing negative for the Coronavirus under political pressure from senior Government officials and the NHS, an official at the Department of Health and Social Care has claimed.
“Speaking exclusively to Byline Times, under a condition of anonymity, the whistle-blower confirmed that, in March 2020, PHE’s internal advice from clinical staff was to ensure that any patients newly discharged into care homes had to be tested for COVID-19.
“Public Health England’s original advice was that people shouldn’t be released from homes and hospitals without being tested to ensure they are not carrying the disease,” they said.
“That initial advice was signed-off by two PHE officials – Dr Eamonn O’Moore, director for health and justice; and Dr Julia Verne, head of clinical epidemiology – and was the case up to the period “just before the lockdown”, the source revealed.”

(9 Jun 2021) Woman who had a three and a half hour wait in an ambulance later died BBC Midlands news on impact of ambulance delays at Birmingham's main hospital:
“A woman who had a three and a half hour wait in an ambulance outside a hospital in Birmingham later died.
“The patient, with chronic breathing difficulties, was suspected by paramedics to have sepsis during the call-out on 24 May.
“She was pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
“The hospital trust said it was doing all it could to reduce ambulance handover delays.
“West Midlands Ambulance service said it was facing unprecedented delays outside hospitals which is impacting on patient care.
“It said activity was up 15% last month, compared with the same period last year, during the busiest May on record and saw 4,135 hours of ambulance delays.”

(9 Jun 2021) David Oliver: The story of covid in care homes—neither mystery nor melodrama BMJ June 9 blog in which NHS Consultant David Oliver puts a different view from Dominic Cummings and Matt Hancock, concluding:
“We know that keeping lots of care home residents in scarce beds, waiting for tests we had insufficient access to, with a high first false negative rate and no clear understanding of how long people remained infectious, could have posed other risks to these residents and to other patients in need.
“We know that the care home sector had insufficient access to personal protective equipment or testing for staff and was initially not involved in drawing up plans or policies, and false assumptions were made about its ability to contain outbreaks.
“The support care homes received from local NHS services ranged from brilliant to patchy and unreliable. And many care home outbreaks were seeded not by hospital discharges but by staff who were infected without knowing it, or were unable to self-isolate, or worked on multiple sites.
“Hancock and other ministers played down all of this publicly—and, if Cummings is to be believed, privately too.
“Distorting the truth is not acceptable in public office. But none of this is news. What matters more are the conditions still facing care homes in terms of funding, staffing, and NHS support; what we learnt and how we changed between the first and second waves; and, most importantly, what mitigations we have in place for the future.
“The real story of care homes and covid in the first wave was not so much the melodrama or mystery reported after Cummings’s incendiary evidence as a farce of brazen denial and a tragedy for the care homes and their residents.”

(8 Jun 2021) NHS to ‘retain all documents’ ahead of covid public inquiry HSJ report June 8 on an order that seems most unlikely to be obeyed:
“Local NHS organisations have been told they must start preparing for the public inquiry into the covid-19 pandemic.
“The message was delivered this evening as part of a longer regular newsletter from NHS England deputy chief executive Amanda Pritchard. It said: “Any organisation could be required to provide evidence for the statutory inquiry into covid-19, and individuals may be mandated to attend to give evidence under oath.”
“Local NHS leaders are asked to consider “four key areas of action”. These include:
“ensuring robust and comprehensive records management
embedding systematic approaches to log key leavers, carry out exit processes and retain contact details
considering wellbeing support for staff who may have to provide evidence
appointing a named inquiry lead.”
“Ms Pritchard’s note also says NHS England has issued a “stop notice” instructing staff “to retain all documents”. She suggests local NHS organisations may want to ”adapt” the stop notice for their own use.”

(8 Jun 2021) Minister says he is ‘not sure what more we can do’ for NHS staff as report warns of burnout ‘emergency’ Independent Minister George Eustice admits to being useless, having apparently not considering resigning and taking Matt Hancock with him:
“NHS and social care staff burnout has reached an “emergency” level and poses a risk to the future of services, a committee MPs have warned.
“In a highly critical report, the Health and Social Care Committee called for immediate action to support exhausted staff who have been pushed to breaking point during the pandemic.
“The environment secretary told Sky News: “Yes, of course they’ve had a difficult year – if you’re dealing with a pandemic, as they’ve had to, it’s been a very difficult time, they’ve done extraordinarily well.”
“Mr Eustice said the government had already recruited more staff and introduced a pay rise. Pushed on the issue, he responded: “Well, I’m not sure what more we can do.”

(8 Jun 2021) How serious is Delta Covid variant for UK and do vaccines stop it? Excellent Financial Times June 8 explainer on the latest Covid threat, with detailed figures:
"“Greater Manchester and Lancashire will have access to military back-up and surge testing as part of a “strengthened package of support” to combat the spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus, the government announced on Tuesday.
“The two regions in northern England were also added to a list of areas, including Leicester and Hounslow in west London, where travel and indoor mixing is discouraged. Supervised in-school testing will also begin, health secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons.
“The announcement will add to fears that the spread of the Delta variant, first identified in India, could scupper Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s hopes of lifting all remaining restrictions on social contact on June 21.”

(8 Jun 2021) New NHS patient data store delayed by two months June 8 BBC news report correct in stating that the data dump has been postponed under growing pressure, rather than prevented:
“The creation of a central NHS digital database from GP records in England will be delayed by two months, the government has announced.
“The system was due to begin on 1 July, but the date has now been pushed back to 1 September.
“The NHS had been calling for a delay to allow patients more time to learn about the system.
“The British Medical Association and the Royal College of GPs had also expressed concern.
“… Labour's shadow health minister Alex Norris welcomed the delay but argued that the "current plans to take data from GPs, assemble it in one place and sell it to unknown commercial interests for purposes unknown has no legitimacy."

(8 Jun 2021) Covid: 'No excuse' for failings on New Cross Hospital ward BBC Midlands news on June 8 on failures of hand hygiene in Wolverhampton:
“A man says there is "no excuse" for failings on a hospital ward, after his brother contracted Covid-19 and died.
“Seven patients and 34 staff members caught Covid in a Wolverhampton hospital's cardiac unit. Two patients died in hospital and David Kingston, known as Paul, later died in a hospice.
“A subsequent investigation at New Cross found issues with hand hygiene and PPE.
“The hospital trust denied any staff-to-patient transmission, but said it had since made improvements.”

(8 Jun 2021) Ambulance handover delays at hospitals jumped 44 per cent before Covid Independent report June 8:
“The number of patients forced to wait with paramedics for at least an hour in ambulances and hospital corridors jumped 44 per cent in the year that preceded the coronavirus pandemic, according to new figures.
“Data obtained by the Labour Party from nine out of the 10 ambulance trusts in England shows the deterioration in A&E capacity before the pandemic hit the UK.
“… Between April 2019 and March 2020, 651,192 people waited for 30 minutes or more to be transferred from the care of an ambulance crew to an A&E department. That was up 18 per cent on the year before, when 552,303 people waited at least 30 minutes.
“In total, 122,474 patients waited longer than an hour to be handed over by paramedics – up 44 per cent on 2018-19, when 85,083 people waited that long.”

(7 Jun 2021) Approving Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug Is a Big Mistake Bloomberg article June 7 raising serious concerns over the evidence of effectiveness and safety of the new Alzheimer's drug:
“"Follow the science" has been a consistent refrain during the pandemic, and it's usually a core mandate of the Food and Drug Administration in evaluating medicines. But when it came to one of the agency's most consequential decisions — the approval Monday of Biogen Inc.'s controversial Alzheimer's drug aducanumab — science took a back seat.
“Alzheimer's is a devastating illness with no treatments that do anything but ease symptoms. Biogen's drug is the first said to slow decline. If there was good evidence that it did so, it'd be a breakthrough, but the data is inconclusive at best. And while the FDA is and should be flexible when patients have no options, this decision does more than bend standards — it shatters them.
“For Biogen investors, the approval is a huge victory, setting the stage for a blockbuster drug worth billions in sales and added market value for the company; already, after an initial halt the stock surged 50% on Monday’s news. For everyone else, it’s a mistake; the FDA’s blessing threatens to harm the agency's reputation, America's health budget and the quality of drug research, including for Alzheimer’s.”

(7 Jun 2021) The contested future of Greater Manchester's NHS Manchester Mill June 7 on likely shape of Greater Manchester "integrated care", quoting HSJ's Lawrence Dunhill:
“It was reported last week that most of GM’s acute care funding will be assigned to the central board of providers, effectively bypassing borough-level structures. Primary and community funding, which is a smaller chunk, will go to borough-level “locality boards.”

“This morning we spoke to Lawrence Dunhill, a reporter at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) who has been reporting on this story. He told us:

“They are going to talk a lot about how they are protecting the 'primacy of place' principle, when the reality of how the funding is going to flow straight to the acute sector is likely to give more power and decision-making to the Greater Manchester structures.

“Bear in mind: If power and funding are heading in a more centralised direction, that doesn’t mean actual health services are. In fact, last week saw a significant reversal of centralisation when plans to consolidate high-risk general surgery in a smaller number of hospitals were “quietly dropped”.”

(7 Jun 2021) NHS bosses accused of keeping public in the dark over £450m Leicester Hospitals revamp Leicester Mercury report June 7:
“Health bosses have been accused of keeping the public in the dark about £450 million plans to transform Leicester’s hospitals.
“Radical overhauls of health services are being planned at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield and General Hospitals but campaigners and politicians say NHS officials have not been open and transparent about the changes after carrying out a two month public consultation held at the end of last year.
“A decision making business case (DMBC) has been drawn up after more than 5,000 people offered their views on various aspects of the far-reaching transformation.
“Tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon the boards of the city and county NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGS) are to meet potentially to approve the Building Better Hospital for the Future business case but there are concerns it has not, so far, been made public in advance.”

(7 Jun 2021) New website to help patients and NHS staff check hospital waiting times Independent report June 7:
“A group of patient activists has set up a new website using official NHS data to allow patients to check the waiting times for treatments at their local hospital.
“The new waiting times tool is thought to be the first automated and regularly updated website that shows hospital performance against key waiting time targets, by medical specialty such as cardiology or orthopaedics.
“The service, developed by volunteers from the not-for-profit Patient Experience Library, not only shows patients how many people are waiting to be treated overall but also shows data on the median waiting time as well as how well the hospital is performing against targets over time.
“Patients can also compare different hospitals and look at the performance of the NHS in England overall. Wait times for mental health services are treated separately and not included.
“Miles Sibley, co-founder of the Patient Experience Library, said the website was an attempt to bring transparency to NHS England’s “impenetrable spreadsheets” which not only affected patients but also other NHS staff who told Sibley they spend hours downloading data and working out their organisations performance.”

(7 Jun 2021) Matt Hancock denies claiming to have ‘thrown a protective ring around care homes’ despite saying it live on TV Independent June 7 exposing yet again Matt Hancock lying through his teeth:
"Matt Hancock has denied claiming to have “thrown a protective ring around care homes” from the start of the pandemic – despite saying it live on television.
"The now-notorious statement – which ignored the discharge of patients from hospital without Covid tests – came “much later about what we were doing for the winter plan”, the health secretary insisted.
"But TV footage shows Mr Hancock made the claim in May 2020, at a Downing Street press conference, and that he was arguing he had protected care homes throughout.
“Right from the start, we’ve tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes,” the watching public was told. “We set out our first advice in February and, as the virus grew, we strengthened it throughout.”

(5 Jun 2021) Vaccines for children could start in August under plans being discussed by ministers Telegraph June 5 report:
“Covid vaccines would be rolled out to children from as early as August under plans being drawn up in Whitehall, The Telegraph can disclose.
“A Government source said that under current modelling “we would be ready” to begin vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds by the second half of August, or early September at the latest.
“Ministers are awaiting advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which insiders expect will recommend the jab for younger teenagers, before they make a final decision.
“However, writing in The Telegraph, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, warns that “a huge proportion of the latest cases are in children”, as he urges secondary school pupils to take a coronavirus test on Sunday before returning to school on Monday.”

(4 Jun 2021) NHS hit by legal threat over GP data ‘grab’ Financial Times report June 4:
“The UK government is being threatened with legal action if it does not pause plans to collate the full medical histories of 55m patients in England into a single database from July 1.
“In a pre-action letter sent on Friday on behalf of five organisations and Conservative MP David Davis, the campaigners warned that “rushing this major change through with no transparency or debate violates patient trust, and that doing so without patient consent is unlawful”.
“Last week, NHS Digital, which runs the health service’s IT systems, confirmed the plan to pool medical records from every patient in England who is registered with a GP clinic into a single database that will be available to academic and commercial third parties for research and planning purposes.
“Patients have until June 23 to opt out by filling in a form and taking it to their GP for themselves, and their children, before their historical records become a permanent and irreversible part of the new data set.
“Patients who opt out after the deadline can stop future data from being funnelled into the new system.
“If NHS Digital does not extend the opt-out deadline of June 23, the coalition, which includes the National Pensioners Convention and the Doctors’ Association UK, plans to sue the Department of Health and Social Care as soon as next week, to freeze the data-sharing scheme immediately.”

(3 Jun 2021) Cummings’ care homes claim could lead to corporate manslaughter charges Guardian report June 3:
“Criminal lawyers watched Dominic Cummings’ electric testimony at the health and science select committees last week with considerable interest. Not just because every select committee cries out for forensic cross-examination, but because if some of Cummings’ key claims are true then legal alarm bells should sound.
“Cummings’ central claim was “We were told categorically in March that people would be tested before they went back to care homes. We only subsequently found out that that hadn’t happened … The government rhetoric was we put a shield around care homes … it was complete nonsense.”
“Following Cummings’ testimony, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, was specifically asked in parliament whether he had indeed told the prime minister that patients being discharged from hospital would be Covid-tested before re-entering care homes.
“His response was that the government had followed clinical advice, which was not a direct answer.”

(3 Jun 2021) Founder of virtual doctor app Babylon to become billionaire after $4.2bn US listing Telegraph story June 3 speaks volumes on the way the private sector is actually making money exploiting weaknesses in the NHS:
“The founder of the virtual doctor app Babylon is set to join the ranks of Britain’s technology billionaires after the company announced a $4.2bn (£3bn) US listing.
“Ali Parsa, who founded Chelsea-based Babylon in 2013, is set to own a 26pc stake in the company, worth $1.1bn, when it completes a reverse merger with Alkuri Global, a New York-listed blank cheque company.

“… Babylon’s GP at Hand app, which allows patients to run their symptoms through a chatbot and speak to their doctor over video call, has been praised by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. It has around 90,000 NHS patients on its books, although most of its business is now based in the US, where the company launched last year.”

(2 Jun 2021) Hancock’s Department calls in management consultants after Cummings testimony Byline Times unearths yet another cracking story, June 2:
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) signed off a contract worth £2.5 million in the days following Dominic Cummings’ damning testimony, in an attempt to fix internal problems, Byline Times can reveal.
"Cummings spoke to MPs for five hours in a televised hearing last week – discussing the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic – and the former Downing Street chief aide reserved much of his criticism for Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock and his department.
"In a remarkable series of claims, Cummings said that Hancock should have been fired on multiple occasions for lying; that the vaccine programme has only been a success because it wasn’t managed by Hancock or his department; and that virtually no planning had taken place for implementing a national lockdown, as of 14/15 March last year."

(1 Jun 2021) Covid-19: Government faces legal challenge over alleged suppression of school data BMJ article June 1:
“The UK government could face legal proceedings unless it releases data on the spread of the Delta variant (B.1.617.2, first identified in India) of SARS-CoV-2 in England’s schools, which it has been accused of suppressing.
“A pre-action letter has been sent to Public Health England (PHE) by the Citizens advocacy group and the data rights agency AWO, accusing PHE of “unlawfully surrendering independent judgment” to the prime minister’s office in relation to data on schools.
“The move comes after the Observer reported that the prime minister’s office was directly involved in a decision not to publish important data on the spread of the variant in schools, as part of a wider report.1 That report was shortly followed by the announcement that students would no longer need to wear face coverings in schools.
“Before the letter, eight unions, 80 scientists, and more than 1000 parents had attempted to get the government to release the data. PHE has seven days to respond to the letter, sent on 28 May, which said that the organisation was bound by law to be independent from political interference but that it “fettered its discretion by treating the prime minister’s intervention as being binding upon it”.”

(1 Jun 2021) Covid cases rising rapidly in Wirral as Indian variant takes hold and lockdown eases Worrying Liverpool Echo report June 1:
“Although the number of infections in Wirral is still relatively small, certainly compared to previous peaks in the pandemic, the very latest figures show a steep increase.
“In the week up to May 29, Wirral’s rate was 23.2 per 100,000, a sharp rise on the rate of 5.6 per 100,000 recorded the week before.
“Covid-19 case numbers are also rising in other parts of our region, with Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens all recording a rise in their infection rates.
Knowsley’s weekly rate climbed to 16.6 per 100,000 from 8.0 per 100,000 last week.”

(1 Jun 2021) THE ANATOMY OF A PPE DEAL Awarded to a Matt Hancock associate Intriguing Byline Times report June 1:
“… Chunlei Li … has been practicing Chinese medicine in the UK since 2003.
“In January 2020, Chunlei Li launched a new venture. On the second day of the new year, he formally incorporated CH&L Limited, assigning himself one share – the company’s full allocation. At that time, the Companies House website listed him as a ‘receptionist’.
“Soon, CH&L struck a big win. On 30 April, the company was awarded a £14.4 million contract from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for the provision of isolation gowns – part of the Government’s drive to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) during the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic. The contract was awarded without a formal competition process.
“How did a small-time acupuncture practitioner from Newmarket with a brand new business secure a PPE contract worth as much as a Premier League footballer?”

(1 Jun 2021) GPs urged to refuse to hand over patient details to NHS Digital Guardian June 1:
“Senior GPs have called on colleagues to refuse to hand over patients’ personal data to NHS Digital, in a move they hope will buy time to raise awareness of plans to place all medical records in England on a central database.
“All 36 doctors’ surgeries in Tower Hamlets, east London, have already agreed to withhold the data when collection begins on 1 July, the Guardian understands. An email has been circulated to about 100 practices across north-east London calling on them to also consider whether the data collection is legitimate, with the hope that it will spread to many more.
“The email makes clear the refusal to share the data is technically a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
“Privacy campaigners and doctors have raised the alarm about plans, led by the Department of Health and Social Care, to put the medical histories of more than 55 million patients into a new database where they will be made available to the private sector and other researchers.”

(31 May 2021) MPs tell Johnson: you have a duty to help vaccinate the world Guardian report May 31 of a handful of human beings somehow surviving on the back benches of the Tory Party and supporting action to vaccinate the world:
“Boris Johnson has a “moral duty” to immediately start matching each vaccine administered at home with a donated dose to poorer countries across the world, a cross-party group of MPs and peers has said.
“Several Tory backbenchers joined the call, which puts further pressure on the prime minister to boost supplies given to developing nations facing a “desperate shortage” of jabs.
“In a letter to Downing Street seen by the Guardian, the group says this will help to save lives at home, adding that the spread across the UK of the variant first found in India had proven that all countries need equitable access to injections.
“The longer we wait to act, the more likely it is that dangerous variants could emerge that can evade the protections offered by current vaccines,” says the group, which includes the Conservative backbenchers Sir Peter Bottomley – the longest-serving MP – and the former hospital doctor Dan Poulter.”

(31 May 2021) NHS test-and-trace workers are charged out at more than double their pay Guardian report May 31:
“Workers on the NHS test-and-trace operation who are being paid £9.50 an hour were charged out to the government’s supplier, Serco, at as much as £21.50 an hour, the Guardian understands.
“The rate was charged by Sensée, a London-based call centre company, for workers tasked with calling the contacts of people who had tested positive for Covid-19, a source said. Neither Serco nor Sensée disputed the figures.
“The revelation prompted further concerns about the value for money offered by the test-and-trace system. Led by the Conservative peer Dido Harding, it has already faced scrutiny over efficacy, although the proportion of contacts reached by private-sector contact tracers has improved since earlier in the pandemic when it lagged behind public-sector tracers.
“… Serco was limited to earning a margin of 4% on top of costs for its test-and-test work, but its suppliers were not under the same obligation. Sensée did not say how much profit it made on the contract.”

(29 May 2021) PPE supplier accuses ministers of squandering millions after snubbing cheaper equipment offer Telegraph report May 29:
“Ralph Derman, who runs an import company, said the NHS ignored his repeated attempts to offer the service masks, gloves and gowns at a more reasonable price than it was paying other firms with no experience of obtaining goods from Chinese suppliers.
“Mr Derman, whose Hong Kong-based export firm, Derman Industries, had been operating for 30 years, said he heard nothing back from the NHS, despite assuring ministers he could obtain supplies from Hong Kong at a fraction of the inflated cost they were paying.
“He told The Telegraph: “I was simply ignored. The Government was throwing millions at small companies who in some instances had never dealt in masks before, from factories they also never dealt with before, to supply it with PPE for the NHS and care homes. And yet it apparently had no interest in any offers of the same equipment at cost price.
“I’ve been exporting goods and materials from Hong Kong and mainland China for many years and I knew that the NHS was being ripped off by suppliers charging exorbitant fees at a time Britain was desperate for PPE.”

(29 May 2021) UK's biggest care home operator hikes fees for residents in the pandemic as owners cash in thisismoney.co.uk article May 29:
“Britain's biggest care home operator has hiked fees for residents in the pandemic while funnelling cash to its super-rich owners, experts have claimed.
“Private equity-owned HC-One has been accused of using loans and a complex web of offshore structures to ‘extract cash’ and reduce its tax bill.
“Newly published accounts reveal the company, which has 8,000 residents in 170 care homes, increased fees to residents and councils by an inflation-busting 3.6 per cent. The jump meant that the average resident was paying £40,196 per year by September 2020.
“At the same time, its founder, Dr Chai Patel, a Labour donor, extracted £2million in ‘management fees’ during the year through his investment vehicle Court Cavendish, accounts reveal.”

(28 May 2021) Virgin given seat on ICS Board Lowdown exclusive May 28:
“The concerns of campaigners that the proposals in the NHS White Paper to give statutory powers to “Integrated Care Systems” would lead to private companies sitting on ICS Boards have been proved justified.
“Virgin Care’s local managing director Julia Clarke is already listed as a member of the Partnership Board, the unitary Board which currently runs the ICS covering Bristol and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW).
“But a look at the Board Papers for a meeting on May 28 reveals that the Virgin boss is not only occupying a seat, but actively intervening to protect the company’s interests. Minutes of the March meeting reported a discussion on the extent to which private sector “partners” would be required to be financially transparent towards the other providers within the ICS “for purposes of planning the independent/private sector’s NHS related or NHS commissioned work.”
“They noted Virgin’s reluctance to share any information with the public:
“Virgin Care were prepared to consider greater transparency where the contract with BaNES and BSW was concerned, but had reservations about sharing information in public.” (page 6)
“In response to this the NHS “partners” tamely rolled over, agreeing to action by Chief Financial Officers to “further discuss how the ‘open book’ approach could be applied to private / independent providers while protecting those providers’ corporate and commercial interests” – in other words how to ensure ‘open books’ were not opened at all, and ICS contracts remain tightly guarded secrets withheld from the local public.”

(27 May 2021) Hancock and Johnson reject Dominic Cummings’ ‘unsubstantiated attacks’ Evening Standard report May 27:
“Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock have defended themselves following the extraordinary criticisms levelled at them by Dominic Cummings.
“The Health Secretary hit back against the former No10 senior adviser who on Wednesday delivered a devastating verdict on the Government’s handling of the pandemic.
“Mr Cummings singled out Mr Hancock for his most stinging criticism, accusing him of lying and alleging he should have been sacked on 15 to 20 occasions.
“Addressing the Commons on Thursday morning, the Cabinet minister responded: “These unsubstantiated allegations around honesty are not true. What we have done to handle this coronavirus pandemic has been unprecedented in modern times.”

(27 May 2021) Government scraps free emergency parking for NHS staff HSJ May 27 breaks the news of another kick in the teeth for front line NHS staff:
“Ministers are set to scrap a free emergency parking pass issued to NHS and care staff last year once lockdown restrictions end next month, updated guidance reveals.
“The government guidance, updated on 17 May, said the decision was being taken in line with proposals set out in the government’s “roadmap” out of lockdown published earlier this year.
“The pass, announced in March 2020, entitled free car parking to NHS, health and social care workers, as well as for NHS volunteer responders while they are on duty. They were made available through NHS trusts, councils and the Royal Volunteer Service, and enabled staff to use off-street car parks which were owned by local authorities and on-street bays.
“However, the updated guidance says current and potential pass holders will not be able to use it after 21 June, when the latest lockdown restrictions are eased. Those who try to may be liable to fines.
“The government is hoping to have reached step four by then, where all legal limits on social contact would be reduced and more premises would be reopened to the public.”

(26 May 2021) Bolton hospital reports ‘one of busiest ever days’ in A&E as Covid admissions rise Independent report May 26:
“A hospital in Bolton has reported “one of its busiest ever days” in its emergency department, after rising coronavirus cases led to a spike in hospitalisations.
“There are currently 41 Covid-19 patients being treated at the Royal Bolton Hospital, with eight of them in critical care.
“This comes as coronavirus infections in Bolton continue to soar, in large part due to the prevalence of the so-called Indian variant.
“Andy Ennis, the deputy chief executive of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said Monday “was one of the busiest days we have ever had in our emergency department”.

(26 May 2021) EU citizens who miss UK settled status cut off to lose some free healthcare Guardian May 26 with another disgusting post-Brexit government policy driven by hatred of 'foreigners'. It will make it harder than ever to recruit or retain NHS or social care staff from EU countries:
“EU citizens who fail to secure settled status by the 30 June deadline will immediately lose access to free non-urgent NHS healthcare, despite a government pledge to be “extremely understanding” about late applications.
“Some details of how swiftly different departments will apply hostile environment policies to EU citizens who have not secured the new post-Brexit immigration status by the cutoff date have emerged in responses to a series of parliamentary questions.
“But campaigners are concerned that there is still no clarity about whether EU citizens who miss the deadline but who continue to work in the UK will be committing a criminal offence.
“There was also no clear Home Office response to parliamentary questions seeking to clarify whether employers face prosecution if they employ an EU citizen who has not applied for EU settled status (EUSS) after the end of June.
“Alliance MP Stephen Farry sought to clarify the grey area with Boris Johnson during prime minister’s questions, asking if illegal working legislation would be applied to EU citizens who continue to work despite missing the deadline. “Can the prime minister assure the House that EU citizens or non-EU family members who miss the deadline will not face potential criminal liability if they continue to go into work?” he asked.”

(26 May 2021) England’s NHS plans to share patient records with third parties Financial Times report May 26 echoes the concerns of many campaigners:
“England’s NHS is preparing to scrape the medical histories of 55m patients, including sensitive information on mental and sexual health, criminal records and abuse, into a database it will share with third parties.
“The data collection project, which is the first of its kind, has caused an uproar among privacy campaigners, who say it is “legally problematic”, especially as patients only have a few weeks to opt out of the plan.
“NHS Digital, which runs the health service’s IT systems, confirmed the plan to pool together medical records from every patient in England who is registered with a GP clinic into a single lake that will be available to academic and commercial third parties for research and planning purposes.
“Cori Crider, co-founder of Foxglove, a campaign group for digital rights, said: “We all want to see the NHS come out of the pandemic stronger” but noted that the NHS had been “completely silent” on who would have access to the data.
“Is it pharma companies? The health arm of Google Deepmind? If you ask patients whether they want details of their fertility treatment or abortion, or results of their colonoscopy shared with [those companies], they’re not going to want that,” she said.”

(25 May 2021) More than 77,000 NHS staff in England have caught Covid, shows research Guardian report May 25:
“At least 77,000 hospital staff in England caught coronavirus during the pandemic, while there were nearly a quarter of a million absences for Covid-related reasons, Guardian research has revealed.
“However, the true totals are likely to be much higher, because out of the 142 acute and specialist trusts in England sent freedom of information requests, only 55% (78) provided figures on staff who were infected, while 60% (85) gave data on time off for sick leave related to the virus.
“The responses, which cover the year following 1 March 2020, offer the first official data on Covid’s impact on frontline workers who risked their own health while caring for the more than 400,000 patients who have ended up seriously ill in hospital.
“They show that at least 77,735 doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel contracted Covid, while staff had 243,864 periods of absence – either because they had the disease or were isolating, quarantining or shielding – exacerbating existing workforce shortages.”

(23 May 2021) Private hospitals provided average of seven Covid beds a day despite £2bn Government contracts i-News report may 23:
“The Government has been accused by a leading health think tank of providing a taxpayer subsidy of more than £2bn to private hospitals in exchange for just seven Covid beds a day during the first year of pandemic.
“Research from the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) has found that the Government paid around £200m a month to secure 8,000 beds from 26 private hospital groups during the health crisis.
“The CHPI report, which covers the 12 months up to the end of March this year, also found that there were many days during the period when no private hospital beds were being used for Covid patients, and many more when only one was.
“The report, which is due to be published in the coming weeks, also found that at no point during the year did private hospitals treat more than 67 Covid patients in a single day, which occurred during three consecutive days during April last year.”

(22 May 2021) No 10 ‘tried to block’ data on spread of new Covid variant in English schools Observer report may 22:
“Downing Street leaned on Public Health England not to publish crucial data on the spread of the new Covid variant in schools, documents seen by the Observer have suggested. Scientists, union officials and teachers said that the lack of transparency was “deeply worrying”.
“The focus of their anger concerns the pre-print of a PHE report that included a page of data on the spread of the India Covid-19 variant in schools. But when the report was published on Thursday 13 May, the page had been removed. It was the only one that had been removed from the pre-print. Days later, the government went ahead with its decision to remove the mandate on face coverings in English schools.
“Evidence seen by the Observer suggests No 10 was directly involved in the decision not to publish it. The prime minister’s office acknowledged it was in correspondence with PHE officials about presentation of the data but vigorously denied this constituted “interference” or “pressure”.
“Data on the spread of the new variant in schools has still not been published, despite calls from union officials and scientists who say teachers and families are being put at risk. In hotspots such as Bolton, cases involving the variant are rising fastest among school-age children.”

(21 May 2021) France to honour health workers killed by Covid-19 with special status France 24 report May 21:
“France will confer a special honour on health workers who die from Covid while fighting the pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.
“He said a status called “died in the service of the republic” would be created to honour public employees who lose their life “in exceptional circumstances”. A similar “died in the service of the nation” status already exists for police and the military, while “died for France” is reserved for soldiers and civilians killed in battle.
“I want us to give our gratitude a solid legal foundation,” Macron said in a video post on Twitter.
The new status would allow the children of the deceased to become wards of the state with a right to receive material and moral support from the government, he said.
“The current status reserved for military and police entitles the children they leave behind to financial help for education and job training, including free schooling and scholarships.”

(21 May 2021) Providing medications for free leads to greater adherence and cost-savings, study shows Eurekalert May 21:
"Free access to essential medicines increases patient adherence to taking medication by 35 per cent and reduces total health spending by an average of over $1,000 per patient per year, according to a two-year study that tested the effects of providing patients with free and convenient access to a carefully selected set of medications.
"The findings, published May 21 in PLOS Medicine, come as advocates urge Canada to carve a path toward single-payer, public pharmacare. Canada is the only country with universal healthcare that does not have a universal pharmacare program."

(20 May 2021) Number of patients in Bolton hospital with Covid rises again as Indian variant spreads Independent May 20 report begins:
“The number of patients in hospital with Coronavirus in Bolton has increased to 30, rising by 5 in 24 hours, The Independent has learned.
“Bosses at the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust are opening an extra ward for Covid positive patients today, as a previous ward has become full.
“… There are seven patients in intensive care or high dependency, with 27 patients on oxygen.
“Typically, patients admitted now for Covid-19 were likely to be have been infected 2 to 3 weeks ago, suggesting numbers could rise further.”

(20 May 2021) COVID vaccines create 9 new billionaires with combined wealth greater than cost of vaccinating world’s poorest countries Shocking May 20 Press Release from Peoples Vaccine Alliance:
“At least nine people have become new billionaires since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, thanks to the excessive profits pharmaceutical corporations with monopolies on COVID vaccines are making, The People’s Vaccine Alliance revealed today ahead of a G20 leaders Global Health Summit.
“Key members of the G20, who meet tomorrow, including the UK and Germany, are blocking moves to boost supply by ending companies’ monopoly control of vaccine production as COVID-19 continues to devastate lives in countries like India and Nepal where only a tiny fraction of the population has been vaccinated.
“Between them, the nine new billionaires have a combined net wealth of $19.3 billion, enough to fully vaccinate all people in low-income countries1.3 times.
“Meanwhile, these countries have received only 0.2 per cent of the global supply of vaccines, because of the massive shortfall in available doses, despite being home to 10 per cent of the world’s population.
“In addition, eight existing billionaires–who have extensive portfolios in the COVID-19 vaccine pharma corporations -have seen their combined wealth increase by $32.2 billion, enough to fully vaccinate everyone in India.”

(19 May 2021) Coronavirus: NHS was ‘overwhelmed’ in January surge, study finds Independent report may 19:
“The NHS “was largely overwhelmed” at the height of the UK’s Covid second wave in January, according to a study.
“New research published in Anaesthesia, a journal of the Association of Anaesthetists, revealed the scale of the pressure on hospitals during the pandemic and how stretched some units were.
“Based on surveys of all NHS hospitals, with more than half responding, the study found almost a third of anaesthetists were redeployed to look after critically ill patients, leaving 42 per cent of operating theatres closed.
“This meant operations, including for cancer and emergency surgery patients, had to be cancelled.
“The research, by Professor Tim Cook, a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care at the Royal United Hospitals Bath Foundation Trust, said: “Three-quarters of critical care units were so expanded that planned surgery could not be safely resumed. At all times, the greatest resource limitation was staff”.”

(19 May 2021) PPE supplier’s offer to help was ignored by government Times report may 19:
“A PPE supplier that had been in business for more than 20 years was ignored by government officials at the height of the pandemic last year while a venture capitalist firm was deemed an “urgent VIP case” because it came with a recommendation from a government adviser, newly released emails have shown.
“Multibrands, a company based in Bradford, said that officials “went quiet” after it wrote to the government in March last year advertising its capacity to supply 100 million masks from its warehouse in China.
“However, Ayanda Capital, whose senior adviser worked for the Department for International Trade (DIT), ended up supplying the government after it was awarded a £252 million deal for personal protective equipment. A number of the masks were not used by the NHS because they had ear loops rather than head ties.
“Ayanda has previously said that it delivered masks to the agreed specification and that it is not yet known to what use the government may put the PPE.”

(19 May 2021) The Government Wants to Sell Your GP Medical Records Here’s How to Opt-Out Byline Times May 19:
“from 1 July, NHS Digital has announced that “data may be shared from the GP medical records about… any living patient registered at a GP practice in England when the collection started”.
“NHS Digital – the health and social care system’s information and technology partner – will be able to take the following from GPs’ records: “Data about diagnoses, symptoms, observations, test results, medications, allergies, immunisations, referrals, recalls and appointments, including information about physical, mental and sexual health.” This will also include data about “staff who have treated patients”, and data “on sex, ethnicity and sexual orientation”, as well as other sensitive data.
“Although NHS Digital states that patients’ data will be extracted from GP systems across England “from 1 July 2021”, its privacy notice states that individuals have until 23 June 2021 to opt-out.
“While its press release on the matter states that people can “opt-out at any time”, the privacy notice states: “NHS Digital will however still hold the patient data which was shared with us before you registered the Type 1 opt-out” – meaning that for anyone who has not opted-out by the time that their GP history is first extracted, the information taken will never be deleted.”

(18 May 2021) Government can keep amount spent on unusable PPE confidential, judge rules Evening Standard report on Good Law Project court challenge:
“The Government can keep the amount of public money spent on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) from two companies confidential, the High Court has ruled.
"The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor are bringing legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) claiming that contracts awarded to PestFix, Clandeboye and Ayanda Capital were given unlawfully at the height of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in April and May 2020.
"The two groups allege DHSC has failed to provide proper reasons for why PestFix got the contracts, and say the Government violated principles of equal treatment and transparency when awarding the multimillion-pound deals.
"They also claim DHSC has failed to provide evidence it conducted any negotiations which applied equally between prospective suppliers."

(18 May 2021) We need answers now, that’s why I’m chairing the People’s Covid Inquiry Michael Mansfield QC writes in Public Sector Focus May 18 explaining why he is chairing KONP’s People’s Covid Inquiry:
“There is an unquestionable need for a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic. This much is agreed by, most importantly, the bereaved, the public, widespread medical opinion, and the Prime Minister who announced so last July.
“On closer examination it soon becomes clear that there are a number of hidden assumptions.
“Primarily can Boris Johnson be trusted to commit to it? No one has so far been prepared to believe him and increasingly it is obvious he will avoid any public scrutiny before the next election.
“To fill the void, he merely recites the need but only when the time is right! Eight months have passed since his original announcement without him saying a word up till now, let alone setting a time line. As an informed guess – there is no chance.
“Even if he suddenly had a change of heart and set a start date of June 1st – what would this mean in practice? This is where there are serious misconceptions. A far reaching and vitally necessary Inquiry should embrace the history of pandemics, the role of WHO, the preparation by the NHS (Cygnus) socio-economic planning, the effects of austerity, ministerial decisions about provision of facilities and lockdown, privatisation and fragmentation, role of SAGE and so on. This is by no means an exhaustive list but gives a steer about what is involved.”

(18 May 2021) Nurse who cared for Boris Johnson resigns over ‘lack of respect’ for NHS workers Guardian report may 18: “A nurse who cared for Boris Johnson when he was gravely ill with Covid-19 says she has handed in her resignation, such is her disillusionment with the “lack of respect” shown by the government for the NHS and healthcare workers.
“Jenny McGee, who kept vigil by the prime minister’s bedside for two days when he was in intensive care, also revealed that his staff had later attempted to co-opt her into a “clap for the NHS” photo opportunity with him during what she thought would be a discreet thank you visit to Downing Street.
“We’re not getting the respect and now pay that we deserve. I’m just sick of it. So I’ve handed in my resignation,” said McGee, referring to the government’s proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff, which unions have described as a “kick in the teeth”.
“She was also critical of the government’s handling of the Covid crisis, adding: “Lots of nurses felt that the government hadn’t led very effectively – the indecisiveness, so many mixed messages. It was just very upsetting”.”

(18 May 2021) Hedge fund fast-tracked to £252m PPE deal ‘despite red flags on finances’, High Court told Evening Standard May 18:
“A hedge fund with close ties to government was fast-tracked to a £252 million PPE contract as an “URGENT VIP CASE” despite red flags on its finances, the High Court heard on Tuesday.
“Ayanda Capital was handed deals to supply face masks at the end of April last year, after its bid was marked as “very urgent” and officials were told the supplier was “influential across government”.
“Some of the masks which were delivered were rendered unusable by the NHS as they did not meet safety standards, the court heard.
“The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor are challenging the way PPE contracts worth almost £600 million were entered into in the early stages of the pandemic, through the government’s controversial ‘VIP Lane’.”

(18 May 2021) Bank 'suspended' Matt Hancock's PPE deal payments fearing 'VIPs' could be fraudsters Daily Mirror report May 18:
“The Government’s bank suspended Matt Hancock’s team from making payments to PPE suppliers at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic over fears they were being taken in by fraudsters, the High Court has been told.
“NatWest told the government payments over £5 million would have to be reviewed by their fraud team, over concerns about a lack of due diligence in huge contracts being handed out through the so-called “VIP lane”.
“At least £1.7 billion worth of deals were struck through the “VIP lane” - some of which were for products which did not meet adequate standards for the NHS, according to a report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee.
The committee found DHSC had “wasted hundreds of millions of pounds on PPE which is of poor quality and cannot be used for the intended purpose”.”

(18 May 2021) Government can keep amount spent on `useless´ PPE confidential, judge rules Daily Mail May 18:
“… Mrs Justice O’Farrell found the specific pricing details were not relevant to what the court has to decide and did not need to be disclosed to the public.
“She said: “The case concerns the decision-making process carried out by the defendant … the precise level of the pricing or pre-payments or total amounts spent on PPE that might not have been used or fit for purpose are not relevant to the issues before the court.
“It is not part of this court’s role to consider whether the contracts provided value for money or whether any public money has been wasted.”
“She added: “It is not necessary in my judgment for further details of the pricing of the contracts to be made public in these proceedings.”
“A large part of the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor’s claim is that the use of a “VIP lane” gave an unfair, unlawful advantage to some companies.”

(18 May 2021) Ministers ‘lobbied’ officials over PPE contracts, court hears Guardian May 18:
“Ministers “lobbied” officials to chase the progress of contracts for the supply of personal protective equipment that were being processed through a government “VIP lane” for companies with personal connections, a court has heard.
“In an internal WhatsApp message revealed as part of a legal challenge brought by the Good Law Project (GLP) and EveryDoctor, a civil servant supporting the government’s urgent PPE procurement efforts at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic said they needed a tracker system to check the progress of VIP offers.
“If they had such a tracking system for PPE offers from companies referred by ministers, MPs or civil servants, the official said it would save the procurement team from “being lobbied further by ministers/VIPs etc and the like”.
“The government has consistently said that although ministers could refer offers from people to supply PPE to the relevant procurement team, they were not involved in the award of contracts.”

(18 May 2021) UK pharma supplier put into special measures after new IT system causes almost 10,000 missed medicine deliveries report in The Register May 18:
"“UK pharmaceuticals supplier Healthcare at Home (HAH) missed 10,000 medicine deliveries from October to December 2020 following a change of IT systems, a mistake that left some patients needing hospital treatment.
“… the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in a report published at the end of last week stat[es] that HAH, which supports around 150,000 patients each year, had introduced new information systems in October 2020.
"These had not been thoroughly risk assessed and tested and resulted in avoidable harm to some patients," the report said. "This meant that delivery dates for medicines were missed and patients didn't get their essential medication required to treat their health condition or maintain their health, on time. Some patients' conditions deteriorated and they had to be admitted to hospital, whilst others experienced psychological trauma because of the uncertainty of not knowing when they would receive their essential medicines."
“HAH has yet to respond to The Register's questions over what caused the incidents and which software was involved. HAH is a user of Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP and CRM system, but it is not known whether these relate to its patient information system.
“Placing the company in special measures, the CQC went on to say HAH had not acted in a timely manner to address the issues caused following the "installation" of the IT. The regulator said that by December 2020, the number of medicines missed or delayed had risen to 9,885.”

(17 May 2021) India variant could lead to serious third wave of Covid in UK Guardian May 14: “Without the new variant, outbreak modellers advising Sage anticipated a modest third wave in July and August, with perhaps 4,000 to 11,000 more deaths, but nothing on the scale of the devastating winter wave.
“But the new variant is here. What that means is still uncertain. Take the outbreak in Bolton and surrounding areas out of the picture and the situation in England looks far less alarming, suggesting the region may be an outlier. Yet some scientists working on B.1.617.2 believe it is destined to displace the dominant and highly transmissible Kent variant, B.1.1.7, in the UK and note that charts displaying the steep rise in cases look horribly similar to those that tracked the surge of the Kent variant in December.
“Their concerns are backed by the Sage committee, which advised ministers on 5 May that pushing down cases of variant infections was now a “priority for policy”. A highly transmissible variant – one that spreads more easily than the Kent variant – “could lead to a very significant wave of infections, potentially larger than that seen in January 2021 if there were no interventions,” the experts said.”

(17 May 2021) Socio-economic inequalities in access to planned hospital care: causes and consequences An important new study on the causes of health inequalities.
"In the Summer and Autumn of 2020, as the first wave of the pandemic subsided, concern grew about reduced access to routine hospital care: diagnostics, outpatient care and planned surgery. Waiting lists and waiting times began to grow. The network of Decision Support Units in the Midlands recognised the potential for this issue to exacerbate existing inequalities. They jointly commissioned this analysis to explore the extent, causes and consequences of socio-economic inequalities in access to planned hospital care."

(16 May 2021) Matt Hancock helped Tory secure £180m PPE deal (£) Times May 16: "Matt Hancock personally intervened to help a former Conservative minister secure a PPE deal worth £180 million, according to government emails.
“The health secretary assisted Brooks Newmark, the former civil society minister who resigned after sending sexually explicit photographs of himself to an undercover journalist he thought was a female party activist.
“Last May, Newmark, 63, teamed up with the owner of a dog food company who had set up a firm to broker PPE deals for international suppliers. His subsequent lobbying helped a Hong Kong business become the eighth-biggest recipient of PPE contracts during the pandemic, according to the National Audit Office.
“Zoe Ley, the dog food entrepreneur, was reported by BBC Panorama to have personally earned up to £1 million.”

(15 May 2021) Johnson ‘must think again on plans to relax Covid rules’ Guardian May 15: “Boris Johnson was under mounting pressure on Saturday to reconsider Monday’s relaxation of Covid rules in England because of the threat posed by the India variant. His own advisers and independent health experts raised fears that it could lead to a surge in hospital admissions, especially among young adults.
“From Monday people will be able to meet in groups of up to 30 outdoors, while six people or two households will be permitted to meet indoors. Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers indoors. Indoor entertainment such as museums, cinemas and children’s play areas can also open along with theatres, concert halls, conference centres and sports stadiums.
“Overnight stays will be allowed. Weddings, receptions and other ceremonies will be able to take place among groups of up to 30. Unlimited numbers of people will be able to attend funerals.
“But there are fears the new India variant could trigger a third wave, just as the “big bang” relaxation approaches. Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the government’s taskforce on new and emerging viruses (Nervtag), said the relaxations would drive up the numbers infected with the India variant and that unvaccinated younger adults would be most at risk.”

(15 May 2021) Demand for inquiry into alleged PPE lobbying by Priti Patel Independent May 15 report on Labour exploiting rare useful revelation from Daily Heil: “Labour is demanding an investigation into allegations that Priti Patel breached the ministerial code of conduct by lobbying fellow ministers over a PPE contract for a Tory donor and former adviser.
“… Documents obtained by the Daily Mail show that the home secretary wrote to cabinet colleague Michael Gove after being contacted by a client of Samir Jassal over a £20m deal to supply personal protective equipment early in the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020.
“Health secretary Matt Hancock responded that the masks being offered by Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd (PDL) were “not suitable for the NHS”. But the company was later awarded a £102.7m contract for a higher-specification face covering.
“PDL contacted Ms Patel for help with the cancelled £20m deal after an introduction from Mr Jassal, who previously worked as her adviser and has twice stood as a Conservative parliamentary candidate.”

(14 May 2021) ‘GASLIT BY GOVERNMENT’ NHS Staff Tell of Mental Health Impact of PPE Shortages Byline Times May 14: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, PPE contracts have been awarded to friends and associates of the Conservative Party, including to companies that had no previous experience of procuring or developing medical-grade personal protective equipment.
“The Health Secretary Matt Hancock was found to have acted unlawfully in failing to publish COVID-19 contracts within the 30 day period required by law. The National Audit Office has also criticised PPE procurement practices – including evidence of a VIP lane for some suppliers.
“But the PPE procurement crisis goes beyond allegations of cronyism and corruption. It has had a traumatising impact on the mental health of NHS workers who faced the “terror” of working in a pandemic knowing they were not fully protected.
“A survey of 2,733 healthcare workers by the University of Roehampton found that one-third of respondents reported severe levels of depression and anxiety, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Insufficient PPE and lack of workplace preparation were linked to the most severe mental health symptoms, as well as the loss of colleagues. More than 800 healthcare workers have died since the start of the pandemic.”

(14 May 2021) Lockdown lifting should be delayed if Indian variant spreads out of control, says NHS leaders Independent May 14: "“If the Indian variant of coronavirus spreads out of control, ministers must be prepared to delay relaxing lockdown, NHS leaders have warned.
“The NHS Confederation, which represents more than 500 health and care organisations across the UK, urged the government not to delay taking action regardless of how unpopular such a move would be. Chief executive Danny Mortimer said: “With growing concern around the spread of the Indian variant of Covid-19, the government must be guided by the data.
“If there is any indication that the spread is no longer sufficiently under control, it must be prepared to adjust the timetable for easing lockdown, however unpopular that decision may be. There is also the real risk that the virus could mutate further if allowed to spread unchecked.”
“His comments come as the latest data showed cases of the Indian variant show the number of cases across the UK has risen from 520 last week, to 1,313 cases this week. Most are in the North West of England and some in London, Public Health England said.”

(14 May 2021) Rise in patients at Bolton Hospital as Indian variant spreads. Most of the patients admitted to hospital were eligible for the Covid vaccine but had not had the jab Independent report May 14: “Hospital bosses in Bolton have told The Independent they have seen a rise in patients being admitted sick with coronavirus, some needing intensive care.
“The Bolton NHS Foundation Trust medical director said a majority of the sick patients had not been vaccinated but would have been eligible for the jabs.
“Dr Francis Andrews urged everyone in the area who was offered the vaccine to have it.
“He said: “Whilst the numbers of people in the hospital with Covid-19 are still currently low compared to previous peaks, we have seen a modest increase in patients admitted with confirmed Covid-19 over the last week. A small number are requiring intensive care.
“The increase in admissions is seen across the age range from 35-65. The majority of patients have not received a vaccination dose, but many would have been eligible.”

(13 May 2021) ‘Government Could Have Saved More Than 100,000 Lives During Pandemic’ Byline Times May 13: “Sir David King, who served as the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor from 2000 to 2007, estimates that two-thirds of the estimated 150,000 deaths during the COVID-19 crisis could have been prevented, if the Government had implemented a strong, early lockdown during the first wave of the disease, alongside a more effective test, trace and isolate strategy.
“The [vaccine] roll-out has been understood literally as a lifesaver by the Government,” King told Byline Times. “It is a lifesaver.” However, other “lifesavers” have been missed by the Government. “How many deaths could have been avoided with quick action on find, test, trace, isolate and support, but also going into lockdown when it all became too desperate?… In excess of 100,000.”
Sir David places particular emphasis on the early months of the pandemic – from January to April – as the source of the UK’s high death toll.
“You’ve got to get ahead of a pandemic,” he said – pointing out that Chinese scientists published a definitive report on COVID-19, its transmission and its effect on humans, on 23 January 2020 – a full two months before Boris Johnson’s Government implemented the first nationwide lockdown.”

(13 May 2021) Sharp rise in children waiting for treatment in London for eating disorders ITV news May 13: "“There's been an alarming rise in the number of children in London waiting for treatment for eating disorders, according to figures from NHS England.
“Between January and March the figure increased nearly five-fold compared to a year ago, with 40% more children also receiving treatment.
“The number of children waiting for treatment last year between January and March was 39. For the same period this year that number rose to 187
“During the same period, the number of children receiving hospital treatment for an eating disorder rose from 263 last year to 365 this year
“At Great Ormond Street Hospital in central London a pilot scheme is tackling the waiting list for beds by expanding the outpatient service.
“But the hospital said the uncertainty of the pandemic created a 'perfect storm' for children prone to eating disorders.”

(13 May 2021) Blackburn health chiefs ‘stopped from vaccinating all over-18s’ Pulse Today article May 13: "Blackburn with Darwen’s public health director has told the BBC that he was stopped by Government officials from rolling out vaccines to all over-18s next week.
"Blackburn and Darwen Borough Council had briefly announced that the measures would be introduced next week to go hand in hand with surge testing in the area, amid concerns about outbreaks of the Indian variant of the virus.
"Professor Dominic Harrison told Breakfast on BBC Radio Lancashire: ‘I am furious. I cannot understand why [the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] or Department of Health and Social Care are stopping local directors of public health from taking the action they know will halt this surge of the Indian variant.’
"Residents had already been urged by the council to be cautious after a rise in cases of Covid-19 after a number of cases of the Indian variant had been reported in the North West.
"The European Medicines Agency has said there is promising evidence that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against the Indian variant."

(13 May 2021) Nearly half of eye patients at Hancock’s local trust waiting more than a year HSJ report May 13: “The East of England has been revealed as the worst-performing region for long ophthalmology waits, with almost half the waiting list at one acute trust already breaching the 52-week milestone.
“Eleven per cent of the region’s 59,000 ophthalmology patients had already been waiting more than a year for treatment at the end of February, compared to 6 per cent in London, the best performing region.
“West Suffolk Foundation Trust — which is in health and social care secretary Matt Hancock’s local constituency — had by far the biggest problem on this measure of any trust in England, with 42 per cent of the waiting list (660 patients) referred for treatment more than a year ago.
“Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust had the next highest proportion of year-plus ophthalmology patients, at 29 per cent of its total list.”

(13 May 2021) The NHS Covid legacy - long waits and lives at risk BBC News May 13: “In-depth analysis by BBC News has found:
• nearly a third of hospitals have seen long waits balloon with over 10% of patients going a year without treatment
• major disruption to cancer services, with some hospitals struggling to treat half of their patients within the target time of two months
• concern growing for 45,000 "missing cancer patients", after drops in GP referrals and screening services across the UK
“It comes as NHS England has launched a £160m initiative to tackle the growing waiting lists.
“A network of "accelerator" areas is being established to pilot new initiatives, including extra clinics at weekends, virtual assessments at home and new clinics that can complete high numbers of cataract operations.”

(12 May 2021) The UK's state-run investment bank won't say where it spent £1 billion of taxpayer money Business Insider May 12: “The UK's state-run economic development bank has refused to say who received more than £1 billion ($1.38 billion) it gave out in taxpayer-funded loans to startup companies.
“The British Business Bank, the 100% government-owned bank for small and medium-sized enterprises, has disbursed more than £1.1 billion of convertible loan agreements to 1,140 companies as part of its "Future Fund" scheme.
“… The lack of transparency over who got the money, or what they did with it, is of concern because the government has repeatedly awarded lucrative contracts to friends of ministers in Boris Johnson's government.
“For instance, a man who ran a pub near health secretary Matt Hancock's house won a £30 million ($31.4 million) contract to provide personal protective equipment — despite having no experience in the industry — after sending WhatsApp messages to Hancock.”

(12 May 2021) Virtual wards and at-home antibiotic kits part of £160m funding to cut NHS waiting lists Independent May 12 report on a stable door-locking exercise that offers too little, too late, with just £160m shared between 12 of the 42 Integrated Care Systems: “Virtual wards, at-home antibiotic kits and using artificial intelligence in GP surgeries are among new initiatives to be trialled as part £160m funding to tackle waiting lists in the NHS.
“NHS England announced the funding to aid in the health service’s recovery after the pandemic, after figures last month revealed the number of people waiting to begin hospital treatment in England had risen to a new record.
“A total of 4.7 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of February - the highest figure since records began in August 2007.
“But NHS England said indicators suggest operations and other elective activity were at four-fifths of pre-pandemic levels in April, which is "well ahead" of the 70 per cent threshold set out in official guidance.”

(12 May 2021) Why money spend on public health is a sound investment May 12 blog by public health expert Greg Fell:
"When public health stops meningitis outbreaks, or prevents toxic poisonings, or lowers infant mortality, it should be front page news. But you never see such headlines. As a practical example smoking prevalence has been coming down for decades. This hasn’t happened by magic.
"Tobacco control policy has saved countless deaths over decades, yet rarely if ever gets any headlines, thus public health professionals don’t quite capture the same place in public imagination as other groups. Perhaps covid might change that a bit, it is up to us to capitalise on this."

(11 May 2021) ‘A slap in the face’: Hundreds of frontline Covid doctors told they won’t have jobs from August Independent May 11: “Hundreds of doctors working on the front line during the Covid pandemic have been told they won’t have jobs in the NHS training scheme from August, despite the health service being dependent on them to tackle surgical backlogs.
“Almost 700 anaesthetists – who had key roles caring for critically ill patients struggling to breathe during the Covid surges – have been dropped from the NHS training scheme and are unable to progress in their careers because of a shortage in places.
“One junior doctor listed 40 jobs across the country that he would have considered moving to, but had been rejected for every single one, despite ranking in the top third of candidates nationally.
“He told The Independent that the news was a “slap in the face” after the past year and that he felt “let down” after giving so much during the pandemic.”

(10 May 2021) Tax dodging concerns over small firms used to pay NHS test-and-trace workers Guardian May 10 on yet another aspect of the sleaze and dodgy practice of private sector contractors who gained contracts during the pandemic:
"The Guardian investigated after sources working at Covid-19 call centres, testing sites, mobile testing units and laboratories raised concerns about their payslips and employment terms.
"Headed by the Conservative peer Dido Harding, NHS test and trace has become one of the biggest sources of new jobs during the pandemic, with a workforce of 50,000.
"Most of its staff are supplied not by the National Health Service, but by outsourcing giants including Serco and G4S, and dozens of recruitment agencies in a broad contracting network.
"Tax experts and unions fear weak controls by outsourcers and government agencies, and a complex chain of companies supplying labour for the service, which was created from scratch a year ago, have raised questions over the transparency of the system and left it wide open to abuse."

(9 May 2021) Mail on Sunday leads campaign to make GPs see all patients face to face once again May 9 article Mail on spurious Sunday “campaign” to vilify by demanding they do what they are already doing: GPs didn't stop seeing patients, haven't stopped seeing them, despite lack of promised support. Heil on Sunday claims:

“Surgeries were ordered by NHS England to move to online and phone consultations at the start of the pandemic, but with the NHS workforce now vaccinated, Covid infections at a low and deaths in single figures, the measures inexplicably remain in place.
“The new regime has led to vast swathes of patients feeling all but abandoned by their family doctors, according to more than 1,000 letters and emails received by this newspaper over the past eight months.
“But enough is enough: we are calling for health chiefs to change their guidance and reopen GP surgeries before it threatens to cause a spiralling crisis. And more resources should be made available to allow all family doctors to do this safely.
“GP leaders claim the proportion of appointments being held in person is recovering: NHS Digital statistics show the number of patients being seen in person in March had doubled to 15 million, compared to April last year.”

(9 May 2021) Johnson will vow to repair damaged NHS to lock in election gains Guardian May 9 with a highly optimistic reading of vague comments from Johnson camp, with no real new money in sight:
"Boris Johnson will put repairing the NHS at the heart of his next programme for government, as his team draws up plans to lock in the huge local election gains in the north of England and Midlands.
"With more NHS funding inevitable after the damage and delays caused by Covid-19, Downing St wants to neutralise an issue that could undermine progress among voters who have switched to the Tories. The NHS England head, Sir Simon Stevens, has already said cancer care and extra funding needs to be a priority. NHS waiting lists are seen as one of the government’s major vulnerabilities.
“We have to be honest with the public about the damage done to the NHS by coronavirus and the scale of the challenge ahead,” a No 10 source said. “Now, more than ever, the NHS is the government’s priority – and recovery of patient services is at the heart of that. We need to achieve a national recovery that spreads opportunity and transforms the whole UK, and this Queen’s speech will have that ambition at its core.”

(8 May 2021) Thousands of doctors and nurses being pressured to work extra hours unpaid Independent May 8 revealing the extent to which the dedication of NHS staff is being relentlessly exploited:
"In a survey of 5,500 doctors last month, the British Medical Association found 58 per cent had worked extra hours with more than a quarter, 28 per cent saying they were unpaid. More than two-fifths of doctors said the felt pressured by their employer to do extra hours.
"A third of medics said they had skipped breaks with 60 per cent reporting a higher than normal level of fatigue.
"Consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon Ram Moorthy, from Berkshire, said: “We haven’t had a break since the first wave, we're being asked to do a lot of additional work to catch up and I honestly don’t know how long the workforce can continue working beyond maximum effort. The fact is, it’s going to take a lot more than shattered doctor’s goodwill for the health service to get through these backlogs.”
"In July last year the Royal College of Nursing found a third of all nursing staff were working longer hours with 40 per cent not being paid for their time."

(6 May 2021) Nurses Hail Passage of Safe Staffing Bills US Public News Service report May 6 on the passing of Bill through both houses of New York state legislature to impose safe staffing levels and monitor the effectiveness of the change -- sadly to remain largely on paper unless Governor Andrew Cuomo comes off the fence and agrees to to sign the Bill.
"The bills, Senate Bill 1168A and Senate Bill 6346 passed in both the state Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support. Once signed into law, they will affect every hospital and nursing home in the state, both public and private.
"Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association, said hospitals will ultimately be required to abide by minimum nurse-to-patient ratios set by clinical staffing committees annually, and nursing homes will have to meet standards for daily nursing time for each resident.
"This law is a pathway toward getting the kind of support that patients need in order to get the care that they deserve," Sheridan-Gonzalez stated."

(6 May 2021) LSE–Lancet Commission on the future of the NHS: re-laying the foundations for an equitable and efficient health and care service after COVID-19 A new Commission sets out a long-term vision for the NHS: working together for a publicly funded, integrated, and innovative service that improves health and reduces inequalities for all. Sadly it relies on increases in income tax and regressive taxes such as National Insurance Contributions and VAT to pay for it, making it unlikely to happen and diverting from the need to tax corporations and the billionaires.
It makes seven recommendations, and associated sub-recommendations, for both the short term and long term, with a 10-year timeline.
“First, increase investment in the NHS, social care, and public health. This Commission proposes that yearly increases in funding of at least 4%, in real terms, are needed for health, social care, and public health.
“Second, improve resource management across health and care at national, local, and treatment levels.
“Third, develop a sustainable, skilled, and fit for purpose health and care workforce to meet changing health and care needs.
“Fourth, strengthen prevention of disease and disability and preparedness to protect against major threats to health.
“Fifth, optimise diagnosis to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities.
“Sixth, develop the culture, capacity, and capability to become a so-called learning health and care system (ie, in which data-enabled infrastructures are routinely used to support policy and planning, public health, and personalisation of care).
“Finally, improve integration between health care, social care, and public health and across different providers, including the third sector (ie, charity and voluntary organisations).”

(6 May 2021) Infection rules for NHS staff leave them at risk from airborne Covid, warn experts Independent May 6: "Pressure is growing on the government to change its stance on coronavirus infection rules which it is feared may leave NHS staff and patients at risk from airborne transmission.
"Experts told The Independent the current guidance from Public Health England (PHE), which effectively says staff working on general wards can rely on just surgical masks for protection, was “outdated and potentially misleading” and put NHS staff at risk.
"At the start of the pandemic the emphasis on stopping infection was focused around droplets containing the virus both in the air over short distances and on surfaces. Increasingly scientists have begun to warn the virus can also spread through much smaller aerosols which can remain airborne for a lot longer and over further distances.
"On Friday, the World Health Organisation updated its information on how Covid spreads to acknowledge the risk of aerosols and last month papers released by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said health workers may need to use better protection for longer.
"According to the Health and Safety Executive there were nearly 20,000 notifications of suspected workplace infections involving staff in a health or care setting in the 12 months to April this year, with 271 deaths. This is likely to be a substantial underestimate and only includes cases where there is reasonable evidence staff were infected at work."

(5 May 2021) Ministers urged to reveal details of £2bn Covid deals with private health firms Guardian May 5: "“The government has been urged to publish details of up to £2bn in Covid-19 contracts awarded to private healthcare companies, including some that have helped fund the Conservative party.
“… The NHS has said enlisting independent hospitals helped add 6,500 beds, freeing space to treat Covid-19 patients and allowing elective procedures to continue.
“But the Good Law Project, which has repeatedly raised concerns about cronyism and opacity in public procurement, said a lack of transparency about the terms of the contracts was concerning.
“… The first of two groups of contracts, running from March to December 2020, had 26 firms initially enlisted to provide extra capacity, to a value of £1.6bn.
“The government said it did not pay for beds and staff that were not needed, adding that in the end only 17 firms provided services, at cost price.
“Accounts for Practice Plus Group, which won £76.3m of work under the contract, raise questions about this assertion. They state that it worked on a “cost plus” basis, using a “cost plus pricing formula”.

(4 May 2021) Sir Simon Stevens steps down – the end of an era? This King's Fund blog by Nick Timmins May 4 is slightly less obsequious in its hero worship than some of the eulogies to the departing bureaucrat, but more extravagant in its praise for ... Jeremy Hunt!
“If there is a criticism it is that he was probably a better strategist than manager and the surprise might be that only relatively recently did he appoint a proper chief operating officer to help better implement the drive for integrated care systems.
“There has been real progress. But slower than he would have hoped. It is decidedly varied, with much still to do. And then, of course, there is the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The eventual public inquiry will ask questions. Not least about the discharge to care homes of thousands of patients, untested for Covid-19, as the NHS cleared the decks to cope.”

(4 May 2021) ‘Ill-judged’ bonus hike for AstraZeneca boss prompts investor anger Guardian May 4:
“AstraZeneca is facing mounting opposition over its plans to award its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, a big increase in bonuses, with three investor advisory groups calling on shareholders to vote against the policy.
“Pirc, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) have all flagged concerns over moves to raise the maximum share bonus Soriot can receive under a long-term plan from 550% of his £1.3m base salary to 650%.
“AZ also plans to hoist Soriot’s maximum annual bonus to 250% of salary from 200%, depending on performance targets being hit.
“The advisory groups recommended investors vote against the pay policy at next Tuesday’s annual meeting.”

(4 May 2021) Boris Johnson delays social care reform amid cost fears Times May 4 with the latest decision to kick a can of worms further down the road:
"Boris Johnson is expected to delay the announcement of plans for overhauling social care funding until after the Queen’s Speech over concerns in government that it will require cuts or tax rises worth up to £5 billion a year.
"The prime minister met Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, last month to discuss funding for social care, and more talks are expected in coming weeks. Johnson has taken a keen interest in a decade-long plan from Sir Andrew Dilnot, an expert in social care funding, that would cap care costs for individuals at £45,000 with the state covering the rest.
"The Queen’s Speech, on May 11, setting out the government’s legislative programme, is expected to mention the prime minister’s promise to come forward with plans for the funding of social care this year, but will not give detail."

(4 May 2021) Simon Stevens: How heavy hitter changed the NHS BBC May 4 with another buttock clenchingly sycophantic eulogy to the departing NHS England boss who has presided over years of decline in performance in acute and mental health care while busily promoting more top-down reorganisation: but it does allow one criticism:
"As the first Covid-19 wave subsided, he was able, rightly, to say the NHS had coped in the face of the extraordinary surge in Covid-19 patient numbers.
"But the emergency Nightingale Hospitals, created from scratch at large expense, were barely used.
"And this was something Sir Simon and his senior NHS colleagues were less willing to talk about."

(3 May 2021) Non-NHS healthcare providers given £96bn in a decade, says Labour Guardian May 3: "More than £96bn of health service funding has gone to non-NHS providers of care over the last decade, including private firms such as Virgin Care, research has revealed.
"The amount of money flowing out of the NHS in England to for-profit companies, voluntary groups and not-for-profits has grown from £8.4bn in 2010 to £14.4bn last year – a 72% jump.
"Private firms received £9.7bn of that £14.4bn for undertaking work such as planned operations, CT and other diagnostic scans, and community services such as district nursing, according to the Labour party analysis of NHS England’s annual reports and summarised accounts.
"Justin Madders, a shadow health minister, said: “It’s clear that under the Conservatives, spending on private health companies has spiralled out of control.”

(3 May 2021) NHS faces exodus of doctors after Covid pandemic, survey finds Guardian May 3:
"Thousands of UK doctors are planning to quit the NHS after the Covid pandemic because they are exhausted by their workloads and worried about their mental health, a survey has revealed.
"Almost one in three may retire early while a quarter are considering taking a career break and a fifth are weighing up quitting the health service to do something else.
"Long hours, high demand for care, the impact of the pandemic and unpleasant working environments are taking their toll on medics, the British Medical Association findings show.
"In a survey of 5,521 doctors 1,352 (31.9%) of the 4,258 who replied to a question about whether their career plans had changed over the last 12 months said they were now more likely to retire early than they were last year – more than double the 14% who said the same in June 2020."

(3 May 2021) The NHS is being privatised by stealth under the cover of a pandemic Guardian May 3 comment by Corbyn advisor Andrew Fisher:
"Cronyism and outsourcing have defined the government’s response to the pandemic, from the “VIP lane” for personal protective equipment (PPE) suppliers with connections to the Tory party to the privatised track and trace system so flawed it was described by Sage as only being of “marginal impact”. But less attention has been paid to what the longer-term impact of these decisions might be.
"Far from being an aberration, the government’s pandemic response reflects its commitment to embedding private interests at the heart of the state and stealthily chipping away at our most valued national institution.
"As Sir David King, a former chief scientific adviser, and the special representative for climate change under Boris Johnson when he was foreign secretary, recently told the Guardian, the government is slipping through plans to “effectively privatise the NHS by stealth” in “the name of a pandemic”.
"This story of privatisation is not one of wholesale transfer, such as the sell-off of British Gas or Royal Mail, but rather of a gradual hollowing out, a process that has been further accelerated by the pandemic and will continue under the Johnson government.
"In 2010, for example, the NHS spent £4.1bn on private sector contracts; by 2019, this had more than doubled to £9.2bn."

(30 Apr 2021) Women and babies at risk at hospital where doctors are censored and midwives fear working Independent April 30, with revelations of safety breaches at Worcestershire Royal Hospital:
"The maternity department’s clinical director resigned from her role earlier this month and in a damning internal message, leaked to The Independent, she criticised senior bosses at the trust for censoring her for speaking out about the “gridlocked system” and “unacceptably long delays” for some women.
"Consultant obstetrician Catherine Hillman said her role as clinical director was no longer tenable after a message she posted was taken down on the instruction of managers. She said the maternity unit was “at best precariously safe” and that she now realised it was “heresy to question the safety and validity of the situation and I am unable to continue to hold this party line.”

(29 Apr 2021) Test and trace would have been more successful if run by local authorities: Hunt Messenger newspapers April 29 report of Jeremy Hunt going rogue on a key question:
He "told the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services’ Spring Conference: “I think that local Government has done heroically well in the pandemic overall and my own view is we should have asked it to do more.
“I think we would have had more success with our contact tracing programme if we’d run it through local Government as the primary place that it operated from.”
He added: “My observation would be: why has the vaccine programme been a success? Because it’s been very locally led. And that has meant you had local NHS people, local Government people, local public services, local volunteers.
“And I think that one of the reasons we’ve had low compliance with requests to self-isolate…is because the request comes from someone in a call centre 300 miles away, not from a local authority that is in a better position – it would need the support to do this of course – but would be in a better position to monitor whether compliance was actually taking place".”

(28 Apr 2021) Coronavirus Politics: The Comparative Politics and Policy of COVID-19 An important new book, available for free download, identifies key threads in the global comparative discussion that continue to shed light on COVID-19 and shape debates about what it means for scholarship in health and comparative politics.
It brings together over 30 authors versed in politics and the health issues in order to understand the health policy decisions, the public health interventions, the social policy decisions, their interactions, and the reasons.
The book’s coverage is global, with a wide range of key and exemplary countries, and contains a mixture of comparative, thematic, and templated country studies. All go beyond reporting and monitoring to develop explanations that draw on the authors' expertise while engaging in structured conversations across the book.

(28 Apr 2021) Recovery Watch: Analysing the elective challenge at ICS level Excellent (£) HSJ April 28 summary of the waiting list situation using February figures.
"System-led elective recovery is a dominant theme in the service’s overarching strategy for resetting its performance in the wake of the pandemic and in NHS England and Improvement’s 2021-22 planning guidance.
"In Recovery Watch’s analysis, I have compared the NHS’ referral to treatment data by ICS/STP footprint for February 2020 — the last full month before the pandemic struck — and February 2021. The results were then weighted by estimated population size.
"It reveals not only the deterioration of each system’s waiting list over that 12-month period, but we can also (with several vital caveats) draw some comparisons into how different areas are faring. The analysis also provides a benchmark of sorts by which we can measure each ICS’ progress moving forward."

(28 Apr 2021) Woman dies after Indian police ‘take oxygen cylinder from family for VIP’ in fairness even the Daily Torygraph (April 28) appears shocked by the callousness of these latest government cuts in vital aid even as ministers prattle on about Global Britain:
"The UK government is set to almost entirely cut funding for polio eradication despite the world being tantalisingly close to ending the disease, which mainly affects children.
"The UK will cut its funding for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) by 95 per cent, from £100m to £5m, according to a report by Devex.
"The cut comes amid a swathe of funding reductions as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) tackles the move to slash overseas aid spending from 0.7 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent.
"On Tuesday, the Telegraph revealed that UK funding to help the world's poorest get access to clean water will be cut by 80 per cent.
"Polio, which remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, causes paralysis and mainly affects children. "

(26 Apr 2021) Health minister refuses meeting with NHS workers over 1% pay offer Nursing Notes April 26 on the dismissive response from minister:
"Health Minister Helen Whatley has declined to meet NHS workers and discuss how they feel about the Government’s 1% pay recommendation.
"GMB invited the Conservative MP and Health Minister to meet frontline NHS workers so they could explain how they feel about the Government’s 1% pay recommendation.
"A representative for Ms Whatley said she was too busy and declined their invitation; “We wanted to thank you for raising this issue with the Minister of State for Care and for requesting a meeting.
“As we are sure you can appreciate the Minister is getting many requests for her time currently, and unfortunately she is unable to meet at the moment.”
"Speaking in a previous Westminster Hall debate, Ms Whatley said pay was ‘rarely mentioned’ when she spoke to health workers and suggested they instead wanted more staff, time off, and to feel valued and supported."

(26 Apr 2021) "Commercial partners" could take over "entirety" of planned imaging networks (£)HSJ report April 26 on the latest explicit plans for privatisation from NHS England, even while they prattle on about "integration":
“New diagnostic imaging networks will be of such scale that they will be ‘significant operation businesses in their own right’ and will ‘need a distinct identity and arm’s length separation from the trusts’, NHS England has said.
“Guidance published yesterday gave trusts “until 2023” to set up diagnostic networks which will have their “own distinct leadership [and] governance arrangements” and will be responsible for asset management, financing, quality, staffing and location of all elective and non elective imaging across England.
“… In new operational guidance, NHS England has outlined seven models the networks can take, which include “outsourcing the service in its entirety, including ownership of the capital assets required for delivery of the service, to a commercial partner”.”

(26 Apr 2021) Labour: Ministers must reveal Covid contract links BBC News April 26:
"“Labour is calling for ministers to publish all contacts and links they have with firms awarded government contracts during the Covid crisis.
“In March 2020, emergency measures let the government speed up buying things like PPE and ventilators by directly awarding contracts rather than tenders.
“But since then, ministers have faced accusations of offering a "VIP fast-track" to the contracts for friends.
“… The call comes as a lobbying row continues to surround Westminster, following revelations that former prime minister David Cameron texted ministers on behalf of a firm he worked for - Greensill Capital - during the crisis.
“Last week, the BBC also revealed that businessman Sir James Dyson directly texted Boris Johnson about tax issues during the pandemic, which the PM then said he would "fix".”

(26 Apr 2021) Boris Johnson said he ‘would rather let bodies pile high’ than impose third lockdown, reports claim Independent April 26:
"Boris Johnson has been accused of saying that he would rather allow “bodies [to] pile high in their thousands” than impose another national lockdown.
"It was reported that the prime minister made the remark after he ordered the second lockdown at the end of October.
"Downing Street has strongly denied that Mr Johnson made the comment and said it was “just another lie”. But the Daily Mail said the sources who allege he made the comment back their claim.
"They say Mr Johnson lost his temper and “raged” after agreeing to new restrictions following a meeting in No 10, allegedly adding: “No more ****ing lockdowns - let the bodies pile high in their thousands.”
"A spokesperson for the Labour Party said in response to the report: “If this report is true, then these are truly shocking and sickening comments from Boris Johnson. It is hard to imagine how families who have lost loved ones to Covid will feel reading them. Boris Johnson must make a public statement as soon as possible in his response to this report.”

(26 Apr 2021) Three NHS patients ‘mutilated’ by surgeon in a single week prompts shake-up at NHS trust Shocking Independent April 26 story on failed standards at Norfolk & Norwich Hospital:
"An RAF veteran has been left with life-changing injuries after being “mutilated” by an NHS surgeon during what should have been a routine procedure.
"Paul Tooth, 64, has been permanently left with tubes going in and out of his body which he needs to continually recycle bile produced by his liver.
"The previously fit and active father-of-two has lost five stone in weight and can barely leave his house after the surgery last year.
"It was supposed to be a routine gall bladder removal, but the surgeon inexplicably took out Paul’s bile duct and hepatic duct, which link the liver to the intestines, as well as damaging the liver itself, making a repair impossible.
"Although he has won his legal battle against the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, Paul believes what happened to him raises bigger safety questions for the trust after he learned he was one of three patients harmed by the same surgeon just days apart."

(25 Apr 2021) Mental health patients ‘missed out on care’ during Covid Guardian April 25:
"Mental health patients found their conditions deteriorated during the pandemic because the NHS switched from in-person help to support by telephone, video and text messages, new research reveals.
"Many reported a lower quality of care, according to a study by University College London; others had trouble accessing medication, had appointments cancelled or felt the loss of face-to-face help meant they “were missing out on care”.
"Researchers led by Dr Brynmor Lloyd-Evans found that, for many patients, the switch to remote care heightened the isolation and loneliness they were already feeling because they could no longer see friends and family.
“People with pre-existing mental health conditions experienced serious disruptions to their access to, and the quality of, mental healthcare as a result of the pandemic. The opportunities and challenges of remote mental healthcare were an important aspect of our findings,” Lloyd-Evans and colleagues write in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology."

(25 Apr 2021) Social services chief: we’ve failed to learn lessons from Covid Observer April 25:
"Failures by successive governments to fix the care system led to countless avoidable care home deaths from Covid, England’s most senior social services leader has said.
"James Bullion, who steps down next week as president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, told the Observer he was angry at the unfairness of the effect of Covid on the poorest and most marginalised people in society and frustrated that ministers had still not laid out how they intended to reform social care.
“I suppose the anger is about the impact of the pandemic on the people who are most vulnerable and the poorest – rough sleepers, disabled people, older and frail people,” he said.
“When we look at the number of deaths, we see disproportionately more black and minority ethnic people affected, more people who’ve got social care needs, and so on.
"And that includes social care workers – it’s not very well known, but more social care workers have died than health workers. They are generally low-paid women and many of them from the black and minority ethnic population.”

(25 Apr 2021) Outrage as No 10 rules out urgent inquiry into Covid mistakes Observer report April 25 on government retreat from Boris Johnson's promise of an inquiry:
"The government has caused anger among bereaved families by telling them it will be too busy to start an inquiry into the UK’s handling of the Covid pandemic for months.
"In a six-page letter to lawyers for thousands of families calling for an immediate statutory public inquiry, the government said “an inquiry now is not appropriate” and “the very people who would need to give evidence to an inquiry are working round the clock”. It said “it is not anticipated that the government’s workload will ease in the coming months”.
"In a position statement that appears to kick Boris Johnson’s promise of an inquiry into the long grass, the government told the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group its “entire focus” was on delivering vaccines and preparing for “the effects of the third wave of the virus currently being experienced in neighbouring countries”. The letter, sent on 1 April, also said mechanisms to learn lessons were already in place, citing inquiries by committees of MPs and the National Audit Office (NAO)."

(25 Apr 2021) Matt Hancock may be forced to reveal politicians behind 'VIP' Covid contract bids Mirror report:
"Matt Hancock could be forced to reveal names of politicians behind “VIP” Covid-19 contract bids after officials blocked them out.
"A High Court judge is set to rule next week whether the Health Secretary must identify MPs, ministers and Tory associates who fast-tracked firms that won £1.7billion of contracts when the pandemic first hit.
"In a case brought by campaign group Good Law Project, black lines were drawn over names of those who recommended firms and decided who got what.
"Normal competition rules were suspended as the Government raced for PPE and ventilators. It led to what one lawyer in the Good Law Project described as a “red carpet to riches” for friends of ministers and MPs."

(23 Apr 2021) NHS increases surgery sessions to tackle hospital waiting lists Guardian April 23 reports the positive news that four London trusts are collaborating to reduce waiting lists for treatment -- but irritatingly fails to identify them:
“Four trusts spanning 10 acute and specialist hospitals in west and north-west London have joined forces to treat each other’s patients in a move to tackle the huge numbers seeking care.
“Figures collated by the trusts and shared with the Guardian show how dramatically waiting lists have increased across that area, as they have across England as a whole, as a result of the widespread suspension of normal NHS care over the last year.
“The number of patients at the four trusts waiting at least a year from their referral until they are treated has grown from just 20 pre-pandemic to 5,737.
“Between January last year and the same month this year the proportion of people with cancer receiving their first treatment from Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust within 62 days of being urgently referred by their GP fell from 82% to 73.8%. The NHS constitution says that 85% of such care, such as surgery or chemotherapy, should begin within the specified 62 days.”

(23 Apr 2021) Oxford malaria vaccine proves highly effective in Burkina Faso trial Guardian April 23:
"A vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year.
"The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford University, showed up to 77% efficacy in a trial of 450 children in Burkina Faso over 12 months.
"The hunt for a malaria vaccine has been going on the best part of a century. One, the Mosquirix vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline, has been through lengthy clinical trials but is only partially effective, preventing 39% of malaria cases and 29% of severe malaria cases among small children in Africa over four years. It is being piloted by the World Health Organization in parts of Kenya, Ghana and Malawi.
"The Oxford vaccine is the first to meet the WHO goal of 75% efficacy against the mosquito-borne parasite disease. Larger trials are now beginning, involving 4,800 children in four countries."

(23 Apr 2021) Lobbying scandal: Race for PPE held up by demands from ‘VIP’ suppliers (£) Times report April 23:
“Civil servants were unable to buy PPE quickly at the height of the pandemic last year because they were “drowning” in offers from suppliers with links to the government, emails have shown.
“In correspondence made public after legal action, officials expressed annoyance that VIP suppliers were allowed to “jump to the front of the queue”. Civil servants said that the number of requests they had to process from “high priority contacts” had hurt their ability to accept offers from other suppliers.
“Applications to supply PPE to the government were ten times more likely to be successful if they came with a recommendation from someone in government, a report by the National Audit Office found last year.
“… Transparency International, the campaign group, said this week that a fifth of PPE contracts totalling £3.7 billion had raised a “red flag” for potential corruption.”

(22 Apr 2021) Covid-19: Government race review “misused evidence,” says Marmot BMJ April 22 report:
"A review commissioned by the government that dismissed the notion that structural racism may have contributed to poor health outcomes among ethnic minority groups during the covid-19 pandemic was guilty of a “misuse of evidence,” a world expert on health inequalities has said.
"Michael Marmot, director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, said that the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities,1 chaired by Tony Sewell, failed to acknowledge that racism could account for the “adverse distribution of socioeconomic characteristics” that cause health inequalities when it selectively quoted his evidence.
"But although the report has been roundly condemned for concluding that there was “no evidence of systemic or institutional racism” in the UK,2 Marmot said the reaction to it had given him some hope. “Because of their misuse of evidence, it has been widely criticised,” he said. “That makes me hopeful that the truth, the evidence, can actually carry the day. We need the evidence out there, we need people discussing it, and we need to get our national politicians responsive to it.”
"Marmot was speaking at an online Westminster Health Forum event on 20 April, where he also argued that the UK’s high excess mortality during the covid-19 pandemic was caused by austerity policies, increased social and economic inequality, and cuts to public services over the past decade that had left the UK “unhealthy coming into the pandemic.”

(22 Apr 2021) Explosive emails show how the Government’s VIP lane caused chaos in PPE procurement Good Law Project report April 22:
"“Explosive emails revealed in a hearing on our legal challenge over direct awards of PPE contracts show civil servants raising the alarm that they were “drowning in VIP requests” from political connections that do not have “the correct certification or pass due diligence”.
“One email shows a civil servant warning that when VIPs “jump to the front of the queue it then has a knock on effect to the remaining offers of help.”
“For ordinary people the pandemic was a tragedy. But for well-connected VIPs it was the chance of a lifetime – huge fortunes were up for grabs. “What this civil servant is saying is that it became more of a tragedy because so many VIPs – overwhelmingly introduced by Ministers – were interfering with civil servants’ ability to purchase the PPE needed by healthcare workers on the frontline.
“Remember Ayanda, the company linked to Liz Truss, fast-tracked through the VIP Lane – who supplied £155m worth of unusable face masks to the NHS frontline? This email shows Ayanda threatening to escalate their bid to ministerial level and another includes a civil servant warning of the Ayanda deal “the bar seems to have been lowered on this one.”
“This is the cost of cronyism – good administration suffers, efficient buying of PPE suffers.”

(22 Apr 2021) Fifth of UK Covid contracts ‘raised red flags for possible corruption’ Guardian April 22:
"One in five government Covid contracts awarded between February and November 2020 contained one or more red flags for possible corruption and require urgent further investigation, a respected campaign group has warned.
"Transparency International UK said a “seriously flawed” arrangement, whereby companies bidding for contracts were prioritised if they were referred into a “VIP lane” by their political connections, had “damaged trust in the integrity of the pandemic response”.
"The group said Boris Johnson’s government must urgently disclose the identities of companies awarded public money through the VIP lane, which was set up by the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health and Social Care in the early days of the pandemic.
"The government has so far refused to name the companies granted public money through the scheme, citing “commercial confidentiality”. It has previously claimed the purpose of the arrangement was to triage large numbers of offers to help from the private sector."

(21 Apr 2021) Vaccines are working: charts that show the Covid endgame FT report April 21:
“It is easy to feel as if the coronavirus pandemic is getting out of control again. The rate of new cases hit a record last week, with 5.2m people around the world getting infected, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
“Three months ago, many in India were celebrating the prospect that the country was approaching herd immunity; now the number of new cases is growing at an alarming rate.
“… But the flurry of depressing headlines cannot disguise one thing: it is now clear that the vaccines are working. In countries where cases have been falling in recent months, the vaccines have saved lives. And in countries that are still struggling to suppress a third or fourth wave, the vaccines have also saved lives.
“An FT analysis of data from five countries — each facing very different scenarios — finds that rates of infections, hospitalisation and death have traced a lower path among the older, most vaccinated age groups than among younger cohorts, who are least likely to have received the jab.”

(21 Apr 2021) Top medic criticises Government over attention given to Dyson ventilator i-News April 26:
“A senior medic who led the development of a ventilator to tackle the first wave of Covid-19 last year has criticised the way Sir James Dyson was given attention by the Government despite having no clinical expertise.
“Andrew Farmery, professor of anaesthetics at Oxford University, spearheaded the OxVent project in response to the Government’s appeal for help for ventilators in March last year.
“Sir James has come under scrutiny after it emerged Prime Minister Boris Johnson had agreed by text message to “fix” tax changes the vacuum tycoon wanted in return for the development of a Dyson ventilator.“Prof Farmery told i on Wednesday the Dyson prototype was “never a goer” and said it is his view that Sir James and the Prime Minister “both knew it wasn’t going to actually happen”.
“The Government wanted the ventilator shortage to be solved by “UK PLC” rather than “anonymous university nerds”, Prof Farmery said.”

(21 Apr 2021) Government confirms no Coronavirus bonus for health and care staff in England Nursing Notes April 21:
"The Government has confirmed there will be no COVID bonus for health and care staff in England.
"It comes after Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all agreed a one-time payment of at least £500 to all health and social care workers for their efforts during the pandemic.
"A recent petition with over 14,000 signatures called upon Downing Street to honour a similar payment in England.
"In response to the petition, the Government confirmed there would be no bonus for workers in England; “We are immensely grateful to our health and social care workforce. We are not currently planning to pay £500 bonuses but are exploring ways to improve recognition of health and social care staff.
“The Government hugely values and appreciates all our NHS and social care staff. We are working hard to ensure that all health and social care workers feel supported and safe to continue the fight against Covid-19.
“Covid-19 has placed a huge strain on public finances and the economic outlook remains uncertain."

(21 Apr 2021) ‘The system has collapsed’: India’s descent into Covid hell Guardian April 21:
"[India] has descended into a tragedy of unprecedented proportions. Almost 1.6 million cases have been registered in a week, bringing total cases to more than 15 million. In the space of just 12 days, the Covid positivity rate doubled to 17%, while in Delhi it hit 30%. Hospitals across the country have filled to capacity but this time it is predominately the young taking up the beds; in Delhi, 65% of cases are under 40 years old.
"While the unprecedented spread of the virus has been partly blamed on a more contagious variant that has emerged in India, Modi’s government has also been accused of failures of political leadership from the top, with lax attitudes emulated by state and local leaders from all parties and even health officials across the country, which led many to falsely believe in recent months that India had defeated Covid."

(21 Apr 2021) Why is India seeing such a huge surge in Covid-19 cases? Guardian April 21:
"“The health minister, Harsh Vardhan, said in March that the country had entered the “endgame” of the virus but cases were already beginning to take off by that point. Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan who has been tracking India’s pandemic, told the Associated Press that India had failed to learn from second or third surges in countries including Brazil and the UK, to ensure it was ready for a similar situation.
“The discovery of a new variant of Covid-19 in India has caused widespread concern and has been blamed as one of the main factors driving the wave of cases. The variant is known as B.1.617 and has two unusual mutations: E484Q and L425R. This so-called “double mutant” variant is believed to be more transmissible than previous strains.”

(20 Apr 2021) Ageing NHS hospitals hit by sewage leaks, power failures and rat infestations as maintenance backlog hits £9 billion Independent April 20 with some grim chapter and verse on the implications of the soaring £9bn backlog in NHS maintenance as buildings crumble:
“Raw sewage flooding wards, power failures, and rat infestations were just some of more than 1,200 critical incidents at NHS trusts in the past year caused by ageing equipment and crumbling infrastructure.
“NHS leaders have said more investment is needed to reverse a backlog in buildings maintenance across the health service which has now reached an unprecedented £9bn. The situation is getting worse, with the backlog costs rising by 60 per cent in four years.
“In some hospitals the problems have become so severe they are affecting patient care leading to wards being closed, operations delayed and in some cases posing genuine risks to safety.
“… Jonathan Grieve, from MyJobQuote.co.uk which unearthed the data, said: “When we see figures like these it is plain to see that the NHS is in dire need of more money to support basic infrastructural requirements. By investing in the NHS now, it will enable staff to care for patients to a much higher standard.”

(20 Apr 2021) Revealed: £102.6 million to ex-No10 advisor More revelations from the Good Law project April 20:
"We already knew that Boris Johnson had misled Parliament when he insisted in February that all COVID contracts were “on the record”. Now we’ve uncovered a new contract that makes further nonsense of that claim.
"In July 2020 Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited was handed a £102.6 million Government PPE contract – without any competition. Though it was awarded the multi-million pound deal to supply face masks last July, Government failed to publish any details relating to the contract until March this year. In fact, it was only after our lawyers wrote to Government about Pharmaceuticals Direct that this lucrative contract was disclosed, long after Boris Johnson claimed all contract details were on the record. The company’s named representative was a man named Samir Jassal.
"Samir Jassal is a well-connected figure within the Conservative Party. A two-time Conservative Party parliamentary candidate and former councillor, he has met Boris Johnson on at least three occasions, with the last meeting held in October 2020.
"According to his LinkedIn profile, he was an adviser in No.10 during David Cameron’s premiership in 2015 and has worked with several other prominent Conservative Party figures, including the Home Secretary Priti Patel and Minister Zac Goldsmith. Jassal has also donated £4,000 to the Conservative Party in recent years."

(20 Apr 2021) Covid contracts: PPE fixer who was Tory donor named in admin error BBC News April 20 on how the embarrassing facts only emerged by accident:
"Although the deal, for protective masks for hospital workers, was signed last year, the details only came to light in March after a court rebuked the government for failing to publish contracts within the legal time frame. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was found to have acted unlawfully for this failure.
"Even when the deal involving Mr Jassal was finally published, the contact details for the supplier were blacked out. Full contracts are routinely redacted when published by the government.
"However, in what appears to have been a clerical error, a separate document published with the contract gives Mr Jassal's name. He is listed as the "supplier's contact" to Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited, the company paid to supply the masks."

(18 Apr 2021) NHS England chair faces demands to explain role in Greensill lobbying Observer April 18 on the way the Cameron lobbying scandal impacts on the NHS:
“The Conservative peer who chairs NHS England is facing demands to explain why he helped arrange for Greensill Capital to lobby senior health service bosses, with Labour describing his role as “shocking”.
“David Prior is facing questions over a meeting he organised between the now collapsed finance firm’s founder Lex Greensill and the overall boss of the NHS and its chief financial officer.
“Lord Prior – a former Tory MP, health minister and Tory party deputy chair – also helped to facilitate a meeting at which Lex Greensill was able to lobby Lady Harding, the Tory peer who chairs NHS Improvement, the health service’s financial regulator.
“That encounter led to Greensill being able to meet the chief executives of a number of NHS hospital trusts whose support he was seeking for a scheme to let the NHS’s 1.4m staff in England be paid daily by Greensill, via an app called Earnd, rather than monthly in what Labour said was a latter-day “junk bonds” exercise.”

(18 Apr 2021) My Little Crony An updated interactive visualization of the links between Tory politicians and firms winning government contracts -- valuable resource in tracking the corruption.

(18 Apr 2021) Serco brazens out Covid calamity as the profits roll in Observer April 18:
“What do you do when your company finds itself at the centre of a controversy? Some companies draw up delicately worded apologies or at least look for convenient scapegoats, but Serco has taken the more traditional approach during the pandemic: stick to your position and insist there’s nothing to see here.
“The outsourcing company will be winning no popularity prizes any time soon, not least because of its role in the UK’s expensive test-and-trace programme. The National Audit Office said there was no evidence the £22bn programme had reduced rates of Covid-19 in England.
“Serco chief executive Rupert Soames, a grandson of Winston Churchill whose brother is former Conservative MP Nicholas Soames, has staunchly defended his company’s role, and said the test and trace team had done “bloody well”.
“The rewards for Serco for that and other work have certainly been generous. In March it revealed that Soames had been paid £4.9m for 2020. Shareholders were also happy, enjoying a £17m dividend payout after Serco doubled profits in 2020 as Covid-19 contracts boosted revenues.

(18 Apr 2021) No 10 adviser Eddie Lister owns shares in a firm awarded £1m in government and NHS contracts Mail in Sunday April 18:
"Eddie Lister, one of the Prime Minister's most senior advisers, owns shares in a company that has won nearly £1 million in Government and NHS contracts, I can reveal.
"The Tory peer has more than £50,000 worth of shares in Johnson Controls, a US-based engineering firm whose UK branch has secured six public contracts since Lister joined the No 10 team as Chief Strategic Adviser.
"Four years ago, Johnson Controls (no relation to Boris) merged with Tyco, where Lister worked for more than a decade as, wait for it, 'director of government relations' before Mayor Boris brought him to City Hall and then Downing Street."

(17 Apr 2021) David Cameron rode the wave of Covid to target the NHS Times April 17 revelations on the attempt to foist a Greensill project on to the NHS:
“Cameron, … was writing with a pitch from “one of the businesses I now work with”: Greensill Capital, whose Earnd app was being piloted in several NHS trusts. By offering daily payment, he explained, “it addresses one of your key priorities: helping all NHS employees’ welfare, morale and wellbeing”.
“Cameron then made a striking claim: his old protégé, the health secretary, whom he had already lobbied over private drinks, backed Greensill’s idea. “As you can imagine, Matt Hancock ... as well as the many Trust CEOs are extremely positive about this innovative offer.”
“He also reiterated Greensill’s claim that the pandemic had created a moral case for a product, which, until that point, the NHS had not used widely. “This is of such potential importance in contributing to the priority of doing all we can to help NHS employees at the current time,” the former prime minister added.
“All he needed was for NHSX to speed up the process, and grant it access to the data of NHS employees. As Cameron put it: “Our ask is about electronic staff records, as Earnd will be much slicker if it can obtain access to employee data ... I think some help from you would go a long way.” He signed off: “Finally, and importantly, once this is all over, it would be great to see you again — maybe for lunch? Let’s stay in touch!”
“Within months, Cameron had got what he wanted. In October, Earnd unveiled a partnership to deliver rapid payment to up to half a million NHS staff, having secured deals to get access to, and in some cases pay for, the sought-after data.”

(16 Apr 2021) ‘Staff have been treated like cannon fodder’: NHS bosses issue stark warning on future of health service Independent April 16:
"Hundreds of senior NHS managers have voiced their fears for the future of the health service amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis without a significant pay rise to help retain staff on the front line.
"A survey of more than 800 senior NHS managers has revealed the extreme pressure some have been working under, with many working 20 or more hours of unpaid extra hours each week.
"More than 90 per cent backed a significant pay rise for NHS staff to try and head off a feared exodus of nurses, doctors and other staff leaving the NHS after the pandemic. This would help shore up the service as it faces the daunting task of tackling record waiting lists now totalling 4.7 million patients.
"Some managers said that the government’s planned 1 per cent pay rise was an “insult” and made them feel “worthless”, according to the survey run by the Managers in Partnership union."

(16 Apr 2021) Matt Hancock Holds Shares In Sister's Firm Who Won NHS Contracts Huffington Post April 16 on the latest revelations about Matt Hancock:
"Health secretary Matt Hancock has a stake in his sister’s company that has recently won NHS contracts, it has emerged as questions are raised over the links between the Tory government and the private sector.
"In the latest edition of the register of members of parliament’s interests, Hancock is shown to hold at least a 15% share in a company called Topwood Limited, with the declaration made last month.
"Last month, Topwood won two NHS Wales contracts worth £150,000 each to carry out waste disposal services, including the shredding of confidential documents.
"According to Companies House, one of the directors of the firm is Emily Gilruth, the older sister of the Tory cabinet minister. The connection was revealed by the Bywire news website.
"Health Service Journal also found Topwood has been in line for health contracts in England, securing a place on the NHS Shared Business Services framework for “confidential waste destruction and disposal” in 2019, just months after Hancock became secretary of state. The framework is effectively a shortlist of providers available to the local NHS. The HSJ added that Hancock did not declare his association with the firm in any of the published ministerial interests declarations of recent years."

(15 Apr 2021) Hospital waiting lists in England at longest since records began Guardian April 15:
"Hospital waiting lists in England are longer than at any time since records began and nearly 388,000 people have waited more than a year to start treatment.
"The NHS England data for February exposes the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the health service.
"About 4.7 million people are now waiting for hospital treatment, the highest number since at least August 2007. The number of people waiting for 52 weeks or more is higher than at any time in more than 13 years.
"Referrals for urgent cancer treatment were also down 8% on last year, with 15,475 fewer people being sent for help. Fewer people were admitted to accident and emergency departments, down by more than 50,000 to 503,913 in March compared with the same time in 2019, before the pandemic hit."

(14 Apr 2021) Revealed: ‘COVID goldrush’ firms receiving millions under UK furlough scheme Another Open Democracy revelation of the dodgy dealings during the pandemic:
“Companies awarded huge COVID contracts by the government have received millions in support payments through the furlough scheme, openDemocracy can reveal.
“Among the firms given furlough payments are a digital marketing business that won an £19.5m contract to provide personal protective equipment, and a controversial science company once hired by Dominic Cummings and Vote Leave.
“The revelations come amid growing concerns about COVID cronyism and lobbying in government and days after HMRC announced it was launching a clampdown on poor families who were mistakenly overpaid tax credits as long as 17 years ago.
“OpenDemocracy’s investigation also found that Greensill Capital, the collapsed finance firm at the centre of the David Cameron lobbying scandal, has been receiving payments from the government’s wage subsidy scheme.”

(14 Apr 2021) Lockdown easing will ‘inevitably’ lead to rise in deaths and hospitalisations, Boris Johnson warns Independent April 14 warns us to adopt the brace position for more bad news to come:
“Hospitalisations and deaths will rise “inevitably” as the lockdown is lifted, Boris Johnson has warned the public.
“The dramatic falls in infections were achieved primarily because of the tough restrictions – rather than the vaccination programme, the prime minister said.
“The bulk of the work in reducing the disease has been done by the lockdown,” Mr Johnson said. “So, as we unlock, the result will inevitably be that we will see more infection, that sadly we will see more hospitalisations and deaths – and people have just got to understand that.”
“However, the prime minister insisted the key future dates for lifting curbs – on 17 May and 21 June – would go ahead as planned, on the current data.”

(14 Apr 2021) U.S. trade czar meets unions, companies as pressure mounts for IP waiver to boost vaccinations Reuters report April 14 showing the Biden regime far more responsive than Johnson government to need for global vaccination to contain the pandemic -- and action to force grudging drug companies into line:
“U.S. trade czar Katherine Tai is meeting with unions, industry executives and advocacy groups as Washington faces mounting pressure to back a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations around the world.
“…Tai, who helped broker Sunday’s agreement in a thorny trade case involving South Korean battery makers, is seeking input before a virtual World Trade Organization meeting on the issue on Wednesday.
“Tai met with representatives from more than 20 unions, including the AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Association of Flight Attendants, her office said. She underscored the Biden administration’s commitment to increasing COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution, both at home and worldwide, USTR said, seeking the organizations’ views on increasing vaccine availability and preventing the emergence and spread of new variants.
“Biden’s top trade negotiator also met with officials from eight groups, including Public Citizen, Oxfam America, Human Rights Watch and Doctors without Borders, who want Washington to change course and allow an increase in the production of vaccines.
“WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will convene major manufacturers, banking officials and ministers from wealthy and developing countries on Wednesday to discuss vaccine export restrictions and a waiver of IP rights for COVID-19 drugs.”

(14 Apr 2021) Maternity units told to meet target staffing levels by next April Independent April 14 following up on its coverage of the poor quality of maternity care in a number of trusts and belated action to address it:
"NHS maternity units have been told they have until next April to increase the numbers of midwives on wards to expected levels after a near £100 million investment.
"NHS England has told hospitals they must bring staffing levels for midwives up the levels needed to meet their planned demand from mothers and to ensure women get safe care.
"In a letter to NHS trusts, England’s chief nurse Ruth May said she expected hospitals to use their share of a recent £96 million investment by NHS England to boost staffing levels along with extra spending from local budgets."

(13 Apr 2021) 4.6m people missed out on hospital treatment in England in 2020 Guardian April 13 exclusive on Health Foundation research, with some shocking figures on how far the NHS has to go to catch up after Covid:
"More than 4.5 million people missed out on hospital treatment in England last year due to the disruption to the NHS caused by Covid, with growing numbers turning to crowdfunding to pay for cancer drugs and operations.
"The number of patients having planned surgery such as a joint replacement plummeted from 16.62 million in 2019 to just under 12 million last year – a drop of 4.64 million people – an analysis of NHS hospital activity by the Health Foundation reveals.
"The fall was mainly caused by hospitals suspending many of their normal services as they focused on the influx of people severely ill with coronavirus, which resulted in operating theatres being turned into makeshift intensive care units and surgical staff being repurposed to fight the pandemic.
"At the same time GPs referred 6 million fewer people to have diagnostic tests and treatment in hospital as a result of the disruption to care …"

(13 Apr 2021) Nigel Boardman: from GQ list to chairing Greensill lobbying inquiry Guardian April 13:
“The corporate lawyer chosen to chair the inquiry into the Greensill lobbying scandal was once named one of GQ’s most connected men in Britain – but his close connections in the world of finance and politics are set to come under scrutiny.
“Nigel Boardman was a long-term partner at the international law firm Slaughter and May, a role he left in 2019, though he continues to be a senior consultant at the firm.
“Slaughter and May is deeply connected to the coronavirus loan scheme that David Cameron sought to access on behalf of Greensill Capital – repeatedly texting the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, on its behalf.
“Lawyers from the firm were “working as an integrated team with Treasury legal advisers” as the Treasury set up the Covid corporate financing facility (CCFF), announced by Sunak on 17 March 2020, according to a release on the firm’s website.”

(13 Apr 2021) Thousands of doctors have quit the NHS for overseas amid row over visas for elderly parents i-News April 13 with an everyday story of the consequences of institutionalised racism in Priti Patel's brutal Home Office:
"Thousands of GPs and consultants have left the NHS over the last six years to move overseas with the row over visas for elderly parents one of the main reasons behind the “staggering” exodus, according to doctors.
"Figures obtained from the General Medical Council (GMC) reveal that since 2015 more than 2,000 GPs and specialists have left for another country and asked to be erased from the UK register. More than 4,000 non-specialists, such as junior doctors, have quit their jobs and moved abroad.
"Doctors said the latest figures make a mockery of the Government’s economic argument for severely restricting the number of adult dependent relative (ADR) visas for elderly parents of NHS staff. The Coalition Government’s hostile environment policy led to a change in the rules in 2012 that led to an immediate collapse in the number of visas granted."

(13 Apr 2021) Mental Health Matters: Celebrity death among cascade of concern over eating disorders (£)HSJ report April 13 on a still unresolved gap in NHS mental health care:
"Yesterday’s tragic news of the death of a former Big Brother star comes after a month of headlines about people struggling with an eating disorder.
"Much of that news, including in HSJ, has focused on the recent dramatic rise in demand for eating disorder services, which the NHS is unable to cope with.
"Despite much talk of how coronavirus has impacted on the NHS, eating disorder services were already broken before the pandemic."

(13 Apr 2021) David Cameron facing scrutiny over £123m Illumina health contract (£) Times April 13 report on yet more shenanigans from ex PM David Cameron – this time lobbying for a US health corporation:
"David Cameron is facing new questions over lobbying after an American healthcare company he acts for as a paid adviser secured a £123 million contract with the Department of Health.
"Illumina was awarded the sum a week after the former prime minister appeared with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, at a genomics conference in September 2019.
"Cameron has denied lobbying on any Illumina contracts, saying that his role at the company was purely to promote the benefits of genome sequencing.
"The conference coincided with a £200 million expansion in the government’s sequencing programme. A week later Genomics England, a health department body, awarded Illumina the £123 million contract without competition."

(12 Apr 2021) Ontario hospitals may have to withhold care as COVID-19 fills ICUs Reuters report April 12 on consequences of chronically low bed provision in Ontario:
“Canada’s most populous province is cancelling elective surgeries, admitting adults to a major children’s hospital and preparing field hospitals after the number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs jumped 31% to 612 in the week leading up to Sunday, according to data from the Ontario Hospital Association.
“The sharp increase in Ontario hospital admissions is also straining supplies of tocilizumab, a drug often given to people seriously ill with COVID-19.
“Hospital care is publicly funded in Canada, generally free at the point of care for residents. But new hospital beds have not kept pace with population growth, and shortages of staff and space often emerge during bad flu seasons.
“Ontario’s hospitals fared relatively well during the first wave of the pandemic last year, in part because the province quickly cancelled elective surgeries. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario told doctors last Thursday that the province was considering “enacting the critical care triage protocol,” something that was not done during earlier waves of the virus. Triage protocols help doctors decide who to treat in a crisis.”

(12 Apr 2021) The Guardian view on mental health: this emergency requires a response Guardian Editorial April 12:
"The toll on the UK’s mental health caused by the pandemic is becoming much clearer. The dismaying, if unsurprising, news as shops and businesses reopen is that fears that Covid would result in higher levels of mental illness have been borne out.
"What is particularly disturbing about the warning issued by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on Friday is that it most strongly applies to children.
"There were 80,226 more under-18s referred to NHS mental health services in England between April and December last year than in the same period in 2019.
"The number of children and young people needing emergency care rose 20% to 18,269, while the number of adults needing emergency treatment reached a record high of 159,347.
"Parity of esteem for mental health was supposedly enshrined in law in the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. But the promise was not fulfilled."

(12 Apr 2021) Sixty seconds on . . . a covid-19 inquiry BMJ April 12 giving a welcome plug to Keep Our NHS Public's People's Covid Inquiry, chaired by Michael Mansfield:
"The informal People’s Covid Inquiry (www.peoplescovidinquiry.com), convened by the Keep Our NHS Public campaign, is filling the gap, receiving testimony from experts, key workers, and the public at fortnightly hearings.8 The inquiry’s panellist Neena Modi, professor of neonatal medicine, told The BMJ, “If ever there was a time to ask questions, it has got to be now.”
"I hope this is about more than blame
"The inquiry’s chair, the human rights barrister Michael Mansfield QC, told The BMJ that the “focus is the present predicament” and “the rebuild of public health.” The inquiry aims to publish recommendations, establish accountability, and bring justice. “We endeavour to ask the questions everyone wants answers to,” he said."

(11 Apr 2021) Downing Street rewrote ‘independent’ report on race, experts claim Observer April 11 indicating that the Sewell report denying institutional racism was neither independent nor written by the commission members:
"The Observer has been told that significant sections of the report published on 31 March, which were criticised and debunked by health professionals, academics, business chiefs and crime experts, were not written by the 12 commissioners who were appointed last July.
"The 258-page document was not made available to be read in full or signed off by the group, which included scientist and BBC broadcaster Maggie Aderin-Pocock and Samir Shah, former chair of the Runnymede Trust, nor were they made aware of its 24 final recommendations. Instead, the finished report, it is alleged, was produced by No 10.
"Kunle Olulode, an anti-racism activist and director of the charity Voice4Change, is the first commissioner to condemn the government publicly for its lack of transparency. In a statement to the Observer, Olulode’s charity was scathing of the way evidence was cherrypicked, distorted and denied in the final document."

(10 Apr 2021) Protesters advocate for legislation to alleviate burden of medical debt lawsuits Johns-Hopkins Newsletter with more news on the US health care system and how it’s viewed by patients, April 10:
“End Medical Debt Maryland held a rally at the Hopkins Hospital Billings building on April 3 to protest against the practice of suing patients over medical debt. End Medical Debt Maryland is a coalition of 58 organizations that are advocating for the Medical Debt Protection Act to be passed at the Maryland General Assembly this spring.
“Numerous Baltimore residents shared their stories of financial and emotional distress incurred from the hardships of medical debt. The protesters also distributed “Know Your Rights” flyers around the neighborhood.
“Brig Dumais, coalition chair of End Medical Debt Maryland, emphasized that residents of East Baltimore are most likely to be sued for medical debt, notably Black people, single mothers and low-income essential workers. According to Dumais, at least 17% of Marylanders currently have medical debt in collections, with the median debt totaled around $944.
“Ending medical debt is not only a patients’ rights issue. It’s a worker’s rights issue. It’s a social justice issue and a gender justice issue,” they said. “We all know that for wealthy institutions, $944 is just a drop in the bucket. For a working family, $944 makes a difference between making rent or having food on the table or not.”

(10 Apr 2021) David Cameron lobbied No 10 and Hancock for Greensill (£) Times report April 10 into more of the sleazy dealings of David Cameron and Lex Greensill, this time adding in an NHS component:
"Cameron brought Greensill to a “private drink” with the health secretary in October 2019
"Cameron and Greensill lobbied Matt Hancock to introduce a payment scheme that was later rolled out within the NHS.
"With the help of one of Cameron’s former ministers, Greensill, 44, also met with Dido Harding, the then head of NHS Improvement, and Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of the NHS, to pitch his ideas.
"Greensill later launched a partnership with NHS Shared Business Services, jointly run by Hancock’s department allowing up to 400,000 NHS staff to be paid daily
"The Australian banker planned to make money from the scheme, which was awarded without tender or an open process."

(9 Apr 2021) Children bearing brunt of ‘terrifying’ coronavirus mental health crisis Independent April 9 with shocking new figures from Royal College of Psychiatrists:
“Experts from the Royal College of Psychiatrists have warned the problem facing the country will get worse before it gets better with new analysis revealing almost 400,000 children and 2.2 million adults sought help for mental health problems during the crisis.
“While the effect of lockdown and coronavirus has affected people of all ages, children appear to be particularly susceptible.
“Some 80,226 more children and young people were referred to specialist mental health services between April and December last year, up by 28 per cent on the same months in 2019 to 372,438.
"Meanwhile, 600,628 more treatment sessions were given to children and young people, up by a fifth on 2019 to 3.58 million.”

(7 Apr 2021) Working backwards with No. 10 Equalities expert Roger Kline April 7 rubbishes the government commissioned Sewell report that claims institutional racism is not an issue in Britain any more:
"The Government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report is part of a political project mapped out some time ago.
"In 2017, Munira Mirza, the (now) head of the No 10 Policy Unit, who commissioned the Sewell Commission) dismissed the concept of institutional racism claiming “a lot of people in politics thinks it’s a good idea to exaggerate the problem of racism”.
"In 2019, Liz Truss, the Minister for Women and Equalities, said ”too much ground had been ceded to the Left on issues of identity […] We need to reassert the value of individual and character above the particular type of group you might happen to be a member of […] I think there’s been too much identity politics in Britain”.
"Nine months ago, Kemi Badenoch, the Equalities Minister, having claimed (falsely as the subsequent leaks confirmed) that the Fenton Review on COVID-19 did not make recommendations, then “hit back at claims ‘systemic injustice’ is the reason ethnic minorities are more likely to die from coronavirus in England.”

(7 Apr 2021) UK public health expert criticises No 10 race report ‘shortcomings’ Guardian April 7:
"An inquiry into racial disparities used outdated references and notably underplayed the impact of structural racism in health outcomes, the UK’s leading authority on public health has said, in a new blow to the credibility of the much-criticised report.
"Sir Michael Marmot, who led a pioneering work into health inequalities in 2010, which was updated a decade later, said that while there was “much that is good” in the report’s chapter on public health, he was concerned about “shortcomings” in its approach.
"Writing for the Guardian, Marmot said the report by the Downing Street-appointed Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (Cred) had cited his 2010 study but did not consider the 2020 update or a subsequent study he led on structural factors behind varying Covid outcomes.
"Marmot also criticised the report’s contention that health inequalities should be considered an outcome of factors such as deprivation and poor housing rather than ethnicity. Such social conditions “are themselves the result of longstanding inequalities and structural racism”, he noted."

(7 Apr 2021) Maternity compensation claims cost NHS £4 billion Independent April 7 reveals the sky high cash cost of chronic failures of care:
"Failures in maternity care over the past decade have left more than 1,200 children permanently brain damaged and cost taxpayers more than £4 billion in compensation, new data has revealed.
"According to NHS Resolution, which handles compensation claims on behalf of the NHS, the number of maternity claims has increased dramatically from 391 in 2009 to 765 in 2019-20.
"The figures, obtained by specialist birth and brain injury law firm JMW, underline the consequences of maternity safety errors in the NHS with 1,226 children left with cerebral palsy as a result of negligence during their birth when children are starved of oxygen. The data also includes more than 1,000 deaths and 386 cases of the loss of a baby, as a result of errors.
"There are more than 1,000 serious incidents in NHS maternity units every year with almost two fifths of maternity units needing to improve on safety, according to the Care Quality Commission."

(7 Apr 2021) COVID-19 in Brazil: Country records 4,195 deaths in a single day as commuters pack trains Sky News April 7 on a pandemic fuelled by right wing populism:
"More than 4,000 COVID deaths have been recorded in a single day in Brazil, with one doctor comparing the country's crisis to a "biological Fukushima".
"The outbreak is overwhelming hospitals in the South American nation - and scientists are forecasting that the surge in fatalities will soon surpass the worst of a record January wave in the US.
"Even though Brazil's population is two-thirds that of America's, the country's overall death tolls from COVID-19 now stands at 337,000 - second only to the US on 555,000."

(6 Apr 2021) The Covid crisis is very far from over Tax expert Richard Murphy's blog warning that there are clear signs of panic in the latest government announcements and reliance on unreliable lateral flow tests:
“There is no elimination strategy of any sort now apparent. The end of the impact of the pandemic is no longer anticipated. The idea that this might be over has gone. Instead the only goal is to keep the NHS functioning.
“The aim is no bigger than that. It is simply containment. In other words, we as individuals and the risks from Covid that we face are the bargaining chips in an equation that is all the government thinks it has left available to it because despite all the bravado no strategy, including vaccination, has yet worked.
“That this new containment strategy is based on desperation is indicated by the fact that it is based on lateral flow tests that are not licenced for the negative testing role they are being given, and for which they are not well suited because of their well known false negative rate. Will that really work then? And will people want to partake? And why will they unless there is compulsion from an enforced use of an app based on those tests?
“Given that it is thought that only one in four people with Covid symptoms are currently thought to ask for a test the chance of a serious uptake on this new scheme which is targeted at those without symptoms seems low, especially with such poor support being made available for those required to isolate. The government must know that.
“… Worse though, I think that the government has set itself up to fail again. It seems certain that SAGE does too. They forecast another wave of Covid in July and August at least as serious as that we have just been through. They could be wrong, of course. But logic is on their side.”

(6 Apr 2021) Brain disorders affect 1 in 3 Covid survivors, large UK study shows Financial Times April 6: “One in three people who have suffered from Covid-19 was diagnosed with a neurological or psychiatric condition within six months of infection, according to scientists who have carried out the largest study of the mental health effects of coronavirus.
“They found that Covid-19 was 44 per cent more likely to cause neurological and mental problems than a case of influenza of comparable severity.
“Although the individual risks for most disorders are small, the effect across the whole population may be substantial for health and social care systems due to the scale of the pandemic and the fact that many of these conditions are chronic,” said Paul Harrison, professor of psychiatry at Oxford university and the project leader.
“As a result, healthcare systems need to be resourced to deal with the anticipated need, both within primary and secondary care,” he added.”

(6 Apr 2021) A third of COVID survivors suffer neurological or mental disorders - study Reuters April 6:
"“One in three COVID-19 survivors in a study of more than 230,000 mostly American patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, suggesting the pandemic could lead to a wave of mental and neurological problems, scientists said on Tuesday.
“Researchers who conducted the analysis said it was not clear how the virus was linked to psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression, but that these were the most common diagnoses among the 14 disorders they looked at.
“Post-COVID cases of stroke, dementia and other neurological disorders were rarer, the researchers said, but were still significant, especially in those who had severe COVID-19. “Although the individual risks for most disorders are small, the effect across the whole population may be substantial,” said Paul Harrison, a professor of psychiatry at Oxford University who co-led the work.
“Max Taquet, also an Oxford psychiatrist who worked with Harrison, noted that the study was not able to examine the biological or psychological mechanisms involved, but said urgent research is needed to identify these “with a view to preventing or treating them”.”

(5 Apr 2021) Communities with high virus rates 'left behind' due to Tory public health cuts Mirror April 5 highlighting another avoidable widening of health inequalities:

"Communities struggling with stubbornly high virus rates risk being “left behind” due to public health cuts, Labour has warned.
"Analysis by the House of Commons Library found two thirds of local authorities (100) will see per person spending frozen or cut this financial year compared to 2020/2021.
"One in five (31) would see their budgets slashed.
"The analysis looked at the state of town hall budgets once dedicated cash for anti-HIV drug PrEP was taken into account. The vital medicine is available through local authority public health services for the first time this year so it cannot be compared to previous years."

(5 Apr 2021) Government must ‘proceed with caution’ on mass testing, as BMA voices concern about accuracy of results BMA April 5 press release quoting chair Chaand Nagpaul:
"He said: “The rollout of rapid twice-weekly testing for all adults could help to identify some cases of those who have Covid-19 but don’t show symptoms which would otherwise go undetected – if those people then self-isolate this will minimise spread.
“However, it is vital that the public is made aware of the limitation and accuracy of these tests. Recent research into lateral flow tests suggests they can pick up about over half of people with symptoms but significantly fewer of those who have Covid-19 but don’t have any symptoms.
“Further, there is evidence of even a lower detection of positive cases if people carry out the tests themselves.
“Therefore, negative tests could provide false reassurance to many people who have Covid-19 but do not have symptoms and who will be contagious. If they then mix more freely, that could be seriously counterproductive and rapidly spread infection.
“Given concerns about the level accuracy of these tests, the BMA believes the Government must therefore, proceed with caution and a negative test must not be used as a basis for people to mix without mitigations, but should only be used as a complementary exercise to other vital measures, such as social distancing and the wearing of face masks in public spaces. These tests must not be used as a mechanism of how to unlock the country."

(5 Apr 2021) Government cutting and freezing public health budgets for councils across the country amid pandemic Independent April 5:
"The government is cutting and freezing the amount of public health cash it gives to councils per person in areas across the country, according to official figures.
"Despite the pandemic 31 local authorities will see a fall in their public health grants this financial year, while a further 69 will have the amount they are given by Whitehall frozen.
"Each year ministers give councils ring-fenced cash for public health duties like outbreak planning, substance misuse services, and sexual health services – but in recent years the amount has been cut by around £1bn.
"Areas to be hit by a per capita cut in their public health allocation for 2021/22 include Wakefield, Doncaster, Peterborough, and Rochdale – all parts of the country with Covid-case rates above 100 per 100,000 population.
"Council public health teams have in particular been praised for their effectiveness in contact tracing during the pandemic, with success rates far beyond that of the government’s own outsourced test and trace system."

(5 Apr 2021) Tests to be offered twice-weekly to all in England BBC News April 5 on the controversial extension of lateral flow testing, which does not point out the new scheme at 2 tests per person per week could cost over £700 per person – 7 times the per capital budget for primary care:
“Everyone in England is to be given access to two rapid coronavirus tests a week from Friday, under an extension of the government's testing programme.
“The lateral flow kits, which can provide results in around 30 minutes, will be available for free at testing sites, pharmacies and through the post.
“The health secretary said it would help squash any outbreaks as lockdown eases.
"But critics of the programme say it risks becoming a "scandalous" waste of money.”

(5 Apr 2021) Communities with high virus rates 'left behind' due to Tory public health cuts Mirror report April 5:
"Communities struggling with stubbornly high virus rates risk being “left behind” due to public health cuts, Labour has warned.
"Analysis by the House of Commons Library found two thirds of local authorities (100) will see per person spending frozen or cut this financial year compared to 2020/2021.
"One in five (31) would see their budgets slashed.
"The analysis looked at the state of town hall budgets once dedicated cash for anti-HIV drug PrEP was taken into account.
"The vital medicine is available through local authority public health services for the first time this year so it cannot be compared to previous years.
"Town halls get ring-fenced cash for public health measures such sexual health, substance abuse and stop smoking services."

(5 Apr 2021) Government cutting and freezing public health budgets for councils across the country amid pandemic Independent report April 5:
"The government is cutting and freezing the amount of public health cash it gives to councils per person in areas across the country, according to official figures.
"Despite the pandemic 31 local authorities will see a fall in their public health grants this financial year, while a further 69 will have the amount they are given by Whitehall frozen.
"Each year ministers give councils ring-fenced cash for public health duties like outbreak planning, substance misuse services, and sexual health services – but in recent years the amount has been cut by around £1bn.
"Areas to be hit by a per capita cut in their public health allocation for 2021/22 include Wakefield, Doncaster, Peterborough, and Rochdale – all parts of the country with Covid-case rates above 100 per 100,000 population."

(4 Apr 2021) Black and Asian deaths from covid-19 are due to poverty and racism, not genetics, Vitamin D or lifestyle Spoiler alert in this headline to an undated article researched before, but published by Doctors in Unite just after the publication of the widely-discredited government-commissioned report:
"This paper was completed just before the publication of a government commissioned report into “racial and ethnic disparities in the UK”, by a panel chaired by Tony Sewell. Its findings are unsurprising given the well-known racism denialist views of Sewell and others on the panel, and is consistent with the government’s policy of denial and indifference to racism in the UK today, and as the historian David Olusoga says, the false choice it presents to the nation between addressing racial inequalities or class disadvantage.
"The main contention of the report, that structural and institutional racism do not exist, is flatly contradicted by the SAGE report, as outlined above. (The SAGE report is not mentioned at all in the Sewell report, despite the fact that the committee has much greater expertise). The health section of the report has been roundly condemned by public health and primary care experts who state that it ignores decades of evidence of the causes of racial disparities in health. [25]
"The Sewell report also suggests “genetic risk factors” as a cause of disparities in Covid deaths, which the SAGE report expressly also rejects, stating there is no evidence for such speculation. We have dealt comprehensively with this above. In the words of Lady Doreen Lawrence, mother of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered by white racists in 1993, the Sewell report “will give the green light to racists” in this country."

(4 Apr 2021) Boris Johnson urged to sack Tory peer who denied Covid pandemic and said Chinese ‘fake videos started this’ Independent April 4 highlights the bizarre views of one of the many loopy Tory right wingers that prop up Johnson's government:
"A Conservative peer has denied the pandemic exists and blamed Chinese “fake videos” for fears about Covid-19, sparking calls for her to be sacked from her government job.
"Helena Morrissey, a director at the Foreign Office, suggested the crisis has been exaggerated because people are not “dropping dead in the street”.
“The data shows we are NOT in a pandemic,” tweeted the peer, who was sent to the House of Lords by Boris Johnson last year. If people were dropping dead in the street we would notice & not go to M&S and have all those football matches."

(4 Apr 2021) Europe’s third wave: ‘It’s spreading fast and it’s spreading everywhere’ FT April 4:
“More than a year after the start of the pandemic, Europe is enduring a grim spring. Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths are rising in many countries as the continent grapples with a more infectious variant, a shortage of vaccines and public weariness with lockdowns.
“In France “the epidemic is spreading fast, and it’s spreading everywhere,” prime minister Jean Castex told parliament on Thursday after President Emmanuel Macron announced the country’s third nationwide lockdown, which includes travel restrictions and school closures and extends a 7pm-6am curfew.
“In two weeks, Castex said, the number of recorded new cases in France had risen 55 per cent to about 38,000 a day. This two-week growth compares with a rise of 95 per cent in Belgium and 48 per cent in the Netherlands in a similar timeframe; in Germany, they have risen 75 per cent. Part of this increase reflects an expansion in testing.
“The latest pandemic surge in Europe, triggered by the spread of the now dominant B.1.1.7 strain of the virus first noted in England, is often called a “third wave”, but observed across the continent as a whole it is more like a confused sea in which some national epidemics are worsening, some are reaching their peak and others are declining.”

(3 Apr 2021) Undermining the AstraZeneca jab is a dangerous act of political folly Guardian April 3:
“… we should note that among Covid’s many impacts, clotting events are included. Crucially, the chances of getting a clot through infection with the Covid virus are several orders of magnitude more likely than are the chances of getting a clot from the vaccine. Hence the robust defence of the AstraZeneca vaccine by most UK doctors and scientists.
“Nevertheless, swaths of Europe continue to restrict its use at a time when many nations are suffering third waves of Covid-19 cases and have said they are desperate for vaccine supplies. It is a baffling response.
“It is the one approved vaccine that can be easily shipped and does not need complicated refrigeration. But if its safety is constantly undermined by individual national regulators across Europe, developing countries will be hesitant to use it. Why should they accept a vaccine at which western society turns up its nose?”

(3 Apr 2021) Strain on NHS as tens of thousands of staff suffer long Covid Guardian April 3 on the shockingly high number of NHS staff facing long term debilitating health consequences of their role in combatting the virus:
"Intense pressures on the already overstretched NHS are being exacerbated by the tens of thousands of health staff who are sick with long Covid, doctors and hospital bosses say.
"At least 122,000 NHS personnel have the condition, the Office for National Statistics disclosed in a detailed report that showed 1.1 million people in the UK were affected by the condition. That is more than any other occupational group and ahead of teachers, of whom 114,000 have it.
"Patient care is being hit because many of those struggling with long Covid are only able to work part-time, are too unwell to perform their usual duties, or often need time off because they are in pain, exhausted or have “brain fog”."

(3 Apr 2021) 21-year-old died after dialling 999 from his hospital bed Shocking April 3 Independent report demonstrating nursing staff ignorance of symptoms of sickle cell disease that affects afro caribbean people:
"A young NHS patient suffering a sickle cell crisis called 999 from his hospital bed to request oxygen, an inquest into his death was told.
"Evan Nathan Smith, 21, died on 25 April 2019 at North Middlesex Hospital, in Edmonton, north London, after suffering from sepsis following a procedure to remove a gallbladder stent.
"The inquest heard Smith told his family he called the London Ambulance Service because he thought it was the only way to get the help he needed.
"Nursing staff told Smith he did not need oxygen when he requested it in the early hours of 23 April, despite a doctor telling the inquest he had “impressed” on the nurses he should have it."

(2 Apr 2021) “Cuts To Life-Saving Research Are Unavoidable”: How The Pandemic Will Have A Devastating Lasting Impact On Charities Detailed article in Politics Home April 2 warning of knock on impact on a range of charities after a year of lockdowns and restrictions:
“Prior to the pandemic hitting in March 2020, the country’s charitable organisations were in pretty good shape. Research from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations found that in the year before the pandemic the sector’s income hit £53.5 billion, 47% of which came from public donations.
“But, the picture wasn’t perfect. 59% of charity leaders told the Charities Aid Foundation in 2019 that fundraising was their biggest concern, with increased demand for their services (33%) and a drop in government funding (32%) coming up second and third.
“Part of that anxiety stems from the fact that, according to research by the University of Southampton and the University of Birmingham, 21% of charities surveyed had just one month’s expenditure in reserves.”

(2 Apr 2021) 'A truly frightening backlog': ex-NHS chief warns of delays in vital care Former NHS boss Sir David Nicholson's outspoken comments to the Guardian April 2 accompanied by some alarming figures:
"The widespread suspension of normal NHS diagnostic tests and surgery during the pandemic as hospitals prioritised Covid care has left the service in England with a record 4.59 million people waiting for hospital treatment.
"That number is set to rise to what the NHS Confederation believes could be as much as 6.9m cases by the end of the year as people on a “hidden waiting list” – who put off seeking help after discovering symptoms of illness – finally visit a GP.
"According to the most recent figures, the number of people who have been waiting for at least a year has rocketed from 1,613 before the pandemic struck to 304,044.
Under the NHS Constitution, 92% of people waiting are meant to be treated within 18 weeks. However, a third of the 4.59 million people have already waited longer than that."

(2 Apr 2021) Institutional racism exists in UK and healthcare, says head of NHS race body Independent April 2 with another response to the widely derided government report claiming institutional racism does not exist:
"Institutional racism exists both in the UK and within the NHS, according to the independent NHS Race and Health Observatory.
"In a strongly worded response to Wednesday’s controversial Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, the chair of the body said she was disappointed with its conclusions.
"The NHS group was set up last year in response to widespread concerns over the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on ethnic minorities. It aims to investigate the links between race and health.
"In a statement on Thursday, its chair Marie Gabriel said: “The observatory believes that tackling persistent ethnic and racial disparities in health, and across society, is absolutely the right thing to do.
“However, as an evidence-led organisation, the observatory was disappointed by several of the headline conclusions of the report, including those on the causes of ethnic inequalities.
“The evidence it cites is clear: institutional racism exists in this country, it exists in the organisations that make up our health and care system, and it exists across wider public establishments.”

(2 Apr 2021) Solving global vaccine inequity requires new incentives for pharmaceutical companies Important BMJ article April 2:
"In a pandemic, we as a global community have two urgent interests: that life saving vaccines and treatments be created, manufactured, and distributed, and that the disease be quickly contained and eliminated worldwide without a potentially catastrophic resurgence.
"The financial interests of pharmaceutical shareholders accord with our first interest, but not always with the second. Their companies earn more if the disease is not eliminated—whether or not that is their explicit intention. Moreover, product allocations go to the highest bidders, rather than to where need is greatest or the pandemic may be contained most effectively. Today, impoverished regions are disproportionately lacking access to covid-19 vaccines, largely as a result of financial and political inequities.
"Highlighting this divergence of interests is a criticism not of pharmaceutical firms and their shareholders, but of our governments and ultimately some citizens of wealthy countries who have played outsized roles in how the pharmaceutical industry operates. They have designed the sector so that if firms want to serve global interests well, they must decide and act against their own financial interests. We cannot expect them to always put their very best effort into this."

(2 Apr 2021) Government facing threat of legal action over PPE links to modern slavery Independent April 2 on another grim aspect of the handing of huge covid procurement contracts to cronies of ministers:
"The government is facing legal action over links between personal protective equipment and alleged modern slavery.
"A case is mounting against the government’s failure to address labour abuses in the NHS supply chain, The Independent understands, despite repeated promises made by the Home Office and Department of Health and Social Care to crack down.
"Wilson Solicitors, a London firm, has written to the DHSC raising concerns over how gloves made by Malaysian manufacturers with a history of exploiting workers have been provided to frontline healthcare staff.
"Throughout the pandemic, NHS doctors and nurses have used gloves produced by Brightway, Supermax and Top Glove. All three are accused of “dire human rights abuses” by Wilson Solicitors. The companies deny the claims and insist they comply with Malaysian labour regulations."

(2 Apr 2021) Long Covid: More than a million experiencing symptoms in UK, official data shows Independent April 2:
"More than a million people in Britain are suffering from signs of long Covid, the Office for National Statistics has said.
"This is a significant increase in previous estimates of persistent and debilitating symptoms and follows the January surge in coronavirus.
"The ONS says 1.1 million have reported symptoms lasting beyond four weeks that were not explained by anything else.
"Long Covid can include chronic fatigue, shortness of breath, so called “brain fog” as well as serious damage to the kidneys, heart and lungs."

(1 Apr 2021) A new public health body for the UK BMJ editorial April 1 by public health expert Gabriel Scally on the launch of the sinister new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA that has replaced Public Health England:
"The new name for the organisation and short, two page policy paper make clear that the new entity is to be part of the UK’s national infrastructure and security system. It also states that UKHSA will have a core function in driving economic growth as an integral part of what politicians term “UK plc.” In particular, it is envisaged as “acting as an engine” for the life sciences and diagnostics industry.
"A critical weakness of the UK’s pandemic response has been the overreliance on technological solutions to the detriment of proved public health interventions—such as quarantine and local find, test, trace, isolate, and support systems. One enduring problem has been the misleadingly named NHS Test and Trace programme.5 The UK parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has been scathing of both the enormous cost of this system, designed and operated by the private sector, and its lack of effectiveness.
"The emergence of a powerful medical-industrial complex was first described in the US in the 1960s.
"In the UK, the influence of this sector of the economy increased after 2010 as it took advantage of the contracting of core NHS services to the private sector. In its pandemic response, the government pivoted away from public health and NHS functions and organisations.
"Taking advantage of the emergency to dispense with normal tendering and contracting procedures, funding on a colossal scale was passed to the private sector. Similarly, in data analytics, the government has engaged state security organisations and the private sector to provide crucial information on covid-19.
"Against this background, it is likely that the creation of UKHSA will be seen by many as a further step in the growth of a centralised and secretive state apparatus with the close engagement of private sector interests."

(1 Apr 2021) Birmingham's Nightingale Hospital closes without treating a single patient Birmingham Live April 1 report on another one of the hospitals that could be kitted out in record time in a conference centre, but could never be staffed to care for Covid patients.
"Birmingham’s Nightingale Hospital is to close today without treating a single patient.
"The facility at the NEC complex, which cost nearly £65million, was set up last April in anticipation of soaring numbers of coronavirus patients.
"In September it was said to be on “high alert” following an increase in cases, but was never used. It will close along with all the other Nightingale hospitals, apart from London and Sunderland, which will stay open for vaccinations."

(1 Apr 2021) In Doug Ford’s Ontario, COVID-19 lockdowns have become meaningless Andre Picard in Toronto Globe and Mail April 1 on the neoliberal provincial government that is failing so badly to combat the pandemic:
“If a lockdown is going to have a real impact on slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it requires, for starters, a stay-at-home order and a curfew.
“The “tough new measures” announced on Thursday include virtually no restrictions on movement or activities. For all intents and purposes, nothing has changed; so, if new infections have been soaring for the past few weeks, what do we expect they will do now?
“You don’t have to be an epidemiologist or a modeller to answer that question. But, for the record, the latest models predict up to 6,000 cases daily, an increase from about 2,500 currently, and a doubling of patients in intensive care to 800 from the current 421 by the end of the month.”

(1 Apr 2021) Racism in healthcare is real and it matters Independent's Shaun Lintern refutes the widely discredited government report claiming institutionalised racism is a thing of the past:
“It is surprising to see the report appearing to play down the inequalities that are known to exist between different ethnic minorities and their experiences and access to healthcare. The commission suggests there is no racism at play and instead points to wider more complex reasons such as deprivation, education, employment and so on.
“The report says: “The commission rejects the common view that ethnic minorities have universally worse health outcomes compared with White people, the picture is much more variable.”
“It highlights that ethnic minorities have better outcomes for some key measures like life expectancy, overall mortality and key diseases and conditions, adding: “This evidence clearly suggests that ethnicity is not the major driver of health inequalities in the UK but deprivation, geography and differential exposure to key risk factors.”
“But this is a strange analysis, for most experts agree that structural racism within society is one of the factors that contributes to deprivation. It is a cycle which affects social mobility, your life chances, where you live, what sort of house and lifestyle you can adopt.
“Racism is woven through many of the ingredients that make up the complex factors that contribute to health inequalities, whereas the report seems to argue they are separate contributors.”

(1 Apr 2021) Only one in three of trust’s black Caribbean staff vaccinated Worrying HSJ report April 1:
"Just over a third of black Caribbean staff have been vaccinated at one of the London acutes most heavily impacted by the pandemic, new data has revealed.
"Uptake among staff from a black background at London North West University Healthcare Trust is substantially below the level recorded for staff overall, its board papers have shown, reflecting a fundamental challenge facing the vaccine programme in wider society.
"The figure at LNWUH is likely to reflect similar low takeup among some minority ethnic groups among NHS staff in some other trusts, and in the general population — as previously reported by HSJ — but shows it is a serious ongoing issue several months into the campaign.
"Uptake is lowest among the staff from a Black Caribbean background, with just 36 per cent of 499 staff members vaccinated. This rises slightly to 39 per cent among the 132 staff from a ‘black other’ background and 54 per cent for 724 staff from a black African background."

(1 Apr 2021) Fewer than a quarter with Covid symptoms request test, UK study finds Guardian report April 1:
"Fewer than a quarter of people in the UK with Covid symptoms are requesting a test, while only half say they are fully self-isolating after symptoms develop, researchers have found.
"People in the UK must self-isolate for 10 days if they have Covid, with the period beginning from the onset of symptoms or, if there are no symptoms, from the day of a positive test result.
"However, data from the Covid-19 rapid survey of adherence to interventions and responses (Corsair) study, conducted by researchers from institutions including King’s College London, Public Health England and University College London and published in the BMJ, suggests compliance is far from universal."

(1 Apr 2021) Families march for public inquiry into mental health patient deaths Independent April 1 on the campaign to expose failures in Essex mental health services – and the government response: another rigged "Inquiry" by an NHS England bureaucrat who has defended Essex MH services:
"Families demanding a public inquiry into dozens of mental health patient deaths in Essex have criticised ministers after they appointed a former NHS England director to lead a new investigation.
"Dozens of families whose loved ones died under the care of North Essex Partnership University Trust held a protest rally outside the offices of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in London on Wednesday.
"There are almost 70 families supporting the campaign who want the government to set up a full public inquiry, with the power to compel witnesses to give evidence on oath.
"Mental health minister Nadine Dorries has rejected that and instead commissioned an investigation that will only be able to rely on the goodwill of witnesses with no formal powers.
"The government has also appointed Dr Geraldine Strathdee, a consultant psychiatrist and former national clinical director for mental health at NHS England until 2016, to lead the inquiry. She was given the role without families being consulted."

(31 Mar 2021) New Zealand raises minimum wage and increases taxes on the rich Guardian March 31 with yet another story in which New Zealand shows what could be done but is not being done in Britain (or even aspired to by the current opposition leadership)
"New Zealand is raising its minimum wage to $20 an hour and increasing the top tax rate for the country’s highest earners to 39%.
"The changes will be rolled out on Thursday, alongside small increases to unemployment and sickness benefits. The government estimates the minimum wage increase – a rise of $1.14 per hour – will affect up to 175,500 workers, and increase wages across the economy by $216m.
"The new top tax rate will apply to anyone earning more than $180,000 a year, about 2% of New Zealanders. The government estimates it will bring in an additional $550m in revenue this year."

(31 Mar 2021) Ambulance service worst affected when it comes to impact of Covid on mental health, reveals charity Morning Star March 31: "The mental health of ambulance service workers has been the hardest hit of all emergency staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey from charity Mind reveals.
"Contributions from almost 4,000 staff and volunteers in the police, fire and ambulance services shows that mental health has worsened across the board, but that ambulance workers have been the worst affected.
"They are the most likely to say their mental health has worsened, with a massive 77 per cent reporting a deterioration over the last year, as opposed to two thirds of police and fire workers.
"The highest proportion of respondents saying they have “poor” mental health are within the ambulance service, at almost one in three (32 per cent).
"This compares with 23 per cent of those in the police and 20 per cent of firefighters."

(31 Mar 2021) Adherence to the test, trace, and isolate system in the UK: results from 37 nationally representative surveys Valuable study in BMJ (March 31) on the effectiveness of testing when so many people cannot afford to stop work even when testing positive:
“The ability of the test, trace, and isolate system to keep rates of infection under control relies on how well people adhere to guidance on testing, provide details of contacts, and self-isolate, which in turn depends on their knowledge, motivation, and opportunity to do so.
“From when an infected person develops symptoms to when their contacts are allowed to come out of quarantine, adherence might break down at multiple stages. In the UK, knowledge of the symptoms of covid-19 has been shown to be poor.
“Financial constraints and cramped accommodation have been identified as factors that affect whether people will remain at home during the pandemic. Some evidence suggests that men and younger age groups are less adherent to covid-19 restrictions, as are those who think they have been infected with SARS-CoV-2.”
The article concludes: “Levels of adherence to test, trace, and isolate are low, although some improvement has occurred over time. Practical support and financial reimbursement are likely to improve adherence. Targeting messaging and policies to men, younger age groups, and key workers might also be necessary.”

(31 Mar 2021) Irish Examiner View: How is this queue dodge different? Irish Examiner March 31 highlights the objectionable two-tier heavily private health care system in Ireland:
“… our entire health system is predicated on the kind of paid-for privilege that saw teachers from St Gerard’s private school near Bray, and the staff and managers at Park Academy, which runs private creches used by Beacon staff, vaccinated long before official schedules suggested they might be. This institutionalised queue-jumping is the very epitome of our grossly unfair health system …
“… over recent years thousands of people have had to travel from the South West on the Belfast-or-Blind bus to try to save their sight. They are forced to do this because our cataract services are so inadequate that they face up to four years on a waiting list for an operation that takes just minutes but changes lives dramatically.
“Those with cataract issues in a position to pay via one insurance company or another — the VHI Positive cohort — face no such delays and can expect an early appointment at one of the 18 private hospitals that operate under the umbrella of the Private Hospitals' Association.”

(31 Mar 2021) Structural racism is a fundamental cause and driver of ethnic disparities in health BMJ March 31:
“The much-delayed UK government report on race disparities has devoted 30 pages to disparities in health. The report claims that “for many key health outcomes including life expectancy and overall mortality… ethnic minority groups have better outcomes than the White population.” It further claims that “genetic risk factors” along with “cultural” and “behavioural” factors have led to the disparities seen in covid-19.
“The 30 page section on health in the report claims to undo several decades of irrefutable peer reviewed research evidence on ethnic disparities, previous governments’ reports, and independent reviews all reaching similar conclusions: ethnic minorities have the worst health outcomes on almost all health parameters.
“The report’s conclusions, recommendations, and cherry-picked data to support a particular narrative shows why it should have been externally peer reviewed by independent health experts and scientists. Furthermore, we would expect that a report with such lofty ambitions of presenting a “new race agenda” would have at least one health expert or a biomedical scientist on the commission. It included a space scientist, a retired diplomat, a politics graduate, a TV presenter and an English literature graduate, but no one with an academic background in health inequalities.
“The report also concludes that deprivation, “family structures,” and geography—not ethnicity, are key risk factors for health inequalities. However, it ignores the overwhelming evidence that systemic racism, in particular residential segregation, which is rising in the UK, is a major driver of ethnic differences in socioeconomic status.”

(31 Mar 2021) Vaccines: Is Bill Gates the answer? Roger Steer in Brave New Europe (March 31) highlighting the role of Bill Gates in upholding intellectual property rights and patent laws that are limiting the access of poorer countries to vital vaccines and other drugs:
"That the resources found by Bill Gates to support the existing arrangements ($1.5bn) is vital to the current arrangements is placed in perspective by the sums committed by the UK government alone to date on Track and Trace (£37bn). The Economist calculated the global cost of the Covid pandemic at just over $10trn. In Europe alone the costs are $2trn.
"What is remarkable in this story is not that there is not a perfectly credible alternative range of measures that could be taken to speed up the delivery of vaccines but that the process of managing the pandemic has been high-jacked by one man, with a vested interest in maintaining the credibility of the existing IP regime.
"But as Mazzucato has … pointed out in the Entrepreneurial State the pharma/biotech/medico legal complex is the second highest spending sector in the US on lobbying and payments to politicians, second only to the arms industry. It doesn’t explain the Bill Gates factor but explains that politicians have got used to knowing on which side of the bread the butter is."

(31 Mar 2021) Privatisation of York Hospital’s Emergency Department Petition launched by York Labour MP Rachael Maskell calling on the Government "to recognise that the proposal to outsource work done by the Emergency Department of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is ill-conceived, poorly timed and against the interests of patients; to prevent this outsourcing to the private sector; and to revise these plans for York Teaching Hospital only when the Government has published its White Paper and subsequent Bill on NHS reorganisation."

(31 Mar 2021) UNISON welcomes Imperial College Healthcare’s decision to keep staff on NHS contracts UNISON London region press release March 31:
"Over 1000 cleaners, porters, and catering staff at Imperial College Healthcare trust are celebrating today (Wednesday) after the trust announced it will continue to directly employ them following negotiations with UNISON.
"The staff, who were previously employed by Sodexo, were brought back in-house temporarily in April 2020, which was up for review this month.
"The trust will now start the process of consulting staff to move them over to full NHS (Agenda for Change) terms and conditions, ending the unfair disparity of a two-tier workforce the union said."

(31 Mar 2021) See How Rich Countries Got to the Front of the Vaccine Line New York Times March 31:
“More than half a billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide so far, and well over three-quarters of them have been used by the world’s richest countries. The reason, experts say, lies in how — and when — deals for doses were struck.
“In the early days of the pandemic, when drug makers were just starting to develop vaccines, placing orders for any of them was a risk. Wealthier countries could mitigate that risk by placing orders for multiple vaccines and, by doing so, tied up doses that smaller countries may have otherwise purchased, according to experts.
“As a result, most higher-income countries were able to pre-order enough vaccines to cover their populations several times over, while others had trouble securing any doses at all. Throughout 2020, even middle-income countries had difficulties winning contracts.
“We saw it with countries like Peru and Mexico,” said Andrea Taylor, a researcher at Duke University who is studying the vaccine purchase agreements. “Money wasn’t the problem for them. They have the financing to make the purchases, but they couldn’t get to the front of the line.”

(31 Mar 2021) Coronavirus surge could be worse than the last for the Americas: PAHO Reuters report March 31:
“Countries in the Americas could see a worse surge in coronavirus cases than the previous surge last year, with Brazil, Uruguay and Cuba already suffering more, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Wednesday.
“Director Carissa Etienne said the end of the Southern Hemisphere summer, following holidays where people grouped together and spread cases, had prompted spikes. She urged citizens to stay at home and governments to think hard before lowering movement restrictions.
“So far this year, over 19.7 million COVID cases and 475,000 related deaths have been reported in the Americas, she said.
“Vaccines are rolling out - 124 million people have received one dose and 58 million have received two, PAHO said. More have begun to arrive through the COVAX vaccines alliance, a total of 2.5 million in the past 30 days, with all countries in the region to receive some COVAX doses in the next week, according to PAHO assistant director Jarbas Barbosa.
“Vaccine supply “continues to be our greatest challenge,” admitted Etienne, saying the organisation was “scouring” the globe for more supply, asking countries to hand over surpluses.”

(31 Mar 2021) UK scientists warn of 'catastrophic' impact of funding cuts Guardian March 31:
"Senior scientists fear that deep cuts to government research spending will have “catastrophic” consequences for the UK, with projects cancelled midway through and some of the brightest minds moving to other countries.
"Hundreds of research projects tackling issues from the Covid pandemic to antimicrobial resistance and the climate crisis are already being axed after the country’s main science funder, UK Research and Innovation, told universities its budget for official development assistance (ODA) grants had been cut from £245m to £125m.
"But with the UK now out of Europe, the funder may also have to find up to £2bn per year from its existing £8.5bn budget for British scientists to join research under the EU’s international Horizon programme. The move, which could imperil 18,000 research jobs, would reverse the past two years of science budget rises."

(31 Mar 2021) Revealed: New team of health advisers in number 10 (£) HSJ report March 31 on recruitment of Centene UK boss Samantha Jones as one of Johnson's new expanded team of health advisors:
"Former hospital chief and NHS England director Samantha Jones has been appointed as Boris Johnson’s health adviser, HSJ can reveal, while a former NHS Improvement boss is also now advising on health in Number 10.
"Samantha Jones is currently chief executive of Operose Health, the UK arm of US health giant Centene, a post she took up in January 2019.
"She confirmed to HSJ she would be taking up a civil service role in number 10 shortly and is leaving Operose. Her title in Number 10 will be expert adviser for NHS transformation and social care delivery, HSJ understands. She will work in the policy unit.
"It has also been confirmed to HSJ that Adrian Masters, a former director at Monitor, NHS Improvement and Public Health England, and director of health delivery in Downing Street in the 2000s, rejoined Number 10 earlier this year as an expert adviser on elective care recovery."

(30 Mar 2021) NHSX team behind beleaguered contact tracing app now working on vaccine passports Independent March 30 on yet another bungled contracting process handing fresh responsibility to those who have proved so inept in the recent past:
"The team behind the beleaguered development of the government's contact tracing app has turned its attention to vaccine passports, MPs have been told.
"Cabinet office minister Michael Gove on Monday launched a charm offensive to convince sceptical MPs of the need for the certificates, which are controversial with civil liberties campaigners.
"Mr Gove, who is leading the government's review into whether the policy is needed, held a one hour video call with the group as part of a "listening exercise".
"But The Times newspaper reports that the minister caused consternation when he revealed that NHSX, the developers behind the contact tracing app, had begun developing a passport system.
“At that point lots of people on the call said ‘oh no!’,” one MP told The Times."

(30 Mar 2021) France reports 2021 high of 5,072 people in intensive care with COVID-19 Reuters report March 30 on worrying rise in Covid infection in our nearest neighbouring country:
“France’s health ministry said on Tuesday that the number of people in intensive care units (ICUs) with COVID-19 increased by 98 to 5,072 people, the highest this year.
“The last time France had more than 5,000 people in ICUs for coronavirus-related disease was on April 23, 2020 during the first lockdown, when the number of people in ICU peaked at 7,148 on April 8.
“… Health Minister Olivier Veran told parliament on Tuesday: “We will not let doctors be in a situation where they have to choose among patients” to treat, amid a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Veran said the next 24-48 hours would be key in assessing the impact of new confinement measures taken 10 days ago to limit the spread of highly contagious variants and that the government was ready to take additional measures if necessary.”"

(30 Mar 2021) Over half London's healthcare workers 'considered quitting' due to pandemic pressures, ITV News London survey reveals ITV News March 30 on a UNISON survey:
"Over half of London's healthcare workers, including NHS staff, have considered quitting due to the pressures of the pandemic, a survey by ITV News London survey has found.
"The report, with healthcare union UNISON, also revealed how hundreds of medics felt "overwhelmed" by the level of stress at work.
"71% overwhelmed by work-related stress
"55% considered quitting
"25% sought help for mental health
"10% taken time off for work-related stress
"More than 2,000 people responded to the survey and the London director of Unison said it showed more needed to be done."

(30 Mar 2021) One in four NHS workers more likely to quit than a year ago, survey finds Guardian March 30: "A quarter of NHS workers are more likely to quit their job than a year ago because they are unhappy about their pay, frustrated by understaffing and exhausted by Covid-19, a survey suggests.
"The findings have prompted warnings that the health service is facing a potential “deadly exodus” of key personnel just as it tries to restart normal care after the pandemic.
"A representative poll of 1,006 health professionals across the UK by YouGov for the IPPR thinktank found that the pandemic has left one in four more likely to leave than a year ago. That includes 29% of nurses and midwives, occupations in which the NHS has major shortages.
"Ministers must initiate a “new deal” for NHS staff that involves a decent pay rise, better benefits, more flexible working and fewer administrative tasks, the IPPR said."

(30 Mar 2021) Hospital Charged Family Almost $40K for 12 COVID Tests so They Could Return to Work, School Newsweek insight into the rip-off world of US health care:
"A New York hospital reportedly charged one family nearly $40,000 for a dozen coronavirus tests that were required for them to return to work and school.
"The New York Times reported on Tuesday afternoon that Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, which is owned by Northwell Health, has repeatedly charged patients thousands of dollars for virus tests that typically cost less than $200. The hospital has billed the tests—which insurance or the U.S. government is generally required to cover—as a "moderately complex" emergency room visit, tacking on additional charges.
"One family that did their testing at Lenox Hill reportedly racked up $39,314 for just 12 tests. The virus testing was necessary for the family members to return to work and school. Several other patients' bills for one test reportedly hovered just below or above $3,000—which is roughly 30 times the cost of a typical test."

(29 Mar 2021) Rebuild of PM’s local hospital pushed up priority list without announcement (£)HSJ (March 29) highlights a surreptitious change in the priority schemes for new hospital projects, bumping up the crumbling Hillingdon Hospital to one of the first to be financed, after its backlog maintenance bill doubled to over £200m in 2019-20:
"Two hospital rebuilding building projects — including one in the prime minister’s constituency — have been promoted into a group of trusts being prioritised for major capital investment.
"The Hillingdon Hospitals Foundation Trust, which is in Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency, and Manchester University Hospitals FT, have been added to a group of six other trusts set to receive capital funding to build new hospitals by 2025.
"The pair of providers were initially in a second group of 21 trusts to be given up to £5m in seed funding to progress their plans, and which would be funded between 2025 and 2030.
"Both groups are part of the government’s manifesto pledge for 40 NHS hospitals to be newly built or redeveloped. HSJ has learned that local estates chiefs were told in a webinar two weeks ago by NHS England that the projects would cost up to £20bn in total."

(29 Mar 2021) How to use national planning guidance – a guide for planners (part 1) Brilliant light relief from the parody world of NHS Blithering that echoes so many pointless ICS and other documents. Worth a read, not least for the paean to NHS planning:
"Without plans, the NHS would simply continue treating patients, training doctors and employing nurses without any sense of strategic purpose or direction.
“Left to its own devices, the NHS would simply “keep going”, aimlessly spending the taxpayer’s money on medicines, GP surgeries, dental care, mental health, operating theatres, ambulances, diagnostic capabilities and so on. These are all useful in their own way, but what’s the point, the organising principle?
“The answer is planning. Without continuous planning we can’t build upon and refresh previous plans, we can’t prepare for the future, we can’t measure our achievements or set out our ambitions. We would be unable to celebrate success, identify opportunities or agree next steps.”

(29 Mar 2021) Trust CEO quits after investigation uncovers ‘really concerning’ governance failings (£)HSJ report March 29: “The long-serving chief executive of a community and mental health trust has resigned, amid official reviews into allegations of multiple financial and governance failings, HSJ has learned.
“Phil Confue has left Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust after nine years at the helm, and his departure comes a few months after two external reviews were carried out, HSJ has been told.
“HSJ was told one of the reviews investigated claims that Mr Confue had spent thousands of pounds of the trust’s cash to fund an academic research project he was working on, and claims that both he and several other board members were told to repay overtime payments made for extra hours of work during the early days of the pandemic.”

(29 Mar 2021) £1 Billion in Contracts Awarded to Conservative Donors Another excellent report in the Byline Times March 29:
“Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, Byline Times and The Citizens have found that 57 contracts – worth some £944 million – have been awarded to 15 companies with directors, or people with controlling interests over these companies, who have donated £12 million to the Conservative Party.
“Byline Times and The Citizens have exclusively exposed the contracts awarded to 12 out of these 15 companies.
“Our ongoing investigation reported, in February, that COVID-related contracts worth £881 million had been awarded to donors that had given £8.1 million to the Conservative Party. However, just a month on, we have uncovered a further seven links to contract-winning Conservative donors.”

(28 Mar 2021) A Collapse Foretold: How Brazil’s Covid-19 Outbreak Overwhelmed Hospitals Excellent and shocking New York Times feature March 28:
"More than a year into the pandemic, deaths in Brazil are at their peak and highly contagious variants of the coronavirus are sweeping the nation, enabled by political dysfunction, widespread complacency and conspiracy theories. "The country, whose leader, President Jair Bolsonaro, has played down the threat of the virus, is now reporting more new cases and deaths per day than any other country in the world.
“We have never seen a failure of the health system of this magnitude,” said Ana de Lemos, the executive director of Doctors Without Borders in Brazil. “And we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

(28 Mar 2021) The future of adult social care March 28 policy statement from the Local Government Association putting pressure on the government to come up with a new system of social care rather than simply prop up the old one. It begins:
“Over the past decade, adult social care costs have risen by £8.5 billion, while total funding has grown by only £2.4 billion. This has left councils with a gap of £6.1 billion to fill. Of this, £4.1 billion has been met by making savings to adult social care services, whilst a further £2 billion has been diverted from other services; cutting them faster than otherwise would have been the case.
“Our analysis before the 2020 Spending Review showed that adult social care faced a funding gap of £2.2 billion in 2021/22, rising to £2.7 billion in 2023/24.
“This is just for ‘core pressures’ (demography, inflation and National Living Wage increases) and the provider market gap (the difference between what providers say is the cost of delivering care and what councils pay). This does not take into account the cost of tackling many of the challenges facing social care, such as unmet and under-met need; a lack of funding for prevention; an over-stretched and undervalued workforce; and growing strain on unpaid carers.
“This year’s Spending Review must address the social care funding gap as well as tackle these additional challenges. It must inject new Government funding into social care to stabilise it for the short- to medium-term. Increasing or extending the council tax precept is not the answer.
“But we must also think bigger.”

(28 Mar 2021) Social care needs a ‘1948 moment’ to secure its future A March 28 statement from the Local Government Association indicating consensus among council leaders that serious reforms are needed to the cash-strapped social care system that was privatised by Thatcher's government and shafted by 10 years of austerity from 2010. Ironic indeed that the call for a "1948 moment" comes from a Tory councillor, whose party opposed Bevan's NHS Bill right up to the launch of the NHS in July 1948: now the tone seems very different:
"Immediate priorities include funding to meet the continuing costs of COVID-19 on social care, particularly on the care workforce and unpaid carers, as well as investment to tackle the funding gap between the cost of providing care and what councils pay.
"This should help pave the way to a more properly funded, person-centred form of care that puts people in control of their lives and recognises their agency. Working closely with communities and the NHS to invest in prevention, reduce health inequalities and build on new health and care partnerships announced in the recent White Paper, this should ensure health and care services best support people to live the lives they want to lead in their own homes and communities."

(28 Mar 2021) The lives we want to lead: where next for the debate about care and support reform? Extended statement from LGA going forward from their Green Paper on social care published a year ago (https://bit.ly/31z32l1):
"The severity of the pandemic and the resultant upheaval and change in our daily lives since then has been staggering. Yet, while it may feel like everything has changed, some things have not.
"The issues facing social care – particularly the scale of funding pressures - are just as pressing, with many having been exacerbated by the pandemic.
"In this respect, the 2020 Spending Review provided some, but not enough relief, and the 2021 Budget was notable for its absence of measures to support social care in the short or long-term. So too has the value of social care to people’s wellbeing remained at the fore.
"What is different is that these two defining features of social care – its challenges and its value and potential value have been revealed to society at large in a way not seen previously. We therefore hope this is no longer a debate limited to people who use or work in social care and its broad range of interested parties.
"Instead, we hope it is a conversation taking place in people’s living rooms as we all witness the impossible circumstances facing people with lived experience of care, care providers, their workforce, councils and the many others involved in supporting people to live their best life."

(28 Mar 2021) Experts fear new biodefence agency will neglect health priorities Independent report March 28 pointing out the gaps that will be left in public health policy by Matt Hancock's latest intervention:
"The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which will be launched on 1 April, brings together the work of Public Health England (PHE), NHS Test and Trace and the Joint Biosecurity Centre with the aim of better coordinating Britain’s response to future pandemics and health emergencies.
"The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the new body would be a “dedicated, mission-driven national institution for health security”, one that is responsible for monitoring and responding to infectious disease outbreaks.
"But experts have expressed concern just days before its launch that there is “little information” on how it will work, and that it is not clear how it will address wider socioeconomic determinants of health.
"Scientists have welcomed the “recognition” that infectious diseases need to be taken seriously, but some believe the decision to subsume PHE into a security-focused agency could undermine England’s wider public heath strategies."

(27 Mar 2021) UK Covid deaths pass 150,000 milestone, analysis shows Guardian March 27: “The latest figures revealed at least one in three recorded Covid-19 deaths have taken place in the past three months, with 54,445 fatalities officially counted on death certificates in the UK since the beginning of 2021.
“It means one in 445 people have died from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London, said: “The death toll is not a surprise given the ferocity of the second wave, but you can’t see it as anything other than a failure of public health policy.
“There are countries that have far, far lower death rates, and it wasn’t inevitable. We had more deaths in the second wave than we did in the first wave and that really shouldn’t have been the case.”

(27 Mar 2021) Britain's public wealth and health are up for sale again Observer Economics article March 27 makes a number of sound points about sell-off of land assets by local authorities and links to PFI in the NHS. But it ends with something of an exaggeration:
"An invasion by US private health firms is under way, 30 years after these behemoths – many of them among the most profitable businesses in the world – first lobbied the Major government for access to the UK during the mid-1990s.
"Since February, the Centene Corporation has been in control of 58 GP practices serving almost 500,000 people. More deals are on the way – especially on new developments, where including a GP practice can swing a deal in a developer’s favour."
Every inroad by Centene is to be opposed, and the lack of any scrutiny or public voice in these decisions needs to be challenged, but the takeover of fewer than 1% of GP practices by one company is hardly a full scale invasion. There is still plenty of NHS to defend.

(27 Mar 2021) Capitalism won't save us from Covid, no matter what Boris Johnson might think Guardian article March 27: “It’s worth remembering that the “AstraZeneca” vaccine was created by scientists at the University of Oxford and developed and distributed by the pharmaceutical giant. Yet the private sector has emerged as the victor in the public celebration of Covid vaccines.
“In truth, an unprecedented amount of public funding has been poured into vaccine research, development and manufacturing. The leading six vaccine candidates have received an estimated $12bn (£8.7bn) of taxpayer and public money, including $1.7bn for the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab and $2.5bn for the Pfizer/BioNTech candidate.
“This level of investment represents a huge risk – but it’s not the only risk that the public sector has taken on. Governments have used “advanced market commitments” to guarantee that private companies that successfully produce a Covid-19 vaccine are amply rewarded with huge orders.
“Public funds spent on research and development are often more entrepreneurial – in the sense that governments are investing in the early, riskiest stages of health innovation, before any market is viable.
“This is part of the reason why companies were able to develop a Covid vaccine in record time. As a new report from the UK’s Industrial Strategy Council makes clear, the fast turnaround of Covid-19 vaccines would have been unthinkable without state involvement.”

(27 Mar 2021) English local elections: Johnson hails 'incredible' vaccine at Tory launch BBC News March 27 confirming that both Labour and Tory parties will be leading their local election campaigns not on local government issues but on the NHS – over which councils have no control, and for which Rishi Sunak’s latest budget offered no extra funding or capital:
“The prime minister called on activists to remind voters about the "incredible scientific breakthrough" of the vaccine ahead of May's elections in England.
“Mr Johnson said one difference between the Tories and Labour was a belief in the need for "capitalist energy".
“The party leader said the UK would recover "jab by jab, job by job".
Johnson's speech then veered off into complete fantasy:
“… In a pre-recorded speech filmed and broadcast by the Conservative Party, Mr Johnson … said that Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget showed the party was "holding taxes down and spending wisely" and harnessing the advantages brought about through Brexit.”

(26 Mar 2021) Amputee learns he has no health insurance after employer neglected to pay bills WBRZ report from Louisiana of an everyday horror story of a health care system based on private insurance:
“As the fallout continues to grow surrounding defaulted contractor Coastal Bridge, the WBRZ Investigative Unit is learning about more people who claim owner Kelly Sills stiffed them.
“Luis Nieves-Rivera was hired by Coastal Bridge in April of 2019 as an operator. Things were going well until a freak accident on a rural stretch of road in Hammond sent him to the hospital.
"In November, I was riding on my motorcycle, and from what I was told I took a good spill," Nieves-Rivera said. "I ended up losing my leg, fracturing on my legs, ankles in and out of a coma.... medically flown to New Orleans."
“After learning doctors could not save his leg, more devastating news came. Nieves-Rivera was told he had no health insurance.
"First, I was told Blue Cross Blue Shield would not pay the claim because my employer did not pay the premium," Nieves-Rivera said.
“… A pay stub he provided to the WBRZ Investigative Unit from around the time the crash occurred showed Coastal Bridge deducted his health insurance from his paycheck. That money was never paid to Blue Cross, as Nieves-Rivera was told Coastal Bridge had not paid their health insurance.”

(26 Mar 2021) Letter to London Mayoral Candidates (2021) Waltham Forest Save Our NHS campaigners sum up their concerns that the new £400m hospital planned for Whipps Cross will fall short of meeting local needs:
“Designs for the new Whipps Cross hospital propose that the facility will have 51 fewer beds, despite statistics from Waltham Forest Council predicting the local population will increase by 19%, from 277,100 residents in 2020 to 329,200 in 2050
“There are concerns that facilities & services at the new hospital will be less comprehensive than pre-pandemic.
“… and there is concern the Margaret Centre for Specialist Palliative Care Unit will not be included in plans for Whipps Cross Hospital. For 34 years The Margaret Centre has provided outstanding care for people who are dying and support for those close to them.”

(26 Mar 2021) Rebuild the QEH - Back our campaign for new Norfolk hospital 26 March report of a campaign being launched by a local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press, demanding a new hospital to replace the dilapidated Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, which is not one of the prioritised schemes or in Johnson's 'Fake 40' promises of new buildings:
"Today we are launching a campaign to win West Norfolk the new hospital it is crying out for - and you can help increase the pressure in a few clicks online.
"By signing our petition, you can add your voice to the many who are calling for the aging Queen Elizabeth Hospital at King's Lynn to be replaced.
"Parts of the roof have to be propped up to stop them from falling in at the QEH, which was built with an expected working life of 30 years in the late 1970s.
"It is still soldiering on more than four decades later, but preventing the structure from collapsing is expected to cost around £550m over the next 10 years.
"States of emergency have been declared this year, while critically-ill patients have had to be moved to other hospitals because of problems with the roof.
"But the QEH was not included in a list of 40 hospitals being given funding for new builds or renovations, in two five-year improvement programmes announced by the government last year. It is currently one of 16 waiting to see if they will be awarded one of eight new builds planned between 2030 - 2035, having missed out in HIP (Health Improvement Plan) one and two."

(26 Mar 2021) NHS England plans to 'embed total triage' in general practice post-pandemic Worrying GP Online report March 26: "The operational planning guidance document published by NHS England - which sets out priorities for the year ahead - makes clear that NHS systems will be expected to 'support practices to increase
significantly the use of online consultations, as part of embedding total triage'.
“… Total triage was adopted across general practice from March 2020 on the advice of NHS England as the pandemic forced practices to limit face-to-face consultations.
“NHS England defines it as a model in which 'every patient contacting the practice first provides some information on the reasons for contact and is triaged before making an appointment'.
“Despite the shift towards delivering more consultations remotely, GP practices have continued to deliver large numbers of face-to-face consultations, with RCGP surveillance data suggesting that around one in three appointments are currently face-to-face.
“However, the NHS England strategy document calls for NHS systems to 'support those practices where there are access challenges so that all practices are delivering appropriate pre-pandemic appointment levels'. It adds: 'This includes all practices offering face-to-face consultations.'”

(26 Mar 2021) How the AstraZeneca vaccine became a political football – and a PR disaster Guardian March 26: "It was billed as the vaccine to deliver the world from Covid. But over the last six months, AstraZeneca – whose jab was designed to save thousands of lives for no profit – has found itself stumbling along an extraordinarily rocky road, facing accusations over the efficacy, supply and side-effects of its vaccine from all quarters, and being kicked about like a political football.
"This week, AstraZeneca faced unprecedented public criticism in the US from a high-level scientific body claiming the British-Swedish company massaged the data from its long-awaited trial there. And in Italy, military police entered a factory on behalf of the European commission investigating allegations of 29m hidden doses, said to be intended for shipment to the UK. The commission, which is demanding AstraZeneca supplies more jabs to Europe, meanwhile drew up regulations which could block vaccine exports to the UK.

(26 Mar 2021) Why did so many babies have to die for the NHS to take action? Independent March 26 with analysis of an important shift in policy:
"“The NHS has written a cheque for almost £100m to improve the safety of maternity units in the NHS by boosting staffing levels and investing in training for midwives and doctors.
“At a meeting of its board on Thursday, senior figures were open that some services had failed women, chief executive Simon Stevens acknowledged what he called “unacceptable” behaviour by some staff.
“… While the £100m is a huge sum, we know it is not enough. NHS leaders have said the health service needs potentially four times that much to make lasting improvements and the Royal College of Midwives has repeatedly highlighted the NHS is short of more than 2,000 midwives.
“NHS England has stepped up to the plate and recognised, belatedly, that it needed to act.
… So why has it taken so long for this investment to be made? Why did so many babies have to die before action was taken?”

(26 Mar 2021) NHS to spend almost £100m improving maternity safety after Shrewsbury care disaster Independent report march 26: "NHS England announced the investment on Thursday in response to the care scandal at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.
"As well as boosting the numbers of midwives and doctors on wards, NHS England said the money would include an extra £26.5m for safety training for midwives and doctors across England.
"The £96m represents one of the biggest investments in maternity services for decades. A total of £46m will be to used to recruit 1,000 extra midwives along with £10m for the equivalent of 80 extra doctors. As well as training cash will also be used to create new roles to oversee trusts safety and help recruit staff from overseas.
"The investment is a direct response to the poor care at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust where The Independent revealed in 2019 that dozens of babies and mothers had died or been left brain damaged as a result of persistent poor care over decades. An inquiry is examining more than 1,860 cases, making it the largest maternity scandal in NHS history."

(25 Mar 2021) Low pay is ‘rarely mentioned’ by NHS staff, claims health minister Nursing Notes March 25 reports:
"Low pay is “rarely mentioned” by nurses and other NHS workers, claims a Government health minister.
"Health and Care Minister Helen Whately told MPs during a debate on NHS pay yesterday morning that increased pay is not what “staff most want” but instead more staff, time off, and to feel valued and supported.
"A recent independent report by the London Economic showed that some nurses are as much as 32% worse off now than they were a decade ago.
"Health unions have been calling upon the Government to give NHS workers an immediate restorative rise of between 12.5% and 15%.
"Earlier this year the Government told the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) that a 1% pay rise for NHS workers was all it could afford.
"Ms. Whately’s comments came just hours before the Scottish Government announced a 4% pay rise for all NHS workers on top of a previous £500 bonus for their efforts during the pandemic."

(25 Mar 2021) Boris Johnson hints at bigger pay rise for England’s nurses (£) FT report March 25 hinting at a possible manoeuvre by Johnson government to split off nurses from the wider NHS pay fight by offering a slightly larger increase through the Pay Review Body:
“The Scottish government said on Wednesday that after “positive discussions” with trade unions and employers’ representatives, it had offered the “substantial” rise, which would be the “most generous National Health Service pay uplift anywhere in the UK, and would represent the biggest single year increase in pay for NHS staff since devolution”.
“In England, the government has recommended a rise of just 1 per cent for staff.
"But responding to renewed criticism, Johnson hinted that the government was considering a higher pay rise for nurses.
“We’ve asked the public sector pay review body to look at what could be done for nurses in particular, exceptionally, and I think that’s right,” he said. “I think what nurses have done is incredible and I personally am the beneficiary of their life saving efforts”, he added, referring to his hospitalisation with coronavirus last year.”

(25 Mar 2021) Low rates of staff vaccinations at long-term care homes amid outbreaks raise concerns CBC Canada reporting March 25 on familiar problems in Ontario's long term care:
"An average of only 65 per cent of long-term care staff working in Ottawa long-term care homes have received vaccinations against COVID-19, a survey by CBC reveals, leaving residents in some facilities to face further isolation and confinement as homes grapple to contain outbreaks, mainly involving staff.
"The low staff vaccination rate is a serious concern for residents' families, many of whom had hoped that once their loved ones and caregivers were vaccinated, there would be more freedom.
"Where's public health?" asks Betty Yakimenko, head of the family council at Madonna Care Community in Orléans, where just 51 per cent of workers have received the vaccine."

(25 Mar 2021) The pandemic has only added to the effects of years of delay to meaningful social care reform Nuffield Trust March 25:
"Responding to the National Audit Office report on the adult social care market in England, Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Policy Natasha Curry said:
“The report by the National Audit Office exposes the fundamental flaws and fragility of the social care provider market in England. Organisations providing adult social care were struggling long before the pandemic took hold, with years of delay to any meaningful reform of the sector storing up the problems exacerbated by the pressure of Covid-19.
“Years of real-terms cuts to local authority budgets have seen the market eroded with effects being felt by people in our society who depend on care and support. "Organisations providing care are too often paid at or below cost for council-funded clients, with the result that they either turn down council contracts, collapse, or charge people paying for their own care higher fees. The impact of this unstable system inevitably falls on care workers and the people receiving care, many of whom struggle to access the essential and high quality services they deserve."

(25 Mar 2021) Doctors’ union urges Government to tackle ‘unacceptable’ social inequalities London Evening Standard March 25 highlighting BMA report on growing health inequalities which is focused on poverty in North of England:
“… socio-economic inequality alone costs the NHS approximately £4.8 billion per year, and so as the country moves forward, it’s important that the Government takes a much more proactive approach to tackling these underlying inequalities, which have been made worse by Covid-19 and must now be viewed as a priority.”
“The BMA advised that mental health services and support programmes for vulnerable children must receive more funding to meet increased demand, and homeless people must not be overlooked in the vaccine rollout.
“Universal Credit payments, which were boosted by £20 as a temporary measure introduced at the start of the pandemic, should also be made permanent, the union said.
“Between 2010 and 2020, life expectancy fell among the poorest 10% of women in the Yorkshire and Humber region and in the North East of England, according to the union’s report. By 2019, there was almost a 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy between women living in the richest versus poorest areas of the country, the BMA has said.”

(25 Mar 2021) COVID-19 Vaccine R&D Investments Website showing levels of investment in Covid vaccine research, with US and Germany as largest investors followed by UK government. While most funding has flowed to private companies, most of the investment is from public funds.
"Public funding represents the vast majority of the data collected (98.12% of the USD 5.9bn tracked). The dataset does not include any specific numbers from pharmaceutical companies, which have not disclosed specific figures regarding their R&D investments; private sector investments may be underestimated in this chart, but it is not clear by how much. …
"Funding went primarily to private companies and academic groups …. CEPI [the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations] accounted for 22% of the total invested. As contributions to CEPI are primarily from the public sector (97.18%), nearly all investments in our dataset were from public funds."

(24 Mar 2021) How well prepared was the NHS‪?‬ Apple podcast of first session of KONP People's Inquiry.
The People's Covid Inquiry asks: how has policy over the last decade impacted on the resilience of our NHS, social care system and public health systems and its preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic whilst delivering continuity of core NHS services?
WITNESSES FOR THE SESSION:
Jo Goodman (Co-founder Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice)
Professor Sir Michael Marmot (Director, UCL Institute of Health Equity, UCL Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health)
Holly Turner (Children's Mental Health Nurse/CAMHS)
Professor Gabriel Scally (President Epidemiology and Public Health Section Royal Society of Medicine, Visiting Professor of Public Health, University of Bristol, member of Independent SAGE)
John Lister (Health Journalist and campaigner.
THE PANEL
Michael Mansfield QC (chair), Professor Neena Modi, Dr Tolullah Oni, Dr Jacky Davis, Lorna Hackett Barrister (Counsel to the Inquiry)
‘We’ve been making every possible preparation … this country is very well prepared’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 2 March 2020

(24 Mar 2021) Consultants Deloitte Paid To Draft Ministers’ Parliamentary Answers On Test And Trace Huffington Post march 24 on a classic example of marking your own homework -- and getting paid for it!
"Private firm Deloitte is receiving taxpayer cash to help ministers to draft parliamentary answers and media “lines to take” to defend the Test and Trace programme, HuffPost UK can reveal.
"The unprecedented role for the consultancy giant is part of a series of contracts worth £323m to “support” the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the National Testing Programme run by Baroness Dido Harding’s service.
"… But buried within the contracts are details of help provided with PR and communications, with a requirement to “draft and respond to parliamentary questions, Freedom of Information requests, media queries and other reactive requests” and to “support lines to take and Q&A’s in anticipation of queries”.
"Traditionally Whitehall civil servants draft answers to parliamentary questions from MPs, as well as statutory Freedom of Information requests."

(24 Mar 2021) Top US healthcare chief to join NHS England (£) HSJ report March 24 on another US import to the NHS:
"The chief executive of a leading US healthcare organisation has been hired as NHS England’s new director of transformation.
"Timothy Ferris, who is currently an NHS Improvement non-executive director, is moving to a full time executive role, from his current role as chief executive of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, a not for profit healthcare group.
"He is a primary care physician by background and has carried out extensive work on healthcare systems, improvement, and population health.
"Dr Ferris will lead NHSE’s new transformation directorate, which is intended to bring together its operational improvement team and digital body NHSX. Its purpose is to maintain and improve the rapid service innovations seen during the covid-19 pandemic."

(24 Mar 2021) Trust forecasts June surge in covid patients will be on a par with April 2020 peak HSJ report March 24: “A trust in the South East is forecasting it will be treating as many covid patients in June as it was at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic last April.
“Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust’s modelling suggests covid patients would occupy 50 to 100 beds in mid June in a “reasonably optimistic” scenario. The trust, which normally has around 765 beds, was caring for just under 100 covid patients at the height of the first wave last spring.
“The “optimistic” scenario is based on both lockdown restrictions being relaxed as planned and the vaccination programme continuing in line with the government plans as of early March.
“However, a paper submitted to the trust’s board meeting being held tomorrow says poorer adherence to social distancing could push numbers up to between 100 and 150 with the peak happening at least a month earlier.”

(23 Mar 2021) 'GREEDY' JABS GAG Boris Johnson risks fresh vaccine row over UK’s ‘greedy’ jab firms Sun front page story March 23:
“BORIS Johnson risked inflaming the EU vaccines war last night by saying “it was greed my friends” behind "our vaccine success".
“The PM made the controversial comments in a private address to Tory MPs over Zoom earlier in the evening. He was hailing the efforts of “big pharma” in manufacturing the life-saving jab in lightning-quick time.
“Boris has spent days trying to dial down the rhetoric and pleading with European leaders to abandon their threat to slap an export ban on vaccines. But he risked reigniting tensions with the continent last night as he boasted about how Britain stole the march.
“He told MPs at the 1922 Committee: "The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed my friends."
“He later added: "Actually I regret saying it."
“And he asked MPs repeatedly to "forget I said that".”

(23 Mar 2021) Previously secret report into scandal hospital reveals safety concerns dating back years Independent March 23 lifting the lid on another scandalous failure of care:
"A previously secret report into children’s services at a scandal-hit NHS hospital has revealed concerns over the safety of services including care of seriously ill babies were raised with managers back in 2015.
"A report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) raised serious concerns over children’s services at East Kent Hospitals University Trust in 2015 including senior consultants refusing to work beyond 5pm and a shortage of nurses and junior doctors.
"It also found the neonatal intensive care unit was being staffed by general paediatric doctors instead of specialist neonatal consultants.
"The confidential report was given to The Independent and posted on the trust’s website this week after being mentioned in the terms of reference for an independent inquiry examining dozens of baby deaths at the trust."

(23 Mar 2021) Aboriginal health sector overcoming major challenges to deliver first Covid vaccine jabs Guardian March 23
"Aboriginal community health services across Australia have overcome major challenges including floods and wild weather to deliver their first Covid-19 vaccines to Aboriginal elders.
"New South Wales floods have disrupted the delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine to some parts of the state, but Dr Tim Senior, from Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation’s medical service in western Sydney, said they were relieved to get their supply as planned on Thursday.
“A few general practitioners have been expecting deliveries since last Thursday and have yet to receive the vaccine, causing a real problem as patients had to be rebooked,” Senior said."

(23 Mar 2021) Hospitals across Europe scramble to replace millions of IV kits amid fear of infections Exclusive article in the Independent March 23:
"Hospitals across Europe, including Britain, as well as the Middle East and Africa are scrambling to replace millions of pieces of equipment used to treat patients, as fears grow that they could cause infections after a company was discovered to have falsified sterilisation records for more than a decade.
"The Independent has learned the problem affects more than 230 different types of infusion lines, connectors and associated kit, that are used with infusion pumps to deliver medicine and fluids into patients’ veins.
"Medical devices company Becton Dickinson, or BD, has issued a recall of the tubing and equipment used with its Alaris infusion pumps after an investigation found a company it uses was intentionally falsifying sterilisation records, meaning BD could not be certain the tubing, lines and connectors were free from contamination.
"Hospitals across the UK have been given until the end of this month to stop using the infusion sets and quarantine any of the affected equipment. Any NHS trusts struggling with a lack of supply have been told to seek “mutual aid” from neighbouring trusts."

(23 Mar 2021) 5 things we learned in taking on big pharma MSF advocacy advisor (March 23) with important lessons on how the little guys can win:
"“Medicines shouldn’t be a luxury”: For over ten years, I have been working with inspiring teams around the globe creating and coordinating public campaigns that ignite people’s imaginations and change lives.
"Today, on World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2021, I want to look back on our #NoMoreTears campaign to get the pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to lower the price of bedaquiline, an important drug to treat people with drug-resistant TB, and share five things I learned from that successful campaign. …"

(22 Mar 2021) 1 in 3 Covid survivors suffer long-term health issues: review AFP report March 22: "At least one in three patients hospitalised with Covid-19 suffer long-term health issues including multiple organ problems and deteriorated mental health, according to a review of studies looking at the lasting impact of the disease.
"Published in the journal Nature Medicine on Monday, the review looked at the frequency of symptoms among Covid "long-haulers", the most common of which include fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Authors of the research said the data pointed to an underappreciated health emergency that governments needed to study more closely and find ways to manage.
"Given the millions of people infected by SARS-CoV-2 globally, the long-term cost on physical, cognitive and mental aspects of health still remain to be seen," lead author Kartik Sehgal, a medical oncologist at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told AFP.
"We may be capturing only the tip of the iceberg."

(22 Mar 2021) Third wave will 'wash up on our shores', warns Johnson BBC tamely repeats Johnson's attempt to blame dangers of third wave of Covid on Europe: in fact the Europe wave is not "coming here", because we've already got it.
It's taken two months for our "Kent" strain to spread across the EU and start a new wave there.
"Boris Johnson has warned the effects of a third wave of coronavirus will "wash up on our shores" from Europe.
"The PM said the UK should be "under no illusion" we will "feel effects" of growing cases on the continent.
"One of his ministers, Lord Bethell, also warned the UK might put "all our European neighbours" on the red list of countries , where arrivals are either banned or put in quarantine hotels.
"The comments come amid a row over Covid-19 vaccine supplies in the EU.
"The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has warned the EU could "forbid" doses made in the bloc from being exported to the UK."

(22 Mar 2021) AstraZeneca US trial shows 79% efficacy against Covid FT report March 22: “AstraZeneca’s US clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine developed with Oxford University has shown 79 per cent efficacy at preventing symptomatic disease and 100 per cent efficacy against severe or critical disease and hospitalisation.
“The results are similar to those from other Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, said Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at Oxford and co-designer of the vaccine. “They are all highly effective,” she told the Financial Times.
“A fifth of the participants in the AstraZeneca trial were over 65 and the jab showed 80 per cent efficacy in these older participants.
“The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently the subject of a safety row in Europe, where at least 16 countries have paused or limited its rollout after some recipients developed unusual blood clotting side-effects.”

(20 Mar 2021) Covid sees biggest fall in life expectancy in England since 1940s Independent March 19:
"The coronavirus pandemic caused the largest fall in life expectancy across England since the Second World War, new data has revealed.
"The average life expectancy at birth for men in 2020 dropped by 1.3 years and was down 0.9 years for women compared to 2019, the largest fall since 1939-40.
"Data published on Thursday by Public Health England (PHE) found life expectancy fell sharply during the first half of the year, coinciding with the first wave of the pandemic.
"Between January and June life expectancy at birth for men fell 1.7 years compared to the same six months a year earlier. For women, the drop was 1.5 years."

(20 Mar 2021) Boris Johnson and his Cabinet fail to disclose millions of pounds of outside earnings for NINE MONTHS after Whitehall anti-sleaze mandarin’s resignation over Priti Patel bullying row Daily Mail story exposing once again the sheer hypocrisy of top Tories refusing health workers any real increase in pay while pocketing millions from moonlighting in second jobs:
"“Boris Johnson has broken the Government’s own code of conduct by failing to disclose ministers’ outside earnings, it was claimed last night.
“The Prime Minister and the entire Cabinet have kept payments and other interests worth millions of pounds secret for nine months, breaking a pledge to publish them twice a year.
“The non-disclosure is said to have been caused by Whitehall anti-sleaze mandarin Sir Alex Allan’s resignation in November after Mr Johnson refused to sack Home Secretary Priti Patel over bullying allegations. Sir Alex was responsible for the publication of ministers’ outside interests and no one has been lined up to succeed him.
“The failure to recruit a replacement means there are no plans to publish the list in the near future, according to the Open Democracy political website.
“The Whitehall code of conduct was set up in the 1990s to stop a repeat of sleaze scandals involving ministers in John Major’s administration.”

(20 Mar 2021) The dying days of local NHS accountability Lowdpown analysis in the final few days before most remaining local Clinical Commissioning Groups are merged into much larger and more remote CCGs to correspond with just 42 Integrated Care Systems across England:
"The transition from CCG to ICS is not just a question of much less locally based bodies taking decisions and reduced local accountability: CCGs (after an uncertain start in 2013) have operated as public bodies, with their governing body meetings held in public and most of their board papers published and they are subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
"This of course has not stopped CCGs doing outrageous things, energetically complying with the 2012 Health and Social Care Act that requires them to put a growing range of services out to competitive tender, eagerly handing out contracts to dodgy private companies, spending millions paying management consultants to draw up savage plans for “centralisation” and reorganisation of hospital services, drawing up growing lists of services no longer available on the NHS, and blanking local politicians and communities seeking to challenge them.
"However, as they stand most of the ICSs that are to replace them are not, and do not aspire to be, public bodies, or accountable other than upwards to NHS England and the Health Secretary, who would gain new powers to intervene and to veto appointments of top management under the government’s proposals."

(19 Mar 2021) But aren’t all GPs private anyway? GP Louise Irvine on the KONP website (March 19) explaining basic facts of primary care to those willing to listen :
"What’s wrong with commercial General Practice?
"These companies have the creation of profit rather than the provision of care as their driving motivation. They don’t see the value in the provision of personal continuing healthcare from a family GP committed to their community. It’s cheaper to provide fragmented care from a downsized and down-skilled workforce. That is why personal continuing care is the aspect of General Practice that has most withered in those organisations providing commercial GP services, including some of the ones run by GP 'doctorpreneurs'.
"The advent of 'digital-first' services - whereby patients can access an unknown GP, based anywhere in the country and with no knowledge of the patient or connection with the community within which the patient lives, and with no ongoing responsibility for their care - is seen as the new model of 21st century GP care. If that can be combined with reducing demand from the patients that need the most care - mainly elderly people and those with long term conditions - by making access more difficult for them, limiting the range of treatments they can expect, and replacing their care with technological gizmos, then so much the better for profits.
"The fact that there is no evidence that this model of care is efficient, effective, inclusive or even caring does not seem to matter. Nor does it seem to matter that the patients who most use and need health services were never asked if they wanted this model and that most doctors find it meaningless and soul-destroying, no doubt contributing to the collapse in popularity of General Practice as a profession for young doctors.
"… This is why the claim made that GPs have always been private since the inception of the NHS does not explain the profound changes that have happened in General Practice over the years, and the risks facing it now - changing from a personal continuing community service, to a remote, impersonal, episodic one based on and driven by commercial values."

(19 Mar 2021) Underfunded but ‘fabulously well organised’: a hospital trust chief on the NHS Guardian March 19: After four years running one of Britain’s biggest hospitals Prof Marcel Levi has some strong views on the NHS and the government’s stewardship of the nation’s most venerated institution.
“Levi feels able to speak candidly because he is about to step down as the chief executive of University College London Hospitals trust and return to his homeland in the Netherlands to become its chief scientific officer so no longer fears upsetting NHS bosses. His views offer a counterpoint to the relentless positivity of the government’s airy promises to hire 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 more GPs, build 40 new hospitals and put in record funding.
“There’s chronic underinvestment in the system. It’s quite clear, the NHS is really underfunded. For example, the UK does not spend a lot of money on acute hospitals,” says Levi in his office high above the traffic on London’s busy Euston Road. He is also scathing about the government denying the service the capital funding it needs to buy new kit, make repairs and build new facilities.
“… In his time as an outsider-insider in the NHS he has grown to loathe another aspect of NHS funding: the private finance initiative, which several governments have used to build new hospitals. “I’d never heard of PFI before I came here. It’s a crazy system, a stupid system.” He should know. Levi points across the road, to UCLH’s PFI-funded main building, which opened in 2005 and cost £422m. Except that it will have cost the trust many more times that by the time it has finally paid it off in 2040.”

(18 Mar 2021) Blanket 'do not resuscitate' orders imposed on English care homes, finds CQC Guardian March 18 on a report that cries out for more investigation to name, shame and where appropriate prosecute those responsible for prematurely ending the lives of vulnerable people:
“Blanket orders not to resuscitate some care home residents at the start of the Covid pandemic have been identified in a report by England’s care regulator.
“A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found disturbing variations in people’s experiences of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions during the pandemic.
“Best practice is for proper discussions to be held with the person involved and/or their relatives. While examples of good practice were identified, some people were not properly involved in decisions or were unaware that such an important decision about their care had been made. Poor record-keeping, and a lack of oversight and scrutiny of the decisions being made, was identified.
“The report, Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during Covid-19, calls for a ministerial oversight group – working with partners in health and social care, local government and the voluntary sector – to take responsibility for delivering improvements in this area.”

(18 Mar 2021) NHS to be given extra £6.6 billion to cover cost of Covid, Matt Hancock announces Independent Match 18 on yet another allocation of cash that turns out to be nowhere near as generous as it sounds:
“Matt Hancock has announced the NHS will be given an extra £6.6 billion to cover the cost of coronavirus amid warnings hospitals faced cutting services without additional funding.
“… Mr Hancock told the Commons the funds earmarked for the NHS was in addition to the £3 billion committed by Rishi Sunak at the spending review, insisting it would help the health service “meet the additional costs of Covid and critically starting work on the elective recovery ahead”.
“The health secretary’s remarks also followed a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), calling for an extra £12 billion a year investment is needed in the NHS and care system to try and recover the damage inflicted by the pandemic.”

(18 Mar 2021) Delaying England's winter lockdown 'caused up to 27,000 extra Covid deaths' Guardian March 18 on latest findings from the Resolution Foundation:
"Delaying the winter lockdown caused up to 27,000 extra deaths in England, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has claimed as it accused the government of a “huge mistake” which should be central to any public inquiry into the UK’s handling of the pandemic.
"In an assessment of policy over the last year, it said delaying the start of the latest lockdown until January, despite evidence of fast-rising cases before Christmas, led to around a fifth of all fatalities caused by the virus. It said these could have been avoided if restrictions were put in place quickly enough to prevent the death rate rising from early December."

(18 Mar 2021) Unions, advocates for seniors call for inquiry into discrimination against elderly in health care CBC report from Ontario, March 18: "A coalition of health-care advocates and union groups is calling on the Ontario Human Rights Commission to conduct an inquiry into "systemic discrimination based on age against the elderly in the provision of hospital and long-term care," citing already-dire conditions that have been made significantly worse by the pandemic.
"The Ontario Health Coalition, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions — part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) — and the Advocacy Centre for Elderly said Thursday that packed hospitals are discharging elderly patients who still need care, and that seniors in long-term care homes have struggled to get hospital treatment even after contracting COVID-19.
"Even before the pandemic, lawyer Jane Meadus says her organization — the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, a legal clinic — would get calls about long-term care residents who hadn't been bathed for weeks, or been left to sit in soiled diapers. Now, she hears regularly about people who have been left to die from COVID-19, instead of being transferred to hospital where they would get better care.
"As Canadians, we like to be proud of our healthcare system and (its) equal access," she said in an online press conference. "When it comes to the elderly, that is clearly not happening."

(18 Mar 2021) Funding rise of just 1.4% for local council health services labelled ‘inadequate’ Independent report March 18: "Spending on vital local health services used by millions of Britons, including local contact tracing for coronavirus infections, will rise by just 1.4 per cent from next month, sparking warnings from experts that the money is “inadequate”.
"The move comes just weeks after the Chancellor allocated an extra £15billion to the centralised test and trace service.
"The budgets include spending on children’s health services, health visitors, sexual health, drug and alcohol abuse schemes as well as spending on local outbreak management, contact tracing and responding to coronavirus.
"The increase amounts to just £45million extra for 2021-22 and is equivalent to a 24 per cent cut in real terms to local health budgets since 2015, which have dropped from £4.2billion in 2015-16 to £3.3billion now.
"It comes amid concerns over NHS budgets for next month, which are still be approved. Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has demanded “immediate certainty” be given to hospital bosses."

(18 Mar 2021) All healthcare workers deserve permanent stability March 18: Ontario public sector union SEIU takes up a campaign for a significant and permanent increase in pay for its health care members in place of short term half-measures:
"This afternoon, the Ontario government announced an extension of the temporary wage enhancement of up to $3 an hour for personal support workers until June 30, 2021.
"SEIU Healthcare has been pushing Premier Ford to do the right thing and pay workers what they deserve—all workers! Today’s temporary wage enhancement fails to give workers like you the long-term stability you deserve.
"You have heard us bringing your voices to the government and your employers:
Respect Us, Protect Us, Pay Us.
"When it comes to pay, our demand remains the same; for the Ontario government to bring back the initial $4 per hour “pandemic pay”, make it available to all healthcare workers, and make it permanent. Today’s announcement falls short of what you deserve. Every healthcare worker plays an important role and deserves permanent stability.
"That’s why for low-wage workers, like PSWs, cooks, cleaners and everyone else on the health team struggling to make ends meet, we continue fighting for full-time jobs and living wage of at least $25 an hour. Today’s announcement is only a temporary half-step towards that. We will continue to be your voice and fight for the wages you desperately need and deserve."

(18 Mar 2021) Boris Johnson under pressure after 300,000 NHS staff work unpaid hours during pandemic Mirror report March 18: "Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to offer NHS staff a decent pay rise, after new figures showed 300,000 staff worked unpaid overtime during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Labour analysis of figures from the latest NHS staff survey reveal more than 308,563 staff who would be in line for the 1% pay deal worked unpaid hours in the past year.
"It’s almost 13,000 more than the figure for the same groups in in 2019.
"And it suggests more than a million hours of unpaid overtime were worked during the pandemic.
"Across the whole NHS workforce, some 55.2% of staff say they worked unpaid overtime last year - which is a slight decline from 55.9% the year before.
"Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds condemned the Government’s “shabby” 1% pay deal for staff - which amounts to a pay cut for hundreds of thousands after inflation."

(17 Mar 2021) Nursing staff ‘enjoy pay increases of at least 25%’, MP tells ICU nurse Nursing Notes March 17 on the pig ignorance and indifference of Tory MPs:
"A medical doctor turned Conservative MP has claimed that “many nurses and healthcare assistants” have enjoyed “pay increases of at least 25 per cent”.
"Dr. Kieran Mullan, the Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich and former A&E junior doctor, made the claim after a constituent and intensive care nurse urged him to attend an Every Doctor and Nurses United briefing for MPs on NHS Pay.
"The news comes only days after the Government told the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) that a 1% pay rise for NHS workers was all it could afford.
"Figures in fact suggest that the most experienced staff nurses have seen a real-terms pay cut of around £5000 over the past decade due to wages failing to keep up with inflation (RPI)."

(16 Mar 2021) Advocates call for human rights inquiry into 'discrimination' denying hospital care to long-term-care residents in Ontario CTV March 16 report on demands from Ontario Health Coalition for a human rights inquiry:
“The Ontario Health Coalition, along with the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, held a news conference on Tuesday calling for the Ontario Human Rights Commission to use its power to the investigate discriminatory policies.
“In the pandemic, we saw to our utter horror, the worst mass casualty event in our provinces long-term care history,” Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, said on Tuesday.
“In our view, many of those deaths were avoidable. The policies of denying access to hospital care for the elderly were instrumental in that death toll. The long-standing and terrible inadequacy of care in long-term care was equally instrumental.”
“The advocates wrote a 39-page letter to the commission requesting the human rights inquiry into the provincial government’s “long-standing de-hospitalization” and policies, which they claim, hurt and discriminate against the elderly, including cuts to health-care and long-term care since the 1990s.”

(15 Mar 2021) Majority of doctors support nurses taking strike action Nursing Notes March 15 reports:
WA survey of 450 Doctors undertaken by Doctors.net.uk reveals that the majority (66%) are in favour of nurses taking strike action.
"Health unions have been calling upon the Government to give NHS workers an immediate restorative rise of between 12.5% and 15% after over a decade of real-terms pay cuts.
"This news comes after the Government told the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) that a 1% pay rise for NHS workers was all it could afford. Subsequently, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced the UK’s largest industrial action fund as it prepares to fight the Government on pay.
"The poll also found that less than a quarter (23%) of doctors were against nurses taking industrial action while just one in ten say they are unsure.
"Another poll undertaken by findoutnow.co.uk showed overwhelming public support for nurses taking strike action."

(15 Mar 2021) There's no proof the Oxford vaccine causes blood clots. So why are people worried? Guardian comment piece March 15 challenges the spurious hue and cry over the cheaper, non-profit AZT vaccine:
"Stories about people getting blood clots soon after taking the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have become a source of anxiety among European leaders.
"After a report on a death and three hospitalisations in Norway, which found serious blood clotting in adults who had received the vaccine, Ireland has temporarily suspended the jab. Some anxiety about a new vaccine is understandable, and any suspected reactions should be investigated. But in the current circumstances we need to think slow as well as fast, and resist drawing causal links between events where none may exist.
"As Ireland’s deputy chief medical officer, Ronan Glynn, has stressed, there is no proof that this vaccine causes blood clots. It’s a common human tendency to attribute a causal effect between different events, even when there isn’t one present: we wash the car and the next day a bird relieves itself all over the bonnet.
"Typical. Or, more seriously, someone is diagnosed with autism after receiving the MMR vaccine, so people assume a causal connection – even when there isn’t one. And now, people get blood clots after having a vaccine, leading to concern over whether the vaccine is what caused the blood clots."

(14 Mar 2021) Now Irish medical chief says use of AstraZeneca Covid jab should be suspended after reports of blood clots in Norway, as region in Italy suspends vaccine following death of a teacher Daily Mail March 14 with nine paragraphs retailing hugely exaggerated fears over the Oxford vaccine and several more paragraphs before the key fact:
"Out of the millions of jabs already given, fewer than 50 cases of blood-related issues have been reported post-vaccine, with no confirmed causal link.
"The European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organisation on Friday. AstraZeneca also said it had found no evidence of increased risk of deep-vein thrombosis. "

(14 Mar 2021) Private hospital’s hiring plan set to trigger war for top medics Financial Times March 14 with a grim warning:
“Cleveland Clinic, the US-based healthcare group, is to employ its own doctors when it opens its first British hospital later this year, marking a major shift for the UK’s health sector and triggering a war for top talent.
“Unlike the US, where medics are routinely employed directly on fixed salaries, private hospitals in the UK generally use doctors employed by the state-funded NHS, who work in their spare time on a fee-for-service basis.
“Cleveland, which is headquartered in Ohio, will open a six-storey out patient centre in Marylebone, near Harley Street in London in September. Next Spring it plans to open a 184-bed general hospital on a site overlooking Buckingham Palace which, once operational, will be one of the largest private hospitals in central London.
“It plans to employ 1,250 staff in the UK and said it had been inundated with applications from medics and had already signed up 200 consultants on part-time, fixed salaries.”

(14 Mar 2021) The record-beating cost to the taxpayer of Boris Johnson’s wasteful government Guardian March 14 Opinion piece by Andrew Rawnsley:
"The test and trace programme is worth a big chapter all to itself. This staggeringly expensive scheme was recently described by Nick Macpherson, who used to be the most senior civil servant at the Treasury, as the “most wasteful and inept public spending programme of all time”.
"That is quite an accolade when there are so many other contenders for the title. That’s the gold medal at the fiascolympics.
"An eviscerating report by the all-party public accounts committee has concluded that a programme that is consuming colossal amounts of taxpayers’ money could not point to “a measurable difference to the progress of the pandemic”.
"The promise on which the £37bn scheme was set up – that it would prevent the need for another lockdown – has been broken twice. Among other failures, it has never met its target to turn around all face-to-face tests within 24 hours and many of its contact tracers spent last year sitting idle even as the virus raged out of control.
"A problem with numbers this large is that they can so boggle the brain that they numb the shock; £37bn is more than the annual sum that we spend on primary and pre-primary education. It is three times the cost of the high-performing vaccination programme. It is more than £1,000 for each working-age adult in the UK.
"To put it in a way that Boris Johnson might understand, with that kind of money he could order Carrie-approved refurbishments of the Downing Street flat 20,000 times over."

(13 Mar 2021) Better sick pay will make Britain a healthier place, insists Matt Hancock (£) Times article reports Hancock has left it until after the peak of Covid infection to propose higher levels of sick pay which would have made it more likely low paid workers (including contractors' staff providing support services in NHJS hospitals) could afford to quarantine, self-isolate or shield vulnerable family members. But it also reveals any increase above the sub-poverty level of £96 per week is opposed by his ministerial colleagues -- many of them millionaires:
"Matt Hancock is pushing for an increase in statutory sick pay as Britain emerges from the lockdown in an effort to create a healthier nation, The Times has been told.
"The health secretary wants to raise the level of statutory sick pay from £95.85 a week to help people to take time off work if they are ill.
"During a meeting of the government’s Covid-operations committee this week he argued that the move would benefit the economy because it would reduce levels of sickness. But The Times has been told that the move is being resisted by the Treasury amid concerns about the cost to employers."
"

(12 Mar 2021) Tracking the Spread of COVID-19: Large Outbreaks in Health Care Settings Summary & Report March 12 report from Ontario Health Coalition, with some shocking figures on the performance of the neoliberal Ford government:
"As the devastation of second wave of COVID-19 abates, we are left with 53% more infections and 14% more deaths than the first wave, as well as the certainty that Ontario failed to adequately prepare its health care setting despite months of warning. Details of the nine worst currently-active long-term care outbreaks, with 120 deaths attributed to them, can be found in Table 1 below.
"This report shows the growth of the 49 currently active large outbreaks in health care settings. This is a decrease from our report on February 9 in which we found 155 large outbreaks."

(12 Mar 2021) NHS GP earning £700,000 a year is one of hundreds earning more than the Prime Minister while nurses on as little as £24,907 row over a 1% pay rise Daily Heil (March 12) once more playing on an old right wing riff, trying to drive a wedge between GPs and other health workers with a spurious story: any GP earning £700k is not getting it from the NHS:
"The nation's highest-paid family doctor is one of hundreds earning more than the Prime Minister, the Daily Mail can reveal.
"Patient and nursing groups last night blasted the 'staggering' sums and questioned how the vast disparity could be justified.
"The fat cat medics are likely to be benefiting from a contract that allows them to run several surgeries and earn money for providing extra treatments.
"The Royal College of Nursing says nurses earn an average of £33,384, while figures from NHS Digital show GPs earn an average of £98,000 – three times more.
"But the starting salary of a newly qualified nurse is £24,907."

(11 Mar 2021) Experience of minority ethnic staff gets worse across range of key indicators HSJ report March 11 following up latest NHS staff Survey and noting that :
"The latest NHS staff survey results suggest a significant increase in minority ethnic workers experiencing discrimination from their manager or colleagues, while showing white staff were far less likely to have been deployed on covid wards.
"The 2020 survey results, published today, also showed a drop in the proportion of minority ethnic staff saying their organisation acted fairly with regard to career progression or promotion.
"The survey was conducted across October and November last year.
"The proportion of minority ethnic staff experiencing discrimination had declined to 14.5 per cent in 2019, but rose steeply to 16.7 per cent last year. The proportion of white staff experiencing discrimination remained at 6 per cent.
"The survey also suggests a far higher proportion of minority ethnic staff (47 per cent) worked on covid-19 wards or areas in the 12 months to November 2020, compared to 31 per cent of white staff."

(11 Mar 2021) Government response led to 20,000 excess deaths in four months Second session of Keep Our NHS Public's Covidf Public Inquiry hears from Sir David King and others on the inadequate government response to the Covid pandemic:
"Lockdown came too late and led to the loss of the lives of 20,000 UK residents, Professor Sir David King told the People’s Covid Inquiry last night. Speaking at the second session of the People’s Covid Inquiry which asked: How did the Government respond, chair of Independent SAGE Professor King said that if the country had gone into lockdown on 3 March 2020, rather than 20 days later, many lives would have been saved. It can be watched on YouTube.
"Mass events such as football matches were partly responsible for spreading COVID-19 among the population. He argued that while people consider these events to be ‘outside’ people will still have mingled in pubs and caught the virus there.
“Hospitals would never have become overwhelmed if we had gone into lockdown earlier. I would have said that at least 20,000 out of the 35,000 lives lost in the first wave could have been saved if we had gone into lockdown earlier,” he told the panel."

(11 Mar 2021) Biden directs states to make all adult Americans eligible for vaccine by May 1 New York Times March 11 again underlining the very significant shift of policy since the ousting of the Trump administration:
"President Biden on Thursday evening directed states to make all adult Americans eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines no later than May 1, using a somber but hopeful prime-time address to the nation to say Americans may be able to “mark our independence from this virus” by the Fourth of July.
"Mr. Biden offered a renewed sense of optimism as he recognized the one-year anniversary since the World Health Organization declared the spread of the virus a global pandemic, which plunged the nation and the world into health and economic crises. With continued vigilance, he said, families and friends may be able to gather to celebrate the nation’s independence.
“If we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4th there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day,” the president said.
"Mr. Biden’s speech — solemn and short — was a stark contrast to the often rambling and defensive remarks by former President Donald J. Trump, … ”
"… Instead, Mr. Biden sought to balance empathy for more than 529,000 lives lost with the deep yearning among Americans for an end to the crisis. He declared that Americans are “owed nothing less than the truth,” no matter how grim."

(11 Mar 2021) Covid test kit supplier joked to Hancock on WhatsApp he had 'never heard of him' Guardian on latest revelations of Matt Hancock's dodgy relationship with his dodgy mates as huge contracts are handed out:
"The former neighbour of Matt Hancock who is supplying the NHS with millions of Covid test tubes joked to the health secretary that he had “never heard of him” during a private WhatsApp exchange.
"The exchange, seen by the Guardian, suggests Alex Bourne, a former publican who had no prior experience of producing medical devices before he began supplying the government, may have downplayed his relationship with Hancock in public.
"The messages, which suggest an easy familiarity between the two men, were sent in late November, shortly before the Guardian published a story about Bourne’s work supplying the NHS and his links to the health secretary.
"In a WhatsApp message Hancock sent to Bourne about the imminent story, the health secretary called the newspaper “a rag”. Bourne wrote back: “Matt Hancock – never heard of him,” before assuring the health secretary that his lawyers were “all over” a reporter investigating their connection “like a tramp on chips”."

(10 Mar 2021) NHS and social care ignored in budget Keep Our NHS Public March 10 highlighting the glaring gaps in Rishi Sunak's austerity budget:
"Rishi Sunak’s budget said next to nothing about the NHS, and nothing about social care: and that’s a kick in the teeth for NHS England and all of the organisations that have pressed hard for spending increases to put the NHS back on its feet, tackle backlog maintenance and reward staff for their extraordinary efforts during the covid pandemic.
"Behind the smiles and the silence was the Chancellor’s decision to slash back COVID-19 funding to NHS England from £18 billion this year to just £3bn for 2021-22.
"…T he “extra” £3bn to help restore services after covid turns out to include £1.5bn of money previously announced, £1bn to cut waiting list backlogs and £500m for mental health."

(10 Mar 2021) Covid-19: NHS Test and Trace 'no clear impact' despite £37bn budget BBC March 10 reporting on the damning report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee on the disastrous performance of the privatised Test and Trace system:
"the MPs' report questioned:
"An over-reliance on consultants, with some paid more than £6,600 a day
"A failure to be ready for the surge in demand for tests seen last September
"Never meeting its target to turn around tests done face-to-face within 24 hours
"Contact tracers only having enough work to fill half their time even when cases were rising
"A splurge on rapid tests with no clear evidence they will help.
Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier said it was hard to point to a "measurable difference" the test-and-trace system had made.
"The promise on which this huge expense was justified - avoiding another lockdown - has been broken, twice," she said."

(10 Mar 2021) Meetings Held By Test And Trace Chief Dido Harding Kept Secret – On Cost Grounds Huffington Post report March 10:
"Boris Johnson’s £37bn Test and Trace service is facing a fresh row after it emerged that the government is refusing to publish details of meetings held by its chief Dido Harding.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that it holds the information but is refusing a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request – because to do so “would exceed the appropriate cost limit” of £600.
"Campaign group The Good Law Project, which submitted the request, asked what ministers hoped to hide by failing to make the details public.
"Test and Trace faced withering criticism on Wednesday in a new report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which concluded there was “no clear evidence” that it had made a significant impact on the Covid-19 pandemic.
"MPs also attacked the “staggering” cost of the system and concluded ministers were treating taxpayers “like an ATM machine”."

(9 Mar 2021) More than 50 Long-term effects of COVID-19 Scientific paper from January pops up on social media in March, sounding the alarm on the long term implications after the virus appears to have been defeated:
"From the clinical point of view, physicians should be aware of the symptoms, signs, and biomarkers present in patients previously affected by COVID-19 to promptly assess, identify and halt long COVID-19 progression, minimize the risk of chronic effects and help re-establish preCOVID-19 health."

(9 Mar 2021) Matt Hancock in new transparency row over missing £91,000,000 PPE contract Metro exclusive March 3:
“A £91milion contract between Matt Hancock’s department and a Chinese PPE firm was only published a day after the Government was told it was missing from an open register.
“The heavily-redacted document had not been attached to a five-month-old award notice issued by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The order for surgical gowns intended for the NHS supply chain was among billions of pounds of PPE ordered at speed by the DHSC as it responded to shortages during the first months of the pandemic.
“The DHSC was first asked by Metro.co.uk on February 25, 2021 why there was no copy of the contract alongside the few lines of detail about the deal on the online database.
“The department replied the following evening saying ‘the contract can be found alongside the award notice here’, with a link to the 24-page document, which is marked ‘confidential’ and published vertically.
“… date-stamp information spotted on the document by the Good Law Project (GLP) shows it was redacted on February 26, 2021 – after the Metro’s approach.
“Usually, when a notice is updated it is issued with a clear revision date so the public is aware of any changes.”

(8 Mar 2021) Six million ‘hidden’ patients could flood NHS waiting lists this year Independent's Shaun Lintern with an exclusive March 8:
"As many as 6 million “hidden” patients could join the queue for NHS treatment in the coming months, swelling official waiting lists to records not seen for more than a decade, health chiefs have warned.
"In the wake of a Budget that offered no new investment for the health service ministers must level with the public that previous guarantees on waiting times are now impossible to meet, the head of the NHS Confederation has said.
"In an interview with The Independent, Danny Mortimer said some patients should expect to wait many months, or possibly even beyond a year, for their treatment.
He said: “It's going to take many years to recover the waiting list position to where we want it to be."

(7 Mar 2021) Boris Johnson defends NHS pay rise saying the government has given ‘as much as we can’ Independent March 7 on the government trying to defend one of its more unpopular decisions: "Boris Johnson has defended his controversial pay offer to ‘heroic’ NHS staff, suggesting his government has given “as much as we can”.
"Nursing leaders and unions expressed anger last week when it emerged that ministers had recommended a 1 per cent pay rise.
"Speaking on a visit to a vaccination centre in Brent in north London, the prime minister, who was himself hospitalised with Covid-19 last year, said he was “massively grateful” to NHS and social care staff."

(7 Mar 2021) New research strengthens calls for official review of the government’s COVID-19 infection control guidance March 7: "A report commissioned by the RCN shows that the government’s COVID-19 infection control guidelines, which are used across the UK, are “flawed and need replacing”.
"The report, written by independent experts, analysed a literature review which underpins the current guidance and found that the review met just four of the 18 criteria the experts deemed essential. Crucially, the report found that the review failed to consider a key way in which COVID-19 is transmitted – airborne infection – about which growing evidence has emerged during the pandemic.
"For these reasons, the experts concluded the review provided only a “superficial account” of the available COVID-19 evidence and that the current guidelines based on the review need replacing."

(7 Mar 2021) Welcome to the weird world of NHS pay, where a 1% rise is a lot more than it seems A loathsome March 7 intervention in the (£)Times by the right wing Centre for Policy Studies praises Tory govt for refusing to increase its 1% proposed pay increase and goes on to attack the hard-won Agenda for Change pay structure based on job evaluation as "inflexible". It argues that:
"The NHS wage bill is also, let’s remember, an astonishingly big figure. The health service is the world’s fifth biggest employer (after the US and Chinese militaries, Walmart and McDonald’s). It has the salary costs to match — more than £65 billion in England alone. The kind of increase the unions are after would divert billions from spending on patients, not to mention be grotesquely unfair to other workers, public and private alike."

(5 Mar 2021) Now we health workers know how empty Boris Johnson's 'clap for heroes' really was Guardian March 5 comment by Rachel Clarke:
“We remembered all too well the footage in 2017 of Conservative MPs in the House of Commons literally cheering as they voted down a proper pay rise for nurses. Boris Johnson was, of course, among them, as were Rishi Sunak, Matt Hancock and the rest of the current cabinet.
“… We’ve had a year of performative gestures. That never-ending applause from the steps of Number 10, those photo ops of Johnson in goggles squirting water into test tubes, the extraordinary footage of Hancock’s dry-eyed tears when the health secretary was seemingly overcome with emotion at the arrival of Covid vaccines.
“Now, though, the mask has well and truly slipped. We’ve discovered precisely how much Johnson really values NHS staff. And – in an inverse relationship to the zeal with which he has clapped – it turns out the answer is one Pret a Manger sandwich. Yes: £3.50 a week is precisely how much extra he thinks each NHS nurse deserves.”

(4 Mar 2021) Canadians wary of long-term care: survey RCI March 4 report:
"Three-quarters of Canadians think the high number of deaths in long-term care (LTC) homes during the COVID-19 pandemic could have been reduced if governments had acted sooner, according to a recent survey. Since the start of the pandemic, the virus rampaged through many of these facilities causing high levels of infection and death.
"By May 25, 2020, more than 80 per cent of the coronavirus deaths had occurred in long term care homes and retirement homes. Horror stories abounded of facilities understaffed, residents neglected and some of them dying of thirst and malnutrition. In some cases, the army or hospital staff were called in to take over. "

(3 Mar 2021) NHS, social care and most vulnerable 'betrayed' by Sunak's budget Guardian March 3 analysis of budget:
"A lack of support for care homes, the NHS and people on benefits led to claims that Rishi Sunak’s budget had left the country’s most vulnerable people “betrayed”.
"In his statement to the Commons, the chancellor ignored the social care system and set out only a temporary extension of the universal credit boost, potentially plunging 500,000 people into poverty next winter.
"The budget did not include any detailed plans for the NHS, and unions complained it was “strangely silent” on public services. The red book published alongside Sunak’s statement showed the NHS England budget will fall from £148bn in 2020-21 to £139bn in 2021-22.
"Health experts said the failure to give the NHS any extra cash, apart from the £1.65bn for the vaccine rollout, would leave it struggling to cope with the pandemic’s “challenging legacy” of a big backlog of surgery and increased mental illness. Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which speaks for hospital trusts in England, said the decision showed that the chancellor needed to reaffirm his commitment to giving the NHS “whatever it needs” to deal with Covid."

(26 Feb 2021) NHS GP practice operator with 500,000 patients passes into hands of US health insurer Guardian February 26: "One of the UK’s biggest GP practice operators has quietly passed into the hands of the US health insurance group Centene Corporation, prompting calls for an official investigation into what campaigners claim is “privatisation of the NHS by stealth”.
"The merger is expected to create the largest private supplier of GP services in the UK, with 58 practices covering half a million patients.
"A coalition of doctors, campaigners and academics has voiced concerns in a letter sent this week to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, asking him to order an investigation by the Care Quality Commission.
"Operose Health, a UK subsidiary of Centene, has recently taken over the privately owned AT Medics, which was set up in 2004 by six NHS GPs and runs 37 GP practices across 49 sites in London. Operose already operates 21 GP surgeries in England.
"Objectors are concerned because they claim the change of control was approved for eight practices in the London boroughs of Camden, Islington and Haringey in a virtual meeting on 17 December that lasted less than nine minutes, during which no mention was made of Centene and not a single question was asked."

(26 Feb 2021) Centene: Undemocratic takeover of GP services Keep Our NHS Public report Feb 26 "11 GP surgeries in NE London and 49 across London … have just been sold to Operose, a subsidiary of Centene, which is a huge US health insurance corporate. This was all done with no public debate and no say for patients.
"The expansion of Operose has raised concerns among campaigners who believe the take over demonstrates how much the role of private companies in the NHS has been strengthened in recent years, and may be further strengthened still.
"Dr Jackie Applebee, chair of Doctors in Unite said: "We have been warning for years that US healthcare firms are circling to swoop on the NHS. Our fears are dismissed by politicians and senior NHS managers. The public are constantly told that the NHS is not being privatised. The advent of Centene onto the general practice landscape reveals yet again, that this is a lie. In reality the NHS is being parcelled up and sold off under the radar."

(25 Feb 2021) WRES: Time for a reboot HSJ Feb 25 with some shocking statistics again exposing the institutionalised racism in relation to NHS promotion, most dramatic in the case of senior management positions:
"Most strikingly, the relative likelihood of White applicants being appointed from shortlisting across all posts compared to BME applicants is actually slightly worse in 2020 (1.61) than it was in 2016 (1.57) The slight improvement in 2016-2018 has been reversed. Moreover the percentage of staff believing their employer provides equal opportunities for career progression or promotion has also declined from 2016-2020 – and faster for BME staff than for white staff."

(25 Feb 2021) Rishi Sunak set to ignore pay rise demands for NHS staff i-news Feb 25 breaking the news of the new insult to NHS staff:
"NHS staff in England are set to miss out on a pay rises when Chancellor Rishi Sunak reveals his Budget next week despite a year fighting on the Covid-19 frontline, i can reveal.
"Senior Treasury sources have told this newspaper Mr Sunak will not make any decision on health-worker salaries until after the NHS Pay Review Body’s conclusions arrive on his desk in May.
"Any decision on pay rises for NHS staff such as nurses, junior doctors, paramedics, hospital porters and operating theatre technicians could then take months to be made, according to union bosses."

(24 Feb 2021) Unite warns that private Leamington mega lab will damage local NHS services Unite publishes (24 Feb) the excellent report warning on the dangers and consequences of the new privatised mega-lab being opened in Leamington Spa.
Unite lead officer for health in the West Midlands Su Lowe said: “This is an important report as it lays bare how the mega lab will undermine NHS services in Warwickshire and Coventry.
“Unite, which represents biomedical scientists, believes that it is disgraceful how the government is using the Covid pandemic as cover to force through the creation of the mega labs.
“The NHS scientists who will be most impacted by the creation of the mega labs are working flat out to protect the health of patients.
“Given the very public failures of the test and trace service which has greatly exacerbated the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the UK and which has contributed to the need for successive lockdowns. It is frankly shocking that the government still thinks that test and trace is capable of setting up a fully functioning and safe mega lab.”

(24 Feb 2021) Birmingham blood cancer patient dies of Covid after ward outbreak Shocking story from BBC Midlands news (Feb 23/24):
"A 43-year-old man being treated for blood cancer has died of Covid after contracting it in a hospital outbreak.
"He had received stem cell transplants in an open bay at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, despite virus guidelines saying such patients should be treated in isolation. His family, who have asked not to be identified, said they were "surprised" he had been on an open ward.
"The hospital said it would now treat such patients in isolated side rooms.
"An outbreak of Covid among stem cell transplant patients was reported on the ward earlier this month - the second there since October.
"Transplants had to be halted amid the autumn outbreak.
"The hospital department was circulating the national guidelines in December, but transplants continued in open bays."

(24 Feb 2021) People's Covid Inquiry: Learn Lessons, Save Lives Website with details of the People's Covid Inquiry launched by Keep Our NHS Public, with a series of hearings to bring key expert testimony to bear and piece together an analysis of how the government has got so many things so wrong about the Covid pandemic.

(24 Feb 2021) G7 backs Gavi's COVAX Advance Market Commitment to boost COVID-19 vaccines in world’s poorest countries Vaccines NGO GAVI press release Feb 19 with some belated good news:
"Today G7 leaders announced a doubling of funding for Gavi COVAX AMC to support lower-income economies obtain life-saving vaccines against COVID-19, ensuring greater equity in fighting to end the acute phase of the pandemic.
"New funding from the European Union, Germany and the United States will allow COVAX, the international COVID-19 vaccine mechanism, to secure more doses and further diversify its vaccine portfolio, advancing its goal to roll out at least 1.3 billion vaccine doses in world’s poorest economies in the next few months.
"This comes alongside a number of recent pledges, including a pledge announced today by Ireland.
"The announcement also includes securing doses for COVAX to support vital humanitarian work in places where populations face emergencies.
"In addition, the UK and France announced commitments to share vaccine doses with lower-income economies, joining a number of other countries expressing the same goal, to further accelerate a coordinated international response and help put an end to the pandemic globally."

(23 Feb 2021) We will keep fighting Update (Feb 23) from the Good Law Project after inflicting major setback on Matt Hancock:
"We are pleased to be able to tell you that the Court has granted a cost-capping order in our judicial review over the award of huge PPE contracts, without advertisement or competition, to Pestfix (a pest control company), Ayanda (an opaque private fund owned through a tax haven), and Clandeboye (a confectionery wholesaler).
"After Government said it would cost an unbelievable £1million pounds to defend the case, we asked the Court to cap our exposure to Government’s legal costs at £100k. We are a small not-for-profit that relies on crowdfunding. After reviewing our fundraising efforts for the case so far and looking at what we have saved for a rainy day, this is the figure we could afford.
"Instead, the Court has granted a cost-capping order of £250k. It means that if we lose the case, we are liable to pay a quarter of a million pounds to Government, as well as needing to cover our own legal costs. Despite huge support from members of the public, generous individuals and organisations, we are still short.
"But we will not be bullied out by costs. This case, which we are bringing alongside EveryDoctor, is simply too important."

(23 Feb 2021) The UK’s PPE procurement scandal reminds us why we need ways to hold ministers to account Excellent BMJ Feb 23 summary by Martin McKee on the Hancock/PPE scandal:
"The struggles that frontline health and social care workers faced when trying to obtain PPE are surely well known, although not seemingly to the health secretary when he told the BBC that there had been no national shortage. Some of the best accounts are in books by two British doctors, Rachel Clarke and Dominic Pimenta. Indeed, Pimenta stepped away from frontline medicine to create a charity to source PPE for the NHS.
"Yet equally shocking were the stories of how the procurement process was operated. In one of the most visible cases, only a fraction of 400 000 gowns ordered from a Turkish t-shirt manufacturer arrived and when they did, they were late despite the Royal Air Force being sent to collect them, and they were found to be unusable.
"Fifty million face masks, purchased through a company specialising in currency trading and offshore property, part of a £252 million contract, were also unusable.
"A Miami jewelry designer, awarded a £250 million contract for PPE, was found to have paid £21 million to a consultant to broker the deal. A pest control company with net assets of £19 000 was given a £108 million contract for PPE. A highly critical report by the National Audit Office provides more examples.
"These vast sums of money were being spent as schools and community groups were using their spare time to make PPE using their 3D printers."

(23 Feb 2021) Matt Hancock took nearly 3 times legal time limit to publish Covid-19 contracts Mirror February 23:
"The High Court rapped the Health Secretary for unlawfully failing to publish contracts within 30 days in a “substantial number of cases.”
"A defiant Mr Hancock said today that he would breach the law again if needed, claiming the documents were on average only a fortnight late.
"But in a letter to Government lawyers, the Good Law Project revealed the Health Secretary’s estimate that contracts took an average of 47 days to be published did not include contracts which had still not been released.
"They said that once unpublished contracts were included the figure skyrocketed to 78 days by November - almost three times the legal limit.
"In a letter to the Government Law Department, lawyers Deighton Pierce Glynn, who represent the Good Law Project said they were concerned Mr Hancock was “denigrating” the High Court decision."

(22 Feb 2021) The Covid contracts furore is no surprise – Britain has long been a chumocracy Polly Toynbee in the Guardian Feb 22:
"The Good Law Project, the admirable not-for-profit public-cleanser, last week proved in the high court that the government had breached what the judge called the “vital public function” of transparency over “vast quantities” of taxpayers’ money. A VIP fast-lane for protective equipment contracts made the contacts of ministers, MPs, peers and officials 10 times more likely to win contracts. PPE prices sky-rocketed: even bodybags were being charged at 14 times their previous cost. The Good Law Project’s demands for publication of those favoured suppliers, their VIP sponsors and prices paid have been denied so far.
"Why the secrecy? The Guardian has already revealed that the medical regulator is investigating Alex Bourne, health secretary Matt Hancock’s ex-neighbour, who won £30m of work producing medical vials, despite having no experience in the field.
"In the panic over empty PPE shelves in hospitals and care homes, that dash to procure might be forgiven were it not that favours to friends is the everyday modus operandi for Boris Johnson."

(21 Feb 2021) ‘We did not have a national shortage of PPE’, says Hancock Nursing Notes Feb 21 with an angry response to a blatant lie from Matt Hancock
"The Health Secretary has angered health and social care workers by rubbishing claims of a national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the first wave of the pandemic.
"In an interview with Andrew Marr today Health Secretary Matt Hanock said that his team was spending “7 days a week, often 18 hours a day getting hold of the equipment that was saving lives” insisting on three occasions that the UK “didn’t have a national shortage of PPE”.
"A NursingNotes survey of healthcare workers following the first wave of the pandemic showed that over half of workers (52%) had been given PPE they felt was inappropriate or inadequate, a third had been told to re-use single-use PPE, and a fifth has been given PPE that had already expired.
"With the vast majority of nursing staff caring for COVID-19 patients wearing nothing more than a standard surgical mask, gloves, and a thin plastic apron, Mr. Hancock’s claims come only days after healthcare leaders wrote to the Prime Minister again calling for improved PPE.
"Across the UK, at least 930 health and care workers to date have died and many more are suffering from long-term adverse effects of COVID-19."

(21 Feb 2021) Matt Hancock's ex-neighbour under investigation by UK's medicine agency Guardian Feb 21: “The former publican and neighbour of Matt Hancock who secured lucrative work producing millions of vials for NHS Covid tests is under investigation by the UK’s medicine agency, the Guardian can reveal.
“Alex Bourne, who used to run the Cock Inn near the health secretary’s old constituency home in Thurlow, won about £30m of work producing the test tubes despite having no prior experience in the medical devices industry.
“Prior to the pandemic, his company, Hinpack, made plastic cups and takeaway boxes for the catering industry. Now it supplies tens of millions of vials from its production site on an industrial potato farm complex in Cambridgeshire.
“The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirmed it has launched an investigation into Bourne’s company. “We take all reports of non-compliance very seriously,” said Graeme Tunbridge, director of devices at the MHRA. “We are currently investigating allegations about Hinpack and will take appropriate action as necessary. Patient safety is our top priority.”

(20 Feb 2021) Call for new Beveridge report as number of destitute UK households doubles during Covid Guardian Feb 20:
"The number of British households plunged into destitution more than doubled last year, according to alarming new research on the devastating fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Amid growing concerns over the unequal impact the crisis has had on the poor and low-paid, it has emerged that there were 220,000 more households living in destitution by the end of last year, potentially more than half a million people.
"The troubling figures come alongside calls for a major review of the support provided to the poorest during the crisis. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is expected to extend state support for businesses and the low-paid as part of in his Budget next month.
"The increase in destitution – from 197,400 to 421,500 households last year – was revealed by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) for a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation to be broadcast tomorrow, Britain’s £400bn Covid Bill: Who Will Pay? Destitution is defined as a two-adult household living on less than £100 a week and a single-adult household on less than £70 a week after housing costs."

(20 Feb 2021) Covid: Matt Hancock acted unlawfully over pandemic contracts BBC News website story Feb 20:
"Matt Hancock acted unlawfully when his department did not reveal details of contracts it had signed during the Covid pandemic, a court has ruled.
"A judge said the health secretary had "breached his legal obligation" by not publishing details within 30 days of contracts being signed.
"The public had a right to know where the "vast" amounts spent had gone and how contracts were awarded, he added.
"The government said it fully recognised the "importance of transparency".
"But Labour claimed the government's awarding of contracts was "plagued by a lack of transparency, cronyism and waste"."

(19 Feb 2021) Matt Hancock ‘acted unlawfully’ by failing to publish Covid contract details Channel 4 News report Feb 19:
"There have been another 12,000 new cases in the UK and another 450,000 people received their first dose of the Covid vaccine yesterday. Almost 17 million people have now received their first dose of a vaccine.
"But the political row over the government’s handling of the crisis has continued.
"Today, the High Court ruled that Health Secretary Matt Hancock acted “unlawfully” when he failed to publish details of contracts signed during the pandemic."

(19 Feb 2021) Matt Hancock acted unlawfully by failing to publish Covid contracts Guardian Feb 19 on the big story the BBC largely failed to mention:
“The health secretary, Matt Hancock, acted unlawfully by failing to publish multibillion-pound Covid-19 government contracts within the 30-day period required by law, a high court judge has ruled.
“The judge, Mr Justice Chamberlain, ruled the failure to do so breached the “vital public function” of transparency over how “vast quantities” of taxpayers’ money was spent.
“The judgment is a victory for the Good Law Project (GLP), a crowdfunded not-for-profit organisation that is making a series of legal challenges related to the government’s procurement of protective personal equipment (PPE) and other services during the pandemic.
“Research by the procurement consultancy Tussell had found Hancock’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had spent about £15bn buying PPE from different companies by the beginning of October, but that only £2.68bn worth of contracts had been published.”

(19 Feb 2021) UK government broke the law by failing to disclose PPE contracts, court rules Reuters report Feb 19:
“The British government broke the law by failing to publish details of billions of pounds of spending on personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, a London court ruled on Friday.
“As COVID-19 swept across the world last year, Britain scrambled to secure protective gear for medics and nurses on the front line.
“The Good Law Project, a campaign group, and three opposition politicians brought a judicial review seeking information about undisclosed deals with firms that had no medical procurement expertise and, in some cases, delivered defective protective equipment.
“Martin Chamberlain, a High Court judge, said the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, failed to comply with a public procurement law that requires the government to publish contract awards within 30 days.
“The Secretary of State spent vast quantities of public money on pandemic-related procurements during 2020,” Chamberlain said. “The public were entitled to see who this money was going to, what it was being spent on and how the relevant contracts were awarded.”

(19 Feb 2021) Whistleblowers trigger downgrade of maternity unit over staff shortages Independent Feb 19:
"A hospital’s maternity unit has been downgraded over safety fears after whistleblowers raised alarms over unsafe staffing levels.
"The Care Quality Commission has issued Worcestershire Royal Hospital with demands to improve after inspectors found shifts had only half the required number of midwives during an inspection in December.
"The regulator said whistleblowers had raised repeated concerns over unsafe staffing levels in the maternity unit which were not being acted on by managers.
"According to its inspection report, the CQC found there was a shortfall of registered midwives between September and December of 49 per cent. Between March and June last year the unit was 30 per cent short of midwives."

(19 Feb 2021) Frontline NHS staff at risk from airborne coronavirus, Boris Johnson warned Independent Feb 19 with a story underlining that PPE supplies are even now not adequate for some front line NHS staff:
"Frontline NHS staff are being put at risk because they’re forced to work with inadequate protection against coronavirus, leading health organisations have warned.
"A coalition of more than 20 health and science bodies have written to the prime minister urging him to intervene and order a review of UK rules on infection prevention so that workers are provided with higher-grade masks.
"They say new research shows the virus should be considered an airborne pathogen and current rules are incorrectly based on the idea the virus spreads via droplets alone.
"The organisations, including the Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association, Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Royal College of Midwives, told Mr Johnson: “The evidence is clear and lives continue to be put at risk.”
"On most general hospital wards nurses and doctors are expected to wear only basic surgical masks, although The Independent revealed earlier this month some hospitals were already defying the rules and handing out higher-grade masks."

(19 Feb 2021) First image of the Kent & Canterbury 'super' hospital which could become hub for healthcare in east Kent A brazenly one-sided Kent online Feb 19 propaganda puff for a new "huge" hospital plan that would 'centralise' all services for East Kent in Canterbury, and downgrade hospitals in Ashford and Margate, each 20 miles away.

(17 Feb 2021) Unwinding lockdown ‘too fast’ risks ‘disaster’, warns government scientific adviser Independent report Feb 17: "Unwinding the national lockdown “too fast” would risk a “disaster”, a government scientist has warned as she urged caution with many yet to receive Covid vaccines.
"Dame Angela McLean — a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) — made the remarks as Boris Johnson prepares to unveil the government’s roadmap for lifting restrictions next week.
"The prime minister stressed on Wednesday that the government’s strategy would be based on a “cautious and prudent approach”, reiterating he wanted the move out of lockdown to be “irreversible”.
"Appearing at the Commons Science and Technology Committee, Dame Angela, who also serves as chief scientific officer at the Ministry of Defence, said the country “got into real trouble” in 2020 for not being cautious enough."

(17 Feb 2021) BORIS JOHNSON'S CRONY CONTRACTS Valuable Feb 17 collection by Byline Times of 74 varied examples of crony contracts issued by Johnson government during the pandemic, going back to April 2020.

(17 Feb 2021) Losing one’s faith in leaders 17 Feb BMJ opinion piece from Partha Kar:
"What, exactly, has gone right so far, apart from vaccine delivery by primary care? We’ve seen the development of a contagious variant, the opening up over Christmas, a lack of any cohesive strategy to support people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and a vaccine strategy that may work—yet wrapped around a sense of hope rather than science.
"When it was known that loosening restrictions over Christmas would lead to a huge surge in deaths, where does the responsibility lie? When do we acknowledge that being silent over these failings makes us complicit?
"I’m frustrated and tired. I’m hurt by my own loss of faith, when I’d placed so much trust in leaders. We’ve been brought to this position by an out of control pandemic, itself brought on by the same people who failed to influence politicians to do the right thing: close borders, lock down early, forget Christmas for a year.
"To me, leadership isn’t defined by how nice or popular you are. It’s defined by outcomes. That’s how I judge my own successes and failures. In this pandemic—if death and collateral damage are the barometers, as they should be—the leadership teams have failed us all."

(17 Feb 2021) Unprotected African health workers die as rich countries buy up COVID-19 vaccines Alarming Science Mag report 17 Feb:
"Countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas have administered more than 175 million shots to protect people against COVID-19 since December 2020, with most countries giving priority to medical workers.
"But not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa has started immunizations—South Africa will be the first, this week—leaving health care workers dying in places where they are scarce to begin with.
"The exact toll of COVID-19 among health workers is hard to gauge, but Hakim was one of several prominent doctors to succumb in recent weeks in Africa, which has suffered a second pandemic wave.
"Just 1 day before him, U.S. physician David Katzenstein, who had moved to Harare after his retirement and directed the Biomedical Research and Training Institute there, died from COVID-19 at the same hospital.
"Those losses stand for many others, says Robert Schooley, an infectious disease researcher at the University of California, San Diego, who worked with Hakim for many years. “We don’t hear about a lot of the others who are labouring in the health care workforce behind them.”

(17 Feb 2021) Poorer areas falling behind on vaccination against coronavirus Independent Feb 17: "The NHS is increasing efforts to reach out to ethnic minority communities in more deprived areas of England as analysis by The Independent shows poorer areas are vaccinating fewer at-risk people.
"Among the most deprived parts of the country, fewer people aged over 80 and in their mid-70s had received their first dose of vaccine against coronavirus by 7 February when compared with more affluent areas, sparking concerns communities most at risk are being left vulnerable.
"Comparing local NHS vaccination data with Public Health England’s deprivation scores for each NHS region reveals six of the most deprived parts of England were in the bottom 10 local areas for vaccine uptake among the over-80s and those aged over 75.
"The worst performing NHS region was East London, with just 73 per cent of over-80s vaccinated by 7 February. East London was also one of the worst-affected areas during the second wave of the virus as hospitals became overwhelmed early on in the crisis."

(17 Feb 2021) Unwinding lockdown ‘too fast’ risks ‘disaster’, warns government scientific adviser Independent report Feb 17:
"Unwinding the national lockdown “too fast” would risk a “disaster”, a government scientist has warned as she urged caution with many yet to receive Covid vaccines.
"Dame Angela McLean — a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) — made the remarks as Boris Johnson prepares to unveil the government’s roadmap for lifting restrictions next week.
"The prime minister stressed on Wednesday that the government’s strategy would be based on a “cautious and prudent approach”, reiterating he wanted the move out of lockdown to be “irreversible”.
"Appearing at the Commons Science and Technology Committee, Dame Angela, who also serves as chief scientific officer at the Ministry of Defence, said the country “got into real trouble” in 2020 for not being cautious enough."

(15 Feb 2021) After the market—what do the proposed new plans mean for the NHS? BMJ opinion piece from Nigel Edwards of the Nuffield Trust Feb 15:
"For 25 years, politicians from the Thatcher to the Cameron government tried to use market principles and competition to push the NHS forwards, culminating in the 2012 Health and Social Care Act. The publication of a new White Paper last week marks the decisive end of that approach, preparing to reflect in law the dropping of many of the more overt aspects of a market system since the 2014 Five Year Forward View.
"Since then a significant amount of NHS effort has been put into developing a more integrated and population health based approach, and planning service change. Both of these principles are hard to reconcile with a market driven system, and so over time the 2012 Act has increasingly been ignored. The national tariff for paying hospitals had already been abandoned in many places and there had been increasing emphasis on collaboration, which the response to the pandemic has reinforced.
"The new proposals to remove the jurisdiction of the Competition and Markets Authority, replace the procurement regime that often produced onerous bidding processes, and formalise Integrated Care Systems (ICS) as statutory bodies, are amongst a number of significant changes that complete the dismantling of much of the 2012 edifice.
"If markets and competition have now been largely abandoned the question is: what is now the mechanism for driving change and is it strong enough to deliver the very challenging goals that have been set? "

(14 Feb 2021) Pandemic has had negative impact on mental health: poll Observer Feb 14: "More than four out of 10 people say the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.
"In the survey, 43% say their mental health has deteriorated over the past year, while more than a third (35%) report that their physical health has got worse.
"The shocking data bears out warnings from experts who have predicted that Covid-19 and the resulting restrictions on movement and activities, as well as job losses and lay-offs, would trigger a mental health crisis.
"Last December Dr Adrian James, the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, warned that the UK was facing “the biggest hit to mental health since the second world war”, with lasting effects."

(14 Feb 2021) Community nursing faces ‘rehabilitation disaster’ as Covid leaves thousands in need Independent Feb 14: "Tens of thousands of coronavirus survivors needing long-term care are heaping pressure on Britain’s stretched community services, threatening a crisis that experts warn could dwarf that seen in hospitals over the past 12 months.
"As many as 100,000 intensive care patients, including up to 15,000 Covid-19 survivors, will need long-term community nursing care after being discharged from hospitals during the past 12 months, The Independent has been told.
"This will be on top of an as yet unknown number of Covid patients from the 350,000 treated on general wards since the pandemic began, as well as tens of thousands of people who were sick without going to hospital but have been left with debilitating symptoms of long Covid."

(11 Feb 2021) The Museum of missing nurses A fascinating interactive world map showing the scale of tax evasion in terms of nurses' salaries that could have been paid for with the money.
Linked to an article on tax evasion within the EU that points out
"Every year, in addition to Luxembourg, the Netherlands steals the equivalent of $10 billion from its EU neighbours. Ireland, Cyprus and Malta have similar practices. Most of these losses comes from countries hit hardest by COVID such as Italy, Spain, France and Germany."
The article links to a November 2020 revelation that tax evasion is equivalent to the pay of 34 million nurses world wide. https://publicservices.international/resources/news/one-nurses-salary-lost-to-tax-havens-every-second-our-new-report-reveals?id=11336&lang=en

(11 Feb 2021) US could have averted 40% of Covid deaths, says panel examining Trump's policies Guardian report Feb 11: “The US could have averted 40% of the deaths from Covid-19, had the country’s death rates corresponded with the rates in other high-income G7 countries, according to a Lancet commission tasked with assessing Donald Trump’s health policy record.
“Almost 470,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, with the number widely expected to go above half a million in the next few weeks. At the same time some 27 million people in the US have been infected. Both figures are by far the highest in the world.
“In seeking to respond to the pandemic, Trump has been widely condemned for not taking the pandemic seriously enough soon enough, spreading conspiracy theories, not encouraging mask wearing and undermining scientists and others seeking to combat the virus’s spread.
“Dr Mary T Bassett, a commission member and director of Harvard University’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights, told the Guardian: “The US has fared so badly with this pandemic, but the bungling can’t be attributed only to Mr Trump, it also has to do with these societal failures … That’s not going to be solved by a vaccine”.”

(11 Feb 2021) Is a ‘free’ NHS really ‘fairer’? It is time to consider an insurance-based system in the UK A profoundly ignorant (£) paywalled article in the Independent by Mary Dejevsky, allegedly an expert on Russian politics, who clearly knows next to nothing about the origins of the NHS, its principles, or the relative costs and up-front fees charged by European insurance-based health care systems.
Early in her rant she complains that the element of national insurance in NHS funding has fallen since it was established -- clearly unaware that Bevan in setting it up specifically rejected an insurance based system and argued that the fairest way to fund it was the share the cost and risk across the whole tax-paying population so that those who earned most should pay the most.
Like so many similar attempts to drag the NHS back to the pre-1948 hell of an insurance based "mixed economy" of health care, she conveniently separates out health inequalities in Britain from the widening gap of income inequality after so many years of neoliberal policies since Thatcher -- and ignores the much higher spending per head and as share of GDP in France and Germany, which allows them to afford more beds, staff and equipment.

(11 Feb 2021) UK government not sure where billions of pounds' worth of PPE is Guardian February 11 revealing yet another government PPE balls-up:
"The government is not sure where billions of pounds worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) is located, the head of the National Audit Office has disclosed.
"Gareth Davies, the comptroller and auditor general, said outside consultants had been brought into Whitehall to find all equipment, which is stored at different sites around the country, or is in transit from abroad.
"The task had been undertaken so that the Department of Health and Social Care knew when stocks would become too old to use and could complete its own accounts, he said.
"Under questioning from the public accounts committee, Davies said: “We have been working closely with the DoH. It has commissioned consultants to advise it on first of all understanding where all the PPE that has been bought actually is. It sounds like a strange question but it is a really big issue because it is not all standing neatly in an NHS store somewhere.
“We have amounts in containers, in storage around the country, there’s some on the docks and there is some en route somewhere from China.”

(11 Feb 2021) Tories unveil plans today to unpick their own disastrous NHS reforms Mirror Feb 11 with a more balanced take than some of the news media on the government's flawed White Paper:
"A decade after David Cameron’s government fragmented healthcare in Britain and opened it up to the market, a white paper will be published to reverse some of the changes.
"Former health secretary Andrew Lansley brought in reforms blamed for encouraging “competition” between health bodies from hospital trusts to GP surgeries, when buying in private healthcare services.
"Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) will now be set up to encourage cooperation between the NHS and local councils for the overall benefit of the local population.
"However campaigners say the White Paper - which was leaked at the weekend - does not go far enough and many of the Lansley reforms remain in place."

(10 Feb 2021) Living with covid-19 long term BMJ Feb 10 blog by NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson:
"The key, as we’ve seen over the last few weeks, is to have sufficient surge, and super surge, capacity to cope with peaks of demand and ensure that the provision of mutual aid across trusts and regions works effectively. That has profound implications for NHS estates—how do we create community, hospital, general/acute, and ICU capacity that can be easily flexed up and down? How do we create reserve ambulance capacity that can be called on? …
"Simon Stevens, CEO of the NHS, has also argued eloquently that the NHS now needs a buffer to function sustainably.
"NHS Providers has argued consistently that we have been trying to run the NHS permanently in the red zone for several years now.
"Whichever per head of population number you look at—beds, nurses, doctors, diagnostic equipment—the resources available to the NHS compare poorly with key European comparators like France and Germany. "

(10 Feb 2021) Doctors warn intensive care units still face months of extra pressure Independent report Feb 10 on the strains on staff in the front line of the pandemic:
"Hospitals across the UK opened more than 2,250 extra intensive care beds to cope with the demand from coronavirus patients during the last 12 months – the equivalent of 140 new intensive care units.
"In a new report, the Intensive Care Society (ICS) warned pressure on hospitals could last for many more months with makeshift beds for critical care patients having to stay open, hampering efforts to restart more routine services.
"The ICS said that 20,675 patients had been admitted to intensive care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 5 February. It said patients had a median length of stay in the first wave of 12 days, a lot longer than normal with 2,251 extra beds occupied in January 2021 compared to last year.
"The ICS warned thousands of extra staff drafted in to look after critical care patients would be needed for months to come and this was despite staffing levels been stretched to dangerous levels."

(10 Feb 2021) MPs: Government ‘wasted huge sums on unfit PPE’ Public Finance Feb 10 report: "A report published by the Public Accounts Committee today found that the government made extensive use of new procurement powers to outsource more than £10bn of goods and services without competition at the start of the pandemic.
"However, it said that the Department for Health and Social Care has identified items worth hundreds of millions of pounds which are unusable for their intended purpose.
"Meg Hillier, chair of the committee said: “The government had permission to procure equipment at pace and without tendering under the law, but acting fast did not give it license to rip up record keeping on decisions.
“It did not publish contracts in time and kept poor records of why some companies won multi-million-pound contracts.
“The cost of emergency procurement - billions of pounds higher than the equivalent a year before - highlights how both its pandemic plan and supply of essential equipment were inadequate.”

(10 Feb 2021) Analysis: NHS 2019-20 annual accounts NHS Providers advisor Amelia Chong in Public Finance Feb 10:
“The belated publication of the 2019/20 NHS accounts at the end of January shows that, going into Covid-19, providers’ finances were stretched and deteriorating – despite a significantly improved funding settlement linked to the NHS Long Term Plan.
“When the pandemic is behind us, questions about the long-term investment required for the NHS will remain.
“NHS England and NHS Improvement’s main annual reports focus on the number of providers in deficit falling from 107 in 2018-19 to 53 in 2019-20.
… delving deeper into the detail reveals that the total provider deficit has risen by nearly £80m, from around £830m in 2018-19 (excluding a favourable technical adjustment following the collapse of Carillion) to £910m in 2019-20.
“… Ultimately, a mismatch between costs and income lies at the root of the provider deficit.
“The NHS budget has not risen fast enough to meet the rapidly growing demands presented by an ageing population, more complex long-term conditions and technological advancement.”

(10 Feb 2021) Friend of Matt Hancock Wins £14.4 MILLION PPE CONTRACT Another Hancock sleaze story, this time from the Byline Times (Feb 10):
"A firm owned by a family associate of Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock was awarded a Government contract for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) worth £14.4 million.
"The Government today released details of the contract awarded to CH&L Limited in April for isolation gowns. The owner of the firm has told Byline Times that, due to “unforeseen logistical circumstances,” the contract was not fulfilled and the deposit paid by Hancock’s department was returned to the Government.
"CH&L Limited was incorporated in January 2020 with one director – a Mr Chun Lei Li. In June that year, Frances Stanley was appointed as the second director of the firm, and later in the year appears to have become the sole person with significant control of the company.
"The firm does not seem to have a website, though its Companies House page states that it is an agent “specialised in the sale” of products, and also a supplier of “human health activities”…

(10 Feb 2021) Hospitals need extra £400m a year to make maternity units safer Independent report Feb 10:
"Making maternity wards safer for mothers and babies will need £400m of extra spending every year, hospital leaders have told The Independent.
"They warn that without increased funding, the NHS will not be able to fully implement recommendations made by an inquiry into poor maternity care at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust – where dozens of babies died or were left brain damaged in the largest maternity scandal in NHS history.
"Multiple maternity care failings at hospitals across the country in the past 12 months have sparked concerns over the safety of mothers and their babies with MPs on the Commons Health Select Committee launching an investigation into the issue last year.
"Hospital leaders say even just covering existing shortfalls of 3,000 midwives and recruiting 20 per cent more obstetricians, will cost at least £250m a year. To pay for extra anaesthetists, neonatal nurses and other support staff could push the cost to more than £400m."

(9 Feb 2021) NHS Has Been 'Nothing Special' In Covid Pandemic, Right-Wing Think Tank Claims Huffington Post (Feb 9) highlights the outlandish views peddled by the obscurely-funded neoliberal fundamentalist outfit the Institute the Economic Affairs, who have consistently sought to undermine public affection for the NHS.
"A new study by the Institute Of Economic Affairs (IEA) describes as a “myth” the idea that the health service had been a star performer over the past year.
"The report by the think tank, which counts Tory peers and donors among its advisory board, compares the UK’s to other healthcare systems and concludes “there is no rational basis for the adulation the NHS is currently receiving”.
"It states that the “Clap for Carers” and the public’s posters saying “Thank You NHS” last summer were part of the “false Covid-19 narratives”, including the suggestion that the health service had held the nation together during the crisis."

(9 Feb 2021) These wealthy vaccine cheats prove we were never all in this together Guardian comment Feb 9: "Remember how, at the beginning of the pandemic, everyone used to chirp “we’re all in this together!”? You don’t hear much of that any more because it’s embarrassingly obvious we’re not.
"Watching wealthy people, who have the means to shield from the virus, being vaccinated before many essential workers is infuriating. Even worse is the fact that there’s not much we can do about it.
"Making it harder to get a vaccine helps no one: better a few undeserving people slip through the net than a single precious vaccine goes to waste."

(9 Feb 2021) Coronavirus ‘amnesty’ to get undocumented migrants vaccinated will not be enough, ministers warned Independent Feb 9: "A government "amnesty" for undocumented migrants to encourage them to come forward for Covid vaccines will not be enough, minsters have been warned.
"Over 140 charities, faith groups, local authorities and medical organisations have written to the government urging more action to ensure an estimated 1.3 million people feel safe coming forward.
"Downing Street on Monday said there would be no checks on immigration status at vaccine centres and that "those who are here illegally can come forward to receive a vaccine".
"But groups including the Refugee Council, The Faculty of Public Health, Trades Union Congress, Medact, Migrants Organise, and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) say many could still be left unvaccinated unless concrete action is taken to roll back aggressive policies.
"In a joint letter to the health department shared with The Independent, the organisations say people "are afraid to access services because of longstanding and entrenched barriers to healthcare" and are thus at risk of being left unvaccinated."

(9 Feb 2021) Thinktank critical of NHS Covid response has links to Hancock Guardian Feb 9 reminds us again that Matt Hancock has received funding from the chair of the obscurely-funded right wing IEA "think tank" which campaigns for scrapping NHS and replacing it with insurance model:
"Labour has demanded that Matt Hancock return donations from the chair of an influential conservative thinktank after it published a report saying there was “no reason to be grateful” for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The report published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) claims to debunk “myths” including that “the NHS is the star performer of the pandemic” and that it “has done the most amazing job under the most difficult of circumstances”.
"Written by Dr Kristian Niemietz, the IEA’s head of political economy, it says: “There is no rational basis for the adulation the NHS is currently receiving, and no reason to be ‘grateful’ for the fact that we have it. It should go without saying that if the UK did not have the NHS it would not have no healthcare system. It would have a different healthcare system.”
"After suggesting possible alternative systems used overseas, such as insurance-based models, it adds: “There is no guarantee that this would have served the UK better during the pandemic, but there is certainly no reason to believe that it would have done any worse. There is nothing special about the NHS, neither during this pandemic, nor at any other time.”

(9 Feb 2021) We must vaccinate the world — now Financial Times opinion piece Feb 9 arguing the economic case for vaccinating the whole world:
“The world economy is recovering from the depths of the Covid-19 crisis. But that crisis will not depart for good until the pandemic is under control.
“Since the virus knows no frontiers, it cannot be under control anywhere unless it is under control everywhere. The alternative is for us to remain inside national prisons indefinitely. Alas, that is what we risk if leaders do not raise their gaze from their own countries.
“In its January World Economic Outlook Update, the IMF projected global economic growth at 5.5 per cent this year and 4.2 per cent in 2022. Moreover, its “2021 forecast is revised up 0.3 percentage point relative to the previous forecast”. The global contraction in 2020 is also now thought to have been 0.9 percentage points less than previously expected. Still, it was the worst recession since the second world war and had especially devastating effects on women, the young, the poor, people employed informally and those working in contact-intensive sectors.
“Losses relative to pre-pandemic expectations are large and likely to prove permanent. They will turn out to be a form of “long economic Covid”.
“As the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report notes, this is partly due to the damage done to investment and human capital. It is also due to the combination of pre-existing economic weaknesses with increased fragilities, especially the big jump in debt.
“One of the report’s chapters is entitled, “Heading into a Decade of Disappointment”. That is plausible and disturbing.”

(8 Feb 2021) Surgical gowns bought by the UK government for NHS use are withdrawn over packaging concerns i news Feb 8: “Ten million surgical gowns bought by the UK Government for use in the NHS have been withdrawn from use over concerns about how they were packaged. The sterile gowns were bought for £70m from a US firm last year, but they arrived in only one layer of protective packaging.
“However, according to a court document obtained by the BBC, NHS infection control experts were concerned about the single wrapping. They believed they should have been double wrapped if they were to be used in sterile care environments.
“The £70m deal was signed in June for the supply of 10.2 million sterile surgical gowns from a US firm called Saiger LLC. Although the Government has said all PPE is quality assured, the Labour Party has called for an inquiry into the awarding of contracts.”

(8 Feb 2021) More PPE that can’t be used by the NHS Good Law Project (Feb 8) with yet more revelations of incompetence and cronyism in PPE procurement: "You may remember the tale of the jeweller from Florida and the Spanish intermediary who profited to the tune of tens of millions of pounds from vast PPE contracts, paid for with taxpayers’ money. Well, there have been developments.
"Government continues to fail to publish details of contracts within the legally required timeframe, but we have learned of another contract it entered into with the jeweller Saiger, worth £36 million, for face masks.
"The contract was for FFP2 masks – which protect the wearer, unlike the ones we all wear to the supermarket. But to protect the wearer they need to be adjustable – which means headstraps – and all of these masks have ‘earloops’. Earloop masks, Government has admitted in other cases, can’t be used in the NHS because they don’t give a proper fixing. We expect these £36 million of masks will also be unusable.
"Not only did Government buy PPE that can’t be used. It also appears to have paid well over the odds."

(8 Feb 2021) The price of the Tories' outsourcing obsession? Cronyism and waste Labour front bencher Rachel Reeves in the Guardian Feb 8:
"It’s been increasingly frustrating to witness the government’s reluctance to learn from its mistakes during the pandemic. One of the starkest and most easily rectified mistakes is the decision to outsource much of Britain’s Covid response.
"From PPE to testing kits, the government has outsourced billions of pounds’ worth of contracts to firms connected to the Tory party, many of which lacked relevant experience. Although it reached new heights during the pandemic, this wasn’t the first time the government’s outsourcing obsession had harmful effects. The list of scandals is long: who remembers when the army had to swoop in to provide security at the 2012 Olympics that G4S failed to deliver? Or the collapse of Carillion, when workers’ pensions went down the drain while executives still received their bonuses?
"With so many wasteful contracts handed out to Tory friends and donors during the Covid-19 crisis, the government’s approach to outsourcing has underlined the “one rule for them, another for us” mantra that surrounds Boris Johnson’s cabinet. But it has also shone a disturbing light on just how deeply the Tories have hollowed out our public services."

(8 Feb 2021) Coronavirus vaccine strategy needs rethink after resistant variants emerge, say scientists Public health expert Gabriel Scally in the Guardian Feb 8:
"Leading vaccine scientists are calling for a rethink of the goals of vaccination programmes, saying that herd immunity through vaccination is unlikely to be possible because of the emergence of variants like that in South Africa.
"The comments came as the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca acknowledged that their vaccine will not protect people against mild to moderate Covid illness caused by the South African variant. The Oxford vaccine is the mainstay of the UK’s immunisation programme and vitally important around the world because of its low cost and ease of use.
"The findings came from a study involving more than 2,000 people in South Africa. They followed results from two vaccines, from Novavax and Janssen, which were trialled there in recent months and were found to have much reduced protection against the variant – at about 60%. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have also said the variant affects the efficacy of their vaccines, although on the basis of lab studies only."

(29 Jan 2021) A global vaccine apartheid is unfolding. People’s lives must come before profit Guardian Opinion column 29 January:
"Nine months ago world leaders were queueing up to declare any Covid-19 vaccine a global public good. Today we are witness to a vaccine apartheid that is only serving the interests of powerful and profitable pharmaceutical corporations while costing us the quickest and least harmful route out of this crisis.
"I am sickened by news that South Africa, a country whose HIV history should have taught us all the most appalling life-costing consequences of allowing pharmaceutical corporations to protect their medicine monopolies, has had to pay more than double the price paid by the European Union for the AstraZeneca vaccine for far fewer doses than it actually needs.
"Like so many other low- and middle-income countries, South Africa is today facing a vaccine landscape of depleted supply where it is purchasing power, not suffering, that will secure the few remaining doses.
"Nine out of 10 people living in the poorest countries are poised to miss out on a vaccine this year. Production delays put even this figure in doubt."

(29 Jan 2021) ‘Covid is no worse than flu’ – seven coronavirus myths busted Consultant David Oliver in the Independent Jan 29 shoots down the Covid deniers, refuting seven key myths:
1. People are dying with Covid, not from Covid
2. Reporting deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test could be death from anything
3. The death numbers are no worse than a normal flu season
4. PCR tests are useless with most cases being false-positives
5. Covid-19 is no worse than normal seasonal flu
6. Covid only kills older people or those with pre-existing conditions who were going to die anyway
7. There is no second surge and the pandemic is over

(29 Jan 2021) Coronavirus (COVID-19) weekly insights: latest health indicators in England, 29 January 2021 ONS article January 29 "brings together latest coronavirus (COVID-19) data in England. Exploring how these measures interact with each other can improve understanding of the severity and spread of the pandemic. This weekly summary gives an overview of the current situation and explores variations for different age groups and regions."
It shows that even though more young people have been infected, hospital admissions and deaths involving #COVID19 are highest among those aged over 65 years.

(29 Jan 2021) Explaining covid-19 performance: what factors might predict national responses? Valuable Jan 29 BMJ analysis of ten factors behind government failure to tackle Covid death toll:
"Covid-19 has exposed and exacerbated existing flaws in public health systems around the world. Shredded social safety nets and underinvestment in healthcare systems, compounded by conflicts of interest, dismissal of scientific evidence, and failures of political leadership meant many countries were unprepared to deal with the covid-19 pandemic and vulnerable to the next one.
"Important lessons can be learnt from the various national responses to covid-19 to inform preparedness for future waves or the emergence of new pandemics or epidemics
"The Global Health Security Index (GHSI), which measures preparedness for pandemics or epidemics, published its scores in October 2019, just before the covid-19 pandemic was declared.
"The US and UK scored highest on the GSHI, but both countries have done spectacularly badly in response to covid-19, whether measured in deaths or economic damage.
"The Epidemic Preparedness Index, also published in 2019, grouped countries into five levels of preparedness, and also placed the US and the UK and others that have fared poorly in the covid-19 pandemic in the highest categories. "

(28 Jan 2021) £2.5 million government contracts for firm that donated over £240,000 to Conservative Party A new revelation (Jan 28) in the excellent Byline Times:
"A firm that has donated more than £240,000 to the Conservative Party has won Government deals worth £2.5 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, Byline Times and The Citizens can reveal.
"Since April 2020, ANS Group has been awarded four contracts for the supply of IT “cloud” services to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. ANS Group appears to be providing services to host and maintain the Government’s COVID-19 contact tracing app, launched last September, seemingly working in conjunction with Amazon Web Services.
"In addition, ANS claims that it is working with Microsoft and the ‘Test and Trace’ programme to “help local authorities identify and contain potential outbreaks in places such as workplaces, housing complexes, care homes and schools”.
"The firm – which posted revenues of £50 million last year and has won awards for its work – is evidently a big-hitter in its field. It certainly doesn’t correspond with the litany of businesses, documented by Byline Times, that have been awarded COVID-19 contracts despite having little or no experience.
"However, the contracts awarded to ANS Group do correspond with another trend witnessed during the pandemic.
"Indeed, the firm was founded – and is owned – by a Scott Fletcher, a Conservative Party donor."

(28 Jan 2021) The Department for Deloitte Tribune revelations 28 January: “Lord Bethell, the unelected government minister in charge of test and trace, has overseen the award of multiple key Covid-19 contracts to Deloitte.
“In fact, before becoming a minister, Bethell ran a lobbying company which represented Deloitte as they won over £700 million worth of government contracts on a poorly-performing and much-criticised scheme.
“His move from lobbying for Deloitte to a minister in charge of commissioning Deloitte underlines the worry many feel about this government: that it is far too close to the companies it rewards with contracts.
“The government still has not published details of many of the contracts it has handed out during this period, so we do not know the full value of the profits Deloitte has made from the national Covid-19 strategy – but we do know that it’s deeply embedded. According to a Freedom of Information request, Deloitte has 1,127 consultants working on test and trace. That’s the size of a small government department, inside an actual government department, and made up entirely of outsourced consultants.
“Deloitte was central to the creation of test and trace. It managed the creation of the drive-through Covid-19 test sites and the Lighthouse Laboratories testing facilities; it also supported the government’s drive to purchase huge quantities of PPE at the start of the pandemic.
“The company itself says it is ‘incredibly proud’ of its role, because what it calls the ‘success’ of the test and trace programme has been down to ‘the powerful partnership between businesses and government.’”

(28 Jan 2021) Why President Biden should kill out-of-pocket deductibles Twitter thread Jan 28 by former US health insurance executive Wendell Potter:
“Many who sign up for an Obamacare plan can’t use it because they have to pay thousands out of pocket before coverage kicks in.
“A recent Commonwealth Fund study found 42 % who bought coverage through exchanges were underinsured because of the amount they had to pay out-of-pocket.
“Almost 1/3 with coverage through employers are underinsured because of unaffordable deductibles. More than 1/4 with crappy insurance -- that’s what it is -- said they delayed needed care because of the cost & nearly half said they had medical bill and debt problems.”

(28 Jan 2021) Five out of seven regions now have areas with over a third of beds occupied by covid patients HSJ update January 28: "Among the health systems with covid occupancy of 33 per cent or more in adult general and acute beds, five out of seven NHS regions are represented.
"Until about two weeks ago pressure was concentrated in the east and south east of England including London. Since then, those areas have seen some decompression. Elsewhere there was faster growth, which is now just levelling off in most places.
"The health system (sustainability and transformation partnership) with the highest covid occupancy in general and acute beds, in general acute trusts, as of 28 January was Frimley Health and Care, which spans Surrey and Berkshire. It had 42 per cent of those beds occupied by confirmed covid patients."
For a graphical description of these figures see also https://healthcampaignstogether.com/NHS_performance_charts.php

(28 Jan 2021) Provision of Management Consultancy Services Another government contract – worth £145m – handed to Deloitte (without no tender process) for "general management consultancy services."

(27 Jan 2021) ‘Crony Bill’ to tackle procurement scandal passes first Commons hurdle after government ‘Handed out public contracts like sweeties to friends’ Byline Times (Jan 27) highlighting a little-known initiative from the SNP:
"A new proposed law that would hold the Government to account for awarding contracts to its chums, has passed its first House of Commons hurdle.
"Presented to the Commons by Scottish National Party MP Owen Thompson this afternoon, the Bill received the assent of MPs in the chamber – which means it will now be the subject of a formal parliamentary debate and vote.
"The Ministerial Interests (Emergency Powers) Bill would ensure that MPs can interrogate ministers in the House of Commons about any personal, political or financial connections they may have to a company that is awarded a Government contract. "

(27 Jan 2021) Group stormed East Surrey Covid ward and abused staff Worrying Jan 27 story of ignorance and arrogance of Covid deniers in Surrey Comet:
"A group of people who refused to wear masks abused NHS staff at the East Surrey Hospital in Redhill and gained access to a patient critically ill with Covid, it has emerged.
"The news broke earlier today (January 27) after Surrey Police, who are investigating the incident, issued a public appeal in the search for one of the people thought to be involved in the shocking scenes that took place last Thursday (January 21)."

(27 Jan 2021) Covid-19: How to break the cycle of lockdowns Christina Pagel in the BMJ January 27: "“Countries all over the world are grappling with the same dilemma. Until populations at large are vaccinated, people are not safe from covid-19, and though we know a lot more about the virus than a year ago, the many questions that remain mean the blunt tool of lockdowns and other social restrictions are the main weapon used, in Europe at least, against a virus that has infected over 100 million people and claimed over two million lives so far.
“As millions are vaccinated across the UK, at what point is it safe to lift restrictions?
“… The dominance of new, more transmissible variants means that a policy of trying to “live with” the virus will fail, certainly in the UK where the new B.1.1.7 variant is now the most common. I know of no country that is successfully living with the virus while avoiding lockdown and restriction cycles, a high death toll, or—as in the UK—both.
“We need to set our sights instead on where we want to be and then work out how to get there.
“The role models we have are Vietnam (35 deaths, 98 million population), Thailand (73 deaths, 70 million population), South Korea (1371 deaths, 51 million population), and New Zealand (25 deaths, 5 million population) where people have been living much more normal lives for months.”

(27 Jan 2021) Here are five ways the government could have avoided 100,000 Covid deaths Devi Sridhar marks the 100,000 British Covid death toll in The Guardian Jan 27:
"Yesterday Britain passed a grim milestone. A further 1,631 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded, taking the official tally above 100,000, though data from the Office for National Statistics suggests the total number will now be nearer 120,000. In a briefing, Boris Johnson has said his government did everything it could to minimise the loss of life, but these deaths were far from inevitable.
"While the number of UK deaths has entered the hundreds of thousands, New Zealand has recorded only 25 deaths from Covid-19 so far. Taiwan has recorded seven, Australia 909, Finland 655, Norway 550 and Singapore 29. These countries have largely returned to normal daily life.
"In the first year of the pandemic, the UK faced three big challenges. Our national government had no long-term strategy for suppressing the virus beyond a continual cycle of lockdowns. Even now we still don’t know what the government’s plans for the next six months are. In the early days of the pandemic, the UK treated Covid-19 like a bad flu.
"The government halted testing, and the initial plan seemed to be allow the virus to run unchecked through the population (the “herd immunity” approach). Finally, ministers have pitted the economy against public health, instead of realising that the health of the economy depends upon a healthy population."

(26 Jan 2021) Why has Britain suffered more than 100,000 Covid deaths? Guardian presents its list of policy and public health failures, January 26, beginning:
"Britain went into the Covid-19 pandemic in poor health in some key areas. In 2018, the proportion of adults who were obese had already reached 28%, having almost doubled over 25 years. Morbid obesity tripled over the same period.
"The NHS has identified obesity as a cause of clinical vulnerability to Covid. After Boris Johnson was hospitalised with Covid in April, he remarked he was “way overweight” and soon after he was discharged he launched a national anti-obesity campaign.
"Diabetes, another key comorbidity was also rising. At the start of 2020 3.9 million people had a diagnosis – up 100,000 on the previous year. Britain also had a substantial elderly population, although a smaller proportion of over-65s than European neighbours such as France and Germany. But with people aged 80 or older 70 times more likely to die than those under 40, the country’s elderly were at risk and the most vulnerable were not properly shielded."

(25 Jan 2021) An inquiry into COVID-19 is needed now Excellent short January 25 BMJ letter from KONP co-chair Dr John Puntis calling for a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic begins:
"COVID-19 has been notable for England topping the list of European countries for excess mortality.
"The significant negative implications for the well-being of children have been widely discussed. Some argue we could never have been fully prepared for an outbreak of a novel infective agent and point to countries like the USA and Brazil that have even worse records.
"There are, however, many other places with much better outcomes. Doubtless the reasons for this can be debated, but such differences surely lend weight to the call for a national inquiry so that lessons can be learnt."

(25 Jan 2021) UNISON demands higher human rights standards in PPE UNISON takes a stand, January 25:
"UNISON has joined the lobby to bring in new laws to prevent UK businesses and public services from sourcing from companies that violate workers’ human rights.
"Evidence has emerged throughout the pandemic that PPE suppliers to the NHS were tied to severe, widespread human rights violations of workers in the global south.
"One of a number of known abusive suppliers is Top Glove, the world’s largest maker of rubber gloves. Top Glove have seen their profits triple in 2020, whilst investigations showed that gloves were being made by migrant workers forced to work in cramped conditions in Malaysian factories. Workers were housed in squalor with 25 workers sharing one dormitory, and reports show that in December 2020 alone, 5,000 workers had contracted COVID-19.
"Reports of human rights abuses in the PPE industry aren’t isolated to gloves. Gowns were reportedly being made with North Korean forced labour. And masks by ethnic Uighur in forced detention in China."

(25 Jan 2021) Workers With Covid Too 'Scared’ To Get Tested Over Fear Of Losing Wages, Dido Harding Says Huffington Post report Jan 25 reveals even Tory peer Dido Harding can spot the fatal weakness in government policy:
"People with Covid are too “scared” to come forward for a test because of a lack of government cash support, the head of Test and Trace has said.
"Baroness Dido Harding told a CBI webinar that the most recent figures showed that less than 60% of people who tested positive followed advice to quarantine at home once contacted. But the Tory peer said the problem of people not taking the test was even more of an issue.
"Harding said that it was up to chancellor Rishi Sunak to resolve the cash help problem, adding that the rollout of rapid testing in workplaces to help pick up asymptomatic cases early would help too.
"Her remarks came days after No.10 ruled out proposals from the Department of Health and Social Care to pay everyone a flat-rate payment of £500 each if they were forced to quarantine at home."

(25 Jan 2021) Over 850 health and social care workers have now died of COVID-19 Nursing Notes with a Jan 25 update on a total nobody wants to see increasing:
“Official data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that 883 health and social care workers have tragically lost their lives to COVID-19 since March 2020. The data reveals that male health and social care workers are around twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than their female counterparts.
“A total of 469 deaths among social care workers were registered in England and Wales between March 9 and December 28 2020, with rates of 79.0 deaths per 100,000 males and 35.9 deaths per 100,000 females.
“In addition, a total of 414 deaths among health care workers were registered during the same period with rates of 44.9 deaths per 100,000 males and 17.3 deaths per 100,000 females.
“The data is limited to those in England and Wales between 20 to 64 years so the true figure across the UK could be much higher.”

(24 Jan 2021) Vaccine delays in poorer nations threaten advanced economies (£) Financial Times January 24 reminding us of an uncomfortable truth:
“Advanced economies face a significant hit to their economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic unless they help developing countries speed up their vaccination programmes, according to a report that will be published by the World Health Organization on Monday.
“If the rollout of vaccines in developing countries continues on its current trajectory, advanced economies face output losses of up to $2.4tn — 3.5 per cent of their annual gross domestic product before the pandemic — because of disruptions to global trade and supply chains, the study said.
“The longer we wait to provide vaccines, tests, and treatments to all countries, the faster the virus will take hold, the potential for more variants will emerge, the greater the chance today’s vaccines could become ineffective, and the harder it will be for all countries to recover,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO.
“No one is safe until everyone is safe.” The research illustrates the interconnected nature of the global economic recovery and means that even if the world’s leading nations succeed in vaccinating their vulnerable populations promptly, they still face significant economic vulnerabilities from the pandemic.”

(24 Jan 2021) Claim: Lockdowns cause more deaths than they prevent Powerful evidence to refute the commonly trotted out nonsense from the rabid Tory right:
"1) There is absolutely no evidence that lockdowns cause remotely as many deaths as Covid-19 has. All claims that "lockdowns kill" at all are based on speculation that is at odds with the empirical evidence.
"Covid has killed 90,000 people in the UK and counting (as of 19 January 2021), and the number of excess deaths since the start of the pandemic closely tracks the number of deaths associated with Covid. While lockdown does have significant costs, many of those costs would be worse without lockdown, because Covid would be spreading uncontrolled across the country, crippling the health service and the economy …."

(23 Jan 2021) Delaying second dose of vaccine increases risk of new resistant strain, Sage papers reveal The Independent (Jan 23) highlighting concerns that don't surface much in other mainstream media:
"Delaying doses of coronavirus inoculations will increase the chances of a vaccine-resistant strain of Covid-19 emerging, government scientists have warned.
"In new reports, released by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), experts also warned that resistant new variants were a “realistic possibility” driven by the virus reacting to increasing levels of natural immunity among the population.
"The government’s decision to delay the second dose of vaccines to 12 weeks rather than three, to try and give more people some protection from the virus, has sparked anger among frontline health workers who fear they are being left at increased risk from infections.
"There have also been suggestions from Israel, that have yet to be fully validated, that the protection from a first dose could be far less than originally thought.
"In papers released on Friday, Sage scientists there was an “increased risk of virus replication under partial immunity after one dose than after two doses, so in the short term, delaying the second dose would be expected to somewhat increase the probability of emergence of vaccine resistance – but probably from a low base."

(23 Jan 2021) Gap between Pfizer vaccine doses should be halved, say doctors BBC (Jan 23) reports alarm being raised by BMA:
“Senior doctors are calling on England's chief medical officer to cut the gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
“Prof Chris Whitty said extending the maximum wait from three to 12 weeks was a "public health decision" to get the first jab to more people across the UK.
“But the British Medical Association said that was "difficult to justify" and should be changed to six weeks.
“It comes as early evidence suggests the UK virus variant may be more deadly.
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street briefing on Friday: "In addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant - the variant that was first identified in London and the south east - may be associated with a higher degree of mortality."
“Previous work suggests the new variant spreads between 30% and 70% faster than others, and there are hints it is about 30% more deadly."

(23 Jan 2021) Let's stop the blame game over the shortage of ICU beds for Covid patients Guardian Jan 23 powerful opinion piece:
“A troubling narrative now appears to have crept into some reporting of intensive care bed shortages – blame the public.
… “We are trying to cope with a significantly more infectious form of coronavirus, a lockdown with more exemptions that are open to interpretation than previous lockdowns and an apparently unstoppable rise in the number of cases presenting to hospitals.
“It is people living in areas of the country with the most social deprivation, poor, cramped housing and multigenerational living who experience the highest risk of catching Sars-CoV-2, require hospital admission, become critically ill and, sadly, die.
In desperation, it is tempting to seek to apportion blame when all apparent previous exhortations have failed, but this is too easy and too simplistic.
“In doing so, we run the risk of feeding the trolls who call us liars when we show the harsh realities of intensive care treatment in a pandemic and losing the goodwill of those trying their best to comply.
“Doctors and other healthcare workers are trusted professionals. That trust comes in part because of the contract we make with you, the public, in acting to provide care and treatment where we can, without judgment.
“We do that in relation to treatment for road traffic collisions irrespective of who is “at fault”, vascular diseases where the individual may have damaged blood vessels due to smoking and forms of cancer where lifestyle factors are known to play a part as much as genetics. We do it because it’s the right thing to do because health is so valuable. We do not know who will need our help until they do and in each case we treat and care without judgment.”

(23 Jan 2021) One year of coronavirus ‘lockdowns’ Report by Dr John Puntis, co-chair Keep Our NHS Public to Health Campaigns
Together Affiliates meeting – 23rd January 2021:
"January 23rd 2021 marks the first anniversary of the Wuhan lockdown and is ten
months from when the UK first introduced restrictions on people’s movement in
order to decrease the spread of the virus. In this brief overview, I want to look at
where we are now and what the Westminster government has or has not learnt."

(22 Jan 2021) Science is not on the side of the delayed second doses Pulse Jan 22: “The mixed messaging and short notice from the Government has led to considerable concern, confusion and upset for healthcare workers and elderly, vulnerable patients. A doctor is rightly campaigning to challenge the decision of in court.
“Israel’s Covid tsar, who, having studied preliminary data from 200,000 vaccinated people, has warned that a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine may be providing less protection than originally hoped. The study suggests the effectiveness of vaccine after a single dose is as low as 33%, rather than the 89% that had initially been suggested.
“By contrast, those who had received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine had a six to 12-fold increase in antibodies.
… “Staff illness rates are significantly higher than usual, and confidence within the profession is certainly now very badly shaken by disregard to manufacturer’s and World Health Organisation’s recommendations to give the second dose within 21 to 28 days.
“The ambitious vaccine rollout could suffer a severe knockdown if the chief medical officer refuses to see the reason and scientific evidence to reverse his decision of delaying the vaccine to 12 weeks.”

(22 Jan 2021) FBU responds to “political and biased” HMICFRS report HCT affiliate the FBU (January 22) responds to an attack from the regulator and from ministers:
"The government’s fire service inspectorate has made a political attack on firefighters and the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in an attempt to water down firefighter safety mid-pandemic.
"Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) claimed the FBU had “prevented” firefighters in England from helping communities during the pandemic, an apparent reference to the union’s refusal to let bosses water down safety measures earlier this month.
"The FBU has helped firefighters to assist the health and social care sector since March and was in the process of negotiating safety measures for firefighters to be involved in mass-vaccination, when fire service bosses unilaterally collapsed the agreement.
"But HMICFRS called the safety guarantees in the agreement “more of a hindrance than a help” and advocated for Chief Fire Officers to have the authority to water down safety without negotiation.
"MPs and trade unions have spoken out in the FBU’s defence, rejecting the “stitch up” and vowing to stand by firefighters. But government minister Stephen Greenhalgh accused the union of preventing firefighters from volunteering, sharing a picture of firefighters during the Blitz to try and suggest firefighters weren’t responding to the coronavirus crisis as they had then.
"Responding to the report, Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:
“This report is a political and biased attack on firefighters. It is neither evidence based nor an independent report and is instead full of untruths and omissions and we totally reject it. While firefighters are out tackling fires, floods and the pandemic, the HMICFRS didn’t even have the courtesy to speak to or provide us in advance with a copy of their report, which was passed to us by a journalist.
“The FBU has from the start wholeheartedly supported the response to the pandemic, and as a result of agreements delivered by the union, firefighters have been able to take on significant areas of additional work including driving ambulances, moving the bodies of the deceased and delivering vital supplies to the NHS and care sector and vulnerable people in our communities.
“But the message from this report is clear: fire chiefs and the government don’t want workers to have a voice over their own safety or their terms and conditions. That’s why employers, advised by fire chiefs, tore up a national agreement containing vital safety measures. This report is being used to undermine a trade union they consider a nuisance because it wants to keep its members safe. "

(22 Jan 2021) Excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic among Californians 18–65 years of age, by occupational sector and occupation: March through October 2020 Research in this pre-print from medRxiv.org finds that:
“In California, per-capita excess mortality is relatively high among Blacks, Latinos, and individuals with low educational attainment. An explanation for these findings is that these populations face unique occupational risks because they may disproportionately make up the state’s essential workforce …
“Latino Californians experienced a 36% increase in mortality, with a 59% increase among Latino food/agriculture workers. Black Californians experienced a 28% increase in mortality, with a 36% increase for Black retail workers. Asian Californians experienced an 18% increase, with a 40% increase among Asian healthcare workers. Excess mortality among White working-age Californians increased by 6%, with a 16% increase among White food/agriculture workers.
The report concludes: “Certain occupational sectors have been associated with high excess mortality during the pandemic, particularly among racial and ethnic groups also disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
“In-person essential work is a likely venue of transmission of coronavirus infection and must be addressed through strict enforcement of health orders in workplace settings and protection of in-person workers.
“Vaccine distribution prioritizing in-person essential workers will be important for reducing excess COVID mortality.”

(20 Jan 2021) Self-Isolation: Support, Monitoring, and Adherence: A scoping review of international approaches Edinburgh University comparison confirms that the achilles heel of test & trace in Britain has been failure to support isolation appropriately. Researchers reviewed international policies on isolation: Finland offers 100% of salary, Norway 80%, Belgium 70%. UK needs to support people to stay home & not infect others.

(20 Jan 2021) The failure of private health services: COVID-19 induced crises in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) health systems Important research paper from Global Public Health (pub Jan 20) on the long term damage done by neoliberal policies and privatisation to the health care systems in developing countries:
“For decades, governments and development partners promoted neoliberal policies in the health sector in many LMICs, largely motivated by the belief that governments in these countries were too weak to provide all the health services necessary to meet population needs.
“Private health markets became the governance and policy solution to improve the delivery of health services which allowed embedded forms of market failure to persist in these countries and which were exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In this article, … we identify how pre-existing market failure and failures of redistribution have led to the rise of three urgent crises in LMICs: a financial and liquidity crisis among private providers, a crisis of service provision and pricing, and an attendant crisis in state-provider relations.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has therefore exposed important failures of the public-private models of health systems and provides an opportunity to rethink the future orientation of national health systems and commitments towards Universal Health Coverage.”

(19 Jan 2021) Are you a frontline health worker? We want to hear from you The Torygraph Jan 19, possibly the least sympathetic of the right wing newspapers to health workers and frequently questioning the future of the NHS, seeks staff to tell them what's happening.
One thing they will all agree on is that the reactionary tosh spewed out by the Torygraph's columnists -- a gaggle of covid-deniers, anti-maskers and anti-lockdown fanatics -- only makes life more miserable for NHS staff, for the population as a whole, and undermines the credibility of any news in the Torygraph's news section

(19 Jan 2021) UK coronavirus death toll rises with highest daily record of 1,610 Guardian Jan 19: "The UK has recorded its deadliest day from coronavirus so far, with 1,610 deaths recorded on Tuesday.
"It comes as the number of new infections fell, showing early signs that lockdown restrictions are working, with confirmed coronavirus cases within 24 hours dropping to 33,355 – down from 38,598 cases on Sunday, and 37,535 on Monday.
"Official data showed one in eight people in England – about 5.4 million – had already had Covid by December last year, with experts claiming the disease was “much more widespread than previously realised”.
"A further 1,610 people died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test, Public Health England (PHE) confirmed. This is the biggest UK figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began."

(19 Jan 2021) London’s Nightingale hospital relaxes admission rules as it treats just 12 patients Independent Jan 18: “London’s Nightingale hospital has been forced to relax its rules for admitting patients after NHS trusts sent only a handful of patients there.
“The field hospital, at the ExCel centre, reopened its doors on Monday last week, with 64 beds ready for patients. But it faced a backlash from hospitals, with many sources warning the criteria to discharge a patient to the site were so restrictive it would not help NHS trusts to free up beds.
“By Friday, the lack of patients at the Nightingale, which was rebuilt at a cost of millions after being dismantled following the summer, led the North East London Foundation Trust and NHS England to agree changes to the admissions criteria to allow it to take on more complex patients.
“Despite the changes, the hospital still had only 12 patients as of Monday, up from eight at the weekend. Some NHS hospital insiders told The Independent the new criteria still did not go far enough.”

(19 Jan 2021) Two-thirds of residents die in Covid outbreak at Lincolnshire care home Guardian January 19: "A care home in Lincolnshire has been left devastated after Covid killed two-thirds of its residents with two staff treated in hospital in an outbreak the manager described as “horrendous”.
"Eighteen of 27 residents at The Old Hall at Halton Holegate, near Spilsby, died in the run-up to Christmas, the care home’s manager, Diane Vale, told the Guardian. Most of those who died were in their 90s – the youngest was 79 and the oldest 99.
"Some of the deaths were so sudden staff did not have the chance to administer end-of-life treatment or arrange for loved ones to say goodbye.
"It is the most devastating outbreak in a care home in England to have emerged in the second wave of the pandemic, as the new, more transmissible, variant of the virus spreads and GPs race to vaccinate all residents by the end of this week.
"Covid outbreaks in England’s care homes almost tripled in the three weeks to 10 January, according to data from Public Health England. "

(19 Jan 2021) Test and Trace is paying Deloitte nearly a million pounds every day The London Economic January 19: "Dido Harding’s Test and Trace system is splashing out nearly a million pounds every day to private consultancy firm Deloitte, newly-released government figures have revealed.
"David William’s, a top-ranking civil servant at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), told MPs on Monday that 900 of the firm’s consultants were currently employed – at a rate of £1,000 per day.
"The disclosure of the astonishing level of expenditure comes after parliamentarians were told that DHSC expected to spend £15 billion on coronavirus in the next three months on testing alone – particularly the rollout of controversial rapid testing – to tackle the pandemic.
"It emerged last year that more than a thousand consultants from Deloitte had been hired by the government – but Williams’ admission to the Commons Public Accounts Committee is the first time the true cost has become clear.
“The latest number I’ve got suggests that’s come down to around 900 [consultants],” he told the committee. “We have a plan in place to see that number reduce markedly over the course of the next few months, although there is a dependency on our ability to backfill a number of the roles they are currently doing with permanent civil servants."

(18 Jan 2021) NHS Test and Trace boss Dido Harding defends paying consultants £1,000-a-day Independent January 18 with the great unanswered question of how so many and such highly paid consultants (collectively costing almost £1m per DAY) can work so long on the disastrous test and trace system and still not get it working?
"The head of NHS Test and Trace has defended paying consultants on average £1,000 per day, as she told MPs the service was having a "material impact" in the fight against Covid-19.
"Baroness Dido Harding told the Commons Public Accounts Committee she felt it was "appropriate" to bring in external help in "extreme emergency circumstances" such as that faced by the country during the coronavirus crisis.
"Whitehall mandarins said they did not believe profiteering had gone on, despite the large daily rates forked out to the private sector, telling MPs that consultants had lowered their usual fees in order to assist with the pandemic.
"Asked by MPs whether it was right for at least 900 workers to be earning on average £1,000 per day, Tory peer Baroness Harding said: "I think it is appropriate to build a service in extreme emergency circumstances using short-term contingent labour and consultants for some of those roles."

(18 Jan 2021) Test and trace consultants are earning average of £1,000 a DAY as it emerges 3,000 have been hired at a cost to the taxpayer of at least £375m Even the Daily Heil (Jan 18) is shocked at the scale of private consultancy that has failed so lamentably to deliver a working test and trace system:
"… the Daily Mail can reveal that almost 3,000 consultants and contractors, many on gold-plated deals worth thousands of pounds a day, have been hired at a cost of at least £375million.
"Baroness Dido Harding, chairman of the programme, defended the 'appropriate' use of the private sector in 'extreme emergency circumstances'.
'They've done very important work alongside the public servants, the military, the healthcare professionals and members of the private sector who have come and joined us as well,' she told the committee.
'We couldn't have built the service without all of that combined expertise.'
"She said 7.5million people were tested in the first fortnight of 2021 and that in the last week of published data, the first week of January, contact tracers successfully reached a million people."

(18 Jan 2021) Israel is accused of 'racism' by Palestinian PM after excluding 4million people in the West Bank and Gaza from its Covid-19 vaccine program Daily Heil (Jan 18) highlighting the discrepancy in the much vaunted 'success' of Isreal's vaccination programme, which will leave a large pool of unvaccinated and vulnerable people living right next door:
"“Israel has been accused of racism by the Palestinian prime minister after excluding four million people living in the West Bank and Gaza from its Covid-19 vaccine drive.
During a press conference at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to vaccinate every citizen by the end of March.
“Israel's Arab residents and the Palestinians of east Jerusalem will be included in the country's vaccination drive. Palestinians living in the West Bank, and those living in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, will not be given a dose.
“Officials will however travel into the West Bank to make the vaccine available for Jewish settlers.
… “Israel, which is leading the vaccine race with one in five people receiving an initial dose, argues that it is not responsible for inoculating citizens in the Palestinian territories.”

(17 Jan 2021) Low-paid shun Covid tests because the cost of self-isolating is too high Guardian Jan 16 with research proving the existence of a pretty obvious problem that ministers still insist on ignoring:
"Families on low incomes are avoiding the Covid-19 testing system because they cannot afford to isolate if they get sick, while red tape is hampering access to the government’s £500 compensation payments.
"People in some of the most deprived areas of England, including Middlesbrough, Liverpool and the London borough of Newham, are less likely to request a coronavirus test.
"According to the CIPD, the association of HR professionals, when people on low incomes do self-isolate, they find it difficult to access the NHS Test and Trace support payment scheme. Freedom of information releases from 34 local authorities show that only a third of claims were granted.
"Dr Wanda Wyporska of charity the Equality Trust said people avoided testing for a range of reasons, from caring responsibilities to employment worries. “Some people have said they’re not going to take the test, because if they are told to isolate, they won’t be able to work,” she said."

(17 Jan 2021) The greatest failure of government in our lifetime New European article (Jan 15) rehearses the damning litany of the Johnson government's abject failure:
… "But No.10's decision-making is not based exclusively on the science. It balances scientific advice against political interests - specifically perceived notions of public opinion and the lockdown scepticism of cabinet ministers and members of the Conservative parliamentary party. So instead of taking swift preemptive action as soon as it is advised, Boris Johnson has equivocated and delayed.
"This is the pattern of behaviour whose consequences are now playing out in our hospitals. It's why we went into lockdown two to four weeks too late, on all three occasions. It's why the tiers system was only adapted weeks after scientists warned it was ineffective. It's why we witnessed the insanity of allowing certain areas to open up for Christmas only to now see their infection rates spiral out of control.
"Timing, however, only partly explains what is happening. The government could have recognised and addressed this problem by now if it was alive to its own failings. It is not. Downing Street is an echo chamber. It does not listen to criticism. Indeed, Johnson purged the party of any moderate Conservatives early on in his tenure as prime minister. All criticism from outside the party is treated as evidence that someone is a political enemy.
"This is why you see them making the same mistakes over and over again. "

(16 Jan 2021) New £120m fund to provide boost for care sector staffing levels Guardian Jan 16 on an announcement that is both belated and tight fisted, and nowhere near enough to plug the gap that's growing after Priti Patel's immigration laws slammed the door on care workers:
"The Covid-stricken care home and domiciliary care sector is to get an extra £120m government funding to help boost depleted staff levels, ministers announced on Saturday night.
"The funds would help increase staff numbers, said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Ministers said the aim was to help local authorities plug worker shortages and allow additional staff to take on administrative tasks, freeing up skilled colleagues to provide care. It could also help existing staff work extra hours with overtime payments or by covering childcare costs, the DHSC said.
"The cash comes after a snapshot survey from the National Care Forum (NCF) earlier this month suggested that some care services were reporting staff absences of more than 50%."

(16 Jan 2021) Doctors want new legal protections if they have to choose between patients (£) Times article January 16:
"Doctors require immediate emergency legal protection in case NHS pressures caused by coronavirus force them to choose between patients, leading healthcare groups have warned.
"In a letter to the health secretary, the groups say that there is no legal protection for doctors faced with “surges in demand for resources that temporarily exceed supply”.
"Doctors fear that they could face prosecution for unlawful killing because of decisions they are forced to make in such a situation, they add.
"In November Boris Johnson gave warning that should the NHS be overwhelmed “the sick would be turned away because there was no room in our hospitals”, with doctors and nurses potentially “forced to choose which patients to treat, who would live and who would die”."

(16 Jan 2021) Protect us from unlawful killing charges - medics BBC Jan 16: "Doctors and nurses need protection from prosecution over Covid-19 treatment decisions made under the pressures of the pandemic, medical bodies have said.
"Groups including the British Medical Association have written to ministers saying medical workers fear they could be at risk of unlawful killing charges.
"It comes as the UK's chief medical officers said the NHS could be overwhelmed in weeks.
"The government said staff should not have to fear legal action."

(16 Jan 2021) Hospitals told to free up beds ahead of influx of patients as ‘toughest part’ of pandemic looms Independent Jan 16: "Hospitals have been told to find as many beds as possible in preparation for an influx of Covid patients in the north of England and midlands.
"Across the country, hospitals have been told to prepare extra wards and critical care beds to cope with a flood of patients over at least the next week to two weeks as health chiefs warn the NHS is about to face the “toughest part” of the pandemic. Hospitals will also be expected to take transfers of patients between areas to even out pressure for those worst affected.
"While infections across the UK have started to fall in recent days, hospitals could face another week of growth in Covid patients because of the time it takes people to become seriously unwell.
"Any influx of patients, as seen in London and the southeast, will hit other parts of England hard where operations have already been cancelled and some areas are already reporting record numbers of Covid-19 patients on their wards."

(15 Jan 2021) Paying for the pandemic: the economic consequences of COVID-19 Interesting findings from Health Foundation's inquiry into the impact of the pandemic:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the relationship between income and health. Low income affects what people can buy and can bring on stress, which risks harming their mental and physical health. Poor health limits opportunities for good work and future employment prospects. !
… "While the government’s economic policies mean that the pandemic downturn appears to have had little effect on household income inequality in the UK to date, we should not conclude that all is well. To do so would be to miss the broader point that incomes have generally fallen since the start of the pandemic. And importantly, while the proportional drops in incomes across different households may be relatively even, the consequences of those reductions are being felt much more acutely by some.
"Restrictions on opportunities for eating out, holidaying abroad and other leisure activities have pushed down spending in many households – especially higher income households who typically spend more on such items. In contrast, lower income households have recorded more modest spending reductions, and are more likely to have had to dip into their savings.
"This stark result is shown in Figure 1: on the whole, lower income households have responded to the crisis by spending their savings, while higher income households have added to theirs."

(15 Jan 2021) School meals row: boss of scandal-hit caterer set rules for food parcels scheme (£)Times revelations Jan 15 confirm what we all expected would be the case -- the tightfisted "hampers" that left starving kids hungry were no accident or error: they fitted the guidelines … which were written by the the suppliers!
"An executive at the caterer criticised for inadequate food parcels for schoolchildren is chairman of the industry body that helped to draft the scheme’s guidelines, The Times can reveal.
"Stephen Forster, 58, is national chairman of the Lead Association for Caterers in Education (Laca), the professional organisation that represents school meal providers, including councils and commercial suppliers.
"He also works as a business development director for local authority group contracts at the food providers Chartwells, according to the organisation’s website."

(15 Jan 2021) Daily Telegraph rebuked over Toby Young's Covid column Guardian Jan 15 gleefully pointing out that the press regulator IPSO has slammed the Daily Telegraph for not only publishing misleading and false allegations by right wing anti-lockdown fanatic Toby Young, but not offering to print a correction and failing to offer evidence to support its position.
Of course the Telegraph is a platform for many other extreme right wing views as ill-informed as Toby Young's, which fit in with the bias of the Torygraph's billionaire owners.
"Ipso concluded that the Telegraph was unable to support its position and that it had “failed to take care not to publish inaccurate and misleading information”.
“The statement was significantly misleading,” it said, noting that the Telegraph had not offered to run a correction. “It misrepresented the nature of immunity and implied that people previously exposed to some common colds might be automatically immune to suffering symptoms and passing on Covid-19 to others.”
"Ipso also found that Young’s claim that “London is probably approaching herd immunity, even though only 17% tested positive [for antibodies] in the most recent seroprevalence survey” was misleading."

(15 Jan 2021) Dutch government resigns over child benefits scandal Guardian Jan 15 underlining that they do things differently in the Netherlands, where a scandalous failure can trigger resignations not even of a single minister but a whole government. We can only wish for similar standards here:
"The Dutch government has resigned amid an escalating scandal over child benefits in which more than 20,000 families were wrongly accused of fraud by the tax authority.
"The move came less than a month before parliament was due to break up ahead of general elections scheduled for 17 March. Prime minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet is to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new coalition is formed after that vote.
"“The government was not up to standard throughout this whole affair,” Rutte told a press conference. “Mistakes were made at every level of the state, with the result that terrible injustice was done to thousands of parents.”
"Political responsibility for the scandal lay with the current cabinet, he said, which had decided collectively that it had no option but to resign. “Things cannot ever be allowed to go so terribly wrong again,” Rutte said."

(15 Jan 2021) NHS calls in military to help shore up understaffed intensive care wards Independent Jan 15: "Hundreds of soldiers are to be sent into major London hospitals to help shore up understaffed intensive care units as the numbers of coronavirus patients in the capital has risen again.
"The Independent has learned 200 medical combat technicians will be sent into intensive care units at the city’s main trusts including the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, and the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London.
"Another 150 military staff will be put into non-clinical roles to help free up nurses and doctors to keep caring patients. The move follows a request for aid from the NHS.
"The city’s hospitals are in a staffing crisis with the latest data from Thursday showing almost 15,000 staff across London are off sick from work, with 60 per cent of the absences linked to Covid-19. This includes more than 6,100 nurses and 789 doctors. Nursing bodies have also issued a warning over hospitals stretching nurse to patient ratios to unsafe levels in intensive care wards."

(14 Jan 2021) 'The NHS is now under the most extreme pressure seen in recent history': The King’s Fund responds to the latest emergency care situation reports and estates data King's Fund report January 14; "Responding to the latest NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Report data and monthly hospital activity data Siva Anandaciva, Chief Analyst at The King’s Fund, said:
‘Today’s figures show that the NHS is now under the most extreme pressure seen in recent history and is battling on multiple fronts. Staff are exhausted, wards are overflowing and patients face long waits for routine and emergency care, with many procedures being cancelled or postponed.
‘Despite staff doing their best under incredibly difficult circumstances, waits for routine care have rapidly ballooned, with 192,000 people waiting over a year for care compared to just 1,400 this time last year. But this is only part of the problem. Last week, more than 3,700 patients had to wait 12 hours or more in A&E before being admitted to hospital – the highest number since current records began, and even urgent operations are being cancelled in some parts of the country."

(14 Jan 2021) While Covid pushes the NHS to breaking point, private healthcare is thriving Guardian's Polly Toynbee (Jan 14) echoing the warnings from The Lowdown and HCT that the reliance on private hospital beds is strengthening what would otherewise have been a bankrupt private sector while thousands of NHS beds are unused. She notes that in the spring of 2020:
"the NHS took over all the capacity of private hospitals, its 8,000 beds, 680 operating theatres and 20,000 staff, to carry out non-Covid emergency treatments for cancer, stroke and heart patients. In a gesture of wartime necessity, the well-off could not commandeer special treatment.
"But the beds were not requisitioned as they might be in wartime; they were officially bought at “cost price” and the sum has been estimated to be £1bn, steep according to many.
"Though other deals continue elsewhere, the contract with London’s hospitals ended in August and NHS England has since been locked in a dispute over the price of private beds. The Treasury balks at the cost, while private hospitals spy new opportunities in the spike in private demand as the NHS overflows.
"Private healthcare companies have seen what the Telegraph describes as a “boom” in demand; William Laing, of LaingBuisson, a private health market monitor, predicts “pent up demand” will lead to a sharp increase in NHS patients opting for “self-pay” private treatment."

(14 Jan 2021) GMB demands all NHS and social care workers are given full access to PPE Union News report Jan 14: "GMB has written to the Health Secretary to demand all NHS and social care workers are given access to full PPE to prevent more unnecessary deaths.
"In the letter to Matt Hancock, the union says in order to save lives, workers must be provided with full coverage of skin, hair and clothing, including head covers; goggles; FFP3 masks; coveralls or long-sleeved gowns; shoe coverings; medical grade gloves.
"According to the ONS, 618 health and social care workers’ deaths in England and Wales were linked to COVID-19 up to 30 June 2020 (the latest date for which figures are available). This is the second time the union has written to the Health Secretary making this demand on behalf of members.
"Since the start of the pandemic, GMB has consistently raised concerns about the lack of adequate PPE for health and social workers. Despite being assured by Ministers there are sufficient levels of PPE, terrified members report working on the front line with inadequate protection."

(14 Jan 2021) Regulator refuses to approve mass daily Covid testing at English schools Guardian Jan 14: "Boris Johnson’s plans to test millions of schoolchildren for coronavirus every week appear to be in disarray after the UK regulator refused to formally approve the daily testing of pupils in England, the Guardian has learned.
"The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told the government on Tuesday it had not authorised the daily use of 30-minute tests due to concerns that they give people false reassurance if they test negative.
"This could lead to pupils staying in school and potentially spreading the virus when they should be self-isolating.
"The regulator’s decision undermines a key element of the government’s strategy to bring the pandemic under control – and is bound to raise fresh questions about the tests, and the safety of the schools that have been asked to use them."

(14 Jan 2021) Struggling London hospitals sending Covid patients to Newcastle Guardian Jan 14: “Seriously ill Covid patients are being transferred from overstretched London hospitals to intensive care units almost 300 miles away in Newcastle, the Guardian can reveal.
“The crisis engulfing the capital’s hospitals is so severe that in recent days patients have also been moved 67 miles to Northampton, 125 miles to Birmingham and 167 miles to Sheffield.
“NHS England has told hospitals in the north of England, the Midlands and other areas to open up hundreds of extra ICU beds to take patients from London, the south-east and east, where the new variant has pushed Covid hospital admissions to new levels.
“It is the latest dramatic illustration of the increasingly difficult situation confronting the health service. Hospitals across the UK are battling to provide care for 36,489 people with Covid, an increase of 5,872 in seven days.
“There were a further 48,682 confirmed cases reported on Thursday but Public Health England said that UK deaths data had been delayed due to a “processing issue”. Late on Thursday it said a there had been 1,248 deaths recorded in the previous 24 hours.”

(14 Jan 2021) Dutch government faces collapse over child benefits scandal Guardian Jan 14 on the aftermath of a major report documenting a scandal led by the right wing government:
"The MPs’ report, titled Unprecedented Injustice, was published last month after an inquiry into the childcare benefits scandal that included public questioning of officials up to and including Rutte.
"It established that “fundamental principles of the rule of law were violated” by the Dutch tax authority, with fraud investigations into families triggered by “something as simple as an administrative error, without any malicious intent”.
"The investigating committee chairman, Chris van Dam, called the system “a mass process in which there was no room for nuance”, with more than 20,000 working families pursued for fraud before the courts, ordered to repay child support benefits and denied the right to appeal over several years from 2012.
"Some were pushed close to bankruptcy or forced to move house by unjust claims for tens of thousands of euros when the alleged fraud amounted to an incorrectly filled-out form or a missing signature. Several couples separated under the strain."

(13 Jan 2021) 'It's Unimaginably Bad.' How Government Failures and the New COVID-19 Variant Are Pushing the U.K.'s Health System Into Crisis Time magazine Jan 13 brings an outside view that pins the blame on government:
“The U.K. is currently enduring a painful third wave of COVID-19, far worse than its European neighbors like Spain, France, Italy and Germany. (The Republic of Ireland currently has the world’s highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases per capita.)
“On Wednesday Jan. 13, the U.K. reported a record high of 1,564 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test—the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began, bringing total deaths to more than 84,000.
“Experts say that the current situation in the U.K., and particularly in London—which declared a state of emergency on Jan. 8 is a cautionary tale. They say the crisis is a result of both the struggle to deal with a new variant estimated to be up to 70% more transmissible, and because of a failure in decisive and strong government leadership.
“One of those failures, they say, was that the U.K. government did not act on the scientific advice that recommended a short “circuit breaker” lockdown in September to halt rapidly rising transmissions after the easing of lockdown restrictions in the summer. …”

(13 Jan 2021) UK coronavirus deaths pass 100,000 after 1,564 reported in one day Guardian Jan 13 sub-headlines: "Experts condemn ‘phenomenal failure of policy and practice’ in handling of pandemic":
"Even by the lower government figure – which only measures deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test – the UK is now ahead of the US, Spain and Mexico, where there have been 116, 113 and 108 deaths per 100,000 people respectively.
"The figures are also in stark contrast to counties that have maintained low case and death rates, including Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia where death rates per 100,000 people stand at 0.03, 0.5 and 3.6.
"Gabriel Scally, a visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol and a member of the Independent Sage group of experts, said the 100,000-plus death toll was an indictment of the way the pandemic had been handled.
“It is an astounding number of preventable deaths from one cause in one year, [an] absolutely astounding number. It’s a sign of a phenomenal failure of policy and practice in the face of this new and dangerous virus,” Scally said."

(13 Jan 2021) Almost quarter of Yorkshire residents are living in poverty, charity report reveals Yorkshire Post Jan 13 with grim reading for those who recognise the link between poverty and ill-health, noting figures are only slightly worse from disastrously high national averages:
“1.27million residents were living under the poverty line pre-pandemic according to the figures, with fears that the number will have dramatically increased over the past few months. The poverty rate in Yorkshire at 24 per cent is slightly higher than the national average of 22 per cent.
“And 32 per cent of the region’s children are living in poverty, compared with the national average of 30 per cent.
“The government must urgently tackle poverty to alleviate the “relentless pressure” faced by low-income families, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have said. The regional data covers the period of 2016-2018, but the charity’s national data shows the situation has worsened for millions since the pandemic began in March last year.”

(13 Jan 2021) Free meals firm at centre of outcry was run by Conservative party donor Independent Jan 13 with news that offers no real surprise:
"The companies at the centre of the outcry over the “disgusting” free meals provided to struggling families while schools remain closed have links to the Conservatives, it has emerged.
"Compass Group and its subsidiary Chartwells are under fire after football star and campaigner Marcus Rashford shared photos of Chartwells’ meagre parcels – saying they were “just not good enough”.
"Electoral Commission records show Paul Walsh – chairman of Compass Group until he stepped down last month – has given more than £10,000 to the Tory party.
"Mr Walsh, who had been at the helm of Compass since 2014, was a member of No 10’s business advisory group during the early years of David Cameron’s time as prime minister.
"Reportedly a big game hunter, Mr Walsh also signed a joint letter of business leaders urging voters to back the Tories during the 2015 general election campaign."

(13 Jan 2021) NHS Nightingale: How reopened London hospital will be used to manage patients Independent Jan 13 reports 64 beds have now been reopened in the field hospital allegedly planned to provide 4,000 -- and that only patients who do NOT still have Covid will be accepted:
"London’s NHS Nightingale Hospital has now officially opened after being rebuilt in a just a matter of weeks.
"The field hospital, based in London’s ExCel Conference Centre, has an initial capacity for 64 patients over two 32-bed wards and is designed to help alleviate pressures on the capital’s swamped hospitals.
"The Nightingale welcomed staff from across London on Monday for training and had just one patient so far on Tuesday.
"Unlike last time, the Nightingale has been designed to look after patients who are recovering from Covid-19 and are almost ready to be discharged.
"Leaked clinical criteria for admission to the field hospital reveal patients will only be accepted for a bed if they have tested negative twice for Covid-19.
"If they need oxygen, they must be on the lowest normal dose of two litres a minute."

(13 Jan 2021) What's as scary as Covid? The fact our leaders still have no plan to control it George Monbiot Jan 13 in the Guardian:
"A government with any level of competence would have explained from the outset where we need to be before it lifts this lockdown. It might have stated what the R number should be; what the number of positive cases should be; how great a reduction in Covid hospital patient numbers there should be. It would have committed not to end the lockdown until such conditions have been met.
"It would also have published a plan for tightening restrictions if conditions worsen, and its criteria for graded restrictions when lockdown ends. But no such statements have been published. We’ve had 11 months of this, and the government is still flying blind.
"Without clear objectives, without a plan, we are likely to remain trapped in a perpetual cycle of emergency followed by suppression, followed by relaxation, followed by emergency. Boris Johnson will continue to chase short-term popularity by lifting restrictions as soon as he thinks he can; the government, constantly surprised by events, will keep responding with reactive, disconnected policies; and the nightmare will continue."

(13 Jan 2021) “It’s vital megalabs have an appropriate skill mix” – IBMS Lowdown report Jan 13 on the professional body's concerns over the running of Lighthouse and "mega-labs":
"The professional body representing laboratory staff, the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), has expressed concerns over the plans – revealed to trade unions by Dido Harding – for the first of a network of new mega laboratories, in Leamington Spa, to be contracted out to Medacs, a private recruitment agency.
"IBMS president Allan Hall told The Lowdown:
“There is a significant risk that employing 2000 staff at this stage could destabilise the existing NHS and private laboratories currently providing a diagnostic service to the acute and primary care service. We are all “fishing in the same pond” as we try and increase capacity for COVID testing to meet clinical demand.
“We have evidence that recruitment agencies working for the Lighthouse labs have been directly approaching Biomedical Scientists working in the NHS to offer them enhanced salaries to tempt them to leave the NHS. "

(13 Jan 2021) Private sector ‘pushing back’ on NHS request to take more patients, says top trust HSJ Jan 13 on another disastrous policy failure by Matt Hancock and NHS England:
"“Private hospitals are ‘pushing back’ on requests from NHS trusts to send them more NHS patients, following a change to the national contract with the independent sector, and amid high pressure from covid-19.
“Manchester University Foundation Trust, one of the largest NHS providers, has reported difficulties in accessing capacity at its local Spire, BMI and Ramsay hospitals this month.
“… Throughout most of 2020, the bulk of private providers in England were on a national block contract whereby the NHS could use as much capacity as it needed.
“But a new contract, agreed with oversight from the Treasury last month, is now in place between January and April, and only offers trusts a minimum volume of activity which equates to activity provided in October and November.
“Pressures on the NHS have since intensified to unprecedented levels, with many areas now in far greater need of the private capacity than they were two months ago.”

(12 Jan 2021) MAP joins international call on Israel to ensure vaccine access for Palestinians Jan 12: "Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) has today joined a coalition of 21 Israeli, Palestinian and international health and human rights organisations to urge Israel to fulfil its international legal duties as an occupying power by ensuring that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza can rapidly access quality vaccines against coronavirus.
"Decades of occupation and blockade mean that the local Palestinian health system does not have the financial or material resources they need to sustain COVID-19 response long-term.
"Gaza’s health system, in particular, is on the brink of collapse. The international community must do its part to facilitate essential COVID-19 healthcare supplies, including vaccines, and states like the UK must use their influence to ensure that Israel meets its duties and obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
"In addition to advocating for Palestinians to be ensured fair, rapid and equitable access, MAP is seeking ways to support the Palestinian Ministry of health and other local partners to roll out vaccines in the occupied Palestinian territory when they are made available. We will keep supporters updated."

(12 Jan 2021) Private members club vaccinating clients abroad is 'proud' to offer the service Daily Telegraph , which gives its platform to covid-deniers and anti-lockdown nuts gives a free advert to a despicable company offering the super-rich who recognise the real danger of Covid the chance to jump the queue for vaccination -- becoming real "health tourists":
"£25,000-a-year UK private concierge service Knightsbridge Circle has exclusively revealed that it is flying its members to the UAE and India to receive vaccinations. Around 40% of the company’s members are UK based, but many hold multiple passports and have several homes around the globe.
"“It’s very exciting to say that we can offer the vaccine now,” says founder Stuart McNeill. “We’ve been proactive in offering it to all of our existing members.”
"And the inoculations are already well underway, with members based both in the UK and abroad flying out for vaccination holidays, many on private jets. “It’s like we’re the pioneers of this new luxury travel vaccine programme. You go for a few weeks to a villa in the sunshine, get your jabs and your certificate and you’re ready to go,” says McNeill, who assumes that many such members have flown out under the business/education trip exemption. “Lots of our clients have business meetings in the UAE,” he adds.
“We’ve been vaccinating over the last couple of weeks in the UAE, using Pfizer and Sinopharm, which require a 21-day gap between shots. We can start administering the AstraZeneca vaccine today in India. "

(12 Jan 2021) This is what an 'overwhelmed NHS' looks like. We must not look away The excellent Christina Pagel in the Guardian Jan 12:
"ngland currently has more than 30,000 patients in hospital with Covid-19. This is 62% more than at the first peak in April. Chris Whitty wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that the NHS faces the “most dangerous situation in living memory” and hospitals could be overwhelmed within two weeks.
"The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, declared a Covid emergency in the capital, warning that its NHS was already overwhelmed. Each new day of record admissions turns the screw on frontline staff. The problem is that while the NHS, government ministers and scientists are all sounding the alarm, there is also a reluctance to spell out exactly what this means.
"This is an account of what it truly means for a hospital to be “overwhelmed”. It is gleaned from years of working with intensive care clinicians and hearing from doctors across the country. Much of this is happening already, but we have not yet seen the worst.
"The danger is not of a sudden collapse, but an escalation of worsening care for patients and increasing pressure on staff. First, care that is not immediately essential is postponed: operations such as hip or knee replacements, scans or check-ups for chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease. This will mean that some people get sicker in the future because they missed out on care now. Others will have new cancers or heart disease missed for several months. This is already happening."

(11 Jan 2021) Woman fined £200 over false Covid hospital Facebook posts BBC news Jan 11 on welcome action against wilfully misleading claims that over-stretched hospitals are "empty":
“A woman has been fined under coronavirus regulations after posts appeared on social media claiming parts of a Hampshire hospital were "empty".
“Hampshire police said officers had identified a 30-year-old woman as the source of the posts referring to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and issued a £200 fixed penalty notice.
“Hospital management criticised misinformation about the pandemic.
“Police said the posts on Facebook had caused "angst in the community".
“A statement said the fine was imposed for contravening the requirement to not leave or be outside of the place where the person is living.
… “The posts which appeared last week were among similar images and videos taken of dozens of locations around the country and some have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
“After a similar post was uploaded about Southampton General Hospital, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust said false information was causing "upset and distress" to staff.”

(11 Jan 2021) How One Campaign Illustrates COVID-19 Denialists’ Disinformation Tactics Excellent Jan 11 article in the excellent Byline Times by David Oliver:
“In a story about COVID-19 conspiracy theorists and denialists published at the weekend, The Times referred to an online group demanding the repeal of the Coronavirus Act 2020.
“‘The People’s Brexit’ – a group of “solicitors, legal researchers and campaigners” – is currently crowdfunding a campaign to take a case to court. They describe the law as “null and void” and, at the time of writing, have raised £67,000 to do so.
“The Act is a piece of emergency legislation, the purpose of which will have been served once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and has review and repeal embedded in its drafting. However, the arguments that this particular group make provide a handy illustration of the tactics of disinformation often employed by such movements.
“These range from demonstrably false assertions, to irrelevant, partial or exaggerated information taken out of context, or quotes from individuals who are not recognised experts with credibility among their peers.”

(10 Jan 2021) Lockdowns don't work unless workers can afford to follow restrictions Guardian January 8: "The millions of people who cannot afford to self-isolate face a choice between financial devastation and compliance. By not providing proper support, the government is forcing people to decide between their families and their communities. This choice is cruel. And it is avoidable.

The evidence is clear that Covid-19 disparities are driven by differences in exposure both at home and at work. Those of lower socioeconomic status are hit hardest by both the virus and the collateral damage of restrictions.
… "The data shows that, while most people intend to adhere to government advice, only 12% get a test, 18% isolate, and 11% of contacts isolate properly. Crucially, self-reported ability to self-isolate is three times lower in those who earn less than £20,000 per year or have less than £100 saved."

(9 Jan 2021) Doctors raise alarm as Covid strikes down NHS workforce Guardian Jan 9 highlights consequences of short-sighted govt decision not to prioritise vaccinating NHS front line staff:
"The problem of staff absence, because of illness or the need to self-isolate when family members test positive, is also beginning to hamper the vaccination programme – just as the government throws maximum resources into efforts to vaccinate 15 million high priority people by the middle of February."

(9 Jan 2021) NHS counts cost of Christmas in lives and warns worst is yet to come Guardian January 9: "In normal times, January is the month for counting the cost of Christmas. The credit card bills arrive. New year resolutions are made. The consequences of recent indulgence have to be faced.
"This year, however, the price of having celebrated Christmas with loved ones could be far steeper – and counted in lives. Doctors and nurses in the NHS report that they are seeing record numbers of admissions of people with Covid-19.
… "On Friday Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, declared it was in the grip of an emergency. A day earlier, the capital’s medical director, Vin Diwakar, told a briefing, leaked to the Health Service Journal, that London’s hospitals were less than two weeks from being overwhelmed."

(9 Jan 2021) One in SIXTEEN people in Barking and Dagenham infected with virus London Standard report Jan 9: "In the week to January 2 some 6.3 per cent of Barking and Dagenham’s population is thought to have had Covid-19, according the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
"That is followed by Croydon which had an estimated 5.01 per cent of its people infected with the virus, while the figure in Bexley was 4.48 per cent."

(9 Jan 2021) Care sector hit by staff absence rates up to 50% as third wave of coronavirus intensifies Independent Jan 9: "Care providers in the UK are reporting staff absence rates of up to 50 per cent, amid concern of “mounting pressure” across the social care sector as the third coronavirus wave continues to intensify.
"The National Care Forum (NCF), which represents more than 130 organisations, called on the government to take “heed of this early warning signal” and provide additional resources for care services that have become increasingly stretched over winter.
"In a survey conducted last week, the NCF found that some providers were missing between 11 and 50 per cent of their workforce. Absences were driven by a combination of Covid-19 infections, instructions to self-isolate, shielding and childcare responsibilities.
"In November of last year, the average staff absence rate across the social care sector stood at 7 per cent."

(9 Jan 2021) Hundreds of cancer operations cancelled as overrun London hospitals asked to send staff to Nightingale Alarming Jan 9 Independent report from Shaun Lintern:
"An urgent appeal has gone out for nurses and doctors across London to work at the Nightingale in east London’s Excel Centre, which will take recovering patients who are no longer testing positive for Covid – though the city’s hospitals themselves have been pleading with doctors and nurses to take on extra shifts already to help short staffed wards.
"According to a leaked NHS England cancer resilience plan, written on Thursday, the capital needs to treat more than 500 cancer patients a week to stay on top of demand, but most hospital “green sites”, which are meant to be kept free of Covid-19, were described as being “compromised”.
"Only 122 cancer cases were treated in the city’s NHS hospitals this week, with another 101 in private hospitals. This left a shortfall of 277 cancer patients whose operations were delayed."

(8 Jan 2021) 'The worst by a cataclysmic margin': the race to save the NHS from Covid Guardian stark warning Jan 8: "The most dramatic illustration of the NHS’s potential to fall over came in a memo sent by managers at the Royal London hospital in the capital’s East End to staff just before new year.
“We are now in disaster medicine mode,” it said.
“We are no longer providing high-standard critical care, because we cannot. While this is far from ideal, it’s the way things are, and the way they have to be for now.”
"It added: “Every hospital in north-east London is struggling, some with insufficient oxygen supplies, all with insufficient nursing numbers. Believe it or not, Royal London critical care is coping well relative to some sites.”

(6 Jan 2021) Proportion of active NHS beds filled with Covid patients Latest in a new series of performance graphs available from Health Campaigns Together

(6 Jan 2021) 'Patients sent to Critical Care over next fortnight already infected': Dr's warning as 8 covid wards open Teesside Gazette Live Jan 6 warning that ICU capacity now limited: "An intensive care doctor has told of "stormy times" ahead as the number of coronavirus cases and admissions soar.
"Richard Cree has now reported that the North East and Yorkshire region is currently at nearly 80% of total critical care capacity whilst London and the South East are at 130%.
"In his online blog, ' NoMoreSurgeons ', the doctor added that case numbers appear to have risen "significantly" on Teesside, as well as the number of COVID patients being admitted to the hospital.
"James Cook University Hospital now has seven covid wards and one ward at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton."

(6 Jan 2021) More honesty about the crisis facing the NHS is urgently needed Strong Jan 6 Analysis article in Independent by Shaun Lintern concludes:
"The fact is that the health service went into this crisis weaker than it needed to have been. Successive years of underfunding left it with fewer beds and staff than most western European nations.
"The public don’t need the truth hidden from them. NHS staff want to see real leadership from their bosses. No health service could withstand the onslaught from the coronavirus unscathed.
"Being more honest about the weaknesses of the health service and the reality of what is happening is urgently needed. It would silence the denialists and simultaneously show staff that the leadership get the situation they are in.
"It would also serve to make the case for a properly resourced health service in the longer term."

(5 Jan 2021) Say No to NHS England plans for "integration" Press release from Cllr Charmaine Morgan of SOS Grantham Hospital warning of the consequences of NHS England’s plans for “integrated care systems” and urging people to respond to consultation ending January 8:
“To fully appreciate what less public accountability means in the NHS we need only look at the decisions ULHT have made affecting Grantham Hospital services over 5 years. Lincolnshire County Council Health Scrutiny members are only consulted after decisions are made. …
“The existing CCG’s involvement is barely noticeable with the current chair allowing all healthcare providers to do their own thing. There is no elected public representation on the CCG or ULHT. There is a deficit in democracy within NHS decision making now.”

(5 Jan 2021) Union calls for urgent meeting with hospital bosses in Lincolnshire over staffing issues ITV News report January 5:
“Lincoln County and Pilgrim Hospitals are suffering from an 'extreme and unprecedented' shortage of workers, according to an internal memo. The Trust says all essential services remain fully open, but UNISON says it's worried the situation will leave staff burnt out.
Carol Brown, UNISON, said: "Our members and our non-members as well are absolutely overworked. They've had two years where they haven't been able to rest and recover. They're dealing with death on a scale that they've never known before. They're just very very tired."

(4 Jan 2021) UK Faces Trade Boycott After Brexit VAT Change Byline Times January 4 on a gathering crisis triggered by hasty legislation rushed with minimal scrutiny through parliament last month:
"The UK is facing a damaging trade boycott from European and US businesses after a new post-Brexit law changing the VAT system was rushed virtually unopposed through Parliament eight days before Christmas.
"Under the changes companies all over the world that deal directly with the public have to register with HM Revenue and Customs and collect VAT before sending the goods.
"As a result, a growing number of firms have decided to end all deliveries to the UK rather than register with the country for VAT, leaving people unable to order goods including materials not manufactured here."

(4 Jan 2021) Colchester Hospital: Covid deniers removed from 'at capacity' hospital BBC news Jan 4: “Security officers removed Covid-19 "deniers" who were taking pictures of empty corridors at a NHS hospital where the intensive care unit is at maximum capacity, its chief executive said.
“The incident took place at Colchester Hospital at the weekend. Chief executive Nick Hulme said it "beggars belief" some people were calling the pandemic a hoax.
“He said it was "the right thing to do" to keep corridors in outpatients units as empty as possible.
“Mr Hulme said hospital security had to "remove people who were taking photographs of empty corridors and then posting them on social media, saying the hospital is not in crisis".”

(4 Jan 2021) FAMILY OF VACCINE MINISTER Sets Up Medical Company Byline Times flagging up yet more questionable dealings by this dodgiest of Tory governments:
"The wife of Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi is the owner and director of a newly-established medical company, Companies House records show.
"Lana Saib is listed as the owner, with a 75%+ shareholding, of a firm called ‘Warren Medical Limited‘. The company was incorporated on 10 June 2020 under the name “Zahawi Warren Limited”, before being changed a day later to its current title.
"On its Companies House page, Saib’s firm is listed as trading in real estate, yet its name clearly indicates a healthcare specialism."
"

(4 Jan 2021) Where’s the urgency in Canada’s vaccine rollout? Toronto Globe and Mail Jan 4 comment by Andre Picard also notes that Israel's vaccination programme excludes the Palestinians completely:
"It’s enough to make a grown man weep, at least in Canada, where we are vaccinating so slowly that more than two-thirds of our modest vaccine stocks are sitting unused.
"Since it began its vaccine rollout on Dec. 20, Israel has administered as many as 150,000 doses daily. Canada began vaccinating even earlier, on Dec. 14, but since then has immunized only 120,000 people – yes, fewer than Israel does in a day. On Monday morning, we had 300,000 doses languishing in freezers, like old bags of peas.
"Both countries are prioritizing health care workers and elders, but only Israel is doing so with a sense of urgency. At least two million of its nine million residents will be immunized by the end of January.
"The plan in this country – at least on paper – is to inoculate four million people by the end of March, or roughly 11 per cent of citizens. Israel has already surpassed that percentage in 10 days."

(3 Jan 2021) Norway imposes new restrictions to halt third coronavirus wave Reuters report Jan 3: “Norway will impose fresh restrictions to prevent a resurgence in the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Sunday, including a nationwide ban on serving alcohol in restaurants and bars and not inviting guests home.
“The Nordic country has seen a rise in cases over the past month and now estimates its R number - which represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to - stands at 1.3.
“We see more signs of a new wave of infections,” Solberg told a news conference, citing Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations and the emergence of the more contagious variant of the virus first identified in Britain among the reasons.”

(3 Jan 2021) The challenges facing the Oxford Covid vaccine roll-out Telegraph Jan 3: “Boris Johnson insisted on Sunday that tens of millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine would be delivered by the end of March.
… “But the target is a testing one for the NHS, which is facing the logistical nightmare task of launching, from scratch, the biggest-ever vaccination programme – and all this during a pandemic in which infection rates are spiralling out of control.
“Mr Johnson said the target was two million jabs a week, widely acknowledged as the minimum if the most vulnerable people in society are to receive at least one dose of the new vaccines – two doses are required – by the end of March.
… “If the NHS does have targets for rolling out the vaccine, it is not sharing them. Each week, the numbers vaccinated, including those aged over 80, are being published, with the figures keenly watched.
… “On Sunday Tony Blair said he would be demanding five million weekly jabs if he were still Prime Minister.
NHS sources have stressed the logistical problems and called for a reality check on what is achievable, certainly in the early days of the roll-out.”

(3 Jan 2021) Now the Swedish model has failed, it's time to ask who was pushing it Guardian Jan 3: "“We now know with certainty what public health experts have long predicted: a light-touch coronavirus approach does not work. Sweden has recorded far higher death rates than its Nordic neighbours, while suffering a similar economic hit. Even the country’s king thinks it has “failed”.
“And yet, through the late autumn, as the Covid virus was mutating in England, Sweden was still being cited as an example to follow. In mid-October, the Tory MP Christopher Chope was in parliament extolling the virtues of what he previously called Sweden’s “clear and simple” approach. Just last month, the Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson tweeted that she “admired Sweden’s handling of the pandemic”.
“Our future historians will doubtless wonder, too, just how, in the imagination of many on the British right, Sweden went from gang violence-riddled dystopia to exemplar in a few months.
“The answer is quite simple: the same small group of people who talked so fervently about Sweden’s libertarian refusal to lock down – newspaper columnists, backbench MPs, anonymously funded thinktanks – have massively outsized access to British public debate.”

(3 Jan 2021) ‘It makes me want to cry’: voices of hospital staff on the Covid frontline Guardian January 3 report in which three healthcare workers describe the realities of struggling against a rising tide of coronavirus cases

(2 Jan 2021) Hundreds of thousands more US Covid deaths possible amid vaccine chaos Guardian January 2: "America had no trouble hitting the appalling milestone of 20 million coronavirus cases, but reaching the federal government’s own target of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020 proved a huge problem.
"Just under three million Americans were vaccinated by the time the crystal-encrusted ball dropped in New York’s almost-deserted Times Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve to mark the end of a hellish year.
"Now US distribution of the vaccine is being routinely described as “chaos”, with criticism that inept officials are “botching” efforts.
"More than 10,000 people died in the US in the last three days of 2020 alone, to bring the national death toll close to 350,000 so far, including the worst 24-hour toll of the whole pandemic when more than 3,700 people died last Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data."

(2 Jan 2021) Vaccine firms rubbish ministers’ claims of supply shortage, reports say Independent Jan 1: "Vaccine manufacturers have rubbished claims made by ministers that a Covid vaccine shortage was “limiting” the inoculation programme, and insist that millions of doses have already been delivered to the NHS.
"It comes after ministers and the UK’s chief medical officers warned that shortages in the supply of vaccines is a global issue and a “reality that cannot be wished away”.
"Boris Johnson said earlier this week that supply would be the “rate-limiting factor” that could hinder the NHS’s ability to deliver the vaccines quickly, not distribution.
"Currently, the NHS is doling out 250,000 jabs per week, and is confident it can exceed 2 million a week by February. NHS England medical director, Stephen Powis, said: “Our aim is to get the jab into people’s arms as quickly as the manufacturers can supply that vaccine to us.”
"But both Pfizer and AstraZeneca have insisted there was no problem with supply, with Pfizer saying it has now sent millions of doses to the UK, reports The Daily Telegraph. These include 1 million jabs that were destined as the second dose for people who have already received their first jab – which will now be delayed following a change in policy."

(2 Jan 2021) Mixing Covid Vaccines 'Not Recommended', Says Public Health England Expert Huffington Post Jan 2: "One of Public Health England’s (PHE) top officials has said the body does not recommend mixing Covid-19 vaccines from different suppliers, despite recent government guidance stating it would be “reasonable” to do so if necessary .
"Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at PHE, told Sky News on Saturday that the mixing of vaccines – for example, giving one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine followed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine – should only be done on “rare occasions”.
"Both vaccines require two doses to maximise effectiveness. On New Year’s Eve, the government issued guidance to healthcare workers stating that “every effort should be made to determine which vaccine the individual received and to complete with the same vaccine”.
"But concerns have been raised about another part of the guidance, which says that if a patient came back for a second dose but the same type of vaccine as their first jab was not available or it was unclear what type the patient had previous recieved, it would be “reasonable” to use a different type of vaccine, particularly if an individual is deemed particularly high risk."

(2 Jan 2021) The Covid-19 Vaccine: Another Ugly Face of Israeli Apartheid Common Dreams shock report on January 2: "“Close to 400,000 Israelis have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus, and tens of thousands of others are on track to do the same in the coming weeks.
“Israel was one of the first countries in the world to begin rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine to its population, and according to the University of Oxford-run Our World in Data, is currently second in the world in vaccinations per capita.
… “Last month, Israel secured 8 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine — enough to cover nearly half of Israel’s population of 9 million, as each person requires two doses. Among those eligible to receive the vaccine from the Israeli government, are the nearly 2 million Palestinian citizens of Israel.
“Those not eligible to receive the vaccine, however, are the more than 5 million Palestinians living under the control of the Israeli occupation in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.
… “The apartheid system under which Israel operates inside the occupied territory, …, could not be better displayed than in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine — who gets the vaccine, and who doesn’t, is a simple matter of nationality.”

(2 Jan 2021) What it's like to work on a Covid ward as the second wave accelerates Telegraph Jan 2: Consultant David Oliver injects some realism into one of the newspapers most avidly promoting the Covid-deniers and opponents of the NHS:
"I've been an NHS acute hospital doctor for 31 years, but I've never worked through anything like the 10 months since the UK's first death from coronavirus.
As a Covid ward consultant for weeks on end last spring, and again from September, I want to explain how it feels as the number of cases, admissions and deaths accelerates towards a second pandemic peak already outstripping the first."

(2 Jan 2021) Cancer operations face cancellation across London as Covid patients fill hospitals Guardian January 2: "NHS bosses are set to cancel urgent surgery across London in a move that could mean cancer patients waiting months for potentially lifesaving operations, the Observer can reveal.
"NHS England chiefs are considering the drastic action because hospitals across the capital are becoming overwhelmed by people who are very sick with Covid-19.
"The operations likely to be cancelled, known as “priority two” procedures, mainly involve surgery for cancer where specialists have judged that the patients need to be operated on within four weeks. Any delay could allow their tumour to grow, the disease to spread, or both, thus reducing their chances of survival."

(2 Jan 2021) Hundreds of thousands more US Covid deaths possible amid vaccine chaos Guardian Jan 2 report on more shocking failures of US health care and public health:
"America had no trouble hitting the appalling milestone of 20m coronavirus cases, but reaching the federal government’s own target of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020 proved a huge problem.
"Just under 3 million Americans were vaccinated by the time the crystal-encrusted ball dropped in New York’s almost-deserted Times Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve to mark the end of a hellish year.
"Now US distribution of the vaccine is being routinely described as “chaos”, with criticism that inept officials are “botching” efforts.
"More than 10,000 people died in the US in the last three days of 2020 alone, to bring the national death toll close to 350,000 so far, including the worst 24-hour toll of the whole pandemic when more than 3,700 people died last Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data."

(1 Jan 2021) NHS staff fear speaking out over crisis in English hospitals Guardian Jan 1: "In Devon, one nurse working on a Covid ward said safety standards had slipped at her hospital, but she feared for her job if she was identified by name. “The infection control restrictions are more relaxed. Before, we had to use a separate entrance but now we don’t, and some doctors feel they don’t have to obey the infection control protocols and are still unsure of how to properly remove the PPE,” she said.
"Staffing is a huge issue, she said, with 10 out of 25 nurses absent on a recent week because they were isolating. During the first wave, her hospital never had more than around 20 Covid patients. Now they have more than 40.
"Claims circulating on social media that hospitals were empty had upset many staff. “People need to understand the problems we are having and the situations we are facing, rather than this ridiculous notion that we are all in empty hospitals learning TikTok dances, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” said an occupational therapist in Hampshire. “We’re being pressured into pretending everything is all right for the benefit of the popularity of the government. They are trying to underplay the situation so that people don’t look behind the curtain and see what’s happening.”

(1 Jan 2021) NHS England Performance Charts: How is your area coping with pressures? Health Campaigns Together Jan 1 - with new graphic presentations of the latest data on A&E performance and Covid impact on beds and ICU.

(1 Jan 2021) Britain Opts for Mix-and-Match Vaccinations, Confounding Experts New York Times Jan 1 fills in details on a topic the British media should be covering:
"Amid a sputtering vaccine rollout and fears of a new and potentially more transmissible variant of the coronavirus, Britain has quietly updated its vaccination playbook to allow for a mix-and-match vaccine regimen. If a second dose of the vaccine a patient originally received isn’t available, or if the manufacturer of the first shot isn’t known, another vaccine may be substituted, health officials said.
"The new guidance contradicts guidelines in the United States, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that the authorized Covid-19 vaccines “are not interchangeable,” and that “the safety and efficacy of a mixed-product series have not been evaluated. Both doses of the series should be completed with the same product.”
"Some scientists say Britain is gambling with its new guidance. “There are no data on this idea whatsoever,” said John Moore, a vaccine expert at Cornell University. Officials in Britain “seem to have abandoned science completely now and are just trying to guess their way out of a mess.”

(1 Jan 2021) Exclusive: new data reveals the 23 trusts with over a third of beds occupied by covid patients HSJ exclusive Jan 1: "Twenty-three hospital trusts had more than a third of their core bedbase occupied by covid-19 patients on Tuesday, and occupancy is still rising at all but one.
"Three trusts … had more than half of general and acute beds occupied by patients who had the virus, and others were not far behind.
"Several trusts saw their covid occupancy share up by more than 10 percentage points in a week — a rate of growth which would soon see them entirely filled by covid patients, a situation with radical consequences for emergency hospital care in those areas.
"London as a whole had a third of these beds occupied by patients with covid-19."

(1 Jan 2021) Experts question UK decision on Covid vaccine dosing regimen Financial Times Jan 1: "“Late on Thursday, the UK’s chief medical officers said they were confident “that the first dose of either Pfizer or [AstraZeneca] vaccine provides substantial protection within two to three weeks of vaccination for clinical disease, and in particular severe Covid disease”. Justifying their decision, they added that vaccine shortages were “a reality that cannot be wished away”.
“But the UK’s approach remains unusual. Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the US government’s vaccine procurement and development programme, warned that it appeared to be founded on “more of a conceptual observation” because it was not based on data from large-scale trials.
“Mr Slaoui said it was “important” to use vaccines as studied and to use one clear efficacy figure. Echoing his remarks, Pfizer on Thursday hit out at the UK decision, saying there was no data to support a longer interval between doses.”

(1 Jan 2021) Kent hospitals ‘overwhelmed’ as ICU bed occupancy hits 137% Independent January 1: “More critically ill patients are being transferred to hospitals across England as NHS trusts in Kent reported bed occupancy levels in intensive care reaching 137 per cent on New Year’s Day.
“Eleven hospitals across the Kent and Surrey regions are failing to meet nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in intensive care, raising concerns for patient safety. Thresholds for admitting patients to intensive care are being revised, and clinicians in the region say some patients who should be in intensive care are instead being looked after on other wards because there is simply not enough space available.
“It is thought the region is aiming to transfer more than 20 patients to other hospitals across England in the coming days to try and relieve the pressure.
… “Kent patients are going as far as Bristol and Leeds, more than 230 miles away. It emerged earlier this week that some patients had already been sent to hospitals in Portsmouth and Southampton.”

(1 Jan 2021) BioNTech criticises EU failure to order enough Covid vaccine Guardian Jan 1: “BioNtech has criticised the EU’s failure to order more doses of its coronavirus vaccine, saying it is now racing with its US partner, Pfizer, to boost production amid fears of a European “gap” left by the lack of other approved vaccines.
“The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first to be approved by the bloc late last month, after being accepted by the UK, Canada and the US. They and other countries have also since approved the Moderna or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, leaving the EU trailing behind.
… “The US ordered 600m doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine in July, while the EU waited until November to order half as many. Şahin said the firms were now working flat-out to increase production and “fill a hole due to a lack of other approved vaccines”.
“He said BioNTech aimed to get a new manufacturing plant up and running in Marburg, Germany, in February, “far earlier than planned”. It should be able to produce 250m doses in the first half of 2021.”

(1 Jan 2021) More than 76,000 Americans died from Covid-19 in December, pandemic’s deadliest month Independent Jan 1: “Nearly 77,000 Americans died from Covid-19 in December, by every measure the worst month of a pandemic that has killed more than 340,000 people in the US since the onset of the outbreak.
“Every week of December saw more deaths from Covid-19 than any other week in the year, according to data collected by the COVID Tracking Project. The coronavirus deaths of 76,580 people in December surpassed the death toll from the year’s second most-lethal month of April by more than 20,000 lives.
“On the final day of 2020, a record-high 125,379 people were reported in hospital for the coronavirus. More than 3,200 people died.
“By the end of the first day of 2021, the US is set to eclipse 20 million confirmed coronavirus infections, based on projections from Johns Hopkins University.”

(1 Jan 2021) Giving people false hope about the pandemic isn't 'balanced' – it's dangerous Owen Jones in the Guardian Jan 1, challenging the media promotion of Karol Sikora – the man who has denounced the NHS, and who Imperial College denies is a professor – and his pernicious views on Covid:
"You can see why the “Positive Professor” has developed such a wide fanbase: in an era of death, disease, economic turmoil and suspended freedoms, he offers desperate – often vulnerable – people the one thing they crave most: hope.
"His formula is simple: contrary to the misery peddled by the doom merchants, the measures strangling our economic and personal lives might actually be unnecessary.
"But there is nothing so cruel as false hope, and during a pandemic in which people’s lives depend on adherence to social distancing measures, it can be dangerous.
… "Back in 2018, the BBC sent a briefing note to its staff asking them to be aware of false equivalence, accepting the BBC had got coverage of climate breakdown “wrong too often”, and telling them they did “not need a ‘denier’ to balance the debate”. This is the correct position: just because a fringe grouping of scientists endorse climate denial does not mean it should be treated as the legitimate, valid “other side” of the argument."

(1 Jan 2021) Military reserves will help staff London Nightingale hospital Independent Jan 1: "The military will be drafted in to help run London’s Nightingale hospital which is due to open within days to help relieve pressure on the capital’s struggling wards.
"NHS England has confirmed the ExCel conference centre, in London’s docklands, is being readied to take patients from hospitals across the city as they risk running out of beds for the sickest.
"Now emails seen by The Independent reveal the military is preparing to call up dozens of army reservists to help run the hospital alongside NHS staff.
"NHS England is in talks with the military to redeploy army reserve nurses and other clinicians working at NHS hospitals in the north of England to help bolster staffing levels at the London centre.
"Lack of staff, particularly nurses, was one of the reasons why the Nightingale was poorly used during the first wave of the virus – treating only 54 patients in total."

(1 Jan 2021) To exhausted healthcare workers like me, Covid conspiracies are a kick in the teeth Guardian Jan 1: "Covid is ripping through hospitals at an unprecedented rate, while an exhausted workforce, already running on fumes not from “just another winter surge”, but due to a second wave of Covid cases worse than the first, attempts to battle it.
"For us, the objective truth is undeniable: patients are desperately sick. Patients who often decline quickly and suddenly, needing intensive care, ventilation and specialist support.
"And yet in the outer world, our social media and even newspapers amplify a different “truth”. That there is no major emergency, that it’s misdiagnosis or global hysteria, which every major country, and their established academic and medical bodies, has inexplicably and simultaneously fallen prey to.
"Perhaps it was too much to ask that the brief period of trusting and listening to experts during the early days of the first spike might last through the winter."

(1 Jan 2021) UK chief medical officers defend delay of second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses CNN report Jan 1: "The UK's chief medical officers have defended a decision to delay second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in order to prioritize first doses, saying it will protect as many vulnerable people as possible while the coronavirus is running rampant.
"The new strategy, announced Wednesday by the head of the UK's medicines regulator MHRA, means that the interval between doses could be extended to up to 12 weeks, instead of the three weeks previously stipulated.
"It has prompted a debate among experts, with the British Medical Association (BMA), a body representing UK doctors, criticizing the move to postpone appointments for the very vulnerable patients currently awaiting their second shots.
"The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been in use in the UK since early December, when the country became the first in the world to approve it, but supplies are limited."

(1 Jan 2021) NHS staff fear speaking out over crisis in English hospitals Guardian Jan 1 report: "In Devon, one nurse working on a Covid ward said safety standards had slipped at her hospital, but she feared for her job if she was identified by name. “The infection control restrictions are more relaxed. Before, we had to use a separate entrance but now we don’t, and some doctors feel they don’t have to obey the infection control protocols and are still unsure of how to properly remove the PPE,” she said.
"Staffing is a huge issue, she said, with 10 out of 25 nurses absent on a recent week because they were isolating. During the first wave, her hospital never had more than around 20 Covid patients. Now they have more than 40.
"Claims circulating on social media that hospitals were empty had upset many staff. “People need to understand the problems we are having and the situations we are facing, rather than this ridiculous notion that we are all in empty hospitals learning TikTok dances, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” said an occupational therapist in Hampshire.
“We’re being pressured into pretending everything is all right for the benefit of the popularity of the government. They are trying to underplay the situation so that people don’t look behind the curtain and see what’s happening.”

(31 Dec 2020) Advancing Mental Health Equality Royal College of Psychiatrists publish an important new study on ways to make mental health less unequal:
"The AMHE resource was commissioned by NHS England to support delivery of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and the NHS Long Term Plan.
"This resource outlines comprehensive and practical steps for commissioners and service providers to reduce inequalities in an achievable and measurable way.
"It provides detailed guidance and methods on how to identify and reduce inequalities related to mental health support, care and treatment.
"It will also support commissioners and service providers to evaluate and review their services, to measure the impact of changes and to identify areas for improvement.
"The resource has been co-produced with a wide-range of stakeholders including experts by experience, ALBs, commissioners, providers and third sector organisations. Its development included a systematic mapping review, focus groups etc. from other work that is happening in this area."

(31 Dec 2020) Concerns over the change of policy around the Covid-19 vaccination delivery The Doctors Association UK's Dec 31 letter to Matt Hancock expressing "real and grave concerns" about the sudden changes to the Pfizer vaccine regime
"It undermines the consent process, as well as completely failing to follow the science."

(31 Dec 2020) UK’s chief medical officers warn over vaccine availability FT Dec 31: “The UK’s chief medical officers have warned that the availability of Covid-19 vaccines will continue to be a problem for “several months” as they defended the decision to lengthen the gap between doses to try and combat spiralling infection rates.
“Since announcing the move on Wednesday, Britain’s health authorities have come under fire, with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer insisting the “safety and efficacy” of the new schedule had not been evaluated and doctors expressing anger over the need to cancel appointments for people who had expected to receive their top-up dose in the next few days.
“But in a letter to healthcare professionals published on New Year’s Eve, the four chief medical officers, including England’s Chris Whitty, said the decision to space out the recommended gap between the first and second dose from three to as much as 12 weeks would be “much more preferable in public health terms”.”

(31 Dec 2020) Hospitals ‘need help’ as nurses struggle to cope with Covid pressure (£) Times report Dec 31: "London is reporting the highest pressure on services but trusts across the country said that they were struggling with problems such as high staff absence rates. The NHS, councils and emergency services in Essex and Buckinghamshire declared major incidents.
"A note circulated to senior NHS staff after a meeting of the North East London STP Critical Care Network said that demand was outstripping resources. It was “beyond full and needs help,” it added.
"The network, which covers three trusts and seven acute hospitals in the capital, had 235 patients in 236 beds, 160 of whom were ill with Covid-19 and more waiting to come in. Staff in Newham University Hospital had to convert an intensive care unit cupboard into room for a bed.
"At Queen’s Hospital in Romford oxygen usage was so heavy that doctors approved reduced targets for all patients. Staff at North Middlesex University Hospital were told to take similar action. Doctors told The Times this was a safe, if highly unusual, step. The Romford hospital was trying to convert about 60 beds to using oxygen cylinders, changed every 12 hours, rather than relying on the piped supply."

(31 Dec 2020) Germany set for longer lockdown as death figures spike Independent Dec 31: "German officials made clear Wednesday that they won't be able to relax lockdown restrictions in early January as the country recorded more than 1,000 deaths in one day for the first time
"That figure was likely swollen by delayed reporting but underlined the severity of the situation.
"Germany the European Union's most populous country, shut restaurants, bars, sports and leisure facilities on Nov. 2. That partial shutdown halted a fast increase in new infections for a while but failed to bring them down, prompting authorities to impose a fuller lockdown from Dec. 16, shutting nonessential shops and schools.
"Those measures run through Jan. 10. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany's 16 states will consult Tuesday on how to proceed."

(31 Dec 2020) London faces ‘ticking time bomb’ over oxygen supplies as another hospital issues warning to staff Independent Dec 31: "Concerns are mounting over the number of coronavirus patients being admitted to hospitals in London as another NHS trust in the capital issued an urgent warning over its oxygen supplies.
"On Tuesday afternoon, the North Middlesex University Hospital Trust warned clinicians the numbers of coronavirus patients it was treating “was putting a strain” on the oxygen system, sparking several alarms.
"The trust currently has around 200 patients using oxygen with the trust consuming 2,400 litres of oxygen a minute. It normally uses around 1000 litres a minute and has a limit of 3,000 above which the system could cut out.
"It is only the latest hospital to face the problem – which is caused by the sheer demand for oxygen by sick Covid patients, which is more than the hospital piping can physically deliver."

(30 Dec 2020) Critically ill patients ‘evacuated’ hundreds of miles as fears grow London could run out of beds Independent Dec 30: "Critically ill patients are being “evacuated” from the south of England to hospitals hundreds of miles away as NHS bosses in London revealed data showing the capital is set to run out of critical care beds within a week.
"There were 50,000 positive cases reported across the UK for the second day running on Wednesday, with figures showing London – now the centre of the crisis – with 5,524 patients in hospital, more than its first-wave peak in April.
"In response to the worsening crisis in London, The Independent has learnt NHS England will announce plans on Thursday to reopen the Nightingale Hospital, at the east London Excel conference centre, on 4 January – initially with around 60 beds for patients who are almost ready to leave hospital.
"Several patients from across Kent have been taken to Plymouth, Southampton, Bristol and Leeds in recent days as the southeast of England has run out of beds as the numbers of coronavirus patients continues to rise.
"Across England critical care networks have been told to keep some beds free for possible transfers from the south as the surge in patients accelerates and staff sickness undercuts the ability to staff the beds with enough nurses."

(30 Dec 2020) German daily death toll surpasses 1,000 for 1st time German website report Dec 30: "Germany recorded a total of 1,129 deaths from coronavirus within the last 24 hours, reported the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases on Wednesday.
"It is the first time that more than 1,000 daily deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the country.
"This is an increase from the previous record number of 962 deaths within 24 hours — registered on Wednesday last week."

(30 Dec 2020) Birmingham hospital issues alert as it cannot maintain safe nurse staffing levels in intensive care Independent report Dec 30: "University Hospitals Birmingham urged doctors to help nurses with patient care tasks as well as “just ensuring they’ve had a drink / break” in a message sent on Tuesday and seen by The Independent.
"It warned the medics that it was struggling with staffing levels due to sickness as patient numbers “continued to rise”.
"The trust currently has almost 1,500 staff off work, with more than 43 per cent of absences linked to Covid-19.
"Its warning to staff will trouble NHS bosses as the pressure from the surge in coronavirus patients in southeast and London spreads across the country."

(29 Dec 2020) NHS boss praises staff 'in the eye of the storm' as Covid cases surge Guardian Dec 29: “In a new year message recorded at a vaccination centre, Sir Simon Stevens paid tribute to those on the frontline including doctors, nurses, therapists, as well as cleaners and non-medical staff such as carers, volunteers and care home workers.
“On Monday Dr Yvonne Doyle, the medical director of Public Health England, warned that hospitals face “unprecedented” levels of coronavirus infections, after the UK reported 41,385 new lab-confirmed cases on Monday, its highest figure yet for a single day and the first above 40,000.
“Doyle said: “This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions.”
“NHS England said it now has more Covid-19 patients in hospital than at the peak of the first wave – 20,426 as of 8am on Monday, surpassing April’s high of 18,946 on 12 April. Health officials in Wales and Scotland have also said they fear becoming overwhelmed.”

(29 Dec 2020) Surge Capacity – what if COVID-19 overwhelms the NHS? Cygnus Reports: "ICU beds in London are currently filling up fast with COVID-19 patients. Perhaps more seriously, the Health Service Journal reported that my local NHS Trust had 33% Covid-positive beds on 21 December, and my personal experience is that – unlike the first wave – large numbers of NHS staff are being tested COVID-positive. Worse still, the pandemic has been trending sharply upwards during recent weeks, and we are fighting blind for the next few critical days because reporting mechanisms and NHS staff testing are suspended over the Christmas holidays.
"Instead of raising the alarm about what (predictably) lies ahead, healthcare leaders have followed the Government’s self-congratulatory vaccine narrative, or made irrational public statements defending the medical establishment’s lack of transparency. Few have had the courage or independence of mind to speak up in the public interest.
… "Let’s be clear: There is no excuse for secrecy during a pandemic.
"The Institute for Government have clearly stated in their recent report that lack of transparency has a negative effect on public understanding, and in turn on public compliance with the Government’s COVID-19 strategy. "

(29 Dec 2020) $427bn lost to tax havens every year: landmark study reveals countries’ losses and worst offenders Tax Justice Network with an idea how to cover the cost of spending on Covid:
“The equivalent of one nurse’s annual salary is lost to a tax haven every second
“Countries are losing a total of over $427 billion in tax each year to international corporate tax abuse and private tax evasion, costing countries altogether the equivalent of nearly 34 million nurses’ annual salaries every year – or one nurse’s annual salary every second.
“As pandemic-fatigued countries around the world struggle to cope with second and third waves of coronavirus, a ground-breaking study published today reveals for the first time how much public funding each country loses to global tax abuse and identifies the countries most responsible for others’ losses.
“In a series of joint national and regional launch events around the world, economists, unions and campaigners are urging governments to immediately enact long-delayed tax reform measures in order to clamp down on global tax abuse and reverse the inequalities and hardships exacerbated by tax losses.”

(29 Dec 2020) We need to protect intensive care staff from reaching breaking point Moving statement from the Intensive Care Society Dec 29: "Intensive care units (ICUs) are under extreme pressure as they continue to look after the sickest COVID-19 patients as well as providing care for other critically ill patients who need intensive care.
"We see news reports that the number of ICU beds is running out. The issue is not beds, the issue is the lack of staff available to look after these very unwell patients. A bed doesn’t care for a patient, it’s the team of incredible doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, advanced practitioners, pharmacists and healthcare scientists who fight to keep you alive.
"The biggest risk to the country is the NHS becoming overwhelmed. Right now, ICU staff are stretched, over-worked and exhausted both physically and mentally, yet they keep going every day."

(29 Dec 2020) Doctors raise alarm over 'dire' situation in NHS as Covid cases rise Guardian Dec 29: "NHS hospitals in England are under increasing pressure as coronavirus cases rise, with doctors raising the alarm about “very, very busy services” and one trust calling for volunteers to help prone patients.
"The warning comes as the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals surpassed the peak of the first wave – up to 20,426 as of 8am on Monday, more than April’s high of 18,974. Health officials in Wales and Scotland have also said they fear becoming overwhelmed.
"The UK reported 41,385 new lab-confirmed cases on Monday, the highest figure yet for a single day."

(29 Dec 2020) It’s Time to Use Eminent Domain on the Coronavirus Vaccines Foreign Policy website December 29: “The easiest way to make vaccines truly available to all is to freely license every effective vaccine formula so that generic producers can manufacture the vaccine anywhere.
“This approach would overcome the short-run limits on production, which come from intellectual-property restrictions that constrain production to specific firms. Doing away with this barrier would ensure that the vaccines are produced and sold by many actors in a competitive marketplace, and made available to the public at the least cost.
“The economic benefit of widespread access to vaccines, tests and treatments that can help to overcome the pandemic is potentially enormous, and dwarfs the cost of what is needed to compensate pharmaceutical companies for research and development, or for giving up monopoly privileges.
“The losses to the global economy from the pandemic are in the trillions but the expenses incurred for research and development have been in mere billions. Firms can be handsomely compensated for their innovative technology and, thereafter, it can be made available freely to all potential manufacturers, some of whom may well be more efficient producers.”

(29 Dec 2020) I work in intensive care. Our beds are full, and more Covid patients are arriving Guardian Dec 29 Opinion column: "Wards became temporary ICUs. Yet as quickly as we could free more beds, they were filled by those sick with the virus.
"Teams scrambled to move ventilated patients by ambulance out of the south east to hospitals with any capacity left. Those hospitals are now full. By the week before Christmas there was simply no room left at the inn.
"Are you surprised by this? Maybe you are. The tabloids continued to report we were quieter than this time last year, that we had even more capacity than before. But this simply wasn’t true.
"What they had failed to realise when reporting on our expanded ICU capacity is what that truly meant: using portable ventilators and anaesthetic machines, the kind of ventilators used for operations and not intended for long-term ventilation of sick patients; putting patients in theatres and wards not set up for critical care; using staff who aren’t trained in looking after ICU patients. When you hear that hospitals are running at capacity, what that means now is that they are running at 100% of 150%. I’m not sure how we can find more space."

(28 Dec 2020) Concern at 'unprecedented' infection level in England BBC report 28 December: "England's "very high" Covid infection level is a "growing concern" as the NHS struggles to cope with rising patient numbers, a health official has said.
"On Monday, a record 41,385 Covid cases and 357 deaths were reported in the UK.
"NHS England said the number of people being treated for the virus in hospital is now 20,426, which is higher than the previous peak of about 19,000 in April.
"Health officials in Wales and Scotland have also said they are at risk of becoming overwhelmed.
"Monday's figure for new cases is the highest daily number reported by the UK government, and the first time the daily total has surpassed 40,000."

(28 Dec 2020) What the Brexit deal means for the NHS NHS Confed Dec 28 on the other crisis about to hit in the new year:
"…there are some significant gaps compared with the arrangements that applied until the end of the post-Brexit transition period on 31 December.
"We have provided below a brief summary of the agreements within the deal that impact the NHS and the wider health sector. …
"There will be non-tariff barriers such as regulatory requirements, now that the UK and EU will not be obliged to adhere to the same standards in future. The deal includes an agreement that the UK and EU will recognise each other’s inspections of manufacturing premises for medicinal products. But it does not include a mutual recognition agreement on conformity assessment, meaning that the UK and EU will both have to assess that products are safe to be authorised and marketed in their territories. They will not automatically accept each other’s assessment.
"… UK and EU will collaborate/co-operate in warning each other and tackling health threats, though the UK will not normally have access to EU databases and will not retain membership of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and control (ECDC).
"“… UK will implement new points-based immigration system for people wanting to come and work in the UK from 1 January. Most healthcare workers will meet the entry criteria but most care workers won’t.
“… Mutual recognition of professional qualifications ends. UK has unilaterally decided to continue to recognise EEA qualifications for up to two years, but no reciprocity.”

(28 Dec 2020) England’s hospitals have more Covid patients than ever before with London ‘teetering on the edge’ Independent report Dec 28: “The latest NHS England data, shared among NHS bosses, and seen by The Independent, reveals that across all NHS settings, there were 20,407 coronavirus patients being treated by the NHS on Monday, compared to a 12 April peak of 18,974.
“In London, cases have surged to 4,957 patients – an increase of 47 per cent in a week and up more than 200 per cent since the end of the second national lockdown on 2 December.
“Across the capital, hospitals have declared major incidents and cancelled operations while ambulances have been delayed for up to six hours outside some A&E departments, as NHS bosses issued a “call to action” to staff to work extra shifts in the coming weeks.
“The Independent has learned that the situation in the capital prompted some senior hospital bosses to request the NHS publicly declare a major incident in a conference call with London’s regional medical director, Dr Vin Diwakar.”

(28 Dec 2020) Bid to boost nurse staffing in hospitals ahead of coronavirus failed, NHS report reveals Independent's Shaun Lintern with an exclusive (Dec 28) including yet another Capita cock-up:
“According to an NHS England report, only 1,007 eligible former nurses out of a total of 71,000 returned to work during May and June while sickness caused by Covid-19 decimated staffing levels, leaving hospitals with a net drop in 3,694 full-time equivalent nurses.
“The expert review, carried out during the summer, said actions by England’s chief nurse Ruth May to ready the NHS for the coronavirus first wave were hampered by a lack of data on the numbers and skills needed.
“It raises questions over the ability of the NHS to cope as patient numbers in England near the peak seen in April when almost 19,000 Covid-19 patients were in hospital.
“It also highlighted poor communication between the chief nurse’s office and the separate team run by NHS England’s chief people officer Prerana Issar, which it said caused confusion on the frontline.
“There was criticism too for the way nurses who joined the temporary register, set up by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, were handled by consultancy Capita, who took on average more than 26 days to send nurses details to hospital trusts, who found the data they were sent wasn’t good enough to determine the skills and experiences of the nurses.”

(28 Dec 2020) London nurses and doctors urged to work extra shifts in ‘call to action’ by NHS England Independent Dec 28: “A leaked letter, sent to NHS staff on Christmas Eve and seen by The Independent, issued what it described as a “call to action” for NHS staff to take on additional shifts over the next three weeks, when hospital admissions are expected to peak.
“Signed by London’s regional NHS director, Sir David Sloman, the letter said London was facing pressure from Covid-19, with hospital admissions “increasing sharply”.
… “For those staff who have the skills and capacity to do so, particularly those who do not normally work in emergency services, we are asking you to please consider undertaking additional shifts over the next three weeks as we wait for the tier 4 restrictions to impact on infection rates.”
… “The letter has sparked concerns over the consequences of asking already overstretched staff to work more, with experts saying it underlines the crisis in NHS staffing that has been made worse by Covid-19 forcing thousands more staff off work because of sickness or having to self-isolate.”

(28 Dec 2020) London hospital declares major incident over oxygen supply fears Another Shaun Lintern exclusive for the Independent (Dec 28):
"A London hospital has declared a major incident over fears about a shortage in oxygen caused by the demand from coronavirus patients on its wards.
"The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Woolwich, southeast London, was forced to ask London Ambulance Service to take emergency patients to other hospitals on Sunday amid concerns about the flow of oxygen to patients.
"It is the latest in a string of London hospitals to declare major incidents in the past 10 days as the capital has been hit by a surge in new Covid-19 infections and hospital admissions.
"The 500-bed hospital, part of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, called in extra staff on Sunday after the incident was declared at around 1pm."

(28 Dec 2020) Nightingale hospitals stand empty despite surging Covid cases as medics warn of staff shortages Telegraph report Dec 28: " The flagship Nightingale hospital is being dismantled as medics warn that there are not enough staff to run the facilities despite the NHS being at risk of being overwhelmed by coronavirus.
“Amid surging virus case numbers, elective surgery is being cancelled as the number of patients in hospitals in England passes the peak of the first wave in April. Although the NHS is "struggling" to cope, the majority of the seven Nightingale hospitals, created at a cost of £220 million, have yet to start treating Covid-19 patients during the second wave. The Exeter Nightingale has been treating Covid patients since mid-November.
“The facility at London's Excel centre has been stripped of its beds and ventilators.
“The NHS has told trusts to start preparing to use the overflow facilities in the coming weeks, but bosses have failed to explain how they will be staffed.”

(28 Dec 2020) Community care services could be rationed in England Guardian December 28, flagging up the danger that NHS staff shortages could mean that community health services could be rationed as well as social care, with brutal eligibility criteria that offer care only to those with the greatest need, and increasing the numbers receiving no support at all:
“Care services in the community could be rationed amid the spread of Omicron, which is causing staff absences in England’s public services to rocket. Choices will need to be made about what services can and cannot be covered, according to Patricia Marquis, the England director of the Royal College of Nursing.
“Services are already really stretched and it won’t take a lot – either further staff absences or increasing numbers of patients needing to be seen because the hospitals are full – to really push the services over the edge,” she said.
“Marquis predicts that as services begin to reopen after Christmas, it will become clearer how much more pressure they are facing.
“Community nursing is a particular area of concern and those services could end up being rationed, Marquis said. “Everyone automatically thinks about hospitals, but staff shortages aren’t just affecting hospitals. Limiting the number of community services that are available will possibly need to be considered.”

(26 Dec 2020) Coronavirus vaccine chaos with appointments axed last minute as surgeries wait for jab Mirror warning Dec 26: "The Covid vaccine rollout could turn into a PPE-style fiasco, MPs, doctors and care chiefs warned last night.
"Hundreds of GP surgeries and scores of hospitals are still waiting for Pfizer jabs.
"Vaccine appointments for the most vulnerable are being cancelled at the last minute because of the delay, doctors say.
"And 12,000 of the country’s 15,000 care homes are not even being considered for jabs right now – with only seven areas of England getting them so far.
"Health leaders have also raised concerns many frontline NHS staff are still not being sent for jabs."

(26 Dec 2020) Coronavirus: London ambulances ‘can no longer guarantee’ response to home-birth emergencies Independent exclusive Dec 26: "Women planning home births in London will no longer be guaranteed an ambulance response in the case of emergency, as a result of “current pressures” from Covid-19, a local health authority has warned.
"In an email circulated on Christmas Eve and seen by The Independent, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust warned that it was “no longer in a position” to ensure a response is provided to those women choosing to have their birth at home or within one of the capital’s three birthing centres.
"The trust said it was “critical that this information is communicated to [pregnant] women, to inform their planning and future choices”.
"Health services across the capital are under increasing pressure as the numbers of Covid infections and hospitalisations continue to rise.
"Hospital trusts have started to cancel operations and are redeploying nurses and doctors to cope with an expected increase in demand, amid mounting concern that London could run out of critical care beds within weeks."

(26 Dec 2020) Major UK testing lab suffers coronavirus outbreak after claims of safety breaches Sky News Dec 26 reports: "The UK's biggest testing lab has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus after what one worker claimed were repeated breaches of COVID safety rules, Sky News has learned.
"Positive cases have been reported in three of the four scientific teams at the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Laboratory, as well as among administrative and warehouse staff at the site.
"It is not known how many people have been affected by the outbreak, but around 20 people in one 70-person lab team are currently isolating, according to a worker at the laboratory who asked to remain anonymous."

(25 Dec 2020) NHS told to prepare for use of Nightingale hospitals in coming weeks Independent article Dec 25, although just days later it emerged that Nightingale hospitals in London and Birmingham were being dismantled:
"NHS England has told trusts to begin planning for the use of Nightingale hospitals as the number of coronavirus patients is expected to surge in the coming weeks.
"In a letter sent on Wednesday night, hospitals were told to activate all of their emergency capacity to cope with the expected pressures.
"This is likely to mean the mass redeployment of staff and the designation of wards, surgical theatres and recovery areas as makeshift intensive care units for patients.
"NHS England did not explain how the Nightingale hospitals would be staffed if the decision was made to activate them."

(24 Dec 2020) The 12 Contracts of Christmas Brilliant summary from The Byline Times (Dec 24): "On 22 December, a poll was released by YouGov. The research company had surveyed people on “how Brits said their 2020 had been”. The majority, 52%, of respondents said their year had been “bad” or “terrible” with 45% saying it had been “good” or “okay”.
"Just 2% of people said that their year had been “great”, which led Labour MP Justin Madders to speculate upon the identity of these individuals. He said they all must have won large contracts from the Government for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
"Indeed, since the onset of the pandemic, Byline Times has been tracking the bizarre, occasionally inexplicable, deals awarded for the supply of face masks, ventilators and testing kits. In total, The New York Times estimates that roughly £8 billion of the £16 billion publicly-available deals awarded so far have been clinched by “companies either run by friends and associates of politicians in the Conservative Party, or with no prior experience or a history of controversy”.
"With Christmas just hours away, Byline Times – in collaboration with The Citizens – decided to compile some of the firms that have been at the top of Boris Johnson’s gift list this year."

(23 Dec 2020) Taiwan imposes new regulations after first Covid case since April Guardian Dec 23: "Within hours of authorities announcing Taiwan’s first community transmission of Covid-19 since April, more people were wearing masks in more places, and hand sanitiser dispensers appeared in doorways, positioned so people would have to step around them to avoid the hint.
"Until Tuesday Taiwan had gone 253 days without a local case of the virus. The circumstances around the new case have sparked fear and anger.
"Health authorities said they had diagnosed a woman in her 30s, a friend of a New Zealand-born resident and pilot in his 60s, who had flown between the US and Taiwan and moved about Taipei while infectious without disclosing his symptoms or movements to authorities."

(23 Dec 2020) Which areas could go into Tier 4 lockdown over Christmas? Full list of at risk towns Mirror report Dec 23: "Large parts of England could join London and the south east in the strictest coronavirus restrictions as the Government considers plunging them into Tier 4.
"The Mirror exclusively revealed that a Gold Command meeting on Tuesday discussed plans to put Birmingham, which is currently in Tier 3, into Tier 4 ahead of Christmas,
"And other areas could follow suit, and even a third national lockdown being mooted for the days after Christmas."

(23 Dec 2020) The government must not be allowed to rewrite history on its failure to protect the NHS HSJ editor Alastair McLellan in more than usually outspoken comment:
"On 15 December, HSJ and the British Medical Journal called for the government to respond to the worsening situation by cancelling its plans to allow house-hold mixing over Christmas and tightening the tiered restrictions immediately.
"On 16 December, Boris Johnson said such a move would be inhuman. Matt Hancock speaking privately to colleagues railed against mischief-making “newspapers” who knew it was too late for the government to change tack and whose opinion on this matter was worthless in any case.
"The U-turn which followed on Saturday sent thousands of people onto crowded trains, exporting the new variant far and wide.
"Speaking to HSJ after the decision, an exasperated senior Tory politician bemoaned his government’s chronic delay “on every single decision” that mattered to controlling the pandemic.
"The end result — as forecast in HSJ’s 15 December editorial — is that, in the words of a national NHS leader speaking to HSJ this week: “The most likely scenario is that we’ll have more covid patients in our beds on 1 January than we did at the height of the first peak.”

(23 Dec 2020) Delayed Covid vaccines for poor countries 'will leave Europe vulnerable for years' Guardian warning on Dec 23: "Poorer countries are unlikely to gain substantial access to Covid-19 vaccines until the latter half of next year, meaning wealthier European countries could still remain vulnerable to new waves of infection for years, the UN’s humanitarian chief has said.
“For poorer countries there will be small quantities of vaccine conceivably in the second quarter of next year, probably not much more than that for a while after that, and it’s 2022 and beyond when the major progress is made,” Mark Lowcock, the under-secretary-general of the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA, said in an interview. “That is a best judgment, recognising large quantities depend on the number of vaccines authorised, the manufacturing and then the solution the world comes to on who accesses what when.”
"Lowcock said that European countries would therefore be “dealing with” the coronavirus in 2022 and probably beyond, even if their economies bounced back in 2021."

(23 Dec 2020) Named: the trusts set to have at least a third of beds filled by covid patients on 31 Dec HSJ Dec 23:“Three of the four acute trusts in Kent are projected to have covid bed occupancy of over 40 per cent.
“… There are also 27 trusts not in tier four areas which had more than 50 covid patients on 21 December, and where the number of covid patients grew by at least 20 per cent in that week. …
“HSJ last week projected that, if trends continued, English hospitals would have just short of 19,000 covid patients on New Year’s Eve in total — almost exactly the same as the 12 April first wave peak. Current projections put that number at over 20,000.”

(23 Dec 2020) The hospital bed crisis preceded the Coronavirus emergency and will outlive it Interesting Byline Times article by David Oliver (Dec 23) -- which sadly cites outdated (and much higher) numbers of NHS beds (on latest count there were fewer than 95,000 acute beds available in England):
"The UK already sits near the bottom of the OECD league table for hospital beds per 1,000 of the population – at around 2.7. Take away the devolved nations and England’s numbers are lower still. They are 25% below the EU average, around half the capacity of France and a third of that in Germany. Overall, bed numbers in England more than halved from 1988 to 2018 even though, during that time, hospital emergency attendances and admissions more than doubled.
"Readers may be surprised to learn that we only have around 140,000 beds for an English population of 56 million people, of which barely more than 100,000 are “general and acute beds” – to which acutely sick adults or those needing planned operations might be admitted.
"The UK only has 6.6 critical care (sometimes called ‘intensive care’ or ‘ICU’) beds per 100,000 – well down the league table compared to say the US with 34.7, Germany with 29.2, Italy with 12.5, France with 11.6, or Spain with 9.7. Yet, all these countries have seen their ICU beds overwhelmed during the Coronavirus pandemic."

(23 Dec 2020) Covid: France rewards frontline immigrant workers with citizenship BBC report Dec 23 -- as Priti Patel slams the door on would-be migrants, the French have a much better way:
"Hundreds of immigrants in France working on the coronavirus frontline have had their service to the country recognised with fast-track citizenship.
"The interior ministry invited residents helping with efforts against Covid-19 to apply for accelerated naturalisation.
"More than 700 have already been granted citizenship or are in the final stages of receiving it. They include healthcare professionals, cleaners and shop workers.
"Frontline workers around the world have been exposed to Covid-19 at a high rate with many dying from the disease including doctors and nurses.
"France is in the top 10 countries worst hit by coronavirus infections, with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases and close to 62,000 deaths."

(22 Dec 2020) Lewes records sharpest rise in coronavirus rate in Sussex The Argus report Dec 22: "THE coronavirus rate in one Sussex area has more than tripled in a week. Tier 2 Lewes has gone from having one of the lowest figures in the country to having hundreds of new weekly cases in the most recent data.
"There were just 78 cases recorded in the area in the seven days leading up to December 10, giving it a weekly rate of 75.5 new cases per 100,000 population.
"This meant it had the 31st lowest rate of the 315 local authority areas in England.
"But, in the most recent figures covering the seven days leading up to December 17, the number of cases recorded in Lewes has soared.
"There were 254 cases confirmed in the area during this period, giving an updated weekly rate of 246 cases per 100,000 population.
"This is the greatest weekly percentage increase in Sussex - up 225.8 per cent."

(22 Dec 2020) £66.7 million Birmingham Nightingale hospital has admitted no patients in eight months The brilliant Byline Times (Dec 18) with another revelation on the white elephant field hospitals constructed by NHS England:
"Birmingham’s emergency Nightingale Hospital, designed to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases, has not admitted a single patient in eight months, Byline Times can reveal.
"Costing a reported £66.7 million, the hospital opened on 16 April as part of a Government effort to boost NHS bed capacity. The hospital has 496 beds divided into four wards, which can rapidly increase to 800 beds if needed. The emergency facility, constructed inside the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull, has a maximum capacity of 4,000 beds.
"However, despite expecting to receive its first patients in mid-April, the hospital hadn’t received any patients as of 8 December. “No patients have been admitted to the hospital because the additional capacity has not yet been required,” said Edward Agar, Minister of State for Health, in response to a written Parliamentary question from Labour MP Matt Western. “However, the hospital remains on standby ready to play whatever role is needed in the months to come.”"

(22 Dec 2020) Warning for men over 50 due to Covid-19 threat BBC News Dec 22 with pre-Xmas warning to yours truly and many others:
"Men older than 50 who want to see next Christmas must be extra vigilant, a senior doctor has warned.
"It comes as coronavirus continues to prominently affect this section of the population.
"The warning was made by Dr Wendy Anderson, a respiratory consultant at the Northern Health Trust.
"The Department of Health (DoH) said it was aware of concerns and was assessing the situation, "with a view to updating guidance and messaging if required".
"However, in a statement it added that Covid-19 was a threat to "many different age groups and sections of society"."

(22 Dec 2020) Doctors and nurses at London’s frontline hospital denied coronavirus vaccine Independent Dec 22: "Doctors and nurses on the front line of the fight against coronavirus at the Royal London Hospital – which has the largest number of Covid patients in the capital – have been denied the Pfizer vaccine, The Independent has learnt.
"Hospital bosses at Barts Health Trust have written to staff today expressing their frustration over the decisions by NHS England, which meant the northeast of London – where the rate of infections and hospitalisations are worst – has not been given access to any vaccines.
"The Independent has learned that staff from the Royal London booked appointments to be vaccinated at a GP run hub in Bloomsbury, near University College London, but they were turned away because they were told the vaccinations had been earmarked for NHS staff from University College London Hospital Trust."

(22 Dec 2020) Government 'operated illegal buy British policy' over Covid contracts Guardian Dec 22 on how ministers went from procurement failure to flouting the law: "The government was operating an illegal “buy British” policy when it signed contracts with a small UK firm to supply Covid antibody tests, claim lawyers who have filed a case against the health secretary.
"The Good Law Project said there were a number of other companies in a better position to supply antibody tests in June and August, when the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) agreed deals worth up to £80m with Abingdon Health without going out to tender.
"The government had also agreed a deal to share in the profits the company made, the lawyers say.
"The government was determined to get a British test, following the fiasco of the purchase by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, of 3.5m Chinese antibody tests in March with orders for a further 17.5m."

(22 Dec 2020) How a string of failures by the British government helped Covid-19 to mutate Anthony Costello in the Guardian Dec 22: "When a virus is allowed to spread, spending time in different hosts, it evolves and mutates. Scientists have now found a “mutant” variant of the virus that causes Covid-19, which has 17 alterations to its genetic sequences, including changes in the spike protein that enables the virus to enter our cells.
"Despite the warnings, the government’s strategy throughout the pandemic has been to slow the spread of the virus and reduce pressure on the NHS, rather than eliminating Covid altogether.
"As late as 13 March, Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) minutes recorded that “measures seeking to completely suppress [the] spread of Covid-19 will cause a second peak”. Advisers warned that countries such as China, where heavy suppression was already under way “will experience a second peak once measures are relaxed”. Instead of eliminating coronavirus, the logic seemed to be, Britain would learn to live with it.
"Nine months later, China and South Korea have recorded three and 12 deaths per million people respectively. By contrast, based on the government data for deaths occurring within 28 days of a positive Covid test, the UK has recorded 970 deaths from Covid per million people."

(22 Dec 2020) A warning, a cabinet meeting and a descent into chaos: the inside story of how Johnson was forced into action (£) Times report Dec 22: “After being briefed at 3.15pm on Friday by Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer of England, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, Boris Johnson called a meeting of the “Covid-O” cabinet subcommittee. The meeting, attended by, among others, Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, was bleak. “Everyone was blindsided,” a source said. “I don’t think anyone in the room expected it to be quite so bad.”
“A senior aide put it more succinctly: “It’s all f***ed.”
“The atmosphere in Downing Street on Friday evening was described as “grim” by an insider. “Everyone is desperately worried and concerned.”
“… One internal assessment, in early December, suggested that there will be nearly 700,000 cases a week by mid to late February — more than three times the present level — with 20,000 hospital admissions and 5,000 deaths.
“Mr Johnson, though, was said to have been stubborn. “It was only when he was faced with a scenario that looked like armageddon that he actually changed his position,” a source said. “He’s been told about this for weeks but he’s been in denial about this.”

(22 Dec 2020) Memorial Sloan Kettering Gave Top Doctor $1.5 Million After He Was Forced to Resign Over Conflicts of Interest Pro Publica Dec 22 exposes shenanigans in the top echelons of a US private health corporation:
“In 2018, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s chief medical officer, Dr. José Baselga, resigned under fire over his failure to disclose payments from health care companies in dozens of research articles he wrote.
“Now, recent Internal Revenue Service filings show the nonprofit hospital paid more than $1.5 million in severance to Baselga in 2018 and 2019.
“The revelations about the former executive led to significant changes governing Memorial Sloan Kettering’s ties to the health care and pharmaceutical industries and prompted an overhaul of its conflict-of-interest policies. The disclosure failures, which were uncovered by The New York Times and ProPublica, also led to a broader reexamination of how medical journals enforce their conflict-of-interest policies as well as heightened scrutiny of the relationships between medical researchers and for-profit companies at cancer centers around the country.
“The hospital would not say whether it paid additional severance to Baselga in 2020. A spokeswoman said the past payments reflected the hospital’s “contractual obligation” to Baselga under his employment agreement.”

(22 Dec 2020) Majority of voters believe government’s coronavirus contract awards to Tory friends are corrupt, poll finds Independent Dec 22: "The government procurement process that saw friends of Tory politicians handed billions in contracts during the coronavirus pandemic amounts to corruption, a majority of the public believes.
"A survey by pollsters Survation found that 59 per cent of voters think the government’s “high priority” lane for friends and associates is corrupt, while just 16 per cent think it is not.
"In November the National Audit Office revealed that Boris Johnson’s government had set up the fast-track lane “to assess and process potential PPE leads from government officials, ministers’ offices, MPs and lords”.
"For those on the list, the chances of success when bidding for a government contract were one in 10, compared to just one in a hundred for other suppliers.
"Of 1,200 central government contracts – worth £16bn in total – handed out by the government during the pandemic, around £8bn ultimately went to companies run by friends and associates of Tory politicians, or to those with a history of controversy or no previous experience, a recent analysis by The New York Times found. "

(22 Dec 2020) Plans for 30-minute Covid testing in England halted amid accuracy fears Guardian Dec 22: "The government has shelved plans to open rapid-turnaround coronavirus test centres across England over Christmas amid concerns from public health experts about the accuracy of their results, the Guardian has learned.
"Ministers had planned to convert a number of existing testing sites into centres for lateral flow tests, which provide results in 30 minutes, to help cope with an anticipated surge in demand.
"However, the scheme was halted last week after concerns were raised by directors of public health about the accuracy of the tests and the potential false reassurance given to people who test negative. A government source said the planned rollout “proved unnecessary”.
"The development is a blow to the UK government’s £100bn “Operation Moonshot” mass-testing plan, which aims to increase the number of tests carried out each day from 430,000 to 10m by early next year."

(21 Dec 2020) Sweden’s Covid-19 failures have exposed the myths of the lockdown-sceptics New Statesman report Dec 21: "For much of this year, those who object to measures to control the virus have hailed Sweden as a libertarian paradise, supposedly showing us how Covid-19 could be kept under control without intrusive government restrictions.
"Of late, these champions have fallen silent. It’s not hard to explain why. Recent days have seen Sweden’s Nordic neighbours Finland and Norway offering emergency medical assistance as Stockholm’s hospitals have been overwhelmed, infections and deaths have spiked dramatically upward, and the King of Sweden has made an unprecedented criticism of the government’s bungled strategy.
"Unprecedented, but hardly surprising: Sweden has suffered a death rate that is roughly ten times that of neighbouring Norway and nine times that of Finland. A searing government report concluded the state had failed to protect the vulnerable. Mats Persson, a former UK government adviser, said of his home country: “For a social model largely designed around the state levelling the odds and caring for the vulnerable, this will leave a very difficult moral legacy.”

(21 Dec 2020) Jacqui Smith in Heartlands Hospital row as bosses accused of 'clapping, then slapping' porters in rota bust-up Birmingham Mail Dec 21 on the outrageous behaviour of Birmingham Heartlands Trust bosses, headed by trust chair, failed Strictly contestant and ex-new Labour minister Jacqui Smith:
"Birmingham's eight Labour MP's have written to former Strictly star Jacqui Smith condemning the alleged firing and rehiring of staff at a Birmingham hospital.
"The Unison union claimed the Heartlands porters were being rehired on inferior contracts involving a "damaging" new rota.
"It said NHS staff had been clapped for their front line work during the pandemic - but the workers were now being "slapped".
"Health chiefs said the proposed changes would create a "fairer environment" but the row has triggered industrial action.
"Ms Smith chairs University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Heartlands as well as the QE, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals."

(21 Dec 2020) Flay your fart: viral clip calls on public to alter speech to curb Covid Excellent fun in this brilliantly done video, featured by the Guardian Dec 21: cheer yourself up!
"With tongue firmly in cheek, a retired PR consultant and translator from Surrey has produced a viral video suggesting the government is to ban certain sounds and letters of the alphabet because they increase the transmission of Covid-19. Instead of “please take care”, we should say “flease nake lare”, the skit says.
"Nonsense, of course. But funny. Like a Monty Python sketch, said one Twitter user. Haven’t laughed so hard in months, said another."

(21 Dec 2020) Union anger as Birmingham hospital bosses offered jab BBC Midlands report Dec 21: "A row has broken out after unions discovered hospital bosses had been given the Covid-19 vaccine.
"University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said staff, including the executive team, were offered it after booked patients did not turn up.
"It did not want to waste the vaccine, the trust added.
"But Ravi Subramanian of Unison said it was "nothing short of a scandal" as front-line staff were putting their lives on the line every day.
"People aged over 80 in hospital, frontline health staff and care home workers have been the first to get the jab across the UK in a mass mass vaccination campaign which started earlier this month.
"Staff vaccination has started at the hospital but the trust said with a shortfall of about 300 bookings and a number of patients not attending during the first five days of rolling it out, the vaccine was offered to more high-risk staff on shift and others not necessarily high risk, which included some of the executive team members."

(21 Dec 2020) Third of hospital trusts now have more Covid-19 patients than during the peak of the first wave Torygraph decides to ignore the nonsense of many of its columnists and highlight the scale and impact of the renewed wave of Covid:
"A third of major hospital trusts in England now have more Covid-19 patients than during the peak of the first wave, with some areas seeing more than a 30 per cent increase in weekly admissions.
"In two regions - eastern England and south-west England - more than half of trusts are above their first-wave peak, official government figures show.
"Other trusts have seen their numbers rise so rapidly that they could pass their first-wave peak within days.
"Of the 127 acute hospital trusts with a 24-hour (type 1) A&E department in England, 42 (33 per cent) had more Covid-19 patients on December 18 than at the peak of the first wave in the spring.
"Mid & South Essex recorded 450 confirmed Covid-19 patients on December 18, compared with a first-wave peak of 374."

(21 Dec 2020) Tread softly... Dec 21 blog from Roy Lilley expressing the views of many:
"I am fearful. I am fearful for the nation. I am fearful for you and your family. I am fearful that this bone-headed government will do irreparable damage to this great nation of ours.
"I am fearful for the young people who’s education has been tainted, truncated and terminated.
"I am in despair for the prospects of the millions who can see their employment fizzling out and for the hundreds of thousands of small businesses, who will wither-on-the-vine.
"I am angry we have someone in charge, who is a passenger, impersonates a prime minister, thinks pictures of him in a safety hat and a high-viz jacket somehow makes him a leader, mocks critics, denies the facts, lackadaisical, scruffy and little more than a political yob."

(21 Dec 2020) Firm with mystery investors wins £200m of PPE contracts via 'high-priority lane' Guardian Dec 21: "A company with mystery investors and links to the Isle of Man was awarded government contracts worth £200m to supply the UK with personal protective equipment (PPE) after it was placed in a “high-priority lane” for well-connected firms, the Guardian can reveal.
"PPE Medpro has not revealed the identities of the financiers and businessmen behind the venture, and it remains unclear how its offer to supply PPE came to be processed through a channel created for companies referred by politicians and senior officials.
"PPE Medpro was awarded its first contract, for £80.85m to supply 210m face masks, on 12 June. The company secured its second contract two weeks later, for £122m, to supply 25m surgical gowns. Both contracts were awarded directly by the government without competitive tenders under Covid-19 emergency regulations that have waived normal requirements."

(21 Dec 2020) Government indecision is the UK’s greatest health threat Independent Dec 21: "The abandonment by the government of its much heralded and strongly defended Christmas arrangement that involved a lifting of restrictions on social mixing is no surprise to many. The experience from the US of growth in Covid-19 in the aftermath of Thanksgiving celebrations should have given pause for thought, as should the very limited response in case numbers engendered by the national restrictions imposed in November.
"There had been many voices raised in criticism of the planned five-day relaxation at Christmas, with Independent Sage in particular pointing out that, just because the government said it was permissible to lower your guard and mix households and generations over Christmas, it didn’t mean it was a good idea. Of particular note was the Public Health England estimate that 25 days of very strict measures would be required to make up for the five days of laxity.
"The growing numbers of cases alone should have been enough to cause a major rethink some weeks ago. But delay in decision-making , whether in respect of a Brexit agreement or Covid response, seems to have been a constant characteristic of the government’s behaviour. Delay and indecision in the face of a lethal, highly infectious virus is the greatest threat to health – sometimes even bigger than the threat from the virus itself."

(21 Dec 2020) Majority of voters believe government’s coronavirus contract awards to Tory friends are corrupt, poll finds Independent Dec 21: "The government procurement process that saw friends of Tory politicians handed billions in contracts during the coronavirus pandemic amounts to corruption, a majority of the public believes.
"A survey by pollsters Survation found that 59 per cent of voters think the government’s “high priority” lane for friends and associates is corrupt, while just 16 per cent think it is not.
"In November the National Audit Office revealed that Boris Johnson’s government had set up the fast-track lane “to assess and process potential PPE leads from government officials, ministers’ offices, MPs and lords”.
"For those on the list, the chances of success when bidding for a government contract were one in 10, compared to just one in a hundred for other suppliers."

(21 Dec 2020) UK ‘Mega Lab’ Cut Working Hours Last Week Amid‘Shortages’ Byline Times Dec 21 on the chaos in the labs set up to bypass existing NHS laboratories in testing for Covid: "One of the UK’s flagship ‘Lighthouse’ testing labs cut the working hours of some staff last week, amid a shortage of provisions, Byline Times understands.
"According to someone working at the Lighthouse lab in Milton Keynes, who helps to process COVID-19 tests, their team was asked to work shorter hours last week, with management citing a lack of consumables – items such as reagents and pipettes – needed to process results.
"Rather than working a standard 12-hour shift, the person in question worked for just five-and-a-half hours on two consecutive days. On the third day, the team was invited to take a free day’s holiday.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed to Byline Times that the Milton Keynes lab has experienced a short-term shortage of supplies in recent days. The lab’s press team said that all media enquiries are handled by the Government."

(19 Dec 2020) A New Congressional Budget Office Study Shows That Medicare for All Would Save Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Annually US Jacobin magazine Dec 19 highlights some positive findings:
"Last week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an estimate of the cost of implementing a single-payer health insurance program in the United States. The CBO’s report is more exhaustive than any other recent study on the subject and concludes that replacing our current system with a single-payer system would insure every American while reducing overall health spending in the country.
"Modelling the cost of a single-payer program is relatively straightforward. You begin with the status quo health care system and then make educated guesses about the following questions:
"How many more units of health care services will be demanded and supplied when price barriers are removed?
"How much more efficient will health insurance administration be after enrollment and payment systems are radically simplified?
"How much money will be saved by reducing the payment rates for health care providers and drug companies?
"The CBO answered these questions for four different single-payer designs and found that a single-payer system would save $42 billion to $743 billion in 2030 alone."

(18 Dec 2020) Emergency Financial Protection In a Medact initiative, 12 of the UK’s leading public health organisations have written to the Prime Minister urging him to address the financial barriers currently undermining people’s ability to afford to follow public health advice and self isolate if required.
The coalition of public organisations have asked the Prime Minister to take five urgent steps to increase targeted financial protection, in order to improve compliance with public health measures during this crucial stage of the pandemic.

(18 Dec 2020) Give NHS staff Covid vaccine now or face growing winter crisis, say hospital bosses Guardian Dec 18: "Hospital bosses in England want NHS staff to start getting the Covid vaccine urgently because soaring rates of sickness among frontline personnel are threatening to intensify the service’s growing winter crisis.
"Doctors and nurses are asking their hospitals to vaccinate them, but are being told they will have to wait until early 2021 because the over-80s and care home staff are the top priority.
"Hospital trust chief executives say staff believe their wait to have the jab is unfair, and that they feel let down and exposed to danger because they are dealing with a sharp increase in the number of Covid patients.
"Ken Bremner, the chief executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS trust, has called the decision to make NHS staff wait for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine “a kick in the teeth”. Four other bosses, all speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Guardian they backed an immediate rethink by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) of which groups should get it first, to give staff the same priority as the over-80s."

(18 Dec 2020) Belgian minister mistakenly reveals prices EU negotiated for Covid-19 vaccines Telegraph publishes some real news Dec 18: "In a now-deleted tweet, Belgian finance minister Eva De Bleeker revealed that the EU had secured 33 million doses for €279 million (£253m) for this year, with funds set aside to purchase a further 500 million doses in 2021.
"By contrast, the UK has secured 267 million doses at a cost of £2.9bn, according to a National Audit Office report earlier this week.
"However, the UK government has refused to reveal how much it has paid per dose or the contractual arrangements in the event of a company failing to develop a viable vaccine, turning down a Freedom of Information request from the Telegraph earlier this week for “commercial sensitivities”.
"The Belgian minister’s tweet revealed that the EU has managed to negotiate much lower prices than the companies initially advertised.
"The EU is paying €12 or $14.70 per dose for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, compared to the company’s official price of $19.50 per dose.
"And it has secured the Moderna vaccine for $18 per dose, compared to the company’s $25 to $37 per dose.
"And for the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine - which the company has pledged to provide at cost to developed countries until next summer and in perpetuity to low and middle income countries - it will pay €1.78 a dose. The US is paying $3 to $4 a dose, according to the Financial Times. "

(18 Dec 2020) £66.7 million Birmingham Nightingale Hospital has admitted no patients in eight months The excellent Byline Times with an early (Dec 18) reminder of the inherent contrast between the ease of throwing together new field hospitals and the problem of finding enough staff to make use of them: "Birmingham’s emergency Nightingale Hospital, designed to cope with a surge in COVID-19 cases, has not admitted a single patient in eight months, Byline Times can reveal.
"Costing a reported £66.7 million, the hospital opened on 16 April as part of a Government effort to boost NHS bed capacity. The hospital has 496 beds divided into four wards, which can rapidly increase to 800 beds if needed. The emergency facility, constructed inside the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull, has a maximum capacity of 4,000 beds.
"However, despite expecting to receive its first patients in mid-April, the hospital hadn’t received any patients as of 8 December. “No patients have been admitted to the hospital because the additional capacity has not yet been required,” said Edward Agar, Minister of State for Health, in response to a written Parliamentary question from Labour MP Matt Western. “However, the hospital remains on standby ready to play whatever role is needed in the months to come.”

(18 Dec 2020) The NHS is failing to explain the impact of covid on healthcare access HSJ report Dec 18 by CHPI director David Rowland: "“One impediment to public understanding is the current presentation of the data relating to covid and the NHS.
“As things stand, it is almost impossible for the general public to grasp the material, day-to-day impact of the disease on their own local healthcare systems and what it means for their own access to healthcare.
“The debate about lockdown restrictions is often framed in terms of trade-offs. The harms caused by the disease in terms of mortality rates and the longer term consequences are often balanced against the wider harms of lock down in the form of unemployment, poverty, mental health and domestic abuse.
“Yet this utilitarian calculus misses one key point. Unless the government decides that the NHS should ration treatment for covid patients the consequence of rising infection rates is not only increased deaths of older people, but the denial of timely healthcare services to large swathes of the population who need them for other, often more serious conditions.
“But whilst this cost is frequently covered in the media with stories of NHS backlogs and increased waiting times, it is too often presented in a way which has very little resonance or meaning for local communities.”

(17 Dec 2020) Nurses forced to use food banks as Covid and financial pressures drive many to brink of quitting ITV News Dec 17: "Over a third (39%) of nurses have skipped meals in order to feed their family or to save money as financial and Covid pressures force many to the brink of quitting the NHS, a survey seen by ITV News has revealed.
"For nurses from an ethnic minority background the situation is even bleaker, with over half (61%) admitting to missing meals owing to money worries.
"The exclusive figures from Nursing Notes and Nurses United lay out a stark crisis in nursing, as 30% of NHS nurses say they plan to leave the profession in the next 12 months citing mental health issues and a poor work/life balance as the most common reasons."

(17 Dec 2020) Waste, Negligence and Cronyism: Inside Britain’s Pandemic Spending New York Times Dec 17 asking hard questions and publishing hard facts the British media should be doing for themselves:
"When the pandemic exploded in March, British officials embarked on a desperate scramble to procure the personal protective equipment, ventilators, coronavirus tests and other supplies critical to containing the surge. In the months following those fevered days, the government handed out thousands of contracts to fight the virus, some of them in a secretive “V.I.P. lane” to a select few companies with connections to the governing Conservative Party.
"To shine a light on one of the greatest spending sprees in Britain’s postwar era, The New York Times analyzed a large segment of it, the roughly 1,200 central government contracts that have been made public, together worth nearly $22 billion. Of that, about $11 billion went to companies either run by friends and associates of politicians in the Conservative Party, or with no prior experience or a history of controversy. Meanwhile, smaller firms without political clout got nowhere."

(17 Dec 2020) COVID-19 vaccine rollout may be delayed - with IT system 'failing constantly' Sky News Dec 17: "The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine could be delayed by technical issues, doctors and health officials have warned, after the first week of the vaccination programme was marred by difficulties with data collection.
"GP practices have been forced to collect data on the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine by hand, following problems with the software being used to keep track of who has been given the jab.
"A senior health official told Sky News that the IT system, known as Pinnacle, was "failing constantly" and that GPs were "having to record on paper and then transfer". NHS England strongly disputed the claims.
"The official said the problem could help explain why the government has struggled to publish figures on how many people have received the vaccination until Wednesday morning, when vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted the first official numbers - a claim the Department for Health denies.
"The official also raised concerns about the system for recording and booking appointments, known in the field as "call and recall".

(17 Dec 2020) Coronavirus: one in 10 patients have symptoms lasting three months or more Independent Dec 17: "One in 10 people infected with the coronavirus experience symptoms that last for three months or longer, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.
"A new analysis aimed at determining the extent of the “long Covid” problem among infected patients also found that one in five reported having symptoms that lasted for five weeks or longer.
"The ONS said it estimated that during the week ending on 28 November, there were about 186,000 people in England living with Covid-19 symptoms that had lasted between five and 12 weeks.
"This number could be as high as 221,000, the ONS warned. It said the data was experimental and based on the findings from its infection survey of households."

(17 Dec 2020) COVID has exposed a long-running shortage of nurses that is putting NHS patients at risk The Conversation December 17: "The danger that the pandemic could overwhelm the NHS has never been far out of sight. As we approach the five-day relaxation of restrictions for Christmas, the question of whether the NHS will be able to cope is as pertinent now as it was in March.
"What has become apparent is that the major limit to treatment capacity is not the number of hospital beds, nor even the number of intensive care beds with ventilators, it is the number of appropriately skilled nurses available to provide care. The pandemic has exposed an achilles heel: a deficit in nursing.
"This isn’t a new problem. Around 10% of positions for registered nurses in the NHS were vacant when the pandemic first hit. Analysis from the charity the Health Foundation has found that over the last ten years, NHS activity (the number of patients seen and care provided) has risen year on year, but without a corresponding rise in the nursing workforce.
"Between 2010 and 2017, the number of nurses in the NHS barely changed. From 2017 to June 2020 there was a 4.8% rise, but the gap between amount of the work to do and nursing numbers has continued to widen. "

(17 Dec 2020) Big Pharma Is Fooling Us New York Times Dec 17 with a useful reminder
"The rule in press coverage seems to be that the biggest brand involved gets top credit. And so, every day now there are stories about the Pfizer vaccine (a collaboration between Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech); the Moderna vaccine (a partnership between the National Institutes of Health and Moderna); and the AstraZeneca vaccine (a front-running non-mRNA candidate, in fact created by scientists at the University of Oxford and developed and distributed by AstraZeneca).
"It’s an incredible public relations coup for an industry desperate to rescue its image. Just last month, Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty and has agreed to penalties of more than $8 billion after being prosecuted for its role in America’s horrific opioid crisis.
"Pfizer set an earlier record for a drug industry fraud settlement in 2009 at $2.3 billion, in a case over its fraudulent marketing of a painkiller, an antipsychotic and other drugs for conditions for which it hadn’t received approval."

(16 Dec 2020) Long Covid alarm as 21% report symptoms after five weeks Guardian report Dec 16: "A fifth of people still have coronavirus symptoms five weeks after being infected, with half of them continuing to experience problems for at least 12 weeks, official data suggests, as concerns grow about the scale and impact of “long Covid”.
"Previous estimates suggested 14.5% of people in the UK had symptoms for at least four weeks, with 2.2% likely to have symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more. But new figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest ongoing symptoms could be more common than previously thought.
"The latest data for England, based on the Covid infection survey, which randomly samples households for coronavirus, reveals 21% of almost 8,200 participants who were followed up after testing positive still had symptoms five weeks after infection, with 9.9% reporting symptoms 12 weeks after infection."

(16 Dec 2020) Major trust diverts ambulances and cancels electives after covid surge HSJ Dec 16: "Whipps Cross Hospital in north east London, part of Barts Health Trust, declared a critical incident over the weekend, the trust has confirmed. The trust has also declared a “high pressure phase” of covid response.
"A well placed source said Whipps Cross had been forced to divert ambulances in recent days, because of pressure on its emergency services, while a message to staff said it was deferring some planned operations, along with other steps aimed at protecting safety.
"It is also understood to be attempting to further speed up discharges from hospital.
"Whipps and Barts as a whole, which has two other hospitals with A&Es, have seen very rapid growth in covid pressure over the past week.
"The rate of covid admissions at the trust (including new cases of covid diagnosed in hospital) has more than doubled in the past seven days, from about 150 over a seven day period to more than 300 — the largest absolute increase at any trust in that period."

(16 Dec 2020) WHO vaccine scheme risks failure, leaving poor countries with no COVID shots until 2024 Reuters report Dec 16: "The global scheme to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries faces a “very high” risk of failure, potentially leaving nations home to billions of people with no access to vaccines until as late as 2024, internal documents say.
"The World Health Organization’s COVAX programme is the main global scheme to vaccinate people in poor and middle income countries around the world against the coronavirus. It aims to deliver at least 2 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021 to cover 20% of the most vulnerable people in 91 poor and middle-income countries, mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
"But in internal documents reviewed by Reuters, the scheme’s promoters say the programme is struggling from a lack of funds, supply risks and complex contractual arrangements which could make it impossible to achieve its goals.
“The risk of a failure to establish a successful COVAX Facility is very high,” says an internal report to the board of Gavi, an alliance of governments, drug companies, charities and international organisations that arranges global vaccination campaigns. Gavi co-leads COVAX alongside the WHO."

(16 Dec 2020) Who knew what was happening at Shropshire's hospital trust? And why was it left to families to raise the alarm? ITV News Dec 16: "NHS regulators were “missing in action” when it came to tackling serious problems at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital Trust, MPs say - as campaigners question why it was left up to bereaved parents to take action.
"As the dust settles from a damning report from the ongoing independent review into services at the Trust, campaigners have demanded to know why red flags - including a 10% higher death rate on the maternity unit than other comparable trusts between 2013 and 2016 - did not lead to action sooner.
"Who knew about this - and why did they keep quiet?" Gill George, from local campaign group Shropshire Defend the NHS, said.
The first report was published last week, and analysed the first 250 of 1,862 cases of concern at the trust, largely dated between 2000 and 2019.
"At the very centre of that timeframe, in 2009, Richard Stanton and Rhiannon Davies suffered the loss of their daughter Kate at just six hours old.
"Ever since, they have been on the frontline of the fight for answers."

(16 Dec 2020) For the first time in its history UNICEF will help feed kids in the UK Shocking Sky News report Dec 16 that has scandalised Jacob Rees Mogg -- who, as a large scale and chronic tax-dodger, is comfortable about children going hungry over Christmas, or any other time:
"For the first time UNICEF has launched a domestic emergency response in the UK to help feed children hit by the COVID-19 crisis.
"The UN agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide has likened the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on youngsters to that of the Second World War.
"Since the first national lockdown in March, the number of families struggling to make ends meet and access food has grown, as the economy has suffered and vital jobs been lost.
"In May, a YouGov poll commissioned by the charity Food Foundation found that 2.4 million children (17%) were living in food insecure households. And by October it said an extra 900,000 children had been registered for free school meals.
"UNICEF has now pledged a grant of £25,000 to the charity School Food Matters which will use the money to supply thousands of breakfast boxes over the two-week Christmas school holidays to vulnerable children and families in Southwark, south London."

(16 Dec 2020) Ministers warned ‘kamikaze’ Christmas plans could fuel third wave of coronavirus Independent Dec 16: "With the NHS facing the prospect of having to cancel thousands of operations to cope with the surge in coronavirus patients, Downing Street is coming under pressure to perform a U-turn over its Christmas plans, which currently allow up to three households to mix for five days.
"Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said the party would back a change to the plans following a spike in infections in recent days.
"As the prime minister’s official spokesperson confirmed plans were being reviewed, a joint editorial by the British Medical Journal and Health Service Journal, called for the plans to be reversed, saying: “We believe the government is about to blunder into another major error that will cost many lives. If our political leaders fail to take swift and decisive action, they can no longer claim to be ‘protecting the NHS’.”
"The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association said the government must reverse its “kamikaze Christmas Covid plan”.
"Dr Claudia Paoloni, the trade union’s president, said: “Germany has more beds and more staff than our underfunded NHS, yet has announced a Christmas lockdown. The UK’s failure to do the same will see hospitals buckling, the mass cancellation of non-Covid work and propel us zombie-like into an avoidable emergency."

(15 Dec 2020) Poor countries face long wait for vaccines despite promises AP news Dec 15: "With Americans, Britons and Canadians rolling up their sleeves to receive coronavirus vaccines, the route out of the pandemic now seems clear to many in the West, even if the rollout will take many months. But for poorer countries, the road will be far longer and rougher.
"The ambitious initiative known as COVAX created to ensure the entire world has access to COVID-19 vaccines has secured only a fraction of the 2 billion doses it hopes to buy over the next year, has yet to confirm any actual deals to ship out vaccines and is short on cash."

(15 Dec 2020) Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review New Report from Mike Marmot published by Institute of Health Equity Dec 15:
"As the UK emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic ‘Build Back Better’ has become the mantra. Important, but we need to Build Back Fairer. The levels of social, environmental and economic inequality in society are damaging health and wellbeing.
"It was the principles of fairness and the need to do things differently that animated the concrete recommendations we set out in our February 10 Years On Review, just before the pandemic hit with such devastating intensity. Inequalities in mortality from COVID-19 and rising health inequalities as a result of social and economic impacts, have made such action even more important.
"The aim of this report is three-fold:
"*To examine inequalities in COVID-19 mortality. Focus is on inequalities in mortality among members of BAME groups and among certain occupations, alongside continued attention to the socioeconomic gradient in health – the more deprived the area, the worse COVID-19 mortality tends to be
"*To show the effects that the pandemic, and the societal response to contain the pandemic, have had on social and economic inequalities, their effects on mental and physical health, and their likely effects on health inequalities in the future
"*To make recommendations on what needs to be done"

(15 Dec 2020) Pre-existing inequality led to record UK Covid death rate, says health expert Guardian coverage Dec 15 of new report on inequalities and Covid deaths:
"Pre-existing social inequalities contributed to the UK recording the highest death rates from Covid in Europe, a leading authority on public health has said, warning that many children’s lives would be permanently blighted if the problem is not tackled.
"Sir Michael Marmot, known for his landmark work on the social determinants of health, argued in a new report that families at the bottom of the social and economic scale were missing out before the pandemic, and were now suffering even more, losing health, jobs, lives and educational opportunities.
"In the report, Build Back Fairer, Marmot said these social inequalities must be addressed whatever the cost and it was not enough to revert to how things before the pandemic. “We can’t afford not to do it,” he said.
“It is simply unacceptable that we say it’s OK for children to go to bed hungry … we’ve got some incorrect notions about the necessity of austerity … What is the society we want? We want to guarantee the health and wellbeing of all members and the fair distribution of health and well being. We simply can’t afford not to do it. The government debt is no excuse. We know that is incorrect understanding of economics.”

(15 Dec 2020) Pandemic backlash jeopardizes public health powers, leaders AP news from the US Dec 15: "Across the United States, state and local public health officials … have found themselves at the center of a political storm as they combat the worst pandemic in a century. With the federal response fractured, the usually invisible army of workers charged with preventing the spread of infectious diseases has become a public punching bag. Their expertise on how to fight the coronavirus is often disregarded.
"… The backlash has moved beyond the angry fringe. In the courts, public health powers are being undermined. Lawmakers in at least 24 states have crafted legislation to weaken public health powers, which could make it more difficult for communities to respond to other health emergencies in the future.
“What we’ve taken for granted for 100 years in public health is now very much in doubt,” said Lawrence Gostin, an expert in public health law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
"It is a further erosion of the nation’s already fragile public health infrastructure. At least 181 state and local public health leaders in 38 states have resigned, retired or been fired since April 1, according to an ongoing investigation by The Associated Press and KHN. According to experts, this is the largest exodus of public health leaders in American history. An untold number of lower-level staffers have also left."

(14 Dec 2020) HOTEL CARPETING COMPANY Awarded Contract to Supply COVID-19 Tests More revelations of cronyism and dodgy practice in Covid procurement from the excellent Byline Times Dec 14:
"“A company aiming to be “the first choice global provider of high quality carpet, tile and rug” has been chosen by the Government to supply lateral flow COVID-19 tests, Byline Times can reveal.
“Government documents published last week show that Hotel Logistics Limited was commissioned to supply a batch of rapid testing kits, delivered between 30 September and 15 October.
“While the contract was only for a relatively small amount, £28,050, it confirms a trend during the Coronavirus pandemic: the awarding of public sector work to private companies with a questionable track record in the services they have been asked to deliver.
“… This isn’t the first time that Hotel Logistics has made a foray into pandemic procurement. As revealed by Byline Times in October, the company has been awarded Government contracts worth £5.3 million for the supply of gloves.
“Despite this, neither the Hotel Logistics nor the Haima Corporation website lists healthcare procurement as a specialism.”

(14 Dec 2020) Government gave Covid contract to firm co-founded by Tory pollster Guardian Dec 14: "A political consultancy co-founded by the pollster who headed the Conservative party’s general election campaign was given a contract by the government without a competitive tender during the pandemic.
"Fleetwood Strategy, which was co-founded this year by Isaac Levido, was given the £124,000 contract by the Cabinet Office in April. The 37-year-old has been credited with playing a large part in securing Boris Johnson his landslide victory.
"The government has been accused of giving contracts to companies with links to the Conservative party during the pandemic, drawing criticisms that it has created a “chumocracy”.
"The government has also been accused of being unnecessarily secretive after refusing to say which companies have been awarded multi-million-pound Covid-19 contracts after being processed in a high-priority channel for firms with political connections.

(14 Dec 2020) Gravesham council leader calls for the NHS to break its silence on the pressure in Kent's hospitals Kent Online Dec 14 reports: “The leader of a Kent council has called for hospital staff to be able to speak out about the pressures they are facing because of Covid-19. Cllr John Burden, head of Gravesham council, believes if people had a better picture of the strain on our health services it would encourage them to comply with Tier 3 restrictions.
“He has written a letter to the borough's MP Adam Holloway, asking if he can contact NHS England about allowing senior clinicians to speak publicly and on the record.
“He wrote: "Discussions with NHS colleagues in Kent indicate the current rate of Covid admissions is twice that recorded during the first wave of the virus and still rising at pace. Myself and leaders of other borough and district authorities from across Kent have been calling on senior clinicians from local NHS bodies to speak publicly and on the record about the intense pressure on our hospitals.
"We are all seeing large numbers of our constituents becoming at best complacent about following Covid rules and at worst, wilfully ignoring them.
"We believe if the full and worrying story of the strain on our county's hospitals is laid bare, a large percentage of those people would return to following government guidance, helping us all within Kent to justify to local people, businesses and visitors why the county is in Tier 3 restrictions, something that is proving increasingly difficult when backed by silence from the NHS."
“He goes on to say that he believes senior clinicians are being prevented from speaking publicly by NHS England management and calls this an "ill-thought through policy".”

(14 Dec 2020) Almost 2 billion people depend on health care facilities without basic water services – WHO, UNICEF WHO news release Dec 14 with another stark reminder of global health inequalities: "Around 1.8 billion people are at heightened risk of COVID-19 and other diseases because they use or work in health care facilities without basic water services, warn WHO and UNICEF.
“Working in a health care facility without water, sanitation and hygiene is akin to sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Water supply, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities are fundamental to stopping COVID-19. But there are still major gaps to overcome, particularly in least developed countries.”
"The report, Fundamentals first: Universal water, sanitation, and hygiene services in health care facilities for safe, quality care, comes as COVID-19 is exposing key vulnerabilities within health systems, including inadequate infection prevention and control.
"Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are vital to the safety of health workers and patients yet provision of these services is not prioritized. Worldwide, 1 in 4 health care facilities has no water services, 1 in 3 does not have access to hand hygiene where care is provided, 1 in 10 has no sanitation services*, and 1 in 3 does not segregate waste safely."

(14 Dec 2020) England’s Covid test and trace relying on inexperienced and poorly trained staff Guardian report Dec 14: "England’s test and trace service is being sub-contracted to a myriad of private companies employing inexperienced contact tracers under pressure to meet targets, a Guardian investigation has found.
"Under a complex system, firms are being paid to carry out work under the government’s £22bn test and trace programme. Serco, the outsourcing firm, is being paid up to £400m for its work on test and trace, but it has subcontracted a bulk of contact tracing to 21 other companies.
"Contact tracers working for these companies told the Guardian they had received little training, with one saying they were doing sensitive work while sitting beside colleagues making sales calls for gambling websites.
"One contact-tracer, earning £8.72 an hour, said he was having to interview extremely vulnerable people in a “target driven” office that encouraged staff to make 20 calls a day, despite NHS guidance saying each call should take 45 to 60 minutes."

(13 Dec 2020) Risk of a third wave of COVID-19 NHS Providers wrote on December 13 to the prime minister on on behalf of the 216 NHS acute, ambulance, community and mental health trusts in England:
"First, to urge extreme caution in moving any area to a lower tier.
"Second, to move areas into Tier 3 as soon as this is needed, without any delay.
"Third, to urge you to personally lead a better public debate about the risks inherent in the guidance for 23-27 December."

(13 Dec 2020) Swale has the highest coronavirus infection rate in England, with Medway second Kent Online Dec 13, noting that not long after Kent MPs had complained bitterly about being put into Tier 3:
"Swale once more has the highest coronavirus infection rate in England, with Medway in second.
"Dover, Maidstone, Gravesham, Canterbury and Ashford are also in the top ten areas, according to Public Health England data, gathered today.
"Swale continues to have the highest rate in England, with 951 new cases recorded in the seven days to December 9, the equivalent of 633.7 cases per 100,000 people.
"This is up from 579.7 in the seven days to December 2.
"Last week, data showed Medway had overtaken Swale, but now it is back in second place, although its rate has still risen, from 605.6 to 613.9, with 1,710 new cases."

(13 Dec 2020) 48 hours in September when ministers and scientists split over Covid lockdown Times December 13 revealing that ex-banker Rishi Sunak rather than the science led Johnson to decide against the "circuit breaker" half-term lockdown to combat the second wave of Covid, with disastrous consequences.
"The medical and scientific experts had been summoned the previous day and warned to keep their Sunday evening rendezvous with the prime minister a secret. When they dialled into the Zoom call at 6pm they found Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, at the end of the long mahogany cabinet room table in Downing Street.
"The presence of the chancellor with no sign of other ministers was a little odd, because the experts had been invited to deliver presentations on the coronavirus pandemic rather than the economy. But the government was in a crisis that weekend in September and Sunak had been kicking up a fuss.
"Two days earlier, Johnson had been forced to confirm the grim news that a second wave was “coming in”. His chief scientific and medical advisers were pressing him to bring in a short “circuit-breaker” lockdown that would save lives and arguably prevent the need for lengthy, economically damaging restrictions at a later date.
"Johnson had reluctantly sided with the scientists and was preparing for a quick lockdown in the week of Monday, September 21, backed by his then chief adviser, Dominic Cummings. Two key members of his cabinet — Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister — were also supporting tougher restrictions.
"But Sunak wanted a different strategy. Faced with dire predictions that half a million people could be made redundant in the autumn, he strongly opposed a second lockdown, which some economists were saying would wreak further havoc on Britain’s already limping economy."

(12 Dec 2020) Universal Health Coverage (UHC): time for really "innovative" health financing! Article in Health Financing Africa for Universal health Coverage Day notes:
"Ten years after the WHO’s report on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), most African low- and lower-middle income countries are not able to raise enough resources to achieve UHC. And however important, domestic efforts for resource mobilisation alone will not be enough to bring us there. The world has a collective responsibility to address tax injustices and high indebtedness, which have a huge potential to free resources for health.
"… The latest UNCTAD report estimated that Africa is losing USD 89 billion per year in illicit financial flows such as tax evasion and theft, which amounts to more than it receives in development aid. The potential of this untapped source of revenue is clear when compared with the annual funding gap for the health-related SDGs previously mentioned. At the same time, debt service repayment on average takes over almost 12% of African governments’ revenue, while the average domestic allocation to health is half of this.
"To conclude, health, as well as other social goals, need far more public resources. Mainstream approaches to economic growth are not leading to higher well-being, equality and realisation of the SDGs.
"To meet the SDG3 targets, including UHC, a rethink is needed on how to get there, putting equity centre stage and challenging mainstream thinking on economics and finance."

(11 Dec 2020) 'A slap in the face': Yuma hospital fires ER doctor for talking about COVID-19 in Arizona Another insight into Trump's US, Arizona central report Dec 11: "Dr. Cleavon Gilman, a well-known emergency-medicine physician, has been asked not to return to his work at Yuma Regional Medical Center for his social media posts about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona, according to him and his staffing agency.
"What I don't understand about this is I have been advocating for Arizona; I have been calling for a mask mandate, the closure of schools and indoor dining," Gilman told The Arizona Republic. "I did all of this because we are seeing an unprecedented number of cases. This is my third surge — I know how this ends."

(11 Dec 2020) F.D.A. Advisory Panel Gives Green Light to Pfizer Vaccine New York Times Dec 11: "Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine passed a critical milestone on Thursday when a panel of experts formally recommended that the Food and Drug Administration authorize the vaccine. The agency is likely to do so within days, giving health care workers and nursing home residents first priority to begin receiving the first shots early next week.
"The F.D.A.’s vaccine advisory panel, composed of independent scientific experts, infectious disease doctors and statisticians, voted 17 to 4, with one member abstaining, in favor of emergency authorization for people 16 and older. With rare exceptions, the F.D.A. follows the advice of its advisory panels.
"With this formal blessing, the nation may finally begin to slow the spread of the virus just as infections and deaths surge, reaching a record of more than 3,000 daily deaths on Wednesday."

(11 Dec 2020) COVID-19 Reveals Weakness Of Global Health Financing Systems, Says New WHO Expenditure Report Health Policy Watch Dec 11 flags up important new WHO report:
"The combined health and economic shocks triggered by COVID-19 have revealed profound weaknesses in health systems, with direct consequences on the future of healthcare, says a new World Health Organisation report on global health financing systems.
"COVID-19 has revealed [the] underlying weakness of country and global health financing systems. There needs to be a proactive policy response. The year 2020 is the ultimate proof that investing in health is good for people and good for the economy,” said Agnes Soucat, one of the head writers on the new WHO report, Global Spending on
"The global health expenditure report highlights COVID-19’s devastating impact worldwide – describing global patterns and trends prior to the pandemic, the changes in allocation levels in 2020 arising from country responses, and the challenges raised by future health spending and equitable access to healthcare. "

(11 Dec 2020) Covid-19: Many poor countries will see almost no vaccine next year, aid groups warn BMJ Dec 11: "At least 90% of people in 67 low income countries stand little chance of getting vaccinated against covid-19 in 2021 because wealthy nations have reserved more than they need and developers will not share their intellectual property, says the People’s Vaccine Alliance, which includes Amnesty International, Frontline AIDS, Global Justice Now, and Oxfam.1
“Unless something changes dramatically, billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and effective vaccine for covid-19 for years to come,” said Anna Marriott, Oxfam’s health policy manager.
"Rich countries with only 14% of the world’s population have bought up 53% of the eight most promising vaccines, the alliance said, including all of the Moderna vaccine doses expected to be produced over the next year and 96% of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses.
"Oxford University and AstraZeneca have pledged to distribute 64% of their vaccine in developing nations, but at best this will reach only 18% of the world’s population next year, the alliance said.
"Mohga Kamal Yanni, a physician speaking for the People’s Vaccine Alliance, said, “Rich countries have enough doses to vaccinate everyone nearly three times over, whilst poor countries don’t even have enough to reach health workers and people at risk."

(11 Dec 2020) The government’s approach to test and trace in England – interim report National Audit Office report Dec 11 reveals only £785 million out of £15bn budget allocated to NHS T&T up to Sept was allocated to local authorities that have done most of the difficult work.

(11 Dec 2020) 36 trusts see covid admissions rise by 20pc plus in a week HSJ Dec 11 report: "Thirty-six hospital trusts saw covid-19 admissions grow by more than a fifth last week, of which more than half have at least 10 per cent of beds occupied by covid patients.
"In many hospitals the second wave of coronavirus refused to subside over the past week, despite a month of lockdown, with dozens seeing new cases and occupancy more or less flatlining.
"At an all-England level, covid-19 admissions and occupied beds started falling around mid November, but since the beginning of December have started rising again."

(10 Dec 2020) Test and Trace callers worked just 1pc of time as £22bn was 'thrown at' efforts to stop second lockdown Covid-denying Torygraph with an interesting report on government incompetence December 10: "The National Audit Office (NAO) said billions of pounds have been spent on outsourced providers without proper scrutiny to prevent conflicts of interest and waste.
"Its report found that after 18,000 call handlers were employed in May, their “utilisation rates” were just one per cent. It comes after workers spoke of how they were effectively being paid to “watch Netflix” with one describing receiving £4,500 without receiving a single call.
"Auditors found that clinical workers employed by the project were also barely used in the programme’s early months, with just four per cent of time spent working. "

(10 Dec 2020) Health disparities are worse in the U.S. Axios report (Dec 10) shows extent of costly failure of US health care "system":
"Wealthy Americans have long had better access to care — and therefore better outcomes — than poor Americans. And the coronavirus' disproportionate impact on low-income Americans and people of color has made those disparities glaringly obvious.
"Adults with lower incomes in the U.S. were far more likely than those in the other high-income nations ... to go without needed health care because of costs, to face medical bill burdens, and to struggle to afford basic necessities such as housing and healthy food," the study's authors write.
"Low-income adults are more likely to have multiple chronic conditions in the U.S. than in the 10 other high-income countries. During the pandemic, these underlying conditions have translated into a higher risk of serious coronavirus infections.
"On every measure of health status, as well as affordability and access to primary care, the U.S. reported some of the largest income disparities."

(10 Dec 2020) Covid's 'devastating impact' on NHS services exposed by latest figures Guardian Dec 10 report revealing that the NHS has NOT coped with Covid:
"Soaring numbers of patients are having to wait more than a year for surgery because Covid has disrupted hospital care so badly, new NHS performance statistics show.
"The big rise in people facing delays of at least 52 weeks for an operation comes amid warnings that access to treatment will take years to get back to normal.
"In October, 162,888 people in England had waited more than a year for a non-urgent planned procedure, even though the supposed maximum waiting time is 18 weeks. That was the largest number of patients forced to wait that long since October 2008.
"The total was 123 times more than the 1,321 such cases there were in October 2019 and was 23,343 (16.7%) up on the 139,545 in that situation just a month earlier. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the surge in year-long waits was “staggering”."

(10 Dec 2020) The time to act is now: pseudo-systematic review Excellent seasonal spoof from the BMJ keeps the correct tone throughout:
"One of us had the idea years ago to undertake a review of papers that claimed the time for action is now. However, there never seemed to be a good time. Each time a new study got published claiming the time for something or other is now, there would be a brief increase in motivation, but this would soon fade. Finally, in May 2020, with nowhere to go and little to do at weekends, we decided it was time to act."

(10 Dec 2020) 'We need help': Sweden's capital sounds the alarm as its hospitals fill with coronavirus patients Business Insider Dec 10: revelations on the consequences of Swedish government's refusal to implement any lockdown to combat Covid19.
"The head of the health service in Sweden's capital Stockholm has pleaded for help from the government as the city's hospitals fill with COVID-19 patients amid a spiralling new wave of infections.
"Bjorn Eriksson, director of healthcare for the Stockholm region, said on Wednesday that the region's intensive care units were nearly full with coronavirus patients and asked the government to send extra nurses and hospital staff to deal with the number of Covid patients, according to a Reuters report.
"We need help," he told a news conference, per Reuters, noting that 83 patients were in intensive care beds. "That corresponds more or less to all intensive care beds we normally have."
"Sweden was unique in pursuing a no-lockdown strategy at the beginning of the pandemic, instead relying on a more relaxed approach which relied on voluntary social distancing measures."

(10 Dec 2020) Firm with Links to Matt Hancock’s Family Awarded £5.5 Million COVID Testing Deal Byline Times Dec 10 report: "A firm with links to Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock’s family has been awarded a £5.5 million contract for COVID-19 mobile testing units, Byline Times can reveal.
"The Government yesterday published details of the deal, awarded to EMS Healthcare, based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
"Beginning on 15 September, the company has been expected to provide articulated mobile testing units to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The contract will run for a year – ending on 14 September 2021.
"The chairman of EMS Healthcare, who has been a director of the company since 2013, is Iain Johnston – a former business partner of Shirley and Robert Carter, Hancock’s mother and stepfather."

(9 Dec 2020) Covid-driven recession likely to push 2m UK families into poverty Guardian Dec 9 on the rising poverty that will bring fresh burdens on the NHS:
"Destitution levels in Great Britain are expected to double in the wake of the pandemic with an estimated 2 million families, including a million children, likely to struggle to afford to feed themselves, stay warm, or keep clean as the recession deepens, according to a study.
"The estimates, carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), described “increasing, intensifying” levels of extreme poverty experienced by some of the country’s poorest households in recent years, and highlight a social security system increasingly failing to protect society’s most vulnerable.
"Cuts in social security rates over the past decade, together with design flaws in universal credit and disability benefits, as well as the harsh impact of welfare reforms such as benefit caps, were driving sharp rises in extreme poverty even before Covid struck, the study says."

(9 Dec 2020) Government’s 50,000 more nurses target ‘insufficient for growing demand’ Nursing Times Dec 9: "“A report published today by the Health Foundation has laid bare the trends and figures for the recruitment and retention of nurses over the last 10 years.
“It warned that although the government’s target was achievable, the 50,000 number needed to be exceeded if the health service was to “fully recover” from the pandemic.
“Overall, the number of full-time equivalent nurses and health visitors working in the NHS in England was up 8% over the last decade, from 280,620 in June 2010 to 302,471 in June 2020, noted the report.
“However, the number of health visitors, and nurses working in the community, in mental health and in learning disability services were now lower than they were a decade ago, it said.”

(9 Dec 2020) Another false dawn for adult social care? David Oliver in Dec 9 article for BMJ: “In his post-election Queen’s speech in December 2019, the UK prime minister Boris Johnson pledged cross party consensus to reform adult social care. He promised to “give everyone the security and dignity they deserve” and “put social care on a sustainable footing,” with plans for legislation to be announced within 12 months.
“Cut to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending review on 26 November 2020, where a paltry £300m in extra grant funding to support councils in providing adult social care was the only concrete announcement, with some calculatedly vague statements about “sustainable improvement to the system” and “proposals next year.”
“I’d be delighted to see some meaningful progress on adult social care in 2021. Sadly, I think it’s set to be one of the many false dawns over the past few parliaments.
“We’ve been playing this game for years. Since 2010 we’ve seen overall cuts in local government and social care funding; huge reductions in adults receiving personal care at home, even as need has grown; a care home market in serious crisis over funds and capacity; and a series of short term, quick fix cash injections from central to local government – or permissions for local authorities to raise a bit more revenue through local precepts on council tax.
Right now, however, we also have to deal with the economic impacts of the pandemic and many other demands on government spending. Kicking social care reform into the long grass will be politically easier than dropping other priorities and commitments.
“Put simply, most people don’t use social care, and until it touches their life its funding and provision remain opaque to many.”

(8 Dec 2020) HMRC boss says UK businesses face £7.5 billion cost in post-Brexit paperwork The Independent (Dec 8) with yet another under-reported but heavy cost of the self-inflicted misery of Brexit headed our way from January 1:
"British businesses face an “administrative burden” cost of £7.5bn a year in filling out customs paperwork after the Brexit transition period, the chief executive of HMRC has said.
"Highlighting the additional bureaucracy facing UK firms next year, Jim Harra said HMRC’s estimate of the cost from 2018 “still stands”, with millions of extra customs declarations being made after the transition period.
"As London and Brussels continue attempts to thrash out a free-trade agreement with just weeks remaining, Mr Harra reiterated the extra red-tape will apply regardless of the outcome of the negotiations."

(8 Dec 2020) Trump administration refused offer to buy millions more Pfizer vaccine doses Guardian Dec 8: "The Trump administration passed up a chance last summer to buy millions of additional doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, a decision that could delay the delivery of a second batch of doses until the manufacturer fulfills other international contracts.
"The revelation, first reported by the New York Times and confirmed to the Associated Press on Monday, came a day before Donald Trump aimed to take credit for the speedy development of forthcoming vaccines at a White House summit.
"Pfizer’s vaccine, one of the leading Covid-19 vaccine contenders, is expected to be approved by a panel of Food and Drug Administration scientists as soon as this week, with delivery of 100m doses – enough for 50 million Americans – expected in coming months."

(8 Dec 2020) Ambulance workers ballot for strike action at St George’s Hospital GMB Dec 8 press release: "GMB is set to ballot ambulance worker members at St George’s Hospital over proposed changes to their shift patterns.
"If members at the South London hospital vote to strike, industrial action will take place in the New Year.
"GMB says HATS, the private employer which runs the contract for patient transport services at St George’s Hospital, has ignored concerns raised by workers that these changes will have a significant impact on their pay, their hours and their work/life balance."

(8 Dec 2020) EU countries spent over €220m stockpiling remdesivir despite lack of effectiveness, finds investigation BMA (Dec 8) report showing EU is little more competent than the blundering Johnson government in procurement of medicines. EU has blown millions on useless drug:
"On 7 October the European Commission struck a so called joint procurement framework deal with the drug manufacturer Gilead, after reports the day before of shortages of the antiviral remdesivir in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, and Poland.
The EC agreed to buy 500 000 treatment courses in six months for €1bn (£0.9bn; $1.2bn).
Though not all this money has been spent yet, 36 participating European countries (inside and outside the European Union) have collectively already purchased more than 640 000 vials, costing €220m. The countries’ volume of orders differs considerably, although under the agreement all have to pay €345 per vial, or on average €2070 for a course of treatment.
“The deal was made just eight days before the World Health Organization’s Solidarity trial into potential treatments for people with covid-19 made public its interim results on 15 October. These showed that among patients in hospital remdesivir had no effect on mortality, length of stay, or need for ventilation.”

(8 Dec 2020) Four trusts cancel planned operations as covid pressures mount HSJ report Dec 8: "All non-urgent elective operations are being postponed for at least two weeks in a health system still seeing significant and growing pressure from coronavirus.
"The four acute trusts in Kent and Medway will still carry out cancer and urgent electives, but other work is being postponed. Relatively few elective operations are usually carried out around Christmas and New Year, meaning the county is likely to see little or no elective work for the next four weeks.
"In a covid update bulletin issued last night, the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group acknowledged the pressure hospitals across its area were under but stressed cancer and other urgent operations would go ahead."

(8 Dec 2020) A short thread about hospital bed pressures Very useful Dec 8 series of tweets exploring NHS bed pressures and how to deal with them by the excellent Dr David Oliver.

(8 Dec 2020) Lords defeat Boris Johnson with vote to 'protect the NHS' in a trade deal Mirror report Dec 8: "“Boris Johnson suffered a string of defeats in the House of Lords after peers backed a move to protect the NHS in a trade deal.
“The new law would ban any trade deal that “undermined” the NHS’s ability to provide free services or control drug prices.
“Anti-privatisation campaigners hailed the late-night 233-143 vote, backed by Labour, the Lib Dems and Crossbenchers, after more than 300,000 people signed a petition in favour.
“It was one of four defeats inflicted on the PM over amendments to the Trade Bill last night.
“Peers also voted to block trade deals with any country that commits genocide or violates human rights, and demanded a bigger say for Parliament over the details of any deal after Brexit.
“But it could lead to a showdown in the House of Commons - after Tory ministers vowed to oppose the amendment on protecting the NHS.”

(8 Dec 2020) Measuring the impact of COVID-19 on global labour rights UNISON report Dec 8 notes: “When the COVID-19 pandemic broke, there was a rush to find personal protective equipment (PPE) for key workers and laptops for those working from home. But with the urgent need to stay safe, few stopped to question who was making the equipment and whether they were safe too.
“What impact has this had on labour standards? And has the UK’s commitment to end modern day slavery effectively been cast aside?
“A new report from UNISON, Public Procuring During COVID-19, found that, in the competitive scramble to secure fast-tracked PPE, electronics and other in-demand products, almost “no ethical considerations were made”. Instead of applying usual procurement processes and principles, goods were bought off the shelf.
“As a consequence and the Cabinet Office taking control of finding some items, such as rubber gloves, decision makers overlooked or didn’t know about worker exploitation in Malaysia.”

(7 Dec 2020) Slovakia's mass Covid testing cut infection rate by 60%, researchers say Guardian Dec 7: “Mass testing for Covid brought down the infection rate in Slovakia by about 60% in one week, say UK researchers – but in combination with tough quarantine rules and other measures that are not being implemented in Liverpool or elsewhere in the UK.
“Slovakia guaranteed high take-up of the rapid tests by requiring employers not to allow people to work without a certificate to prove they had tested negative. Anybody who got a positive result had to go into quarantine with their family, but their full salary was paid for the 10 days of isolation.
“A negative test result allowed people to work, but was not a criterion for visiting an elderly relative in a care home, or for a student of coming home for the holidays. The exercise in Slovakia was not carried out to lift restrictions, but to find Covid cases and isolate them.”

(7 Dec 2020) No Deal Brexit could lead to medicine supply shortage, inflation and public disorder, No10's secret 34-page 'worst-case scenario' dossier shows as Boris threatens to walk away Pro-Brexit Daily Heil begins (Dec 7) to face the dire prospects of a no-deal exit:
"The UK could be overwhelmed by public disorder, drugs and fuel supply shortages and rising food prices in the event of a No Deal Brexit, a leaked Government document reveals, as talks teeter on the brink of collapse.
"A 34-page 'reasonable worst-case scenario' dossier sets out what No10 believes could happen in the event that Britain crashes out of the EU in the New Year without a trade deal in place.
"It says 'flow rates of medicines and medical products could initially reduce to 60-80% over three months which, if unmitigated, would impact on the supply of medicines and medical products across the UK'."

(7 Dec 2020) Doctors step up drive for probe into PPE and Covid deaths among health workers Guardian Dec 7: "Doctors are stepping up a legal effort to force a public inquiry into Covid-19 deaths among NHS staff and care workers because of a lack of personal protective equipment.
"Doctors Association UK (DAUK), a union that represents frontline medics, has escalated its threat of judicial review against the government.
"At least 126 health and care workers died of Covid between April and October in cases where their employers believe they had contracted the virus as a result of their work, official reports to the Health and Safety Executive show."

(7 Dec 2020) England is facing another needless Brexit disaster: care home staff shortages Guardian Dec 7: "By far the worst-off victims of coronavirus have been elderly people. The worst-off victims of Brexit are going to be … elderly people.
"As reported by the Sunday Times, on 1 January EU staff who care for older people in residential homes cannot be recruited to work in the UK, as they earn below a £25,600 threshold for skilled workers. This will apply whether or not there is a “deal” on Brexit trade this week.
"In parts of south-east England, up to a third of care workers come from the EU, feeding a turnover that can be as high as 50% a year. While EU workers make up 8% of care staff in England overall, some areas have vacancy rates of 25% and risk staff simply vanishing as agencies close down. This recruitment crisis is far worse than for the summer agricultural workers, where farmers were able to lobby for relief."

(7 Dec 2020) UCSF nurses hold virtual rally to demand safe staffing, patient protection during ongoing Covid-19 pandemic National Nurses United fighting to defend staffing levels: "Nurses at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF) will hold a virtual rally on Tuesday, Dec. 8 to demand safe staffing throughout the health system and to alert the public to their patient safety concerns during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the California Nurses Association (CNA) announced today.
"Nurses will also voice opposition to UCSF management’s decision to impose an outrageous 25 percent increase in parking costs that imposes additional economic hardship on patients and essential workers during this crisis."

(6 Dec 2020) Oregon doctor’s licence suspended over refusal to wear mask and dismissal of Covid as ‘common cold’ Independent Dec 6 on fate of pro Trump Covid-denying US doctor:
"An Oregon doctor who was against wearing masks had his medical licence revoked after his public refusal to acknowledge the coronavirus as anything more than the “common cold”.
"Steven LaTulippe made headlines after attending the Stop the Steal rally in support of President Donald Trump in Salem, Oregon, on 7 November. During the rally, he called Covid-19 the “common cold” and said his staff members have not worn masks throughout the entirety of the pandemic.
“I want to expose what I call corona mania,” Dr LaTulippe told the rally crowd in a video that was shared to YouTube by the Multnomah County Republicans."

(6 Dec 2020) NHS England pushes for “integration” … but not as we know it Lowdown Dec 6 -- update on so-called "integrated care systems" (ICSs) and the efforts by NHS England to impose a fresh top-down reorganisation on the NHS:
"Many campaigners remain justifiably suspicious of the extent to which ICSs, which have been set up and function largely in secret, would be in any way accountable to local communities if given statutory powers.
"And while Integrating Care argues for the need to establish ICSs as “statutory bodies” with real powers, notably “the capacity to … direct resources to improve service provision,” there are real fears that NHS England, facing more years of tight and inadequate budgets, sees ICSs and system-wide policing of finances as a way of more ruthlessly enforcing cash-cutting reductions or restrictions on availability of services through “control totals” limiting spending across each ICS, and growing lists of excluded “procedures of limited clinical value”.
"The HSJ, normally happy to go with the flow of NHS England, has pointed out how vague are the proposals in the new document, and raised questions over funding, pointing out: “While the paper makes it clear the current system doesn’t work, it gives little indication of what a better solution will look like and how that efficiency drive will be maintained."

(6 Dec 2020) Private hospitals celebrate closer ties with NHS John Lister in the Lowdown Dec 6 on the huge transfusion of NHS cash to prop up private hospitals -- and how much they like it:
"The extent to which NHS England now sees the future in a permanent alliance with private hospital chains was underlined in October by NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens taking time out to give a keynote speech to the virtual summit meeting of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN).
"Of course the private sector is delighted at the renewed and strengthened prospects of “partnership” with the NHS. The summit also heard from former deputy CEO of NHS England Dame Barbara Hakin, who said private hospital firms would have to decide how much capacity they want to commit to the NHS and what type of treatments they are best placed to provide, insisting: “I think there’s a huge will to make this happen.”
"NHS Providers deputy CEO Saffron Cordery also spoke of a “sea-change” over the past few months in relations between the sectors and the crucial need for these partnerships to continue."

(5 Dec 2020) Hospital Millions - Cronyvirus 2020 edition As Covid blocks the usual holiday board and card games, Health Campaigns Together offers the ideal answer - the brand new Hospital Millions Cronyvirus edition, the only safe way to experiment with privatisation in the NHS. Play it now!

(5 Dec 2020) How Thatcher Unleashed the NHS Outsourcing Wave Tribune Dec 5 reproduces a feature article on the origins of NHs privatisation first published in The Lowdown. It begins:
"far from wanting to buy up and privatise the whole of the NHS, the private sector has always been happiest when it can win contracts to provide specific packages of services that will be paid for from the public purse.
"Far from ‘selling off’ these services, the NHS is ‘buying in’ dubious quality services from private firms: far from flogging the NHS to ‘the highest bidder’, services are entrusted to the lowest-priced, least reliable contractor. And nothing is being sold: once the contract comes to an end, the contractors do not own any of the NHS. They can only continue if they win a further contract.
"Even where clinical services have been privatised, the result is not a ‘sale’ to create anything like an American-style system, but a private company, on contract, delivering services previously delivered by NHS staff, but which remain free at point of use and funded from taxation, often even sporting the NHS logo on buildings and uniforms. No wonder some people don’t recognise it as a problem."

(5 Dec 2020) US sees record coronavirus infections as states face deadline for vaccine orders Guardian Dec 5 with a story that gives a grim foretaste of the likely aftermath of Christmas holidays with relaxed rules:
“As US states faced a deadline to place orders for a coronavirus vaccine, California went back into lockdown and federal authorities advised the wearing of masks indoors, new infections reached a record 227,885 on Friday.
“Many states are reporting record infections, hospitalisations and deaths, with healthcare systems pushed to breaking point. The number of Americans hospitalised with Covid-19 hit an all-time high on Thursday, at 100,667.
“The daily case average is 210,000 and deaths are averaging 1,800 per day, according to Johns Hopkins University, which recorded 2,607 deaths on Friday in an overall toll of 279,409. The US has recorded more than 14m cases overall.
“The alarming surge is in part attributed to millions choosing to travel and gather over the Thanksgiving holiday.”

(5 Dec 2020) The countdown to UHC Day 2020 has begun! Rather belated December 5 call for global mobilisation for Universal Health Coverage Day on 12 December.
"Join the movement calling for strong health systems that Protect Everyone – now.
"Make a virtual rally “sign” inspired by the Protect Everyone theme, take a picture and post it on 12.12 using the #ProtectEveryone hashtag. As long as it is something visual, we encourage creative interpretations! This could be anything from a family creating “rally posters” with advocacy messages, to an organization filming a short video about what health care should look like in their community, to an individual creating an artistic representation of COVID-19’s impact on the world this year."

(5 Dec 2020) Overtaxed Idaho health facilities on brink of rationing care Grim Independent Dec 5 report from Trump-voting Idahao:
"Soldiers triaging patients in parking lots in a capital city is normally the stuff of science fiction.
"Yet that’s the reality in Boise, where troops direct people outside an urgent-care clinic revamped into a facility for coronavirus patients as infections and deaths surge in Idaho and nationwide.
"Inside Primary Health Medical Group's clinic, physician assistant Nicole Thomas works extra 12-hour shifts to help out. She dons goggles, an N95 mask, a surgical mask over that, gloves and a body covering to examine 36 patients a day with symptoms. Some days, she says, half of them test positive for COVID-19"

(5 Dec 2020) A bleak outlook for millions facing cutoff of US jobless aid Another Independent Dec 5 article on Trump's USA:
"Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral epidemic that has closed shops and restaurants, paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months. Now, their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas.
"If no agreement is reached in negotiations taking place on Capitol Hill, more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $320 a week and that typically serves as their only source of income."

(5 Dec 2020) Ontario reports new record high of 1,859 COVID-19 cases on Saturday Dec 5 CBC report on rising level of Covid infection in Ontario, Canada's most populous province:
"Ontario reported a record 1,859 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.
"Health Minister Christine Elliott said the latest cases include 504 in Toronto, 463 in Peel Region and 198 in York Region. Ontario's previous daily record of 1,855 cases was set on Nov. 27.
"Both Toronto and Peel Region are currently in lockdown, with most non-essential businesses ordered closed nearly two weeks ago.
"Ottawa and Hamilton also saw increases in daily infections on Saturday. Ottawa logged 72 cases, up from 36 on Friday, while Hamilton recorded 89 cases, compared with 43 a day ago."

(5 Dec 2020) Argentina passes tax on wealthy to pay for virus measures BBC bravely reports (Dec 5) on radical policies to cover costs of fighting Covid pandemic in Argentina by taxing only the richest, while tamely repeating government insistence that the bill in UK must be paid for through increased taxes on working people:
"Argentina has passed a new tax on its wealthiest people to pay for medical supplies and relief measures amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"Senators passed the one-off levy - dubbed the "millionaire's tax" - by 42 votes to 26 on Friday.
"Those with assets worth more than 200 million pesos ($2.5m; £1.8m) - some 12,000 people - will have to pay. Argentina has recorded close to 1.5 million infections and almost 40,000 deaths from the coronavirus."

(5 Dec 2020) Face masks considerably reduce COVID-19 cases in Germany Scientific evidence based on German studies showing effectiveness of face masks:
"As face masks became mandatory at different points in time across German regions, we can compare the rise in infections in regions with masks and regions without masks. Weighing various estimates, we conclude that 20 d after becoming mandatory face masks have reduced the number of new infections by around 45%.
"As economic costs are close to zero compared to other public health measures, masks seem to be a cost-effective means to combat COVID-19."

(4 Dec 2020) Nonprofit Hospital Almost Never Gave Discounts to Poor Patients During Collections, Documents Show Pro Publica Dec 4 exposure of the antics of a so-called non profit US hospital:
"Memphis’ largest health care system almost never gave patients discounts based on their income even as it pursued thousands for overdue bills in the last several years, according to new information released this week.
"Since 2014, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, a nonprofit, collected just over $169 million from more than 977,000 patients with bills at least 30 days past due, but only 1% of those received financial assistance during the collections process, the hospital reported in a lengthy response to a query from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.
"The hospital also disclosed that employees at its now-shuttered collection agency were given financial incentives based on the money they recouped from patients. Workers received a 10.75% commission on amounts collected over $30,000 per month, the hospital’s response said."

(3 Dec 2020) Covid-19 contracts: government refuses to say who benefited from political connections Guardian December 3: "A report by the National Audit Office last month stated that a government unit, set up to procure PPE, established the high-priority lane to deal with leads that came “from government officials, ministers’ offices, MPs and members of the House of Lords, senior NHS staff and other health professionals”.
"The 493 companies given high priority due to these connections secured contracts to supply PPE with 10 times the success rate of nearly 15,000 companies that were not given enhanced attention.
"The revelation that a high-priority channel was in operation has fuelled criticism that the government has established a “chumocracy” in which companies with connections to the Conservative party have been favoured with contracts."

(3 Dec 2020) Are Bill Gates’s Billions Distorting Public Health Data? Extensive article in The Nation Dec 3 explores the level of influence of Bill Gates' billions of donated money and University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in shaping research and the findings that are publicised:
"“A perennial feature of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the guessing game of whether things are getting better or worse—and how policy approaches (masks, shutdowns) and changes in the weather will affect the coronavirus. Dozens of research institutes have published educated guesses about what’s coming next, but none have had the impact or reach of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
“In the early days of the pandemic, the IHME projected a far less severe outbreak than other models, which drew the attention of Donald Trump, who was eager to downplay the danger. At a March 31 press briefing, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, Debbie Birx, with the president at her side, used IHME charts to show that the pandemic was rapidly winding down.
““Throughout April, millions of Americans were falsely led to believe that the epidemic would be over by June because of IHME’s projections,” the data scientist Youyang Gu noted in his review of the institute’s work. “I think that a lot of states reopened based on their modeling.”

(2 Dec 2020) UK approves Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine for rollout next week Guardian Dec 2: "The UK has become the first western country to license a vaccine against Covid, opening the way for mass immunisation with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to begin next week for those most at risk.
"The vaccine has been authorised for emergency use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), before decisions by the US and Europe. The MHRA was given power to approve the vaccine by the government under special regulations before 1 January, when it will become fully responsible for medicines authorisation in the UK after Brexit.
"The first doses of the vaccine would arrive in the coming days, said the company. The UK has bought 40m doses of the vaccine, which has been shown to have 95% efficacy in its final trials."

(2 Dec 2020) Maternity units rated ‘inadequate’ at NHS trust as parents demand inquiry Independent Dec 2 with yet another maternity scandal: "Maternity services at one of England’s largest hospital trusts have been downgraded to inadequate over safety fears by the care watchdog the Care Quality Commission.
"The regulator has taken enforcement action against Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, including imposing conditions on the trust and issuing it with a formal warning notice.
"Inspectors found women were being left at risk of harm because of a shortage of midwives, and failures by staff to properly assess women who could be high-risk pregnancies or at risk of deteriorating on the wards while in labour.
"The trust, which delivered 8,200 babies in 2019, has been criticised by families who have demanded an inquiry into maternity care at the trust after an inquest in October heard hospital staff had written to the trust board in 2018 warning of safety concerns about maternity services."

(2 Dec 2020) Pfizer vaccine: NHS hospital hubs will be at centre of mass vaccination effort Independent Dec 2; "The NHS is preparing to coordinate one of the largest vaccination efforts in British history as the health service leads on a nationwide effort to protect millions of citizens.
"Across England leading hospitals will be designated as vaccine hubs to start immunising NHS frontline staff and patients. Hub hospitals will be responsible for vaccinating their own staff and making sure neighbouring hospitals can get the jab to their own staff. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will follow a similar pattern.
"The first deliveries of the vaccine to hospitals could come as soon as Tuesday. Because the virus needs to be stored at cold temperatures, the 53 hospital hubs will be the main centres for delivery. Once thawed the virus can be kept in a fridge for up to five days for use locally.
"The initial efforts will be focused on those patients at highest priority including those aged over 80 as well as care home residents and carers. The rest of the population will follow in the coming weeks."

(2 Dec 2020) Brexit did not speed up UK vaccine authorisation Channel 4 Fact check Dec 2 responds to misleading statements by ministers and Tory MPs: “Today’s decision comes from the UK’s independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It’s long worked in tandem with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) deciding which drugs are safe for use.
“When we were part of the EU, the EMA had areas of jurisdiction that meant only it could make decisions about certain types of medicine, including vaccines. National regulators like the MHRA couldn’t get involved.
“When the UK left the EU on 31 January this year, we entered the “transition period”, which means the European regulations we adopted during our time in the trade bloc are still in effect until the end of 2020. That includes the rule that says vaccines generally must be authorised by the EMA instead of national regulators.
“But as a UK government press release from 23 November 2020 states: “if a suitable COVID-19 vaccine candidate, […] becomes available before the end of the transition period, EU legislation which we have implemented via Regulation 174 of the Human Medicines Regulations allows the MHRA to temporarily authorise the supply of a medicine or vaccine, based on public health need.”
“So even if we were still a member of the EU, the UK regulator would have been able to take this decision on its own because EU law already allows it. Incidentally, that legislation took effect in the UK in 2012, long before Brexit was on the cards.”

(2 Dec 2020) Greater Manchester tells care homes not to use rapid tests for visitors as government roll-out faces 'chaos' Manchester Evening News Dec 2 on more waste and confusion: "Public health and social care directors have written to care homes warning them not to yet use rapid tests for visitors, amid chaos, confusion and safety concerns around the government's roll-out.
"One Tory councillor in charge of local adult social care has warned ‘only when we are confident that the appropriate guidance and safety measures are in place’ will he advise homes to use them, due to questions over demand on care staff, test accuracy and adequate training.
"Andy Burnham told the M.E.N. of ‘confusion’ and ‘very considerable concern’ within local authorities about the level of resource and guidance required to safely use the tests in the way the government has suggested."

(2 Dec 2020) Regulator rejects Matt Hancock’s claim that UK got vaccine first because of Brexit Independent Dec 2: "Britain’s medicines regulator has contradicted claims by health secretary Matt Hancock that the UK got the first coronavirus vaccine faster because of Brexit.
"And Mr Hancock’s boast of a “Brexit bonus” was later effectively slapped down by Boris Johnson, when the prime minister twice declined to claim any role for EU withdrawal in speeding up the approval of the jab.
"Speaking shortly after the announcement that the Pfizer/BioNTec jab had been cleared for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Mr Hancock said that the authorisation process was faster than in the EU because Britain was no longer a member.
"But asked if this was the case, MHRA chief executive June Raine said the process was undertaken under the terms of European law, which remains in force until the completion of the Brexit transition at the end of 2020."

(2 Dec 2020) Coronavirus vaccine: Pfizer given protection from legal action by UK government Independent Dec 2: "The UK government has granted pharmaceutical giant Pfizer a legal indemnity protecting it from being sued, enabling its coronavirus vaccine to be rolled out across the country as early as next week.
"The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed the company has been given an indemnity protecting it from legal action as a result of any problems with the vaccine.
"Ministers have also changed the law in recent weeks to give new protections to companies such as Pfizer, giving them immunity from being sued by patients in the event of any complications."

(2 Dec 2020) Vaccine 90% effective at pushing Tory coronyism from the headlines Canary cartoon Dec 2: A scientist in a lab coat and holding a clipboard is illustrated next to a poster featuring the words “Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine” and the image of a syringe with two vaccine vials. The scientist is saying “The vaccine has been proven to be 90% effective at pushing Tory cronyism and incompetence out of the headlines! It will also be vital in fighting the virus…”.

(1 Dec 2020) Top Trump Coronavirus Adviser Scott Atlas Resigns His Post Bloomberg Dec 1 on further disintegration of Trump administration: "White House coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas, who won President Donald Trump’s favor by advocating the loosening of social distancing restrictions during the pandemic, resigned his post on Monday, according to a White House official.
"His departure closes a controversial tenure in which the neuroradiologist without a background in infectious disease prevention or public health drew the ire of other members of the coronavirus task force for urging the president to abandon lockdowns, describing such efforts as harmful to Americans.
"In a resignation letter obtained by Fox News, which first reported his departure, Atlas said he was leaving the administration because his federal employment status was expiring. Temporary workers considered “special government employees” can only work 130 days per year."

(1 Dec 2020) Leaks reveal two-thirds of private hospital capacity went unused by NHS December 1 revelation by HSJ "Two-thirds of the private sector capacity that was block-purchased by the NHS — costing hundreds of millions of pounds — went unused by the service over the summer, despite rocketing long waits for operations, according to internal documents leaked to HSJ.
"Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the NHS has had unprecedented block contracts in place for almost all the private hospital capacity in England. The total cost has never been revealed, although public contract notices suggest they are worth around £400m per month.
"The contracts were welcomed by the independent sector, which saw a substantial drop in patients seeking private care at the start of the pandemic.
"In the spring, the contracts mainly enabled staff and equipment to be borrowed by NHS hospitals to cope with demand from covid patients, and put private hospitals on standby in case NHS facilities were completely overwhelmed."

(1 Dec 2020) Private hospitals paid millions for unused beds as NHS waiting lists soar Independent Dec 1: "Private hospitals have received millions of pounds from the taxpayer under contracts with the NHS despite two-thirds of extra capacity beds going unused for months during the summer, it has emerged.
"According to leaked documents obtained by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), a majority of beds in private hospitals over the four months from June to September were not used by the NHS.
"This is despite soaring numbers of patients waiting for operations, with around 140,000 waiting more than a year for treatment by September and more than 1.7 million waiting beyond the 18-week target for routine NHS treatment."

(1 Dec 2020) UK coronavirus death toll passes 75,000 Dec 1 report from the Guardian;
"The UK’s total Covid death toll has passed 75,000, according to a tally of all fatalities that mention the disease on death certificates.
"The grim milestone comes just over a month after the UK surpassed 60,000 deaths in late October, showing how the Covid death toll accelerated since September, having slowed during the summer.
"The figure is higher than the government’s Covid death toll of 59,051. The latter figure only covers people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus."

(1 Dec 2020) BioNTech moves to head of pack in fight against coronavirus European Investment Bank underlines its key role (and that of immigrants) in the development of the first vaccine for Covid-19: "EU financing for COVID-19 vaccine helps German firm close in on a solution with highly effective trial results
"When Özlem Türeci and her husband, Uğur Şahin, announced that the COVID-19 vaccine developed by their company, BioNTech, had excellent results in its latest tests, the couple took a short break from their round-the-clock research schedule. But only long enough to drink a cup of tea.
“It was oolong tea to be precise,” Türeci says. “We both like it and it’s easy to make. We didn’t have a lot time for a celebration.”
"The two immune engineers are conscious of the vital nature of their research into a vaccine for the deadly disease that has devastated the entire globe in 2020. Both children of Turkish immigrants, Türeci, 53, and Şahin, 55, have led Mainz-based BioNTech to the frontrunner’s spot in the race for a vaccine. On 9 November, they announced that their vaccine, BNT162, showed indications of at least 90% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infections, based on an interim analysis of the phase 3 trial."

(29 Nov 2020) International rollout of Covid-19 vaccine on track for next month FT Nov 29: “The first coronavirus vaccine is on track for international deployment within weeks, with health officials on both sides of the Atlantic confident that inoculations will begin before the end of the year.
“The UK is expected to become the first country to approve a vaccine developed jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech, with the aim of delivering the first jabs as soon as December 7. US approval could be granted shortly after a Food and Drug Administration advisory meeting on December 10.
“Anthony Fauci, head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NBC on Sunday: “We likely, almost certainly, are going to be vaccinating a portion of the individuals in the first priority before the end of December.”
“German officials over the weekend said preparations had been made to ensure that people could start getting inoculations next month, once the greenlight is given by European regulators.”

(27 Nov 2020) Dispelling disinformation - If Covid-19 doesn't kill the young and fit why can't we just ignore it? Consultant David Oliver in the excellent Byline Times makes some blunt and sensible points in response to the right wing hacks misleading readers in mainstream media:
"‘COVID-19 Only Kills the Old and the Sick, After All’
"The insinuation behind this claim is pretty disturbing. As COVID-19 doesn’t kill or harm many ‘normal’ people (i.e. younger, fitter and less socioeconomically deprived), it shouldn’t concern the rest of us. By extension, public health protection measures from behavioural restrictions and changes, through to vaccines or lockdowns, aren’t worth adopting.
"This is a covert manifesto for age discrimination and discrimination against the old, sick and disabled. "

(27 Nov 2020) America facing ‘darkest days’ in modern medical history if virus isn’t controlled, warns top medic Independent Nov 27: "America could face its "darkest days" in modern medical history if the coronavirus crisis is not brought under control, a top medic has warned.
"Dr Joseph Varon, chief of staff at Houston's United Memorial Center, said a surge of infections over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays may push hospitals to breaking point.
"His comments came as US health officials on Wednesday reported 180,830 new coronavirus cases nationwide – a rise of 2,630 from the previous 24 hours, New York Times data shows.
"Just over 100,000 new infections were reported on Thursday, although that figure could be artificially low with fewer people getting tested on Thanksgiving.
"Covid-19 deaths have been steadily climbing in recent weeks. Some 2,313 Americans died from the disease on Wednesday, according to the data."

(27 Nov 2020) ‘Difficult to maintain emergency care’ as region’s ICUs at full stretch HSJ Nov 27: "A live dashboard of critical care in the Midlands NHS region — which stretches from the Welsh border in the west, to Lincolnshire in the east — shows at least five hospitals were reporting “CRITCON” level three on Thursday and Friday, up from just one last week. Images of the dashboard have been leaked to HSJ.
"This effectively means the critical care unit is at full stretch. It is one escalation level away from the highest, at which resources would be overwhelmed and there is the possibility of imposing thresholds on entry to critical care.
"Around 70-80 per cent of the critical care patients have covid-19. Covid-19 occupancy has continued to grow across much of the Midlands in the past week.
"Several units in the region are well over 100 per cent of their normal critical care capacity, with Walsall Healthcare recording the highest at 169 per cent, according to the Midlands critical care network dashboard."

(26 Nov 2020) Hancock's former neighbour won Covid test kit work after WhatsApp message Guardian November 26 with another story of chums and plum contracts:
"An acquaintance and former neighbour of Matt Hancock is supplying the government with tens of millions of vials for NHS Covid-19 tests despite having had no previous experience of producing medical supplies.
"Alex Bourne, who used to run a pub close to Hancock’s former constituency home in Suffolk, said he initially offered his services to the UK health secretary several months ago by sending him a personal WhatsApp message.
"Bourne’s company, Hinpack, was at that time producing plastic cups and takeaway boxes for the catering industry. It is now supplying about 2m medical grade vials a week to the government via a distributor contracted by the NHS.
"Bourne categorically denies he profited from his personal contact with Hancock. However, the case raises questions for the health secretary and is likely to reignite the row over alleged government cronyism during the pandemic."

(26 Nov 2020) Untested, untraced: how three-quarters of Covid contacts slip through cracks Guardian animated graphic Nov 26 explains the weaknesses in the test and trace system:
"It was in May that Boris Johnson promised the UK would have a “world-beating” test-and-trace operation in place within weeks.
“Our test-and-trace system is as good as, or better than, any other system anywhere in the world,” he doubled down in July.
"But nearly half a year after the system was established, thousands of Covid-19 cases still go undetected each week, leaving severe lockdown restrictions as the only option to prevent hospitals across the country from collapsing.
"The Guardian has analysed the latest figures on the performance of test and trace to show how people at risk of spreading the virus go missing at every step of the process."

(26 Nov 2020) Coffey announces 37p benefits rise, after PM announces £24 billion more for defence Disability News Service Nov 26: "Benefits for disabled people are set to rise by just 0.5 per cent next year, the government has announced, despite the increasing costs and cuts to support many of them are facing as a result of the pandemic.
"The announcement by work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey means that someone in the work-related activity group of employment and support allowance (ESA) will receive a rise of just 37p a week from next April.
"The same 0.5 per cent increase – in line with September’s inflation rate – will apply to personal independence payment and disability living allowance, but not state pensions, which will rise by 2.5 per cent.
"The 0.5 per cent increase comes even though many disabled people have faced extra costs as a result of the pandemic, including having to switch to more expensive online food deliveries, and paying for personal protective equipment for personal assistants and care workers and extra cleaning products.
"Coffey also failed again to extend the £20 a week uplift given to claimants of universal credit – introduced as a temporary measure in the early weeks of the pandemic – to those on ESA, jobseeker’s allowance and income support."

(25 Nov 2020) BBC: Laura Kuenssberg 'promoting Tory austerity' with 'economic illiteracy Insight from Scotland Nov 25 The National:
“THE BBC has been accused of “promoting economic illiteracy” after its chief political editor claimed the Tories were being forced into the cuts announced in today’s spending review because the UK had “no money left”.
“… Kuenssberg, the BBC’s chief political editor, said: “If you think about the debate we had really all the way through from the late noughties all the way through to the 2015 election, it was defined by ‘how is the country going to pay back what we had to borrow in the credit crisis?’.
“This is that, and some, okay? This is the credit card, the national mortgage, everything absolutely maxxed out. Enormous levels of the country basically being in the red.”
“Kuenssberg was speaking alongside Faisal Islam, the corporation’s economics news editor, who did offer some counter to her position.
“… Still more experts condemned Kuenssberg’s "unfounded" rhetoric.
“… Chris Marsh, a blogger and former economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Kuennsberg’s “language [was] hugely irresponsible and unfounded”.
“… Writing in today's National Extra, George Kerevan highlights how the "cost of servicing the National Debt (circa £2 trillion) is actually falling because of low interest rates. In fact, the latest public spending increases are being funded by the Bank of England, which is owned by the Government. In other words, Chancellor Sunak is taking from one pocket and putting it in another," he writes.
“Elsewhere, political economist Richard Murphy said that scaremongering around national debt repayments was an “obsession”.
“He said that “every bit [of the national debt] plays a vital role in keeping the UK, its pensioners, savers and banks, plus its international trade secure. Now which bit of that do you want to forego? Or is that that we really do not need to repay the national debt, and the claim that we have to do so is made up to give reason to tax you (but not the wealthy and big business) quite a lot more and to persuade you that austerity is really necessary when it isn't? You decide.”

(25 Nov 2020) The AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine Data Isn't Up to Snuff Worrying questions from Wired Nov 25 for those who see the cheaper vaccine as the best way forward:
"Monday’s press release from AstraZeneca presents “convincing evidence that [the vaccine] works,” said Science. But not everyone has been convinced. The price of AstraZeneca’s shares actually dropped on the news, and an analysis from an investment bank concluded, “We believe that this product will never be licensed in the US.” Over at STAT News, Anthony Fauci cautioned that we’ll need to see more data before coming to a conclusion. The skeptics have strong reasons to be concerned: This week’s “promising” results are nothing like the others that we’ve been hearing about in November—and the claims that have been drawn from them are based on very shaky science."

(24 Nov 2020) Deaths in UK 'a fifth higher than normal levels' BBC report November 24: “The total number of deaths occurring in the UK is nearly a fifth above normal levels, latest figures show.
“Data from national statisticians show there were almost 14,000 deaths in the week ending 13 November. Some 2,838 of the deaths involved Covid - 600 more than the preceding week, according to the analysis of death certificates.
“The North West and Yorkshire have seen the most excess deaths. The number of deaths in both regions were more than a third above expected levels.
“By comparison, the number of deaths in the South East was just 2% above the five-year average.”

(22 Nov 2020) Matt Hancock gave key Covid role to lobbyist pal (£) Sunday Times Nov 22 with another tale of chumocracy at work:
“Matt Hancock has failed to declare that he appointed his closest friend from university, who is the director of a lobbying firm, as an adviser — and later gave her a £15,000-a-year role on the board of his department.
“Gina Coladangelo, 42, is a director and major shareholder at Luther Pendragon, a lobbying firm based in central London that offers clients a “deep understanding of the mechanics of government”. She is also communications director at Oliver Bonas, a fashion and lifestyle store founded by her husband.
“Hancock, the health secretary, first met Coladangelo, a public relations consultant, while involved with radio at Oxford University and the pair remain close friends. In March, he secretly appointed her as an unpaid adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on a six-month contract. She has since accompanied Hancock, 42, to confidential meetings with civil servants and visited No 10 Downing Street.
… “In September, Hancock appointed Coladangelo as a non-executive director at DHSC, meaning that she is a member of the board that scrutinises the department. There is no public record of the appointment, which will see her earn at least £15,000 of taxpayers’ money and could rise by a further £5,000.”

(22 Nov 2020) Student nurses on Covid placements in UK call for return of paid NHS contracts Guardian Nov 22: "Student nurses are calling for paid contracts to be reinstated for those on placement in hospitals in the UK, saying they feel “forgotten about” during the second wave of Covid-19.
"In March, final-year student nurses in the last six months of their degree were offered the option to join the NHS workforce under paid contracts. Other final year students and those in second year could also opt in for paid clinical work.
"Paid contracts finished in September as pressure on the health service eased, and there are no plans to reintroduce them in any of the four nations of the UK.
"As admissions to hospitals rise this winter, many student nurses are now being drafted in to help on Covid wards. In England and Scotland, their student status also means they are not automatically eligible for the death-in-service benefits that paid NHS staff receive."

(22 Nov 2020) Tory Steve Dechan’s £276m in PPE contracts lands him a place in the country (£) Times Nov 22 on yet more questionable behaviour in PPE cronygate:
"A former Conservative councillor, who was awarded £276m in government contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE), has traded his modest home for a £1.5m, 17th-century Cotswolds mansion with 100 acres of land.
"Steve Dechan is the owner of Platform-14, a Gloucestershire firm that specialises in medical devices for people with chronic pain. It recorded a loss of almost £500,000 last year.
"In April, Dechan, 52, was awarded a £120m contract to supply masks. At the time it was the third largest order that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had placed for protective gear. He later received a further £156m to provide gowns and masks. Neither contract went through a competitive tender process."

(21 Nov 2020) My Little Crony Excellent interactive "visualization of the connections between Tory politicians and companies being awarded government contracts during the pandemic based on a wide range of investigative reporting."

(21 Nov 2020) A Covid ward consultant's powerful message for conspiracy theorists who say that coronavirus is a 'scamdemic' Manchester Evening News Nov 21 article from Dr David Oliver, an experienced NHS Consultant Physician and medical writer from Manchester:
"I want to explain how damaging it can be when some individuals or groups pump out untruths, distortions, bile and blame around the NHS frontline response to Covid-19.
"By November 18, the UK had recorded over 53,000 deaths from or with the virus and both Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have been rising steadily since October.
"Big regional variations have seen the North West hit hard.
… "We may all be fed up it and want to wish it all away, but Coronavirus still merits serious attention from policy makers, health and social care workers and the general public.
"Distorting the truth and attacking the key workers, helps no-one except individuals dining out on the notoriety and attention."

(21 Nov 2020) Mersey company forced to lay off staff as PPE contracts go to Tory connected firms buying from abroad Liverpool Echo Nov 21 with a local take on the PPE procurement scandal:
"A family-run Merseyside company has had to lay off a fifth of its workers after its offer to supply PPE to the government was ignored and then refused.
"The owners of Knowsley-based Florence Roby said they had been left frustrated by the government’s procurement process, that handed out contracts worth millions of pounds to brand new companies but overlooked UK-based businesses with years of manufacturing experience.
"Business owner Jan Roby said: “If we had been given just one contract we could have got more jobs going for local people.
“There’s a lot of local raw talent around, we could have brought them in. But we’re struggling to keep going and it’s heartbreaking because only last year we were picked out by the government as one of four model successful factory firms.
“Yet we weren’t model enough to even quote for a contract for PPE.”

(21 Nov 2020) Boris Johnson ‘acted illegally’ over jobs for top anti-Covid staff Guardian Nov 21 with more revelations of Cronygate or so-called chumocracy:
“Boris Johnson and his health secretary, Matt Hancock, acted “unlawfully” when appointing three key figures – including the head of NHS Test and Trace, Dido Harding – to posts in the fight against Covid-19, according to a legal challenge submitted by campaigners to the high court.
“The Observer has seen details of documents from those pursuing the case – and initial responses from government lawyers – relating to the call for a judicial review into the appointment of Baroness Harding, who is a Tory peer, and into those of Kate Bingham to the post of head of the UK’s vaccine taskforce and Mike Coupe to the role of director of testing at NHS Test and Trace.
“The case has been lodged jointly by the not-for-profit Good Law Project headed by Jolyon Maugham QC, and the UK’s leading race equality thinktank, the Runnymede Trust. If it is successful, it would represent a further serious blow to the credibility of the government’s handling of the pandemic and support claims that ministers have been running a “chumocracy”.”

(21 Nov 2020) Parliamentary Panel on COVID-19 Finds India's Response to Pandemic Ineffective The Wire India (Nov 21) on the failure of another right wing populist-led government to handle the Covid pandemic properly:
"Amid rising COVID-19 cases, inadequate beds in government hospitals and the absence of specific guidelines for the treatment resulted in private hospitals charging exorbitant fees, a parliamentary panel on Saturday said, asserting that a sustainable pricing model could have averted many deaths.
"Chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on health, Ram Gopal Yadav, submitted the report on Outbreak of Pandemic Covid-19 and its Management to Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
"This is the first report by any parliamentary committee on the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Underlining that healthcare spending in the country with a population of 1.3 billion is “abysmally low”, the panel said the fragility of the Indian health ecosystem posed a big hurdle in generating an effective response against the pandemic.
“The committee, therefore, strongly recommends the government to increase its investments in the public healthcare system and make consistent efforts to achieve the National Health Policy targets of expenditure up to 2.5% of GDP within two years as the set time frame of the year 2025 is far away and the public health cannot be jeopardised till that time schedule,” the report stated."

(21 Nov 2020) Reality check coming for deniers of the NHS challenge Lowdown Nov 21 comment on the minimal £3 billion increase in NHS spending announced ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's spending review.

(20 Nov 2020) How the Government spent £12 billion and still lost control of the virus Nov 20 KONP review by Dr Jacky Davis of Channel 4 Dispatches:
"Keep Our NHS Public's Jacky Davis, author of NHS for Sale: Myths, Lies and Deception finds that Channel 4's recent Dispatches programme, Lockdown Chaos is right - the Government's chaotic handling of the crisis has caused unnecessary deaths and lost the public's confidence in their ability to keep us safe.
"South Korea has a population of 51 million. As of this week, it had had 29,000 cases of Covid and under 500 deaths. The UK has a population of 68 million, with 1.4 million cases and 52,000 deaths. These figures are truly shocking and show that it didn't have to be this way in the UK. The big question now is how did our government manage to spend so much money and end up with the highest death rate in Europe?"

(18 Nov 2020) Johnson And Gove ‘Ripped Up The Rules’ On Covid PPE Contracts For Private Firms Huffington Post Nov 18: "Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have been accused of “ripping up the rules” on procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) with secret fast-track treatment for private firms personally recommended by politicians.
"Commons spending watchdog chair Meg Hillier hit out after a new National Audit Office (NAO) report revealed that a special “high priority lane” had been created by the government earlier this year to source masks, gloves and aprons to protect staff dealing with Covid.
"The NAO also criticised the lack of transparency and inadequate record-keeping as Johnson and his ministers scrambled to buy PPE and awarded £10.5 billion on contracts without a competitive tender process.
"Its investigation revealed for the first time the existence of the “high priority lane”, which was created for officials to act on “leads” from key figures in Westminster and Whitehall."

(18 Nov 2020) PPE suppliers with political ties given 'high-priority' status, report reveals Guardian Nov 18 on the NAO report that exposes PPE purchasing scandals:
"PPE suppliers with political connections were directed to a “high-priority” channel for UK government contracts where bids were 10 times more likely to be successful, according to a report by the parliamentary spending watchdog.
"Almost 500 suppliers with links to politicians or senior officials were referred to the channel, where their pitches for contracts were automatically treated as credible by government officials charged with procuring PPE."

(18 Nov 2020) England's contact tracing system so complex workers fear wrong advice could be given Telegraph Nov 18 finds room for some news amid the ravings of anti-maskers and Covid deniers:
"England’s test and trace service is so complex that those operating it say they fear that potentially dangerous symptoms could be missed or the wrong advice given to the public.
"Contact tracers speaking anonymously to The Telegraph said they also worried that people who test positive for Covid-19 are being called repeatedly to ensure they comply with orders to self-isolate. One extended family got 70 calls in one day, due to an oversight in the system.
"The NHS Test and Trace system - touted as “world-beating” when it was launched by Boris Johnson - is increasingly struggling to reach enough patients and their contacts.
"According to a Test and Trace tracker developed by the Health Foundation, an independent think tank, the system has only been able to reach an average of 60 per cent of those who had been in close contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus."

(17 Nov 2020) Highest number of weekly coronavirus deaths since mid-May in England and Wales, ONS figures show Independent Nov 17 with a grim reminder for the Covid deniers:
"The highest number of weekly coronavirus deaths in England and Wales has been recorded since mid-May, new figures show.
"A total of 1,937 people died from Covid-19 complications in the week up to 6 November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is up from 1,379 deaths in the previous week — a jump of 40 per cent -— and marks the highest weekly figure since 22 May.
"The number of Covid-related deaths that occurred in hospitals rose by 442 between 30 October and 6 November, bringing the weekly total to 1,520. "

(17 Nov 2020) Sky high costs paid for PPE - PQ Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan , Commons Nov 17: - The price of an FFP2 mask, bought by the government, increased by 1400% & gowns by 350%... so can the minister categorically assure the country that no Tory Party donors are profiteering from the pandemic?

(17 Nov 2020) Go-between paid £21m in taxpayer funds for NHS PPE BBC News Nov 17: hard edged story with predictable softening by inclusion of government denial.
"A Spanish businessman who acted as a go-between to secure protective garments for NHS staff in the coronavirus pandemic was paid $28m (£21m) in UK taxpayer cash.
"The consultant had been in line for a further $20m of UK public funds, documents filed in a US court reveal. The legal papers also reveal the American supplier of the PPE called the deals "lucrative".
"The Department of Health said proper checks are done for all contracts."

(17 Nov 2020) Confusion over hospital’s ‘critical incident’ (£)HSJ report Nov 17: "A hospital trust struggling under an influx of covid patients has denied it declared a critical incident after confusion about how it had responded to extreme pressure over the last few days.
"Medway Foundation Trust was understood to have declared the incident after a difficult weekend was followed by an even more challenging Monday. But at lunchtime on Wednesday, nearly 24 hours after being notified of HSJ’s understanding, it issued a statement from chief executive James Devine saying no “official critical incident” had been declared.
“While we are seeing an increase in demand for our services due to an increase in coronavirus patients, we are working with NHS partners across Kent and Medway to maintain services for our patients and will continue to review our approach,” he said.
"However, NHS staff have continued to contact HSJ with concerns about how the trust was coping. One source told HSJ the pressure within the hospital was at levels not seen before. Another spoke of staff members being in tears amid long delays for ambulance handovers. "

(17 Nov 2020) Rishi Sunak refuses to say if he will profit from Moderna Covid vaccine Guardian Nov 17 on yet another shady side to a profoundly dodgy ex-banker Tory chancellor: "The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has refused to disclose whether he will profit from a surge in the share price of the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna, one of the biggest investments held by the hedge fund he co-founded before entering parliament.
"Moderna has become the latest biotech firm to announce successful trials of its vaccine, declaring on Monday that it was 94.5% effective in trials.
"Sunak was a founding partner of Theleme Partners, a major investor in Moderna, and one of the executives managing its US office. He left the firm in 2013, returning to the UK to pursue his political career.
"It is not known whether the chancellor retained any investment in the Theleme fund after leaving. Theleme is registered in the Cayman Islands, a tax haven which does not make company records public. Ordinarily, a partner in a hedge fund would own a stake in the management company and have money invested in its fund."

(16 Nov 2020) Mass testing for covid-19 in the UK Hard hitting BMJ Editorial Nov 16 on the flaws of the Moonshot mass testing project:
“Despite claims by the city council that the Innova test is “very accurate with high sensitivity and specificity,” it has not been evaluated in these conditions. The test’s instructions for use state that it should not be used on asymptomatic people.
“A preliminary evaluation from Porton Down and Oxford University9 throws little light on its performance in asymptomatic people or in the field. It suggests the test misses between one in two and one in four cases.
“… Spending the equivalent of 77% of the NHS annual revenue budget on an unevaluated underdesigned national programme leading to a regressive, insufficiently supported intervention—in many cases for the wrong people—cannot be defended.”

(16 Nov 2020) ‘Mega labs’ to open early 2021, doubling government’s testing capacity Independent Nov 16 on the latest extension of privatisation in the government's response to Covid 19:
"The government has announced the opening of two new “mega labs” early next year, which are set to more than double the UK’s daily coronavirus testing capacity.
"The laboratories will be able to process up to 600,000 samples a day when operating at full capacity, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
"One will be based in Leamington Spa and the other in Scotland. The exact location of the latter is yet to be confirmed, said Scotland’s health secretary Jeane Freeman, calling it an "important step in our fight against the virus”."

(16 Nov 2020) Sweden limits public gatherings as pandemic second wave swells Nov 16: the wheels fall off Sweden's policy of doing nothing to combat Covid:
"The Swedish government on Monday moved to cut the size of public gatherings sharply as it sought to come to grips with a second wave of the pandemic that has seen record daily numbers of new cases and growing pressure on hospitals.
"Swedes are not sticking to coronavirus recommendations as well as in the spring and public gatherings will now be limited to eight people, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said, down from a previous upper limit of 300.
"This is the new norm for the entire society," Lofven told a news conference. "Don't go to gyms, don't go to libraries, don't host dinners. Cancel."
"The resurgence of the disease hit Sweden weeks later than much of continental Europe, but the number of new infections has picked up speed since the turn of the month, with rising admissions to intensive care units and general Covid-19 wards."

(15 Nov 2020) 'Chumocracy': how Covid revealed the new shape of the Tory establishment Guardian Nov 15: “The anti-establishment claims of a government led by Johnson and Dominic Cummings were always audacious, and in the appointments and contracts awarded during the pandemic, the shape of a Tory establishment has come into focus. Critics are calling it a “chumocracy”.
“Companies benefiting from government contracts awarded during the pandemic have links, among others, to the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and Cummings, the prime minister’s chief adviser. Cummings shock departure from Downing Street following the resignation of his close ally Lee Cain, who was head of communications, now signal a realignment of power in No 10, but the web of connections drawing complaints of “cronyism” extend beyond any single Tory faction.”

(15 Nov 2020) George Pascoe-Watson among lobbyists given secret access to Covid meetings Sunday Times Nov 15 link to their extended exposee of "chumocracy": "One of Britain’s most influential lobbyists secretly served as an adviser to a health minister for six months — before sending sensitive information on lockdown policy to paying clients.
"George Pascoe-Watson is chairman of Portland Communications, a lobbying firm that represents pharmaceutical companies, weapons manufacturers and banks.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) appointed Pascoe-Watson, 55, a former journalist, as an adviser during the pandemic’s first wave on April 9 without announcing the move."

(15 Nov 2020) Chumocracy first in line as ministers splash Covid cash Sunday Times feature Nov 15 “… the government has awarded £1.5bn of taxpayers’ money to companies linked to the Conservative Party during the coronavirus pandemic. None of the firms were prominent government suppliers before this year.
“In normal times, ministers must advertise contracts for privately provided services so that any company has a chance of securing the work. A person’s connections are not supposed to help.
“The government is also legally required to publish details of awarded contracts within 30 days, so the public knows how its money is being spent.
“During the pandemic, neither has happened. Facing a sudden need to deliver millions of items of PPE, test kits and vaccines, ministers used emergency procedures to award work directly.
“According to Tussell, a data provider on official spending, Whitehall departments have taken an average of 72 days to publicise who has received money, meaning public debate has often moved on before decisions can be scrutinised.”

(15 Nov 2020) Norfolk Covid-19 test centre closed after coronavirus outbreak among staff Eastern Daily Press 15 Nov: “A drive-through coronavirus testing site on the edge of Norwich has had to close - because of an outbreak of Covid-19 among the staff who work there.
“The closure of the government testing centre at Postwick Park and Ride site on Sunday morning meant people who had booked tests at the centre were redirected elsewhere.
“They were told they would have to travel to Great Yarmouth or Ipswich to be tested. "There were reports that up to 14 workers at the centre had tested positive for the virus since Friday.
"A spokesman for G4S said: … “Those with tests booked have been redirected to nearby test sites.”

(15 Nov 2020) Thousands of NHS staff face a 'disgusting' 200 per cent hike in hospital parking fees, with new permits costing as much as £1,440 Mail on Sunday Nov 15 steams in to attack … the government:
"Thousands of NHS staff will be hit with ‘disgusting’ hikes for their hospital car parking, making a mockery of Ministers’ temporary free parking pledge, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
"An internal document leaked to this newspaper shows the cost of annual parking permits will go up by 200 per cent for NHS workers at one of the UK’s biggest trusts, with new permits costing up to £1,440.
"One senior nurse, who has worked for the NHS for 30 years, will see her annual parking charge rise from £240 to £720 as a result."

(14 Nov 2020) How a national response could address an unprecedented COVID-19 surge across Canada Nov 14 warning from CBC: "COVID-19 levels are surging across Canada at rates never before seen in the pandemic and showing no signs of slowing down.
"The coronavirus continues to spread like wildfire both in areas that were hit hard in the first wave and those that were practically untouched previously, and the reaction from the federal government has taken a desperate tone.
""I'm imploring the premiers and our mayors to please do the right thing," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week. "Act now to protect public health."
"We're now averaging 4,000 coronavirus cases and 50 deaths per day, with more than 45,000 active cases across the country.
"A record of nearly 5,000 cases and 83 deaths were also reported in a single day in Canada this week, and we're on track to record over 10,000 cases a day by early next month."

(14 Nov 2020) Lockdown may be looming for Ontario — but what that looks like isn't clear CBC Nov 14 on Ontario, which could face 6,500 daily cases by December: ""We're staring down the barrel of another lockdown," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday. "And I will not hesitate for a second if we have to go further."
"It was a blunt statement about a blunt instrument: some combination of widespread restrictions, closures and a potential declaration of emergency.
"It's a situation few Ontarians want to see again, Ford among them — but some warn it may now be unavoidable as the province's COVID-19 cases keep surging to new heights, with more people filling hospital beds week after week.
"We're not looking down the barrel at a lockdown," said Toronto-based physician epidemiologist Dr. Nitin Mohan. "A lockdown is inevitable."

(14 Nov 2020) Sweden has admitted its coronavirus immunity predictions were wrong as cases soar across the country Business Insider Nov 14 on Sweden where the policy of ignoring Covid and relying on "herd immunity" has gone horribly wrong, and led to one of the highest per capita death rates in the world:
"Sweden's chief epidemiologist has acknowledged the country is experiencing a second surge in coronavirus cases despite previously predicting that the number of infections in the autumn would be "quite low" because of the country's no-lockdown policy.
"In the autumn there will be a second wave," the chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, told the Financial Times back in May. "Sweden will have a high level of immunity and the number of cases will probably be quite low."
"The latest figures, however, show Sweden is experiencing higher levels of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths than its neighbors, relative to its population size, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
"Sweden recorded 4,658 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, according to official figures reported by Reuters, with new daily cases having surged in recent weeks."

(14 Nov 2020) The vaccine scramble Useful reminder from Labour Hub Nov 14: "After the relief at the discovery of a vaccine that is 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, the pressing question is: who is going to get it?
"For billions of people around the world, there will not be a vaccine any time soon. The company which announced that it has a vaccine says it has the capacity to produce the two required doses for 675 million people by the end of 2021. But rather than distribute them globally according to need, rich countries have already bought up most of the doses.
"The obvious solution is to bring together the world’s resources to produce more of the vaccine as fast as possible. The problem is that Pfizer has exclusive rights to make this vaccine and has no plan to share it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a plan that allows companies and governments to work together to scale up production – a plan that Pfizer has called “nonsense”. Meanwhile, on Monday, the value of its shares went up by 11%."

(13 Nov 2020) ‘No One Is Listening to Us’ Nov 13 feature in The Atlantic on the toll the Covid pandemic is taking on US health workers as beds fill up again:
"In the U.S., states now report more people in the hospital with COVID-19 than at any other point this year—and 40 percent more than just two weeks ago.
"Emergency rooms are starting to fill again with COVID-19 patients. Utah, where Nathan Hatton is a pulmonary specialist at the University of Utah Hospital, is currently reporting 2,500 confirmed cases a day, roughly four times its summer peak. Hatton says that his intensive-care unit is housing twice as many patients as it normally does. His shifts usually last 12 to 24 hours, but can stretch to 36. “There are times I’ll come in in the morning, see patients, work that night, work all the next day, and then go home,” he told me."

(13 Nov 2020) Government fails to follow own transparency guidelines with over 200 PPE contracts Channel 4 fact Check from Nov 13: "The government failed to follow its own transparency guidelines over 200 times on contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) worth nearly £6bn of public money in total, FactCheck can reveal.
"Departments were reminded in March this year that they could make deals for vital supplies without going through the usual competition processes because of the coronavirus crisis – that’s always been the case in an emergency. But they were told that when that happens, “you should publish a contract award notice (regulation 50) within 30 days of awarding the contract.”
"Our analysis, which covers the period between 1 January and 28 October this year, found 246 “direct award” contracts for PPE where the government failed to meet that deadline. Though ours was not an exhaustive search.
"Among them, we found 115 deals that were published more than 90 days after being awarded without a competitive process. Together, they were worth £3.1bn."

(13 Nov 2020) Covid-19: politicisation, “corruption,” and suppression of science Grim warnings in Nov 13 BMJ editorial: "Politicians and governments are suppressing science. They do so in the public interest, they say, to accelerate availability of diagnostics and treatments. They do so to support innovation, to bring products to market at unprecedented speed.
"Both of these reasons are partly plausible; the greatest deceptions are founded in a grain of truth. But the underlying behaviour is troubling.
"Science is being suppressed for political and financial gain. Covid-19 has unleashed state corruption on a grand scale, and it is harmful to public health. Politicians and industry are responsible for this opportunistic embezzlement.
"So too are scientists and health experts. The pandemic has revealed how the medical-political complex can be manipulated in an emergency—a time when it is even more important to safeguard science."

(13 Nov 2020) Carillion directors to face FCA action for misleading investors Financial Times Nov 13 on continuing aftershocks of the collapse of a major private contractor that left NHS PFI projects in chaos:
"“The UK’s financial regulator has said it is planning to take action against former directors of Carillion, almost three years after the government contractor collapsed under £7bn of liabilities, leaving taxpayers to pick up the pieces.
“On Friday, the Financial Conduct Authority announced that it had issued warning notices to the company itself and to “certain previous executive directors” over a series of breaches of financial rules before the business failed.
“These include giving “false or misleading signals as to the value of its shares”, “failing to take reasonable care to ensure that its announcements were not misleading, false or deceptive”, and “failing to take reasonable steps to establish and maintain adequate procedures, systems and controls”.”

(13 Nov 2020) Feldman health advisory role with government questioned Financial Time Nov 13 revealing more underhand dealing by ministers:
“Former Conservative party chairman Andrew Feldman was quietly given a job advising a health minister in the spring despite potential conflicts of interest with clients of the lobbying firm that he runs.
“Lord Feldman, who has been mooted as a contender for next Downing Street chief of staff, worked as an unpaid adviser to health minister Lord Bethell between March 24 and May 15 this year, an investigation by Open Democracy, the news website, has established.
“At the time the government was assembling an informal “task force” with private and public sector organisations to scale up coronavirus testing as a precursor to its test and trace programme.
“The Tory peer is also managing director of Tulchan, a position he has held since last year after joining the PR consultancy in 2018. Yet his advisory role, which was supported by a “small civil service private office”, according to officials, was never formally announced by the government.”

(13 Nov 2020) Safety officials had 'political' pressure to approve PPE BBC News Nov 13: "Britain's safety watchdog felt leaned on by the government to make factually incorrect statements about PPE suits bought for NHS staff earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic, the BBC has found.
"Emails reveal how the Health and Safety Executive said protective suits, bought by the government in April, had not been tested to the correct standard.
"But the emails describe "political" pressure to approve them for use."

(12 Nov 2020) Covid patients ‘head to toe’ on trolleys in A&E spark warnings over ‘lethal’ situation Independent Nov 12 lifts the lid on the desperate situation in Greater Manchester:
"Patients, including those with the coronavirus, are being kept “head to toe” on trolleys in accident and emergency departments in Manchester, with some forced to wait up to 40 hours for a bed.
"The “dangerous” situation has sparked warnings from the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine over the “potentially lethal” crowding of patients in A&Es across the country this winter.
"Katherine Henderson said she was “absolutely terrified” by what was happening in some departments. She said she had warned NHS England about the dangers of crowding patients in A&E but that not enough action had been taken.
"She told The Independent: “Crowding in A&E is unsafe, but with coronavirus it is potentially lethal. We have said this endlessly to NHS England."

(12 Nov 2020) More nurses on NMC register but risk of ‘future problems’ Nursing Times Nov 12 on the impact of international nurse recruitment to the NHS “falling off a cliff”:
“Dr Billy Palmer, senior research fellow at Nuffield Trust, said the figures around international recruitment showed the pandemic was “storing up problems for the future”. Research it has conducted with other leading health think tanks determined that 5,000 migrant nurses a year were needed in England alone if the government was to meet its promise of delivering 50,000 extra nurses by 2025.
“Before the pandemic we were briefly on track – but now these figures show international recruitment has fallen by two thirds, compared with this time last year,” warned Dr Palmer. “In the months covered here, we lost 500 nurses from the EEA, and only gained 1,600 from the rest of the world.
“This will mean we need to recruit even more from abroad in future, at a time of global shortage and when we are about to impose more costs and bureaucracy on EU migrants.”
“The 50,000-nurse pledge was a key aspect of the Conservative Party’s manifesto that led to Boris Johnson becoming prime minster in December 2019.”

(12 Nov 2020) 'Hostile environment' supporter appointed to EHRC equality watchdog You couldn't make this up: Middle East Eye Nov 12 with news of a hugely unsuitable appointment: "The UK government has appointed a supporter of its "hostile environment" policy as a commissioner on its equalities watchdog, the EHRC, which is currently investigating the Home Office over the linked Windrush scandal in which hundreds of people from Black and ethnic minorities were wrongly deported.
"David Goodhart's appointment was announced on Wednesday on the same day that a scathing report by parliament's human rights committee found that the Equality and Human Rights Commission was failing to promote and protect Black people's rights.
"Goodhart is a journalist and author who currently heads an immigration and integration research unit at the right-wing Policy Exchange think tank.
"He has written in support of the Home Office's "hostile environment" policy, a series of measures introduced during the 2010s under then-home secretary Theresa May that were intended to make life more difficult for people living irregularly in the UK."

(12 Nov 2020) Test And Trace Fails To Reach 124,000 'Close Contacts' Of Covid Cases In A Single Week Huffington Post Nov 12: "Boris Johnson’s Test and Trace service has failed to reached 124,000 “close contacts” of people with Covid-19 in a single week, new figures show.
"The controversial system is continuing to miss nearly 40% of those identified as having been near someone who tested positive in England, according to the latest statistics for October 29 to November 4.
"Although there has been a slight improvement, some 60.4% of close contacts were not reached and therefore not told to self-isolate for the required 14 days.
"Government advisers have consistently told the PM that an 80% contact rate is needed to make the entire service viable to break transmission of the virus and stop its spread."

(12 Nov 2020) NHSE: Some GP practices will have to vaccinate patients on Christmas Day Pulse Nov 12 on the latest government edicts apparently designed to make life as a GP as miserable and stressful as possible: "GP practices in some areas will need to provide Covid vaccinations on Christmas Day, NHS England has confirmed to Pulse.
"NHS England emphasised that it will not be an explicit requirement that all practices will have to open on Christmas Day when the DES is published later this month.
"But they said the nature of the vaccine means that some GP-led vaccination centres will inevitably need to provide the vaccinations over bank holidays during the festive period.
"The letter informing practices about the Covid vaccination programme had said that vaccination sites ‘will need to be able to deliver a vaccination service seven days per week including bank holidays between 8am and 8pm’."

(12 Nov 2020) England test-and-trace system hit by 'huge' IT problems last month Guardian Nov 12: "The government’s struggling test and trace system for England was hit by “huge” IT issues that delayed calls to some of the most vulnerable coronavirus patients last month, NHS emails show.
"Sources said the previously undisclosed problems led to delays of up to 48 hours in reaching potentially infected people linked to care homes and hospitals.
"The government’s scientific advisers have said 80% of an infected person’s close contacts should be reached within 24 hours to stem the spread of the disease.
"The IT failure happened in mid-October when the numbers of infections and people in hospital were rising exponentially across large parts of the UK. They will add to concerns that the £12bn system has failed to keep up with the second wave, which it was supposed to help prevent."

(12 Nov 2020) As Covid cases build, more people waited over 12 hours for a bed at one Greater Manchester hospital trust than anywhere else in the country - top medics say "it's dangerous and unsafe" Manchester Evening News Nov 12: "“Two hundred people waited more than 12 hours for a bed at A&Es run by Pennine Acute NHS Trust last month as the second wave of Covid and the start of winter pressures hit simultaneously.
“The trust - which runs the Royal Oldham, North Manchester General and Fairfield General - recorded more 12-hour waits than anywhere else in the country and accounted for a sixth of those experienced nationally.
“It is understood the pressures have been particularly severe at the Royal Oldham, which serves a borough that has had consistently high Covid infection rates for months, a situation now feeding through into hospitals.
“… Overall, the number of people waiting 12 hours or more for a bed - once being assessed at A&E as needing one - has more than quadrupled in Greater Manchester compared to this time last year.”

(12 Nov 2020) Deloitte’s COVID ‘bonanza’: this is how much the British public has paid so far Caroline Molloy for Open democracy Nov 12: "The Department of Health handed £38.8 million to accountancy firm Deloitte in July this year, for unspecified “services” relating to Test and Trace, new figures reveal.
"This is the first time we’ve known how much Deloitte is being paid for its work on the “failing” Test and Trace system.
"The payments are separate from the £22 million of Deloitte COVID contracts published by the government so far – which involve other, unrelated COVID work such as sourcing ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment.
"Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth said Test and Trace was resulting in a “bonanza for discredited outsourcing firms and consultants.” He told openDemocracy: “No one knows what this money has been actually spent on but we do know Test and Trace has failed to keep the virus under control and the consequence is Boris Johnson’s hard lockdown.”

(12 Nov 2020) Test and trace system has yet to see major progress as second wave persists NHS Confederation, Nov 12, warning of the need to improve disastrous privatised test and trace: "“There have some modest improvements, for example, in reduced turnaround times for in-person test results, but we are not seeing the rapid or significant progress that will be needed to make the test and trace system the ‘world beating’ programme we were promised.
"It is vital that the time remaining in this new lockdown period is used to make this progress, as we wait for the wider rollout of a vaccine."

(11 Nov 2020) COVID-19-positive nurses in North Dakota get OK to keep working amid staffing shortage Becker's Hospital Review Nov 11 with a surprising story emphasising staff shortages:
"The state's interim health officer, Dirk Wilke, revised an order to allow the measure, Gov. Doug Burgum said Nov. 9 at a local news conference. The move would pose little risk of spread, as infected nurses and physicians wear personal protective equipment and would only care for patients who already have the virus, Mr. Burgum said. The revision is part of the CDC's crisis guidelines to mitigate staffing shortages and comes as the state confronts increased hospitalizations and maximum bed capacity. "

(11 Nov 2020) Trying to “Protect the NHS” in the United Kingdom New England Journal of Medicine summary by Brit Dr David Hunter Nov 11:
"A centerpiece of the government’s response was to be a “world-beating” test, trace, and isolate (TTI) system. Although nearly all public health officers recommended that such a system should reinforce local “boots on the ground” capacity, contracts were given to private companies to build a highly centralized call center, in which minimally trained workers would contact people who had tested positive and attempt to reach their close contacts with the advice to self-isolate.
"The leaders of the laboratory process similarly ignored requests to strengthen local laboratories and instead built from scratch a network of seven “Lighthouse Laboratories” to which samples had to be sent long distances, with a consequent increase in test turnaround time.
"Not surprisingly, the TTI system has consistently underperformed, even when case numbers were much lower in July and August. It is now unable to keep up with the surge in infections, and the companies managing it have finally reached out to local public health authorities for help."

(11 Nov 2020) Labs sound alarm on coronavirus testing capacity, supplies US story on labs under strain Nov 11, Politico: "Clinical laboratories are warning they could soon face delays processing coronavirus tests, similar to slowdowns this summer, as infections again surge to record numbers across the country.
"The nation’s testing capacity has increased, but not fast enough to keep pace with the swarm of new cases. Over the past week, the U.S. conducted nearly 10 million coronavirus tests, an increase of 12.5 percent from the previous week, while confirmed cases rose 40.8 percent to more than 875,000.
"Quest Diagnostics this week said its average turnaround time for PCR testing is two days, but private labs say results will take longer to process once the number of new samples begins to exceed testing capacity.
"The surge in demand for testing will mean that some members could reach or exceed their current testing capacities in the coming days," said Julie Khani, the president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association, which represents private labs, including LabCorp and Quest."

(11 Nov 2020) A toxic UK-US deal is just as likely under President Biden Guardian Nov 11 with a grim reminder: "Trade deals are driven by big business interests. The demand that we import chlorinated chicken comes from US agribusiness. The demand that the NHS pay higher charges for medicines comes from the pharmaceutical industry. The demand to drop our digital services tax comes from Silicon Valley’s big tech corporations.
"That’s why it was the Obama-Biden administration that pushed the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the US-EU trade deal that caused controversy across Europe, and that looked very similar to the US deal currently under discussion. "

(11 Nov 2020) Elective care in England Important Nov 11 long read from Health Foundation notes:
"Before the pandemic, meeting the 18-week standard would have required the NHS to treat an additional 500,000 patients a year for the next 4 years – an unprecedented increase in activity, which looked unrealistic before COVID-19 and looks even harder now.
"The number of people waiting for consultant-led elective care was 4.2 million in August 2020, around 196,000 less than at the end of 2019 (4.4 million). But this is only the case because the 32% reduction in the number of elective care pathways completed was exceeded by the 34% reduction in the number of new pathways being started."

(10 Nov 2020) Vaccine taskforce chief may benefit from £49m UK investment Guardian Nov 10 on yet more chronic Tory cronyism:
"Kate Bingham, chair of the government’s vaccine taskforce, is facing questions over whether she will benefit from a $65m (£49m) UK taxpayer-backed investment into a fund run by her private equity firm.
"Bingham, a venture capitalist married to Treasury minister Jesse Norman, has already come under fire over allegations she revealed sensitive information to a private investors’ conference and insisted on hiring costly PR advisers.
"She is expected to leave her post at the end of the year, according to a government source who said her contract ran until January 2021 and she had always intended to leave at that point."

(10 Nov 2020) UK set to cut Covid self-isolation to 10 days after Cummings and Whitty row Guardian Nov 10 on the continuing contradiction between ideology and science, and the government's refusal to recognise that for millions isolation only possible with full financial support:
"The Covid self-isolation period is expected to be cut from two weeks to 10 days after a row involving Prof Chris Whitty and Dominic Cummings, who had been pushing for a more drastic change, the Guardian understands.
"The reduced quarantine time is to be made possible by increasing the use of rapid tests – for which the UK government has paid more than £500m, despite the fact that some are not designed to test people without symptoms.
"It comes amid growing concerns about compliance, with only 11% of people abiding fully by the current two-week self-isolation rule, according to research by King’s College London in September."

(9 Nov 2020) The UK needs a sustainable strategy for COVID-19 Lancet article spells out sustainable combined strategy to contain and deal with Covid-19. It begins with the basics:
"To avoid repeated lockdowns and their impacts, we need a sustainable COVID-19 public health strategy. Here, we make seven evidence-based recommendations (a schematic representation is available in the appendix).
First, we need urgent reform of the ineffective private sector run find, test, trace, isolate, and support system.
"As recommended by Independent SAGE, the current system in England must be integrated with and led by National Health Service (NHS) England, with leadership from local Directors of Public Health, so that local knowledge can facilitate timely contact tracing. To ensure prompt testing, we recommend bringing together all current test providers in a national COVID-19 testing consortium, under the oversight and management of NHS England.
"To make this system effective, people should be supported to isolate when required (so-called supported isolation) with accommodation, domestic assistance, financial support, and greater resourcing for mutual-aid groups.
"We urge the government to cease extravagant promises about aspirational technologies. Technologies only deliver health care or save lives when integrated into clinical practice in an adequately resourced health-care system.
"Focusing on the potential of a technology that does not yet exist, or is not yet widely used in the NHS, might undermine trust in the government and hamper the pandemic response."

(9 Nov 2020) NHS test and trace: Dido Harding’s husband told to self-isolate Guardian Nov 9 on a gruesome Tory twosome, who apparently don't have contact wityh each other very often:
"The MP husband of the NHS test – and trace chief, Dido Harding, has been told to self-isolate after potentially coming into contact with someone who has coronavirus.
"The Conservative MP John Penrose was alerted by the NHS Covid-19 app, part of the operation overseen by his wife. Lady Harding had not been told to self-isolate, Penrose said.
"The Weston-super-Mare MP said on Twitter: “It never rains but it pours…. my NHS app has just gone off, telling me to self-isolate, which I’m doing. No symptoms so far *crosses fingers*.”
"Asked if he had spoken to his wife about it, he told PA Media: “We are trying to make sure we are doing it by the book, if I can put it that way. Her NHS app has not gone off, so it’s someone I have been in contact with rather than her.”

(9 Nov 2020) The Pfizer vaccine news is welcome but for the NHS, this battle is far from over Independent overview Nov 9: "The British government has ordered up to 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, amid optimism the medication could be the way out of the Covid dark ages.
"But we are not there yet and there are significant reasons to hold off celebrating just yet.
"First off, the second wave crisis engulfing hospitals in northern England is going to spread to the south. The national lockdown will help reduce the numbers of patients being admitted to hospital but only after the next two weeks. Until then numbers may continue rising, operations will be cancelled. The traditional winter crisis period for the health service is fast approaching."

(9 Nov 2020) UK vaccine taskforce chief Kate Bingham expected to quit Guardian Nov 9 on the latest Tory crony caught in the spotlight:
"Kate Bingham, the beleaguered chair of the UK vaccine taskforce, is expected to leave her post at the end of the year, according to a government source.
"Bingham, a venture capitalist married to Treasury minister Jesse Norman, has come under fire for her use of expensive PR consultants and allegations over a presentation to a private investors’ conference. She is set to leave her post when her contract runs out in January 2021, with the source saying it “had always been clear” that was her intention.
"Labour had asked the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, to investigate claims that Bingham disclosed sensitive information about potential targets for the government’s vaccines push to a $200-a-head private conference."

(9 Nov 2020) UK government fails to publish details of £4bn Covid contracts with private firms Guardian Nov 9 on the ongoing fight by the Good Law project to expose the network of contracts worth billions handed out with no competition or scrutiny:
"The government has failed to publish any information about £4bn of Covid-related contracts awarded to private companies, in what appears to be a continuing breach of UK law.
"The gap was uncovered by campaign group the Good Law Project, which along with a cross-party group of MPs, is suing the health secretary, Matt Hancock, in the high court. They are accusing his ministry of an “egregious and widespread failure to comply with legal duties and established policies”.
"The group is warning of a “transparency gap” and is pushing for an independent judge-led inquiry into the billions spent on personal protective equipment, medicines and virus testing and tracing since the pandemic began."

(9 Nov 2020) US coronavirus cases pass 10 million after 60% surge in two weeks Mirror Nov 9 with the latest on the pandemic worsened by the irresponsibility of Donald Trump:
"The US has confirmed that its coronavirus cases have surpassed 10 million after daily infections surged more than 60% over two weeks.
"The news was announced tonight by John Hopkins University, as President-Elect Joe Biden revealed he was forming a new coronavirus taskforce and urged all Americans to not politicise the pandemic.
"As the nation passes the grim milestone tonight and cases continue to surge in nearly every state, there was a clear sign from Biden that he is well aware that it will be the biggest challenge facing him when he takes office in January.
"America has the worst death toll of any nation in the world, with close to 250,000 among the dead."

(9 Nov 2020) Adult day care centres denied access to ‘vital’ coronavirus testing Independent Nov 9: "Thousands of people with dementia, learning difficulties and other mental health conditions, as well as their carers, have been unable to get tests for the coronavirus and face missing out on vital support, The Independent can reveal.
"The government has rolled out extensive testing in care homes and hospital settings, yet the same programme has not been provided for day centres, many of which have been forced to scale back the services they offer.
"The charity Carers UK warned that a lack of testing “will be a factor in stopping hundreds of centres” from being able to deliver crucial services for thousands of vulnerable people."

(9 Nov 2020) Vaccines tsar hit by 'cronyism' claims row to step down at end of the year Mirror Nov 9 on the crony in the media spotlight: "UK Vaccines Taskforce Chair Kate Bingham is to step down from her post at the end of the year.
"The Financial Times reported the head of Boris Johnson's vaccine taskforce will step down amid criticism that she spent £670,000 of taxpayer's money with a PR firm.
"Meanwhile the Tories were accused of “dodgy cronyism” over claims Bingham showed US financiers private Government documents at a $200-a-head conference.
"The FT reports Government officials said of Bingham: "She's off at the end of the year."

(9 Nov 2020) As Millions of Americans Seek ACA Coverage, Republicans Aim to Overturn the Law at the U.S. Supreme Court US Commonwealth Fund (Nov 9) explains the fresh attempt in Supreme Court to overturn the remainder of President Obama’s Affordable care Act:
“The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) open-enrollment period — when consumers can shop and sign up for health care on the marketplaces — is now underway. The number of Americans seeking coverage in the marketplaces this fall may exceed last year’s figure because millions have lost jobs and job-based health insurance during the pandemic.
“In addition, the fear of COVID-19 may drive other uninsured people to the marketplaces in search of protection from an illness that can be severe and costly.
“But 10 days into the open enrollment period, on November 10, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that seeks to overturn the ACA.
“In the middle of a raging pandemic, with more than 56,000 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the justices will hear arguments from Republican attorneys general in 18 states and the Trump administration that the law should be struck down.”

(9 Nov 2020) Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine found to be 90% effective in 'great day for science and humanity' Sky News with some good news Nov 9: "The coronavirus vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been found to be 90% effective in preventing people from getting the virus.
"Phase 3 of Pfizer's trial involved 43,538 participants from six countries. They received two doses of either the immunisation or a placebo, with 90% protected from the virus within 28 days of having their jabs.
"Only 94 people who took part in the trial developed coronavirus and no serious safety concerns were reported, the US pharmaceutical firm said.
"… A UK government spokesman said it is "optimistic about a breakthrough" but urged people to remember "there are no guarantees"."

(9 Nov 2020) NHS staff to get twice-weekly home covid tests with immediate effect HSJ report Nov 9: "The NHS will rollout twice-weekly asymptomatic testing for all patient-facing staff by the end of next week, according to a letter from NHS medical director Stephen Powis.
"Government said only last week that universal asymptomatic staff testing would start in December, but government has now agreed it will bring this forward to this week for a first tranche of 34 trusts; and all others next week. HSJ has asked if primary care is covered.
"The tests at 34 trusts this week will cover “over 250,000 staff,” Professor Powis said. He set out plans for the new testing regime in a letter to Commons health and social care committee chair Jeremy Hunt who has been pressing the government for routine staff testing since the summer."

(9 Nov 2020) NHS England should manage test and trace system, says Independent SAGE BMJ Nov 9 report on continued miserable performance of costly private contractors:
"The Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Independent SAGE) has renewed its call for urgent reform of the government’s covid-19 test and trace system,1 urging that it be replaced by a system overseen by the NHS to avoid future lockdowns.
"Independent SAGE showed that 1 217 214 contacts have been reached by England’s NHS Test and Trace service since May at an approximate cost of £10 000 per head so far, based on the government’s commitment to spend £12bn on a tracking system. Contact tracing in the national service is provided by the private companies Serco and Sitel.
"Latest figures show that the number of contacts traced has remained stagnant at around 60%. However, Kit Yates of the University of Bath concluded after analysing government data that only 14% of those who provided contacts have been reached and advised to quarantine. “We know that not everyone is isolating, because it’s not practical for people and they’re not being supported effectively,” he said, projecting that only 5-10% of those told to isolate are doing so."

(9 Nov 2020) Public sector pay ‘very likely’ to be frozen ‘at 1% for at least two years’ Nursing Notes Nov 9: "Public sector workers are “very likely” to have pay rises capped “at 1% for at least the next two years”, according to a source close to the issue.
"An unnamed Westminster official speaking exclusively with NursingNotes said; “We are in a difficult position – the Government has to decide between pay rises for public sector workers or supporting the most vulnerable in society for the duration of the Coronavirus pandemic”.
"The source continued; “I have seen plans that scope capping public sector pay rises at 1% for at least the next two years.” Adding; “Entering a second lockdown and extending the furlough scheme makes this very likely.”
"A pay cap would see NHS workers hit especially hard after they were missed out of a pay deal for public sector workers earlier this year.
"Figures suggest the most experienced frontline nurses have experienced a 20% real-terms pay cut over the past decade."

(8 Nov 2020) Director of beleaguered Test & Trace replaced by trust CEO (£)HSJ points to a reshuffle at the top of the failing service that leaves the useless Dido Harding in charge:
"A director of the beleaguered coronavirus test and trace programme has been replaced by a trust chief executive, HSJ has learned.
"Haroona Franklin was brought into the programme on a temporary basis from HM Revenue and Customs to run the contact tracing component, which has consistently failed to meet targets set by the government’s scientific advisors.
"She will be replaced by Steve McManus, chief executive of the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust, who is part-way through a six-month secondment to NHS Test and Trace and has been in an operational role in the “contain” part of the programme.
"Ms Franklin is understood to be moving to an as-yet-unspecified new role in the Department of Health and Social Care."

(8 Nov 2020) On health care, neither party offered what US voters want Balancing comment from The Lowdown (Nov 8) on the welcome ousting of lying crook Donald Trump (which was still unresolved when the article was written).
Biden's health care policies are a long way short of what most Americans want -- even according to a Fox News poll!
The lowdown analysis concludes: "A poll for Kaiser Health News found that most voters preferred Biden’s limited policies on health to Trump’s. But having rejected the bolder proposals of Medicare for All, he has limited his offer to capping price increases for already over-priced brand name and some generic drugs, and giving consumers subsidies and tax credits to help pay exorbitant premiums, with an option to purchase a public insurance plan (which would be free for the poorest, based on need).
"In June the Democrats in Congress passed a proposal to cap insurance costs at no more than 8.5% of income, but were not able to agree on much else of substance, leaving Biden and party candidates mouthing promises not far different from Donald Trump, pledging to “strengthen and improve our health care system to make it cheaper and easier for everyday Americans to get the care and coverage they need.”

(8 Nov 2020) President-Elect Biden Has A Plan To Combat COVID-19. Here's What's In It NPR Nov 8 report sounds promising until we get to point 4, "4. Help people get health insurance" – which leaves the parasitic insurance firms and the rip-off private hospital corporations in charge of the broken system. Biden rejects the proposal of 'Medicare [publicly funded health care system for seniors] for all,' supported by 72% of even Fox News audience:
"Millions of American have lost health insurance during the pandemic. Biden's coronavirus plan proposes to have the federal government cover 100% of the costs of COBRA coverage for the duration of the crisis. "So when people lose their employer-based health insurance, they can stay on that insurance, given the moment we are in," Stef Feldman, Biden's national policy director, told NPR.
"In addition, Biden will push to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, expanding coverage by making more people eligible for premium subsidies. Biden hopes also to push for expansion of Medicaid in states that have yet to do so, and he has proposed making Medicare coverage available to Americans beginning at age 60 (instead of 65)."

(8 Nov 2020) Exhausted NHS workers could quit their jobs after second Covid-19 wave, unions warn Mirror Nov 8: "Exhausted NHS staff could quit in their droves after the Covid-19 second wave, unions representing the workforce have warned.
"Unions representing 1.3 million staff today publish a joint letter to the Prime Minister today asking him to support those he dubbed the “beating heart of the nation”.
"The 14 health workers unions are demanding a commitment to this year reward the heroes battling to keep the NHS from being overwhelmed.
"It comes on the day inflation means many NHS workers including porters and cleaners are no longer getting the Real Living Wage. The Living Wage Foundation today (Monday) announces its new rate - independently calculated based on what people need to live on - of £9.50 an hour."

(8 Nov 2020) NHS England suspends one-to-one nursing for critically ill Covid patients Guardian Nov 8: "Nurses will be allowed to look after two critically ill Covid-19 patients at the same time after NHS bosses relaxed the rule requiring one-to-one treatment in intensive care as hospitals come under intense strain.
"NHS England has decided to temporarily suspend the 1:1 rule as the number of people who are in hospital very sick with Covid has soared to 11,514, of whom 986 are on a ventilator.
"The move comes amid concern that intensive care units, which went into the pandemic already short of nurses, are being hit by staff being off sick or isolating as a result of Covid."

(8 Nov 2020) The 31 worst postcodes for coronavirus cases in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire ranked - full list and latest figures Stoke Sentinel Nov 8: "Newcastle-under-Lyme is now one of England's worst coronavirus hotspots but the infection rate differs massively between different parts of North Staffordshire.
"The latest data released by Public Health England shows the areas where Covid-19 infections are highest. "The seven-day rolling rate is increasing rapidly across Newcastle borough, Stoke-on-Trent, the Staffordshire Moorlands and Stafford borough but the figures are very different depending on the postcode area.
"These can be broken down to small neighbourhoods used in compiling the national census.
"The latest map - depicting infection rates up to November 2 - shows that alarming new hotspots have emerged, some where the rate of infection has doubled or even tripled."

(7 Nov 2020) Vaccine tsar Kate Bingham runs up £670,000 PR bill Important exposee of yet more cronyism in (£) Times Nov 7: "The head of the government’s vaccine taskforce has charged the taxpayer £670,000 for a team of boutique relations consultants.
"Kate Bingham, a venture capitalist married to Jesse Norman, a Conservative minister, was appointed to the role by Boris Johnson.
"Since June she has used eight full-time consultants from Admiral Associates, a London PR agency, to oversee her media strategy.
"According to leaked documents, she has already spent £500,000 on the team, which is contracted until the end of the year. It means each consultant is on the equivalent of £167,000 a year — more than the prime minister’s salary.
"Bingham, 55, is said to have “insisted” on hiring them despite concerns they would duplicate the work of about 100 communications staff at the Department …"

(7 Nov 2020) Greater Manchester's NHS hospitals suspend non-urgent care BBC News Nov 7 – with a headline that ignores continuing outpatient and diagnostic services: “Hospitals in Greater Manchester are treating "more Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave", resulting in non-urgent care being suspended.
“Non-urgent hospital surgery and appointments will not go ahead as planned as coronavirus admissions have increased by 64 patients in a week. Urgent and emergency care, such as cancer treatment, will continue.
“Hospital chiefs said non-urgent work was "pausing" to ensure critical care facilities could be expanded.
“… Diagnostic services, including endoscopy, and the majority of out-patient services will not be affected. Patients were advised to "assume your treatment is continuing as planned" unless told otherwise.”

(7 Nov 2020) Test and trace needs radical reform in England, health experts say Guardian Nov 7: "The government faces renewed calls for the central NHS test and trace system to be scrapped in favour of handing responsibility for contact tracing to local public health teams.
"Weekly test and trace figures for England show it reached just under 60% of close contacts of people testing positive, the lowest since the service began. It comes as the Office for National Statistics indicated the steep rise in new infections was levelling off in England and stabilising at about 50,000 a day.
"Sir John Oldham, adjunct professor in global health innovation at Imperial College London and former leader of large-scale change at the Department of Health, said “lockdown will be a letdown” unless trust was increased through radical reform of test and trace."

(7 Nov 2020) Too late to find enough nurses for this winter, union warns Independent Nov 7 quoting warning from, the RCN:
"It is now too late to recruit enough nurses to meet the demands placed on the health service this winter, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
"The RCN, which represents more than 450,000 registered nurses, said any plans to cope with the second wave of Covid-19 created by ministers and the NHS has to be based on reality and specifically the number of nurses “actually available”.
"The union issued its dire patient safety warning as NHS England declared a national incident on Wednesday evening as England went back into a national lockdown to try and supress the spread of the virus again."

(6 Nov 2020) ‘Sticking plaster’ local contact tracing deluged with missed and out-dated Serco cases Manchester Evening News November 6: "Local contact tracing teams are being deluged with cases from the national Serco-run system, many of them already so out-of-date there is little point following them up.
"Public health departments have seen caseloads rocket in the past few weeks, with some town halls seeing six times the cases they had expected and well beyond what had been forecast. They are also seeing many cases arrive after a considerable lag of a week or more.
"One director of public health said her department was simply abandoning some of the ones being passed to it by Serco, because the seven-day delay on them is so long the resource is better deployed with other contact tracing work."

(6 Nov 2020) We need a public inquiry into how covid contracts are handed out Nov 6 blog for Left Foot Forward by Prem Sikka making a point that is becoming ever more urgent; "The UK government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been shambolic. Vast amounts of money have been spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) and test and trace facility, but with little accountability. There is an urgent need for an independent public inquiry.
"Cronyism, corruption, incompetence and inefficiencies have become hallmarks of coronavirus related contracts. Contracts for large values have been given to fledgling companies with no experience of PPE.
"At best, these companies acted as intermediaries and collected millions in commissions. The commissions could have been minimised or avoided by procuring supplies through Supply Chain Coordination Limited, a state owned company, specifically formed for that purpose."

(6 Nov 2020) Rapid test missed over 50% of positive cases in Manchester pilot BMJ Nov 6: “A rapid covid-19 test due to be rolled out to healthcare staff in Liverpool next week missed more than 50% of positive cases in a pilot in Greater Manchester, it has emerged.
“The government has spent £323m (€358m; $425m) on securing the technology to deliver 20 minute saliva tests to give to asymptomatic staff at hospitals and care homes as part of its Operation Moonshot mass testing programme.
“But a letter seen by the Guardian newspaper reported concerns from scientists in Greater Manchester about the accuracy and sensitivity of the OptiGene Direct RT-LAMP (loop mediated isothermal amplification) tests, which identified only 46.7% of infections during a pilot last month.”

(6 Nov 2020) ‘Sticking plaster’ local contact tracing deluged with missed and out-dated Serco cases Manchester Evening News Nov 6: "Local contact tracing teams are being deluged with cases from the national Serco-run system, many of them already so out-of-date there is little point following them up.
"Public health departments have seen caseloads rocket in the past few weeks, with some town halls seeing six times the cases they had expected and well beyond what had been forecast.
"They are also seeing many cases arrive after a considerable lag of a week or more.
"One director of public health said her department was simply abandoning some of the ones being passed to it by Serco, because the seven-day delay on them is so long the resource is better deployed with other contact tracing work."

(5 Nov 2020) Hancock labelled “corrupt” after handing another Covid contract to failing private healthcare company The London Economic , Nov 5 with what has become a widely-know example of Tory sleaze:
"Matt Hancock has come in for criticism after awarding a new £375 million testing contract to a Tory-linked private healthcare company whose testing kits had to be recalled over the summer because of concerns about contamination.
"Randox was handed an extension to an existing contract – without other companies being invited to bid – leading to accusations of “corruption” and “cronyism”.
"So far Hancock has now approved transfers of nearly half a billion pounds in taxpayer funds to the Northern Ireland-based company since the pandemic began.
"Conservative MP Owen Paterson acts as a consultant for the firm for the princely sum of £100,000 a year. According to reports he was party to a call between the company and James Bethell, the health minister responsible for coronavirus testing supplies."

(5 Nov 2020) Will Operation Moonshot pass its first test fighting Covid in Liverpool? Guardian Nov 5: "Operation Moonshot, the government’s ambitious plan to deploy exciting new technologies to test the entire population for coronavirus infection, launches in Liverpool on Friday. Yet, even as the army arrives and testing sites are set up, questions are being asked about the accuracy of the tests and the information people will be given about their results."

(5 Nov 2020) Operation Moonshot: rapid Covid test missed over 50% of cases in pilot Guardian coverage Nov 5 begins: "“A rapid coronavirus test at the heart of Boris Johnson’s mass-testing strategy missed more than 50% of positive cases in an Operation Moonshot pilot in Greater Manchester, the Guardian can reveal.
“The 20-minute tests, on which the government has spent £323m for use with hospital and care home staff with no symptoms, identified only 46.7% of infections during a crucial trial in Manchester and Salford last month.
“This means that many of those carrying Covid-19 were wrongly told they were free of the virus, potentially allowing them to infect others.
“… Scientists with Greater Manchester’s mass testing expert group (MTEG) raised significant concerns about the accuracy of the OptiGene Direct RT-Lamp tests this week, and said the technology should not be widely used as intended in hospitals or care homes.”

(4 Nov 2020) Mortality due to cancer treatment delay: systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ October 4: "Cancer treatment delay is a problem in health systems worldwide. The impact of delay on mortality can now be quantified for prioritisation and modelling.
"Even a four week delay of cancer treatment is associated with increased mortality across surgical, systemic treatment, and radiotherapy indications for seven cancers. Policies focused on minimising system level delays to cancer treatment initiation could improve population level survival outcomes."

(1 Nov 2020) Software bungle meant NHS Covid app failed to warn users to self-isolate (£) Sunday Times November 1: "The “world-beating” NHS Covid app, downloaded by 19 million people, has systematically failed to send alerts telling people to self-isolate after they came into contact with infected people.
"Thousands were not contacted by the Test and Trace app, developed under Baroness (Dido) Harding, because it was set at the wrong sensitivity, the government has admitted.
"For a month, the Department of Health and Social Care failed to use software developed to make the app work properly. Users whose “risk score” should have triggered an alert were not contacted. As a result, a government source said, “shockingly low” numbers of users had been sent warnings since the app was released on September 24."

(1 Nov 2020) The evidence is clear: if countries act together, they can suppress Covid Devi Sridhar writes in the Guardian Nov 1: "There are few options for all countries. An attempt to “simmer” the virus through society at an acceptable level will simply lead to repeated lockdown-and-release cycles. This is because of the infectiousness of this virus and the associated high hospitalisation rate of Covid-19 patients, which puts strain on health services, health staff and resources, and forces governments into crude and reactive harsh measures to curtail further spread and stay within health service capacity. We are already seeing the start of these cycles.
"What about just lifting all restrictions and letting the virus go uncontrolled quickly through the population? Some might see this as an acceptable cost-benefit calculation: “life back to normal” for millions – especially younger and healthier people – at the cost of the deaths of thousands. Not only is this approach unethical and immoral, it would take us down a dangerous path. If the virus were allowed to spread freely, health services would be likely to collapse under pressure, leading to widespread panic and uncertainty. Far from saving the economy by lifting the existing restrictions, this would end up damaging the economy more; people would probably come to fear the consequences of participating in social and economic activities as they witnessed the effects of coronavirus and failing health services on members of their family, friends and neighbours."

(31 Oct 2020) Covid spreading faster in England than 'worst-case scenario', documents show BBC News Oct 31: "The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says there are around four times as many people catching Covid than anticipated.
"A "reasonable worst-case scenario" is used by officials and the NHS to plan for the months ahead.
"It had estimated 85,000 deaths from Covid over the course of winter.
"But an official Sage document, dated 14 October and published Friday, reveals we are in a worse position than expected. Scientists crunching the numbers estimated that, by mid-October, there were between 43,000 and 74,000 people being infected with coronavirus every day in England."

(31 Oct 2020) Covid nurse death toll now as high as the number of nurses who died during World War One Shocking statistics from Independent Oct 31: "As many nurses have now died from coronavirus than were killed during the entirety of the First World War, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has revealed.
"The latest figures collated by the federation of 130 national nurses’ associations show that 1,500 nurses have lost their lives since the pandemic began around the world.
"This is the same as the number of nurses believed to have been killed during the four years of World War One.
"However, the ICN expects the figure of 1,500 to be a significant underestimate, as it only includes those who have died in 44 countries where data was available. "

(31 Oct 2020) Private companies could have say in how NHS money is spent in borough after CCG merger Ilford Recorder (Oct 31) looks a little deeper than most local papers at the implications of a massive CCG merger:
“Seven different clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), the organisations which decide how NHS funds should be spent in each area, will merge into one body in April. It will cover Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, City and Hackney, and Waltham Forest.
“CCGs are in charge of buying health services for their area from providers like hospitals, charities or private companies.
“The law forbids these providers – or their employees, partners or shareholders – from sitting on the board of a CCG which buys from them. However, the merged CCG created next year will be an “integrated care system”, meaning it is not bound by any such laws and could have private providers on its board.
“… The NHS North East London Commissioning Alliance is another body that can make decisions for all seven boroughs. Papers from a meeting in September show one of its voting “lay members” is a management consultant for Deloitte, a private firm heavily involved in the UK’s Test and Trace programme.”

(28 Oct 2020) How teenagers ended up operating crucial parts of England’s test and trace system George Monbiot in The Guardian Oct 28: "“Even after a vaccine is produced, test and trace will remain essential, as inoculation will not be completely effective, or universally accepted.
“Today, it’s our only real hope of preventing repeated lockdowns, and other great interruptions to our lives.
“Yet the English system on which our freedoms depend is a total fiasco. The government has so far spent £12bn on test and trace. But, as a result of catastrophic mismanagement, it might as well have flushed this money down the toilet, as tracing has failed to reach the critical threshold (roughly 80% of contacts) needed to reduce the infection rate.
“Last week, after a further fall, the figure stood at just under 60%.
“To put this in context, £12bn is more than the entire general practice budget. The total NHS capital spending budget for buildings and equipment is just £7bn.
[…]
“Because so much about this essential programme has been shrouded in secrecy, it’s not easy to see where the money has gone. But the breakdown of the system appears to result at least in part from its oversight by corporate executives (led by Dido Harding), with no relevant experience in public health and a track record of failure, rather than by professional public servants.”

(25 Oct 2020) HALF A BILLION POUNDS in PPE Deals Goes to Conservative Backers The excellent Byline Times with another exposure of chronic Tory cronyism:
"he total value of Government contracts awarded to Conservative-linked firms for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) has surged to more than half a billion pounds, Byline Times can reveal.
"Since 21 September, when this newspaper revealed that £364 million worth of deals had been won by Conservative backers, two new contracts have been released – taking the total to £526.3 million.
"On 30 September, the Government published documents revealing a £156.3 million deal for the supply of isolation gowns, awarded to P14 Medical. The contract started on 5 June and ended just a day later, suggesting a single bulk order of equipment. Other firms were not able to compete for the contract, as the Government invoked an EU clause that allows normal tender procedures to be abandoned during an emergency.
"P14 Medical is co-owned and run by Steve Dechan, a Conservative councillor in Gloucestershire. The firm – which specialises in the supply of pain management equipment – has 10 employees and made a £486,000 loss in 2019 on revenues of roughly £500,000."

(24 Oct 2020) ‘Focused protection’ of elderly not a viable option, say PM’s advisers Independent Oct 24 reports fresh evidence from SAGE to refute the stubborn proponents of "herd immunity" and "focused protection" effectively incarcerating millions of elderly and vulnerable people: will Johnson follow the science or the urgings of his party's rabid right wing?
"Boris Johnson has been warned by his scientific advisers that a policy of protecting over-60s from Covid-19 while allowing the rest of society to go back to normal life “would not be viable”.
"Proposals for so-called “focused protection” have gathered support since the launch of the Great Barrington Declaration, backed by thousands of scientists, medics and politicians around the world, including in Mr Johnson’s Conservative Party.
"But experts in the PM’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) found it would not be possible to stop coronavirus spreading from young people to the older population, and that even if this was achieved for a period, a wave of disease among elderly people would be “almost certain” as soon as protections were removed."

(23 Oct 2020) Hospitals are filling up. Again. New York Times Coronavirus Briefing brings together evidence of a third wave of infection in the US and the fresh spread of the virus in Poland and France: we are not alone in facing the problem – but the chances of containing it depend on stemming the spread and bringing the disastrous privatised test and trace system into the public sector where there is expertise to deliver.

(23 Oct 2020) We can either pay the price for stricter coronavirus restrictions now - or later with more mental suffering Thoughtful exclusive comment article in the Independent Oct 23 by Dr Adrian James begins:
"As the nation argues whether regional lockdowns are justified here’s something to consider - there will be no escape from the mental health ramifications either way.
"Here’s why - your mind is part of your body and Covid-19 can be both a physical and mental illness. A great deal has been achieved to highlight the plight of those suffering the mental health effects of lockdown, the result of social isolation and recession.
"This is a very real concern, but I worry that this threat is being weaponised by those with other political agendas to argue against tighter restrictions to control the virus."

(23 Oct 2020) Treasury confirms it is to end VAT waiver on PPE in UK Guardian October 23 with the latest nonsensical twist of government policy, with the Treasury making it harder and more expensive for businesses to observe basic safety precautions:
"Face masks and gloves will cost more from the end of this month after the government said a temporary waiver of VAT on personal protective equipment (PPE) would not be extended, the Guardian has learned.
"The Treasury confirmed that the 20% sales tax would once more apply to protective equipment bought by firms and consumers from November, after a six-month exemption.
"While care homes and the healthcare sector can access PPE from the Department of Health and Social Care, the increase could mean extra costs for businesses and ordinary people, who are legally bound to use masks in shops and on public transport."

(23 Oct 2020) It's not too late but we must act now. Independent SAGE sets out plan to fix failing Test & Trace and answers your Qs on transmission in schools. With @theAliceRoberts. Latest figures from @chrischirp

(23 Oct 2020) Care home fined £200,000 after pensioner left on floor for up to two hours Independent Oct 23 with some good news of action to force at least one care home to pay more attention to safety of residents:
"A care home has been forced to pay almost £220,000 for not providing safe care to an 89-year-old woman who was left on the floor for up to two hours with a broken hip.
"Vivo Care Choices Limited, which runs Curzon House in Saltney, near Chester, was prosecuted by the Care Quality Commission and ordered to pay a £200,000 fine plus costs at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday."

(23 Oct 2020) The Trump administration quietly closed a vaccine safety office last year, hampering efforts to track the long-term safety of a coronavirus vaccine. New York Times Oct 23: “As the first coronavirus vaccines arrive in the coming year, government researchers will face a monumental challenge: monitoring the health of hundreds of millions of Americans to ensure the vaccines don’t cause harm.
“Purely by chance, thousands of vaccinated people will have heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses shortly after the injections. Sorting out whether the vaccines had anything to do with their ailments will be a thorny problem, requiring a vast, coordinated effort by state and federal agencies, hospitals, drug makers and insurers to discern patterns in a flood of data. Findings will need to be clearly communicated to a distrustful public swamped with disinformation.
“For now, Operation Warp Speed, created by the Trump administration to spearhead development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, is focused on getting vaccines through clinical trials in record time and manufacturing them quickly.
“The next job will be to monitor the safety of vaccines once they’re in widespread use. But the administration last year quietly disbanded the office with the expertise for exactly this job, merging it into an office focused on infectious diseases. Its elimination has left that long-term safety effort for coronavirus vaccines fragmented among federal agencies, with no central leadership, experts say.”

(22 Oct 2020) More than 100 care home inspectors forced to self-isolate as ministers withhold regular testing Shocking story from Independent Oct 22: "More than 100 inspectors at the Care Quality Commission – almost one-tenth of its inspection workforce – have been forced to self-isolate over coronavirus concerns since March.
"The watchdog has released the figures as ministers continue to deny its inspection teams regular testing.
"The Department of Health and Social Care said inspectors do not get close enough to vulnerable residents to warrant regular testing despite fears they could seed homes with the virus through contact with staff.
"During the first wave of the virus it is estimated 16,000 care home residents died from the coronavirus after 25,000 NHS patients were discharged from hospitals."

(22 Oct 2020) Specialist hospitals for people with autism and learning difficulties ‘providing undignified and inhumane care’ Independent Oct 22 picks up on damning CQC report:
"Specialist hospitals for people with autism or learning difficulties in England are providing “undignified and inhumane” care that risks breaching patients’ human rights, a watchdog has found.
"Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates health and social care services in England, discovered that some mental health hospitals could be “distressing” to those being treated there.
"The majority of the 43 wards they visited were deemed to be “noisy, chaotic and unpredictable”, instead of being therapeutic environments. This, along with a lack of specialised training for staff, meant that patients’ needs were not always met, the CQC said."

(22 Oct 2020) PM admits failings as England's Covid contact-tracing system hits new low Guardian Oct 22 on the latest symptoms of the privatised test and trace fiasco: “Boris Johnson and his chief scientific adviser have admitted to failings in England’s £12bn test-and-trace system as contact-tracing fell to a new low and waiting times for test results soared to almost double the target.
“Under pressure to explain new figures showing less than 60% of close contacts being reached, while test turnaround times rose to nearly 48 hours, the prime minister said: “I share people’s frustrations and I understand totally why we do need to see faster turnaround times and we need to improve it.”
“… In the week ending 14 October, 59.6% of close contacts were reached, down from the previous week’s figure of 62.6%, which was the lowest since the test-and-trace operation was launched at the end of May.”

(22 Oct 2020) ‘Dramatic’ surge in patients forces hospital to cancel more operations Independent Oct 22 as the first announcements begin of operations cancelled as beds fill up and staff resources are devoted to Covid 19 patients once more:
"Nottingham University Hospitals Trust said it had no alternative due to the pressure from Covid-19 which had seen more than 200 patients in hospital with the disease in the last few days. Surgery for cancer and urgent and emergency cases will not be affected.
"The trust’s chief executive, Tracy Taylor, appealed to the public to help ease the pressure on the hospital by following social distancing rules and washing their hands regularly. She said the surge in cases at the East Midlands trust was now at similar levels to that seen in April."

(22 Oct 2020) Faculty strongly opposed to judicial review ‘rebalance’ Faculty of advocates Oct 22 comes out strongly against government moves to “dilute” the judicial review court process, by which a check can be kept on the legality of government decision-making – a process which, while far from perfect, has proved vital as an option for health campaigners.
“In evidence to a review of the procedure, the Faculty described as “chilling” any suggestion that some decisions could be made immune from examination by judges.
“There is no serious basis in a modern democracy for the view that public bodies and government authorities are entitled to operate without accountability for material mistakes of law or fact in their actions (or inactions). Such a consideration betrays a misunderstanding of the rule of law and runs contrary to the fundamental principles of democracy,” stated the Faculty.
“The importance of the rule of law should be self-evident: a system of democratic government that pays proper respect to the rights of the individuals present within its territorial jurisdiction must be based on a system of rules, and those rules must be properly interpreted and consistently applied.”

(22 Oct 2020) UK test and trace hits new low with fewer than 60% of contacts reached Independent Oct 22: “The government’s NHS Test and Trace programme has reached a record low, with just under 60 per cent of close contacts of people infected with coronavirus successfully reached by the system.
“… This is the lowest weekly percentage since test and trace began, and is down from 63 per cent in the previous week.
“For cases handled by local health protection teams, 94.8 per cent of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate. But for cases processed online or by call centres, this figure was 57.6 per cent.
“… Meanwhile, just 15.1 per cent of people who were tested for Covid-19 in the week ending 14 October at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – a so-called in-person test – received their result within 24 hours, the data showed.”

(22 Oct 2020) England’s social care system needs extra £7bn annually to avoid collapse, MPs warn Independent Oct 22 report of Health Committee warnings:
"England's social care sector needs £7 billion more a year as an urgent "starting point" to avoid potential collapse of the market, MPs say.
"An immediate boost is needed to avert a feared market collapse caused by providers exclusively offering services to clients who fund their own care over council-funded places, a new report warns.
"But this figure would not address the growing problem of unmet need, with the full cost likely to run into tens of billions of pounds, the Health and Social Care Committee said."

(21 Oct 2020) Visualising Local Authority COVID-19 deaths/cases data Valuable new searchable and interactive resource for tracking the spread of the virus from Colin Angus, who says on Twitter: "Today I have *finally* managed to wrangle some English hospital data into the local COVID-19 data explorer app I made.
"You can now look up estimated new hospital admissions and hospital deaths for every Local Authority in the country."

(21 Oct 2020) Thousands more coronavirus patients hospitalised as second wave threatens NHS surgery Independent Oct 21: "The number of patients in hospitals across England with coronavirus has jumped almost 50 per cent in the past seven days, putting extra strain on the NHS as the second wave gathers momentum.
"Doctors, nurses and senior managers across the country have warned of their fears that rising numbers of patients with Covid-19 are undermining efforts to treat routine patients, with some already having surgery cancelled.
"Leaked emails, seen by The Independent, reveal the University Hospitals Birmingham Trust, one of the largest hospital trusts in the country, has told its surgeons to begin cancelling routine operations for some patients because of the pressures it is facing."

(21 Oct 2020) Test and trace forced to bring in untrained workers as system is overwhelmed by second wave, leaked email reveals Independent Oct 21: “England’s test and trace service is being forced to draft in untrained staff to carry out clinical assessments of patients infected with coronavirus as the second wave of infections swamps the service.
“Leaked emails obtained by The Independent show that as of Wednesday, staff from outsourcing firms Serco and Sitel, who have no clinical training, will be working alongside nurses and clinical staff to help assess and contract trace approximately 20,000 cases each day.
“… Staff working for test and trace service, which was set up in May and hailed as a “world beating” service by prime minister Boris Johnson, said the use of Serco and Sitel workers was a potential patient safety risk because they may struggle to spot patients who need to emergency hospital treatment.”

(21 Oct 2020) The government's secretive Covid contracts are heaping misery on Britain Guardian Oct 21 comment from George Monbiot:
"The new surge in the coronavirus, and the restrictions and local lockdowns it has triggered, are caused in large part by the catastrophic failure of the test-and-trace system. Its £12bn budget has been blown, as those in charge of it have failed to drive the infection rate below the critical threshold.
"Their failure was baked in, caused by the government’s ideological commitment to the private sector. This commitment had three impacts: money that could have saved lives has been diverted into corporate profits; inexperienced consultants and executives have been appointed over the heads of qualified public servants; instead of responsive local systems, the government has created a centralised monster.
"This centralisation is perhaps the hardest aspect to understand. All experience here and abroad shows that local test and trace works better. While, according to the latest government figures, the centralised system currently reaches just 62.6% of contacts, local authorities are reaching 97%."

(21 Oct 2020) Racial discrimination widespread in NHS job offers, says report Guardian exclusive Oct 21 begins: "Doctors from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have been hindered in their search for senior roles because of widespread “racial discrimination” in the NHS, according to a report from the Royal College of Physicians.
"The RCP, which represents 30,000 of the UK’s hospital doctors, found that ingrained “bias” in the NHS made it much harder for BAME doctors to become a consultant compared with their white counterparts.
“It is clear from the results of this survey that racial discrimination is still a major issue within the NHS,” said Dr Andrew Goddard, the RCP’s president. “It’s a travesty that any healthcare appointment would be based on anything other than ability.”

(19 Oct 2020) Two thirds of hospices facing redundancies as government help runs out ITV news Oct 19 with shocking news not only that hospices are facing bankruptcy but also that their funding is utterly dependent on charity rather than public funds:
"Two thirds of hospices in England have started planning for redundancies as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit funding for end of life care, ITV News has learned.
"Extra government support to help the sector through the coronavirus crisis stopped in the summer, leaving hospices on the brink of cuts to the care they provide. Last month ITV News reported that a third of England's hospices - 56 out of 169 - are at financial risk and are being forced to contemplate redundancies.
"Hospice UK, the national charity for hospices and palliative care, has been working with NHS England to identify the most cash-strapped providers of end-of-life care to see of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) can step in to help.
"ITV News has now learned that number has doubled, with two in three hospices in England now reporting financial concerns that are forcing them to plan for redundancies.
“More than two thirds of hospices are now considering redundancies, which will significantly affect end of life care due to worsening finances and winter pressures,” said Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive of Hospice UK."

(19 Oct 2020) Medics from Italy and UK come together to expose their harrowing reality of Covid daily Mirror 19 October: "As Britain approaches the final cliff edge of Brexit, the Daily Mirror has teamed up with newspapers and websites in Italy, Germany, France, Poland and 10 other European countries to pair people for a chat across national boundaries.
"... Meeting up will happen by videocall on Sunday December 13. You will need to be free for a chat at 2pm UK time on that day.
"As so many participants will have different first languages, Europe Talks organisers have suggested these video calls should take place in English if possible."

(19 Oct 2020) NHS staff offered snack box or a ‘commemorative badge’ for covid efforts HSJ Oct 19 reports tight-fisted, newly-merged Kent & Medway CCG has an underwhelming way of showing its appreciation:
"A clinical commissioning group which is making redundancies has polled staff on whether they would prefer a thank you card from senior management or a “Graze-type snackbox” as recognition of their work over the last six months.
"Staff at Kent and Medway CCG – which was formed from eight CCGs in April – are also being offered the option of a commemorative badge, an extra day of annual leave or a voucher. They can suggest other options.
"They had until 5pm on Friday to complete the survey, which management says is an attempt to find out what a “genuine and heartfelt thank you to each one of you to recognise your contribution” should look like."

(19 Oct 2020) TED Europa - Garments for biological or chemical protection 2020/S 203-494877 Contract award notice Details of an £81m contract awarded to PPE Medpro Limited, a new £100 company incorporated in May 2020, with no obvious qualification to supply PPE beyond an association with big Tory donors (it had already received a £112m contract) .

(19 Oct 2020) People sent to 'non-existent' Sevenoaks Covid test site BBC report Oct 19: “People with suspected Covid-19 symptoms have been sent to a testing site in Kent that does not exist. The address in Sevenoaks had been listed on the government website, but "is not a test facility", the district council leader said.
“Angie Waters, 67, drove to the site after booking a slot at 11:00 GMT. "It was an absolute fiasco," she said.
“The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said people were no longer being sent to the "incorrect" location.
“Kent County Council apologised to anyone who had "made a wasted journey" and said it was trying to find out "what went wrong". It said a mobile testing site was to be introduced by the DHSC due to a local rise in Covid-19 rates, but it had not yet arrived "for an unknown reason".”

(18 Oct 2020) The pursuit of herd immunity is a folly – so who's funding this bad science? Guardian Oct 18 comment by Trish Greenhalgh, Martin McKee and Michelle Kelly-Irving setting the record straight on a right wing intervention attempting to skew the discussion on dealing with Covid 19:
“You may not have heard of the “Great Barrington declaration” but you’ll likely have seen the headlines that followed it. Journalists have written excitedly about an emerging rift in the scientific community as the consensus around the most effective response to Covid supposedly disintegrates. The declaration, which called for an immediate resumption of “life as normal” for everyone but the “vulnerable”, fuelled these notions by casting doubt on the utility of lockdown restrictions. “We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity”, it stated.
“Scientists were swift in their response. The declaration’s core assumption, that population immunity will be achieved by allowing life to go on as normal and shielding only the most vulnerable from the virus, is entirely speculative. …
“…The truth is that a strategy of pursuing “herd immunity” is nothing more than a fringe view. There is no real scientific divide over this approach, because there is no science to justify its usage in the case of Covid-19.”

(18 Oct 2020) Police 999 callouts to people suffering mental health crises soar Guardian report Oct 18: “The police are being called to deal with soaring numbers of incidents involving people suffering from mental health crises, sparking fresh concern about lack of NHS help for the mentally ill.
“The number of such 999 callouts in England has risen by 41% over the past five years, with some police forces seeing more than a twofold jump since 2015, new figures reveal.
“Mental health experts say the increase highlights the erosion over recent years of services for people with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia who end up in crisis.”

(16 Oct 2020) Covid vaccine roll-out must not involve private firms UNISON Press Release October 16:
“In its response to a consultation by the Department of Health and Social Care on changes to medicine regulations, the union has raised concerns about allowing non-healthcare professionals to administer any vaccine.
"Millions of people will need to be protected from coronavirus once a vaccine is approved. It’s vital that any vaccination programme is delivered and supervised by healthcare professionals, says UNISON. There should be no cutting corners by allowing private firms to use staff with little training who could create added dangers, the union warns.
"UNISON is also calling for some highly experienced groups such as operating department practitioners (ODPs) to be added to the list of health professionals who can administer vaccines.
"UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “The government’s use of private companies to run test and trace has been a disaster. Any more mistakes on that scale will simply allow the virus to continue to spread.”

(16 Oct 2020) Serco says profits set to soar after Test and Trace contract extension Southern Daily Echo report Oct 16: "Outsourcing giant Serco has said it expects profits to exceed expectations in 2020 as a result of the uptick in work since the global pandemic.
"Updating the London Stock Exchange in an unexpected announcement, the company said the excess profits could now be returned to shareholders, with a consultation on dividend payments under way.
"The company, which is one of the largest companies involved the UK Government’s Test and Trace scheme, said it had achieved strong revenue growth in the three months from July, highlighting extensions to contracts to provide test sites and call handlers.
"Bosses said this was “an indication of our customer’s satisfaction with the quality of work we have delivered” as part of the £12 billion committed by the Government to the system."

(16 Oct 2020) Black African men four times more likely to die of Covid-19 than white women Mirror report Oct 16: "Black African men in England and Wales are two and a half times more likely to die of Covid-19 than white men, with the disparity even greater between men and women.
"Number crunchers at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have detailed the stark differences in mortality rates among ethnic groups.
"Men from black African, black Caribbean and Bangladeshi ethnic backgrounds have had "significantly higher" rates of death involving Covid-19 than all other ethnic groups in England and Wales.
"Their mortality rates from the disease are higher than 250 deaths per 100,000 people."

(16 Oct 2020) Remdesivir Fails to Prevent Covid-19 Deaths in Huge Trial New York Times Oct 16 with the evidence that one of the grugs given to Trump is not a life-saver: “Remdesivir, the only antiviral drug authorized for treatment of Covid-19 in the United States, fails to prevent deaths among patients, according to a study of more than 11,000 people in 30 countries sponsored by the World Health Organization.
“The drug was granted emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration on May 1 after a trial by the National Institutes of Health found that remdesivir modestly reduced the time to recovery in hospitalized. President Trump received the antiviral after he began showing symptoms earlier this month.
“This puts the issue to rest — there is certainly no mortality benefit,” said Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an infectious-disease physician at the University of Alberta in Canada.
“But other scientists said the design of the W.H.O.’s sprawling clinical trial, which collected data from hundreds of hospitals, meant the conclusions were not definitive.”

(16 Oct 2020) Health Care in the 2020 Presidential Election: What’s at Stake Series of blogs from US Commonwealth Fund filling in some of the facts to replace a welter of fake news:
"The importance of maintaining or expanding access to affordable health care in the midst of a pandemic cannot be understated. Going into the crisis, 30 million Americans lacked health coverage, with many more potentially at risk as a result of the current economic downturn. And even for many with coverage, costs are a barrier to receiving care. Moreover, despite efforts by Congress and the Trump administration to ease the financial burden of COVID-19 testing and treatment, many people remain concerned about costs; examples of charges for COVID-related medical expenses are not uncommon.
"In this context, President Trump’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the most important signal of his position on health care. The administration’s legal challenge of the law will be considered by the Supreme Court this fall. With no Trump proposal for a replacement to the ACA, if the Court strikes the law in its entirety or in part, many voters cannot be certain that their health coverage will be secure. By undermining the ACA — the vast law that protects Americans with preexisting health conditions and makes health coverage more affordable through a system of premium subsidies and cost-sharing assistance — the president has put coverage for millions at risk.
"Trump issued an executive order to preserve preexisting condition protections. If the ACA remains intact, the order is redundant. But if the ACA is repealed by the Court, the order is meaningless because it lacks the legal underpinning and legislative framework to take effect."

(16 Oct 2020) Minister confirms no penalty clauses in Serco/Sitel test and trace contract Parliamentary answer from Health Minister Helen Whately:
"Contracts were awarded to Serco and Sitel to provide call handling services for the contact track and trace initiative. The contracts have been published and can be found at the following links:
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/c23fdfaf-d1f2-4d8c-a0cd-6b6f35793ccd
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7645e3ef-ce16-4cae-8932-1eb6521a50cb
"Contractual penalties are often unenforceable under English law so they were not included in test and trace contracts with Serco or Sitel. Sitel and Serco are approved suppliers on the Crown Commercial Service contact centre framework and the contracts have standard performance and quality assurance processes in place. Some information on Key Performance Indicators and service levels has been redacted from these published contracts as it is considered to be commercially sensitive.
"The contracts have break clauses in them, meaning if the company does not meet required service levels we may cancel the contract and reclaim our money."

(16 Oct 2020) Councils to take over some Test and Trace work after string of failures and vast bill Mirror report Oct 11: “Tory ministers are planning to give councils more control over coronavirus contact-tracing after a string of failures and a massive cost to the taxpayer.
“The shift emerged after the privatised NHS Test and Trace failed to reach 31.4% of Covid sufferers' close contacts last week - the worst rate since it launched in May.
“A blunder also meant more than 15,000 positive cases were not sent to contact tracers until days afterwards. A source told the Sunday Times the government wants to "extend" local plans trialled in 60 areas, where council staff pick up the most difficult cases from Test and Trace.
“Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick appeared to confirm the plans - saying local knowledge is "bound to be better" than a call centre. But the plans have prompted yet more bafflement and anger among northern leaders because they have been calling for such a move for months.”

(15 Oct 2020) Health and safety breaches at testing lab Independent Oct 15 on failures in controversial "lighthouse" labs set up in parallel to NHS lab network:
"Whistleblowers who worked at the Lighthouse Laboratory in Milton Keynes have alleged that workers receive insufficient training before each being asked to handle tens of thousands of coronavirus test samples every day.
"A joint investigation by The Independent and the BBC also uncovered concerns about a lack of social distancing, poor protective clothing, and unsafe handling of samples by staff under pressure to process as many tests as possible as Britain tried to ramp up its coronavirus testing programme.
"The UK network of Lighthouse Laboratories, run by private organisations on a not-for-profit basis, was set up in a matter of weeks in April to rapidly expand daily testing capacity. Initially there were three labs, in Milton Keynes, Manchester and Glasgow. "There are now seven mega-labs around the country aiming to process a combined total of at least 500,000 tests a day by the end of October. "

(15 Oct 2020) Leaked emails raise flag on ‘extremely concerning’ bed shortage HSJ report Oct 15: “‘Systemic’ problems within mental health services in Birmingham have caused the number of people waiting for an inpatient bed to reach ‘extremely concerning’ levels, according to documents leaked to HSJ.
“There are currently 41 people waiting to be admitted to a bed by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, according to internal documents, while 36 people have already had to be sent to private sector facilities up to 150 miles away.
“The NHS in the area has indicated to HSJ that it is due to need for “intensive levels of care” now growing because of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
“In an email thread, sent to 60 people in the trust including senior executives, one senior clinician wrote in response to the bed figures: “The number of patients with Mental Health Act assessments completed is extremely concerning. This needs to be escalated to commissioners. The problem is systemic”.”

(15 Oct 2020) NHS seeks £10bn covid deal with private hospitals HSJ Oct 15 revelation of more billions on offer to private hospitals for up to 4 years – while little or no information is released on how much has been spent so far, and what the NHS has received for its money:
“Private providers have been asked to apply to a new procurement framework worth up to £10bn, from which NHS organisations will purchase additional capacity for up to four years.
“The framework represents a key element of the NHS England’s plans to cope with coronavirus over winter, by outsourcing significant amounts of routine activity to independent hospitals.
“Procurement frameworks effectively create a list of suppliers which have demonstrated they can meet certain criteria, and can then be called upon to deliver services when required. NHS England will decide which suppliers qualify to be on the framework, from which local trusts and health systems can then commission services.”

(15 Oct 2020) NHS staff testing 'dismantled' in virus hotspots BBC Oct 15 report: "At the start of the pandemic, "a lot of trusts pulled together their own [makeshift] testing schemes because they really needed to test staff", said Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, the body which represents health trust leaders in England.
"But as a centralised national system developed, many trusts "stood down" their testing arrangements put in place in the first months of the pandemic, she said.
"This was partly in response to the "direction of travel from central government".

(15 Oct 2020) Government pays BA and Virgin £70m to fly PPE from China Telegraph report Oct 15: “Two of Britain's largest airlines were paid more than £70m of taxpayer cash to fetch PPE from China, according to new data which threatens to reignite the row over tendering at the height of the Covid crisis.
“The deals with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were part of a massive drive to replenish stocks of protective kit from sources all over the world. They will have provided vital funding to the airlines at a time when almost no passengers were travelling.
“BA was handed £46m between May and July in a contract with the Department of Health and Social Care, details published by the Government show. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has been paid £27m since April for flights that were still running as recently as this month. The airlines' services ran from London to Beijing and Shanghai and used empty passenger jets.
“… Although it was known in spring that ministers had sought help from airlines, the costs involved have been secret until now. The revelations are likely to spark a debate over whether a proper tendering process was carried out and if market rates were paid.”

(15 Oct 2020) Five-person team gets £25k a day to work on Test and Trace system Sky News October 15 with shocking figures: “Amid claims that England's crucial COVID-19 contact tracing scheme has failed, Sky News can reveal that the government has been paying a five-person team of management consultants £25,000 a day to work on that part of the system.
“The team from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) helped mastermind the creation of the contact tracing systems.
“They were only a fraction of the private sector consultants working on the test and trace system, however, they are believed to have been among the most expensive.
“Two members of the team were being paid day rates of £7,360 while the remaining three were being paid £4,160 - though the consultancy gave the government a 10% discount for the job.”

(15 Oct 2020) Family of NHS consultant stricken by Covid face removal from UK Guardian Oct 15 lifts the lid on yet another hideous example of the government's brutal anti-migrant policies in action:
"The family of an NHS consultant who has treated many patients during the coronavirus pandemic, and who is now critically ill with Covid himself, are facing removal from the UK.
"Dr Basem Enany, 44, a consultant cardiologist from Egypt, is currently in intensive care on a ventilator at a Yorkshire hospital.
"Colleagues describe him as “a frontline fighter against the pandemic” and say he regularly spent full day and night shifts on the Covid wards looking after very sick patients. In mid-September, he tested positive for Covid himself.
"A few days after falling ill he noticed weakness in both legs which developed into a progressive paralysis. He has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare complication of some viruses, including Covid. There have been 31 other cases linked to Covid, mainly in Europe."

(15 Oct 2020) Britain's Covid-19 strategy simply adds up to many more jobless people Guardian comment from economics correspondent Larry Elliott: "The lesson from South Korea is that an effective track-and-testing system is the key to limiting the number of Covid-19 deaths and protecting the economy. Boris Johnson’s government has had seven months to provide something comparable, and has failed to do so.
"The UK has so far had the worst of all worlds: a high death rate and colossal economic damage. This unfortunate combination looks set to continue."

(15 Oct 2020) Why health secretary must act over troubled NHS in his backyard Hard-hitting East Anglia District Times report Oct 15 challenges Matt Hancock over the dire state of trusts around his constituency:
“Over the past year, three major health trusts on Mr Hancock’s patch – and in health minister Jo Churchill’s Bury St Edmunds constituency – have been hit by highly critical watchdog reports.
“One - West Suffolk Hospital - is accused of an alleged ‘witch-hunt’ for a whistleblower, last month the East of England Ambulance Trust’s leadership was rated as “inadequate” and thirdly, the region’s mental health service has been in crisis for years.
“The mental health trust, which was the worst-performing in the country until recently, remains in special measures. … During the pandemic, hundreds of youngsters were also discharged from the service, which bosses later admitted “was not a mistake”. It is understood inspectors will be revisiting the trust soon.
“Last month, the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) – covering both ministers’ constituencies – faced huge criticism for allowing sexual harassment and a ‘culture of bullying’ to continue. Thirteen cases of sexual misconduct and predatory behaviour were reported to police, a CQC report revealed, with leadership slammed as “inadequate”.
“In November last year, three staff died suddenly, with one death linked to the harassment scandal.”

(15 Oct 2020) Scientific consensus on the COVID-19 pandemic: we need to act now A letter from leading experts to the Lancet sets out in detail why any reliance on "herd immunity" as an answer to Covid 19 is unethical, impossible, and an all round bad idea:
"The arrival of a second wave and the realisation of the challenges ahead has led to renewed interest in a so-called herd immunity approach, which suggests allowing a large uncontrolled outbreak in the low-risk population while protecting the vulnerable. Proponents suggest this would lead to the development of infection-acquired population immunity in the low-risk population, which will eventually protect the vulnerable.
"This is a dangerous fallacy unsupported by scientific evidence."

(15 Oct 2020) Medical supplies needed to fight second wave to be hit by no-deal Brexit, think tank warns Independent Oct 15 warning of the health dangers of the looming no-deal Brexit in the new year:
"Medical supplies crucial to fight a second wave of coronavirus face being disrupted by a no-deal Brexit, a leading health think tank has warned.
"They could be interrupted without an agreement on a future trading relationship with the EU, the Nuffield Trust said.
"The warning came as the author of a new report said “negotiators on both sides have not been putting health first” in talks, despite the ongoing global pandemic. The trust found that imports of medical equipment from the EU hit their highest ever level in March this year."

(15 Oct 2020) The NHS is not ready to tackle the debilitating effects of ‘long Covid’ Independent Oct 15 warning:
"A new report has warned of a widespread hidden impact of coronavirus on thousands of patients who are suffering from the so-called “long Covid” phenomenon and struggling to get help from the NHS.
"The work by National Institute for Health Research reveals the challenge for the health service in being able to meet the needs of patients suffering the after-effects of the Covid-19 virus.
"Some patients are still reporting problems seven months on from their infection.
"Among the “roller coaster of symptoms” they face include organ damage to their heart or lungs, problems with their kidneys, livers or skin as well as breathlessness, chronic fatigue, “brain fog” and anxiety."

(15 Oct 2020) Hospitals battle coronavirus outbreaks as workforce shortages drive cancellation fears Independent Oct 15: "Hospitals across the north are battling rising numbers of Covid-19 outbreaks spreading on their wards as they juggle staff shortages and increasing numbers of patients being admitted with the virus.
"As millions entered stricter lockdown measures on Wednesday, there were 4,146 patients in English hospitals with a total of 19,724 testing positive for the virus in the previous 24 hours and another 137 deaths reported across the UK.
"Mounting pressure has already led to some hospitals warning they will be forced to cancel routine surgeries with others now redeploying nurses and doctors to cope with the second wave surge."

(14 Oct 2020) Consultants' fees 'up to £6,250 a day' for work on Covid test system Guardian Oct 14: "Management consultants are being paid as much as £6,250 a day to work on the British government’s struggling coronavirus testing system, sources have confirmed.
"Senior executives from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) are being paid fees equivalent to £1.5m a year to help speed up and reorganise the £12bn network that Boris Johnson said in May would be “world-beating”.
"The figures, first disclosed by Sky News, come amid growing concern about the cost of the UK’s Covid-19 testing system, which has been criticised for being slow, disorganised and unable to cope with rising demand.
"BCG, one of the largest and most prestigious consultancies in the world, charged £10m for 40 people to work on the virus test-and-trace programme over the course of four months, a source with knowledge of the contract said.
"Individual consultants from the firm could earn £2,400 a day; the most senior consultants up to £7,360, sources confirmed. BCG then offered discounts of between 10% and 15% on different parts of the project."

(14 Oct 2020) Private COVID-19 testing proves we are not all in this together Toronto Star Oct 14 report on the failure of public provision of testing and the private profiteers sneaking round the Canada Health Act:
“COVID-19 has hit our country like a storm, disproportionately affecting lower-income and racialized people. In some Toronto neighbourhoods where we practice, the likelihood of encountering COVID-19 is five times higher than in wealthy, whiter communities.
“We may all be in the same stormy seas, but we are not in the same boat. So why, in the midst of this crisis, are we seeing the rise of private, for-profit COVID-19 testing services charging upwards of $400 per test?
“Long waits to access Ontario’s COVID-19 assessment centres certainly contributed, as did lagging test results in a laboratory system that is not robustly resourced enough to keep up with demands. From testing, to lab infrastructure, to our health workforce, the summer months went by in Ontario with little preparation from the Ford government for a second wave that many had predicted from the outset.
“It is within this paradigm that pandemic profiteering began to take root.
“Private diagnostic firms began offering at-home testing, while large corporations offered preferred testing options as job “perks” to employees. As the lines at COVID-19 assessment centres continued to grow, an option to pay to jump the queue, emerged.”

(14 Oct 2020) Liverpool intensive care units '90% full' as city braces for second wave Independent Oct 14 report: “Intensive care units in Liverpool’s hospitals are more than 90 per cent full, according to a local health leader, as the city braces for a second wave of Covid-19 infections.
“Councillor Paul Brant, cabinet member for adult health and social care at Liverpool City Council, warned that hospital services were once again being forced to care for patients critically ill with coronavirus.
"Our intensive, critical care beds are filling up very fast,” he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"The most recent figures I've seen suggest they are over 90 per cent full … At the current rate of increase, we would expect Liverpool to surpass the peak of the first wave probably within the next seven to 10 days."

(14 Oct 2020) David Oliver: Hospitals are not “half empty” Hospital consultant David Oliver in a BMJ Oct 14 blog reminds us of the real picture:
"The pandemic has seen a recurring assertion in mainstream and social media that hospitals are empty. The implication is that earlier concerns about hospitals being overwhelmed were exaggerated or that clinical staff are workshy, while managers are incompetent or complacent about patients without covid-19 awaiting treatment. But the current low, if steadily rising, numbers of inpatients with covid-191 don’t mean that hospitals are hibernating.
"The DailyTelegraph reported recently that hospitals were “eerily quiet” and “literally half empty.” If you work in acute general hospitals it’s hard to read this stuff and not get upset. Members of the public then engage in frustration with doctors, asking us to explain or defend this fake news.
"I can see how the impression of “emptiness” might take hold for people who set foot in a hospital. They’re not quite as full as they were before the pandemic, but there are valid reasons for this. For infection control and health protection purposes, we have very limited visiting. Some outpatient consultations have been moved to online or telephone. Lobby shops and cafes aren’t running as usual. Car parks have spaces. Physical appointments, tests, and procedures are organised differently, to avoid crowded waiting areas or patient-to-patient transmission. But hospitals are not “literally half empty,” however much this is repeated.
"NHS Wales reported on 1 October that bed occupancy in general and acute beds was back at 87%. We’re still waiting for NHS England’s report for Q2 2020, but I’ve seen October data also showing rates of 87%. Attendances at type 1 emergency departments in September 2020 in England were around 13% lower and emergency admissions 9% lower than last year, but they’re growing monthly."

(13 Oct 2020) The failure of test and trace shows the folly of handing huge contracts to private giants Guardian Oct 13 report sums up the scale of chaos created by private contractors:
"The multibillion pound surge in outsourcing of public services during Covid-19 has attracted many headlines, but it is not just a public spending scandal. It is a vivid demonstration of our government’s inability to perform the essential roles society asks of it. Furthermore, this dependency on outsourcing to profit-driven companies undermines any promise to “build back better”.
"After drastic public health services cuts over the past decade – coupled with extensive outsourcing of procurement to commercial logistics companies – a stripped-down health service was under-resourced for the challenge of a pandemic. The only feasible response was what is increasingly the default choice across government: outsource the work required. Covid-19 has prompted a gold rush for government contracts not seen since the heady days of New Labour’s private finance initiative.
"The richest seam of all for the private companies cashing in has been the test and trace system, handed to Serco on contracts officially priced at up to £410m and to the French company Sitel for up to £310m (with other outsourcing behemoths such as G4S also getting in on the act). Such is the opacity of the arrangements, however, that no details of actual payments to these firms have yet been published. Approximate figures released by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, suggest the final bill will run into several billions of pounds."

(13 Oct 2020) Johnson has ignored the science and blown our chance to stop a second wave Guardian Oct 13 analysis: "On 21 September the scientific advisory body Sage produced a paper with a simple message: do something now or else lose control over the virus. That “something” would have to be sufficient to reduce infections to a level where the virus could be controlled without shutting businesses and curtailing livelihoods. At a minimum, that would mean restricting social mixing, closing pubs, offering university classes online and working from home.
"On the day that advice was given, there were 4,696 infections across the UK. The government hummed and hawed, dillied and dallied, and by the time ministers finally made a decision on 12 October, three weeks later, infections had tripled to some 14,000 cases per day. If anything, this alarming growth meant they had to go further than the Sage advice to bring the virus under control. So what did they do?
"Rather than following the science, the government plumped for an anaemic compromise between its scientific advisers and those arguing against any new restrictions. England’s new three tier system still falls far short of what Sage advised back in September."

(13 Oct 2020) Covid: ministers ignored Sage advice to impose lockdown or face catastrophe Guardian Oct 13: “Ministers were warned three weeks ago that the country faced a “very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences” unless they took immediate action by imposing a two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
“The government’s Sage committee of experts urged ministers to move urgently as new infections rose in all age groups across the country, even as the full impact of opening schools and universities had yet to be felt.
“The group proposed five measures including the circuit breaker – a short period of lockdown to drive new infections down – that it urged ministers to consider to head off a second wave of the virus that “would fall disproportionately on the frailest in our society, but also those on lower incomes and BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] communities”.
“The warning appeared in official documents dated 21 September that were released on Monday evening after the prime minister wrapped up a press conference at which he announced the new three-tier Covid alert system for containing the epidemic.”

(12 Oct 2020) Hospitals in the north will be overwhelmed if we don’t take urgent action NHS Providers Chris Hopson in the (£) Times Oct 12: "Talking to NHS trust chief executives in the north of England over the past three days, they are very worried. Increasing numbers of coronavirus cases have translated into rapidly rising hospital admissions. For a few, the number of Covid-19 hospital patients is now at the same level they had reached at the height of the first phase.
"They are clear about the lessons from that phase: that the virus strikes at different rates in different localities, so appropriate local responses are needed; that the only way to control the spread of Covid-19 is by reducing social contact; and that lockdowns take time to impact and looser lockdowns have proved much less effective."

(12 Oct 2020) Maternity scandal hospital fined for not triaging A&E patients fast enough Independent Oct 12 report on the ongoing failures of services at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals Trust: "An NHS hospital which has faced repeated criticism by regulators for poor standards of care has been fined £4,000 for failing to assess A&E patients quickly enough.
"The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust has been fined by the Care Quality Commission after patients were not triaged within 15 mimutes of arrival in A&E – in breach of conditions set by the regulator last year and a national target.
"The care of emergency patients at the hospital trust, which is also facing an inquiry into poor maternity care, has been a long running concern for the watchdog which has rated the trust inadequate and put it in special measures in 2018."

(12 Oct 2020) WHO chief says herd immunity approach to pandemic 'unethical' Guardian Oct 12: “The head of the World Health Organization has warned against deliberately allowing coronavirus to spread in the hope of achieving so-called herd immunity, saying the idea is unethical.
“Herd immunity is a concept used for vaccination, in which a population can be protected from a certain virus if a threshold of vaccination is reached,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual press briefing.
“For measles, for instance, it is estimated that if 95% of the population is vaccinated, the remaining 5% will also be protected from the spread of the virus. For polio the threshold is estimated at 80%.
“Herd immunity is achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing them to it,” Tedros said. “Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic.”

(12 Oct 2020) Refuse Covid patients if you can’t stop spread of virus, care homes told Independent Oct 12 interview with CQC chief inspector of social care reveals a change in approach since the first wave of Covid infection:
"Care homes should refuse to take coronavirus patients from hospitals if they cannot prevent the spread of the disease, the care watchdog has told The Independent.
"Staff should admit these patients only if care homes are equipped with the right PPE and infection prevention measures, the Care Quality Commission said.
"During the first wave of the pandemic, care homes saw widespread outbreaks of the virus with 16,000 deaths. Homes struggled to access protective clothing for staff and were forced to take 25,000 untested patients discharged from hospitals."

(11 Oct 2020) MPs launch legal action against UK government over Covid contracts Guardian Oct 11: “A legal action has been launched over the government’s failure to disclose details of its spending on contracts related to the pandemic, as it emerged that it has failed to account for £3bn spent on private contracts since the start of lockdown.
“Three cross-party MPs and Good Law Project, a non-profit-making organisation, have filed a judicial review against the government for breaching the law and its own guidance and argue that there are mounting concerns over coronavirus procurement processes.
“Green party MP Caroline Lucas, Labour’s Debbie Abrahams and Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran say that, despite the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) disclosing in September that at least £11bn worth of contracts have been awarded by the department since April, related predominantly to coronavirus, fresh analysis by data analysts Tussell shows that over £3bn worth of these contracts have not been made public.”

(11 Oct 2020) As the tide of coronavirus swells again, Boris Johnson heads into a perfect storm Guardian Oct 11 on 7 months since the first lockdown, and the changed public mood:
"Seven months on, the coronavirus is surging again, hospital admissions have risen by 50% in just a week and the government may well be forced into something resembling another national lockdown before Christmas, but consensus has disintegrated. We are heading into what threatens to be a bleak winter, not with a spirit of national unity but with divisions on stark display. Between north and south. Between young and old. Between lives and livelihoods. Between those (a shrivelling band) who still invest faith in Mr Johnson and those (a now much larger group) who don’t. Between government and opposition. Between scientist and scientist. Between Westminster and local government. Between cabinet member and cabinet member. And between prime minister and his own party."

(11 Oct 2020) Whitehall told to release secret 2016 files on UK pandemic risks Observer Oct 11 on a notable legal victory for campaigners trying to expose the truth on the failure to prepare for the pandemic:
"In a dramatic move, the Information Commissioner’s Office has ordered the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to hand over the report into Exercise Cygnus, or explain its decision for refusing, by 23 October.
"Cygnus, a three-day simulation exercise in 2016, assessed the UK’s ability to cope with an influenza pandemic, but its findings are pertinent to the current coronavirus crisis.
"Lawyers for an NHS doctor, Moosa Qureshi, who made a freedom of information request six months ago demanding to see the Cygnus report, have accused the government of deliberately delaying its response to his request. There is speculation that this is because the report’s contents would confirm that the government had failed to learn the lessons from its own exercise."

(11 Oct 2020) Hospital bosses urge NHS England to drop 'unfair' fines as Covid admissions rise Guardian Oct 11: "Hospitals in England will be fined for failing to meet “impossible” targets on patient care within weeks, in a scheme criticised by NHS trust bosses as “mad, wrong and unfair”.
"NHS England is facing calls to urgently rethink plans to impose financial penalties on trusts that fail to return non-emergency operations to near-normal levels by the end of this month.
"The directive, which has sparked alarm among regional public health directors and local councils, was issued to hospitals in August and is still going ahead despite a resurgence of coronavirus cases that threatens to seriously disrupt the NHS this winter."

(10 Oct 2020) Continual lockdowns are not the answer to bringing Covid under control Another excellent Guardian comment article Oct 10 from Devi Sridhar:
"In April, cafes and restaurants opened in Vietnam full of bustle and life. In July, 10,000 baseball fans attended a match in a stadium in Taiwan. In August, thousands packed together for a music concert at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park in China. And this month, rugby internationals are going ahead in New Zealand with stadiums at full capacity.
"Daily life within these places has largely returned to normal. Compared to other countries, they have faced minimal economic damage. In fact, Taiwan never even had a lockdown, while lockdown measures in Vietnam, New Zealand and China were early, short and sharp. Out of a population of 1.4bn people, China has only suffered 4,634 Covid-19 deaths; Vietnam, Taiwan and New Zealand together have had 67. How are these countries keeping Covid-19 under control, their health services running, and their economies and societies afloat?
"That’s the question we should all be asking. Instead, seven months into this crisis, the UK remains stuck in endless cycles of lockdown measures, its media still fixated on paralysing debates about how serious the virus really is and what the optimal strategy for addressing it should be."

(10 Oct 2020) Watchdog’s prosecution sends a strong message to safety laggards: Time’s up Comment from Independent's Shaun Lintern (Oct 10) on the decision to prosecute East Kent hospital trust bosses for a shocking failure of patient care:
"The announcement on Friday by the Care Quality Commission that it will bring criminal charges against an NHS trust for failing to provide safe care to a patient is a hugely significant milestone in efforts to bring about greater accountability and safer care in the health service.
"The CQC has had the power to bring such prosecutions against hospitals since April 2015 when it was given a suite of new legal powers to hold hospitals to account on the care they give to their patients.
"Bringing in the new laws, the so-called fundamental standards of care, was one of the most significant actions taken after the care disaster at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, where hundreds of patients suffered shocking neglect, with some dying as a result."

(10 Oct 2020) Spreadsheet and a broken app ‘well worth £12bn’ insist people who said £6bn to abolish tuition fees was bonkers News Thump (Oct 10) sums up quite neatly:
"£12billion for what amounts to a broken track and trace system is terrific value, according to people who warned against using half that figure to abolish tuition fees.
“The enormous investment of public funds was expected to return a world-standard track-and-trace program with a state-of-the-art mobile app to help keep Britain safer.
”What we’ve actually got is a spreadsheet in a format not even Mr Bean would use, and an app that looks nice but actually does sod all,” confirmed conservative spokesperson, Simon Williams.”

(10 Oct 2020) Chorley A&E unit closed during pandemic is to reopen BBC Oct 10 with some welcome news of the reopening of what seemed like a doomed A&E:
"An A&E department which closed to free up capacity during the coronavirus pandemic is to reopen two months later than planned after a delay in recruiting enough doctors.
"The unit at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital shut in March so more staff could work at the Royal Preston.
"It was due to reopen in September but was delayed after only half of the required staff could be found.
"The department is now set to reopen on 2 November. Locum doctors will be employed to ensure the reopening, with the ongoing recruitment process continuing."

(10 Oct 2020) UK at ‘critical’ moment as coronavirus infections double in a week in England Independent Oct 10: "During a briefing with Matt Hancock and Mr Van-Tam, MPs are understood to have been warned the situation was “critical” and could be compared to early March, just weeks before Boris Johnson ordered an unprecedented nationwide lockdown.
"The latest infection numbers from the Office for National Statistics revealed cases may be doubling with 224,400 people in England thought to have caught coronavirus between 25 September and 1 October, equating to about one in 240 people. A week earlier, the numbers infected were nearer 116,000."

(10 Oct 2020) Covid drives more people in UK to fund own operations Guardian Oct 10 with a grim but unsurprising report on the way in which the Covid pandemic is fuelling demand for private operations to jump growing queues for elective care:
"A major private hospital group says it has experienced a doubling in the number of patients opting to pay out of their own pocket for a range of procedures because they fear they will not be seen because the NHS is struggling with a backlog of operations.
"HCA Healthcare, which runs some of the best-known private hospitals in London, including the Portland and the Lister, as well as providing private care at Guy’s, said: “We have seen double the number of self-pay procedures in hip surgeries, ophthalmology (cataracts) and abdominal procedures on last year.
“People are also coming to our London hospitals from further afield than normal, particularly from the south and south-west of England where we have seen 25% to 35% more self-pay patients.”

(10 Oct 2020) COVID-19 Cases in Arizona Dropped 75% After Local Mask Mandates Enforced Daily Beast report on effectiveness of masks in preventing spread of Covid19:
"Arizona—which at one point was one of the states hit hardest by COVID-19— saw a 75 percent decrease in new cases of the virus following local face mask mandates, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before the mandate and after a stay-at-home order was lifted, the daily average number of new cases had jumped by 151 percent, overwhelming the state's health care system. When Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey enforced a mask mandate, new cases sharply decreased. Former Maricopa County health director Dr. Bob England said that the order should have come earlier in order to slow the outbreak from happening in the first place. “If they'd been allowed to do so earlier, a number of those jurisdictions, if not all of them, would have had those mandates in place earlier and our peak of infection would have been lower,” he said."

(9 Oct 2020) Weekly national Influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report - Week 41 Latest report on pattern of Covid infection page 14 smuggles in a significant change in the colour coding, to avoid most of England hitting the amber or red zone.
Government changed colour coding on the CV19 map of infections to hide the growing crisis in South of Eng. Areas that would have shown red for infections will now be much lighter colours spinning infections are low. What was previously the red zone 30-44.9 is now massively higher at 230-334.9. https://twitter.com/ToryFibs/status/1314459744388743168/photo/1

(9 Oct 2020) Contact-tracing app has only sent one alert about an outbreak in a venue Sky News Oct 9: "The contact-tracing app for England and Wales has only sent one alert about a coronavirus outbreak in a venue since it was launched two weeks ago, despite being used for millions of check-ins, Sky News has learned.

Department of Health officials said that the system was still in its infancy and was not expected to be used frequently.
"But with mass closures of pubs and bars expected in parts of the country, the absence of targeted venue alerts has raised questions about the government's strategy.
"Shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah said: "On the one hand, at a government briefing on local data I'm told pubs are the primary location for common COVID exposure, on the other that the contact-tracing app has only sent out one alert about an outbreak in a venue. "There is a plain contradiction there and ministers need to get a grip."
"The app has now been downloaded 16 million times, thanks in part to its QR code scanner, a feature built into the app in addition to the contact-tracing system, which tells users whether or not they've been near someone who has tested positive for coronavirus."

(9 Oct 2020) Disputed ‘Great Barrington Declaration’ issued by free-market think tank The (US) Berkshire Edge with some more critical reporting of the recent neoliberal plan to rely on "herd immunity":
"In the case of COVID-19, the coronavirus that causes it is a novel strain, so it is not yet known what the threshold of immunity is. In addition there is no vaccine and there won’t be an effective one for at least several months, or perhaps longer. Vaccines create immunity without disease or resulting complications. But without them, the only other way to achieve herd immunity is through infection.
“With a population of 328 million in the United States, it may require more than 2 million deaths to reach a 65 percent threshold of herd immunity, assuming the virus has a 1 percent fatality rate,” according to an analysis by the Washington Post.
"The Great Barrington Declaration insists that “the most compassionate approach” is “focused protection,” or allowing “those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk.”
"But the Post report throws cold water on that theory, noting that “proponents of herd immunity who talk of segregating and thereby protecting seniors, nursing home residents and others most likely to die of the virus, while allowing the virus to spread among the young. But growing evidence shows that young people — who work outside the home, or who surged into bars and restaurants when states relaxed shutdowns — are infecting their more vulnerable elders, especially family members.”

(9 Oct 2020) Government accused of ‘cronyism’ after Tory councillor wins £156m COVID contract Open Democracy Oct 9 reveals yet another shocking scam in which huge sums have been funneled from the public purse into the pockets of Tory Party members, donors and cronies:
"A small, loss-making firm run by a Conservative councillor in Stroud was given a £156m contract to import PPE from China without any competition, openDemocracy has learned. Steve Dechan’s company, P14 Medical, signed the huge contract to supply medical gowns in May, even though the firm suffered significant financial losses in 2019, and its previous track record in PPE procurement is unclear. Transparency campaigners say the deal “reeks of corruption”.
"Dechan, who stood down from Stroud town council in late August, had previously made headlines when it emerged that P14 Medical had landed a contract worth almost £120m to supply face shields to the Department of Health and Social Care.
"The £156m gowns deal was signed in late May, but details were only published at the end of September. Government contracts are supposed to be made public within 30 days."

(9 Oct 2020) Contact-tracing app has only sent one alert about an outbreak in a venue Sky News Oct 9 on yet another conspicuous failure of an NHS app:
"The contact-tracing app for England and Wales has only sent one alert about a coronavirus outbreak in a venue since it was launched two weeks ago, despite being used for millions of check-ins, Sky News has learned.
"Department of Health officials said that the system was still in its infancy and was not expected to be used frequently.
"But with mass closures of pubs and bars expected in parts of the country, the absence of targeted venue alerts has raised questions about the government's strategy.
"Shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah said: "On the one hand, at a government briefing on local data I'm told pubs are the primary location for common COVID exposure, on the other that the contact-tracing app has only sent out one alert about an outbreak in a venue. There is a plain contradiction there and ministers need to get a grip."

(9 Oct 2020) Sweden's gamble Science mag on the real story of what has happened in Sweden:
"“… Sweden adopted strikingly different policies from those of other European countries, out of a desire to avoid disrupting daily life—and perhaps the hope that, by paying an immediate price in illness, the country could achieve “herd immunity” and put the pandemic behind it.
“Swedish authorities actively discouraged people from wearing face masks, which they said would spread panic, are often worn the wrong way, and can provide a false sense of safety. Some doctors who insisted on wearing a mask at work have been reprimanded or even fired.
“Until last month, Sweden's official policy stated people without obvious symptoms are very unlikely to spread the virus. […] Testing in Sweden still lags behind many other countries, and in many districts infected people are expected to notify their own contacts—in contrast to, say, Germany and Norway, where small armies of contact tracers help track down people who may have been exposed.
“The Swedish approach has its fans. […] But … A group of scientists known as “the 22” has called for tougher measures since April, when it published a blistering critique of the country's public health authority ….
“It says the price for Sweden's laissez-faire approach has been too high. The country's cumulative death rate since the beginning of the pandemic rivals that of the United States, with its shambolic response.
“And the virus took a shocking toll on the most vulnerable. It had free rein in nursing homes, where nearly 1000 people died in a matter of weeks. Stockholm's nursing homes ended up losing 7% of their 14,000 residents to the virus. … Although infections waned over the summer, scientists worry a new wave will hit in the fall. Cases are rising rapidly in the greater Stockholm area, where almost one-quarter of the Swedish population lives.”

(9 Oct 2020) Why public health boss opposes pubs closure and thinks North East lockdown has 'curtailed' Covid Newcastle’s Chronicle Live Oct 9: “Newcastle’s top public health official is opposed to new local lockdown measures that could see the North East’s pubs, bars, and restaurants closed down next week.
“The Government is expected to announce a new three-tier lockdown system on Monday, which would see all hospitality and leisure businesses closed in areas with the highest rates of Covid-19 infection – including the North East.
“But Newcastle’s public health director, Prof Eugene Milne, believes that the region’s existing Covid restrictions have succeeded in curtailing the virus’ spread and deserve more time to work.
“Since tougher rules on social mixing were first introduced on September 18, Newcastle’s case numbers and infection rate have continued to escalate – with 498.6 new cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to October 5, the fifth highest in the country.
“But Prof Milne says that the city in fact faces two “quite distinct” Covid problems – the spread of coronavirus among the general population, which he believes could be coming under control, and a major but “still containable” outbreak among university students.”

(9 Oct 2020) Nurses will have to “live off the claps” as MPs get another pay rise The London Economic Oct 9 reporting on the MPs who recently voted in line with government policy to reject a pay rise for NHS staff collecting a hefty £3,300 increase:
"The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was described as “tin-eared” today after it recommended that a £3,300 pay rise for MPs should go ahead, despite pleas from nurses being shunned just months prior.
"The Commons watchdog proposed that MPs’ wages should continue to be linked to the average rise for public sector staff as it launched a consultation on salaries.
"It is expected to base next year’s pay rise on October’s public sector three-month annual growth figure of 4.1 per cent. This would mean MPs, including those working at home, would get an extra £3,360 on top of their £81,932 salary."

(9 Oct 2020) Britain is heading ‘into a long winter’ as Covid second wave strikes Financial Times Oct 9 reports: “On August 14, Boris Johnson sparked panic on the beaches when he decided to add France to England’s quarantine list. Thousands of Brits dashed home from a country recording 30 Covid-19 cases per 100,000, hoping to avoid two weeks of self-isolation at the end of their vacation.
“While danger lurked abroad — British tourists were told to venture to foreign climes “with their eyes open” — Mr Johnson was confident the situation at home was under control. Workers were urged to return to their offices; the taxpayer subsidised cheap meals under an “eat out to help out” scheme.
“The new Covid-19 test and tracing system — on which the government had spent more than it spends on nursery and university education at 0.6 per cent of national income — would allow the country to get back to work and enjoy life, while suppressing the virus until a vaccine was available.
“Since then, a second wave of coronavirus has engulfed the UK at a pace not seen in other large European countries. Mr Johnson’s “world-beating” test and trace system struggles to cope on good days; on bad days it is a farce.”

(8 Oct 2020) Government’s test and trace system has ‘concerning’ worst-ever week Independent report Oct 8: "The government’s contact-tracing programme failed to reach more than 30 per cent of close contacts of people who tested positive for the coronavirus in England, the latest figures show, in what is the worst week on record since the beginning of Test and Trace.
"Some 68.6 per cent of close contacts were reached through the system, once dubbed “world-beating” by prime minister Boris Johnson, in the week ending 30 September, according to data published by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
"This is the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace began, and is down from 72.5 per cent in the previous week.
"Meanwhile, only two-thirds of positive Covid-19 cases were transferred to the system over the same time period."

(8 Oct 2020) More than 1,000 consultants from Deloitte on Test and Trace programme Sky News Oct 8 reveals that more than 1,000 Deloitte management consultants are now coining in up to £2,400 per day for work on the disastrous privatised test and trace programme -- a cost of up to £2.4m per day, with little to show for it
"More than 1,000 consultants from Deloitte are now working on Test and Trace, according to newly released documents that underline the scale of the government's reliance on the private sector.
"According to documents released by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) under Freedom of Information rules, there are currently 1,114 consultants from the firm who are working on the scheme.
"In pure headcount terms, this is about the size of a small UK government department.
"... The government is also employing consultants from McKinsey, BCG, PWC, KPMG and EY - however their combined numbers total 144."

(8 Oct 2020) Deaths due to coronavirus (COVID-19) compared with deaths from influenza and pneumonia, England and Wales: deaths occurring between 1 January and 31 August 2020 The latest ONS figures show once again that despite ignorant misrepresentation, the death toll from Covid is far higher than flu and pneumonia combined.

(8 Oct 2020) Knowing me, knowing you, Aha: NSFT’s Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 Hard hitting breakdown of Annual Report of the disastrous Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust by campaigners Norfolk Suffolk Mental Health Crisis, noting:
“• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) spent a staggering £6.9m transporting patients to Out of Area beds in 2019-20 because it doesn’t have enough of its own. That’s more than half a million pounds every month (page 16).
…
“• Chief Nurse Diane Hull trousers £125 – £130,000 per year. That’s between 15.7 and 20.4 per cent higher than predecessor Jane Sayer. She’s helping herself to about £20,000 more from NHS coffers each year than her predecessor for doing exactly the same job (page 32).
“• The number of registered doctors and nurses (WTE – Whole Time Equivalent) permanently employed by @NSFTtweets FELL by 14 despite additional demands of the new prison contract (page 52).
“• Number of doctors permanently employed FELL from 152 to 131. That’s one in seven permanent doctors gone in just one year (page 52).”

(8 Oct 2020) Test And Trace Hits New Low With Worst 'Contact Tracing' Rate Since Service Began Huffington Post Oct 8: "Boris Johnson’s Test and Trace service has reported its worst ever figures for tracking down “close contacts” of people with Covid.
"As well as thousands of cases going missing due to an IT blunder, the controversial system hit a new low with just 68.8% of cases in England being reached and told to self-isolate to stop the spread of the virus.
"Government experts have advised that the whole system can only work effectively if at least 80% of “close contacts” are actually tracked down and told to quarantine.
“Close contacts” are defined as those who have spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of a positive Covid case.
"Latest figures for the week between September 24 and 30 confirmed the “September surge” in coronavirus cases across the country, with 51,475 people testing positive for the first time – a 56% increase compared to the previous week."

(8 Oct 2020) SEVEN week-old firm with links to Tory peer lands £122 million PPE contract The London Economic Oct 8 reports: "A firm that was set up by a former secretary of Baroness Mone has been awarded a £122 million contract to supply PPE to the NHS – just 44 days after it was set up.
"PPE Medpro was started by Anthony Page on the day he quit as the secretary of the company that deals with the Tory peer’s “brand”, a Mirror investigation has revealed.
"Just 44 days later it had won a Department of Health contract – not advertised to other bidders – to supply 25 million gowns for health workers.
"Jolyon Maugham of The Good Law Project, told the Mirror: “Another hugely lucrative PPE contract has been awarded to a firm with no obvious qualification beyond links to very substantial donors to the Conservative Party.”

(8 Oct 2020) Jeremy Hunt to lead inquiry into Covid management including PPE Pulse Today revealing that hopes of a searching, independent inquiry into the government's handling of the Covid pandemic have been dashed:
"A new Covid inquiry is to gather evidence from GPs on the Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including its provision of PPE and testing, Pulse has learned.
"The joint inquiry on ‘lessons to be learned’ from the pandemic response so far was announced and launched today by the House of Commons Health and Social Care and Science and Technology Committees.
"The two select committees will conduct weekly evidence sessions scrutinising the ‘impact and effectiveness’ of action taken by the Government and the ‘advice it has received’, they said.
"Issues covered will include non-medical interventions such as lockdown and social distancing rules, as well as testing and contact tracing, Government communications and public health messaging and the development of treatments and vaccines, they announced."

(8 Oct 2020) Only two-thirds of COVID cases transferred to English tracing system in latest week Reuters take on the latest test & trace statistics, Oct 8:
"Only two-thirds of positive COVID-19 cases were referred to England’s test and trace system in the latest weekly figures published on Thursday, after thousands of results were affected by a glitch that delayed tracing.
"The robustness of the test-and-trace system has been again called into question this week after a technical problem delayed the upload of nearly 16,000 cases into computer systems, including for contact tracers.
"The health ministry said the error means 11,000 positive test results that would normally have entered the contact tracing system in the latest reporting period were delayed until the next week."

(8 Oct 2020) Lowest weekly Test and Trace contact rate as figures show one in four positive Covid tests returned in 24 hours ITV report Oct 8 should be headlining the key fact that three quarters of positive Covid tests took more than 24 hours -- delaying any measures to quarantine infectious people.
"More people could be unwittingly spreading coronavirus to others as figures reveal the lowest Test and Trace contact rate since the scheme began.
"Meanwhile, as few as one in four people testing positive for Covid-19 receive their results in 24 hours.
"The Test and Trace system reached just 68.6% of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week ending September 30, the lowest since the scheme began.
"The figures are starkly different to those cases handled by local health protection teams where 97.1% of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to September 30."

(8 Oct 2020) Number of covid hospital patients in north west likely to equal April peak by end of month HSJ Oct 8 report with some scary figures: "Public health officials believe it is ‘extremely likely’ the North West region will have around 3,000 covid patients in hospital by the end of October – matching the numbers seen during the first peak of coronavirus.
"The warning comes as the region experiences an alarming surge in covid admissions.
"A briefing document prepared by officials at Blackburn with Darwen Council yesterday, and seen by HSJ, says: “It is reasonable to assume no impact can be made in the increasing trend in bed occupancy for at least the next two weeks, as these cases have already occurred.
“Even if a full scale lockdown was called tomorrow bed occupancy would continue to rise after the next two weeks as hospital beds fill quicker than they empty for COVID patients."

(8 Oct 2020) Living standards for UK's poorest plunge during pandemic Guardian Oct 8 with news that will impact on the health of the poorest: “Living standards have plunged for some of the UK’s poorest families during the coronavirus pandemic, with over a third reporting they are financially even worse off since lockdown, according to Save the Children.
“The charity’s survey of households on universal credit or working tax credits found nearly two-thirds had run up debts over the past two months, 60% had cut down on food and other basics, and over a third had relied on charities for food and clothes.
“It warned the end of the government’s job retention scheme meant this winter would be “more difficult than ever” for low-income families and called on ministers to help by boosting the weekly rate of child benefit by a minimum of £10 a week.”

(8 Oct 2020) Manchester students 'in intensive care' with coronavirus - this is one Manchester medic's warning to young people Manchester Evening News with another grim warning that Covid also hits the young:
"A number of students who have contracted Covid-19 are being treated for the virus in hospital - and some have needed intensive care.
"One medic - who works within Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) - says some of the city’s youngest residents are “getting quite ill”.
"He has warned students not to “take it lightly” as coronavirus can affect anyone, even those who are young, fit and healthy.
“Coronavirus can affect all ages, it doesn’t discriminate,” he says."

(8 Oct 2020) New England Journal of Medicine Editorial: Dying in a Leadership Vacuum The NEJM ends many years of refusing to endorse or oppose presidential candidates, and comes out against Donald Trump:
"Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.
"The magnitude of this failure is astonishing. According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, the United States leads the world in Covid-19 cases and in deaths due to the disease, far exceeding the numbers in much larger countries, such as China. The death rate in this country is more than double that of Canada, exceeds that of Japan, a country with a vulnerable and elderly population, by a factor of almost 50, and even dwarfs the rates in lower-middle-income countries, such as Vietnam, by a factor of almost 2000. Covid-19 is an overwhelming challenge, and many factors contribute to its severity. But the one we can control is how we behave. And in the United States we have consistently behaved poorly.
... "Some deaths from Covid-19 were unavoidable. But, although it is impossible to project the precise number of additional American lives lost because of weak and inappropriate government policies, it is at least in the tens of thousands in a pandemic that has already killed more Americans than any conflict since World War II.
"Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs."

(8 Oct 2020) First 'Lighthouse lab' opens in Newport BBC's bland report (Oct 8) reveals in passing that the latest of the part-privatised Lighthouse labs, set up in parallel to the existing network of NHS and public sector labs, has been hijacked from the Public Health network:
"Wales' first specialist Covid-19 lab is opening in Newport having been delayed since August. The hope is the new Lighthouse facility will process 20,000 tests a day by the end of the month.
"Miles Burrow, managing director of PerkinElmer, which set up the lab, said tests would be done within 12 hours and returned to patients within 24.
"The Newport lab, at Imperial Park, was originally being built as a pathology lab for Public Health Wales (PHW). ....
"Lighthouse labs are managed by the UK government and run by private firms.
"The Newport lab was "upscaled" after being given to the Lighthouse network."

(8 Oct 2020) NHS England claims victory on early ‘recovery’ target (£) HSJ Oct 8 report "New figures show the NHS has hit a key target for recovering activity, but questions remain about whether it can continue to increase despite infection control and rising covid cases.
"In an official statement accompanying new performance data, NHS England said in September that the NHS carried out 80 per cent of the planned hospital inpatient procedures which it did last year. It said 96 per cent of last year’s level of CT scans were carried out, and 86 per cent of MRI.
"NHSE has not yet published full performance data for September, so performance for other services, and for different regions, is not known."

(7 Oct 2020) David Oliver: Don’t let covid-19 drive a wedge between acute and primary care Consultant David Oliver in BMJ on latest proposals to pre-book A&E visits:
"We’ve seen a huge transformation in primary care during the pandemic, with GPs still working very hard but moving many of their consultations to phone or online models and limiting face-to-face appointments.5 GPs are keen to shift the balance back partly, but the fear of infection on their premises is valid. It’s upsetting to read comments in mainstream or social media suggesting that, just because face-to-face appointments are less common, general practices are “closed” or “lazy.” I’ve also seen emergency medicine doctors expressing frustration at seeing lots of patients who would normally have gone to their GP but couldn’t. This in turn triggers reactions from GPs.
"Now, in the face of models suggesting that many of our acute hospitals could be at 110% of their capacity this winter, NHS England proposes a model whereby patients phoning NHS 111 will have an appointment slot booked for them in the emergency department—or a GP appointment if hospital attendance is deemed inappropriate. Some GPs fear an under-resourced, unmanageable mass transfer of patients to primary care. GPs and emergency medicine doctors alike worry that NHS 111 will be overwhelmed or won’t have the right clinical skills—and that worried patients will present to emergency departments regardless, where in reality no one will refuse to see and triage them."

(7 Oct 2020) The Great Barrington Declaration has nothing to do with epidemiology and a great deal to do with far right economics Richard Murphy Oct 7 notes that: "The so-called Great Barrington Declaration itself says: "As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection."
He goes on to point out that:
"it’s important to note that this so-called Great Barrington Declaration was signed at the Great Barrington Headquarters of the American Institute for Economic Research, of which Wikipedia says (and on this occasion, I think quite reliably):
"The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER)[2] is a 501(c)(3) economic research institute located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The institute aims to promote individual sovereignty, limited government, and "a society based on property rights and open markets." It was founded in 1933 by Edward C. Harwood, an economist and investment advisor, with the intention of protecting individual rights. The current president of the institute is Edward Stringham, an Austrian School economist and a professor of economics at Trinity College in Connecticut."
"This is not, then, epidemiology at all. Nor is it science. It is far-right economics. And the logic that underpins it is that of that branch of economic thinking."

(7 Oct 2020) Social Care – whoever knew? Thoughtful piece in North East Bylines (Oct 7) notes:
"Over the years we have somehow conflated ‘care’ with ‘care homes’. We have moved into a position of thinking that care can be delivered only by paid staff within certain settings. Yet the majority of care happens within local communities, by unpaid family carers and friends, in informal settings, in people’s own homes and in communities.
"The pandemic exposed that there are over 8000 home care providers, the vast majority of them independent, private providers. There is very little state-provided care. Ian Birrell, a financial journalist who writes mainly for the Financial Times, and who is himself a family carer, wrote an article ‘Old Money’ in May 2020, which is a devastating analysis of social care, and explains the financial shenanigans. “This is a sector that has been exploited by corporate giants, using offshore tax havens hidden behind opaque corporate structures. Lurking behind the provision of care homes lies the world of global finance, in which some of our most vulnerable citizens have become a source of profit for billionaire owners, hedge fund operators and private equity barons.” It is a chilling indictment.
"But it isn’t just about care homes, an increasing and significant amount of demand (about 35% of adult care budgets) is for support of working age adults. Mortality rates have fallen and life expectancy has dramatically increased for many people with disabilities. Whilst this is rightly celebrated, their needs are increasingly neglected. One in four requests for social care support from local councils is refused. People are told they need less – when it is obvious that more support is needed. Because of austerity, local councils now operate rationing, but they refuse to admit it. "

(6 Oct 2020) How lockdown has affected mental health BBC report Oct 6 reminds us of the hidden damage being done while the focus is on the coronavirus: "Covid-19 may be a physical illness but it has also hit mental health hard.
"In August, a group of NHS leaders said they were seeing a rise in people reporting severe mental health difficulties while charities including Mind, Samaritans and Calm have all said they have seen an increase in people coming to them for help.
"The BBC's Unusual Times podcast spoke to people around the country about the impact the pandemic and lockdown has had on them."

(6 Oct 2020) Covid could cause 'tsunami of cancelled NHS operations' BBC news Oct 6: “There could be a "tsunami" of cancelled operations this winter as the NHS copes with rising numbers of coronavirus patients, leading surgeons are warning. Members of the Royal College of Surgeons of England say they doubt the NHS can meet targets to restore surgery back to near pre-pandemic levels.
“… In July, NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens told trusts hospitals should by September 2020 be performing at least 80% of their September 2019 rates of:
• overnight planned procedures
• outpatient or day-case procedures
“And by October, this proportion should rise to 90%. But data suggests more than two million people have been waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine operations, with 83,000 waiting more than a year - up from 2,000 before the pandemic.”

(6 Oct 2020) Malfunctioning phones hit efforts to trace 40,000 contacts (£) Times Oct 6 revelation that it's not just clapped-out Excel spreadsheets at the core of the latest test and trace fiasco: “Contact tracers’ phone lines crashed as they scrambled to reach tens of thousands of potentially infectious people missed because of an IT blunder.
“A computing malfunction caused phones to fail yesterday as tracers tried to clear the backlog of an estimated 40,000 contacts of coronavirus cases, only half of whom had been identified by yesterday morning.
“Almost 16,000 infectious people were missed because of an error caused by systems reliant on a 13-year-old version of Microsoft Excel and Matt Hancock, the health secretary, could not say when their contacts would be reached.”

(6 Oct 2020) NHS staff struggle with burnout as they warn hospital bosses about looming second wave Independent Oct 6: "NHS workers are at breaking point after months of upheaval and high pressure during the coronavirus outbreak with hospital leaders warning the health service is facing a “perfect storm” of workforce shortages and a second wave of Covid-19.
"In a survey of 140 NHS trust leaders almost all of them said they were worried about their staff suffering burnout ahead of winter.
"They also sounded the alarm over concerns there had not been enough investment into social care before this winter. "

(6 Oct 2020) CCGs sitting on millions in unspent funds for GP ‘additional roles’ Pulse report Oct 6 on the failure to properly spend an already inadequate sum on expanding support for GPs through 'Primary Care Networks' which have already shown themselves to be unable to deliver what they promised: "Primary care networks in England used less than half of the funding they were entitled to last year to recruit additional clinical staff, leaving CCGs with the surplus.
"Just over 40% of the additional roles reimbursement (ARRS) scheme money in 2019/20 went towards hiring clinical pharmacists and social prescribers, according to data supplied to Pulse by 77 CCGs.
"The leftover funding was in some cases redistributed to other PCNs, as NHS England ‘strongly encourage[d]’ CCGs to do last year.
"But 22% of the cash – or £9.8m – was still unspent by CCGs at the end of June, when Pulse requested the data through a freedom of information (FOI) request.
"The total value of the ARRS scheme for 2019/20 was £110m, meaning if this were extrapolated across the country, CCGs could be holding on to around £24m to which PCNs are entitled."

(6 Oct 2020) Clare Gerada: Bracing for the second wave BMJ article Oct 6 by Dr Clare Gerada in run up to second wave of Covid 19:
"We now understand the virus better—who is at greatest risk, what treatments work, and which ones don’t—and we hopefully even have a vaccine on the horizon. But still, among the increasing numbers of doctors I see in my service for sick doctors, there is anticipatory dread, intense anxiety, and a constant feeling of unease, as though something bad is about to happen. The “bad” is that they will be asked again to risk their lives, see their colleagues die from covid-19, make immense sacrifices in their personal lives to serve their patients, and generally be called on to show superhuman abilities.
"However, doctors don’t wear magic white coats that protect them from fatigue, grief, and fear. Pandemics place health professionals at increased risk of mental illness, uncomfortable psychological emotions, and moral injury. They must contend with other additional burdens.
"During the first wave I ran a group for health practitioner leaders, from medicine, nursing, paramedicine, and management. Not only did they work very hard (up to 16 hours a day, every day for weeks on end) but they were often blamed for factors out of their control, such as inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE), insufficient intensive care beds, and implementing ever changing protocols and guidelines. They had to deal with protests from staff as they were blamed for failings in the system—and from patients as waiting lists grew longer."

(6 Oct 2020) Test and Trace chief Dido Harding breaks promise to stay neutral and backs Tory immigration plan Mirror report Oct 6: “Test and Trace chief Dido Harding has voted along party lines despite promising the Government’s top civil servant she would abstain.
“The Mirror has seen a letter from new Cabinet Secretary Simon Case saying the controversial Tory peer volunteered to avoid votes on health and social care. She had been criticised by MPs and peers for following the party whip despite her role as a senior public office holder.
“But on Monday she voted against a Labour amendment to review the impact of the Government’s immigration plans on staffing of the social care sector.
“Angela Smith, Labour’s leader in the House of Lords said: “Baroness Harding either never intended to keep her commitment not to vote on health and social care issues or just didn’t care enough to find out what the Tory whips had told her to vote against. Either way, it’s brazen behaviour.”

(5 Oct 2020) NHS races to reach 50,000 Covid contacts missed in data blunder Guardian Oct 5 report on the massive screw-up by privatised test and trace system using outdated and inappropriate 2003 spreadsheet software to administer a national database:
"Contact tracers are scrambling to reach up to 50,000 people who should be self-isolating after ministers were accused of “putting lives at risk” with a spreadsheet blunder that led to coronavirus cases going unreported.
"MPs from across the political spectrum rounded on the health secretary, Matt Hancock, after it emerged that official figures missed 15,841 positive results due to a “catastrophic” data error."

(5 Oct 2020) Covid’s north-south divide widens (£) HSJ October 5: “The regional divide in the impact of covid’s ‘second wave’ is widening further, with the latest figures showing deaths and hospital admissions accelerating in the North West and North East and Yorkshire.
“There were 219 deaths in the week up to 28 September – the most recent point when hospital deaths data is considered robust. This is an increase of 178 from 41 deaths in the seven days to 3 September.
“Most of this increase came in the North East and Yorkshire, the North West, and the Midlands regions. London, the South East, South West and East of England saw only 48 deaths in the week up to 28 September — up from 15 in the seven days to 3 September.
“… Four neighbouring large sustainability and transformation partnerships accounted for 49 per cent of the deaths in the seven days to 28 September: Greater Manchester, Cumbria and the North East, Lancashire and South Cumbria, and Cheshire and Merseyside.”

(5 Oct 2020) The government lost 16,000 Coronavirus cases because they missed a GCSE-level Microsoft Excel error Evolve Politics Oct 5 sums up the latest privatisation fiasco in an apparently endless series of avoidable blunders in handling Covid 19: "Yes, despite allocating an astonishing £10bn to set up and run what Boris Johnson said would be a “world-beating” test and trace system, the error was caused by the fact that the people running the system don’t appear to have any knowledge as to how Microsoft Excel works.
"According to the Daily Mail, the cases were missed because the system’s auto-updating Excel spreadsheet had reached its maximum size – meaning no more cases could be added.
"According to the Microsoft website, the total number of columns that can be recorded on any single spreadsheet is 16,384 – a fact that any GCSE-level IT student would be expected to know when troubleshooting a problem."

(5 Oct 2020) What COVID numbers SHOULD have said: Excel bungle masked daily cases hitting 11,000 as Boris Johnson admits he has 'no idea' how many of patients' contacts could be infected - and furious blame game e Furious attack by Daily Heil Oct 5 embarrassed once again by the failures of the government they so eagerly helped into office:
"As well as underestimating the scale of the outbreak in the UK, critically the details were not passed to contact tracers, meaning people exposed to the virus were not tracked down.
"Boris Johnson was unable even to say how many people were being contact traced in the wake of the bungle - although based on the previous average number of contacts reported by each infected person, it will be over 50,000.
"But he scrambled to play down concerns that ministers have been making pivotal decisions on lockdown without accurate information, saying the outbreak was still in line with where its experts thought.
"The shambolic situation sparked an immediate backlash against PHE - which is already set to be abolished and replaced by the government - with claims 'everything it touches turns to sh**'.
"But the body hit back by pointing the finger at the Test & Trace operation, run by Baroness Dido Harding. 'We report the data when they send it. We didn't get it,' one official told Sky News. "

(5 Oct 2020) No-deal Brexit would be ‘catastrophic’ for the NHS, warns BMA Nursing Notes Oct 5 report: “A no-deal Brexit would be “catastrophic” for the NHS, the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned.
“Following the Prime Minister’s meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss a possible post-Brexit trade agreement, the BMA’s lead trade negotiator and deputy chair Dr. David Wrigley issued the stark warning.
“Dr. Wrigley announced that given the complex nature of these negotiations and the challenges of the pandemic, there are concerns that working to the tight deadline could result in the transition period ending without an agreed deal.
“Furthermore, the BMA has warned of the potentially catastrophic impact that a no-deal Brexit would have for patients, the workforce, and health services in the UK; the NHS faces challenging circumstances, with a huge backlog of care and the ongoing demands of Covid-19, Dr Wrigley says it cannot be placed in further jeopardy.
“The deputy chair believes a deal is needed to protect the rights of the EU healthcare workforce in the NHS and to ensure that the NHS is safeguarded and to guarantee access to medicines. Dr Wrigley warned that will threaten supply chains of vital supplies, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and protective equipment, needs to be avoided.”

(5 Oct 2020) The Guardian view on pandemic failures: this data loss is symptomatic Guardian Editorial Oct 5: "Much remains to be revealed about the precise circumstances in which 15,841 positive Covid-19 test results were temporarily lost. The technical explanation being reported on Monday – that an Excel file maximum was reached, leading to excess data being dropped between a lab and Public Health England – is not the whole story.
"As well as what caused the error, there is much to learn about its effects. This includes the locations of around 48,000 close contacts of the infected people, who were not contacted by the test-and-trace system because it did not have their details.
"On Monday the health secretary, Matt Hancock, told the House of Commons that 49% of those tested had still not been reached by contact tracers."

(4 Oct 2020) Overstretched health visitors caring for up to 2,400 families each Guardian exclusive Oct 10 begins: "Overstretched health visitors have been forced to care for up to 2,400 families with newborns at a time, 10 times the recommended number, according to the sector’s most senior figure.
"Prompting fears that breastfeeding rates will drop to new lows and a generation of babies could face a troubled future, Cheryll Adams, the chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting, told the Guardian that as sickness and redeployment struck, some health visitors were having to care for thousands of families.
“In the last five years we have seen the number of health visitors cut by 30%, then during the pandemic, as many as 50% of staff were redeployed in some areas,” she said. “That was devastating for families and for health visitors who were put under immense pressure.”"

(4 Oct 2020) GPs in England left waiting up to a month for flu vaccine supplies Guardian Oct 4 exclusive: "GP surgeries are waiting up to a month for supplies of this winter’s flu vaccine amid unprecedented numbers of patients seeking jabs ahead of the second wave of Covid-19, family doctors have said.
"The Royal College of GPs (RCPG) has written to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, seeking assurances that they will have enough doses of the vaccine to cope with demand. The struggle to get jabs has prompted fears that vulnerable groups, including elderly people and those with underlying conditions, will go unprotected.
“We have heard anecdotally that some surgeries are waiting up to a month for replenished supplies of vaccine, which raises concerns that there are significant distribution problems,” Prof Martin Marshall, the RCGP’s chair and a family doctor in London, said in the letter."

(4 Oct 2020) Less than half UK population to receive coronavirus vaccine, says task force head | Free to read Financial Times report Oct 4: “Less than half the UK population can expect to be vaccinated against coronavirus, the head of the government’s vaccine task force has said in an attempt to clear up the public’s “misguided” perception of the programme’s aim.
“Kate Bingham told the Financial Times that vaccinating everyone in the country was “not going to happen”, adding: “We just need to vaccinate everyone at risk.” Her comments come as Boris Johnson on Sunday warned that the country was in for a “bumpy” winter. Calling himself a “freedom-loving Tory”, he urged Britons to live “fearlessly but with common sense”.”

(3 Oct 2020) UK Covid testing cutoff quietly extended to eight days after first signs Another Guardian Exclusive, Oct 3: "The government has quietly changed its guidance on the number of days within which people with coronavirus symptoms should get tested, the Guardian has learned, raising fears that the disease could spread quicker.
"On the government’s website, people are now told: “On day eight, you need to go to a test site” after an apparent change on Friday morning. Earlier in the day it was quoted as saying: “You need to get the test done in the first five days of having symptoms.”
"Various internal messages seen by the Guardian show coronavirus helpline team leaders suggesting the tests do not provide an accurate result more than five days after first having symptoms. “If over five days, the tests will not provide an accurate result,” one said."

(3 Oct 2020) Surge of Covid cases in London health workers sparks fear of spread on wards Guardian Oct 3: "Covid infection rates among doctors, nurses, and other hospital and care home staff have risen more than fivefold over the past month in London, scientists have discovered. The figures – provided by the Francis Crick Institute – have triggered considerable concern among scientists, who fear similar increases may be occurring in other regions of the UK.
"Increasing numbers of infected healthcare workers raise fears that the spread of Covid-19 into wards and care homes – which triggered tens of thousands of deaths last spring – could be repeated unless urgent action is taken.
“It is very, very worrying,” said Professor Charles Swanton, who helped set up the institute’s Pipeline testing service. “Keeping hospitals and care homes free of the virus is crucial but these figures suggest we are heading in the wrong direction.”

(2 Oct 2020) Most of Boris Johnson's promised 40 new hospitals will not be totally new Guardian Oct 2 on the latest (Tory Conference) re-run of the completely bogus claim to be building 40 new hospitals: "Ministers have set out more details of Boris Johnson’s much-scrutinised election promise to build 40 new hospitals in England, revealing that the bulk of the projects involve rebuilding or consolidation, and that only four have been started.
"The scheme comes with a promised spending package of £3.7bn. However, NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said the real cost of building 40 new hospitals would be more like £20bn.
"The plan for 40 hospitals to be built by 2030, first made by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, at last year’s Conservative party conference, and repeated many times by Johnson during the subsequent election campaign, was criticised at the time for being based more on aspiration than definite plans."

(2 Oct 2020) Thousands of migrant NHS workers must apply for right to stay after visa extension scheme scrapped despite Covid-19 second wave i-news Oct 2 on the latest way in which the government's racist immigration laws are obstructing the recruitment and retention of staff vital for the NHS:
"Thousands of healthcare workers must now reapply for a visa to stay in the country after the Government rejected calls to extend a scheme which automatically extended their right to work in the UK.
"At the height of the pandemic, ministers announced that all non-EU migrants working in the health sector whose work visas were due to expire would have it extended for another year with no fee.
"That scheme ended this week, meaning that foreign doctors, nurses and paramedics must spend hundreds of pounds and several weeks applying for fresh visas despite the second wave of Covid-19. Around 1,000 people are month are believed to be affected."

(2 Oct 2020) Major UK testing company broke health and safety laws at height of pandemic Sky News Oct 2 reveals yet more failures by a private contractor involved in the outsourced testing programme: "One of the biggest coronavirus testing companies in the UK broke health and safety law multiple times at the height of the pandemic, Sky News can reveal.
"The breaches, which related to an inspection in May, included telling couriers that the containers used to transport coronavirus tests should be cleaned at least once a week, when in fact they should have been cleaned at least once a day.
"The Doctor's Laboratory, which has lucrative testing contracts with major sporting and retail bodies, has been ordered to pay a fee by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), whose inspector found a "material breach" of health and safety law.
"A 24 August letter from HSE, seen by Sky News, orders The Doctor's Laboratory to change numerous internal processes by 9 September, saying: "It is important that you deal with these matters to protect people's health and safety."

(2 Oct 2020) The Government has Abandoned the Disabled People Hit Hardest by the Coronavirus Byline Times Oct 2: "Almost two-thirds of all people who have died from COVID-19 are disabled. New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that disabled people made up almost 60% of all deaths involving COVID-19 until July 2020 (27,534 of 46,314 deaths).
"What is more staggering is that these figures are an underestimate. As the ONS says, its data sources do not allow a statistical analysis by type of disability (like learning disability or specific physical disability). The analysis is also based on the 2011 census, which the ONS says is the best model currently available, yet is not reflective of the full UK disabled population.
“It is likely that the number of people who are recorded as having an activity-limiting condition [disability] is now an underestimate,” the ONS says, “because those not limited in 2011 may have developed a long-term health condition over the past nine years that limits their activities or any existing health condition may have worsened in severity, causing them to become limited.”

(1 Oct 2020) NHS Test And Trace Contact Tracing Rate Drops Again As Covid Cases Surge Huffington Post Oct 1: "Boris Johnson’s test-and-trace service has seen another fall in its contact-tracing rate as the number of people testing positive soared across England.
"The figures for the week of September 17 to September 23 showed that just 71.6% of “close contacts” of Covid cases were reached by the system.
"For the 14th week running, the figure is below the 80% figure that the government’s scientific advisers have said is needed to make the entire policy viable."

(1 Oct 2020) Why the World Bank should be calling for a People's vaccine Oxfam press release: "Responding to the World Bank's proposal of a $12 billion initiative to help poor countries purchase COVID-19 vaccines, Anna Marriott, Health Policy Advisor at Oxfam, said:
"The World Bank is right to be concerned about whether poorer countries will be able to afford COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and they should use their influence accordingly. The best way of ensuring universal access is for pharmaceutical companies to stop seeking monopolies on their treatments. This only limits production and drives up prices. That is why Oxfam and others are calling for a People's Vaccine that would be free from patents, widely manufactured and affordable, so that governments can provide it to people in need free of charge.
"Many poorer countries are already in debt and should not have to resort to taking additional loans to pay for over-priced vaccines from pharmaceutical corporations eager to profit from this crisis."

(1 Oct 2020) Hancock wrong to say government scientists ran coronavirus trial on vitamin D (£) Times Oct 1 reveals another porkie from Matt Halfcock:
"Ministers are to reconsider vitamin D as a potential weapon against Covid-19 after Matt Hancock wrongly claimed that government scientists had run unsuccessful tests.
"The health secretary told the Commons last week that he had ordered a trial that showed vitamin D did not “appear to have any impact”. Officials now admit that no trials took place."

(1 Oct 2020) One of the biggest coronavirus testing companies in the UK broke health and safety law multiple times at the height of the pandemic, Sky News can reveal. The breaches, which related to an inspectio Open Democracy Oct 1: "The opposition today accused the government of being “in denial” about the “clear failures” of its privatised COVID-19 contact tracing system – just days before ministers must decide whether to renew their contracts with outsourcing giants Serco and SITEL for a second time.
"Speaking to openDemocracy, shadow cabinet office minister Helen Hayes said the government was “pouring taxpayer money down the drain” because of its “addiction to outsourcing”.
"In Parliament today, Hayes asked: “What justification the government could possibly have for continuing with the failed privatised centralised model of test and trace, in contrast to the effectiveness of local councils and public health teams who are denied the full funding they require?”

(1 Oct 2020) Keir Starmer Calls For New Powers For Mayors To Decide Local Lockdowns Huffington Post Oct 1 reveals Keir Starmer starting to catch on that the opposition should be challenging the government's lamentable failures on test and trace:
"Keir Starmer has called for council chiefs and mayors in England to be urgently given new powers over both local lockdowns and NHS Test and Trace.
"Amid a growing revolt among local leaders at fresh restrictions imposed by the Tory government, the Labour leader told HuffPost UK that it was now time for them to be “put in the driver’s seat” in the battle against coronavirus.
"Starmer said that health secretary Matt Hancock should share decision making with council leaders and metro Mayors, offer cash packages for businesses locked down and end the confusing public health messages.
"In an exclusive interview, he also demanded a radical overhaul of NHS Test and Trace to prevent it from damaging the reputation of the NHS itself, with local public health teams leading the service rather than Tory peer Dido Harding or private firms like Serco and Deloitte."

(1 Oct 2020) NHS Test And Trace Contact Tracing Rate Drops Again As Covid Cases Surge Huffington Post Oct 1 on the latest symptoms of government failure: "Boris Johnson’s test-and-trace service has seen another fall in its contact-tracing rate as the number of people testing positive soared across England.
"The figures for the week of September 17 to September 23 showed that just 71.6% of “close contacts” of Covid cases were reached by the system.
"For the 14th week running, the figure is below the 80% figure that the government’s scientific advisers have said is needed to make the entire policy viable.
"In line with the September surge in cases, NHS Test and Trace reported 31,373 people testing positive for the first time – a 61% week-on-week increase and four times as high as the number at the end of August. But the service’s performance has gone backwards on the percentage of people it reached, dropping to 71.3% from 80.8% the week before."

(1 Oct 2020) The Lancet censors Gaza health letter after pro-Israel pressure Electronic Intifada with a worrying October 1 criticism of the Lancet buckling under pressure from supporters of the Israeli state:
“With a fresh spike in the number of coronavirus infections, Gaza is yet again facing the very real prospect that its healthcare system will be overwhelmed. Gaza is not just fighting a global pandemic. Under an Israeli blockade and successive military attacks since 2007, the coastal strip is fighting one of the highest levels of poverty and unemployment in the world as well as a crumbling infrastructure, including in its health sector.
“A severe shortage of medicine and medical equipment that is directly linked to the Israeli siege could, combined with the ravages of a pandemic, threaten the health service with complete collapse.
“…. Back in March, when the pandemic first hit Gaza, David Mills of Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Bram Wispelwey of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Rania Muhareb formerly of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, and Mads Gilbert of University Hospital of North Norway, wrote a short letter to The Lancet, one of the world’s foremost medical journals.
“… The letter – “Structural violence in the era of a new pandemic: the case of the Gaza Strip” – was duly published online on 27 March. Just three days later, however, in a move unusual if not unprecedented for The Lancet, the letter was taken down without comment. …”

(30 Sep 2020) New report exposes wrongheadedness of outsourcing at North West Anglia NHS UNISON Eastern Region Press Release Sept 30: “A new report rips apart North West Anglia NHS NHS Trust’s plans to outsource catering and other services at Hinchingbrooke and makes the case to bring all facilities services back in house across the employer.
“The report takes apart the case to outsource the award-winning catering service, drawing from the experience of three decades’ failed privatisation of NHS services and the latest research showing that a sell-off would be “most unwise.”
“It lambasts the complete lack of a business case for outsourcing and argues that at the very least the Trust should consider an in-house bid for the multimillion-pound contract.”

(30 Sep 2020) Care home coronavirus outbreaks cast doubt on official PHE data Guardian Sept 30 report: "The UK’s largest care home provider has had Covid outbreaks in 70 of its facilities, prompting questions about whether official figures on the virus’s return to social care may be too low.
"As care leaders issued fresh warnings about testing delays, HC-One said it had closed one in five of its 329 homes because of outbreaks and that 20 homes had seen new outbreaks in the last fortnight.
"Bupa also told the Guardian that in the last 28 days people had tested positive at 21 of its homes – almost one in six of its 130 locations – while Care UK has had positive tests at 19 of its 110 homes."

(30 Sep 2020) Why the World Bank should be calling for a People's vaccine Oxfam Press release Sept 30 responding to World Bank proposal:
"Responding to the World Bank's proposal of a $12 billion initiative to help poor countries purchase COVID-19 vaccines, Anna Marriott, Health Policy Advisor at Oxfam, said:
"The World Bank is right to be concerned about whether poorer countries will be able to afford COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and they should use their influence accordingly. The best way of ensuring universal access is for pharmaceutical companies to stop seeking monopolies on their treatments. This only limits production and drives up prices. That is why Oxfam and others are calling for a People's Vaccine that would be free from patents, widely manufactured and affordable, so that governments can provide it to people in need free of charge.
"Many poorer countries are already in debt and should not have to resort to taking additional loans to pay for over-priced vaccines from pharmaceutical corporations eager to profit from this crisis."

(29 Sep 2020) Test and trace is failing – we need GPs’ expertise to make it work Dr Kailash Chand writes in Pulse 29 Sept: "The NHS’s test and trace system isn’t working. Why? Because we have no strategy, and the public sector has been utterly sidelined. Boris Johnson, true to his ideological beliefs, has outsourced the Covid response to big private companies, the likes of Serco and Deloitte. It’s like designing a car and not putting the engine in.
"We’ll never get on the road to normalcy. We’ll be stuck in a world of lockdown, unlock, lockdown, unlock…. Without an operative, functioning test and trace system, we are doomed to ever more lockdowns, whether local or national.
"We are the fifth richest economy in the world, with one of the best healthcare systems and world-leading science research universities, but still, after eight months, we do not have a functional testing system that returns results within 24 hours."

(29 Sep 2020) Italy approves use of rapid airport-style coronavirus tests in schools News from English language The Local in Italy confirms how far behind British testing is from world class: "
Italy's coronavirus testing strategy is getting better every week, ministers said on Tuesday, as they looked at rolling out the rapid 30-minute tests currently used at airports in schools.
"
Italy's coronavirus testing strategy is getting better every week, ministers said on Tuesday, as they looked at rolling out the rapid 30-minute tests currently used at airports in schools.

Italy's coronavirus testing strategy is getting better every week, ministers said on Tuesday, as they looked at rolling out the rapid 30-minute tests currently used at airports in schools.

Italy's coronavirus testing strategy is getting better every week, ministers said on Tuesday, as they looked at rolling out the rapid 30-minute tests currently used at airports in schools.
"Health authorities in the Lazio region had already confirmed they will start using the tests in some schools from Thursday.
"The rapid antigen tests (‘test antigene’ or ‘test antigenico’, or sometimes just ‘tampone rapido’, ‘fast swab’), currently used in airports, are carried out with a cotton nasal swab, much like the "normal" tests which take 24-48 hours to give a result. The difference is in the method of ascertaining the presence of the virus and above all in the timing: with rapid tests the response arrives in 20-30 minutes."

(29 Sep 2020) As pandemic deaths pass 1 million, COVID survivors from 37 countries write to pharmaceutical bosses to demand a People's Vaccine Oxfam Sept 29 publishes an open letter appealing for affordable vaccine for whole world rather than mega profits for big pharma:
"Survivors of COVID-19 from 37 countries are among almost 1,000 people who have signed an open letter to pharmaceutical industry leaders calling for a ‘people's vaccine’ and treatments that are available to all – free from patents. The letter comes on the eve of a high-level side event about the pandemic at the UN General Assembly in New York tomorrow (30 September).
"The signatories include 242 COVID-19 survivors from South Africa to Finland and New Zealand to Brazil. They also include 190 people in 46 countries who have lost relatives to the virus, and 572 signatories with underlying health conditions that mean they are more likely to develop severe forms of COVID-19 and have a greater risk of dying from it.
"The letter says: “Some of us have lost loved ones to this killer disease. Some of us have come close to death ourselves. Some of us are continuing to live in fear that contracting this disease would be fatal for us. We see no justification why your profit or monopolies should mean anyone else should go through this.”
"It describes pharmaceutical corporations as “carrying on with business as usual - defending monopolies while refusing to share research and know-how” and calls on industry leaders to “ensure COVID-19 vaccines and treatments reach everyone who needs them by preventing monopolies, ramping up production and sharing knowledge.”

(28 Sep 2020) ‘Scandalous’ - campaigners’ fury as failing NHS trust hands out nearly £1m in exit packages Eastern Daily Press Sept 28 with another revelation about disastrous Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust: "Exit packages – money employees are paid when made redundant or on leaving a company – paid to staff departing the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) last year totalled almost £1million (£924,169).
"During the same year the trust spent £33million on ‘temporary staff’, including workers on short-term contracts and agency staff, according to its accounts for 2019/20. That is up from £18m the previous year.
"The accounts show six-figure sums between £150,000 and £200,000 were paid to two departing ‘locality managers’ in a shake-up of departments in mid-2019, triggered after NSFT was ranked ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission for the third time in a row."

(27 Sep 2020) Britain's failure to learn the hard lessons of its first Covid surge is a disaster Guardian opinion column Sept 27: "Since the first outbreaks of Covid-19 early in the year, scientists and governments have learned a lot about the virus. They’ve learned that the best way to fight it is through testing, tracing and isolating – and they’ve learned what the consequences of not fighting it can be. But the UK seems to be ignoring most of these hard lessons. Instead of evidence-based policy, its response – initially urging people back into offices, outsourcing testing and tracing to corporate giants, and opting for half-measures in the face of a virulent second wave – looks more like policy-based evidence."

(23 Sep 2020) ‘Long covid’ clinics still not operating despite Hancock claim HSJ report Sept 23; "The government and NHS England appear unable to identify units set up to treat ‘long covid’, contrary to a claim by Matt Hancock in Parliament that the NHS had ‘set up clinics and announced them in July’.
"There are growing calls for wider services to support people who have had covid-19 and continue to suffer serious follow-up illness for weeks or months. Hospitals run follow-up clinics for those who were previously admitted with the virus, but these are not generally open to those who were never admitted.
"Earlier this month the health secretary told the Commons health committee: “The NHS set up long covid clinics and announced them in July and I am concerned by reports from Royal College of General Practitioners that not all GPs know how to get into those services.”
Asked by HSJ for details, DHSC and NHS England declined to comment on how many clinics had been set up to date, where they were located, how they were funded or how many more clinics were expected to be “rolled out”."

(23 Sep 2020) Sir Patrick Vallance has £600,000 shareholding in firm contracted to develop vaccines Telegraph Sept 23; "Sir Patrick Vallance, who also chairs the Government's expert advisory panel on vaccines, holds a deferred bonus of 43,111 shares in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) worth £600,000 from his time as president of the multinational drug company, The Telegraph can reveal.
"He has already cashed in more than £5 million worth of shares he received from the company during his tenure from 2012 until March 2018, when he became the Government's chief scientific adviser. Accounts show he held 404,201 GSK shares when he left, worth £6.1 million at current values.
"In July, GSK and drugs multinational Sanofi agreed a deal with the UK Government to supply it with up to 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, subject to final contract. It has a similar deal with the US government for an initial 100 million doses as part of Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed. "

(23 Sep 2020) No-deal Brexit will cost UK more than Covid, report finds Guardian Sept 23: "Analysis by the London School of Economics and UK in a Changing Europe says “a no-deal Brexit would represent a further major shock to a UK economy” with a “major set of changes” to the economic relationship with the country’s largest trading partner.
“Our modelling with LSE of the impact of a no-deal Brexit suggests that the total cost to the UK economy over the longer term will be two to three times as large as that implied by the Bank of England’s forecast for the impact of Covid-19,” says the report.
"LSE modelling puts the long-term economic hit from a no-deal Brexit at 8% of GDP, similar to that of the government’s own forecast in 2018 of 7.6%, which amounts to £160bn in today’s money, or £2,400 per person.
"This compares with the Bank of England’s latest forecast of the impact of Covid which shows a reduction of 1.7% of GDP to the economy up to 2022.
"This amounts to £40bn, or £600 per person, and is dwarfed by cost of a no-deal Brexit, which will have an impact on GDP for years to come."

(23 Sep 2020) Scamademics?Right-Wing Lobbying Groups Reviving ‘Herd Immunity’ in the UK The excellent Byline Times Sept 23 takes on “two different letters sent to the Government by what the press has portrayed as two groups of esteemed scientists – one group supporting the reintroduction of social distancing restrictions, and the other criticising efforts to ‘suppress’ the Coronavirus.
“Widespread media coverage of the letter has suggested a deep-seated schism at the heart of the British scientific community about how to respond to the crisis.
“In reality, the authors of the letter that is critical of a COVID-19 suppression strategy have numerous ties to Conservative and Republican Party lobby groups as well as to various agencies of the Government, including HM Treasury, the Ministry of Defence and the ‘Nudge’ Unit – ties which represent potentially serious conflicts of interest.
… “Worse, this group’s claims about the Coronavirus have no basis in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Instead, it represents what one top British epidemiologist has described as “a fringe group of scientists”, out of sync with “most of the public health experts in the world”.
“The main authors of that letter are Professor Sunetra Gupta (a theoretical epidemiologist at Oxford University), Professor Carl Heneghan (director of Oxford University’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine), Professor Karol Sikora (consultant oncologist at the University of Buckingham) and Sam Williams (director and co-founder of the Economic Insight consultancy).
A version of this letter was published by the Spectator magazine on Monday under the title ‘Boris Must Urgently Rethink his Covid Strategy’.”

(22 Sep 2020) Covid-19 test and trace programme is still a leaky system Nuffield Trust 22 Sept on the holes in the Serco Test and trace system: "The NHS Test and Trace programme forms a central part of the government’s coronavirus recovery strategy. More than three months after the programme commenced in England in May, we’ve pieced together the data to look at the extent to which the issues we previously identified have been resolved.
"We’ve found a system that is still far from water-tight, with leakages all the way along the pipeline – from the numbers of people referred to the Test and Trace programme right through to those being told to self-isolate.
"It is likely that large numbers of infected people are being missed. Although 15,526 people were ‘transferred’ to NHS Test and Trace in the week to 9 September, during that period a higher number – 18,371 – tested positive. And the estimated number of new infections in the community was somewhere in the region of 59,800 over a similar timeframe."

(22 Sep 2020) Coronavirus: NHS tests will be capped at 100,000 a day Independent Sept 22 revelation of the limits being placed on testing via the NHS rather than the privatised system: "On Friday, The Independent revealed that NHS hospitals had been told by NHS England not to launch their own testing of staff and patients unless they had prior approval from the national test and trace service, led by Baroness Dido Harding.
"If hospitals did go ahead and test for the virus without approval, the capped budget imposed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) means that they would not be reimbursed for the spending and would have to meet the costs from their own budgets.
"The DHSC has now confirmed to The Independent that the maximum budget in place for NHS testing will allow for up to 100,000 tests a day."

(22 Sep 2020) Operation Moonshot proposals are scientifically unsound Free access BMJ editorial exposing the scientific flaws in the so-called "moonshot" plan for mass testing:
"Frequent repeat testing is necessary as the proposed test will only identify people with new infections when their viral load becomes high. Since Moonshot proposes use of point-of-care tests, delays in receiving results would be eliminated and isolation can be immediate.
"But no point-of-care tests approved for home use are currently available.
… The Moonshot proposals have been condemned for not considering the potential harms from repeated frequent testing of whole populations. All tests generate some false positives and false negatives. The consequences of high false negative rates are most serious in symptomatic people who can transmit disease. Up to 30% of people with SARS-CoV-2 infection are missed by swab based PCR testing, for example.
“False positives become a problem when individuals and their contacts have to self-isolate unnecessarily. Even with a specificity of 99%, proposals to do 10 million tests a day will generate many thousands of false positive results, causing unnecessary but legally enforced isolation of both cases and contacts with potentially damaging consequences for the UK economy and for civil liberties.”

(22 Sep 2020) The Right Wing's Favourite 'Crazy Scientist' - Professor Karol Sikora Far Right Watch sums him up:
“Seems like a quite respectable chap on first glance, until you hear what he says, and delve a little into his history.
“A few of the things you might need to know about him :
“He hates the NHS. Really, really hates it. Calls it 'the last bastion of communism'.
“He used to work for the World Health Organisation. He hates the WHO. He claimed he resigned, but smarter and more reliable sources say he was fired over some of his more, er, radical ideas, after a dispute with the United Nations (He hates them, too. Can you see a pattern emerging here?)
“… He has claimed for 22 years to be Professor of Oncology at Imperial College. He even introduced himself to a Commons Health Select Committee with that title. He is not - and never was. This led Imperial to seek legal advice to stop Sikora from making such claims.”

(21 Sep 2020) Gov medical advisors should resign or speak out over England’s failing covid strategy HSJ column Sept 21 from leading medic David Oliver:
"In September, Jonathan Jones, the permanent secretary of the UK government’s legal department resigned on principle over Boris Johnson’s reversal of decisions relating to Northern Ireland in the Brexit agreement. Lord Keen, the government’s law officer for Scotland then resigned on similar grounds, saying he could not reconcile the new Internal Market Bill with his obligations as a lawyer.
"They followed other senior civil servants who had resigned on points of principle this year, some with a departing broadside at practice and expectations they found unacceptable.
"Yet, I struggle to think of any recent instances of senior doctors, nurses or scientific advisors with roles in government departments or arm’s length bodies overseeing healthcare resigning on a point of principle that clashed with their medical professional code, their personal principles, with the civil service code, or the Nolan Principles for holders of public office.
"Deputy CMO Jonathan Van Tam said on the record at a Whitehall press briefing that “In my opinion, the lockdown rules apply to all and are for the benefit of all” in response to Dominic Cummings reported breach of them. He rarely appeared again afterwards. It was also reported that chief nursing officer, Ruth May was pulled from a press conference for admitting that she would take the same line if asked by journalists.
"With the exception of those examples, I struggle to think of any senior scientific, medical or clinincal advisor who has spoken out independently to contradict or challenge decisions or statements by politicians or special advisors, therefore taking the risk of being marginalised, sacked or censured."

(21 Sep 2020) Public Want Test And Trace Taken Off Private Firms Huffington Post Sept 21 on Survation poll findings: "The vast majority of people think large private firms should be stripped of their test and trace contract and the job handed to town halls, says a new poll.
"The Survation survey, shared exclusively with HuffPost UK, shows 74% want local public health teams, rather than Serco and Sitel, to run NHS Test and Trace.
"Just 14% want the vital service to be run by a private company, the poll commissioned by We Own It and shared exclusively with HuffPost revealed.
"It comes as the government’s testing regime was in chaos, with figures last week showing three quarters of a million Covid test requests are going unanswered every day. "

(21 Sep 2020) Daily ‘moonshot’ tests for Covid-19 will not be given out by NHS – the public will have to pay i-news Sept 21 reports: “Daily “moonshot” tests for Covid-19 which will allow people to resume normal life will not be available on the NHS, the Government’s testing czar has suggested.
“Dido Harding said that individuals and companies would have to pay to access the proposed tests, which would return results in as little as 15 minutes, as a “cost of doing business”.
“… The “Holy Grail” is a saliva-based test which can be operated entirely at home or in the office, rather than being processed in a laboratary, and takes just 15 minutes to show a result, Baroness Harding added. The technology to do so does not yet exist on a major scale.
“Existing swab tests offered by private firms cost at least £100 a go, but the cost of the daily “moonshot” tests is not clear.”

(21 Sep 2020) UK could face 50,000 cases a day by October without action - Vallance BBC Sept 21 report; “The UK could see 50,000 new coronavirus cases a day by mid-October without further action, the government's chief scientific adviser has warned.
“Sir Patrick Vallance said that would be expected to lead to about "200-plus deaths per day" a month after that.
“… Speaking at Downing Street alongside chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, Sir Patrick stressed the figures given were not a prediction, but added: "At the moment we think the epidemic is doubling roughly every seven days.
"If, and that's quite a big if, but if that continues unabated, and this grows, doubling every seven days... if that continued you would end up with something like 50,000 cases in the middle of October per day.”

(15 Sep 2020) Building a test and trace system isn't easy, but there's no excuse for Johnson's shambles Public health expert Dave McCoy in the Guardian Sept 15: "The government made a fundamental and strategic error early on in designing a fragmented, over-centralised and semi-privatised system that was never going to work well. It created barriers between testing and tracing systems; it undermined the ability of local public health teams to understand and react strategically to their local epidemiology; and it excluded the primary healthcare providers from the system.
"A future public inquiry should determine why we have a dog’s breakfast of a system. But there won’t be a single cause. The underlying problems involve a combination of incompetence and unwillingness to do the painstaking work of complex logistical planning, a political culture of centralised and top-down decision-making, and a pro-market ideology that turned a public health crisis into a commercial opportunity for big business."

(13 Sep 2020) Leaked figures reveal scale of coronavirus test shortage Sunday Times report Sept 13 on total chaos in privatised test and trace: “The government’s “world-beating” testing programme has a backlog of 185,000 swabs and is so overstretched that it is sending tests to laboratories in Italy and Germany, according to leaked documents.
“A Department of Health and Social Care report marked “Official: sensitive” also confirms that most British laboratories are clearing fewer tests than their stated capacity, as they are hit by “chaos” in supply chains.
“The government claims that it has capacity for 375,000 tests a day. However, the actual number of people being tested for the coronavirus stalled to just 437,000 people a week at the start of the month — equivalent to just 62,000 a day.”

(13 Sep 2020) Coronavirus cases in care homes spiral again (£) Sunday Times Sept 13: "The coronavirus is spreading through care homes again, according to leaked documents that show the government is failing to protect the most vulnerable from the spiralling number of cases.
"A Department of Health report marked “official sensitive” and circulated on Friday stated that the rate of the coronavirus recorded through satellite tests — almost all of which take place in care homes — had quadrupled since the start of the month. It now stands at an estimated 1,100 new cases every day.
"Matt Hancock, the health secretary, took an emergency update on Wednesday saying that outbreaks had been detected in 43 care homes after months of calm."

(12 Sep 2020) Boris Johnson under pressure to explain questionable PPE procurement deals Byline Times Sept 12: "At Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) this Wednesday, Labour MP Rushanara Ali asked Johnson to explain why the Government has shelled out billions of pounds in questionable procurement deals handed to private firms.
"In response, Johnson invited Ali to send a letter detailing the contracts of concern – which the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow has now done.
"Indeed Ali referred the Prime Minister to contracts worth more than £52 million awarded to a dormant firm for the supply of hand sanitiser, a story exposed by Byline Times.
"TAEG Energy was listed on Companies House as a dormant company on 25 February – just a week before it concluded a £43.8 million deal with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
"The contract was awarded without going to competitive tender.
"Ali also cited a £19 million contract awarded to fast fashion retailer Elite Creations UK for the supply of goggles. As revealed by Byline Times, the total revenue of Elite Creations in 2019 was just under £3 million – a fraction of the value of this single contract."

(12 Sep 2020) Government commits to new mental health legislation Health minister Nadine Dorries gives a written answer to a PQ: "We have committed to publishing a White Paper which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 and pave the way for reform of the Act.
"We will publish our White Paper as soon as it is possible to do so. We will consult publicly on our proposals and will bring forward a Bill to amend the Act when parliamentary time allows.
"The Independent Review made a number of recommendations around how the law works for children and young people. The Government will respond to these in the White Paper."

(11 Sep 2020) Boris Johnson's 'Operation Moonshot' plan to test millions daily for Coronavirus criticised by top doctors Evening Standard Sept 11 report highlighting various critiques of Johnson’s £100bn fantasy project:
“The Government’s ambitious plans for mass testing under the so-called Operation Moonshot has been met with mixed reaction from the health and scientific community, with concerns raised over the implications of a negative test result.
“Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that millions of people could be tested every day so they could “behave in a way that was exactly as in the world before Covid”.
“… Dr David Strain, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and chair of the BMA’s medical academic staff committee, said: “The mass-testing strategy is fundamentally flawed, in that it is being based on technology that does not, as yet, exist.
“The Prime Minister’s suggestion that this will be as simple as “getting a pregnancy test” that will give results within 15 minutes is unlikely, if not impossible, in the timescale he was suggesting to get the country back on track.”

(11 Sep 2020) Coronavirus cases in England doubling every eight days, study shows Guardian Sept 11: "Cases of coronavirus in England are doubling every seven to eight days, research has revealed in the latest figures to show a resurgence of Covid-19.
"The study, known as React-1, is a population surveillance study that began in May and uses swabs from about 120,000 to 160,000 randomly selected people in England across 315 local authority areas each month to track the spread of coronavirus using PCR analysis – the “have you got it now” test.
“The prevalence of the virus in the population is increasing. We found evidence that it has been accelerating at the end of August and beginning of September,” said Steven Riley, professor of infectious disease dynamics at Imperial College London and a co-author of the work."

(11 Sep 2020) Telford council chiefs want to open borough's own coronavirus test and trace system Shropshire Star Sept 11 on a Labour council seeking to sort out the mess of test and trace created by government’s privatised system:
“Telford and Wrekin Council chiefs have written to the Health Secretary for cash to set up the borough's own coronavirus test and tracing system.
“In the letter, council leader Shaun Davies and health boss Councillor Andy Burford stated: "National contact tracing is not working – it is failing to reach cases and contacts sufficiently and not able to identify outbreaks early enough.
"Our approach in Telford and Wrekin is to undertake contact tracing ourselves so that we can understand more fully transmission of the virus within the borough and be best placed to take swift action to contain and stop further spread.
"We are quite happy to manage and provide the whole contact tracing function for our borough but we would ask that this is properly resourced through transfer of cash or staff from NHS Test & Trace.”

(11 Sep 2020) UK health screening advisers not involved in 'moonshot' Covid plan Guardian September 11:
“The government’s health screening advisers have not been involved in Boris Johnson’s “moonshot” project to test the entire population for Covid-19, an omission public health experts have described as “incomprehensible”.
“The National Screening Committee, which advises ministers and the NHS about “all aspects of population screening”, has not been consulted on the £100bn plans for mass surveillance involving up to 10m coronavirus tests every day.
“Made up of 23 doctors, academics, public health and patient representatives, the NSC normally rules on proposals for mass population screening for cancers as well as infectious diseases such as chlamydia, herpes and hepatitis B. It reports to the UK’s four chief medical officers, and follows a strict and rigorous process, one source said, “which is not like the process we have seen put forward [for ‘Operation Moonshot’].”
“The NSC has not been involved with this in any way,” the committee’s chairman, Prof Bob Steele, confirmed to the Guardian by email.”

(11 Sep 2020) Muslim Medics Taunted About Bacon And Alcohol – By Their Own NHS Colleagues Shocking Sept 11 exclusive survey by Huffington Post reveals that:
“Muslim NHS workers have told HuffPost UK how Islamophobia is rife in the organisation, with their own colleagues making disgraceful comments and denying them opportunities to progress or even socialise.
“We teamed up with the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) for a flagship, in-depth survey of more than 100 Muslim health workers – one of the most significant of its kind.
“A shocking 81% revealed they had experienced Islamophobia or racism within the NHS, 69% felt it had got worse during their time at the organisation and more than half – 57% – felt Islamophobia had held them back in their career progression within the NHS.
“Many Muslims voiced a culture of “swallow it up” in the NHS, leaving people fearful of reporting Islamophobia in case of repercussions for their job or career progression. One Muslim female consultant said she felt that “you may as well flush your medical degree down the toilet” rather than reporting Islamophobia from a colleague or manager. She described the NHS as a “family which will close ranks to protect their own against those perceived as outsiders”.”

(11 Sep 2020) Less than 20% of people in England self-isolate fully, Sage says Guardian Sept 11 reminds us that without measures to ensure people are offered more than the miserable £13/day statutory sick pay, many will not self-isolate: and unless government becomes more credible, many people will simply ignore calls to do so:
"Less than 20% of people in England fully self-isolate when asked to do so, according to documents released from the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies, which said mass testing would be of no use unless this percentage rose.
"The report from scientists on Sage suggests they think there are limited benefits to mass testing, which was proposed in the leaked “Operation Moonshot” documents.
"Boris Johnson viewed moonshot as “our only hope for avoiding a second national lockdown before a vaccine”, a leaked memo said. The £100bn plan for up to 10m tests a day were sent to Sage and the Treasury in August."

(11 Sep 2020) Trump officials interfered with CDC reports on Covid-19 politico.com Sept 11 report from the US on Trump's team attempting to obscure the facts and interfere with scientific data:
"The health department’s politically appointed communications aides have demanded the right to review and seek changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly scientific reports charting the progress of the coronavirus pandemic, in what officials characterized as an attempt to intimidate the reports’ authors and water down their communications to health professionals.
"In some cases, emails from communications aides to CDC Director Robert Redfield and other senior officials openly complained that the agency’s reports would undermine President Donald Trump's optimistic messages about the outbreak, according to emails reviewed by POLITICO and three people familiar with the situation.
"CDC officials have fought back against the most sweeping changes, but have increasingly agreed to allow the political officials to review the reports and, in a few cases, compromised on the wording, according to three people familiar with the exchanges. The communications aides’ efforts to change the language in the CDC’s reports have been constant across the summer and continued as recently as Friday afternoon."

(10 Sep 2020) Boris Johnson did not look in the Piggy Bank to see if he had £100 billion for a ‘moonshot’ because the one thing he knew was that the money could be created to deliver the deal Tax expert Richard Murphy warns:
"The risk of corruption in this plan is enormous. Modern Monetary Theory is good, but it cannot prevent abuse. And I have to say that I smell something pretty rotten in this plan. I can’t prove it. But £100 billion of spending plans on something totally unproven has the risk of potential corruption written all over it."

(10 Sep 2020) Concerns over Boris Johnson's 'moonshot' testing plans BBC Sept 10 report: "Scientists and health professionals have raised doubts about Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "Operation Moonshot" plan for mass coronavirus testing.
"The PM hopes millions of Covid-19 tests - including some giving results within minutes - could be processed daily.
"But experts say there are issues with laboratory capacity for current tests, while the technology for more rapid tests "does not, as yet, exist"."

(10 Sep 2020) Performance figures show just how hard trusts are working to restore services NHS Providers step in to provide the positive spin on the latest combined performance figures published by NHS England, arguing how hard staff have been working to get services back up and running:
"“Although the figures show there are over four million people on a waiting list for elective care and those waiting over 18 weeks has significantly increased, the number of operations carried out has increased by more than 50% since June and is up by almost 250% since April. Additionally, in July 25% more diagnostic tests were carried out than in June.
“The number of people who attended an outpatient appointment following an urgent referral by their GP for suspected cancer is also up 17% on last month, and the number of people with cancer who started treatment following receipt of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer is also up 19%.
“There has also been a significant increase in the number of people attending A&E since April, with emergency rooms treating 88% more people."

(10 Sep 2020) Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E may remain shut until next year BBC Sept 10 report on another "temporary" closure that seems to be on the way to becoming permanent:
"A hospital's A&E department could remain temporarily shut until next year to prepare for a potential second spike in coronavirus cases.
"In June, Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E was turned into a minor injury and illness unit for a three-month period.
"But the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the NHS trust now wants to extend the temporary closure until the end of March 2021."

(10 Sep 2020) 'One of Many Reasons Why Single Payer Matters': For-Profit Insurers Hitting People With 'Illegal' Bills for Covid Tests US website Common Dreams September 10 on the sneaky ways US insurers find ways to add hefty charges for services that should be provided free:
"In March, Congress passed legislation aimed at requiring for-profit health insurance companies to cover all FDA-approved coronavirus tests with no cost-sharing—but federal laws have not stopped insurers from hitting vulnerable Americans with large surprise bills during an ongoing pandemic and economic crisis that pushed millions to the brink of financial ruin.
"This isn't just about coronavirus—it's about the universal fragmentation of U.S. health financing.
"If I had to pay it off, it would clear out my savings," New York City resident Kelly Daisley told the New York Times after Anthem charged her $2,718 for a Covid-19 test that was advertised as free.
"Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act, private insurers are supposed to shoulder the all of the costs of coronavirus tests, including those offered by out-of-network providers. But the laws—and the Trump administration's narrow interpretations of them—are rife with loopholes that insurance giants have not hesitated to exploit, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans with unanticipated charges."

(10 Sep 2020) Booking system error sent hundreds to English town for Covid tests, MPs told Evening Standard report Sept 10 on a Tory MP complaining of disastrous failings of test and trace booking system:
“Hundreds of cars from across the country descended on an English town in search of Covid-19 tests after a "glitch" in the booking system, MPs have been told.
“Conservative MP Lucy Allan revealed on Friday that roads were recently blocked and tests quickly ran out in the town of Telford. She said a booking system error directed people from Cornwall, London and elsewhere to the site in Shropshire.
“On Tuesday evening, hundreds of cars from across the country – and I mean hundreds – descended on Telford and its testing site as directed by the booking system.
“… Tests quickly ran out, roads were blocked, people who had travelled from as far away as Cornwall, Stockport and London were turned away, and my constituents were no longer able to access tests in the area – and they in turn were sent elsewhere.”

(10 Sep 2020) Test and Trace contact tracing rate at lowest since launch ITV news Sept 10 story that will surprise few people following the issue:
"The percentage of close contacts reached through the Test and Trace system has hit a new low.
"Some 69.2% of contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England were reached in the week ending September 2, according to new figures from the Department of Health and Social Care.
"This is down slightly from 69.8% in the previous week - and is the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace was launched in May.
"This week, ITV News Health Editor Emily Morgan spoke to a Test and Trace NHS 119 call handler, who made alarming claims about the system. Speaking anonymously, she said: "It's absolutely shambolic. For instance today I've only been able to put one person through after taking 20-odd calls."
"The site is just not allowing anyone to complete and get an appointment. It's not good and they should be ashamed of themselves.”

(10 Sep 2020) Texas Leads the Nation With Highest Rate of Uninsured Health Care Workers San Antonio Current revealing Texas's world-beating level of health workers who themselves lack health insurance and are at risk of massive health care costs:
“The pandemic has highlighted just how many Americans don't have access to health insurance. And, as it turns out, healthcare workers — frequently on the front lines and susceptible to COVID-19 exposure — are among the vulnerable groups lacking coverage
“Nearly 600,000 U.S. healthcare workers are currently uninsured, according to a recent study by the financial site ValuePenguin.
“What's more, Texas had the highest rate of uninsured healthcare workers of any state, according to ValuePenguin's analysis, which is based on data from the 2018 American Community Survey.
“Nearly 18% of healthcare workers in the Lone Star State lack coverage. The two states trailing just behind, Oklahoma and Idaho, had rates of 13% and 12%, respectively.”

(9 Sep 2020) Coronavirus: Too many people getting COVID-19 tests are 'not eligible', says health secretary Sky News Sept 9 notes Matt Hancock has found a new group of people to blame for the shambolic failure of the privatised "test & trace" system -- people without symptoms seeking tests (while the spread of the virus by asymptomatic people is one of the major problems to be tackled).

(9 Sep 2020) Covid risks making society more unequal than since early Victorian times Guardian Sept 9 comment by public health expert Gabriel Scally:
"“Since the beginning of the 20th century life expectancy in England has improved consistently. Until the last decade that is. As a result of government policies over the last 10 years improvement in life expectancy has stalled, and for women in the most deprived areas it has actually fallen. The widening gap between life expectancy in the best-off and worst-off areas is now almost 10 years for men and seven and a half years in women.
“Similarly, the infant mortality rate for England and Wales reached its lowest point in 2014 and has been consistently higher ever since. Across a whole range of other public health indicators, such as drug-related deaths, sexually transmitted diseases and childhood immunisations, the position has been deteriorating.
… Given the evidence of increasing inequalities and some reductions in life expectancy, it is all the more alarming that last month the government announced the almost immediate abolition of Public Health England and its replacement with a National Institute for Health Protection. This is undoubtedly driven by blame-shifting following the government’s extraordinarily inept response to the Covid pandemic. The new organisation is based on a concept of protecting health that is centred on infectious diseases.
“This is not the first time that the government has deliberately downgraded the drive to improve the health of the population. Within a year of the 2010 general election the Department of Health established a series of “responsibility deals” involving the private sector. This effectively handed power over public health action to industry interests, particularly in the areas of food and alcohol.”

(9 Sep 2020) Matt Hancock gets test and trace figures wrong again Full Fact Sept 9 vindication for Shadow health Secretary Jon Ashworth who had correctly disputed Matt Hancock's claims of success for test and trace:
"Jonathan Ashworth MP claimed that only 69.4% of identified contacts are now reached and asked to self-isolate, which Matt Hancock disagreed with.
"Mr Ashworth was right. The data (which was published on Thursday 3 September, that day Mr Hancock referred to) shows that 69.4% of identified contacts of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were reached by the service between 20 August and 26 August.
"This number has fallen over time which, as we have explained in a previous piece, is largely down to how the NHS Test and Trace system has changed since its inception."

(9 Sep 2020) Government plans to spend £100bn on expanding testing to 10 million a day BMJ free to access Sept 9 critique of the latest extravagant fantasy privatisation project from the Johnson government:
"The internal correspondence reveals that the government is prepared to almost match what it spends on the NHS in England each year (£130bn) to fund mass testing of the population “to support economic activity and a return to normal life” under its ambitious Operation Moonshot programme.
"A briefing memo sent to the first minister and cabinet secretaries in Scotland, seen by The BMJ, says that the UK-wide Moonshot programme is expected to “cost over £100bn to deliver.” If achieved, the programme would allow testing of the entire UK population each week.
"A separate PowerPoint presentation prepared for the government by the global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, also seen by The BMJ, says the plans had the potential to grow the UK’s testing capacity from the current 350 000 a day to up to 10 million tests a day by early 2021.
"Critics have already rounded on the plans as “devoid of any contribution from scientists, clinicians, and public health and testing and screening experts,” and “disregarding the enormous problems with the existing testing and tracing programmes.”
"The leaked documents reveal a heavy reliance on the private sector to achieve the mass testing and give details of “letters of comfort” that have already been signed with companies to reach three million tests a day by December. Firms named are GSK for supplying tests, AstraZeneca for laboratory capacity, and Serco and G4S for logistics and warehousing."

(9 Sep 2020) Why Boris Johnson Needs To Stop Dreaming Of A Nice Christmas Huffington Post Sept 9 report: "… Johnson was still dreaming of a nice Christmas, courtesy of his hopes for a “moonshot” plan for instant, daily home testing for everyone, giving those who test negative a “laissez passer” or “freedom pass” (once a London Mayor, always a London Mayor) to go to work, the theatre, sports.
"Within seconds however, both chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientist Patrick Vallance poured buckets of ice cold caution over this tempting mirage. Vallance said it would be “completely wrong to assume” that mass saliva testing would be viable. The PM’s moonshot plan felt as real and tangible as his deceased ‘fantasy island’ scheme for a new London airport in the Thames estuary.‌
"Whitty wanted to plan on the basis of grounded reality, basing his assumptions on not getting a vaccine, let alone some ‘moonshot’ testing regime. On the day Keir Starmer raised the continuing laboratory problems with the public failing to get tests near their homes, Whitty also said “those constraints are not just going to magically disappear”. Most candid of all, he made clear the new rules would be around for months, and probably until the spring.
"A snap poll from YouGov showed 77% of Brits in favour of tightening social restrictions on big groups. The public like clear, simple messaging as long as their prime minister and other people in power stick to it too."

(9 Sep 2020) What is No 10's 'moonshot' Covid testing plan and is it feasible? Guardian explainer on Moonshot project Sept 9:
"One of the documents, titled UK Mass Population Testing Plan, is a briefing memo sent to the first minister in Scotland, which explains it could cost £100bn.
"That might be a price worth paying if it worked – however, most of the technology simply does not yet exist. Getting 10 million people tested every day – however quick and simple the process – is a very big logistical ask for a country that has struggled to deliver a few hundred thousand.
"The second is a 26-page PowerPoint presentation from the Department of Health and Social Care entitled: Moonshot mobilisation: briefing pack, dated 21 August.
"The document is full of diagrams and charts, with pages headlined “Mission Team”, “Moonshot Headquarters” and “Mission Analysis”."

(8 Sep 2020) 'I had to be sectioned': the NHS staff broken and burned out by Covid Guardian Sept 8 report: "More than 1,000 doctors plan to quit the NHS over the government’s handling of the pandemic, according to a recent survey, with some citing burnout as a cause.
"And as early as mid April, YouGov polling for the IPPR thinktank found that 50% of 996 healthcare workers questioned across the UK said their mental health had deteriorated since the virus started taking hold of the NHS. Meanwhile, latest sickness rate data for NHS staff in England found that April had the highest levels of sickness absence since data was first collected in 2009. Anxiety, stress, depression or other psychiatric illnesses were the most reported reasons for absence, at 20.9%, compared with about 14% each for respiratory problems, colds and flu, and infectious diseases. Data for the months following is yet to be released.
"However, recent research from China suggests that healthcare workers were at greater risk of developing stress and other mental health problems at the beginning of the pandemic, including post-traumatic stress disorder."

(8 Sep 2020) Discharge guidance could lead to increased death and disability, warn senior clinicians HSJ Sept report on the hidden snags and dangers in the latest guidance and instructions from NHS England:
"Serious patient safety and wellbeing concerns about the latest hospital discharge guidance have been raised to HSJ by senior clinicians and charities.
"Senior geriatricians warned that the guidance could prompt an increase in “urgent readmissions”, “permanent disability” and “excess mortality”, while charities said families could be left with “unsustainable caring responsibilities” because of the new rules.
"The government guidance, Hospital Discharge Service: policy and operating model, published in August, said clinicians should consider discharging patients when they were “medically optimised” rather than “medically fit”. It said 95 per cent of these patients would return straight home with additional social care and rehabilitation support if needed."

(8 Sep 2020) Labour Urges Halt To 'Short Sighted' NHS Land Sell-Off Huffington Post Sept 8: "Ministers face calls to block a “fire sale” of NHS land to private developers amid fears a second wave of Covid-19 and growing demand for other health services could see hospitals run out of space.
"A total of 626 plots of land or buildings, worth potentially over £1bn, have been earmarked for sale by trusts, according to a report for the government by NHS Digital.
"The government told HuffPost UK this week the list had been compiled before the pandemic, and that trusts would be able to reclassify land that was now in use. NHS bosses said 131 of the sites listed as “surplus” were actually in use.
"It comes amid cost pressures on the health service and as Boris Johnson’s administration pledges to help developers “build, build, build” in the wake of the pandemic.
"Now Labour is urging the government to step in and halt the sell-off so medics can respond to “ballooning” waiting lists for non-Covid care."

(7 Sep 2020) Coronavirus: fears UK government has lost control as Covid cases soar Guardian Sept 7 report: "The UK has recorded a massive rise in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus, amid concerns the government has lost control of the epidemic just as people are returning to work and universities prepare to reopen.
"Labour has demanded the health secretary, Matt Hancock, give an urgent statement to the House of Commons to explain the increase and why some people are still being told to drive hundreds of miles to have a test.
"On Sunday almost 3,000 people in the UK tested positive for Covid-19, a more than 50% increase in a single day and the highest daily total since May.
“They’ve lost control of the virus,” said Prof Gabriel Scally, a former NHS regional director of public health for the south-west. “It’s no longer small outbreaks they can stamp on. It’s become endemic in our poorest communities and this is the result. It’s extraordinarily worrying when schools are opening and universities are going to be going back.”

(7 Sep 2020) TUC report: Fixing social care: better quality services and jobs A new TUC report shows adult social care spending in England is still £600m lower than in 2010. The analysis finds that in 112 of the 150 responsible local authorities, social care spending per head of the population is still below 2010.
"Spending per head is 8% below the level in 2010 for England overall. And regional reductions range from 18% in London, to 5% in the South East, East Midlands and East of England."

(6 Sep 2020) Coronavirus: Further 2,988 cases confirmed in UK BBC Sept 6 report: “A further 2,988 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the UK in the past 24 hours, government data showed. It is the highest number reported on a single day since 22 May and a rise of 1,175 on Saturday, according to the UK government's coronavirus dashboard.
“Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "concerned" about a rise in cases "predominantly among young people". Two further deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded, taking the total number of UK deaths to 41,551.
“…Despite the sharp rise in cases, Mr Hancock said the government was right to reopen schools "because of the impact on children of not getting an education", adding that workplaces which have reopened are "Covid-secure".”

(5 Sep 2020) More than 1,000 UK doctors want to quit NHS over handling of pandemic Guardian Sept 5 report: "Over 1,000 doctors plan to quit the NHS because they are disillusioned with the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and frustrated about their pay, a new survey has found.
"The doctors either intend to move abroad, take a career break, switch to private hospitals or resign to work as locums instead, amid growing concern about mental health and stress levels in the profession.
“NHS doctors have come out of this pandemic battered, bruised and burned out”, said Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of the Doctors’ Association UK, which undertook the research. The large number of medics who say they will leave the NHS within three years is “a shocking indictment of the government’s failure to value our nation’s doctors,” she added. “These are dedicated professionals who have put their lives on the line time and time again to keep patients in the NHS safe, and we could be about to lose them.”

(4 Sep 2020) NHS worker who has spent 17 years trying to comply with Home Office red tape now faces being kicked out of UK Independent report September 4 on another triumph for racist laws: the Home Office, apparently now entirely staffed by nazis, is unmoved by concern for human rights, common decency – or the needs of the NHS which depends on migrant workers for its survival:
"The NHS IT engineer, who has been working in hospitals throughout the coronavirus pandemic, has done his utmost to comply with Home Office immigration rules since arriving in the UK 17 years ago – but his attempts have wound up placing him at risk of removal from the country.
"Farrukh’s immigration history is a complex one, through no fault of his own. The Manchester resident been affected by two Home Office policies that were later found to be unlawful – and has been struggling to release himself from the restrictions they imposed on him ever since."

(4 Sep 2020) Coronavirus tests run out in north-east England as cases surge Guardian Sept 4 with another episode of total shambolic incompetence from Dido Harding’s privatised Test and Trace, now also impacting on hospitals’ ability to deliver testing:
“Coronavirus tests are running out in parts of north-east England despite cases rising to the highest level in months, political leaders have said amid growing concern over the government’s rationing of tests.
“Health officials in Gateshead said tests were running out within two hours of becoming available, by 10am “at the very latest”, despite a recent surge in cases meaning the area has one of the highest infection rates in England.
“The Guardian understands that Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth hospital ran out of chemical reagents for swab tests on Wednesday night and was unable to get a new batch until Friday afternoon. The hospital was only able to continue testing patients when other NHS laboratories stepped in to help.
“Martin Gannon, the Gateshead council leader, said the lack of tests was “more than worrying” at a time of rising infections. “We’ve run out of tests,” he said. “It’s diabolical. At a time when we’re opening schools, we’ve got an empty void of tests. You can’t control a situation when you haven’t got the facilities to do it.”

(4 Sep 2020) TREK and Trace: Route-planner reveals how Britons with Covid symptoms are forced on near 500-mile round-trips to test centres (because the government website assumes people can 'walk on water') Daily Heil Sept 4 picks up on the widespread anger that ridiculous software failures of test and trace system show no improvement after months of operation:
"The mapping system used by coronavirus test and trace system is sending people on near 500-mile journeys - because it measures the nearest centre 'as the crow flies'.
"Locator software is picking geographically close testing centres without realising visitors would need to 'walk on water' to get there in a short amount of time or distance.
"It means families in Ilfracombe, Devon, have been told to drive to Swansea in Wales, which is 30 miles as the crow flies, but 350 miles and seven hours by road."

(4 Sep 2020) Covid-19 set to widen the gap between the fittest and fattest, as impromptu lockdown and self-isolation ‘triggered weight gain’ Sept 4 inews report with the unsurprising finding that "People who are generally healthier to begin with, probably more affluent, living in nicer areas and are motivated have been more resilient during lockdown".

(4 Sep 2020) UK test and trace system has failed because of privatisation ideology, public health experts warn Independent Sept 4 report: “The poor performance of the UK’s national coronavirus test and trace system is down to the government’s “ideology” and obsession with using the private sector, a senior public health expert has warned.
“Professor Anthony Costello, a former director of maternal and child health at the World Health Organisation and former director of UCL’s Institute for Global Health, said the system designed by the government had “failed” and that it was up to experts to raise the alarm.
“We are seven months into a pandemic,” Prof Costello told a briefing hosted by the Independent Sage group.
“We’ve got a fiasco; we’ve been presenting evidence for months about how contact tracing is failing, and how the national testing system is failing.
“The whole thing is public health malpractice and it’s being designed [and] led by government ideology. They wanted a private system; it has failed, and we need to keep saying that.”

(4 Sep 2020) UK test and trace system has failed because of privatisation ideology, public health experts warn Independent Sept 4 report quoting Prof Anthony Costello:
“We are seven months into a pandemic,” Prof Costello told a briefing hosted by the Independent Sage group.
“We’ve got a fiasco; we’ve been presenting evidence for months about how contact tracing is failing, and how the national testing system is failing.
“The whole thing is public health malpractice and it’s being designed [and] led by government ideology. They wanted a private system; it has failed, and we need to keep saying that.”

(4 Sep 2020) Norfolk sets up own contact tracing scheme after problems with national one Eastern Daily Press Sept 4: “Norfolk is launching its own version of the test-and-trace programme, after the coronavirus outbreak at Banham Poultry exposed shortcomings in the national scheme.
“As cases spread among poultry workers at the meat factory in Attleborough from August 21, local public health officials were left relying on the national contact tracing programme to find people who had spent time with the 104 infected workers.
“But as of Tuesday only half of those contacts had been traced.
“It comes as the national tracing system sunk to its worst performance ever, reaching just 70pc of contacts. By contrast, local systems set up by other councils are reaching 97pc of people.
“Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman described the national system as having “real issues” and said councils should be put in charge.
“Norfolk County Council has now posted several job adverts on LinkedIn for the scheme.”

(3 Sep 2020) Coronavirus: Testing boss 'very sorry' for shortages Six months after the initial revelations of chaos in the privatised system for testing for Covid 19, the Guardian Sept 3 reports the chaos is unresolved – and NHS Test and Trace boss Dido Harding is making use of her extensive experience of apologising for failure she has presided over:
“Bosses in charge of the coronavirus testing system have apologised after it emerged UK labs were struggling to keep up with demand. Some people are being asked to travel hundreds of miles to get tested.
“UK labs were described as "maxed out" after a rise in demand - 170,000 tests a day are being processed, up from 100,000 in mid June.
“Baroness Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace in England, said she was "very sorry" for the situation. But she also insisted the "vast majority" of people could still get appointments nearby.”

(3 Sep 2020) Private Cancer Patients in U.K. May Be Avoiding Care Backlog bloomberg Sept 3 report: "An increase in the number of insurance claims for oncology services during the coronavirus pandemic suggests that patients with private health care are paying their way out of a backlog burdening the U.K.’s National Health Service.
"Urgent cancer referrals under the NHS, Britain’s publicly funded health-care system, remained at less than 80% of 2019 levels as of June, according to the latest figures available from NHS England. Meanwhile, oncology insurance invoices for private treatments had almost returned to 2019 volumes in the same month, data from clearing house Healthcode show.
"That may indicate that private hospitals have been able to restart services quicker and patients are paying to avoid delays, according to Pat Price, visiting professor at the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London."

(3 Sep 2020) Mental health trust admits discharge of 300 young people from waiting list was ‘decision’ Eastern Daily Press Sept 3 with yet another shocking revelation about the most scandal-ridden mental health trust in England:
“The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) sent a letter to hundreds of patients on waiting for access to children and young people’s services at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.
“The letter informed the patients they would no longer be getting any more appointments and said their referrals had been closed. The trust apologised at the time and said the letters “should not have been sent”. But NSFT have now admitted the incident was “not a clerical error”.
“Speaking at a meeting of the county council’s health scrutiny committee - a group of elected councillors tasked with holding health services to account - Dr Sarah Maxwell, clinical director of children and young people’s services, said the letter was a “decision” taken by the trust.”

(3 Sep 2020) Two paediatric EDs in region to close for the winter HSJ Sept 3 worrying report on the planned closure of emergency paediatric services in the capital this coming winter:
"Two of the five paediatric emergency departments in north central London are to close through the winter, HSJ has learnt.
"The children and young person emergency department at University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust will remain closed through the winter having started diverting its patients to the Whittington Health Trust in March due to covid.
"However, the FT’s “specialist inpatient and day-case services, including cancer haemato-oncology and complex adolescents, will remain open,” according to the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group.
"One of the Royal Free London FT’s paediatric EDs, at the Royal Free hospital in Hampstead, will also shut through winter. The trust’s Barnet Hospital site will reopen its paediatric ED and inpatient unit, as well as its CAMHS crisis services, having closed it in April."

(3 Sep 2020) Test and Trace has worst week since launch with 30% of close contacts missed ITV report Sept 3: "NHS Test and Trace has had its worst week since it was launched in May, with more than 30% of coronavirus close contacts being missed, the latest figures have revealed.
"The heavily criticised programme has consistently missed thousands of people who may been infected with Covid-19, but the week ending August 26 saw the system achieve its lowest ever success rate, with just 69.4% of close contacts being reached.
"This is down from 77.1% in the previous week, new figures from the Department of Health and Social Care revealed.
"The statistics also showed that in the same week England recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases since June 3, with 6,732 new positive test results."

(3 Sep 2020) Coronavirus: Testing boss 'very sorry' for shortages BBC news Sept 3: "Bosses in charge of the coronavirus testing system have apologised after it emerged UK labs were struggling to keep up with demand.
"Some people are being asked to travel hundreds of miles to get tested.
"UK labs were described as "maxed out" after a rise in demand - 170,000 tests a day are being processed, up from 100,000 in mid June.
"Baroness Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace in England, said she was "very sorry" for the situation. But she also insisted the "vast majority" of people could still get appointments nearby."

(3 Sep 2020) Test and Trace has worst week since launch with 30% of close contacts missed ITV news Sept 3: "The heavily criticised programme has consistently missed thousands of people who may been infected with Covid-19, but the week ending August 26 saw the system achieve its lowest ever success rate, with just 69.4% of close contacts being reached.
"This is down from 77.1% in the previous week, new figures from the Department of Health and Social Care revealed.
"The statistics also showed that in the same week England recorded its highest number of coronavirus cases since June 3, with 6,732 new positive test results."

(2 Sep 2020) Labour accuses government of “rewarding private sector failings” in test and trace This Labour List story slams health secretary Matt Hancock's claims that 80% of people who have been in contact with somebody who has Covid are contacted. In fact, private firms such as Serco have only managed to contact 60% of those who have been in contact with people who tested positive for Covid-19.

(2 Sep 2020) Care home visits: another area of confusion surrounding the UK’s COVID-19 response Have we overlooked the human rights of care home residents to prevent the spread of a disease?

(2 Sep 2020) Understanding changes to mortality during the pandemic Excluding reported COVID-19 deaths, deaths in hospitals have fallen sharply and remained below average since March. At the same time, deaths in private homes have risen by similar amounts. What does this tell us about access to care, asks The Health Foundation?

(2 Sep 2020) Patients at risk as cash-strapped councils outsource services in middle of pandemic, warn NHS bosses Independent September 2 report on the latest spread of the privatisation virus:
"Nurses and essential healthcare staff could be left redundant in the middle of the pandemic as local authorities look to make changes to healthcare contracts that would leave patients facing major disruption, NHS bosses have warned.
"NHS Providers, which represents all NHS trusts, and NHS Confederation, which represents health and care organisations, said that the decision to put contracts for public health services out to tender as workers battle coronavirus in the community is “completely inappropriate” and a “damaging distraction”, creating uncertainty for those who have spent the past six months on the Covid-19 frontline.
"Labour warned that the move by cash-strapped councils was “risky” and would undermine preparations for a potential second wave of coronavirus.
"Many NHS trusts and foundation trusts across England deliver community health service contracts that are commissioned by local authorities. These include public health services, such as home visits and school nursing, and some mental health services."

(2 Sep 2020) Patients at risk as cash-strapped councils outsource services in middle of pandemic, warn NHS bosses Independent Sept 2 on yet another acceleration of privatisation during the pandemic: “Nurses and essential healthcare staff could be left redundant in the middle of the pandemic as local authorities look to make changes to healthcare contracts that would leave patients facing major disruption, NHS bosses have warned.
“… Many NHS trusts and foundation trusts across England deliver community health service contracts that are commissioned by local authorities. These include public health services, such as home visits and school nursing, and some mental health services.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, several have started the retendering process for their community health contracts, The Independent has been told, raising the prospect that these services could be placed into the hands of private providers.”

(2 Sep 2020) Lockdown reimposed in Greater Manchester areas in latest U-turn Guardian Sept 2: "The government has reimposed “crude, blanket” lockdown restrictions on half a million people in Greater Manchester just 12 hours after they were lifted after a rise in infections.
"The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said Trafford and Bolton would remain under enhanced restrictions banning gatherings in homes and gardens “following a significant change in the level of infection rates over the last few days”.
"Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, welcomed the change of heart but warned confusing local lockdowns were “becoming less and less effective”."

(2 Sep 2020) NHS patient backlog threatens to undermine return to pre-pandemic service FT report Sept 2: “At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, England’s NHS found beds for everyone who was admitted who needed them, defying grim predictions that a wave of Covid-19 patients would overwhelm its wards.
“But as clinicians and managers seek to return to a semblance of normality ahead of a possible winter surge in Covid cases, the price of this achievement is becoming increasingly apparent in a massive accumulation of cases that could undermine the NHS for years.
“Health leaders’ decision to halt all non-emergency surgery from mid-April to free up beds for virus patients threatens to lengthen waiting lists to historic levels, with one estimate suggesting the number of people waiting for treatment in England could hit 10m by the end of the year.”

(2 Sep 2020) Dozens of health organisations unite to challenge rushed reorganisation of public health Left Foot Forward Sept 2 reports: "Today over 70 health organisations and alliances have sent a joint statement to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Health, and the interim leadership of Public Health England, raising serious concerns about the reorganisation of public health now underway. This follows recent announcements that PHE will cease to exist by April next year and be replaced by the National Institute of Health Protection.
"The statement below is endorsed by a wide range of leading health organisations, including the Association of Directors of Public Health, the Faculty of Public Health, the Royal Society for Public Health, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the BMA, the SPECTRUM public health research collaboration, the Smokefree Action Coalition and the Richmond Group of health and care charities."

(2 Sep 2020) Twenty-one ‘wholly preventable’ patient safety incidents reported in private hospitals last year Independent Sept 2 reports that with less than half of private hospitals supplying data "There were 21 “wholly preventable” patient safety incidents of the most serious category at private hospitals last year, new data has shown, as NHS bosses prepare to invest up to £10bn in the sector.
"This is the first time that a comprehensive dataset of so-called ‘Never Events’ within private hospitals has been published in the UK, and comes ahead of plans to outsource both inpatient and outpatient services, routine surgery operations and cancer treatment to private providers.
"The audit conducted by the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), established in 2014 to bring greater transparency to the private health sector, showed that 287 out of 595 private hospitals and NHS private patient units (PPUs) provided information on Never Events between 1 January and 31 December 2019."

(2 Sep 2020) Major A&E shake-up plans to be rolled out in coming weeks HSJ Sept 2 with an exclusive, and worrying news, especially for mental health patients, and for those who wish to see risk minimised rather than the NHS encouraged to take more risks:
"Pilots for a new urgent care model requiring walk-in patients to book slots in emergency departments are expected to be rolled out in at least one site in every health system in the coming weeks, HSJ has learned.
"The move comes amid concerns from trust managers who warned some 111 providers’ systems were too “risk averse” and were sending too many patients who could have been treated in other care settings to hospitals.
"Local managers believe NHS 111 not directing enough people to alternative services was a cause of a critical incident at Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust’s emergency services earlier this month, HSJ understands. And trust leaders in other parts of the country are understood to have similar concerns."

(2 Sep 2020) Coronavirus in South Africa: Misuse of Covid-19 funds 'frightening' BBC, not so keen on revealing problems at home, happy on Sept 2 to carry details of dodgy dealing throusands of miles away, as if it was not already grimly familiar:
“A scathing report into the use of South Africa's Covid-19 relief fund has revealed overpricing and potential fraud, the auditor general says.
“Kimi Makwetu says the audit uncovered "frightening findings". In some cases personal protective equipment (PPE) was bought for five times more than the price the national treasury had advised.
“The report also has flagged up 30,000 relief grants which "require further investigation".
“Mr Makwetu has been tracking the spending of 500 billion rand ($26bn; £19bn) which is equivalent to 10% of the country's gross domestic product.”

(2 Sep 2020) Palatir is a long way from sustainable profits Chartr (Sept2) with an interesting insight into the American company which is being gifted all UK Covid test data (including LOTS of personal information).
“Last year Palantir generated a little over $740m in revenue but spent more than $1.3bn to earn those sales, resulting in a whopping $576m loss from operations. For such a secretive company, the $450m they spent on sales and marketing is also quite a chunk of change.
“… Palantir's business model is fascinating.
“A lot of companies don't care about burning cash, but Palantir really doesn't care.
“One of Palantir's first investors was the CIA, through their venture capital arm, and a huge portion of their revenue comes from governments – primarily the US.
“When you are implicitly backed by the government, have the government as your client and are developing critical infrastructure for data management in 2020 it seems like a fairly safe bet that you aren't going to be allowed to go broke.”

(2 Sep 2020) Number of gonorrhoea cases highest since records began ITV News Sept 2 with the latest take on 'clap for the NHS":
"The number of gonorrhoea cases diagnosed in England in 2019 reached its highest level since records began more than 100 years ago, official data shows.
"A total of 70,936 cases were reported last year - up by more than a quarter from 2018.
"It is the largest annual number reported since records began in 1918 and is a continuation of an upward trend in recent years, according to Public Health England (PHE)."

(2 Sep 2020) Government procurement scandal continues with £43.8 million PPE contract for dormant firm Byline Times Sept 2 update on the procurement scandal “The Government awarded a whopping £43.8 million deal for the supply of hand sanitiser to a dormant firm, new documents reveal.
“The contract was handed out by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), without going to competitive tender, and concluded on 1 March.
“As revealed by Byline Times last week, TAEG Energy was listed on Companies House as a dormant company on 25 February – just a week before its multi-million-pound contract with the DHSC drew to a close.”

(1 Sep 2020) As NHS waiting times grow, its enemies are waiting to swoop Polly Toynbee's strong article in The Guardian September 1 sketches in just a part of the gathering storm of chaos and privatisation that is unfolding in and around the NHS, highlighting lengthening waiting times and avaricious private companies in the wings lining up for plum contracts to be awarded with minimal if any competition.

(1 Sep 2020) Executives all white in city where 40pc of population is BAME Shocking statistics on institutionalised racism from HSJ Sept 1: "Every current executive director at the five NHS trusts in Birmingham is white, despite more than 40 per cent of the city’s population being from a black, Asian or ethnic minority background.
"The largest trust in the city, University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust, as well as the specialist Royal Orthopaedic FT, do not appear to have had a BAME executive for at least 20 years.
"The other trusts are Birmingham Women’s and Children’s FT, Birmingham Community Healthcare FT and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust. The latter said it has a new executive from a BAME background due to start in November.
"None has a chair from a BAME background either, although there are several non-executive directors from a BAME background. "

(1 Sep 2020) As a paramedic in England, I’m shocked at assaults on ambulance staff during Covid Guardian Sept 1 revelations from a paramedic on today's English public:
"The outpouring of appreciation for NHS staff during the Covid-19 crisis has been extraordinary. Yet reports of a recent rise in attacks on emergency workers, including ambulance crews, in England and Wales suggests the Thursday evening applause was hiding a less positive reality.
"Abuse of emergency workers is a growing issue: a 2018 survey found that 72% of ambulance staff have been attacked on duty, and figures have repeatedly pointed to an upward trend. As an NHS paramedic for 10 years, this aligns with my own experience."

(1 Sep 2020) Coronavirus cases soar in northern towns as pleas to stay in lockdown 'ignored' Mirror report September 1, prior to the belated government U-turn on lifting the lockdown in Trafford and Bolton: "Council leaders in northern towns where coronavirus infections are spiking claim the Government is ignoring their pleas for local lockdowns to stay in place.
"In Greater Manchester, the leaders in Bolton and Trafford do not want their towns to emerge from their respective lockdowns on Wednesday, fearing the number of new cases could soar even higher.
"Cllr Andrew Western claimed Trafford's pleas for the restrictions to be extended were "completely ignored" and the Government decided to "overrule" the council despite the town's infection rate being three times higher than the national average.
"Bolton has entered the Covid-19 "red alert" level with a 200% increase in cases, and asked the Government to keep the town in a local lockdown in a bid to halt a "sudden, concerning and unpredicted" spike, the Manchester Evening News reported."

(1 Sep 2020) Johnson backtracks on meeting group for Covid-19 bereaved Guardian September 1 reports on another broken Johnson promise:
"Boris Johnson has declined to meet members of a campaign group representing families bereaved by coronavirus, despite appearing to promise to do so on live TV last week.
"Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, which says it represents 1,600 bereaved families, is campaigning for a rapid public inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic and is taking legal action to force one, sending pre-action letters to the government.
"Challenged live on Sky News last week about repeated requests from the group for a face-to-face meeting, the prime minister said he was “not aware” of their letters, but “of course” he would meet them.
"The Guardian has seen a letter from the prime minister that now declines to meet the group’s representatives, saying it was “regrettably not possible”."

(1 Sep 2020) Government spends £364 MILLION on coveralls but delivers just 432,000 The excellent Byline Times Sept 1 reveals another colossal display of incompetence in PPE procurement:
“The Government has spent £364 million purchasing ‘coveralls’ from private companies during the Coronavirus pandemic – but has delivered just 432,000 items for use in health and social care services.
“Government documents show that it has awarded several multi-million-pound contracts to private firms for the supply of coveralls – full body boilersuits – over recent months. However, similarly, Government statistics up until 23 August show that fewer than 500,000 coveralls have been delivered to the frontline, including just 15,000 in the most recent week recorded.
“…Taken together, this represents a Government outlay of £842.60 per coverall delivered.”

(1 Sep 2020) Pharma industry calls on UK to support medical research charities FT (September 1) reports “More than 30 pharmaceutical companies and business groups have written to UK prime minister Boris Johnson urging the government to plug a £310m financing gap faced by medical research charities that work closely with industry to fund and develop drugs.
“Companies at the forefront of Covid-19 drug development, including AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche, wrote to Mr Johnson on Tuesday to urge him to take ‘urgent action to preserve the vital contribution medical research charities make to life sciences in this country’.”

(1 Sep 2020) 50% in U.S. Fear Bankruptcy Due to Major Health Event Gallup (Sept 1) with another horror story from the dysfunctional health care industry in the US: "Half of all U.S. adults are concerned that a major health event in their household could lead to bankruptcy, an increase from 45% measured in early 2019 (PDF download). These results, based on a new study by West Health and Gallup, also show that the percentage of non-White adults who harbor this concern has risen from 52% to 64%.
"…Amid rising concerns nationally about bankruptcy arising from a significant health event, 15% of adults report that at least one person in their household currently has medical debt that will not be repaid -- either in full or in part -- within the next 12 months. This includes 12% of White adults and 20% of non-White adults.
"Those in households earning less than $40,000 per year are more than four times as likely as those in households earning $100,000 or more to be carrying long-term medical debt (28% vs. 6%, respectively)."

(1 Sep 2020) England test-and-trace system in global 'top tranche', says Hancock Guardian Sept 1 on hapless Hancock still insisting the test and trace system not only works but is among the best in the world:
"“The health secretary was asked by the Conservative MP Jack Lopresti how his assessment of the performance of NHS test and trace compared with the equivalent programme in other countries and what lessons the system in England was learning from its counterparts, including in Germany and South Korea.
“Hancock replied: “Well, of course, we learn the lessons and I talk to my international counterparts, including in Germany and South Korea. Actually, compared to international systems … we are now absolutely in the top tranche and we’re constantly looking all around the world to how we can improve the operation of test and trace.”
“… Justin Madders, a Labour shadow health minister, accused Hancock of wasting public money on private companies that had so far not performed well enough. “In some areas private companies involved in test and trace have been reaching less than half of the contacts they’re supposed to, not the 80% that [Hancock] claims.”

(1 Sep 2020) Where Is America’s Groundbreaking Covid-19 Research? New York Times Sept 1 Opinion piece contrasting commercial medicine in the US with the public system in the UK: "Americans and American biomedical researchers have often prided themselves on conducting the best clinical research in the world. Yet with over six million coronavirus cases and 183,000 deaths, the United States has produced little pathbreaking clinical research on treatments to reduce cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Even one of the most important U.S. studies to date, which showed that the antiviral drug remdesivir could reduce the time Covid-19 patients spent in the hospital to 11 days from about 15, had too few subjects to demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in mortality.
"Progress on therapeutics research has been a very different story in Britain. In mid-March researchers there began a randomized evaluation of Covid-19 therapies, known as Recovery, that involves every hospital in the nation. The goal was to conduct large, rapid and simple randomized trials to define standard treatment. Some 12,000 patients were quickly randomized — that is, assigned by chance to receive different treatments — and within 100 days of the effort’s start, researchers made three major discoveries that transformed Covid-19 care worldwide."

(1 Sep 2020) COVID-19 has eroded confidence in the U.S. health care system PBS Sept 1 report on the erosion of the continued mass delusions of millions of Americans who believe their dysfunctional and wasteful system is better than others :
"Overall, 42 percent of Americans say their nation’s health care system is above average compared to the rest of the world, with adults age 45 or older also more likely to feel pretty good about their health care system compared to younger generations. That perception has shifted little during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is one held by 74 percent Republicans, 40 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats. It’s a partisan divide also apparent in those who say the U.S. health care system is not so great, which include 55 percent of Democrats, 33 percent of independents and 8 percent of Republicans.
"More than half of U.S. adults — 55 percent — say they have a favorable impression of universal health care coverage, which the U.S. lacks. That’s up slightly from 52 percent in February.
"The COVID-19 pandemic shook the way many Americans viewed health care in their country, said Dr. Ashish Jha, who has directed the Harvard Global Health Institute and is the incoming dean for the Brown University School of Public Health. “It made people feel our health care system is not nearly as good as we thought it was,” Jha said."

(31 Aug 2020) Visa delays keep hundreds of doctors on NHS waiting list Financial Times August 31 notes the disastrous impact of government immigration restrictions:
“Overseas doctors recruited to the UK have described how weeks of delays in processing their immigration applications have held them up, preventing them from filling hundreds of critical vacancies in the NHS.
“The staff are currently in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other countries waiting mostly for “vignettes” — passport stamps that will allow them to travel to and work in the UK before they receive long-term residence permits.
“A doctor awaiting a vignette in Saudi Arabia estimated there were 200 doctors held up by some kind of UK visa issue in her country alone. Julia Patterson, founder of Every Doctor, a support group for medical staff, whose supporters brought the issue to her attention, said she estimated several hundred doctors were affected in multiple countries.”

(31 Aug 2020) A Quick Virus Test? Sure, If You Can Afford It New York Times August 31 on another aspect of inequality in US health care:
"As major laboratories struggle to meet surging demand for coronavirus tests, wealthier people and others in privileged professions are avoiding long waits for results — anywhere from four days to more than two weeks in New York City — by skipping the lines.
"Some are signing up for concierge medical practices that charge several thousand dollars a year for membership and provide quick turnaround testing. Others have turned to smaller laboratories or doctors’ offices that have their own equipment and can give results in a few hours or less.
“So far, we have tested 12 billionaires,” said Dr. Andrew Brooks, chief executive of Infinity BiologiX, a New Jersey-based company that developed a saliva test used by professional athletes, universities and financial institutions. “This concern is universal.”

(31 Aug 2020) With Canada and Mexico borders closed, Americans are trapped in their own health care system CNN August 31 report on more suffering in Trump's US: "Pandemic travel restrictions have made Americans prisoners of their country. Even within North America, Mexico and Canada have closed thousands of miles of border to all but essential travel, roiling plans for vacation, work, and school. For cash-strapped Americans, it has also cut off access to medicines and health care services that they can't afford at home -- at a time when money is tighter than ever."

(30 Aug 2020) Revealed: How, on every measure, Britain's response to the Covid pandemic has been woeful Unusual critical view in Boris Johnson's former employer's newspaper, concluding:
"So how has Britain performed? As of August 10, the UK had the highest confirmed Covid-19 death toll in Europe and the second-highest confirmed Covid-19 deaths per capita in the world.
"On the better measure of per capita excess deaths, Britain had the highest count in Europe and the third highest in the world. The UK also has the worst case mortality rate in the world, reflecting its Covid testing capacity which remains relatively low."

(30 Aug 2020) Checking the NHS’s reality: the true state of the health service’s finances Very informative August 20 blog by Nuffield Health's Sally Gainsbury lifting the lid on the chronic underfunding of the NHS:
“The single biggest driver of that spending baseline is the costs of NHS providers – the hospital, mental health, ambulance and community service trusts, which together consume the equivalent of over three-quarters of the total £133 billion revenue budget for NHS England.
“In the financial year 2018-19, the gross expenditure of those 230 NHS trusts came to £87.4 billion, against an original plan (after adjusting upwards to take in extra funding provided mid-year to cover the new staff pay settlement) of £85.3 billion.
“That £2 billion gap between plan and reality was created in almost equal measure by unrealistically low assumptions on behalf of commissioners about the likely number of patients requiring care on one side, and unrealistically high assumptions about the value of cost savings that could be extracted from providers’ expenses on the other.”

(29 Aug 2020) Coronavirus: Winter plans revealed in leaked Sage report BBC August 29 report: “A leaked government report suggests a "reasonable worst case scenario" of 85,000 deaths across the UK this winter due to Covid-19. The document also says while more restrictions could be re-introduced, schools would likely remain open.But it says the report "is a scenario, not a prediction" and the data are subject to "significant uncertainty".
“However some are critical of the modelling and say some of it is already out of date.
“The document, which has been seen by BBC Newsnight, was prepared for the government by the Sage scientific advisory group, which aims to help the NHS and local authorities plan services, such as mortuaries and burial services, for the winter months ahead.
“Among its key assumptions are that schools will remain open and that the government's tracing, isolation, and quarantine measures will only be 40% effective in cutting the spread of Covid outside households.”

(28 Aug 2020) Exclusive: Tory Peer Dido Harding Pockets £65,000 For Two-Day-A-Week NHS Job The Huffington Post reports Dido Harding, the former TalkTalk chief has been paid a total of £175,000 since starting NHS Improvement role. The Tory peer has been widely criticised over responsibility for England’s test-and-trace system and has also been named chair of Public Health England's replacement agency the National Institute for Health Protection.

(28 Aug 2020) Watchdog takes action against scandal-hit hospital after patients infected with coronavirus Independent report 28 August: "East Kent University Hospitals Trust has been warned by the Care Quality Commission to take urgent steps after inspectors found patients on wards were being put at risk of contracting the virus.
"It is thought to be the first time the CQC has used its regulatory powers against a hospital due to fears patients were at risk of catching the virus.
"The Independent understands that the Care Quality Commission became concerned about the infection rate at the trust last month, when at one stage deaths from Covid-19 there accounted for almost 12 per cent of all hospital deaths in England."

(28 Aug 2020) Give all NHS staff a wage rise immediately of at least £2k, says UNISON UNISON 28 August Press Release: "A pay claim submitted by UNISON to the government today (Friday) would see every NHS employee receive an increase of at least £2,000 by the end of this year.
"UNISON – which is the UK’s biggest union and represents NHS staff including healthcare assistants, radiographers, porters, midwives and paramedics – says this rise is the equivalent of around £1 an hour for all staff.
"If the claim is accepted, minimum wages in the health service would go above £20,000 a year for the first time (more than £20,400 annually in Scotland), according to the union."

(28 Aug 2020) A new relationship between the NHS, people and communities: learning from COVID-19 NHS Confederation's new document drips with platitudes, but seems to offer no actual commitment to take heed of the views of communities when forcing through half-baked plans for local hospital cuts, closures and "centralisation" of services with little or no regard for transport and access issues.

(27 Aug 2020) Data on Covid care home deaths kept secret 'to protect commercial interests' Guardian 27 August report brings news that information on the performance of care homes is being withheld to protect the profits of the owners:
"Covid-19 death tolls at individual care homes are being kept secret by regulators in part to protect providers’ commercial interests before a possible second coronavirus surge, the Guardian can reveal.
"England’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Care Inspectorate in Scotland are refusing to make public which homes or providers recorded the most fatalities amid fears it could undermine the UK’s care system, which relies on private operators.
"In response to freedom of information requests, the regulators said they were worried that the supply of beds and standards of care could be threatened if customers left badly affected operators."

(27 Aug 2020) UK sees highest number of new Covid-19 cases since mid-June Guardian August 27 report warns that as schools prepare to reopen:
"The UK has recorded the highest number of new coronavirus cases since 12 June, with government figures reporting 1,522 positive cases.
"The number of new cases, which cover the 24 hours to 9am on 27 August, were up 474 on the previous day.
"The average number of cases confirmed in the past seven days stood at 1,155, the highest rolling average recorded since 22 June.
"Both the daily case number and the seven-day rolling average are both higher than on 23 March , the day national lockdowns were announced (967 daily cases and 730 cases on a seven-day rolling average)."

(27 Aug 2020) Fuller care homes with fewer staff had more Covid cases, study finds Guardian August 27 reveals 'no shit, Sherlock' findings from UCL and Public Health England:
"Higher occupancy and fewer staff increased Covid-19 infections at one of the UK’s biggest private care home operators, according to a study that raises questions about the business model for old-age care in Britain.
"There was a significant increase in infection in 179 Four Seasons Health Care homes that were almost or entirely full, compared with those that had as many as a quarter of their beds empty, researchers at University College London (UCL) found.
"Higher resident-to-staff ratios at the private equity-owned chain were also linked to more infections – a finding which follows a Public Health England (PHE) study that found the virus was spread by temporary agency workers used to make up for low staff numbers."

(27 Aug 2020) Local lockdowns based on arbitrary figures are punishing England's poorest Opinion from Guardian August 27, notes underlying issues of inequality:
“The current watchlist is dominated by areas of deprivation: Bradford (ranked the 13th most deprived local authority in England), Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Oldham and Leicester are at the top of the watchlist. They are all in the top 10% of the most deprived areas in England.
“The higher number of detected cases in these deprived areas is highly predictable. A built environment provides numerous opportunities for transmission of infection: high population density and overcrowded housing present the ideal conditions.
“In England, about 3% of the population live in overcrowded accommodation; this is much more prevalent among lower-income households.
“And while 2% of white households experienced overcrowding from 2014 to 2017, that number is much higher in ethnic minorities – it shoots up to 30% in Bangladeshi households.”

(27 Aug 2020) The universal health coverage ambition faces a critical test Lancet article shows the inadequacy of the current system of evaluating the extent to which developing countries have achieved universal health coverage -- leaving out key issues of unequal access.

(27 Aug 2020) Discharge money doesn’t reflect the reality HSJ's Sharon Brennan August 27 with a critical analysis of the government's new guidance on discharge from hospital (See August 21 Infolink below):
"The new discharge operating model, released last week by the Department of Health and Social Care, has raised questions around five key areas: the feasibility of the asks on family members; the capacity of therapy staff and community services; the role of adult social care; and how much of a barrier the reinstatement of NHS Continuing Healthcare will become.
"The guidance said 50 per cent of people can go home with little or no support and a further 45 per cent with up to six weeks of community care paid for by the government.
"While the latter is universally welcomed to prevent a return to the delayed discharges that hampered the system last winter, there will be a reliance on family support that hadn’t been present before the pandemic."

(27 Aug 2020) PPE providers, the firm behind school meal vouchers and the NHS locum medic bank among big winners making millions as Government pays private firms £6.5BILLION during COVID crisis Surprising critique of extent of government spending on dodgy private providers from the Tory-supporting Daily Heil :
“The analysis shows 1,262 contracts have been handed out to date, worth a total of £6.61billion. Some £2.6billion of contracts were handed out in June alone. The Department of Health, as the lead department in the crisis, has so far spent £3.6billion on 334 contracts.
“The overall largest contract was handed out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is paying £750million on its Covid -19 Infection Survey (CIS), which provides data on how the pandemic is affecting the country.
“It comes amid criticism over how many of the contracts, some worth hundreds of millions of pounds, were awarded.”

(26 Aug 2020) The IBMS outlines and assesses the principal testing options currently available for the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19). The Institute of Biomedical Science assesses the principal testing options currently available for SARS-CoV-2 in the hope that it will support scientists and lab professionals in selecting and advising on appropriate testing routes for patients. In particular it notes the extra costs and reduced reliability of "rapid testing" techniques:
"• Rapid testing is not a replacement for the laboratory based PCR test.
• It must only be used in the patient context that it has been approved and validated to undertake
• These tests often have a low level of sensitivity
• It should be used only where it is clinically appropriate to improve patient outcomes and no equivalent laboratory alternative is available
• Rapid testing is the most expensive modality of testing.
• Rapid testing is labour intensive per sample processed when compared to traditional laboratory testing.
• Systems and processes must be in place to ensure that results are physically linked to the patient health record – these often require manual interventions."

(26 Aug 2020) North West Anglia’s health heroes face being sold out of the NHS August 26 warning from UNISON and Unite over the threat to outsource over 70 catering, logistics and patient services staff in Peterborough, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford & Rutland hospitals to a private provider.
“Not only will staff suffer as they will no longer be entitled to NHS pay and conditions, but patients will likely experience deteriorating standards as a new private employer looks to save money and squeeze a profit out of the contract,” warn the unions.
“Plans for the North West Anglia Hospitals Trust’s award-winning catering team would be particularly harmful, warn the unions. A new firm would no longer freshly prepare food at Hinchingbrooke but will bring in pre-cooked food which unions fear will drive down standards for patients, their relatives and staff.
“The Trust wants the 70-plus staff to join more than 100 other cleaning, portering and retail staff currently employed by three other outsourcers, bringing them under a single private employer.
“The unions say that single employer should be the NHS but so far the Trust is not even considering an in-house bid.”

(26 Aug 2020) Privatisation of Tyneside GP services August 26 clip from BBC's Sharon Barbour, in which ⁦@NTyneCCG tries to explain why it has awarded the first contract of its kind to offer 220,000 patients in North Tyneside given free access to GP consultations – through private Swedish company Livi.

(26 Aug 2020) National contact tracers miss nearly a quarter of potentially-exposed Cumbria residents Cumbrian local newspaper The Mail August 26 confirms that the failure of track & trace is down to the privatised national system, while the strengths are local:
"NATIONAL contact tracers have missed almost a quarter of potentially at-risk residents in Cumbria, new figures show.
"Government statistics revealed that 78 per cent of potentially-exposed people were reached across the county.
"The revelation heaps further pressure on Number 10 over the contracts awarded to outsourcing giants Serco and Sitel - worth hundreds of millions of pounds - to lead the flagship national scheme.
"According to the figures, the contact tracers hired as part of the national programme have failed to reach nearly half of potentially-exposed people in areas with some of the highest infection rates in England.
"In the country’s 20 worst-hit areas, the firms reached just 54 per cent of people who had been in close proximity to an infected person, leaving more than 21,000 exposed residents un-contacted."

(25 Aug 2020) Government awards£8.4 million in PPE procurement contracts to dormant firm Byline Times report August 25 on an apparently never-ending catalogue of incompetence in procurement:
"Government documents released yesterday show that two contracts for the delivery of hand sanitiser were awarded to Taeg Energy Limited, on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
"The first contract began and ended on 19 April – at a time when 1,000 people a day were dying in the UK from COVID-19 – suggesting the delivery of one bulk order. The value of this contract was £4.208 million and was replicated the very next day through a second, identical contract."

(25 Aug 2020) Flaws in Test and Trace online booking sends symptomatic people on 350-mile drives Independent August 25 report confirms that the early chaos on testing centres has not been resolved: "Some people suffering coronavirus symptoms who have tried to book a test online have been directed to centres which would take them more than three hours to reach by car, it has emerged.
"One person from Ilfracombe in Devon who developed symptoms of Covid-19 – including a persistent cough, fever or loss of sense of taste or smell – was directed to a test centre in Swansea when they try to book a test online.
"It would see them drive past centres in Taunton, Bristol and Cardiff on their six-and-a-half hour round trip, driving 175 miles in each direction."

(24 Aug 2020) Is Cuomo Directive to Blame for Nursing Home COVID Deaths, as US Official Claims? Kaiser Health News on the two-faced position of the Democrats over health care and nursing homes – wanting to criticise Trump while Biden and his supporters oppose calls for Medicare for All.
“New York Governor Cuomo “has been dogged by criticism for months over his March advisory directing nursing homes in the state to accept patients who had or were suspected of having COVID-19. As long as they were medically stable, the notice said, it was appropriate to move patients in. Further, nursing homes were prohibited from requiring that medically stable prospective residents be tested for the virus before they arrived.
“Between March 25 and May 8, approximately 6,326 COVID-positive patients were admitted to nursing homes, according to a state health department report.
“… According to the COVID Tracking Project, 6,624 people have died of COVID-19 in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in New York, accounting for 26% of the state’s 25,275 COVID deaths.
“Some say the true number of deaths is much higher because, unlike many states, New York does not count the deaths of former nursing home residents who are transferred to hospitals and die there as nursing home deaths.”

(24 Aug 2020) The government is using the pandemic to give contracts to cronies Aug 24 article from Left Foot Forward lists a string of dodgy deals and points out:
"Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, vowed to crush crony capitalism because it distorts free markets and enables a few to enrich themselves from political patronage.
"The reality is different. Contrary to the stated government policy, contracts have been awarded without competitive tenders, and to businesses close to the Conservative Party. The details remain secret.
"Cronyism is not new and is central to capitalism. Remember how the East India Company was sponsored by the state (Royal Charter) to plunder around the globe. The loot was shared by wealthy elites. The form may have changed but the symbiotic relationship between the UK state and corporations remains. "

(24 Aug 2020) The government is using the pandemic to give contracts to cronies. In Left Foot Forward's most read article of the week, Prem Sikka shows how in the first year of the Boris Johnson led Conservative administration, the government has squandered over £57bn on contracts that have delivered little or no value.

(24 Aug 2020) There is an urgent need to review the UK’s system of communicable disease control administration and its public health laws August 24 blog from CHPI's David Rowland:
"Experts have been warning for decades about the dangers of a system of communicable disease control administration in the UK which is confused, irrational, and rests upon an outdated sets of laws, none of which have been framed to deliver a clear set of policy objectives. In 1988, Sir Donald Acheson, the former Chief Medical Officer described a system which was ‘positively baffling’, in 2003 a House of Lords Committee asked the government to draw a map of how the system worked, but it was unable to do so. Our own study into pandemic preparedness in 2013 identified a lack of clarity about ‘who does what and how the system is co-ordinated’.
"The last time any UK government published a strategy document relating to infectious disease control was 18 years ago in 2002."

(24 Aug 2020) 16 consulting firms awarded government coronavirus contracts Consultancy.uk (Aug 24) with more revelations on squandered cash on management consultancy with little if any proven value:
"The UK Government has once again come under fire for its spending on private consulting contractors, after it emerged the industry had received contracts worth £56 million to help with the national response to the coronavirus. Deloitte, Cambridge Consultants and PwC took the three largest fees, pocketing some £23 million between them.
"Despite a recent edition of the respected Global Health Security Index predicting at the turn of the year that the UK was one of the best-positioned nations in the world to handle a pandemic, Government mismanagement of the situation quickly saw Britain spiral into crisis, amid the 2020 Covid-19 outbreak. After a decade of austerity, the National Health Service had been left under-resourced and under-staffed, and hospitals quickly reached bursting point."

(23 Aug 2020) Deaths within 28 days of positive test Government's latest effort to manipulate the real figures downwards to make the British response to Covid less obviously a world-beating failure.
The new figures include only "Number of deaths of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test. The actual cause of death may not be COVID-19 in all cases. People who died from COVID-19 but had not tested positive are not included and people who died from COVID-19 more than 28 days after their first positive test are not included.

(22 Aug 2020) Coronavirus in Europe: dozens of Berlin schools report infections Guardian August 22 warning of the impact of schools reopening in Europe:
"Coronavirus cases have been reported by at least 41 schools in Berlin, barely two weeks after the German capital’s 825 schools reopened.
"Cases are rising across Europe, including in Spain, which registered 66,905 in the past two weeks, resulting in the continent’s highest 14-day infection rate and warnings over the risk of a new wave of deaths.
"The disclosure by Berlin city education authorities that hundreds of students and teachers have had to quarantine has underlined once more how little is known about the risk of infection in school settings, despite the insistence of governments and experts, including in the UK, that reopening schools is safe given the right precautions."

(22 Aug 2020) Children's tooth decay costs NHS more than £40m a year in England Guardian August 22 on yet another health indicator that has been worsened by Covid:
"Hospitals in England carried out almost 180 operations a day on children and teenagers last year to remove rotting teeth, costing the NHS more than £40m.
"Figures show there were 44,685 surgical procedures to remove more than one tooth in those aged 18 and under in 2018/19, the majority driven by tooth decay. The figure for 2012/13 was 38,208. That equates to 177 operations every working day, at a total cost of £41.5m.
"Local health officials fear that lockdown will drive up levels of tooth decay as youngsters snack on more sugary foods and drinks while stuck at home and community oral health programmes are interrupted."

(22 Aug 2020) FOI request re Rutherford Health & Somerset NHS Trust – with all key info redacted Huge secrecy surrounds the deal done between Karol Sikora's Rutherford Health company establishing a diagnostic partnership with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Every significant detail has been redacted from the document released under the Freedom of Information Act on the basis that it is "commercially sensitive".
An uncharitable view would be that this is to hide monster profits which embarrass both the Trust and Sikora.

(22 Aug 2020) Study reveals alarming impact of Covid on care home sector Independent August 22 reveals the reality behind Matt Hancock's spurious claim to have thrown a protective ring around care homes:
"Nursing homes were put under “constant” pressure to accept patients with coronavirus while being regularly refused treatment from hospitals and GPs for residents who became ill at the height of the Covid crisis, a landmark study has revealed.
"The Queen’s Nursing Institute said homes were told hospitals had blanket “no admissions” policies during April and May while GPs and local managers imposed unlawful do not resuscitate orders on residents.
"The findings have emerged in a survey by the QNI, the world’s oldest nursing charity, which surveyed 163 care home nurses and managers working across the country."

(22 Aug 2020) England's anti-obesity fight ‘at risk’ after Matt Hancock closes health agency Guardian Aug 22 on the implications of Hancock’s decisive moves to scrap Public Health England, a body for which he was responsible, and replace it with a new body with a reduced remit:
“Health secretary Matt Hancock was under mounting pressure last night to say who will take responsibility for the national fight against obesity after his controversial decision to close down Public Health England caused dismay among experts.
“Today shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth is writing to Hancock to demand answers, amid fury from campaigners and officials, who point out that it is less than a month since Boris Johnson, the prime minister, launched a national anti-obesity strategy, claiming it was crucial to the fight against Covid-19 and the nation’s health.
“But last week Hancock pulled the plug on Public Health England, the body that has been responsible for fighting obesity, and announced that it would be replaced by the National Institute for Health Protection that would focus on external threats to the UK, pandemics and infectious diseases, but not inherit the public health protection roles of PHE.”

(22 Aug 2020) Firms linked to Tories have won £500m coronavirus contracts without having to bid Mirror August 22: "Firms linked to the Tory Party have won nearly £500million in pandemic contracts without having to bid.
"Labour says at least 13 companies got the contracts with no competitive tendering.
"Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said: “There has been an alarming pattern of companies with links to the Conservatives doing well out of publicly funded projects during this pandemic.
“People want their governments to use public money fairly and they don’t expect contracts to end up with ministers’ mates.” She is demanding an independent probe."

(21 Aug 2020) Mitigating public health risk from evictions Over the last few of weeks campaigners have been working hard to gather together health bodies such as the BMA, the Royal College of Physicians, and the Royal College of General Practitioners, Pathways, Faculty of Public Health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists among others, to write to the government calling on them to protect those experiencing housing insecurity during the coronavirus crisis.
Housing is a key determinant of health and a right to good health means a right to have safe & secure housing.
They sent a collective letter to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Robert Jenrick, highlighting the serious public health risk posed by the ban on evictions ending on the 23rd August.
The letter has now been covered in both the Financial Times and The Guardian.

(21 Aug 2020) Deloitte gets another huge COVID contract – for ‘crazy’ plan to test millions each day Open Democracy August 21 report on what could be another massive bonanza for private sector:
"Last week, civil servants were instructed to carry out the plan for all 68 million people in the UK to be tested weekly, according to a senior civil service source familiar with the conversations. The ambitious cross-departmental plan, dubbed Operation Moonshot, anticipated a second peak of COVID-19 in the winter.
"Civil servants greeted the scheme with widespread incredulity, given the government's previous record on testing and tracing, which has lagged well behind most other leading economies.
"Those tasked with implementing the plan expressed doubt that it was even possible. One senior source told openDemocracy: "We all double-checked the figures," and they described the plans as "crazy"."

(21 Aug 2020) Outsourcing firms miss 46% of Covid contacts in England's worst-hit areas Guardian August 21 with another chapter in the failure of privatised track and trace:
"Outsourcing companies leading the government’s flagship test-and-trace system have failed to reach nearly half of potentially exposed people in areas with the highest Covid infection rates in England, official figures show.
"In the country’s 20 worst-hit areas, Serco and Sitel – paid £200m between them – reached only 54% of people who had been in close proximity to an infected person, meaning more than 21,000 exposed people were not contacted.
"In Bradford, 42% of exposed people were reached, with 3,691 of those potentially infected not traced. In Birmingham, which was on Friday placed on the national watch list after a sharp rise in cases, 52% of close contacts were reached and 1,462 missed."

(21 Aug 2020) Hospitals still suing patients in coronavirus hotspots August 21 grim news from the US (axios.com):
"The big picture: Almost all of the roughly two dozen Community Health Systems hospitals in Florida, Texas and Arizona have sued patients since the pandemic began. Many paused or slowed down in the spring, but then resumed business as usual over the summer — when these states were being hit hardest.
"These hospitals have filed dozens — sometimes hundreds — of cases per county between Jan. 1 and Aug. 14 of this year, according to Axios’ review of court records in the counties that make them available online.
"A random sampling of those lawsuits show that hospitals have sued to collect medical bills ranging from less than $1,000 to, in one case, $125,999.53."

(21 Aug 2020) Michael Gove's department alone spent £50m on consultants and marketing during Covid-19 crisis Mirror August 21 report on the gravy train to private consultants:
"Michael Gove's department alone paid private firms £50 million of taxpayers cash for consultancy and marketing during the coronavirus crisis, new analysis shows.
"The Mirror found a string of government contracts signed by the Cabinet Office for "consultancy services", "intelligence" and "media analysis" related to the Covid-19 epidemic from May to August 2020.
"Many deals were handed out without any competition, under "urgent" procurement arrangements to react to the pandemic.
"London-based start up Signal AI was paid almost £100,000 to perform "media analysis" on the Government's Covid-19 communications, while accountancy giant Deloitte was paid £3 million for "urgent" consultancy services.
"Another "urgent" contract saw the taxpayer fund a £21,000 survey of the people of Tunisia about their attitudes to the coronavirus pandemic."

(21 Aug 2020) UK families bereaved by Covid-19 lose eligibility for welfare benefits Guardian August 21 report of government plans to gut their apparently generous previous pledges:
"The families of low-paid frontline NHS and social care workers who die from coronavirus will be stripped of eligibility for welfare benefits if they receive a payout under the government’s Covid-19 compensation scheme, it has emerged.
"Under the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme, the £60,000 lump sum breaches capital limits rules for most benefits, meaning that the recipient would unable to claim universal credit, housing benefit or pension credit."

(21 Aug 2020) England contact tracer: 'I haven't made one call in 12 weeks' Guardian Aug 21 lifts the lid on the disastrous privatised track and trace system:
"“I was hired by a Serco sub-contractor to be a contact tracer in the north-west of England at the end of May, just as this supposedly world-beating national contact-tracing system began.
“In 12 weeks I have not made a single call despite working 42 hours a week for £10.12 an hour. One of my friends started at the same time and they haven’t been assigned any cases either. We are not alone: we have a WhatsApp group comparing notes with other call handlers and quite a few haven’t had even one job the entire time."

(18 Aug 2020) SMOKE & MIRRORS The Government is Bashing Migrants to Distract from a Coronavirus Fiasco The Byline Times looks critically at the Government's sudden focus on refugees coming to England via small boat, and asks if this is meant as a distraction from its handling of the Covid crisis?

(18 Aug 2020) Covid-19: Healthcare professional is referred to regulator for delaying seeing a patient because of lack of PPE Though healthcare professionals we reassured they did not need to see patients if they did not have access to adequate PPE, a regulator is investigating a situation that involved just that.

(17 Aug 2020) NHS prepares to spend up to £10 billion on private hospital treatments Independent August 17 on plans for a truly massive potential flow of NHS cash to private hospitals:
“The health service could spend up to £10bn of taxpayers’ money buying operations and treatment in the private sector over the next four years to reduce waiting times.
“NHS England said the figure, which was revealed in a contract tender notice published online on Monday, is an upper estimate of what it could spend to cut waiting times.
“… NHS England has extended its contract with private sector hospitals until March 2021, but in the contract notice on Monday, NHS England said it will launch a bid to find suppliers to join an agreed “framework” for hospitals to use over the next four years to help reduce the size of its waiting list.”

(12 Aug 2020) Calling the NHS a ‘COVID only service’ is untrue, unfair and potentially dangerous NHS Providers provides some analysis over claims the NHS was forced to 'shut down' for Covid, stating this is simply not true: "Even at the height of coronavirus, for every one COVID-19 patient in hospital, there were two non-COVID inpatients being treated for other conditions."

(12 Aug 2020) The PPE debacle shows what Britain is built on: rentier capitalism This Guardian article shows why the problems the UK has experienced obtaining PPE was always inevitable, due to privatisation of the NHS and services.

(12 Aug 2020) England's contact-tracing saga is at the heart of the government's failures This Guardian article asks all the right questions: "What will the continuing role of outsourcing companies be, and how much will it cost?" This autopsy of the Prime Minister's promised "world beating" track and trace system, puts attempted privatisation of the processes under the microscope at every turn. From the flip flopping over the involvement of local authorities, to Serco's slow incompetence and Hancock's non-existent mobile app, this article points the finger at lack of ownership and responsibility by the Government for the highest death toll in Europe.

(12 Aug 2020) Serco and Sitel to get more public money despite track-and-trace fiasco Open Democracy flags the latest public funds given to Serco and Sitel. Serco was given a three month contract to operate the Covid-19 track and trace system in May this year. It is still not considered to be operating effectively enough to ensure schools are safe to reopen in September.

(12 Aug 2020) Six months into Covid, England's quarantine programme is still a mess This Guardian article by Anthony Costello, professor of global health and sustainable development at University College London and a former director of maternal and child health at the WHO, urges the Government to offer individuals in quarantine more support to ensure it is adhered to better.

(12 Aug 2020) Four key failings of England's Covid-19 test-and-trace system The Guardian explores why the Government's track and trace system has failed, as local authorities are forced to set up their own task forces to pick up cases the Serco and Sitel-run system has missed.

(12 Aug 2020) Coronavirus '90-minute tests to be provided in care homes and hospitals' It's Groundhog Day as the latest Covid-19 tests are revealed. Tests purporting to give results in 90 minutes have been rolled out into care homes, but there is little evidence to support them and they are not being used in other countries yet. It all sounds a bit like the £3.5 million spent on antibody tests that didn't work.

(12 Aug 2020) 3 reasons health care journalists should interview nurses more than they do US based article with valuable lessons for UK journalists, noting the lack of routine reference to nurses for informed opinion:
"According to a 2018 study in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, which reviewed and coded a random sample of 365 health care stories published September 2017, “Nurses were identified as sources in only 4% of all quotations or other sourcing in newspaper stories, and in 1% of those in stories from news magazines and industry publications. Physicians and dentists were sources in 43% of newspaper articles, 30% of news magazines, and 18% of industry articles.” Furthermore, nurses “were never sourced in stories on health policy,” the authors report.
"Only 13% of the articles in the study sample mentioned nurses or the nursing profession, and nurses were identified in only 4% of photos, even though nurses are the largest group of health care professionals, according to the 2017 National Nursing Workforce Survey in the Journal of Nursing Regulation."

(11 Aug 2020) Coronavirus: Deaths of hundreds of frontline NHS and care workers to be investigated More than 620 NHS staff and social care worker deaths have been linked to coronavirus and are due to be reviewed by medical examiners. This could lead to investigations by individual hospitals.

(11 Aug 2020) Rise in UK Covid cases above 1,000 a day breached government target On the day the New Zealand implemented a lockdown in one of its cities due to 4 Coronavirus cases, the UK recorded over 1,000 breaching Government guidelines.

(5 Aug 2020) Approaching the end of the Brexit transition: practical implications for the NHS Warnings from NHS Confed August 5, key points summed up as
"The UK’s future relationship with the EU that is currently being negotiated will determine how aspects of health and social care are delivered and how some patients will access care from 2021.
"There is a risk that the negotiations do not result in agreements being found for some or all of the aspects of health that will be affected, or that the agreements will be associated with various forms of disruption.
"Whether the UK leaves with or without a deal, Brexit will have a significant impact on the sector, including access to reciprocal healthcare arrangements, protecting public health and the supply of medicines and medical technologies."

(31 Jul 2020) Coronavirus: England highest level of excess deaths BBC July 31 report based on latest figures from ONS:
"The UK saw some of the biggest rises in deaths rates in Europe in the months until the middle of June, official analysis shows.
"England saw the largest increase in death rates in Europe, with Scotland seeing the third largest increase.
"The Office for National Statistics says that Spain saw the highest peak in rates of death in Europe.
"But the UK had the longest period of above-average deaths and so overall saw higher death rates."

(31 Jul 2020) Last chance to protect the NHS from trade deals We Own It petition seeking to press the House of Lords to amend the trade bill after Tory MPs voted NOT to keep the NHS off the table:
"Boris Johnson has betrayed the British people. He promised to "take back control" and "keep the NHS off the table", but over 300 of his MPs have voted against parliamentary scrutiny and NHS protection in the Trade Bill debate.
"We have one last chance at stopping Donald Trump and his healthcare cronies. We need the House of Lords to step up now and protect our NHS.
"Members of the House of Lords, please amend the Trade Bill to give parliament a say over trade deals and protect our NHS. "

(27 Jul 2020) A flat tax on the over 40s to pay for care would be deeply regressive and completely unfair July 27 Blog from tax expert Richard Murphy showing why plans that have been floated for a tax on the over-40s could be used to pump extra cash into the collapsing privatised social care system

(27 Jul 2020) NHS on course to miss major workforce target HSJ July 27 report: "A flagship target to increase the mental health workforce by 19,000 could be missed by nearly half, according to new government figures.
"As part of a major plan announced in 2017, the government, NHS England and Health Education England announced plans to add 19,000 new NHS mental health jobs by 2020 to 2021, as part of a bid to address severe workforce shortages in the sector.
"According to a parliamentary answer by mental health minister Nadine Dorries, the workforce increased by 9,500 in the three years from March 2017 to March 2020.
"If recruitment continues at the same rate — which may prove challenging given the predicted constraints on international recruitment during the covid pandemic — then the number of additional staff would reach around 12,600 by March 2021."

(26 Jul 2020) Concern for England's mental health patients discharged at start of lockdown Guardian July 26 report: "Nearly 2,500 additional patients were discharged from mental health units across England at the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown, prompting concern that vulnerable people were released into the community before they were ready.
"Official data analysed by the charity Mind showed 11,829 patients were discharged from mental health units in March 2020, a sharp rise from 9,836 last year and up by 2,441 from the February before lockdown started. The number of discharges fell back to 8,426 in April.
"One of the patients released early was a man with severe mental health problems who was now missing in Spain. His family told the Guardian that they believed he was discharged too soon."

(26 Jul 2020) Over-40s in UK to pay more tax under plans to fix social care crisis Guardian July 26 report: "Everyone over 40 would start contributing towards the cost of care in later life under radical plans being studied by ministers to finally end the crisis in social care, the Guardian can reveal.
"Under the plan over-40s would have to pay more in tax or national insurance, or be compelled to insure themselves against hefty bills for care when they are older. The money raised would then be used to pay for the help that frail elderly people need with washing, dressing and other activities if still at home, or to cover their stay in a care home.
"The plans are being examined by Boris Johnson’s new health and social care taskforce and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). They are gaining support as the government’s answer to the politically perilous question of who should pay for social care.
"Sources say the principle of over-40s meeting the cost of a reformed system of care for the ageing population is emerging as the government’s preferred option for fulfilling the prime minister’s pledge just over a year ago to “fix the crisis in social care once and for all”. "

(25 Jul 2020) Nearly half of Florida's Covid-19 deaths linked to long-term care facilities CNN July 25 report: "In Florida, 46% of all Covid-19 related deaths are linked to long-term care facilities, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health.
"To date, 2,645 out of 5,777 total deaths are associated with long-term care facilities in the state, health department data shows."

(25 Jul 2020) Corporate Insiders Pocket $1 Billion in Rush for Coronavirus Vaccine New York Times July 25: “The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and some companies and investors are betting that the winners stand to earn vast profits from selling hundreds of millions — or even billions — of doses to a desperate public.
“Across the pharmaceutical and medical industries, senior executives and board members are capitalizing on that dynamic.
“They are making millions of dollars after announcing positive developments, including support from the government, in their efforts to fight Covid-19. After such announcements, insiders from at least 11 companies — most of them smaller firms whose fortunes often hinge on the success or failure of a single drug — have sold shares worth well over $1 billion since March, according to figures compiled for The New York Times by Equilar, a data provider.
“… The sudden windfalls highlight the powerful financial incentives for company officials to generate positive headlines in the race for coronavirus vaccines and treatments, even if the drugs might never pan out.”

(25 Jul 2020) Ex-chief of scandal-hit hospital now works for group advising NHS on patient safety Shocking Independent July 25 report revealing that a former chief executive who presided over a collapse of quality in care in Shrewsbury and Telford is now making big bucks as a consultant on patient safety:
"The disgraced former chief executive of hospitals at the centre of the largest maternity scandal in NHS history is working for a major hospital group advising the health service on safety and leadership.
"Simon Wright was head of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, which is being investigated by the NHS over 1,900 maternity incidents including baby deaths. The trust was rated inadequate and placed into special measures by regulators during Mr Wright’s tenure.
"He is now working as a “continuous improvement consultant” for the Virginia Mason Institute, which has a five-year contract with NHS England to help improve safety at five NHS trusts, including Shrewsbury and Telford.
"Mr Wright, who was criticised by regulators in 2018 before resigning last year, describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as having been “a CEO in one of the most successful health systems in the world”. He does not mention the name of the trust."

(24 Jul 2020) ‘Bizarre’ That Face Masks Are a Partisan Issue, NIH Chief Says Bloomberg report from USA July 19: "It’s “bizarre” that mask-wearing in the U.S. has become so partisan and the “divide between different political perspectives” is making it harder to curb the coronavirus, the director of the National Institutes of Health said.
"Speaking on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, NIH chief Francis Collins said he didn’t want anybody to think that mask-wearing is “something optional” as the nation attempts to tamp down the Covid-19 outbreak running at record levels.
“Imagine you were an alien coming to the planet Earth and looking around,” Collins said. “You would be totally astounded, puzzled, amazed ... How could it be that something as basic as a public health action, that we have very strong evidence can help, seems to attach to people’s political party?”

(24 Jul 2020) Government admits its Test and Trace programme is unlawful Sky News report July 20: "The government has admitted its contact tracing programme is unlawful in a legal letter which confirms it has been running in breach of data protection laws since it was launched in May.
"Confirmation the programme failed to adhere to privacy regulations comes as Sky News can reveal that contractors working for NHS Test and Trace have been told they may be fired following reports of dozens of staff sharing patients' confidential data on social media.
"According to the legal letter, the government did not conduct a data privacy impact assessment (DPIA) which is required to ensure that breaches of patients' information don't take place."

(24 Jul 2020) When Is a Coronavirus Test Not a Coronavirus Test? If it takes 12 days to get results, it’s basically pointless. New York Times July 24 report: "Coronavirus testing in the United States has been bungled in every way imaginable. The latest fiasco is perhaps the most Kafka-esque: Tests are now widely available in many places, but results are often taking so long to come back that it is more or less pointless to get tested.
"If it takes up to two weeks to get results, we can’t detect brewing outbreaks and respond with targeted shutdowns. We can’t do meaningful contact tracing. We can’t expect people to stay home from work or school for two weeks while they wait for the result of a screen. We have no way to render early treatment and attention to those who test positive, to try to prevent serious illness. It’s a disaster.
"Many doctors can do a rapid strep test in half an hour, and the “slow” test takes a day. Imagine if it took 12 days before doctors knew whether to prescribe an antibiotic. You’d end up with more cases of meningitis, pneumonia and rheumatic fever. Strep could spread through families and schools like wildfire."

(24 Jul 2020) UK junk food ad ban 'could force deep cuts on TV channels' Guardian July 24 report reveals the extent to which TV is hooked on junk food, and can apparently only continue if it is allowed to fuel obesity and ill health:
"British television channels could be forced to make cuts of more than £200m to their programme budgets if the government pushes ahead with plans to impose a blanket ban on junk food advertising.
"In a further blow to a crisis-hit media industry, ITV would lose about £100m of income if a 9pm, pre-watershed ban is implemented, according to television industry estimates.
"Channel 4 has estimated that it would lose £40m annually – almost a tenth of its now drastically reduced annual programming budget. Such a move could boost competing subscription services such as Netflix, which do not rely on advertising.
“We know that the creative industries are already suffering as a result of Covid,” said one senior source at a commercial broadcaster, who said the government risked “kicking away the crutches” of the British television industry.""

(24 Jul 2020) Victoria's Covid-19 aged care disaster: 'This virus is like a fire out of control' Grim extended July 24 Guardian report on Australia's failing heavily privatised health and social care system: "The disaster unfolding in Victoria’s aged care homes was “absolutely foreseeable”, one of the country’s foremost experts in aged care says.
"Authorities knew some facilities had poorly trained workers and underpaid part-time or casual staff who had to move between homes to make a living. There’d been overwhelming evidence about the vulnerability of aged care residents internationally. In Sydney, there was the outbreak of Covid-19 at Newmarch House. It was all documented.
“We got this wrong from the very start,” says Prof Joseph Ibrahim, the head of the health law and ageing research unit at Monash University. The result, he and other experts say, is what is unfolding in Victoria."

(24 Jul 2020) Put a F**king Mask On! Foul mouthed, but very amusing exhortation from the brilliant Jonathan Pie conveys all the arguments needed to confront the anti-mask brigade -- in under 4 minutes.

(24 Jul 2020) Boris Johnson ready to curb the scope and power of judicial reviews Telegraph July 24 report on the threat to abolish one of the few options open to campaigners seeking to halt half-baked reconfiguration and closure plans that have been rubber stamped by NHS bureaucrats:
"Boris Johnson has speeded up plans to curb the judiciary after axing a manifesto pledge to hold a commission on changing the way the courts operate.
"The Prime Minister is expected to announce next week that he has set up a panel to examine the issue of judicial reviews, which were successfully used to overturn his decision to prorogue Parliament last year.
"Mr Johnson believes the courts have become increasingly politicised and are being used to “conduct politics by another means” and wants to define in law what they can and cannot be used to challenge."

(22 Jul 2020) New £100m NHS intensive care unit shut over fire safety fears Guardian July 22: "A newly built £100m intensive care unit at an NHS hospital has been closed after it failed fire safety checks, leading to seriously ill patients being moved out.
"King’s College hospital in south London has had to shut the critical care unit after its own engineers and the London fire brigade identified problems that could potentially make it unsafe.
"The trust has declared a critical incident over the closure, which has been prompted by fears that panels on the outside of the unit could make it easier for a fire to spread.
"The critical care unit only opened in April and is the biggest and most advanced facility of its kind in the NHS. It has played a key part in helping King’s manage an influx of seriously ill Covid-19 patients.
"It holds up to 56 patients, and is understood to have had about 30 when the critical incident was declared on Wednesday morning. They are being moved to other parts of the hospital, including a critical care ward that had been closed for refurbishment."

(21 Jul 2020) Above-inflation pay rise for almost 900,000 public sector workers BBC July 21 report which finally gets round to admitting the lack of any new post-Covid pay rise for most health workers: "“Almost 900,000 public sector workers are to get an above-inflation pay rise, including doctors and teachers. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he recognised their "vital contribution" during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Treasury said the money for the pay increases of up to 3.1% would come from existing departmental budgets.
“But Labour said the rise would not make up for years of real-terms cuts and the British Medical Association said doctors had hoped for "far better".
However:
“… Nurses are not included in Tuesday's announcement because they negotiated a separate three-year deal in 2018. The rise does also not apply to junior doctors, who agreed a new four-year pay deal last year.”

(21 Jul 2020) Make masks compulsory in GP surgeries to reduce Covid-19 risk, BMA urges Guardian July 21 report: "Face masks should be compulsory in GP surgeries to minimise the spread of Covid-19, according to one of the top representative bodies for doctors.
"The British Medical Association said that compelling people to cover their face while in shops or on public transport but not in a GP practice is “illogical” and “makes no sense”.
"It wants the government to change the law to make that mandatory, as they have already done after disagreements between ministers over their approach – for those other settings.
“'The BMA is clear that face coverings should be mandatory in all situations where physical distancing of more than 2 metres is not possible. It makes no sense that the government has introduced one measure for shops and public transport, while other indoor spaces, including GP practices, are exempt'."

(21 Jul 2020) Coronavirus: NHS nurses told 'lives would be made hell' BBC July 21 report lifts the lid on an outrageous bullying regime in Nottingham's University Hospital: "Hospital nurses were told their "lives would be made hell" if they complained over conditions on a coronavirus ward, a union has claimed.
"Unison has raised a group grievance for 36 employees, most of them nurses, at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.
"It said staff on the Queen's Medical Centre ward were not trained properly, faced bullying for raising concerns and denied PPE "as punishment".
"The trust said the allegations were "very troubling".
"The union said the staff, which included nurses, senior nurses and healthcare assistants, volunteered to work on the hospital's only ward dealing with end-of-life coronavirus patients."

(21 Jul 2020) Covid-19: test all health and care workers weekly, says UK scientist Guardian July 21 begins: "All health and care staff should be routinely tested for Covid-19 once or twice a week, according to one of the UK’s most eminent scientists, Sir Paul Nurse, whose team’s research suggests 45% of staff were infected with coronavirus at the peak of the pandemic in England, most of whom showed no symptoms.
"Giving evidence to the Commons health and social care select committee, Nurse, who turned the Crick Institute he heads into a testing laboratory, said his team had told ministers that frequent, routine testing was essential to ensure the safety of health and care staff and give the public the confidence to go into hospitals."

(21 Jul 2020) No new pay rise for nurses, confirms Downing Street Nursing Notes July 21 report: "The Treasury has revealed that nearly 900,000 public sector workers are to get a pay rise, with teachers and doctors seeing the largest rise at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively “recognising their efforts on the frontline during the battle against COVID-19”.
"NHS staff working on the frontlines to battle COVID-19 and paid under the Agenda for Change terms and conditions are surprisingly missing from the new pay arrangements.
"In an announcement made today, the Treasury claims this is because there is already a settlement in place for “for more than one million NHS workers who continue to benefit from the three-year Agenda for Change pay deal, under which the starting pay for a newly qualified nurse has increased by over 12% since 2017/18.”
"It goes on to proclaim that the average nurse will “receive an average 4.4% rise this year”.
"In stark contrast to the claim, the vast majority of frontline nurses received just 1.65% in April this year – the last rise of a multi-year pay deal which saw the average take-home salary of a Band 5 nurse rise by just 7%."

(21 Jul 2020) Covid conspiracies and confusions: the impact on compliance with the UK’s lockdown rules and the link with social media use A frightening survey of UK public views, highlighting the extent of conspiracy theories and the impact of fake news and false information transmitted via social media:
"3 in 10 think coronavirus was probably created in a lab, up from a quarter at the beginning of April.
• 3 in 10 think most people in the UK have already had coronavirus without realising it.
• 3 in 10 believe the Covid-19 death toll is being deliberately reduced or hidden by the authorities.
• 1 in 7 believe the death toll is being deliberately exaggerated by the authorities.
• 1 in 8 believe that the current pandemic is part of a global effort to force everyone to be vaccinated.
• More than 1 in 20 believe that the symptoms that most people blame on Covid-19 appear to be connected to 5G network radiation.
• More than 1 in 20 believe there is no hard evidence that Covid-19 really exists"

(20 Jul 2020) Cheap, popular and it works: Ireland's contact-tracing app success Guardian July 20 report: "A government minister once compared Ireland’s health care system to Angola – a political minefield of dysfunction, bureaucracy, waste and inefficiency. The nickname stuck.
"Yet this morass has just produced a shiny success: a Covid-19 contact-tracing app that is popular and appears to work.
"Since launching on 6 July, the Covid Tracker app was downloaded 1.3m times in eight days – the fastest-downloaded app per capita in Europe – and has started picking up cases of infection.
“We’ve been delighted by the take-up rate. It’s gone beyond the initial hopes,” said Colm Harte, the technical director of NearForm, the company that made the app for the Health Service Executive (HSE)."

(20 Jul 2020) England's test and trace programme 'breaks GDPR data law' BBC July 20: "Privacy campaigners say England's test and trace programme has broken a key data protection law.
"The Department of Health has conceded the initiative to trace contacts of people infected with Covid-19 was launched without carrying out an assessment of its impact on privacy.
"The Open Rights Group (ORG) says the admission means the initiative has been unlawful since it began on 28 May."

(20 Jul 2020) Coronavirus outbreak confirmed at NHS Test and Trace centre in North Lanarkshire London Evening Standard July 20 unusually aware of events in Scotland that reveal what appears to be unsafe practices by contractors running test and trace call centre:
"A cluster of coronavirus infections has been confirmed at an NHS Test and Trace call centre in North Lanarkshire.
"Measures have been brought in by the region’s health board to try and suppress the outbreak, which flared up at the Sitel site in Motherwell.
"NHS Lanarkshire said it had been notified about “potentially linked cases” of Covid-19 infections in the area on Sunday.
"An NHS Test and Trace spokeswoman said: “We are aware of a local outbreak of Covid-19 at the Sitel site in Motherwell. This is being managed by Sitel and colleagues in NHS Lanarkshire, who are following appropriate test and protect action in line with Scottish Government advice."

(20 Jul 2020) England’s chief nurse confirms she was ‘dropped’ from No 10 press conference after voicing Dominic Cummings criticism Independent July 20: "England’s chief nursing officer has confirmed she was “dropped” from a No 10 coronavirus press briefing in June after warning Dominic Cummings should follow the lockdown rules that apply “to us all”.
"It comes after The Independent revealed last month Ruth May had been due to appear alongside Matt Hancock, the health secretary, but was ditched after failing to offer support to Boris Johnson’s senior Downing Street adviser.
"In her first public comments on the incident, the chief nursing officer confirmed the report and said it was “regular occurrence” that expert colleagues advising the government had also been stood down from daily briefings during the pandemic.
"Seizing on Ms May’s comments, Labour said it was “scandalous” that England’s most senior nurse, who appeared at various briefings before being dropped, was silenced because “she wasn’t prepared to parrot Downing Street spin” in relation to Mr Cummings."

(20 Jul 2020) Test and trace in England less successful in poorer areas, figures show Guardian July 20 report: "England’s poorest communities are at greater risk of a second wave of coronavirus owing to imbalances in the national test-and-trace system, official figures suggest.
"Data obtained by the Guardian shows that a much lower proportion of at-risk people are being contacted and told to self-isolate in deprived towns than in wealthier areas.
"In Blackpool, 37% of people who had been in close contact with an infected person were not reached by the system. This compares with 9% in Cheshire East, which includes the affluent towns of Knutsford and Wilmslow.
"Similarly, in Knowsley, Merseyside, more than one in three at-risk people were not contacted, compared with one in 10 in Trafford, a mostly upmarket borough of Greater Manchester."

(20 Jul 2020) Tories vote down amendment to protect NHS from foreign control in Brexit trade deals Evolve Politics July 20 report on Tories reneging on their 2019 election promises to keep the NHS off the table in trade talks: "The Conservative Party have tonight used their 78-seat majority to vote down an amendment designed to protect the NHS and publicly-funded health and care services from being subject to any form of control from outside the UK in a future post-Brexit Trade Deal.
"The amendment, which was put forward by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and supported by Labour leader Keir Starmer and a number of other senior Labour MPs, was voted down by a margin of 340 to 241 thanks to the Tories’ overwhelming parliamentary majority."

(19 Jul 2020) Government’s test and trace system failing in areas battling major outbreaks, leaked analysis reveals Independent July 19 report: "England’s “world beating” coronavirus test and trace service is failing to reach more than half the contacts named by infected residents in Blackburn with Darwen – where health chiefs are battling a major outbreak.
"Leaked analysis obtained by The Independent shows that across northwest England, the national tracing service is reaching only 52 per cent of all close contacts, leading one senior source to say: “The contact tracing service is now part of the problem we are trying to solve, not the solution.”
"The data also shows that less than half of close contacts are being reached in Oldham, St Helens, Manchester and Rochdale. The best performance for the region is in Cheshire East, where a third are still being missed."

(19 Jul 2020) Seven in 10 back mandatory use of masks in shops in England, poll finds Guardian July 19: "Concerns that the wearing of masks could become a new front in a political “culture war” have been eased after evidence emerged that a clear majority of the public back their use in shops and supermarkets.
"An Opinium poll for the Observer reveals that 71% of adults in England support making masks mandatory in shops, with only 13% opposed to the move. Support was consistent across parties and age groups. Almost two-thirds of UK adults (64%) said they believed masks were an effective way to contain the spread of Covid-19.
"There is also wide acceptance that the value of masks is to protect other people. Most people (54%) say masks are worn mainly to prevent the person wearing it accidentally infecting others, while 30% say they are needed to protect others and prevent others infecting them. Just 8% believe masks are mainly to protect the person wearing them."

(19 Jul 2020) ‘Risk death or risk jail’: Health workers around the world detained and attacked during the pandemic Alarming must-read July 19 report in the Independent reveals:
“Amnesty reports that globally at least 3,000 health workers have died from Covid-19 – a figure that is likely to be a significant underestimate because of the lack of testing.
“The highest recorded medic death toll is in Russia. An unofficial count collated by medics says at least 584 healthcare professionals have died from Covid-19 (although the official number is just over 100). The UK is not far behind with 540 recorded deaths, followed by the US, Brazil, Mexico, Italy and finally Egypt.
“It is not just about human rights; it has direct health implications for everyone,” says Hussein Baoumi, Egypt researcher at Amnesty, which is urging states to take the lives of health workers seriously.
“When you silence the people on the ground expressing valid concerns, this has implications for all the lives of the health workers and the entire population.”

(19 Jul 2020) Cubans celebrate no local transmission of COVID-19 for first time in four months Reuters report July 19: “Cuba for the first time in 130 days on Sunday said there were no new domestic cases of COVID-19 as most of the country moved into the final phase of resuming normal activities with masks and social distancing.
“Francisco Duran, head of epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, and who has updated the country daily on the pandemic, took off his mask during the national broadcast for only the second time deliver the good news. Duran, on Saturday did the same, reporting just a single domestic case in Havana.
“Only a handful of COVID-19 cases were reported in Cuba over the last week, all in Havana. Most of the Caribbean island, home to 11.2 million inhabitants, has been free of the disease for more than a month.”

(19 Jul 2020) Three quarters of the public want the NHS protected in trade deal with Trump Mirror July 19 report: "A new poll has found 75% of people want the NHS to be protected in a trade deal with Donald Trump.
"Parliament is set to debate the next stage of the Trade Bill tomorrow and an overwhelming majority want it to include specific protections for the NHS.
"The poll, conducted by Survation and commissioned by campaign group We Own It, also found nearly half of the public don’t believe Boris Johnson when he says the NHS is not “on the table” in trade talks with the US - 38% say they don’t believe him, while 19% say they don’t know.
"Conservative MP Jonathan Djanogly has tabled an amendment which would give parliament the power to scrutinise and vote on future trade deals - a power they currently don’t have, and nearly 4,000 people have written to their MP asking them to support the amendment."

(18 Jul 2020) Trump administration seeking to block funding for CDC, contact tracing and testing in new relief bill July 18 report from the US (The Hill) on the latest dangerous efforts of Trump:
"The Trump administration is attempting to block billions of dollars for contact tracing, additional testing and other coronavirus mitigation efforts that would potentially be included in Congress's next coronavirus relief package, officials involved in the negotiations told The Washington Post.
"According to the Post's sources, the administration is also trying to block billions in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that GOP senators want to give the agency as it continues to battle COVID-19 on the front lines."

(18 Jul 2020) Bad News about the Pandemic: We’re Not Getting Back to Normal Any Time Soon Scientific American article July 18 explains why so many people cling on to such false ideas and reject necessary precautions over covid:
"Many disregarded the new guidance, especially if those they considered authority figures did not reinforce it. Consequent to a mental blind spot called emotional contagion, we tend to adopt the perspectives of those we see as authority figures.
"With their guidance, we can overcome initial anchoring; without it, we will stick to our initial perspective.
"Just as problematic is another dangerous judgment error that cognitive neuroscientists call normalcy bias. This mental blind spot refers to the fact that our gut reactions drive us to feel that the future, at least in the short and medium term of the next couple of years, will function in roughly the same way as the past: normally.
"As a result, we tend to vastly underestimate both the possibility and impact of a disaster striking us. Moreover, we will rush to get back to normal even when we should be preparing for the aftershocks or continuation of the disaster."

(18 Jul 2020) How south Liverpool coronavirus outbreak was spotted and tackled and what happens next July 18 Liverpool Echo report shows what public health systems can do with the right information at the right time: "It was a Thursday afternoon when Liverpool's relatively new Director of Public Health Matt Ashton spotted something.
"He had been analysing coronavirus data that had arrived on his desk on July 9 when he located a potential cluster of infections in the city.
"The problems with getting data from the government's centralised systems to local health leaders like Matt has been well documented - but in recent weeks things have improved.
"The more granular level of the numbers Matt received allowed him to work out that in some specific areas of south Liverpool - as well as Knotty Ash in the east and Halewood over the Knowsley border - there had been a spike in positive cases.
"He explained: "With my team we dug down further into the data and were able to see that this was predominantly a cluster of young people aged between 15 and 24.
"We had spotted a pattern there and were able to use insights to link it to community gatherings that had taken place in some of those areas."

(18 Jul 2020) Most of the World May Face Covid Without a Vaccine Bloomberg july 18 interview with expert Klaus Stohr, who warns:
"The epidemiological behavior of this virus will not be that much different from other respiratory diseases. During winter, they come back.
"There will be another wave, and it will be very serious. More than 90% of the population is susceptible. If we do not tighten again to a serious lockdown or similar measures, the virus is going to cause a significant outbreak. Winter is coming before the vaccine. There will be an increase in cases, and there will be problems containing it because people seem not very amenable to more constraints in their movement and freedom."

(18 Jul 2020) Scientists pour cold water on PM’s ‘open by Christmas’ vow The London Economic July 18: "The Prime Minister signalled another significant easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England on Friday, relaxing work-from-home guidance and paving the way for theatres and sports stadiums to reopen. At a No 10 press conference, he said it was his “strong and sincere hope” that ministers would be able to review the remaining restrictions from November onwards “possibly in time for Christmas”.
"However scientists quickly poured cold water on the Prime Minister’s statement.
"Sir Mark Walport, a former chief scientific adviser, said that it could prove difficult to achieve such significant relaxation with respiratory illnesses tending to flourish in the colder weather. He said that while the disease was declining, there were still between 3,000 and 11,000 new cases a day in England."

(18 Jul 2020) Government’s test and trace system failing in areas battling major outbreaks, leaked analysis reveals Independent July 18 report: "England’s “world beating” coronavirus test and trace service is failing to reach more than half the contacts named by infected residents in Blackburn with Darwen – where health chiefs are battling a major outbreak.
"Leaked analysis obtained by The Independent shows that across northwest England, the national tracing service is reaching only 52 per cent of all close contacts, leading one senior source to say: “The contact tracing service is now part of the problem we are trying to solve, not the solution.”
"The data also shows that less than half of close contacts are being reached in Oldham, St Helens, Manchester and Rochdale. The best performance for the region is in Cheshire East, where a third are still being missed."

(18 Jul 2020) UK government to stop publishing daily coronavirus deaths while review carried out Liverpool Echo July 18: “The government will temporarily stop announcing the daily coronavirus death figures because of concerns about how accurate they are.
“Health Secretary Matt Hancock has launched an inquiry after Public Health experts said the number of deaths associated with the virus may have been over-exagerrated.
“But scientists have questioned the move and suggested that there is unlikely to be a 'massive distortion' of the figures.
“Academics have said the way that Public Health England(PHE) calculates the data means they might look worse there than in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Mirror reports.”

(18 Jul 2020) Matt Hancock in new U-turn on coronavirus testing data Guardian July 18: "The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has bowed to pressure from councils, which demanded full access to the names and data of people in their areas who tested positive for Covid-19, and those with whom they have been in contact, in another major government U-turn.
"Local authorities and public health officials have been complaining for weeks that they are being hampered in efforts to combat and prevent local outbreaks by lack of access to “named patient data” which would allow them to get straight to the sources of local outbreaks.
"Now the Observer has been told that Hancock, who has insisted repeatedly that local authorities have all the information they need from the track and trace system, is set to give way and allow access to the named data as well other information already provided, such as postcodes, so long as strict data protection rules and conditions are followed."

(17 Jul 2020) We must not let the government seize back control from doctors Guardian July 17 giving a platform to Andrew Lansley, former Tory health secretary and architect of 2012 Health & Social Care Act, warning Johnson government against repealing any of it:
"I believe I speak with some experience when I say that structural reorganisation of the NHS is not a task on which to embark lightly, let alone gratuitously.
"Britain is in the midst of a health crisis unparalleled in living memory. Doctors and nurses, and all our NHS workers, have rightly been lauded for their selfless service during this difficult time, for which some have very sadly given their lives."

(17 Jul 2020) Senior Tory accuses Johnson of blaming NHS for government's Covid-19 failings Guardian comment on July 17 article it carries from Andrew Lansley (see below):
"Andrew Lansley, the Conservative former health secretary, has criticised the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and accused it of trying to blame the NHS for its own failings.
"Lansley made clear that delays in instigating the lockdown, ordering personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff and increasing testing were made by ministers, not health service bosses.
"Lansley – now a Tory peer – also said Boris Johnson’s plan to grab more direct control of the NHS, as revealed in the Guardian last week, was wrong and would undermine the service."

(17 Jul 2020) Health secretary must intervene at Homerton Hospital to halt “outrageous” outsourcing deal, says UNISON London region UNISON July 17 increasing the pressure on Homerton Hospital's renewed contract with ISS:
"The secretary of state for health and social care Matt Hancock must intervene to stop a controversial new outsourcing deal at London’s Homerton Hospital, says UNISON in a letter sent today (Friday).
"Last month, the hospital trust issued a Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency (VEAT) notice, allowing it to bypass the competitive-tendering process. It now intends to award a new five-year contract to global outsourcing giant ISS Mediclean.
"However, regulations say that a VEAT notice can only be used under certain conditions, which UNISON says haven’t been met.
"ISS Mediclean currently provides catering, cleaning, security and portering services at Homerton University Hospital in Hackney.
"The company’s workers have provided essential services to the hospital during the pandemic, but earn less than their directly employed NHS colleagues, get fewer days annual leave and only statutory sick pay."

(17 Jul 2020) Boris Johnson statement fact-checked BBC Fact check July 17 begins with this deception:
"Boris Johnson: "We have substantially increased the pipeline of personal protective equipment [PPE] for the NHS and social care constituting over 30 billion items of PPE over the course of the pandemic".
"However, government figures show that only 2.3 billion items have actually been delivered to health and social care services in England, up to 12 July.
"This includes 1.4 billion gloves (which are counted individually as opposed to in pairs).
"It's not immediately clear where the 30 billion number comes from, but it could include future deliveries.
"On 26 June, Lord Deighton who's leading the government's PPE efforts, said there were 28 billion items on order.
"Adding that together with what has already been delivered would be just over 30 billion."

(17 Jul 2020) Why Poor Countries Could Be Priced Out Of Oxford University's Covid-19 Vaccine Huffington Post July 17: "A pharma giant could price poorer countries out of a British coronavirus vaccine in the future due to a loophole in the non-profit agreement it signed with Oxford University, campaigners have warned – among them one of the first participants in the trial itself.
"Volunteer Luigi Ceccaroni has demanded the details of a distribution deal between Oxford University and AztraZeneca be made public, saying he fears the firm could still profiteer from the drug once the first global peak dies down. AstraZeneca told HuffPost UK this week it was “too early to comment on pricing post-pandemic”.
"Ceccaroni’s concerns have been echoed by shadow minister for science and research Chi Onwurah, and by campaign group Global Justice Now."

(16 Jul 2020) Shrewsbury Hospital: ‘The staff appear not to know what good care looks like’ Independent July 16 with telling leaked letter from hospitals inspector Prof Ted Baker:
"Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust has been in special measures and rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since 2018, but in a leaked letter, revealed today by The Independent, the chief inspector of hospitals reveals that the situation at the hospital is getting worse.
"Professor Ted Baker details a litany of concerns over the standards of care at the trust in a letter to NHS England earlier this month and he warned unless action was taken patients are being exposed to unnecessary harm.
"His letter reveals the Midlands trust is facing more criminal investigations and enforcement actions than any other NHS trust in England. It’s been inspected five times since August 2018, and had more than 90 specific conditions imposed."

(16 Jul 2020) Up to £10 billion of the Chancellor's 'Plan for Jobs' will be funded by underspends on previously planned projects IFS less than enthusiastic July 16 analysis of government's so-called Roosevelt-like spending plans: "The UK Government is spending big on supporting public services and the economy through the COVID-19 recovery and beyond. There are, for example, ‘up to £30 billion pounds’ of measures counted in the ‘Plan for Jobs’ announced in the Summer Economic Update last week, although the OBR thinks they will ultimately cost around £20 billion.
"However, alongside this – but with much less fanfare – are reductions in spending on other things as some previously planned projects and investments are now deemed less of a priority or infeasible given the COVID-19 crisis. The Treasury’s decisions on funding for the devolved governments suggest they expect these underspends to amount to almost £8 billion; the OBR expects more like £10 billion.
"A lack of transparency over where spending is expected to be lower is contributing to confusion about the overall scale of fiscal support being provided, as well as the amount that the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should receive to fund their own measures. It makes scrutiny of plans more difficult and is corrosive to trust. "

(16 Jul 2020) Coronavirus outcome in the UK has not been good, admits chief scientific adviser Independent July 16 report: "Giving evidence to MPs on the Commons Science and Technology Committee, Sir Patrick Vallance said: “My view, and I think this is a view shared by Sage [Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies], is that we’re still at a time when distancing measures are important.
"And, of the various distancing measures, working from home for many companies remains a perfectly good option because it’s easy to do.
“I think a number of companies think it’s actually not detrimental to productivity, and in that situation, there’s absolutely no reason I can see to change it.”
"Sir Patrick admitted the UK has not had a good outcome from the coronavirus pandemic and he warned that the UK lacks enough tests for winter.
"He said: “It’s clear the outcome in the UK has not been good. I think we can be absolutely clear about that"."

(16 Jul 2020) I'm one of the thousands of extra cancer deaths we'll see this year Moving Guardian comment article July 16 from Prof Val Curtis, director of the environmental health group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: “I’m going to die soon, but before I do, I want to see a plan for a better NHS, one that does not needlessly lose lives. There is a large majority in the UK in favour of properly funding the NHS."

(16 Jul 2020) Spending Watchdog Urged To Probe Government's £5bn PPE Contracts Huffington Post July 16 report: "The UK’s spending watchdog has been urged by Labour to investigate the government’s multi-billion pound procurement of protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The party has written to the National Audit Office to request a probe following the award of a number of contracts without any competition under emergency procedures used by ministers, HuffPost UK has learned.
"The move came as it emerged that the Cabinet Office had awarded a £800,000 contract to consultants McKinsey for the “Provision of Consultancy Services for Civil Service Modernisation and Reform”.
"The contract suggests that the PM’s adviser Dominic Cummings is driving through his agenda to overhaul the civil service."

(16 Jul 2020) Tired of being Boris Johnson's patsy, Patrick Vallance fights back July 16 parliamentary sketch in Guardian by john Crace: "It’s fair to say that Vallance has been a little slow off the mark right from the very start of the pandemic. Not so much with the science – though he’s hardly excelled at that – but with PR management. "For a long time, he was under the impressions that his prime role was to provide the government with independent scientific advice; it’s only over the course of the last few weeks he’s realised his real function was to be a human shield for Boris. And he’s clearly not happy about having been suckered in this way.
"So for Vallance, a two-hour appearance before the science and technology select committee was an ideal opportunity to lay the foundations of his fightback. A chance to redirect the blame to where it really lay. "

(16 Jul 2020) Matt Hancock orders pause in use of sub-standard coronavirus testing swabs Independent July 16 report on the halting of the gravy train for a company advised by former Tory minister Owen Paterson: "Health secretary Matt Hancock has ordered a halt to the use of Randox-branded coronavirus testing kits after swabs were found not to be up to required standards.
"Mr Hancock told the House of Commons that there was no evidence of clinical harm to patients or of the results of tests being invalidated by use of the sub-standard equipment.
"The award in March of a £133 million contract for testing kits to the Northern Ireland-based company caused controversy when official documents indicated that it was awarded without a competitive process.
"In a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care said it had been “notified that some test kits produced by Randox laboratories may not meet our required safety standards for coronavirus testing”."

(16 Jul 2020) Johnson has failed on social care. That's why he is dodging a coronavirus inquiry Polly Toynbee in a July 16 Guardian column arguing limitations of any inquiry into the government's handling of coronavirus:
"any inquiry would not only expose the lethal blunders that left Britain “world-beating” in Covid-19 mistakes, but it would open up the great social care dilemma.
"Every wicked political issue congregates here: the passionate feelings about inheritances lost to care costs, the anti-immigration sentiment Priti Patel panders to in denying visas to “low-skilled” care workers, the injustice between those with Alzheimer’s (who pay) and those with cancer (who don’t).
"It would expose the catastrophic neglect of Britain’s older people, 1.5 million of whom lack the care they need, despite a 25% increase in the number of over-65s in the last decade.
"The Treasury will have noted the £8bn the Health Foundation reports it would take just to restore care to the (far from ideal) 2010 standards."

(16 Jul 2020) Government accused of giving £830m worth of coronavirus contracts to Tory ‘friends’ Mirror July 16 report: “Opposition MPs allege 12 different companies were contracted to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health services which “never materialised” - three months on from when orders were made.
“Labour also pressed ministers over a tender handed to Public First, an analytics firm run by long-time associates of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings without “any public tender process”.
“… Labour MP Helen Hayes said although her party understood the need to procure goods “at speed” during a national emergency it was not an “excuse for reducing transparency”.
“How does the minister explain reports that contracts at the value of more than £830 million had been awarded to at least 12 different companies for PPE which has never materialised?” she put to cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt.”

(15 Jul 2020) ‘We made it’: Medics recount emotional moment Bergamo hospital ICU declared coronavirus-free Interesting July 15 feature in the Independent:
"The last Covid-19 patient in Bergamo’s main coronavirus hospital was a 51-year-old man. He had been infected with a very severe form of the virus, which caused his lungs to fail and involved other organs. But on 8 July, after more than two months, he was able to leave the intensive care unit.
"Staff gathered in the hall and held a minute of silence to mourn all of Bergamo’s coronavirus deaths – then the silence gave way to a euphoric round of applause. It was over. After more than four months, the ICUs in Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital were declared coronavirus-free.
“We can say we made it,” Luca Lorini, 59, the head of the hospital’s resuscitation department, tells The Independent. “We don’t know if the coronavirus will attack us again, but we have won this battle.”
"Signs of a newly found normality are everywhere in Bergamo, once the epicentre of Europe’s coronavirus crisis. Residents are again flocking to shopping malls and outdoor bars in parks, although wearing a mask is still compulsory. Patients have begun to book check-ups and elective treatment like colonoscopies and ultrasounds."

(15 Jul 2020) Management consultancy McKinsey brought in to review NHS Test and Trace programme Independent July 15 on the latest in the test and trace fiasco:
"A management consultancy company has reportedly been brought in to review the NHS Test and Trace programme.
"The Department of Health and Social Care asked McKinsey to review the governance and organisational form of the programme, the Health Service Journal reported.
"The consultancy has been asked to consider whether the organisation should remain as a directly controlled DHSC agency, be given greater operational independence or be merged with another DHSC body such as Public Health England, according to the journal.
"The programme was hastily put together in May as Covid-19 swept through the UK, with many senior personnel brought in on short term contracts."

(15 Jul 2020) National roll-out of ‘call before you walk’ A&Es set for winter HSJ July 15 confirming the NHS is not aiming to return to pre-Covid 'normal,' and bringing in policies that could make life difficult for people with mental health problems: "NHS England plans to introduce a “call before you walk” model for accident and emergency by winter, HSJ has been told.
"Trials of new systems to prevent overcrowding in emergency departments ahead of a potential second wave of covid-19 in the winter are taking place at hospitals in Portsmouth and Cornwall and are due to shortly be expanded to other areas such as Newcastle, HSJ can reveal.
"London is also experimenting with introducing the system, having pulled back from an earlier proposal to roll it out it rapidly, shortly after the covid-19 peak."

(15 Jul 2020) Ahead of the second wave: COVID-19 and BME staff by Roger Kline BMJ blog July 15 from Roger Kline: "Local NHS organisations could legitimately ask of national NHS organisations why national guidance on risk assessments was so late they each had to create their own risk assessment tools. They could ask why, if the treatment of BME staff is so important now, WRES data collection was suspended at the start of lockdown (apparently because some didn’t see it as a priority). They could ask why the track record of national organisations on race equality has been poor (6).
"But to do so would be to miss the point.
"Staff infected at work die, become very ill, or have to self-isolate along with work colleagues they have been in contact with. It is a patient safety issue too. 20% of coronavirus infections among hospital patients may have been caught in hospital (3), a significant number presumably from those infected staff.
"This is primarily a governance failure. Staff are entitled to know their employers have taken all reasonably practicable steps to assess risks and mitigate them as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations. "

(15 Jul 2020) Right-wing propaganda pair paid £3 million to Run Coronavirus Communications Byline Times July 15 report lifts the lid on more dodgy dealings and lucrative contracts handed out to mates of ministers, and the man in charge Dominic Cummings:
"A firm specialising in right-wing propaganda campaigns will be paid £3 million for helping to run the Government’s Coronavirus communications operation.
"Documents published yesterday by the Government show that Topham Guerin Limited was awarded a massive, multi-million pound contract to deliver digital content on Coronavirus.
"The company is run by Sean Topham and Ben Guerin – two New Zealanders who have a background in right-wing political campaigns. Indeed, the pair worked on Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s successful 2019 General Election campaign, proudly using “boomer memes” – graphics that are often poorly designed but appeal to middle-aged Facebook users – to help the right-wing Liberal Party to achieve a shock victory."

(15 Jul 2020) Study: Immunity To Coronavirus May Fade Away Within Weeks Forbes report July 15: "Many patients who have recovered from Covid-19 may lose their immunity to the disease within months, according to research from scientists at King's College London, which, if proven true, will have wide implications for vaccine development and could put a "nail in the coffin" in the idea that herd immunity to the coronavirus is attainable.
"… It's important to note that this is a longitudinal study that has not been peer-reviewed. If it turns out to be supported by other research, the ramifications on the durability of vaccine protection would be substantial. Most significantly, it would mean that herd immunity to the coronavirus is likely unachievable.
"Many scientists have previously predicted individuals may be susceptible to being infected by Covid-19 repeatedly because short-term immunity and reinfection has been observed in other human coronaviruses."

(14 Jul 2020) Coronavirus UPDATES: £100 mask fines for England shoppers amid second wave fears Mirror report July 14: "Police will soon be able to fine shoppers up to £100 if they don't wear a face covering in stores and supermarkets.
"Face coverings and masks are set to become compulsory in all shops across England from July 24.
"Rule-flouters will be fined by police, under the latest coronavirus powers that ministers have yet to set out.
"The latest move comes as health experts issue a 'worst-case scenario' prediction warning 120,000 more could die in the UK if a winter second wave hits.
"And worldwide there have now been more than 13 million cases of coronavirus reported, affecting more than 210 countries."

(14 Jul 2020) A record 5.4 million people lost their health coverage amid the pandemic, a study found New York Times July 14 report on more grim consequences of a US health care system that ties health insurance to employment:
"The coronavirus pandemic stripped an estimated 5.4 million Americans of their health insurance between February and May, a stretch in which more adults became uninsured because of job losses than have ever lost coverage in a single year, according to a new analysis.
"As Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports, the study, to be released Tuesday by the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Families U.S.A., found that the estimated increase in uninsured laid-off workers over the three-month period was nearly 40 percent higher than the highest previous increase, which occurred during the recession of 2008 and 2009. In that period, 3.9 million adults lost insurance.
“We knew these numbers would be big,’’ said Stan Dorn, who directs the group’s National Center for Coverage Innovation and was the author of the study. “This is the worst economic downturn since World War II. It dwarfs the Great Recession. So it’s not surprising that we would also see the worst increase in the uninsured.”

(14 Jul 2020) National Nurses United Endorses Biden Statement from National Nurses Unite explaining why despite his shortcomings they are backing Joe Biden as the only serious challenger to replace Trump:
“’Vice President Biden is presenting a clear alternative to this president and his administration on a number of essential issues to nurses, and all working people,’ NNU President Zenei Cortez, RN, said.
“‘On the COVID-19 crisis, for example, “Biden has committed to fully invoke the Defense Production Act to mass produce personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure nurses and other health care workers will have the life-saving protections we need,’ said Cortez.
“Biden has also endorsed NNU’s call for an emergency federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard to protect worker’s safety during pandemics.
“…No matter who is elected, Ross noted, NNU will continue to mobilize on health care, racial, gender, worker, and environmental and climate justice and other priorities “that require a strong mass movement to overcome entrenched corporate and far right opposition,” Ross noted.
“In particular, ‘NNU will continue our campaign, in which we have rallied thousands of people across the country to press for enactment of Medicare for All to guarantee health care as a human right for everyone, without the barriers imposed every day by a profit-focused health care industry,” Ross said. “The calamitous pandemic has reinforced why Medicare for All, as a public health emergency, is urgently needed more than ever’.”

(14 Jul 2020) Face masks: should you wash them or throw them away? Independent report on July 14 as government reveals it has struck a deal with the coronavirus to hold off on any further infection until July 24, when England will catch up with most of the civilised world:
"Face coverings are to become compulsory in shops in England from 24 July, health secretary Matt Hancock has announced.
"The move will bring England in line with Scotland, which made face coverings mandatory in shops on 10 July and comes after the British government followed in the footsteps of other nations on 11 May by advising the wearing of masks when in enclosed spaces, such as going to the supermarket.
"From 15 June, it also became mandatory to wear a face covering when using public transport.
"“If you can, wear a face covering in an enclosed space where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet," the advice stated. "This is most relevant for short periods indoors in crowded areas, for example, on public transport or in some shops."

(14 Jul 2020) Not all foreign NHS staff eligible for free visa extension scheme - BBC Newsnight BBC Newsnight July 14 report underlines the fact that not all NHS staff – and no social care staff – are covered by the new "health and care" visa launched by Pitiless Priti Patel. "The Home Office has given a one-year free visa extension for some staff in the NHS and care sectors. But health workers such as cleaners are porters are not eligible."

(14 Jul 2020) The Government's Ten Biggest Coronavirus Lies Unmasked The excellent Byline Times in a compilation of the ten biggest of the government's Covid porkies in the last six months:
"Since the Coronavirus arrived in the UK, Boris Johnson’s Government has often contradicted itself, often within days, from one press conference to the next. Some of these contradictions were half-truths, U-turns on policy, or the result of missed targets. But among these contradictions were lies so big they are symptomatic of an entire populist political project. Here are the ten biggest so far."

(14 Jul 2020) Government faces backlash after care workers are excluded from fast track visas BMJ blog (July 14) on the limitations of the visas designed to fast track those coming to the UK to work in the health and care sector:
“…Under the new system the health and care visa will allow people working in eligible occupations, who speak English, and have a job offer, to come to the UK.
“Under this visa route, workers and their families will gain fast tracked entry to the UK with reduced application fees and dedicated support, the government said. Those who are eligible to apply, and their dependents, will also be exempt from paying the immigration health surcharge, a move that has been welcomed by doctors.
“Applicants must meet a salary threshold of £25 600 … to be eligible to apply for the visa, unless they are entering a shortage occupation such as nursing and medicine. The NHS workers union GMB said that this threshold would mean that many NHS cleaners, porters, and support staff won’t qualify for the visa.
“… Although the Migration Advisory Committee—on whose advice much of the new system is based—recognised the workforce shortage faced by social care in its most recent report it did not recommend that care workers be added to the list of shortage occupations.”

(13 Jul 2020) UK frontline worker death rate second highest among 79 countries, report shows July 13 Independent report on another shameful statistic that speaks volumes on government mishandling of the Covid pandemic:
"The UK has one of the highest death tolls in the world among health and social care workers during the coronavirus crisis, according to a report by Amnesty International.
"The human rights organisation said at least 540 frontline staff have died after contracting the virus in England and Wales – second only to Russia, which has recorded 545 deaths.
"Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 268 deaths involving Covid-19 among social care workers were registered in England and Wales between 9 March and 25 May.
"In the same period, the ONS reported that 272 deaths involving the virus were registered among healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses and midwives, nurse assistants, paramedics and ambulance staff, and hospital porters."

(13 Jul 2020) 37-year-old Port Clinton war vet dies from COVID-19 complications on Fourth of July Cleveland report on the sorry end of a man who boasted his refusal to wear a mask:
"“Richard Rose was only 37 years old when he died at his home from complications due to COVID-19. He was born and raised in Port Clinton.
“Those who knew Rose described him as kind, funny, and caring. His family said he was very active in helping homeless vets and in preventing veteran suicide.
“The Port Clinton man served in the U.S. Army for nine years and did two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He died at his home from complications related to COVID-19 on the Fourth of July.
“‘We were blown away, you know? You hear about this virus and you don’t expect it to affect people, younger people like ourselves,’ said Nick Conley, who was Rose’s friend.
“Conley met Rose through a shared love of video games. He is crushed that he lost his friend to this virus, but he’s also hurt by something Rose posted on Facebook back in April.
“That post has now been shared more than 10,000 times. It reads, ‘Let’s make this clear. I’m not buying a mask. I’ve made it this far by not buying into that damn hype’.”

(12 Jul 2020) Cases of child malnutrition in England double in last six months Shocking July 12 report in the Guardian: "Almost 2,500 children have been admitted to hospital with malnutrition in the first six months of the year – double the number over the same period last year – prompting fresh concern that families are struggling to afford to feed themselves and that the pandemic has intensified the problem.
"Freedom of information responses from almost 50 trusts in England, representing 150 hospitals, show that more than 11,500 children have been admitted to hospital with malnutrition since 2015.
"Almost 1,000 under-16s with malnutrition were admitted as inpatients to Cambridge University hospitals NHS foundation trust alone, suggesting the affluent city has wide disparities in wealth.
"Liberal Democrat leadership campaigner Layla Moran MP, who collated the responses, said: “These figures shocked me and make me angry that in Britain, in 2020, people can be hospitalised due to malnutrition. We need to move forward and create a system of social security that helps everyone and makes sure no one goes hungry in our country."

(12 Jul 2020) Cross-party group of MPs to lead first UK coronavirus inquiry Guardian July 12 report of some seriously good, if belated news on politicians recognising the need for a more serious approach to the Covid crisis rather than allowing the government to continue unchallenged with serial screw-ups:
"The only UK inquiry to date into the handling of the coronavirus crisis will take its first evidence from bereaved relatives on Monday, amid growing calls for a full independent investigation.
"Families of those who have died will give their submissions in writing, via video call, or will arrange to do so in person to the new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for coronavirus, led by a cross-party group of MPs.
"It is so far the only independent inquiry into the pandemic taking place in the UK. The politicians involved hope their findings will be used to inform the government’s response before a potential second peak of the illness this winter."

(12 Jul 2020) Almost 2,500 children admitted to hospital with malnutrition this year as cases double in England Independent July 12: "Some 11,515 children have been admitted to hospital with malnutrition since 2015, according to research by an MP.
"Data also shows there were 2,483 hospital admissions of children and adults due to malnourishment between January and June this year, according to Freedom of Information responses from nearly 50 hospital trusts in England.
"Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful Layla Moran, who collected the data, said she was "shocked" at the figures - which are equivalent to 103 hospitals admissions per week.
"Hunger has surged during lockdown with government figures revealing as many as 7.7 million adults cut down on portion sizes or missed meals because they could not afford food."

(11 Jul 2020) Jeremy Hunt warns Boris Johnson patient care will suffer if NHS reorganisation goes ahead Independent July 11 with an interesting different angle on the rumoured plans of the Johnson government:
"Jeremy Hunt has urged Boris Johnson to drop plans for another huge reorganisation of the NHS, warning patient care will suffer if it goes ahead.
"The former health secretary said he was “astonished” by evidence that preparatory work is under way, including to curb the arms-length independence of NHS England.
"Mr Hunt urged the prime minister to look at the deep problems the NHS faces: “the social care system, which desperately needs a 10-year plan, the Cumberlege report into vaginal mesh, the issues in the Shrewsbury and Telford maternity safety report”.
"He said: “If you want to improve care for patients, then looking at the quality and safety of care is going to have far more impact than another big reorganisation.”
"NHS England is in the firing line, because of clashes with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, over testing and personal protective equipment shortages during the coronavirus pandemic."

(11 Jul 2020) The £5.5bn PPE scandal that goes to the core of government incompetence – and that’s just for starters Extended July 11 report from The Canary: "A multi-million pound personal protective equipment (PPE) contract awarded by the UK government to a family-run investments firm has set off alarm bells.
"Recipients for similar contracts include a recruitment agency, a sweets manufacturer, and a business that specialises in pest control products. A Labour MP has raised questions about one of these contracts. And litigation against the government has commenced.
"Meanwhile, The Canary has conducted its own investigation into these matters. And what has been highlighted so far may well be just the tip of the iceberg."

(11 Jul 2020) Another 148 people die with coronavirus bringing UK death toll to 44,798 July 11 report in the Metro -- obscured by lack of any data on numbers of people being tested: "A further 148 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the UK death toll to 44,798. The new figure, released today by the Department of Health and Social Care, covers fatalities in all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community.
"A total of 288,953 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 across the country since the start of the pandemic, with 820 new cases confirmed in the past 24 hours."

(11 Jul 2020) Foreign care workers to be given special visas to move to UK to ease staffing crisis fears Independent July 11 report; “Foreign care workers will be given special visas to move to the UK to head off fears of desperate staffing shortages when Brexit is completed, in a major government U-turn.
“Priti Patel will on Monday unveil a new “health and care visa”, entitling migrant workers to fast-track cut-price permission to take up job offers and support to move here with their families.
“The home secretary had previously said it would be an NHS visa only, sparking protests that care workers – among the heroes of the coronavirus pandemic – would be shut out.
“Without special rules, their low pay means they will fall foul of the post-Brexit salary threshold of £25,600 for most workers seeking to enter the UK, from next January.
“The King’s Fund think tank had pointed to 122,000 social care job vacancies – at a time when one in six staff are non-British – warning ministers not to let “international recruitment fall off a cliff”.”

(11 Jul 2020) Covid-19 has revealed a pre-existing pandemic of poverty that benefits the rich Guardian July 11 report by outgoing UN rapporteur on poverty Philip Alston explains sudden awareness of poverty: “Over the past decade, world leaders, philanthropists and pundits have embraced a deceptively optimistic narrative about the world’s progress against poverty. It has been lauded as one of the “greatest human achievements”, a feat seen “never before in human history” and an “unprecedented” accomplishment. But the success story was always highly misleading.
“As I show in my final report as UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, almost all of these rosy accounts rely on one measure – the World Bank’s $1.90 (£1.50) a day international poverty line – which is widely misunderstood, flawed and yields a deceptively positive picture.
“It has generated an undue sense of satisfaction and a dangerous complacency with the status quo.
Under that line, the number of people in “extreme poverty” fell from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 736 million in 2015. But the dramatic drop is only possible with a scandalously unambitious benchmark, which aims to ensure a mere miserable subsistence.
“The best evidence shows it doesn’t even cover the cost of food or housing in many countries. And it obscures poverty among women and those often excluded from official surveys, such as migrant workers and refugees. Much of the touted decline is due to rising incomes in a single country, China.”

(10 Jul 2020) The inside story of how UK's 'chaotic' testing regime 'broke all the rules' Sky News July 10 on a chronicle of errors: "As Britain sought to assemble its coronavirus testing programme, all the usual rules were broken.
"In their effort to release rapid data to show the increase in testing capacity, officials from Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) "hand-cranked" the numbers to ensure a constant stream of rising test numbers were available for each day's press conference, Sky News has been told.
"An internal audit later confirmed that some of those figures simply didn't add up.
"According to multiple sources, the data collection was carried out in such a chaotic manner that we may never know for sure how many people have been tested for coronavirus.
"We completely buffed the system," says a senior Whitehall figure.
"We said: forget the conventions, we're putting [this data] out."

(10 Jul 2020) U.S. Hits Another Record for New Coronavirus Cases New York Times July 10: "Officials across the United States reported more than 59,880 cases on Thursday, setting a single-day record for the sixth time in 10 days, according to a New York Times database.
"The surge has been driven largely by states in the South and the West that were among the first to ease restrictions established during the virus’s initial wave in the spring.
"At least six states set single-day case records on Thursday: Alabama, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon and Texas.
"The numbers were especially striking in Texas, which set a record for the fourth consecutive day with more than 10,900 cases. Nearly one in 10 of them were in Hidalgo County, which consists of over a thousand square miles of scrub and urban sprawl on the Mexico border."

(10 Jul 2020) Officials across the United States reported more than 59,880 cases on Thursday, setting a single-day record for the sixth time in 10 days, according to a New York Times database. The surge has been Independent July 10: "Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director-general, said the virus was “not under control” in most parts of the world.
“It is getting worse,” he said on Thursday.
"Speaking at a weekly member state briefing, he said more than 11.8 million Covid-19 cases had been reported to the WHO.
“And the pandemic is still accelerating,” he said. “The total number of cases has doubled in the last six weeks.”

(10 Jul 2020) Government quietly publishes figures which reveal it overstated number of people tested Sky News report July 10: “The government was routinely overstating the total number of people who had been tested for COVID-19 by as many as 200,000 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, according to new Sky News analysis.
“It follows a Sky News investigation into irregularities in how testing data was collected and compiled in the face of the outbreak.
“In the wake of that story, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published data showing the total number of people tested for the disease since January. It's the first time such data has been released since the second half of May.
“The revised data shows that the daily numbers provided at the time alongside the government's press conferences significantly overstated the number of people who had been tested for coronavirus.”

(10 Jul 2020) Boris Johnson plans radical shake-up of NHS in bid to regain more direct control Guardian July 10, rather confusing report on the latest rumoured move by the Cummings government: “Boris Johnson is planning a radical and politically risky reorganisation of the NHS amid government frustration at the health service’s chief executive, Simon Stevens, the Guardian has learned.
“The prime minister has set up a taskforce to devise plans for how ministers can regain much of the direct control over the NHS they lost in 2012 under a controversial shake-up masterminded by Andrew Lansley, the then coalition government health secretary.
“The prime minister’s health and social care taskforce – made up of senior civil servants and advisers from Downing Street, the Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – is drawing up proposals that would restrict NHS England’s operational independence and the freedom Stevens has to run the service.
“In the summer, the taskforce will present Johnson with a set of detailed options to achieve those goals, and that will be followed by a parliamentary bill to enact the proposals, it is understood.”

(10 Jul 2020) What might Boris Johnson's restructuring plan mean for the NHS? Guardian July 10 explainer on the rumoured changes begins: "A planned restructuring of NHS England could have a significant impact on its architecture, its relationship with government, which NHS bodies are responsible for which issues, and the role – and future – of its chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens."

(10 Jul 2020) Conservative councillor PPE contracts questioned BBC July 10 report on more dodgy deals on PPE: “The government is under pressure to review its personal protective equipment (PPE) deals after a Tory councillor received major contracts.
“The councillor's company, P14 Medical, was given contracts to supply face shields worth £120m in total. Labour said the government had "serious questions" to answer about the PPE procurement process.
“No 10 said the Department of Health and Social Care "works closely with the Treasury to ensure value for money". The prime minister's official spokesman said demand for PPE had been going up but the DHSC "will have worked with the Treasury on spending conditions".
“Asked what safeguards were in place where companies were run by Conservative Party members, he said: "All contracts will be published by DHSC and their value”."

(10 Jul 2020) “All the Hospitals Are Full”: In Houston, Overwhelmed ICUs Leave COVID-19 Patients Waiting in ERs Propublica reports from US July 10: "Houston hospitals have been forced to treat hundreds of COVID-19 patients in their emergency rooms — sometimes for several hours or multiple days — as they scramble to open additional intensive care beds for the wave of seriously ill people streaming through their doors, according to internal numbers shared with NBC News and ProPublica.
"At the same time, the region’s 12 busiest hospitals are increasingly telling emergency responders that they cannot safely accept new patients, at a rate nearly three times that of a year ago, according to data reviewed by reporters."

(10 Jul 2020) Covid-19: Many trusts have not done risk assessments for ethnic minority staff, BMJ investigation finds BMJ July 10 report: "Data show that almost two thirds of UK healthcare workers who have died from covid-19 were from ethnic minority groups, despite only a fifth of the NHS workforce being from such backgrounds.45
"The BMJ asked England’s 140 acute care trusts for details of risk assessments they had carried out and what subsequent actions they had put in place. Seventy trusts responded (response rate 50%). Of these, 27 (39%) said that assessments were yet to be completed for all ethnic minority staff, and 43 (61%) indicated that assessments had been completed.
"But the other 70 trusts were unable to provide a response within the 20 day deadline, citing “unprecedented challenges” posed by the covid-19 pandemic, so it is not known what stage they are at in risk assessing staff."

(10 Jul 2020) From the front lines, Black nurses battle twin pandemics of racism and coronavirus July 10 CNN report: "CNN interviewed a dozen Black nurses across the UK's healthcare sector. From students to medics with decades of experience, they work in different roles and different settings -- hospitals, care homes and clinics -- up and down the country.
"They all say they have experienced racism in the workplace -- and that it has gotten worse amid the coronavirus outbreak.
"They told CNN the pressures of the pandemic have exacerbated existing racial inequalities, leaving Black nurses vulnerable to harassment and discrimination.
"They say they have been pressured to treat Covid-19 patients without proper personal protective equipment (PPE), to work in the highest-risk areas with larger caseloads, and left too scared to speak out, for fear of reprisals."

(9 Jul 2020) Care homes face staffing 'black hole' with new immigration bill BBC July 9: “Care homes could face a staffing "black hole" because of the impact of the government's immigration bill, care leaders have warned.
“The Cavendish Coalition - which represents UK health and social care groups - says it is gravely concerned. The current proposals would not allow enough overseas workers to be recruited, it has warned.
“The government said immigration is "not the answer to the challenges in the social care sector".
“Leaders of 37 national care organisations, including the NHS Confederation, have signed the letter to the prime minister. They say the proposed post-Brexit bill could have a damaging effect on care homes and other social care services, especially as the nation heads towards winter - which could bring further challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.”

(9 Jul 2020) Student nursing applications surge 15 per cent in a year Independent July 9: “Applications to study nursing at university has jumped by 15 per cent in a year, according to the latest data.
“The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, or UCAS, said the number of applicants had reached 58,550.
“It follows a huge surge in interest in joining the NHS after the coronavirus outbreak has shone a spotlight on the role of frontline nurses and doctors.
Universities have come under pressure from NHS England’ chief executive Sir Simon Stevens to open up more places and accept more applicants to study as part of efforts to boost the nursing workforce.
“Before the coronavirus outbreak the NHS had around 40,000 vacancies for registered nurses and the government has committed to having 50,000 more full-time equivalent nurses working in the NHS by April 2024.
“… Despite the increase in applicants the Royal College of Nursing warned there was still a long way to go before the government would hit its target.”

(9 Jul 2020) New data reveals PM’s testing speeds claims as wrong Full fact July 9, responding to another silly lie from Johnson: “Last month, the Prime Minister was asked how far the government had progressed towards delivering on its target to process Covid-19 tests within 24 hours.
“He responded saying that, at that point:
• 90% of all tests were turned around within 48 hours
• All tests at testing centres and mobile testing sites are done within 24 hours
“… Far from “all” tests being done within 24 hours, the proportion of people in England receiving their test result within 24 hours of taking their test in the week to 3 June was 19% at regional test sites, 5% at mobile testing units and and 6% at satellite test centres.”

(9 Jul 2020) Dementia patients 'deteriorating' without family visits BBC July 9 report: “Relatives of care home residents with dementia should be treated as key workers, leading charities say.
“In a letter to the health secretary, they write that the care given by family members is "essential" to residents' mental and physical health. They argue the current limits on visitors have had "damaging consequences".
“They want visits to resume safely, with relatives given the same access to care homes and coronavirus testing as staff.
“Signed by the bosses of leading charities including Dementia UK and the Alzheimer's Society, the letter calls on the government to "urgently" address what it calls the "hidden catastrophe" happening in care homes.”

(9 Jul 2020) Chorley Hospital's £17.5m expansion and what it'll add to central Lancashire healthcare Lancs Live reports on a new £17.5 million four-storey, state-of-the-art extension at Chorley Hospital to house the trust's day case and eye care unit, with three new theatres -- two for ophthalmology - and a third for treatment that doesn't need overnight admission.
“Meanwhile, the hospital's A&E department is set to reopen from September on the condition that Lancashire doesn't experience a second spike on Covid-19 cases. The reopening of Chorley A&E will also depend on if funding is available to ensure that the site can be 'Covid-secure'.”

(9 Jul 2020) Covid-19 should increase our commitment to publicly funded and provided healthcare July 9 BMJ blog by doc David Oliver slamming the latest attempts by the IEA to whip up hostility to the NHS:
"The BBC reports that the UK has been hit hardest by covid-19 among the G7 nations. Over the 11 peak pandemic weeks it had the highest increases in deaths, deaths per 100 000 population, and excess deaths as a proportion of usual levels. This is not a set of league tables anyone should be proud to top.
"Mark Littlewood, director of the libertarian Institute for Economic Affairs, tweeted that “this is more evidence that the NHS is pretty much the worst healthcare system in the Western world. Once we look at all the info, there may be a good case for going for an EU-style more marketised system.” But was he justified in co-opting the UK’s pandemic performance in support of this cause?"

(8 Jul 2020) Coronavirus Map: Tracking the Global Outbreak Excellent interactive New York Times resource with trackers and statistics on the prevalence of Covid infection and the measures to deal with it in every US state and around the world

(8 Jul 2020) The Trump administration sends formal notification that the U.S. will withdraw from the W.H.O. next year. New York Times July 8 report on the latest vindictive act by the most destructive US President:
“The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the United States is withdrawing from the World Health Organization, officials said Tuesday, cutting off one of the organization’s biggest sources of aid amid a pandemic that has infected more than 11.6 million people, killed more than a half a million, and upended life around the world.
“… By law, the United States must give the organization a year’s notice if it intends to withdraw, and meet all the current financial obligations in the current year.
“Mr. Trump, whose response to the pandemic has drawn criticism, first announced that he planned to halt funding to the W.H.O. in April, claiming that the organization had made a series of mistakes as it battled the coronavirus.
“His move to withdraw drew immediate criticism. Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a Republican who is the chairman of the Senate’s health committee, said that he disagreed with the president’s decision.
“’Withdrawing U.S. membership could, among other things, interfere with clinical trials that are essential to the development of vaccines, which citizens of the United States as well as others in the world need,” he said in a statement. “And withdrawing could make it harder to work with other countries to stop viruses before they get to the United States’.”

(8 Jul 2020) Confusion over whether free hospital parking for NHS staff to end in England Guardian July 8, with an unclear article of conflicting claims which does however quote health minister (and former Serco lobbyist) Edward Argar, answering a parliamentary question from Labour’s Zarah Sultana, admitting that the government was “considering how long free parking for National Health Service staff will need to continue, recognising that this has only been made possible by external support from local authorities and independent sector providers”.
"He added: “The government’s focus remains on ensuring the commitment of free parking for the groups identified in their announcement of 27 December 2019 is implemented once the pandemic abates.”"

(8 Jul 2020) Hospital in Boris Johnson's constituency closes to emergencies after coronavirus outbreak Sky News July 8 report on the closure of Hillingdon Hospital's A&E – with knock on pressures on already stretched hospitals in NW London:
"A hospital in Boris Johnson's constituency has been forced to close to emergencies after an outbreak of coronavirus among staff, officials have said.
"Around 70 staff at Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge, in the prime minister's west London constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, have gone into isolation after symptoms were detected amongst some of them.
"Ambulances were diverted away from Hillingdon hospital from last night and it was closed to emergency admissions today, though "walk in" casualty patients were still being seen."

(8 Jul 2020) Hillingdon hospital boss blames staff for A&E closure after Covid-19 outbreak Guadian July 8 on the hospital trust boss who has taken a leaf out of the government's book -- and opted to blame staff:
"The chief executive of the hospital that serves Boris Johnson’s constituency, which has shut its A&E unit after an outbreak of coronavirus, has blamed staff for flouting the rules by not wearing masks at work.
"Hillingdon hospital in north-west London stopped letting patients attend its emergency department or accepting any new emergency admissions on Tuesday after 70 of its staff had to self-isolate.
"It has had to tell the London ambulance service to take patients from the area to other hospitals because the number of its own staff who are now in quarantine means it has too few personnel to provide a full range of services.
"The outbreak began last Friday, but its impact on the hospital’s workforce has escalated since then as growing numbers of staff have been identified through the track-and-trace scheme as having been in contact with colleagues who have tested positive and so have had to self-isolate."

(8 Jul 2020) How government blindfolded frontline public health experts fighting Covid’s next phase Manchester Evening News July 8: “Going back to the 19th Century, medical officers of health for municipalities such as Manchester were in charge of suppressing outbreaks of the Victorian diseases plaguing dirty water supplies or overcrowded, unsanitary housing.
“So public health directors are steeped in this kind of scenario. And in this case their expertise is also crucial to avoiding a second 21st Century mass shutdown of the economy.
“Yet they have been denied the tools they need.
“From early-May onwards, as we’ve covered extensively, they were unable to access any data from tests carried out in privately-run testing labs procured by the government.
“After the looming local lockdown of Leicester became apparent, suddenly parts of that information did begin flowing. From the week of June 21 onwards, public health directors started getting some data - partial postcodes showing roughly where those with the virus lived, albeit only provided on a weekly basis.”

(8 Jul 2020) BGS statement responding to Prime Minister’s comments on care homes British Geriatrics Society July 8 statement: "The BGS strongly condemns comments from the Prime Minister on 6 July stating that ‘too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems bizarre for the Prime Minister to suggest that care homes did not follow procedures when, at least in the early weeks, there were no agreed procedures available for them to follow.
"The impact of this pandemic on care homes cannot be overstated – official figures show 30% of deaths in care homes during the pandemic are directly attributable to COVID-19. Sadly, nearly 20,000 care home residents have died from COVID-19. Care home staff were put at risk on a daily basis and, unfortunately, some contracted the virus and died.
"At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a complete lack of government guidance about how to manage the infection in care homes. When guidance was published in early April, it was insufficient. There was no requirement for patients being transferred to care homes to have a negative COVID-19 test or to be isolated for a period of time. In addition, there was very little testing available to care homes at this stage. "

(8 Jul 2020) The Pro-Privatization Shock Therapy of the UK’s Covid Response Substantial July 10 article in New York Review of Books highlights government's obsession with privatisation:
"Boris Johnson won last year’s December election on promises of Brexit, but also state investment and “leveling up” neglected regions of the country.
"And yet, facing the coronavirus crisis, his party’s instinct was to shore up the private sector: a pandemic version of “disaster capitalism,” to borrow Naomi Klein’s coining from her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine.
"Britain’s public health sector, a cash-strapped, eroded, but functioning network comprising the National Health Service (NHS), general-practice clinics, and local authority health officials, has been repeatedly sidelined in favor of outsourced alternatives.
"As Allyson Pollock, a professor of public health at Newcastle University, put it to The New York Times recently: “They’re basically trying to build a centralized, parallel, privatized system".”

(8 Jul 2020) A Spike in People Dying at Home Suggests Coronavirus Deaths in Houston May Be Higher Than Reported Propublica report from US July 8: "As coronavirus cases surge, inundating hospitals and leading to testing shortages, a rapidly growing number of Houston area residents are dying at home, according to an NBC News and ProPublica review of Houston Fire Department data. An increasing number of these at-home deaths have been confirmed to be the result of COVID-19, Harris County medical examiner data shows.
"The previously unreported jump in people dying at home is the latest indicator of a mounting crisis in a region beset by one of the nation’s worst and fastest-growing coronavirus outbreaks.
"On Tuesday, a record 3,851 people were hospitalized for the coronavirus in the Houston region, exceeding normal intensive care capacity and sending some hospitals scrambling to find additional staff and space."

(7 Jul 2020) Boris Johnson under fire over claim care homes 'didn't follow procedures' Sky News July 7 report: "Boris Johnson has been urged to apologise after he angered care home bosses by claiming "too many" in the sector "didn't really follow the procedures" during the coronavirus crisis.
"During a visit to Goole, Yorkshire, on Monday, the prime minister was asked about comments from NHS England boss Sir Simon Stevens - who wants to see plans to adequately fund the adult social care sector within a year.
"Mr Johnson replied: "One of the things the crisis has shown is we need to think about how we organise our social care package better and how we make sure we look after people better who are in social care.
"We discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have but we're learning lessons the whole time."

(7 Jul 2020) Absolute Chaos! Records Show UK Has 2.5 Million COVID-19 Missing Test Results Tech Times July 7 report: “About 2.5 million tests are believed to be missing in a testing system, which is branded as "absolute chaos."
Based on figures released on Monday, July 6, data show the government has released 10.6 million home testing kits, but only 8 million were returned.
“The number of tests issued by the government shown in its official figures seems inaccurate as opposed to the number of tests returned, which earned criticisms from the public.
“This prompted Department for Health to stop daily reporting on the number of tests administered, which triggered a backlash from critics who said ministers are "embarrassed".
“According to recently published data, there were a total of 10,505,758 antigen and antibody tests released at a testing center or via the post. However, only 8,058,510 have been returned for and processing. This means over 20% were never returned.
“"How can 2.5 million tests be unaccounted for? The testing system is in absolute chaos with ministers unable to keep a track of how many people are being tested," said Shadow Health Minister Justin Madders.”

(7 Jul 2020) 'Travesty of leadership': Charity boss hits out at 'cowardly' Boris Johnson after PM blames care homes for coronavirus deaths Independent July 7 reports: "The chief executive of a social care charity has launched a blistering attack on Boris Johnson’s “cowardly” and “appalling” comments after the prime minister appeared to blame care home owners for the high death toll.
"Expressing his anger at Mr Johnson’s remarks, the chief executive officer of Community Integrated Care, Mark Adams, accused the government of re-writing history and claimed there had been a “travesty of leadership” during the health crisis.
"As deaths of care home residents with Covid-19 approached 20,000, the prime minister said on Monday that “we discovered too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have but we’re learning lesson the whole time”.
"Care providers said the basis for Mr Johnson’s comments were unclear, while the National Care Forum (NCF) said they were “neither accurate nor welcome” and urged him to start “turning the dial up on reform and down on blame”."

(7 Jul 2020) Introducing the Best Hospitals for America Washington Monthly with an extended comparative look at the ways of rating US hospitals, noting that those with the most inclusive services are generally not those rated highest. It begins by looking at how hospitals have responded to the Covid crisis:
"On the not-so-heroic side, this crisis has also brought news of misbehavior. One major teaching hospital, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, continued scheduling lucrative elective surgeries long after the state’s governor ordered hospitals to stop such surgeries so they could prepare for the surge of COVID-19 patients. One uninsured woman in Boston who had symptoms of COVID-19 got a $34,000 bill for her emergency room treatment. Some hospitals have maintained aggressive bill collection practices, dunning working-class patients whose incomes have plunged in the pandemic-induced recession. Still others have threatened to fire workers who speak publicly about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and refused COVID-19 tests for people with symptoms while offering them to the rich and famous."

(7 Jul 2020) What is Covid Tracker Ireland? Irish Times July 7 on the successful launch of the Irish contact tracing app: “After weeks of testing and an €850,000 bill, the HSE’s contact tracing app is finally live. Available from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, it is intended to be another weapon in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in Ireland.
“The HSE’s contact tracing app, developed by Waterford company Nearform, uses your phone’s bluetooth connection to keep a log of any close contacts. That list is compiled using beacons that are identified by a string of numbers that change every 10 to 20 minutes.
“If two phones are in close contact, they exchange their active ID, and that list is stored on phones for 14 days. To help protect privacy, the beacons are random and are not tied to a user’s identity.”

(7 Jul 2020) Revealed - 16 care homes given £1,000 to take Covid-positive hospital patients Birmingham Mail report July 7: "Birmingham City Council gave care homes a £1,000 extra cash 'incentive' to take in hospital patients in a hurry, including some with coronavirus, so more NHS beds could be freed up for critically ill people.
"A condition of the offer was that care homes had to take in a patient within 24 hours and no matter what their Covid status was.
"Sixteen homes in the city took up the offer, made in line with government instructions to free up acute beds.
"Today a care home manager who rejected the advance said she's certain it's one of the reasons none of her residents have been infected."

(6 Jul 2020) The lesson of the Covid-19 care homes tragedy: renationalising is no longer taboo Guardian July 6 articleby former Tory minister Ros Altman, calling for nationalisation of care homes: “The dire consequences of neglecting social care reform for decades have been starkly exposed by Covid-19, with one in 20 care home residents in the UK dying from the virus, and dedicated, low-paid staff risking their lives.
“Much of the blame for the UK having the highest death toll in care homes in Europe from coronavirus, bar Spain, has been attributed to hospitals discharging patients into residential care, even if they were infected with Covid-19, and care staff moving between homes without being issued PPE.
“But the problems go much deeper, to the way our care sector is structured, leaving it fragmented, financially fragile and without the capacity to cope in a crisis.
“In the 1980s responsibility for care homes was passed from the NHS to local authorities. But few are still council-run; 85% of the UK’s 22,000 care homes are owned by private companies, with the remainder in the hands of charitable or nonprofit organisations.”

(6 Jul 2020) The truth about the billion pound PPE procurement fiasco Excellent Yorkshire Bylines July 6 report: “On 1 April an order for £10m was placed with Medco Solutions Ltd, a London-based company that apparently only incorporated on 26 March, three days after lockdown, with a share capital of just £2. It was the first of over sixty such contracts placed with a variety of suppliers, some quite unusual and under emergency rules, bypassing the normal competitive tendering process that ensures best value.
“Let me say clearly at the outset, I do not believe this is necessarily a story of wrongdoing or corruption on the part of anyone in any of the suppliers or the DHSC.
“I suspect the companies saw an opportunity to help the NHS and make money for themselves and their shareholders and did so. The failure at the top of government to anticipate and prepare for an unprecedented increase in the need for PPE made the bypassing of competitive tendering inevitable.
“Details of all these contracts can be found on the EU’s TED (tenders electronic daily) website. It’s easy to use – just enter “garments for biological or chemical protection” in the search box. Of the 117 single-bidder contracts for protective garments under code 35113410 that were showing on the website when this research was done, 65 or so totalling about £980m were placed by the DHSC from 39 Victoria Street, London between 1 April and 26 May.
“The pace of contract placing stepped up through April as hospitals and care homes began to complain of a desperate shortage of PPE. A number of clinical staff had to use bin liners in place of gowns. While some contracts were given to established UK manufacturers like Polystar Plastics, a Southampton-based company with significant assets who received an order for £25m, many and much larger orders were placed with companies that appeared to have little or no history or experience in personal protective equipment. At least two appeared to have been dormant businesses a few months beforehand.
“Initia Ventures Ltd, providing business support service activities, filed accounts for a dormant company in January this year but received an order for £32m on 2 April and a second for £16m on 25 April.”

(6 Jul 2020) Government awards £252m PPE contract to private equity firm i-news report July 6: "The Government could face further legal challenges after it awarded a £252.5m personal protective equipment (PPE) contract to a private equity and currency trading company owned through an offshore holding firm based in the tax haven of Mauritius.
"Ayanda Capital Limited won the contract to supply an undisclosed number of face masks to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in April, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Details of the deal, published on the European Union’s Tenders Electronic Daily (TED) website, reveal that only one tender was submitted for the lucrative contract.
"Officials have been able to award contracts directly without prior publication and therefore without adhering to the usual procurement timetables in certain circumstances, one of which is for reasons of “extreme urgency”."

(6 Jul 2020) Investor Tim Horlick's trading firm wins £252m PPE contract Torygraph July 6 report joins the chorus of astonishment at the ineptitude – or otherwise – of government PPE procurement:
"Health officials are facing scrutiny after a £252.5m contract to supply face masks was awarded to a small family investment firm with no known history in the industry.
"The Department for Health handed the deal to London-based Ayanda Capital - run by Tim Horlick, ex-husband of the star fund manager Nicola Horlick - which has five employees, and according to its website specialises in currency trading, offshore property, private equity and trade financing.
"It has sparked further questions about the Government’s PPE procurement strategy following a £108m contract awarded to small pest control firm PestFix.
"Ayanda is owned by the Horlick family through a Mauritius-registered holding company, Milo Investments. Latest accounts, for the year ending December 2019, show it had assets worth £1.8m and £1.4m of cash in the bank.
"The Government has handed billions of pounds to dozens of companies to secure PPE throughout the coronavirus crisis, often without competitive tender in a rush to get vital equipment for the battle against Covid-19. "

(5 Jul 2020) Britons overwhelmingly want NHS privatisation to end after coronavirus crisis, survey finds Independent on July 5 on opinion poll findings: "Voters overwhelmingly want to see an end to privatisation in the health service after the coronavirus crisis has ended, according to a new survey.
"The Survation poll for We Own It, a think tank that campaigns for public ownership, found that 76 per cent of the public want to see the NHS “reinstated as a fully public service” against just 15 per cent who wanted to see continued involvement of private companies.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a spotlight on the delivery of health services by private companies.
"The government has come under fire for handing contracts to run coronavirus testing services to commercial companies rather than involving local public health experts, and Boots was forced to back away from a plan to use volunteers to staff centres, following an investigation by The Independent.
"A leaked email revealed Rupert Soames, chief executive of outsourcing giant Serco, said he hoped involvement in the test and trace operation would “cement the position of the private sector” in the NHS supply chain."

(5 Jul 2020) Covid-19 may not have originated in China, Oxford University expert believes Telegraph July 5 with an interesting new theory on the origins of the coronavirus:
"Coronavirus may have lain dormant across the world and emerged when the environmental conditions were right for it to thrive rather than starting in China, an Oxford University expert believes.
"Dr Tom Jefferson, senior associate tutor at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM), at Oxford and a visiting professor at Newcastle University, argues there is growing evidence that the virus was elsewhere before it emerged in Asia.
"Last week, Spanish virologists announced that they had found traces of the disease in samples of waste water collected in March 2019, nine months before coronavirus was seen in China.
"Italian scientists have also found evidence of coronavirus in sewage samples in Milan and Turin in mid-December, many weeks before the first case was detected, while experts have found evidence of traces in Brazil in November."

(4 Jul 2020) UK set to award Covid-19 testing contracts worth £5bn to private bidders Guardian July 2 reporting a new twist in the government’s efforts to use the Covid-19 crisis as a cover to drive forward its ambitions for wider privatisation of NHS services:
“The government is preparing to award coronavirus testing contracts worth an estimated £5bn to commercial bidders, in what critics fear is a “backdoor” subsidy to the private sector.
“The vast new budget, which works out at £2.5bn per year and will be managed by Public Health England (PHE), is equal to the entire annual spend on English NHS laboratories.
“The Department of Health and Social Care said it was creating a new national framework for testing which would replace current arrangements, with further details released “in due course”.
“The new plan, outlined in a public notice, dwarfs the budget for the current framework. Completed in 2017, its estimated cost was between £80m to £120m.
“NHS sources said they had been told the cash would be used to fund an expansion of Lighthouse laboratories. Created in April to boost Covid-19 testing capacity, they are at the centre of the storm over why it took until last week for local authorities to begin receiving postcode data on the spread of coronavirus in their communities.
“It is understood that seven new commercially run laboratories are planned in the short term. That number could eventually rise to 29, one for each NHS pathology region in England.”

(4 Jul 2020) Why was £108m of public money paid to Crisp Websites Limited? A crowd-funding website raising cash to challenge one of the more ridiculous awards of contracts for PPE by the government without competition:
"How on earth did a company - Crisp Websites Limited - with last reported net assets of £18,047 win a contract worth £108m - and why was there apparently no bidding process?
"The bare facts are quite remarkable. Here is the filing history of Crisp Websites Limited showing at 30 November 2019 it had net assets of £18,047. Here is the Official Journal publication of the 12 month £108m contract it entered into with Matt Hancock's department. That publication states there was only one bidder for that contract.
"From these bare facts, a quite remarkable series of questions arise.
"1. Was this contract ever advertised? If so, where? No one we have spoken to is aware of any advertisement.
"2. If it was not advertised, how was Crisp Websites Limited chosen? Who was the decision maker? How did the name of this tiny company come to be placed before the decision maker?"

(3 Jul 2020) Dozens of shifts at coronavirus mega-lab cancelled and staff paid to stay away, whistleblower reveals Independent July 3 report: "Dozens of shifts at one of the government’s coronavirus mega-labs have been cancelled and staff paid to stay away because of a lack of test samples, a whistleblower has revealed.
"A member of staff at the Alderley Park Lighthouse Laboratory has shared a tranche of emails sent from lab bosses to staff during May and June with The Independent.
"They show more than 40 separate shifts at the labs were cancelled in the past two months, often with just a day’s notice or less.
"Jeremy Hunt, former health secretary and chair of the Commons health select committee, said he thought it was “extraordinary” the labs were not being fully utilised."

(3 Jul 2020) Coronavirus R rate creeps up above 1 in London just hours before lockdown eases Daily Mirror July 3 warning: "Alarming new figures show the R rate range has risen above 1 in London - meaning cases of the deadly virus could be growing again.
"It comes just hours before lockdown restrictions are eased in England, with pubs allowed to open again from 6am.
"In four other regions - the Midlands, the North East and Yorkshire, the South East and the South West - experts believe the R rate could also be as high as 1.
"If the R rate goes above 1, it means the number of Covid-19 cases is on the rise, as each individual with the disease is infecting more than one other person.
"In order for the disease to be in retreat, the R rate needs to be below 1, but scientists fear a surge of new cases as restrictions are eased."

(3 Jul 2020) Almost 20,000 people have died in care homes with Covid-19 Mirror July 3 report: “Between March 2 and June 12, a total of 19,394 deaths had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, whether as an underlying cause or not. Of these, 16,305 (84%) were classified as "confirmed" Covid-19 and 3,089 (16%) were classified as "suspected" Covid-19.
“…The daily number of deaths of care home residents peaked in England on April 17, when a total of 515 deaths occurred - 413 in care homes, 100 in hospitals and two in other locations.
“Latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics this morning come as Boris Johnson was asked if an earlier lockdown could have prevented more care home deaths.”

(3 Jul 2020) Healthcare unions call for ‘immediate NHS pay discussions’ Nursing Notes report july 3: “Unison, Royal College of Nursing (RCN), and twelve other healthcare unions have today written to both the Prime Minister and Chancellor calling for them to “show its support for NHS professionals” by entering “immediate NHS pay discussions”.
“The letter highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has made the dedication and commitment of health and care staff, wherever they work, plain for all to see.
“It goes on to explain that while the applause and tributes have been a short-term morale boost, this is a “unique” opportunity for the government to show true support and acknowledge the hard work of staff.
“Despite the health secretary claiming that workers have already received a “significant rise”, NHS staff in England recently received their final annual rise following a multi-year pay deal – with the majority of nurses seeing a pre-tax rise of just 7% over three years – below the rate of inflation.
“With a recent YouGov survey finding that 77% of the general public supported a rise for healthcare workers, unions say that waiting until 2021 for the next scheduled set of pay negotiations is “not acceptable”.”

(3 Jul 2020) ‘Unforgivable’ - Mental health trust allowed court hospital order to expire Eastern Daily Press report July 3: “Paperwork errors at Norfolk’s mental health trust have risen by more than a third in the past year, it has emerged.
“The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) has seen mistakes in sectioning - involuntary hospitalisation - paperwork increase by 36pc in the past twelve months.
“Errors in the trust’s completion of Mental Health Act paperwork rose from 30 in 2018-19 to 41 in 2019-20, which campaigners have branded “profoundly concerning”.
“It comes as the trust, dubbed England’s worst, was criticised for a “shocking” lack of beds as data revealed a fresh rise in patients being sent out of the area for treatment.
“… Among the errors, recorded in board papers published ahead of the trust’s May directors’ meeting, was the unintentional expiration of a Section 37 order - a court-ordered mental health patient admission to a secure ward.”

(3 Jul 2020) Unions call for early pay rise for NHS staff Guardian July 3: “The unions, including Unison, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), GMB and Unite, stress that the increase should also include support for private contractors, such as domestic workers and security guards.
“Unison’s head of health, Sara Gorton, who chairs the NHS group of unions, said: “Throughout lockdown the public has seen the immense dedication, commitment and compassion shown by NHS staff, and now expects them to be rewarded. As the clapping returns this weekend for the NHS’s birthday, ministers can show how much they value health staff by committing to an early pay rise that the entire country supports.”
“Before the three-year pay deal agreed in 2018, which was worth at least 6.5% and excluded doctors, NHS workers had gone through seven years of 1% rises or pay freezes under David Cameron’s government. The RCN has calculated that the average salary for a nurse has fallen by 8% in real terms since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.”

(3 Jul 2020) Government admits 30K fewer people tested positive for Covid than previously thought Torygraph report July 3 with uncomfortable facts for ministers: "The number of people testing positive for coronavirus is 30,000 fewer than previously thought, after the government admitted it had been double counting test results.
"In the latest testing controversy, the Department of Health and Public Health England (PHE) said it was changing its methodology for reporting positive cases after finding duplicates in pillar 1 and 2.
"Pillar 1 tests key workers and those in NHS hospital settings while pillar 2 is in the wider community, but there appears to be an overlap which was only discovered when local data was compiled recently, which showed national figures were too high."

(2 Jul 2020) Test and Trace: 15% trust private firm to run English system Scottish newspaper The National reports:
JUST 15% of people think a private firm should be in charge of coronavirus contact tracing systems, a new poll has found.
"A Survation poll, commissioned by campaign group We Own It, asked people living in the UK who they felt should run contact tracing schemes as we move out of lockdown. While 67% said public health teams and local health services should have responsibility for the systems, just 15% felt that a private company like Serco should control them.
"In England, Serco and other private firms look after large parts of the test and trace system. The scheme has been plagued with issues since it was established at the end of May."

(2 Jul 2020) Comprehensive new funding package for councils to help address coronavirus pressures and cover lost income during the pandemic Government press release tries to trumpet a pathetically inadequate £500m increase in funding as the solution to the £10 billion funding gap faced by councils -- with dire consequences for social care, public health and many other vital services.

(2 Jul 2020) Deloitte: Coronavirus They Work for You reveals the parliamentary exchange between Stella Creasey MP for Labour and Tory Minister Nadine Dorries, confirming the inadequate contract between government and Deloitte that does not require the firm to report on test results to Public Health England and local authorities.

(2 Jul 2020) PPE spend to hit £14bn by the end of the year HSJ report July 2:
"The Treasury is preparing for spending on personal protective equipment for the health system to hit up to £14bn this financial year, HSJ understands — representing more than 10 per cent of the pre-covid NHS budget.
"The revelation — an estimate of what has been spent since April and will be spent up to the end of March 2021 — underlines the huge hit to government budgets, and comes as the Treasury negotiates with the NHS over what funding it will get for the next phase of the coronavirus response.
"The financial envelope, which has been confirmed by senior sources, has been calculated based on the average price per item and the number of pieces the Department of Health and Social Care has said is necessary. The DHSC declined to confirm the value of the envelope, citing “commercial sensitivity”."

(2 Jul 2020) Trust CEO slams 'cruel and ineffective' government policy HSJ July 2 report on a CEO willing to speak up in support of vulnerable patients affected by vicious government welfare policies:
"The chief executive of a London trust has criticised the government over the reinstatement of its “cruel and ineffective” benefits policy.
"Paul Jenkins, chief executive for Tavistock and Portman FT, commented on Twitter that the government’s benefit sanctions policy is “really cruel and ineffective”.
"He also tweeted that the reinstatement was “very concerning when some of the most vulnerable people in society are already under so much pressure.”
"In a statement to HSJ, Mr Jenkins said he stood by his tweet, adding: “I was closely involved in this issue when I was at Rethink Mental Illness and saw at first hand the harm caused to people with severe mental illness by the use of sanctions and the Work Capability Assessment.”
"Under the government’s policy, those receiving benefits must once again adhere to “claimant conditionality” to access their benefits such as carrying out job searches."

(2 Jul 2020) INDEPENDENT SAGE – STATEMENT ON LEICESTER AND LOCAL LOCKDOWNS Statement from Independent SAGE group of experts begins:
"The lockdown in Leicester constitutes a foreseeable crisis of the Government’s own making. It has come too late and, by being imposed on the locality, rather than being developed and implemented with the locality, it risks creating uncertainty, dissent, and even disorder.
"In the case of Leicester, and for future such cases, we advocate a response that is led by local government, supported by agencies such as PHE Health Protection Teams, the NHS and the Police and with additional funding from central government.
"The imposition of local restrictions should only be considered in the context of such an overall package of support, they should only be a last resort and used as a temporary measure. Such an approach will maximise both the efficacy of infection control measures and public support for these measures."

(2 Jul 2020) Johnson not telling the whole story on Leicester testing More fact checking finds Boris Johnson a long way from the truth -- Channel 4 July 2 report: “The government first took notice and acted on what was going on in Leicester on 8 June, because we could see that there was an issue there. We sent mobile testing units—four more mobile testing units—shortly thereafter.”
“That was Boris Johnson’s claim yesterday in the Commons.
“But what the Prime Minister didn’t mention was that it was ten days after 8 June before even one additional testing site was opened in Leicester. And it was 21 days before a total of four new centres had opened in the city.”

(2 Jul 2020) Lifestyle Company with No Employees or Trading History Handed £25 Million PPE Contract Byline Times investigation July 2 begins:
"The Great British COVID-19 procurement scandal continues after a newly published contract revealed yet another business with little experience or expertise being awarded a multi-million-pound contract to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS.
"Design company Luxe Lifestyle Ltd was awarded a £25 million contract on 27 April to supply garments for biological or chemical protection to the NHS.
"According to Companies House, the business was incorporated by fashion designer Karen Brost in November 2018. However, it appears to have no employees, no assets and no turnover.
"Additional research into the company’s background using business information provider Endole revealed no evidence that the company has actually done any trading at all.
"It is not clear how a business with no experience in the sector is able to meet its contractual requirements to provide 1.2 million gowns and 10 million FFP2/KN95 masks to the NHS during a national crisis.

(1 Jul 2020) Lack of local Covid-19 testing data hinders UK’s outbreak response Important Financial Times June 30 revelation of the massive data gap that is hampering any sensible track and trace system to contiun Covid-19: “The ability of local leaders to manage new coronavirus outbreaks in the UK is being hampered by gaps in the reporting of infection data for cities and regions, according to analysis by the Financial Times.
“The government publishes a UK-wide figure for Covid-19 cases every day that includes tests from hospitals and those processed by commercial laboratories, including samples taken at home. But at a subnational level the total of new daily cases contains only hospital tests.
“The result is that hundreds of local authorities across the country are unable to see a timely picture of what is happening in their communities or compare that with other cities and regions of the UK.
“This gap in the subnational and regional data has been cited by local political leaders and health officials in Leicester as one reason for a delay in locking down the east Midlands city, where virus cases have spiked.
“For weeks we have been trying to get information about the level of testing in the city and the results of that testing in the city,” Peter Soulsby, mayor of Leicester, told the BBC on Tuesday.”

(1 Jul 2020) Still 36 parts of England where Covid-19 cases increasing, statistics reveal Independent July warning: “With a swathe of lockdown restrictions due to be lifted on ‘super Saturday’ this weekend, new statistics showed that there are still 36 parts of England where coronavirus cases have been increasing.
“Release from lockdown was put on hold in Leicester as authorities moved to damp down an upsurge in infections which saw the Midlands city record 10 per cent of all positive cases in England in the past week. Its infection rate of 135 cases per 100,000 over the seven-day period was three times higher than the next worst-affected city in the country.
“But figures from Public Health England (PHE) showed that other areas had also experienced increases in positive cases between the weeks of 13-19 June and 20-26 June. Doncaster recorded a rise from 11 to 32 in the number of positive cases over the period, while Derbyshire’s figure increased from 23 to 25, Medway from 10 to 17 and Sandwell from 8 to 10.
“Some of the sharpest increases were in London boroughs, where the weekly figure rose from 7 to 18 in Hammersmith & Fulham, from 9 to 15 in Hounslow, 5 to 14 in Ealing, 6 to 14 in Westminster, 7 to 13 in Brent and 8 to 12 in Kensington and Chelsea.”

(1 Jul 2020) Still 36 parts of England where Covid-19 cases increasing, statistics reveal Independent July 1 report: "Release from lockdown was put on hold in Leicester as authorities moved to damp down an upsurge in infections which saw the Midlands city record 10 per cent of all positive cases in England in the past week.
"Its infection rate of 135 cases per 100,000 over the seven-day period was three times higher than the next worst-affected city in the country.
"But figures from Public Health England (PHE) showed that other areas had also experienced increases in positive cases between the weeks of 13-19 June and 20-26 June.
"Doncaster recorded a rise from 11 to 32 in the number of positive cases over the period, while Derbyshire’s figure increased from 23 to 25, Medway from 10 to 17 and Sandwell from 8 to 10."

(1 Jul 2020) Understanding excess mortality: comparing COVID-19’s impact in the UK to other European countries Health Foundation research comparing levels of excess deaths:
"The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has so far killed at least half a million people worldwide and has led to over 64,000 excess deaths in the UK. And although it is a global pandemic – triggered by the same SARS-CoV-2 virus – the impacts of the pandemic and the responses to it have been anything but the same across countries.
"Early in the pandemic countries were at different stages of their outbreaks, making it difficult to make robust comparisons. Initially it looked as if Italy would be the country hardest hit, though this has not turned out to be the case. But as the first wave across Europe is coming to an end, meaningful comparisons have become possible. These comparisons can help us understand and learn from the experiences of different countries, so we are better able to manage a potential second wave or a future pandemic.
"In this analysis we use excess deaths (the number of deaths in a given period less the usual number) over the pandemic period. This is a more comparable measure across countries than deaths from COVID-19, because different countries count COVID-19 deaths in different ways. It is also a measure of the total impact of the pandemic, including both COVID-19 deaths and other deaths that may have been a consequence of lockdowns."

(1 Jul 2020) Saturated Houston hospitals transferring COVID-19 patients to other cities Grim aftermath of premature end to lockdown in Texas. ABC13 report from HOUSTON, Texas:
"Harris Health Systems, the public health agency that operates Ben Taub and LBJ hospitals, is sending COVID-19 patients to facilities outside of the area in an effort to cope with the growing healthcare crisis.
"Charlie McMurray-Horton, the associate administrator for Clinical Integration and Transformation at Harris Health, spoke to ABC13 about the capacity issues affecting Harris Health hospitals this afternoon.
"It really has intensified in the last month or so," said McMurray-Horton. "We are actively trying to transfer out ICU and surge patients that are COVID positive and under investigation, just because we don't have the capacity to treat those patients," McMurray-Horton added.
"Harris Health Systems said it has transferred patients to UTMB in Galveston, the Woodlands, and as far away as Conroe. The scramble to find beds for patients also has a trickle down effect."

(1 Jul 2020) Coronavirus cases higher than thought in Merseyside with Wirral worst affected Liverpool Echo July 1 report: "Coronavirus cases in Merseyside are three times higher than previously reported.
"New Covid-19 rates published by Public Health England suggest around 138 people in the area tested positive in the week to June 21. Previously published figures had shown 43 cases across the area during that same week.
"Of the local areas in Merseyside, current rates show Wirral as being much more badly affected than other boroughs.
"The Peninsular's infection rate of 19.2 per 100,000 people is significantly higher than the other Merseyside areas, which are all between 6 and 8.4 per 100,000 people.
"The new figures are based on people being tested both through Pillar 1 (in hospitals) and Pillar 2 (through drive-through test centres and swabs sent by post)."

(1 Jul 2020) Government finally releases Greater Manchester coronavirus data... and there are SIX TIMES more cases than local officials knew about Manchester Evening News July 1: "Public health officials have finally received crucial local testing figures from government after nearly two months of pleading - and they reveal the number of cases here in the past week has been as six times higher than their own data suggested.
"Since the start of May officials here have been begging government to release ‘pillar two’ testing data, the results of swabs carried out at drive-through stations and other facilities operated here by the private sector on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.
"Without it, they only had access to ‘pillar one’ test numbers, those carried out directly by Greater Manchester councils and hospitals and processed in Public Health England labs.
"That had left public health directors flying blind, unable to accurately gauge the virus’s spread in the community.
"This week they finally received the missing data - and it shows nearly 400 more people had tested positive in the past week than their existing figures would have suggested."

(1 Jul 2020) Leicester and Merthyr Tydfil top table for new Covid-19 infections Financial Times July 1 report on belated publication of fuller data revealing local patterns of infection: “On Tuesday, the FT reported that local leaders in England were being hampered in their efforts to manage new coronavirus outbreaks by gaps in the reporting of infection data for cities and regions.
“Although the government has been publishing a UK-wide figure for Covid-19 cases every day that includes tests from hospitals and those processed by commercial laboratories, including samples taken at home, at a subnational level the total of new daily cases contains only hospital tests.
“Following criticism of its failure to provide comprehensive and timely testing results for all local authorities in England to allow them to track possible spikes, Public Health England on Wednesday released data for all Covid-19 infections up to June 21.
“Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland had already been publishing full data sets for both Pillar 1 tests collected in hospitals and Pillar 2 tests collected by commercial labs.”

(1 Jul 2020) Ministers shifting blame to Public Health England for Covid-19 errors, say experts Guardian July 1 report anticipates government efforts to dump blame for its errors onto a far from perfect Public Health England:
"Experts have accused ministers of shifting the blame for their own mistakes during the coronavirus crisis on to Public Health England, amid speculation that the agency may be scrapped.
"Downing Street on Wednesday failed to guarantee that PHE will survive in its present form as an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care when the government reviews its response to Covid-19.
"It also did not rebut a report that Boris Johnson was referring to PHE when he said in a speech on Tuesday that “parts of government that seemed to respond so sluggishly” to the pandemic. Without apportioning blame, the prime minister had said “it seemed like that recurring bad dream when you are telling your feet to run and your feet won’t move”."

(1 Jul 2020) Unless the government ups its game, there will be more lockdowns like Leicester’s Guardian July 1 article by Dave McCoy: "Unfortunately, and somewhat predictably, the government’s over-centralised, fragmented, confused and semi-privatised patchwork of testing and contact-tracing services has proved slow, inadequate and cumbersome.
"There are still too few tests being done, leading to insufficient case detection, and our contact-tracing rates are also low. Delays in producing test results are compounded by delays and blockages in the sharing of data across the various different organisations involved.
"Local public health teams have been inevitably hamstrung by this centralised system. Ideally, local public health directors and their teams would have timely and complete data about new cases, including the names, ages, genders and ethnicities of suspected cases, their home, work and school details, and relevant clinical data such as the date that their symptoms started. But nobody seems to have been given this information."

(1 Jul 2020) DWP benefit sanctions restart from today as Tories refuse to extend ban Mirror July 1 report on a shocking decision by ministers:
"Benefit sanctions have resumed from today after the Tory welfare chief refused to extend a blanket ban on them.
"Therese Coffey said it was "important" for claimants to commit to look for work and attend appointments as Jobcentres started to reopen from July 1.
"She insisted work coaches will prioritise "support". And a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) source insisted sanctions would not be their "focus".
"But the Work and Pensions Secretary's statement was branded "heartless" - as MPs warned it will heap "stress and suffering" on families while unemployment soars, and people remain having to shield or care for children at home.
"As messages promising not to sanction people vanished overnight, the GMB union branded the reopening of jobcentres a "PR stunt" that could put people at risk.
"Sanctions, which dock people's benefits if they don't follow government rules, were formally halted for three months from March 30 for anyone failing to look for work or attend an interview."

(1 Jul 2020) Johnson’s misleading figures on government ‘New Deal’ Another devastating fact check of Boris Johnson's big speech boasting of a "New Deal," this time by Channel 4 News:
"On hearing the Prime Minister’s words, you might think that the government’s “New Deal” announced yesterday will pump £34bn into the NHS and £14bn more into schools.
"But that’s not the case.
"The schools pledge was first announced in August 2019. It’s how much budgets will rise over three years, though the figure doesn’t account for inflation or rising student numbers.
"Meanwhile, the £34bn for the NHS was first promised in 2018. It refers to the planned increase in spending on the health service, this time over five years. Again, it does not adjust for inflation (once we do that, the figure is closer to £20bn)."

(1 Jul 2020) It Paid Doctors Kickbacks. Now, Novartis Will Pay a $678 Million Settlement New York Times July 1 report on a massive fine on a leading pharmaceutical corporation: “There were fishing junkets, golf outings and round-table events at Hooters. And then there were the six-figure honorariums that the Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. paid to several doctors who wrote thousands of prescriptions for cardiovascular and diabetes drugs the company made.
“Now, after admitting it used an extensive kickback program for nearly a decade to influence doctors to prescribe certain medications, Novartis will pay $678 million to settle a fraud lawsuit, federal prosecutors in New York announced on Wednesday.
“… Prosecutors said that Novartis violated a federal statute prohibiting kickbacks, which led to fraudulent prescription claims paid by Medicare, Medicaid and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The company gained an advantage over competitors, but there were no allegations that the drugs were not needed by the patients to whom they were prescribed, prosecutors said.
“For more than a decade, Novartis spent hundreds of millions of dollars on so-called speaker programs, including speaking fees, exorbitant meals, and top-shelf alcohol that were nothing more than bribes to get doctors across the country to prescribe Novartis’s drugs,” Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. attorney for Manhattan, said in a statement. “Giving these cash payments and other lavish goodies interferes with the duty of doctors to choose the best treatment for their patients and increases drug costs for everyone.”

(1 Jul 2020) Tory policies have killed a quarter of a million people in the last decade The London Economic, July 1 report: "A decade of Tory austerity, coupled with the more recent COVID-19 mismanagement, has killed over 250,000 people, an exclusive TLE investigation has revealed.
"More than 100,000 people have died following social security cuts, while around 120,000 perished due to reductions in health and social spending and experts have predicted that the UK’s COVID-related death toll of circa 60,000 is double the number it needed to be.
"Coupled with the tens of thousands of lives cut short by a failure by successive governments to impose tougher legislation to tackle air pollution and you have a pretty grim picture."

(1 Jul 2020) Why Did the UK Have Such a Bad Covid-19 Epidemic? BBC's excellent More or Less asks the question so few BBC journalists seem willing to ask or pursue. The intro explains: "The UK has suffered one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus anywhere in the world. We’ve been analysing the numbers for the last 14 weeks, and in the last programme of this More or Less series, we look back through the events of March 2020 to ask why things went so wrong - was it bad decision-making, bad advice, or bad luck?"

(30 Jun 2020) US states race to reimpose lockdowns as Covid infections pass 2.5m – and Trump heads to golf course Independent June 30 with another story from the worst President's handling of the worst crisis:
"A number of US states are racing to reimpose lockdowns amid a new leap of coronavirus infections that have taken the total to more than 2.5 million – apparently triggered by the push to reopen the economy.
"As Donald Trump for the second successive day visited the Trump National golf course in Sterling, Virginia, the number of cases in the US hit at least 2,534,981, part of a global total of more than 10 million. Worldwide, more than 500,000 people have now died.
"Among the worst places to have been struck were rural counties in California, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Florida, that saw confirmed cases more than double in a week, from June 19 to last Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
"In Texas, governor Gregg Abbot ordered the closure of bars and reimposed limits on restaurants for indoor seating down from 75 per cent capacity to 50 per cent."

(30 Jun 2020) Lack of local Covid-19 testing data hinders UK’s outbreak response | Free to read Financial Times June 30 report revealing serious flaws in testing and reporting of data:
“The ability of local leaders to manage new coronavirus outbreaks in the UK is being hampered by gaps in the reporting of infection data for cities and regions, according to analysis by the Financial Times.
“The government publishes a UK-wide figure for Covid-19 cases every day that includes tests from hospitals and those processed by commercial laboratories, including samples taken at home. But at a subnational level the total of new daily cases contains only hospital tests.
“The result is that hundreds of local authorities across the country are unable to see a timely picture of what is happening in their communities or compare that with other cities and regions of the UK.”

(30 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson: Economy speech fact-checked BBC's Reality Check team have looked at Johnson's speech, which includes allocations for new hospitals and other NHS projects and found that every major assertion was either previously announced, a lie, or a distortion of the truth - usually some combination of the three.

(30 Jun 2020) Heat on Public Health England as Prime Minister admits coronavirus response was 'sluggish' Telegraph June 30: “Public Health England's (PHE) future has been thrown into doubt after the Prime Minister suggested that parts of the Government's response to the coronavirus crisis had been "sluggish".
“In a speech ahead of the country's 100th day in lockdown, Boris Johnson described his frustration at failing to quickly confront elements of the pandemic as being "like a recurring bad dream".
“He did not name PHE, but Whitehall sources indicated on Tuesday night that they believed the Prime Minister was referring to the agency, after he had privately criticised its response in meetings with Conservative MPs.
“The quango is responsible for testing, and the decision to abandon widespread tracking of the virus as it began to spread is regarded by most scientists as the key mistake in Britain's handling of the pandemic, which has led to the country recording the highest number of deaths in Europe.
“The agency on Tuesday was once again at the forefront of a public row after ministers ordered the lockdown of Leicester following a new outbreak. Council leaders expressed frustration at the lack of data and detailed information on cases in the city after infections started to rise over the past fortnight.”

(29 Jun 2020) Will “temporary” NHS closures and cuts ever be reversed? Left Foot Forward June 29 shares an article first published in The Lowdown:
"With tens of thousands of NHS beds still closed (NHS Improvement has refused to reveal an updated figure since the Health Service Journal in April revealed 37,000 beds were unoccupied) NHS England’s focus appears to be on a multi-billion pound deal to utilise private hospitals.
"This raises serious questions over the future of the many services including A&E departments “temporarily” closed during the peak of the Covid crisis, many of which NHS bosses had sought to scale back in previous plans.
"There have been protests in Grantham in Lincolnshire over the downgrading of its day time only A&E to an Urgent Treatment Centre, with emergency admissions diverted to Lincoln or to Boston, each 30 miles away.
"Questions have been asked in the Commons over the “temporary” closure of already reduced A&E services in Chorley, Lancashire, and concerns have been raised locally over other “temporary” closures of A&Es in Cheltenham and Weston super Mare, and emergency surgery in Ealing Hospital."

(29 Jun 2020) Coronavirus: UK hardest hit by virus among leading G7 nations BBC June 29 report with a useful graphic showing England much worst of UK nations:
"The UK was the hardest hit of all the G7 major industrialised nations in the weeks leading up to early June, according to BBC analysis of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Analysis also showed that England fared the worst in Europe, just above Spain. The research compared 11-week periods for each nation as the virus hit its peak in each country.
"The analysis of Covid-19 deaths and excess deaths - which compared countries in three different ways - showed the UK worse off than the US, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and Japan."

(29 Jun 2020) GPs to demonstrate at Number 10 tomorrow against pubs reopening Pulse Today June 29 report: "Doctors in Unite, led by Tower Hamlets GP Dr Jackie Applebee, will be protesting in front of 10 Downing Street on Tuesday against next Saturday’s lockdown easing.
"The group believes that the Government plans to open up ‘indoor spaces’, including pubs and restaurants, from next weekend are ‘too risky’.
"The doctors argue that people gathering in indoors spaces with poor ventilation comes with a high risk of the virus spreading, and they are warning that the new ’one metre plus’ rule will ‘fail to protect the public’"

(29 Jun 2020) GPs to catch up on public health targets post-Covid or risk losing LES cash Pulse Today June 29 report on more misery for GPs in Essex as a non-profit company working for the County Council cracks the whip:
"GP practices in Essex have been told they will have to catch up on targets for NHS Health Checks once the service is re-established post Covid-19, or they could face having payments clawed back.
"Anglian Community Enterprise, which procures the service on behalf of the local authority Essex County Council, informed practices by email they would be paid monthly based on 2019 activity until the end of June, but that targets for the year would need to be met ‘once in more certain times’.
"The message, seen by Pulse, stated: ‘We recently wrote to you explaining the current financial situation on which we are paying all providers based on the NHS Health Check delivery performed in April, May and June 2019.
"‘Payments will made month by month as normal. However, targets will be remaining the same for this financial year and will be expected to be met once in more certain times.’"

(29 Jun 2020) Not all foreign NHS staff eligible for free visa extension scheme BBC Newsnight report reminds us that while the Home Office has given a one-year free visa extension for some staff in the NHS and care sectors. But health workers such as cleaners are porters are not eligible

(28 Jun 2020) Calls for national care service as crisis leaves homes in critical state Guradian article June 28 points out the growing consensus that current systm of social care is unsustainable, and bold action needs to be taken:
"Mike Padgham, who runs St Cecilia’s care home in Scarborough and is chair of the Independent Care Group, said the sector should be merged with the NHS. “Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson can make a name for themselves,” he said. “They could say ‘I’m going to make my name like [Nye] Bevan. I’m going to make a service we’re proud of’.”
He said he was aware of at least three homes in his area that were closing, or on the brink of closure. “Every political party has said how important social care is, and every one of them has kicked the can down the road,” he said. “There are no more excuses.”
Even those who don’t want to see care swallowed by the NHS agree there is an urgent need for a national body to take control of information flowing into and out of care homes and home care. Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum, said: “It is the right time and it has to be now. There is an absolute hunger in the sector for serious reform.”

(28 Jun 2020) Failing the test: Slow start and flawed decisions in Britain’s coronavirus testing have cost lives, warn health leaders Another excellent in depth Indepoendent report by Shaun Lintern, June 28, begins: “Lives were lost because of delays to Britain’s expansion of testing and the decision to create privatised mega-labs to process swabs, NHS leaders and health experts have told The Independent.
“An investigation funded by The Independent’s Supporter Programme has uncovered widespread concern over the “Lighthouse Lab” system for processing coronavirus tests, which was not fully functioning until late April – weeks after Britain’s Covid-19 peak.
“Three national leaders in pathology warned NHS bosses in a letter seen by The Independent that the strategy would cause problems that would “inevitably cost lives” yet were “wholly avoidable”. They called for changes before a second wave of the virus hits.
“They said privatised labs were often taking 72 hours from the time they received tests to determine a result – by which point the results were of no use for wider strategy or policy. By contrast, they said local labs could give results in six hours from the point the test is taken.”

(28 Jun 2020) Covid-19: risk of death in UK care homes 13 times higher than in Germany Guardian June 28 report: "Care home residents were more likely to die of Covid-19 in the UK than in any of the major European countries apart from Spain, analysis of global data has revealed.
"The proportion of residents dying in UK homes was a third higher than in Ireland and Italy, about double that in France and Sweden, and 13 times higher than Germany. The analysis of official statistics was carried out by academics at the London School of Economics as part of the International Long Term Care Policy Network.
"Of all the UK’s care home residents, 5.3% were confirmed or suspected to have died from Covid-19, compared with 0.4% in Germany, according to analysis of official statistics.
"About 3,500 people died in care homes in Germany compared with more than 16,000 in the UK, despite Germany having a care home population twice as large. Its test-and-trace system and 14-day quarantine for people leaving hospital have been credited with protecting homes from outbreaks."

(28 Jun 2020) Include all care workers in NHS’ fast-track mental health service, Labour says Independent June 28 report: "Labour has set out plans for a shake-up of mental health support to ensure that 3.1 million NHS and care workers who have been under intense pressure during the coronavirus crisis get access to the same fast-tracked help and advice.
"Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow mental health minister, said the current system was “inadequate” because it did not cover private sector staff doing NHS and social care work.
"And she said she wanted reform to end long waiting lists and significant regional variations in services which see some nurses waiting up to a year for help."

(28 Jun 2020) Expert says Scotland 'could be Covid-free by end of summer' BBC interview with Prof Devi Sridhar June 28 shows how uniquely bad has been the Westminster government handling of the crisis: "Scotland could eliminate coronavirus by the end of the summer if the decline in new cases continues, according to a public health expert.
"There were no confirmed deaths from the virus on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
"Prof Devi Sridhar, of Edinburgh University, said the country would effectively be Covid-free if that progress could be maintained.
She said the challenge would then be how to stop new cases being imported.
"… However, an open border with England - where hundreds of cases are still being reported daily - is a concern, as is enforcing the 14-day quarantine of people flying into Scotland."

(28 Jun 2020) As Covid-19 Cases Rise, America Still Doesn’t Get It Thoughtful June 28 report from Bloomberg: "When it comes to coping with the Covid-19 crisis, America has been anything but exceptional. Europe’s patience ahead of cautious reopenings has been rewarded with a steep drop in cases; a recent outbreak in Beijing was met with swift lockdowns and mass testing. New Zealanders have largely returned to their pre-coronavirus routines thanks to strict and early border closures and orders to stay home. In the U.S., however, the curve remains far from flat, with record spikes in cases now appearing in Florida, Arizona, Texas and other states.
"But that doesn’t mean there aren’t Americans who are doing exceptional work in trying, or that most oppose mask wearing and other social-distancing measures. Despite failures in leadership — and the rollback in reopenings around the country — at higher levels, communities can remain vigilant amid a still-raging pandemic. Here's hoping lessons learned around the world might sink in before the next peak in the wave."

(27 Jun 2020) London’s Nightingale hospital recorded 144 safety incidents in 29 days Independent June 27 report: “London’s Nightingale hospital recorded 144 patient safety incidents during its 29 days treating 54 patients, it has emerged. There were two serious incidents at the field hospital, a doctor told a Royal Society of Medicine webinar.
“Dr Andrew Wragg, consultant cardiologist and director of quality and safety at Barts Health NHS Trust, said a study of the long-term outcomes of the 54 patients was ongoing, as 20 of those treated at the ExCel conference centre site were still recovering in hospitals across London.
“The Nightingale was built to house up to 4,000 Covid-19 patients. It opened in April to cope with a predicted surge in patients needing critical care to help them breathe after the virus attacked their lungs and caused pneumonia. Although more than 2,000 staff volunteered and trained to work at the hospital, only 700 staff were actually employed on shifts there as the hospital never had more than 35 patients at any one time.”

(27 Jun 2020) Ministers ignored police chiefs' warning over risks of lifting lockdown in England Guardian June 27 on the inevitable aftermath of Cummings' outings to Durham and Barnard Castle: "Ministers were warned by senior policing figures on the eve of chaotic scenes at beaches last week that lifting the lockdown is “madness” and risks prompting fresh disorder.
"During a meeting last Wednesday with police and crime commissioners, the Home Office minister Kit Malthouse was told that the decision to reopen pubs on 4 July could lead to increased violence and that coastal resorts could be overrun.
"According to the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, Labour’s David Jamieson, Malthouse “brushed the concerns away”. Jamieson said: “The issue was raised and it is total madness, we all know it’s madness. Some of his [Malthouse’s] Conservative colleagues raised it as well, particularly those on the coast.”
"The following day a major incident was declared after tens of thousands of people defied pleas to stay away and descended on beaches in Bournemouth, while police were attacked at illegal street parties in Brixton and Notting Hill in London."

(27 Jun 2020) UK ditches healthcare coverage for pensioners moving to EU after Brexit transition Europestreet news report June 27: "The dream of many British pensioners to retire in a Mediterranean country may be crushed by the new Brexit reality. Under a proposal by the British government, from January 2021 the UK will no longer reimburse healthcare for pensioners who move to EU countries.
"The draft negotiating text on the future relationship with the EU published in May also cuts social security benefits for people who move between the UK and the EU from next year. These benefits include the possibility to receive carer allowances or to aggregate periods of contributions to be entitled to unemployment allowances.
"The proposals concern only people who will move between the UK and the EU after the Brexit transition period, which ends on December 31st, 2020. "

(26 Jun 2020) Health Secretary calls on country to get tested as access is expanded even further June 26 Government press release allows us a glimpse into Matt Hancock's fantasy world in which he imagines widespread state of the art testing etc.
In reality 331 Tory MPs voted to block a proposal for weekly testing of NHS staff, the people most likely to be exposed to the virus.
Nor are there measure sin place to ensure tests are valid, returned, or to report the actual numbers of people being tested.

(26 Jun 2020) A Voice From the Front Line: Reaching out of the box to engage private non-state healthcare actors in LMICs to combat COVID-19 Unfortunate Health Systems Global blog argues for greater involvement of private sector in tackling Covid in the poorest countries, thus further stunting the belated growth of public sector provision and universal health coverage.
"This blog calls for extraordinary measures to coordinate and engage with the ‘other half of the health sector’ – the informal health sector, private health professionals and non-state actors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with weak health systems to start with, where the pressure from the current pandemic has been especially tough.
"When state capacity has failed, the unorganized sector and local private practitioners are often the first line of contact for many vulnerable populations."

(26 Jun 2020) 'Terrified': As coronavirus cases surge in Mississippi, doctors provide dire perspective Mississippi Clarion Ledger report June 26: "Officials with the Mississippi Department of Health are urging people to wear facial masks and social distance after releasing the state's highest one-day total of new coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.
"The Health Department on Thursday reported 1,092 cases of the coronavirus and 532 patients hospitalized with the virus, prompting State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs to warn of an overburdened health care system.
"It's not just the cases. We have seen the highest number of hospitalized patients. I'm terrified we will overwhelm the health care system, the hospitals, the ICUs. Not in the fall, I'm talking about this week," he said."

(26 Jun 2020) Student nurses will be paid until the end of their NHS frontline contracts Guardian June 26 report of health unions having forced another welcome government U-turn:
“It comes after anger mounted among some of the 18,700 student nurses who started working in hospitals before their training ended believed their contracts had been ended earlier than expected as Covid-19 cases fell and the pressure on healthcare services continued to ease.
“The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, last week said paid placements were being terminated early, effectively leaving students with no income, after the schemes were initially advertised locally as being for six months.
“On Friday, Health Education England (HEE) issued an FAQ confirming that students would be fully paid until the end of their contracts, lasting until the end of August in some cases, after some were understood to have been told their contracts would end prematurely.”

(26 Jun 2020) UK on course for further 30,000 deaths unless Boris Johnson changes approach, Independent Sage warns Independent June 26 report: “The UK is on course for another 30,000 deaths by the first anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic unless Boris Johnson changes strategy, independent experts are warning.
“A sharp drop in infections has already stalled, they say – with Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, having suggested they could stay at around 3,000 a day for nine more months, they pointed out.
“ ‘If we carry on with 100 to 150 deaths a day, that’s over 30,000 deaths,’ warned Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London.
“The professor is a member of the Independent Sage group of scientists, which has sharply criticised the government for lifting lockdown restrictions too early.
“In a new analysis, it said so-called “Super Saturday” on 4 July – when pubs, restaurants and cultural venues can reopen – will arrive before the country is ready for the “risk” it poses.”

(26 Jun 2020) NHS England apologises after investigation finds only 23% of health trusts have risk-assessed BAME staff Sky News June 26 uncovering another dimension of the failure of NHS England and trust bosses to protect BAME staff from higher risk of Covid19:
"NHS England has apologised after Sky News revealed that only 23% of health trusts in England have risk-assessed their BAME staff.
"Two months ago, chief executive Sir Simon Stevens wrote to all trusts telling them Black Asian and Minority Ethnic staff are at "greater risk" from coronavirus and advised them to assess the risk.
"In a Freedom of Information request to 221 trusts, Sky News asked whether they had completed those risk assessments. Of the 149 trusts that responded, only 34 said they had done so, while 91 others said they were "in the process"."

(26 Jun 2020) Trump administration urges Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act CBS News 26 june with another aspect to the worst ever president's handling of the worst-ever health crisis:
"In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act. The late-night court filing came on the same day the government reported that close to half a million people who lost their health insurance amid the economic shutdown have gotten coverage through HealthCare.gov.
"The administration's legal brief makes no mention of the coronavirus.
"Overall, some 20 million Americans could lose their health coverage, and protections for people with preexisting health conditions also would be put at risk if the court agrees with the administration in the case, which won't be heard before the fall.
"The information on new sign-ups for health coverage comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The figures are partial because they don't include sign-ups from states that run their own health insurance marketplaces. Major states like California and New York aren't counted in the federal statistics."

(25 Jun 2020) UK councils fear bankruptcy amid Covid-19 costs BBC June 25 report: "Some of the largest UK councils say they may have to declare themselves effectively bankrupt unless the government agrees to further support.
"Nearly 150 authorities have forecast a combined budget shortfall of at least £3.2bn, the BBC found.
"Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the government "has got to recognise" the financial situation facing councils. The government said it was working on a "comprehensive plan" for councils.
"A BBC investigation found across the UK:
"At least five English councils warned they may meet the criteria to issue a section 114 notice at some point without more government support, declaring themselves effectively bankrupt
"They include some of the UK's largest unitary authorities - Leeds, Wiltshire, Trafford, Tameside and Barnet"

(25 Jun 2020) NHS test and trace unable to reach almost 30 per cent of people with Covid-19 Independent June 25: “The government’s contact-tracing programme failed to reach almost 30 per cent of people who tested positive for the coronavirus in England last week, the latest figures show.
“Only 70 per cent of the 6,923 people who tested positive for Covid-19 during the period were reached by NHS Test and Trace staff, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
“This means that 2,054 people with the virus – and potentially thousands of their close contacts – could not be traced by the new system.
“The figures also show that of the almost 21,000 people who have been referred to the tracing programme since it began at the end of May, 73 per cent were reached and asked to provide details of contacts.”

(25 Jun 2020) Getting back on track: control of covid-19 outbreaks in the community BMJ article by Peter Roderick, Alison MacFarlane and Allyson Pollock June 25. A useful critique of government response to Covid and a reminder of how if flouts the basic public health approach, which begins:
"Historically, England’s system of communicable disease control has relied on close cooperation between local health services and authorities. General practitioners, NHS and public health laboratories, and local public health officers play key roles, backed by legal notification requirements.
"That local system has gradually been eroded over several decades. (box 1) But instead of prioritising and rebuilding this system at the start of this epidemic, the government has created a separate system which steers patients away from GPs, avoids local authorities, and relies on commercial companies and laboratories to track, test, and contact trace. "

(24 Jun 2020) Revealed: The Government Isn’t Certain The Coronavirus 'R' Rate Is Below 1 In England Huffington post June 24: "The government is not certain that the coronavirus R rate is below 1 in England, meaning the disease may not be under control even as lockdown restrictions are being lifted, HuffPost UK can reveal.
"According to a classified daily document released by Public Health England to health professionals across the UK, there is “uncertainty” around the figure published by the government, which has been used to justify the lowering of the UK’s “alert level”.
"Publicly, the government last stated the R was 0.7 to 0.9 on June 17. If R – short for the reproduction rate of the virus – is greater than 1, the epidemic is generally seen to be growing. If R is less than 1, the epidemic is shrinking.
"But a copy of last Thursday’s document, titled “COVID-19 Situation Report” and marked “OFFICIAL SENSITIVE”, states that because of uncertainty in how accurate the figure is “we cannot preclude R being above 1” in England."

(24 Jun 2020) London’s councils face £1.3 billion black hole due to coronavirus June 24 report from 853.London: "London boroughs are facing a “catastrophic” £1.3billion financial black hole caused by coronavirus, council leaders warned today.
"The London Councils group, which represents local authorities across the city, told MPs crippling cuts to services will take place unless the government “honours its promise” to pay back the money they have spent during the Covid-19 crisis.
Boroughs have paid out millions over the last three months on housing all rough sleepers, providing PPE and delivering food and medication.
"By the end of the financial year there will be £1.8billion of extra pressure on boroughs due to Covid-19, London Councils estimates. They told MPs they will collectively lose £1.1billion through income loss and £700million through increased expenditure."

(24 Jun 2020) UK must prepare for second virus wave - health leaders BBC June 24 report: “Health leaders are calling for an urgent review to determine whether the UK is properly prepared for the "real risk" of a second wave of coronavirus.
“In an open letter published in the British Medical Journal, ministers were warned that urgent action would be needed to prevent further loss of life.
“The presidents of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, Nursing, Physicians, and GPs all signed the letter. It comes after Boris Johnson announced sweeping changes to England's lockdown.
“The Department of Health said it would continue to be guided by the latest scientific advice and would give the NHS "whatever it needs".”

(24 Jun 2020) £93m PPE gown contract to confectionery firm with 14 employees Evidence UK govt gave £93.24m contract to Clandeboye Agencies Ltd for the supply of Covid PPE, a company with 14 employees, net assets of £291,026 & specializing in "Wholesale of sugar and chocolate and sugar confectionery" (as per info filed Companies House).

(24 Jun 2020) A national care service is the only way to prevent more deaths UNISON 24 June press release publicising new policy document calling for reform of social care:
"The pandemic has exposed the fault lines in the social care system, which requires substantial reform if its many structural, financial and operational weaknesses are to be tackled, says UNISON in a new strategy document released today (Wednesday).
"Care After Covid: A Vision for Social Care sets out how the fragmented, crisis-riven sector could be transformed into a national care system. One that the union says could cope with the day-to-day challenges of caring for vulnerable people and be better prepared for a future health emergency of the same severity as the current pandemic.
"Improved regulation and government oversight, better staff pay, stringent UK-wide professional standards, robust workers’ rights, and strategic long-term investment could help create a resilient care system that resembles the NHS more, says UNISON."

(24 Jun 2020) A Simple Way to Save Lives as Covid-19 Hits Poorer Nations New York Times report June 24: "As the coronavirus pandemic hits more impoverished countries with fragile health care systems, global health authorities are scrambling for supplies of a simple treatment that saves lives: oxygen.
"Many patients severely ill with Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, require help with breathing at some point. But now the epidemic is spreading rapidly in South Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa, regions of the world where many hospitals are poorly equipped and lack the ventilators, tanks and other equipment necessary to save patients whose lungs are failing.
"The World Health Organization is hoping to raise $250 million to increase oxygen delivery to those regions. The World Bank and the African Union are contributing to the effort, and some medical charities are seeking donations for the cause."

(24 Jun 2020) South Bend Common Council Passes Resolution Supporting Universal Health Care During Pandemic June 24 report suggests Indiana is embracing the call for single payer health care in the USA: "The South Bend Common Council passed a resolution Monday night supporting the nationwide Medicare for All program and the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"The resolution is meant to send a message to Indiana Congress members that South Bend supports universal health care during the coronavirus pandemic and after.
"6th District Council Member Sheila Niezgodski says while she normally wouldn’t be pro medicaid for all, the pandemic has brought on special circumstances that she believes call for extra assistance."

(24 Jun 2020) 1 in 4 working carers consider giving up work due to pressures of balancing work and caring responsibilities Welfare Weekly June 24 report with worrying implications: "New research indicates that almost half (44%) of working carers in England and Wales, equivalent to around 1.6 million people, are struggling to cope with the pressures of balancing their work and caring responsibilities – and that a quarter (24%) have considered giving up their job entirely.
"These are the findings in a newly published report, Supporting working carers: How employers and employees can benefit, from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and The University of Sheffield, which highlights the need for greater support for carers from their employers."

(24 Jun 2020) From China to Germany, the World Learns to Live With the Coronavirus New York Times June 24 overview: “Around the world, governments that had appeared to tame the coronavirus are adjusting to the reality that the disease is here to stay. But in a shift away from damaging nationwide lockdowns, they are looking for targeted ways to find and stop outbreaks before they become third or fourth waves.
“While the details differ, the strategies call for giving governments flexibility to tighten or ease as needed. They require some mix of intensive testing and monitoring, lightning-fast response times by the authorities, tight border management and constant reminders to their citizens of the dangers of frequent human contact.
“The strategies often force central governments and local officials to share data and work closely together, overcoming incompatible computer systems, turf battles and other longstanding bureaucratic rivalries. Already, in Britain, some local officials say their efforts are not coordinated enough.”

(23 Jun 2020) https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8450773/More-HALF-NHS-patients-England-waiting-six-weeks-tests.html Daily Mail surprisingly highlighting Labour Party research June 23: “More than half of people waiting for NHS tests in England had been waiting for six weeks or more by April, statistics have revealed.
“The Labour Party's analysis found 470,000 people have been waiting a month-and-a-half or more for potentially life-saving scans and tests.
“It is calling for weekly testing of all NHS staff so the health service can get back on its feet and clear the massive backlog of sick patients waiting to be diagnosed and treated. In February just 2.8 per cent of people booked in for tests had to wait for six weeks, but this had soared to 55 per cent by April because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“These patients include people waiting for MRI or CT scans, ultrasounds, audiology (hearing) appointments, colonoscopies or heart, brain or lung tests.
“Health bosses warned earlier this month that the surgery waiting list, growing because routine operations were cancelled during the Covid-19 crisis, could soar to 10million people by Christmas, with surgeons warning of a 'significant backlog'.”

(23 Jun 2020) Nearly half of home test kits not sent back or returned void, government admits June 23 report in the Independent; “The Government's testing figures count a test as soon as it is sent out rather than when results are obtained, with the effect of inflating the numbers in time to meet deadlines.
“But new statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care show that 39 per cent of kits are not being sent back, with a further 4.8 per cent of those – 9,761 – returned void.
“It means that over 4 in 10 of the home testing kits are not actually providing results, a total of around 42 per cent.
“The statistics were released by the government in response to a written parliamentary question on Tuesday. Ministers have previously been coy about releasing the exact figures, but Public Health England told a parliamentary committee last month that "certainly more than half" were being returned.”

(23 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson rejects demand for urgent inquiry into government's handling of coronavirus pandemic Independent June 23: “Boris Johnson has rejected demands for an urgent independent inquiry into his government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.
“The prime minister was challenged to call an inquiry by Liberal Democrat acting leader Ed Davey, but insisted it would not currently be “a good use of official time”.
“The clash came as MPs debated the prime minister’s dramatic relaxation of lockdown measures in England from 4 July.
“The changes, which allow pubs, restaurants and cafes to reopen and cut the two-metre social distancing rule to “one-metre plus”, were given a rapturous reception in the House of Commons by Tory MPs who queued up to invite the PM to visit venues in their constituencies.”

(23 Jun 2020) Eight out of 10 English councils at risk of bankruptcy, says study Guardian June 23 report: “More than eight out of 10 English councils providing adult social care services are at technical risk of bankruptcy – or face a fresh round of cuts to services – because they cannot meet the extra financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research.
“The analysis estimated that predicted Covid-19-related costs and income losses in 131 out of England’s 151 upper-tier councils this year will exceed both the levels of their available financial reserves and the support so far provided by central government.
“The majority of those councils that are in the “red wall” northern England and Midlands parliamentary seats won by the Tories from Labour at the last general election are at risk of going bust because of Covid-19 pressures, the study found.
“The Centre for Progressive Policy thinktank study said authorities in the most deprived areas of England already hit hardest by a decade of austerity faced higher pandemic-related costs, and should be prioritised for government support in line with ministerial promises to “level up” so-called “left behind” areas of England.”

(23 Jun 2020) England in danger of following same route as US, leading epidemiologist warns Independent June 23: "England risks following the route of several US states which have seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases after lifting lockdown too early, a leading epidemiologist has warned.
"Professor Gabriel Scally, a member of the Independent Sage group of experts, said that the country was in a “difficult and dangerous situation” after Boris Johnson’s decision to ease restrictions while daily infections are still running well into four figures, the NHS Test and Trace system has yet to prove its effectiveness and the promised smartphone app has been shown to be a “dead duck”.
"He was speaking to The Independent after a joint plea was issued by eminent doctors, including presidents of 11 medical royal colleges, for Mr Johnson’s administration to make preparations for a probable second wave of Covid-19."

(22 Jun 2020) 42 hospitals closed, filed for bankruptcy this year Beckers Hospital Review in the US, June 22 with another glimpse of the American system at work:
"At least 42 hospitals across the U.S. have closed or entered bankruptcy this year, and the financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may force more hospitals to do the same in coming months.
"COVID-19 has created a cash crunch for many hospitals across the nation. They're estimated to lose $200 billion between March 1 and June 30, according to a report from the American Hospital Association.
"More than $161 billion of the expected revenue losses will come from canceled services, including non-elective surgeries and outpatient treatment.
"Moody's Investors Service said the sharp declines in revenue and cash flow caused by the suspension of elective procedures could cause more hospitals to default on their credit agreements this year than in 2019. "

(22 Jun 2020) Systemic racism among risk factors in Covid-19 BAME deaths in Wales Guardian June 22 report : "Structural and systemic racism is among the key risk factors that has contributed to the high death rate in Wales of black, Asian and minority ethnic people, a report commissioned by the devolved government has concluded.
"The report, which is to be published on Monday, makes more than 30 recommendations to address the socio-economic and environmental risks it highlights.
"Prof Emmanuel Ogbonna, who chaired the group that produced the report, said the central issues raised had been identified many times before the Covid-19 crisis but had not been addressed.
"He said: “There’s an overall theme running through our research for this report. It centres on longstanding racism and disadvantage and the lack of BAME representation within decision-making processes.”"

(22 Jun 2020) How to Destroy a National Health Service June 22 feature in The Nation begins:
"Soon after Covid-19 started to sweep through the United Kingdom in March, thousands of residents began appearing at their windows every Thursday to applaud the National Health Service. While the pandemic has evidently caused a wave of renewed appreciation for the NHS, the universal health care system has been a source of immense British pride for over 70 years. What many Britons fail to realize, however, is that some of the past and present government officials clapping alongside them, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have had a hand in the decades-long efforts to privatize their beloved NHS."

(22 Jun 2020) The pandemic is not over – we need to push now for a zero-coronavirus Britain June 22 Guardian comment by public health expert Devi Sridhar argues for a totalk 2-week lockdown to eleiminate the virus:
"As an island, Great Britain is in a strong position to eliminate the virus and fully reopen schools, bars and theatres as well as bringing back sports matches and weddings, without pointless debates about 1 or 2 metre distancing measures. This would require mass testing – to catch all symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers – tracing of contacts and isolation for those individuals.
"The public needs to be convinced that the short-term pain is worth it, including continued physical distancing from others, use of face masks when distancing is not possible, and putting aside short-term self-interest for a few more months.
"Local dashboards should be created using the first part of postcodes, so individuals can understand transmission within their communities and ensure their behaviour contributes to a downwards push. Covid-19 will burn itself out if it has no other hosts to transmit it."

(22 Jun 2020) Health official defends discharging patients into English care homes Guardian June 22: "Discharging patients into care homes in England in early April, when the number of coronavirus cases was rapidly increasing, was neither reckless nor wrong, the Department of Health and Social Care’s most senior civil servant has claimed.
"Faced with aggressive questioning from MPs on the powerful public accounts committee on Monday, Sir Chris Wormald, permanent secretary at the DHSC, said the guidance for discharge was correct based on the information available at the time."

(22 Jun 2020) NHS Test and Trace: it didn’t have to be this way Anonymous doctor's June 22 BMJ blog: "During my shifts later that week, there were no cases to trace, an experience echoed by others who spoke to other mainstream media and newspapers, labelling the system “chaotic” and “a complete shambles.” “I’m yet to know anybody who has made a call to a member of the public,” said one.12
"So, what went wrong? One thing seems clear: too many organisations spoil the broth.
NHS Professionals employed us as clinical tracers, but we were recruited by Capita and placed with Public Health England (PHE).
"Sitel provided access to the tracing applications and systems, and these all required different usernames and passwords. Synergy CRM assigned cases and held scripts, CTAS captured contact tracing information, RingCentral was used for voice calls, and MaxConnect was used for storing knowledge about contacts.
"All of these systems were accessed through Amazon Workspace. Training was initially through PHE’s Learnspace, and then moved to Health Education England’s e-Learning for Health.
"When systems are disconnected, cracks rapidly appear. "

(22 Jun 2020) Local health teams trace eight times more contacts than national service BMJ June 22 blog shows level of failure of privatised track and trace system run by Serco and extent to which it is hidden by efforts of public health experts:
"Local health protection teams have traced nearly eight times more contacts (77 642) than the national call centres and online service (9997), latest figures show.1
"The NHS Test and Trace system brings together the local health protection teams that handle complex cases, and the national call centre and online system—run by two private companies, Serco and Sitel.
"The contracts awarded to operate test and trace are reportedly worth £108m (€120m; $134m) in total,2 and some experts have said this money would have been better spent on resourcing and funding local public health teams, who were already in place and could have led the initiative."

(21 Jun 2020) ‘Untouchable’ hospitals still rejecting '75%' of GP referrals Pulse magazine June 17 reveals: “Hospitals rendered ‘untouchable’ by coronavirus measures are still rejecting referrals and ‘reverse delegating’ patients back to their GPs, Pulse has learned.
“Pulse has been told that CCGs in some areas are having to hold around 75% of GP referrals, which are not being accepted by trusts. GP leaders warned that the ‘backlog’ of patients waiting to be seen by secondary care is placing the ‘risk and burden’ on primary care.
“It comes as the NHS Confederation said that 10 million patients could be on the waiting list for routine procedures by the end of this year.”

(21 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson seems determined to ignore any lessons from coronavirus. It’s not good enough Independent June 19 article from Tory MP and chair of Commons Health Committee, Sarah Wollaston: "The government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has been “world beating” only in delivering one of the highest death rates. When ministers refuse to acknowledge that anything could or should have been handled differently, how on earth will they learn from mistakes?
"Britain was in no position to follow World Health Organisation guidance on testing and tracing because inadequate equipment and facilities, combined with fragmented and underfunded public health systems, meant they were rapidly overwhelmed.
"We were late into lockdown, and for all the promises and ambitious targets, scant supplies of personal protective equipment left health and social care staff vulnerable to infection and increased the risk of transmission to patients. The decision to quarantine people arriving from overseas happened months after it could have helped to prevent the virus taking root across the UK.
"Coronavirus has also starkly exposed pre-existing health inequalities, which disproportionately affected black, Asian and minority ethnic communities as well as other disadvantaged groups. Far from being the great leveller, it looks set to widen the gap in health for decades to come."

(21 Jun 2020) Sophy Ridge tears into Matt Hancock after coronavirus admission: 'How is that a success? Express correspondents report the news from their sofa while watching Sophy Ridge on Sky challenge Health Secretary Matt Hancock:
"Matt Hancock admission he was "delighted" with the new track and trace system, which was slammed by Sky's Sophy Ridge. The Government hired 27,000 coronavirus contact tracers who reached 40,000 contacts in a week.
"Ms Ridge pointed out the tracers were, on average, reaching less than two people in a week and demanded to know how that was a success."

(21 Jun 2020) Student nurses ‘not deemed to be providing a service’, says MP Nursing Notes June 21 on the idiotic statement of a gaffe-prone Tory minister that has enraged nurses and nursing students:
"A Conservative MP has claimed that the government has “no plans” to backdate a new £5,000 grant for student nurses as they “are not deemed to be providing a service”.
"Helen Whately, the Conservative MP for Faversham and Care Minister at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) makes the bold claim while responding to a letter from Tom Pursglove MP calling for additional financial support for student nurses.
"The government scrapped the NHS Bursary system for student nurses and midwives in 2015 which subsequently led to a significant drop in the number of applicants."

(20 Jun 2020) Coronavirus has downgraded from 'tiger to wild cat' and could die out without vaccine Telegraph June 20 with some encouraging news from Italy:
“Prof Matteo Bassetti, head of the infectious diseases clinic at the Policlinico San Martino hospital in Italy, told The Telegraph that Covid-19 has been losing its virulence in the last month and patients who would have previously died are now recovering.
“The expert in critical care said the plummeting number of cases could mean a vaccine is no longer needed as the virus might never return.
“… "The clinical impression I have is that the virus is changing in severity," said Prof Bassetti.
"In March and early April the patterns were completely different. People were coming to the emergency department with a very difficult to manage illness and they needed oxygen and ventilation, some developed pneumonia.
"Now, in the past four weeks, the picture has completely changed in terms of patterns. There could be a lower viral load in the respiratory tract, probably due to a genetic mutation in the virus which has not yet been demonstrated scientifically. Also we are now more aware of the disease and able to manage it.”

(19 Jun 2020) Shock poll results reveal MAJOR public distrust of new coronavirus test and trace provider Daily Express shocks us by revealing some news (June 19): "A poll conducted by Survation shows that almost half of people don’t trust outsourcing giant Serco to run part of the test and trace programme.
"Serco was given a contract worth £45 million to employ call handlers for the test and trace programme.
"The group polled 1,022 UK adults, after it emerged the service had failed to reach a quarter of people after they tested positive for coronavirus.
"After test and trace launched in May 28. Over 3,800 people infected were not contacted about who they had seen."

(19 Jun 2020) Coronavirus app failure leaves tracing plan in disarray Times report June 19: “A smartphone app to track the spread of Covid-19 may never be released, ministers admitted yesterday, as they abandoned a three-month attempt to create their own version of the technology.
“Matt Hancock, the health secretary, announced that the government was scrapping its coronavirus contact-tracing app to focus on one developed with Apple and Google technology.
“Mr Hancock said that in trials neither of the potential apps was accurate enough to be used by the public and he could not indicate when, or if, a usable version might be available. “The truth is that no app is better than a bad app,” a senior government source said.
“In a sign of the breakdown in trust between the two sides sources at Apple said that it had not been informed of the announcement or consulted about the plan to work together. “We don’t know what they mean by this hybrid model. They haven’t spoken to us about it,” a source said.
“The company also queried the claim that its model was less accurate at measuring distance than the government’s NHSX model. “It is difficult to understand what these claims are as they haven’t spoken to us. But the app has been downloaded by six million in 24 hours in Germany, the Italians have had it going since Monday, the Dutch government and Irish government have it, and there has been no issue about proximity detection.”

(19 Jun 2020) Medics demand better terms for 'less valued colleagues' HSJ June 19 report on doctors writing to declare their support for support service staff at Homerton Hospital FT in Hackney, which is seeking to extend a private contract with ISS for a further five years:
"This has spurred 170 of the trust’s 464 doctors to write to the chief executive, Tracey Fletcher, urging her to reconsider.
"The letter says: “We are writing as Homerton employed doctors in support of our ISS colleagues. We understand that a further five year contract is to be signed with ISS at the end of this month.
"We have been proud to work alongside colleagues in cleaning, portering, catering and security services during the Covid-19 pandemic. They have gone above and beyond in their commitment and hard work, just as NHS staff have.
“Their work is invaluable to the care we offer our patients. Without these colleagues, our hospital would run poorly. Despite all of us being invested in trust values, these employees… by being employed through ISS… receive worse pay and worse terms and conditions, including only statutory sick pay.
“It is therefore disappointing and deeply troubling that the trust has decided to extend this contract and these inequalities for a further five years. Covid has rightly shone a light on our less valued colleagues, who are so important. It is an opportunity for change and not to just pay lip service to the NHS family.”"

(19 Jun 2020) Nearly 1,500 deaths in one day: UK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peak Guardian June 19 on a fresh analysis of Covid-19 deaths reveals a big gap between the real figures and those we were told at the time:
"Ministers have been accused of playing down the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic after it emerged that more than 1,000 people died every day in the UK for 22 consecutive days – in stark contrast with daily tolls announced by the government.
"According to an analysis of official figures, the darkest day came on 8 April as the country prepared for Easter under lockdown, when a record 1,445 people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours.
"The figures – encompassing deaths in hospitals, care homes and private residences – are far higher than the numbers announced by ministers during that period at the daily Downing Street briefings, as the pandemic peaked faster than forecast.
"Critics say ministers should have more clearly underlined that the reported death tolls were underestimates of the true tallies as they only counted deaths in hospitals after positive Covid-19 tests, excluding thousands who died in care homes."

(19 Jun 2020) CQC says inspections suspended for covid-19 crisis will restart in autumn BMA news report June 19 that will bring joy to the hearts of NHS hospital staff and management: "Routine inspections of healthcare providers that were suspended during the covid-19 crisis will restart this autumn, England’s healthcare regulator has announced.
"The Care Quality Commission will also conduct inspections of higher risk providers over the summer, it announced.
"The CQC stopped all routine inspections of hospitals, GP surgeries, and care providers in March to allow services to focus on the covid-19 crisis.1 In the interim period it has been checking up on providers remotely through its emergency support framework [ESF]."

(18 Jun 2020) Social care ‘cannot be kicked into the long grass’, Hancock warned as nursing homes make up almost half of deaths Independent JUne 18 report: "The issue of social care cannot “be kicked into the long grass any longer”, the health secretary has been warned as the Labour party calls for more support for both professional and unpaid carers struggling through the coronavirus pandemic.
"More than 13,000 people have died from Covid-19 in care homes across England during the course of the pandemic – making up 45 per cent of the nation’s overall fatalities while putting strain on a fragmented and cash strapped care system.
"Now with a Social Care Taskforce set to advise the government on how the sector can emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, shadow social care minister Liz Kendall has told the health secretary the wellbeing of care staff must be a priority for the future."

(18 Jun 2020) Treasury blocks plan for private hospitals to tackle NHS backlog Guardian June 18 reports the axing of an NHS England plan to spend up to £5bn a year on private hospitals:
"Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and NHS bosses are pushing for a £5bn-a-year deal to treat NHS patients in private hospitals and tackle a spiralling backlog amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Guardian has learned.
"But the Treasury is blocking the plan, which could cover a range of treatments including cancer surgery, joint operations and cataract removals amid concerns that it will not offer value for money.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England want the Treasury to fund an extension of a contract that has resulted in scores of private hospitals being paid about £400m a month to perform procedures since the start of the pandemic, when the NHS suspended swathes of non-urgent treatment to prioritise Covid-19 patients.
"The deal, agreed in March, in effect gave the NHS control of the private sector’s 8,000 beds, 680 operating theatres and 20,000 staff, though there were concerns that many hospitals stood near-empty during the Covid-19 crisis. It has never confirmed how much the scheme costs."

(18 Jun 2020) Trusts to buy Serco out of joint venture after losing major contract (£) HSJ June 18 report on an unsavoury deal in south east London:
"Two foundation trusts are set to buy an outsourcing company out of a multimillion pound pathology partnership, HSJ can reveal.
"King’s College Hospital FT and Guy’s and St Thomas’ FT will pay an undisclosed sum to Serco for its share of Viapath, the firm they co-own.
"The company was set up in 2009 to run the pathology labs at the two south London trusts but earlier this year another operator was named preferred bidder for a new 15-year, £2.25bn contract.
"Synlab was selected and, if final approvals are granted, will take over the running of the services from September."

(18 Jun 2020) Ministers accused of 'betrayal' over NHS surcharge for migrants Guardian June 18: "Doctors have accused ministers of “a crass betrayal” by not honouring Boris Johnson’s pledge to scrap the £400-a-year fees foreign-born NHS staff have to pay for healthcare.
"The Doctors’ Association UK has written to Priti Patel, the home secretary, criticising the delay as “unacceptable”.
"The prime minister made the first major U-turn of his time in power on 21 May when he announced that health and care workers would no longer be forced to pay the immigration health surcharge.
"Johnson abolished the charge after Conservative MPs told him the fees were “mean-spirited and immoral”, given that migrant health staff already contribute to the NHS by working in it and paying tax. He won widespread praise for the move, and has since stressed his commitment to implementing it.
"But in the letter Dr Rinesh Parmar, the DAUK’s chair, said: “Several weeks down the line we are deeply concerned that it seems that no progress has been made towards actually scrapping the charges. We have received scores of messages from doctors stating that the Home Office have advised that the charge is yet to be officially removed. This is frankly unacceptable."

(18 Jun 2020) UK virus-tracing app switches to Apple-Google model BBC report June 18 catches up with the chaos in the development of what has been proven to be a failed app to assist the tracking and tracing of the Covid virus, after ministers wasted months and millions trying to create an "NHS" app rather than use other working systems:
"In a major U-turn, the UK is ditching the way its current coronavirus-tracing app works and shifting to a model based on technology provided by Apple and Google.
"The Apple-Google design has been promoted as being more privacy-focused.
"However, it means epidemiologists will have access to less data. The government now intends to launch an app in the autumn, however it says the product may not involve contact tracing at that point.
"Instead the software may be limited to enabling users to report their symptoms and order a test."

(18 Jun 2020) Government abandons NHS coronavirus app in favour of Apple and Google system Mirror June 18 reports the app fiasco: "The Government has ditched the system behind the NHS coronavirus app and is putting all its efforts into developing an app based on Google and Apple's built-in system, the Mirror understands.
"It's understood the app is only able to correctly identify contacts on Android phones 75% of the time - and just 4% of the time on iPhones.
"Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to outline the government's new approach later today.
"The NHSX app has been on trial on the Isle of Wight since early May.
"But the Mirror understands "problems" have been found and it won't be rolled out in its current form.
"One issue with the Government's app is that it that Apple phones don't allow third party apps to use bluetooth connections while the phone is locked, an issue experts warned would be a problem within days of the NHSX app being announced."

(17 Jun 2020) After coronavirus, the NHS's ability to provide care will be reduced, experts warn Guardian quotes various views on the prospects for restarting the NHS as the Covid caseload subsides, including Nuffield Trust's Nigel Edwards, Foundation Trust boss Sam Allen, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton and GMB national secretary Rehana Azam

(17 Jun 2020) Health minister says app should roll out by winter BBC June 17 report on the ongoing failed tracing app fiasco: “A government minister has said the NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app is "not a priority" and he was not sure it would be out by winter.
“The app, which has been trialled on the Isle of Wight, was initially expected to launch nationally weeks ago. The BBC can also reveal that the project's two lead managers - NHSX's Matthew Gould and Geraint Lewis - are stepping back.
“And Simon Thompson - a former Apple executive - is joining to manage it. Mr Thompson is currently chief product officer at the online grocer Ocado. He has been appointed to Baroness Dido Harding's Test and Trace team, where he will have other duties in addition to the app.
“… Lord Bethell, the Minister for Innovation at the Department of Health and Social Care, said he was unable to give a date for its launch.”

(17 Jun 2020) 'We saved your life Boris,' student nurses recruited to work Covid-19 front line angry as placements cut short ITV news June 17 report: "Thousands of student nurses recruited to work on the front line against Covid-19 have been told their placements will be cut short, plunging some of them into financial despair.
"Many nurses expressed their outrage at a decision from NHS England that their paid placements will now finish on 31 July instead of running until the end of September.
"But Health Education England (HEE) – which oversees training – said that it was "made clear to students who opted into paid placements" that the arrangements would need to come to an end at "an appropriate point".
"One nurse calling herself Becky Jane said nurses had been told by HEE that the NHS can no longer afford to keep the paid placements going until the end of September as originally promised.
“Some of us left jobs for this. Many of us have children and families to care for," she wrote on a message on Facebook."

(17 Jun 2020) How NSFT managers have designed bureaucratic obstacles to prevent or delay mental health admissions Norfolk Suffolk Mental Health Crisis presents data to back up its accusation that Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) “tries to manipulate its inappropriate out of area placement (OAP) bed statistics when the Care Quality Commission (CQC) comes to inspect.”
“… out of area bed usage was again artificially reduced in the run-up to the latest full CQC inspection during October 2019, only to rise again shortly thereafter, even following NSFT’s blatant attempt to fiddle the most recent figures by excluding £560 per night beds at the remote private hospital on the site of the repeatedly-inadequate Mundesley Hospital which was forced to close by CQC, Southern Hills, on the basis that these placements are not inappropriate since a manager from NSFT visits the site twice per week.
“ There is a bed crisis because NSFT closed at least 139 of its mental health beds at the same time as its community mental health services were slashed and specialist services were closed. NSFT has recently reopened sixteen beds but these are nowhere near enough to address the beds crisis, particularly when community services remain chronically underfunded.
“NSFT’s Board and senior management consistently finds the money for new management posts, promotions and pay rises for themselves, relatives and friends but doesn’t seem to care about the quality of mental health services received by the people of Norfolk and Suffolk.…”

(17 Jun 2020) Student nurses irate after NHS frontline contracts cut short Guardian June 17: "Student nurses who joined the NHS frontline in England months before their training ended in order to join the fight against Covid-19 have voiced anger after contracts were terminated earlier than they expected as the pandemic comes under control.
"As nursing unions called on the government to offer clarity for those affected, the shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, told parliament that student nurses who joined the frontline six months ago as part of the coronavirus effort were seeing their paid placement schemes terminated early, leaving them with no income.
“Surely this is no way to treat student nursing staff,” he told the health secretary, Matt Hancock."

(17 Jun 2020) There's a hidden crisis threatening lives alongside Covid-19: the lack of routine treatment Guardian June 17: "“The government has spent recent weeks boasting that they have managed to protect the NHS during the pandemic, but what they’ve really done is shut it down. Almost two-thirds of Britons with common life-threatening conditions have been denied care by the NHS because hospitals have focused on fighting Covid-19. That’s people with breathing problems, high blood pressure and cancer.
“Tens of thousands of non-urgent surgeries have been cancelled in recent months to free up space for coronavirus patients, while many diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments are on hold.
“Screening services for cancer have been formally paused in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and are de facto suspended in England. NHS leaders say the waiting list for hospital treatment in England could soar to almost 10 million people by Christmas due to the huge backlog caused by coronavirus disrupting services. …
“This comes on top of patients who have voluntarily stayed away; there was such concern about empty A&E wards during the height of lockdown that the government set up a campaign in April to encourage people with suspected strokes and heart attacks to still seek help.”

(16 Jun 2020) Delaying part of PHE’s report on covid-19 and ethnic minorities turned a potential triumph turned into a PR disaster Important BMJ blog by Prof Raj Bhopal on the saga of the missing recommendations from the Public Health England report, which were included as part of a 64-page report he peer-reviewed, but then withheld:
"Public Health England was repeatedly challenged about the missing material, which was presumed to have been removed from the published report at a late stage.
"They denied this and on 4 June 2020, the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, told parliament that PHE did not make recommendations because it was unable to do so.
"Subsequently the UK government backtracked and have now said that the recommendations will be published belatedly."

(16 Jun 2020) Hospitals face ‘hard choices’ as routine NHS services restart, expert says Independent June 16: "Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, argued every patient who comes to hospital will now need to be treated as a potential infection risk and the layout of accident and emergency departments must be completely changed to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
"He emphasised such adaptations would affect the capacity of healthcare services, possibly by more than a third.
“The net effect of all of this, and of the testing required before planned or elective treatment, is to slow the pace with which the NHS has traditionally treated patients, maybe by as much as 35 percent and in some cases more,” he said."

(16 Jun 2020) NHS examines new deal with private hospitals to clear waiting lists Financial Times June 16 on possible fresh windfall for private sector:
“Private hospitals taken over by the government during the Covid-19 crisis are in talks about extending the arrangement for up to two years, as the NHS attempts to relieve growing pressure on patient waiting lists.
“… One option being discussed is for NHS England to maintain the existing deal — struck in March and running until the end of this month — until August. This would mean the government continuing to pay all operating costs for the private hospitals including rent, external interest payments and staff. Industry sources estimated the value of the deal could be between £100m and £125m a week. “However, NHS England is also considering a less comprehensive agreement under which the health service would book out a majority of private hospital beds for between eight months and two years, according to two healthcare executives briefed on the discussions.”

(16 Jun 2020) Countries from Germany to Vietnam got test and trace right, so why didn't England? Guardian comment from Dr Dave McCoy June 16: "ost people agree that England’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been slow and disorganised; a fact made worse by the government’s willingness to squander public trust by massaging data and spinning the facts to save face. Yet its shambolic approach to testing and contact tracing isn’t the result of mistakes, but a choice to ignore evidence and experience.
"For months, public health specialists in England have asked the government to decentralise responsibility for testing and tracing to local authority public health teams, which can develop nimble and responsive plans that are specific to different contexts, and organise systems with clear lines of accountability. They have also asked the government to recognise the obvious fact that case detection and contact tracing are social and behavioural interventions, which rely on skilled personnel and trust."

(16 Jun 2020) Resilience is much more than hospital beds Kings Fund June 16 blog stresses need for full range of services:
"So, how can local health and care services adapt to be more resilient to a wide range of future shocks and risks? Capacity is likely to be first on the list in any debate about local resilience. Early in the pandemic, discussions in the NHS were dominated by bed numbers and occupancy rates.
"The UK has a low number of hospital beds compared with other countries and the high and rising bed occupancy rate was an easily visible sign of a system under pressure. There was a clear recognition of the need to get bed numbers up and occupancy levels down.
"There is a clear risk that approaching resilience by focusing primarily on acute hospital beds or occupancy rates reinforces the default of hospital-focused responses to system-wide issues.
"However, understanding unmet need and hot spots in community health, community mental health, home care is much harder because there is little data collected for other key health and care services that is the equivalent to bed occupancy or waiting lists."

(16 Jun 2020) Where are the patients? The factors affecting the use of emergency care during Covid-19 Nuffield Rust June 16 blog hoping that the reductions in A&E attendances can continue after Covid:
"Some predicted that the number of patients needing emergency care could increase over the course of the pandemic, as patients with chronic disease decompensate and people with previously undiagnosed conditions present with major complications in the absence of usual health care. This was coupled with a warning that the system could be severely stretched by pent-up demand for care after lockdown ends.
"In this piece, based on the extant literature and my own clinical experience of working in a London teaching hospital over the past three months, I review a range of factors that might be impacting on the use of emergency health care services during the pandemic. They include changes in how the system is structured, the impact of disasters on people’s health, and how individuals might be modifying aspects of their own behaviour during the crisis.
"They will suggest, in my view, that the drop in ED attendances is likely to be real, do not necessarily represent pent-up or deferred demand, and that aspects of this may be sustainable in the longer term."

(15 Jun 2020) WHO warns England's lockdown should not be lifted further without improved test and trace system Guardian June 15: “England’s coronavirus lockdown should not be further lifted until the government’s test and trace system has proven to be “robust and effective”, senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official has warned.
“… WHO’s regional European director Hans Kluge cautioned against rushing into restarting the economy while the country remains in a “very active phase of the pandemic”.
“… He added: “Contact tracing is key especially as the UK starts to relax the social and physical distancing measures. There has to be a robust track-and-trace system in place of operation.”

(15 Jun 2020) Revealed: Government spent more than £200m on Nightingale hospitals Shocking figures revealed by HSJ, and raising further questions:
"Seven temporary hospitals were set up in the last three months to help the NHS respond to the covid-19 pandemic, although only two of them are known to have treated patients.
"Including London’s Excel Arena, six other venues across England have temporarily been turned into hospitals. They are in Exeter, Bristol, Birmingham, Harrogate, Manchester and County Durham.
"Setting up the hospitals cost around £220m, according to the Department of Health and Social Care in a response to a Freedom of Information request.
"The DHSC also estimates running costs in April for the project were £15m, although only London, Birmingham and Manchester Nightingales were operational for at least half of this month. Only London and Manchester Nightingales treated patients."

(15 Jun 2020) Patients face diagnosis delays as hospitals struggle with surge in screenings Independent report June 10: "As the NHS tries to recover from the worst of the coronavirus crisis, more than a million laboratory samples from cancer screening services are expected in pathology labs, while as many as 850,000 delayed CT and MRI scans need to be carried out.
"But 97 per cent of labs do not have enough pathologists to carry out the work – with staff already working unpaid hours to tackle the existing backlog – while the number of radiology posts nationally would need to be increased by a third to deal with the rise, experts say.
"… The royal colleges of pathologists and radiologists warned that cancers would go undiagnosed and treatments for all patients across the NHS could be further delayed as a result."

(15 Jun 2020) Coronavirus: BAME safety plan not published BBC June 11 report, 2 weeks after same story published by HSJ: “A report containing measures to protect ethnic minority groups from coronavirus has been drawn up for government, BBC News has learned.
“Public Health England (PHE) published a review last week confirming coronavirus kills people from ethnic minorities at disproportionately high rates.
“But a senior academic told BBC News a second report, containing safeguarding proposals to tackle this, also existed. And PHE now says this report will be published next week.
“…The already published PHE review found people of Bangladeshi heritage were dying at twice the rate of white Britons, while other black, Asian and minority ethnic groups had between 10% and 50% higher risk of death.”

(15 Jun 2020) The Guardian view on care homes: take responsibility and apologise Guardian Editorial comment June 12: "For weeks while the NHS was protected, social care in the UK was left to be overwhelmed.
"The National Audit Office, Whitehall’s spending watchdog, confirmed that in the first month of lockdown, 25,000 patients were discharged from hospitals into care homes and spread the virus when testing was either patchy or non-existent, and personal protective equipment was unavailable. It looks like the elderly were either expendable or collateral damage in the war against Covid-19.
"Care home residents could make up more than half the deaths caused directly or indirectly by the coronavirus crisis in England, a grim toll of 34,000.
"Instead of shouldering responsibility, Boris Johnson blames others, telling MPs it was clinicians who authorised hospital discharges into care homes.
"This is a slander. It was under guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care that elderly people, with no tests, were sent into care homes. Hardworking medics did not deliberately risk care homes, but a lack of testing surely did."

(15 Jun 2020) Care worker pay deductions must be tackled to stop hardship and control virus spread UNISON press release June 15: "Staff in the care sector, who need to self-isolate, shield or have the virus, have told UNISON they’re being forced to take unpaid leave or survive on minimal statutory sick pay (SSP), leaving them hundreds of pounds out of pocket each week.
"Some have been told by their employers to use up annual leave or make up time for free when they return to work.
"UNISON research shows the situation varies widely between employers. Many care workers complain they are being left high and dry with next to no income, even though their workplace may have been where they contracted the virus.
"It means a significant number have no choice but to carry on working against public health advice because they can’t afford time off, increasing the risks of spreading the virus at work and to their family, says UNISON."

(15 Jun 2020) SAGE expert urges Homerton Hospital to ‘financially protect’ contracted workers Hackney Citizen report June 15: "A highly regarded public health expert and member of the Independent SAGE committee has called on the Homerton Hospital to guarantee “full financial compensation” for contracted workers if they fall sick or have to self-isolate.
"The high-profile intervention was made by Professor Allyson Pollock, director of the Institute of Health and Society at the University of Newcastle at a recent meeting of a council commission scrutinising health in the borough.
"The announcement that the Homerton is considering a five-year extension of a contract with facilities giant ISS sparked anger from trade unions Unison and the GMB recently. "

(15 Jun 2020) Government faces lawsuit over £108m PPE contract with pest control firm CITY am report June 15: “The Good Law Project has filed legal proceedings against the government over its multimillion-pound deal with Pestfix — which has just 16 staff — to provide equipment such as gowns and face masks to the NHS.
“The government handed out more than £350m worth of PPE contracts to private companies in March without a competitive tender process, as the UK scrambled to find sufficient levels of protective equipment for the NHS.
“The Good Law Project, established by barrister Jolyon Maugham, argued that the £108m contract with Crisp Websites Ltd — which trades as Pestfix — is equivalent to nearly a third of the government’s PPE deals.
“We’re suing the government over its decision to grant an £108m contract for the supply of PPE to Crisp Websites Ltd,” The Good Law Project said in a statement.
“The number of bidders who competed for that contract was one… [and] the purchase order for this enormous sum of money was issued on 10 April 2020, three days before the contract was concluded.”

(15 Jun 2020) Emergency care: what do the May data show? June 15 analysis by Health Foundation of NHS England statistics on emergency services:
“As in March and April, A&E visits and emergency admissions through A&E were lower in May than in the same month the year before. Ambulance crews transported fewer patients to A&E with more patients treated at the scene.
“The percentage reductions in A&E visits, emergency admissions through A&E and the numbers of patients transported to A&E were smaller than in April showing that levels of activity are starting to recover. However, the falls are slightly larger than in March when the lockdown began.
“Emergency admissions have recovered at a faster rate than A&E visits, with such admissions 24% down in May compared to 22% down in March.
“Visits to major A&E departments were down 33% in May compared 26% in March. The slowest to recover have been activity in minor A&E departments, where visits in May were 58% lower than the total in March 2019.”

(13 Jun 2020) Millions of African Americans and Native Americans were uninsured as pandemic hit: ‘Having COVID-19 is scary enough’ US article June 13 from Market Watch:
“Typically health insurance is tied to employment — which makes being laid off in the midst of a pandemic all the more difficult. But 18.2 million Americans would have had difficulty affording medical care if they contracted a severe case of COVID-19, even if they weren’t laid off from their jobs.
“That’s because they were either uninsured or inadequately insured prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published in the latest edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
“African Americans, Native Americans and lower-income individuals have been found to be at a higher risk of contracting a more severe case of COVID-19 than Caucasians due to many factors, including access to quality health care and their roles in frontline jobs, and higher rates of diabetes and heart disease, which also have socio-economic causes.
“Black COVID-19 patients have 2.7 times the odds of being admitted to the hospital compared to non-Hispanic white patients.
“Between May 21 and May 26, 20.5 million U.S. adults were uninsured, 15.5 million of whom were also unemployed.
“The pandemic is laying bare the lethal inequality of American society and American health care,” said lead author Adam Gaffney, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School.”

(13 Jun 2020) Revealed: Boris Johnson scrapped Cabinet ministers' pandemic team six months before coronavirus hit Britain Daily Mail reports: "Boris Johnson scrapped a team of Cabinet ministers tasked with protecting the UK from a pandemic six months before coronavirus arrived, a Mail investigation has found.
"The Government’s ‘anti-pandemic committee’, which included senior ministers Michael Gove, Matt Hancock and Gavin Williamson, was disbanded without discussing virus control plans.
"The group, officially known as the Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingency Committee (THRCC), was supposed to ensure the UK was ready to cope with a pandemic."

(13 Jun 2020) BMA demands answers over missing BAME pages of Covid-19 report Guardian June 13: “In a letter sent to health secretary Matt Hancock, shared exclusively with the Guardian, the head of the BMA called for the missing pages and recommendations to be published immediately.
“Dr Chaand Nagpaul CBE, the BMA council chair, noted his concern over reports that 69 pages covering seven recommendations were removed from last week’s Public Health England’s report.
“’I’m finding it inexplicable the government did not release the full report at a time not only when the BAME community suffered so disproportionately with the virus, but also at a time when there was global outcry and outrage to racial inequalities,’” Nagpaul said.
“On Thursday, a senior academic disclosed that the advice for the government on how to protect BAME communities from coronavirus has yet to be published.”

(13 Jun 2020) What Went Wrong: Corona and the World after the Full Stop A long read, but well worth reading, this 21-page study gives a genuine world view on the handling of the pandemic and its impact, offering something beyond the superficial analyses we see everywhere

(12 Jun 2020) UK will not participate in EU’s coronavirus fast track vaccine scheme European report June 12: “The UK will not be involved in the European Union’s plans to fast track orders for a coronavirus vaccine, designed to ensure supplies for member states as soon as one is ready.
“The UK will not formally be a part of the programme, but an EU spokesperson suggested it would be able to benefit from the scheme until the scheduled end for the Brexit transition period on December 31.
“The bloc’s executive body will propose to its 27 member states that they negotiate with pharmaceutical companies as a united bloc and offer up-front financing to speed development and ensure priority access to any successful vaccine.
“The EU proposes using a “large majority” of a €2.7bn emergency fund for the effort but is also committed to ensuring fair access worldwide to pandemic remedies.”

(12 Jun 2020) All data related to Deaths involving COVID-19 by local area and socioeconomic deprivation: deaths occurring between 1 March and 31 May 2020 ONS figures showing that Covid mortality rates are highest in the most urban areas and lowest in the most rural areas

(12 Jun 2020) Chief nurse dropped from Downing Street coronavirus briefing ‘after refusing to back Dominic Cummings’ Independent June 12 report: "England’s chief nurse was dropped from one of Downing Street’s daily coronavirus briefings after refusing to publicly back Dominic Cummings, senior sources have told The Independent.
"As Boris Johnson’s chief aide was engulfed in scandal over his trips to Durham and Barnard Castle during lockdown, Ruth May had been due to appear alongside the health secretary Matt Hancock in the press conference.
"But, in practice questions hours before the briefing, she was asked about Mr Cummings and, after failing to give support to the prime minister’s chief adviser, she was immediately dropped from the press conference, according to senior NHS sources.
"Instead the health secretary had to present the slides on Covid-19 himself for the first time, alongside Professor John Newton from Public Health England. The incident, on 1 June, was two days after England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam sparked headlines by saying that lockdown rules “apply to all” when asked about Mr Cummings. He has not appeared at the press conferences since 30 May."

(12 Jun 2020) Matt Hancock faces legal action from daughter of Covid-19 care home victim Guardian June 12 reports "Matt Hancock is facing legal action from the daughter of a man who died from Covid-19 in a care home in which the health secretary is accused of a “litany of failures” and misleading the public with his claim to have “thrown a protective ring” around care homes.
"Dr Cathy Gardner launched a high court claim on Friday after her father, Michael Gibson, a retired superintendent of births, marriages and deaths, died in an Oxfordshire care home in early April. He became infected after a patient who tested positive for the virus was discharged from hospital into the home.
"The request for a judicial review alleges failings “have led to large numbers of unnecessary deaths and serious illnesses” and have been “aggravated by the making of wholly disingenuous, misleading and – in some cases – plainly false statements suggesting that everything necessary has been done to protect care homes during the pandemic”.

(12 Jun 2020) Coronavirus survival comes with a $1.1 million, 181-page price tag June 12 slice of life in the US, from Seattle Times:
"Remember Michael Flor, the longest-hospitalized COVID-19 patient who, when he unexpectedly did not die, was jokingly dubbed “the miracle child?”
"Now they can also call him the million-dollar baby.
"Flor, 70, who came so close to death in the spring that a night-shift nurse held a phone to his ear while his wife and kids said their final goodbyes, is recovering nicely these days at his home in West Seattle. But he says his heart almost failed a second time when he got the bill from his health care odyssey the other day.
“I opened it and said ‘holy [bleep]!’ “ Flor says.
"The total tab for his bout with the coronavirus: $1.1 million. $1,122,501.04, to be exact. "All in one bill that’s more like a book because it runs to 181 pages."

(11 Jun 2020) 'An American fiasco': US hits grim milestone of 2m Covid-19 cases More sobering news in Guardian June 11 report: "The true figure of infection in the US is almost certainly “multiples more” than the 2m confirmed cases, said Irwin Redlener, the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, but is obscured by the lack of testing.
"Problems in developing and rolling out an effective test dogged the initial US response to the pandemic and although testing has now ramped up, only about 6% of the population has received one.
"People with Covid-19 most likely experience either no noticeable symptoms or only minor symptoms such as a dry cough and mild fever.
“We are very much seeing only the proverbial tip of the iceberg,” said Redlener. “We are hampered by the lack of sufficient testing, especially as businesses are reopening across all 50 states.”

(11 Jun 2020) Ten failures which show Johnson is gaslighting us with coronavirus Alastair Campbell in The European June 11: “A reminder of the 10-point guide to crisis management that I set out, almost three months ago, when Boris Johnson was assuring us that we should trust him and his government to “squash the sombrero” and “send the virus packing”.
1. Devise, execute but also narrate clear strategy.
2. Show strong, clear, consistent leadership.
3. Organise from the centre of government.
4. Throw everything at it.
5. Use experts well.
6. Deploy a strong team.
7. Make the big moments count.
8. Take the public with you.
9. Show genuine empathy for people affected by the crisis.
10. Give hope, but not false hope.
You really do have to be very, very bad at your job to get zero out of 10. That, however, is how I would score Boris Johnson, and even admitting my bias against him, he reminds of the old football joke: “We played so badly we were lucky to get nil.”

(11 Jun 2020) COVID-19 Highlights the Need for Universal Health Coverage June 11 report from Think Global Health argues what should be an obvious point: "Poverty has not been the driver of how able systems are to cope with the pandemic. Rather, it’s the quality of a health care system that matters. While money is correlated with good health coverage, it is far from the only driver of quality care.
"Many middle-income countries offer excellent health care to their citizenry, and there are low-income countries making real strides in that direction as well.
"Meanwhile, the world’s largest economy lacks universal health coverage, and is struggling to deal with this pandemic."

(10 Jun 2020) NHS hospital waiting lists could hit 10 million in England this year Guardian June 10 on an NHS Confed report: “The waiting list for hospital treatment could soar to almost 10 million people by Christmas amid a huge backlog caused by coronavirus disrupting services, NHS leaders are warning.
“Hospital bosses say that such a massive increase in England is a realistic prospect, given so many people have been unable to have surgery and crucial diagnostic tests in recent months while the NHS’s main priority has been minimising the damage from Covid-19.
“The total number of people waiting to undergo a procedure in a hospital in England such as a hernia repair, cataract removal or hip or knee replacement stood at 4.4 million before the pandemic. It then fell to 4.2 million because in March GPs referred fewer patients for care to help hospitals tackle the pandemic and also because some patients were reluctant to risk getting infected by going into hospital.
“However, the NHS Confederation estimates that it is likely to reach 9.8 million by the end of the year as a result of staff shortages and hospitals having to cap the number of patients they can treat at any one time because of strict physical distancing rules that reduce the number of beds available.”

(10 Jun 2020) Stop calling family carers a 'hidden army'. We're not invisible, just ignored Guardian June 10: “The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the role of NHS staff, who rightly deserve the praise being heaped on them. In comparison, appreciation of care workers, who are equally deserving praise, was not so visible. Meanwhile, carers continue to be ignored.
“In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged carers’ vital roles and announced extra payments for them. Boris Johnson and his government failed to make a similar gesture. More crucially, the vital role carers had in preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed received negligible attention.
“But this comes as no surprise. The current and preceding governments have repeatedly overlooked carers and their needs. …
“Those in power are ignoring the challenges millions of carers are up against day in, day out, yet still expect this army to diligently continue supporting our loved ones with little recognition for our commitment.”

(10 Jun 2020) Covid aftercare piles pressure on ‘understaffed’ community services HSJ June 10: “The aftercare of covid-19 patients will have significant financial implications for ‘understaffed’ community services, NHS England has been warned.
“This month the national commissioner released guidance for the care of patients once they have recovered from an immediate covid infection and been discharged from hospital.
“It said community health services will need to provide “ongoing health support that rehabilitates [covid patients] both physically and mentally”.
“The document said this would result in increased demand for home oxygen services, pulmonary rehabilitation, diagnostics and for many therapies such as speech and language, occupational, physio, dieticians and mental health support.
“The document recognised that dealing with the increased number of people needing specialist support would create “new challenges” to the system, which will include maintaining infection control; pressures on equipment such as oxygen cannisters and personal protective equipment; staffing; and increased numbers of patients experiencing persistent psychological difficulties post-discharge.”

(10 Jun 2020) Nine California counties report spike in new coronavirus cases or hospitalizations Worrying story from Guardian June 10: "Nine California counties are reporting a spike in new coronavirus cases or hospitalizations of confirmed cases, raising fears that authorities may have to reimpose or tighten public health restrictions aimed at slowing the virus’s spread.
"The counties are: Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, Imperial, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Tulare, Kings and Santa Clara.
"New diagnoses in the heavily populated Los Angeles area are going up in part because testing is more widely available. But officials say infections and hospitalizations in most other parts of the state are being driven by factors tied directly to the loosening of restrictions or overt flouting of public health rules.
"It is too soon to see whether cases will also spike after protests over the death of George Floyd swept the state."

(10 Jun 2020) NHS preparing for workforce shortages caused by test and trace system Independent report June 10: "Heath chiefs have warned administrators to plan how they can continue to run services in the event large numbers of staff are forced to self-isolate at home after being identified as close contacts of someone who tests positive for coronavirus.
"During the height of the pandemic, about 12 per cent of NHS staff were off sick with the virus and many more self-isolated, heaping even more pressure on hospitals."

(10 Jun 2020) Pledge to boost spending on mental health is ‘absolute’, says NHS director Independent June 10: “The NHS is preparing for a significant rise in demand for mental health services as a result of coronavirus and is re-examining spending plans to prioritise its response.
“NHS England’s director of mental health Claire Murdoch has promised spending on mental health will not be cut to help other parts of the NHS, saying the commitment to investing £2.3bn of extra spending by 2023-24 was “absolute.”
“Ms Murdoch, a registered mental health nurse and chief executive of the Central and North West London mental health trust, said NHS England was now modelling the predicted impact on services and would respond later this year.
“She said: “As we move to the restoration and recovery phases of the Covid-19 response, it is important to note that our commitment to the mental health long-term plan ambition is absolute and will require continued joint working to deliver the changes in quality and access.”

(9 Jun 2020) Coronavirus leaves one in 10 UK charities facing bankruptcy this year Guardian June 9: "The analysis by Pro Bono Economics, an independent charity, says the coronavirus crisis will trigger a £6.4bn loss of income for charities over the next six months just as demand for extra services – ranging from health to debt advice and social care – piles on extra costs of £3.7bn.
"There are just under 170,000 general charities in the UK, sharing a total annual income of about £51bn, according to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). The vast majority are small charities, meaning they have income of under £100,000. Larger charities (£1m upwards) account for about a fifth of the sector but 80% of its income."

(9 Jun 2020) Watchdog relaxed rules on doctors operating in private hospitals weeks after inquiry’s safety warning Independent June 9: "Controversial rules allowing doctors to operate on patients in private hospitals have been fast tracked during the coronavirus crisis, just weeks after an independent inquiry warned they were a risk to patient safety.
"The Independent has learned the Care Quality Commission (CQC) wrote to private hospitals in March and agreed to a streamlined process for consultants to gain what is known as “practising privileges” to allow them to start work immediately in private hospitals.
"These privileges allow a doctor to operate on patients, but they are not considered employees of the hospital and their work is monitored less closely. It was under this system that rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson was able to operate unnecessarily on more than 1,000 women."

(9 Jun 2020) Deaths registered in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 29 May 2020 ONS figures showing around 64,000 more people have died in the previous 10 weeks than would be expected based on the 5 year average.
Deaths in hospitals to the end of May were 1% below the 5-yr wkly avg – excluding Covid-19 they would have been 27% below
* Deaths in care homes were 49% above 5-yr avg – excl CV they would have been 7% above
* Deaths in private homes were 45% above 5-yr avg – excl CV they would have been 42% above

(9 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson’s patience wears thin over tracing app Financial Times June 9: "“Boris Johnson and his senior Downing Street advisers are growing increasingly impatient at delays to the launch of the NHS’s coronavirus tracing app, pressing health officials for a rethink even as a new trial is set for next week.
“According to two people with knowledge of the situation, pressure from Number 10 has been stepped up in the past few days with one telling the Financial Times that the prime minister wants serious consideration to be given to a different version of the app, which incorporates Google and Apple technology.
“One UK government official said there was “frustration with how long everything takes but the reality is that we are building something from scratch”. The official added: “It is obviously taking longer than people would have hoped.”

(8 Jun 2020) Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro forced into U-turn on releasing death figures following national uproar Independent June 8: “Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has been forced into a U-turn on releasing data showing Brazil’s total number of Covid-19 cases and deaths following a national uproar.
“In a move officials said was personally ordered by the president, months’ worth of coronavirus data vanished from Brazil’s health ministry website overnight on Friday, with a supreme court judge describing the manoeuvre as “totalitarian”.
“The health ministry said it would only report Covid-19 cases and deaths that had occurred in the previous 24 hours - a day after the South America country reported its daily record number of deaths.
“… The decision sparked outrage among members of Brazil’s congress and judiciary, while medics in the country – now considered the epicentre of the pandemic – said it would hamper their efforts to manage the disease.
“…On Sunday night, the health ministry resumed releasing the cumulative number of coronavirus cases and deaths following national outrage.”

(8 Jun 2020) UK ministers face legal challenge for refusal to order PPE inquiry Guardian report June 8: "Ministers are facing a high court legal challenge after they refused to order an urgent investigation into the shortages of personal protective equipment faced by NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Doctors, lawyers and campaigners for older people’s welfare issued proceedings on Monday which they hope will lead to a judicial review of the government’s efforts to ensure that health professionals and social care staff had enough PPE to keep them safe.
"They want to compel ministers to hold an independent inquiry into PPE and ensure staff in settings looking after Covid-19 patients will be able to obtain the gowns, masks, eye protection and gloves they need if, as many doctors fear, there is a second wave of the disease."

(8 Jun 2020) Student nurses ‘being asked to carry out unsupervised drug rounds’ Nursing Times (June 8) reveals breaches in NMC guidelines: “Some NHS trusts are wrongly allowing student nurses on extended clinical placements to carry out unsupervised medication rounds, a leading student representative has revealed.
“More than 25,000 students opted to carry out paid extended clinical placements which were designed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to support the coronavirus response.
“But concerns have been raised that because those in their final six months of study are being remunerated at band 4, they are being expected to work like a qualified nurse at this level, rather than students.”

(7 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson speeds up hospital building to aid economy Sunday Torygraph June 7 flags up the Tories’ latest dead cat to divert from the disastrous mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic:
“Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to speed up the construction of new hospitals, as he prepares to set out a blueprint for how he will "rebuild Britain" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic …”
And Johnson is determined to get around the fact that few if any of the six ‘new’ hospitals actually promised and funded had proper plans in place (drawn up before Covid changed the world) – and that some are already facing a legal challenge by local councils and campaigners alarmed at the threat to bed numbers:
“…a new team already examining the effect of cumbersome planning rules and 'endless consultations'. The team is studying possible reforms to the system of judicial reviews, resuming work begun in February, when Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister's chief aide, warned that there must be 'urgent action on the farce that judicial review has become.' "

(7 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson told to dump rhetoric and plan for new Covid wave Guardian June 7|: “Senior figures from across the NHS have issued an urgent plea for a comprehensive plan to tackle a second wave of coronavirus infections, as Boris Johnson continues to lose public confidence in his handling of the pandemic.
“Amid persistent fears among scientists that the virus remains too prevalent to ease the lockdown further, the prime minister has been urged to ditch “cheap political rhetoric” that risks eroding the public’s adherence to lockdown measures in the months ahead.
“Health chiefs say there should be no further easing before a comprehensive test and trace system has been proved to work, as NHS figures accuse the government of lacking a strategy and dodging an “honest and open” debate about Britain’s plight. They also warned of a “dramatic” drop in capacity at NHS hospitals.”

(7 Jun 2020) NHS on life support: Up to one in six will be on waiting lists as health service turns to private hospitals Major extended June 7 investigation by Independent's Shaun Lintern with some shocking warnings:
"More than one in six people in England could be waiting for NHS treatment by the autumn – the result of Covid-19 forcing hospitals to run at 60 per cent capacity as the threat reshapes healthcare services.
"The Independent can reveal NHS England will extend its nationwide contract with private hospitals beyond June and into the summer. Health chiefs are in talks to come up with a longer-term deal that will see private healthcare companies integrated into the NHS like never before and providing up to 2 million NHS procedures a year.
"Health secretary Matt Hancock has made clear he expects private hospitals will have a “critical role”.
"The persistent menace of Covid-19 means hospitals up and down the country are being forced to remove beds and redesign buildings to keep patients safe as they restart routine services. But infection precautions mean only half the normal number of operations a day can be carried out.
"Experts and hospital leaders warned the impact of coronavirus will mean longer waits for treatment, higher costs for the taxpayer and a need to ration care to an extent normally seen only in poorer countries."

(7 Jun 2020) The Observer view on the government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis Observer Editorial June 7 concludes: "As the pandemic goes on, the government appears to be moving further away from, not closer to, the balance of scientific opinion; ministers are increasingly struggling with the huge logistical challenge of managing this pandemic, rather than learning from their mistakes; Johnson is approaching pandemic management more, not less, through the lens of the populist politics of the Vote Leave campaign that he and Cummings together led.
"We agree with the scientific and medical experts who wrote to the Guardian on Friday calling for a rapid public inquiry. Such an inquiry should be focused on producing practical recommendations for the autumn and could be conducted by a cross-party committee of senior parliamentary backbenchers."

(7 Jun 2020) Brazil stops releasing Covid-19 death toll and wipes data from official site Guardian June 7 on how Brazil's far right populist government is dealing with Covid:
"The Brazilian government has been accused of totalitarianism and censorship after it stopped releasing its total numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths and wiped an official site clean of swaths of data.
"Health ministry insiders told local media the move was ordered by far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, himself – and was met with widespread outrage in Brazil, one of the world’s worst-hit Covid-19 hotspots, with more deaths than Italy and more cases than Russia and the UK.
“The authoritarian, insensitive, inhuman and unethical attempt to make those killed by Covid-19 invisible will not succeed. We and Brazilian society will not forget them, nor the tragedy that befalls the nation,” said Alberto Beltrame, president of Brazil’s national council of state health secretaries, in a statement."

(7 Jun 2020) Cuba sets example with successful programme to contain coronavirus Guardian report June 7 on a success story: “The World Health Organization has identified Latin America as the new centre for coronavirus pandemic, but over the last two months, cases in Cuba have fallen. Cubans are now 24 times less likely to catch the virus than Dominicans, 27 times less likely to catch it than Mexicans, and more than 70 times less likely to be infected than Brazilians.
“Desperate for tourist revenue, Cuba closed its border later than most other countries in the region. But ever since the communist-ruled island shut out the outside world in late March, it has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the virus.
“The state has commanded tens of thousands of family doctors, nurses and medical students to “actively screen” all homes on the island for cases Covid-19 – every single day.
“There’s no other country in the hemisphere that does anything approaching this,” said William Leogrande, professor of government at American University in Washington DC. “The whole organization of their healthcare system is to be in close touch with the population, identify health problems as they emerge, and deal with them immediately.”

(6 Jun 2020) Serco wins Covid-19 test-and-trace contract despite £1m fine Guardian June 6 on the apparently endless succession of Serco scandals: "Serco, one of the companies that has secured a lucrative government contract for the Covid contact-tracing programme, was fined more than £1m for failures on another government contract just months ago, the Observer has learned.
"The revelation has led to campaigners against the privatisation of public services to call for the £45.8m test-and-trace contract to be cancelled.
"Serco has a range of government contracts both in the UK and overseas, much of it focused on criminal justice and immigration. It has already had to apologise after breaching data protection rules on its test-and-trace contract by inadvertently revealing the email addresses of new recruits. The junior health minister, Edward Argar, is a former Serco lobbyist."

(6 Jun 2020) NHS trust bosses not consulted over new face mask rules BBC June 6 report: "NHS trusts were not consulted before the government announced changes to the use of face coverings and visitor policy in English hospitals, the chief executive of NHS Providers has said.
"Chris Hopson said trust leaders felt "completely in the dark" about the "significant and complex" changes.
"From 15 June, hospital visitors and outpatients must wear face coverings and staff must use surgical masks.
"The Department of Health says masks can be provided by the hospital if needed.
"A spokeswoman said that, while the public were "strongly urged" to wear a face covering while inside hospitals, no-one would be denied care."

(6 Jun 2020) Care home residents foot £100 a week for coronavirus costs Guardian June 6 on the latest revelation of how dysfunctional our care home sector has become:
“Older people and their families are being asked to pay more than £100 a week on top of their usual care home fees, with homes saying the cost of PPE and staff absences could push their finances into the red, threatening their sustainability.
“ ‘Older people living in care homes and their families have been through the mill these last few months,” said Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK. “It is adding insult to injury that after going through so much, some residents who pay for their own care are now facing a big extra bill – on top of already expensive fees.’
“Abrahams said that central government should meet care homes’ extra costs. ‘Otherwise there’s a risk that some homes could fold, leaving their residents homeless,” she warned.’ ”

(6 Jun 2020) £108m PPE contract was given to small pest control company Times June 6 report of another shocking award by ministers of a major tender to a firm with no qualifications:
"A small family-run pest control company was handed a contract worth £108 million to procure personal protective equipment for frontline health staff at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
"PestFix, which has only 16 employees and net assets of £18,000, was turned overnight into one of the government’s largest suppliers of PPE last month.
"It is one of a number of companies to have been awarded multimillion-pound contracts to provide facemasks, gowns and visors despite lacking experience in the field.
"The contracts were signed in early April when ministers were under huge public pressure to improve the supply of PPE to hospitals and care homes amid global shortages. The flurry of offers to help was so overwhelming that in late April the government paid £200,000 to a call centre supplier to clear a backlog of about 5,000 offers.
"Last night the chairman of parliament’s public accounts committee said it and the National Audit Office would be scrutinising the contracts awarded to ensure that they represented value for money. “The need for PPE for frontline staff is urgent and critical but tendering outside the normal rules can be risky,” Meg Hillier said."

(6 Jun 2020) Vital health projects axed as Tory cuts batter Liverpool council Liverpool Echo report June 6: "Merseyside has areas with some of the highest health inequalities in the UK, yet projects to encourage people to make changes to their lifestyles to improve their health have fallen victim to a lack of funding.
"With resources increasingly stretched rising to meet the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic, the ability of Liverpool Council to address chronic health inequalities has been put under further pressure.
"The cuts were agreed by councillors at the annual budget meeting in March and form part of £30m of savings needed this year to balance the council’s books."

(6 Jun 2020) NHS on life support: Up to one in six will be on waiting lists as health service turns to private hospitals Major June 6 report from Independent's Shaun Lintern begins: "More than one in six people in England could be waiting for NHS treatment by the autumn – the result of Covid-19 forcing hospitals to run at 60 per cent capacity as the threat reshapes healthcare services.
"The Independent can reveal NHS England will extend its nationwide contract with private hospitals beyond June and into the summer.
"Health chiefs are in talks to come up with a longer-term deal that will see private healthcare companies integrated into the NHS like never before and providing up to 2 million NHS procedures a year."

(5 Jun 2020) No return to 'business as usual' for dentists BBC June 5 report: "The British Dental Association (BDA) has warned there will be no return to "business as usual" for dentistry in England.
"Practices were told last week that they could reopen from Monday 8 June, if they put in place appropriate safety measures.
"But some dentists say it was not enough warning and they lack necessary kit. A poll of 2,053 practices in England suggests that just over a third (36%) plan to reopen on Monday.
"Anyone expecting dentistry to magically return on Monday will find only a skeleton service," says BDA chair Mick Armstrong. "Those practices reopening now face fewer patients and higher costs and will struggle to meet demand."

(5 Jun 2020) We can't be 100% sure face masks work – but that shouldn't stop us wearing them Primary health care expert Trish Greenhalgh in Guardian June 5 notes the lack of relevant research on the effectiveness of face masks, and concludes:
"Like dozens of other countries, England is about to have a natural experiment of face coverings in public places. Still, the scientists will continue to argue. If transmission rates of Covid-19 fall as predicted, public health experts – and I count myself among them – will say this has produced a “fact” that face coverings are effective source control. And triallists will say that in the absence of a trial (which they will continue to demand), this is not a fact because there’s no robust evidence that the association is causal. Whether we can agree on “the facts” or not, we’ll hopefully welcome the positive outcomes, as I predict that transmission of Covid-19 will fall and that any harms will be relatively minor and worth the trade-off."

(5 Jun 2020) 'Die-in' outside Dominic Cummings's house over COVID-19 response Sky News reports, June 5: "Protesters staged a "die-in" outside Dominic Cummings' house over the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Holding signs and wearing face masks, about 20 campaigners lay on the street outside the north London home of the prime minister's controversial adviser on Thursday evening.
"One of the placards read: "Over 50,000 dead while you're playing king of the castle.""

(5 Jun 2020) ‘Primary’ PPE portal relegated to ‘emergency top-up route’ (£) HSJ June 5 reports a fresh twist in the ongoing PPE supply chain scandal, with a new U-turn:
"A government portal to supply personal protective equipment to primary and social care providers has now been branded “emergency only” - despite originally being intended to fill “the bulk” of demand.
"This means the eBay-built website is only currently available as “an emergency top-up route”, to be used when existing supply routes have failed.
"… In April, an internal update seen by HSJ said the portal would be “the primary method of centralised distribution” of PPE to primary and social care providers, fulfilling “the bulk” of demand during the covid-19 crisis once fully rolled out.
"But Thursday’s presentation described the portal to customers as “an emergency top-up route” to be used only when existing supply methods failed.
"Those that are registered can request small batches of gloves, masks and aprons through the portal on a weekly basis. At present, GPs can order up to 50 IIR masks, 200 aprons and 200 pairs of gloves per week. Small domiciliary care providers and care homes with 24 beds or fewer can order up to 100 IIR masks, 400 aprons and 400 pairs of gloves per week"

(5 Jun 2020) WHO advises public to wear face masks when unable to distance Guardian June 5: "People over 60 or with health issues should wear a medical-grade mask when they are out and cannot socially distance, according to new guidance from the World Health Organization, while all others should wear a three-layer fabric mask.
"The announcement on Friday marks a significant change of stance by the WHO …
"…Until now the global body has been reluctant to advocate the wearing of face coverings by the public because of limited evidence that they offer protection. There were also fears of a rush on masks leading to shortages of medical-grade versions for health workers."

(5 Jun 2020) Patients Not Passports – Migrants’ Access to Healthcare During the Coronavirus Crisis A new (June 5) Medact briefing paper, co-produced by Migrants Organise and the New Economics Foundation examines the barriers to accessing healthcare for migrants during the coronavirus crisis.
The findings of the research lead to a series of urgent recommendations designed to help inform the government’s response to the public health emergency.
The report’s findings highlights numerous cases of migrants being denied healthcare outright; or refusing to seek care due to fear of Government policies or racial profiling.
The report shows that:
• Migrants are not coming forward for healthcare because of the Government’s Hostile Environment, including during the coronavirus pandemic.
• The coronavirus ‘exemption’ from charging and immigration checks is not working – people are still being asked to show their passports for coronavirus treatment, and migrants are still too fearful of the Hostile Environment to come forward for treatment for coronavirus.
• Migrants are facing a wide range of additional barriers – including language and digital exclusions – to accessing care during the pandemic, including to emergency services.

(5 Jun 2020) Thousands more may have died with coronavirus without being diagnosed, data reveals ITV News report June 5: "The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that between March 7 and May 1 this year there were 46,380 more deaths than in an average year - but almost 13,000 of these deaths were not attributed to coronavirus.
"The ONS concludes that many cases may have been missed - the vast majority were in care homes.
"ITV News has spoken to several families who say their relatives passed away with symptoms of Covid-19, without the virus ever being recorded as a cause of death.
"In April, 89 year-old Isobel Hick died at her care home in Scarborough, after several other residents had been diagnosed with Covid-19. But because she hadn’t been tested for the virus, her death certificate simply records “dementia” as the cause of death."

(5 Jun 2020) Covid-19 Shambles: 11 Reasons why “guided by science” claim is lie Keep Our NHS public report, June 5 "The government keeps telling us they are "guided by the science", but this mantra does not fit the facts. In truth, its policies have been characterised by callousness, greed and ineptitude. Here is Keep Our NHS Public’s 11-point guide to the shambles of our Government’s Covid-19 response. "

(5 Jun 2020) Healthcare workers should self-isolate if any colleague tests positive for COVID-19, says Hancock Nursing Notes June 5 with a change of policy that could trigger a new shortage of PPE and bring departments to a halt:
“The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has told health and social care staff that they are not exempt from the self-isolation rules. Speaking live during today’s daily Downing Street briefing, Matt Hancock told health and social care workers that ‘if one of your team tests positive you have to test the isolation advice.’
“The current guidance from Public Health England (PHE) means that any health or social care worker who has been in close proximity to a colleague who tests positive would need to self-isolate at home for 14 days, even if asymptomatic.
“Mr. Hancock admitted that while the new measures may cause ‘logistical challenges’, insisted they were necessary.
“This advice comes alongside new rules forcing staff to wear face masks “at all times” due to an increased risk of health and social care staff catching the virus. Hospital visitors and outpatients will also be required to wear face coverings.”

(5 Jun 2020) Parts of South West could face local lockdown as R-rate increases, says Health Secretary Cornwall Live report June 5: "The Health Secretary has said that local lockdowns will be brought in if the R-rate continues to rise in certain locations.
"Earlier it was reported that the R-rate has risen to 1 in the South West, meaning the region now has the second highest rate of transmission of the virus in England.
"Matt Hancock said Sage believes the R is below one and said local lockdowns would be used when flare-ups are spotted, pointing towards a success in Weston-super-Mare.
"The Health Secretary told the Downing Street briefing: “You’re right that the R is closer to one in the South West and in the North West, the advice from Sage is that R is below one in all regions.
“However, we want to increasingly have an approach in tackling local lockdowns where we spot a flare-up."

(5 Jun 2020) Experts told UK to boost test-and-trace in February, papers show Guardian June 5 new revelation on avoidable, but lethal government failures: “The government was advised to scale up its coronavirus test-and-trace effort using a call centre system as early as February, government documents show, raising questions about why the system launched last week as lockdown measures were eased is still not fully operational.
“A report presented to the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on 12 February, when the UK was still actively tracing contacts of those infected with Covid-19, recommended a 10-fold increase in Public Health England’s test-and-trace capacity in order to extend the number of cases that could be managed.
“‘Scaling this response up, using for example a call-centre type system to support the local PHE teams, should be possible and feasible,’ the experts from Public Health England and the University of Cambridge recommended.
“However, this suggestion does not appear to have been pursued and contact tracing was abandoned in March.”

(5 Jun 2020) The Brexit crisis led to totally incompetent leadership at a time of unprecedented calamity. Now we are paying for it Independent article from Patrick Cockburn June 5:
"Britain is discovering the hard way how far its administrative machine has been weakened by cuts and outsourcing. Central government has monopolised authority and resources and starved local authorities of both, though they should be on the cutting edge of “test and trace”.
"An editorial in the British Medical Journal of which the lead author is a professor of European public health, Martin McKee, succinctly sums up what has happened:
“A hollowed out civil service has long turned to outsourcing companies, despite their repeated failures. Companies with little relevant experience have struggled to organise viral testing or contact tracing. The task of coordinating activities with existing organisations, such as NHS laboratories or local public health departments, is too complex for their business model.”

(4 Jun 2020) NHS test-and-trace system 'not fully operational until September' Guardian June 4 exclusive on leak revealing just how poor the privatised track and trace system really is:
"The NHS coronavirus test-and-trace system designed to prevent a second deadly wave is not expected to work at full speed until September or October, the Guardian has learned.
"Tony Prestedge, the chief operating officer of the NHS scheme, admitted in a webinar to staff that the programme would be “imperfect” at launch, adding that he hoped it would be operational at a world-class level within three to four months.
"It comes as a leaked email from the chief executive of Serco – one of the main companies contracted to deliver the service – revealed how he doubted the scheme would evolve smoothly but said he wanted it to “cement the position of the private sector” in the NHS supply chain.
"The disclosures come as scientists said lockdown measures should not be eased until the test-and-trace service is well established. The system, which tracks those who have contracted coronavirus and anyone they have been in contact with, before asking them to self-isolate, was rolled out across England last week with the help of 25,000 contact tracers."

(4 Jun 2020) Test and trace system not expected to be ‘world-class’ until September, leaked comments suggest Independent report June 4|: "Tony Prestedge, the chief operating officer of the scheme, is reported to have admitted in a video message to staff that the system will not be working at full speed for months.
"The apparent admission came after the prime minister, Boris Johnson, claimed the UK would have a “world-beating” test and trace system by the start of June.
“I am sure when Dido [Harding, the chief executive] announces this service later she will make clear that it is an imperfect service at launch that we will improve over time and make it world-class by the time that we are moving towards the September or October time,” Mr Prestedge said, according to The Guardian.
“We know it will be imperfect, we know it will be clunky but we ask you to help us improve the service.”

(3 Jun 2020) Increased risk of infection behind higher ethnic minority deaths, Sage report suggests Independent June 3 report stresses findings from SAGE that underline impact of inequalities in raising risks to BAME people from Covid-19: “Black and minority ethnic (Bame) people are not more likely to die from Covid-19 once their characteristics and underlying conditions are taken into account, according to a report requested by the government’s Sage committee last month.
“The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies ordered the analysis in mid-April after a “signal” that black people had a higher risk of death among coronavirus patients compared with the overall Bame population.
“Experts from the University of Liverpool and Edinburgh University … concluded that while black and minority ethnic people were more likely to be admitted to hospital and critical care with Covid-19, once their characteristics were taken into account their risk of admission to intensive care and risk of death were equivalent to white patients.
“The study, one of more than 50 documents released at the weekend, appears to show that the increased risk of death from the coronavirus for Bame patients is not due to medical reasons but to their likelihood of initially being infected and may be linked to occupation, housing and other non-medical risks.”

(3 Jun 2020) Swedish expert admits country should have had tighter coronavirus controls Financial Times, June 3 report: “The architect of Sweden’s controversial lighter lockdown policy for dealing with coronavirus has for the first time conceded the Scandinavian country should have imposed more restrictions to avoid having such a high death toll.
“Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, agreed with the interviewer on Sveriges Radio that too many people had died in the country. “If we would encounter the same disease, with exactly what we know about it today, I think we would land midway between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world did,” said Mr Tegnell in the interview broadcast on Wednesday morning.
“Mr Tegnell’s admission is striking as for months he has criticised other countries’ lockdowns and insisted that Sweden’s approach was more sustainable despite heavy international scrutiny of its stubbornly high death toll.”

(3 Jun 2020) Increased risk of infection behind higher ethnic minority deaths, Sage report suggests Independent June 3 “Black and minority ethnic (Bame) people are not more likely to die from Covid-19 once their characteristics and underlying conditions are taken into account, according to a report requested by the government’s Sage committee last month.
“… Experts from the University of Liverpool and Edinburgh University used data on hospital coronavirus patients and matched patients from ethnic minorities to white patients using 23 different characteristics including age on admission, sex, obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, asthma, smoking and deprivation.
“They concluded that while black and minority ethnic people were more likely to be admitted to hospital and critical care with Covid-19, once their characteristics were taken into account their risk of admission to intensive care and risk of death were equivalent to white patients.
“The study, one of more than 50 documents released at the weekend, appears to show that the increased risk of death from the coronavirus for Bame patients is not due to medical reasons but to their likelihood of initially being infected and may be linked to occupation, housing and other non-medical risks.”

(3 Jun 2020) Keir Starmer warns PM: get a grip or risk second coronavirus wave June 3: “In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the Labour leader launched a stinging attack on the prime minister, accusing him of “winging it” over the easing of the lockdown and making an already “difficult situation 10 times worse”.
“He also questioned whether the timing of some decisions over the relaxation of the lockdown rules had been taken “to try to deflect attention away” from the Dominic Cummings affair – an episode, he said, that showed Johnson was too weak to sack his chief adviser.
“In a significant hardening of his language, Starmer said Johnson had to “get a grip” of the crisis. “My [worry] is that after a week or more of mismanagement, I’m deeply concerned the government has made a difficult situation 10 times worse,” he said.”

(3 Jun 2020) Censorship row over report on UK BAME Covid-19 deaths Guardian report June 3: “Concerns about censorship have been raised after third-party submissions were left out of the government-commissioned report on the disproportionate effects of Covid-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic people
“Public Health England said it had engaged with more than 1,000 people during its inquiry. But the report, which has been criticised for failing to investigate the reasons for the disparities or make recommendations on how to address them, did not mention the consultations.
“Anger has been compounded by a report in the Health Service Journal claiming that before publication the government removed a section detailing responses from third parties, many of whom highlighted structural racism.
“The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which called in its written submission for “specific measures … to tackle the culture of discrimination and racism [within the NHS]”, said it had contacted PHE to ask why its evidence was not included.”

(3 Jun 2020) England had the chance to prepare for lifting lockdown, but our leaders wasted it Outspoken Guardian June 3 comment by normally reticent former King’s Fund boss Chris Ham:
“Unfathomably, the government decided to ease restrictions while the Covid-19 alert level was still at four, which denotes a high level of transmission. A reasonable inference to make is that politics has taken precedence over “the science”.
“Indeed, members of Sage have expressed concern that the lockdown is being relaxed too soon. The more cautious approach taken by devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is a reminder of English exceptionalism, even in the face of death rates higher than anywhere else in Europe.
“Relaxing the lockdown in advance of having an effective and fully integrated system of testing and tracing in place creates unacceptable risks to the public’s health. If infections and hospital admissions from coronavirus begin to increase, the NHS will face renewed pressure.”

(3 Jun 2020) An uncompromising defender of the NHS: colleagues remember Dr Ron Singer GP Online June 3 tribute to campaigner Dr Ron Singer who died aged 71:
"In a 2014 interview with GPonline to mark the founding of the organsation - known then as the Medical Practitioners Union (MPU) - he explained the philosophy that underpinned his approach to medical politics.
"'You have to be on the streets,' he said. 'You have to bring your colleagues to a point where they can see that unless they act collectively and in a fairly visible manner, the plight of general practice will not be recognised.'
"The Newham GP campaigned powerfully - and visibly - for the NHS he believed in well beyond his retirement from frontline general practice.
"In 2012 as then health secretary Andrew Lansley toured a north London hospital as his controversial health reforms went through parliament, Dr Singer confronted him in person, saying: 'I am a doctor of 30 years Mr Lansley, explain to me how this is going to make patients better.'"

(3 Jun 2020) Just one in three think government has done a good job managing coronavirus pandemic Telegraph (June 3) revealing that a third of the population clearly have no idea what's going on: "A new poll, conducted by YouGov on behalf of campaign group March for Change, found just 31 per cent of adults believe the government is doing a good job, while 44 per cent said it was doing a bad one.
"Asked if there should be an independent public inquiry into how the government has handled the pandemic, 58 per cent said there should be.
"Regional divides were also revealed in the data, as people in London (56 per cent) and Scotland (58 per cent) were the most likely to think the government is doing a bad job, compared to 40 per cent in the North, 40 per cent in the South and 38 per cent in both the Midlands and Wales."
"

(2 Jun 2020) Number of cases and deaths Government website updating daily, reveals continued failure to report numbers of people tested alongside number of tests.
"As of 9am on 2 June, there have been 4,615,146 tests, with 135,643 tests on 1 June.
277,985 people have tested positive.
"As of 5pm on 1 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, 39,369 have died. This new figure includes deaths in all settings, not just in hospitals. The equivalent figure under the old measure would have been 31,136."

(2 Jun 2020) Reducing social distancing to one metre would double risk of infection, study suggests Independent June 2: "Reducing social distancing from two metres to one could double the risk of being infected with coronavirus, according to a comprehensive new study published amid growing calls for the UK to reduce its guidance to allow more businesses to reopen.
"Researchers found distancing of a metre or more reduces the risk of infection to 13 per cent, compared to 3 per cent for less than a metre. However, analysis of modelling published in The Lancet suggests for every extra metre further away up to three metres, the risk of infection or transmission may halve.
"In the UK people are advised to keep a distance of two metres from others, but there have been calls to reduce this to 1.5 metres like in other countries such as Germany to help the hospitality sector reopen.
"Businesses such as theatres, pubs and music venues could be particularly hit hard by the two-metre rule, which would severely restrict the number of customers allowed inside."

(2 Jun 2020) Chris Whitty thwarted Boris Johnson’s bid to downgrade coronavirus threat level Times, June 2, reports: "Boris Johnson’s hopes of downgrading the virus alert level last week were resisted by the chief medical officer for England.
"The prime minister had wanted to announce that the five-stage alert level was being reduced from 4 to 3 to coincide with yesterday’s partial relaxation of the lockdown. His road map published on May 11 said that the relaxation of social-distancing measures “must be warranted by the alert level”.
"In the event Mr Johnson was able only to repeat that the level was “moving towards 3” after Chris Whitty insisted it remain at the second-highest level. The decision to relax the lockdown without a full reduction in the alert level has prompted questions over the system’s credibility. No 10 has yet to explain what benchmarks, such as the number and location of daily new infections, inform the five levels."

(2 Jun 2020) AI firm that worked with Vote Leave given new coronavirus contract Guardian June 2: "An artificial intelligence firm hired to work on the Vote Leave campaign may analyse social media data, utility bills and credit rating scores as part of a £400,000 contract to help the government deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
"The company, Faculty, was awarded the contract by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government last month. However the full details of its work for the government are unknown because the published version of the contract was partly redacted.
"The disclosure comes amid questions from civil liberties groups as to how private companies hired by the government during the pandemic are using confidential data.
"The unredacted portion of the contract shows that the MHCLG said such work was likely to require data from “social media, utility providers and telecom bills, credit rating agencies” as well as from the government, but provides few other specifics."

(2 Jun 2020) CQC publishes data on deaths of people with a learning disability Disturbing CQC report on huge 134% increase in death rates of people with learning disabilities this year compared with last year, suggesting this vulnerable group are also being failed by government policies.
"While we know this data has its limitations what it does show is a significant increase in deaths of people with a learning disability as a result of COVID-19. We already know that people with a learning disability are at an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, meaning that access to testing could be key to reducing infection and saving lives.
"These figures also show that the impact on this group of people is being felt at a younger age range than in the wider population – something that should be considered in decisions on testing of people of working age with a learning disability."

(2 Jun 2020) Covid-19: Questions of conscience and duty for scientific advisers Highly critical BMJ editorial pointing to government's departure from "the science" goes on to question how scientists and doctors should respond:
“This is meant to be a moment of optimism, a green recovery, centred on the health of people and the planet, backed by an effective system of testing and contact tracing and possibly informed by a public inquiry.
“Instead, England arrives here in a state of utter confusion. The public’s confidence in the official lockdown advice is shaken. The covid-19 response is short on testing, uncertain on contact tracing, and reliant on unreliable apps.
“Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are not following England’s lead. The UK has the second highest number of covid-19 deaths of any nation and, by some calculations, the most deaths per capita.
“… Scientists and doctors in advisory positions face a dual obligation to the state and to the public. But what happens when the government’s integrity no longer matches your personal or professional integrity, when your public accountability seems greater than that of the politicians you advise?”

(2 Jun 2020) Things are not getting better – our data is getting worse June 2 comment from The London Economic: “The UK death toll increased by four times the amount that was reported by Matt Hancock at the daily press briefing on Monday. Owing to “statistical housekeeping” on behalf of the government, they have been able to report figures that paint a much rosier picture of the current situation in the UK.
“The health secretary announced that there were just 111 fatalities … When in fact 445 deaths were subsequently added, largely owing to cases which had been identified through commercial partners rather than by NHS and Public Health England laboratories.”

(2 Jun 2020) Tory MP husband of Test and Trace chief Dido Harding linked to anti-NHS group Mirror June 2: "The Tory MP husband of Test and Trace chief Dido Harding has been linked to a right-wing group calling for the NHS to be replaced by an insurance system.
"Former minister John Penrose said last month he was “delighted” to join the advisory board of 1828.
"One article authored by 1828’s co-founders argued Britain should be “bold and progressive” – scrapping the NHS in favour of a system where people pay for insurance either through private firms or a government scheme.
"It said: “With a social health insurance system, you don’t need the state to own or subsidise hospitals, or to control policy from the centre; you simply need it to regulate the system to a satisfactory degree.”

(2 Jun 2020) BAME people twice as likely to die of COVID-19, finds PHE report Nursing Notes June 2: "Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities are twice as likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. A report by Public Health England (PHE) identifies those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities as at greater risk from COVID-19 but has been criticised for failing to provide any recommendations.
"The ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19’ report was published by PHE earlier today despite rumours it would be delayed.
"It concludes that members of the BAME community are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than white ethnic groups.
"Following diagnosis “People of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Other Asian, Caribbean and Other Black ethnicity had between 10 and 50% higher risk of death when compared to White British.” All-cause mortality was said to be up to 4 times higher in some subsets."

(2 Jun 2020) Boris Johnson takes back control of coronavirus crisis with Downing Street shake-up This (£) Telegraph June 2 exclusive does raise questions of who has been in charge of the government's response for the past 3 months:
"Boris Johnson is to take "direct control" of the Government's handling of the coronavirus crisis after a chaotic fortnight in which his chief aide was accused of breaking the lockdown rules and the Government's test and trace plans were hit by setbacks.
"A shake-up in Downing Street will see the Government's entire approach to the pandemic run by two centrally-run committees, covering strategy and operational delivery.
"Tory MPs said the changes could weaken the influence of chief adviser Dominic Cummings – who was heavily criticised for a 260-mile trip during lockdown – and allow Mr Johnson to tighten his grip on the fight against the pandemic after being treated in intensive care for the virus.
"In the past fortnight, his Government has been criticised over plans to quarantine new arrivals in the UK, while a test and trace app to track people infected with coronavirus has failed to materialise.
"The reforms will also free up some of the Prime Minister's top team to focus on the Brexit talks ahead of a crucial deadline next month when the UK must decide whether to extend the transition period beyond the end of this year."

(2 Jun 2020) Leaked report reveals just 1,749 people out of 4,456 contacted by track and trace Mirror June 2: "A leaked report has revealed that just 1,749 people have been contacted by the government's much heralded track and trace system in the first four days since it was launched.
"Matt Hancock has described the NHS test and trace system as "successful" but has repeatedly been unable to provide figures for the number of people contacted under the system.
"Around 25,000 people have been hired as tracers to help track new cases.
"Today the national coordinator for the scheme Professor John Newton said that thousands of contacts had been successfully identified using test and trace."

(2 Jun 2020) Review into impact of COVID-19 on BAME community delayed again Sky News June 2, "A review into how the BAME community has been affected by COVID-19 has been delayed again because of "worries" around "current global events", Sky News understands.
"Public Health England's review was commissioned by Health Secretary Matt Hancock and due for release "by the end of May" as per the terms of reference.
"But government sources said it was being put on hold until Wednesday because it was not ready for publishing.
"They now say it has been delayed further because it is in "close proximity to the current situation in America" and it would be a "bad combination" if it was released amid global outrage over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
"One Whitehall source told Sky News: "The government won't be able to put this out without concrete and solid next steps."
Of course this is exactly what they did.

(2 Jun 2020) University Hospitals to cut pay of all doctors, including those working on coronavirus frontlines From the US, Cleveland Metro report on the latest contortions of the US health care market in response to Covid-19: "University Hospitals has temporarily cut the pay of doctors treating patients by 7%, including physicians working on the frontlines to care for coronavirus patients.
"Doctors will receive a 10% drop in pay for any administrative work they do. Clinical leaders will also receive a 10% pay reduction.
"The move to slash doctor’s pay comes after the hospital system in April slashed the hours and pay of 4,100 workers not directly involved in patient care by 20% for 10 weeks.
"University Hospitals blamed the most recent pay cuts pay cuts on budget shortfalls caused by the pandemic. It’s spent more than $30 million to cover an increased need for labor, supplies and operations."

(2 Jun 2020) Government censored BAME covid-risk review June 2 article in HSJ: “The government removed a key section from Public Health England’s review of the relative risk of covid-19 to specific groups, HSJ has discovered. The report was published on Tuesday.
“The review reveals the virus poses a greater risk to those who are older, male and overweight. The risk is also described as “disproportionate” for those with Asian, Caribbean and black ethnicities. It makes no attempt to explain why the risk to BAME groups should be higher.
“An earlier draft of the review which was circulated within government last week contained a section which included responses from the 1,000-plus organisations and individuals who supplied evidence to the review. Many of these suggested that discrimination and poorer life chances were playing a part in the increased risk of covid-19 to those with BAME backgrounds. HSJ understands this section was an annexe to the report but could also stand alone.
“… One source with knowledge of the review said the section “did not survive contact with Matt Hancock’s office” over the weekend.”

(2 Jun 2020) UK coronavirus death toll passes 50,000, official figures show Guardian report June 2: “The UK reached a grim milestone in its battle with coronavirus on Tuesday, as the death toll passed 50,000, according to official figures.
“… The UK death toll is higher than the other worst-affected countries in Europe: Italy, France and Spain, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, and the number of people killed by coronavirus in the UK since it emerged in China in January is only currently surpassed by the United States.
“The number of deaths registered in England and Wales with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 reached 44,401 by 22 May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), but when more recent figures from the NHS and from statistics authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland are added in, the tally hits 50,032.”

(2 Jun 2020) We cannot continue to run our health service focused solely on the short term June 2 Public Finance article by Anita Charlesworth of Health Foundation concludes:
"It would be wrong to conclude that the Covid-19 experience means efficiency doesn’t matter, but it does highlight that however efficient our system, the overall level of funding and capacity matters even more.
"… But there also needs to be a more nuanced and comprehensive view of system efficiency which extends beyond the narrow prism of short-term delivery of certain front-line services to include system resilience. "

(1 Jun 2020) Huge drop in overseas nurses (£) HSJ Exclusive June 1 notes: "The number of overseas nurses who joined the UK nursing and midwifery register on a permanent basis fell dramatically in April — but a large number signed up to work during the covid-19 crisis under special rules.
"Figures collected by the Nursing and Midwifery Council show a drop from 1,348 overseas nurses joining its “permanent register” in March, to just 35 in April. There were also more than 1,000 in both January and February, with more overseas than English permanent registrants in those months.
"It suggests the global outbreak, as predicted, severely restricted the flow of overseas nurses, which played a big part of NHS and government hopes for bolstering total numbers."

(1 Jun 2020) Almost a week now since Govt has been able to say how many people are being tested June 1 graphic and comment from digital journalism lecturer Paul Bradshaw: "This is how many tests have been done, and those that were sent out in May
"In the last week of April the Government changed the counting criteria so they could add "delivered tests" to their daily testing figures. This chart separates the two types of counting, as well as "surveillance" tests.
"Figures on "people tested" do not include the same breakdown, so although these are shown below they are less reliable. The statistics regulator has urged Matt Hancock to improve the level of detail provided in testing data."

(1 Jun 2020) Exercise Cygnus: NHS doctor's legal bid to force Government to release papers on pandemic preparedness (£) Telegraph June 1: "An NHS doctor has launched a judicial review of the Government's refusal to reveal the full findings of a secret simulation designed to test the UK's preparedness for a pandemic.
"Dr Moosa Qureshi filed a claim against Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, in the High Court on Monday. Dr Qureshi and his legal team are seeking to force the Government to release the full findings of Exercise Cygnus, a cross-governmental dry run carried out in late 2016.
"The Department of Health has repeatedly refused to publish Cygnus, citing concerns that doing so could jeopardise the ability of civil servants to speak freely behind the scenes.
"However, a document setting out the broad conclusions of Cygnus was leaked to newspapers last month. It revealed that the Government had been forewarned of the likely impact of a new disease on care homes.
"Whitehall insiders have also disclosed that Cygnus warned that the NHS might be overwhelmed in the event of a pandemic amid shortages of critical care beds, mortuary places and personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline health workers."

(1 Jun 2020) Easing Covid-19 shielding in England 'risks second wave' Guardian June 1: “Care home operators have warned that easing Covid-19 shielding restrictions for 2.2 million vulnerable people risks a second wave of infections, as it emerged that government scientific advisers who previously warned against such a move were not asked to reconsider the matter.
“New guidance allows the “clinically extremely vulnerable” to go outside and, if they live alone, meet one friend from Monday. They include many in long-term care facilities for elderly people, as well as those with chronic illnesses living at home.
“Strict isolation rules were expected to stay in place for at least another two weeks. The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned in April that “lifting the policy of shielding the vulnerable would … lead to a sharp increase in hospitalisation, ICU admissions, and the death rates within this age group”.
“… The sudden relaxation of the rules this weekend appeared to surprise many health officials. NHS England’s primary care medical director, Nikki Kanani, indicated on Twitter that she was not told in advance.”

(1 Jun 2020) Here to stay? How the NHS will have to learn to live with coronavirus Nigel Edwards of Nuffield Trust in an interesting discussion paper on future of the NHS now that Covid-19 has shaken things up:
"Now, as the number of Covid-19 hospital admissions gradually declines, policy attention is turning to how the NHS can restart some more routine activities, with hospitals beginning to resume elective surgery and cancer treatments. But doing this while living alongside Covid-19 will involve major practical challenges that will need to be overcome.
"It will inevitably have a large negative impact on the ability of the NHS to deliver what it was able to offer previously.
"This could mean the public having to accept reduced services, health and care staff facing continued and long-term changes to their ways of working, and difficult choices
ahead for policymakers in accepting a degree of rationing of health care that would previously have been seen as unacceptable. "

(1 Jun 2020) Critics round on No 10 over 'ridiculous' rules for 14-day quarantine Guardian June 1 report: "Tens of thousands of new arrivals to the UK will be able to go food shopping, change accommodation and use public transport from airports during a 14-day quarantine imposed to prevent a second wave of coronavirus, under draft plans to be laid before parliament.
"The Guardian understands that about a fifth of people are expected to receive a spot-check to ensure that they are staying at the address or addresses they have provided to the authorities, but enforcement of the quarantine will be limited.
"The rules, still being finalised and due to be published on Tuesday before coming into effect next week, have prompted cross-party concerns about the potentially limited impact on public health amid warnings of the severe damage that could be caused to the travel and aviation industry."

(31 May 2020) Almost two-thirds of care homes have had no staff tested, data shows - despite government's promise of universal testing by early June Independent May 31: "Only 15 per cent of care home staff have been tested for coronavirus since the start of the outbreak, according to data which suggests the government is failing to meet a key target.
"Health secretary Matt Hancock pledged on 15 May that every elderly resident and member of staff in England would be tested by “early June”.
"However research by the Data Analysis Bureau (T-DAB) and Person Centred Software revealed that by 27 May nearly two-thirds of homes had still not had any staff members tested.
"Just six per cent of care home staff were tested in the seven days leading up to that date.
“The rate of testing of care home staff has picked up in the last week but is still far too slow to get close to the target set by the government,” said Simon Briscoe, director of T-DAB."

(31 May 2020) How a decade of privatisation and cuts exposed England to coronavirus Major May 31 investigation by The Guardian begins "“Let’s not forget,” Boris Johnson said in early March, near the start of the coronavirus crisis, “we already have a fantastic NHS, fantastic testing systems and fantastic surveillance of the spread of disease.”
“Yet those who have experienced the government’s emerging testing and tracing operations for Covid-19 have had limited contact with the NHS. Instead, Britons with symptoms are directed to a network of 50 drive-through testing centres, set up by management consultants at Deloitte.
“Upon arrival, patients are marshalled not by NHS staff, but workers in hi-vis jackets supplied by outsourcing companies, such as Serco, G4S, Mitie and Sodexo. Those who cannot make the drive have received postal test kits, processed by the private diagnostics company Randox and delivered by Amazon.
“When contact tracing to stop the spread of the virus finally moved up the agenda in late April, the health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, said the job would be done with an as–yet unproven NHS app. The app has been developed by private firms for NHSX, the technology wing of the health service, which is also responsible for a Covid-19 government data operation involving tech companies Palantir, Faculty, Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
“On Thursday the government finally launched its long-awaited NHS Test and Trace Service. But despite the name, many of the 25,000 contact tracers tracking those potentially exposed to Covid-19 and advising them to self-isolate will be working not for the NHS, but rather the outsourcing firms Serco and Sitel.”

(31 May 2020) ADPH Presidential Blog: A time for steady leadership, careful preparation and measured steps Association of Directors of Public Health May 31 President’s blog:
“We are at a critical moment. We need to weigh up the balance of risks between easing restrictions, to enable more pupils to return to school, more businesses to open and more social connections to happen, with the risk of causing a resurgence of infections.
“Directors of Public Health are increasingly concerned that the Government is misjudging this balancing act and lifting too many restrictions, too quickly.
“This is a new disease; evidence is still emerging and there is much uncertainty. However, based on what is currently known, several leading scientists and public health experts have spoken out about a string of recent national policy announcements affecting England which project a degree of confidence that many – including ADPH members – do not think is supported by the science.
“Over the weekend we have seen signs that the public is no longer keeping as strictly to social distancing as it was – along with this, we are concerned that the resolve on personal hygiene measures, and the need to immediately self-isolate, if symptomatic, is waning. A relentless effort to regain and rebuild public confidence and trust following recent events is essential.
“… The Government has set five tests, each of which must be regularly reviewed as restrictions are adjusted and eased. Here is our current assessment…”

(31 May 2020) COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable Government guidance - issued at 10.33pm on May 31, to guide behaviour on June 1.

(31 May 2020) Care homes mentioned only twice in five months of Sage minutes Independent report, May 31: “The government’s top scientific advisers discussed care homes only twice between January and May, according to newly published minutes.
“Records for meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, or Sage, which is the key group of experts advising ministers on how to react to the Covid-19 outbreak, reveal a lack of discussion about the risks facing care homes.
“Between January and May, Sage minutes mention care homes only twice, before the start of lockdown in the UK and weeks before the numbers of deaths made headlines across the country.
“… James Bullion, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services said the publication of the minutes "appears to reinforce the impression that social care has been an afterthought – a secondary consideration after the NHS. This cannot continue."

(31 May 2020) The silence of the chief scientists is worrying and deeply political New Statesman 31 may comment begins: "In the astonishing UK government update on the pandemic on the evening of Thursday 28 May, we watched the relationship between government and science collapse before our eyes.
"Much of the media coverage has focused on Boris Johnson’s muzzling of his chief medical officer (CMO) Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser (CSA) Patrick Vallance, as he intervened to prevent them from answering questions about the public health repercussions of Dominic Cummings breaking the lockdown rules. But that much was business as usual: we should by now be used to this increasingly isolated prime minister shutting down inconvenient debate.
"Far more troubling to those who care about the role of scientific advice during the coronavirus crisis was the servile response from those two scientists."

(30 May 2020) Why I quit working on Boris Johnson's ‘world-beating' test-and-tracing system Guardian May 30 anonymous account of working in privatised "track and trace": "The self-led courses were very basic – with some generic dos and don’ts about customer data, security and so on. I completed it all in less than one and a half hours, with a score of 95%+.
"The next morning I was worried, and feeling very unprepared. I felt the job was an important thing to do. But it was essential to get this right, and I didn’t really understand the role and how to use the systems. I logged in and saw a message saying I would be invited to a chatroom and to please wait.
"I waited seven and a half hours (my entire shift). I called the HR helpline after about one hour and was told to relax – everyone is waiting.
"The next day I was scheduled to work again. This time, I was invited to a chatroom. I recognised many of the names in the group from my training, so knew the other people were also new. Many people were writing, “Did anyone do anything yesterday?” “Do we just wait?” “What are we waiting for?”
"… [Wednesday] night I saw someone from the track-and-trace programme had spoken to the BBC, and noted that their group had spent the day watching Netflix or playing games online. Having spent days feeling frustrated, I started to feel dejected too.
Two days later I logged in for my weekend shift and discovered nothing had changed – and that I had clocked up 40 hours of key worker pay for doing absolutely nothing."

(30 May 2020) UK abandoned testing because system 'could only cope with five coronavirus cases a week' (£) Telegraph, losing patience with government handling of pandemic, in May 30 revelation: “Britain’s disastrous decision to abandon testing for coronavirus occurred because health systems could only cope with five cases a week, official documents show.
“Newly-released papers from the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies shows routine testing and tracing of contacts was stopped because Public Health England’s systems were struggling to deal with a handful of cases.
“At a meeting on Feb 18, advisors said PHE could only cope with testing and tracing contacts of five Covid-19 cases a week, with modelling suggesting it might only be possible to increase this to 50 cases.
“Advisors then agreed it was "sensible" to shift to stopping routine testing - despite acknowledging that such a decision would “generate a public reaction”.
“The decision to give up on testing those with symptoms of coronavirus is now seen as the key reason the UK has the highest death toll in Europe.”

(30 May 2020) Jennifer Arcuri warns against using NHS tracking app over data security fears Mirror May 30 report: "Boris Johnson’s alleged ex-mistress is advising against using the NHS coronavirus tracking app. Jennifer Arcuri, who gave him technology lessons at her flat, said: “There is no way I would download that app.”
"The app, which may eventually hold data on millions of Brits, is set to be rolled out across the UK after its Isle of Wight trial.
"Ms Arcuri, 35, raised her fears in an exclusive interview.
She said: “The Government can say they’re doing the best to keep it secure, there’s just no guarantee it’s 100 per cent secure or the data is going to be kept secure, encrypted and used only for this.
“I don’t think people should give away their freedoms.”

(30 May 2020) WHY WE NEED A #PEOPLESVACCINE – With Achal Prabhala and Mohga Kamal-Yanni Podcast May 30. A vaccine against COVID-19 is humanity’s best shot at ending this painful pandemic. But how can we ensure that a vaccine is available to all people, all countries, free of charge?
We talk about the need for a #PeoplesVaccine, what to do about the big pharma monopolies and vaccine nationalism that stand in the way and what we can learn from iconic struggles to fight for access to medicines like the victories by HIV/AIDS activists.

(29 May 2020) Matt Hancock's obsession with hospitals has warped priorities and cost lives Guardian May 29 broadside at Matt Hancock's miserable record on Covid-19, by Richard Vize: "The health and social care secretary’s appearance at the 5pm briefing on Wednesday to finally announce the test and trace system in England showcased the flaws that have undermined the effectiveness of the entire coronavirus response: seeing everything through the lens of the NHS, marginalising and ignoring local government, and throwing money at private companies to fill the gaps left by public sector cuts.
"The “NHS track and trace system” largely consists of thousands of people working in Serco call centres, for which the training has been so haphazard that the company’s chief executive has issued a video apology. Painting NHS lipstick on it is supposed to give people confidence it will work. Unheralded, much of the work will fall to local government public health teams.
"And yet again Hancock delivered a calculated snub to councils, refusing to acknowledge their contribution in a thank-you list that included businesses.
"Hancock knows all about shielding the vulnerable: he has been using the NHS as his personal human shield from the start. Setting himself up as the champion of the health service, the “protect the NHS” mantra quickly became pivotal to his entire approach to the pandemic. This warped priorities and cost lives, as the government initially decided to treat the sickness rather than prevent the illness."

(29 May 2020) NHS ordered to rush out ‘meaningless’ covid antibody tests ahead of PM’s deadline HSJ (May 29) flags up more government jiggery pokery with testing figures: “NHS pathology labs have been given just two days to roll out thousands of antibody tests, amid a push to reach a covid-19 testing target set out by Boris Johnson.
“Earlier this month the Prime Minister set a target of having a testing capacity of 200,000 per day by the end of May. Capacity currently stands at 161,000, Matt Hancock has said.
“… On 27 May, NHS England and Improvement wrote to local leaders giving them two days’ notice to put in place testing capacity for, and deliver, thousands of antibody tests of staff and patients.
“… One head of pathology at a trust said: “There is one obvious answer as to why there is suddenly such an urgency to roll this out. While it will be interesting to have the results, there is nothing meaningful we can do with this test data at the moment.”
“Another trust director involved in the scheme described the antibody tests as having “no clinical value”.”

(29 May 2020) Matt Hancock Faces Second Warning Over Coronavirus Test Figures Huffington Post (May 29) flags up another impending official warning against cooking the statistical books on testing:
"Britain’s statistics watchdog is expected to warn Matt Hancock that it still has concerns about government figures for daily Covid-19 tests, HuffPost UK can reveal.
"Hancock is in a race against time to hit Boris Johnson’s target of 200,000 daily tests by Monday, as part of the wider goal to get a “world beating” test-and-trace system in place by June 1 to ease the country’s path out of lockdown.
"But with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) not expected to publish statistics on capacity until Sunday, just hours before the deadline, critics fear the target could be achieved by new moves to “artificially” inflate the figures.
"Sir David Norgrove, the chair of the UK Statistics Authority, told Hancock on May 11 that he had concerns about the “trustworthiness” of the way the government was presenting and counting its numbers of tests for the virus."

(29 May 2020) Covid-19 spreading too fast to lift lockdown in England – Sage advisers Guardian May 29: "Government advisers have voiced unease over the decision to lift England’s lockdown while thousands of people a day are still becoming infected with the coronavirus, warning that loosening restrictions could easily lead to a second wave.
“We cannot relax our guard by very much at all,” said John Edmunds, a professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who attends meetings of Sage, the scientific advisory group on emergencies.
"There are still 8,000 new infections every day in England without counting those in hospitals and care homes, Edmunds said. “If you look at it internationally, it’s a very high level of incidence.” World Health Organization statistics suggest it is the fifth highest in the world."

(29 May 2020) ‘40,000 excess deaths could have been avoided if government had acted responsibly’ – Prof Sir David King Channel 4 News interview (May 29) with Sir David King – a former government Chief Scientific Adviser. He leads a group of scientists who have been critical of the government’s approach to combating the virus. The interview begins by asking him what impact the easing of the lockdown will have on fears of a second wave.

(29 May 2020) Hancock says trusts must decide on paying for covid overtime HSJ May 29 report: "New guidance agreed by the NHS and unions suggests staff should always be paid for overtime work during the coronavirus pandemic – but stops short of making it compulsory.
"The guidance has been agreed and welcomed by 15 staffing unions, which said NHS staff were often not being paid for their extra hours. It suggests an extension of overtime payments to all staff in bands 1-7, while being less clear about more senior staff.
"A document published by NHS Employers this morning said health secretary Matt Hancock had been asked to introduce temporary changes to overtime payments during the pandemic response.
"But it said Mr Hancock had “confirmed that he is content to leave the matter for local determination rather than agree the proposal for a national solution”."

(29 May 2020) COVID survivor receives $840,000 statement for treatment, with more on the way Another chapter in the horror story of US health care, from the Denver Channel:
“Robert Dennis spent weeks in the hospital, fighting and beating the coronavirus. He’s now back at home, working his way through recovery, but he’s not done with the virus entirely just yet. The high school teacher just received his first itemized statement for the cost of his care: $840,386.94.
“Seeing that number yesterday for the first bill it kind of took your breath away again,” Robert’s wife Suzanne, who also beat the virus, told Denver7. The statement covers Robert’s time at Sky Ridge Medical Center, where he was in the intensive care unit and intubated for two weeks.
“His meds just at the hospital are a quarter million dollars,” Suzanne said.
“What is not included is Robert’s three weeks at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital, or his wife’s trips to the emergency room when she was fighting the virus. The couple estimates their total bills to top one and a half million dollars.”

(29 May 2020) Experts warned Cameron’s government the Lansley reforms would hobble Britain’s epidemic response New Statesman May 29 on the disastrous damage done to public health by Cameron govt's 2012 Health & Social Care Act: "Throughout 2011, experts wrote to the Health Select Committee about the impact of proposed changes under David Cameron’s health secretary Andrew Lansley — changes that would later be formalised in the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.
"The director of public health for County Durham, Anna Lynch, warned that abolishing Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) – which were responsible for improving regional health services and were axed in favour of a commissioning-based model – “means that the public will be less safe at times of outbreak or pandemic”. During flu seasons, the SHAs were vital “in co-ordinating responses to the challenges posed”, she said.
"Dr Alison Merry, a public health consultant, said the changes would “fragment, weaken and ultimately destroy the specialty of public health” and "disrupt... the ability to effectively respond to an emergency or epidemic situation and undermine public trust and confidence”.

(29 May 2020) How H&F helped local care homes control COVID-19 outbreaks and save lives May 29 Report from LB Hammersmith & Fulham on the council’s intervention to test care home residents and staff:
“Once we realised that hospitals were discharging residents into care homes without first testing them for COVID-19, we acted in late March and early April to protect residents by closing the borough’s homes (which are all privately run) to new admissions.
“A team led by Dr Nicola Lang, the council’s Director of Public Health, and including doctors, nurses and academics from Imperial College NHS Trust, Public Health England (PHE) Colindale and Imperial College London then tested everyone in the homes – whether they had symptoms or not. This controlled the virus and prevented further deaths.
“People were tested using a robotic testing platform specially developed by the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI), which is based in the borough at Imperial College.
“… [Dr Lang] swiftly drew together a unique collaboration of GPs, virology, elderly medicine, frailty matrons, infectious diseases teams, academia, and paediatric infectious diseases and epidemiology teams. Dr Lang added: “They helped us manage the outbreaks with the latest infection control and isolation advice, and enabled us to test all our care home residents twice, as well as all staff.”
“Cllr Ben Coleman, H&F Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “Sadly, we found that there was no government ‘protective ring’ around care homes. In the absence of national guidance or support, and combined with the huge amount of PPE the council is providing to homes, this local action on testing saved lives.”

(28 May 2020) UK suffers second-highest death rate from coronavirus | Free to read Important, shocking update on FT tracking of real death toll, compared with much lower "official" statistics: “The UK has suffered the second-highest rate of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic after Spain, according to excess mortality figures. The UK has registered 59,537 more deaths than usual since the week ending March 20, indicating that the virus has directly or indirectly killed 891 people per million.
“Until Thursday, the UK had a higher rate of death than in any country for which high-quality data exist. However, Spain made a revision to its mortality estimates, adding 12,000 to its toll of excess deaths from coronavirus in a one-off adjustment to 43,000.
“This increased its death rate to 921 per million. The absolute number of excess deaths in the UK is the highest in Europe, and second only to the US in global terms, according to data collected by the Financial Times.
“The country fares no better on another measure: the percentage increase in deaths compared with normal levels, where the UK is the worst hit in Europe and behind only Peru internationally.”

(28 May 2020) Matt Hancock slammed for hysterically laughing at concerns about the 'rushed' track and trace launch Indy May 28 report on Matt Hancock's further decline:
"At Wednesday's coronavirus briefing Hancock announced that the coronavirus track and trace app, which had been trialled in the Isle of Wight, was going to be launched in the UK on Thursday.
Many had questioned if this was being introduced a little hastily and Burley asked if the government had pushed the app forward to distract from the ongoing Dominic Cummings scandal. She said:
“The problem is, you’ve rushed it forward haven’t you? Because you want to take the headlines away from Dominic Cummings so you brought it forward. It should have been 1st of June, when the app is being launched at the same time. You’ve had to rush it forward.”
An almost maniacal grin came over Hancock's face as a result of this question and he actually began laughing and said:
“It’s priceless Kay, I’m normally accused of delaying these things and bringing them in too slowly. I committed to getting the system in in mid-May. You can’t accuse me both of rushing it and of being delayed.”
Burley then called Hancock out for laughing and pointed out that even the government had said that the app wasn't ready to be launched:
“You said the app was ‘absolutely essential’ to this track and trace. The app is still not ready until next week at the earliest, maybe after that, and yet you’ve brought this forward. I suppose many of my viewers will think it’s not a laughing matter.”

(28 May 2020) How is COVID-19 changing the use of emergency care by region? Health Foundation report on the huge drop in attendances at A&E departments as people fear Covid-19 infection:
"Recent NHS England data show that A&E visits in April 2020 were 57% lower than in April 2019 and were the lowest monthly number since records began in 2010. This chart explores how COVID-19 is changing use of emergency care on a regional level.
"Falls in visits to A&E in March and April 2020 were very similar across regions. There were bigger falls in April, the first full month of the lockdown, than in March. The fall was also always greater in minor units than major units. Reductions were slightly larger in London than other regions.
"There is more variation in reductions in emergency admissions through major A&E units. In March, there were larger percentage falls in admissions in London (30%) relative to the rest of the country (18-22%). In April, London again saw the largest fall in admissions (45%). Another five regions had falls of between 34% and 40%, with the North West an outlier, seeing a reduction of just 28%."

(28 May 2020) Boris Johnson accused of launching broken test and trace system before it was ready to distract from Dominic Cummings scandal Independent May 28: "The government has been accused of panic-launching its coronavirus test-and-trace system before it was ready in order to distract from the Dominic Cummings scandal rocking the Conservative Party.
"The new contact-tracing scheme suffered from major technical problems on Thursday, with staff unable to even log in for most of the day and many only notified the night before that it was going live and that they would be needed.
"Meanwhile the government’s test and trace tsar admitted to MPs that the whole system would not actually be “fully operational” until the end of next month – with still no date set for the launch of the supposedly “world-beating” app promised by the prime minister.
"Contact-tracers working on the programme told The Independent that when they finally managed to log into the system at the end of the working day, they were presented with an empty page that contained no cases to review.
“The only explanation for the government announcing and launching this scheme when it was clearly not ready is that they wanted to try to persuade the public to ‘move on’ from the Dominic Cummings scandal,” said Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who earlier in the day had participated in a conference call with Dido Harding, the government’s test and trace tsar."

(28 May 2020) Coronavirus testing hit by struggle to match results with NHS records Guardian May 28 report:
"Efforts to prevent the nationwide spread of coronavirus have been dealt a blow after it emerged that health officials in England and Scotland are struggling to match hundreds of thousands of coronavirus test results to patient records.
"Up to 350,000 Covid-19 test samples – those carried out at drive-through centres between 2 April and 6 May – are believed to have been taken without recording individual NHS numbers or full addresses, making it harder for health authorities to track the pandemic and cases in their areas, the Guardian has learned."

(28 May 2020) Government rejected radical lockdown of England's care homes Guardian May 28 reports on another aspect of the avoidable death toll in Britain's care homes: "Public health officials proposed a radical lockdown of care homes last month to stem surging coronavirus deaths, including staff moving in for four weeks and deploying NHS Nightingale hospitals – but it was rejected by the government, the Guardian has learned.
"An 11-point plan proposing “a further lockdown of care homes” was submitted to Downing Street on 28 April by officials at Public Health England (PHE), as fatalities peaked in care homes and the virus spread to half of homes in the worst-affected areas.
"They urged ministers to “use NHS facilities and other temporary accommodation to quarantine and isolate residents”, and to “consider whether staff can move into the care home for the next four weeks”.
"But neither of the proposals, recommended as “high impact”, were included in a subsequent action plan on infection control announced by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, last week."

(28 May 2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey pilot: 28 May 2020 ONS figures May 28 report low seroprevalence around 7%. Still about 50,000 new infections/week. So R close to 1: virtually no room for error, and more than 90% of the country still susceptible to infection. Not a good time to lift the lockdown.

(28 May 2020) ITV News reveals plans to discharge Covid-19 patients into care homes PAUL BRAND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT ITV news May 28: "ITV News has uncovered plans to discharge at least 1,800 patients from hospital into care homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
"The government has denied there was pressure to move people from hospital into care, after Care England recently blamed discharges for spreading the virus into nursing and residential homes.
"But data obtained by ITV News shows how, at the outset of the pandemic, the NHS and councils block booked beds in care homes to ensure they were ready to deal with a surge in patients coming from hospital.
"NHS clinical commissioning groups and councils in 17 regions of England replied to ITV News telling us that they had reserved a total of 1,800 beds in care homes, including 182 beds in Suffolk, 122 in the Wirral and 86 in Oxfordshire.
"Until mid-April, patients were not routinely tested for coronavirus before being discharged into a home, with care managers having previously told ITV News that they believe that’s how the virus spread among their residents."

(28 May 2020) Coronavirus: 1,694 mental health patients discharged in 'error' News from Wales via BBC May 28, but it's likely to be echoed in similar "errors" in England: “Almost 1,700 mental health patients have been wrongly discharged from support services during the pandemic in north Wales.
Last week it emerged Betsi Cadwaladr health board advised people to seek new referrals once the pandemic had eased.
“It had estimated that between 200 and 300 were affected, but the true figure is 1,694, according to a letter it has since sent to a Plaid Cymru politician.
“The health board has apologised and said it was contacting the patients.
Last week, Simon Dean, the health board's interim chief executive, told a Senedd committee discharging the patients was an "error that should not have occurred".

(28 May 2020) 'A slap in the face to every citizen of this country' - nurse hits out at Dominic Cummings as she shares experience of working on the front line Manchester Evening News May 26 report of outspoken views from unnamed nurse from Fairfield General Hospital:
“A nurse working on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic has described Dominic Cummings' actions as 'a slap in the face to every citizen of this country'.
… "My colleagues have sent their children elsewhere so that they can continue to work on the frontline. Some haven’t seen or touched their children since the beginning of lockdown.
"We haven’t seen our parents and friends for months. We have our own family members who have died alone.
… "We have worked 6-7 night stretches. We have worked through our annual leave. We have sacrificed more and more and more as the weeks have unfolded.
"The actions of Mr Cummings are wrong and unlawful. This is about the truth. And the truth is that his actions cannot be tolerated the Prime Minister and your fellow Tory members defending this man is the fundamental issue with your party and its politics.”

(28 May 2020) Johnson blocks top scientists from talking about Cummings Guardian May 28: “Boris Johnson has blocked his two most senior scientific advisers from answering questions on whether his senior aide, Dominic Cummings, broke the lockdown.
“At No 10’s daily press conference, the prime minister twice prevented questions from journalists who wanted to know whether Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, believed Cummings had stuck to the rules.
“Johnson said he wanted to “draw a line” under the Cummings affair, after Durham constabulary said the aide might have committed a “minor breach” of the rules.
… “The prime minister then said he would not allow Vallance or Whitty to answer questions on the row to “protect them from what I think would be an unfair and unnecessary attempt to ask any political questions”.

(28 May 2020) After PPE and testing, contact tracing looks like the next government shambles Guardian May 28 from Dave McCoy comment sums up another simmering fiasco: "“As of this week, the government will begin to roll out the second part of this strategy. In theory, contact tracers will call or text people in England who test positive for coronavirus, asking them to provide a list of everyone they have met for longer than 15 minutes, who will then receive a message instructing them to self-isolate for 14 days (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are rolling out separate programmes).
“But already, England’s contact-tracing strategy looks set to be hobbled by the government’s reluctance to involve local authorities and regional public health expertise in its coronavirus response from the outset, and its dogmatic commitment to outsourcing health services to the private sector.
“Baroness Dido Harding, who is leading the programme of testing and tracing, recently conceded that the system won’t be fully operational at the local level until late June. Elsewhere, contact tracers have spoken of difficulties accessing the government system, describing it as a “complete shambles”. One recruit reportedly said their training amounted to reading a pdf and taking an online quiz - “all of which takes an hour”.”

(28 May 2020) Why did so many people die of Covid-19 in the UK's care homes? Guardian May 28, extended analysis sets out to answer key question: "Why did so many people die in care homes? That may be the most urgent question of the likely public inquiry into the UK’s Covid-19 response. The NHS wasn’t overwhelmed, but 16,000 residents of care and nursing homes have died so far, compared with fewer than 3,000 in Germany and none in Hong Kong. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, claims the government “threw a protective ring” around care homes. So, what went wrong?"

(28 May 2020) Boris Johnson accused of launching broken test and trace system before it was ready to distract from Dominic Cummings scandal Independent report May 28: “The government has been accused of panic-launching its coronavirus test-and-trace system before it was ready in order to distract from the Dominic Cummings scandal rocking the Conservative Party.
“The new contact-tracing scheme suffered from major technical problems on Thursday, with staff unable to even log in for most of the day and many only notified the night before that it was going live and that they would be needed.
“Meanwhile the government’s test and trace tsar admitted to MPs that the whole system would not actually be “fully operational” until the end of next month – with still no date set for the launch of the supposedly “world-beating” app promised by the prime minister.
“Contact-tracers working on the programme told The Independent that when they finally managed to log into the system at the end of the working day, they were presented with an empty page that contained no cases to review.”

(27 May 2020) £1bn CCGs deficits revealed, prompting fears of a fresh financial squeeze Another Lowdown exclusive, May 27: "As the remaining 135 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) throughout England begin to hold virtual meetings in public and publish Governing Body papers once again, it is becoming clear that many face daunting financial pressures.
"Even the limited number of CCGs that have published up to date information show deficits from 2019-20 combining with historic underlying deficits to total almost £1 billion, even before the costs and dislocation of the Covid epidemic are included.
"While many CCGs have either not met, or not published any up to date financial figures in the last few months, a quick snapshot survey of CCG websites by The Lowdown (May 25) has revealed at least 13 CCGs with deficits or underlying deficits in excess of £20m"

(27 May 2020) Coronavirus: Test and trace system will start on Thursday BBC May 27 report on the half-baked test and trace system, with dysfunctional tracing and erratic and often delayed results from testing:
"A massive system to find people who come into close contact with those infected with coronavirus will start in England on Thursday, Boris Johnson has said.
The prime minister said it "will change people's lives".
"The aim of the test and trace system is to move from lockdown for all towards more targeted measures.
"However, scientists have warned it is not a "magic bullet" and may prevent between 5% and 15% of infections."

(26 May 2020) Carry the can... Roy Lilley e-letter May 26 argues that "The Cummings and goings to Durham and government looks to be run by the selfish, the privileged, the hypocrites, and deniers".

(26 May 2020) The truth about why Cummings hasn't gone: Johnson is too terrified to sack him Guardian's Marina Hyde sums up on May 26 "Perhaps on Sunday you watched the entire nation being lectured on what constitutes fatherly responsibility by Boris Johnson, a man who won’t even say how many children he has, and leaves women to bring up an unspecified number of them. Perhaps on Monday you watched the Guardian’s Rowena Mason being lectured in journalism by Johnson, a man sacked from a newspaper for fabricating quotes from his own godfather, and who blithely discussed helping a friend to have another journalist beaten up. Perhaps today, you heard Michael Gove tell LBC he has “on occasion” driven a car to check his eyesight.
"If you did see these things, I can only direct you to the slogan flyposted all over Paris during the 1968 civil unrest. “DO NOT ADJUST YOUR MIND – THERE IS A FAULT WITH REALITY.” The term “gaslighting” is much overused, but let’s break the glass on it for the events of the past few days. As for “indefensible”… well, I don’t think that word means what you thought it meant."
… "So here we are. Cummings stays, and only irresistible external events will make Johnson do the right thing. He is not himself capable. We have the highest death toll in Europe, we left the care homes to their fate, our test-and-trace blunders are an international embarrassment, and we didn’t even save our economy.
"Johnson takes daily runs, but appears only once or twice a week in a crisis to fail at leadership.
"This is the utter smallness of the man, and the tragedy for everyone stuck being governed by him. "

(26 May 2020) Military alleges horrific conditions, abuse in pandemic-hit Ontario nursing homes CBC Canada May 26 report "The Canadian military has drawn the curtain back on horrific allegations of elder abuse in five Ontario long-term care homes, with precise, graphic reports of residents being bullied, drugged, improperly fed and in some cases left for hours and days in soiled bedding.
"Within the military's shocking catalogue of abuse, neglect and cruelty is an accusation that delinquent care led to the death of a resident.
"Soldiers were called into the facilities as part of an effort to backstop the provincial system, which has been overwhelmed by novel coronavirus cases."

(26 May 2020) Needy Matt becomes Door Matt in defending Dom’s Durham flit Guardian May 26 sketch sums up Appless, Hopeless Matt Hancock: "“There was a brief moment after Matt Hancock recovered from coronavirus when he appeared to be a man of principle. That proved to be nothing more than a chimera. Now he has revealed himself to be the most abject of career politicians, who will literally do and say anything to save his job.
“So there was no one Boris Johnson could have trusted more than Matt to have taken the Downing Street press conference on the day after Dominic Cummings had been granted the freedom of the No 10 rose garden – there’s a code for special advisers specifically saying they should not make public statements – to annihilate what was left of his credibility. Needy Matt is the health secretary with the perfect grasp of the public good.
“When it came to a straight choice between sticking to government health guidelines or protecting the career of Boris’s boss, it was a no-brainer. Who cared if thousands more might die because they couldn’t see the point of sticking to the rules if Dom didn’t …
“… How did Matt let it come to this? What makes the tragedy so riddled with pathos is that Hancock deep down knows he is so busted. That he has traded what passed for his self-respect for loyalty to two men who think morality is for suckers. You can see it in the terror in his eyes and the increasing shirtiness in his responses. He is now so brittle, he could shatter into a thousand tiny fragments at any moment. I give it five days at most.
“Because not only has his track-and-trace app proved to be totally useless, but he’s also only got five days to meet the arbitrary target of 200,000 tests a day that Boris set when under pressure from Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions. So far, we’re on under 110,000. It’s just not going to happen, Matt. And the public won’t get fooled twice with fake testing targets.”

(26 May 2020) Boris Johnson struggles to draw a line under Cummings row FT May 26: "“Boris Johnson’s efforts to draw a line under the crisis surrounding Dominic Cummings floundered on Tuesday as more Conservative MPs called on the prime minister to remove his chief adviser and one minister quit in protest.
“Downing Street had hoped Mr Cummings’ defence on Monday of his actions during the coronavirus lockdown — after he was accused by newspapers of breaching the restrictions on people’s movements — would defuse the controversy.
“But Mr Cummings’ refusal to apologise and concern that his actions would undermine public adherence to the lockdown led to more than 30 Tory MPs supporting the case for ousting him. These included several former ministers, such as Mark Harper and Caroline Nokes.
“Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said Mr Cummings had breached the lockdown rules but stopped short of demanding his resignation.
“Six opposition parties — including the Scottish National party and the Liberal Democrats, but not Labour — called on Mr Johnson to remove his chief adviser, saying trust in public health advice was being “severely undermined”.”

(26 May 2020) NHS changes made under the radar Lowdown May 26 follow up on previous exclusive: "changes accepted as temporary measures are already being cemented in. NHS England’s plans in London make clear that to reverse away from any of these changes now requires the prior agreement of the Regional office.
"NHS England have also begun to further cut back local accountability by establishing 18 so-called ‘Integrated Care Systems’ covering even wider catchment populations than most CCGs, but which are not public bodies, and are outside of existing legislation.
"At the same time NHS England is encouraging the development of plans without any public discussion or scrutiny during the lockdown period, and “streamlined decision-making” – in other words minimal if any public consultation.
"Even though the CCGs have continued to function behind the scenes, and some are meeting online while public attention is focused on the Covid crisis, it’s clear that in many areas the local government and other bodies that should be scrutinising their plans and performance have been suspended, and are yet to get going."

(25 May 2020) Coronavirus: UK hospital closes A&E and no longer accepting new patients Independent May 25; "An NHS hospital has been forced to close its accident and emergency department to new admissions as a result of high numbers of patients with the coronavirus.
"Weston General Hospital, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, stopped accepting A&E patients at 8am on Monday morning.
"The University Hospitals Bristol and Weston Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said patients who needed care would be treated elsewhere in the local area.
"The trust has not said how many new patients with the virus have been admitted or whether the closure has followed a sudden surge in cases."

(25 May 2020) Huge backlog in operations building due to lack of PPE and staff testing Guardian May 25 report: “A lack of vital protective equipment and long waits for coronavirus test results are stopping hospitals from tackling a huge backlog in operations, a key NHS leader is warning.
“Patients whose surgery has been postponed because of the pandemic face even longer delays because hospitals are having to wait for as long as 13 days for the outcome of tests, Chris Hopson told the Guardian.
“In thinly veiled criticism of the health secretary, Matt Hancock, the chief executive of hospital group NHS Providers blamed ministers for repeated failures to ensure easy availability of fast-turnaround testing for NHS staff, whiletrusts have warned about the lack of adequate supplies of surgical gowns.
“Both problems risked patients unwittingly becoming infected with Covid-19 in hospitals across England, which would not be able to get back to providing the range of treatment they had before the pandemic until those problems were solved, said Hopson.
“That along with ongoing shortages of the sterile gowns that operating theatre teams needed to perform surgery safely remained “major obstacles” to the NHS’s reopening, added Hopson.”

(24 May 2020) Boris Johnson’s defence of Dominic Cummings provokes furious backlash FT May 24 sums up the furore over PM Johnson's key advisor:
"Dominic Cummings was facing a clamour for his resignation on Sunday evening, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempts to defend his closest adviser provoked a furious backlash.
"Mr Cummings faced renewed pressure to resign after ministers, MPs, scientific advisers and pro-Conservative newspapers called on Mr Johnson to sack him, following reports that he had broken the government’s restrictions on more than one occasion.
"A joint investigation by the Guardian and Daily Mirror newspapers alleged Mr Cummings, architect of the Vote Leave campaign to take Britain out of the EU, had driven 264 miles from London with his ailing wife and young son to a family home in County Durham, where he was spotted on April 5.
"Speaking at the daily Downing Street Sunday press conference, Mr Johnson said he had “extensive face-to-face conversations” with Mr Cummings about the journey from his London home to County Durham and had concluded that he had not broken lockdown restrictions."

(24 May 2020) Care home coronavirus testing pledge in tatters as just 21% have been checked Mirror May 24 report: "The Government is on track to miss its own target to test every care home resident for coronavirus.
"In the past week just 6% of residents have been tested for the Covid-19, The Telegraph reported.
"Since the pandemic began 21% have been checked for the virus, but only 1% have been tested twice or more since March 18.
"Across the country 40% of people have had no residents tested, data from The Data Analysis Bureau (T-DAB) and Person Centred Software shows.
"The Government will have to get a move on if it is to meet its ambition of testing everyone living in a care home by early June."

(23 May 2020) Crumbs for the Hungry but Windfalls for the Rich Brutal reality of Trump's hard nosed favouritism towards the super-rich in this May 23 NYT feature: "While President Trump and his allies in Congress seek to tighten access to food stamps, they are showing compassion for one group: zillionaires. Their economic rescue package quietly allocated $135 billion — yes, that’s “billion” with a “b” — for the likes of wealthy real estate developers.
"My Times colleague Jesse Drucker notes that Trump himself, along with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may benefit financially from this provision. The fine print was mysteriously slipped into the March economic relief package, even though it has nothing to do with the coronavirus and offers retroactive tax breaks for periods long before Covid-19 arrived.
"Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas, both Democrats, have asked the Trump administration for any communications that illuminate how this provision sneaked into the 880-page bill. (Officially, the provision is called “Modification of Limitation on Losses for Taxpayers Other Than Corporations,” but that’s camouflage; I prefer to call it the “Zillionaire Giveaway.”)
"About 82 percent of the Zillionaire Giveaway goes to those earning more than $1 million a year, according to Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation. Of those beneficiaries earning more than $1 million annually, the average benefit is $1.6 million.
"In other words, a single mom juggling two jobs gets a maximum $1,200 stimulus check — and then pays taxes so that a real estate mogul can receive $1.6 million. This is dog-eat-dog capitalism for struggling workers, and socialism for the rich."

(23 May 2020) What Parents Should Know About Coronavirus as Kids Return to Babysitters, Day Cares and Camps Well balance Maye 23 article from US ProPublica:
"Reopening states after the COVID-19 lockdown raises unnerving questions for working parents who depend on some form of child care, from nannies to day camp.
"Instead of coming home with a snotty nose, is your child going to bring back the coronavirus? And how do you know your in-home babysitter or nanny, even your child’s teacher, isn’t a symptom-free spreader?
"The short answer is that there are no easy answers. Every family’s budget and needs and risk tolerance are going to be different. ProPublica scoured the latest research and talked to seven infectious disease and public health experts to help think through the issues facing parents."

(22 May 2020) ‘We don’t get paid for empty beds’: the crisis facing UK care home operators Important May 22 FT investigation: “Thousands of UK care homes … were already under financial pressure before the pandemic hit. Britain’s decision to leave the EU and the rise in the minimum wage had increased staffing costs, while an £8bn drop in government funding for social care since 2010 had hit fees paid for residents, even as the number of over-65s grew.
“Now coronavirus has not only turned care homes into incubators for the most deadly pandemic in generations, but left their operators battling to survive, raising the risk of further closures in a country that already had less capacity to house the elderly than the rest of Europe.”

(22 May 2020) Report reveals mental health trust ‘culture of bullying’ as public excluded from meeting Eastern Daily Press May 22 with an update on the latest outrages at England's worst mental health trust: "The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), branded the worst mental health trust in England, unveiled a report on its staff culture ahead of a meeting of senior directors, held on Thursday, May 21.
"The report described the trust’s environment as “characterised by bullying, disempowerment, lack of respect and unreasonableness.”
"The trust, which remained in special measures following its latest inspection in January this year, has been slammed for the “disappointing” move of holding discussions behind closed doors.
"The trust holds board meetings ten times a year, and says on its website “members of the public are welcome to attend”.
"However, at Thursday’s meeting, held remotely via Microsoft Teams, the public were barred from listening in - despite the agenda describing it as a “public session”.
A trust spokeswoman said the meeting would not be recorded or subsequently broadcast, but any decisions would be revealed by the end of May."

(22 May 2020) Coronavirus: Acting earlier would have saved lives, says Sage member BBC May 22 report picks up on an increasingly common criticism, this time from one of the scientists advising the government:
"“One of the government's scientific advisers has said he would have liked ministers to have acted "a week or two weeks earlier" in the virus pandemic.
“Sir Ian Boyd, who sits on the Sage scientific advisory group, said "it would have made quite a big difference" to the death rate.
“… He told The Coronavirus Newscast: "Acting very early was really important and I would have loved to have seen us acting a week or two weeks earlier and it would have made quite a big difference to the steepness of the curve of infection and therefore the death rate.
"And I think that's really the number one issue - could we have acted earlier? Were the signs there earlier on?"

(22 May 2020) Migrant charges: When we stand together we win Keep Our NHS Public response to the axing of the immigration surcharge for NHS staff:
"“When Prime Minister Johnson was asked in parliament about lifting the surcharge on 20th May, he both paid tribute to “our amazing NHS staff” while simultaneously declaring: “We must look at the realities . . . those contributions help us raise about £900m”.
“… Johnson’s claim quickly unravelled since according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the surcharge generated not £900m but only £90m a year. Even a number of prominent Conservative politicians spoke of the surcharge as “appalling and immoral”, saying that not to drop it was “mean-spirited, doctrinaire and petty”.
“In an increasingly indefensible position, the government has already backtracked on leaving low paid workers out of a bereavement scheme which granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK to relatives of foreign national NHS staff who died from Covid-19.
“With mounting disquiet within his own ranks together with mass opposition from campaigning organisations such as Keep Our NHS Public, NHS Staff Voices, trade unions and other migrant bodies, Johnson reversed his decision, leaving Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to announce this U-turn at the press conference on 21st May, a mere 24 hours after the PM’s House of Commons refusal.
“This is a clear victory for those fighting against racism, against the hostile environment and for a universal and inclusive public NHS.
“Now we must continue to demand the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) be lifted for all migrant workers and not just those in health and social care; for all key workers to be given the right to stay in the UK with no visa fees; for an end to the charging of ‘overseas visitors’ regulations and data-sharing practises that are doing so much harm.”

(22 May 2020) PRIVATISED AND UNPREPARED - THE NHS SUPPLY CHAIN: THE REPORT launch of new pamphlet on the NHS Supply Chain fiasco from We Own It:
"More than 300 NHS and care workers have now died from coronavirus and many of these deaths were “avoidable with proper PPE”.
"Businesses and communities have been ready to help out with vital protective equipment – masks, gowns, visors. But in the last few months, it’s often felt like the government was asleep at the wheel.
"Why?
"The NHS Supply Chain, responsible for procuring and delivering PPE during the coronavirus crisis, has itself been privatised.
"Procurement and logistics in our NHS has been outsourced to a chaotic mish-mash of private contractors. There are 11 key outsourced procurement contracts and four levels of profit taking before equipment arrives at the hospital or care home.
"The system is supposed to deliver "efficiency savings". In reality, supplies have been rationed and the country left unprepared. This has severely undermined the national effort to protect NHS, care staff and patients."

(22 May 2020) Up to half of government coronavirus home tests never returned, officials admit Independent May 22 on the latest dimension of the Covid-19 testing shambles: "Significant numbers of home-testing kits sent out under the government’s Covid-19 programme are not being used, officials have admitted.
"Throwing fresh doubt on the government’s figures, the UK’s testing tsar on Friday admitted that the number of kits being sent back was not as high as health authorities would like and said steps were being taken to increase the rate.
"Last month, ministers faced criticism that Britain was lagging behind the rest of the world in testing. The government rapidly increased the daily number of tests, relying heavily on home-testing kits.
"But home tests are counted in the government’s figures as soon as they are put in the post, meaning that if they are not being returned, many of those recorded will never have taken place."

(22 May 2020) Canada is reopening without knowing where Canadians are getting COVID-19 CBC Canada report May 22: "Canada is emerging from months of lockdown, but key questions remain unanswered about where Canadians are getting infected with COVID-19 and why case levels remain high in our hardest-hit provinces.
"Ontario and Quebec have seen their rate of new cases plateau in recent weeks, still in the hundreds each day, and have little information on the source of infection or what effect reopening will have.
"It's scary. There's a large sense of unknown there," said Dr. Michael Gardam, an infectious disease specialist and chief of staff at Humber River Hospital in Toronto, who is a veteran of SARS and H1N1.
"And there's no way around the fact that this is uncomfortable."
"In Ontario, where the number of new daily cases is actually trending upward, testing is falling far below targets and the source of infection for new cases still remains a mystery."

(22 May 2020) Should Schools Reopen? Interim Findings and Concerns Second report of Independent SAGE committee bringing more rigorous science to bear on a crisis skewed by government's ideological approach:
"We believe that decisions on school opening should be guided by evidence of low levels of COVID-19 infections in the community and the ability to rapidly respond to new infections through a local test, track and isolate strategy. There is no clear evidence that these conditions are met. Until they are it is not safe to open schools on June 1. Some rural areas might be ready to re-open schools earlier than other places.
“Estimates of levels of infections must be based on up-to-date real time, detailed, local data on suspected and confirmed cases. To ensure that any local outbreaks are quickly spotted and contained, we strongly recommend that local test, track and isolate programmes are in place and tested before schools re-open. In cases where schools reopen where these safeguards are not in place, we suggest alternative testing strategies at the end of this document."

(22 May 2020) ‘Lord Have Mercy’: Inside One of New York’s Deadliest ZIP Codes Very moving May 22 video report from New York Times speaking to health workers from one of the hot spots of Covid infection in the most infected city of the US.

(22 May 2020) 22 days of dither and delay on coronavirus that cost thousands of British lives Extended and detailed Times May 22 analysis again points the finger of blame for the inflated British death toll at the Johnson government:
"When the new [lockdown] measures came in on the evening of Monday, March 23, the infections had almost doubled again since the previous Friday and there were an estimated 1.5 million across the UK, according to Imperial and Oxford’s new data. Close to 1.2 million of those infections had happened since Johnson resisted calls to lockdown on Monday March 16.
"An analysis of the data shows the lockdown swiftly reduced the spread of the virus but was introduced so late that Britain had a higher number of infections than every other major European country at the time they took the same emergency measures. For example, Italy had an estimated 1.2 million at its lockdown on March 10 and Germany, which locked down a day earlier than the UK on March 22, is estimated to have had just 270,000 infections.
"Sir David King said the lockdown delay was “grossly negligent”. “The fact they were short of PPE, the fact they were short of testing equipment. The response of the government has not just been tardy. It has been totally disrespectful of British lives,” he said. “We created an unmanageable situation.”
"There had been too much delay. The sheer number of people who had been allowed to become infected meant the country was riddled with the virus and the only defence was the workers of the NHS who had been left critically short of testing and protective equipment."

(22 May 2020) Two-thirds of BME staff feel unsafe at work, reveals snapshot survey Nursing Times May 22 report: "“A small-scale survey organised by Channel 4 News has found that more than half of BME staff in NHS trusts in England feel additional pressure to work on the coronavirus frontline.
“Out of 473 health workers who responded to the poll, 61% felt they had unequal access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
“While more than two-thirds (67%) of respondents reported feeling unsafe at work during Covid-19 outbreak, 50% said they did not feel able to speak up about safety in the workplace.”

(22 May 2020) Government Silent On Involving Credit Firm in COVID-19 Testing Byline Times May 22 report begins: “The Department of Health and Social Care is remaining tight-lipped about its decision to award a contract to the UK subsidiary of a multi-billion dollar US credit reporting agency that checks patient data when attempting to book a Coronavirus home test online.
“Tens of thousands of people have already visited the Government website to book their test. Users are told that, in order to confirm their identity, they need to share their information with TransUnion. It is the smallest of the three largest credit agencies, along with Experian and Equifax.
“Individuals unwilling to share their credit data are asked to start the process again and advised to choose the drive-through test option. It is unclear what possible COVID-19-related reason there would be for the Government to grant the company access to UK citizens’ information.
“Privacy and civil liberties campaigners have already warned about tech firms getting their hands on patient data in the battle against the Coronavirus.”

(21 May 2020) Coronavirus: People in deprived areas face higher risk of death – with women disproportionately affected Independent May 21 report on findings of Health Foundation research: "The risk of dying from coronavirus is more than twice as great in the most deprived areas of England – with the disparity largest for women, analysis shows.
"A study by the Health Foundation of deaths from Covid-19 showed women in the most deprived parts of the country had a risk of dying that was 133 per cent higher than those in the least deprived neighbourhoods.
"Between men the difference in risk was 114 per cent higher in worse-off areas, suggesting that while deprivation is a key factor in risk of death from coronavirus for both sexes, its effect is worse for women.
"Experts say the evidence shows the impact of Covid-19 is falling disproportionately on the poorest in society."

(21 May 2020) Nurses express their frustration at those flouting lockdown rules Nursing Notes May 21: "Nurses and other healthcare professionals across the UK have taken to social media to express their frustration over the actions of some members of the public.
"It comes after huge crowds flocked to beaches and parks across England yesterday – the hottest day of the year so far.
"Earlier this month the Government eased lockdown restrictions, encouraging many back to work alongside allowing unlimited exercise and the ability to travel around the country.
"Lockdown rules in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland remain unchanged with the devolved Governments advising the public to stay at home."

(21 May 2020) Why are Africa's coronavirus successes being overlooked? Guardian May 21 comment: There have been coronavirus mistakes and misjudgments, and deaths, and each one is a tragedy. … But what has also happened is that many African nations, realising early on that large-scale, expensive testing and hospitalisation was not an option for the populations, had no choice but to take a more creative approach.
“Take the two African countries I have called home – Senegal and Ghana. Senegal is developing a Covid-19 testing kit that would cost $1 per patient, which it is hoped will, in less than 10 minutes, detect both current or previous infection via antigens in saliva, or antibodies. …
“Senegal is in a good position because its Covid-19 response planning began in earnest in January, as soon as the first international alert on the virus went out. The government closed the borders, initiated a comprehensive plan of contact tracing and, because it is a nation of multiple-occupation households, offered a bed for every single coronavirus patient in either a hospital or a community health facility.
“As a result, this nation of 16 million people has had only 30 deaths.
"… At every single one of those stages, the UK did the opposite, and is now facing a death toll of more than 35,000.
“Ghana, with a population of 30 million, has a similar death toll to Senegal, partly because of an extensive system of contact tracing, utilising a large number of community health workers and volunteers, and other innovative techniques such as “pool testing”, in which multiple blood samples are tested and then followed up as individual tests only if a positive result is found.”

(21 May 2020) Tens of thousands of coronavirus tests have been double-counted, officials admit may 21 report indicates even Johnson's previous employers at the Telegraph are losing their confidence in his govt's handling of the covid crisis: "Tens of thousands of Covid-19 tests have been double-counted in the Government’s official tally, public health officials have admitted.
"Diagnostic tests which involve taking saliva and nasal samples from the same patient are being counted as two tests, not one.
"The Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England each confirmed the double-counting.
"This inflates the daily reported diagnostic test numbers by over 20 per cent, with that proportion being much higher earlier on in the crisis before home test kits were added to the daily totals. Almost 350,000 more tests have been reported in Government data than people tested since the start of the pandemic."

(21 May 2020) Greater Manchester STILL doesn't know how many people are testing positive for COVID-19 because it can't get results from government May 21 Manchester Evening News report on chaos in the testing system: “Public health officials and local leaders still have no idea how many people are testing positive for Covid-19 in Greater Manchester, due to continued chaos within the national system.
“… The data issue has now been dragging on since May 4 and stems from the two separate testing systems currently in operation.
“One involves tests carried out by the public sector, which are then processed in NHS laboratories - such as at the Manchester Royal Infirmary - and fed back to public health officials, who use them to track the pandemic’s pattern here and plan local infection control.
“But results from the second set of testing, which is carried out through a government process at various locations - including Manchester Airport - before being processed at private laboratories, have not been reaching local authorities since the first week in May.”

(21 May 2020) Britain’s tracing army sits idle as lockdown deadline looms Another excellent FT report, May 21: “New recruits hired by the UK government to trace the spread of coronavirus have spent the past few days mowing lawns, trimming hedges and enjoying a mini-heatwave as technical problems and unexplained delays prevented them from starting work.
“Speaking just hours before Boris Johnson told MPs on Wednesday that a “world-beating” track and trace scheme would be in place by June 1, one tracer, hired by outsourcer Capita, told the FT he and many of his peers have been left in limbo, unable to get the technology to function on their own PCs and laptops.
“You can’t speak to anybody, you can’t see any data, there are massive communication issues,” said the recruit, who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s a ludicrous situation. I’ve done my washing, I’ve done my ironing, I’ve got the cleanest house around, we’re all just out in the garden,” he said.
“This rocky start to Operation Charcoal — the name given to the project to identify and call people who have been in recent contact with new virus sufferers and advise them to isolate — would appear to confirm concerns over ill-founded political promises, a failure to tap relevant expertise and competing power centres.”

(21 May 2020) NHS fees to be scrapped for overseas health staff and care workers A welcome bit of belated good news from BBC May 21: NHS staff and care workers from overseas will no longer have to pay an extra charge towards the health service after mounting pressure from MPs.
"Boris Johnson's spokesman said the PM had asked the Home Office and Department for Health to exempt NHS and care workers "as soon as possible".
"Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was "a victory for common decency".
"The health immigration surcharge on non-EU migrants is £400 per year and set to rise to £624 in October.
"The move to grant the exemption came after the PM's spokesman defended the fee earlier on Thursday.
"Officials are now working on the detail and more will be announced "in the coming days".
"But it is understood the plan will include exemptions for all NHS workers, including porters and cleaners, as well as independent health workers and social care workers."

(21 May 2020) Battle Covid-19, Not Medicare for All: Doctors Demand Hospital Industry Stop Funding Dark Money Lobby Group Common Dreams May 21 report from US: "A progressive organization of 23,000 physicians from across the U.S. demanded Thursday that the American Hospital Association (AHA) divest completely from a dark-money lobbying group that has spent millions combating Medicare for All and instead devote those financial resources to the fight against Covid-19 and to better support for patients and healthcare workers.
"Dr. Adam Gaffney, president of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), said in a statement that "the Covid-19 pandemic has stretched hospitals' resources to the limit, and the AHA should not waste precious member hospitals' funds lobbying against universal health coverage" as a member of the Partnership for America's Health Care Future (PFAHCF).
"Because Medicare for All would provide a lifeline to hospitals in underserved areas that have been hit hard by Covid-19, Gaffney argued, the AHA "cannot claim to represent hospitals while also opposing a single-payer system that would keep struggling hospitals open." The AHA represents around 5,000 hospitals and other healthcare providers in the U.S."

(21 May 2020) These Labs Rushed to Test for Coronavirus. They Had Few Takers. May 21 report from New York Times shows more grim similarities between UK and USA:
"When a stay-at-home order in March all but closed the revered labs of the gene-editing pioneer Jennifer Doudna, her team at the University of California, Berkeley dropped everything and started testing for the coronavirus.
"They expected their institute to be inundated with samples since it was offering the service for free, with support from philanthropies. But there were few takers.
"Instead, the scientists learned, many local hospitals and doctors’ offices continued sending samples to national laboratory companies — like LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics — even though, early on, patients had to wait a week or more for results. The bureaucratic hurdles of quickly switching to a new lab were just too high.
“It’s still amazing to me, like, how can that be the case, that there is not a more systematic way to address a central need?” said Fyodor Urnov, the scientist who oversaw the transformation of the Innovative Genomics Institute into a clinical laboratory.
"The inability of the United States to provide broad diagnostic testing, widely seen as a pivotal failing in the nation’s effort to contain the virus, has been traced to the botched rollout by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the tardy response by the Food and Drug Administration, and supply shortages of swabs and masks.
"Yet one major impediment to testing has been largely overlooked: the fragmented, poorly organized American health care system, which made it difficult for hospitals and other medical providers to quickly overcome obstacles to testing."

(20 May 2020) Minister says 'wrong' advice at start of COVID-19 outbreak could have led to mistakes “Sky News May 20 report: “A senior minister has told Sky News that "wrong" advice at the start of the coronavirus outbreak could have led to mistakes in the government's response.
“Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey made the comments during an interview with Kay Burley in which she was challenged about ministers' handling of COVID-19 in adult social care.
“Asked if the government had, in hindsight, got the approach to care homes wrong, Ms Coffey told Kay Burley@Breakfast that "you can only make judgements and decisions based on the information and advice that you have at the time".
“Pressed again, she replied: "If the science was wrong, the advice at the time was wrong, I'm not surprised if people then think we made a wrong decision. But you have to take judgements based on what you have."

(20 May 2020) Andrew Neil gives brutal assessment of government's 'scandalous' handling of coronavirus Indy May 20 reminds us of the growing unease amongst right wing commentators over the incompetence of the Johnson government, quoting Andrew Neil:
"I think when you look at whether it’s testing, the time that we went into lockdown, what has happened in care homes – where there has been a crisis, if not the makings of a national scandal – and some of the conflicting guidance that seems to be coming from the government. And then in the end, the deaths themselves from this, which every way you cut it and then compare it to other equivalent countries – France, Italy, Germany, Spain and so on – the British record, I don’t think you could argue is great at all.
"In terms of excess deaths, the number of deaths that have taken place since this virus broke out compared to a five year average, we are among the worst, if not the worst. So I don’t think people will be coming to us to learn how to cope with the virus. "

(20 May 2020) 'No one had any idea': Contact tracers lack knowledge about Covid-19 job Guardian May 20 exposes the poor quality and ineptitude of the privatised track and trace system:
"They were hailed as stepping up to serve their country, with all the “rigorous” and “detailed” instruction needed for such an important role – but a programme to train thousands of contact-tracers to help control the spread of coronavirus has been described as shambolic and inadequate by recruits.
"People hired to contact those exposed to someone with Covid-19 and advise them to self-isolate have reported spending days just trying to log into the online system, and virtual training sessions that left participants unclear about their roles.
"New contact tracers have been told to rely on a two-page script and a list of frequently asked questions, both seen by the Guardian. When one taking part in a training session, run by contact centre company Sitel, asked for guidance on how to speak with somebody whose loved one had died of coronavirus, they were reportedly told to look at YouTube videos on the topic."

(20 May 2020) Serco apologises for sharing contact tracers' email addresses BBC May 20 with another aspect of the shambolic privatised track and trace system:
“Outsourcing firm Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers.
“The company is training staff to trace cases of Covid-19 for the UK government. It made the error when it emailed new trainees to tell them about training. Serco said it had apologised and would review its processes "to make sure that this does not happen again".
“… In the UK, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 21,000 contact tracers have been hired, some of whom are healthcare professionals.
“… Serco is one of the companies hiring, training and operating the 15,000 contact tracers who do not have clinical training.”

(20 May 2020) Plans for contact-tracing in doubt as app not ready until June Guardian May 20 report; "the deputy chief scientific adviser acknowledged the decision to abandon track-and-trace in March was made because of a lack of testing capacity, but said it was “the right thing to do” in the circumstances.
"Prof Angela McLean told the No 10 press briefing: “The advice that we gave certainly took account of what testing was available. It was what was the best thing to do with the tests that we had. We could not have people in hospital with Covid symptoms not knowing whether or not they had Covid.”"

(20 May 2020) Earlier lockdown could have prevented three-quarters of UK coronavirus deaths, modelling suggests May 20 feature in Torygraph pulls no punches: “Researchers said that if the UK had imposed the measures seven days earlier its death toll now would be on a par with the 8,000 in Germany.
“They also said it would have been possible to have a shorter and less economically damaging lockdown.
“Britain introduced its lockdown measures on March 23, when 359 deaths had been reported. Germany took such steps on the same day, but had reported only 86 fatalities at that time.
“The UK's death toll has now exceeded 35,000 people.
“Modelling from British scientist James Annan suggests that entering lockdown a week earlier would have reduced the number of deaths by three-quarters.”

(19 May 2020) We must demand the COVID-19 vaccine be free for everyone Oxfam petition: “The vaccine will become the currency of life and death. Nearly every person on the planet will need it to stay safe from the virus. Ensuring everyone has access is the only way to protect us all from another COVID-19 pandemic.
“The greatest challenge is ensuring everyone on the planet gets the vaccine as quickly as possible and free of charge.
“… We can demand a commitment from world leaders to guarantee NOW that the vaccine will be free and fairly distributed to everyone on the planet.
“Tell world leaders that we cannot put a price on global immunity, sign the petition now.”

(19 May 2020) Stop the blame game: trusts have supported care homes through the COVID-19 crisis Special pleading promoting a more extensive May 19 pamphlet by NHS Providers, keen to deny any responsibility of trust bosses for the NHS England/Department of Health policies that led to them discharging untested older patients into unprepared care homes in March and April, with what we now know were disastrous results:
"A new report by NHS Providers shows how trusts have gone to great lengths to support care homes through the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
"The report, Spotlight on...NHS discharges into care homes, confronts and dispels the damaging and mistaken belief – deeply resented by trust leaders - that their organisations systematically and knowingly discharged COVID-19 patients to the home care sector."

(19 May 2020) The UK government was ready for this pandemic. Until it sabotaged its own system Guardian May 19, George Monbiot on top form: "“We have been told repeatedly that the UK was unprepared for this pandemic. This is untrue. The UK was prepared, but then it de-prepared. Last year, the Global Health Security Index ranked this nation second in the world for pandemic readiness, while the US was first. Broadly speaking, in both nations the necessary systems were in place. Our governments chose not to use them.
“The climate modeller James Annan has used his analytical methods to show what would have happened if the UK government had imposed its lockdown a week earlier. Starting it on 16 March, rather than 23 March, his modelling suggests, would by now have saved around 30,000 lives, reducing the rate of illness and death from coronavirus roughly by a factor of five.
“But even 16 March would have been extraordinarily late. We now know that government ministers were told on 11 February that the virus could be catastrophic, and decisive action was urgently required. Instead, Boris Johnson told us to wash our hands and “go about our normal daily lives”.”

(19 May 2020) Coronavirus: Hundreds of learning disability deaths in just eight weeks, new data shows Independent May 19: "More than 460 people with a learning disability have died from coronavirus in just eight weeks since the start of the outbreak in England.
"New data shows between the 16 March and 10 May 1,029 people with a learning disability died in England, with 45 per cent, 467, linked to coronavirus.
"Overall the number of deaths during the eight weeks is 550 more than would be expected when compared to the same period last year.
"The charity Mencap warned people with a learning disability were “being forgotten in this crisis” and called for action to tackle what it said could be “potentially discriminatory practice.”
"It highlighted the percentage of Covid-19 related deaths among learning disabled people was higher than those in care homes, where the proportion of Covid-19 deaths was 31 per cent for the same period."

(19 May 2020) Security flaws found in NHS contact-tracing app “BBC report May 19: “Wide-ranging security flaws have been flagged in the Covid-19 contact-tracing app being piloted in the Isle of Wight.
“The security researchers involved have warned the problems pose risks to users' privacy and could be abused to prevent contagion alerts being sent.
“… Specifically, they call for new legal protections to prevent officials using the data for purposes other than identifying those at risk of being infected, or holding on to it indefinitely.”

(19 May 2020) Fee on foreign medics for using NHS is branded a gross insult Hard hitting Times May 19 headline indicates growing pressure for govt to change its line:
"Charging overseas medical staff higher fees to use the NHS is a “gross insult” to professionals who are risking their lives to fight Covid-19, doctors’ leaders say.
"They have urged the government to reconsider plans to make foreign medical workers pay a £624 health surcharge as part of a post-Brexit immigration system, saying scrapping it would be the “smallest recognition” of their role in the pandemic.
"Downing Street said yesterday that the government would press ahead with plans in the Conservative manifesto to increase the fee levied on overseas workers to cover the cost of their healthcare, which is due to be extended to those from the EU."

(19 May 2020) Care homes threatened with losing insurance cover for accepting Covid-19 patients Independent May 19: "Care homes that take patients who test positive for coronavirus could lose their insurance cover, the care watchdog has said – meaning sick residents may be forced to move homes.
"The Care Quality Commission said it knew of more than 10 care providers who had been told they would lose their insurance cover if they knowingly accepted coronavirus patients, while other providers have been unable to renew their employee and public liability cover.
"In a new report published on Tuesday, the CQC also raised fears that social care providers could go out of business following the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and warned the government it needed to do more to join up services."

(19 May 2020) Matt Hancock’s ‘protective ring’ around care homes does not exist Independent May 19: "Last week, Matt Hancock, the secretary of state for health, claimed that the government had “thrown a protective ring around care homes” since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
"Unfortunately, since that protective ring was thrown, 20,000 people have somehow found a way to die within it, so somewhat unsurprisingly, the quality of that protective ring, and the degree of protection it provides, is a subject on which Hancock was required to provide more detail to the House of Commons."

(19 May 2020) NHS remains 'unprotected' in future trade deal with Donald Trump's government Mirror May 19 warning: "The NHS is left “unprotected and at risk of privatisation” in a future trade deal with President Trump, campaigners warn.
"On Wednesday the Trade Bill 2019-2021, which is where the Government outlines how the UK would implement and police new deals, reaches its second reading in Parliament.
"Campaign groups Keep Our NHS Public and We Own It say it fails “to give Parliament oversight of, or votes on, trade agreements; to improve existing and inadequate processes for parliamentary processes; and gives the executive unchecked powers on trade”.
"MP Caroline Lucas is proposing an amendment to the bill, which calls for the House of Commons to decline a second reading as it “fails to uphold democratic scrutiny”.

(19 May 2020) The editor of the prestigious Lancet medical journal said a study Trump cited to justify pulling out of the WHO doesn't exist Business Insider May 19: " “The editor of prestigious British medical journal The Lancet has disputed the existence of a study that President Donald Trump claimed was published in the journal in December 2019, sounded an early alarm on the novel coronavirus, and was ignored by the World Health Organization.
“Trump's letter, addressed to WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, had accused the agency of accepting China's attempts to downplay the outbreak in its early days, despite scientific reports indicating its urgency.
“It also threatened to permanently withdraw US funding and membership of the WHO unless the agency made "major substantive improvements" within 30 days.
"The World Health Organization consistently ignored credible reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan in early December 2019 or even earlier, including reports from the Lancet medical journal," he wrote. But it appears such a study doesn't exist.
“Richard Horton, The Lancet's editor-in-chief, disputed Trump's claims about the study, saying in a Tuesday morning tweet: "Dear President Trump — You cite The Lancet in your attack on WHO. Please let me correct the record. The Lancet did not publish any report in early December, 2019, about a virus spreading in Wuhan.”

(19 May 2020) The NHS surcharge shows what the Tories really think of key workers Guardian May 19 comment "Clap for them, then charge them. This is the how the Conservatives treat migrant key workers.
"For all the admiration and thanks heaped upon these workers during the coronavirus pandemic, the government has refused to scrap the NHS immigration surcharge. The majority of non-EU migrants, including those who work in the NHS, will have to pay the surcharge on top of taxes, national insurance contributions and extortionate immigration fees.
"And so it has to be said plainly: the government praises NHS workers for providing life-saving care, then makes them pay through the nose to access that same care themselves. Migrant staff have to pay twice for the very healthcare system they work for. Just because they are immigrants."

(19 May 2020) Coronavirus: The care homes catastrophe Hard hitting and well-researched report on BBC Radio Four's File on 4, showing the way in which NHS and Department of Health and Social Care policy decisions to empty hospital beds led to covid-positive patients being dumped onto unprepared care homes -- resulting in thousands of deaths. One in twelve care home residents died in just six weeks -- almost three times the average care home death rate.

(19 May 2020) Bereaved families of migrant NHS cleaners and porters locked out of leave-to-remain scheme Independent May 19 report: "NHS porters and cleaners and social care staff have been left out of a Home Office scheme granting families of health workers indefinite leave to remain in the UK if they die of coronavirus, it has been revealed.
"The exclusion of some of the NHS’s lowest-paid workers – many of them employed by private companies under outsourcing arrangements – was branded an “outrageous scandal” by the GMB union.
"Some 8 per cent of social care home workers are foreign nationals from outside the EU, while non-UK nationals are also strongly represented among the ranks of hospital cleaners, porters, security guards and catering staff who are regarded as key workers but do not qualify for the bereavement scheme.
"One NHS cleaner from Nigeria, a mother-of-two who gave her name only as Catherine, said she had been in the UK for 10 years working on a “right to remain” visa which had to be regularly renewed. She said it was “hurtful” to know she was being treated differently from colleagues working alongside her at the hospital."

(18 May 2020) The UK’s public health response to covid-19 Shocking piece in the BMJ outlining the failures of the U.K.’s response to the Covid crisis. Some naming and shaming. No pay wall.

(18 May 2020) NHS hospitals accused of using crisis as excuse to deny women caesarean sections Independent May 18: "Multiple NHS trusts have told women preparing to give birth since March that requests for a caesarean section will not be granted due to the viral pandemic.
"It has led to accusations from the charity Birthrights that the coronavirus outbreak is being used as an excuse to promote an ideology that more women should have a natural birth.
"During the coronavirus crisis some women have been forced to give birth alone due to bans on partners attending hospital. Hospitals changed their policy after new visiting rules were released.
"Maria Booker, from Birthrights, told The Independent: “We continue to be contacted by women being told they cannot have a maternal request caesarean and we are concerned that in some places coronavirus is being used as an excuse to dictate to women how they should give birth, which contravenes Nice [the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] guidance."

(18 May 2020) Why didn't the government protect us earlier from coronavirus? ITV's Robert Peston (May 18) belatedly shares his overview of the government failure so far: "I assumed, naively it turns out, that in government money would be no object and that behind the scenes all possible defences would be erected to protect us from this most savage of black swans.
"But they weren't erected, or at least not until the virus had spread so far and so fast that only the most economically expensive of comprehensive national lockdowns was capable of holding its vicious advance in check.
"And even after that unprecedented restriction on our freedoms, the prevalence of the virus has been permitted to become so great, there are still so many people infected, that restarting the economy is now that much more distant."

(18 May 2020) British army veteran faces £27,000 NHS hospital bill Shocking Guardian May 18 story of the brutal realities of the continued "hostile environment" policy being viciously imposed by NHS and home office bureacrats:
"A Commonwealth-born veteran, who served for more than a decade in the British army including tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, has been told he must pay more than £27,000 for NHS hospital bills after an emergency operation to remove a brain tumour.
"Hospital staff have classified Taitusi Ratucaucau, 49, as an overseas patient, and therefore ineligible for free NHS care. He joined the British army in 2001 and has been continuously in the UK since being discharged from the military in 2011, living here with his wife and three daughters, and paying tax and national insurance."

(18 May 2020) There is revolution in the air now, but history shows the old order will fight back Guardian comment May 18: "Coronavirus policies to help the vulnerable are already being jettisoned. Those who want change need to be up for the battle
“The language of a resilient infrastructure doing its best is deliberate – useful in creating the impression that once the pandemic passes, so does the problem. Failures in the care sector are “challenges”; the NHS, rather than being underfunded and weakened, has been a success because it has not been overwhelmed, ignoring the infected patients who were shipped out from hospitals to care homes to spread the deadly virus to the most frail.
“Fuelled by dissembling and denial, the country lurches forward with a broken economy, a depleted public sector, an underpaid and underprotected class of workers, and a vilified migrant population.
“In the final stages, policies to help the vulnerable launched at the start of the pandemic will be quietly jettisoned. A pledge to review the NHS surcharge for foreign doctors has come to nothing. A popular programme to house homeless people in England in hotels was quietly scrapped last week. The homeless returning to the streets will be joined by others sent there by the economic downturn. They will be scapegoated, along with the rest of the dispensable victims.”

(17 May 2020) Thanks to NHS managers, I’ve now got two care homes infected with Covid-19 Angry, wide-ranging anonymous May 17 article in Sunday Times from care home owner furious at government and NHS handling of Covid-19 crisis:
“The government has given £3.2bn to local authorities to help cope with Covid. We hear about it every day. But councils are holding on to it, because they’re so short of money. …
“And we’re starting to see care homes fail because residents are dying and there are no new referrals. …
“… we’re getting no new residents, and the implications are calamitous. The 3,500 care homes with fewer than 40 beds are the most vulnerable. A 30-bed home makes profits only on the last six or seven beds; if they’re not filled, it’s a ticking timebomb.”

(17 May 2020) Majority of doctors have ‘little to no confidence’ that NHS will cope in coming weeks, BMA survey finds Independent May 17 reports on a BMA survey of its members:
"NHS England this week published a “road map” to support the resumption of routine treatments over the next six weeks.
"But the BMA’s poll of 10,328 doctors, surveyed between 13 and 15 May, found 52 per cent of those in England were either not at all or not very confident that their department could manage patient demand if services went back to normal.
"Confidence was at its lowest in community settings, such as care homes, where 69 per cent of doctors said they were not very or not at all confident they could cope with patient demand."

(17 May 2020) Boris Johnson's promised workplace safety inspections 'don't exist' i-news May 17: "In answer to a question on workplace safety measures from Labour MP Chi Onwurah following his Covid-19 strategy statement last Monday, Mr Johnson said: “We are going to insist that businesses across this country look after their workers and are Covid-secure and Covid-compliant.
"The Health and Safety Executive will be enforcing that, and we will have spot inspections to make sure that businesses are keeping their employees safe.”
"However, when asked by i about the spot inspection a spokeswoman for the HSE said: “In line with government guidance to cease all but essential work that cannot be done outside of the home, minimising contact between individuals, HSE has paused all proactive inspections at this time to reduce any risk posed to our own staff and to members of the public.”
"Instead of spot inspections, the HSE is encouraging companies to self-police safety measures and workers can report concerns via the group’s website."
"Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, slammed the ‘self-policing’ strategy and demanded the Government do more to protect workers as lockdown conditions ease.
Ms O’Grady said: "Self-policing is just spin for no policing."

(17 May 2020) State may run private care homes Times report May 17: "On Wednesday, Holyrood is expected to pass emergency powers to allow care homes to be taken under public sector control if conditions are thought to pose a significant risk to life, health or wellbeing or if a provider is unable to deliver care.
"Jackson Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative leader, said private care home owners are increasingly nervous about criticising the Scottish government for fear their homes may be taken into public ownership, following pronouncements from figures in the SNP about private homes.
"While Carlaw emphasised he has no sympathy with the operators of poorly run care homes, he said unnecessary anxiety was being caused for some businesses by SNP parliamentarians, whose constituencies include Skye."
… "Jackie Baillie, deputy leader of Scottish Labour, welcomed the intervention at Home Farm but said she could not understand why action had not been taken in other homes, such as Castle View in West Dunbartonshire and Tranent care home in East Lothian, where significant numbers of residents have also died."
Evidence of very different politics in Scotland where the Tories are in opposition can be seen in the response of Miles Briggs, the Scottish Tory shadow health secretary, who said "care for some of the most vulnerable was being delivered “on the cheap”, and demanded “more professionalisation of the service and better remuneration and support for staff”.

(16 May 2020) Anger as Priti Patel says NHS fees paid by foreign health staff must stay, just three weeks after announcing ‘review’ Independent May 16 on an outrageous government decision that will deter overseas recruits to jobs in health and social care: "Priti Patel has sparked anger by refusing to cut or axe the huge fees paid by foreign healthcare workers to help fund the NHS – just three weeks after promising to “review” the controversial charges.
"The home secretary raised expectations when she hinted at concessions for migrants working in the NHS themselves, as she praised their “extraordinary contribution” during the Covid-19 crisis.
"But The Independent has now learnt there will be no changes to what ministers consider the “important” principle that everyone coming to work in the UK contributes extra for the NHS.
"It means the immigration health surcharge is still due to soar from £400 a year to £624 from this October – to be and extended to all EU citizens from next January, when Brexit is completed."

(15 May 2020) How 10 Years of Tory Policies Led to Coronavirus Calamity KONP co-chair Tony O'Sullivan's May 15 Tribune article summing up the past few months, arguing that a decade worth of Tory policies, from pro-market reforms of the NHS to austerity and the hostile environment, have undermined Britain's response to coronavirus – with fatal consequences.

(15 May 2020) NHS staff told not to join pay demonstrations as they ‘adversely affect public confidence’ HSJ (May 15) reports that, not content with gagging staff protesting at lack of adequate supplies of PPE, NHS staff in London have been warned by national regulators not to take part in public protests over pay:
"NHS England and NHS Improvement’s London regional team sent an email to all five sustainability and transformation partnerships in the capital warning staff against protesting at the current time."

(15 May 2020) Abbott joins Roche in winning UK approval for virus antibody test Financial Times May 15 report: “American multinational Abbott Laboratories has joined Swiss pharma company Roche in getting a green light from Public health England. The company said it stood ready to ship “5m tests to the UK each month with immediate effect”, adding that it had already sent some to the NHS labs with which it was “working closely”.
“Abbott’s lab-based test, which detects past infection with the virus, was endorsed by PHE on Thursday — hours after news emerged that its competitor Roche’s version had been evaluated successfully by the government agency
“… Governments expect antibody tests to be a key tool for tracking the spread of the virus and helping to decide how to ease lockdowns.”

(15 May 2020) Coronavirus outbreaks reported in a third of care homes BBC May 15 report: “More than a third of care homes in England have now recorded a coronavirus outbreak, official figures reveal.
“Public Health England data shows 5,546 care homes out of a total of 15,514 had confirmed or suspected outbreaks since early March and almost every district has now had an outbreak in at least one.
“Age UK said the situation in care homes was "a scandal behind closed doors".
“… More than 9,700 care home residents across the UK have died with Covid-19, according to the Office for National Statistics and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

(15 May 2020) Covid-19: Testing testing Hard-hitting, evidence based critique of government failures in BMJ May 14 Editorial comment on the lockdown:
“Tragically, the UK government has squandered much of the precious eight weeks bought at such great social and economic cost.
“The question now is whether it is willing to admit mistakes and do what’s really needed to suppress the virus.
“It seems clear the UK locked down late and too gradually, that we lacked basic preparedness despite clear warnings of a likely future pandemic, and that our healthcare and public health systems were already reeling from lack of investment and the unnecessary disruptive reorganisations of the previous decade.
“In the past frantic few weeks the NHS has responded magnificently, but it has survived only by discharging people back into the community and by stopping everything other than covid related care.
“The resulting loss to health and life will become clear, as will the impact on staff who have shouldered the covid burden. Despite these exceptional efforts it is therefore wrong to say that the NHS has not been overwhelmed.”

(15 May 2020) Doctors 'told not to discuss PPE shortages' BBC’s Newsnight, which seems to be the one area of BBC News with consistently hard focus on facts rather than ministerial bluff, May 15 report:
“Some NHS managers have tried to stop doctors speaking publicly about shortages of personal protective equipment, the BBC has been told. WhistleblowersUK said more than 100 healthcare workers had contacted them since the beginning of March, raising concerns about Covid-19 and PPE.
“The Department of Health said no one should be prevented from speaking up.
“But Newsnight has seen evidence of pressure being applied to doctors to not share concerns they have about PPE.
“A newsletter sent out to staff at one trust suggested subjects for tweets, such as thanking staff for their hard work, paying tribute to retired NHS staff who had returned to the workforce and retweeting posts from the trust's account. It specified that staff were to avoid "commenting on political issues, such as PPE".
“Another trust put up posters in hospital staff areas which told healthcare workers not to "make public appeals for equipment, donations or volunteers".”

(15 May 2020) Coronavirus: Only 8% of government target of 18,000 contact tracers appointed, minister admits Independent May 15 report: “The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said in April the government wanted to recruit 18,000 contact tracers by the middle of May, who would be in place for the roll out of the promised NHS tracing app.
A shortage of contact tracers could slow the delivery of the smartphone app, which Mr Hancock also promised would be available by the middle of the month. …
“Asked how many of the contact tracers have been appointed, [Northern Ireland secretary Brandon] Lewis told Sky News: "I don't think we've got to 18,000 just yet, I think there's about 15,000 applications, we're looking to as you say get up to 18,000."
“Pushed again on how many of the 15,000 applicants have been appointed, he added: "As of this morning I'm not sure of exactly how many of the 15,000 have been hired, earlier in the week it was about 1,500, it would have gone up since then."

(15 May 2020) Hancock says 'key thing' is R number has not risen above 1 More important than the headline of this May 15 Sky News report is this has the famous Hancock lie on care homes:
"Right from the start we've tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes. We set out our first advice in February... we've made sure care homes have the resources they need" says Health Secretary, Matt Hancock. "

(15 May 2020) Lessons from the COVID Emergency – 6: Unlike the public, non-EU doctors and nurses have to pay for NHS services Former advisor to Blair-era ministers Paul Corrigan in a May 15 blog arguing a moral case against Tories' vicious new charges:
"During the recent election campaign the Conservative Party announced it was increasing this surcharge from £400 to £625 for all non-EU migrant workers. Their plan is to extend it to EU workers on Jan 1st 2021 – the date they have set for leaving the EU. The fee is payable for each member of the migrating family, so an individual, their partner and 2 children would have to pay the government £2500.
"When this increase was announced both the RCN and the BMA rightly concentrated on the fact that nurses and doctors would have to pay. They called it pernicious.
"After the election, when the new Government promised numbers of new nurses (many from abroad), it was pointed out that these charges would act as a strong disincentive for nurses and doctors to come and work in the NHS. Richard Murray, CEO of the Kings Fund, called it perverse to make people pay for a service they themselves are providing."

(15 May 2020) Nurses have already had a ‘very significant pay rise’, insists Hancock Nursing Notes May 15, responding to leaked documents showing ministers are discussing another possible public sector pay freeze, reports:
"A recently leaked Treasury document proposed a two-year public sector pay freeze.
The health secretary has today refused to guarantee a pay increase for frontline healthcare workers.
"When questioned by a member of the public at today’s daily Downing Street press briefing, Matt Hancock refused to commit to increasing pay but instead promised staff a “fair reward”. Speaking live, Hancock admitted nursing was a “highly skilled profession and deserves decent pay” but quickly claimed that nurses had already received a “very significant” pay rise.
"NHS staff in England recently received their final annual rise following a multi-year pay deal. The majority of nurses saw a pre-tax rise of just 7% over three years."

(15 May 2020) The UK’s public health response to covid-19: Too little, too late, too flawed Tough, no nonsense May 15 summary Editorial in BMJ on the government's failures in responding to the pandemic - with an excellent graphical comparative chronology:
"How did a country with an international reputation for public health get it so wrong? The UK’s response to covid-19 is centrally coordinated through a series of scientific advisory groups led by Whitty and Vallance. Critical to this is the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), which models the future epidemic and feeds into SAGE. SPI-M and SAGE are dominated by modellers and epidemiologists. None of the members were experts in developing and implementing a public health response, and other relevant groups such as communicable disease experts, women, and ethnic minorities are under-represented.
"The Guardian revealed that several SAGE meetings had been attended by Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s chief political adviser, and Ben Warner, his adviser on data science. The involvement of two influential political advisers makes a mockery of SAGE’s claim to provide independent scientific advice to the government."

(14 May 2020) LGA OVERVIEW OF ISSUES Local Government Association (representing all local authorities) report dated May 15 notes continued crisis in provision of PPE:
"Care providers and councils are still not able to access sufficient supplies of PPE. This
continues to be a major concern and additional drops of PPE to LRF’s have not significantly addressed this issue. Care workers and other staff are not being provided with the protection they need to carry out their roles looking after vulnerable people. This is putting workers and vulnerable people at risk. This has become a major credibility issue for the government and needs to be addressed in a manner which restores confidence to the sector. "

(14 May 2020) A gross injustice is being done to universities, students and all our futures as the government abandons higher education to its fate Richard Murphy notes May 4: “The government announced overnight that it is not going to bail out the university sector as a result of the coronavirus.
“Numerous thoughts follow.
“First, this will lead to mass redundancies at universities, and most especially amongst academic staff, many of whom are on temporary contracts.
“Second, this will scar the reputation of UK universities for a long time to come.
“Third, the failure of the government to support research when Brexit is also causing untold damage to the sector as a result of the loss of European cooperation cannot be overstated: we will now be in the research wilderness.”
He might have added that it is also a grim warning of what could be in store for other public services – including the NHS.

(14 May 2020) Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as countries fight to contain the pandemic | Free to read Excellent explanation and graphs from the Financial Times May 14:
“The human cost of coronavirus has continued to mount, with more than 4.3m cases confirmed globally and more than 292,700 people known to have died.
“The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic and it has spread to more than 190 countries around the world.
“This page provides an up-to-date visual narrative of the spread of Covid-19, so please check back regularly because we will be refreshing it with new graphics and features as the story evolves.”

(14 May 2020) The Beginning of the End of Boris Johnson? Double Down News video blog by public health expert John Ashton slams government record on Covid-19. “When Coronavirus was getting into its stride in UK, the Secretary State for Communities & Local Government wrote to all local authorities giving them details on how to organise street parties for VE Day”

(14 May 2020) Drivers tell of chaos at UK's privately run PPE stockpile Guradian investigation May 14: “The private firm contracted to run the government’s stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) was beset by “chaos” at its warehouse that may have resulted in delays in deploying vital supplies to healthcare workers, according to sources who have spoken to the Guardian and ITV News.
“The allegations from delivery drivers and other well–placed sources raise questions about whether Movianto, the subsidiary of a US healthcare giant, was able to adequately manage and distribute the nation’s emergency stockpile of PPE for use in a pandemic.
“The investigation by the Guardian and ITV News also established that in previous years Movianto temporarily stored the emergency pandemic equipment in a smoke-damaged warehouse that was found to contain asbestos.”

(14 May 2020) Care home residents paid ‘huge price’ for emptying of acute beds, says STP chair HSJ 14 May reports comments by former New Labour health secretary Patricia Hewitt:
“Patricia Hewitt, the chair of Norfolk and Waveney STP, said hospitals had sped up discharges to social care settings in March due to instructions from national NHS leaders.
“Speaking on a webinar on health and social care today, she said: “Emptying acute beds, which was essential…came at a high price and it was paid by those patients in social care or transferred to social care who already had covid-19 or [subsequently] got it.
“Nobody can remember a time when acute beds were as empty [as currently]…it is quite an extraordinary situation. But it was at a huge price paid, there will be all kinds of questions to come… once we are past the crisis phase.”
“When discussing the initial public health messages sent out by the government, Ms Hewitt added: “Where was social care? It was obviously not in that first message.”

(14 May 2020) 'The numbers on the streets are going to rocket': Homeless people put up in hotels amid pandemic to be kicked out as government quietly scraps scheme Manchester Evening News breaks the story that triggered a vicious backlash by ministers trying to cover up the facts: "Hundreds of homeless people who had been put up in hotels during the coronavirus pandemic must now be moved out after ministers quietly pulled the plug on the programme, the M.E.N. can reveal.
"Civil servants have told Greater Manchester officials that the scheme - known as ‘Everyone In’ - is no longer being funded by central government and that March's original Covid guidance to local authorities has been scrapped.
"So far 1,600 homeless people with nowhere to self-isolate have been put up in emergency accommodation here during the crisis, including hundreds in hotels, as authorities were directed to protect them from the spread of the virus.
"But a leaked report to the region’s combined authority reveals the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government has now ‘drawn a line’ under its programme and has told councils it will no longer be funded, although no ministerial statement has been made to that effect."

(14 May 2020) NHS Labs Were Frozen Out Of Coronavirus Testing Programme, Says Top Scientist Huffington Post, following earlier reports in the Lowdown, on creation of parallel network of unaccredited "super-labs" for Covid-19 testing, sidelining NHS labs:
"President of the professional body for biomedical science Allan Wilson says a dual system of NHS labs and new government labs processing Covid-19 tests has contributed to the target of 100,000 tests a day regularly being missed.
"He accused the government of pushing ahead with setting up three new laboratories – known as the Lighthouse labs – to roll out coronavirus testing without first asking if NHS labs had capacity to do it.
"Wilson, who represents scientists from at least 130 NHS labs across the country, says these NHS labs should have been the central plank on which testing infrastructure for the national programme was built. "

(14 May 2020) NHS Staff Voices with Professor John Ashton NHS Staff Voice's chair, Alia Butt (psychologist and psychotherapist) interviews public health expert Professor John Ashton CBE, a British doctor and academic, and former regional director of public health for north-west England, on the government's mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis.

(14 May 2020) Plans for post Covid NHS hatched behind the lockdown May 14 exclusive from The Lowdown: "The Lowdown has seen a letter from NHS England’s London Regional Director Sir David Sloman, sent out internally on April 29 but not published, requiring Integrated Care System Chairs and Senior Responsible Officers to take “urgent action” on system plans for London that “fundamentally change the way we deliver health and care.”
"Each ICS is ordered to supply a “revised ICS plan” by Monday May 11. The letter spells out a 12-point list of issues on which bureaucrats in each area are supposed to devise new policy, on the hoof, for a “Recovery Board” meeting on May 13.
"Even if the country was not on lockdown, this 12-day turn-round period for proposals on fundamental changes for a New Health and Care system for London, to be in place by November 2021, would indicate a complete disregard for any serious consultation or discussion.
"But it’s clear from the way this is being done that any notion of public engagement or accountability is a very low priority afterthought. The accompanying Powerpoint presentation entitled ‘Journey to a New Health and Care System’ states that over the next 12-15 months they hope to keep public engagement to a bare minimum: “Include public and stakeholders in the process within the constraints of an emergency”.

(13 May 2020) Commentary: COVID in Care Homes—Challenges and Dilemmas in Healthcare Delivery Free access academic study of the impact of Covid on care homes: points raised include:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected care home residents internationally, with 19–72% of COVID-19 deaths occurring in care homes.
"COVID-19 presents atypically in care home residents and up to 56% of residents may test positive whilst pre-symptomatic. In this article, we provide a commentary on challenges and dilemmas identified in the response to COVID-19 for care homes and their residents.
"We highlight the low sensitivity of PCR testing and the difficulties this poses for blanket screening and isolation of residents. We discuss quarantine of residents and the potential harms associated with this.
"Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supply for care homes during the pandemic has been suboptimal and we suggest that better integration of procurement and supply is required. "

(13 May 2020) Ministers were warned two years ago of care homes' exposure to pandemics Guardian report May 13: "Council social care directors in England warned the government two years ago, in a series of detailed reports, about care homes’ exposure to a pandemic, the Guardian has learned.
"They called for better supply plans for personal protective equipment – warning that “demand for PPE could rapidly outstrip supply” – plus improved infection control and a system to enlist volunteers to help services expected to be stretched to breaking point.
"The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass), which represents directors of adult social services in England, told the Guardian it carried out the work to improve government planning for a flu pandemic at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care.
"But it said: “We are not aware of whether government departments picked up on any of the recommendations set out.”

(13 May 2020) COVID in Care Homes—Challenges and Dilemmas in Healthcare Delivery Academic paper from Age and Ageing looks at lessons from UK, Netherlands and Ireland:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected care home residents internationally, with 19–72% of COVID-19 deaths occurring in care homes. COVID-19 presents atypically in care home residents and up to 56% of residents may test positive whilst pre-symptomatic. In this article, we provide a commentary on challenges and dilemmas identified in the response to COVID-19 for care homes and their residents. "

(13 May 2020) DfE chief scientific adviser admits he hasn’t assessed school reopening guidance May 13 revelation in Schools Week: the department had done no modelling on consequences, their advisor had not been in SAGE discussions, and the decision to begin reopening schools was taken by cabinet, not the Department.
"Education committee chair Robert Halfon asked what scientific evidence base underpinned the decision to reopen schools to pupils in reception, year 1 and year 6, and what modelling had been done.
“The department has not done any modelling,” [Osama] Rahman replied. “One of the SAGE groups has done various bits of modelling for different scenarios on what years you can bring back. My understanding is those will be published in due course.”
"Halfon responded that “surely you must have scientific evidence the base underpinning the department’s decision?”, to which Rahman responded: “That was a cabinet decision following advice from SAGE.”"

(13 May 2020) With Millions Out of Work, the Trump Administration Pushes to Limit Food Stamps In the US, Time magazine (May 13) notes: "Amid a global pandemic that has rattled the United States economy and led to record-breaking job losses, the Trump Administration is continuing to push to restrict access to the nation’s largest food assistance program.
"On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture quietly issued a notice that it was appealing a judge’s injunction that blocked the cabinet agency from proceeding with cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), colloquially known as food stamps.
"If the USDA wins its appeal, the new requirements would strip 688,000 Americans of their food benefits, according to Department’s own estimates. "

(12 May 2020) Excess UK deaths in Covid-19 pandemic top 50,000 Financial Times May 12 report: “The number of UK deaths during the coronavirus pandemic over and above normal levels has exceeded 50,000, official figures confirmed on Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics said that in the week ending May 1, there had been 17,953 deaths in England and Wales recorded, 8,012 higher than the average of the past five years in that week, as the disease killed three times the normal number of people in care homes.
“This represented the seventh consecutive week that deaths exceeded normal levels and once equivalent figures from Scotland and Northern Ireland were included, takes total mortality across the UK during the pandemic to 50,979.”

(12 May 2020) How Boris Johnson refused to fight the virus Appeasement.org with a chronology of Johnson's failure to wage the necessary fight to contain and tackle the virus:
"Through a deadly combination of arrogance and incompetence, Boris Johnson’s government ignored international warnings and allowed Covid-19 to spread largely unchecked in the UK.
"Like one of his predecessors he ignored a gathering storm, downplayed the threat then failed to act. He appeased the virus.
"By the time he realised his mistake it was too late, thousands would needlessly die and the economy would face a protracted lockdown.
"Today the UK is the second worst hit country in the world. He’s not Churchill. He’s Chamberlain."

(12 May 2020) Coronavirus outbreak: Lessons on civic duty from Boris Johnson? No thank you Guardian’s Marina Hyde on Johnson’s back to work announcement May 12:
“On Sunday, construction and manufacturing workers were told to get back to work by a man who skived off five consecutive Cobra meetings during a wildly mushrooming global epidemic. Five! Boris Johnson couldn’t even be bothered to turn up and grip the government’s crucial early response to a deadly virus – are we supposed to believe he’d be rushing back to finish a loft extension out of civic duty? He’s not even prime minister out of civic duty.
“Still, that’s showbiz. You miss one universal credit meeting and your benefits are stopped; you miss five Cobra meetings and you get to address the nation on its working responsibilities from a drawing room so vast you’d need a hansom cab to traverse it.
“… As for Johnson’s Sunday address, it was taped in advance, which at least spared people his involuntary smirk as they were apparently being told to trudge into work in 12 hours’ time.”

(12 May 2020) Treasury blueprint to raise taxes and freeze wages to pay for £300bn coronavirus bill Telegraph May 12 exclusive on options being discussed by ministers on a package of tax increases and renewed austerity measures to make sure it is workers and pensioners rather than bankers or billionaires who carry the cost of their apparent generosity in supporting furlough scheme. It notes:
"The document suggests a two-year freeze on public sector pay could generate savings of £6.5 billion by 2023-24, while "stopping the rising cost" of the pension triple lock would produce savings of £8 billion a year."

(12 May 2020) Government’s handling of Covid-19 is a very British disaster Remarkable May 12 comment, broadside slamming failures of government policy -- from of all people the Torygraph: "I have been silent on Covid-19 for a while. There was little to be gained from harrying the Government once it had abandoned the misadventure of herd immunity and was at least trying to get a grip. Much of the belated media onslaught is reflexive gotcha-journalism (where were they in February when the mistakes were made?), or hides an ideological agenda.
"But claims by both Downing Street and Public Health England that they “got it right” cannot be allowed to stand.
"Nor can the pretence that each stage of the containment policy is being fed out at just right time and at just the right calibration under the Jupiterian guidance of behavioural theorists.
"There was never anything to be gained from delaying the lockdown once the brushfire had slipped control due to lack of testing/tracing. Each three days of prevarication meant a doubling of the infection case load. It was to sink deeper into the quagmire. Nor did the SAGE committee ever have a sufficient grasp of the basic facts to fine-tune the timing, let alone to play God."

(11 May 2020) Healthcare firm advised by Owen Paterson won £133m coronavirus testing contract unopposed Guardian May 11: "A healthcare firm which employs the prominent Conservative politician Owen Paterson as a paid consultant has been awarded a £133m contract without any other firms being given the opportunity to bid for the work.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has given Randox the contract to produce testing kits to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic. It was awarded “without prior publication of a call for competition”, according to details of the contract seen by the Guardian.
"The founder of Randox Laboratories is Peter FitzGerald, a polo-playing multimillionaire Northern Irish doctor who is the UK’s 475th richest person with a £255m personal fortune, according to the Sunday Times rich list.
"Matt Hancock’s department awarded the contract last month under fast-track arrangements that enable public bodies dealing with the pandemic to give contracts to commercial companies quickly without the need to ask other firms to bid for them."

(11 May 2020) Most oppose FoI restrictions during lockdown, poll finds Journalism website Hold the Front Page May 11 on a threat to limit access to information in Scotland:
"The majority of people oppose an extension of Freedom of Information request deadlines during the coronavirus crisis, a new poll has found.
"The Survation poll for the Open Knowledge Foundation found 52pc of respondents believe that “restricting the public’s right to information is an unnecessary measure”.
"The responses were given from those polled across the United Kingdom when asked about new timescales set by the Scottish government for replying to FoI requests.
"In Scotland the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill has extended the response deadline to FoI requests from 20 to 60 days with a potential further extension of 40 days."

(11 May 2020) Plans for post Covid NHS hatched behind the lockdown Lowdown article May 11 reveals leaked correspondence on plans by NHS England at least in London to frame and rush through fundamental changes to NHS after the Covid crisis with minimal if any public consultation:
"a letter from NHS England’s London Regional Director Sir David Sloman, sent out internally on April 29 but not published, requir[ed] Integrated Care System Chairs and Senior Responsible Officers to take “urgent action” on system plans for London that “fundamentally change the way we deliver health and care.”
"Each ICS is ordered to supply a “revised ICS plan” by Monday May 11. The letter spells out a 12-point list of issues on which bureaucrats in each area are supposed to devise new policy, on the hoof, for a “Recovery Board” meeting on May 13."

(11 May 2020) New guidance launched to help get Brits safely back to work Official May 11 guidance aimed at getting people back to work, claims:
"Practical guidelines published today to make workplaces as safe as possible and give people confidence to go back to work during coronavirus pandemic
"Documents developed in consultation with approximately 250 businesses, unions, industry leaders as well as devolved administrations
"Up to an extra £14 million made available for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for extra call centre employees, inspectors and equipment"
but in fact HSE budget has been slashed by over £100m per year since 2010, when it received £230m. In 2019 it received just £126m. That is a huge real-term cut and neglect of workplace safety: £14m nowhere near enough to put back what has been lost.

(9 May 2020) Government must set out better testing strategy to help UK exit lockdown, says laboratories chief Independent May 9 flags up the chaotic creation of a parallel system of "super-labs": "The government’s arbitrary target of increasing coronavirus testing to 200,000 a day is fuelling a “wild west” of diagnostics without a focus on the longer-term strategy needed to help the UK exit lockdown, the head of Britain’s biomedical science body has warned.
"Allan Wilson, president of the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), told The Independent the “political dogma” driving decisions on the next phase of testing for Covid-19 was causing frustration among NHS laboratories.
"He said the industry wanted to see a more considered approach than the “first come, first served” system in place at the moment with NHS laboratories competing with the government’s hastily set up Lighthouse Labs – three mega-labs in Milton Keynes, Cheshire and Glasgow with the capacity to do tens of thousands of tests a day."

(9 May 2020) NHS staff asked to make 390-mile trip to have coronavirus tests - despite testing units in Durham Chronicle Live report May 9 from the North east: "The Government has been slammed after key workers were offered coronavirus tests that would force them to make a 390-mile round trip ,it is claimed.
"Three mobile testing units have visited County Durham - but the Government has come under fire for the “poor performance” of its national website for booking test appointments by a Durham county councillor.
"Councillor Lucy Hovvels, Cabinet member for adult and health services chairwoman of the County Durham Health and Well-being Board, has written to the Health Secretary to ask for the issues to be looked at with “extreme urgency”.
"She [said] testing sites not being listed, appointments as far as Perth being offered, and the length of time to make a booking have been raised as concerns has led to a 75% drop in the number of tests being carried out in the area."

(9 May 2020) 50,000 coronavirus tests secretly flown to the US after UK lab issues Signs the Torygraph has begun to lose patients with government incompetence in May 9 report: “Britain has been secretly flying tens of thousands of coronavirus tests to America as it struggles to lift the daily testing rate over 100,000 a day in the UK, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.
“The Department of Health admitted last night that 50,000 test samples were sent to the US last week as problems were reported in laboratories in the UK. The samples were airlifted across the Atlantic in chartered flights from Stansted airport.
“The Government insisted that "all results will be returned to patients as quickly as possible".
“The UK has failed to hit the hundred thousand a day target for testing for each of the past seven days, and only hit the 100,000 a day target by the end of last month by mailing 40,000 testing kits to people at home.
“The Government admitted on Thursday that there had been a problem in a lab in Northern Ireland, but made no reference to shipping tens of thousands of tests to America.”

(9 May 2020) 'That's not fair - give me a break': Matt Hancock pleads with PM in bust-up over Health Secretary's handling of Covid crisis as No 10 unveils new 'stay alert' slogan and five-stage threat level system Daily Heil reveals tensions between Tories in May 9 report: “Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged Boris Johnson to ‘give me a break’ in a furious bust-up over the coronavirus crisis.
“The row – which raises questions over the beleaguered Minister’s Cabinet future – can be revealed as the Prime Minister prepares to use a televised address to the nation this evening to set out his roadmap for easing the national lockdown.
“…Pressure intensified on Mr Hancock over his handling of the crisis last night after more than 25 million goggles were found to offer frontline NHS workers inadequate defence against the deadly virus.
“The latest in a string of embarrassing Government failures over Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) came as senior sources suggested to The Mail on Sunday that Mr Hancock was now living ‘on borrowed time’ in the Cabinet.
“One source claimed Boris Johnson had raised questions with Mr Hancock about his department’s grip on the crisis, only for the Minister to plead: ‘That’s not fair – give me a break.’”

(9 May 2020) NHS nurse quits London hospital after six weeks without hand gel or masks Mirror report May 9: "A nurse on the coronavirus front line has quit claiming her hospital failed to provide adequate PPE, leaving her too scared to work.
"Laura Demmen – who has a son aged five – said she walked out after weeks working without hand gel, a face mask or gloves as the pandemic gathered pace.
"She said when Covid-19 patients were first moved to intensive care, which shared a door with Laura’s ward, there was still no hand gel by her ward’s beds, or face masks for staff."

(9 May 2020) In the era of Covid-19 healthcare should be universal and free Rob Yates May 9 in South Africa's Mail & Guardian: "Covid-19 is, therefore, perhaps the ultimate example of why we need universal health coverage ― if anyone is left out, it threatens the health security of everyone.
"If the objective is to guarantee universal access to healthcare, it is vital to eliminate barriers that inhibit people accessing services and one obvious place to start is to remove financial barriers ― services should be publicly financed and provided free of charge.
"Worldwide, it has been shown that healthcare-user fees dramatically reduce demand for health services ― especially preventive services, because people may not perceive that they need interventions. For example, when a $0.30 charge for preventive deworming medicines was introduced for school children in Kenya, demand fell 80%. Conversely, when countries have removed user fees, for example when the United Kingdom launched its National Health Service in 1948, they have witnessed huge increases in demand for services."

(8 May 2020) Hundreds more care homes report outbreaks in just one week Independent May 8: "Coronavirus continues to spread in care homes across England with more than 600 new homes reporting an outbreak in just seven days, new data has revealed.
"The government is coming under increasing pressure over its support for vulnerable and elderly people in residential homes after more than a dozen documents from the government’s scientific advisory committee, Sage, failed to show any consideration of the challenges faced by care providers, or how to support them in the run-up to the UK entering lockdown.
"The documents, which date back to the beginning of the crisis earlier this year, discuss at length the risks to the NHS and the lack of hospital beds as well as the need to introduce social distancing measures. But there is no detailed assessment of what should be done for care homes."

(8 May 2020) Deaths in mental health hospitals double as Covid-19 spreads Independent May 8 report: "Deaths in mental health hospitals have doubled compared with last year – with 54 fatalities linked to coronavirus since March began.
"Mental health hospitals have now been warned by the care watchdog that they must take action to protect vulnerable patients.
"The Care Quality Commission regulator said 106 deaths were recorded in mental health hospitals between 1 March and 1 May, compared with 51 over the same period in 2019.
"Fifty-four of these deaths are from confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections.
"The CQC has now written to all mental health hospital providers highlighting its fears over the spread of the virus in secure hospitals and units, and to patients who are under Mental Health Act restrictions in the community."

(8 May 2020) Public health directors in England are asked to take charge of Covid-19 testing Guardian May 8 report: "Ministers have asked local directors of public health to take charge of Covid-19 testing in English care homes in what will be seen as a tacit admission that centralised attempts to run the programme have fallen short.
"In a letter to sector leaders, seen by the Guardian, the care minister, Helen Whately, acknowledged that testing of care home residents and staff needs to be “more joined up”. She describes the new arrangements as “a significant change”.
"Under the new approach, public health directors employed by local councils will take lead responsibility for arranging the testing of some 400,000 care home residents and 500,000 staff, in discussion with directors of adult social services, local NHS bodies and regional directors of Public Health England (PHE)."

(8 May 2020) We care workers face a terrible decision: risk people's lives or go without pay Anonymous Guardian Opinion column from a care worker May 8 reveals the horrific under-resourcing of social care: “Like many care workers in the UK, I’m on a zero-hours contract. My hours plummeted to between four and eight a week, amounting to less than the £95 a week we can get from statutory sick pay, and definitely not enough to live on.
“Though my manager reassured me there would be more hours, there weren’t – and he refused to furlough me in case there were staff shortages later on.
Work became increasingly stressful. Our team of carers had to make boxes of gloves last as long as possible. Face masks or visors were out of the question, and hand sanitiser quickly ran out.
“We continued as if it were business as usual. One client was discharged from hospital with pneumonia (she hadn’t been tested for coronavirus as it was still early in the pandemic). I was instructed to carry on her calls as normal – taking her out to get shopping and fresh air – despite government advice about social distancing.”

(8 May 2020) Creeping NHS privatisation is hampering our Covid-19 response Guardian letters May 8 highlight the damaging proliferation of private contracts that are undermining the response to Covid-19

(8 May 2020) UK scientists condemn 'Stalinist' attempt to censor Covid-19 advice Guardian May 8: “Government scientific advisers are furious at what they see as an attempt to censor their advice on government proposals during the Covid-19 lockdown by heavily redacting an official report before it was released to the public, the Guardian can reveal.
“The report was one of a series of documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) this week to mollify growing criticism about the lack of transparency over the advice given to ministers responding to the coronavirus.
“However, large blocks of text in the report, produced by SPI-B, the Sage subcommittee providing advice from behavioural scientists on how the public might respond to lockdown measures, were entirely blanked out.
“Several SPI–B members told the Guardian that the redacted portions of the document contained criticisms they had made of potential government policies they had been formally asked to consider in late March and early April. One SPI-B adviser said: “It is bloody silly, and completely counterproductive.” A second committee member said: “The impression I’m getting is this government doesn’t want any criticism.”

(8 May 2020) Coronavirus latest: NHS start building second Covid-19 contact tracing app with Apple and Google after MPs raise ethical issues i-news May 8 reports: "A second smartphone app to trace the spread of Covid-19 is being produced after the first app launched on the Isle of Wight this week presented technological issues and sparked ethical debate.
"Built by the NHS, the new application will instead incorporate technology provided by Google and Apple that is more compatible with the most commonly used smartphones."

(8 May 2020) Boris Johnson Is Using Scientists As Human Shields May 8 comment from Huffington [post: "The Neil Ferguson story had everything. There was sex, hypocrisy and a “married lover”. At a time when pubs are closed and the football is cancelled, the solid British tradition of a good old public shaming remains comfortingly accessible. But the most interesting element was not the revelation that scientists are in fact fallible human beings like the rest of us. It was the reaction of the media, which used the story to distract us from the real news: that the UK now had the worst death toll in Europe. This story wasn’t about a scientist’s hypocrisy: it was about deflecting from the government’s failure."

(7 May 2020) Revealed: the secret report that gave ministers warning of care home coronavirus crisis Guardian May 7 on the findings from the Cygnus exercise that were ignored: “A secret government report that said the UK was not prepared for a pandemic and forewarned of the Covid-19 crisis in care homes is being published by the Guardian.
“The report is based on the findings of a government simulation of an influenza pandemic, codenamed Exercise Cygnus. It concluded starkly that Britain was not adequately prepared for a flu-like pandemic’s “extreme demands”. The 2017 report is likely to raise questions over whether ministers ever implemented key recommendations pertaining to the care home sector.
“It contained 26 key recommendations, including boosting the capacity of care homes and the numbers of staff available to work in them. It also warned of the challenge facing homes asked to take in patients from hospitals.”

(7 May 2020) The Guardian view on BAME death rates: inequality and injustice Guardian May 7 Editorial: “The disproportionately high toll of BAME people was already evident, notably among medical staff: a review of just over a hundred NHS staff who died found that almost two-thirds were black or Asian, though those groups account for less than one in seven workers in the health service. It is all the more striking, given that age is one of the biggest risk factors and the over-65s comprise only one in 20 of the BAME population, compared with almost one in five of the white population.
“The reasons are complex, interlocking and not yet fully understood. Geography has doubtless played its part; urban dwellers have been worse hit. The prevalence of underlying conditions such as diabetes vary markedly between communities. But health is intimately tied to economic wellbeing. It cannot be divorced from other considerations. We know that, in general, the poor die younger. Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani populations face higher levels of unemployment and child poverty than white groups, and are much more likely to live in overcrowded conditions.
“Even stripping out such factors, the ONS figures show black people are still almost twice as likely as white people to die a Covid-19-related death, with Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian individuals also disproportionately affected.”

(7 May 2020) UK may ditch NHS contact-tracing app for Apple and Google model Guardian May 7: "The government has left open the prospect of ditching its own contact-tracing app in favour of the “decentralised” model favoured by Apple and Google after it was revealed that a feasibility study into such a change is under way.
"After repeated warnings that the UK will be an outlier if it insists on using its own centralised app rather than relying on Google and Apple’s technology, rights groups and MPs said on Thursday that the lack of privacy and data protections could mean that the app would be illegal.
"With growing questions over that approach, it emerged that the Swiss-based consultancy Zühlke Engineering has been hired to undertake a two-week “technical spike” to investigate implementing Apple and Google’s system “within the existing proximity mobile application and platform”."

(7 May 2020) ‘I’m furious’: Failing care homes are the real coronavirus scandal Hard hitting May 7 Wired report: “The week before prime minister Boris Johnson ordered a nationwide lockdown, Rachel Beckett decided to take matters into her own hands. As chairman of Wellburn Care Homes, she worried the virus could seep into one of her 14 locations across northeast England. Beckett stopped hiring agency workers – fearing they could unknowingly carry and spread the virus as they work between multiple locations – closed all homes to visitors and refused to admit any discharged hospital patients, unless they tested negative for coronavirus.
“And then, three weeks into the self-imposed lockdown, the inevitable happened. Two residents tested positive and four more showed symptoms of Covid-19.
“After Public Health England refused to supply tests for the residents in the home, Beckett went to the shops to buy two trolleys full of toiletries, camp beds and sleeping bags for her staff, who moved on site. “Five weeks ago, I would say, we were very much on our own,” she says.
“Even after three more homes were hit by coronavirus outbreaks and testing kits were finally sent out to them, hospitals refused to take in some of the residents who tested positive. “As a sector we support hospitals because we take admissions from the hospitals to relieve their beds, yet they were just not working with us,” says Beckett.
“She argues that there has generally been little guidance from government and social care regulators on how to protect elderly residents from coronavirus.”

(6 May 2020) Boris Johnson doubles coronavirus testing target to 200,000 per day by end of May Independent May 6 on an even more unattainable target and even emptier promise from PM Johnson: “Returning to the House of Commons for the first time since his recovery from coronavirus, Mr Johnson confirmed that he will set out his roadmap out of lockdown in an address to the nation on Sunday, when he is expected to announce some easing of social distancing restrictions.
“And he said it was now the government's "ambition" to hit 200,000 tests by the end of May and go beyond that at a later date. Although his announcement was a significant increase on Mr Hancock's earlier commitment, it still fell short of the PM's own promise as long ago as 25 March that test numbers would "very soon" reach 250,000.”

(6 May 2020) Coronavirus testing restricted across London after chemical shortages, as Boris Johnson announces even bigger target Independent May 6: “Widespread testing for coronavirus has been suspended among staff and patients at hospitals and GP practices serving 3.5 million people because of a shortage of vital chemicals.
“On the day Boris Johnson unveiled a new target of 200,000 Covid-19 tests a day by the end of May (before backtracking and clarifying it was a target of capacity, not testing), pathology services in south London – including four major hospitals and hundreds of doctors’ surgeries – have been forced to impose restrictions on testing both in hospitals and in the community.
“And the head of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, warned that the government’s crude targets were putting hospitals across the country at risk of the same shortages, as testing was aimed at high overall numbers rather than where need was greatest.
“A leaked email to NHS staff from the South West London Pathology Partnership has confirmed only patients and staff who show symptoms will now be tested for Covid-19 after the labs, based at St George’s Hospital, were unable to source enough of the chemical reagents needed for the tests.”

(6 May 2020) Accurate accounting is part of honouring the dead Powerful comment from Keep Our NHS Public May 6: "Accurate accounting is part of honouring the dead: the Government should start with transparency and humility
"The UK looks on course to be one of the worst affected countries in Europe with respect to deaths from coronavirus. While this should prompt careful and critical examination of how the Government has handled the crisis, we can already see an attempt to obscure the reality that too little was done too late.
"Prime Minister Johnson has referred to our “success” in responding to the pandemic as part of constructing a narrative that diverts attention away from his own incompetence. This was too much even for some of the right-wing press. There is also plenty of scope to muddy the waters in terms of the scale of the disaster."

(6 May 2020) Mental health service sends letter to 300 young people removing them from waiting list The Eastern Daily Press May 6 on the latest screw up by Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust: “The region’s mental health service has apologised after sending a letter to more than 300 young people telling them they were taking them off the waiting list because of coronavirus. The Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) admitted today it never should have sent the letter.
“It read that patients would no longer be getting any more appointments and told them that their referrals had been closed. The letter said that because of coronavirus “our service is not able to support everybody in the way that it used to”. Instead it offered them a phone call to get advice.
“A spokesman for the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk said: “The coronavirus crisis is a reason to put people on mental health waiting lists, not take them off them.”

(6 May 2020) Child mental health was in crisis before Covid-19. We can't go back to 'normal' Guardian May 6: “When the coronavirus curve starts to flatten, what will become of the mental health curve that was snowballing pre-Covid 19 as a consequence of psychosocial upheaval and austerity?
“The large child and adolescent mental health services team I work for has been running waiting lists of a number of months for a first appointment, and then equally long waits for specialist therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy or art therapy. Trying to absorb dozens of referrals a week, many of which are highly complex, is a truly Sisyphean task.
“Post-lockdown referral rates have, however, plummeted. Teenagers who would have previously overdosed and presented at A&E are avoiding hospital; parents queue for hours to get a consultation with their GP or don’t contact them at all.
“Referrals from schools are currently zero. What a wonderful time to catch up and get our waiting lists down.”

(5 May 2020) Care homes still expected to take Covid-19 hospital patients as deaths mount Independent report May 5: “Hospitals are continuing to discharge patients infected with Covid-19 into Britain’s struggling care homes, despite new figures showing deaths in the care sector still rising while those in hospitals are falling.
“Deputy chief scientific adviser Dame Angela McLean revealed the government was now seriously concerned about the scale of the outbreak in care homes. She said the number of deaths was now almost half of those in hospitals adding: “There is a real issue that we need to get to grips with.”
“The latest statistics show 5,890 care home residents died in the week ending 24 April, an increase of 2,500 compared to the week before, according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS said the total number of deaths in care homes increased 8 per cent on the previous week.”

(5 May 2020) The Comforting and Misleading Political Response to Britain’s Coronavirus Disaster New Yorker comment May 5: "The Department of Health continues to describe Britain as “one of the most prepared countries in the world for pandemics.” And yet. In the weeks after December 30th, last year, when Chinese officials first informed the World Health Organization of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the U.K. made no striking plans to respond. Even as the virus tore through Northern Italy, and the British authorities had a chance to see, at relatively close quarters, what covid-19 could do to a prosperous European society, they dithered. Countries such as Germany, South Korea, and Singapore, which have responded well to the virus, all appear to have followed a similar playbook of mass testing, contact tracing, and collective vigilance. Each nation that has failed is more likely to have its own particular story of what went wrong."

(5 May 2020) In shielding its hospitals from COVID-19, Britain left many of the weakest exposed Strong research report on care homes from Reuters May 5: Even as the government was promising to protect the elderly and vulnerable from the deadly virus, local councils say they didn’t have the tools to carry out the plan, and were often given just hours to implement new government instructions.
"Policies designed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed pushed a greater burden onto care homes. With hospitals given priority by the government, care homes struggled to get access to tests and protective equipment. The elderly were also put at potentially greater risk by measures to admit only the sickest for hospital treatment and to clear out as many non-acute patients as possible from wards. These findings are based on documents from government agencies seen by Reuters, interviews with five leaders of local authorities and eight care home managers."

(5 May 2020) Coronavirus has exposed the dangerous failings of NHS marketisation May 5 comment by Dave McCoy in the Guardian: "“Though it’s too early to judge how successful different countries have been in managing this pandemic, it’s hard to escape the view that the UK has failed in several respects. The government muddled its initial epidemic control strategy and was slow to roll out testing and contact tracing. Shortages in PPE may have contributed to the tragic deaths of frontline health workers. And measures to shield the vulnerable in care and residential homes have been inadequate.
“These failings aren’t just the result of recent decisions – in England they’re also symptoms of structural weaknesses in the health system, many of which can be traced back to the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.”

(4 May 2020) Hospitals could be blamed for NHS staff deaths as coroners barred from investigating government failings Independent May 4: "“While coroners will be barred from looking at national policies and decision-making around shortages of protective equipment, the chief coroner has insisted they will still be able to investigate the deaths of health workers who may have contracted Covid-19 due to inadequate local supplies.
“The Doctors’ Association UK has warned the situation could mean local managers are held “accountable for a situation out of their control”.
“NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson, who represents local NHS organisations, told The Independent the wider context of the situation that hospitals were operating in needed to be considered.”

(4 May 2020) Plan to use private firm at centre of outsourcing scandal to run contact tracing attacked Independent May 4: “A plan to use a private firm at the centre of an outsourcing scandal to help run the ‘test-and-trace’ system crucial to curbing Covid-19 has drawn criticism.
“Labour hit out at ministers after it emerged that Serco – and probably other giant contractors such as G4S – will carry out most of the contact tracing work, by recruiting 15,000 call centre staff.
“They will be given only about one day’s training in the principles of contact tracing, The Times reported, stating Serco was in “advanced talks”.
“Last year, the outsourcing giant was fined £19.2m by the Serious Fraud Office as part of a settlement over an electronic tagging scandal, also paying £3.7m in costs. Both Serco and G4S were accused of charging the government for electronically monitoring people who were either dead, in jail, or had left the country.”

(4 May 2020) UK government 'using pandemic to transfer NHS duties to private sector' Hard hitting Guardian report May 4: “Doctors, campaign groups, academics and MPs raised the concerns about a “power grab” after it emerged on Monday that Serco was in pole position to win a deal to supply 15,000 call-handlers for the government’s tracking and tracing operation.
“They said the health secretary, Matt Hancock, had “accelerated” the dismantling of state healthcare and that the duty to keep the public safe was being “outsourced” to the private sector.
“In recent weeks, ministers have used special powers to bypass normal tendering and award a string of contracts to private companies and management consultants without open competition.
“Deloitte, KPMG, Serco, Sodexo, Mitie, Boots and the US data mining group Palantir have secured taxpayer-funded commissions to manage Covid-19 drive-in testing centres, the purchasing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the building of Nightingale hospitals.”

(4 May 2020) Ministers under fire as Covid-19 testing drops back below 100,000 daily target May 4 Guardian report: “On Friday, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, announced that the government’s target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of April had been achieved, with more than 122,000 tests provided on the last day of the month – though it emerged that a third had not been carried out.
“Since then, the number of tests per day dropped by more than 40,000, with 76,496 delivered in the 24 hours up to 9am on Sunday.
“… Earlier, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, admitted that more lives could have been saved if the UK had been able to test on a large scale at an earlier date.”

(4 May 2020) UK behind most European states in tackling coronavirus, says EU agency Guardian may 4 report: “Andrea Ammon, the director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), suggested on Monday that the UK had yet to progress as far as the majority of European countries in tackling the disease.
“In evidence to the European parliament’s committee on public health, Ammon said Europe as a whole appeared to have passed the peak of infections on Saturday, with only Bulgaria still experiencing an increase in cases of infection.
“But she told MEPs that the UK, along with Poland, Romania and Sweden, stood out as showing “no substantial changes in the last 14 days”.
“All the others, we really see this substantial decrease,” Ammon said of the cumulative incidence rate, which provides a measure of the prevalence of active cases in the population. She did not offer any explanation of the differences.”

(4 May 2020) The U.K. Needs a Real Government, Not Boris Johnson’s Puppet Cabinet May 4 comment in New York Times: “LONDON — On the day a paler, thinner, notably less boisterous Boris Johnson returned to work after his near-death coronavirus experience, a Tory member of Parliament tweeted a GIF of a magnificent lion perched on a mountaintop, his mane blowing in the wind. “Good to see @BorisJohnson back at the helm!” he wrote.
“This fawning sycophancy is not the norm in British politics. We haven’t, on the whole, run Trumpian courts, or implied that our prime ministers are kings among men. And yet, unusual and unwelcome as the adulation was, the tweeter had a point.
“Mr. Johnson’s cabinet is so markedly weak, with so few politicians of intellect and experience, that the prime minister’s absence for nearly a month left an alarming void. A shifting cast of ministers stood in for him at the daily pandemic press briefings, with performances ranging from mortifying to faltering or defensive to occasionally, thankfully, competent.
“The lack of depth in the cast around this cabinet table was mercilessly displayed, as was the nervousness of many of those obliged to face public interrogation at such a critical time.”

(4 May 2020) Coronavirus fears leading families to remove relatives from UK care homes Guardian May 4: “The devastating spread of the coronavirus among care homes has led to a growing number of families seeking legal advice about bringing their relatives home, the Guardian has learned.
“One law firm said it had received at least 10 calls a week from families wanting to overturn guidance that prevents them from withdrawing their loved ones.
“Advice lines said they had also seen a small but growing number of calls from those experiencing what one lawyer called a new “fear factor … the fear that coronavirus will sweep through the care home and everyone will die”.
“Recorded care home deaths from Covid-19 have been running at around 2,400 per week. When Boris Johnson said on Friday that the UK has passed the peak of the pandemic and he could see a light at the end of the tunnel, care networks hit back, saying this was not true in care homes.”

(4 May 2020) Britons may be unable to travel abroad because of UK failure to join international tracing app system May 4 warning from Telegraph: "The UK launched its app to trace coronavirus on Monday but was immediately warned that failure to join an international system could hamper Britons' attempts to take foreign holidays.
"The smartphone app, which begins testing on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday, will work on a different method of contact tracing to that being used in a system developed by Apple and Google and already in use in countries including Germany and Switzerland.
"The two operating systems are not compatible, leading to fears that, if contact tracing becomes mandatory for travel, Britons will have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in a country. "

(4 May 2020) Britain On Track For Highest Health Worker Deaths IN EUROPE May 4 investigation by Byline Times: "“The media is awash with graphs looking at COVID-19 deaths by country and the general consensus is that the UK is heading for the highest death toll in Europe as we are at least two weeks behind Italy. But so far there haven’t been comparisons of health worker deaths by country.
“Byline Times has partnered with Nursing Notes to report weekly on the tragic deaths of both Health and Care workers in the UK. Today the total who have sadly lost their lives helping COVID-19 patients and care home residents has risen to 171.
“…Why did health workers in Italy and the UK pay such a higher price than in Spain and France, or indeed Germany where no deaths were recorded.”

(3 May 2020) Almost half of doctors have sourced their own PPE or relied on donations Sky News May 3: “Almost half of doctors have had to source their own personal protective equipment or have relied on donations, according to a survey.
“More than 16,000 doctors were asked about the supply of PPE amid continued claims of shortages for health workers treating COVID-19 patients.
“Forty-eight percent of doctors said they had bought PPE for themselves or their department, or they had used donations from a charity or local business.
“Fifty-five percent of GPs said they had done this, compared to 38% of hospital doctors.”

(3 May 2020) A ‘tsunami’ of coronavirus survivors could overwhelm NHS rehabilitation services, experts warn Independent May 3: “Coronavirus can leave patients with lasting physical damage and scarring to their lungs, meaning many could struggle to breathe and move around as well as they did before – in some cases permanently.
“Patients admitted to intensive care can also suffer physical effects of being paralysed weeks and almost half who are ventilated with a tube in their windpipe will experience a form of delirium that can include terrifying hallucinations and leave survivors with lasting mental problems including post-traumatic stress.
“Experts have warned a long-term lack of funding of NHS rehabilitation services and post-discharge care for ITU patients means the health service will struggle to help the thousands of patients who beat the virus but face a long road to recovery.”

(3 May 2020) Top scientists set up ‘shadow’ SAGE committee to advise government amid concerns over political interference Independent May 3: "Sir David King, a former government chief scientific adviser, has assembled a group of independent experts to look at how the UK could work its way out of the coronavirus lockdown.
"He said the 12-strong committee had been created “in response to concerns over the lack of transparency” from Sage.
"The body, which will hold its first press conference on Monday, will focus on seven key points, including how testing and tracing can work, and the future of social distancing."

(3 May 2020) 'Biggest failure in a generation': Where did Britain go wrong? Hard hitting view of UK response to Covid from Sydney Morning Herald May 3: “a growing chorus of health experts, MPs and members of the public … think Britain's response to the crisis has suffered from a series of deadly mistakes and miscalculations.
“The charges focus on four areas: that healthcare workers struggled to access personal protective equipment, that Britain was too slow to implement a lockdown, that it bungled testing, and that vulnerable care home residents were not properly protected.
“Downing Street and key ministers such as Hancock have been reluctant to concede many errors, although their tone has shifted over recent days as the official death toll hit 28,446, one of the highest in the world and well above the 20,000 figure Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance once said the government hoped to not exceed.
“Says Martin McKee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an adviser to the World Health Organisation: "The countries that moved fast have curtailed the epidemic. The countries that delayed have not. It's as simple as that."

(2 May 2020) Unions angry after pay talks for Cornish carers deferred due to coronavirus Union News May 2 reports: "GMB, UNISON and Unite said the announcement by Cornwall Council-owned Corserv to defer talks until September contrasts poorly with neighbouring Devon which has awarded its care workforce a pay rise from this April.
"The Cornish workforce are key workers such as qualified care staff caring for elderly and isolated vulnerable people in their own homes and also looking after people who have had Covid-19 being discharged from hospital to newly opened ‘isolation units’ in the community where they are recovering. Fire and rescue services are also employed within Corserv, as are those in social housing and road maintenance."

(2 May 2020) Clapping the NHS is all very well, but with my sister on the frontline, I need to speak up May 2 Comment from Guardian's Hadley Freeman: "anyone with a brain can see that this is a scandal unfolding in real time, and that where the government neglected one public sector, it is now neglecting another.
"Some 179 British servicemen were killed in the invasion of Iraq; we have already lost more than half that in the NHS – and doctors, unlike soldiers, are not called upon to risk death to do their job.
"Already the letters pages of newspapers are filled with messages from desperate families, terrified for relatives who went into healthcare in order to help others. And it’s up to the families – us, me – to speak for them, given that NHS workers are being warned by their employers not to speak to the media."

(2 May 2020) UK seeks access to EU health cooperation in light of coronavirus May 2 Guardian report: "The UK is seeking “something akin to membership” of the EU’s early warning and response system (EWRS), which has played a critical role in coordinating Europe’s response to the coronavirus, as well as to earlier pandemics such as bird flu. According to an EU source, this would be “pretty much the same” as membership of the system.
"The government’s enthusiasm in the privacy of the negotiating room contrasts with noncommittal public statements. Detailed negotiating objectives published in February merely stated that the UK was “open to exploring cooperation between the UK and EU in other specific and narrowly defined areas where this is in the interest of both sides, for example on matters of health security”."

(2 May 2020) Coronavirus testing: Government accused of ‘misleading the public’ amid criticism over figures Independent sums up May 2: "The government has been accused of “misleading the public” over the number of people being tested for coronavirus, amid claims that ministers have “massaged” figures to make it look like targets have been met.
"On Friday, the health secretary claimed that he had met his target of testing 100,000 people a day before the end of April, but significant discrepancies have emerged in the figures.
"Matt Hancock had said 122,347 tests were performed in the 24 hours up to 9am on Friday, but a closer look at the figures revealed that many of the claimed tests counted had in fact not actually been completed yet.
"The government had counted the posting of 27,497 home testing kits to households around the deadline as tests being carried out in the total, as well as 12,872 testing kits delivered to satellite locations – boosting its final day total by more than 40,000.
"The change partly explains why the government claimed the 100,000 tests target had been met on the final day despite only 52,000 tests a day being carried out as of Tuesday and making very slow progress in the course of the month."

(2 May 2020) Lack of PPE caused death of care home nurse who contracted Covid-19, says son Independent May 2: "The son of a care home nurse who died after testing positive for Covid-19 has said in an online tribute that a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) caused his mother’s death.
"Ian O’Neal described his mother Suzanne Loverseed as a “lioness” who gave everything to protect her children and died “sacrificing herself for others”.
"He said his family was forced to say goodbye to her via an iPad. “I cannot bring myself to recount the trauma of what we have been through, even though it will haunt me for the rest of my life,” Mr O’Neal wrote in a blog post.
“But I will say this: there are some people out there still urging that the virus is not that threatening, or that the government has overreacted, or that it doesn’t matter if a few oldies die. They are mistaken.”

(2 May 2020) NHS doctor: Forget medals and flypasts – what we want is proper pay and PPE Rachel Clarke in Guardian May 2: "doctors, nurses and carers are not typically members of the armed forces.
"We signed up to save lives – not, if necessary, to kill. And the increasingly bombastic proposals for honouring our “sacrifice” are beginning to feel more burdensome than uplifting.
"Alongside last week’s minute of silence to remember the frontline staff who have died so far of Covid-19, for example, at least three national newspapers are campaigning for all NHS staff to be awarded a medal for our bravery in “fighting” the virus. Medals, I imagine, are a matter of glory.
"But right now, my needs are frankly more prosaic. What I crave is sufficient masks and gowns."

(2 May 2020) Care home provider HC-One sounds alarm over £265m loans Telegraph May 2: "Britain’s largest care home provider has sounded the alarm over its ability to carry its debt burden as it warned of the blow to its finances from the pandemic.
"HC-One is at risk of breaching the terms on loans worth more than £265m agreed with a group of lenders including Citi. The care home giant, which has lost nearly 500 people to confirmed or suspected coronavirus, could be forced to ask lenders to waive its debt covenants or to defer its payments.
"HC-One is at the centre of concerns over mounting levels of debt in the social care sector, whose finances have come under strain from the spiralling cost of buying more protective masks, gloves and aprons. "

(1 May 2020) Coronavirus: Which regions have been worst hit? BBC May 1: "The number of people killed by coronavirus in London in the four weeks to 17 April has narrowly surpassed the number of civilians killed during the worst four-week period of aerial bombing of the city during the Blitz in World War Two.
"Figures held in the National Archives, and collated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, show that 4,677 people were killed during the Blitz and buried in London cemeteries in the 28 days to 4 October 1940.
"Registered deaths in London attributed to Covid-19, in the four weeks to 17 April this year, have now reached 4,697 according to a BBC count based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS)."

(1 May 2020) Coronavirus set to re-emerge in society through care homes, warns NHS chief Independent May 1: "In a private online briefing for hundreds of NHS chiefs on Thursday, Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s senior incident director for coronavirus, said there had been a “shift in the recognition” of the extent of coronavirus now spreading between patients and staff in care homes.
"He said the proportion of care-home residents dying had increased from a quarter to 30 per cent, adding: “The expectation is that for the next few weeks … those care homes will be the epicentres of transmission back into society and feeding the endemic problem that we will have going forward.”
"His comments come amid growing criticism that the NHS may have introduced the virus into care homes earlier in the epidemic when homes were told they had to take Covid-19 patients from hospitals to help free up beds on wards."

(1 May 2020) Modification notice: EHC [education, health and care] plans – legislation changes Government notice confirming a new round of institutional government discrimination against children and young people with special edicational needs. As of 1 May, children and young people with EHC Plans no longer have a right to all the provision set out in those plans. LAs / CCGs only have to use ‘reasonable endeavors’ to secure the provision

(1 May 2020) Coronavirus death rates twice as high in more deprived areas, new figures show Independent May 1 report on latest ONS figures which show inequalities in patterns of mortality: "Death rates from coronavirus in the most deprived parts of England are more than double than in less deprived areas, according to new figures that show London is the worst-hit part of the country.
"The mortality rate for the most deprived areas for March and early April was 55.1 deaths per 100,000 population – compared with 25.3 deaths per 100,000 in the least deprived areas, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
"The statistics show London has by far the highest mortality rate, with 85.7 deaths per 100,000 persons. This was found to be “statistically significantly higher” than any other region – almost double the next highest rate.
“By mid-April, the region with the highest proportion of deaths involving Covid-19 was London, with the virus being involved in more than 4 in 10 deaths since the start of March,” said Nick Stripe, head of health analysis at the ONS."

(1 May 2020) Coronavirus: Black African Brits dying at 3.5 times rate of white people, study finds Independent May 1: "Britons from black African backgrounds are dying from coronavirus at more than three times the rate of white people, an alarming study concluded on Friday.
"Pakistani deaths are almost as disproportionate at 2.7 times higher, while fatalities among people of black Caribbean origin are 1.7 times greater, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found.
"The research rejects demographic differences as the reason for the higher death toll – pointing out most ethnic minority groups are much younger than the white British population, so could be expected to survive in higher numbers.
"But it may be partially explained by more black and Asian people being in “key worker” roles, while health conditions such as diabetes may also “be important”."

(1 May 2020) The UK carried out 122,000 coronavirus tests on the last day of April, passing the government's target Naive and uncritical BBC headline puffs up government spin, on a claim that has been almost instantly refuted. Indeed even a few paragraphs in to the NNC story it reveals the fiddle, with 40,000 tests sent out but not carried out:
"Of the 122,347 tests provided in the 24 hours up to Friday morning, the number of people tested was fewer - at just over 70,000 - as has been the case since the testing programme began. This is because some people need to be tested more than once to get a reliable result.
"The total testing figure includes 27,497 kits which were delivered to people's homes and also 12,872 tests that were sent out to centres such as hospitals and NHS sites.
"However, these may not have been actually used or sent back to a lab."

(1 May 2020) Obesity dangers make Covid-19 a rebuke to unequal societies Financial Times May 1 article notes:
"“We urgently need to understand the connections between these conditions and Covid-19. In France, the US and UK, figures suggest that patients who are overweight are at significantly greater risk. In New York City, a study of 4,000 Covid-19 patients found that obesity is the second strongest predictor, after their age, of whether someone over 60 will need critical care.
“… A second New York study says that being overweight is the main driver of whether younger people will be hospitalised with Covid-19. Patients under 60, the researchers found, are twice as likely to need intensive care if they have a body mass index over 30, and 3.6 times more likely to need it with a BMI over 35. Once in ICU, we must remember, survival odds are tragically only 50:50.”

(1 May 2020) Government counts mailouts to hit 100,000 testing target HSJ May 1 article lifts the lid on the fiddles needed to claim 100,000 tests by April 30.

(1 May 2020) How poor planning left the UK without enough PPE Another hard hitting, detailed report from the Financial Times, May 1, which points out that government twists, turns and lies brought total confusion:
"“Behind the scenes, some hospital procurement chiefs moved unilaterally to protect their staff and began “parallel sourcing”, having lost confidence in the Health Department’s central procurement operation.
“The result has been confusion, according to one person with a ringside view of the process: “The NHS central team don’t know what the NHS hospitals are doing. The [Cabinet Office] team don’t know what the NHS are doing and the army — brought in to help with logistics — are pulling their hair out.”

(1 May 2020) Revealed: NHS procurement official privately selling PPE amid Covid-19 outbreak Guardian May 1 reveals moonlighting and profiteering as another factor in the ongoing scandalous failure to deliver adequate NHS supplies of PPE.
"A head of procurement for the NHS has set up a business to profit from the private sale of huge quantities of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, an undercover investigation by the Guardian can reveal.
"David Singleton, 42, a senior NHS official in London who has been working at the capital’s Covid-19 Nightingale hospital, launched the business two weeks ago to trade in visors, masks and gowns."

(1 May 2020) Breathless bullsh*tter Boris can boast about his ‘successful' coronavirus war all he wants, but Britain’s horrendous death toll tells the real shameful story Daily Mail May 1: Yes, the Daily Heil gives prominence to a born-again Piers Morgan tearing strips off the Prime Minister's record on Covid-19:
"Going full Julie Andrews, Boris assured us that though it’s been like coming through ‘some huge alpine tunnel’, we’ll soon be seeing sunlight and pastures again!
"Oh, and he wanted us to know ‘we are throwing everything at it, heart and soul, night and day’!
"Wow, this all sounded fantastic.
"It also sounded like complete and utter bullsh*t."

(1 May 2020) Black African Brits dying at 3.5 times rate of white people, study finds Independet May 1 flags up a major problem: "Britons from black African backgrounds are dying from coronavirus at more than three times the rate of white people, an alarming study concluded on Friday.
"Pakistani deaths are almost as disproportionate at 2.7 times higher, while fatalities among people of black Caribbean origin are 1.7 times greater, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found.
"The research rejects demographic differences as the reason for the higher death toll – pointing out most ethnic minority groups are much younger than the white British population, so could be expected to survive in higher numbers.
"But it may be partially explained by more black and Asian people being in “key worker” roles, while health conditions such as diabetes may also “be important”."

(1 May 2020) Rethinking Tax Systems for a Post-Covid Social Contract May 1 blog from tax expert Richard Murphy and Andrew Baker: "One of the consequences of the current covid-19 pandemic and the associated economic slowdown is that the UK government will likely face a record annual fiscal deficit and a consequent increase in so-called government debt. Calls for another round of austerity are already gathering pace.
"Our paper helps to explain why such calls are misplaced, while pointing towards an alternative future path that rehabilitates both the macroeconomic and social policy roles of tax."

(1 May 2020) London’s Nightingale Hospital being ‘wound down’ after no new patients for a week Independent May 1: "London’s Nightingale Hospital is effectively being wound down after taking no new patients in the past week.
"Staff were told today that a decision on its future would be made within days.
"The field hospital, built in just 10 days at the start of April, had only 19 patients on Friday, down from a peak of around 35 earlier in the month.
"London hospitals are increasingly choosing to keep patients in their own intensive care units.
"One source said London’s Nightingale was in effect being “wound down”, with staff from the Royal London Hospital, who were due to be seconded to work there, told they were no longer needed on Friday due to the small numbers of patients.
"The situation has been replicated across the country: none of the other Nightingale hospitals in Birmingham, Manchester or Harrogate have patients."

(1 May 2020) Global: Crackdown on journalists weakens efforts to tackle COVID-19 May 1 warning from Amnesty International: “There is no hope of containing this virus if people can’t access accurate information. It is truly alarming to see how many governments are more interested in protecting their own reputations than in saving lives,” said Ashfaq Khalfan, Amnesty International’s Director of Law and Policy.
“From the earliest days of this pandemic, when Chinese authorities censored media reports and punished whistle blowers, journalists around the world have been risking their lives, freedom and jobs to share potentially lifesaving information with the public.”

(30 Apr 2020) Stanford Health Care to cut workers' wages by 20% Hospital claims cuts are necessary due to COVID-19 economic impact Another aspect of the craziness of the US health care system revealed in Palo Alto April 24: "Employees of Stanford Health Care, including doctors, nurses and technicians who are caring for COVID-19 patients, will have their pay reduced by up to 20% starting Monday, April 27, for 10 weeks, according to a tip sheet the organization sent to workers on April 21.
"The medical center briefly stated it was making the cuts due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the organization instead of laying off employees. The "temporary workforce adjustment" program was created as part of the hospital's "cost-saving measure and initiatives," hospital administrators stated. The pay reductions will apply to all employees at Stanford Hospital, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford and, in the East Bay, Stanford-ValleyCare. Asked if the cuts included to doctors' salaries, hospital spokeswoman Lisa Kim reiterated the cuts are "across the board."

(30 Apr 2020) Open Letter to UK Government: “Do you want our PPE or not?” Open Letter to Matt Hancock from businesses:
"We are a group of businesses and individual suppliers from around the UK who are desperate to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS. Between us, we can produce masses of pieces of PPE.
"Together, we can help save lives. But you’re making this impossible.
"We’ve done what you asked us to do: we’ve contacted the Government through the official procurement process you set out. None of us has had a definitive response. We don’t know when we can expect one.
"With every passing day that you don’t respond, people are dying. Every day that we are left waiting, there are health workers, care workers, cleaners, supermarket staff, volunteers and delivery staff left exposed to coronavirus. Our PPE can help protect them."

(30 Apr 2020) Liverpool facing bankruptcy after government's shock coronavirus funding failure Hard hitting Liverpool Echo report April 30 on how ministers are failing to support councils: "Liverpool Council could face bankruptcy and is considering imposing emergency spending controls after the government failed to offer anywhere near enough support during the coronavirus crisis.
"The city council, already battered and bruised after ten years of austerity, is now facing a financial cliff edge of £44m because of extra spending to support residents through the crisis and a loss of income.
"Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has previously pledged that councils will be reimbursed for their emergency epidemic spending - but the funding support from government has shockingly decreased in the second tranche.
"The council faces £78m in increased costs and loss of income because of Covid-19 this financial year. It has only received £34m from government in two tranches, with the second lower than the first."

(30 Apr 2020) NHS could run out of surgical masks within weeks, senior NHS England director warns Independent report April 30: "Parts of the NHS could run out of basic surgical masks in the next few weeks, NHS England’s senior director for coronavirus has warned hospital chiefs.
"Just hours before prime minister Boris Johnson said face masks could be “useful” for coming out of lockdown, Professor Keith Willett told a private webinar for 800 NHS managers that the levels of masks being delivered to the UK for the NHS were not good enough and hospitals may have to share what they have with each other if they run out.
"Surgical masks are the most basic level of face protection for NHS staff and could become even more scarce if the NHS re-starts routine operations in coming weeks or increasing numbers of the public use them."

(30 Apr 2020) UK carers who lost jobs after raising safety fears consider legal action Guardian April 30: "Five carers who lost their jobs in the past fortnight after raising concerns about understaffing and personal protective equipment shortages at homes are considering taking legal action, according to a charity that is warning more whistleblowers face being sacked before the end of the Covid-19 crisis.
"As the care industry struggles to grapple with the unfolding pandemic, Compassion in Care, a charity that runs a helpline for whistleblowers, claims the five carers came forward this month to say they no longer had positions after disclosing safety problems.
"The health workers are contemplating legal action after contacting regulators and authorities with concerns, the charity has said.
"There is growing concern about the situation inside the country’s care homes, with the sector feared to be at the centre of crisis."

(30 Apr 2020) Hundreds of ventilators UK bought from China 'are wrong type and could kill patients if used' Sky News April 30 on a letter from doctors to warn ministers to withdraw potentially dangerous ventilators:
"Seen by Sky News' partner organisation NBC, the document also claims the ventilators cannot be cleaned properly, are an unfamiliar design and come with a confusing instruction manual.
"Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove triumphantly announced the arrival of "300 ventilators from China" to help treat COVID-19 patients on 4 April. But the letter of warning from doctors was issued just nine days later.
"We believe that if used, significant patient harm, including death, is likely," it says.
"We look forward to the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive care ventilation for our patients."

(30 Apr 2020) PIERS MORGAN: Breathless bullsh*tter Boris can boast about his ‘successful' coronavirus war all he wants, but Britain’s horrendous death toll tells the real shameful story As Boris Johnson's lobotomised fans rail at critical BBC and press coverage of the government, a newly-reborn Piers Morgan uses the pages of the Daily Heil on April 30 to have a full wellie go at ridiculing their hero:
"Going full Julie Andrews, Boris assured us that though it’s been like coming through ‘some huge alpine tunnel’, we’ll soon be seeing sunlight and pastures again!
"Oh, and he wanted us to know ‘we are throwing everything at it, heart and soul, night and day’!
"Wow, this all sounded fantastic.
"It also sounded like complete and utter bullsh*t."

(30 Apr 2020) NHS could run out of surgical masks within weeks, senior NHS England director warns Independent April 30: "Just hours before prime minister Boris Johnson said face masks could be “useful” for coming out of lockdown, Professor Keith Willett told a private webinar for 800 NHS managers that the levels of masks being delivered to the UK for the NHS were not good enough and hospitals may have to share what they have with each other if they run out."

(30 Apr 2020) Coronavirus Testing Firm Forced To Furlough Staff As Government 'Ignores' Offer To Help NHS Huffington Post April 30: "A UK coronavirus testing firm says it has been forced to furlough staff because the government has “ignored” its offers to supply test kits to the NHS.
"Cumbrian-based medical diagnostics company Better2Know says it could provide at least 2,000 coronavirus test kits a week but has been stonewalled despite its persistent attempts to offer its support to government.
"The company provides Covid-19 home testing kits and has already delivered a large order for one NHS trust in early April.
"But since then the firm has had to furlough seven of its 16 staff, with the government paying 80% of their wages, because there is not enough testing work to keep them employed."

(29 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Matt Hancock refuses to apologise to relatives of elderly residents who died in care homes Independent on April 29: "Health secretary Matt Hancock has refused to apologise to the relatives of elderly residents who died of coronavirus in care homes, as fresh figures showed more than 5,000 fatalities in England alone.
"The new figures from the Office for National Statistics and Care Quality Commission put the UK on track for a higher overall death toll than Italy, Spain or France, lagging only behind the US.
"And experts warned that deaths in care homes may not yet have reached their peak, with one suggesting that they could be running at as much as 400 a day – around the same as are occurring in hospitals."

(29 Apr 2020) Mail's £1m airlift for NHS heroes Daily Heil April 29 front page unwittingly exposes government failure to act to ensure supplies of PPE to frontline NHS and care staff.

(29 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: NHS Nightingale chief says NHS must ‘never go back’ to old bureaucratic ways Independent April 29: "“The chief executive of London’s NHS Nightingale hospital has said the health service’s agile response to the coronavirus pandemic means it “can never go back” to its previously bureaucratic ways of working.
Professor Charles Knight also revealed the NHS is now planning to double London’s permanent intensive care bed capacity from 799 to more than 1,600 beds so a future Nightingale hospital would never be needed in any future epidemic.
“… “We can never go back to how we used to work”, Prof Knight told a Royal Society of Medicine webinar on Tuesday, adding: “I think we were described in a newspaper as a lumbering bureaucracy. I think we have proven, once and for all that that’s not the case. I don’t think there’s many private sector companies that could have, or indeed have, responded to the pressures of Covid in the way we did.
“One mustn’t ignore the fact that for most of one’s time in the old NHS you were talking about money and business case approvals. We haven’t had to do that. … what we can do is to take pride in what’s been achieved in terms of the flexibility of the response across the whole country. And also, to learn from that, to be more agile in the future and not go back to quite the sort of level of bureaucracy that we used to deal with.”

(29 Apr 2020) Coronavirus crisis could lead to 18,000 more cancer deaths, experts warn Guardian April 29 reports: "Cancer experts claim that an extra 6,270 people in England who have been newly diagnosed with the disease could die from it over the next 12 months as a direct result of the disruption caused by coronavirus, and the additional toll taking into account all those living with cancer could be 17,915.
"That is an increase of 20% on the 89,576 deaths among cancer patients recorded annually in England, according to the latest available statistics."

(29 Apr 2020) UK minister admits main coronavirus focus was NHS rather than care homes Guardian April 29: "A cabinet minister has acknowledged the government focused more on the NHS than care homes in the early stages of the outbreak, as the UK prepares to publish daily death figures for the community as well as hospitals.
"As the outbreak continues to worsen in care homes, George Eustice, the environment secretary, defended the government’s handling of the crisis for older people, while acknowledging its approach had not been “perfect”."

(29 Apr 2020) To protect older people from COVID-19, state coordination of the social care sector is urgently needed David Rowland of CHPI in an April 29 LSE blog: "Using the market to deliver social care on a low-cost basis had manifestly failed even before the current pandemic: one in five care homes are rated as inadequate or needing improvement, personal care is provided to people in their own homes in 15-minute slots, with the sector as a whole suffering from a 30% turnover rate – a fact which might explain why there are currently over 120,000 vacancies.
"But this market failure, whilst tolerated by politicians of all parties for over 20 years, is fast becoming the cause of a national tragedy. Due to the fragmented nature of social care provision, it is almost impossible to say what is happening to these older people. Within one local authority, as many as 800 different care businesses are delivering vital care services at any one time, making it all but impossible for public health teams to track and monitor the spread of the disease across these providers."

(29 Apr 2020) Concerns over training at emergency morgues run by UK festival firm Guardian April 29: "A music festival company contracted to operate emergency mortuaries in London has been accused of inadequately training workers in handling bodies, and demanding staff sign non-disclosure agreements.
"Workers have not been issued with written contracts of employment but are told by text message when to report for work, according to two recruits who contacted the Guardian.
"The temporary mortuaries, with capacity for thousands of bodies, have been set up as overflow facilities in case hospital, funeral home and local authority morgues are overwhelmed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic."

(29 Apr 2020) Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial Lancet article April 29 reporting research reveals that the drug promoted by US and some British media as answer to Covid-19 is not associated with clinical benefits:
"Remdesivir use was not associated with a difference in time to clinical improvement …. Although not statistically significant, patients receiving remdesivir had a numerically faster time to clinical improvement than those receiving placebo among patients with symptom duration of 10 days or less …. Adverse events were reported in 102 (66%) of 155 remdesivir recipients versus 50 (64%) of 78 placebo recipients. Remdesivir was stopped early because of adverse events in 18 (12%) patients versus four (5%) patients who stopped placebo early.
"…In this study of adult patients admitted to hospital for severe COVID-19, remdesivir was not associated with statistically significant clinical benefits. However, the numerical reduction in time to clinical improvement in those treated earlier requires confirmation in larger studies."

(29 Apr 2020) BBC Statement on Panorama, Monday 27 April: Has The Government Failed the NHS? Statement April 29 by BBC standing fully behind the Panorama programme April 27 and rejecting government attempts to undermine it.

(29 Apr 2020) NHS staff coronavirus inquests told not to look at PPE shortages Guardian report April 29 warning of new guidelines to limit scope of inquests to reveal systemic failings in provision of PPE:
"Inquests into coronavirus deaths among NHS workers should avoid examining systemic failures in provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), coroners have been told, in a move described by Labour as “very worrying”.
"The chief coroner for England and Wales, Mark Lucraft QC, has issued guidance that “an inquest would not be a satisfactory means of deciding whether adequate general policies and arrangements were in place for provision of PPE to healthcare workers”.
"Lucraft said that “if there were reason to suspect that some human failure contributed to the person being infected with the virus”, an inquest may be required. The coroner “may need to consider whether any failures of precautions in a particular workplace caused the deceased to contract the virus and so contributed to death”.

(29 Apr 2020) Home Secretary announces visa extensions for frontline health and care workers Official April 29 announcement of free visa extensions -- as demanded by the health unions. These “will be automatically granted to more crucial overseas health and care workers”.
“Frontline workers, including midwives, radiographers, social workers and pharmacists, with visas due to expire before 1 October 2020 will receive an automatic one-year extension. It will apply to those working both in the NHS and independent sector and include their family members.
“This builds on the Home Secretary’s announcement last month for NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics. All will be exempt for the Immigration Health Surcharge for the duration of the exemption. …
“In total approximately 3,000 vital health and care workers and their families will benefit from the extension.
“… The Home Secretary has also confirmed family members and dependants of healthcare workers who sadly pass away as result of contracting the virus will be offered immediate indefinite leave to remain.”

(29 Apr 2020) Revealed: the inside story of the UK's Covid-19 crisis Detailed Guardian April 29 article examining the history of failure on Covid-19:
"The health secretary, Matt Hancock, supported by Downing Street, has persistently denied that attaining herd immunity, by allowing the disease to infect most people, was ever a policy, goal, strategy or even “part of the plan”. Well-placed government sources said on the strictest reading of the word “policy” that may be true. But they do not understand how the government can claim that herd immunity was not part of its plan.
"The Guardian’s account of the government’s response to the crisis is based on interviews with sources in or close to Downing Street, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Cabinet Office, Cobra and Sage, as well as other advisers and experts. Many asked not to be named, because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Some said that while they had concerns, they were holding back some of their criticism because they did not want to damage public trust in government at such a delicate time. All are wary of being wise in hindsight, and sympathetic to ministers who took decisions they felt were right at the time."

(29 Apr 2020) Hospices will run out of PPE 'within days' as they are denied access to government supply chains ITV News April 29: "Hospices could run out of essential personal protective equipment “within days” because providers of end of life care are being denied access to government supplies of PPE.
"ITV News has learned deliveries of PPE to hospices in England have all but stopped as they struggle to access affordable supplies.
"Hospices are being quoted up to twenty six times more for surgical masks than NHS suppliers, leaving them unable to place orders and quickly running out."

(29 Apr 2020) Britain’s shockingly high Coronavirus death rate means we need to learn from abroad – fast Surprisingly thoughtful April 29 article from David Davis (yes THAT David Davis) in reaction.life poses questions as Boris Johnson boasts about British performance in response to covid: "before we move on to the next stage the Prime Minister should be looking very hard at the practices in Asia, and in Norway, Austria, Finland, and Germany, to establish how they have maintained a death rate less than one third of ours, and adapt it to our own use as fast as possible. And give our NHS a better chance of victory."

(28 Apr 2020) NHS Trust ‘leak’ suggests doctors ‘gently discouraged’ from listing all Covid-19 deaths Left Foot Forward (April 17): "The Good Law Project say the guidance suggests doctors are being ‘gently discouraged’ from reporting deaths as COVID-19. That would mean “we have no way of knowing if the government figures on deaths from coronavirus – the daily in hospital figures as well as the weekly ONS figures – are accurate,” the group said in an email to supporters.
"The leaked guidance from an NHS Hospital Trust says: “Doctors are asked to use the standard MCCD (Medical Certificate of Cause of Death) form to certify death. ‘Pneumonia ‘or ‘community acquired pneumonia’ are acceptable at 1(a) on the MCCD.
“There is no requirement to write COVID 19 as part of the MCCD. It may be mentioned at 1(b) on the form, should the doctor wish.”

(28 Apr 2020) NHS staff told they’re not allowed to tweet about ‘political issues’ – including not having PPE Indy100 April 20: "An NHS trust has been accused of "gagging" its staff by asking them not to tweet about "political issues" such as "PPE, testing and exit strategies".
"Workers at the Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust were issued guidance on "Covid-19 suggested subjects for tweets" as part of a staff newsletter.
"Acceptable tweets included praising staff for their hard work, volunteering to move departments, working over the weekend and keeping people safe."

(28 Apr 2020) Health Insurers Prosper As COVID-19 Deflates Demand For Elective Treatments Kaiser Health News in the US reports April 28 that some corporations are doing well under Covid-19: "...a report out last week by credit rating agency Moody’s, which looked at a range of pandemic scenarios — from mild to severe — and concluded “U.S. health insurers will nonetheless remain profitable under the most likely scenarios.”
"Earlier this month, UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann told analysts that cost reductions so far are outstripping expenses for COVID-19 and that revenue is up compared with the previous year. He expects — barring a worsening situation — the rest of the year’s earnings to match projections.
"Other insurers, including Centene, Anthem, Humana and Cigna, are scheduled to release earnings reports this week."

(28 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Care home deaths up as hospital cases fall BBC report April 28: "Office for National Statistics data showed there were 2,000 coronavirus care home deaths in the week ending 17 April, double the previous week.
"It brings the total number of deaths in care homes linked to the virus since the start of the pandemic to 3,096.
"Health Secretary Matt Hancock said testing will be expanded to all care home residents and staff in England.
"This includes those who do not have symptoms, Mr Hancock told Tuesday's coronavirus briefing."

(28 Apr 2020) Care home fatalities to be included in daily coronavirus death tolls Guardian April 28: "The death toll from coronavirus in care homes will be announced daily from Wednesday after figures revealed a sharp rise of more than 4,300 deaths in a fortnight in England and Wales and care operators said they were at the centre of the crisis.
"The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said care deaths would now be tracked in the same way as hospital fatalities “to keep the focus on what is happening in care homes” and allow policy to be changed swiftly if needed.
"Until now, data has been published weekly and a week out of date. But Hancock declined to apologise to bereaved families for failing to protect their loved ones, amid widely reported shortages of personal protective equipment and testing in care homes."

(28 Apr 2020) COVID-19: PPE Shortages? Who to Tell? Medscape April 28: "Are health professionals being gagged over PPE shortages? A recent BMJ report suggested that some doctors had been warned off talking to the media about their concerns.
"Health Secretary Matt Hancock has backed the right of NHS workers to speak out publicly about shortages insisting that, "people should be free to talk about what happens at work".
"Even so there is a sense that people don't want to stick their heads above the parapet in case it has damaging personal consequences for them.
"The Doctors' Association UK has said that some GPs have been told by local CCGs not to talk to the press and to avoid posting on social media about any shortages."

(28 Apr 2020) Anger as Priti Patel stands by ‘mean and counterproductive’ migrant Universal Credit ban amid coronavirus crisis Politics Home April 28 report: "Priti Patel has batted away calls to suspend “mean and counterproductive” rules that bar some migrants from accessing Universal Credit during the coronavirus crisis.
"Opposition MPs and campaign groups hit out at the Cabinet minister after she said those with ‘No Recourse To Public Funds’ should instead apply to have the status lifted on a case-by-case basis - a process that PoliticsHome has been told can take “months”.
"Under the NRPF status, migrants subject to immigration control by the Home Office are shut out of most social security benefits, council tax help, state housing support and free school meals for their children, although they can access the NHS."

(28 Apr 2020) 14% With Likely COVID-19 to Avoid Care Due to Cost Scary results of US poll, published April 28: "One out of every seven (14%) U.S. adults report that they would avoid seeking healthcare for a fever and a dry cough for themselves or a member of their household due to concerns about their ability to pay for it.
"When framed explicitly as believing to have been infected by the novel coronavirus, 9% still report that they would avoid seeking care. Adults under 30, non-whites, those with a high school education or less and those in households with incomes under $40,000 per year are the groups most likely to indicate they would avoid seeking out care."

(27 Apr 2020) Trusts told it is ‘paramount’ to free up stroke beds for covid patients HSJ (April 27) on potential rolling back of years of controversial centralisation of stroke services "Stroke victims could be admitted to district general hospitals which do not normally provide such care if specialist units do not have the beds or staff as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Guidance published by NHS England states that freeing up beds usually occupied by stroke patients to care for those suffering from coronavirus is “paramount”.

(27 Apr 2020) Has the Government Failed the NHS? The hard-hitting Panorama programme (April 27) that exposed the disastrous government failings on preparation for a pandemic threat and provision of PPE. Don't miss it.

(27 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: UK government again runs out of home testing kits after just over one hour Independent April 27 on a continuing failure to deliver yet another promise:
“The UK government has run out of coronavirus home testing kits in just over an hour. Key workers could no longer order any online by 9.10am on Monday – the fourth day in a row where tests have become unavailable within hours of the booking system opening.
“The kits ran out around two minutes after the service launched on Friday, and people were reportedly told there were none left on Saturday morning after around 15 minutes. As of 10am on Sunday, home testing kits for England were listed as “unavailable” on the government’s website – two hours after booking slots reopened.”

(27 Apr 2020) Questions raised over wisdom of “Nightingale” hospitals Lowdown April 27 raises the question that more and more NHS staff are asking: what are these new field hospitals for? Focused on the London Nightingale it comments:
"It has made some good headlines, and has actually been compared with the massive Chinese effort in Wuhan, which involved clearing land and building a vast prefabricated hospital from scratch in just ten days: but reconfiguring a large pre-existing building comprised mostly of open space is not really in the same league, and questions are now being asked about how wise it was to do this, and whether the building has proved to be an asset or a liability.
"Not least because … the hospital turns out to be lacking two key ingredients for success – staff, and patients."

(27 Apr 2020) Closed Hospitals Leave Rural Patients ‘Stranded’ as Coronavirus Spreads New York Times April 27 another horror story of for-profit health care in the US:
"Fairmont was one of three hospitals that have shut down in this corner of rural West Virginia and Ohio since September. They delivered hundreds of babies each year, treated car crash and gunshot victims, repaired hearts and knees and offered addiction treatment and psychiatric care.
"They had been acquired by a for-profit company, Alecto Healthcare Services, beginning in 2014. Employees expected the new ownership to put the institutions on solid footing after years of financial struggle.
"Instead, decisions made by Alecto wound up undercutting patient care and undermining the hospitals’ finances, according to more than two dozen interviews with doctors, nurses, other staff members, government officials and patients, as well as a review of court records.
"Doctors were pushed out to save on salaries; many patients followed them elsewhere. Medical supplies ran short. Vendors went unpaid. Finally, one after another, the three hospitals ceased operating. At the request of the governor, the West Virginia attorney general’s office is investigating the company’s decision to close them.
"The shutdowns — besides Fairmont, Alecto owned Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling, W.Va., and East Ohio Regional Hospital in neighboring Martins Ferry, Ohio — have forced the region to fight a coronavirus outbreak with 530 fewer licensed hospital beds than it had a year ago."

(27 Apr 2020) N.Y.C. Deaths Reach 6 Times the Normal Level, Far More Than Coronavirus Count Suggests New York Times April 7 reveals shocking calculations: "More than 27,000 New Yorkers have died since March 11 — 20,900 more than would be expected over this period and thousands more than have been captured by official coronavirus death statistics.
"As of Sunday, the city had attributed 16,673 deaths to coronavirus, either because people had tested positive for the virus, or because the circumstances of their death meant that city health officials believed the virus to be the most likely cause of death.
"But there remains a large gap between the 16,673 figure and the total deaths above typical levels in the last six and a half weeks: more than 4,200 people whose deaths are not captured by the official coronavirus toll."

(27 Apr 2020) Mitigating the wider health effects of covid-19 pandemic reponse Open access BMJ article concludes: "In the longer term, policy decisions made now will shape the future economy in ways that could either improve or damage sustainability, health, and health inequalities. These include decisions about which sectors to prioritise for support, whether to direct financial support to business or workers, and how to fund the costs. To protect population health it will be essential to avoid a further period of austerity and the associated reductions in social security and public service spending.
"Instead we must build a more sustainable and inclusive economy."

(27 Apr 2020) Leading statistician slams UK’s reporting of swab tests as “travesty of science” BMJ News April 27: “The UK’s data collection and reporting of swab testing is a travesty of statistical science, as you can draw no inferences whatsoever about the evolution of the epidemic,” said Sheila Bird, former programme leader at the MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge Institute of Public Health. “Politicians only seem to be interested in the number of tests performed rather than what is actually happening in the epidemic,” she told The BMJ.
“… Bird, a member of the Royal Statistical Society’s covid-19 taskforce, said that it makes no sense that swab test results from people in pillar 1 are combined rather than reported separately. There are potentially more direct exposure routes among the most critical workers than their household members, she warned, adding, “The grouping into pillars is a political construct and is not the way an epidemiologist would have organised the results.”

(27 Apr 2020) The government's secret science group has a shocking lack of expertise Guardian April 27 comment by Anthony Costello: "“Beyond that, what does the membership of this committee actually tell us? We’ve learned from the list of attendees at a crucial Sage meeting on 23 March, leaked to the Guardian, that the group includes seven clinical academics, three microbiologists, seven modellers, two behavioural scientists with backgrounds in disasters and terrorism, one geneticist, one civil servant and two political advisers, one of which is the most powerful prime ministerial lieutenant in recent memory.
“The makeup of Sage reflects an oddly skewed and overwhelmingly medical view of science. Indeed, there are many other perspectives that could bring value to a pandemic crisis team. Did Sage consult public health epidemiologists at the frontline of the response to coronavirus in China or Hong Kong, such as Prof Gabriel Leung? Did the group get input from infectious experts at the World Health Organization, such as the epidemiologist Mike Ryan, who leads the team responsible for containing of Covid-19 across the world?
“The group includes no molecular virologists who could explain detailed pathogenic differences between Covid-19 and influenza, not one intensive care expert or nursing leader, and no immunologist to examine whether this virus produces lasting and protective immunity. There are no social scientists who could work on community engagement, nor a logistician, who would have expertise in planning for the delivery of supplies and resources during a pandemic.”

(27 Apr 2020) Why bypass NHS labs for mass testing? Concerns over new super-labs Lowdown April 27 exclusive highlighting damaging fragmentation as government ignores NHS labs to build 3 new unregulated "superlabs":
"Staff in NHS laboratories are increasingly alarmed at the implications of the government’s turn to create a new network of “super-labs” to process what is supposed to be a rising number of tests for Covid-19, leaving 44 NHS labs under-used.
"The development of a new network of labs running parallel to the NHS has taken place with no transparency and no attempt to consult with the unions.
"NHS scientific staff in south London have now contacted the Lowdown to express their frustration that while they have the capacity to process large numbers of tests, the NHS labs are struggling to get supplies of the kits and the reagents required.
"One member of staff explained their concerns: “I am so annoyed about this testing fiasco.
“I want to know why the new super-labs have been set up, because if they gave the NHS labs the resources they could easily to the tests. Our lab has been ready for ages to do large numbers of tests. We have the equipment and we have staff."

(26 Apr 2020) To tackle this virus, local public health teams need to take back control Guardian April 26 article by Prof Allyson Pollock and Peter Roderick: "Contact tracing and testing, case finding, isolation and quarantine are classic public health measures for controlling communicable diseases. They require local teams on the ground, meticulously tracking cases and contacts to eliminate the reservoirs of infection. This approach is recommended by the WHO at all stages of the epidemic. It was painstakingly adopted in China, Singapore and Taiwan, with a high percentage of close contacts identified and many housed in hotels. Germany has traced contacts throughout. The leaked UK national risk register proposes it.
"Yet Public Health England, the agency responsible for communicable disease control in England, stopped contact tracing on 12 March, having reportedly only contacted 3,500 people, of whom about 105 were found to be positive. It’s now about to resume. But why was it stopped, and how will it be resumed?"

(26 Apr 2020) Who is the Government Trying to Fool – Us or Itself? Typically blunt article from Prof John Ashton in Byline Times 26 April, slamming government PR spin and failures to lead:
"There was no mention here of the changing criteria for hospital admissions, leaving the frail to be nursed and die at home without the Coronavirus being recorded on the death certificate; no mention of the 400,000 care home residents abandoned and forsaken to take their chances with staff protected only by bin bags and whatever they could find in their wardrobes; of the seeds being planted for multiple deaths in individual care homes and of a similar scenario cooking up in prisons, with prisoners and prison officers and their families alike being off the radar of incompetence and hubris."

(26 Apr 2020) Test, test, test: can Britain find a way out of lockdown? “Guardian April 26 on the testing centres: “Nic Mitchell, a property and financial services adviser, began developing symptoms a few days ago, which forced her partner, the head engineer at a food processing factory, to go into isolation with her. … Mitchell’s partner is considered to be an essential worker, so they managed to book a test online.
“The nearest centre for her was in Worcester, 22 miles from her home in Cheltenham. …
“When Mitchell arrived at the testing site at Worcester Warriors rugby club just before 3pm on Saturday, she was told that there would be a two and a half hour wait – but the centre would shut at 5pm regardless. The only option was to attempt to rebook. “They told me they couldn’t cope,” she said. “It was very disappointing.”

(26 Apr 2020) Coronavirus tests run out in minutes again — and results will take a month (£) Times April 26 continues its critical line, calling out the inadequate new system for testing for Covid-19:
"NHS staff are being forced to wait up to 25 days for the results of coronavirus tests as the government’s testing regime descends into farce.
"The revelation came as tests for key workers via the government’s booking website ran out within minutes yesterday for the second day in a row.
"Last week the Department of Health and Social Care said that it had finished setting up “the biggest network of diagnostic labs in British history”.

(26 Apr 2020) If ministers fail to reveal 2016 flu study they ‘will face court’ Guardian April 26: "The government faces being taken to court if it refuses to disclose the findings of an exercise confirming the UK could not cope with a flu pandemic.
"Dr Moosa Qureshi, an NHS doctor, is demanding the government publish its report into Exercise Cygnus, a three-day simulation involving government and public health bodies conducted in 2016.
"Qureshi, who is a campaigner with the group 54000doctors.org, represented by Leigh Day solicitors, has sent a pre-action protocol letter to the secretary of state for health requesting a response by 4pm .
"If the government fails to disclose the findings of Exercise Cygnus without adequate reason, Qureshi’s lawyers will seek an urgent judicial review challenging the decision and seeking publication. A crowdfunding page to support the challenge was due to go live on Saturday night."

(26 Apr 2020) Public trust plummets in Britain's handling of pandemic, new poll reveals Observer April 26, in an article which the government tried to bully them into changing:
"“The public’s confidence in the government’s ability to handle the coronavirus crisis has fallen sharply in the past fortnight, with less than half of voters now having faith in decisions made by ministers, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer.
“A particularly low proportion of people (15%) believe the government is handling the key issue of testing well (down from 22% two weeks ago). Some 57% disapprove of the way testing has been handled, up from 48% on 7 April.
“Just 7% of people think the level of testing for Covid-19 has been sufficient, while 71% think it has been insufficient – a finding barely changed since two weeks ago, despite the government’s huge efforts to “ramp up” the number of tests to 100,000 a day by the end of this month.
“With more doubts raised over the past week about ministers’ handling of the crisis … Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, and Matt Hancock, health secretary – have both seen falls in public trust.”

(26 Apr 2020) Fresh anger over Doncaster Covid testing centre as keyworkers wait hours to be told to do their own test Doncaster Free Press reveals yet another failing test centre at Doncaster Airport:
"“Those arriving at the front of the queue … are told by mobile phone to briefly open their window, while a test kit is thrown into their car. Then they have to close the window again, read the instructions and work out what to do, before swabbing themselves, and then throw the swab back out at another station.
“… Angry workers have told the Free Press they only went to the testing centre because they thought they would be tested by a medic who knew what they were doing, and would have tested themselves at home if they had wanted to self test.
“… James Collins, a care worker from Lincoln, drove from Lincoln to Doncaster on Saturday. He was seen for his 12noon appointment at 5.30pm. He fears the self testing flaws the process. He said: “I thought it would be done in 15 minutes. But I’m angry that it all had to be administered by myself. They might as well just give us tests at home. …
“I think many of the tests will be invalid because it is something people have not done before, and it is scary to push the swab a long way up your nose and down your throat.”

(26 Apr 2020) Attendees of Sage meetings worried by presence of Cummings Guardian April 26: "The involvement of the prime minister’s chief political adviser, Dominic Cummings, in meetings of the scientific group advising the UK government’s response to the coronavirus has left other attendees shocked, concerned and worried for the impartiality of advice, the Guardian can reveal.
"One attendee of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said they felt Cummings’ interventions had sometimes inappropriately influenced what is supposed to be an impartial scientific process.
"A second Sage attendee said they were shocked when Cummings first began participating in Sage discussions, in February, because they believed the group should be providing “unadulterated scientific data” without any political input."

(26 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Boris Johnson's return to work 'a boost for the country' BBC's April 26 headline borrows from the North Korean media handbook on fawning to flawed leaders. The content is no better. This passes for "analysis" from Political Correspondent Leila Nathoo:
"It has been a "difficult time", acknowledged Dominic Raab of the period he's spent deputising for the PM.
"The government has been without its leader through much of this tumultuous time but Boris Johnson is now well enough to be back in charge as the next major decision looms - where the lockdown goes from here."

(26 Apr 2020) Birmingham's Nightingale hospital 'has no patients' BBC Birmingham April 26 reports NHS leaders complacent about absorbing the extra pressure, when in fact much of the potential caseload of the new hospital has instead been dying without support in care homes:
“Birmingham's Nightingale hospital is "not being used at all" 10 days after it was opened by the Duke of Cambridge. Set up inside the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the site is intended to take up to 500 coronavirus patients at a time from 23 Midlands hospitals.
“The chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said it was a "good thing" the hospital had not received patients. It showed the NHS had "absorbed" the extra pressure Dr David Rosser said.
“Unlike the ExCel in London, Birmingham's Nightingale hospital was always devised as a step-down facility, so it would accept patients who had recovered sufficiently from coronavirus or who were not suitable for ventilation.
“Fortunately, although the number of coronavirus cases have been significant, social isolating is working and the NEC has not been required for this purpose.
“Trusts who have also had up to 20% of their staff off self-isolating or sick have not wanted to second employees to the new facility because their rotas are already stressed.
“The Birmingham Nightingale is expected to be in use for 12-18 months and may be called upon if there is a second greater surge.”

(25 Apr 2020) Boris Johnson must overcome any public sector inertia (£) Torygraph at its most Tory, April 25, reveals its real view of the NHS: "It’s the story of this crisis: the private sector responds with innovation and energy, while government bureaucracies, on whose shoulders so much responsibility has been placed, are slow to act."

(25 Apr 2020) Top Tories join calls to bar Cummings from scientific advisory group Guardian April 25: "The former Brexit secretary, David Davis, is among those calling for Dominic Cummings and Ben Warner, an adviser who ran the Tories’ private election computer model, to be prevented from attending future meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
"Davis said that Cummings’s presence could alter the advice offered in meetings, adding: “We should publish the membership of Sage, remove any non-scientist members, publish their advice in full, and publish dissenting opinions with the advice.”
"It comes after the Guardian reported that Cummings and Warner were among the 23 who attended Sage on the day Johnson announced the lockdown, and had been able to question attendees at other meetings."

(25 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: how the government tried to dismiss Sunday Times investigation Sunday Times April 25 hits back at government attempts to rubbish their detailed revelation of the saga of its incompetence and callous disregard for life in its mishandling of the Covid-19 response.

(25 Apr 2020) Coronavirus and the Price of Trump’s Delusions Hard hitting summary from New York Times April 25 notes: "Trump, meanwhile, spoke of the crisis in the past tense, as something America is now emerging from, suggesting that all the country will face in the future is “some embers of corona.” The day before, the country had recorded around 2,200 deaths, making it one of the deadliest days of the pandemic in the United States.
"Over the last three and a half years, Americans have had to accustom themselves to a relentless, numbing barrage of lies from the federal government. In one sector after another, we’ve seen experts systemically purged and replaced with toadying apparatchiks. The few professionals who’ve kept their jobs have often had to engage in degrading acts of public obeisance more common to autocracies. Public policy has zigzagged according to presidential whim. Empirical reality has been subsumed to Trump’s cult of personality."

(24 Apr 2020) Hospitals running out of kidney dialysis equipment needed to keep coronavirus patients alive More top stuff from Independent April 24: "Doctors told The Independent they were already under pressure to use equipment conservatively and choices were needing to be made about which patients should receive the treatment, without which they would likely die within 24 hours.
"One consultant said supplies were now "just-in-time" addiing: "We are being asked to guess how many sets we will need four days in advance and bits of kit are being ferried between hospitals in taxis where those predictions aren't known. Clinically, for renal failure as part of critical illness we usually deliver filtration continuously. Because of shortages of kit and machines we are having to deliver it on an intermittent basis which is suboptimal.
"For context, we have one machine per two ICU patients normally, but now have the same four machines for over four times the number of beds."

(24 Apr 2020) Revealed: UK ministers were warned last year of risks of coronavirus pandemic Guardian April 24: "Ministers were warned last year the UK must have a robust plan to deal with a pandemic virus and its potentially catastrophic social and economic consequences in a confidential Cabinet Office briefing leaked to the Guardian.
"The detailed document warned that even a mild pandemic could cost tens of thousands of lives, and set out the must-have “capability requirements” to mitigate the risks to the country, as well as the potential damage of not doing so."

(24 Apr 2020) BAME doctors hit worse by lack of PPE BMA report April 24 on the findings from analysis of responses to the most recent BMA survey of thousands of frontline doctors battling COVID-19.
"Almost double the proportion of BAME doctors (64 per cent) have felt pressured to work in settings with inadequate PPE where aerosol-generating procedures are carried out exposing them to risk of infection. This compares with 33 per cent of doctors who identified as white.
"Only four out of 10 BAME doctors in general practice said they had sufficient PPE for safe contact with patients with possible or confirmed COVID-19 or those with non-COVID-19 symptoms. A far greater proportion – seven out of 10 doctors who identified as white – said the same."

(24 Apr 2020) Care homes' soaring death rate blamed on 'reckless' order to take back Covid-19 patients (£) Telegraph report April 24: "A Government diktat that NHS hospitals should move hundreds of elderly patients to care homes has been branded “reckless” and blamed for the homes’ soaring coronavirus death rates.
"In two damning policy documents published on 19 March and 2 April, officials told NHS hospitals to transfer any patients who no longer required hospital level treatment, and set out a blueprint for care homes to accept patients with Covid-19 or who had not even been tested.
"Analysis by the Telegraph suggests that the rate of coronavirus deaths accelerated more than twice as fast in care homes than in hospitals in the week beginning 7 April - two and a half weeks after the first policy document was published."

(24 Apr 2020) Testing for Covid-19 – an unresolved fiasco Detailed Lowdown update on the continued government failure to meet its own targets to rolling out testing for Covid-19.

(24 Apr 2020) Revealed: Dominic Cummings is on secret scientific advisory group for Covid-19 Guardian April 24 referring to leaked list: "The prime minister’s chief political adviser, Dominic Cummings, and a data scientist he worked with on the Vote Leave campaign for Brexit are on the secret scientific group advising the government on the coronavirus pandemic, according to a list leaked to the Guardian.
"It reveals that both Cummings and Ben Warner were among 23 attendees present at a crucial convening of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on 23 March, the day Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown in a televised address.
Multiple attendees of Sage told the Guardian that both Cummings and Warner had been taking part in meetings of the group as far back as February. The inclusion of Downing Street advisers on Sage will raise questions about the independence of its scientific advice."

(24 Apr 2020) Government and Covid-19 — A story of power, arrogance and incompetence Op-ed in PMQ magazine: "To try and wriggle out of the target of carrying out 100,000 tests a day by the end of April – which he himself set at the beginning of the month, Hancock changed the wording of his promise. Claiming the government was perfectly on track to meet the “challenging” target, he and his two sidekicks (Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, and Professor John Newton, the director of health improvement at Public Health England) announced the official figures and talked about ‘testing capacity’, not ‘tests carried out’."

(24 Apr 2020) Six Royal Colleges write to the new PPE "Tsar" April 24 letter looks for action -- and some honesty:
“It will be no surprise to you that our members remain concerned about PPE availability and stocks. While some report improvements over the last few weeks, too many still say there are significant issues.
"Clinicians are facing the challenge of their lives and doing the very best for their patients. It saddens us that at this extraordinary time they are also having to worry about the fundamentals of personal safety, including when the next PPE consignment will arrive at their workplace and how long it will last. …
“We encourage you to be open and frank in your new role about the challenges you face, while doing everything possible to get the supplies to where they are needed.”

(24 Apr 2020) Hospitals are using AI to predict the decline of Covid-19 patients — before knowing it works More US issues from Statnews April 24: "Dozens of hospitals across the country are using an artificial intelligence system created by Epic, the big electronic health record vendor, to predict which Covid-19 patients will become critically ill, even as many are struggling to validate the tool’s effectiveness on those with the new disease.
"The rapid uptake of Epic’s deterioration index is a sign of the challenges imposed by the pandemic: Normally hospitals would take time to test the tool on hundreds of patients, refine the algorithm underlying it, and then adjust care practices to implement it in their clinics."

(23 Apr 2020) Time to demand a wholly public NHS and to create a public National Care Service Thoughtful video presentation by Keep Our NHS co-chair Dr Tony O'Sullivan

(23 Apr 2020) Hospitals sound alarm over privately run virus test centre at Surrey theme park Guardian April 23: "Hospitals sought to take over the operation of a flagship government coronavirus testing centre from the accounting firm Deloitte after severe failings in the service led to the test results of NHS staff being lost or sent to the wrong person, the Guardian can reveal.
"The drive-through centre, at Chessington World of Adventures, in Surrey, was among the first in what will be a network of about 50 regional facilities, trumpeted by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, as key to delivering on the government promise of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April."

(23 Apr 2020) Flagship Nightingale hospital has only 30 patients amid staff shortage – claim Yahoo News April 23: "The NHS’s flagship Nightingale pop-up hospital is operating at roughly one per cent of its capacity because it does not have the staff required to expand the number of patients it can accept, a report has suggested.
"The NHS Nightingale, in east London’s Royal Victoria Dock, was opened on April 3 amid much fanfare, promising to alleviate the pressure on hospitals in the city as the coronavirus took hold.
"But insiders told The Independent how staffing levels had been “quite poor”, meaning it has barely been able to see more than 30 patients treated at a time."

(23 Apr 2020) Inside NHS Nightingale: Staff speak out about the reality of care in London’s coronavirus field hospital Excellent report from Independent's Shaun Lintern April 23: "…at the 100-acre ExCel centre in London Docklands, the number of patients fighting for their lives in the field hospital is approximately 30.
"Questions are being asked about why the Nightingale isn’t taking more patients from London’s hospitals, which have carried the burden of the surge in patients needing intensive care, cancelling operations, creating makeshift intensive care units in overspill areas and stretching staffing to unsafe levels.
"Up to 3,800 staff were needed for the initial creation of the hospital, although The Independent has been told only around a third of that number had been recruited and trained. NHS England refused to provide any staffing details, but denies there are shortages.
"Insiders who work at varying levels in the hospital, who have spoken to The Independent on condition of anonymity, also criticise the “political spin” and portrayal of the Nightingale which they say has given a “false perception” of what it is like, with social media posts doing “more harm than good”."

(23 Apr 2020) Emails reveal doctor's plea for PPE before Covid-19 death Guardian April 23: "An NHS doctor who died of Covid-19 had pleaded in vain for his hospital to provide protective equipment in the days before he caught the virus, emails shared with the Guardian by his family show.
"Dr Peter Tun, from Reading, died on 13 April. Three weeks before his death, he warned Royal Berkshire hospital that unless they supplied the vital kit he and his colleagues needed to avoid becoming infected, “it will be too little and too late”."

(23 Apr 2020) http://sushrutajnl.net/index.php/sushruta/article/view/34 Paper on an online self-administered survey of healthcare workers was undertaken by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in April 2020. The respondents were predominantly hospital doctors (67%), aged between 40-60 years (72%) and from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) backgrounds in the UK (86%).
“Over 78% reported either lack of, or inappropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for their role and 68% of respondents felt that they were unable to comply with or that it was impractical to adhere to social distancing at work (including commuting).”
It concludes: “These results add to the emerging concerns expressed internationally on the observation that BAME ethnicity appears to have a higher risk of developing COVID-19 … Our work supports the imperative for designing and conducting urgent larger studies to understand this risk and plan appropriate mitigation of the risks to health care workers”

(23 Apr 2020) How politics thwarted the UK’s Covid-19 response Financial Times April 23 joins the line up of establishment press critical of the government’s handling of the biggest health crisis in many years:
“When the inevitable national inquiry reports into Britain’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the first item on the charge sheet will be a failure to act decisively at the outset to suppress the pandemic.
“Some Whitehall insiders call this a stumble, a passing hesitation. Some talk about reckless complacency. Others observe laconically that Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not react well to bad news. Britain lagged behind most of Europe in the spread of the infection.
“Yet, in spite of the lessons to be drawn from Italy and elsewhere, it has one of the highest death rates outside of the US. Management failures in procurement and distribution compounded political mistakes in depriving it of critical resources such as ventilators, testing capacity and personal safety equipment.”

(22 Apr 2020) Coronavirus-linked deaths FT calculations show more than 40,000 deaths from Covid-19

(22 Apr 2020) Dozens of British firms offering PPE “ignored” by government, says Labour Labour List April 22: "36 British companies have contacted the opposition since the weekend to say they have offered help with the provision of PPE for frontline staff but “not received a reply”.
"The details of these companies have been passed on to the government by Labour in an effort to support the national drive to adequately equip NHS and care workers."

(22 Apr 2020) Covid-19 bonuses for prison staff, what about care workers? While @MattHancock continues to insist that now is “not the time” to discuss any increase in NHS pay, the Prison and Probation Service have agreed to fork out substantial Covid-19 bonuses to staff - says a March 23 document leaked to The Lowdown

(22 Apr 2020) '60,000 cancer patients could die because of lack of treatment or diagnosis': Oncologist on coronavirus dilemma ITN reports April 22, quoting private sector cancer specialist Karol Sikora: "In a usual April, we would normally see around 30,000 people diagnosed with cancer. I would be surprised if that number reaches 5,000 this month.
"Coronavirus will steal the headlines, but cancer kills 450 people a day in the UK - there is no peak and the numbers aren’t coming down. Unless we act urgently, that number will rise. A group of oncologists, including myself, estimate that 60,000 cancer patients could die because of a lack of treatment or diagnosis.
"It’s absolutely right to stop the treatment for some cancers in the face of coronavirus. The immunosuppressive effects of the treatment would put the patient at risk as their immune system is significantly weakened. But for others, a delay of more than a month would have a negative impact on the future prognosis."

(22 Apr 2020) Two-thirds of voters say government has done bad job getting protective equipment to NHS staff - poll Politics Home April 22 quotes a YouGov poll: "A clear majority of British people believe the Government has done a bad job in providing personal protective equipment for NHS frontline staff, according to a new poll.
"The YouGov survey also showed public support for the Government's overall performance in the coronavirus crisis is beginning to fall.
"According to the results, 65% of UK adults think ministers have done a "fairly bad" or "very bad" job in getting healthcare workers the PPE they need.
"By contrast, only 26% think they have done a good job in sourcing and delivering vital kit."

(21 Apr 2020) Coronavirus Kent: 'Mass' Covid-19 testing site to open in county Kent Online April 21 reveals plans for a single testing centre to cover the whole of Kent – with the involvement of management consultants Deloitte: “Plans are underway to create a "mass" coronavirus testing site in Kent, it has emerged.
“A major centre is expected to be built at an undisclosed location in the county after a proposal was discussed between public health bosses at Kent County Council and consultant firm, Deloitte.
“Boris Johnson's government and NHS England will have the final say on the testing centre plans, with more details expected from the government later this week.”

(21 Apr 2020) Millions of pieces of PPE being shipped from Britain to Europe despite NHS shortages (£) Telegraph April 21 joins the Mail and Sunday Times in criticising government: "Millions of pieces of vital personal protective equipment (PPE) are being shipped from British warehouses to Germany, Spain and Italy despite severe shortages in the UK, The Telegraph can disclose.
"Lorries are being packed with masks, respirators and other PPE kit before heading to supply hospitals in the EU, it has emerged.
"On Monday night, UK firms said they had "no choice" but to keep selling the lifesaving gear abroad because their offers of help had been repeatedly ignored by the British Government."

(21 Apr 2020) Matt Hancock: Report the true death toll from COVID-19 Leaked guidance from an NHS hospital trust reveals that doctors are not being required to report COVID-19 as the cause of death for patients. Here’s what the guidance says:
"Doctors are asked to use the standard MCCD (Medical Certificate of Cause of Death) form to certify death. ‘Pneumonia ‘or ‘community acquired pneumonia’ are acceptable at 1(a) on the MCCD. There is no requirement to write COVID 19 as part of the MCCD. It may be mentioned at 1(b) on the form, should the doctor wish."

(21 Apr 2020) Government shelves Priti Patel’s immigration bill during coronavirus outbreak The European April 21 reports: "The bill - which would have formally ceased freedom of movement with Europe after the Brexit transition period - was pulled from the Commons order paper by Jacob Rees-Mogg ahead of a second reading on Tuesday.
"It comes as ministers spent the last week mulling over plans to delay the reading because of the outbreak of the coronavirus, and MPs grappled with new technology as the House of Commons moves into a new “virtual parliament”."

(21 Apr 2020) Union Leaders Demand Judge-Led Inquiry Probes 'Grotesque' PPE Shortages Huffington Post April 21 reports TUC call for “A judge-led public inquiry” to investigate the “grotesque” failure to give frontline workers personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus pandemic.
It should also investigate “Whether frontline workers were threatened with disciplinary action if they refused to work and whether official PPE guidance left them at risk.”
“Ministers have repeatedly faced criticism for failing to provide enough PPE since the outbreak began and have blamed “distribution problems”, delays and “international demand” for shortfalls. But critics say poor planning and chaos within government have put NHS frontline workers in harm’s way.”

(20 Apr 2020) Foreign NHS workers are risking their lives for us – and paying for the privilege Guardian April 19 comment on yet another incoherent Theresa May/Johnson policy that manages to be racist and damaging to the NHS: indeed it's bad enough before they implement their 2019 election promise to further jack up the "immigration surcharge" from £400 to £625 per person per year:
"Many of the foreign doctors, nurses and care workers on the NHS frontline without adequate protection are secretly struggling on another front, too.
"They cannot afford to pay the fees levied by the Home Office to enable them to remain in the UK and continue their work.
"Often they fall into debt to pay the charges. Some of them simply leave the country once their permits are up for renewal, unable to find the money. The highest single fee they face is the immigration health surcharge, which must be paid in advance. So you have the spectacle of NHS staff paying to use the NHS, even though they already pay tax and national insurance contributions."

(20 Apr 2020) This is how many chances the government 'missed' to buy £1.3bn worth of PPE with the EU, reports suggest Indy reports April 18: "Downing Street originally said that it only failed to join the scheme because of an email miscommunication, but it was revealed at the end of March that British officials in Brussels had attended four meetings where bulk-buying was discussed, according to EU minutes reported by The Guardian. At the time, the government was accused of choosing "Brexit over breathing" in choosing not to participate in the ventilator, but Downing Street stressed that it was down to communication mixup, not politics.
"It is now reported that the UK missed three opportunities to buy protective equipment – which appears to contradict No 10’s claim that the confusion was down to a missed email."

(20 Apr 2020) The government must commit to a full public inquiry into lack of PPE for NHS staff Change.org petition: "Frontline NHS staff are putting their lives on the line every time they turn up to work in the fight against COVID-19.
"The Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) has been lobbying for weeks for adequate personal protective equipment in our Protect the Frontline campaign. Despite our efforts and multiple reassurances the PPE situation has now become dire.
"Doctors are dying. Nurses are dying. This is unforgivable. DAUK is now calling for a full public inquiry into the government’s failure to source adequate PPE and protect frontline staff. We need a commitment to this now, with a full inquiry to be launched once the COVID-19 crisis is over."

(20 Apr 2020) Conditions at coronavirus hospital NHS Nightingale 'as tough as war zone' Mirror April 18: "Army medic Jamie Jones, 41, retired from the forces in 2010 after 15 years and became a health adviser.
"But when he was furloughed he helped build the 4,000-bed facility and then accepted an offer to do 12-hour shifts maintaining ventilators and other emergency gear in the critical resuscitation team.
"He said: “Working at Nightingale is as tough as Camp Bastion or any of the other seven operational deployments and tours I’ve done – only this time the enemy is an incredibly evil and dangerous virus we still don’t understand."

(20 Apr 2020) Union leader says Matt Hancock may have to consider his position over PPE failures Mirror April 19 report on toughening line of GMB and Unite over PPE crisis: “Union leaders say faith in Health Secretary Matt Hancock is "draining away" after the change in personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance, suggesting he might have to consider his position.
“ Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced in today's daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing very large consignment" of personal protective equipment - including 400,000 gowns - is due to arrive in the UK from Turkey tomorrow. But the NHS is currently using 150,000 gowns a day - meaning the new shipment will last just days.
“Earlier, Rachel Harrison, national officer of the GMB, said the union raised critical protective equipment supply issues with the Government more than a month ago.
"It took until last Friday for ministers' PPE plan to be published, and it's falling apart after just a week. It is key workers on the front line who are paying the price for this litany of failure. It appears Government guidance is being hastily redrawn based on availability, not on evidence or best practice. This is downright dangerous territory and one that will amplify the concerns of NHS staff.
"The Health Secretary now has serious and urgent questions to answer. Trust is draining away.”

(20 Apr 2020) Could Covid 19 bring an end to privatisation in our NHS? Morning Star feature (April 18) from HCT and Lowdown editor John Lister discussing the need to ensure the NHS is not dragged back to its pre-pandemic situation when the current crisis eventually subsides. With much of the 2012 Health & Social Care Act and the competitive market suspended, debts written off, spending limits lifted, extra beds opened and damaging plans postponed, it's shown how much better the NHS could have been without Tory laws and 10 years of austerity. "A properly integrated NHS must not be seen as only for pandemics — we need it all year round."

(20 Apr 2020) Response to Sunday Times Insight article Department of Health spin doctors roll out an unprecedented attempt to rebuttal of the well-researched and widely-respected Sunday Times critique of government mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Revolves around arguing that Johnson's role in Cobra is irrelevant and insignificant -- not the attitude of previous prime ministers.

(20 Apr 2020) UPDATE 'A National Scandal' Timeline of the UK Government’s Response TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS Ian Sinclair and Rupert Read with a weekly Byline Times update on how Britain came to have one of the highest COVID-19 per capita death rates in the world.

(20 Apr 2020) U.K. Medics Told to Decide If Safe to Work Amid PPE Shortage Bloomberg report April 20: "The U.K. is struggling to acquire enough protective gear for its front-line staff amid a global surge in demand, prompting criticisms that is failing to protect them adequately. Last week, the government advised medics to reuse gowns, something the Royal College of Physicians warned would “cause consternation” among health care workers.
"Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said the country distributed 12 million pieces of protective equipment yesterday, and today received 140,000 gowns from Myanmar."

(20 Apr 2020) Nurses Sue Montefiore for ‘Systemic Failure’ to Protect Them US report from Bloomberg 20 April: "A union representing New York nurses sued Montefiore Medical Center and Westchester Medical Center for failing to safeguard its members and their families, as health care workers across the country demand personal protective equipment in the pandemic.
"The New York State Nurses Association, which represents 42,000 nurses, is seeking an order requiring Montefiore and WMC to give the nurses sufficient PPE such as masks and gowns, provide improved ventilation and protection from the virus, and comply with negotiated staffing ratios, particularly for patients in intensive care units or on respirators. It said at least eight of its nurses have died from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, across the state."

(20 Apr 2020) Contrary to claims by US president, CDC experts long-advised the White House from Geneva, officials say Independent report April 20: "A dozen US researchers, physicians and public health experts, many of them from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, were working full time at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organisation as the novel coronavirus emerged late last year and transmitted real-time information about its discovery and spread in China to the Trump administration, according to US and international officials.
"The presence of so many US officials undercuts President Donald Trump‘s assertion that the WHO’s failure to communicate the extent of the threat, born of a desire to protect China, is largely responsible for the rapid spread of the virus in the United States."

(20 Apr 2020) Government advisers 'lying to support regime with collapsing credibility', says Lancet editor April 20 MSN report: “Richard Horton, the editor of medical journal The Lancet, criticised the government’s advisers, accused them of telling “manifest untruths”.
“In a tweet posted on Sunday evening, he wrote: “When you see supposedly independent medical advisors to government tell what are manifest untruths to shore up a political regime whose credibility is rapidly collapsing, you have to say that those advisors have lost their integrity and our trust.”
“On Sunday, during the government’s daily COVID-19 briefing, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, claimed the UK has been an “international exemplar in preparedness” during the pandemic.
“She made the remark despite anger from NHS officials over a continued lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers and a report in the Sunday Times claiming the government dithered in its response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.”

(20 Apr 2020) UK’s scientific advice on coronavirus to be secret until after pandemic (£) Times article April 20: The scientific evidence that has underpinned No 10’s response to Covid-19 will not be made public until the pandemic ends, the government chief science adviser has told MPs.
"Sir Patrick Vallance said that the minutes of meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) — the government’s most senior team of expert advisers — would only be released “once Sage stops convening on this emergency”.

(20 Apr 2020) WHO head warns worst of virus is still ahead Politico April 20: "The head of the World Health Organization has warned that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, raising new alarm bells about the pandemic just as many countries are beginning to ease restrictive measures.
"WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus didn’t specify exactly why he believes that the outbreak that has infected nearly 2.5 million people and killed over 166,000, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University, could get worse. Some people, though, have pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed."

(20 Apr 2020) The government can’t fight coronavirus, so it’s fighting journalists instead Excellent stuff from Independent April 20: "The Conservatives’ 2,000-word rebuttal to a news article they don’t like shines a light on precisely nothing beyond their own towering ineptitude."

(20 Apr 2020) Mid Yorks nurses given 'cagoules' instead of gowns BBC April 20 report: "Nurses have been left in tears after being given what look like cagoules to protect themselves at an NHS trust, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said.
"Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was trying to conserve stocks in the "absence of certainty" about the next delivery of gowns."

(19 Apr 2020) Care home deaths 'far higher' than official figures BBC (April 19) catches up with some of the press coverage highlighting unreliable figures that underestimated deaths of CV-19 in care homes:
"New data has added to growing evidence that the number of deaths linked to coronavirus in UK care homes may be far higher than those recorded so far.
"The National Care Forum (NCF) estimates that more than 4,000 elderly and disabled people have died across all residential and nursing homes.
"Its report comes amid calls for accurate data on virus-linked deaths.
"Only 217 such care home deaths have been officially recorded in England and Wales up to 3 April.
"The NCF, which represents not-for-profit care providers, said its findings highlight significant flaws in the official reporting of coronavirus-related death statistics."

(19 Apr 2020) Backlash as NHS staff told: ‘Avoid tweeting about political issues like PPE’ April 19 report from east Anglia daily Times reveals mechanism for gagging orders preventing staff speaking out on vital issues: branding shortages of PPE as a "political" issue:
“PPE, Covid-19 testing and an exit strategy from the pandemic are vital clinical matters, not ‘political’ subjects for suppression to save the government from embarrassment,” said a spokesman for the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk.
"Campaigners also feel the move means “genuine front line ‘heroes’ cannot say what they really think”.

(19 Apr 2020) When this is over, we must give our most vulnerable the dignity they deserve AND reward the heroes who give them such devoted care, says SIR KEIR STARMER Labour leader Keir Starmer in remarkably limp and low key article in Daily Mail:
“First, our carers need to be kept safe. … too many of them are being left exposed because of shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE).
“The Government says it is doing everything it can to supply equipment. I do not doubt its sincerity. However, there is a mismatch between the statements coming out of Downing Street and the realities for staff on the ground. That needs to come to an end, and fast.
“Second, we need more information. The crisis in our care homes has gone unheard for too long, in part because we do not know the full scale of the problem. That is why we urgently need Ministers to publish daily figures on the number of deaths in care homes. …
“Third, testing, testing and more testing. Matt Hancock’s announcement that all care home residents and staff with symptoms would be tested is welcome. But many of us will be asking why on earth was this not done sooner? A council leader I spoke to last week told me that of its 5,000 social care workers, only ten had been tested. That is astonishing.”

(19 Apr 2020) Medical staff face weeks without protective gowns Observer April 19: "Doctors and nurses treating Covid-19 patients face shortages of protective full-length gowns for weeks to come, it has emerged, as anger builds over the failure to stockpile the garments.
"Critical shortages of the gowns have meant that some trusts have already had to make do with the best available alternatives as a result of the shortages, which forced a sudden change in Public Health England (PHE) guidelines on the use of gowns on Friday. Concerns are being raised within the NHS over why the gowns did not form part of the government’s pandemic stockpile."

(19 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: 38 days when Britain sleepwalked into disaster Free access link to keynote (£) paywalled Sunday Times extended analysis of blunders and negligence of Johnson government

(19 Apr 2020) Half of frontline care workers paid less than living wage Under valued, under risk, under paid. Observer April 19 reports: "More than half of social care workers putting their health at risk during the coronavirus outbreak are paid below the real cost of living, according to an analysis of their working conditions. Staff are also four times more likely to be on a zero-hours contract than the average worker.
"Many care workers and providers were continuing to experience shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and access to testing this weekend, amid concerns in local government over the extent of the pandemic. One estimate suggests that 5,300 people have died in care homes from Covid-19, dwarfing official estimates. Care England, an industry trade association, said the figure could be above 7,000 deaths."

(19 Apr 2020) Front-line NHS staff deserve extra £29 a day, Lib Dems say BBC reports that as Matt Hancock offers rounds of applause and a crappy badge, it's the Lib Dems of all people who suggest extra cash for the staff facing the biggest risks. They might of course prefer adequate supplies of PPE, and an increase in basic pay.

(19 Apr 2020) Trusts need certainty on gowns delivery and focussing on individual consignments is unhelpful April 19 press comment from NHS Providers, which seems to be cautiously edging towards an actual criticism of the government's handling of the crisis -- at least in regards to broken promises of supplies of PPE to NHS staff. It's still a long way from the outspoken lines taken by NHS Providers before the pandemic struck.

(19 Apr 2020) Hospital leaders hit out at government as PPE shortage row escalates Guardian 19 April report slightly exaggerates the open criticism but highlights shifting mood of hospital booses:
"Hospital leaders have directly attacked the government for the first time during the coronavirus crisis over the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) after a desperately needed consignment of surgical gowns that had been announced by ministers failed to arrive.
"In an unprecedented intervention, which hospital leaders privately say is the result of “intense frustration and exasperation”, the organisations representing NHS trusts in England urged ministers to “just focus on what we can be certain of” after weeks of “bitter experience” with failed deliveries."

(19 Apr 2020) 'Enormous strain' on protective kit for NHS - Williamson BBC 19 April report which notes almost at the very end the appointment after weeks of fudge, failure and the failure of even the army to make the privatised "NHS Supply Chain" work for delivery of PPE that Matt Hancock has now appointed a new supremo to tosrt it out: "The government has appointed Lord Deighton, who headed the organising committee of the London Olympics, to resolve problems with supplies and distribution of PPE." Deighton is a former Tory MP, Treasury Minister and investment banker. Don't hold your breath waiting for results.

(19 Apr 2020) Domestic violence: Hotels say offer of refuge for domestic abuse victims has been snubbed Observer April 19 flags up yet another display of ineptitude and bungling by ministers: "Hotel and hostel chains which offered the UK government thousands of rooms to ensure domestic abuse victims could flee violence during the coronavirus lockdown say their gesture has been snubbed.
"The chains, which asked not to be named, wanted to help solve the absence of refuge places as domestic violence soars.
"Jennifer Nadel, co-director of Compassion in Politics, described the government’s response as “foot-dragging at its most unnecessary, irresponsible and lethal”."

(19 Apr 2020) Piers Morgan is right about the coronavirus crisis – and this is why you’re surprised Interesting Independent April 19 article on why the attack dog of the Brexit right has now become a champion of the NHS retweeted by the left:
"In this climate, Morgan is giving voice to the moral outrage felt over the government’s disastrous handling of the coronavirus crisis, which has led to thousands of potentially avoidable deaths. Labour has positioned itself as broadly supportive and its MPs note how difficult it must be for government, none of which speaks to the mounting sense of public despair. It is not helped by parliament being mothballed in an ill-advised recess (it will sit virtually from next week)."

(19 Apr 2020) Government not being honest enough, says former Chief Scientific Adviser Channel 4 April 19: As the Chief Scientific Adviser, he dealt with crises including the foot and mouth disease outbreak, but now Professor Sir David King says he’s shocked and saddened that the UK failed to respond quickly to this pandemic. And he wants the government to be more open and honest with the public.

(19 Apr 2020) Japan's medical system faces catastrophe as sick people turned away from hospitals Independent April 19: “The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine and the Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine say many hospital emergency rooms are refusing to treat people including those suffering strokes, heart attacks and external injuries.
“…The outbreak has highlighted underlying weaknesses in medical care in Japan, which has long been praised for its high quality insurance system and reasonable costs.
“… Japan lacks enough hospital beds, medical workers or equipment. Forcing anyone with the virus into hospital, even those with mild symptoms, has left hospitals overcrowded and understaffed.”

(18 Apr 2020) Undocumented migrants dying of coronavirus because they’re too afraid to seek help, MPs and charities warn Independent April 18 report: "The current NHS charging policy, introduced in 2018 as part of the “hostile environment”, charges non-EU patients 50 per cent more than it costs the NHS to treat them and requires hospital staff to demand proof of entitlement to free healthcare.
"In response to the coronavirus outbreak, ministers introduced regulations on 29 January that meant no charge could be made to an overseas visitor for diagnosis or treatment of the virus, saying it was “very important, for public health protection, that overseas visitors are not deterred from seeking treatment for Covid-19”.
"However, the MPs warned that while this was a “welcome step” it did “not go far enough”, adding: “It does not undo years of hostile environment policies, in which migrants have been told that they will be charged for healthcare or faced with immigration enforcement when accessing public services. In the present moment, this undermines the government’s efforts to respond to the pandemic.”

(18 Apr 2020) Trusts told sending patients and staff to almost empty Nightingale is essential to recovery HSJ report April 18: "NHS organisations in London have been asked to send more than 200 doctors and nurses to the temporary Nightingale hospital, as regional leaders seek to increase the number of patients being treated there.
"The facility in east London was built to provide intensive care to around 3600 Covid positive patients. But it has remained largely empty since it opened as London trusts have been able to absorb the demand within their own expanded critical care capacity.
"A letter to senior leaders in the capital, leaked to HSJ, said that using the Nightingale’s capacity was vital in helping London’s hospitals restore some of their typical services, such as elective surgery, as well as coping with rising emergency demand as social distancing measures are relaxed. There has been a major reduction in normal hospital activity during the coronavirus outbreak."

(18 Apr 2020) Coronavirus UK: large consignment of PPE to arrive tomorrow, says Jenrick – as it happened Guardiian April 18: "NHS frontline workers may refuse to work if there is not enough PPE to ensure their safety, the UK’s largest union said. The warning came in response to new guidance from Public Health England, revealed by the Guardian on Friday, which instructs healthcare workers to reuse disposable PPE and recommends that medics wear aprons if they are unable to access full-length gowns. There are growing concerns that some PPE supplies are dangerously close to running out."

(18 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: 38 days when Britain sleepwalked into disaster Major (£) Sunday Times analysis exposes the record of government negligence and incompetence in addressing Covid-19 threat: "The virus had spread from China to six countries and was almost certainly in many others. Sensing the coming danger, the British government briefly went into wartime mode that day, holding a meeting of Cobra, its national crisis committee.
"But it took just an hour that January 24 lunchtime to brush aside the coronavirus threat. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, bounced out of Whitehall after chairing the meeting and breezily told reporters the risk to the UK public was “low".

(18 Apr 2020) How did Britain get its coronavirus response so wrong? Guardian's extended and detailed critique of government handling of the pandemic:
"It is perhaps too early to conclude for sure that Johnson, Hancock and the government’s entire team of scientific and medical advisers were caught asleep at the wheel. But the fact that Johnson and Hancock themselves, in common with much of the Downing Street staff, would go on to contract the virus or suffer symptoms, further suggests that people at the top had not been sufficiently on their guard.
"Now, 11 weeks on from the first cases being confirmed in the UK on 31 January – a period during which more than 14,000 people (and probably several thousands more once care home fatalities are counted) in the UK have died from Covid-19 – and with the country in lockdown, the economy facing prolonged recession as a result, schools closed, and no sign of an end in sight – hard questions have to be asked.
"We already know with some certainty that other countries, such as Germany, South Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand, will emerge from this crisis having performed far better than the UK."

(18 Apr 2020) Revealed: The UK’s “Three Stage” Exit Strategy To Ease The Coronavirus Lockdown Buzzfeed analysis April 18: "A "best case scenario" would see some non-essential retail shops and industries reopen in early to mid-May, further social distancing measures relaxed over the summer, but the elderly and vulnerable facing strict "shielding" restrictions lasting until a vaccine is found."

(18 Apr 2020) 'There's no pandemic...Media's the cancer' — People across the U.S., many of whom are vocal Trump supporters, are protesting stay-at-home orders." Scary display of US ignorance and unbelievable stupidity whipped up by Trump from Now This video

(18 Apr 2020) A Nurse’s Hospital Wouldn’t Let Her Wear an N95 Mask. She Hasn’t Been Back to Work in Weeks US news from ProPublica April 18: "ProPublica spoke to 15 doctors and nurses from New Jersey to California to North and South Carolina who said their administrators have normalized poor infection control practices — putting them at risk and likely spreading the virus.
"A study published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that health care workers are getting infected at high rates, which also makes them a source of transmission.
"ProPublica and others have reported on staff who were suspended or fired for bringing their own gowns and masks and other protective equipment, or speaking up about it. But clinicians are saying there’s an even deeper problem.
"The conditions are so unsafe they’re being forced to choose between their livelihoods and risking their lives — and that means some are walking away."

(18 Apr 2020) Unseen footage of Boris Johnson on 3rd February stating the UK will stand alone against world wide lockdowns Interesting reinforcement for the growing number of critiques revealing how badly wrong he and his government were in the early handling of the pandemic, with disatrous and lethal consequences.

(18 Apr 2020) UK care home Covid-19 deaths 'may be five times government estimate' Guardian April 18: "“Care England, Britain’s largest representative body for care homes, told the Daily Telegraph that up to 7,500 care home residents may have died of the virus.
“This is significantly higher than the figure of 1,400 people estimated to have died by the government earlier this week.
“Without testing, it is very difficult to give an absolute figure,” Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, said. “However, if we look at some of the death rates since 1 April and compare them with previous years’ rates, we estimate a figure of about 7,500 people may have died as a result of Covid-19.”
“The figure is also significantly higher than the 217 care home deaths recorded in the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which runs up to 3 April.”

(18 Apr 2020) Will Big Pharma Fleece Us On A COVID Treatment That We Helped Fund? Blog from US commentator David Sirota: “Drug companies often justify their high prices by insisting that when a medicine comes to market, they need to recoup the money they spent on R&D, some of which inevitably ends up being a loss as they chase promising but unsuccessful therapies. That same return-on-investment logic could also apply to taxpayers -- when we take the financial risk of funding original medical research, our ROI could be in the form of affordable prices for the medicines that eventually come from that research.
“In fact, that was the very concept embedded in our laws during the Bush I administration, after criticism of the high price of a leading anti-AIDS drug developed at taxpayer expense.
“The NIH rule’s principle was simple: drugs developed at taxpayer expense and then licensed to commercial pharmaceutical companies must ultimately be offered to consumers at a fair and reasonable price. …
“That NIH rule, however, was rescinded by Bill Clinton’s administration -- a big win for “the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, which campaigned against the pricing clause,” according to a contemporaneous report from the New York Times”

(18 Apr 2020) C.D.C. Labs Were Contaminated, Delaying Coronavirus Testing, Officials Say New Yoprk Times April 18 highlights confusion and incompetence in US similar to that revealed in British government handling of the crisis: "To this day, the C.D.C.’s singular failure symbolizes how unprepared the federal government was in the early days to combat a fast-spreading outbreak of a new virus and it also highlights the glaring inability at the onset to establish a systematic testing policy that would have revealed the still unknown rates of infection in many regions of the country.
"The blunders are posing new problems as some states with few cases agitate to reopen and others remain in virtual lockdown with cases and deaths still climbing.
"While President Trump and other members of his administration assert almost daily that the U.S. testing capacity is greater than anywhere else in the world, many public health officials and epidemiologists have lamented the lack of consistent, reliable testing across the country that would reflect the true prevalence of the infection and perhaps enable a return to some semblance of normal life."

(18 Apr 2020) Hancock faces calls to resign over coronavirus PPE shortages (£) Times April 18: “A “very large consignment” of personal protective equipment — including 400,000 gowns – is due to arrive in the UK tomorrow as the health secretary faced calls to resign over the shortages.
“Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said that 84 tonnes of PPE would arrive in the UK from Turkey on Sunday amid reports that 60 NHS trusts were expecting to exhaust their stocks of gowns within hours.
“The announcement came as Matt Hancock, the health secretary, was told he might have to “consider his position” as union leaders criticised his handling of the PPE crisis.
“Faith in Hancock is “draining away”, union leaders said as NHS staff were told to re-use PPE and wear aprons to treat coronavirus patients.”

(18 Apr 2020) Half of nursing staff under pressure to work without PPE RCN survey, conducted over the Easter weekend, "shows that half of nursing staff have felt pressure to carry out their work without the levels of protection set out in official guidance. This includes those working in the most high-risk environments, such as areas where patients with or suspected of having COVID-19 are being treated on ventilators.
"Of those treating possible or confirmed COVID-19 patients in these high-risk areas, around half (51%) reported that they are being asked to reuse items of personal protective equipment (PPE) that are marked ‘single use’ by manufacturers. Of those treating COVID-19 patients elsewhere, over a third (39%) said they were being asked to reuse this equipment.
…
"RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said: “These figures unmask the gut-wrenching shortages nursing staff are dealing with in all health care settings. It is little wonder they are in such fear for their own safety and that of their patients. This crisis is taking the lives of nursing staff, and their colleagues feel they’ve been left exposed. All decision makers involved here need to get an urgent grip on the situation. Nursing staff just want to do their jobs – they must be given protection in order to do so.”

(18 Apr 2020) NHS director warned smaller care providers could fail last month and Government failed to act A hint of criticism from the stoutly loyal (£) Daily Torygraph April 18 as they survey the instability and chaos of the social care in private hands: "An NHS director warned "lots" of private care homes could fail before the sector burned through two thirds of the coronavirus support package for councils in just three weeks, The Telegraph can disclose.
"Such is the scale of financial turmoil facing smaller homes dealing with Covid-19 that an initial £1.6billion support package to cover demand across council services was immediately branded insufficient.
"On Saturday, the Government doubled that contribution, handing over another £1.6billion to the wider effort by local authorities.
"However, ministers will continue to face mounting questions over a financial black hole facing the care sector."

(18 Apr 2020) Could Covid 19 bring an end to the privatisation of our NHS Morning Star April 18 article from HCT and Lowdown Editor John Lister looking at the issues to be addressed as the crisis level is reduced: campaigners must prevent the Tories from wanting to drag the NHS back to its pre-pandemic system.

(18 Apr 2020) Could Covid 19 bring an end to the privatisation of our NHS Morning Star April 18 article from HCT and Lowdown Editor John Lister looking at the issues to be addressed as the crisis level is reduced: campaigners must prevent the Tories from wanting to drag the NHS back to its pre-pandemic system.

(18 Apr 2020) Could Covid 19 bring an end to the privatisation of our NHS Morning Star April 18 article from HCT and Lowdown Editor John Lister looking at the issues to be addressed as the crisis level is reduced: campaigners must prevent the Tories from wanting to drag the NHS back to its pre-pandemic system.

(17 Apr 2020) Refugees among hundreds of overseas medics to respond to NHS call Guardian April 17 report: "Hundreds of foreign-born doctors, including refugees, have signed up to become medical support workers as part of a new scheme aimed at helping the NHS tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
"NHS England launched the initiative for international medical graduates and doctors after calls to fast track the accreditation of overseas medics.
"The NHS plans to deploy the workers, who have passed an English language exam, in small numbers initially.

(17 Apr 2020) Muddled thinking punctures plan for British ventilator Financial Times (April 17) analysis: "Matt Hancock invoked the wartime “Blitz Spirit”, urging companies to pivot factory lines to make ventilators. “We cannot make too many,” he wrote.
"That was March 14 and the genesis of a project designed as a showcase for British innovation and self-reliance, likened to the production of Spitfire fighter aircraft in the second world war.
"But what emerged was a procurement programme insiders say was plagued by disjointed thinking that sent volunteer, non-specialist manufacturers down the wrong track, designing products clinicians and regulators so far deemed largely unsuitable for treating Covid-19 patients. "

(17 Apr 2020) NHS staff told 'wear aprons' as protective gowns run out Guardian report April 17: "NHS bosses have asked doctors and nurses to work without protective full-length gowns when treating Covid-19 patients, as hospitals came within hours of running out of supplies.
"The guidance is a reversal of Public Health England (PHE) guidelines stipulating that full-length waterproof surgical gowns, designed to stop coronavirus droplets getting into someone’s mouth or nose, should be worn for all high-risk hospital procedures.
"In a significant U-turn, PHE advised frontline staff to wear a flimsy plastic apron with coveralls when gowns ran out, in a move that doctors and nurses fear may lead to more of them contracting the virus and ultimately putting lives at risk. "

(17 Apr 2020) Mortality associated with covid-19 outbreaks in care homes: early international evidence April 17 update of report from International Long term Care Policy Network:
"Official data from 7 countries suggests that the share of care home residents whose deaths are linked to COVID-19 is much lower in 2 countries where there have been fewer deaths in total (14% in Australia, where there have been 63 deaths, and 20% in Singapore, where there have been 10 deaths).
"In the remaining 5 countries for which we have official data (Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland and Norway), and where the number of total deaths ranges from 136 to 17,167, the % of COVID-related deaths in care homes ranges from 49% to 64%).
"Data reported by media as coming from official sources for Portugal and Spain suggests rates of 33% and 53% respectively.
"The authors have considered that it is not possible to draw accurate estimates from the data that is currently in public domain in the United Kingdom."

(17 Apr 2020) Peers call for a public inquiry into the handling of the COVID-19 crisis Yorkshire Bylines April 17 reports: "ifteen senior peers, including Chris Patten, Bob Kerslake and Helena Kennedy have written a letter to the Financial Times calling for a full public inquiry into the UK’s handing of the coronavirus crisis. They argue that the public but particularly “health and care professions, the medical science community and those who have lost loved ones to the virus, are entitled to reassurance that the relevant questions will be addressed.”

(17 Apr 2020) Considerations for acute personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages Latest government changes in guidance on PPE, brought in as a response to dwindling stocks and without proper consultation with professional bodies.

(16 Apr 2020) How do we escape lockdown? Community testing, new tech and an army of volunteers Paul Evans in The Lowdown spells out the missing links for a plan to escape from lockdown:
“Mass testing of the community for Covid-19 is yet a priority in the UK, despite evidence from South Korea and China showing that it was vital in beating back the virus – so why aren’t we recruiting an army of public health volunteers to help make it possible?
The theory is that tracking down people who have newly acquired the virus before they have time to pass it on will help put a lid on transmission. It is a standard tool in the public health response to infectious disease and the UK deployed it at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.”

(16 Apr 2020) Now or Never for Global Leadership on COVID-19 April 7 statement in Project Syndicate calling for an international effort to contain the spread of Covid-19 co-authored by Gordon Brown:
“During the global financial crisis of 2008, G20 leaders coordinated a global response, and in other emergencies – such as tsunamis, civil wars, or epidemics – coalitions of countries have convened donor conferences to generate the necessary resources. Today, we need both”

(16 Apr 2020) Britain faces a care crisis that could overwhelm the NHS Hard hitting April 4 report from Independent’s Shaun Lintern: “Across the country, care providers say they have been pushed to the brink of closure because some local councils are refusing to release emergency funding made available by the government, while many face staff shortages, a lack of equipment and too few nurses to care for extra patients being discharged by the NHS.
“Some care-home managers have warned that the vulnerable or elderly who fall ill may be all but abandoned by local NHS services, with reports of unlawful do-not-resuscitate orders being put in place by some GPs.
“While national efforts have focused on shoring up the health service to help it cope with a surge in coronavirus infections, experts warned not enough has been done to make sure the 18,000 care sector companies, on which the health service may rely, can withstand the next few weeks and months.”

(16 Apr 2020) Covid vs. US Daily Average Cause of Death Astonishing animated graph showing the impact of Covid-19 compared to other major causes of death in the USA.

(16 Apr 2020) Protecting migrants from Covid-19 Campaigners unite behind letter from Liberty Medact and many others including Health Campaigns Together, to Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, to call for urgent changes to ensure the safety of migrants in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We call on the Home Secretary to:
“ensure access to healthcare - this means immediately suspending all NHS charging and data sharing with immigration enforcement, and launching a public information campaign that makes clear that healthcare services are available and safe for all migrants to use
“ensure all migrants have access to vital public services by suspending 'No Recourse To Public Funds' conditions
“make assurances that no one will be penalised for missing appointments, reporting or court dates due to illness
“make sure no one is made an 'overstayer' because of being self-isolated or unable to return to a country that is not safe to travel to, by extending or modifying visas
“release everyone detained under immigration powers to reduce the risk of COVID-19 entering the detention estate and causing avoidable harm
“provide specialist support for those housed in shared Asylum Accommodation to enable safe access to medical services, testing, and where necessary, re-housing for particularly vulnerable people.”

(16 Apr 2020) No matter how you crunch the numbers, this pandemic is only just getting started US doctor in Guardian (April 16) dissects arguments for lifting the lockdown
"An editorial in the British Medical Journal has reported data from China suggesting that as many as four in five cases of Sars-CoV-2 infection could be asymptomatic.
"It then goes on to quote people from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine in Oxford, who say that if this is true “What the hell are we locking down for?” I wish those people would be brave enough to go and repeat that opinion in an ER in the Bronx right now, in which actual medicine is going on.
"Worrying about the exact rate of asymptomatic infection, or the currently unknown duration of immunity and a possible “second wave”, is like politely applauding the performance in a jazz club and murmuring “nice” while the building is demolished around you and the piano player gets decapitated."

(16 Apr 2020) Bracing for coronavirus but losing money every day, this East Texas hospital had to cut employees More from the tragically dysfunctional world of US health care. Texas Trubune reports on hospitals laying off staff as the virus gathers pace:
"Just two months ago, Titus County in northeast Texas had a high-traffic medical center with 800 employees, an average of 65 patients in the emergency room and an entryway manned by senior volunteers selling buttery popcorn.
"Now, ER traffic has slowed to a crawl. Ten percent of the staff is out of work. And the hospital’s chief executive officer, Terry Scoggin, says the 108-bed facility is sitting on just a few months of cash — even with new money it's getting from a federal stimulus package.
"It's not alone.
"As hospitals brace for a potential influx of COVID-19 patients, some facilities are shedding staff members, cutting hours and hemorrhaging money. It’s an unexpected side effect of a steep drop-off in lucrative surgeries, meant to free up hospital bed space and preserve protective equipment for the coronavirus outbreak."

(15 Apr 2020) Trump turns against WHO to mask his own stark failings on Covid-19 crisis Guardian reports (April 15) “Donald Trump’s declared suspension of funding of the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic is confirmation – if any were needed – that he is in search of scapegoats for his administration’s much delayed and chaotic response to the crisis.
“The US is the WHO’s biggest donor, with funding over $400m a year in both assessed contributions (membership fees) and donations – though it is actually $200m in arrears.
“Theoretically the White House cannot block funding of international institutions mandated by Congress. But the administration has found ways around such constitutional hurdles on other issues – by simply failing to disburse funds or apply sanctions, for example.”

(14 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Around half of COVID-19 deaths are in care homes Sky News April 14 reports statistics that suggest British death toll figures are massively understated:
“Figures from five European countries suggest that care home residents have accounted for between 42% and 57% of all deaths related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
“The figures are contained in a report by academics at the London School of Economics, which focuses on Italy, Spain, France, Ireland and Belgium.”

(14 Apr 2020) Older people being 'airbrushed' out of virus figures BBC April 14 report: “Industry leaders from Age UK, Marie Curie, Care England, Independent Age and the Alzheimer's Society have written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock demanding a care package to support social care through the pandemic.
“They have also called for a daily update on deaths in the care system.
“It comes after the government confirmed there had been coronavirus outbreaks at more than 2,000 care homes in England - although they did not specify the number of deaths that had occurred.
“The figures prompted the charity Age UK to claim coronavirus is "running wild" in care homes for elderly people.
"The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter," Caroline Abrahams, the charity's director, said.
“Meanwhile, Britain's largest care home operator, HC-One, said coronavirus was present in two-thirds - 232 - of the group's care homes.

“… About 410,000 people live in care homes in the UK, living in 11,300 care homes for older people supplied by 5,500 different providers.
“… Labour's shadow social care minister Liz Kendall said daily figures were essential to dealing with the "emerging crisis" in care homes and called for the government to offer social care "whatever resources it needs".
“… Conservative peer and former work and pensions minister Baroness Altmann told Today that "one or two" people in care homes had said to her they felt as though older people are being treated "like lambs to the slaughter. They [care homes] are left without protective equipment, they are left without testing," she said.”

(14 Apr 2020) UK scraps plans to buy thousands of ventilators from Formula One group Guardian April 14 with another story of confused action by ministers: “A plan to buy thousands of medical ventilators from a group including the Renault and Red Bull Formula One teams has been cancelled amid signs that symptoms specific to Covid-19 could make building new devices more difficult than hoped.”

(14 Apr 2020) The right wing have begun their attack on the most vulnerable, who they want to pay for coronavirus Tax expert Richard Murphy (April 14) quotes from the Guardian:
“The Social Market Foundation (SMF) proposes that the massive economic cost of the emergency measures deployed to manage the pandemic must be shared fairly between old and young, and that some of the huge anticipated government deficit could be funded by abandoning the so-called triple lock guarantee on state pension rises.”
Murphy comments: “The economic logic underpinning this demand is entirely flawed. It assumes that there the coronavirus crisis must be paid for, when all that is missing is credit at present, as I have explained.
“It assumes that payment must come from across society when many have nothing more that they can contribute.
“And it assumes that there must be a squeeze on public spending because the private sector is in meltdown when the exact opposite is the case.”

(14 Apr 2020) Two of UK's largest care home providers report 521 coronavirus deaths Guardian (April 14) reports: “Two of the largest providers of care homes in the UK have revealed the deaths of 521 residents from coronavirus in recent weeks, in the clearest sign yet of the rising scale of fatalities outside the NHS which have not been officially announced.
“HC-One, which operates about 350 homes, said that as of 8pm on Monday there had been 311 deaths from confirmed or suspected Covid-19, with outbreaks in two thirds of its homes. MHA, a charitable operator, said there have been 210 deaths across 131 homes, with outbreaks in about half of its homes.
“The figures contrast both with Monday’s assertion by Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser, that there are outbreaks in one in seven care homes in England and data published weekly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which has a 10-day time lag.”

(14 Apr 2020) Coronavirus tests have been given to only 505 social care workers in Britain Mirror (April 14) reports: “Only 505 social care workers in Britain have had coronavirus tests, the government admitted today.
“Downing Street said specific testing of care home and home-care staff had only rolled out in the last few days due to a lack of capacity. As of 9am on Easter Monday, just 505 have been tested - compared to 47,784 once NHS staff and their families are included.
“The tiny figure was revealed despite the Health Secretary pledging on Friday that "all key social care staff" could now get tests if needed.”

(14 Apr 2020) England coronavirus testing has not risen fast enough - science chief April 14 report in The Guardian: “Public Health England did not increase testing for Covid-19 as quickly as was needed to control the spread of the virus, the government’s chief scientific adviser has suggested.
“Sir Patrick Vallance’s comments echo those of Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, who said a week ago that Germany “got ahead” in testing people for Covid-19 and that the UK needed to learn from that.
“So far, the government has prioritised tests for seriously ill patients in hospital and frontline NHS staff. But Vallance said testing needed to be done at sufficient scale “to look at outbreaks and isolate”, as has happened in countries such as Germany and South Korea.”

(14 Apr 2020) Top creditors to suspend poorest countries' debt payments: France Reuters April 14 report: “Major international creditors have agreed to suspend debt payments owed by the poorest countries this year, throwing a financial lifeline to help them cope with the coronavirus crisis, France's finance minister said on Tuesday.
“Some 76 countries, of which 40 are in sub-Sahara Africa, were eligible to have debt payments worth a combined $20 billion suspended, out of a total of $32 billion the countries were to spend on debt servicing this year.
"We have obtained a debt moratorium at the level of bilateral creditors and private creditors for a total of $20 billion," Bruno Le Maire told journalists.
“The government creditors, including not only the Paris Club group of creditors, but also China and other members of the Group of 20 economic powers, are to suspend $12 billion under the agreement, which remains to be finalised on Wednesday.”

(14 Apr 2020) Risky numbers: the national reporting of Covid-19 Nuffield Trust analysis of weakness of official data published on Covid-19 concludes:
"displaying forecasts – we know that some exist – may also help the public understand whether the latest data is as expected or showing a new trend. This can be guided by lessons from history. Following a flawed attempt by government to articulate the risk of the swine flu a decade or so ago, there is now an established principle that government should continually communicate “most probable scenarios” with the public, while also being open about the worst-case scenario.
"Third, providing a single, consistent and accessible source of information on a variety of health service data can give a more accurate picture. This could include available capacity (e.g. ventilators); activity (e.g. hospital admissions – data currently provided on this is poorly explained); intermediate outcomes (e.g. admissions to intensive care units); and outcomes (e.g. deaths and recoveries). A suite of indicators could be supported with evidence on the relationship between the measures, such as the proportion of intensive care patients that die or recover"

(13 Apr 2020) Reconciling COVID-19 death data in the UK “How many people have died from COVID-19 in the UK? You’d think this was an easy question to answer, but you would be wrong. There are numerous places in which you can find this data, and they don’t always give the same answer.” Fascinating information (April 8, since updated) from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.

(13 Apr 2020) Ministers 'must be open with NHS about PPE shortages' Guardian April 13 quotes Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, who appears more concerned that factual information might be “weaponised” than to ensure honest answers are given.
Hopson “wants the government to start alerting health service trusts when they are about to face a lack of equipment such as the ongoing dearth of gowns and visors that frontline staff need to repel Covid-19.
Writing for the Guardian about PPE shortages, Hopson says: “National NHS leaders will continue their massive efforts to fill current PPE gaps. But trust leaders believe that they should be included earlier in helping to find the solutions. For example, if there is going to be a stock shortage of a particular item, then far better to know about it well in advance.
“Trusts then have more time to effect the solutions like the mutual support approach they’ve adopted for gowns over the last few days.”

(13 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Government 'close to lies' over coronavirus deaths, warns expert Sky News April 13: “A former public health director has accused the government of "coming very close to lies" over the UK's coronavirus death figures.
“Professor John Ashton, former regional director of Public Health England, said the number of people dying with COVID-19 could be double what the public is being told.
“This is because officials counts are not including deaths outside hospitals, such as those in the community or in care homes, he said.”

(13 Apr 2020) Furor Erupts: Billions Going To Hospitals Based On Medicare Billings, Not COVID-19 April 13 updated article from Kaiser Health News revealing more chaos, waste and inequality in the disastrous US hospital sector, where the Trump administration has adopted:
“one-size-fits-all approach to distributing the first $30 billion in emergency grants. HHS [Health and Human Services] confirmed Friday it would give hospitals and doctors money according to their historical share of revenue from the Medicare program for seniors — not according to their coronavirus burden.
“… States such as Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana, which the pandemic has touched relatively lightly, are getting more than $300,000 per reported COVID-19 case in the $30 billion, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis.
“On the other hand, New York, the worst-hit state, would receive only $12,000 per case. Florida is getting $132,000 per case. KHN relied on a state breakdown provided to the House Ways and Means Committee by HHS along with COVID-19 cases tabulated by The New York Times.”

(13 Apr 2020) UK missed three chances to join EU scheme to bulk-buy PPE Guardian (April 13) “Britain missed three opportunities to be part of an EU scheme to bulk-buy masks, gowns and gloves and has been absent from key talks about future purchases, the Guardian can reveal, as pressure grows on ministers to protect NHS medics and care workers on the coronavirus frontline.
“European doctors and nurses are preparing to receive the first of €1.5bn (£1.3bn) worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) within days or a maximum of two weeks through a joint procurement scheme involving 25 countries and eight companies, according to internal EU documents.
“The EU’s swift work has led to offers of medical equipment, including masks, overalls and goggles, in excess of the number requested, a spokesman for the European commission said. The EU is separately establishing stockpiles within member states, with the first being set up in Romania.”

(13 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Top scientist claims Government recklessly allowed thousands to catch bug Mirror April 13: “Professor Helen Ward, of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London has warned ministers "there will be a reckoning, and it will not be forgiving".
“The academic tweeted: "It’s very sad that so many people have died, and so many more are desperately ill because politicians refused to listen to advice.
"We said lockdown earlier, we said test, trace, isolate. But they decided they knew better. There will be a reckoning, and it will not be forgiving."
Professor Ward told the Mirror the decision in early March to stop community testing and contact tracing was a "big problem" which meant we "lost sight" of the pandemic.”

(13 Apr 2020) NHS staff still putting their lives on the line without vital protection kit Mirror April 13 report launches a campaign for PPE to save lives of health workers (and patients):
“So far, around 40 health and care workers have died of Covid-19. And those on the ground insist government claims there is enough equipment do not match the desperate reality.
“So today, the Mirror launches a campaign demanding ministers urgently provide the gowns, masks, visors and gloves staff on the front line need to keep them safe while trying to save others.
“… It comes as the BMA revealed it continues to receive stories of “serious shortages” of personal protection equipment from worried doctors around the land.”

(13 Apr 2020) 'Growing crisis' as 92 care homes report COVID-19 outbreaks Sky News (April 13): “A total of 92 care homes have reported outbreaks of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, England's chief medical officer has said.
“Speaking at the daily COVID-19 news conference, Professor Chris Whitty said 13.5% of care homes have been affected by the virus.”

(12 Apr 2020) One in three UK surgeons lacks enough protective kit, survey finds “Surgeons treating Covid-19 patients have a “terrifying” lack of personal protective equipment that is risking lives, the profession’s leaders warn today.
“Almost a third (32.5%) of UK surgeons say they do not have access to enough masks, gowns and other clothing to keep them safe, a new survey reveals.
“The widespread lack of PPE for frontline staff is “a disgrace”, according to the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which collated the views of 1,978 surgeons and surgical trainees.
“There are often young doctors and nurses, many with kids at home, putting themselves in challenging situations without proper PPE. It’s not acceptable, morally or ethically, that people should put their lives at risk to do their job unless they have adequate PPE,” Sue Hill, the college’s vice-president, told the Observer.”

(12 Apr 2020) Patel refuses to take children from Greek camps threatened by Covid-19 Guardian April 12 report on yet more “shameful” behaviour by the appalling Home Secretary:
“Priti Patel has refused pleas to accept more unaccompanied children from the notoriously overcrowded refugee camps on the Greek islands amid dire warnings of an impending humanitarian catastrophe.
“The charity Médecins Sans Frontières wrote to the home secretary on 13 March asking her to “significantly increase” the number of child refugees transferred to the UK as well as “facilitate the urgent evacuation” of those with chronic and complex health conditions.”

(12 Apr 2020) Ministers must get PPE to NHS frontline, says business secretary Guardian April 12 reports Business Secretary Ashok Sharma, two days after NHS published PPE distribution plan, refusing to apologise for its failures so far to carry out previous promises:
“Sharma told Sky News’s Ridge on Sunday: “It is absolutely right that no medical professional should be placed in a position where they have to make that choice. That for me is self-evident. That is why we are making sure we get the equipment to the frontline.”
“However, he refused to apologise specifically over the supply of PPE and said he was “sorry for the loss of any life during this pandemic”.
“It is our job to make sure we get that healthcare equipment, that PPE, out to them,” he said. “Right now, your viewers will be asking does the government have a plan to get this PPE out to the frontline and the answer is yes, we do have a plan.
“We are putting that in place, with millions of pieces of PPE kit going out to the frontline. Of course, we need to be doing even more,” he said.

(12 Apr 2020) Community nursing will 'blow’ as discharge threshold is reduced HSJ April 12 report: “Both the Royal College of Nursing and the Queen’s Nursing Institute — the charity for community nursing — told HSJ that district nurses were now having to prioritise patients more than normal, as staffing numbers have become “extremely stretched”.
“The demands on nursing care in people’s homes has worsened due to instructions from NHS England and the government to discharge people from hospital more quickly, and when their health is “medically optimised” but not yet “back to baseline”, freeing up tens of thousands of beds for acute covid-19 admissions.
“One GP, who asked not to be named, told HSJ: “The skill base in community nursing is high, but before covid19 we didn’t have [enough] staff, and that is without the increase in early discharge, complex patients [moving out of hospital] and the slower consultations that having to wear personal protective equipment will also cause. The NHS is really going to struggle, it is going to blow.”

(12 Apr 2020) Coronavirus is ripping through this care home at a frightening speed Sky News April 12 report from Sheffield: “Half of the residents in a care home we visited have coronavirus.
“The disease has ripped through the wards with frightening speed in the past two weeks. COVID-19 has attacked the old and frail who are now locked in the fight of their lives.
“Staffing levels are running dangerously low because nurses are either self-isolating or have been infected themselves.”

(12 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: 'Half of A&E team' test positive BBC report (April 12): “About half of A&E consultants and nurses at a major Welsh hospital have tested positive for coronavirus, a doctor there has said. Consultant Tim Rogerson, from the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, appeared in a video on the Aneurin Bevan health board's Facebook page.
“Dr Rogerson is self-isolating and said he had "pretty much a full house" of coronavirus symptoms. The health board area is one of the worst affected of the UK.”

(12 Apr 2020) Revealed: value of UK pandemic stockpile fell by 40% in six years Guardian April 12 report: “Analysis of official financial data suggests £325m was wiped off the value of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) emergency stockpile, reducing it from £831m in 2013 under the Conservative-led coalition government to £506m by March last year.
“The finding is likely to raise further questions for the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who faced criticism over the weekend after urging healthcare workers not to “overuse” personal protective equipment (PPE).
“The revelation raises questions about why the value depreciated so quickly and how the fall related to stock-levels.
“According to official figures at least 19 UK healthcare workers had died after contracting coronavirus. Frontline medical staff have complained of PPE shortages, which they say are putting lives at risk.”

(12 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Health secretary Matt Hancock declines to apologise to nurses forced to choose whether to work without PPE Independent (April 12) report: “The health secretary has declined to apologise to nurses forced to choose between treating coronavirus patients or protecting themselves due to shortages of vital protective kit.
“Matt Hancock came under pressure to make an apology to frontline staff who are putting themselves at risk by working without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Nursing leaders have issued guidance to staff that they should refuse to treat coronavirus patients as a “last resort” if appropriate PPE was not provided.
“Asked whether he would apologise to medics “who are being put in that impossible position”, Mr Hancock did not answer directly, instead saying: “We are working night and day to make sure that we get the right PPE.”

(12 Apr 2020) 10,000 UK coronavirus deaths: don't forget that this was preventable Guardian comment article (April 12): “Not only did the UK have the experience of Italy play out before the virus hit its own shores, illustrating clearly the measures that needed to be taken, it had explicit warnings from Italians spelling out the pitfalls to be avoided.
“… It is a jarring experience to wake up to a British death toll that is almost a thousand a day, and not see that number on every front page, being put to every politician in every single interview, with a demand for an explanation. It is as if those who should be asking these questions, from the media to opposition politicians, have been subjected to a mass memory-erasing exercise.
“Every report showing the scale of the crisis should be framed in the language of accountability and anchored in the premise of preventability. With all the benefits of hindsight, the government dragged its feet, wasted precious time and infused the issue with a sense of British exceptionalism: drastic measures need not be taken because in the UK things will somehow be different.”

(12 Apr 2020) UK cancels order for simple ventilators, needs more complex ones: source Reuters April 12: “Britain has cancelled an order for thousands of units of a simple model of ventilator developed by industrial companies to treat COVID-19 because more sophisticated devices are now needed, a source involved in the project said on Sunday.”

(12 Apr 2020) Pressure grows for developing world debt relief over coronavirus Powerful April 12 Guardian report: “Calls for a comprehensive package of debt relief to help poor countries cope with the coronavirus pandemic have intensified after research showed that more than 60 countries are spending more on paying their creditors than they are on health.
“Before a series of key meetings this week, the Jubilee Debt Campaign said it was vital to relieve the mounting financial pressure on poor countries by cancelling their debt payments this year.
“The JDC said that among the 121 low and middle-income countries for which 2019 data was available an average of 10.7% of government revenue was spent on public health systems, compared with 12.2% on external debt payments.”

(11 Apr 2020) Priti Patel 'sorry if people feel there have been failings' on PPE Tame April 11 BBC report picks up on Priti Patel’s now infamous phrase:
“The home secretary has said she is sorry if NHS staff feel there has been a failure to provide protective kit for those treating coronavirus patients.
… Speaking at Saturday's coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, the home secretary said: "I'm sorry if people feel that there have been failings. I will be very, very clear about that.
"But at the same time, we are in an unprecedented global health pandemic right now. It is inevitable that the demand and the pressures on PPE and demand for PPE are going to be exponential."

(11 Apr 2020) 'We're all scared': brave carers battling daily tragedy in a broken system Liverpool Echo April 11 report: “When Boris Johnson admitted just a month after his thumping December election win that he didn't, as he had previously claimed, actually have a plan for the country's social care crisis the response was one of resigned disappointment.
“In a BBC interview, the Prime Minister backtracked on his pre-election claim to have a 'ready-to-go' rescue package for social care - instead committing to a vague promise of bringing forward a proposal later in the year.
“… Just three short months later and the challenge facing those looking after our most vulnerable citizens has exploded into something no one could have imagined at the turn of the year.
“Coronavirus has presented an existential threat to so many different sectors - but it is important to remember that in Britain, social care was in crisis long before this horrific disease.
“The situation in the country's care homes is now beyond bleak, to the point where hundreds of people with either confirmed or suspected coronavirus are now dying without even having their death recorded as linked to the illness.”

(11 Apr 2020) Recovered coronavirus patients test positive again in blow to immunity hopes April 11 feature from (£) Daily Telegraph that should kill of any lingering illusions in “herd immunity” as a way to contain the virus: “South Korea reported on Friday that 91 recovered coronavirus patients have tested positive for the disease again, raising questions over health experts' understanding of the pandemic.
“The prospect of people being re-infected with the virus is of international concern, as many countries are hoping that infected populations will develop sufficient immunity to prevent a resurgence of the pandemic.
“The reports have also prompted fears the virus may remain active in patients for much longer than was previously thought.”

(11 Apr 2020) Matt Hancock says NHS staff death toll at 19 amid PPE row Guardian April 11 report: “The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has revealed that 19 UK health workers have died after contracting coronavirus, amid further backlash over his request that NHS staff do not overuse protective equipment.
“Hancock said on Saturday he was unaware of any link between the deaths and a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) but an investigation would be carried out into the extent to which health workers had caught the virus on the frontline.
“He told Sky News his “heart goes out to their families” and it was “heart-rending” that such a high proportion of the victims were people who migrated to the UK to work for the NHS.
“On Friday Hancock urged the public to “treat PPE as the precious resource it is” following weeks of criticism over the lack of vital equipment.”

(11 Apr 2020) While 'low-skilled' migrants are saving us, the government is cracking down on them Guardian April 11: “The day Dominic Raab encouraged us all to clap for the workers who are risking their lives to keep society going, the government restated that some of those same people won’t be allowed in the country come January 2021. While Priti Patel is conspicuously absent – notably on immigration issues – the department she oversees decided now was the time to reiterate that as part of its new immigration rules, “low-skilled” people would not be able to apply for a UK work visa.
“Millions of key workers in the UK are migrants – approximately 23% of all hospital staff, including 29% of doctors and 18% of nurses, 20% of agricultural workers, more than 40% of food production workers and 18% of care workers, rising to 59% in London. These are the human beings who, for decades, politicians have blamed for holding down wages, ruining “British culture” and overburdening public services.
“If the government forges ahead with its plans, recognising them as key workers will be just a momentary suspension of the norm. Many of them were dismissed as low skilled before the crisis, and it seems they will be once again when it’s over.”

(11 Apr 2020) He Could Have Seen What Was Coming: Behind Trump’s Failure on the Virus Top New York Times (April 11) analysis of Donald Trump’s refusal to heed repeated early warnings – resulting in an increased US death toll from Covid-19:
“Throughout January, as Mr. Trump repeatedly played down the seriousness of the virus and focused on other issues, an array of figures inside his government — from top White House advisers to experts deep in the cabinet departments and intelligence agencies — identified the threat, sounded alarms and made clear the need for aggressive action.
“The president, though, was slow to absorb the scale of the risk and to act accordingly, focusing instead on controlling the message, protecting gains in the economy and batting away warnings from senior officials. It was a problem, he said, that had come out of nowhere and could not have been foreseen.”

(11 Apr 2020) Reveal cost of 3.5m unusable Covid-19 tests, health chiefs told Guardian April 11 report: “Senior health officials are facing demands to reveal how much has been spent on millions of inaccurate coronavirus antibody tests, after it emerged that payments had been guaranteed even if the kits failed to work.
“Public Health England is also being asked to disclose which companies the tests came from and why payment was not made contingent on the tests proving accurate. A formal request for the details is being made in a letter by Greg Clark, the former Conservative cabinet minister and chair of the Commons science and technology committee.
“Britain ordered at least 3.5 million of the antibody home-testing kits, which are designed to detect whether someone has had coronavirus. The UK government talked up the potential of the tests last month, with Boris Johnson heralding them as a “game-changer” that could give individuals a “green light” to go back to work.”

(11 Apr 2020) PRITI PATEL RUNS HANCOCK CLOSE FOR WORST BRIEFING SO FAR “In what future seminars on leadership failure will study for years ahead, Mr Hancock, the political head of the NHS, the man who keeps talking about ‘my colleagues on the frontline’ in an effort to associate himself with the more heroic part of the government response to this disaster, said these words. ‘I think this is a question for you Ruth,’ throwing the ball, to use a phrase used by the Prime Minister when he did likewise at an earlier briefing, to Ruth May, Chief Nurse.
“I actually gasped as Mr Hancock said it. The gasping continued through an evening when I felt so angry I had to be restrained by my partner from going over the top in my twitter tirade, and eventually turned my phone off. What else can one do but get angry though, watching on as government and media fail to discharge their responsibilities to the public?
“… Had this been a minister in the Labour government, in a similar situation, showing such a lack of empathy for the people working and dying in service of the public, trying to clear up a mess in part created by government decisions as the crisis began, the media and the Tories would have gone into 24/7 meltdown. Tony Blair and I would probably have had a discussion, as I went to deal with the media fallout, about whether actually the minister could carry on."

(11 Apr 2020) Coronavirus testing 'inadequate' in care home outbreaks, Merseyside MPs warn More strong reporting (April 11) from Liverpool Echo on impact of Covid-19 on social care and care homes. A letter from 16 local MPs points out:
“Referring to problems with testing, it says: "There continues to be a significant inadequacy of testing right across the health and social care system, even where outbreaks have occurred in some care homes.
"The criteria for access to testing remains oblique and therefore not transparent. The accessibility to testing continues to be piecemeal.
"It is difficult to establish the numbers of people who have been tested against the Government's planned rollout.
"In addition, health and social care staff do not have access to routine testing. There is also insufficient tracing and this is vital if the use of testing is to be effective."

(11 Apr 2020) BBC bosses have warned interviewers not to put ministers under pressure over coronavirus crisis, says former Today presenter John Humphrys Mail Online report April 11 explains some of the limp reporting of the government’s inept handling of the Covid-19 crisis:
“BBC bosses are warning interviewers not to put ministers under pressure over the coronavirus crisis, says former Today Programme presenter John Humphrys.
The veteran broadcaster, 76, made the revealing claim in his column for today's Daily Mail.
He wrote: 'I'm told BBC bosses are warning interviewers not to put ministers under pressure. Why? If the questioning is well informed and polite, surely the tougher the better. All this stuff might be justified if we were at war. But we're not. To talk of the virus as an enemy is to misunderstand the crisis with which we are faced.'

(11 Apr 2020) A nurse revealed the tragic last words of his coronavirus patient: 'Who's going to pay for it?' CNN (April 11) with more grim revelations of the US health care horror show:
“Certified registered nurse anesthetist Derrick Smith is no stranger to the horrors of losing patients. But now, the coronavirus pandemic has pushed him into a completely different, "much more terrifying" reality.
“Smith, who is predominantly treating Covid-19 patients at a hospital in New York City, revealed the tragic last words of a dying man he was about to place on a ventilator: "Who's going to pay for it?" the coronavirus patient asked Smith in between labored breaths.
"They were last words I'll never forget," Smith told CNN.
"(This patient) was in severe respiratory distress, had difficulty speaking, and yet still his main concern was who could pay for a procedure that would his extend his life but statistically he doesn't have a good likelihood of survival."

(11 Apr 2020) 'A National Scandal' - A Timeline of the UK Government’s Woeful Response to the coronavirus crisis Byline Times contributors Ian Sinclair and Rupert Read provide a comprehensive countdown to how Britain came to have one of the highest COVID-19 per capita death rates in the world.

(10 Apr 2020) Are minorities being hit hardest by coronavirus? BBC report April 10: “Coronavirus can affect anyone, but statistics are highlighting that some communities appear to be affected more than others.
In Chicago, the city reported that 70% of coronavirus victims were black, despite representing only a third of the population.
“Similar reports have emerged from New York, Detroit and New Orleans.
“Unlike in some US states, both the overall number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in the UK are not currently broken down by ethnicity.
“But there is some evidence to suggest that coronavirus is having a disproportionate impact on people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Data from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) suggests that 34% of critically ill coronavirus patients are from black or minority ethnic backgrounds. The research is based on 3,300 patients from intensive care units across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

(10 Apr 2020) Health and care workers are dying of Covid19 Keep Our NHS Public April 10 video flagging up the continued crisis of lack of PPE and resultant deaths of NHS staff.

(10 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Manchester United’s Harry Maguire sets up food distribution network for elderly in Sheffield Independent April 10 report: “Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has spoken of his pride in being able to provide essential food packagers to pensions in his native Sheffield.
“The England international has been a driving force behind both the formation of #PlayersTogether - a charitable fund set up by players to support the NHS – as well as United’s various efforts to help those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Maguire has now also set up a food distribution network for elderly residents in the village of Mosborough, where he was raised, with the help of two local businesses.”

(10 Apr 2020) UK government urged to investigate coronavirus deaths of BAME doctors Guardian April 10 report: “The head of the British Medical Association has called on the government to urgently investigate if and why black, Asian and minority ethnic people are more vulnerable to Covid-19, after the first 10 doctors in the UK named as having died from the virus were all BAME.
“Those doctors have ancestry in regions including Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Even allowing for the overrepresentation of BAME staff in the NHS – they comprise 44% of medical staff compared with 14% of the population of England and Wales – the fact that they were all from ethnic minorities was “extremely disturbing and worrying”, the BMA chair said.”

(10 Apr 2020) Coronavirus park closures hit BAME and poor Londoners most Guardian April 10: “Londoners living in deprived areas and those from BAME backgrounds share less space and have less access to private gardens and public parks, according to an examination of mapping data.
“A third of all land in the wealthiest 10% of London wards was taken up by private gardens, while in the poorest 10%, just over a fifth was found to be taken up by garden space.
“That suggests people in the most deprived areas would be disproportionately affected by further park closures if lockdown restrictions became more severe.”

(10 Apr 2020) 'Inappropriate' to say how many NHS staff have died from coronavirus says nursing chief Mirror April 10 report on new ways of ducking hard questions on numbers of NHS staff dying in fight to contain Covid-19:
“It would be 'inappropriate' to say how many NHS staff have died from coronavirus since the start of the outbreak, according to England's Chief Nursing Officer.
“At this evening's Downing Street coronavirus press conference Health Secretary Matt Hancock was asked how many frontline NHS workers had died from Covid-19. He passed the question on to England's Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May who paid tribute to staff but declined to give a figure.
“She said: "We do have numbers of people that have died, be they nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, doctors... it would be inappropriate for me right now to go into listing them and numbering them because we haven't got necessarily all of the position across England with all of the people's families giving us permission to talk about them."

(10 Apr 2020) NHS workers angered at Hancock's warning not to overuse PPE Guardian April 10 report of Matt Hancock’s car crash press briefing where he tries to blame NHS staff for causing shortages by excessive use of PPE:
“The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has urged NHS staff not to overuse personal protective equipment, sparking criticism from doctors’ and nurses’ leaders.
“We need everyone to treat PPE like the precious resource it is,” he said on Friday. “Everyone should use the equipment they clinically need, in line with the guidelines: no more and no less.”
“After weeks of criticism over the lack of vital equipment, Hancock told the daily Downing Street briefing a “herculean effort” was under way to ensure every health and social care worker dealing with coronavirus has the equipment they need.”

(10 Apr 2020) The Guardian view on coronavirus: as deaths mount, so do questions Guardian Editorial comment April 10: “One must always be cautious about apportioning blame with the benefit of hindsight. This is never more true than when confronting unprecedented events. But ministers’ decision to disregard the example set by east Asian countries in January, and the failure to prioritise testing and the sourcing of vital equipment (ventilators, masks), have cost lives.
“Suggestions that, as recently as a month ago, Mr Johnson was worried about the impact of a lockdown on his popularity, and feared that northern voters would object to pubs being shut, require closer examination. That the UK’s coronavirus strategy could have been influenced by such narrowly political calculations and stereotypes is horrifying.”

(10 Apr 2020) NHS 111 staff 'turning up to work with coronavirus symptoms' Guardian April 10 report on unsafe working practices by privatised 111 call handlers – another reminder of the dangers of privatisation that leaves staff on inferior terms and conditions to their NHS equivalents:
“Call centre staff at the NHS’s 111 helpline are turning up to work with coronavirus symptoms owing to a lack of adequate sick pay, according to a whistleblower who has filed a complaint to MPs.
“Concerns about health and safety have been raised by call handlers at at least three call centres where thousands of people are employed by outsourcing firms to field calls to the 111 service.
“One employee, whose complaint has been published by a commons select committee, told the Guardian that colleagues felt ill-prepared for the mass volume of calls and “terrified” they would catch the virus due to “unsafe” working conditions.”

(10 Apr 2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan April 10 – and the government finally publishes a “plan” to get PPE distributed where it’s needed: but leaving it until April 10 merely confirms Hancock and his ministerial colleagues have simply been lying to us, unchallenged by a limp media, for the last 6 weeks when they claimed to be working 'round the clock' on precisely this issue.

(10 Apr 2020) Deaths in New York City Are More Than Double the Usual Total New York Times April 10: “Over the 31 days ending April 4, more than twice the typical number of New Yorkers died.
“That total for the city includes deaths directly linked to the novel coronavirus as well as those from other causes, like heart attacks and cancer. Even this is only a partial count; we expect this number to rise as more deaths are counted.
“These numbers contradict the notion that many people who are dying from the new virus would have died shortly anyway. And they suggest that the current coronavirus death figures understate the real toll of the virus, either because of undercounting of coronavirus deaths, increases in deaths that are normally preventable, or both.”

(10 Apr 2020) Sir Keir Starmer urges 'openness' on lockdown exit plans BBC (April 10) reports the new Labour leader’s plan to duck any hard criticism of government failures and concentrate on hypothetical questions about the future – despite the fact the government plans up to now on Covid-19 have been misguided or simply worthless:
“Sir Keir said he "completely understands" why the government cannot provide a timetable yet.
“But he said the public "need these questions answered" and, by being transparent, the government was "much more likely to get their trust".
He added: "That's why I'm pushing the government to publish and tell people what is the exit strategy, the principles, not the precise timing."”

(10 Apr 2020) Brave whistleblowers are being punished for saving lives during a pandemic Freedom of the Press Foundation highlights gagging of whistleblowers in China and US – but could also mention problem in Britain:
“Some of the most shocking stories about the disarray in the U.S. response to the coronavirus outbreak have concerned the shortages of personal protective equipment, or PPE, used every day in medical settings. The reasons for the shortages are varied — ranging from an insufficient national stockpile to the absence of a strategy for coordinating supplies between states — but reporting on the shortages has likely made a significant difference in spurring action to remedy those problems.
“Some hospital administrators, however, have been openly hostile in their response to that reporting. In fact, at many hospitals around the country, doctors and nurses have been told that they could be fired for speaking with the media about the lack of PPE available to them. As the New York Times reported, in “the epicenter of the crisis in the United States, every major private hospital system has sent memos in recent weeks ordering workers not to speak with the media, as have some public hospitals.” Several nurses and doctors in the U.S. have already been suspended or fired for posting on Facebook about PPE shortages, protesting the shortages, or talking to the media about them.”

(10 Apr 2020) Medical Staffing Companies Owned by Rich Investors Cut Doctor Pay and Now Want Bailout Money Propublica.org reveals another side to the chaotic US health care “system” run for profit:
“Medical staffing companies — some of which are owned by some of the country’s richest investors and have been cutting pay for doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic — are seeking government bailout money.
“Private equity firms have increasingly bought up doctors’ practices that contract with hospitals to staff emergency rooms and other departments. These staffing companies say the coronavirus pandemic is, counterintuitively, bad for business because most everyone who isn’t critically ill with COVID-19 is avoiding the ER. The companies have responded with pay cuts, reduced hours and furloughs for doctors.
“Emergency room visits across the country have fallen roughly 30%, and the patients who are coming tend to be sicker and costlier to treat, the American College of Emergency Physicians said in an April 3 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. The professional group asked the Trump administration to provide $3.6 billion of aid to emergency physician practices.
“…Envision, which has 27,000 clinicians, said it’s cutting doctors’ pay in areas that are seeing fewer patients, as well as delaying bonuses and profit-sharing, retirement contributions, raises and promotions. The company also cut senior executives’ salaries in half and will impose pay cuts or furloughs for nonclinical employees. However, Envision said that it’s adding doctors in hard-hit New York and other coronavirus hot spots.”

(10 Apr 2020) Media questions at No10 briefings are woeful. Here are 20 they should ask April 10 article from former spin-doctor Alistair Campbell on puncturing the government spin in press briefings: “I go back to something I wrote here at the end of last month — “Having done thousands of briefings on behalf of the government, I can say that the toughest questions are the short ones, with a factual answer, and where it is reasonable to expect the person being asked to know it.
“The easiest questions are those which present an opportunity simply to repeat what you have already said. If you give the choice of three questions, you make it easier for them either to evade one or more of the questions, or to give themselves more time to think.”
“For a couple of days, I thought some of them might be listening. But in the choice between brevity and verbosity, they have gone back to verbosity. Also, I found myself agreeing with Piers Morgan yesterday, who tweeted similar frustrations to mine, and said the media had become far too tame. I am not suggesting rudeness, or shouting, or talking over people, but on this, he totally has a point.”

(10 Apr 2020) 5 things we learnt when voluntary sector leaders asked the government for a funding deal to support charities and social enterprises through Covid – and what happened next didn’t blow our minds Blog from Beanbags and Bullshit responding to announcement by Chancellor Rishi Sunak of measures to address the financial pressures on charities and the voluntary sector under the Lockdown:
“Given the estimates that charities are set to lose at least £4 billion in income during the first 12 weeks of the Covid lockdown, the £350 million allocated to small community charities (around 150,000 of them even if social enterprises are not included) seems a long way off what’s needed.
“The money is nowhere near enough for the small community charities – it would be amazing if it helped one in five of those that need it – and it ignores many larger charities (supporting millions of vulnerable people) entirely.
“It also stacks up particularly badly against the £585 million worth of business rates relief given to a single supermarket group (Tesco), who are about to pay £635 million in dividends to shareholders. “

(10 Apr 2020) Hancock setting a bad example on social distancing, say NHS leaders HSJ report April 10: “Senior NHS leaders have expressed alarm that Matt Hancock is providing a bad example by holding regular video calls in his office surrounded by many colleagues.
“One of the sector’s most senior figures – speaking to HSJ on condition of anonomity – said the health and social care secretary was holding a number of video conference meetings each day with service leaders alongside between 10 and 20 colleagues.
“… One very senior NHS source who witnessed the meetings said: ”It looks like the health secretary and his colleagues think ‘social distancing’ is for other people and that coming into the office is necessary for senior leaders. It is encouraging presenteeism and making it very hard to send the right messages about the importance of following national guidance on staying home and staying safe.”

(9 Apr 2020) On Sunday the Bank of England said it would not fund the government and today it is going to do just that: welcome to the world where we realise that there isn’t taxpayer money because the government Tax expert Richard Murphy (April 9) on why Rishi Sunak does not have to reimpose austerity and tax increases to “pay back” the cost of the response to Covid-19.

(9 Apr 2020) NHS staff forbidden from speaking out publicly about coronavirus Guardian April 9 report: “Many NHS staff are increasingly concerned that their ability to share stories about their work is being restricted by a clampdown on speaking out publicly.
“It follows reports of doctors and nurses being gagged by hospitals and other NHS bodies from speaking out about widespread shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). Tactics have included threatening emails, the possibility of disciplinary action, and some people even being sent home from work.
“While there could be some logic to hospitals wanting to stop scaremongering when communications departments are overloaded with work at a busy time, many staff feel they are being blocked from highlighting their work during the pandemic.”

(9 Apr 2020) Public urged to raise £5m for NHS staff with One Million Claps appeal Guardian report April 9: “People taking part in the “clap for carers” are being urged to also show their appreciation for health workers fighting the Covid-19 pandemic by donating to a charity appeal seeking to raise at least £5m for NHS staff.
For the last two weeks, people throughout the country have been leaning out of windows, standing in gardens and on balconies to join in a national round of applause for the key workers helping the country through the pandemic.
“Together with the third such show of appreciation on Thursday, NHS Charities Together is asking people to text “clap” to 70507, which will trigger a £5 donation, along with a message of support.
“Organisers of the “One Million Claps” appeal are asking for at least 1 million people to donate £5 by text message to fund food deliveries, overnight stays, kits and travel costs.”
The public support is splendid, but what is the logic of asking people to donate money that is just a drop in the ocean of NHS spending at a time when ministers have said there's no limit on NHS spending, and these "extras" should be provided by the NHS everywhere?

(9 Apr 2020) Covid-19 could push half a billion people into poverty, Oxfam warns April 9 Irish Times report: “The economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic could push half a billion more people into poverty unless action is taken to bail out developing countries, Oxfam has warned.
“In its new report Dignity Not Destitution, the charity group is calling on world leaders to agree an economic rescue package to keep poor countries and poor communities afloat. It said this should help vulnerable small businesses, and provide cash grants to people who have lost their income.
“A United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU Wider) paper, written by researchers from King’s College London and the Australian National University, estimates that between 6 per cent and 8 per cent of the global population could be forced into poverty as a result of the economic shutdowns that have been introduced to slow the spread of coronavirus.”

(9 Apr 2020) Lives at risk due to 50% drop in heart attack A&E attendances April 9 warning from British Heart Foundation of collateral damage from Covid-19 response:
“New data from hospitals across England show that the number of people seen in hospital with a suspected heart attack has halved since the beginning of March. We are concerned that thousands of people may be at greater risk of suffering long term heart damage, needing intensive care, or even dying as a result.
“The new data show that the number of people attending emergency departments in England with symptoms of a possible heart attack dropped from an average of around 300 per day at the beginning of March, to around 150 per day recorded by the end of March.
“A 50 per cent drop is equivalent to approximately 5000 of the expected people every month, or more than 1100 people every week, with possible heart attack symptoms not being seen in emergency departments.
“In another survey of six heart attack centres in London, where the rates of Covid-19 are highest, there was an average drop of 38% in the number of emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures carried out to treat heart attacks in the second half of March this year compared to the same period last year.”

(9 Apr 2020) Pakistan doctors beaten by police as they despair of 'untreatable' pandemic Guardian report “Doctors in Pakistan have warned of “deplorable” conditions on the frontlines of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, describing the pandemic as untreatable in one region and accusing police of brutally suppressing protests over working conditions.
“One doctor who took part in a sit-in on Monday to protest against a lack of personal protective equipment said he had been “beaten and humiliated” by police.
“In the beginning, I thought, ‘How could police use violence against the frontline fighters of Covid-19 when some days ago the same officers had saluted us for leading during the pandemic?’” said Amanullah, speaking from the police station where he was being held in Quetta, in the Balochistan region.
“But we were wrong. Sticks and butts of AK-47 rifles rained down on us. We were dragged through the street and thrown into trucks.”

(9 Apr 2020) Hedge funds 'raking in billions' during coronavirus crisis Guardian April 9: “Hedge funds have been accused of raking in billions from market bets during the coronavirus crisis while care workers in high-risk environments can barely scrape by.
“Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC trade union body, launched a stinging attack on hedge fund managers on Thursday after it was revealed one London hedge fund had made £2.4bn betting on market moves as investors panicked over a global economic shutdown.
“News of the multibillion-pound windfall came as Crispin Odey, the Brexit supporter who made millions betting against the pound in the run up to the EU referendum, said his fund had made its biggest monthly gain since the financial crisis.”

(9 Apr 2020) Doctor who pleaded for more hospital PPE dies of coronavirus Guardian April 9: “Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a consultant urologist at Homerton hospital in Hackney east London, died after spending 15 days in Queens hospital, Romford.
“Last month he wrote a Facebook message to Boris Johnson outlining the urgent need for PPE for frontline staff and calling for testing for healthcare workers to be fast-tracked.
“He wrote: “Dear and respectable prime minister Mr Boris Johnson, Please ensure urgently PPE for each and every NHS health worker.”

(9 Apr 2020) Social carers urge industry to meet safety equipment demand Financial Times (April 9) reports: “Britain’s social care sector has urged the government to mobilise industry to produce personal protection equipment in the same way as it has for ventilators as a growing shortage leaves workers exposed to coronavirus.
“In a bid to source much-needed masks and gowns to protect staff, along with hand sanitiser and thermometers, care homes and other social care providers have been forced to look abroad for extra supplies. But many providers have struggled to secure the kit because of the strong demand with suppliers often prioritising the NHS.
“Last week the government designated four suppliers of PPE to give priority to the social care sector, which employs 1.6m care workers and looks after 1.2m people across the UK. But Lisa Lenton, chair of the Care Providers Alliance, which represents the independent and voluntary adult social care providers in England, told the FT that those “suppliers didn’t necessarily have enough equipment and the NHS continues to have priority”

(9 Apr 2020) Lack of surgical gowns for medics 'a disaster in waiting', say NHS bosses Guardian April 9, after months of government assurance that there were ample stocks of PPE and it was being distributed: “Hospitals across England are running out of the surgical gowns needed to treat patients with Covid-19 and do not know when fresh supplies will arrive, two secret NHS memos reveal.
“Senior NHS leaders in London who were warned about the shortage in an email on Thursday evening say they are “alarmed” and that the lack of gowns is “a disaster in waiting for staff health”.
“The grim picture of serious shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) is underlined by a separate letter sent on Thursday morning to intensive care nurses at the Royal Free hospital in London warning them bluntly that “we will no doubt run out of items over the weekend”.

(9 Apr 2020) The inequality virus: how the pandemic hit America's poorest As millions of Americans sign on as unemployed, Guardian April 9: “The US is not alone in face a huge surge in unemployment because of the pandemic. But American workers are particularly vulnerable because they have neither the welfare safety nets afforded by France or Germany, nor the public healthcare of the UK and Canada.
“The rise of outsourcing, contract work and gig economy jobs has seen ever increasing numbers of workers exposed to sudden economic shock, whether because of a financial crisis or a pandemic.
“Coronavirus has also thrown a spotlight on the president’s claims of a strong economy when so many American workers lack the resources to cope with even a brief period without work. A Federal Reserve survey last year said four in 10 workers would struggle to find $400 in an emergency, with out-of-pocket medical expenses presenting a particular hardship.”

(9 Apr 2020) Coronavirus is the greatest global science policy failure in a generation Lancet editor Richard Horton in a hard hitting comment piece for the Guardian on April 9:
“Austerity blunted the ambition and commitment of government to protect its people. The political objective was to diminish the size and role of the state. The result was to leave the country fatally weakened. Whatever the reasons for failing to act upon the lessons of Sars and influenza simulations, the fact remained, as Boyd summed it up, “we were poorly prepared”.
“The global response to Sars-CoV-2 is the greatest science policy failure in a generation. The signals were clear. Hendra in 1994, Nipah in 1998, Sars in 2003, Mers in 2012 and Ebola in 2014; these major human epidemics were all caused by viruses that originated in animal hosts and crossed over into humans. Covid-19 is caused by a new variant of the same coronavirus that caused Sars.”

(9 Apr 2020) SC makes coronavirus testing free of cost, directs private hospitals not to charge fee for testing Times of India reports a dramatic ruling of the Supreme Court which has riled the private sector

(9 Apr 2020) Nurses and Doctors Speaking Out on Safety Now Risk Their Job New York Times (April 9) reports on concerted efforts to gag hospital and other key workers criticising the lack of PPE:
“As the coronavirus crisis has escalated, workers as varied as grocery cashiers, customer-service representatives and flight attendants have clashed with the employers they accuse of failing to protect and properly value them. Amazon drew attention when it fired a worker who had led a protest over health concerns at a Staten Island warehouse.
“But perhaps the most curious and persistent management-labor tension has arisen between health care providers like doctors and nurses, who are at the forefront of the virus battle, and the administrators they report to.
“In New York City, the epicenter of the crisis in the United States, every major private hospital system has sent memos in recent weeks ordering workers not to speak with the media, as have some public hospitals.”

(8 Apr 2020) Results of BMA survey of hospital doctors working in high-risk AGP areas April 8, showing “shocking lack of PPE supplies to frontline”

(8 Apr 2020) Results of BMA survey of GPs April 8, showing “shocking lack of PPE supplies to frontline”

(8 Apr 2020) NHS Providers on coronavirus (08.04.20) Lame statement from NHS providers concludes with the mildest of criticisms of government failure:
"We also know that despite real progress in distribution, there are continuing concerns, for example with regard to gowns.

"It's vital these are addressed as quickly as possible wherever they arise – be it in hospitals, mental health, community or ambulance settings – or indeed in other areas such as hospices and social care where we are aware of continuing difficulties."

(8 Apr 2020) Swedish hospitals abandon trial of promising malaria drug chloroquine for coronavirus patients after it caused them blinding headaches, vision loss and agonising cramps Daily Mail (April 8) reports worrying side effects of the drug promoted as Covid-19 cure by Donald Trump: “Hospitals in Sweden have stopped using the malaria drug chloroquine on coronavirus patients after reports it was causing blinding headaches and vision loss.
“Doctors in the Vastra Gotaland region, 200miles west of Stockholm, are no longer administering the medication, touted as a 'miracle drug' by Donald Trump.
“A number of patients at hospitals in the county reported suffering cramps, peripheral vision loss and migraines within days of being prescribed the tablets.
“For one in 100 people, chloroquine can also cause the heart to beat too fast or slow, which can lead to a fatal heart attack.”

(8 Apr 2020) Most U.K.-Made Ventilators Won’t Arrive Ahead of Virus Peak April 8 blast of realism from Bloomberg: “When Britain’s government issued an urgent call to industry for thousands of hospital ventilators, more than 5,000 companies offered to help. Coronavirus infections are expected to peak next week and there’s little to show for their effort.
Significant deliveries from the firms are still weeks away, and the embattled National Health Service has resorted to foreign imports and loans from the armed forces and the private sector to double its ventilator count to around 10,000.”
“For now, the supply of ventilators from British manufacturers is tiny. The NHS expects to receive 30 locally-made machines this week, compared to 300 sourced from China over the weekend.
Department of Health and Social Care officials say they are confident there will be enough ventilators to meet demand, given the steps being taken to increase the number available, and as long as people continue to stay at home to reduce the spread of the virus.”

(8 Apr 2020) Bus driver killed by coronavirus 'told his pay would be cut if he missed work' Mirror April 8 report “A bus driver who died after contracting coronavirus told his family he couldn't miss work because his bosses would "cut his pay" his grief-stricken mum claims.
“Dad-of-one Emeka Nyack Ihenacho, 36, lost his fight on Saturday and is one of at least 14 transport workers in London to die after catching Covid-19.
“His devastated mum, Anne Nyack, has criticised Mayor Sadiq Khan and said all transport workers should be given personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves to protect them from the killer bug.
“Anne said: “I only discovered after talking to my daughter that she begged him not to go to work and his words to here were, ‘If I don’t go in they are going to cut my pay’."”

(8 Apr 2020) Silencing NHS staff who speak out is sheer stupidity April 8 BMJ blog by frontline doctor David Oliver: “On 31 March the media reported on a dossier from the Doctors’ Association UK detailing numerous instances of medical and nursing staff being warned, disciplined, threatened, monitored, and gagged for speaking out on social or mainstream media.
“Their concerns included a lack of personal protective equipment and testing for covid-19—putting them, their families, and their patients at risk.2 The staff also highlighted what they saw as inconsistent and unconvincing guidance from their employers and national authorities.
“There’s a long history of NHS executives and managers being leant on to prevent them speaking out publicly about other issues, such as serious overcrowding and bed pressures in winter.
“Speaking to the Guardian’s Denis Campbell about the Doctors’ Association report, an NHS England spokesperson emphasised the importance of consistent, clear, centralised official communication during a major national incident but said that individual staff members remained free to speak out in a personal capacity.”

(8 Apr 2020) Billionaire Dyson’s 10,000 Ventilators Risk Missing Coronavirus ‘Peak Week’ In U.K. Hospitals Forbes magazine (April 8) joins the widespread derision at the incompetence of British government procurement of ventilators to tackle Covid-19:
“With U.K. hospitals already approaching the suggested “peak week” time frame, doctors are now concerned that the ventilators promised by entrepreneurs, with much fanfare, are not going to hit wards in time to meet the rapid rise in need. None of the doctors approached by Forbes expect an influx of ventilators (installed and manned) by this weekend.”

(8 Apr 2020) Tesco defends £900m dividend payout (£) Times report April 8: “Tesco has defended its decision to hand investors a total £900 million in dividends despite taking £585 million from the government’s business rates relief holiday.
“Dave Lewis, 55, Tesco chief executive, said that the business rates holiday allowed the supermarket to invest in “making the right decisions to feed the nation” during the pandemic and he argued that the relief covered only half of the additional costs the supermarket chain would face.
“Supermarkets have witnessed a spike in sales from stockpiling shoppers. They have come under fire for taking the government handout, with a boss of a large non-food retailer recently telling The Times that Tesco “should hand the money back to the NHS”.

(8 Apr 2020) Most doctors still lack protective equipment, finds survey BMA April 7 press release to accompany shocking survey figures:
“The survey found that more than half (55 per cent) of hospital doctors felt pressured often or sometimes to be involved in risky ‘aerosol-generating procedures’ without adequate protection.
“The fitted masks and face protection recommended by Public Health England for the riskiest situation were in shortest supply, the survey found. More than half (54 per cent) reported a shortage or ‘no supply’ at all of FFP3 (Filtering Face Piece) masks. Seventy per cent said the same for full-faced visors.
Supplies in GP surgeries were even worse, the survey found.
“Almost nine out of 10 GPs (88 per cent) lacked access to eye protection, 58 per cent had not received a regular supply of face masks. Only 2 per cent of GPs said they felt ‘fully protected’.”

(7 Apr 2020) A public inquiry into the UK's coronavirus response would find a litany of failures Guadina April 1 Comment is Free: "More than three months after the virus first appeared in Wuhan, England and Wales still lack the necessary testing capacity and surveillance infrastructure to shut down the epidemic. Crucial frontline workers are still doing their jobs without adequate personal protective equipment. Public Health England (PHE) seem unable to increase the daily number of tests in line with European neighbours. As other countries acted swiftly to contain the epidemic, the UK appears indecisive and delayed, shifting late in the day from a controversial herd immunity strategy to a lockdown. History won’t look kindly on Britain’s response."

(7 Apr 2020) UK care home bosses threaten to quit over return of coronavirus patients Guardian April 2 report on the neglected issues of care homes and social care: "Care home managers have threatened to resign over new government guidelines that state they have to accept residents who have coronavirus.
"The guidance also says hospitals will not routinely test residents entering care homes, meaning managers will not know if returning residents are infectious but asymptomatic.
“Some [returning] patients may have Covid-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic,” the guidance says. “All of these patients can be safely cared for in a care home if this guidance is followed.”
"The guidance also states that if a home has more than one symptomatic resident, health protection teams may arrange swabbing for up to five residents to confirm the existence of an outbreak. “Testing all cases is not required as this would not change the subsequent management of an outbreak,” the guidance says."

(7 Apr 2020) Healthcare expenditure across the EU Handy comparative figures from Eurostat include the UK, and show that while the revised recent figures show UK spending just below the European average share of GDP on health, British spending per head is 15th, well below the level of most other comparable countries.

(7 Apr 2020) ‘These aren’t just numbers, they are lives’: How black Americans are dying from coronavirus – and institutional racism is blocking testing Independent April 7 report: "A senior African American politician has denounced as “devastating” a report that black people made up up to 70 per cent of coronavirus deaths in her city.
"As anecdotal reports are increasingly being backed up by data to show people of colour in the US make up a disproportionate number of those both being infected and dying from the virus, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot launched a new effort to urge people to remain at home to try and limit its spread."

(7 Apr 2020) Medical ethics during the coronavirus pandemic Statement of principles from Doctors for Unite, which notes: "There may come a time where our healthcare system is overwhelmed. But we have not yet reached that point. How we act now affects whether the country runs out of ventilators, oxygen, protective equipment, and medication. The single priority for all UK manufacturing must be the production of these goods. There is nothing more important. We must never reach the point where a person goes without a lifesaving treatment only because it is in too short supply. "

(7 Apr 2020) Hospices warn they could close as virus hits fundraising BBC April 7 noting the problems of funding vital hospice services through charities rather than government funding: "Hospices could close as they "cannot wait any longer" for emergency funding after the coronavirus lockdown hit fundraising, charities have said.
"Sue Ryder said it is facing a £12m gap in funds over the next three months while Marie Curie said it would need £30m to keep services running over the same period.
"Bosses say they are helping the NHS by freeing up beds for Covid-19 patients.
"Hospice UK estimates the sector has already lost more than £70m in revenue.
"With charity shops closed and fundraising events such as the London Marathon as well as individual events run by charities being postponed, the charities that run end of life facilities said services may have to be closed unless the public or government, stepped in."

(7 Apr 2020) Special Report: Johnson listened to his scientists about coronavirus - but they were slow to sound the alarm Excellent report from Reuters shows how government policy on the coronavirus has evolved, but always lagged behind the situation when it was not steering in the wrong direction.

(7 Apr 2020) Trump announces, then reverses, freeze on funding for World Health Organization Politico website flags up first Trump moves towards cutting funds to WHO in the midst of a pandemic: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to put a hold on American funding for the World Health Organization, accusing the United Nations specialized agency of being “very China centric” and criticizing its early guidance aimed at countering the international spread of the coronavirus.
“We're going to put a hold on money spent to the WHO. We're going to put a very powerful hold on it and we‘re going to see," Trump said at the outset of a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.
Minutes later, though, the president walked back the declaration, telling reporters that he was “looking into it” and conceding that a global pandemic was “maybe not” the best time to freeze funding for the international organization.
“I mean, I'm not saying I‘m going to do it, but we are going to look at it,” Trump said, denying his comments from minutes earlier when pressed by reporters. “I said we’re going to look at it. We’re going to investigate it, we're going to look at it. But we will look at ending funding.”

(7 Apr 2020) How Greece flattened the coronavirus curve Al Jazeera April 7 report: “Greeks quickly put their revolutionary spirit aside, however, and largely heeded government advice to remain indoors. The result has been a remarkably low number of deaths - 81 by Tuesday, compared to more than 17,000 in neighbouring Italy. Even adjusted for population sizes, Italy's fatality rate is almost 40 times greater.
Compared with other European Union members, too, Greece has fared better. Its fatalities are far lower than in Belgium (2,035) or the Netherlands (1,867), which have similar populations, but a much higher gross domestic product (GDP).”

(7 Apr 2020) Give foreign nationals in NHS indefinite leave to remain, say MPs Guardian April 7 report on a cross-party group of 60 MPs: “The MPs – led by the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine and the shadow justice secretary, David Lammy – have written to the home secretary, Priti Patel, urging her to say that “those who have put their lives at risk for our country are welcome to live in it”.
They also want indefinite leave to remain to be extended to the families of foreign nationals working in the NHS. Last week, Patel announced a free-of-charge one-year extension for 2,800 foreign doctors, nurses and paramedics, whose visas are due to expire by 1 October. But the cross-party group, which includes one Conservative MP, Daniel Poulter, argue it does not go far enough.”

(7 Apr 2020) New Zealand's coronavirus lockdown has resulted in only one death April 7 article from The Hill: “New Zealand’s coronavirus lockdown has led to only one death in the country so far, data from Johns Hopkins University shows as of Tuesday morning.
“New Zealand implemented a strict lockdown last month, beginning on March 25, set to last four weeks with a focus on eliminating the virus rather than containing it. Less than two weeks in, the number of new coronavirus cases per day has decreased two days in a row.
“A total of 65 recoveries were confirmed on Tuesday, higher than the 54 reported new cases, The Washington Post reported. One person, an elderly woman with underlying health conditions, has died from the virus.”

(6 Apr 2020) Britain faces a care crisis that could overwhelm the NHS Independent major report by Shaun Lintern April 6 on the chaotic, largely private social care system: "Britain’s fractured and underfunded social care system is at risk of collapsing within weeks due to pressure from coronavirus – piling further strain onto hospitals, an investigation by The Independent has found.
"Across the country, care providers say they have been pushed to the brink of closure because some local councils are refusing to release emergency funding made available by the government, while many face staff shortages, a lack of equipment and too few nurses to care for extra patients being discharged by the NHS.
"Some care-home managers have warned that the vulnerable or elderly who fall ill may be all but abandoned by local NHS services, with reports of unlawful do-not-resuscitate orders being put in place by some GPs.
"While national efforts have focused on shoring up the health service to help it cope with a surge in coronavirus infections, experts warned not enough has been done to make sure the 18,000 care sector companies, on which the health service may rely, can withstand the next few weeks and months."

(6 Apr 2020) NHS coronavirus nurse, 23, dies after 12-hour shift 'without right protective kit' Distressing Mirror story (April 6): "A third NHS nurse has died after caring for patients sick with coronavirus.
"John Alagos, 23, is believed to be the youngest medic in the UK to succumb to the devastating virus after he collapsed.
"His mother, Gina Gustilo, said her son fell ill during a 12-hour shift at Watford General Hospital but was allegedly not allowed to return home due to short-staffing.
"She says that instead, he remained at work because his ward was so short-staffed."

(6 Apr 2020) Britain has millions of coronavirus antibody tests, but they don’t work (£) Times report April 6 reveals yet another flaw in the government's approach:
"None of the antibody tests ordered by the government is good enough to use, the new testing chief has admitted.
"John Newton said that tests ordered from China were able to identify immunity accurately only in people who had been severely ill and that Britain was no longer hoping to buy millions of kits off the shelf.
"Instead government scientists hope to work with companies to improve the performance of antibody tests. Professor Newton said he was “optimistic” that one would come good in months."

(6 Apr 2020) UK ministers accused of prioritising careers over lives of coronavirus victims Guardian April 6 report, linked to an article by Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union, which represents the UK’s most senior public servants: “As pressure mounts over the capacity for coronavirus testing and the supply of PPE and ventilators, finding someone to blame rather than fixing the problem seems to be the priority for some at the heart of government,” said Penman. “Well-placed anonymous sources have started pointing fingers at everyone from the cabinet secretary, Mark Sedwill, to Public Health England.
“If mistakes have been made, ministers and civil servants will rightly be held accountable … While ministers and officials must be scrutinised for their decisions as events unfold, many of these questions will inevitably be for another day."

(6 Apr 2020) Leading surgeon at Cardiff hospital dies after contracting coronavirus Wales online April 6 reports the death of another top NHS doctor:
"Jitendra Rathod, a cardiac surgeon, was admitted to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, before being taken to intensive care.
"However, despite the best efforts of his colleagues, Mr Rathod died on Monday morning.
"The tragic news was confirmed by health officials on Monday evening.
"A statement by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: "It is with profound sadness that we must inform you that Mr Jitendra Rathod, associate specialist in cardiothoracic surgery, has passed away."

(6 Apr 2020) After this crisis, remember the NHS is not drained by migrants, but sustained by them Important Guardian article April 6 highlights key role of migrant doctors:
"Many of these migrant doctors will be paying a hefty annual NHS surcharge for the privilege of using an NHS they staff, in addition to paying tax and national insurance contributions. This surcharge is set to rise from £400 to £624 a year this October.
"The health secretary, Matt Hancock, who in November declared that the NHS surcharge was going to be extended because 'it’s the National Health Service not the International Health Service', on Thursday saluted those NHS staffers who perished as 'people who came to this country to make a difference'.
"These are likely to be temporary face- and life-saving platitudes and measures. When it’s back to business as usual, when the NHS is used as a political pawn, and blame for its underfunding is placed at the feet of migrants, remember Amged El-Hawrani and all the others who fell on its frontline to save lives. Remember their names, their faces, their stories and the families they left behind."

(5 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Hospital A&E closes even for emergencies amid rising numbers of Covid-19 patients Worrying April 5 Independent report on Watford General: "Patients needing emergency care are being ordered to stay away from a Hertfordshire hospital after it started to run critically low on oxygen amid rising numbers of coronavirus admissions.
"Watford General said people requiring accident and emergency treatment should go to the nearest other facility until further notice.
"Although the temporary closure was not explicitly linked to Covid-19, The Independent understands that supplies of oxygen are in such demand by those being treated for the novel virus that it is feared they could soon run out.
"It is believed the move makes the hospital – run by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust – the first in the country to have to offload patients as a result of demand caused by the pandemic."

(5 Apr 2020) The NHS workers wearing bin bags as protection BBC April 5 report: "Several healthcare workers in England have told the BBC of a lack of equipment in their hospitals.
"Warned against speaking to the media, they were unwilling to talk publicly. However, one intensive care doctor from the Midlands wanted to go on record. The BBC agreed to change her name in order to protect her identity.
"Dr Roberts describes a hospital on the brink. Intensive care is already full of coronavirus (Covid-19) patients. All operations deemed non-urgent, even the cancer clinics, have been cancelled. There is a lack of staff, a lack of critical care beds, a shortage of basic antibiotics and ventilators.
"… However, nothing Dr Roberts describes is quite as alarming as the fact that these medical professionals, who continue to care for critically ill patients for 13 hours every day, are having to resort to fashioning personal protective equipment (PPE) out of clinical waste bags, plastic aprons and borrowed skiing goggles."

(5 Apr 2020) NHS needs a third fewer ventilators than forecast, says Hancock In yet anotherr revision of government plans and claimed action, HSJ report April 5 notes: "Matt Hancock has revealed the NHS is now aiming to have 18,000 ventilators to meet a “worst case scenario” - a reduction of more than a third from previous estimates.
"The health and social care secretary said previous estimates of around 30,000 had reduced because of the successful impact of social distancing measures in slowing the spread of coronavirus. Thousands of people severely affected by covid-19 require mechanical ventilation to supply oxygen to their lungs.
"Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mr Hancock acknowledged the number of machines currently in the system falls far short of both estimates.
"He said: “We have between 9,000 and 10,000 ventilators within the NHS right now, and we have two thousand spare critical care beds with ventilator capacity should we need them…[and] there should be another 1,500 [in a week’s time].”

(5 Apr 2020) ExCeL owner scraps all fees for NHS to use Nightingale field hospital Guardian report April 5 shows the positive power of media and public opinion: "The ExCeL centre has U-turned on charging the NHS to turn the exhibition space into a 4,000-bed field hospital.
"The chief executive of the London event centre, Jeremy Rees, said the deal with the health service had included some contributions to costs, but “we have since decided to cover the fixed costs ourselves”.
"Rees said in a statement: “The use of ExCeL London for NHS Nightingale London has always been provided to the NHS rent-free. We joined the national effort to combat coronavirus immediately and worked in close partnership with the NHS to ensure this hospital could be up and running in a matter of days.
“The initial agreement with the NHS included a contribution to some fixed costs. We have since decided to cover the fixed costs ourselves. The ExCeL London facility is fully available to the NHS, and we are here to support all their needs and requirements during this crisis.”"

(5 Apr 2020) Nearly 400 care groups 'face protection shortages' BBC April 5 report highlights the continued disconnect between government statements and reality on supplies of PPE:
"Almost 400 care companies which provide home support across the UK have told the BBC they still do not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE).
"Without protection, providers say they may not be able to care for people awaiting hospital discharge.
"Of 481 providers, 381 - 80% - said they did not have enough PPE to be able to support older and vulnerable people.
"The government said it was working "around the clock" to give the sector the equipment it needs."

(5 Apr 2020) Coronavirus response could create 'very serious unintended consequences' HSJ (April 5): "National NHS leaders are to take action over growing fears that the “unintended consequences” of focusing so heavily on tackling covid-19 could do more harm than the virus, HSJ has learned.
"NHS England analysts have been tasked with the challenging task of identifying patients who may not have the virus but may be at risk of significant harm or death because they are missing vital appointments or not attending emergency departments, with both the service and public so focused on covid-19.
"… Nuffield Trust deputy director of research Sarah Scobie said it was “a considerable worry that people are keeping away from routine and urgent health services, and also from emergency departments”.
"She added: “The PHE data suggests there could be significant problems already developing for heart disease related conditions patients, for example. Attendances relating to myocardial infarction at emergency departments have dropped right down, whereas ambulance calls in relation to chest pain have gone right [up]. "

(5 Apr 2020) Care home boss: hospitals refusing to admit residents with coronavirus York Press April 5 report: "A York care home boss has told of her heartbreak as it is 'stretched to breaking point' by the coronavirus crisis.
"Rachel Beckett, chair of Wellburn,which has 14 homes across the north-east including several in the York area, claims hospitals are refusing to admit any residents who test positive for the virus and the firm has received calls from local doctors instructing it to be prepared for 'multiple end of life situations.'
She said: "We know we’re going to lose people. Hospitals are now turning their backs on us, sending residents who have been admitted with symptoms back to our homes."

(4 Apr 2020) There’s Never Been a Better Time for Us to End Private Health Insurance Than Right Now Jacobin magazine: "he US health care system is going to be overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic for months to come. But when the spread of the virus finally does subside, many of its impacts will be here to stay. With millions of Americans likely to need expensive hospital stays this year, our nationwide health care costs are expected to increase by as much as $251 billion, according to a new analysis. As a result, US health insurance premiums could rise by up to 40 percent in 2021, exacerbating a crisis of ever-increasing costs that already leave Americans paying far more for care than the people of any other country.
"What this means is that we’re about to hit a fork in the road with the private insurance industry. The coronavirus is shredding insurers’ profits right now, underlining the fact that private insurance is simply not built to handle a medical crisis."

(4 Apr 2020) NHS worker quit when she was stopped from wearing face mask Guardian April 4 report on Hillingdon Hospital HCA:
“Tracy Brennan … a healthcare assistant … said she had returned to work after self-isolating for 14 days because her daughter had shown symptoms of Covid-19. She said that patients in the ward where she was working, which was not a coronavirus treatment ward, felt comfortable with her wearing the surgical mask and some positively encouraged her to do so.
“She wrote in the letter: “Upon arriving to work on Tuesday morning, whilst still wearing a mask, you asked me for a word in your office. You outlined to me that wearing a mask wasn’t following the trust policy and asked me to remove it. I responded stating that I wasn’t pleased with this instruction and defended myself stating that I was uncomfortable not wearing a mask while dealing with patients who may be carriers of Covid, however I adhered to the request.”

(4 Apr 2020) Government's 100,000-a-day coronavirus testing pledge 'not achievable', fear scientists Mirror April 4 report: "A government promise to test 100,000 people a day for coronavirus by the end of April is unlikely to be achievable, scientists have warned.
"The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) says its members are already “testing to the limit of our materials” and that a lack of vital equipment is stopping them from scaling up.
"The body, which represents around 17,000 NHS lab scientists and staff, says it stands ready to carry out more Covid-19 tests but needs more chemical reagents, test tubes and swabs to do so.
"The government has been facing growing pressure to increase the rate of screening as the UK - which is currently carrying out just 10,000 tests a day - has lagged behind countries such as Germany and South Korea. "

(4 Apr 2020) The Financial Times has abandoned neoliberalism – and they must never be allowed to forget this Richard Murphy, April 4 reports: "This is quite a surprising editorial comment in a UK newspaper today:
"If there is a silver lining to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that it has injected a sense of togetherness into polarised societies. But the virus, and the economic lockdowns needed to combat it, also shine a glaring light on existing inequalities — and even create new ones. Beyond defeating the disease, the great test all countries will soon face is whether current feelings of common purpose will shape society after the crisis. As western leaders learnt in the Great Depression, and after the second world war, to demand collective sacrifice you must offer a social contract that benefits everyone."

(3 Apr 2020) £55 billion of NHS PFI debt has not been written off: with so much else that now needs to be reformed if the NHS is to serve us into the future Tax expert Richard Murphy (April 3) commenting on the announcement that £13.4bn of unpayable borrowing run up by trusts in past few years to minimise deficits are to be written off. In practice the trusts were never going to be able to pay them back anyway.

(3 Apr 2020) Coronavirus hospital plans paused over potential lack of demand April 3 HSJ report notes: "Potential plans for the region — which sources told HSJ included a potential 500-bed facility in the industrial unit near Nissan’s Sunderland car factory — were halted on 1 April.
"However, HSJ understands the region’s acute chiefs are still keen to explore options for a surge facility so they can react if the situation changes.
"One local NHS leader told HSJ they feared the north east, where 124 covid-related deaths — or around 4 per cent of England’s total covid-19 deaths — have so far been reported, is “being lulled into a false sense of security, because the storm [is] not fully hitting here yet, but it might”.
"Another leader in the north east expressed doubt a temporary hospital in the region will ever be signed off or fully commissioned despite several weeks of preparatory work. They told HSJ: “The field hospitals [plan] feels like a right mess”."

(3 Apr 2020) Two young nurses die as NHS braces for more coronavirus losses Guardian April 3 report: "Two nurses in their 30s have died after contracting coronavirus, and it has emerged that nurses and frontline health workers are being offered grief counselling and psychological support, with the loss of more NHS lives anticipated.
"Areema Nasreen, a 36-year-old NHS nurse from Walsall in the West Midlands, who was believed to have had no underlying health issues, died shortly after midnight on Thursday in intensive care at Walsall Manor hospital, where she had worked for 16 years.
"Tributes were also paid to another NHS nurse, named locally as mother of three Aimee O’Rourke, who is is believed to have contracted the virus before she died. She was described as “a wonderful friend and colleague” to those who worked with her at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother hospital in Margate, Kent."

(3 Apr 2020) NHS trust debts written off: now for a real change of regime Keep Our NHS Public comment on a policy step that is welcome in itself, but won't cost any money, save trusts any money, or increase front line funding. The loans to bridge funding gaps created since 2010 have long been unpayable, and no trusts were going to even try.

(3 Apr 2020) Nightingale hospitals will strain NHS staffing to limit, warn doctors Financial Times April 3 report: “London hospitals, already facing acute staffing shortages, will be expected to provide some 1,000 doctors, nurses and other workers for the capital’s Nightingale facility that will start with 500 beds but have the capacity to expand to 4,000.
“Matt Hancock, the health secretary, hailed the temporary facility in the capital’s ExCeL exhibition centre as a symbol of the “best of the National Health Service” at the opening on Friday. But clinicians said it risked exacerbating an existing staffing crunch.
“Even before the Covid-19 crisis, the King’s Fund, a think-tank, warned that NHS staffing levels were dangerously depleted, with 96,000 vacancies last year from a workforce of 1.1m.”

(3 Apr 2020) Germany’s virus response shines unforgiving light on Britain Financial Times April 3 report: “With the pandemic bearing down, Boris Johnson on March 17 called on Britain’s captains of industry to start building ventilators to supplement the country’s stock of 8,000, lightheartedly dubbing the scheme “Operation Last Gasp”.
“But almost a week before the prime minister spoke, Germany had ordered 10,000 from an established manufacturer, adding to its existing 20,000 machines. This week Germany had more than twice as many critical care beds vacant — around 15,000 to 20,000 — as England has in its system overall.
“Even more stark is relative performance on testing. The UK and Germany entered the crisis in lock-step, working together on virus tests, some of the first developed in the world. But Germany’s labs ran at more than five-times the NHS rate, completing 918,460 tests versus Britain’s 163,194.”

(3 Apr 2020) The inflexibility of our lumbering NHS is why the country has had to shut down Predictably reactionary (£) ranting comment article from former Torygraph editor (and boss of Boris Johnson) Charles Moore heaping blame on "inflexible" NHS for failings of ministers, Public Health England and almost anything else. Ironically winds up arguing the merits of the much more expensive and much more bureaucratic German system with three times as many beds per head as Britain.

(2 Apr 2020) Government seeks urgent PPE audit amid widespread shortages HSJ reports in an exclusive (April 1) that despite constantly claiming in daily press conferences that supplies of PPE are adequate, “The government has ordered an urgent national audit of personal protective equipment, body bags, swabs and infection control products”.
“Local resilience forum planners were earlier this week asked to share stock levels and daily consumption rates of the items at ambulance, acute trusts and in primary care and other services by 9pm on Tuesday.
“… The email added the data collection was “authorised” by Number 10. Yet on Tuesday afternoon — just hours before the audit results were due — a Downing Street spokesperson played down supply issues, telling reporters he had “not seen anything to suggest we don’t have enough [PPE].”
“The news comes days after a new national PPE supply channel was announced in response to weeks of major shortages at trusts, GPs and community partners. HSJ revealed on Tuesday that retail logistics firm Clipper would manage the new coronavirus-related channel.
“The audit request came from a Ministry of Defence planner at the resilience and emergencies division of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. As well as trusts, resilience forum staff were asked to share stock levels among adult social care services, numbers of mortuary staff, other local authority staff, police, prisons, fire and rescue services and funeral directors.”

(2 Apr 2020) PHE publishes updated guidance on use of PPE Pulse reports on the new PPE guidance, and notes, in context of primary care, BMA comments and warnings that supplies are vital -- and have not been getting through to many NHS hospitals or GPs:
"BMA chair of council Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: 'Although PHE has produced updated guidance, what fundamentally matters is that doctors and healthcare workers get the adequate and appropriate supplies of PPE on the frontline. Without these supplies there is continued unacceptable danger to the health and lives of healthcare workers and their patients.'
"The BMA has warned that without adequate protection, GPs and hospital doctors 'will die' from Covid-19.
"Dr Nagpaul said: 'It is four days since the minister Robert Jenrick gave the assurance that no frontline staff should be working without the right protective equipment. Yet this week the BMA has received concerns from doctors in over 30 hospital trusts about inadequate PPE supplies and GPs across England who are yet to receive eye protection.'"

(2 Apr 2020) COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) The long awaited revised guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) from Public Health England. It notes:
"This guidance …seeks to set out clear and actionable recommendations on the use of PPE, as part of safe systems of working, for health and social care workers relative to their day-to-day work. Incidence of COVID-19 varies across the UK and risk is not uniform and so elements of the updated guidance are intended for interpretation and application dependant on local assessment of risk."

(2 Apr 2020) America doesn’t have a health care system First hand account in the Outline dispels some myths about US health care: "in my 26 years as a patient in American hospitals, I’ve experienced rationing of all kinds. Bed shortages, medications being out of stock, nurses given too many patients, a single specialist available for an entire inpatient population. Which is why, in early March, as reports came in from Italy of hospitals buckling under the strain of coronavirus patients, I realized that regardless of the true scale of the pandemic in the U.S., New York was likely to experience the same fate. Despite being in a high-risk demographic and having a history of pneumonia and heart and lung disease, my concern wasn’t about the virus itself or my ability to survive it. What panicked me was visions of overrun ERs, full intensive care units — a world where I was sick and insured and still couldn’t be treated, because I had already experienced those things in smaller ways many times."

(2 Apr 2020) NHS nurse who died 'would still be alive if given proper protective equipment' Sky News April 2 report: "An NHS nurse who died after contracting coronavirus would still be alive today if he had been given proper protective equipment, his family believe.
"Thomas Harvey, a healthcare assistant at North East London NHS Foundation Trust, had been unable to eat for several days and struggled to breathe after catching COVID-19, two of his children told Sky News."

(2 Apr 2020) Only 30 British-built ventilators to arrive in NHS next week, government admits Independent April 2 report: "Only 30 new British-built ventilators will be delivered to the NHS next week to treat coronavirus patients, the government has admitted.
"Cabinet office minister Michael Gove told a press conference on Tuesday that the "first of thousands" of new devices manufactured in the UK would be sent to the front line next week but he did not specify how many would be in the first delivery.
"Officials admitted on Wednesday that the first batch will only include 30 ventilators, with hundreds more expected in the coming weeks."

(2 Apr 2020) Coronavirus patients more likely to die may have ventilators taken away Sky News report April 2: ""Health professionals may be obliged to withdraw treatment from some patients to enable treatment of other patients with a higher survival probability," the document states.
"This may involve withdrawing treatment from an individual who is stable or even improving but whose objective
assessment indicates a worse prognosis than another patient who requires the same resource."
"The BMA's guidance says that during the peak of the pandemic doctors may have to assess a person's eligibility for treatment based on a "capacity to benefit quickly" basis."

(2 Apr 2020) Wycombe Hospital receive equipment from the public Bucks Free Press report: "A former parliamentary candidate for Wycombe is doing her bit to get businesses and schools to donate pieces of equipment to the NHS.
"… So far, the Wycombe High School and the Royal Grammar School in Wycombe have got involved, and she hopes more will follow soon.
"Both schools have supplied masks, goggles and gloves to Wycombe Hospital.
"Ms Brodelle, who is a teacher by day, told the Bucks Free Press: “The Government is trying to get what they can but there’s no way that the NHS would have these stocks in reserve as we’re not geared up for a pandemic."

(2 Apr 2020) 'A glimmer of hope but little detail': experts react to Hancock's test plan Guardian April 2 report on comments of various experts on the latest change of direction by ministers on testing.

(2 Apr 2020) Government has bought no Covid-19 home testing kits despite Matt Hancock's claim millions had been purchased Surprisingly critical April 2 report from Daily Telegraph: "The Government has still not bought any Covid-19 immunity home testing kits, more than a week after Matt Hancock claimed 3.5 million had already been purchased.
"The accuracy of the kits – described as "game changers" by Boris Johnson – is still being validated by a panel of experts appointed by ministers. Public Health England (PHE), which had previously said the antibody tests would be available for home delivery by firms such as Amazon in days, said on Thursday it was not involved in procuring the kits.
"The confusion over the antibody testing kits will add to growing concern that the Government is losing any grip it had on the coronavirus pandemic."

(2 Apr 2020) COVID-19 Roundup: Health Workers/LTC Residents Infected, Government Supports & Relief Measures Ontario Health Coalition giving comprehensive summary of major developments on the spread of the virus and attempts to contain it in the giant province.

(2 Apr 2020) NHS trusts suspend life-saving organ transplants April 2 HSJ report on potential knock-on impact of fight to contain Covid 19:
“Major transplant centres have stopped performing many of their procedures due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the national coordinating body says a complete cessation “may only be days away”.
“Reasons for the suspensions include a lack of critical care capacity, staff shortages and difficulties in segregating covid-19 patients.
“… NHS Blood and Transplant, the special health authority that coordinates donations, told HSJ that most transplant centres are now only considering the “most urgent patients”.
“The authority has already written to hospitals asking they cut the number of potential donors by almost 50 per cent. HSJ understands this is to reduce the use of intensive care beds as organ donors must remain on ventilators until the organs are ready to be removed.”

(1 Apr 2020) Delay and dithering mean targets for coronavirus testing are way off (£) Times report April 1: "Boris Johnson says that he hopes to reach 250,000 daily tests for coronavirus infections, but the country is still testing fewer than 10,000 patients a day. At the heart of the problem are two key decisions taken by the prime minister, his advisers and public health officials."

(1 Apr 2020) Doctors kept away from front line BMA (27 March) again challenging government's failure to test healthcare workers for Covid-19, and its implications:
"BMA council chair Chaand Nagpaul (pictured above) has written to health secretary Matt Hancock urging priority testing for healthcare workers at the NHS’s time of ‘greatest need’.
"The Government has pledged to keep NHS staff safe and give ‘everything’ frontline workers need, with Mr Hancock promising to ramp up testing, but Dr Nagpaul has demanded clarity.
"He said: ‘I am writing to ask you when specifically will priority testing for healthcare workers and their symptomatic household members become available? Each day that goes by is illogically perpetuating further reductions of doctors from the workforce who could be treating patients instead.’
"Dr Nagpaul added: ‘Put simply, this failure to test is resulting in significant numbers of doctors off work, many unnecessarily, adding further pressure to an already stretched service. This is ironic at time when the NHS is actively recruiting retired doctors and medical student to support doctor shortages.’"

(1 Apr 2020) COVID-19 Bonanza: Stimulus Hands Health Industry Billions Not Directly Related To Pandemic Kaiser Health News (March 31) reports on the emergency measures adopted by US Congress:
"The coronavirus stimulus package Congress rushed out last week to help the nation’s hospitals and health care networks hands the industry billions of dollars in windfall subsidies and other spending that has little to do with defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The $2 trillion legislation, which President Donald Trump signed Friday, includes more than $100 billion in emergency funds to compensate hospitals and other health care providers for lost revenue and other costs associated with COVID-19. The measure also calls for spending up to $16 billion to replenish the nation’s depleted stockpile of medical gear, such as ventilators, medicines and personal protective equipment, or PPE.
"But health care businesses will get billions of dollars in additional funding not directly related to the pandemic, in some cases because Congress agreed to reverse scheduled cuts in the rates paid by Medicaid and Medicare, which the federal government had tried for years to impose."

(1 Apr 2020) For the sixteenth consecutive day, the government has refused to answer one very simple question about coronavirus Brilliant and funny Independent March 31 take on the government's continued failure to implement WHO policy of mass testing (or carry out its own promises):
"For the sixteenth consecutive day, we go live to 10 Downing Street for the daily coronavirus press conference.
“Good afternoon prime minister/health secretary/foreign secretary/chief medical officer/senior NHS management bod/dog/cat/off-duty police officer/inanimate lectern-based object. My question is the same as it has been for the last two weeks. Why is Germany doing more than a half a million coronavirus tests a week and we still haven’t managed to reach our target of 10,000 a day?”
“Well thank you, Mr or Mrs Blurry Head from the BBC/ITV/Guardian/Beano/Dandy/Razzle/Nuts magazine. May I just say how nice your kitchen is?"

(1 Apr 2020) The Covid-19 outbreak will lead to untold misery & death in besieged Gaza Grim 27 March warning from Labour & Palestine: "Last weekend, the devastating news broke for the people of Palestine of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the densely populated Gaza strip.
"It is important for everyone in the labour and solidarity movements to understand why this is truly a nightmare situation for the people of the besieged Gaza strip, and why these 1.8 million people are particularly vulnerable.
"The UN has previously warned that Gaza would be uninhabitable by 2020, and now 13 years of an illegal blockade mean that Gaza’s fragile healthcare system is already stretched to a point that it is hard for us to imagine. Covid-19 means it will now be placed under a simply unbearable strain.
"Alongside this, the situation in Gaza is one of malnutrition on the rise, poorly controlled non-communicable diseases, dense living and housing conditions.
"There are deep levels of poverty, the power supply is sporadic and sources of drinking water are largely contaminated.
"Older people are without access to proper nursing and healthcare.
"At the current time, Israel has restricted testing kits to the strip, where there are only 60 working ventilators and 2,800 hospital beds. Stocks of essential drugs are already chronically low."

(1 Apr 2020) Hospitals Tell Doctors They’ll Be Fired If They Speak Out About Lack of Gear Bloomberg report March 31 reveals that the lack of adequate protective equipment and the efforts to gag staff who speak out are similar in Trump's USA and Johnson's NHS:
"Hospitals are threatening to fire health-care workers who publicize their working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic -- and have in some cases followed through.
"Ming Lin, an emergency room physician in Washington state, said he was told Friday he was out of a job because he’d given an interview to a newspaper about a Facebook post detailing what he believed to be inadequate protective equipment and testing.
"In Chicago, a nurse was fired after emailing colleagues that she wanted to wear a more protective mask while on duty.
"In New York, the NYU Langone Health system has warned employees they could be terminated if they talk to the media without authorization."

(1 Apr 2020) Royal College of Nursing says lack of PPE puts nurses and their families at risk RCN CEO Dame Donna Kinnair, March 30 says:
"“The government is finally prioritising Covid-19 testing for NHS staff, including social care, but it is completely unacceptable that weeks into this crisis, there are colleagues in all settings – hospitals, community or care homes – who have not been provided with personal protective equipment.
"I am hearing from nurses who are treating patients in Covid-19 wards without any protection at all. This cannot continue. They are putting themselves, their families, and their patients at risk.
“As the professional trade union representing potentially the largest group of affected workers, the RCN has said repeatedly that we will not accept anything less than aprons, gloves and masks for all staff, in all settings. But this is a minimum – and that is why we are so disappointed even that level of protection has yet to be provided."

(1 Apr 2020) UK insurers tighten terms to explicitly exclude coronavirus FT report March 31, shows hoe British health insurers are proving they are as anti-social and as profit-obsessed as their bigger US equivalents, making sure they carry no risk at all on the major health issue of the day:
“Insurers are tightening the terms of their business coverage to make sure anything related to the coronavirus pandemic is explicitly excluded. The industry has been criticised for sticking to a tough line since the crisis began that the outbreak is already excluded from many policies.
“According to brokers and other advisers, insurers have been closing any remaining loopholes on contracts that are up for renewal to try to reduce their exposure to any future costs.
“They are rushing out a whole series of exclusions in all kinds of different contracts,” said Bruce Hepburn, chief executive of Mactavish, a claims specialist. “The big worry is that these are very broad exclusions.” “They are making sure not only that they were not on the hook when [the outbreak] happened, but that they won’t be on the hook at all. It really doesn’t feel like they are sharing the pain,” he added."

(1 Apr 2020) UNISON writes to PM over lack of PPE for front line staff Text of a letter from the largest public sector union to Boris Johnson demanding action on the continued lack of adequate personal protection equipment in NHS and social care.

(1 Apr 2020) Why Did Government Downgrade COVID-19? Can We Trust Numbers & Why Little Testing? Blog by prominent public health expert Prof John Ashton on the latest twists and turns of government policy and the failures to deal scientifically with the Covid-19 epidemic.

(1 Apr 2020) Chronicle of a “national scandal” – blunders and deception Detailed account in The Lowdown (March 31) of the ways ministerial statements day by day have bluffed waffled and lied to journalists:
"However the attempts to palm off journalists and the public with superficial claims and statements have proved increasingly ineffective, while the frustrations of the NHS staff whose own lives are potentially being put at risk have been voiced more loudly and effectively.
"Time and again Matt Hancock, whose department assured us in February that the NHS was “extremely well prepared for coronavirus,” has been seen to have lied and dissembled when asked about the extension of testing, supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospital staff, and delivery of ventilators to supplement the inadequate stocks.
"Hancock’s claim – made on BBC Question TIme, that he was working with supermarkets to secure deliveries of food to vulnerable patients was denied by retail insiders and described as “totally made up”. Even the Daily Mail cast doubt on the assertion that new ventilators could be in hospitals ‘within days’ when manufacturers were warning that it would take a month to start large scale production."

(1 Apr 2020) PPE delays – the Unipart way March 30 from the Lowdown: "NHS Supply Chain is the organisation which should be coordinating the distribution of the vital PPE gear, ventilators, supplies of sanitiser and other basics to hospital trusts, GPs and community health providers. But it is manifestly failing in its task.
"Who, then are NHS Supply Chain? Technically it is a holding company owned by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. But in practice it is an immensely complex and dysfunctional web of contracts at the centre of which is Unipart, the one-time supplier of components to the motor industry, which won the £730m contract to take over the logistical contract from DHL back in 2018.
"Since March last year Unipart Logistics has been tasked with delivering medical devices and hospital consumables (other than medicine) to NHS trusts, warehousing, inventory management, order processing and delivery, and a subcontracted home delivery service, which makes up 10% of the contract. So if they are not being delivered, it’s down to them."

(1 Apr 2020) Urgent: PPE provision for the adult social care sector: Letter to Secretary of State Matt Hancock from the LGA and ADASS Letter from local government and social care bosses again flags up the glaring gap between ministerial claims and the harsh reality on the ground:
"As the Government recognises, social care is at the frontline of responding to the unique challenges posed by Covid-19 and the workforce is doing an incredible job in extremely testing circumstances. It is also doing a dangerous job, with colleagues putting themselves, their families and their communities at risk. Ensuring their safety must be the number one priority alongside the safety of those they are supporting.
"Despite welcome recognition from Government of the importance of PPE, we continue to receive daily reports from colleagues that essential supplies are not getting through to the social care frontline.
"Furthermore, national reporting that equipment has been delivered to providers on the CQC registered list does not tally with colleagues’ experience on the ground.
"Of equal concern, there is a notable lack of confidence in national planning for, and provision of, PPE for the thousands of people who work in non-regulated services, such as personal assistants. The advice they are being given is to contact their local council. To be absolutely clear, councils do not have stocks of PPE equipment to distribute."

(1 Apr 2020) https://www.union-news.co.uk/social-care-workers-at-breaking-point-over-lack-of-ppe-warns-unison/ Union News reports: "Social care workers across the country are at breaking point with many being given just plastic aprons and gloves to protect against coronavirus as they support the vulnerable and elderly, UNISON has said.
"Care workers say some managers are either refusing to issue face masks or not providing training in how to use them, and not supplying hand sanitiser. This has triggered widespread anxiety among staff that they and their families may become infected or they may spread the virus among the people they care for, says UNISON.
"The news comes as the government cracks down on whistleblowers, threatening to discipline health workers who speak to the media.
"The union has also received reports of some employees being asked to work even if they have underlying health issues, and to bring their children in if they cannot get childcare."

(1 Apr 2020) A WORLD AT RISK September 2019 report of Global Preparedness Monitoring Board supported by WHO and World Bank:
"In this first annual report, the Board explores and identifies the most urgent needs and actions required to accelerate preparedness for health emergencies, focusing in particular on biological risks manifesting as epidemics and pandemics.
The Board analysed evidence and commissioned seven review papers that explore the challenges of preparedness through various lenses: governance and coordination; country preparedness capacities; research and development; financing; enhancing community engagement and trust; preparing for and managing the fallout of a high-impact respiratory pathogen pandemics; and, lessons learned and persistent gaps revealed by recent outbreaks of Ebola virus disease in Africa. The Board has drawn on these papers and other data to identify areas where preparedness efforts are working
and where they are faltering (1)."
It warns (page 8): "A rapidly spreading pandemic due to a lethal respiratory pathogen
(whether naturally emergent or accidentally or deliberately released) poses additional preparedness requirements. Donors and multilateral institutions must ensure adequate investment in developing innovative vaccines and therapeutics, surge
manufacturing capacity, broad-spectrum antivirals and appropriate non-pharmaceutical interventions. All countries must develop a system for immediately sharing genome sequences of any new pathogen for public health purposes along with the means to share limited medical countermeasures across countries."

(1 Apr 2020) Counting deaths involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) ONS blog March 31:
"Knowing the exact number of people whose death involved coronavirus (COVID-19) is of great importance, but it’s not a simple question. Sarah Caul introduces the provisional new figures published on 31 March and explains why the different ways of counting used across the government give different answers."

(1 Apr 2020) Italian doctors warn protective equipment vital to prevent healthcare system collapse Independent report March 31: "Shortages in protective equipment could cause whole healthcare systems to collapse, doctors at the forefront of efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Italy have warned.
"In a new paper, more than a dozen Italian anaesthetists and intensive care doctors warn other countries to make sure nurses, doctors and other staff are protected from the virus after large numbers of Italian staff became sick themselves.
"The UK government continues to face criticism from doctors and hospital staff over the lack of equipment and shortages across the country. Ministers have called in the army to help deliver 170 million masks, gloves and other items in recent days.
"The Italian experts warn: “The ramifications of losing significant proportions of frontline healthcare workers remain uncertain, but this may contribute to the collapse of healthcare systems affected by Covid-19”."

(1 Apr 2020) COVID-19 TRACKING AND TESTING MUST RESUME Doctors for the NHS: "DFNHS member Allyson Pollock has co-written an editorial in the BMJ calling for the resumption of widespread tracking and testing for Covid-19.
"The editorial, written with NHS Reinstatement Bill co-author Peter Roderick and others, suggests the lack of testing means the cited number of cases nationally is an underestimate, and also points out the shortcomings of regarding the pandemic in the UK as one large infection instead of more accurately gauging it as many local ones at different stages. It lays the blame for this firmly at the feet of years of neglect of public-health provision, especially in England."
The BMA editorial concludes: "‘So what now? WHO’s mantra of “trace, test, and treat” must be followed. It is not too late to adopt WHO Guidance.2122 A second and third wave of the epidemic is likely. Contact tracing must recommence. This means immediately instituting a massive, centrally coordinated, locally based programme of case finding, tracing, clinical observation, and testing. It requires large teams of people, including volunteers, using tried and tested methods updated with social media and mobile phones and adapting the manuals and guidance published by China."

(1 Apr 2020) England's ravaged public health system just can't cope with the coronavirus Guardian Comment is Free report March 30: "The NHS has also had 10 years of significant underfunding – and England, in particular, has an operational and management system that is fragmented and lacks an effective command and control structure. The public health function in England has been removed from the NHS and incorporated into local government, where its budgets have been systematically raided to prop up local councils that have suffered catastrophic cuts in the name of austerity.
"Local authority functions closely aligned with public health, such as environmental health and social services, have been notable casualties. Within the local government world, the once powerful directors of public health have seen their influence decline, along with their staffing and resources."

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Questions over true death toll as hospital records almost three times more deaths than official figures show Telegraph report, March 30: "The official death toll for coronavirus is lower than the true number of casualties reported by hospitals, it was claimed on Sunday night.
"Channel 4 News reported that an email sent to staff at one of London's biggest hospitals suggested the daily tally, made public by the Government, did not tally with the actual number killed by Covid-19.
"The message, sent to staff at King's College Hospital Trust, said: "The number of deaths reported at King's in national figures is below what they are experiencing. It is not just King's but a number of other trusts, and the centre has been made aware."

(1 Apr 2020) ‘I’m losing the will to live, god help us all’: despair of NHS procurement chief HSJ reports March 30: "Gowns for front-line staff were not included in the national pandemic stockpile of personal protective equipment, procurement chiefs have been told.
"Trust procurement leads have raised concerns over dwindling gown supplies. Health Care Supply Association chief officer Alan Hoskins tweeted he could not order the products through NHS Supply Chain, even after escalating the matter to NHS England.
"Mr Hoskins’ tweet on Sunday, which has since been deleted, said: “What a day, no gowns NHS Supply Chain. Rang every number escalated to NHS England, just got message back — no stock, can’t help, can send you a PPE pack. Losing the will to live, god help us all.”
"Senior procurement leads told HSJ that major trusts, including Barts Health in London, ran out of gowns at the end of last week. Calling the supplies situation “extremely bad,” one source said there were “virtually no gowns left in the system” and no communication from NHS Supply Chain as to when more would be available."

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: NHS doctors ‘gagged’ over protective equipment shortages Independent report from March 31 raising real doubts on the extent to which supply problems of PPE and other vital kit have really been resolved as ministers claim:
"Frontline doctors have told The Independent they have been gagged from speaking out about shortages of protective equipment as they treat coronavirus patients – with some claiming managers have threatened their careers.
"Staff have been warned not to make any comments about shortages on social media, as well as avoiding talking to journalists, while NHS England has taken over the media operations for many NHS hospitals and staff.
"The Independent has seen a series of emails and messages warning staff not to speak to the media during the coronavirus outbreak."
…"One intensive care doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, raised concerns with their managers about a shortage of protective masks after being told they would have to use less safe surgical masks. They claimed they were later warned in a meeting with trust bosses that their social media profiles would be watched.
"The doctor said they were told: “If we hear of these concerns going outside these four walls, your career and your position here will not be tenable going forward.”

(1 Apr 2020) How South Korea Flattened the Curve New York Times (March 23) on the success in containing Covid-19 in South Korea:
"At the peak, medical workers identified 909 new cases in a single day, Feb. 29, and the country of 50 million people appeared on the verge of being overwhelmed. But less than a week later, the number of new cases halved. Within four days, it halved again — and again the next day.
"On Sunday, South Korea reported only 64 new cases, the fewest in nearly a month, even as infections in other countries continue to soar by the thousands daily, devastating health care systems and economies. Italy records several hundred deaths daily; South Korea has not had more than eight in a day.
"South Korea is one of only two countries with large outbreaks, alongside China, to flatten the curve of new infections. And it has done so without China’s draconian restrictions on speech and movement, or economically damaging lockdowns like those in Europe and the United States."

(1 Apr 2020) UK ministers accused of overstating scale of coronavirus testing Guardian report March 30: "Ministers have been accused of overstating the scale of coronavirus testing in the UK as figures for the number of daily tests fell to 8,278 on Saturday – far short of the 10,000 target it was meant to have met last week.
"Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, claimed over the weekend that the 10,000 target had been reached.
"However, it turned out only 9,114 tests had been carried out on about 6,900 people on Friday – falling to 8,278 tests on 4,908 patients on Saturday.
"The figures are well below the 10,000 daily tests promised by the government on 11 March and cast doubt on whether it would hit the next target of 25,000 daily tests within a fortnight.
"It shows the UK is lagging behind other countries such as Germany, which is testing 70,000 people daily, despite the World Health Organization’s advice for countries to “test, test, test”."

(1 Apr 2020) Privatised cleaning for new Nightingale Hospital The Lowdown reports March 31: "“For some it will come as a shock that the cleaning, portering and waste management services are to be contracted out to multinational corporation ISS, the company whose failure to pay domestic staff at Lewisham Hospital triggered an angry walk-out early in March.
“A company press release on March 27 was headed “ISS is proud to support the new Nightingale hospital:” but it also made clear that many of the staff drafted in to take on the new contract will be taken from vital work on other NHS contracts:
“At this stage the workforce is being drawn from around the country, starting with contracts the company holds with the NHS. Additional staff will be recruited from other areas that are currently on furlough.”
“So the decision to bring in a private company to carry out this work was not linked to their ready supply of available staff: and we know that the NHS has been told it can spend as much as is necessary to get through the crisis, so budget constraints are not an issue.”

(1 Apr 2020) Low-paid women in UK at ‘high risk of coronavirus exposure’ Guardian March 29: “Out of 3.2 million workers employed in the highest-risk roles, about 2.5 million are women, according to Autonomy, an economics thinktank.
“As many as a million of those workers – who are considered to be at highest risk because they normally work closely with the public and people with diseases and infections – are also among the lowest paid, according to the study.
“… Eighty-nine percent of nurses and 84% of care workers are women.
“This pandemic has exposed deep inequalities at the heart of our economy,” said Will Stronge, the director of Autonomy.
“… This study has shown not only that many of these occupations are at a high risk of exposure to the Covid-19 virus, but that are often paid at poverty wages and are carried out overwhelmingly by women. It is about time we pay these workers properly for the valuable work they do.”

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: UK ‘wasting time’ on NHS protective gear orders BBC March 29 report: "UK clothes makers say the government has wasted time in ordering personal protective equipment for NHS staff.
"Fashion and textile firms believe they could have begun making gowns and masks for front-line workers 10 days ago.
"The government is dragging its heels and it is really, really frustrating," said Kate Hills from Make it British, a trade group.
"But the government says it is working "around the clock" to provide support to the NHS and social care staff.
"However, factories are receiving calls directly from local hospitals saying "can you make us anything, we are desperate for any protective equipment, anything that you can provide", according to Make it British."

(1 Apr 2020) Letter from Professor Stephen Powis National Medical Director, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges March 28 letter which claims, despite continual complaints from hospital staff, care home staff and GPs, that:
"Every single GP practice, dental practice and community pharmacy has had a PPE
delivery. All care homes, hospices and home care providers are also receiving a
PPE delivery.
"We acknowledge there have been some issues related to the supply of equipment
and we are working hard and at pace to resolve these. We are now confident that all
logistical issues are being solved and that every part of the NHS that needs PPE will
be supplied in good time with adequate stock."

(1 Apr 2020) Trusts advise widespread use of PPE as staff ‘refuse to see patients' HSJ March 28 reports on pressure from staff for more protection, and new guidance from NHS England:
"Several major hospital trusts are telling staff to use personal protective equipment in a wider set of areas than recommended by current national guidance, amid staff concern and reports of doctors refusing work without it.
"It comes as national medical leaders seek to address concerns in a new letter.
"… The letter also gives an update on PPE supply, which has faced huge problems ongoing through last week. “We are now confident that all logistical issues are being solved,” it says.
"Responding to the letter, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson, who has been among those repeatedly calling for clearer guidance, said: “National NHS leaders say it will be important that trusts support staff in following this guidance, so PPE kit is used appropriately, and the NHS can ensure the right equipment is available to all, both now and in the future.
“Alongside this clarification, it’s vital that NHS national leaders ensure continuous, uninterrupted, supply of all the items needed for staff to be able to follow this guidance.
“Taken together, this will hopefully be the reset moment on PPE that we all need and that trust leaders have been calling for over the last week.”

(1 Apr 2020) MORE THAN 50 DOCTORS IN ITALY HAVE NOW DIED FROM CORONAVIRUS Newsweek March 27 report: "A total of 51 doctors who tested positive for COVID-19 have succumbed to the disease as of Friday, according to CNN, citing the Italian Association of Doctors. Filippo Anelli, president of the association, had recently called for doctors in the country to be provided with more personal protective equipment (PPE), noting that the possibly preventable deaths have taken a heavy toll on the profession.
"The first thing to do is to protect healthcare workers, to make sure they are not the ones spreading the virus. Our doctors have been sent to war unarmed," Anelli told The Financial Times in a Thursday article. "The dead do not make a noise. Yet, the names of our dead friends, our colleagues, put here in black and white, make a deafening noise."
"Italy has the highest COVID-19 death toll of any country in the world, with over 10 percent of cases resulting in death so far. Out of over 86,000 cases in the country as of Friday, there were over 9,100 deaths and almost 11,000 recoveries. At least 6,414 health care workers in Italy have reportedly contracted the virus."

(1 Apr 2020) Diverting NHS care away from cancer patients ‘threatens more lives than the coronavirus’ (£) Times report on potential consequences of cancellations of cancer and other operations in Covid-19 response:
"“The NHS focus on fighting the coronavirus could have “serious consequences” for the health of millions of Britons suffering from other illnesses, health experts have warned.
“NHS trusts are already cancelling some cancer operations and treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, in order to free up beds for virus patients, while routine hospital procedures for other conditions are being postponed.
“One health policy expert cautioned that diverting care away from those with other health conditions such as heart, liver and kidney disease, cancer and diabetes would have a “much greater” impact than the virus itself.”

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus May Add Billions to U.S. Health Care Bill March 28 New York Times report on another dimension of the US health care system:
"With so much still uncertain about how widespread hospitalizations for coronavirus patients will be around the United States, a new analysis says premiums could increase as much as 40 percent next year if the pandemic results in millions of Americans needing hospital stays.
“Health plans went into 2020 with no hint of coronavirus on the horizon,” said Peter V. Lee, the executive director of Covered California, the state insurance marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act, which conducted the analysis. To protect businesses and individuals from sharply higher rates, he supports a temporary federal program that would cover some of these costs.
“No insurer, no state, planned and put money away for something of this significance,” Mr. Lee said."

(1 Apr 2020) Worcester's Gtech told not to produce much-needed ventilators by the government, chief executive says Worcester News report on another twist in the saga of the failure to buy in ventilators for the NHS:
"CITY-BASED manufacture Gtech has been told by the government to not produce much-needed ventilators less than a week after getting the go-ahead, the company’s chief executive has said.
"Nick Grey, chief executive of Gtech, said he had been advised by the government on Thursday (March 27) to not push forward with production of ventilators, despite answering a call for help to assist in producing more than 30,000 ventilators, less than two weeks ago."

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Teenage boy whose death was linked to COVID-19 turned away from urgent care for not having insurance Independent report on brutality of US health care system: "A 17-year-old whose death was initially linked to the novel coronavirus despite not having any previously reported health conditions was denied treatment at a California medical facility over his lack of insurance, according to the mayor.
"R Rex Parris, the mayor of Lancaster, California, confirmed the teen’s death in a video posted to YouTube on Wednesday, in which he warned residents to take the global pandemic seriously and practice self-isolation and social distancing measures.
“The Friday before he died, he was healthy,” the mayor said about the teenager. “By Wednesday, he was dead.”

(1 Apr 2020) Deficits are going to skyrocket but taxes and borrowing aren’t, because QE is going to cover the cost of coronavirus Tax analyst Richard Murphy arguing that FT estimate of cost of Covid-19 measures are a major under-estimate, but that it does not matter:
"It took more than a decade for UK notional national debt (without QE being taken into account) to increase by £1 trillion after 2008. It will take much less time to repeat that on this occasion. However, after QE (which cancels the debt that deficits notionally create because the government buys its own debt back when it does QE, and it cannot owe itself money) the increase in real debt may be quite modest in my prediction. QE funding, or variations on it, will run almost in parallel with the deficit in my expectation, as it did for much of the period from 2009 to 2014. As a result the supposed 'cost' to taxpayers will be minimal."

(1 Apr 2020) Australian government will pay half to integrate private hospitals into Covid-19 response Guardian March 31 report on deal between Austrialian government and private hospital sector: “On Saturday, the private sector warned that hundreds of staff would need to be stood down and hospitals closed following elective surgery cancellations to prioritise Covid-19 preparedness.
“The plans follow a meeting on Monday between the private health sector and the federal, state and territory governments to discuss how private hospitals and staff will be supported following elective surgery cancellations and until the sector is needed to assist with the coronavirus response, as well as how the sector will be used as the pandemic worsens to prevent the public sector from becoming overwhelmed.
“The Australian public needs to have confidence that deferred activities, such as non-urgent elective surgery, will be able to be resumed and accelerated at the appropriate time,” Hunt’s letter to private health providers, published on the ASX on Tuesday by Ramsay Health, said.
“… Hunt wrote that the agreement was only to ensure the viability of the sector, and its purpose was not to generate profit or to assist with loan or debt repayment. The viability guarantee would be conditional on the hospitals agreeing to open their books to show government funding was only being used for operational costs.”

(1 Apr 2020) Federal government gets private hospital resources for COVID-19 fight in exchange for funding support March 31 report from The Conversation on Australian government bail-out for 657 private hospitals:
"Private hospitals will be on the frontline in the coronavirus battle, under an arrangement with the federal government that makes available the sector’s more than 30,000 beds and 105,000 workforce, including more than 57,000 nursing staff.
"The government will offer agreements to Australia’s 657 private and not-for-profit hospitals “to ensure their viability, in return for maintenance and capacity” during the COVID-19 crisis.
"The agreement makes available more resources to meet the virus crisis, preserves the private hospital workforce, and is designed to allow a speedy resumption of non-urgent elective surgery and other normal activity when the crisis has passed.
"The states will complete “private hospital COVID-19 partnership agreements”, with the Commonwealth paying half the cost.
“In an unprecedented move, private hospitals, including both overnight and day hospitals, will integrate with state and territory health systems in the COVID-19 response,” the government said in a Tuesday statement.
"These hospitals “will be required to make infrastructure, essential equipment (including ventilators), supplies (including personal protective equipment), workforce and additional resources fully available to the state and territory hospital system or the Australian government”.
"…Last week the government announced a ban on non-urgent elective surgery. While this freed up beds and staff, it would also strip private hospitals of core income and threaten the collapse of some hospitals without government action."

(1 Apr 2020) Public Health England to look again at PPE guidance Shocking March 27 statement from PHE's Medical Director announcing that, in the midst of the pandemic, PHE is to revise the guidance on personal protection equipment in a "rapid piece of work" -- while staff put their lives on the line

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Jeremy Hunt's officials blocked call for medics to have eye protection 3 years ago March 27 report from the i: "NHS staff should have received certain protective equipment three years ago in the event of an influenza pandemic, but stockpiling it was considered too expensive by the Department of Health.
"Officials working for then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt rejected medical advice that eye protection should be provided to all healthcare professionals who have close contact with pandemic influenza patients. The advice was watered down after an “economic assessment” found a medical recommendation about providing visors or safety glasses would “substantially increase” the costs of stockpiling."

(1 Apr 2020) Councils told to house all rough sleepers in England by weekend Guardian March 27 report: “Councils have been given 48 hours to find emergency accommodation for all rough sleepers in England following an unprecedented, but unfunded, request from the government that all homeless people should be housed by Sunday.
“Council officials welcomed the urgency of the request but expressed concern about the difficulty of the task, given the already acute accommodation shortages. These shortages worsened this week after a parallel government instruction to hotels to close. The Local Government Association (LGA) said councils would need extra funding if they were to meet the deadline.
“These are unusual times, so I’m asking for an unusual effort,” an email from Louise Casey, who was appointed last week to lead the government’s response to Covid-19 and rough sleeping, read.”

(1 Apr 2020) UK ministers under fire over ventilator delays FT March 27 report on the saga of government failure to secure necessary numbers of ventilators and refusing to join in a collective EU purchasing consortium: "The European Commission rejected UK claims that an “initial communication problem” with Brussels meant that Britain missed out on participating in the EU joint procurement of ventilators, insisting that the UK was fully briefed on the plans."

(1 Apr 2020) A Tory MP Makes £100,000 A Year From A Company That Is Selling Private Coronavirus Tests For £120 Each Buzzfeed report March 25: "Owen Paterson, the Conservative MP and former Cabinet minister, is a paid adviser to a company that is selling coronavirus tests online to British consumers and private clinics.
"According to the register of MPs’ financial interests, Paterson has been a consultant to Randox Laboratories since August 2015. The MP for North Shropshire has regularly declared that he expects to receive £8,333 a month from the company, from April 2017 until further notice. The register was last updated on March 16 this year.
"Randox has been selling a rapid "COVID-19 home testing kit" for £120. The company, which is registered in Crumlin, Northern Ireland, said on its website that it "has developed a revolutionary test for Coronavirus (COVID-19), the new strain of coronavirus. The only test in the world that can identify the lethal strain and differentiate between other non-lethal variants with the same symptoms."

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Boris Johnson accused of risking lives by refusing to join EU scheme to buy key equipment Independent report March 25: "“European countries have banded together collectively to procure bulk orders of ventilators and personal protective equipment, with the first phase now having secured “offers of considerable scale on shortest notice”.
“The UK was invited to take part in the scheme, which is leveraging the 500 million-person single market’s huge buying power to secure faster and cheaper orders with less admin at a time of extreme global demand.
“But UK officials confirmed on Wednesday that Britain would not be taking part in the scheme, after previously having said the government would decide which way to go.”

(1 Apr 2020) LEWISHAM HOSPITAL CLEANERS STILL NOT PAID IN FULL DESPITE CORONAVIRUS FEARS March 24 article: "Lewisham Hospital’s cleaners walked out on Thursday, 12th March after an outsourced cleaning contractor repeatedly failed to pay them. A week later, the GMB Trade Union reported that the cleaners still haven’t been paid and the private company ISS blames administrative errors for the crisis."

(1 Apr 2020) Welsh doctor designs ventilator that could save the lives of thousands of coronavirus patients ITN March 24 report: "The implement, called a Covid Emergency Ventilator, has been given the go-ahead by the Welsh Government.
"It is hoped that a hundred of them can be manufactured in just one day, something that could potentially save a huge number of lives.
"The machine helps patients to breathe and also cleans a room of viral particles, ensuring that patients are only supplied with purified air."

(1 Apr 2020) A Moscow must have... Excellent March 25 blog from Roy Lilley on the need to extend testing:
"When you were doing your desk-top, war-gaming, the first thing they teach you is; admit your problems. If it's not right, admit it, fix it, move on. The second thing you learn is; look after your key workers.
"Not testing will impact key health-workers the most.
"It doesn't matter how many weddings the government tells us to cancel or how far apart we stand, if we don't test NHS staff they will be super-spreaders when we don't know it and sit at home, when we don't want it.

(1 Apr 2020) Wilfried Zaha offers free accommodation to NHS staff fighting coronavirus crisis Mirror reports "Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha is playing his part to help ease the strain on the NHS amid the growing coronavirus crisis - by offering free accommodation to health workers.
"Zaha has called on NHS staff to reach out to the company he co-owns, ZoProperties, as doctors and medical workers continue to battle against the deadly disease which has wreaked havoc all over the globe.
"The property firm, which Zaha co-owns with Obi Williams, has around 50 apartments which range from one-bed to three-bed in locations around London."

(1 Apr 2020) Doctors threaten to quit NHS over shortage of protective kit March 24 Guardian report: “A massive NHS recruitment drive to help contain the coronavirus pandemic risks being undermined by the prospect of doctors quitting over fears of inadequate protective equipment, groups representing frontline staff say.
“… as the crisis reaches what is expected to be its most dangerous period, doctors’ and nurses’ groups say their members are being expected to take unacceptable risks.
“Dr Rinesh Parmar, chair of the Doctors’ Association UK, which represents grassroots medics, told the Guardian: “The longer this epidemic goes on for, if doctors feel that there is a widespread lack of personal protective equipment [PPE], then some doctors may feel they have no choice but to give up the profession they love, because they feel so abandoned by not being given the PPE that the World Health Organization recommends.”

(1 Apr 2020) 'Confused, dangerous, flippant': rest of world pans PM's handling of coronavirus March 24 Guardian report notes that even while his poll ratings have been rising at home Johnson's role has not impressed other governments:
"“The international verdict on Boris Johnson and his zigzag handling of the pandemic has been damning, with responses ranging from bafflement and disbelief to anger.
“Many consider the prime minister’s initial laissez-faire approach to the crisis, followed by contradictory signals about his government’s strategy, as an inexplicable bout of British exceptionalism.
“Boris Johnson had gone out publicly and essentially asked Britons ... to accept death,” said the Greek newspaper Ethnos. It declared him “more dangerous than coronavirus”.
“On Sunday, Singapore’s national development minister, Lawrence Wong, said the UK and Switzerland had “abandoned any measure to contain or restrain the virus”.
“The New York Times accused Johnson of sowing confusion. “He has seemed like a leader acting under duress ... playing catch-up to a private sector that had already acted on its own.”

(1 Apr 2020) NHS staff fighting coronavirus pandemic still forced to pay hospital parking charges March 24 ITN report: "Staff fighting the coronavirus pandemic at several Birmingham hospitals are still having to pay hospital parking charges.
"Staff working at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), Heartlands hospital, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals are still paying a daily charge, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"Les Young, an advance nurse practitioner who works in primary care, says that some staff are having to fork out between £100 and £150 a month just to have a place to park during work."

(1 Apr 2020) Keep Ireland's Health System in Public Ownership after COVID-19 Petition in response to Irish government taking control of private hospital sector:
"In the face of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic Ireland's health system became single-tiered overnight.
"We call on the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, to keep the newly attainted 2,000 hospital beds, 9 labs and countless healthcare professionals in public ownership, for the common good."

(1 Apr 2020) Private hospitals will be made public for duration of coronavirus pandemic March 24 report from The Journal (Ireland):
"PRIVATE HOSPITALS WILL act as part of the public health system for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, the government has announced.
"Some 2,000 beds, nine laboratories and thousands of staff have been drafted into the public system, Leo Varadkar said at a press conference today.
"Speaking at the same press conference, Health Minister Simon Harris said “there can be no room for public versus private” when responding to the Covid-19 crisis.
“We must of course have equality of treatment, patients with this virus will be treated for free, and they’ll be treated as part of a single, national hospital service.
“For the duration of this crisis the State will take control of all private hospital facilities and manage all of the resources for the common benefit of all of our people. There can be no room for public versus private when it comes to pandemic,” Harris said."

(1 Apr 2020) Exclusive: Staff in ‘near revolt’ over protective gear crisis HSJ March 24 report: "Lack of staff testing, workforce shortages and running out of personal protective equipment are the three biggest concerns for trusts fighting the coronavirus outbreak, according to an HSJ chief executive survey conducted over the last 36 hours.
"Thirteen of the 34 trust chief executives who responded to the snap survey, who were from trusts across England, also warned they would run out of intensive care capacity by next week as the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise.
"The survey also revealed some trusts were already being forced to dilute safe staffing ratios and ration facilities. One chief warned: “We are preserving ventilation capacity by ensuring that only those who may survive are considered.”

(1 Apr 2020) Britain had a head start on Covid-19, but our leaders squandered it Guardian March 23 Comment is Free article by Prof Devi Sridhar, chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, notes:
"In the UK we have had nine weeks to listen, learn and prepare. We have had nine weeks to run outbreak simulations, set up supply chains to ensure sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators, and bring about the availability of rapid, cheap tests. We have had nine weeks to establish algorithms to support contact tracing, and start mass awareness campaigns not only about hand-washing, but about the risks that the virus would pose to social and economic activity if not taken seriously by all. Countries such as Senegal were doing this in January.…
"We had a choice early on in the UK’s trajectory to go down the South Korean path of mass testing, isolating carriers of the virus (50% of whom are asymptomatic), tracing all contacts to ensure they isolate as well, and at the same time taking soft measures to delay the spread. Instead, we watched and waited, and whether it was academic navel-gazing, political infighting, a sense of British exceptionalism, or a deliberate choice to minimise economic disruption over saving lives, we have ended up in a position where we are now closer to the Italy scenario than anticipated, and are faced with taking more and more drastic measures."

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Spanish army finds care home residents 'dead and abandoned' horrific BBC story: "Spanish soldiers helping to fight the coronavirus pandemic have found elderly patients in retirement homes abandoned and, in some cases, dead in their beds, the defence ministry has said.
"Spanish prosecutors said an investigation had been launched.
"The military has been brought in to help disinfect care homes in Spain, one of Europe's worst hit countries."

(1 Apr 2020) Coronavirus: Suspected outbreak in Oaklands Nursing Home, Hove Argus reports: "STAFF at a nursing home are desperately pleading for help after a suspected outbreak of coronavirus which has lasted for 11 days.
"More than three quarters of Oaklands Nursing Home residents, all over the age of 65, are now reportedly displaying symptoms of Covid-19."

(1 Apr 2020) To fight this pandemic, we must radically re-imagine public health… Open letter from Medact invites signatures:
"As health workers we will be fighting to protect the health and wellbeing of millions in the coming months.
"We cannot win this fight if we fail to address the underlying social and economic issues trapping people, families and communities in cycles of poverty, poor health and despair.
"As the people on the front line against Coronavirus, we call on all party leaders and all MPs to work together to ensure legislation is passed that protects everyone’s wellbeing now and through the duration of this crisis."

(1 Apr 2020) Hand sanitiser plant capable of producing one million bottles a month to be built in UK Independent reports "Ineos is to build a hand sanitiser plant near Middlesbrough to produce one million bottles a month within 10 days, the company has announced.
"The factory will supply hospitals with products free of charge.
"As well as making hand saniters for front line medical and care services across the UK and Europe, the company expects to make "pocket bottle" sizes for individual use. "

(1 Apr 2020) NHS staff making masks from snorkels amid PPE shortages Guardian April 1 report but no joke: "A consultant anaesthetist working in south-east England reported buying 60 snorkels to adapt into respirator masks. “Various other places are doing the same,” the doctor told the Guardian. “One trust has ordered 500 and teamed up with companies who are (3D) printing the adapters.”
"Samantha Batt-Rawden, the president of Doctors Association UK, said: “It is unacceptable that ongoing shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) have led to this desperate situation. We have heard from numerous frontline NHS doctors who have been forced to improvise as they simply don’t have access to appropriate kit."

(1 Apr 2020) ‘I Do Fear for My Staff,’ a Doctor Said. He Lost His Job. New York Times April 1 report: "At least 61 doctors and nurses have died from the coronavirus in Italy so far. Already, in New York City alone, two nurses have died and more than 200 health workers are reported sick at a single major hospital.
"These superheroes are at risk partly because we sometimes send them into battle without adequate personal protective equipment, or P.P.E. This should be a national scandal, and now hospitals are compounding the outrage by punishing staff members who speak up or simply try to keep themselves safe."

(1 Apr 2020) Muslim minority doctors first to die on front line of UK pandemic Al Jazeera report April 1: "The United Kingdom is paying tribute to the first doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic who have died after contracting COVID-19.
"All four men - Alfa Sa'adu; Amged el-Hawrani; Adil El Tayar and Habib Zaidi - were Muslim and had ancestry in regions including Africa, Asia and the Middle East."

(1 Apr 2020) UK healthcare regulator brands resuscitation strategy unacceptable Guardian April 1 report: “Elderly care home residents have been categorised “en masse” as not requiring resuscitation, in a strategy branded unacceptable by the healthcare regulator.
“People in care homes in Hove, East Sussex and south Wales are among those who have had “do not attempt resuscitation” (DNAR) notices applied to their care plans during the coronavirus outbreak without proper consultation with them or their families, MPs and medical unions fear.
“Care homes in Leeds have reported that district nurses have been asking them to “revisit do not resuscitate conversations with people who said they didn’t want them” and a care worker in Wales told the Guardian that after a visit from a GP, all 20 of their residents had DNAR notices attached to their plans.
“An NHS health board in another area of Wales has apologised this week after a GP surgery near Port Talbot recommended that patients with serious illnesses complete DNAR forms.”

(31 Mar 2020) Hospitals Tell Doctors They’ll Be Fired If They Speak Out About Lack of Gear Bloomberg March 31 report on the dysfunctional US system that some NHS managers seem to be copying: "Hospitals are threatening to fire health-care workers who publicize their working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic -- and have in some cases followed through.
"Ming Lin, an emergency room physician in Washington state, said he was told Friday he was out of a job because he’d given an interview to a newspaper about a Facebook post detailing what he believed to be inadequate protective equipment and testing. In Chicago, a nurse was fired after emailing colleagues that she wanted to wear a more protective mask while on duty. In New York, the NYU Langone Health system has warned employees they could be terminated if they talk to the media without authorization.
“Hospitals are muzzling nurses and other health-care workers in an attempt to preserve their image,” said Ruth Schubert, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Nurses Association. “It is outrageous.”"

(23 Mar 2020) Covid-19 crisis fighters say the US must nationalize healthcare equipment production Quartz (March 22) reports: "In New York, where over 15,000 people are infected with coronavirus and 114 have died from it, governor Andrew Cuomo has called on Donald Trump to order US factories to produce critical gear needed in the health crisis.
"The US traditionally wins wars not so much by out-fighting its enemies as out-manufacturing them. Now, the enemy is a virus, and healthcare workers are crying out for more face masks, goggles, and protective gear; many are warning that shortages of mechanical ventilators that breathe for critically ill patients are on the horizon if not already here.
"One tool to do this is called the Defense Production Act (pdf), a law passed at the beginning of the Korean War to help the US build needed war material. Trump signed an order authorizing use of the act’s powers on March 18, but he hasn’t actually used them yet. Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have called on the US president to get the assembly lines rolling."

(23 Mar 2020) NHS England takes over CCG powers HSJ, which is publishing its Covid-19 info free to access, reports (March 23): "NHS England is taking on extensive powers — normally held by clinical commissioning groups — to buy services from the private sector and to support the coronavirus effort as [it] “deems appropriate”.
"In a national directive published today, the Department of Health and Social Care says the covid-19 crisis is “an emergency”, and it has legally directed NHSE to exercise key functions normally held by CCGs."

(23 Mar 2020) Basildon University Hospital NHS Dancers - March 20 2020 Lively display by staff we might expect to be knackered! Our wonderful NHS team.

(23 Mar 2020) Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment Valuable handbook pulling together lessons of Chines fight against Covid-19. Introduction explains
"This is an unprecedented global war, and mankind is facing the same enemy, the novel coronavirus. And the first battlefield is the hospital where our soldiers are the medical workers.
"To ensure that this war can be won, we must first make sure that our medical staff is guaranteed sufficient resources, including experience and technologies. Also, we need to make sure that the hospital is the battleground where we eliminate the virus, not where the virus defeats us.
"Therefore, the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have convened a group of medical experts who have just returned from the frontlines of fighting the pandemic.
"With the support of The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (FAHZU), they quickly published a guidebook on the clinical experience of how to treat this new coronavirus. The treatment guide offers advice and reference against the pandemic for medical staff around the world who are about to join the war.
"… This pandemic is a common challenge faced by mankind in the age of globalization. At this moment, sharing resources, experiences and lessons, regardless of who you are, is our only chance to win. The real remedy for this pandemic is not isolation, but cooperation.
"This war has just begun."

(23 Mar 2020) We must protect our NHS workers from coronavirus Shadow health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth writes in the (£) Times March 18: I have been inundated by with first-hand accounts from NHS workers. Their courage, heroism and dedication are extraordinary, not least when colleagues and friends become seriously ill.
“However, they need protection more than admiration. The coronavirus spreads rapidly and exploits ambivalence. It demands a government effort like we have never seen before.
“On the frontline there is growing concern — indeed fury — at the inadequate protective equipment some NHS workers receive as they administer care. Getting this right should be the absolute minimum of what is expected in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and yet so far it is not happening.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Routine NHS operations cancelled in effort to free up 30,000 hospital beds Independent March 17: “In a letter to NHS bosses today NHS England said hospitals should look to cancel all non-urgent surgeries for at least three months starting from 15 April.
“Hospitals were given discretion to begin winding down activity immediately to help train staff and begin work setting up makeshift intensive care wards.
“Any cancer operations and patients needing emergency treatment will not be affected.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus will force hospital chiefs to make some terrible choices Polly Toynbee in the Guardian March 17, quotes an unnamed NHS hospital CEO:
“Meanwhile, he prepares for 20% of his staff to be off sick. Hoteliers call him, eagerly offering their deserted rooms. He tells them they will be used later for convalescents, but could they now send over their cleaners, receptionists and cooks to train up for hospital jobs. He’s retraining surgeons to work under respiratory consultants. He ordered ventilators before NHS England banned it and wonders if they will be requisitioned for elsewhere when they arrive.
“Asking staff their plans for when schools close, “grandparents” is often the answer, so he encourages nurses to share childcare. He will hire students from shut-down universities to clean the hospital from top to bottom, wiping every rail every two hours, non-stop.
“Standing on a burning platform,” he says, “the NHS is finding out what it needn’t do.” Half his outpatients can be treated by phone and 20% of A&E admissions were needless, while centralised NHS procurement will be a lasting bonus. “There’ll be no going back.”

(23 Mar 2020) Britain must change course – and resume Covid-19 testing to protect frontline NHS staff Guardian comment March 16: “Based on the experience of other countries and in previous outbreaks, there are three clear steps we can take.
“First, resume testing – starting with health staff and first-line responders, and eventually others around the country – to understand where exactly the virus is, how many people have been infected, and how to break chains of transmission. Health staff on Covid-19 wards need to know if they have the virus – not only so they can protect their families, but also so they don’t go on to expose others in the hospital. We need to avoid clusters of cases among vulnerable groups there, which is what occurred early in Italy’s outbreak.
“The WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said we need to “test, test, test”. South Korea, widely seen as a success, is doing 10,000 tests a day and its foreign minister has said: “Testing is central because it leads to every detection.”

(23 Mar 2020) The UK Only Realised "In The Last Few Days" That Its Coronavirus Strategy Would "Likely Result In Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths" Buzzfeed article March 16: “The UK only realised "in the last few days" that attempts to "mitigate" the impact of the coronavirus pandemic would not work, and that it needed to shift to a strategy to "suppress" the outbreak, according to a report by a team of experts who have been advising the government.
“The report, published by the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team on Monday night, found that the strategy previously being pursued by the government — dubbed "mitigation" and involving home isolation of suspect cases and their family members but not including restrictions on wider society — would "likely result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and health systems (most notably intensive care units) being overwhelmed many times over".
“The mitigation strategy "focuses on slowing but not necessarily stopping epidemic spread — reducing peak healthcare demand while protecting those most at risk of severe disease from infection", the report said, reflecting the UK strategy that was outlined last week by Boris Johnson and the chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance.
“But the approach was found to be unworkable.
"Our most significant conclusion is that mitigation is unlikely to be feasible without emergency surge capacity limits of the UK and US healthcare systems being exceeded many times over," perhaps by as much as eight times, the report said.”

(23 Mar 2020) Not fit for purpose': UK medics condemn Covid-19 protection Guardian March 16: “Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) appear to be widespread across the health service and include GP practices as well as hospitals. Doctors are angry about Public Health England’s new advice issued last week which reduces the level of the PPE that staff need to wear. Medics believe the change in advice was driven by the lack of equipment rather than a change in the clinical evidence about the risks from the virus.
“Previously, staff were told to wear full PPE, comprising an FFP3 masks (which offer high levels of respiratory protection), visors, surgical gowns and two pairs of gloves each. But the new advice recommends only a standard surgical face mask, short gloves and a plastic apron. Staff have dismissed this as “totally inadequate” protection. FFP3 masks and visors appear to be in particularly short supply.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: France imposes lockdown as EU calls for 30-day travel ban - and Spain takes over private hospitals Guardian March 16: “In Spain, where the coronavirus toll climbed to 309 on Monday with 9,191 confirmed cases, the government announced sweeping measures allowing it to take over private healthcare providers and requisition materials such as face masks and Covid-19 tests.
“The health minister, Salvador Illa, said private healthcare facilities would be requisitioned for coronavirus patients, and manufacturers and suppliers of healthcare equipment must notify the government within 48 hours.
“The Spanish government declared a state of emergency on Saturday, placing the country in lockdown and ordering people to leave their homes only if they needed to buy food or medicine or go to work or hospital. The transport minister, José Luis Ábalos, said it was “obvious” the measures would be extended beyond the planned 15-day period.”

(23 Mar 2020) Italian hospital saves Covid-19 patients lives by 3D printing valves for reanimation devices March 14 story from 3D printing website: “a hospital in Brescia (near one of the hardest-hit regions for coronavirus infections) urgently needed valves (in the photo) for an intensive care device and that the supplier could not provide them in a short time. Running out of the valves would have been dramatic and some people might have lost their lives. So she asked if it would be possible to 3D print them.
“After several phone calls to fablabs and companies in Milan and Brescia and then, fortunately, a company in the area, Isinnova, responded to this call for help through its Founder & CEO Cristian Fracassi, who brought a 3D printer directly to the hospital and, in just a few hours, redesigned and then produced the missing piece.
“On the evening of Saturday 14th (the next day) Massimo reported that “the system works”. At the time of writing, 10 patients are accompanied in breathing by a machine that uses a 3D printed valve.”

(23 Mar 2020) I’m an epidemiologist. When I heard about Britain’s ‘herd immunity’ coronavirus plan, I thought it was satire Guardian March 15: “I research and teach the evolution and epidemiology of infectious disease at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health. My colleagues here in the US, even as they are reeling from the stumbling response of the Donald Trump administration to the crisis, assumed that reports of the UK policy were satire – an example of the wry humour for which the country is famed. But they are all too real.
“… We talk about vaccines generating herd immunity, so why is this different? Because this is not a vaccine. This is an actual pandemic that will make a very large number of people sick, and some of them will die. Even though the mortality rate is likely quite low, a small fraction of a very large number is still a large number. And the mortality rate will climb when the NHS is overwhelmed.”

(23 Mar 2020) The UK’s Covid-19 strategy dangerously leaves too many questions unanswered Guardian March 15 epidemic specialist and Professor of Global Health expresses concern over British government policy:
“The public health response to a serious epidemic is laid out simply and clearly by the World Health Organization (WHO). Test intensively, trace contacts, quarantine and maintain social distancing.
“When Covid-19 got out of control in Wuhan, after three weeks of public health inaction, the Chinese authorities mounted a proper campaign to control the virus.
“They listened to the WHO. They tested extensively, setting up mobile testing centres, and getting the test result time down from four days to four hours. They cut the time from onset of symptoms to lab result from 12 to three days. They identified family clusters (the virus spreads mainly through extended close contact so family members are most at risk) and arranged isolation centres for contacts.
“Above all, they mobilised communities. They didn’t leave it all to messages and nudge behavioural methods.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Local councils scramble to prepare care homes for large-scale outbreak Independent March 14: “Local councils are rushing to prepare nursing homes and care services for a large-scale coronavirus outbreak as the government launched a taskforce to coordinate the nationwide response.
In new guidance published on Friday, ministers instructed councils to draw up plans for how they will support the most vulnerable and high-risk people, and contact all providers in their areas to draw up plans for “mutual aid” under which care homes could help each other in the event of serious infections.
The government’s focus on social care follows criticism over a lack of information or planning, with experts warning that the care sector is extremely vulnerable to the outbreak.”

(23 Mar 2020) The Guardian view on the UK’s Covid-19 response: confused and hesitant Guardian Opinion column March 15: “Boris Johnson’s decision to go it alone, in global policy terms, over the UK’s Covid-19 outbreak is being challenged every day – and there is a sense of foreboding that the government is coming up short with its answers.
“Unlike our nearest neighbours, ministers said there would be no imminent ban on mass events because such a prohibition would do no good. On Friday night it was announced that there would be such a proscription.
“The government then had to make a U-turn this weekend over its message that the UK is pursuing a policy of “herd immunity”. It was troubling – and reflects badly on ministers – that an epidemiological outcome of mass infection was confused with the dubious policy aim of building resistance in the population.”

(23 Mar 2020) An anguished cry from the NHS front line: coronavirus is about to explode among medical staff Telegraph feature March 15: “Like many other Telegraph journalists, I have received a number of emails from well-informed doctors and medical staff working at the front of the NHS. They are in despair.
“They are alarmed by the failure of the Government to take more drastic action to fight Covid-19. They are stunned that this country seems to have opted for capitulation at a time when best practice leaders in East Asia - and I don’t mean China - have managed to contain the virus through use of technology, and to do so without massive economic and social disruption.
“These medics are not reflexive ideological enemies of the Tories or blow-hard Twitterati. They are Telegraph readers who fear that a terrible mistake is being made and that the country is heading for a catastrophe - using that loaded term correctly - unless policy is changed immediately....”

(23 Mar 2020) Brexit threatens UK’s ability to respond to a future pandemic Guardian article by Prof Martin McKee and colleagues March 14:
“The coronavirus pandemic could not have come at a worse time for the UK and its citizens. Just as UK government ministers are digging in for the really difficult part of Brexit, the negotiations on future relationships with the EU and the rest of the world, a new virus comes out of China that reminds us of just why international co-operation is so important.
“The obvious response, one might think, would be to do everything to safeguard those areas where the UK does collaborate, so as to reduce the threat of infectious disease. Instead, the UK has decided to isolate itself from European systems that have been built up over the past decade, many as a result of problems exposed by the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
“The UK’s decision to leave the European Medicines Agency (EMA), an arm of the European Commission, has been discussed at length. The EMA is responsible for overseeing clinical trials for new vaccines and medicines for pandemics, and deciding on marketing authorisations for them that apply across the EU.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Some scientists say UK virus strategy is 'risking lives' BBC report March 14: “More than 200 scientists have written to the government urging them to introduce tougher measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
“In an open letter, the 229 specialists in disciplines ranging from mathematics to genetics - though no leading experts in the science of the spread of diseases - say the UK's current approach will put the NHS under additional stress and "risk many more lives than necessary".
“The signatories also criticised comments made by Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, about managing the spread of the infection to make the population immune.
“The Department of Health said Sir Patrick's comments had been misinterpreted.
“The scientists - all from UK universities - also questioned the government's view that people would become fed up with restrictions if they were imposed too soon.”

(23 Mar 2020) ‘We are making difficult choices’: Italian doctor tells of struggle against coronavirus Independent March 14: "A doctor in Italy has told The Independent how medics there are being forced to ration care to patients in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak with elderly patients being denied care based on their age and whether they have other conditions.
"Consultant anaesthetist and intensive care specialist Maria, who works at the Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, described the relentless influx of coronavirus patients with medics working round the clock and being forced to make difficult decisions.
"She warned UK hospitals to plan now for the influx in patients stressing some of those who became sick and needed care were young and healthy."

(23 Mar 2020) Chinese medical workers who have been fighting the #coronavirus celebrate the closing of the last temporary hospital in Wuhan. Great to see smiling faces emerge from behind the masks.

(23 Mar 2020) Herd immunity: will the UK's coronavirus strategy work? Guardian (March 13) highlighting the fortunately now-discarded policy that appears to have originated from Dominic Cummings, and pointing out the danger: “But allowing the population to build up immunity in this way – rather than through widespread testing, tracking down the contacts of every case and isolating them, as many other countries in Asia and Europe have chosen to do – could increase the risk to the most vulnerable: older people with underlying health problems.
“To reach herd immunity, about 60% of the population would need to get ill and become immune, according to Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser. Though it could need as much as 70% or more.
“Even scientists who understand the strategy are anxious. “I do worry that making plans that assume such a large proportion of the population will become infected (and hopefully recovered and immune) may not be the very best that we can do,” said Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.”

(23 Mar 2020) WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the Mission briefing on COVID-19 - 12 March 2020 12 March statement from WHO:
“As you know, yesterday I said that that the global COVID-19 outbreak can now be described as a pandemic. This is not a decision we took lightly.
We have made this assessment for two main reasons: first, because of the speed and scale of transmission. Almost 125,000 cases have now been reported to WHO, from 118 countries and territories. In the past two weeks, the number of cases reported outside China has increased almost 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has almost tripled.
The second reason is that despite our frequent warnings, we are deeply concerned that some countries are not approaching this threat with the level of political commitment needed to control it.
Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up. The idea that countries should shift from containment to mitigation is wrong and dangerous.
On the contrary, we have to double down.
This is a controllable pandemic. Countries that decide to give up on fundamental public health measures may end up with a larger problem, and a heavier burden on the health system that requires more severe measures to control.”

(23 Mar 2020) I'm an NHS doctor treating coronavirus – you have no idea how bad things could get Independent March 12: "Without wanting to sound alarmist, the numbers are inescapable.
"One week ago, we had 40 confirmed cases in the UK. We took no specific general measures other than to contain and trace the contact patients had had with others. Yesterday, we had over ten times that number of cases, and still apart from screening intensive care patients, our testing criteria have barely changed. We still aren’t testing community cases that clinically look like coronavirus if they haven’t travelled or had contact with confirmed cases. Hospital cases are only beginning to be tested this week, and only at the discretion of clinicians.
"Until now, a suspected case was not allowed to be tested unless they had an obvious link to certain countries or infected patients. I’ve seen at least three people with severe disease who weren’t allowed to be tested, and heard of dozens more. This long-overdue policy change will soon be reflected – possibly as soon as the next 24-48 hours – in a big spike in case numbers."

(23 Mar 2020) Health expert brands UK's coronavirus response 'pathetic' Guardian March 12: "Prof John Ashton, a former regional director of public health for north-west England, lambasted a lack of preparation and openness from the government and contrasted Britain’s response to that of Hong Kong.
“Right at the beginning of February, they [Hong Kong] adopted a total approach to this, which is what we should have done five weeks ago ourselves. They took a decision to work to three principles – of responding promptly, staying alert, working in an open and transparent manner,” he told the Guardian.
“Our lot haven’t been working openly and transparently. They’ve been doing it in a (non) smoke-filled room and just dribbling out stuff. The chief medical officer only appeared in public after about two weeks. Then they have had a succession of people bobbing up and disappearing. Public Health England’s been almost invisible.
“Boris Johnson should have convened Cobra himself over a month ago and had regular meetings with the chief medical officer with the evidence. The thing should have been fronted up nationally by one person who could be regarded as the trusted voice and who could have been interrogated regularly. That’s not happened.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: NHS bosses warn hospitals over intensive care demand surge March 12 Independent: "NHS hospitals have been told to expect a “several-fold” increase in demand for intensive care beds during a serious coronavirus outbreak.
"Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s incident director for the coronavirus outbreak, told a secret briefing of chief nurses from across the NHS that they needed to prepare now for the unprecedented demand which could overwhelm existing critical care services.
"Sources who were in the briefing told The Independent Prof Willett warned the demand was likely to be not just double but “several fold” the existing 4,000 intensive care beds in the NHS.
"Prof Willett said the NHS will also be holding large-scale simulations next week for an expected coronavirus surge in an effort to “stress test the system” ahead of rising cases of infection.
"If the predictions are right the NHS will likely be forced to cancel large numbers of operations and re-deploy nurses and doctors."

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Unqualified nursing students to be drafted in to help hospitals amid UK outbreak, NHS boss reveals Independent March 11: "Nursing students are to be drafted in by the NHS to help out on hospital wards during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, the head of NHS England has said.
"Speaking at a conference of nursing leaders in Birmingham, Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England said third year unqualified nursing students would be asked to help care for patients.
"The Independent understands work is on-going now with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on how the 18,000 students could be temporarily registered with the watchdog to allow them to work on wards and this could form part of the government’s emergency legislation.
"Any students will be invited to work in the NHS, it will not be mandatory, and students who do will be paid for their contribution."

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus in Italy : a report from the frontline Public Reading Rooms publish a translation by an Italian epidemiologist Silvia Stringhini of a report of the situation facing health care workers in Italy at the moment. The report is by Dr. Daniele Macchini who is working on the Intensive Care Unit at Bergamo hospital. Both Silvia and Daniele are keen to stress the seriousness of the situation the Italian health care system is facing and for everyone, whether in Italy or elsewhere, to wake up to the threat that Corinavirus poses. Corinavirus is not flu.

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Warning over lack of social care plans for UK epidemic Independent March 10: "There is no evidence of detailed plans to help nursing homes and care workers to cope in the event of a serious coronavirus outbreak, industry leaders have told The Independent.
"In a stark warning Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, a charity which represents care providers, said he feared widespread deaths were inevitable if the virus sweeps the country and he hit out at what he said was the government’s ignorance of social care and its importance.
"Experts from the Nuffield Trust think tank have also warned the social care sector is particularly vulnerable to the virus with many frail and elderly patients dependent on care workers who could be forced to stay at home in large numbers."

(23 Mar 2020) NHS staff exposed to coronavirus 'not given protective clothing or sanitiser' March 10 GMB statement: "GMB members working in the NHS say they are being exposed to coronavirus patients but that they have not yet been provided with advice, training, protective clothing or hand sanitisers by NHS trusts.
"Non-emergency patient transport drivers working for HATS group - covering Croydon NHS, St George’s NHS and Kingston NHS - report they were asked to drive a vehicle potentially contaminated with COVID-19.
"Their concerns over the infection risk were dismissed by management as ‘fake news’, the workers say.
"Meanwhile a hospital ancillary worker, at Epsom and St Helier trust, is now being tested for COVID-19 after unwittingly moving an infected patient. He was not told that the patient tested positive for the virus."

(23 Mar 2020) Government fails to detail how retired doctors plan will work for coronavirus Guardian March 10: "The government is under pressure to spell out how it will use retired doctors to help tackle the coronavirus after ministers failed to provide any detail about how the scheme would work.
"Questions are being asked about the widely reported NHS initiative, which was included in the government’s coronavirus action plan that Boris Johnson launched last week.
"But the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) did not flesh out any of the detail about how it would resolve the complexities of launching the scheme when quizzed by an ex-health minister.
"The Conservative MP Dr Dan Poulter last week tabled a parliamentary question to Matt Hancock, the health secretary, asking “what steps the government is taking to ensure that retired medical staff will be (a) re-registered and (b) re-certified to practise in the event that they are required to work as a result of Covid-19”.
"But in a reply published on Monday, the DHSC said only that it “has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.”

(23 Mar 2020) Would you have to pay for a coronavirus test? It depends CNN March 7: "As coronavirus cases multiply across the nation, many Americans who aren't feeling too well are worried about how much they'll have to pay to get checked out.
"The answer isn't simple -- it depends on what insurance they have, where they seek care and what tests the doctor orders. This uncertainty may deter some folks from seeing a doctor, which could increase the disease's spread.
"While there's been no charge for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tests in public health labs, commercial labs and hospitals are developing their own screenings, which are expected to carry a fee.
"Vice President Mike Pence further muddied the waters this week when he said the administration was designating the test as an essential health benefit.
"That means, by definition, it's covered in the private health insurance of every American, as well as covered by Medicare and Medicaid," he said."

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Doctors warn UK hospitals running out of protective equipment for staff Independent March 9 : "UK hospitals are beginning to run out of vital equipment needed to protect nurses and doctors from catching coronavirus from infected patients, medics have warned.
"NHS staff have said they are unable to get hold of some face masks and other specialist personal protective equipment (PPE) which is needed to prevent them falling ill. Some hospitals are weeks away from running out of equipment, multiple sources have said.
"In response to the concerns on Sunday, the Department of Health and Social Care said it would now release the UK’s stockpile of equipment set aside for when the country faces a pandemic disease. Coronavirus has not yet been classified as a pandemic.
"Doctors have been told to limit their use of face masks during procedures and surgeries to try and maintain supplies while NHS England said it would be shipping PPE to GPs this week amid concerns they lack enough equipment."

(23 Mar 2020) Concerns over lack of strategy to protect rough sleepers from coronavirus Guardian March 6: "The homeless charity Crisis, together with the Liberal Democrats, are asking for immediate guidance on how to help rough sleepers who are likely to have pre-existing health conditions that make them vulnerable to the illness.
"Advice is also needed on how the self-isolation protocol could work for people who live on the streets and how they can regularly wash their hands, they suggest.
"Matthew Downie, director of policy and external affairs for Crisis, said: “People sleeping rough are particularly vulnerable because they are more likely to have a range of existing health conditions and face specific challenges in that they may be unable to regularly wash their hands, nor can they self-isolate if they feel unwell.
“This guidance must set out what measures government is taking to ensure rough sleepers get appropriate health checks, what accommodation will be provided so that people can self-isolate and advice for the public on how best they can support people who are homeless during the coronavirus outbreak.”

(23 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Supermarkets cast doubt on minister's food supply claim BBC March 6: "Supermarkets have cast doubts on an assurance from the health secretary that food supplies would not be disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.
"On Thursday, Matt Hancock said: "We are working with the supermarkets to make sure that, if people are self-isolating, then we will be able to get the food and supplies that they need."
"But supermarket sources said they had not discussed getting food to homes.
"One executive said he was "baffled" by the suggestions.
"An executive told BBC business editor Simon Jack: "Matt Hancock has totally made up what he said about working with supermarkets. We haven't heard anything from government directly."

(23 Mar 2020) Nurses Battling Coronavirus Beg for Protective Gear and Better Planning NYT March 5: "Nurses in Washington State and California said they have had to beg for N95 masks, which are thicker than surgical masks and block out much smaller particles, and have faced ridicule from colleagues when expressing concerns about catching the highly contagious virus. Some have complained about being pulled out of quarantine early to treat patients because of staff shortages.
“If nurses aren’t safe, then really our community isn’t safe,” said Jenny Managhebi, a clinical nurse at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center, where 24 nurses were asked to self-quarantine after a patient tested positive for the virus. “If I’m not safe at the bedside, when I come home to my husband and my children, then they’re not safe.”
"Concerns from nurses in Washington State and California echo those of nurses nationwide. National Nurses United, a union that represents about 150,000 nurses across the country, announced on Thursday the sobering results of an online survey it recently conducted.
"Of the 6,500 nurses who participated, 29 percent said their hospitals had a plan in place to isolate potential coronavirus patients, and 44 percent said they had received guidance from their employers about how to handle the virus.
"Sixty-three percent had access to N95 face masks, and a quarter of the respondents had access to an even more protective mask recommended by the union, known as a PAPR, or a powered air purifying respirator."

(23 Mar 2020) Half of UK coronavirus cases likely to occur over three weeks – and NHS does not have enough beds to cope Telegraph March 5: "Half of coronavirus cases in the UK are likely to occur over just three weeks and the NHS does not have enough beds to cope with them, the chief medical officer has warned.
"Professor Chris Whitty said there was a "slim to zero" chance of avoiding a global pandemic which could see "huge pressure" on the NHS, making it impossible for everyone who needs a bed to get one.
"The chief medical officer said Britain had now largely shifted from the containment to the "delay" phase of its strategy.
"The Government's realistic worst case scenario suggests that 80 per cent of people could get coronavirus, with between 15 and 20 per cent of those cases needing hospital care. "

(23 Mar 2020) Care workers could be redeployed to UK coronavirus hotspots Guardian March 4: "Care workers could be redeployed to look after elderly people in coronavirus hotspots across the UK as officials investigate whether criminal records checks need to be loosened to fill vacancies left by sick carers.
"Whitehall officials have started talks with nursing homes and home care operators about how to pool workers in preparation for large numbers of care visitors and care home workers going off sick or self-isolating.
The Department of Health and Social Care has asked providers whether the system of obligatory background checks for workers who have close physical contact with vulnerable people is a barrier to implementing the emergency plan, care industry sources said."

(23 Mar 2020) As a doctor, I'm telling Boris Johnson – a Little Britain response to coronavirus will be deadly Independent article by KONP co chair Dr John Puntis, March 3: “In 1831, the first “Asiatic cholera” pandemic reached the UK via the port of Sunderland. Although the terrible nature of the disease was evident to local doctors, vested interests delayed the notification of authorities in London because of concern about negative effects on business. Of course, more people died, and the port was quarantined.
…
"The UK appears woefully unprepared for coronavirus. The NHS is already in bad shape, with the worst ever A&E waiting times, over 95% bed occupancy, 100,000 staff vacancies and the prospect that a no-deal Brexit will majorly disrupt the supply of medicines. With the worst-case scenario suggesting up to 50 million infections and up to 250,000 deaths in the UK alone, there can be little doubt that both health and social care services will be severely challenged by even a modest intensification of the outbreak.
"More worryingly still, it appears the UK government is allowing petty infighting to hamper its preparations for a pandemic. It is staggering to hear that, as the virus continues its rapid spread, Downing Street and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are locked in a row about Brexit – specifically, the UK’s continued access to the EU Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) for communicable diseases. The DHSC, it is reported, wish to remain in the EWRS, the prime minister decidedly does not. "

(23 Mar 2020) Union calls for ‘compulsory’ virus sick pay for social care workers March 3 NT: Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, has written to the secretary of state for work and pensions asking for emergency action to protect staff.
In a letter addressed to Thérèse Coffey, Mr Prentis said this issue was particularly relevant for social care workers, who provide essential services to the elderly, sick and most vulnerable members of society.
Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock has issued guidance to UK employers, stating that staff who have been advised to self-isolate by their GP or manager should be entitled to take the time period as sick leave.
However, those on so-called zero-hour contracts do not have access to sick leave or statutory sick pay.

(23 Mar 2020) Why The Death Rate From Coronavirus Is Plunging In China NPR March 3: Those early severe cases made COVID-19 look like a much bigger killer. It was only after officials in China stepped up surveillance that they started uncovering many more mild cases (people with symptoms such as fever and dry cough but limited or no pneumonia).
All of this may also help explain why over time the death rate for COVID-19 has steadily dropped.
According to the China CDC study, among patients whose symptoms started between Jan. 1 and Jan. 10 the death rate was 15.6%. But it was just 0.8% among those who didn't get sick until Feb. 1 to Feb. 11.
That pattern of progressively dropping death rates is one we're likely to see in other countries.

(23 Mar 2020) Why self-quarantine from coronavirus is a privilege only for the rich Independent March 3: While Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) must be paid by employers to their sick employees, not everyone qualifies. Workers must have earned on average at least £118 per week (before tax) in the past 8 weeks before their sick leave to qualify.
With minimum wage for people aged 18 to 21 at just £6.15, a university student would have had to work on average 19 hours per week, for the last 8 weeks, to qualify.
A young mum in her early twenties earning minimum wage at £7.70, would have had to have worked 15 hours per week, and a cafe worker in their mid twenties or above waiting tables as a side hustle – 14 hours on average.
For those working in the gig economy, the situation is similarly bleak. In gig economy jobs, such as food delivery, pay is given per task.
So if you’re too sick to do the gigs, there won't be any pay for you.

(23 Mar 2020) Waive Fees for Coronavirus Tests and Treatment, Health Experts Urge officials are increasingly worried that medical bills will discourage the poor and uninsured from getting medical care.
The federal government is also considering paying for care for those affected, possibly based on funds available through federal disaster relief programs. There are “initial conversations,” Dr. Robert Kadlec, a senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told Congress on Wednesday.
In addition to the nation’s 27.5 million uninsured, some lawmakers are concerned that the tens of millions who are underinsured — Americans with high deductibles or limited insurance — may also be at risk of unexpected expenses as more and more people are exposed to the virus.

(23 Mar 2020) Majority of retired NHS staff don't want to return to tackle Covid-19 crisis March 4: Scores of retired NHS doctors and nurses have told the Guardian that they are against returning to work to help tackle coronavirus, with many saying it would threaten their physical and mental health. The government confirmed contingency plans on Tuesday to call back to work NHS “leavers and retirees” to help relieve pressure on an NHS workforce that is expected to be overwhelmed by the virus.
But a majority of 120 former NHS employees who responded to a Guardian callout were resistant, and in some cases hostile, to the idea. Many respondents said unprompted they did not want to a return to a working environment where they suffered stress, bullying, burnout and even breakdowns.

(23 Mar 2020) Tory Health Secretary refuses to deny benefit claimants could be sanctioned if they catch Coronavirus Evolve March 3: Hancock [said] it was the government’s “intention” not to sanction benefit claimants who self-isolate – but refused to make any firm commitment that it would not happen.
The Tory Health Secretary also added that he was speaking to the DWP Secretary “frequently” about the issue.
Alison Thewliss, an SNP MP, probed Hancock further asking:
“Could I ask very specifically around the advice to DWP decision-makers. What advice specifically has been circulated within the DWP, and could all elected members get a copy of it just in case any of our constituents find that that advice has not been followed through?”
Hancock responded by saying he would take the issue up with the DWP Secretary.

(23 Mar 2020) As Coronavirus Hits U.K., Health Workers Fear Getting Sick, and Going Broke NYT March 3: Every workday, Al-Hakim arrives at one of London’s largest public hospitals for a shift as a cleaner, earning little more than minimum wage even though his latest job includes disinfecting rooms reserved for suspected coronavirus patients.
He isn’t certain what he fears most: being exposed to the coronavirus himself, or having to be quarantined for 14 days, as he is one of thousands of private contractors, many of whom receive little sick pay. But he knows what he would do if he did contract the virus — report to work anyway, because he cannot afford to lose even a day’s pay.
“That’s going to be maybe suicide,” said Al-Hakim, who like several other health workers asked not to be identified by their full names, for fear of losing their jobs. “Let’s say I’m sick for one month now — how am I going to pay my rent? The bills are there — how am I going to cope?”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University Mapping the global spread of the virus.

(21 Mar 2020) COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Data from World Odometers

(21 Mar 2020) How does the new coronavirus compare with the flu? Live Science report March 19: “So far, the new coronavirus has led to more than 220,000 illnesses and more than 9,300 deaths worldwide. But that's nothing compared with the flu, also called influenza.
“In the U.S. alone, the flu has caused an estimated 36 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations and 22,000 deaths this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“That said, scientists have studied seasonal flu for decades. So, despite the danger of it, we know a lot about flu viruses and what to expect each season. In contrast, very little is known about the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, dubbed COVID-19, because it's so new. This means COVID-19 is something of a wild card in terms of how far it will spread and how many deaths it will cause.”

(21 Mar 2020) COVID: What is the price tag of this war? March 19 Healthcare Business International gives a private sector take on the growing financial impact of measures to contain the spread of the virus, concluding:
“the average Italian patient to die of Covid is 81 and male. That is six months older than average Italian male life expectancy in 2019.
“It may well be too late, but we should be questioning the urge to double national debt and run national deficits equal to those of world war two to combat a disease that shortens lives in this way. For the very old to lose 3-4 years of life is sad. But in my personal experience, many over-80s would not regard it as a tragedy and I’ve known several who would have welcomed an earlier death. Combatting Covid like this will have not just a high economic cost but also shorten life expectancy – often for much younger people.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Wuhan doctors celebrate closure of last temporary hospital after dramatic fall in cases in China March 15 story from Independent with great video: “Hospital staff in the Chinese city where the coronavirus originated removed their masks ceremoniously as the country’s last emergency hospital, built to handle the crisis, was closed.
“In a video that has been viewed millions of times online, workers remove their masks one by one as the camera passes them, to mark the moment.
China built 14 new hospitals, including two in Wuhan, early last month in just weeks to provide thousands of beds for the sick as the virus spread rapidly.”

(21 Mar 2020) Local officials alarmed by dearth of ventilators, hospital beds POLITICO.com (March 14) again reveals parallels between US and UK: “Local officials from around the country are worried about the readiness of the U.S. public health system, citing a sharply limited number of ventilators to help some of the sickest coronavirus patients and an inadequate supply of critical care beds in a hospital industry that has gone through years of cutbacks in inpatient beds.
“As they prepare for an expected influx of patients, local public health officials painted a picture of a system with only a limited “surge” capacity, and stressed the importance of social distancing as a crucial way to keep the numbers of patients at a level the system can handle.
"It's about our supply of ventilators, our supply of beds, and of course we have to worry about our health care workers and the general stress on our health care system," said Dr. Amy Acton, the head of the Ohio Department of Health.”

(21 Mar 2020) COVID-19 and Medicare for All Web resources set up on March 14 by Physicians for a National Health Program in the US, to combine continued pressure for a single-payer health system with useful information.
It notes that “The recent spread of the COVID-19 virus present enormous challenges to our fragmented health care system. Today, nearly one in three Americans — or some 100 million individuals — do not have adequate insurance coverage, which can deter them from seeking testing and timely care.
“As health professionals, this makes contending with a viral respiratory epidemic all that more difficult, exacerbating spread of the outbreak and potentially harming everybody’s health.”

(21 Mar 2020) 'Unlike anything seen in peacetime': NHS prepares for surge in Covid-19 cases Guardian report on March 13: “Hospitals are trebling the size of their intensive care units and preparing to replace A&E doctors with other specialists as the NHS braces itself for a surge in patients whose life is at risk from the coronavirus.
“Millions of patients will have their care delayed as hospitals cancel non-urgent operations, including some surgery for people with heart and lung conditions.
“Hernia repairs, cataract removals and hip and knee replacements will be among the many procedures affected. Around 700,000 people a month in England have a planned procedure. Single rooms freed up will be used as isolation facilities for Covid-19 cases.
“One senior official told the Guardian that hospital trusts across England were moving rapidly to “a footing unlike anything ever seen in peacetime, for something that will be far harder to deal with, and will go on much longer, than even a bad winter crisis”.”

(21 Mar 2020) Italy’s coronavirus crisis could be America’s March 13 Vox article: “Three weeks ago, Italy barely had a coronavirus problem. Back then, when there were just three confirmed cases, shops and cafes were open, tourists flowed in and out of the country’s magnificent holiday destinations, and quarantines were relegated to history: 14th-century Venice during the Black Death.
“Now, Italy has the highest number of reported Covid-19 cases and deaths outside China: more than 15,000 and 1,000, respectively, as of March 13. Those figures are greater than that of two other coronavirus hot zones — Iran and South Korea. And they’re why the focus of the Covid-19 pandemic has now shifted to Europe.
“… Cases in Italy escalated fast and the coronavirus overwhelmed the country’s health system, particularly in the north. More than 80 percent of the hospital beds in Lombardy, the hardest-hit province, are being occupied by coronavirus patients, according to Bloomberg. Intensive care units are overloaded while elective surgeries have been cancelled in the process to free up beds. Stories abound on social media about doctors struggling to meet their patients’ needs.”

(21 Mar 2020) COVID-19 and Italy: what next? Interesting Lancet feature March 13 notes the scale of the problem: “Given that so far the percentage of patients requiring ARDS treatment is close to 10% for patients who are actively infected, at least in Lombardy, we can assume that we will need approximately 4000 beds in intensive care units during the worst period of infection, which is expected to occur in about 4 weeks from March 11.
“This is challenging for Italy, as there are now just over 5200 intensive care beds in total. The aim now is to increase this number to safely meet urgent future needs. According to our prediction, we have only a few weeks to achieve this goal in terms of procuring personnel, technical equipment, and materials.
“These considerations might also apply to other European countries that could have similar numbers of patients infected and similar needs regarding intensive care admissions.
“Since 1978, Italy has had the privilege of having a national health system (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), which was reshaped from 1992–93. Its principles and organisation derive from the British National Health Service model…”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus and the collapse of global public health “Financial Times feature March 12: “In the never ending war between humans and microbes, the smaller of those two combatants is perpetually probing for the weakest link.
“That could be a wet market in Wuhan where a virus jumps from a bat or a pangolin into people. It could be the gig economy in the US, where infected people might be too financially stretched to self-isolate and forgo two weeks’ pay.
“Or it could be a health system in an impoverished country, say in Africa, where testing is inadequate, doctors and nurses in short supply and hospitals at breaking point.
“In the unfolding coronavirus drama, Africa has been the dog that doesn’t bark, or in this case perhaps the bat that doesn’t squeak. There have been relatively few reported cases. Egypt, where dozens of Nile cruise passengers are in quarantine, is the worst affected.
“About 10 other countries have confirmed cases. But that only makes just over 100 cases, mostly in north Africa, in a continent of 1.2bn people. Italy, with 60m people, has more than 12,000 cases. If the numbers are to be believed, Africa has been remarkably lucky. So far."

(21 Mar 2020) Exclusive: NHS prepares to cancel elective ops in readiness for covid-19 surge HSJ reported March 12: “Senior sources told HSJ NHS England had asked trusts to risk stratify elective patients in readiness for having to suspend non-emergency work to free up capacity.
“HSJ understands trusts have been told to firm up their plans for how they would incrementally reduce and potentially suspend non-emergency operations, while also protecting “life saving” procedures such as cancer treatment.
“An announcement is expected soon, with patients affected given at least 48 hours notice. It has not been decided how long it might last for, as the duration of any surge in cases and acute demand is unknown. But HSJ has been told it could stretch out for several months, with three or four months discussed, which would potentially mean tens of or even hundreds of thousands of cancelled operations.”

(21 Mar 2020) Trump speech sets off new alarms among public health experts POLITICO.com reports March 12: “President Donald Trump’s Wednesday night Oval Office address failed to offer any fresh vision for fighting a disease that’s spread undetected for weeks within the U.S., sparking a full-blown panic within the public health community and jolting health care industries confronting the worsening coronavirus pandemic.
“The speech only seemed to confirm fears that that have festered among health experts for weeks, as the administration struggled to roll out coronavirus testing and coordinate with frontline providers — all as Trump and some of his top aides had repeatedly downplayed the risk to the American public.
“Fundamentally, he’s still missing the point, and he’s missing the point in several important ways,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development and former Obama-era foreign aid official. “Every day we’re getting the strategy wrong will extend the severity and size of the outbreak in this country by multiple days.”
“Health insurers following Trump’s speech worked to clear up confusion about what they could cover, and worried lawmakers on Thursday pressed administration officials on whether hospitals were ready for an expected wave of sick patients.”

(21 Mar 2020) Governments must act to stop the coronavirus – but we can't return to business as usual Open Democracy comment on environmental lessons from virus March 12:
“The pandemic is also causing a headache for global capital: trillions of dollars have been wiped off global stock markets, as fears a global recession grow. The IMF recently predicted that a recession half as severe as the global financial crisis would leave $19tn of corporate debt – nearly 40% of all corporate debt in major economies – at risk of default. This could trigger a potentially destabilising cycle of events in the global banking system – a system that is still on life support from the global financial crisis.
“… A few weeks ago, NASA published striking satellite images showing how the fall in economic activity in China following the coronavirus outbreak dramatically reduced air pollution in the country. Based on this data, a group of US academics have estimated that this fall in air pollution may save over 50,000 lives – a figure that dwarfs the 3,100 lives that have been lost to the coronavirus in China. This suggests that the coronavirus may have saved more lives than the disease has taken in China.
"If this sounds farfetched, consider that Chinese air pollution is estimated to cause around 1.6 million premature deaths each year. This isn’t just a problem for China. Most of the goods produced in Chinese factories are exported and consumed in Europe and North America.
“In recent decades, rich countries have effectively outsourced their pollution – along with its human and environmental cost – to China and other countries. Whether we realise it or not, we tolerate these deaths as a price worth paying to get cheaper goods.
“Air pollution is not the only indicator that has improved since the outbreak. Carbon emissions in China have also fallen by a quarter, mainly thanks to declining industrial production and energy demand. If this trend continues elsewhere, analysts say it is possible this will lead to the first fall in global emissions since the 2008-09 financial crisis.
“None of this means that pandemics are in some way desirable, or that we shouldn't act. …
“But once the outbreak subsides, attention will inevitably turn to how the global economy can be rebooted. Before we rush to reinstate ‘business as usual’, we should pause to consider the impact this might have on human and environmental health.”

(21 Mar 2020) Cleaners in coronavirus-hit London hospital walk out after private contractor fails to pay wages GMB March 12 press release: “Cleaning, portering and catering staff at Lewisham Hospital - where Coronavirus cases have been treated - have walked out after private contractor ISS failed to pay the wages of the hospital workers.
“Furious workers stormed off the job during a row with the outsourcing company. Now ISS risks leaving wards uncleaned and meals not being served if they can’t settle the low paid workers’ wages.”

(21 Mar 2020) Care for Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) advice, March 11: “Reducing the risk of nosocomial [hospital origin] outbreak amplification through transmission of virus to other patients and health care workers is of critical importance.
“Maintaining appropriate distancing of at least 2 m between patients with suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19, consideration of use of medical masks for symptomatic patients, and, ideally, admission of patients with suspected disease to private rooms are important considerations.
“ Ensuring hospital staff are well trained in standard, contact, and droplet infection prevention and control precautions, including the use of relevant personal protective equipment, is an imperative. Clinicians involved with aerosol-generating procedures such as endotracheal intubation and diagnostic testing using bronchoscopy should additionally use airborne precautions, including N95 respirators or equivalent face masks and face shields or goggles for eye protection.”

(21 Mar 2020) White House turns to Big Tech to fix coronavirus blunders while classifying previous conversations March 11 article in The Register: “Faced with a growing barrage of criticism over how it has handled the outbreak of the coronavirus, the White House has turned to tech giants to help it tackle the pandemic.
“The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy held a meeting on Wednesday with representatives from Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and others in a bid to figure out how to get a handle on the problem. Michael Kratsios, CTO at the White House said the federal government was hoping that Big Tech would be able to use AI and data tools to provide useful insights as it unveils new measures for tackling the crisis.
“Cutting-edge technology companies and major online platforms will play a critical role in this all-hands-on-deck effort,” Kratsios said in a statement.
“At the same time, however, it emerged the White House was also ordering all deliberations over covid-19 to be considered classified, effectively restricting discussions to only those with a top secret classification.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now March 10 article from Medium.com viewed by 40 million, and supporting a petition calling for White House action argues:
“The coronavirus is coming to you.
It’s coming at an exponential speed: gradually, and then suddenly.
It’s a matter of days. Maybe a week or two.
When it does, your healthcare system will be overwhelmed.
Your fellow citizens will be treated in the hallways.
Exhausted healthcare workers will break down. Some will die.
They will have to decide which patient gets the oxygen and which one dies.
The only way to prevent this is social distancing today. Not tomorrow. Today.
That means keeping as many people home as possible, starting now.
As a politician, community leader or business leader, you have the power and the responsibility to prevent this.”

(21 Mar 2020) The entire UK may come to regret Sunak’s inadequate coronavirus budget Caroline Molloy in the Open Democracy/Our NHS column on March 11 reports: “Today was the government’s big chance. A chance to show its mettle. A chance to improve our collective resilience to the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus. To protect and reassure an increasingly uneasy populace.
“But it has missed that chance. The chequebook might have been waved around more than in recent years, but too much of the same old mean-spirited, laissez-faire thinking was still on display.
“The government said in announcing today’s budget that it “stands ready to provide further support, should it be needed”. It is needed. Both to improve our chances of avoiding the worst consequences of the coronavirus, and to begin to address some of the searing injustices of the last decade.”

(21 Mar 2020) Hospitals gird for coronavirus surge after years of cutbacks Politico reports (March 10), with striking echoes between US and England: “Hospitals for years have faced economic pressures to cut costs and reduce in-patient treatments as the nation tried to slow down health spending. Now the hospital industry is facing a reckoning.
“With a potential surge of coronavirus patients, there may not be enough beds, equipment and staff to handle an epidemic. Executives face tough decisions about who could have to be isolated and, in some cases, need oxygen, ventilators and protective gear that’s already in short supply.
“There are parts of the health care system that can be and should be lean but there are public health preparedness efforts that need to be ongoing.” said Crystal Watson, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
“… with some projections of millions of hospital admissions in a full-blown coronavirus pandemic, the industry is forced to consider pivoting back to a hospital-centric, all-hands-on-deck approach featuring sick patients who may stay for weeks, labor intensive staffing and anything but a check in-check out mentality.”

(21 Mar 2020) Italy’s Politicians Are Making the Coronavirus Crisis Worse Foreign Policy report on March 9 concludes: “In the last few weeks, Italy became a case study in crisis mismanagement, as a medical emergency of great magnitude met a chronically unstable political environment. The results of the mix are hardly encouraging but could provide some valuable lessons. The coronavirus is an extremely serious threat, but a climate in which politicians weaponize every bit of information for political gain could worsen its effects."

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus sparks theft of hand sanitiser and toilet paper from GP practices “GP Online March 10 report: Bottles of hand sanitiser and handwash, as well as toilet rolls, have all gone missing from practices in recent weeks following reports of shortages and stockpiling in the national media.
… Meanwhile, GP surgeries will this week receive an ‘initial stock’ of personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, aprons and protective masks, after GPs reported problems with getting appropriate supplies.”

(21 Mar 2020) Two thirds of GPs say their practice is not ready for coronavirus GPonline on March 10 with another report from their poll: “Of 401 GPs who responded to the poll, 67% said they did not feel their practice was adequately prepared to deal with the emerging outbreak.
"More than half of GPs (53%) said practices had not received adequate guidance and information about COVID-19 - and just one in five (21%) said their practice had the equipment needed to manage an outbreak, including supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).
"GPs warned that with pressure on practices already high, a surge in workload from coronavirus would leave many struggling to cope - particularly if practices were left short-staffed as individual doctors were forced to self-isolate."

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus, Trump and the world economy Ecologist article March 9 begins: “Donald Trump was flying back from India on Air Force One when the stock markets began to go down two weeks ago. He stayed awake, furious, the whole way. By one account, he was up for 48 hours straight before he finally spoke publicly on Wednesday.
“He gave a speech in which he said both that the coronavirus was a Democratic ‘hoax’, and that his administration was doing a brilliant job in containing it. This reflected his dilemma. For electoral reasons, he had to talk down the threat of the virus to get the stock market back up. At the same time, he knew he would be in serious voter trouble if the virus spread.
“The result is that Trump looks to have embraced the worst possible public stance. If and when Covid-19 really hits the United States, most people are going to blame him for not taking it seriously and doing nothing. And they are also going to blame him for the economy.”

(21 Mar 2020) NHS in talks with private sector for coronavirus help March 9 HSJ article: “The simplest option for drawing on private sector support would be to send more people to private providers for planned operations, to free up NHS capacity, as they already carry out hundreds of thousands of procedures for the NHS each year. Chief medical officer Chris Whitty indicated last week the NHS may need to “slow down or postpone anything that is postponable” to deal with the virus, which would mean cancelling planned operations.
“Other options could include: asking private firms to take over the running of whole service lines for a period, potentially including more high-risk operations than are usually outsourced; to step in to help in places where NHS services have been hit by demand and staff shortages; or to take some non-complex coronavirus patients who need hospital beds. These might not all prove possible or useful, and the details of the talks are not known.”

(21 Mar 2020) GPs call for suspension of routine appointments during coronavirus outbreak A March 9 GPonline article reveals findings from a poll of 402 GPs: “Three quarters of GPs believe routine appointments should be suspended in the event of a widespread coronavirus outbreak - including one in five who say this should happen now.
“GPs have also backed a string of measures to ease pressure on general practice as coronavirus spreads - with around half of GPs demanding immediate suspension of QOF, and three in five calling for suspension of online booking of appointments.
"Suspension of CQC inspections, a freeze on appraisals, suspension of home visits and a move to telephone-only consultations are among other moves GPs say the NHS should consider during the outbreak."

(21 Mar 2020) COVID-19: Response from Doctors in Unite March 7 statement from Doctors in Unite begins:
“The threat posed by COVID-19 demands a united national response across the UK. As well as protecting individual and public health, the burden of maintaining public resilience must be shared equally, on a pooled basis across society.
In response to COVID-19, Doctors in Unite urges the government to:
* Extend day-one sick pay to those on zero hours contracts, in the ‘gig-economy’ and to the self-employed.
* Ensure that workers are not under pressure to attend work while they are unwell and may inadvertently pass on the disease, both financially and in regards to staffing.
* Allow the NHS to requisition private health care facilities to accommodate effective COVID-19 treatment and quarantine provision if needed."

(21 Mar 2020) COVID-19: too little, too late? Lancet March 7 Editorial: “…The outbreak in northern Italy, which has seen 11 towns officially locked down and residents threatened with imprisonment if they try to leave, shocked European political leaders.
“Their shock turned to horror as they saw Italy become the epicentre for further spread across the continent. As the window for global containment closes, health ministers are scrambling to implement appropriate measures to delay spread of the virus. But their actions have been slow and insufficient. There is now a real danger that countries have done too little, too late to contain the epidemic.
“By striking contrast, the WHO-China joint mission report calls China's vigorous public health measures toward this new coronavirus probably the most “ambitious, agile and aggressive disease containment effort in history.”

(21 Mar 2020) How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic? Detailed March 6 discussion of options by lancet Editorial notes: “So what is left at present for mitigation is voluntary plus mandated quarantine, stopping mass gatherings, closure of educational institutes or places of work where infection has been identified, and isolation of households, towns, or cities. Some of the lessons from analyses of influenza A apply for COVID-19, but there are also differences.
“Social distancing measures reduce the value of the effective reproduction number R. With an early epidemic value of R0 of 2·5, social distancing would have to reduce transmission by about 60% or less, if the intrinsic transmission potential declines in the warm summer months in the northern hemisphere. This reduction is a big ask, but it did happen in China.
“School closure, a major pillar of the response to pandemic influenza A,14 is unlikely to be effective given the apparent low rate of infection among children, although data are scarce.
“Avoiding large gatherings of people will reduce the number of super-spreading events; however, if prolonged contact is required for transmission, this measure might only reduce a small proportion of transmissions.”

(21 Mar 2020) Medical students and recently retired doctors could help coronavirus response, says CMO GP Online (March 5): “Measures including suspension of CQC inspections and doubling the duration of GP sick notes from seven to 14 days are also under consideration in the event of a widespread outbreak, the CMO indicated - although the CQC has said it plans to continue inspections for now.
“Doctors' leaders have raised concerns in recent days over government plans to bring retired doctors back into frontline care to bolster the NHS workforce as the health service tackles coronavirus - but the CMO made clear that only recently retired doctors would be considered.
“Professor Whitty told MPs: ‘Certainly for doctors, the plan is not to take everybody who’s retired, only those who have recently - in the last two or three years - retired and are still fairly current.'"

(21 Mar 2020) No, the coronavirus is not responsible for the fall of stock prices March 5 summary from Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt
“… The fact that the stock market crash coincides with the effects of the coronavirus epidemic on the productive economy is no accident, but to say that the coronavirus is the cause of the crisis is untrue. It is important to see where the crisis really comes from and not be fooled by explanations that put up a smokescreen over the real causes.
“Big businesses, the rulers and the media at its service have every interest in blaming the virus for a major financial and then economic crisis. This allows them to wash their hands of it (excuse the expression).
“The drop in stock prices was predicted long before the coronavirus appeared.
“The rise of share prices and the price of debt securities (also known as bonds) have far outpaced the growth of output over the last ten years, with an acceleration in the last two or three years. The wealth of the richest 1% has also grown strongly as it is largely based on the growth of financial assets.
“It must be stressed that the stock prices fall due to a willing choice (I am not talking about a conspiracy): a part of the very rich (the 1%, the big business) decides to start offloading the shares it has acquired not forgetting the fact that every financial party has an end. And, rather than suffer in the process, it prefers to take the lead.
“These large shareholders prefer to be the first to sell in order to get the best possible rates before the share price falls very sharply.
“… Another important point to note is that the 1% sells shares of private companies, causing the share prices of the latter to fall and the stock markets to plummet. At the same time, however, they buy public debt securities that are considered safe.”

(21 Mar 2020) TUC calls on government to tackle coronavirus with immediate #SickPayForAll TUC (March 3) flags up the fact that “Currently, nearly 2 million of the lowest-paid workers don’t earn enough to qualify for statutory sick pay. According to TUC analysis this includes:
"34% of workers on zero-hours contracts
"1 in 10 women in work
"More than a fifth (22%) of workers aged 16-24
"More than a quarter (26%) of workers aged 65 and over, identified by government as one of the groups most vulnerable to the virus
"In a letter to Matt Hancock and Thérèse Coffey, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady warns that inadequate provision of sick pay could stop people taking up public health advice, since many workers will struggle to meet basic living costs if they can’t attend work for a prolonged period. As a result, some may feel they have no choice but to go to work while ill, or against government advice.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus set to restrict chancellor’s Budget choices 2 Mar 20 article from Public Finance:
“Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been warned he will have to reassess the plans his first Budget, in response to the economic disruption caused by the spread of the coronavirus. According to The Times, the Office for Budget Responsibility will alter its forecasts to recognise the economic strain resulting from the outbreak.
"… A recent study from the Centre for Economics and Business Research suggests that should London go into full lockdown, the capital’s output would fall by £495m per day. Should the lockdown last a week, the economy could effectively lose £2.4bn in output, and if lockdown was imposed for a month, this could rise to £10.3bn in a worst-case scenario.

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: GMB win for workers as ISS guarantees full pay during Covid-19 self isolation https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/coronavirus-gmb-win-workers-iss-guarantees-full-pay-during-covid-19-self-isolation
March 3 Press release from GMB: which claims “a big win for 1000s of workers after private outsourcing company ISS promised full pay for all health workers self-isolating due to Coronavirus.
“Private company ISS has been handed taxpayer funded contracts to the tune of £307 million since 2015 for services including cleaning and catering in schools and hospitals. The union has pressured NHS outsourcing companies – and the Government - to ensure all workers are given full pay from day one if forced to self-isolate.
“Workers then won’t be faced with the devastating choice - put food on the table or come to work even if they believe they are infected with COVID-19.”

(21 Mar 2020) Trump's team shifts tone from preventing coronavirus to containing it POLITICO.com report March 3: “Top Trump administration officials are shifting their message on the coronavirus outbreak, emphasizing efforts to contain, rather than prevent, the disease.
The tone at a Monday afternoon White House briefing with Vice President Mike Pence and members of Trump's coronavirus task force marked a notable change from earlier efforts to tamp down fear of community spread of the disease — a tacit acknowledgment of a surge in new cases over the past two days and six reported deaths. There are currently 43 confirmed cases in the U.S., including 26 involving people who had no known exposure to the virus.
… HHS Secretary Alex Azar stressed the immediate risk to the American public remains low, but added: “The degree of risk has the potential to change quickly.”
… FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said there could be up to 1 million tests performed this week, though experts have cautioned that is unlikely and that the CDC is still playing catch up.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: just eight out of 1,600 doctors in poll say NHS is ready Guardian March 2 report: “More than 99% of 1,618 NHS medics questioned appear not to agree with the assurances given by Boris Johnson that the service will cope if it is hit by a surge in the number of people falling ill.
"Doctors are worried that the NHS is already stretched and under heavy pressure, and especially that it has too few intensive care beds and that GP surgeries are struggling to meet patient demand.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus could mean one in five people off work and cancellation of non-urgent NHS care March 3 GP Online: A government action plan published on 3 March sets out a three-stage UK approach to the coronavirus outbreak, moving from containment - the current stage - through to delay, and then mitigation.
"The document makes clear that 'in a stretching scenario, it is possible that up to one fifth of employees may be absent from work during peak weeks'.
"COVID-19 has the potential to 'spread extensively' through the UK population, because the lack of existing immunity and data available to date suggest 'we are all susceptible to catching this disease', the government action plan warns.
"Actions to delay the spread of the disease could include closing schools, a shift to more working from home and restrictions on 'large-scale gatherings' if the UK moves beyond the containment phase."

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus cases spread as nation’s second death reported March 1 from POLITICO: “Top Trump administration officials soberly reassured the public Sunday morning that most people had little to fear from the spread of coronavirus — but warned that more cases are coming. By evening the headlines were dominated by several new confirmed cases on both coasts and reports of a second U.S. death.
Vice President Mike Pence and HHS Secretary Alex Azar said during a series of morning show appearances that the pace of testing was ramping up after problems with the initial testing kits.
Hours later, HHS acknowledged that it had opened an investigation into why the diagnostic tests first released by the CDC were flawed, a problem that public health experts say impeded detection of the virus.

(21 Mar 2020) BMA warns against coronavirus 'complacency' as practices flag lack of PPE equipment March 2 GPO Online: “doctors have warned that a lack of official support in helping to provide PPE, such as protective masks, is putting staff and their patients at risk of infection, with a south Cumbria doctor warning her surgery has only two masks.
“Doctors have also called for updated training to protect against infection and avoid a potential staffing crisis if doctors are forced to self-isolate.
BMA representative body chair Dr Helena McKeown said: 'GPs are the first line of defence in the NHS, so it’s imperative that we have access to the right protection against COVID-19 as we work to contain the infection.
'We believe that surgeries should be being delivered supplies and equipment from the NHS - for example, suitable masks - rather than trying to source our own individually; something which can take time, leaving us and our communities at risk.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus isolation pods to be installed at every A&E unit as UK sees more confirmed cases Metro 29 Feb: “The NHS has ordered all hospitals to install isolation pods in their emergency departments to keep suspected coronavirus sufferers away from other patients. Anyone believed to have the virus will be kept in the cramped units for at least 24 hours while tests are carried out. The pop-up facilities have started appearing outside A&Es as the number of confirmed cases in the UK hits 23. Lewisham Hospital is where London’s first person confirmed to have the virus checked in two weeks ago. The woman had arrived unannounced in an Uber taxi when she fell ill after returning from China where she caught the virus.”

(21 Mar 2020) Getting treated for coronavirus could cost more than $3,000 — and it might make some everyday Americans broke Business Insider (Feb 27) highlights a shocking Miami Herald report …
“Miami resident Osmel Martinez Azcue check[ed] himself into Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital for flu-like symptoms after arriving back in the US from a work trip to China. … As reporter Ben Conarck detailed, Azcue asked to be tested for the flu before getting a CT scan to screen for coronavirus because he has a limited insurance plan.
“Turns out, Azcue did have the flu. He also now has a medical bill worth thousands — $3,270 to be exact. Hospital officials told Conarck that Azcue would only need to foot $1,400 of the bill, but Azcue said he has to provide his insurer with three years of medical records proving the flu didn't relate to a pre-existing condition.
“… Americans are struggling to afford medical costs. Not everyone has insurance, and even those who do, like Azcue, might still find themselves set back by thousands from a quick hospital trip. Of those ages 18 to 65 who are uninsured, 28% had trouble paying medical bills in the past year, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That percentage drops to 18% for those with Medicare and 11% for those with private insurance.
“And a Kaiser Family Foundation report found that 26% of US adults have put off or postponed getting health care because of their finances, with 21% reporting they've skipped a recommended medical test or treatment for the same reason.”

(21 Mar 2020) Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19 Lancet article Feb 19: "We are public health scientists who have closely followed the emergence of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and are deeply concerned about its impact on global health and wellbeing.
"We have watched as the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China, in particular, have worked diligently and effectively to rapidly identify the pathogen behind this outbreak, put in place significant measures to reduce its impact, and share their results transparently with the global health community. This effort has been remarkable.
"We sign this statement in solidarity with all scientists and health professionals in China who continue to save lives and protect global health during the challenge of the COVID-19 outbreak. We are all in this together, with our Chinese counterparts in the forefront, against this new viral threat."

(21 Mar 2020) Trump faces ‘black swan’ threat to the economy and reelection POLITICO reported Feb 24: “Stock markets tumbled around the world. The number of coronavirus cases mushroomed in advanced nations like Italy, Japan and South Korea. And travel bans expanded as leaders confronted the nightmarish prospect of a spreading virus swallowing their nations.
"With the possibility of a U.S. outbreak growing by the day, Trump allies and advisers have grown increasingly worried that a botched coronavirus response will hit the U.S. economy. Even Donald Trump Jr. has mused to associates he hopes the White House does not screw up the response and put the president’s best reelection message at risk, said two individuals with knowledge of his comments."

(21 Mar 2020) Trump sending coronavirus budget request to Congress POLITICO.com (Feb 24) reports “The Trump administration sent to Capitol Hill on Monday night its $2.5 billion supplemental budget request for additional money to fight the coronavirus, but House Democrats immediately labelled it as insufficient, indicating a battle ahead in Congress over the emergency aid.”

(21 Mar 2020) White House to ask Congress for emergency coronavirus funding Politico.com report feb 22: “The White House will soon ask Congress for emergency funds to fight the coronavirus outbreak, after weeks of hesitation by the administration to press for additional funding, said four individuals with knowledge of the pending request.
"However, the amount could be significantly lower than some public health officials have argued is necessary — potentially as little as $1 billion, said two individuals, which could be rapidly exhausted by development of potential vaccines, widespread lab tests and numerous other investments.
"A White House official told POLITICO that the pending request is still preliminary and the sum could change. A congressional aide said that lawmakers have been told to expect the request in the coming days.”

(21 Mar 2020) Problems with CDC coronavirus test delay expanded U.S. screening Politico.com reports on Feb 20: “Problems with a coronavirus test developed by the CDC have delayed the Trump administration's efforts to expand screening to state and local public health labs, more than two weeks after the FDA granted permission to distribute the CDC test nationwide.
"Only three of the more than 100 public health labs across the country have verified the CDC test for use, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus ‘Hits All the Hot Buttons’ for How We Misjudge Risk New York Times report Feb 13: “There remains deep uncertainty about the new coronavirus' mortality rate, with the high-end estimate that it is up to 20 times that of the flu, but some estimates go as low as 0.16 percent for those affected outside of China’s overwhelmed Hubei province. About on par with the flu.”

(21 Mar 2020) CDC director: Novel coronavirus 'is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year CNN reported Feb 14: “As an outbreak of a novel coronavirus has swept through Hubei province, China, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been preparing for its worst case scenario -- a widespread outbreak of illnesses in the United States.
"Right now we're in an aggressive containment mode," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in an interview on Thursday.”

(21 Mar 2020) Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust give coronavirus update as testing continues in A&E car parks News Shopper reports Feb 17: Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust has reassured patients that all services remain open as usual after patients have been spotted being tested for the coronavirus outside the A&E hospital buildings.
… The unnamed patient, a Chinese woman, had arrived via an Uber at University Hospital Lewisham on Sunday, February 9, after falling ill. She was later diagnosed with the coronavirus, marking the ninth patient with the virus in the UK, and the first in south London.
Despite some being shocked at seeing suspected coronavirus carriers being tested in hospital car parks, the trust has said it is continuing to use dedicated areas assigned for testing outside A&E buildings whilst they await the installation of a purpose-built 'pod'.

(21 Mar 2020) Over 1,700 frontline medics infected with coronavirus in China, presenting new crisis for the government CNN reports (Feb 14) “Ning Zhu, a nurse in Wuhan, the central Chinese city at the heart of a deadly coronavirus outbreak, is restless.
"Instead of helping on the frontlines, she has been under self-quarantine at home for weeks, after a chest scan on January 26 revealed that she had a suspected case of the novel Coronavirus.
Zhu was told to wait for a nucleic acid test that would provide the final verdict, but it never came.
"Right now, it's really a problem. Our hospital already has more than 100 people who are quarantined at home," she told CNN over the phone. An additional 30 medical workers have been confirmed to have the virus, she said.
"If the tests are fine, we can go back to work. I actually don't have any symptoms, there's just a slight problem with my CT scan, it seems there's a bit of infection," she said.
"Zhu estimates that of the 500 medical staff at the hospital, more than 130 may have been stricken by the virus, which has so far infected more than 60,000 globally. She declined to publicize the name of her hospital and asked to use a pseudonym as she was not authorized to speak to the media."

(21 Mar 2020) Scientists fear coronavirus spread in countries least able to contain it Nature magazine (Feb 13) reports: “Infections of the new coronavirus have now been detected in 24 countries outside China. But researchers warn that cases might be going undetected in some nations that are considered at high risk of an outbreak but are reporting fewer cases than expected, or none at all.
"The possibility of unreported cases is particularly concerning in countries with weaker health-care systems, such as those in southeast Asia and Africa, which could quickly be overwhelmed by a local outbreak, experts say. Although no cases have yet been reported in Africa, some countries there, such as Nigeria, are at particular risk because of their strong business ties to China."

(21 Mar 2020) How bad is the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak likely to get? New Scientist reports Feb 11: “The World Health Organization has now named the new coronavirus disease: Covid-19.
"If the virus isn’t halted, it could infect 60 per cent of the world’s population and kill one in 100 of those infected – around 50 million people – Gabriel Leung, at the University of Hong Kong, told The Guardian on 11 February.
"But no one knows if it really will, because we don’t know whether the virus can be contained, how deadly it is and how many people have it.
"The number of confirmed cases globally reached 42,000 on Tuesday, but the rise in cases has been slowing since 6 February. This suggests China’s decision to limit people’s movements in the most affected province, Hubei, is working and that containment may be effective.”

(21 Mar 2020) Government declares coronavirus a 'serious and imminent threat' to public health Feb 10 article in GP Online reports: “Under the new measures announced by the government, people with coronavirus can now be forcibly quarantined and could be sent into isolation if they pose a threat to public health.
“The DHSC said that the risk to the public has not changed and remains moderate, however the measures were 'considered as an effective means of delaying or preventing further transmission of the virus'.”

(21 Mar 2020) GP practices forced to close as healthcare staff diagnosed with coronavirus GP Online 10 Feb: "Two practices covering almost 17,000 patients, which operate from the County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, have been closed - along with their branch surgeries.
"Calls to the Warmdene Surgery or the Carden Surgery - which share the medical centre in Carden Hill, Brighton are met with a recorded message that directs patients towards NHS 111.
"The BBC reported that the closure came after a staff member at the practice 'tested positive for the coronavirus' - and Public Health England later revealed that of four new UK cases of the virus confirmed on 10 January, two cases 'are healthcare workers'."

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus whistleblower doctor dies in Wuhan hospital FT reports February 6: “A Chinese doctor who became a hero to millions for raising the alarm over the coronavirus epidemic has died, sparking an outpouring of grief and anger. After earlier reports that Li Wenliang had passed away, medical officials said he was in fact in critical condition.
"The hospital in Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, later said in a statement on Weibo, the Twitter-like social media platform, that Li had died after he too was infected.
"Li shot to fame after December 30 when he warned fellow medics in an online chat group that seven new pneumonia cases had been identified.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: NHS orders 'assessment pods' in England hospitals BBC reports February 5: “Every hospital in England is being asked to create "priority assessment pods" for patients with suspected coronavirus, the NHS has said.
Patients who are concerned they may have the virus are still advised to isolate themselves and call 111.
But the contingency measure is intended to prevent any patients who do arrive at hospital from mixing with vulnerable patients.
The secure areas are expected to be introduced by Friday.
In China, 490 people have died and 24,300 people have been confirmed to have contracted the new virus. It has now spread to 25 nations, with two cases in the UK.”

(21 Mar 2020) How concerned should we be about coronavirus? Nursing Times blog notes:
“As with other outbreaks such as SARS-CoV in 2003, the balance has to be struck about the scale of the response and the anxiety such a response generates.
"Currently, the World Health Organization has not determined the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern"
And there is of course a paradox here. In that, when the number of cases turn out not to be as many as expected, people then criticise the response and public anxiety as unnecessary, when of course it may be that it was that response and publicity that helped to control the outbreak.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus action plan: a guide to what you can expect across the UK 3 March document from Department of Health and Social Care, which claims, implausibly given other reports, that:
“The UK government and the devolved administrations, including the health and social care systems, have planned extensively over the years for an event like this, and the UK is therefore well prepared to respond in a way that offers substantial protection to the public.”

(21 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: Order private hospitals to give beds to NHS during crisis, Labour urges government Independent, March 15, with a rather exaggerated picture of how large the private sector is in the UK: “Ministers should requisition beds from private hospitals into NHS service to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Labour and trade unions have said.
“The GMB union has estimated that round 8,000 beds at around 570 private healthcare outlets around the UK could be drafted into the effort.
“The EU’s centre for disease control (ECDC) said this week that there was a “high” likelihood capacity in the NHS would be exceeded in the course of fighting the virus.”

(19 Mar 2020) Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak Up to date health advice from the World Health Organisation

(19 Mar 2020) 6 Demands from NHS staff to help us tackle Coronavirus Sign the health workers' petition

(19 Mar 2020) Coronavirus: where we stand Statement from Keep Our NHS Public

(25 Feb 2020) Hospital ‘bed blocking’ numbers hit highest level since 2017 Guardian highlights another indicator of a system lacking capacity and very far from being "integrated": but headline uses the old-fashioned and perjorative phrase "bed blocking" when the proper terminology is delayed discharge or delayed transfers of care.
Whatever we call it the facts are stark: "The number of “delayed days” in the NHS increased from an average of 114,000 a month in 2012 to more than 200,000 in October 2016, before extra funding and higher council taxes brought the numbers back down.
"But the latest NHS figures show the problem is returning. December 2019 saw 148,000 delayed days across England, 15% higher than the same month a year earlier. The combined figures for the last quarter of 2019 were the highest in two years."

(25 Feb 2020) Social care is crumbling, and Johnson’s immigration plans will only make it worse Guardian's Polly Toynbee joins the dots to show the impact of the latest efforts to deter migrant workers:
"The fourth biggest provider of home care for the frail, the Mears Group, … is abandoning its domiciliary care services.
“…Social care is collapsing because too few people are willing to work gruelling hours in disgraceful conditions for pitiful pay.
"The new points-based immigration system announced by the home secretary, Priti Patel, on Wednesday will see many more companies fleeing the sector for lack of staff. With 122,000 vacancies, this decade’s 25% increase in people over 65 means another 580,000 staff will be needed to care for them over the next 15 years. In London, 40% of care staff are from overseas. Median average pay as of last March is a meagre £8.10 an hour, with parts of their hours unpaid: a quarter of staff are on zero-hours contracts."

(25 Feb 2020) NHS 'took 18 months to help after suicide attempt' BBC report on gaping holes in NHS provision for serious mental illness:
"Simon, who is from Derbyshire, said: "After one of my first hospital admissions, I received a safety plan through the post 18 months after I had been discharged.
"When I struggle, I look for things that reinforce my negative view of myself - missing out on a safety plan on discharge reinforced that message that I am worthless.
"There have been times when I've been given a generic plan which has little or no relevance to me. And, truthfully, if it's not personal, for me it's pretty pointless"

(25 Feb 2020) The Lowdown – the first year's issues Omnibus collection Searchable compilation of 200 pages of first 22 issues of The Lowdown since January 2019. A wealth of information -- with live hyperlinks to sources. Plus an appeal for support to keep it going another year

(20 Feb 2020) Government is sharpening its scrutiny of the NHS (£)HSJ column by former special advisor to Matt Hancock Richard Sloggett (sic) who argues:
"The slide in the performance numbers, a larger than expected majority and the centrality of the NHS to the election victory has led to the exploration of what new powers ministers could take in setting direction to NHSE; as reported recently by The Times.
"The current model of NHS independence clearly does not suit the Number 10 world view of directional oversight of key organisations to drive improvement.
"Critics will argue that any moves will miss the point. They argue that direct ministerial control is not a solution to performance issues which are driven by a multitude of factors, many beyond the boundaries of the NHS. And as Dave West adeptly argues legislative change will not likely come in until April 2022 making it a medium-term lever for change at best."
The question remains why should we expect a government that won a majority by wilfully misleading voters with inflated claims of the amount of "extra" money for the NHS after a decade of real terms freeze should suddenly decide now to put in more cash than they promised?

(20 Feb 2020) Behind the Scenes at Leicester Royal Infirmary: An NHS Worker Speaks Out Campaigners publicise the anonymous account of an NHS worker at Leicester's Royal Infirmary where a new £40m A&E has not solved the problems of lack of capacity:
“Multiple Patients have been on the backs of ambulance for over 4 hours throughout the year with nurses leaving in droves and junior doctors saying that there is no way they are going to go into the field of emergency medicine.
"Nurses are bullied by senior staff and managers to make unwell patients, who should be on trollies, sit on chairs in an already overcrowded waiting area. They call it 'fit to sit'.
"Half the patients should be in Resus and no matter how much you beg the senior team you are told that it is full with red call patients on the way with no space for the red call emergency, let alone a patient in the waiting room."

(20 Feb 2020) 360 degrees of spin More brilliant spoofs from NHS Blithering that almost seem lifted from a genuine CCG.
Director of stakeholder nurturement and realtime feedback Martin Plackard is responding to the latest NHS staff survey:
"Great care for all
"Overall we saw a four-fold improvement on last year after seasonally adjusting the baseline to the sector average for an organisation of comparable demographics and applying the deflator.
"More than two-thirds of you (11%) would be happy to recommend the care provided by your organisation to a friend or member of your family. Only a tiny minority (89%) said they would be “deeply worried” or that they “wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy”."

(20 Feb 2020) Marketising the Mental Health Crisis: How the CBT Empire-Builders Colonised the NHS Powerful article by Paul Atkinson on Novaramedia ruthlessly exposes the hype and spin surrounding the IAPT talking therapies as a solution to England's growing mental health crisis.
"Last financial year, the service had 1.6 million GP and self-referrals. IAPT claims a recovery rate of 50% of people who finish a course of treatment. Given roughly a third never start, and up to a third never finish, the average national recovery rate of all referrals is actually closer to 16%.
"IAPT stats also reveal that people from more deprived communities fare significantly worse. A couple of years ago, in my own borough of Tower Hamlets, the recovery rate for all referrals from the Bangladeshi community (32% of the local population) was around 4%.
"Waiting times are growing, despite IAPT’s statistical wheeze of offering a speedy initial assessment, months before any sessions begin. And according to Freedom of Information requests, a quarter of people treated by IAPT have returned to the service between two and 10 or more times.
"Most of us might consider this evidence-based failure rather than success."

(20 Feb 2020) We need the biggest NHS rebuild since the Beatles NHS providers again banging the drum for the need for substantially higher capital investment in the NHS, but perhaps over-optimistic on what they can expect from B. Johnson and pals:
"capital budgets, which cover spending on assets such as buildings, land and equipment and sit outside the NHS 'ringfence', haven’t been set out beyond the end of next year. We have just had a decade of under-investment in NHS capital. The system for allocating capital to the frontline is broken. The money hasn’t got through to where it’s needed most. The system often seems arbitrary and haphazard."
Will Johnson act? We urge NHS Providers not to hold their breath waiting.

(20 Feb 2020) Private agencies paying workers less than half what they charge NHS to hire The Mirror lifts the lid on the rip-off charges for use of agency staff – and where the money goes:
"Private nursing agencies are paying workers less than half what they charge the NHS to hire them.
"We found one raked in £71.53 an hour for busy overnight shifts but the nurse pocketed just £34.
"Another hospital paid the same agency £864.77 for a 12-hour day shift but the nurse got £387.
"The agency, Thornbury Nursing, is owned offshore in the Caribbean and is controlled by a private equity fund run by a major Tory donor.
"It is part of a string of firms specialising in health temping jobs and run by TowerBrook Capital Partners, which raked in nearly £600million in revenue last year."

(20 Feb 2020) Locked away: the national scandal you may have missed Excellent Guardian report on the shocking mistreatment of people with autism and learning disabilities:
"In England, there are more than 2,000 people with autism and learning disabilities in what officialspeak calls “inpatient care”. We now know about them, and the awful cruelties and indignities many of them are suffering, because of the much-maligned mainstream media – and in particular, the tireless work of the campaigning journalist Ian Birrell.
"Birrell and others have highlighted not just the injustice of the way very vulnerable people are treated by local authorities, the NHS and the private contractors now woven into our public services; …"

(20 Feb 2020) Improving the prognosis of health care in the USA Free access Lancet article by Yale Uni researchers who are the latest to show the evidence for a single payer system as the way forward in the US:
"Taking into account both the costs of coverage expansion and the savings that would be achieved through the Medicare for All Act, we calculate that a single-payer, universal health-care system is likely to lead to a 13% savings in national health-care expenditure, equivalent to more than US$450 billion annually (based on the value of the US$ in 2017).
"The entire system could be funded with less financial outlay than is incurred by employers and households paying for health-care premiums combined with existing government allocations. This shift to single-payer health care would provide the greatest relief to lower-income households.
"Furthermore, we estimate that ensuring health-care access for all Americans would save more than 68 000 lives and 1·73 million life-years every year compared with the status quo."

(20 Feb 2020) I've been an NHS doctor for five years. The Home Office wants to deport me Guardian reports on more brutality and ignorance from the Home Office, now led by the relentlessly reactionary Priti Patel.
Dr Luke Ong says "My troubles began towards the end of last year when I applied for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. I am from Singapore.
"I was five months away from qualifying as a GP and had studied medicine at Manchester University, starting as a doctor in the NHS in 2012.
"I booked an appointment and paid for it before my visa ran out. I thought that was fine. In reality, the application is made when you attend the appointment, by which time my visa had been invalid for 18 days. I was refused residency for that reason, and since then it’s been a battle to reverse the decision. "

(20 Feb 2020) Fears Sussex patient transport to hit 'crisis point' Brighton Argus reports on the latest of an apparently endless series of contract failures of patient transport companies as local CCGs go from one stupid decision to the next. Time to bring this service back in house!
"A union has warned vital patient transport services are nearing “crisis point” after a contractor ran into financial trouble.
"About 30 staff were left unpaid and without work after private ambulance firm Medi 1 went into receivership, a process similar to administration, after financial difficulties.
"The company was contracted to run non-emergency patient transport services to hospitals across Sussex.
"Now the GMB trade union has called on health chiefs to bring these services in-house by contracting them to the NHS-run South Central Ambulance Service.
“Medi 1 has now become the latest in a long line of failed private contractors,” said regional organiser Gary Palmer.
“As before staff and their families now have to endure the brunt of profit-driven business failures and need to find new work immediately while struggling without the money they are owed."

(20 Feb 2020) East Kent baby deaths: Scale of deaths at trust 'not clear-cut' BBC report of a Trust Board and chief executive in denial on the scale of the failure of their services: "The boss of an NHS trust at the centre of concerns about preventable baby deaths has claimed the scale of the failings is not clearly defined.
"Susan Acott, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals Trust, said there had only been "six or seven" avoidable deaths at the trust since 2011.
"However, the BBC revealed on Monday that the trust previously accepted responsibility for at least 10.
"Ms Acott said some of the baby deaths were "not as clear-cut".

(20 Feb 2020) Huge revamp of Peterborough City Council could see services disappear to tackle financial black hole Peterborough Today report. A Tory-led council points to government cuts as the reason for its growing crisis:
"The council said years of huge cuts to its government funding had left it on its knees and in a desperate need to scale back in order to survive.
"This could see a reduced standard for services which it is legally required to provide, while other, non-statutory services could be partially or completely scaled back.
"Further job losses are also expected, despite dozens of redundancies currently being made."

(20 Feb 2020) New NHS figures show why we must fight the government’s spin on health service funding KONP's Press Officer Samantha Wathen writes in Left Foot Forward:
"Behind these never-ending statistics are real people. Patients waiting in fear and pain for treatment, and NHS staff desperately trying to help them, but increasingly being set up to fail. As has been famously asserted: “The NHS isn’t failing – it’s being failed.”

(20 Feb 2020) Harrowing stories of burned out NHS doctors bullied and broken in decade of Tory cuts Shocking Daily Mirror front page story of insensitive and brutal management:
"Dedicated to caring for the sick and vulnerable, junior doctors should expect to be supported and valued as they carry out their vital work.
"But hundreds have revealed they are subjected to bullying and harassment at overstretched hospitals that have been plunged into a staffing crisis by a decade of savage Tory health cuts.
"A Mirror investigation uncovered harrowing stories of young medics being denied drinking water during gruelling shifts, working for 15 hours on their feet non-stop and of uncaring managers tearing into them for breaking down in tears over the deaths of patients.
"One was even accused of “stealing” surgical scrubs she took to wear after suffering a miscarriage at work."

(20 Feb 2020) Combined Performance Summary: December 2019 - January 2020 Nuffield Trust's regular visualisation of the most recent performance stats. Note that there have been fewer Type 1 A&E attendances and fewer emergency admissions since last year, but a sharp increase in trolley waits over 4hours and over 12 hours -- presumably for lack of beds:
"There were over 1.32 million type 1 A&E attendances in January 2020. This equates to an average of 42,814 type 1 A&E attendances per day – a decrease of 1% compared to January 2019.
"Emergency admissions via A&E have been increasing year-on-year, but decreased in January 2020 to 416,541. There were on average 13,437 emergency admissions via A&E per day, which is 1% lower than January 2019.
"100,578 patients spent more than four hours waiting on a trolley from a decision to admit to admission in January 2020; this is the highest since records began. 2,846 patients had a trolley wait of over 12 hours, which is more than four times higher than in January 2019."

(20 Feb 2020) Cost of hospital building project doubles in 18 months (£) HSJ article on the soaring estimates of the cost of rebuilding Ashford's William Harvey Hospital, or building an alternative new hospital in Canterbury, notes:
"The east Kent reconfiguration is not one the government has earmarked for money, although, before the election, Boris Johnson suggested there could be a new hospital for Canterbury."
More on this story and the Kent & Medway plan in The Lowdown https://lowdownnhs.info/hospitals/kent-and-medway-seeking-820m-for-capital-projects/

(20 Feb 2020) Racism in medicine—migrant doctors aren’t here just to “fill a gap” GP Rammya Mathew in a BMJ blog argues that "Even at its inception, it was clear that the NHS could not be fully staffed by “homegrown” doctors. Because of this, doctors and other healthcare workers historically bypassed immigration laws, and the 1960s and ’70s saw a surge in the number of doctors migrating from the Indian subcontinent to work in the NHS. This included my parents."

(20 Feb 2020) New targets set to be phased in from April, says NHSE (£) HSJ report on views of NHS Improvement chief operating officer Amanda Pritchard, making clear that existing 4-hour targets are likely to be ditched:
"The NHS can expect a phased implementation of new operational targets from April — instead of a full switchover on day one — NHS England’s number two has said.
"In an interview with HSJ, chief operating officer Amanda Pritchard said its testing so far still suggested — as NHSE’s clinical review of standards reported before Christmas — the four-hour emergency target did not work well for the current model of care.
"However, she said introducing new measures needed to take place alongside — rather than ahead of — further redesign of urgent and emergency services. Ms Pritchard said this included, for example, reducing bed occupancy to around 92 per cent, redesigning emergency departments, developing 111 and urgent treatment centres, and improving the response of community reablement services."

(20 Feb 2020) Jeremy Hunt sceptical about building 40 hospitals (£) Times report of the new scepticism of the former Health Secretary now he is trying to prove his independence as chair of the Commons Health Committee:
"The government’s plan to build 40 new hospitals was “highly ambitious” and its funding promises needed “a lot more thinking and ambition”, the former health secretary said."

(20 Feb 2020) Health inequality greater than previously thought, report finds Guardian reports on latest NHS data on health inequalities:
"The new analysis means that men on average are being diagnosed with their first significant long-term condition at 56 and women at 55. In the poorest areas, women are getting their first significant long-term illness at just 47 and men at 49 years old."

(20 Feb 2020) Nurse unfairly dismissed for wanting to commence NHS whistleblowing process Personnel Today reports on tribunal case of district nurse who wanted to raise concerns over North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust:
"A senior district nurse with 38 years’ experience was unfairly dismissed after she told management of her wish to instigate her employer’s formal whistleblowing procedure, an employment tribunal has judged.
"It followed numerous safeguarding concerns raised to her bosses about her team’s workload, employee stress and sickness, and a need for the retraining of healthcare assistants. The nurse had also raised concerns on the risk to patient safety, including one death she felt may have been preventable."

(20 Feb 2020) “Super‐Utilizer” Interventions: What They Reveal About Evaluation Research, Wishful Thinking, and Health Equity A useful Millbank Quarterly critique highlighting US research that undermines faith in the idea that interventions targeted at so called "frequent flier" repeat patients can reduce dependence on hospital care:
"Many super‐utilizer interventions claim to be addressing patient “social determinants of health” when they are, at best, identifying and struggling to remedy a subset of patient social risks and needs.6 The truth is that hot‐spotting interventions are primarily cost‐containment strategies aimed at individual, very expensive patients. They are not interventions aimed at the macro‐ and community‐level systems and institutions that drive social, political, and economic disadvantage and health inequities."

(20 Feb 2020) Nurses to retrain as doctors ‘more quickly’ without EU red tape Nursing Notes reports comments on suggestions from Matt Hancock about swifter training.
"Nursing leaders warn that the move needs to come without compromising patient care.
"Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said: “Having enough health and care professionals with the right knowledge, skills and values is vital to meet the individual needs of people across all four countries of the UK now and in the future.
“The NMC supports the wish to explore how education and training for registered nurses and midwives may be achieved in more flexible ways while ensuring our high standards are maintained and not compromised. Every nursing and midwifery professional must be safe and competent to provide the best care and support possible."

(20 Feb 2020) Health insurers can use this loophole to push pricy medical bills onto you, the patient USA Today report points out that "insurers require preapproval – sometimes called “prior authorization” – for a widening array of procedures, drugs and tests. While prior authorization was traditionally required only for expensive, elective or new procedures, such as a hip replacement or bypass surgery, some insurers now require it for even the renewal of some prescription drugs. Those preapprovals are frequently time-limited.
"While doctors and hospitals chafe at the administrative burden, insurers contend the review is necessary to ferret out waste in a system whose costs are exploding and to ensure physicians are prescribing useful treatments.
"But patients face an even bigger problem: When insurers revoke their decision to pay after the service is completed, patients are legally on the hook for the bill."

(20 Feb 2020) Utah sends employees to Mexico for lower prescription prices ABC news on the US state that is taking advantage of lower priced drugs in Mexico.
"The cost difference is so large that the state's insurance program for public employees can pay for each patient’s flight, give them a $500-per-trip bonus and still save tens of thousands of dollars."

(20 Feb 2020) Harvard Study Shows Even Americans With Insurance Can't Afford Care Hard-hitting Harvard study summarised on Crooks and Liars website:
"The for-profit U.S. healthcare system is so broken that a growing number of people who are fortunate enough to have private insurance coverage are still unable to afford doctor visits and other essential services due to soaring costs—leaving a larger number of Americans with unmet medical needs today than there were two decades ago.
"That's a central finding of a new study by Harvard University researchers published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine, examining 20 years of government data between 1998 and 2017.
"The study found that despite a major expansion of insurance coverage in the U.S. during that period—most significantly through the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA)—"most measures of unmet need for physician services have shown no improvement, and financial access to physician services has decreased."

(20 Feb 2020) What the government must do if it is serious about funding the health service Health Foundation's Anita Charlesworth and Ben Gershlick in Prospect magazine explain why the Tory "extra" cash for the NHS is nowhere near enough:
"The NHS Funding Bill covers spending on front-line patient care but excludes other crucial areas of health spending: funding for training new doctors and nurses, investment in buildings and equipment and the grant to local authorities for public health programmes. These areas have all been cut as the government has “robbed Peter to pay Paul” across the health budget, in an attempt to protect front-line care."

(20 Feb 2020) Compass Commentator Roy Lilley responds to the "antediluvian" views of Norman Tebbit, pointing out that "If there has been a fall in standards of patient care... if, then I think the truth is, it is entirely the result of not having enough nurses. "

(20 Feb 2020) Trump's next assault on medicare and the poor Facebook blog by Heather Cox Richardson on the context and history behind the attacks on the publicly-funded health care system for older Americans.

(20 Feb 2020) What the quality of work means for our health Health Foundation blog makes an unsurprising point, but backs it up with evidence:
"Half of those in low-quality work in 2010/11 were still in low-quality work in 2016/17. Spending longer in low-quality work is associated with worse health outcomes. Low-quality work can trigger stress, and the damage stress does to the body builds over time."

(20 Feb 2020) Outdated rants provide no solutions for a modern NHS BMJ blog by NHS consultant David Oliver dismantles an ignorant Daily Telegraph rant by Lord Tebbit:
"It makes for grim reading. I am not sure what relevant expertise Tebbit has to imbue his opinions with such certainty. He has not been a cabinet minister since 1987, never had a ministerial health portfolio, and has never worked in the NHS. Although his piece made comparisons between the NHS and the armed forces, he has not worked in the military since he left the Royal Air Force in the 1950s."

(20 Feb 2020) Police are swamped with half a MILLION mental health crisis callouts in a year amid growing pressure on NHS services Daily Mail jumps onto a Sunday Mirror story that "The police have been swamped with half a million mental health crisis callouts in a year as overstretched NHS services struggled to cope with the pressure.
"The Metropolitan police attended the highest number of calls last year, at 39,584, while South Wales Police attended the second highest at 32,145.
"Staffordshire police experienced the highest rise in the number of mental health callouts, doubling from 3,112 in 2016 to 6,223 in 2019, reports The Sunday Mirror."

(20 Feb 2020) Private equity and Britain’s care home crisis (£) FT in depth article on the growing crisi in social care, focused on the malevolent role of private equity capitalists:
"What has happened is that care homes have become financialised,” says Nick Hood, analyst at Opus Restructuring & Insolvency, which has advised several care home chains. “Their owners are playing with the debt and expecting returns of 12 or 14 per cent and that is simply unsuitable for businesses with huge social responsibilities.”
"Global private equity, sovereign wealth and hedge funds have piled into the sector in the past three decades, lured by the promise of a steady government income and the long-term demographics of Britain’s ageing population."

(20 Feb 2020) At least 69 suicides linked to DWP's handling of benefit claims Guardian report flags up the fact that while NHS England talks of addressing social determinants of health, DWP's brutal decisions and imposition of austerity is shortening lives:
"Families and campaigners have demanded a public inquiry after a government watchdog found that at least 69 suicides could have been linked to problems with benefit claims over the last six years.
"Amid anger from the loved ones of some of those who took their lives in circumstances where difficulties with the Department of Work and Pensions played a role, the National Audit Office (NAO) report said that the true number of deaths linked to claims could be far higher.
"And it said that until recently the DWP had failed to actively seek information from coroners and families, or investigate all of the cases that were reported to it."

(20 Feb 2020) Doctors back Independent campaign on maternity safety as families support inquiry calls (£)Independent report by safety expert Shaun Lintern following up on a major safety story:
"Leading maternity doctors have backed The Independent’s call for maternity safety training to be reinstated by the government following the Shrewsbury maternity scandal.
"The president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) – the leading body for maternity doctors in the UK – lent his weight to the campaign to improve the training of NHS staff, and said that doctors and midwives should train together to help save the lives of mothers and babies."

(20 Feb 2020) Boris Johnson to seize control over NHS with new law Independent reports proposals to reassert ministerial control over the NHS -- but not in the way campaigners have been fighting for: "Boris Johnson is planning to use new health legislation to impose ministerial control over the NHS.
"A bill to be introduced this year will contain new powers for ministers, including Mr Johnson, to issue instructions to NHS England’s chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens.
"The move, which is understood to have been developed over the past year by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, is likely to raise concerns that Conservative ministers could seek to use new powers to extend private-sector involvement in the NHS."

(7 Feb 2020) Boris Johnson slapped down by watchdog for false claim about Universal Credit Mirror reports on yet another lie by PM Johnson being officially exposed:
"Boris Johnson has been slapped down by the official statistics watchdog for making a false claim about Universal Credit.
"Two weeks ago, the Prime Minister told PMQs the six-in-one benefit "has in fact succeeded in getting 200,000 people into jobs."
"But the UK Statistics Authority has now ruled his claim was inaccurate - because the figure is only predicted once the benefit is fully rolled out in 2024.
"The public body polices politicians' use of statistics, and repeatedly lambasted Mr Johnson in 2016 for using the fake claim that the UK sends £350m a week to Brussels even after being told it was untrue."

(7 Feb 2020) Trust shuts ward suddenly after CQC visit (£) HSJ reports: "A trust has closed an escalation ward “following discussions with the Care Quality Commission”, after a visit by the regulator which HSJ understands was critical of some services.
"Eight patients on Medway Foundation Trust’s 15-bed Dickens Ward — which is mainly used for patients who no longer require acute hospital care but might require other services — were moved to acute beds and the other seven were discharged. "

(7 Feb 2020) Government’s NHS funding pledge ‘less generous than first appears’ The Independent reports: "Legislation on health spending completed its passage through the House of Commons on Monday, but the Health Foundation think tank has warned the bill falls short of providing the NHS with the money needed to prevent services from declining.
"It also warned the money only increased the budget of NHS England and ignored other key spending on the NHS workforce and public health as well as social care, which it said were all pivotal to the wider stability and functioning of the health service.
"…The Conservatives’ funding bill promises a headline-grabbing amount of cash for the NHS of £33.9bn by 2023-24. But Anita Charlesworth, the Health Foundation’s director of research and economics, said this figure does not account for the effect of inflation and counts money already spent.
"Once these are taken into account, she said the actual money the NHS will receive over the next four years will be just £16.7bn."

(7 Feb 2020) Change summary - 2020 STP, CCG and Commissioning Hub reconfiguration NHS Digital lists the mergers of CCGs and other changes that will take effect from April 2020.

(7 Feb 2020) Monitoring the Mental Health Act in 2018/19 Report by the CQC highlights the poor treatment of a vulnerable group of mental health patients detained under the MHA:
"When a person is admitted to hospital under the MHA, this should be to a location as close as possible to their normal place of residence, their families and other support systems.
"Unfortunately, patients continue to be hospitalised out-of-area, sometimes over a hundred miles from home, usually because there are no beds in the local hospital. Worryingly, this is frequently being accepted without challenge."

(7 Feb 2020) NHS pressures in England: Waiting times, demand, and capacity Interesting figures and graphics published in December by House of Commons Library

(7 Feb 2020) Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition on “State of Emergency” Overcrowding at Ontario PPP (PFI)-financed hospital in Brampton (in the Greater Toronto area) triggers a "state of emergency" declaration by the local council. Interview with campaigner Natalie Mehra explains the issues nails the problem of chronic under-funding and "hallway medicine".

(7 Feb 2020) Review of capital expenditure in the NHS The NAO report that has lifted the lid on systematic underfunding of NHS buildings and equipment under austerity squeeze on spending since 2010. Findings include:
"The growth in backlog maintenance indicates that there is an increased
risk of harm to patients. In October 2019 NHS Digital reported that the backlog
of maintenance work to restore buildings to an appropriate standard was around
£6.5 billion.
"An appropriate standard includes the physical condition of the estate, as
well as compliance with fire safety and health and safety standards. High-risk backlog
maintenance currently stands at £1.1 billion, and grew by 139% between 2014-15 and
2018-19, indicating an increased risk of harm to patients. "

(7 Feb 2020) Somerset hospitals' minor injuries units put at risk of closure Somerset County Gazette flags up the threat to minor injury units, and more loss of local access to treatment:
"SOME of Somerset’s minor injury units could be closed down and replaced with a smaller number of “urgent treatment centres”.
"The NHS runs seven such units (known as MIUs) in Somerset, which provide health services for people who are unable to see a GP at short notice and don’t need to go to A&E.
"The government is seeking to roll out urgent treatment centres across the country – larger hubs which are run and staffed by GPs, with longer opening hours and a wider range of services.
"But Somerset cannot afford to replace all its MIUs with these centres – meaning some of them may close in the years ahead."

(7 Feb 2020) Parts of NHS 'seriously financially unstable', auditors find Guardian picks up on NAO report:
"The National Audit Office found that NHS provider trusts reported a combined deficit of £827m and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) a £150m deficit in the financial year ending 31 March 2019.
"It said extra money provided by the government to stabilise the finances of individual NHS bodies had not been fully effective.
"Trusts in financial difficulty were increasingly relying on short-term loans from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the auditors said. The loans were in effect being treated as income by trusts who had built up debts totalling £10.9bn in March 2019."

(7 Feb 2020) The NAO has sounded a warning bell on the financial sustainability of the NHS Responding to the National Audit Office’s reports on NHS Financial Management and Sustainability, Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and Economics at the Health Foundation, said:
"The NAO has sounded a timely warning bell about the significant financial and operational challenges facing the NHS. Even with the government’s proposed investment, the health service will struggle to maintain current levels of patient care in the face of growing demand, let alone deliver the ambitious improvements to services promised by the NHS Long Term Plan. "

(7 Feb 2020) Review of troubled service still not launched after 16 months (£)HSJ report on the failure to launch the promised inquiry by the Royal College of Pathologists into the failings of the North Kent PathologyServices:
"Failings in a merged pathology service based at Dartford and Gravesham Trust led to more than 3,000 patients being recalled in late 2018 and early 2019.
"Errors flagged included tests which could have shown acute kidney injury not being reported to GPs promptly; running out of essential supplies; failing to secure blood samples; tests not being processed in time; and GPs being unaware of test outcomes due to the way they were sent."

(6 Feb 2020) Jeremy Hunt chairing the health select committee is a blatant conflict of interest Guardian journalist Denis Campbell tears apart the logic of former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt being allowed to chair the previously outspoken Commons Health Select Committee

(6 Feb 2020) PM urged to give NHS 100 new hospitals plus an extra £7bn a year Guardian report highlighting the latest pressure from NHS Providers for more capital (see below for link to the NHS providers report).

(6 Feb 2020) Is it time to retire the title of manager? The latest jewels unearthed from the bullshit mines of US management journal Strategy-Business:
"I’d like to propose a list: words that we should consider retiring.
"Not that they should be deleted entirely from the English language, of course, but just moved out of popular usage.
"And at the top of my list is manager. The word has had a long and useful run. In the days when industry dynamics were more predictable, executives could focus their attention internally, searching for opportunities to “manage” or refine their processes, and using techniques such as lean manufacturing and Six Sigma to achieve quality improvements and cost savings.
"The role of managers was clear: The company gave them assets, including time, money, people, and other resources, and their job was to optimize those resources to within an inch of their lives."
"… So, if not manager, what should people in those roles be called? I vote for team leader, which sends a clear and powerful signal that your job is to lead (and all the responsibilities that go with that, including setting strategy and priorities, and helping people build new skills), rather than just making sure people are doing their assigned jobs. And I know these won’t fly as much, but I also like the idea of calling managers coaches or even talent developers."

(6 Feb 2020) Rebuilding our NHS - why it's time to invest A new NHS Providers report once again pressing for more capital to be available for repairs and new developments if the NHs Long Term Plan is to become a reality:
"A comprehensive spending review is likely to take place in 2020. It represents the best
opportunity that has existed or will exist for many years to address this issue. This report is NHS Providers’ contribution to the discussion ahead of this vital decision point.
"We surveyed trusts about the nature and scale of the problem that currently exists, and the impact underinvestment is having on the frontline.
"This publication makes the case for why capital matters and how we have campaigned to influence recent policy developments in this area.
"Informed by trust leaders’ experiences, we have sought to identify both the opportunity that an improved capital system presents, and a set of solutions that, taken together, would put the NHS on a more sustainable footing."

(6 Feb 2020) Italian scientists isolate DNA sequence of coronavirus Euronews reports on the swift work by the (publicly-funded, NHS-style) Italian health care system: the contrast with the private sector could not be more stark:
"A hospital in Rome announced on Sunday that it has isolated the DNA sequence of the coronavirus.
"Visiting the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said the discovery will be immediately made available to the entire international community in the interests of taking further measures against the outbreak.
"Having isolated the virus means that we'll have many more opportunities to study it, to understand it and to better test what can be proved effective to contain its spread," Speranza told reporters. "All of our knowledge and the images of the isolated virus will be promptly shared with the international community"."

(6 Feb 2020) DWP clawed back £50million in Universal Credit loan repayments in just one month The Mirror reporting the scale of brutality of the working of the hated Universal Credit system: "Boris Johnson's government clawed back £50 million one month in loan repayments from some of the poorest households in Britain.
"The appalling cost of the Department of Work and Pension’s five-week wait for Universal Credit payments have been exposed by a campaigning Scottish MP.
"Chris Stephens MP said he has been staggered to discover the government is reclaiming so much money in what he said is a clear sign of a flawed policy.
"New claimants for Universal Credit have to wait a minimum of five weeks for their first payment to be processed, forcing many to take out loans form from the Government
"The borrowing, known as Advance Payments, to cover their basic living costs before their first entitlement arrives and is then deducted from regular payments."

(6 Feb 2020) 30,000 ambulances are forced to wait outside crammed A&E departments during December and January for over an HOUR, figures reveal Daily Heil expressing shock and concern over the consequences of 10 years of austerity-driven spending limits imposed by the Party they just helped secure reelection. Expect more of the right wing press to run critical stories on Tory health policy in the period between general elections.

(6 Feb 2020) ‘All we’re asking for is equality’: Homerton Hospital chief quizzed over cleaners’ sick pay Hackney Citizen reports on the poor terms and conditions of an NHS contractor:
"Councillors quizzed Homerton Hospital chief executive Tracey Fletcher last night as the row over sick pay for its outsourced cleaners, porters and catering assistants rumbled on.
"The issue hit the headlines in December, after workers employed through facility services company ISS revealed they do not receive pay for the first three days of sickness, forcing them to go to work while ill.
"Trade unions are now putting pressure on the Homerton to resolve the issue with ISS, with the GMB calling on Fletcher to meet with the employees directly and bring the services currently on a £45m contract with the company back in-house."

(6 Feb 2020) The 'haunting' image of a man whose medical needs were deemed insufficient for free care. He died weighing 45kg. His widow has one question - 'how ill do you have to be?' Manchester Evening News reports on the appalling case of Barry Balderstone:
"Ulcerative colitis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, double incontinence, chronic kidney disease, unable to move or feed himself.
"This man's medical needs were deemed insufficient for him to qualify for free, full-time social care.
"The day after that decision was made - upheld at appeal following two applications - 75-year-old Barry Balderstone died.
"How ill do you have to be to qualify?," widow Marilyn said.
"The NHS won't comment on the tragic case.
"Barry, from Bollington, passed away from advanced Parkinson's. He weighed just 45kg.
"He lived at Mount Hall Care Home and qualified for £150 a week under the continuing healthcare scheme, CheshireLive reports. That covered a small percentage of the costs of his care.
"The couple's savings and pension pot were hit hard.
"East Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said Barry was not eligible for full funding, which would have paid for all of his care needs."

(6 Feb 2020) Look Up Your Hospital: Is It Being Penalized By Medicare? US Kaiser Health Networks highlights the financial penalties levied by the publicly funded Medicare system (for older Americans) for poor quality care:
"Under programs set up by the Affordable Care Act, the federal government cuts payments to hospitals that have high rates of readmissions and those with the highest numbers of infections and patient injuries.
"For the readmission penalties, Medicare cuts as much as 3 percent for each patient, although the average is generally much lower.
"The patient safety penalties cost hospitals 1 percent of Medicare payments over the federal fiscal year, which runs from October through September.

(6 Feb 2020) UNISON-brokered deal ends outsourcing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust UNISON press release states
"A thousand low-paid porters, cleaners and catering staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London are today (Thursday) celebrating after winning the right to be directly managed by the NHS, says UNISON.
"From 1 April the staff – who work in the trust’s five hospitals across the capital – will no longer be employed by private contractor Sodexo. The company has held the contract since 2015.
"As part of the transfer back to the NHS, staff from Sodexo will see their pay, overtime, pensions and sickness allowances brought in line with other health service workers, ending years of unfair treatment, says the union."

(6 Feb 2020) End-of-life care is vital. Why is it so neglected? Guardian's Owen Jones throws the spotlight on the shockingly inadequate funding system for hospices:
"Imagine if the quality of your local maternity services depended on how much money had been raised by cake sales and marathons. We would regard this as an intolerable state of affairs.
"Then why, as Marie Curie’s softly spoken chief executive, Matthew Reed, puts it to me, do we accept this funding model for the care we receive at the very end of our lives?
"What sort of society allows a patient to take their last breath in a lift as they are rushed from A&E to a ward, “treated like a FedEx parcel as they as die because bed pressures are so great,” as palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke put it to me?"

(6 Feb 2020) NHS England pledges to change network proposals after 'significant' GP concerns Pulse report on the climbdown by NHS England on primary Care Networks:
"The network proposals, revealed in a draft document on 23 December, caused anger among the profession when it was announced that GPs would have to carry out 'at least' fortnightly care home visits from September.
"GP leaders warned the plans were not achievable, due to the increase in workload and lack of additional funding, during a time of a staffing crisis in general practice - and in some regions practices were advised to reject the network DES contract altogether.
"This was followed by GPs stepping down from their roles as clinical directors of networks."

(6 Feb 2020) Late diagnosis of lung cancer hitting survival rate, study says Guardian highlighting a report from the UK Lung Cancer Coalition:
"People with lung cancer are dying after being diagnosed late in A&E because their GP missed signs of the disease despite often repeated visits, experts have revealed.
"As many as 56% of people in some parts of England who get lung cancer are only diagnosed when they visit A&E ….
"They are five times more likely to die within a year than those whose condition has been identified either by their GP or through the NHS cancer screening programme."

(6 Feb 2020) Quality pays. Why Luton & Dunstable University Hospital Foundation Trust should invest in quality services Link to UNISON Eastern Region report opposing Luton & Dunstable FT's plans to contract out cleaning and catering on a 10-year tender (after a wretched 5-year contract with Engie). The report is written by (HCT editor) John Lister.

(6 Feb 2020) NHS England will 'significantly rework' draft PCN plans, officials confirm GP Online reports that the widespread outrage of GPs at proposals for Primary Care Networks put out to consultation just before Christmas seems to have forced NHS England into a sharp retreat:
"NHS England is drawing up ‘a significantly reworked set of service specifications’ for primary care networks (PCNs), officials have confirmed, just weeks after controversial draft plans left the future of networks in doubt."

(6 Feb 2020) Universal Credit case finds government discriminated against thousands of disabled people Liverpool Echo story:
"The government has suffered a humiliating court defeat and been found to have unlawfully discriminated against thousands of severely disabled benefit claimants.
"The Court of Appeal has today dismissed the government's appeals against two previous court judgements which found that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions had unlawfully discriminated against thousands of severely disabled people who were moved onto Universal Credit.
"The ruling upholds two successful High Court challenges brought by two men (known as TP and AR) which found that people who were previously on disability benefits should be protected against a drop in their income when they move into the controversial Universal Credit system."

(6 Feb 2020) NHS England asked ‘inadequate’ hospital to admit patient despite ban More shocking evidence from the (£) HSJ on the poor levels of service and low priority attached to learning disabilities:
"NHS England asked an “inadequate” hospital for people with learning disabilities and autism to admit a patient, despite the service having a “voluntary” ban on admissions in place — and shortly before inspectors decided to impose a legal restriction.
"The provider said it was an “exceptional case”, where the individual “had several failed placements”, and had stayed at the hospital — Jeesal Cawston Park in Norfolk — “in the past”.
"However, it appears to highlight the shortage of good quality accommodation and placements available and pressure on commissioners to make use of “inadequate” facilities."

(6 Feb 2020) Cabinet ministers asked to cut back departments by 5% Now the votes have been garnered in the Tories can show their real intentions all along. Sky News reports:
"Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid have demanded all cabinet ministers draw up cuts of 5% to their department, despite promising an end to austerity.
"Ministers have been told to do a line-by-line audit of their accounts and identify 10 projects that can be stopped altogether.
"Protected departments including health and the Ministry of Defence are NOT exempt."

(29 Jan 2020) UK Spending ‘a Third Less in Real Terms’ on Health than in 2000 Built Environment Networking website reports on a recent Healthcare Property and Development Conference, at which Health Foundation director Anita Charlesworth warned:
"We now spend a third less in real terms, than we did in 2000, which is not a picture that is repeated across Europe. Other countries have deepened their investment per worker.”
She continued: “We stand as a real outlier; we’re particularly under-investing in equipment.”

(24 Jan 2020) We’ve just witnessed the last avoidable NHS scandal – the ones that will follow are now simply inevitable Comment article in the Independent by Dr Alexis Paton nails the underlying pressure creating systems failures:
"When things go wrong in medicine, society immediately seeks a culprit. Someone specific who we can blame for what is almost always an avoidable disaster. Individuals have been at the heart of every major medical scandal of both this century and the last. Some have been perpetrators, but most have been victims, whether they are patients or staff who have been harmed.
"What has mattered most in these scandals is that people are singled out and blamed.
"That the true culprit of many of these scandals is rather austerity itself may seem like a far-fetched claim, but the blood on its metaphorical hands is real. Instead of tackling structural failures brought on by underfunding, the prevailing approach of the UK government has been to attack people for failings – thus allowing the problems with the under-resourced NHS to be swept under the rug. Austerity has ensured an Everest-like mound has accumulated there. "

(24 Jan 2020) Senior doctors refused to work evenings and weekends at scandal-hit Kent maternity unit Independent report, drawing on a damning 2016 report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, highlighting shocking behaviour by some consultants:
"A group of consultants who repeatedly refused to work evenings and weekends were at the centre of a maternity unit culture that put patients at risk, according to warnings by experts which are revealed today.
"Despite damning evidence laid out by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in a report for bosses at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, in February 2016, the same mistakes were present in the deaths of other babies at the trust in subsequent years.
"The RCOG report, uncovered by Derek Richford, grandfather of Harry Richford, a baby who died at the trust, suggests a culture at Margate’s Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in which junior staff were reluctant to raise safety concerns for fear of harassment and intimidation. Poor behaviour by a group of consultants apparently became normalised and tolerated, the report said."

(24 Jan 2020) 'Got away with it' - NHS manager gloated about coverage of dead great-grandmother Eastern Daily Press reports that after the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) was criticised in an investigation into the death of 88-year old dementia sufferer Doreen Livermore who was attacked in a care home in King's Lynn by another dementia patient, "NSFT's communications manager, Mark Prentice, sent a gloating email to his colleagues on Thursday morning about the lack of focus on the NSFT and its mistakes in coverage of the case by the BBC on Wednesday and local media.
"We seem to have got away (again) with the Adult Safeguarding Review.
"I think we may have been saved by the death of Terry Jones," he writes, referring to the Monty Python star who died on Wednesday from a rare form of dementia."

(24 Jan 2020) Flawed DES could scupper NHS long-term plan, warns network pioneer GP Online update on the unfolding car crash of NHS England's plans to dump more work onto GPs:
"NHS England insisted last July that it would be ‘as flexible as we can’ with PCNs and look to avoid a top-down management approach - emphasising that they did not want to ‘stifle innovation’.
"But Dr Nav Chana said the draft specifications create ‘lots of expectations in a quick timescale’, which risked undermining work already carried out by both primary care homes and PCNs. He said 'unrealistic' expectations had been heaped onto additional staff PCNs are expected to recruit.
"South-west London GP Dr Chana said some of the GPs who were most highly engaged with PCNs were saying they didn't have the time, energy or resources to deliver the plans in their current form - pointing to an NAPC poll that found 84% of respondents felt they could not achieve the requirements."

(24 Jan 2020) Public sector finances, UK: December 2019 ONS report on "How the relationship between UK public sector monthly income and expenditure leads to changes in deficit and debt."
Reveals that Public sector debt at the end of April 2010 was £960bn, by December 2019 was almost doubled at £1.819bn. Where has all the money gone?

(24 Jan 2020) Are self-reported health inequalities widening by income? An analysis of British pseudo birth cohorts born, 1920–1970 Free access to the study on growing health inequalities in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

(24 Jan 2020) Poor Britons have worse health than generation born a century ago, study says Independent reports on a research paper in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health which states that poor people in Britain now have worse health than those born in the early 1920s.
"The health gap between the least and most well-off in society is widening and may heap increased pressure on care for vulnerable older people in the future, according to new research from University College London (UCL).
"Experts found health inequality among rich and poor women born between 1968 to 1970 was twice that of those born between 1920 and 1922. For men, the gap was one-and-a-half times larger."

(24 Jan 2020) David Oliver: The risks of discharging patients early against doctors’ judgment BMJ blog by consultant David Oliver raising concerns over medics being instructed to take risks to discharge patients more quickly to free up beds in two trusts:
"we’re entering dangerous territory when the professional clinical judgment of medics who have assessed and spoken to patients and their families, and who are personally accountable for decisions and consequences, is over-ridden, or when they’re heavily pressured to act outside their comfort zone.
"… The General Medical Council (GMC) has already issued guidance on formally escalating and documenting concerns whenever staffing, workload, or system failures may put patients at risk of harm.4 Guidance in the GMC’s Duties of a Doctor5 suggests that doctors must prioritise their primary duty of care and patient safety—but also use resources efficiently and make balanced judgments. Colin Melville, GMC medical director, told me, “We always consider a concern raised with [us] on the specific facts of the case, taking into account the factors relevant to the environment in which the doctor is working.” I don’t find any of this especially reassuring, and nor do I see a defence of, “the medical director made me do it.” "

(24 Jan 2020) 'I want dignity, I do not want to die at home' - Cancer patient's heartfelt fight to save West London hospice My London report on campaign to reopen a West London hospice closed since 2018:
Hammersmith & Fulham campaigner Jim Grealy is quoted calling for the Pembridge hospice to be reopened as it is easy for people to get to and visit their loved ones.
“People expect to live and die with dignity,” he added.
"The temporary closure of the 13-bed hospice in October 2018 followed problems finding a replacement consultant to oversee it.
"It prompted a review of the end-of-life care offered by Central and West London Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG).
"Since then beds have been found for patients who need specialist palliative care at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham and St John’s Hospice in St John’s Wood in Westminster."

(24 Jan 2020) Quality and inequality: digging deeper The Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation report that has flagged up a partial explanation of why poorer people have higher death rates.

(24 Jan 2020) Babylon Health holds talks with “significant” number of NHS trusts (£) BMJ report reveals that "The digital provider Babylon Health is in talks with a “significant number” of hospital trusts in England as it seeks to expand its service in the NHS, the company has told The BMJ.
"Babylon’s managing director for NHS services, Paul Bate, said that the company wanted to spearhead a “fundamental transformation” in the way people accessed healthcare. His comments came as Babylon announced a major 10 year partnership with Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, a large acute and community provider that also runs 10 general practices, to deliver joined-up digital care to the city’s population."

(24 Jan 2020) England's poorest 'get worse NHS care' than wealthiest citizens Guardian picks up on a joint Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation report that explores another dimension in health inequalities:
"England’s poorest people get worse NHS care than its wealthiest citizens, including longer waiting for A&E treatment and worse experience of GP services, a study shows.
"Those from the most deprived areas have fewer hip replacements and are admitted to hospital with bed sores more often than people from the least deprived areas.
"With regard to emergency care, 14.3% of the most deprived had to wait more than the supposed maximum of four hours to be dealt with in A&E in 2017-18, compared with 12.8% of the wealthiest. Similarly, just 64% of the former had a good experience making a GP appointment, compared with 72% of those from the richest areas."

(24 Jan 2020) Whorlton Hall: Care regulator ‘was wrong’ to bury whistleblower’s report into failings at hospital where patients were abused Independent article on yet another failure to scrutinise and of course long term failure of a private provider.

(24 Jan 2020) McKinsey boss among new ICS lead recruits (£) HSJ report identifies the five senior leaders who will chair the "Integrated Care Systems" in London, with the most prominent appointee being top dog in McKinsey's operations in Europe, Africa and Australia, Penny Dash, to take the helm in NW London where over £80m has already been squandered on useless management consultancy and unfinished business plans since 2009 (£34m of it spent on McKinsey). The 7-year "Shaping a Healthier Future" plan to axe Charing Cross and Ealing Hospitals was itself given the chop by Matt Hancock last March. But it seems no lessons have really been learned. Allegedly Dash is set to retire from McKinsey before stepping straight into an identical role in NW London -- as if the 2.2m population there needed any more McKinseyism.

(24 Jan 2020) Exclusive: Trusts told to join forces to boost overseas recruits (£) HSJ report showing that even while ministers try to deter people as many as possible from coming to Britain -- imposing visa charges for EU nationals after Brexit and increasing the so-called "Immigration Health Surcharge" yet again to £625 per person – Trusts are being urged to work together in an effort to recruit the overseas staff who are vital to ministers achieving their promised 50,000 "extra" nurses, etc.

(24 Jan 2020) Adult social care services back under council control in Bath UNISON reports a major step forward for social care staff who were embroiled in a dispute back in 2018.
"Care workers, catering and domestic support staff working for Sirona Care & Health were today (Tuesday) informed that their roles will be returning to Bath and North East Somerset Council.
"The news comes after Sirona announced it would be handing back the contract to provide community resource centres and extra care facilities in September. The services will be back under full council control after with effect from 1st September 2020."

(24 Jan 2020) HPV vaccine drives cancer causing infections down to very low levels A success story - refuting the nonsense of the anti-vaxers:
"Cancer-causing HPV16 and 18 infections are now extremely uncommon in young sexually active women in England, following the introduction of HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination in 2008.
"These infections were found in less than 2% of 16 to 18-year-old women between 2014 and 2018, new data from Public Health England (PHE) show. In a sample of 584 young women tested in 2018, no HPV16 or 18 infections were detected.
"This is a dramatic reduction from 2008, when over 15% of young sexually active women were found to have these infections."

(24 Jan 2020) Emergency dementia admissions to hospitals up 35% in five years Guardian report. Dementia is an incremental problem, not a sudden onset: but the lack of proper support and care for people as it develops has meant growing numbers requiring emergency treatment:
"The number of people with dementia being admitted to hospital as a medical emergency has risen by more than a third in five years, figures have shown, with a lack of social care blamed for the increase.
"NHS data showed that hospitals in England recorded more than 379,000 admissions of people with the condition during 2017/18. That was 100,000 more than the number of such patients admitted in 2012/13 – a 35% jump in five years.
"The Alzheimer’s Society, which obtained the figures, said they meant that more than half of everyone in England with dementia had been admitted to hospital at least once – and sometimes many times – during 2017/18.
“This is the stark reality of many people with dementia left to fall through the cracks in our broken social care system,” said Jeremy Hughes, the chief executive."

(24 Jan 2020) CQC did not see damning maternity report for three years (£) HSJ report on another shocking failure of scrutiny by the CQC – and wilful withholding of information by East Kent Hospitals FT.

(24 Jan 2020) Abdul El-Sayed and thousands of physicians sign open-letter NYT ad endorsing Medicare for All More support for the growing campaign for Medicare for All as flagged up in the New York Metro Times:
"Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former health director for the city of Detroit, tweeted Tuesday that he is proud to have signed a letter that was endorsed by more than 2,000 physicians who support Medicare for All.
"Too many in Detroit where I served as health director go without the care they need," El-Sayed said in a statement to Metro Times. "We can solve it. We need Medicare for All today — we needed it yesterday. But we can achieve it in a tomorrow where we stand together and for one another."
"The open letter, titled "As Physicians, We Prescribe Medicare for All," was published as a full-page ad in The New York Times."

(24 Jan 2020) We need a more caring vision not stronger specifications An important audio interview with Londonwide LMC chief Michelle Drage about the draft service specifications for Primary Care Networks. She argues GPs and their colleagues already know what needs to be done. Now they need the space and support to get on with it, .

(24 Jan 2020) GPs in revolt over NHS England's plan to increase their workload Guardian reports that the Primary Care Networks that were supposed to be a way of creating extra shared resources for GP practices are now threatening to impose onerous and unsustainable extra workload - and triggering another revolt by already hard-pressed GPs. This story of NHS England's incompetence seems set to run and run.

(24 Jan 2020) Workforce crisis leaves the NHS teetering on the brink - but there is a way forward Guardian article by Dr Kailash Chand sums up the current growing crisis and argues:
"Understaffing begets poor morale, which further damages recruitment and retention. The number of personnel leaving the NHS because of a poor work-life balance has almost trebled between 2011-12 and 2018-19, according to analysis by the Health Foundation thinktank.
"Continued understaffing could lead to even longer waiting lists, worsening care quality and the risk that the recent increase in NHS funding secured for frontline services will go unspent; even if commissioners have resources for additional activity, there may not be the personnel to deliver it.
"The secret to the long-term sustainability of the NHS is to introduce a new model putting prevention rather than treatment at the heart of the healthcare system."
Given the continued and increasing cuts in public health budgets this does seem to be far from likely as the next steps by the Johnson government.

(24 Jan 2020) Why is the media so invested in the status quo when it comes to health reform? Veteran health care journalist Trudy Lieberman in a typically well-informed as wide-ranging article last month asks the obvious question of why the US media is so locked in to defending a health care system that such a large percentage of its audience finds unsatisfactory.
"In the run-up to the Affordable Care Act there were hundreds of media stories about Americans who needed health insurance and care, and those stories helped build support for the law. Where are the stories now about those still left out of the system and the significant challenges that remain for thousands still lucky enough to be in?"

(24 Jan 2020) Bed shortages leave Sunderland patients to sleep overnight in A&E Guardian reports growing problems in Sunderland's already over-full hospital, raising yet again the question on whether they have any scope to "centralise" more services after the forced merger with South Tyneside Hospital:
"Patients have had to sleep overnight in the A&E unit of one of the NHS’s biggest hospitals because it is overwhelmed by the number of people needing care, a leaked memo reveals.
"The situation has arisen at Sunderland Royal hospital because it has been running out of beds despite it having recently added an extra 50 to its normal stock of 970 beds to help it cope with winter pressures."

(24 Jan 2020) World’s billionaires have more wealth than 4.6 billion people Shocking reminder from Oxfam on the scale of global inequalities -- some useful numbers to put our own situation in context.

(24 Jan 2020) If we don’t start looking after our doctors there will be no one to care for our patients Extended Metro article from a co-founder of the Doctors Association lifts the lid on the heavy workload and poor working conditions faced by hospital doctors:
"This combination of spiralling workloads and a decimation of morale and camaraderie has been toxic for our profession. Last year, 55 per cent of UK doctors met the criteria for burnout and ‘emotional exhaustion’, with one in five resorting to the use of drugs or alcohol as a ‘coping strategy’. It’s hardly surprising that we are haemorrhaging doctors out of the profession, and it’s only getting worse. In 2018, just 38 per cent of second year doctors chose to continue their careers in the NHS and enter specialty training with the aim of becoming an NHS consultant or GP – compared to 83 per cent in 2010."

(24 Jan 2020) The nation's health An important Health Foundation report highlighting widening inequalities in health, which many will have missed when it was first published in the depths of the election campaign last November

(24 Jan 2020) Long NHS waits help drive more patients to pay for private surgery The Independent's Shaun Lintern gets an exclusive early look at a new report from private sector analysts Laing & Buisson -- but one which is disappointingly based on figures that only go up to 2018.
Still interesting, but it will be even more interesting to find out if there is an ever larger increase in people "self-paying" for private elective care as the waiting list has risen during 2019.

(24 Jan 2020) Blog from NHS Blithering - Towards people and impact Another brilliant installment that should bring a smile to your face even as you recognise that the bullsh** it is parodying is the daily currency in NHS management circles. This one addresses absurd job titles, with a feature role for communications guru Martin Plackard, "whose CV features a number of leadership roles in the fields of impact, euphemism management and talent delivery.
"Plackard, the author of some of the NHS’s best-loved slogans including “Building on future excellence” and “Towards outstanding”, said:
“It’s easy to overstate the importance of meaning in role design. We need to create roles that appeal to people who refuse to be defined by outmoded ideas about job descriptions, past experience or achievements."
Just excellent fun for dark times.
My own personal favourite daft slogan? "For us, excellence is just not enough".

(24 Jan 2020) Lewisham and Greenwich Trust scrutinised over sharing patients' data with Experian News Shopper reports the struggles by Trust bosses to explain their decision to hand over data on patients to Experian:
"A decision by Lewisham and Greenwich Trust to hand over patients’ personal data to a credit reference firm was slammed by committee members in Lewisham last night (January 15).
"Before the activity was exposed by the Health Service Journal, the trust had been using Experian to run UK checks for patients’ credit footprints to see if they were eligible for free treatment."
The report quotes Jim Lusby, director of integrated care and development at Lewisham and Greenwich Trust, who spoke to the healthier communities select committee about the steps that had been taken in the wake of the scandal.
"He said the reason the trust took the decision to check everyone was to do it in a “non-discriminatory” way. In hindsight it was not the right choice […] in all honesty I struggle to defend the logic of this,” he told the committee."

(24 Jan 2020) The four-hour NHS waiting time target saves lives - government should think carefully about changes An unusual and important report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (which normally only looks at financial matters) argues the importance of the 4-hour target for seeing and treating emergency patients:
Researchers at the IFS, Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) have collaborated on a paper which "suggests that the target has meaningful impacts on patient outcomes. "
It analyses "the impact of the target on the treatments received by patients and their subsequent survival outcomes, and finds that the target was successful in reducing A&E waiting times, but increased the number of inpatient admission and costs.
"These impacts were accompanied by a large reduction in the mortality rate of A&E patients. These mortality reductions appear to be driven by shorter waiting times rather than additional treatment, and mostly affect patients with severe and potentially time-sensitive conditions such as sepsis and stroke. "

(24 Jan 2020) Report shows nurse whistleblowing complaints up 68% (£)_nursing Times reports "The number of nurses blowing the whistle over concerns in their workplace has gone up by 68% over two years, new figures reveal."
Nurses were by far the most common health staff to raise concerns over quality and safety of health care -- followed by admin and clerical staff and allied health professionals.
RCN official Mike Adams pointed out that "nurses turning to guardians could mean they did not feel comfortable raising issues directly with their managers."

(24 Jan 2020) Boris Johnson admits solution to social care crisis could still be five years away Independent draws out key admission from a BBC interview with Bozo, who promised in July that he had "a clear plan" to give "every older person the dignity they deserve".
But: "In a BBC interview, the prime minister backtracked on his pre-election claim to have a ready-to-go rescue package – instead, saying he would be “bringing forward a proposal” later this year.
"Asked for a date for action to finally be taken to improve social care, Mr Johnson said: “We will certainly do it in this parliament” – prompting the interviewer to point out: “That’s five years away.”

(24 Jan 2020) Revealed: The trusts where patients lost their sight after follow-up delays (£) HSJ flags up problems caused by chronic lack of capacity in at least 11 trusts.
"Responses to HSJ’s Freedom of Information Act requests also indicate many trusts have no proper oversight of their waiting lists. Many trusts — including the internationally-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital Foundation Trust — were unable to say how many patients were waiting for overdue follow-up appointments or suffered harm, either because they did not have the information or it would take too long to extract it.
"HSJ also found 3,384 cases between November 2018 and October 2019 where ophthalmology patients had waited more than a year past their intended follow-up date."

(24 Jan 2020) Envisioning a Better U.S. Health Care System for All: Coverage and Cost of Care American College of Physicians - the largest specialist organisation of US doctors - comes out for Medicare for All in a remarkable endorsement of the principle of universal health coverage and rejection of the existing US system:
"This paper is part of the American College of Physicians' policy framework to achieve a vision for a better health care system, where everyone has coverage for and access to the care they need, at a cost they and the country can afford.
"Currently, the United States is the only wealthy industrialized country that has not achieved universal health coverage.
"The nation's existing health care system is inefficient, unaffordable, unsustainable, and inaccessible to many. Part 1 of this paper discusses why the United States needs to do better in addressing coverage and cost. Part 2 presents 2 potential approaches, a single-payer model and a public choice model, to achieve universal coverage. Part 3 describes how an emphasis on value-based care can reduce costs."

(24 Jan 2020) How is your area coping with pressures? Charts compiled from NHS Digital data by Greg Dropkin of KONP Merseyside give a graphic illustration of performance against target on a range of measures, area by area, and also comparing trusts in the same area with each other. More will be added to complete the picture.

(16 Jan 2020) Plan to scrap A&E target sparks furious backlash from medics Guardian reports: "Plans to scrap the four-hour A&E target have sparked a furious backlash from doctors and nurses, with some claiming it is driven by ministers’ desire to avoid negative publicity about patients facing increasingly long delays.
"A&E consultants led a chorus of medical opposition to the move. They pointedly urged NHS leaders and ministers to concentrate on delivering the long-established maximum waiting time for emergency care rather than finding “ways around” it.

(16 Jan 2020) Health Care Administrative Costs in the United States and Canada, 2017 research paper argues that "The gap in health administrative spending between the United States and Canada is large and widening, and it apparently reflects the inefficiencies of the U.S. private insurance–based, multipayer system. The prices that U.S. medical providers charge incorporate a hidden surcharge to cover their costly administrative burden."

(16 Jan 2020) Projected costs of single-payer healthcare financing in the United States: A systematic review of economic analyses The first ever systematic review of economic analyses of single-payer health system in the USA. Researchers analyzed 22 cost estimates over 3 decades, with 20 of the 22 predicting net savings.

(16 Jan 2020) London council cuts ties with private firm that deems sick homeless people ‘fit’ without meeting them Independent reports a glimmer of hope in a dark landscape as Islington council decides to axe its contract with a private firm exposed by the newspaper and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. NowMedical, "has been paid millions of pounds in public money by local authorities across the country to produce reports on homeless individuals, based solely on paper records.
"Diarmaid Ward, the chief housing councillor, said the council planned to bring the medical assessments in-house by employing a specialist occupational therapist, saying this would give the council “more control” and help to deliver a better service for homeless applicants, as well as potentially saving money in the long term."

(16 Jan 2020) Matt Hancock signals A&E waiting targets likely to be scrapped Guardian reports: "Matt Hancock has signalled that four-hour waiting targets for A&E are likely to be scrapped for the NHS in England after the worst figures on record this winter.
"The health secretary said it would be better if targets were “clinically appropriate” and the “right targets”, as he defended the NHS’s failure to meet the standard that 95% of patients attending A&E should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
"The target was put under review by Theresa May’s government and the NHS unveiled plans last March to pilot changes that would prioritise patients with serious conditions while patients with minor problems could wait longer than four hours."

(16 Jan 2020) Shrewsbury maternity scandal: More than 900 cases of potential poor care identified at hospital Independent with an update on a long-running scandal:
"About 100 new cases of poor maternity care at a beleaguered hospital trust have been identified, bringing the total to 900, the government has revealed.
"The scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust - the largest maternity scandal in NHS history – is already under investigation and lawyers are preparing to act on behalf of families who say they suffered."

(16 Jan 2020) Mid Staffs scandal: 10 years on, inquiry chair worries NHS staff too scared to speak up Independent reports: "Ten years on from the Mid Staffordshire NHS trust scandal, the man who led the inquiry into one of the worst care disasters in the service’s history has said he remains worried about the safety of patients and a culture that leaves staff too frightened to speak up.

(16 Jan 2020) Single-Payer Systems Likely to Save Money in US, Analysis Finds US academic study takes overview of two dozen previous studies – and concludes "single payer" system in place of current insurance would save money from the first year of operation.

(16 Jan 2020) Matt Hancock Hints NHS A&E Waiting Times Could Be Scrapped Huffington Post reports: "Health secretary Matt Hancock has hinted that landmark NHS targets could be scrapped following the health service’s worst A&E waiting times since records began.
"More than one in five patients were forced to wait for more than four hours for treatment in December.
"But Hancock said there was a “problem” with the target as it failed to take into account other improvements.
"NHS England figures published last week showed just 79.8% of A&E patients were seen within the specified time, way below the 95% target that was introduced by Tony Blair’s government in 2004."

(16 Jan 2020) NHS funding bill enters Parliament Government press release: ministers continue to boast, without justification, of the "largest cash settlement in NHS history" despite the fact it is only £20.5bn in real terms, 3.4% per year, well below the 4.1% required annually to keep pace with rising costs, and nowhere near enough to compensate for the £35 billion that NHS would have had if increases had continued at pre-2010 average. Worse, enshrining this inadequate sum in law means effectively imposing a 5-year cap on NHS spending, regardless of the scale of continued decline in services.

(16 Jan 2020) Cornwall hospital to discharge patients early despite saying it may be harmful Guardian report on Royal Cornwall Hospital, the only DGH in Cornwall:
"A major NHS hospital is under such pressure that it has decided to discharge people early even though it admits that patients may be harmed and doctors think the policy is unwise.
"The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS trust has told staff to help it reduce the severe overcrowding it has been facing in recent weeks by discharging patients despite the risks involved. …
"The memo added: “One of these mitigations was to look at the level of risk that clinicians are taking when discharging patients from Treliske hospital either to home or to community services, recognising that this may be earlier than some clinicians would like and may cause a level of concern.
“It was agreed, however, that this would be a proportionate risk that we as a health community were prepared to take on the understanding that there is a possibility that some of these patients will be readmitted or possibly come to harm.”

(16 Jan 2020) CQC slams private provider for leadership and care quality (£)HSJ reports; "The firm which runs a mental health hospital at the centre of an abuse scandal has been criticised by regulators for its leadership, care quality and “high use of restraint and seclusion” across its sites.
"The Care Quality Commission is calling for “immediate action” from Cygnet Health Care — which ran Whorlton Hall before it closed last year in the wake of a BBC Panorama investigation — following an assessment of its leadership.
"Regulators found there “was a high use of physical restraint and seclusion,” and high levels of patient-on-patient assaults and self-harm across services run by Cygnet compared to similar mental health services at other providers."

(16 Jan 2020) Government 'misleading the public' by claiming 18 hospitals built since 2010, says senior doctor i-news reports:
"One of the UK's leading medics has accused the Government of "misleading the public" after it claimed 18 new hospitals have opened over the last 10 years.
"In response to a Freedom of Information request from i asking how many new hospitals have been built in England since 1 January 2010, The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said there had been 18 - although this figure includes partial new builds as well as existing hospitals that have either been refurbished or redeveloped.
"Dr Susan Crossland, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, criticised the department for its answer and said it was conflating several different construction projects in the same list."

(16 Jan 2020) French Strikes: Macron calls a ‘Temporary Halt’ to his pension reforms but the people will not stand down. Labour Heartlands gives an update on the massive strikes which have barely been reported in the British press and not at all on mainstream TV -- against an increase in the pension age:
"With clouds of tear gas and smashed store windows punctuating the urban landscape of France, the French government made their first major concession on Saturday, backing down to the unions protesting its pension reform plan. Macron has temporarily scrapped his proposal to raise the retirement age in France but the people and unions are not buying it.
"Faced with an unrelenting protest over proposed changes in France’s pension system, officials withdrew a move to raise the full-benefit retirement age to 64 from the present 62.
"The French government's climb down shows that ‘People Power’ is a force to be reckoned with. Alongside the organised backing from the unions and other movements, the people of France have forced the government to temporarily halt the pension reforms."

(16 Jan 2020) Mental health nurses ‘near breaking point’ due to service pressures Nursing Times reports:
"The survey of more than 1,000 mental health professionals, carried out by the British Medical Association in collaboration with the Royal College of Nursing and Association of Clinical Psychologists, suggests workforce shortages are having a major impact on workload, staff wellbeing and morale.
"The findings also show shortages are affecting the quality of care with 52% of respondents reporting they were too busy to provide the care they would like on the last shift they worked."

(16 Jan 2020) Safety fears as hospitals redeploy nurses to care for patients in corridors Guardian report on the latest crisis measures being taken in overstretched hospitals:
"Hospitals are having to redeploy nurses from wards to look after queues of patients in corridors, in a growing trend that has raised concerns about patient safety
"Many hospitals have become so overcrowded that they are being forced to tell nurses to spend part of their shift working as “corridor nurses” to look after patients who are waiting for a bed.
"Nurses, doctors and hospital bosses have all voiced unease about the practice, which has risen sharply in recent weeks as the NHS has struggled to cope with the extra pressures of winter."
If only ministers had some way of knowing it would be winter at this time of year.

(16 Jan 2020) Torn but determined RCN members in Northern Ireland, on strike for the very first time in the history of their union, speak about their feelings.

(16 Jan 2020) Shropshire 12-hour A&E trolley waits worst in country Shropshire Star reports on another Tory-voting area coming to grips with what they have just voted to continue over the next five years:
"More patients faced trolley waits of more than 12 hours at Shropshire's A&Es than anywhere else in the country last month, new figures show.
"The latest NHS England figures, published today, show 348 patients waited more than 12 hours on trolleys in December, while 2,130 patients faced a trolley wait of more than four hours.
"The figures, which have risen significantly since November, show that 12,434 patients attended the county's A&E departments at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) last month.
"And about two in five of them had to wait longer than the four-hour Government target."

(16 Jan 2020) Bishop Auckland stroke unit closure plan prompts patient fear BBC report addresses one of a number of areas that voted for Tory candidates in December -- only to find that their NHS is now being cut back, as they were warned.

(16 Jan 2020) LMC issues urgent call to GPs on 'viability' of practices following network proposals Pulse reports on the row over Primary Care Networks:
"The new proposals, drafted by NHS England and NHS Improvement, state GPs will have to carry out care home visits 'at least' every fortnight and implement structured medication reviews as part of the five national services PCNs will have to phase in from April.
"Londonwide LMCs are asking practices in a survey whether they believe that these specifications will 'increase or decrease the stability of your practice'."

(16 Jan 2020) Ministers urged to speed up review of benefits for terminally ill Guardian reports on concerns of charities that "Thousands of people have died before being able to access welfare payments."
"Campaigners had demanded law changes after thousands of people who had just months to live were unable to access benefits, often finding their claims bogged down in bureaucracy and unnecessary health assessments.
"Current benefit rules state that claimants can only get their benefits fast-tracked if a doctor says they have less than six months to live – campaigners argue this is too restrictive, and want the definition widened to ensure benefits can be accessed as soon as a terminal illness diagnosis is made."

(16 Jan 2020) Practices 'face £105,000 loss' for taking part in network DES in current form GP Online flags up the growing disquiet among GPs over the implications of the new Primary Care Networks which were supposed to be giving them additional support:
"In a move that raises serious questions over the future of the £1.8bn primary care network (PCN) programme, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire (BBO) LMCs has demanded that NHS England cancel or freeze the proposed specifications - calling them 'completely unrealistic'.
"The LMC said it 'cannot in any way endorse these specifications, nor do we have any confidence that national negotiations will result in NHS England agreeing to sufficient positive changes'.
"Its analysis warns that the specifications are 'impossible to deliver' with the available workforce and that that in a best-case scenario practices will face costs 'at least in excess of £100,000 per annum'."

(16 Jan 2020) $170 Billion and Counting: The Cost of Brexit for the U.K. Figures to remember next time ministers argue they can't put more money into the NHS. Bloomberg reports that the total cost of Brexit to the economy is now greater than the total of payments into the EU in four decades and more since Britain joined!

(16 Jan 2020) The health and social care workforce gap Report in the House of Commons Library begins:
"Around 1.2 million full-time equivalent (FTE) staff work in the NHS, and 1.1 million work in adult social care. Around 78% of social care jobs are in the independent sector. Providers across NHS England are reporting a shortage of over 100,000 FTE staff. Adult social care is facing even starker recruitment and retention challenges, with an estimated 122,000 FTE vacancies. This equates to a vacancy rate of around 8% for both the NHS and adult social care, compared with a vacancy rate of under 3% for jobs across the UK economy.
"Analysis by the King’s Fund suggests the NHS workforce gap could reach almost 250,000 by 2030. Nursing is facing one of the greatest problems with one in eight posts vacant. "

(16 Jan 2020) U.S. health system costs four times more to run than Canada’s single-payer system Los Angeles Times reminds readers that:
"In the United States, a legion of administrative healthcare workers and health insurance employees who play no direct role in providing patient care costs every American man, woman and child an average of $2,497 per year.
"Across the border in Canada, where a single-payer system has been in place since 1962, the cost of administering healthcare is just $551 per person — less than a quarter as much."

(16 Jan 2020) Combined Performance Summary: November–December 2019 Nuffield Trust crunches the latest numbers on NHS performance:
"NHS England published its Combined Performance Summary, which provides data on key performance measures for November and December of last year. SitRep data for the first week of 2020 was also released, giving a more up-to-date analysis of how the NHS is coping this winter. Here we show some of these statistics and how they compare with previous years."

(9 Jan 2020) £1.8bn PCN programme on brink as senior GPs threaten to withdraw GP Online on the developing crisis in Primary Care Networks:
"the document has been met with widespread dissatisfaction from doctors, who say that the draft specifications create workload ‘vastly in excess of what is credible’ for GPs. They have also criticised a lack of separate funding to carry out additional duties, such as fortnightly care home visits.
"This had led to a number of senior GPs and leaders of mature networks, including the 2018 winners of the NAPC Primary Care Home of the Year, threatening to pull out of the PCN DES unless it is altered ‘radically’."

(9 Jan 2020) Long waiting times for GP appointments are unacceptable, says College, as it calls on Government to prioritise general practice which has been 'running on empty for too long' Royal College of General Practitioners steps up the pressure on government to deliver on some of its promises:
"Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "It is totally unacceptable to expect patients to wait weeks for a GP appointment. Patients -and GPs - deserve better.
"However, the situation in which we find ourselves has not happened overnight, and the College has been sounding the alarm bells for many years.
"Whilst workload in general practice has escalated in terms of volume and complexity, successive governments have failed to invest sufficiently in the family doctor service in order to keep pace with demand, and one consequence is that we now have a worrying shortage of GPs."

(9 Jan 2020) 'Misery' for A&E patients facing record-long waits BBC report underlines the parlous state of the NHS after a decade of budgets effectively frozen in real terms while demand has increased:
"Huge pressures at hospitals across the NHS over the last month have led to long delays for patients seeking emergency care, figures suggest.
"The NHS England December data showed record delays in A&E with one in five patients waiting more than four hours.
"A key problem seems to have been a shortage of beds on wards.
"The figures show nearly 100,000 of the sickest patients faced hours stuck on trolleys and waiting in corridors while beds were found for them.
"Some hospitals were even forced to introduce emergency protocols and turn away walk-in patients deemed not to need immediate help, while many have postponed routine operations to fee up space."

(9 Jan 2020) Glaucoma patients going blind due to treatment delays, watchdog finds Guardian reports that in one of the richest countries in the world "People with glaucoma are going blind because NHS eyesight services have “inadequate capacity” to follow up such patients properly after diagnosis, an investigation has revealed.
"An estimated 22 patients a month are suffering severe or permanent loss of sight because of long delays in getting follow-up appointments, the patient safety watchdog found."

(9 Jan 2020) A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions: December 2019 Statistical Commentary The latest shocking official figures for December and official commentary admits
"79.8% of patients were seen within 4 hours in all A&E departments this month
compared to 81.4% in November 2019 and 86.5% in December 2018. This is the
lowest performance since the collection began. The 95% standard was last met
in July 2015. "
However performance is even worse for the most serious Type I A&E cases, many of whom need beds:
"68.6% of patients were seen within 4 hours in type 1 A&E departments compared
to 71.3% in November 2019 and 79.1% for the same month last year. This is the
lowest type 1 performance since the collection began."

(9 Jan 2020) NHS Trusts outsourcing pharmacies on huge scale due to perverse incentive Left Foot Forward identifies an interesting aspect of privatisation:
"A report in the Pharmaceutical Journal highlights figures from the most recent ‘Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation Benchmarking Project’ report, showing that 50% of the 106 NHS trusts that supplied data have a ‘subsidiary’ outpatient pharmacy.
"A third (34%) of trusts had outsourced the service to a commercial firm, with 16% having created a ‘wholly owned subsidiary’ (WOS) pharmacy.
"Under the current law, NHS Trusts have to pay VAT on their medicines. However, VAT can be avoided for Trusts’ outpatient pharmacies by “enter[ing] into a contract with a third-party pharmacy company” – with these “qualifying goods” being exempt from VAT."

(9 Jan 2020) 81-year-old gran should not have had to die on the roadside on M11 Strong Eastern Daily Press report on failing mental health services in Norfolk & Suffolk states: "Peggy Copeman passed away on Monday from a suspected heart attack while being transported back to Norfolk from Devon, where the pensioner had been sent because there were no suitable beds closer to home.
"Her family say that she should not have been sent more than 280 miles away in the first place - and that she should not have been put in a position where she had to die on the hard shoulder in such a way.
"Her death is the latest in a string of shocking stories to have emerged in recent years relating to so-called 'out-of-area' mental health treatment, which is normally required due to a lack of suitable beds in Norfolk and Suffolk."

(9 Jan 2020) How can U.S. healthcare save more than $600B? Switch to a single-payer system, study suggests Fierce Healthcare report states "U.S. healthcare could save more than $600 billion in administrative costs by adopting a single-payer system like neighboring Canada, a new study suggests.
"The U.S.’s current multi-payer system cost the country $812 billion in administrative costs in 2017—four times more than Canada, which has a single-payer system—mostly due to the increasing overhead of private insurers, according to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"The study concluded that cutting U.S. administrative costs to Canadian levels by adopting single-payer health financing would have saved more than $600 billion."

(9 Jan 2020) New primary care network contract won’t work, GPs warn (£) BMJ report reveals that “A proposed new contract for general practices to participate in primary care networks contains unrealistic demands and will pile new layers of bureaucracy on overstretched practices, GPs have warned.
… “The draft document stipulates that from September 2020 GPs will have to visit patients in care homes at least once a fortnight as part of an enhanced care service in residential homes. And from April 2020 primary care networks will be expected to initiate structured medication reviews for the patients most likely to benefit, including all those in care homes.
… “Nearly all general practices (99%) signed up to the new network DES last year as a way to get additional funding for collaborating in networks. In the first year the only major stipulation was for practices to join a network.
“But since details of the draft contract emerged GPs have warned that it would be almost impossible for some practices to deliver, because of the short deadline.”

(9 Jan 2020) Dozens of hospitals leaving NHS staff at risk of attacks by patients Independent report flagging up Health & Safety Executive findings that 25 of the 38 trusts inspected "are in breach of rules designed to make sure they manage risks to their staff from violent patients or members of the public.
"The Health Service Journal revealed the inspections were prompted by increasing numbers of assaults on NHS staff, including three killings by patients in the last five years."

(9 Jan 2020) Number of children admitted to A&E with mental health problems jumps 330 per cent over past decade Independent report on a shocking gap in care:
“Reduced community services and rising mental health issues among Britain’s youth have fuelled a 330 per cent surge in crisis admissions at hospital emergency departments.”
However the article also points out that: “Analysis of referral criteria used by 29 NHS mental health trusts, by Pulse magazine, found a third only accept patients with “severe/significant” conditions.
“Just six out of the 29 trusts accept referrals for children with all severities of mental health problems.”

(9 Jan 2020) STRIVING TO DELIVER: NHS PROVIDERS WINTER BRIEFING 2019/20 Numbers of A&E attendances and emergency admissions increasing while bed numbers fall -- NHS Providers set out the background the utterly predictable drop in performance of overstretched, under-funded and under-staffed trusts.

(5 Jan 2020) Worcestershire and Shropshire face restrictions on ambulance services to reduce A&E caseload Ambulance crews in Shropshire and Worcestershire, where hospitals are stretched beyond capacity are being told to use restrictive criteria to avoid conveying people from nursing homes, care homes, sheltered housing etc. Needs of older people ignored.

(5 Jan 2020) Delays in GP appointments increased rather than decreased since Johnson promise (£) Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eleven-million-patients-wait-more-than-three-weeks-to-see-gp-x9jgzsrrf points out PM’s first speech last July argued: ‘My job is to make sure you don’t have to wait 3 wks to see your GP’. NHS figures (Table 1) show numbers waiting over 3 weeks have increased by 1 million since then compared with same months last year.

(5 Jan 2020) Real reason the NHS is getting worse each year exposed by expert Feeble Daily Express attempt to come to grips with consequences of a decade of under-funding and policies that have undervalued and underpaid staff resulting in 100k vacancies – and enlisting limp comments from King's Fund "expert" who winds up trying to blame the disastrous performance figures on increased incidence of flu, but concludes: “Although it is not too bad historically speaking compared to our worst ever winter flu epidemics.”
With analysis like this it's no surprise the Express and its readers have failed to grasp the scale of the crisis created in the NHS by austerity policies and privatisation.

(4 Jan 2020) 'Outdated' IT leaves NHS staff with 15 different computer logins BBC reports a pathetic £40m allocation in an effort to tackle the huge backlog of inadequate investment in IT kit and systems:
"IT systems in the NHS are so outdated that staff have to log in to up to 15 different systems to do their jobs.
"Doctors can find themselves using different logins for everything from ordering x-rays and getting lab results to accessing A&E records and rotas.
"The government in England said it was looking to streamline the systems as part of an IT upgrade."

(4 Jan 2020) Surgery patients with deadly sepsis are not getting antibiotics fast enough, NHS audit finds Independent reports: "More than 80 per cent of patients who have signs of a deadly sepsis infection before high-risk surgery are not getting antibiotics fast enough, a major NHS report has warned.
"Sepsis kills an estimated 44,000 people in England every year and rapid access to antibiotics within the first hour after diagnosis is vital to halt the infection.
"But a review of performance across 179 NHS hospitals has found a majority of patients undergoing emergency bowel surgery are not getting medication early enough."

(4 Jan 2020) London ambulance service has safety rating downgraded over staff shortages at call centre Independent flags up weaknesses in the organisation of London Ambulance Service: if you can't get through, your call can't be responded to:
"Britain’s busiest ambulance service has had its safety rating downgraded by the care watchdog over fears it does not have enough staff to answer 999 calls consistently.
"Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were told workers at London Ambulance Service‘s two emergency operations centres (EOC) were concerned about staffing levels, struggled to get clinical advice and could not always send out enough paramedics because of demands on the service."

(4 Jan 2020) Four in 10 GPs suggest seeking private care for mentally ill children Remember all those government claims to be prioritising mental health? Maybe this is what they really want to see -- Guardian report:
"In a survey, 43% of UK family doctors said they told parents whose children were struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm or eating disorders to seek treatment privately if they could afford it because NHS care is heavily rationed and involves delays of up to 18 months.
"The fact that so many families are being directed to private treatment highlights the inability of NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to cope with the growing demand for care from under-18s who have mental ill health."

(4 Jan 2020) Hospital Group Mum As Members Pursue Patients With Lawsuits And Debt Collectors Grim report from California on the hypocrisy at the top of US hospitals organisation:
"The American Hospital Association, the biggest hospital trade group, says it promotes “best practices” among medical systems to treat patients more effectively and improve community health.
"But the powerful association has stayed largely silent about hospitals suing thousands of patients for overdue bills, seizing homes or wages and even forcing families into bankruptcy.
"Atlantic Health System, whose CEO is the AHA’s chairman, Brian Gragnolati, has sued patients for unpaid bills thousands of times this year, court records show, including a family struggling to pay bills for three children with cystic fibrosis."

(4 Jan 2020) Children in mental distress denied NHS help until close to suicide Telegraph picks up a story they would not have run before the election, but tries to blame the problem on social media rather than an anti-social government, poverty and other pressures:
"Children suffering mental health problems are being refused treatment until they are close to suicide, amid soaring referrals, an investigation reveals.
Medics said services were “washing their hands” of vulnerable children and teenagers, with one in three trusts only accepting cases classed as the most severe.
"Experts said children were being forced to wait until their condition deteriorated - in some cases resulting in a suicide attempt - in order to get to see a specialist."

(4 Jan 2020) Nurse shortage forces NHS hospital to shut critical-care beds Guardian reports: "An NHS hospital in Norwich has had to close four beds in its high dependency unit because it does not have enough nurses to staff them.
"Norfolk and Norwich university hospital (NNUH) decided on Monday to temporarily shut the beds in the Gissing ward of its critical care complex.
"The beds, which are used for seriously ill patients, have been shut despite flu and other viruses that circulate at this time of year leaving more patients than usual suffering from breathing problems.
"Hospital managers told doctors in an email that: “A decision has been made to temporarily close our GHDU beds and reduce to 20 bed capacity on our CCC [critical care complex] from today as the nursing staffing is insufficient to keep Gissing open.”

(4 Jan 2020) NHS to slash waiting time targets for cancer diagnosis despite ‘desperate’ need for more staff Independent reports an another empty gesture from NHs England pretending all is much better than it really is -- perhaps to say thankyou for Simon Stevens' knighthood?
"Patients should find out whether they have cancer or not within 28 days of being referred for tests from April, under a new NHS target.
"NHS England plans to bring in the new benchmark with a threshold target of between 70 and 85 per cent of referred patients expected to have been given a definitive answer within four weeks.
"But the move will heap pressure on stretched diagnostic teams with experts from the Royal College of Radiologists warning it could be unachievable because of the widespread shortage of diagnostic staff and rising demand for tests.
"NHS data shows hospitals failed to meet the main cancer target of treating at least 85 per cent of patients within 62 days since 2013-14, and performance has dropped to record low levels of just 75 per cent in October 2019."

(4 Jan 2020) When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested Horror story from Pro Publica of real life in Kansas where private medical corporations literally call all the shots.

(4 Jan 2020) 'Breaking point': fears over lack of intensive care beds for children Guardian picks up on shortages of these specialist beds:
"Critically ill children are being rushed from one part of England to another because NHS hospitals are running short of intensive care beds in which to treat them.
"An increase in severe breathing problems in children driven by winter viruses and infections, including flu, means some are having to be transferred sometimes many miles from their home area because there are not enough paediatric intensive care (PICU) beds locally."

(4 Jan 2020) A thousand patients including dementia sufferers are stripped of social care funding every year as part of tough 'reassessments' of their needs Daily Mail - safely after the election -- highlights the brutality of the regime unleashed by Tory governments since 2010:
"More than a thousand seriously ill patients, including dementia sufferers, are being stripped of vital care funding every year.
"They are among the 10,000-plus patients with degenerative and terminal health conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease who undergo tough annual 'reassessments' of their care needs.
"If they fail to prove they are still ill enough to qualify for financial help, the funding covering their nursing home fees is removed.
"Some of those affected cannot walk, talk and are incontinent. In the worst cases, elderly people face draining their bank accounts to pay for the care they need."

(4 Jan 2020) Fat cat boss of private mental health firm receives £445,000 pay rise despite hospitals failing autistic patients Daily Mail flags up interesting angle on failing US-owned mental health provider Cygnet:
"Cygnet has almost doubled the package handed to its highest-paid director – most likely to be chief executive Tony Romero – from £508,000 to £953,000, according to its latest accounts.
"The revelation comes after nine of its hospitals were failed this year by the official watchdog. In the latest case, a Coventry hospital for women was threatened with closure on Christmas Eve after inspectors found serious safety, staffing and hygiene issues."

(4 Jan 2020) Call to scrap £625 fee for foreign doctors and nurses to use the NHS Guardian reports: "The King’s Fund warns that the charges – which are about to go up from £400 to £625 a year for foreign workers and their dependants – are a “perverse” deterrent to the very staff the government admits it needs to attract to plug holes in the NHS workforce. The rise means a health professional from abroad with a partner and two children will have to pay £2,500 a year.
"Boris Johnson has come under fire for deciding to increase the immigration health surcharge for migrants from outside the European Economic Area and to extend it to EU staff for the first time after Brexit, despite acknowledging that the NHS will need to recruit even more personnel from around the world if he is to deliver his key election pledges of 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 extra GPs by 2024."

(4 Jan 2020) The crisis in general practice is unprecedented Dr Kailash Chand responds to a Pulse exclusive which reveals that over half of GPs say they're working beyond safe levels, generally dealing with a third more patients than they believe they should be.
"The public's safety is, of course, every healthcare practitioner's priority, but this could seriously damage it.
"In a survey of 1,681 UK GPs, the safe limit of patients to see in a day was decided as 30, but in actuality it's more like 41. And one in ten deal with 60 or more patients in a day - which is typically 11 hours long, comprising of eight hours of clinical work and three of admin.
"The intensity of workload pressures is similarly high, with 29% deeming their patient contacts 'very complex' and 37% 'fairly complex'."

(4 Jan 2020) Is Paula Vennells a Fit and Proper Person? Interesting blog questioning the credentials of the chair of a major NHS Trust on the basis of their former record.

(4 Jan 2020) NHS hospitals to employ safety experts to tackle thousands of avoidable mistakes Independent reports: "NHS trusts will be told to identify staff who will be designated as the safety specialist for each organisation.
"These workers, who will get specific training and work as part of a network across the country, will help to tackle a fragmentation in the way safety issues are dealt with in the NHS and ensure nationwide action on key safety risks is coordinated."

(4 Jan 2020) District nursing crisis ‘means Boris Johnson’s NHS plan is undeliverable’ Independent flags up a crisis that has been brewing for the last decade or more with no government action:
"New data has revealed district nurses, who deliver complex care in people’s homes to help them recover and stay out of hospital, are being forced to work an extra day of unpaid overtime every week to try to meet the relentless demand for their services.
"Three-quarters of teams have vacancies and recruitment freezes and since 2010 the number of NHS district nurses has dropped from more than 7,000 to just over 4,000 in the past 10 years."

(4 Jan 2020) OECD comparative Data on doctors Link to the OECD figures showing international comparisons.

(4 Jan 2020) UK's number of doctors per capita is one of lowest in Europe Guardian offers not so much news as a reminder of what a decade of underfunding can do to our NHS: "With 2.8 doctors per 1,000 people, compared with an average of 3.5 doctors across the OECD, the UK shortage is second only to Poland.
"This shortfall of doctors persists despite the OECD research showing that British GPs and specialists in the UK earn more than three times the average national salary.
"The OECD report, which examined data between 2000 and 2017, also highlighted the UK’s reliance on foreign-trained medics, with 28.7% of British doctors qualifying abroad, the fifth highest figure in Europe. At 15%, the UK had the second highest proportion of nurses trained abroad, after Switzerland."

(4 Jan 2020) Doctors told to use 'least unsafe' option in Norwich hospital Guardian reports on alarming conditions forcing awful choices on medical staff in Norwich: "Medical groups have voiced concern that Norfolk and Norwich hospital trust’s instruction to its consultants this week showed it was struggling so much to cope with the number of people needing care that patient safety was being put at risk.
"At the time the hospital had no spare beds, a full accident and emergency department, 35 patients waiting on trolleys to be admitted, and had declared a major internal incident.
"In its message, seen by the Guardian, it said: “We would like you to know that the trust will support you in making difficult decisions that may be the least unsafe decision, and we would appreciate your cooperation over the coming days with this.”

(4 Jan 2020) New Conservative seats and the healthy life expectancy gap Health Foundation crunches some numbers on the newly Conservative constituencies, and finds they are likely to live less long than traditional Tory voters:
"the seats the Conservatives won are in areas with a lower life expectancy and even lower healthy life expectancy to the England average and to the seats they held from the 2017 general election.
"On average, a woman living in one of the new Conservative constituencies can expect to live 60.9 years of her life in good health, compared to 65.0 years for a woman living in one of the existing Conservative constituencies – a difference of over four years."

(4 Jan 2020) Over 2000 doctors write to Boris Johnson demanding 'urgent action' to save NHS Mirror reports that: "The letter written from some of the nation’s top doctors insists that without radical change, the pressures will see the service "hemorrhaging doctors and nurses".
"There are currently over 100,000 staff vacancies in the NHS nationwide.
"Organised by the Doctor's Association, it warns the Prime Minister that the NHS is "on its knees" and that it requires "urgent action" now in order to deal with the crisis.
"Calling for Mr Johnson to invest more than £15billion in the NHS and £8billion in social care the letter says that the Conservative government "must now urgently address the damage inflicted on the NHS by years of under-funding"."

(4 Jan 2020) UK dementia diagnoses rise 40% in five years BBC reports: "Some parts of the UK have seen the number of people diagnosed with dementia more than double in five years, analysis of NHS data shows.
"A drive to increase diagnosis rates and an ageing population were behind the increase, experts said. Charities said dementia care provision must improve, calling it a "ridiculous lottery", and "very hit or miss"."

(4 Jan 2020) One in three over-80s 'provide vital unpaid care for loved ones' in UK Guardian reports on more evidence of the gap where there should be a social care system:
"Almost one in three people aged 80 and older are providing vital, unpaid care for their loved ones, despite many suffering severe health issues of their own, according to research. The figure has increased by nearly a quarter in eight years.
"This invisible army of oldest and most vulnerable people in the UK provide a total of 23m hours of unpaid care a week, or 1.2bn hours of care a year, according to figures from Age UK."

(4 Jan 2020) Britain's postcode lottery for newborn deaths: Mortality rates on NHS wards twice as high in some areas, reveals report Independent reports: "Sick newborns in some areas of the UK are dying at twice the rate of seriously ill babies in other areas, a new report has revealed.
"The findings raise serious questions about the quality of care in some neonatal units, with experts warning action needs to be taken to tackle the “striking variation”.
"Across the country neonatal units are also short of at least 600 nurses with four in five failing to meet required safe staffing levels for specialist nurses."

(4 Jan 2020) 81-year-old gran should not have had to die on the roadside on M11 Eastern Daily Press headlines another scandal of Matt Hancock's local mental health trust:
"Peggy Copeman passed away on Monday from a suspected heart attack while being transported back to Norfolk from Devon, where the pensioner had been sent because there were no suitable beds closer to home.
"Her family say that she should not have been sent more than 280 miles away in the first place - and that she should not have been put in a position where she had to die on the hard shoulder in such a way.
"Her death is the latest in a string of shocking stories to have emerged in recent years relating to so-called 'out-of-area' mental health treatment, which is normally required due to a lack of suitable beds in Norfolk and Suffolk."

(4 Jan 2020) As someone who works closely with the NHS, it’s clear Boris Johnson is setting us up to fail NHS Providers' Saffron Cordery writes in the Independent: "We’re setting up hard-working health service staff to fail if we pretend that taking NHS funding back to below its historic long-term average is going to enable us to provide the service to keep up with rising demand, close the gap that’s opened up over the last decade and invest in the transformation it desperately needs."

(4 Jan 2020) One third of GPs have cut their hours in last year, and two thirds plan to Despite Tory manifesto pledges to increase the number of GPs by 6,000, the Telegraph reports “Waiting times to see a GP are set to worsen, with rising numbers cutting their hours, a report by the medical watchdog suggests. More than a third of family doctors have cut back in the last year - and two thirds are considering do so this year, the General Medical Council (GMC) revealed.”
… “The statistics show 5.8 million patients waiting for at least two weeks, while the last year has seen an 18 per cent increase in the number waiting at least a month.”

(4 Jan 2020) Sick and disabled people deemed fit after being assessed by doctors who have never spoken to them Independent report: "Sick and disabled people are being wrongly denied housing support and threatened with removal from the UK on the basis of medical assessments by doctors who have never met or spoken to them.
"NowMedical has been paid millions of pounds in public money by councils and the Home Office to produce reports on homeless individuals and asylum seekers, based solely on paper records.
"But judges have warned councils against relying on the firm’s advice and overturned decisions determined by its assessments, calling them “irrational” and criticising the firm for not taking the time to meet or speak to those they are assessing."

(4 Jan 2020) Trust blasted for ignoring coroner’s warnings on ‘unnecessary’ transfers (£) HSJ report notes: "A coroner has criticised a hospital trust for “effectively ignoring” its own policies on transferring patients between hospitals, despite assuring her the issue would be addressed after earlier deaths.
"Brighton and Hove senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley questioned the point of issuing the reports if Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust ignored them, as she issued her third prevention of future death report involving repeated patient transfers at the trust.
"The most recent report involved Jean Waghorn, who was transferred between hospitals three times in 48 hours following a fall. The 88-year-old from Burgess Hill in West Sussex developed pneumonia while in hospital and died in June 2019, four days after her last transfer."

(4 Jan 2020) Get what they promised.. Roy Lilley's "cut out and keep" check list of the key Tory pledges on the NHS

(4 Jan 2020) As a former advisor to Matt Hancock, I know only a joined-up health policy can save the NHS Independent comment article with a warning for health campaigners:
"Whilst Labour’s campaign focused on the supposed sale of the NHS to Donald Trump through a US-UK trade deal, the Conservative campaign adopted a more localised approach. Health Secretary Matt Hancock visited 125 seats, working with candidates to show how more money for the NHS nationally would translate into new equipment, services and support locally. The election result would indicate that the latter strategy was the one that cut through.
"Having now broken through Labour’s red wall of northern seats, the new administration looks set to make a perhaps even more audacious move. A move to try and make the NHS a Conservative issue, wrapped in patriotism, community and heritage – and with increased funding. "

(4 Jan 2020) The biggest story in the UK is not Brexit. It’s life expectancy Danny Dorling writes for The Correspondent:
"I’m a geographer who has been studying mortality records in the UK for the past 30 years. The data I review both yearly and weekly has given me a perspective on British society often missed when following the political circus.
"In early 2014, I published an article in New Statesman magazine trying to highlight that the fact that something very unusual was happening: the life expectancy of elderly people in the UK – notably women – had begun to fall.
"The following year, there was a huge rise in deaths. The numbers were released the day after the Brexit referendum result was announced. There was no evidence of a deliberate cover-up. However, the secretary of state for health, Jeremy Hunt, and his agency Public Health England, did try on several occasions between 2015 and 2019 to blame the weather. The trouble with that explanation is that the UK has not had an unusually cold winter since 2010."

(4 Jan 2020) The NHS staffing crisis is about the expanding knowledge gap – not just numbers Independent comment article notes:
"A lot has been written about the workforce crisis in health and social care. 43,000 registered nurse vacancies, a 48 per cent drop in district nurses in eight years and not enough GPs to meet demand.
"When we talk about workforce, the focus is always on numbers. There are campaigns for safe staffing ratios and government ministers like to tell us how many more nurses we have.
"But safety is not just about numbers. Recent workforce policy decisions have promoted a more-hands-for-less-money approach to staffing in healthcare. More lower-paid workers mean something in the equation has to give. In this case, it’s skill and expertise."

(4 Jan 2020) Today's figures show safety net of NHS at risk of breaking down Health Foundation comment on Tory funding commitment after performance figures released:
"Our analysis shows that the NHS will need an increase of £20bn by 2023-24 just to maintain standards of care but more will be needed to improve services. The £18bn extra promised by the Conservatives during the election campaign falls short of what is needed. As a result we can’t expect to see performance stabilise let alone improve any time soon."

(4 Jan 2020) NHS England 'on its knees' as performance figures hit new lows Guardian report on figures that should have been published on election day:
"The NHS was “on its knees” even before winter had begun, health service bosses have said as figures showed it missed key waiting-time targets for A&E care, operations and cancer treatment.
"The performance of the NHS in England in November was yet again its worst ever, prompting concern that it cannot keep up with a relentless rise in the number of people needing care."

(4 Jan 2020) Pregnant women died after fears Tory crackdown on ‘health tourism’ would bankrupt them, report delayed until after election reveals The Independent reports on the shocking consequences of the “hostile environment” created in the NJHS for people from overseas.
“The women all died after delays in seeking help because they mistakenly believed that they would have to pay for care under the government’s strict charging regime. They sought help in hospitals too late and died as a result of complications.
… “All three women identified were eligible for care under the rules and were not health tourists. Undocumented migrants or those illegally resident can face charges.”

(4 Jan 2020) Every major A&E misses wait target for first time BBC report on the figures held back until December 13:
"All 118 units fell below the 95% threshold in November as the NHS posted its worst performance since targets were introduced more than a decade ago.
"Alongside the growing waits in A&E, the data showed there were record delays finding beds for the sickest patients.
"The numbers on waiting lists for routine care also hit an all-time high."

(4 Jan 2020) A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions November 2019 Statistical Commentary The grim A&E figures held back until the day after people voted.

(4 Jan 2020) ‘Huge demand’ for care at busy Wigan A&E department Wigan Today reported on Election day Dec 12: "Wigan Infirmary’s A&E unit is facing “huge demand” for care, with people urged to get help elsewhere if possible.
… "It comes just days after the Royal Bolton Hospital was put on “black alert” due to a rise in patient numbers."
…"The latest NHS England data shows A&Es across the country had their worst-ever performance in October since the four-hour target was introduced in 2004, with 83.6 per cent of people arriving at A&E being treated or admitted in that time.
"Wigan’s hospital trust saw 86.1 per cent of patients within four hours that month."

(4 Jan 2020) Three patients died after delayed cancer tests at teaching hospital (£) HSJ reports: "A harm review investigation into delays in diagnosis for patients at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley, south London, was carried out after a backlog of patients was uncovered in May.
"Newly published minutes show that a September report to the quality assurance and research committee of King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said a backlog of more than 1,000 patients requiring endoscopy had been identified.
"It also said that a review of the harms to patients affected — which “focused on [those] that had a confirmed cancer” rather than reviewing all cases — identified: three deaths, eight cases of “severe harm”, and three cases of “moderate harm”.

(4 Jan 2020) Babies in wealthy areas expected to have up to 19 more years of good health than those in poorer ones Independent picks up new ONS figures revealing growing inequalities:
"Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that a girl born in Nottingham between 2016 and 2018 could expect as few as 54 years of good health, compared with 72 for a girl born in Wokingham.
"Richmond-upon-Thames had the highest male healthy life expectancy at birth in the UK of 72 – 19 years longer than males in Blackpool, where it was only 53.
"The ONS said the size of the life expectancy gain between 2013 and 2018 was “small by historical standards”, but in line with the observed pattern of stalling improvements since 2011. A decade ago, life expectancy was growing 6.5 times faster for males and 8.2 times faster for females."

(4 Jan 2020) A comprehensive assessment of universal health coverage in 111 countries: a retrospective observational study Worth persevering with this Lancet study that shows the link between improved access to and affordability of health coverage and public provision or social health insurance.

(4 Jan 2020) Thinking outside the cube: The political determinants of universal health coverage Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) explains that “The World Health Organization defines UHC as all people having access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. This may sound like pie in the sky when out-of-pocket health expenses push 100 million people into extreme poverty each year.
… “Yet, to achieve UHC we must think beyond this cube. We need to recognize that countries’ ability to enact policies in support of UHC and its underlying aim of greater health equity are also shaped by transnational political processes that often lie outside of the health sector.”

(4 Jan 2020) What matters in health (care) universes: delusions, dilutions, and ways towards universal health justice Another article from Globalization and health dissects the ways in which neoliberalism has subverted the apparently straightforward call for universal health coverage:
“The presumed global consensus on achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) masks crucial issues regarding the principles and politics of what constitutes “universality” and what matters, past and present, in the struggle for health (care) justice.”

(4 Jan 2020) NGOs, austerity, and universal health coverage in Mozambique Article in Globalization and Health shows how NGOs can get in the way of the needed expansion of public health care provision in developing countries:
“In many African countries, hundreds of health-related NGOs are fed by a chaotic tangle of donor funding streams. The case of Mozambique illustrates how this NGO model impedes Universal Health Coverage.
… "After a decade of this major donor funding to NGOs, public sector health system coverage had barely changed. In 2014, the workforce/ population ratio was still among the five worst in the world at 71/10000; the health facility/per capita ratio worsened since 2009 to only 1 per 16,795.
“Achieving UHC will require rejection of austerity constraints on public sector health systems, and rechannelling of aid to public systems building rather than to NGOs.”

(4 Jan 2020) Amazon ready to cash in on free access to NHS data Times report on the scale of new links being made between NHS and predatory capitalist Amazon: "Amazon has been handed the keys to a trove of NHS data it can use to develop products to sell internationally without paying a penny to the UK.
"A government contract, revealed under freedom of information laws, shows the partnership goes far beyond the tie-up with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant announced in July.
"The $863bn company can access “all healthcare information” gathered by the NHS at the UK taxpayers’ expense, including “symptoms, causes and definitions”. It also gets “all related copyrightable content and data and other materials”, excluding patient data. Amazon can use the information to make, advertise and sell “new products, applications, cloud-based services and/or distributed software” and can share it with third parties."

(4 Jan 2020) There is no evidence to suggest the photo of a boy sleeping on a hospital floor was staged Full Fact website unpicks the tissue of lies that spread like wildfire over Facebook in an effort to discredit the photo that appeared on the Mirror front page:
"A post on one woman’s Facebook page claimed that she knew a nurse at the hospital, who supposedly said that the boy actually had a trolley bed, and was placed on the floor by his mother for the purposes of the photo.
"Screenshots of the post and reshares of it have been shared on Facebook thousands of times.
"Claims from the post are contradicted by a statement from the hospital itself. The woman has since told the Guardian that her account was hacked and that she knows nothing about the situation.
"The story about the boy first appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post. The reporter who broke the story, Daniel Sheridan, has said on Twitter that he waited for the hospital to confirm that the incident happened. The original story contains a lengthy statement from the hospital confirming that it did."

(4 Jan 2020) Brexit: Tory minister admits US will be free to raise prices for drugs bought by NHS Independent reports "Dominic Raab has admitted that the US will be free to charge higher prices for drugs bought by the NHS after Brexit, but insisted the prospect is “hugely unlikely”.
"Asked if Washington would be free to “jack up prices”, the foreign secretary replied: “The Americans will take their decisions.”
"He then said: “I think it’s hugely unlikely, why would they do that?” Sky News interviewer Adam Boulton responded: “To get more money, that’s why.”"

(4 Jan 2020) A Sick U.K. Boy’s Story Was True. But False Posts Followed New York Times helps explain the viral spread of bogus claims that a damning photo had effectively been faked to discredit the Tory government.
"journalists and researchers have tracked what appears to be a social media campaign to discredit the boy’s family. A message was shared widely on Facebook and Twitter from somebody claiming to know a nurse at the hospital who said the mother had staged the photo.
“Very interesting,” the message reads. “A good friend of mine is a senior nursing sister at Leeds Hospital.” It then goes on to say that the mother had deliberately put the boy on the floor.
"It is not clear how widely the false claims were seen, especially because Facebook does not provide a way to track messages posted inside private accounts and groups. Many people posted the message as a screen shot, which also cannot be discovered through a word search."

(4 Jan 2020) Tory minister admits extra nurses won’t be in place for 10 years and cannot explain how government will stop 18,500 leaving Independent report highlights car crash Nicky Morgan interview revealing deceitful promise of an extra 50,000 nurses:
"Nicky Morgan, the culture secretary, said the additional nurses would be in place “if you look in 10 years’ time” and struggled to explain how the government would convince current nurses not to leave.
"It comes after the Tories were criticised when it emerged that 18,500 of the 50,000 extra nurses promised in their election manifesto would not be new recruits but simply existing staff that the government will try to persuade to stay in the NHS. Labour said the claim was “fake” and “frankly deceitful”."

(4 Jan 2020) Controversial stroke plans delayed (£)HSJ report on delays to the controversial reconfiguration of stroke services in Kent and Medway, which will hold up the scheme regardless of whether an ongoing court case forces NHS organisations to change their current plans.
"Two hyperacute stroke units were meant to open at Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford, and Maidstone Hospital next March, followed by one at William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, a year later.
"But the scheme has now been delayed as crucial building work on the HASUs has not been able to go ahead while the plans are subject to both the outcome of a judicial review and the decision of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The timescale for the building work at Ashford is also longer than previously anticipated."

(4 Jan 2020) Tory candidate suggests cancer patients ‘really care’ more about survival rates than waiting times Independent reports novel take on the developing NHS crisis and disastrous performance figures on cancer care:
"Cancer patients are less concerned about longer waiting times for treatment because they “really care” about survival rates, a Conservative candidate has suggested."

(4 Jan 2020) Hancock won't talk to us, say 'bullied' doctors at his local hospital in Suffolk Guardian reports "The health secretary Matt Hancock has repeatedly failed to respond to concerns that his local hospital is bullying and intimidating senior doctors to prevent them raising serious issues of patient safety.
"Doctors at West Suffolk hospital have complained of harassment after trust bosses demanded they give fingerprints as part of a “witch-hunt” to identify staff members who blew the whistle on potentially botched surgery."

(4 Jan 2020) Delayed discharge from mental health care Royal College of Psychiatrists manifesto warns that "Half of all delayed discharges from #mentalhealth trusts are because of lack of housing and care packages. One of the key decisions the next Gov has to make is how to provide fair and sustainable social care."

(4 Jan 2020) Hospitals at ‘breaking point’ as winter NHS crisis deepens Independent reports: “NHS trusts have been forced to cancel operations, divert ambulances and leave patients on trolleys as thousands wait for treatment.
“In one hospital, four patients were left for at least an entire day before a space on a ward became available.
… “Now NHS staff have reported a surge in demand over the weekend and into this week that has crippled some services.
“Ambulance call handlers received thousands of extra 999 requests while dozens of ambulances were stuck at hospitals because of delays handing over patients to overstretched A&E staff.”

(4 Jan 2020) A winter’s tale of promises BMJ blog by Rebecca Coombes notes:
"The NHS is heading into winter with its performance against key targets the worst on record. These telling signs of pressure have had the consequence of putting the NHS, and not Brexit, centre stage of this unseasonably timed general election.
"This week The BMJ tackles one significant pain point: the chronic workforce gap in nursing, where the vacancy rate is around 11% in England. The problem, says John Appleby (doi:10.1136/bmj.l6664), is not only the many unfilled nursing vacancies but a growing gap between the supply of labour and the demands on the NHS. We may have more nurses—their numbers have increased by 4% in England over the past decade—but they have ever more work to do. Elective admissions are up 26%, emergency department attendances are up 27%, and first outpatient attendances are up 33%, Appleby points out."

(4 Jan 2020) Union anger as 'essential' Chesterfield Royal Hospital service outsourced to US company Derbyshire Times reports: "Chesterfield & District Trade Union Council says the firm chosen is US-based multinational health company the STERIS corporation, which is based in Mentor, Ohio.
"James Eaden, president of Chesterfield & District Trade Union Council, said: “Earlier this year the local community and workers at the Royal raised serious objections to the outsourcing of up to 700 non-medical staff to a ‘wholly owned subsidiary’. Now the trust are going a step further with a full privatisation of a service area at the Royal.”

(18 Dec 2019) Thousands of patients die waiting for beds in hospitals – study Guardian highlights research by emergency medicine experts on the impact of delays in treating patients:
"Almost 5,500 patients have died over the past three years because they have spent so long on a trolley in an A&E unit waiting for a bed in overcrowded hospitals, a study by leading NHS doctors has found.
"Their conclusion that long delays finding spare beds is costing patients’ lives has emerged as Boris Johnson comes under mounting pressure over the fragile state of the NHS.
"In all 5,449 people have lost their lives since 2016 as a direct result of waiting anywhere between six hours and 11 hours, according to research seen by the Guardian. It found that those deaths represent the total “estimated attributable mortality” from the delays."

(18 Dec 2019) A&E trolley waits over 12 hours could be affecting tens of thousands more than official data suggests Independent report on challenge by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine to deceptive published figures:
"A new study by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has shown the way the NHS officially counts 12-hour waits in emergency departments masks the true picture.
"The college collected data from 50 hospitals since October with results showing for the first week of December more than 5,000 patients waited longer than 12 hours.
"From the beginning of October, more than 38,000 patients waited longer than 12 hours for a bed. But the official NHS England data reports on 13,025 patients waiting beyond 12 hours.
"The reason is the Royal College counts 12-hour waits from the moment a patient arrives in A&E – which is how it is measured in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – but the NHS official only records 12-hour waits from when doctors make a decision to admit the patient."

(18 Dec 2019) Tories forced into climbdown over claim aide was hit by Labour protester Guardian report unpicks another piece of disinformation:
"The Tories were forced to make an embarrassing climbdown after aides briefed that an adviser to Matt Hancock had been hit by a Labour protester in an incident that it later emerged had been innocuous.
… "Conservative sources claimed on Monday afternoon that the adviser to the health secretary had been hit by a protester at Leeds General infirmary during a campaign visit.
"Aides initially briefed that Hancock’s adviser had been “punched in the face” and tried to point the finger at a Labour “thug”. But a video emerged that appeared to show the adviser walking into a protester’s arm."

(18 Dec 2019) 'It was chaos': Shocking photo shows Leeds four-year-old with suspected pneumonia forced to sleep on floor of LGI due to lack of beds The Yorkshire Evening Post story that Tory social media hacks worked might and main to discredit -- but which journalist and editor stuck to regardless, and proved to be legitimate.

(18 Dec 2019) Health Experts Unanimous In Objection To Medicare-For-All In a focus group of three highly paid executives working in US health care corporations, Forbes magazine finds a shocking consensus that they like the system just the way it is and don't want to make health care free for all to access.

(18 Dec 2019) Dr Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini: The human cost of cancelled operations Mirror article focuses on the human impact behind the statistics:
"On any given day there are sons, daughters, friends and loved ones waiting nervously at the end of the phone whilst large teams prepare, anaesthetise, nurse, transfer, clean, position, operate and manage recovery of patients.
"Cancelled operations are now commonplace.
"With many hospitals operating close to 100% bed capacity even in the summer months, up and down the country patients are constantly waiting, lists are often reordered and “prioritised”.
"So many of us members of staff working in theatres, rushing in to start our working day around 7am, find we are all ready but with no guarantee of beds i.e. nursing staff to look after patients."

(18 Dec 2019) The American Health Care Industry Is Killing People Opinion column in the New York Times argues:
"Last week, health researchers reported that American life expectancy is declining for the first time in half a century, and some of the leading causes have to do with the ruinous health care system. Even if it is the case that reforming American health care might eliminate some jobs, it would seem to be a good trade for the likely benefit: More people might gain access to affordable health care and get to keep living."

(18 Dec 2019) Patient dies after being forced to wait an hour in ambulance outside overstretched A&E Mirror report:
"A patient died after being forced to wait for an hour inside an ambulance outside an overstretched A&E department.
"Paramedics were told there was no room inside Worcestershire Royal Hospital for the man, so he had to stay in their vehicle.
"His condition deteriorated and he was brought into A&E after an hour but suffered a cardiac arrest and died on a trolley in the corridor.
"The tragedy happened on November 27 - days after Health Secretary Matt Hancock visited the hospital while election campaigning."

(18 Dec 2019) American drug firms are lobbying to raise prices for the NHS after Brexit The Mirror reports on a 24-page November document from the US Chamber of Commerce, headed Services Priorities for a Future US-UK Trade Agreement, which makes a worrying comparison between future trade talks and the three-year Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations between the US and EU, which collapsed in 2016.
It says:
“Concerns about potential impacts on Britain’s National Health Service are being aired. It should prove easier to overcome these challenges with the UK as an individual negotiating partner.”
"The report also confirms the “United States will seek rules that prohibit, across all services sectors, discrimination against foreign services suppliers and restrictions on the number of services suppliers in the market”.

(18 Dec 2019) How many 'new' NHS hospitals are Conservatives building? An unusually useful BBC "reality check" which makes clear that no new hospital projects have started, four of the six new hospital projects have not yet agreed how much money is available, and that generally not much is moving:
"There will be a £2.7bn investment over five years for the first six hospitals of the 40 pledged.
"All are existing NHS hospitals and they all have one thing in common - there is no building work happening as yet.
"For the remainder of the pledge 21 trusts will initially share just £100m to develop the business cases necessary to secure funding for 34 projects."

(18 Dec 2019) Shrewsbury maternity scandal: NHS used report to create ‘false narrative’ on maternity services "The Independent has obtained a 2013 report, commissioned by NHS managers in Shropshire, which concluded maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust were “safe”, of “good quality”, and “delivered in a learning organisation”.
"The report, written by rheumatologist Dr Josh Dixey (now high sheriff of Shropshire), delivered a glowing assessment of the care given to women and babies and appeared to gloss over hints of deeper problems within the service.
"Sources within the Shropshire and Telford clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which paid £60,000 for the report, said since it was written it had been “proven to be wrong, inaccurate and to have come to the wrong conclusions and recommendations”, but also stressed it was based on the information received from the trust at the time."

(18 Dec 2019) Health company hopes to ease pressure on NHS with DIY doctor service With almost one on five patients in Buckinghamshire waiting over 2 weeks to see a GP, Buckingham Today plugs a private "DIY" GP service for the worried wealthy -- at £39 per session! But it's a new version of "seeing a GP" -- it's done remotely.
"The new technology allows doctors to listen to a patient’s heart and lungs, look into their ears and throat, and take their vitals including blood pressure, oxygen levels and body temperature – all without needing to be in the same room.
"The service is not free however. Patients can book a same-day appointment online at a cost of £39."

(18 Dec 2019) Patients being put at risk as NHS substitute nurses for care staff with only a few weeks of training The Independent highlights a Health Foundation report:
"A major new report by the Health Foundation has revealed what it called a “hollowing out” of the NHS workforce with thousands more unregulated and less well-trained care staff being recruited by the NHS, compared to traditional registered nurses.
"This is at a time when the NHS is seeing more patients who are increasingly older with complex conditions meaning their care needs require more clinical expertise."

(18 Dec 2019) Billionaires earned enough money in 2017 to end extreme poverty seven times over, report says The bare facts of global inequality and exploitation spelled out in an Oxfam report highlighted by Newsweek:
"Last year, the world's billionaires made over $462 billion combined—enough money to end extreme poverty around the globe seven times over. With a new billionaire added to the list nearly every two days, wealth inequality widened, according to a new report from Oxfam.
"Forty-two of the richest people in the world now hold as much wealth as 3.7 billion of the poorest people in the world, according to the report, released Monday by the international charitable organization.
"The report showed that about 82 percent of wealth created across the globe went to the top 1 percent. "Our broken economies reward wealth not hard work," Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima tweeted Monday. "Rich get richer, millions trapped in poverty wages or joblessness. Leaders must reverse this."

(18 Dec 2019) Exclusive: Leaked NHSE/I workforce plan reveals reliance on nursing associates The (£) HSJ quotes from the leaked document headlined in the Independent discussing the use of less qualified staff as part of the "extra" 50,000 nurses promised by the government, noting "The document is marked: “Numbers are not finalised. Not for wider circulation.”
It says: “The introduction of the NA role is designed in part to free up time for RNs and enable them to undertake more advanced roles… Expansion in numbers of NAs can therefore help to reduce growth in demand for RNs… Our skill mix assumption is that each NA in the workforce will reduce nursing workforce demand by 0.5 [full time equivalents].”
The HSJ notes that this "will concern those who are worried about NAs being used as a substitute for registered nurses. One nursing professor warned of neglecting the “safety critical” role of RNs. …
"Multiple official warnings have been given, including by the Care Quality Commission, about deploying them safely and not substituting them for RNs."

(18 Dec 2019) Leaked NHS document reveals government plan to use cheaper staff to fill nurse vacancies The Independent's Shaun Lintern points out more of the double-speak in the promise of 50,000 "extra" nurses:
"A leaked NHS document reveals that plans to grow the number of nurses rely on using 10,000 cheaper and less qualified staff.
"Even then, the health service will still be more than 20,000 nurses short of what is needed in five years’ time, according to the file seen by the Health Service Journal and The Independent, for the as yet unpublished NHS People Plan.
…
"Although the NHS document says there will be 45,000 more full-time equivalent staff, this figure includes 10,200 nursing associates (NAs). Nursing associates were introduced into the NHS this year and include staff who have completed a two-year course."

(18 Dec 2019) NHS care ‘slipping’ as UK lags behind other countries Independent report from the excellent Shaun Lintern highlights a study by academics from the London School of Economics and Harvard School of Public Health comparing the UK with Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the US:
"Quality of care in the NHS appears to be slipping, researchers have warned, as a new study shows the UK is lagging behind nine other high-income countries when it comes to health spending, outcomes and how much time doctors spend with patients."

(18 Dec 2019) Expert reveals why the private health insurance sector is in a DEATH SPIRAL - as young Australians are smashed by rising costs Daily Mail report on the crisis in private health insurance with grim warnings on what would happen if any similar system were tried in Britain: see more analysis of this story in The Lowdown https://lowdownnhs.info

(18 Dec 2019) UK’s largest private hospital chain to be sold to smaller rival FT reports on the sale of the leading private hospital chain in Britain by South African-owned Netcare: they are being bought up by Circle, the company that tried and failed miserably to run one of the smallest NHS general hospitals. BMI relies for over 40% of its income on NHS-funded patients. Circle, which has never made a profit, was taken over by hedge funds back in 2017.

(28 Nov 2019) Only Labour’s tax promise makes sense Tax expert Richard Murphy with a useful take on the main party manifestos:
"The IFS have said this plan from Labour is not credible. I disagree. The plan for investment is largely in small projects that can be ratcheted up quickly as skills become available. And the social plans will achieve their goal, including of increasing incomes. This is a plan for the moment.
"The tax dimension of it (and it’s always an aspect) also makes sense. To the extend that tax is needed the aim is threefold. Wealth is taxed more, as it is dramatically undertaxed now. Labour is right to tax it more. The same is true of corporation tax, where Labour’s proposed unitary tax base for international taxation will lead the world, whilst the increase in rates will simply bring the UK back into line with the world. No one is actually going to change their behaviour as a result of either reform. And nor, when it comes down to it, will almost any one those who are well off enough to earn more than £80,000 a year flee the country, or even work less, as a result."

(28 Nov 2019) The £20.5 billion NHS England spending increase Full Fact nails a key fraudulent Tory claim to be giving a "record" cash increase to the NHS

(28 Nov 2019) Tory candidate featured in party manifesto suspended as a midwife Guardian reveals:
"Natalie Neale, who is taking on the shadow health secretary, Jon Ashworth, in Leicester South, was barred from practising as a registered midwife for 18 months in August under an interim order by the Nursing and Midwifery Council while it investigates an unspecified allegation against her.
"Under the order, she must immediately inform any organisation employing her as nurse that she is subject to a condition of practice order.
"Separately, Neale lost a claim for wrongful dismissal earlier this year after she walked out of her role as a clinical advisor for the private health provider Care UK in 2017, when it was running services for West Midlands ambulance service."

(27 Nov 2019) Fears child poverty may rise to record 60-year high under Tories Guardian highlights report from Resolution Foundation with a grim warning:
"An analysis by the organisation predicted a rise in the number of children living in relative poverty under a Boris Johnson-led government to 34.5% in 2023-24 up from 29.6% in 2017-18.
"The thinktank released its research after the manifesto launches showed a huge gulf in what the two main parties are prepared to put into public spending, with Labour committing 28 times as much as the Conservatives.
"Johnson set aside an extra £2.9bn a year by the end of the parliament that will largely go into more nurses, GP appointments and free childcare, while Jeremy Corbyn set out an extra £83bn a year for a programme of free broadband, scrapping university fees, reversing benefit cuts and extra funding for the NHS and social care.
"The Resolution Foundation said Labour’s £9bn of extra spending on social security would mean 550,000 fewer children in poverty but would not lead to current poverty rates falling."

(27 Nov 2019) Johnson accused of misleading voters over a pledge to recruit 50,000 new nurses Nursing Notes breakdown of the Tory manifesto promise:
"The party pledged to recruit thousands of more nurses and bring back student bursaries.
"Boris Johnson has again been accused of misleaders voters as a pledge to recruit 50,000 new nurses has been branded “fake”.
"The new financial support measures for students would produce an extra 14,000 nurses, while 12,500 more will be recruited from overseas and 5,000 from nursing apprenticeships, party aides revealed."

(27 Nov 2019) Patients left waiting for up to 12 hours at Great Western Hospital Report from Swindon Gazette & Herald on the failing performance at Swindon's PFI-funded hospital.

(27 Nov 2019) Pensions workaround is best short term response available but falls short of a full and fair solution for all NHS staff NHS Providers respond to the short term fix which ministers have wrongly claimed has scrapped the tax system they brought in that has caused chaos in the NHS, penalising top paid consultants who work overtime.

(27 Nov 2019) NHS hospital declares 'black alert' as patients queue for hours in A&E corridors Daily Mirror report on crisis conditions at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro
"An NHS hospital has been placed on a 'black alert' OPEL 4 status as patients were filmed queuing in corridors and ambulances piled up outside A&E.
"Emergencies at the Royal Cornwall Hospital's soared over the weekend before the department was placed on the highest operational pressure level."

(27 Nov 2019) Care homes need the industry leaks to be plugged, not just more money Open democracy article by CHPI's Vivek Kotecha shows how the extra money for social care is likely just to line the pockets of shareholders:
"Currently, a substantial chunk of the money which currently goes into the privately-owned adult care home sector doesn't go anywhere near front line care, but instead leaks out to investors, private equity firms, and real estate companies that are often based in offshore tax havens. Pour additional funds into the sector, without reform, and there’s a high risk of more of the same.
"In September, the Chancellor promised an additional £1.5bn of funding for social care. But in CHPI’s latest report, we estimate that of the £15 billion currently going into the independent care home sector, around 10% leaks out in the form of profit, directors’ fees, debt repayment, and rents, often dubiously calculated and paid to other parts of the same organisation.
"That’s right – the same amount of money promised by the Chancellor, is currently just leaking straight back out again."

(27 Nov 2019) NHS nurse stressed after working 12-hour shifts killed herself after 'downward spiral' Guardian reports "A dedicated NHS nurse who had 'nightmares about work' committed suicide after the stress of working 12 hour shifts left her unable to lead a life of her own at home, an inquest heard.
"Leona Goddard, 35, had dreams of settling down and having a family but struggled to have a social life after being burdened with unpredictable work hours and extra responsibilities at Prestwich Hospital in Manchester.
"Although her work colleagues rated her as ''outstanding'' Miss Goddard, a nursing manager who worked in a mental health unit, had developed low self esteem due to the long hours."

(27 Nov 2019) Older people dying for want of social care at rate of three an hour Guardian reports on the shocking scale of the gaps in social care and their brutal impact:
"At least 74,000 older people in England have died, or will die, waiting for care between the 2017 and 2019 general elections. A total of 81 older people are dying every day, equating to about three an hour, research by Age UK has found.
"In the 18 months between the last election and the forthcoming one, 1,725,000 unanswered calls for help for care and support will have been made by older people. This, said the charity, was the equivalent of 2,000 futile appeals a day, or 78 an hour."

(27 Nov 2019) Calls to scrap ‘immoral’ NHS fee for foreign staff Guardian reports:
"Boris Johnson’s plans to charge foreign staff who help save British lives £625 a year to use the NHS will worsen its staffing crisis, doctors’ and nurses’ leaders have warned.
"They have reacted with dismay over the prime minister’s proposal to increase the so-called health surcharge payable by non-EU staff for the third time in four years and demand it should be scrapped completely.
"The Conservative party announced on Sunday it was going to increase the surcharge from £400 to £625 a year for all non-EU migrant workers and extend it to all EU citizens who migrate to the UK after Brexit.
"The fee is payable for each member of a family migrating, meaning nurses from popular recruitment spots such as the Philippines and India who come to Britain with a spouse and two children will have to pay the government £2,500 a year for the privilege of working in the NHS."

(27 Nov 2019) Millions 'missing out' on NHS dentistry Just after Labour first floated the idea of restoring free basic dentistry on the NHS -- now incorporated in their manifesto -- BBC report spells out the scale of the problem:
"More than 2 million adults in England are unable to see an NHS dentist, BBC analysis suggests.
"They include an estimated 1.45 million who have tried and failed to get an NHS appointment in two years with the rest on waiting lists or put off by cost.
"Another 2 million assume they cannot get care where they live, suggesting nearly one in 10 miss out overall.
"Dental leaders said the findings - based on official NHS data - showed access was a problem in every region."

(27 Nov 2019) Hitting the poorest worst? How public health cuts have been experienced in England’s most deprived communities IPPR report spells out the scale, and unequal impact of years of cutbacks in public health spending since 2014, showing that the poorest areas with the greatest needs have suffered the largest cuts. Why is this not surprising?

(27 Nov 2019) Privatisation in the English NHS: fact or fiction? Nuffield Trust presents their different appraoch to the scale of privatisation of NHS funded services, that appears to be a tacit counter to the recent blog by CHPI researcher David Rowland -- without ever mentioning it. Instead the Nuffs embark on their own set of figures:
"Around 22% of the English health spending goes to organisations that are not NHS trusts or other statutory bodies.
"But this includes many services that the general public would regard as being within the health service. For example, almost all the GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians who treat NHS patients are private businesses, and have been since the inception of the NHS in 1948."

(27 Nov 2019) Shrewsbury maternity trust could be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter Independent's new health correspondent Shaun Lintern has continued his exposure of safety scandals he began when he was at the Health Service Journal.
The scandal is already the biggest in NHS maternity services, and seems set to be the biggest ever failure of care to hit the NHS.

(27 Nov 2019) Barking's ex-BA finance chief quits due to lack of progress (£)HSJ report on the failure of a high-flying former BA finance chief brought to earth by the intractable financial crisis of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge hospitals trust.

(27 Nov 2019) Revealed: NHS running short of dozens of lifesaving medicines Guardian reports on worrying information and government attempts to keep it under wraps:
"The NHS is running short of dozens of lifesaving medicines including treatments for cancer, heart conditions and epilepsy, the Guardian has learned.
"An internal 24-page document circulated to some doctors last Friday from the medicine supply team at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), headed “commercial-sensitive”, listed many drugs currently hit by shortages at the NHS."
The document warned: “This information is confidential to the NHS, please do not upload to websites in the public domain.”

(27 Nov 2019) NHS bosses accused of gagging staff during election campaign Guardian report probes deeeper after "NHS staff claim they are being prevented from speaking out during the election campaign because their bosses are applying rules about political neutrality too zealously.
"Health workers have been told not to get involved in any political debates on social media during the campaign. NHS organisations have also banned staff from appearing in uniform or featuring any of their equipment, such as an ambulance, in their online posts or profiles."

(27 Nov 2019) To Lower Costs, Trump to Force Hospitals to Reveal Price of Care New York Times report on the latest attempt by Trump's administration to bolster the illusion that market forces and price competition can be used to transform the monstrously inequitable and inefficient US health care system - rather than the establishment of the 'single payer' system campaigners are fighting for.
"The Trump administration on Friday announced it would begin forcing hospitals to publicly disclose the discounted prices they negotiate with insurance companies, a potentially bold move to help people shop for better deals on a range of medical services, from hip replacements to brain scans.
“For decades, hospitals, insurance companies, lobbyists and special interests have hidden prices from consumers, so they could drive up costs for you, and you had no idea what was happening,” President Trump said Friday afternoon in the White House’s Roosevelt Room. “You’d get bills that were unbelievable and you’d have no idea why.”

(27 Nov 2019) NHS staff working 1m hours a week of unpaid overtime, Labour says Guardian reports "NHS staff are working over a million hours a week of unpaid overtime to help the health service deal with an unprecedented demand for care, according to research by the Labour party.
"Its estimate is based on an analysis of data in the NHS Staff Survey of the views and experiences of 497,000 health service personnel in England.
"The most recent edition of the survey, published in February, found that many staff put in extra hours for no extra pay, and that some do as much as 11 hours a week unpaid overtime.
"Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said staff working beyond their standard shift were paying the price for the NHS’s widespread workforce shortages."

(27 Nov 2019) Is the NHS facing unprecedented demand? BBC report notes that much of the rising demand is said by the government to be due to an increasingly elderly population: but this increase should be no surprise – these are not recent immigrants, but people who have been living here for decades..
“From 2006 to 2019, the whole UK population rose by about 1% per year - but the proportion of those aged 85 or over has risen more rapidly.
“Figures from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) indicate treating an 80-year-old is, on average, almost four times as expensive as treating a 30-year-old.
Older people are more likely to be living with long-term conditions for which there are no cures, notably dementia. They often also have multiple health problems, which can add to the cost and complexity of their care.”
Perhaps the most chilling note is struck by Richard Murray, from the Kings Fund, who “said the number of people arriving at hospital had risen relentlessly over time. The difference now is that they are often a lot older, have multiple conditions and are sicker.”
“Relentlessly” suggests an irritation that these sicker older people have not had the decency to die, and that they are only hanging around to be awkward.

(27 Nov 2019) Global health and the digital Wild West: Short report from the Tek4HealthEquity conference Interesting critque of the new mania for apps and digital technology that is dominant in NHS England and of course dominates Matt Hancock.
Well worth a read:
"At the recent Tek4HealthEquity conference (1-2 Nov) organized by the Independent Panel on Global Governance for Health at the New School in New York City, we discussed the conditions upon which technologies might serve health equity. Presentations highlighted that discriminatory design, high costs and weak regulations are just some of the challenges to the idea of digital public goods capable of reducing global and national-level inequities in health."

(27 Nov 2019) NHS set for 'worst ever' winter crisis as A&E waiting times worsen again Pulse magazine's take on the performance figures:
"The NHS is on a ‘collision course’ for its worst ever winter recorded, the BMA has warned again as A&E waiting times have failed to improve.
"New official data released today shows the NHS's peformance against the four-hour A&E waiting time target - in which 95% of patients are expected to be seen - is at its worst level since records began.
"Only 83.6% of patients were seen within four hours in all A&E departments in England in October, compared with 89.1% in October last year – the lowest figure since data was first collected."

(27 Nov 2019) Hospital waiting times at worst-ever level BBC report states: "Key targets for cancer, hospital care and A&E have been missed for over three years - with delays for hospital care and in A&E hitting their highest levels since both targets were introduced.
"The monthly figures - the last before the election - prompted Labour and the Liberal Democrats to attack the Tories' record on the NHS.
"But Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "huge demand" was to blame."

(27 Nov 2019) Figures show we could be on track for 100,000 trolley waits Response to today’s NHS performance statistics from NHS England, Nuffield Trust Chief Economist Professor John Appleby, who said:
“These figures show the next Government will immediately be faced with one of the bleakest winters in the NHS’s history. We have many months to go until seasonal pressures really hit the NHS, but October has already seen an unprecedented slump with performance against the main A&E target worse than ever. The health service is seeing far more patients, yet one in six is now waiting more than four hours in A&E. If the usual trends continue after Christmas, that would head towards one in five."

(27 Nov 2019) More people than ever turning to food banks, charity says Guardian reports that the Trussell Trust, which runs two-thirds of the UK’s food banks, said it distributed a record 823,145 food parcels between April and September, including 301,653 that went to children.
"This was a 23% increase on the same period last year, representing the steepest rise the charity has witnessed since its network of food banks was fully established.
"The top three reasons cited by people needing emergency food were insufficient benefit income, at 36%, followed by delays in benefit payments at 18% and changes to benefit at 16%."

(27 Nov 2019) Tory pledge to recruit 50,000 new nurses exposed as ‘fake’ after Boris Johnson unveils manifesto Swift deconstruction of key Tory manifesto pledge by the Independent;
"Boris Johnson has been accused of “deceit” over his plans for the NHS, after his promise of “50,000 more nurses” turned out to include 18,500 existing nurses who the government hopes to persuade to remain in the workforce."

(27 Nov 2019) Conservative party manifesto 2019: fact checked Full Fact throws the spotlight on the Tory manifesto promises.
It notes that the Tories appear to have seriously underestimated the cost of paying for and supporting 50,000 nurses:
"Even without adding training costs, as a very rough indication, 50,000 nurses at pay band 5 cost the NHS in the region of £2.8 billion a year based on this estimate (or £2.6 billion excluding capital overheads). The actual cost will be higher as some move up the pay scale, and considering ongoing training costs as well."

(15 Nov 2019) NHS scrambles funding to help hospitals with winter crisis (£) HSJ report on the fact that ministers have left it far too late for any extra cash to be found or to affect the performance this winter:
"In previous years there has typically been pot of winter pressures funding announced by the government – sometimes up to £700m - with money distributed widely among acute providers.
"The government has not done so this year – and the money of offer, thought to be a smaller amount, appears to be on an ad-hoc basis, targeted at providers that can use the resources most effectively.
"The purdah period leading up to the general election on 12 December would now be likely to prevent any national announcement of a fund."

(15 Nov 2019) It’s Narnia on the wards: the NHS is in permanent winter crisis now Polly Toynbee in the Guardian paints the picture of growing crisis:
"Will there be an NHS crisis during this winter election? There already is, everywhere. It’s Narnia on the wards: permanent winter, as the pressure never lets up in the summer now, with performance figures rapidly worsening year after year. The condition of the NHS is already critical, before the Australian flu epidemic predicted for this winter has even arrived."

(15 Nov 2019) Is the NHS facing unprecedented demand? BBC attempts a partial 'fact check' of the excuses from ministers for the latest dip in performence of the NHS, noting that:
"Looking back, from 2006 to 2019 there has been an average 2.2% annual increase in patient attendances at A&E.
"In October this year, there were about 2.2 million attendances at A&E departments - an increase of 4.4% compared with October 2018 (although just short of the all-time record)."

(15 Nov 2019) Hospital waiting times at worst-ever level BBC report on performance figures does not try to embellish the picture:
"Key targets for cancer, hospital care and A&E have been missed for over three years - with delays for hospital care and in A&E hitting their highest levels since both targets were introduced.
"The monthly figures - the last before the election - prompted Labour and the Liberal Democrats to attack the Tories' record on the NHS."

(15 Nov 2019) Figures show we could be on track for 100,000 trolley waits Nuffield Trust chief economist John Appleby comments on latest NHS performance figures: “These figures show the next Government will immediately be faced with one of the bleakest winters in the NHS’s history. We have many months to go until seasonal pressures really hit the NHS, but October has already seen an unprecedented slump with performance against the main A&E target worse than ever. The health service is seeing far more patients, yet one in six is now waiting more than four hours in A&E. If the usual trends continue after Christmas, that would head towards one in five.

(15 Nov 2019) So what would an NHS without private sector provision look like? Propaganda from Independent health Provider Network against Labour's commitment to phase out the use of private hospitals to treat NHS patients begs the even more revealing question: what would the private hospital sector look like without the NHS? Spoiler alert: the NHS deals with all emergencies and complex cases, trains all the medical and nursing staff who work in private hospitals, and also provides back-up care for private hospital patients needing emergency treatment when things go wrong. Without the NHS no private sector would be possible.

(15 Nov 2019) New inpatients banned at mental health unit rated unsafe Guardian reports on the latest scandal of private mental health provision:
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has stopped the Cygnet Acer Clinic, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, from accepting new inpatients. It declared that the facility was “not safe” for people to use.
"Inspectors found that clinic patients had opportunities to hang themselves, and the unit had soaring levels of patient self harm, and a huge shortage of trained staff."

(15 Nov 2019) Nigel Edwards responds to Labour's 'NHS Rescue Plan' Nuffield Trust boss Nigel Edwards argues "This new money would mean the NHS could breathe a sigh of relief. The extra money for investment in building and equipment is desperately needed and it is particularly encouraging to see some of this go towards general practice.
“A 4% increase a year will make a big difference compared to the 1.4% average the NHS has grown used to in recent years. It is enough to get most waiting times back on track over time, but tough decisions will still have to be made."

(15 Nov 2019) Brexit Party NHS spokesman says privatisation in the NHS can be “brilliant” Scram reports "Speaking in an interview with party leader Nigel Farage, Dr David Bull, a Brexit Party MEP, MP candidate and medical doctor, said that private provision in the NHS can be a “brilliant” way of funding the service, which needs an urgent “redress”.
"In the same interview, party leader Nigel Farage reiterated that, “those who can afford it should be encouraged to take out private insurance”.

(15 Nov 2019) IEA: Hiking taxes to fund the NHS “won’t sustain the institution” The obscurely funded neoliberal "think tank" the IEA argues that the 1948 NHS model is outdated -- and should be replaced by the more expensive 1890s Bismarck-style systems applied in Germany, France and other countries. The constant factor is their hostility to the NHS and its values.
"The structure of the NHS is fundamentally outdated, and no amount of money is going to get the health system to function and operate at the level patients deserve."

(15 Nov 2019) General election 2019: Labour vows to outspend Tories on the NHS Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said Labour's policy of taxing the "richest in society" and reversing cuts to corporation tax would release money to spend on healthcare.

(15 Nov 2019) Childhood pneumonia cases up 50% in 10 years, NHS data shows Guardian report notes: "Emergency hospital admissions for children with pneumonia have risen by more than 50% in England over the past decade, figures suggest, with admission rates highest in more deprived areas."

(15 Nov 2019) Why is life expectancy faltering? Guardian report:
"Statisticians first noticed in 2013 that rises in life expectancy in the UK had begun to slow down. Gradually, the graph – which been rising for decades – flattened out until, a few years ago, it started to decline for increasing numbers of people. The elderly, the poor and the newborn were worst affected. For example, life expectancies for those over 65 have dropped by more than six months."

(15 Nov 2019) NHS cancellations of child mental health sessions jump 25% Guardian report on more evidence of decline in mental health service despite constant promises of improvement:
"Figures obtained by the mental health charity Mind reveal that CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) in England cancelled 175,094 appointments with vulnerable patients between August 2018 and July 2019.
"That was 25% more than the 140,327 which were cancelled during the same period in 2017-18.
"Experts think staff shortages and the growing demand from young people for help with anxiety, depression and other conditions, lie behind the trend."

(15 Nov 2019) NHS chiefs warn Johnson’s visa scheme will do nothing to stop post-Brexit staffing crisis Independent report. "The Independent has obtained a document written by NHS Employers, the organisation responsible for recruitment across the entire health service, in response to a consultation on government immigration proposals due to come into force by 2021.
"It sets out strong opposition to the Home Office’s planned points-based immigration system and new salary thresholds, pointing out many social care staff earn as little as half the proposed minimum of £30,000 per annum needed to obtain entry to the UK."

(15 Nov 2019) Election special: Don't trust him with our NHS Special 8-page issue of Health Campaigns Together newspaper brings together evidence to separate Fact from Fiction on the state of the NHS. 60,000 printed copies distributed so far.

(15 Nov 2019) Access to healthcare makes financial sense BMJ blog from September just recirculated in social media: Lucinda Hiam argues 'NHS charging regulations for people without adequate documentation are immoral, unethical, and cost the NHS far more in the long run'.

(15 Nov 2019) NHS winter crisis bites early after black alerts at Queen Elizabeth and Lewisham hospitals Winter arrives in early November in SE London:
"Health bosses have moved to reassure patients after both Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Lewisham Hospital reached full capacity this week, triggering a “black alert”.

(15 Nov 2019) NHS Providers report: The state of the provider sector Some stark warnings in this latest survey of senior managers in England's NHS trusts.

(15 Nov 2019) General election 2019: Tory plan to attract more NHS staff from abroad BBC report tries to put positive spin on latest Tory charges for overseas NHS staff but has to quote The Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dame Donna Kinnair arguing it is "immoral and heartless" to continue to make nurses contribute towards "the same services they keep running" through the health insurance charge."

(15 Nov 2019) Boris Johnson promises fast track 'NHS visa' for overseas doctors and nurses Tory plans to cut a part of the huge new charges they are putting in place to deter health workers from EU and other countries from coming to the UK:
"The Conservatives' new NHS visa will ultimately form part of the party's planned points-based immigration system to be introduced after Brexit.
"The move reflects concern within the health service that it will struggle to attract the staff it needs when Britain is outside the EU.
"Under the scheme, the cost of a visa for health professionals would be halved from £928 to £464, while applicants would be guaranteed a decision within two weeks."
But the £400 per head surcharge for using the NHS will also apply to any health professional willing to brave an increasingly racist and unwelcoming UK: so the fee is not halved but cut by about a third, leaving overseas staff massively discriminated against.

(15 Nov 2019) Winter after winter, the NHS has been warned it cannot go on the same as before Independent report notes difference this time around: "What makes 2019 different is not only the unwelcome scrutiny of a general election but for the first time there has been no summer respite from high levels of patient demand. Typically, the NHS uses the summer months to catch its breath but this year there was simply no let-up.
"Many of the biggest hospitals reported record-breaking numbers of patients turning up at A&E in July and August. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust had to declare a “black alert” incident in July – the most serious level of pressure normally reserved for the depths of winter."

(15 Nov 2019) Lincolnshire health visitors to strike for a month over pay BBC reports that: "About 70 health visitors are to stage a near month-long strike in a continuing dispute over pay and standards.
"The strike by members of Unite at Lincolnshire County Council is due to start on 18 November and continue until 13 December.
"The union said workers were significantly worse off since being transferred from the NHS in 2017."

(15 Nov 2019) Hundreds of mental health beds needed to end 'shameful' out-of-area care Guardian report: "The Royal College of Psychiatrists is calling for the NHS to urgently create hundreds of extra beds for people who are seriously mentally unwell in order to tackle a damaging shortage.
“Cuts in the number of mental health beds have gone too far and patients and their families are suffering as a result,” said Prof Wendy Burn, the college’s president. “It is clear that some parts of England urgently need more properly funded and staffed beds. Hundreds more are needed.
“Trusts struggling with dangerously high levels of bed occupancy are being forced to send seriously ill people hundreds of miles away from their homes for care. That must stop.”

(15 Nov 2019) The British Medical Association criticised ministers over the state of the health service as the Observer reported growing concerns in the Government ahead of the December 12 poll. The Independent reports: "The number of procedures called off by hospitals for non-clinical reasons has increased by 32 per cent in the last two years, the statistics obtained via a freedom of information (FOI) request. Almost 4,000 more were scrapped in 2018 than in 2016.
"They also show that of the 79,000 operations to be cancelled last year, 20 per cent were scrapped because of staffing issues and equipment failures."

(15 Nov 2019) Doctors accuse Boris Johnson of only recognising NHS crisis because of election Daily Mirror report: "The British Medical Association criticised ministers over the state of the health service as the Observer reported growing concerns in the Government ahead of the December 12 poll."

(15 Nov 2019) Boris Johnson criticised for selective quotes about NHS in letter to voters Guardian picks up on protests by charities for misleading extracts of their statements being used by Johnson in his election handouts. Who is surprised?

(15 Nov 2019) Bristol Southmead Hospital: Racist patients could have treatment withdrawn Grim reminder of the scale of patient racism towards staff that appears to be increasing in frequency: now trust management and Health Secretary Matt Hancock appear to have got the message and beefed up the guidance on how to respond.

(15 Nov 2019) Time to rebuild NHS and create 21st century health service Article by NHS Providers chief exec Chris Hopson in Public Sector Focus magazine

(15 Nov 2019) Home Office decried for blocking NHS scheme to use more trainee doctors from overseas Guardian report notes obstruction of NHS plans by racist restrictions imposed by Home Office: "The Home Office is blocking plans already agreed by the health secretary and NHS bosses to let more overseas doctors come to Britain to help tackle the health service’s staff shortages.
"It has refused to allow the planned expansion of the medical training initiative (MTI) to go ahead, despite its inclusion in the government-backed NHS long-term plan."

(15 Nov 2019) Don’t sign pledges on NHS or climate, Tory HQ tells candidates Guardian reports leaked internal document that tells Conservative candidates in the general election not to sign up to specific pledges on protecting the NHS from privatisation or trade deals or tackling climate change, but says it's OK to back campaigns to support shooting in rural areas.

(27 Oct 2019) Midlands teaching trust on ‘black alert’ again (£) HSJ report reveals Nottingham University Hospitals is back into crisis mode shortly after a summer crisis, and has "been on black alert for multiple days after being faced with “very high” emergency attendances since last week."
As the article was written there were 45 emergency patients waiting for the next bed to become free.

(27 Oct 2019) Cheltenham A&E will not close, Health Secretary says Victory for local campaigners, but also another sign an election is looming.
Cheltenham's Tory MP Alex Mr Chalk was leaked a copy of the consultation document in August.
"It outlined proposals to change the way hospital care is delivered by "creating a centre of excellence for emergency care in Gloucester and a centre for excellence for planned care in Cheltenham".
Fears there would only be one A&E, in Gloucester, prompted public campaigns including the Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Chalk asked the health secretary in the House of Commons for his thoughts on the future of the emergency unit: Matt Hancock replied: "No proposals to close the A&E at Cheltenham will be part of the forthcoming consultation."

(27 Oct 2019) Hospitals substitute nurses as staffing crisis worsens Final HSJ exclusive by departing health journo Shaun Lintern notes the use of less qualified staff to plug gaps in the nursing workforce. It quotes an expert on staffing issues warning of the impact on patient care:
"Alison Leary, professor of healthcare and workforce modelling at London’s Southbank University, told HSJ: “It’s concerning but understandable that trusts are filling that gap with unregistered support staff because we know from the evidence that skill dilution has a detrimental impact on patient outcomes including survival.
“Six years after the Francis report we are going back to what he discovered with a focus on financial performance over safety and workforce. It is very concerning this data has been taken out of the public domain. It needs to be subjected to scrutiny and we shouldn’t have to rely on journalists and FOI legislation.”

(27 Oct 2019) Migrants charged millions by Reading hospital for NHS care Reading Chronicle picks up a local angle on this "hostile environment" policy that has been universally condemned by medical and nursing professional bodies.
However it allows the Trust to make the unsupported claim that the charges have had no deterrent effect on patients accessing the care they need:
"If a patient can’t or won’t pay, ‘we will initially follow our internal debt collection process and then, if necessary, the trust’s solicitors will try to settle any outstanding payment in line with government guidance’, the spokesperson said.
“The trust hasn’t found that the government’s policy on charging overseas visitors discourages them from accessing treatment when required.”
This is completely the opposite of the view taken by medical royal colleges and others who cite evidence and actual cases to support their argument.

(27 Oct 2019) New Brexit plan worse for NHS than May’s deal, experts warn (£)HSJ reports views of Nuffield Trust, NHS Confederation and others, including:
"Another expert closely involved in the NHS’s Brexit response and preparations told HSJ the UK government also had “considerably less” breathing space than with the May deal.
"The source said: “The transition period is still set to end in December 2020, so there’s nearly a year lost in terms of time to negotiate the future relationship with the EU. The transition period is extendable by two years, but trade deals usually take far longer to agree.
“If the government fails to agree a deal then we effectively face another no deal cliff edge in December 2020."

(27 Oct 2019) Boris Johnson drawn into row over 'unsafe' Hillingdon hospital Guardian report notes the crumbling of the hospital serving PM Johsnon's constituency:
"Hillingdon’s infrastructure has long been recognised within the NHS as a problem and the trust has developed plans for it to be replaced.
"One senior NHS figure described the state of its buildings as “appalling – the worst of any hospital in London”. Its problems are so serious that the Treasury recently gave it a £16.5m emergency loan to carry out repairs to pipes and its incinerator and heating system and to buynew equipment. But the cost of fixing its backlog of maintenance issues, some of which are classed as critical, is £210m – the second largest among the NHS in England’s 240 trusts."

(27 Oct 2019) Providers notch up another £800m deficit in three months (£)HSJ report flags up the worsening financial plight of NHS trusts:
"the provider sector was actually in underlying deficit of around £2.5bn at the end of 2018-19. Lots of one-off savings, from things like accounting benefits and land sales, have long flattered the position and this may now have started to unwind.
...
"Sally Gainsbury, senior policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust, said this wasn’t supposed to happen: “Despite the Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHSE/I all agreeing that trusts needed much more realistic efficiency targets, trusts are being asked to deliver the same levels of savings.
“Trusts thought there would be sustainable improvement trajectories, but they are being demanded to improve straightaway.”
"The figures for the first quarter also suggest there’s already lot of catching up to do.
"The data shows trusts reported a combined deficit of £806m for the first quarter, which is broadly similar to the position reported at the same stage in each of the previous two years."

(27 Oct 2019) Two-thirds of doctors and nurses believe £350m-a-week NHS claim was a 'deliberate lie', poll finds Independent reports "Anger among doctors and nurses about the notorious claim of a £350m-a-week boost to the NHS from Brexit has been laid bare, with two-thirds branding it a “deliberate lie”.
"The boast – made by Boris Johnson and other Leave campaigners – has also strengthened support among health staff for a Final Say referendum, a major survey has found.
"It comes as the People’s Vote campaign reveals that more than three-quarters of NHS trusts it quizzed have made no preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU."

(27 Oct 2019) Primary care investment not enough, says NHS England advisor Pulse Today report lifts lid off funding promises on primary care:
"In January, the Government pledged to invest £4.5bn in primary and community care by 2023/24 as part of the NHS long-term plan.
"This is £1bn more than the previous £3.5bn pledged in November, which former Prime Minister Theresa May said would be used to ensure more patients are cared for at home and in the community rather than in hospital settings.
"Despite the increase, GP and NHS England national clinical advisor for primary care Dr Karen Kirkham expressed concerns over the funding, saying it might not be enough to allow services to manage patients 'properly'."

(27 Oct 2019) Don't let the QEQM stroke unit close due to lack off staff! Change.org petition urging "the East Kent Hospitals trust to immediately measures in place to ensure specialist stroke staff don't leave the stroke unit before the HASUs are in place.
"We ask that you arrange a pay incentive scheme/retention premium as soon as possible. We don't want an emergency closure to happen at QEQM (as has just occurred at Tunbridge Wells)."

(27 Oct 2019) NHSX senior adviser: Slow IT at your trust? Quit (£)HSJ article reports bizarre advice from the agency that is supposed to be rolling out n ew technology into cash-strapped trusts:
"A senior NHSX technology adviser has urged clinicians to move to more digitally-advanced trusts if they are unhappy with their current workplace’s technology.
"Speaking at a King’s Fund conference on Wednesday, senior technology adviser for NHSX, Terence Eden, added patients should switch GP practices if they are not able to book appointments online.
"He said “people power” is needed to create “peer pressure” and encourage digital transformation throughout the healthcare system."

(27 Oct 2019) What the Medical GoFundMes That Don’t Get Funded Say About America Thoughtful artile in GQ magazine on funding appeals in the US:
"But as I scrolled down a little further, I saw the claw marks of austerity gouging deep into life after life. A telling sign is what happens when you search “health insurance.” The lack of health insurance is a uniquely American problem among industrialized countries, one borne of the sheer go-it-alone malice of our frayed social contract. A search for the term “health insurance” returns over one million campaigns. Scanning through them is a brief glimpse into a maelstrom of social collapse.
"As Medicare For All— in all the variations Democratic presidential candidates have come up with—is debated on brightly lit stages, and the Trump administration fights to whittle down the Affordable Care Act in court, GoFundMe offers a close-up view of the human cost of inadequate policy."

(27 Oct 2019) Mid Yorkshire Hospital NHS Trust deal 'expected to cost an extra £223m' Wakefield Express picks up on new research on PFI and its soaring costs recently published in i-news, and reveals the additional costs of a £300m hospital project.

(27 Oct 2019) What the Health Care Debate Still Gets Wrong Important review by Adam Gaffney of Physicians for a National Health Program updates discussion on the dysfunctional US health care system. The review is of a book by leading academic Uwe Reinhardt, and builds upon his critique of the system:
"As Reinhardt’s larger body of work makes clear, we cannot separate high prices from the structural failings of our dysfunctional and regressive health care financing system."

(27 Oct 2019) The state of the NHS provider sector The latest report by N HS Providers flagging up the growing crisis facing front line NHS trusts. Important background to any forthcoming election.

(27 Oct 2019) UK would lose £130bn in growth if Brexit deal passed, figures suggest Guardian reports official government projections on the cost of Johnson's Brexit deal, which must throw any future pledges on public spending into doubt:
"Estimates published by the government last year show an agreement similar to Boris Johnson’s settlement, which envisions striking a limited free trade deal with the EU, would strip 6.7% from the UK’s expected path of GDP growth between now and 2034.
"The 6.7% of GDP cost of Johnson also adds up to making people on average £2,250 a year poorer by 2034."

(27 Oct 2019) CAMPAIGN #2 - UNDER THE KNIFE Fresh appeal for funds to enable a second round olf showings of the important new film that campaigners have already shown over 60 times in a single week in October.

(27 Oct 2019) Charity launches legal action against NHS fees for pregnant migrants "Hostile environment" again being challenged this time for its impact on vulnerable patients. Another Guardian story:
"A charity has launched a legal challenge against the policy of charging vulnerable migrant women £7,000 or more to access NHS maternity care.
"Maternity care falls under “immediately necessary service” in the UK, which means it must never be refused or delayed regardless of a patient’s immigration status.
"!But Maternity Action says destitute migrant women who struggle to afford food and accommodation are receiving bills of £7,000 or more. It claims its research shows women are avoiding essential medical care in an attempt to save money."

(27 Oct 2019) NHS doctor banned from coming back to UK over visa mix-up Guardian gives yet another example of the cost to the NHS of Theresa May's racist "hostile enviroment".
"An eye doctor has been stranded overseas and unable to resume his career in the NHS after the Home Office banned him from entering Britain over a visa mix-up.
"The decision by the Home Office’s immigration department has been branded “inhumane” and prompted warnings it will worsen the NHS’s already serious shortage of doctors."

(27 Oct 2019) Estates returns information collection England 2018-19 Updated offiicial data on backlog maintenance bills in England's NHS show the situation worsening.

(27 Oct 2019) Google gets green light to access five years of NHS patient data (£) New Scientist reveals worrying fact that "Google will receive five years’ worth of NHS patients’ sensitive records under the terms of a deal signed last month, despite controversy over similar contracts in the past."

(15 Oct 2019) Council decides not to ask Government to intervene on A&E overnight closure Weston Mercury reports North Somerset council' scrutiny panel has bottled out of referring the controversial permanent night time closure of Weston's A&E to the secretary of state. This is a body blow for campaigners who now have no local body prepared to stand up for local access to emergency care.

(15 Oct 2019) Pathologists vote to strike over new shifts row at Barking NHS trust that puts patients’ samples ‘at risk’ Press release from Unite the Union:
"Pathologists at a north east London NHS trust have voted for strike action in a dispute over new shift patterns which, it is claimed, could compromise the integrity of patients’ samples.
"The warning has come from Unite, which represents 88 biomedical scientists working at Queen’s Hospital, Romford and King George Hospital, Ilford who face losing about £10,000 a year, if the new shifts go-ahead on 4 November.
"The pathologists, who are employed by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, voted by 87 per cent for strike action. Strike dates are expected to be announced soon.
"Unite said that it submitted a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to probe what was happening to patient samples and the trust replied: ‘No sample is discarded prior to analysis’.
"However, the trust cited ‘commercial confidentiality’ in declining to answer the question: ‘How many blood and other examples within the pathology department at Queen’s Hospital and King George Hospital have been processed after the recommended testing time in each of the last 12 months?’"

(15 Oct 2019) (US) Patients Eligible For Charity Care Instead Get Big Bills Kaiser Health News reports on a less obvious aspect of the US health care nightmare:
"Under the Affordable Care Act, nonprofit hospitals like St. Joseph are required to provide free or discounted care to patients of meager incomes — or risk losing their tax-exempt status. These price breaks can help people avoid financial catastrophe.
"And yet nearly half — 45% — of nonprofit hospital organizations are routinely sending medical bills to patients whose incomes are low enough to qualify for charity care, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of reports the nonprofits submit annually to the Internal Revenue Service. Those 1,134 organizations operate 1,651 hospitals.
"Together, they estimated they had given up collecting $2.7 billion in bills sent to patients who probably would have qualified for financial assistance under the hospitals’ own policies if they had filled out the applications."

(15 Oct 2019) Health chiefs blast Boris Johnson's opposition to 'sin taxes' – calling for the PM to 'follow the evidence' and expand them to cover ALL junk food Daily Heil finds room for a straight report on calls from Simon Stevens and other senior NHS figures for extension of "sugar tax" and similar measures to deter unhealthy diet:
"Health chiefs have blasted Boris Johnson's opposition to 'sin taxes' and are calling for the Prime Minister to 'follow the evidence' and expand them to cover all junk food.
"The head of NHS England has urged the Government to be 'led by the evidence' showing the so-called sugar tax has worked, days before the results of a review into whether it should be extended to all unhealthy foods are due."

(15 Oct 2019) Growing pressures on access and staffing risk creating ‘perfect storm’ for people using mental health and learning disability service The CQC's own press release on their State of Care report:
"In this year’s State of Care, we have highlighted mental health and learning disability inpatient services because that’s where we are starting to see an impact on quality – and on people. There has been a deterioration in ratings in these services – and our inspection reports highlight staff shortages, or care delivered by staff who aren’t trained or supported to look after people with complex needs, as a reason for this.
“Increased demand combined with challenges around workforce and access risk creating a perfect storm – meaning people who need support from mental health, learning disability or autism services may receive poor care, have to wait until they are at crisis point to get the help they need, be detained in unsuitable services far from home, or be unable to access care at all."

(15 Oct 2019) More than half of A&Es provide substandard care, says watchdog Guardian reports on the CQC's latest State of Care report, highlighting problems in A&E:
"More than half of A&E units are providing substandard care because they are understaffed and cannot cope with an ongoing surge in patients, the NHS watchdog has said.
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said 44% of emergency departments in England required improvement and another 8% were inadequate, its lowest rating. Last year 48% of A&Es fell into the two ratings brackets combined.
"Ian Trenholm, the CQC’s chief executive, said A&E was “the department in a hospital we are most concerned about”. The regulator said units were struggling because of increases of as much as 10% a year in the number of people seeking care.

(15 Oct 2019) Mental health services: CQC warns of “perfect storm” (£)BMJ report on the latest Annual report from the CQC:
"A shortage of skilled staff, coupled with rising demand, has created a “perfect storm” for patients using mental health and learning disability services, England’s healthcare regulator has warned. …
"The CQC said that since October 2018 it had rated 14 independent mental health hospitals that admit people with a learning disability or autism as inadequate and put them into special measures. Two of these services have since improved, three are now closed, and one is still registered but with no patients resident."

(15 Oct 2019) Kidney patients face waving goodbye to EU travel after Brexit More joy from the looming Brexit, according to the (£) Times:
"[26,000] kidney patients who need life-sustaining treatment when travelling in the EU will have to pay up to £1,200 a week under a no-deal Brexit.
"The four hours of dialysis they need several times a week is free with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, the NHS website says: “The [card] may not be valid if there’s a no-deal Brexit. This . . . might mean you need to pay for treatment in full.”
"Dialysis, which costs about £300 a session, is not covered by travel insurance because it is “a planned treatment for a pre-existing condition”.

(15 Oct 2019) Troubled care home operator fails to pay landlords (£)FT report on yet another financial nightmare in care home sector:
"Four Seasons, Britain’s second biggest care home operator, failed to pay millions of pounds of rent this month with no warning to landlords, raising concerns over the care of thousands of elderly residents.
"… Four Seasons, which runs 320 homes housing 16,000 residents, has been fighting for survival since 2017 after its owner — Guy Hands’ private equity firm Terra Firma — defaulted on an interest payment.
"… Four Seasons said in a stock market announcement on Monday that it was seeking to renegotiate rents on the remaining 135 leasehold homes. It then failed to pay rent owed to landlords the same day, according to three sources who say they received no advance warning."

(15 Oct 2019) Adult care staff turnover rises for sixth consecutive year, report finds Community Care article based on new research shows massive rise in staff turnover in adult social care:
"The adult social care staff turnover rate has risen for the sixth year running, with lack of training and qualifications and zero-hours contracts among factors driving workers to leave, a new report has found.
"Skills for Care’s annual report on the state of the workforce found turnover among directly-employed staff (excluding personal assistants) had risen from 23.1% in 2012-13 to 32.2% in 2018-19. Turnover was highest among care workers, at 39.5%, and this group had also experienced the highest increase since 2012-13, at 11.1 percentage points.
"According to the report, staff were more likely to leave their role if they were younger, relatively inexperienced, lower paid, had higher rates of sickness and were on a zero-hours contract."

(15 Oct 2019) It’s hysteria, not a heart attack, GP app Babylon tells women Times report revealing that so-called AI chatbot Babylon has been programmed with all of the sexist prejudices of the medical profession and may miss symptoms of heart attack in women.
"Entering identical heart attack symptoms for men and women resulted in different suggested diagnoses.
"The Babylon app, which bears the NHS logo, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify health problems. But doctors found that the algorithm tells a 60-year-old female smoker who reports sudden onset chest pain and nausea that she is probably having a panic attack or pain caused by inflammation.
"A 60-year-old male smoker with the same symptoms is told that he may be having a heart attack. The man is advised to go to A&E, while the woman is told to contact her GP within six hours if the symptoms persist."

(15 Oct 2019) England sees 'worst summer on record' for A&E waits Analysis by BBC Newsnight and the Nuffield Trust found an average of 86% of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged from A&E within four hours in the six months to September.
This is the worst performance in that period since the 95% target was brought in in 2004. Doctors are warning that the system is "running out of resilience" and that winter in A&Es was going to be "really difficult".
In September there were 64,921 patients waiting more than four hours from decision to their actual admission to further care, of whom 455 waited more than 12 hours. This is a 195.5% increase from the previous year.

(15 Oct 2019) Boris Johnson accused of 'pork barrel electioneering' with NHS hospitals Mirror highlights story broken in HSJ: “Boris Johnson has been accused of using the NHS for ‘pork barrel electioneering’, snubbing Liverpool and funnelling hospital funding into Tory target seats.”
Liverpool, Mersey and Cheshire areas have 4.5% of England’s population but just 1% of the new money announced by the Johnson government for hospital building and refurbishment.
Kathryn Thomson of Liverpool Women’s Foundation Trust told the Health Service Journal she had been left “hugely frustrated” when her organisation was excluded from the list of NHS buildings to benefit from a cash boost.
She said: “We were the top priority for Cheshire and Mersey, and we understand from NHS Improvement that we were one of the priorities for the north west of England, so we don’t understand why we haven’t got anything. We’ve asked a number of times for feedback on what prevented us getting something, so we could rationalise it, but we’ve never had anything back.”
Of the 21 trusts receiving seed funding, more than half are in Tory seats, and nine are in seats with majorities of less than 5,000 votes in the 2017 election.

(15 Oct 2019) PM aide's advisory role with Babylon 'raises conflict of interest questions' Pulse version of the story on Dominic Cummings' links with Babylon quotes Sam Smith, coordinator of patient confidentiality campaign group MedConfidential:
"This Government and NHSX is committed to using private companies to deliver NHS technology innovation, as was clear from the recent awards to Digital Innovation Hubs.
"Any innovations they create will only be available to their paying customers – £250m of the NHS budget will be used to fund AI innovation, and then other NHS budgets will be charged to use it, per patient, forever. This double charging makes the worst of PFI look like a good deal."

(15 Oct 2019) Dominic Cummings accused of conflict of interest over NHS fund Guardian report that may surprise some people:
"Boris Johnson’s most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, is facing conflict of interest accusations over a consultancy role he undertook for a government-endorsed healthcare startup that is in position to receive a share of a new £250m flagship public fund.
"Cummings advised Babylon Health, a controversial artificial intelligence (AI) firm working within the NHS, on its communications strategy and its senior recruitment, an investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal.
"A GP app developed by the company was later backed publicly on multiple occasions by the health secretary, Matt Hancock."

(15 Oct 2019) 'It destroys lives' - Teen's dismay at 18-month mental health delay As CQC inspectors return to the troubled Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust, the Eastern Daily Press highlights delays and problems. Waiting times for non-emergency referrals have worsened:
"The number of people waiting longer than the target of 28 days to be assessed shot up to 1,466 in August from 912 in March."
More than 30pc of medical jobs are vacant at the NSFT and the Campaign to Save Mental Health Services in Norfolk and Suffolk said the decline in waiting times was down to staffing problems.
They pointed to massive issues within the NSFT's "crisis teams" who look after those most in need in the community."

(15 Oct 2019) NHS could lose thousands of staff under Brexit migration shake-up (£) HSJ brings a grim warning that will no doubt be brushed aside by Brextremists as "project fear":
"More than 60,000 international NHS workers could be at risk of deportation if the government was to tighten immigration rules and increase the salary threshold for visas for skilled workers, analysis by HSJ has revealed.
"Home secretary Priti Patel has committed to introducing an Australian points based immigration system for the UK after Brexit, while the government has asked the Migration Advisory Committee to consider the evidence for salary thresholds and at what level they could be set.
"According to NHS Digital data, examined by HSJ, there are 60,611 NHS staff, by headcount, from the EU and the rest of the world who are not currently on the shortage occupation list and earn less than £36,700."

(15 Oct 2019) Waste in the US Health Care System: Estimated Costs and Potential for Savings An important new free access study in Journal of American Medical Association updates previous estimates and reveals the staggering scale of waste in the US health care system:
"In this review based on 6 previously identified domains of health care waste, the estimated cost of waste in the US health care system ranged from $760 billion to $935 billion, accounting for approximately 25% of total health care spending, and the projected potential savings from interventions that reduce waste, excluding savings from administrative complexity, ranged from $191 billion to $282 billion, representing a potential 25% reduction in the total cost of waste.
"Implementation of effective measures to eliminate waste represents an opportunity reduce the continued increases in US health care expenditures."

(15 Oct 2019) NHS chiefs fear hospitals will not cope amid growing social care crisis Daily Telegraph reports:
"Eight in ten hospital chief executives fear their wards will be unable to cope within a year, amid a growing social care crisis.
"A damning report today says most of those running NHS trusts are worried about short staffing and a lack of investment in services to keep the elderly out of hospital.
"Six in ten trust chief executives and chairmen said a lack of doctors and nurses is endangering decent patient care, with almost 100,000 staff vacancies across the NHS.
"And eight in ten of those running hospitals said they feared they would not be able to cope with demand within the next 12 months."

(15 Oct 2019) Digital-first overhaul could strip Babylon GP at Hand of primary care network GPonline follows up on its previous report that GP at Hand's list of more than 60,000 patients - all currently registered with a single west London host practice - would be broken up into more than a dozen separate contracts, potentially from April 2020.
NHS England also plans to force them to set up physical premises in any CCG area from which they have recruited more than 1,000 patients. See also The Lowdown report: https://lowdownnhs.info/news/private-gp-service-sets-sights-on-further-nhs-expansion/

(15 Oct 2019) Psychiatrist vacancies 'threaten' NHS transformation BBC report based on Royal College of Psychiatrists survey on the uneven spread and general shortage of consultant staff for mental health:
"The number of vacancies has doubled in six years - and is particularly marked in children's services, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
"One in 10 consultant posts - 568 out of 5,730 - is vacant, up from one in 20 in 2013, a census by the college suggests.
Being the BBC it has to include the usual inadequate response from ministers: "The government pledged an extra £2.3bn a year by 2023-4 to improve care."

(15 Oct 2019) 'It's like a death sentence': retired Britons in EU face loss of healthcare Guardian report flags up the hidden danger of a no-deal Brexit:
"The UK government announced last month that if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal the estimated 180,000 retired British nationals in the bloc whose healthcare costs it funds would continue to be covered for six months.
"Most of the 1 million Britons in the EU are earners, so pay into the health systems of the EU member states they live in. Their healthcare arrangements should be unaffected by a no-deal Brexit.
"But pensioners, who paid social security when they lived in the UK, are part of a reciprocal healthcare scheme, S1, under which the NHS reimburses the cost of their treatment – and which will cease to exist after a no-deal Brexit."

(15 Oct 2019) One of UK’s biggest care home operators investigated over finances Guardian warning that:
"One of the UK’s biggest care home operators, which looks after about 3,000 elderly residents, is being investigated by regulators, heightening concerns over the state of Britain’s social care provider market.
"More than 150 local authorities in England and Scotland were alerted at the end of August that Advinia Group was failing to co-operate with a regulatory inquiry into its finances.
"Advinia has 3,250 beds and employs 4,500 staff in its 38 residential homes in England and Scotland. It became England’s 10th biggest care home operator overnight in 2018 after borrowing £59m to buy 22 homes from private healthcare firm Bupa."

(15 Oct 2019) 'Unprecedented' rise in infant mortality in England linked to poverty Irish publication flags up British statistics:
"An additional 570 infant deaths, compared to what would have been expected based on historical trends, were recorded in [the UK] from 2014-2017.
"About one-third of those deaths, which related to children under the age of one, were linked to rising poverty.
"Rising infant mortality is unusual in high income countries, and international statistics show that infant mortality has continued to decline in most rich countries in recent years."

(15 Oct 2019) Sunday Mirror demands Government coughs up to end GP crisis caused by Tory cuts The Mirror article warns that:
"Appointment waiting times have hit a record high as more and more GPs quit, broken by heavy workloads.
We want to save our surgeries by:
* BOOSTING the number of trainee GPs by at least 5,000 a year to replace the 1,600 already axed by the Tories – and to cover a looming shortfall of 7,000 in the next four years.
* CREATING nearly 30 million extra appointments to shrink growing surgery waiting times for everyone which can be as long as TWO MONTHS – especially for patients suffering serious conditions, and
* ENDING the flood of experienced GPs who are leaving the NHS in droves by improving working conditions wrecked by Tory cuts."

(15 Oct 2019) NHS delays to surgery risk patients becoming addicted to strong painkillers Times report warns:
"The NHS is putting patients at risk of opioid dependency by rationing routine surgery, experts have warned. …
"Some local NHS trusts are delaying operations by up to 12 months.
"GPs, surgeons and patient groups said the “totally unacceptable” delays raise the risk of opioid dependence among patients awaiting pain-relieving surgery. They say people in need of medical help will be left in pain as they are forced to wait for treatment, and may end up addicted to the enormously powerful drugs."

(15 Oct 2019) Decrepit NHS mental health wards put lives at risk Guardian article highlighting the continued consequences of chronic neglect of investment in mental health services, which remains an obvious flaw in the latest government announcements of "new" hospitals, none of them for mental health:
"Crumbling old buildings are unsafe as they offer opportunities for mentally vulnerable people with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia to try to hang themselves or fall from a height, according to mental health trusts in England.
"New figures show that patient safety incidents in mental health units caused by problems with staffing, facilities or the environment in which people are treated have risen by 8%. In all, 19,088 such incidents occurred in 2018-19 compared with 17,693 the year before."

(15 Oct 2019) Trump Bars Immigrants Who Cannot Pay For Health Care US National Public Radio report should be shocking, but shows how much our own government's imposition of racist charges to access NHS treatment are all of a piece with the actions of a racist US President:
"President Trump signed a proclamation late Friday barring legal immigrants who cannot prove they will have health care coverage or the means to pay for it within 30 days of their arrival to the United States.
"Trump said uninsured individuals are a burden on the health care industry and U.S. taxpayers.
"Immigrants who enter this country should not further saddle our health care system, and subsequently American taxpayers, with higher costs," Trump declared."

(15 Oct 2019) Virgin Care hires former NHS regulator boss (£)HSJ reports on a new nice little earner for an ex-McKinsey director who was a health advisor to Tony Blair and led the foundation trust regulator Monitor for five years until it joined up with the Trust Development Authority to form NHS Improvement in 2015.

(15 Oct 2019) Before travelling abroad it is important to take out comprehensive travel insurance More joy from the looming Brexit: another government warning.
"The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) may not be valid after Brexit. You should make sure your travel insurance covers your healthcare needs," whether there’s a deal or not
"There may also be changes to your vehicle insurance when driving in the EU after Brexit."

(15 Oct 2019) Future Fit: ‘At last, a solution led by staff on front line’ - Mark Pritchard Local Shropshire Tory MP sings the praises of the 'Future Fit" reconfiguration plan which will axe his local A&E, and replace it with the unknown quality of an "A&E Local" with no beds.

(15 Oct 2019) Does Quality Improvement really improve quality? An academic tries to get to grips with health improvement which needs to engage and centre on front line and support staff rather than writing peer-reviewed articles for academics to read or conducting "randomised control trials" in which the old discredited way or organising is the 'control', putting patients at risk.

(15 Oct 2019) US Congress examines private equity role in surging healthcare costs (£)FT report on cost inflation driven by private equity firms active in provision of US health care. Two such companies are Envision and TeamHealth, who:
"increase charges when they enter into contracts to manage emergency department services, either directly or by agreeing new rates with insurance companies, according to an analysis by Yale University.
"Eileen Appelbaum, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington, DC-based think-tank, said the business model of private equity managers was geared to driving up the costs of patient care.
“Emergency medical practices are a perfect buyout target for private equity managers because demand does not decline when prices go up,” said Ms Appelbaum.
"Ambulance services owned by private equity managers are another problematic area."

(7 Oct 2019) The Rich Really Do Pay Lower Taxes Than You Brilliant New York Times article and interactive graphic confirming the way the US elite has reduced its taxation rate since the 1950s:
"Almost a decade ago, Warren Buffett made a claim that would become famous. He said that he paid a lower tax rate than his secretary, thanks to the many loopholes and deductions that benefit the wealthy.
"His claim sparked a debate about the fairness of the tax system. In the end, the expert consensus was that, whatever Buffett’s specific situation, most wealthy Americans did not actually pay a lower tax rate than the middle class. “Is it the norm?” the fact-checking outfit Politifact asked. “No.”
"Time for an update: It’s the norm now.
"For the first time on record, the 400 wealthiest Americans last year paid a lower total tax rate — spanning federal, state and local taxes — than any other income group, according to newly released data."

(4 Oct 2019) Government promises £3bn hospital building programme A rather more realistic version of the new hospitals story from the (£)HSJ, noting the timescale more most of the "new hospitals" is 15 years:
"Phase one will inject £2.7bn of cash into six hospital trusts to carry out major rebuilds of hospitals by 2025. Projects lined up for the cash include Barts Health Trust to rebuild its dilapidated Whipps Cross hospital and Leeds Teaching Hospital, to replace the Victorian Leeds General Infirmary.
"The second phase, the party says, will set out to deliver 34 hospital rebuilds between 2025 and 2030 by providing £100m of seed funding to support the development of business cases for 21 building projects around the country. It includes Hillingdon Hospitals Foundation Trust and Imperial College Healthcare Trust, the top two trusts for backlog of maintenance costs in England. The Conservatives’ statement indicates full funding will be forthcoming for these between 2025-30.
"The announcement – made by Boris Johnson as the Tory party conference gets under way today – indicates that it accepts further capital development funding is needed beyond these tranches, and says there will be a subsequent third phase of building from 2030 to 2035. “Today’s announcement is the start of much longer hospital building programme,” it says.
"The party said the capital would be funded via taxation not “private finance initiatives”.

(4 Oct 2019) Tory pledge to build 40 new hospitals under fire as minister admits funding in place for just six Independent reports: "health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that while some £2.7 billion has been allocated to six hospital trusts for building projects for completion by 2025, the other 34 projects for delivery by 2030 have so far been promised just £100 million of “seed funding”.
"The first six projects include extensions to existing hospitals, as well as new buildings on separate sites, and will not require the demolition of facilities to provide land for construction."

(4 Oct 2019) Response to Johnson's announcement on capital spending and building new hospitals A thread of tweets by NHS Providers boss Chris Hopson in which he seeks to welcome any new money but also point out what is being ignored by the latest twist of pre-election government policy.

(4 Oct 2019) Boris Johnson: I will spend £13bn and build 40 new hospitals Telegraph, the paper that employed Johnson till be became PM, reals out the unadulterated spin of his statement on 40 "new hospitals". It turns out £10bn of the £13bn would have to be allocated by a government after 2025, and only six projects are set to start soon -- several of which are rebuilds and refurbishments rather than new hospitals. The 21 other projects involving 34 hospitals are allocated just £100m between them to work up plans over the next six years -- or more. Many of them turn out to be in marginal seats targeted by Tories.

(4 Oct 2019) Patients, bodies detention ban to cost taxpayers Sh2.3bn report from Kenya of a new law that threatened to fine hospital bosses who use the detention of patients in hospital or refusal to release bodies as a way to bully people into paying bills for treatment:
An estimated 1,000 patients per month fail to pay their medical bills at the time of discharge in Kenya's main national referral hospitals. "The Bill sponsored by Nyando MP Jared Okelo wants hospitals pursue the recovery of debts through legal means instead of arbitrary detention of a patient or body."

(4 Oct 2019) The Blithering ICS newsletter Brilliant spoof writing from @jtweeterson which echoes so many similarly inane publications up and down the country -- until we realise it really is a genuine one with a few names changed: "I didn't write this. I just got hold of an ICS newsletter and changed a few names. I'm not kidding. I'll post a link to the original later."

(4 Oct 2019) U-turn as ministers reconsider financial aid for student nurses Guardian report of story also covered by HSJ (see below) on possible moves to reinstate government financial support for student nurses:
"Until 2015 nursing attracted an high number of mature students, who often already had debts totalling tens of thousands of pounds from paying tuition fees for their first course. Applications have declined since then.
"Sources close to the discussions say ministers are cautious about endorsing “debt forgiveness” as an inducement because it would cost too much money.
"Any financial incentives for nurses are likely to be made available only to certain groups, and not to everyone starting a three-year nursing degree. They would be targeted at mature students and those seeking to specialise in mental health and learning disability nursing, two areas in which workforce shortages are particularly acute."

(4 Oct 2019) Government preparing for nurse funding U-turn (£) HSJ report suggesting the failed policy of scrapping bursaries, which has collapsed recruitment of student nurses from mature age groups, could be dropped:
"Options being discussed at a high level include a radical cancellation of student debt and a new style bursary in the form of a cost of living grant, which could be between £3,000 and £5,000. It is hoped such measures will increase the domestic pipeline of nurses.
"However, sources told HSJ only certain cohorts of students – such as mature students, learning disability nurses, mental health nurses, and those on other courses where student numbers are very low – might benefit from the support due to financial constraints."

(4 Oct 2019) Worker and Employer Contributions for Premiums More reminders from the Kaiser Family Foundation of the soaring costs of health insurance in the US, described in one tweet as "An anvil tied to the ankles of companies and workers alike."

(4 Oct 2019) DYING QUIETLY: The Babies Killed by Poverty Important reminder in Byline Times of the dreadful toll taken by poverty:
"Poverty … during pregnancy and in the early days of a baby’s life can have a devastating impact. Infants are more than twice as likely to die if they are born into a poor family rather than a wealthy one. And the situation is getting worse. Figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that infant mortality rates in England and Wales have increased for the past three years, with the rates highest in the most deprived areas.
"In Manchester alone, the infant mortality rate has soared by 40% in the past decade.

(4 Oct 2019) NHS privatisation to be reined in under secret plan to reform care hugely overoptimistic Guardian headline for a story on NHS England's latest proposals for new legislation -- at a time when government has neither the majority nor the inclination to push through another reorganisation of the NHS.

(4 Oct 2019) Spread of Health-related Misinformation on Social Media Fascinating and scary review of the damage being done by social media, by a team including Prof Martin McKee

(4 Oct 2019) Inspectors discover poor standards at 28 mental health units Guardian report notes the disclosure of "widespread substandard care in mental health facilities run by non-NHS providers has prompted psychiatrists to call for a public inquiry to investigate.
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated 16 independently run mental health units as inadequate so far this year. It put four others in the same category last year, and eight in 2017."

(4 Oct 2019) GP surgeries deny care to vulnerable people without ID documents Guardian report on the way GPs have begun to implement damaging aspects of Theresa May's "hostile environment" for migrant workers;
"Three-quarters of 100 London GP surgeries are breaching NHS guidelines by insisting on their websites that people need proof of identity and residence in the area before they can be admitted to their list of patients."

(4 Oct 2019) Statements on NHS funding Stiff note from Official Statistics Authority to Department of Health challenging accuracy of PM Johnson's claim to be giving an "extra" £1.8 billion to the NHS - most of which was money trusts already had.
"So far, we have been unable to identify an authoritative official statement describing how the £1.8 billion is funded, and the mechanisms that led the £1 billion capital expenditure to be withheld and then subsequently released to trusts. I encourage DHSC to release such a statement as soon as possible in order to enhance transparency and support public understanding."

(4 Oct 2019) The Downsizing of Ealing Hospital is a Past, Current and Future Threat Local campaigner gives overview of long process of running down busy DGH in west London, with prime responsibility on local commissioners:
"Ever since the establishment of the Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group (ECCG) in 2013, this planning and purchasing body has shown little support for Ealing Hospital. In 2015 the ECCG closed down the hospital’s Maternity service and in 2016 it did away with Paediatrics."

(4 Oct 2019) Countries must invest at least 1% more of GDP on primary health care to eliminate glaring coverage gaps Important WHO report with a warning:
"The world will need to double health coverage between now and 2030, according to the Universal Health Coverage Monitoring Report.
"It warns that if current trends continue, up to 5 billion people will still be unable to access health care in 2030 – the deadline world leaders have set for achieving universal health coverage. Most of those people are poor and already disadvantaged."

(4 Oct 2019) Universal health coverage For those concerned with widening global access to universal health care: a collection of articles exploring how to achieve effective 'universal health coverage' (UHC).
"The collection highlights the importance of quality in UHC, potential finance models, how best to incentivise stakeholders, and some of the barriers to true UHC."
"The articles in this collection were commissioned by The BMJ based on an idea from a steering group including members of The BMJ and The Harvard Global Health Institute. The BMJ retained full editorial control over external peer review, editing, and publication of all articles. The Harvard Global Health Institute paid the open access fees for the Analysis articles."

(4 Oct 2019) Virgin Care and NHS partner win £85m contract Depressing (£)HSJ report reveals North East Hampshire and Farnham and Surrey Heath clinical commissioning groups -- not far from the Surrey CCG which forked out millions in an out of court settlement having been sued by Virgin – have given a five-year contract to "incumbent providers Frimley Health Foundation Trust and Virgin Care Services Limited."

(4 Oct 2019) Departing CEO received £53k overtime payment Put away those violins and save your sympathy: (£)HSJ report points out that hospital chief executive Siobhan McArdle whose recent resignation letter to staff saying “life is just too short” triggered a debate on the pressures on senior staff picked up highly unusual overtime payments in addition to her far from insignificant base salary of between £235,000 and £240,000.

(4 Oct 2019) Health cover for retired Britons in EU to last six months in no-deal Brexit Guardian reports just six months to get NHS ready for potential tidal wave of health care refugees, elderly British migrants in Spain and elsewhere who will not be able to afford or buy health insurance and will be forced to come back to Britain if there is no deal. Many of them voted for Brexit!

(4 Oct 2019) All elderly people to get free personal care under £6bn Labour plan Sky news reports Labour's commitment to National Care Service begins with a first step, only covering personal care for older people. It's progress, but much more to be done to cover other age groups of service users before a full plan is in place.

(4 Oct 2019) Hundreds of nurses march in protest over pay RCN gets militant in Guernsey: ITN report

(4 Oct 2019) NHS bed shortages cause late cancellation of cancer surgeries Guardian reports of system failure in Leicester: "One of the NHS’s biggest hospital trusts has apologised to a 78-year-old man after it had to cancel his cancer surgery twice in a month because of a lack of beds. On both occasions the patient, who has liver cancer, waited in the hospital for six hours and was ready to go into the operating theatre to have his tumour removed when he was sent home."

(4 Oct 2019) 'Medication or housing': why soaring insulin prices are killing Americans Another grim Guardian warning against the horror show that passes for a health care system in the USA and reminds us why we need to keep the NHS off the table in any trade negotiations, especially with the US:
"In 1922 Frederick Banting and Charles Best, the Canadian scientists who discovered insulin, sold their patent to the University of Toronto for $1, hoping it would be a cure for diabetes. Today a vial of insulin – which will last 28 days once opened – costs about $300 in the US.
"Black, Hispanic and Asian adults have been hit hardest by escalating prices. They are more likely to have diabetes than white adults and are less likely to be insured. One in four diabetes patients ration their insulin, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association."

(4 Oct 2019) Worker and Employer Contributions for Premiums More reminders from the Kaiser Family Foundation of the soaring costs of health insurance in the US, described in one tweet as "An anvil tied to the ankles of companies and workers alike."

(4 Oct 2019) Prime Minister pledges funding for cancer screening overhaul Department press release trumpeting Johnson's announcement of just £200m extra for MRI and CT scanners across England. the Health Foundation has estimated an extra £1.5 billion would be needed to bring provision up to the EU average. see https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/news/new-funding-for-diagnostic-equipment-falls-considerably-below

(20 Sep 2019) SALFORD ROYAL HOSPITAL LOW PAID STAFF VOTE TO STRIKE Salford Star reports another strike to come against another cheapskate private contractor: "Staff employed by private contractor Engie Services Ltd within Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust have unanimously voted to take strike action over their employer's failure to pay NHS rates."

(20 Sep 2019) Hospitals relying on 'emergency' loans to cover costs BBC catches up with the reality of NHS deficit funding, propped up on billions worth of loans, although the figures are much lower than those calculated by the Health Service Journal.
"Hospitals in England are "lurching" from month to month on "emergency" government loans to cover costs, a think tank has said. The Nuffield Trust said some NHS hospitals had to cut spending on patients to pay the interest.
"Trusts owed £10bn to the government in 2018-19 for "interim revenue support" and paid £185m in interest last year.
"The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the money went back to the NHS.
"The amount of money loaned by the government to NHS trusts in England doubled between 2016-17 to 2018-19, BBC analysis of official figures shows."

(20 Sep 2019) Hospital 'trolley waits' increase by 1400% since Tories came to power Mirror repost NHS England figures showing the number of so-called 'trolley waits' has increased from 3,697 in August 2010 to 56,499 in August 2019.
"Across the whole year, there were 108,314 ‘trolley waits’ in 2011-12 - which rose to 625,678 in 2018-19.
"The government’s target is to admit 95% of patients within four hours. But they have not hit this target for four years."

(20 Sep 2019) Eight CCGs to merge to make ‘really tricky decisions’ HSJ report confirms and underlines concerns of campaigners that mergers of CCGs into vast new monolithic bodies is aimed at forcing through controversial policies by overriding local opposition:
"System leaders have drawn up plans to merge eight clinical commissioning groups into one organisation, to take some “really tricky decisions”.
"The plan would see all the CCGs in Lancashire and south Cumbria form a single “strategic commissioner” by April 2021, after operating in shadow form from next year.
"The region has already been classed as an “integrated care system” by NHS England, and has a substantial leadership team in place. …
"Gary Raphael, executive director of finance and investment for the ICS, outlined the plans during a small session at the NHS Expo event last week.
"He said: “The place we need to get to is where we can enforce decisions on a majority basis. …
“But to get to some of the really tricky decisions to meet the requirements of the long-term plan is to break this glass ceiling and we think the way to do this is to move from eight CCGs to one."

(20 Sep 2019) GPs reject merger ‘driven by NHS England’ HSJ reports on a rebuff for health bosses seeking to push through the merger of CCGs in Staffordshire:
"GPs have voted against proposals to merge six clinical commissioning groups in Staffordshire, after being told the plans were “driven by NHS England”, HSJ has learned.
"The CCGs’ shared management team outlined the intention to merge last year, but various concerns have been raised among the GP members.
"The outcome of the vote is due to be formally announced after an extraordinary meeting this evening, but HSJ understands members in a clear majority of the CCGs have voted against the proposals."

(20 Sep 2019) Exclusive: Region ordered to hold back ‘risk reserve’ of almost £100m HSJ report reveals "Providers and commissioners in the East of England will be required to hold back a financial “risk reserve” of almost £100m for the next four years, to combat the risk of overspending.
"The regional directorate for NHS England and NHS Improvement wants to create the contingency fund from its £11bn allocation, in case of overspending against local financial plans.
"It effectively means funding that might have been committed for patient services will instead be held back."

(20 Sep 2019) We Asked Prosecutors if Health Insurance Companies Care About Fraud. They Laughed at Us US non-profit Pro Publica reports:
"Escalating health care costs are one of the greatest financial concerns in the United States. And an estimated 10% of those costs are likely eaten up by fraud, experts say. Yet private health insurers, who preside over some $1.2 trillion in spending each year, exhibit a puzzling lack of ambition when it comes to bringing fraudsters to justice."

(20 Sep 2019) Where not to live if you want a good care home BBC report underlines the dysfunctional nature of the "market" in social care.

(20 Sep 2019) 84% of care home beds in England owned by private firms Guardian reports: "The disclosure of the private sector’s huge market share has raised concerns because some of the biggest operators have large debts, are alleged to use tax avoidance schemes and drive down staff pay. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) watchdog has said inadequate staffing levels at care homes can lead to elderly residents receiving poor-quality care.
"For-profit companies own 381,524 (83.6%) of England’s 456,545 care home beds, research by the IPPR thinktank (in partnership with Future Care Capital) has found, based on analysis of data from the CQC and Companies House, an increase on the 82% in 2015."

(20 Sep 2019) David Oliver: £25m for hospices won’t go far BMJ article by David Oliver deconstructs Boris Johnson's "extra" £25m for hospice care:
"Last month the prime minister pledged a one-off payment of £25m (€28m; $31m) to boost hospices and palliative care services. Boris Johnson’s words were warm and supportive, hinting at more money soon. But was this more than a gesture?
"Certainly, the pledge is there in a Number 10 press release, including some positive reaction from the health secretary and charity chief executives at Hospice UK and Thames Hospice. Within a day of Johnson’s announcement, however, the chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners told the Health Service Journal that the £25m would come from ringfencing existing NHS budgets, inevitably at the expense of other cash starved services. Not new money after all, then."

(20 Sep 2019) Children's mental health wards to close because of staff shortages Eastern Daily Press report on yet more evidence of the chronic problems in child and adolescent mental health, which is hugely dependent upon poor quality private providers:
"The two children's wards at the private Ellingham Hospital, near Attleborough, will close once new placements have been found for patients, NHS Improvement confirmed on Wednesday.
"The NHS sends children with complex problems to the two 10-bed wards and the closure is another blow for mental health provision in Norfolk.
"In a letter to staff, dated September 9, Lorraine Ahern, operations director at Priory Group, which runs the hospital, said the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had imposed conditions on the hospital after a visit earlier this month."

(20 Sep 2019) Why do one in five home health aides live in poverty? Guardian reports "[US] Home health aides work long hours, often with no benefits, paid vacation or sick leave and without the backing of a union. The job entails everything from helping patients with their daily personal tasks, assistance with basic medical care, to light housework and keeping patients company.
"… And yet many of these workers fail to earn a living wage. According to government data, healthcare support occupations such as home health aides had a median annual wage of $24,060 in May 2018, lower than the median annual wage for all occupations in the economy.
"According to a report by Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), a not-for-profit organization based in New York City that works to improve long-term services and support for elders and individuals with disabilities, in 2017, one in five home care workers lived below the federal poverty line and over half relied on some form of public assistance."

(20 Sep 2019) The harsh reality of underfunding at my hospital? Swept away for Johnson visit Guardian comment by a doctor at Whipps Cross Hospital where PM Johnson was famously accosted by an anxious and frustrated father of a sick child:
"It just wasn’t true that there were no press there. It was all being filmed. It was very staged.
"We were told yesterday that there was a special guest coming and nobody knew until this morning that it was Johnson. All the staff were lined up in a row in front of a team of camera crew and photographers. When I saw it was him I wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to lose my job.
"I’ve been thinking about it all day and felt I had to say something because NHS hospitals today can be unsafe places. Whipps Cross [in Leytonstone, north-east London] is particularly understaffed and under-resourced so people don’t get the care that they need as promptly as they need.
"And this visit was not reflective of the realities of working at this hospital. Johnson was taken to the nicest ward in the hospital; there were flowers on display and classical music was playing in the background. I wish the prime minister could have seen some of the other wards, which are nothing like what he saw today. He should come on a night shift and see how everything doesn’t function at two in the morning."

(20 Sep 2019) Nurse numbers rise 'eclipsed by jump in patients' BBC reports the rise in hospital nurses in England has been dwarfed by a jump in patients.
"The Royal College of Nursing research points to data showing the nurse workforce has increased by 4.6% in five years.
"But hospital admissions have jumped by 12.3% - nearly three times the rate.
"The union says this shows more needs to be done to ensure safe staffing, but the government says the rising NHS budget will ensure high-quality care."

(20 Sep 2019) Healthcare is not universal if undocumented migrants are excluded Compassionate BMJ article points out among other things:
"Policies should build on evidence of the behaviour of migrants seeking healthcare and the consequences of poor health literacy, unawareness of rights, and language and cultural differences. Migrants may avoid seeking care for fear of arrest or deportation, or they may believe that they are “undeserving.” Discrimination and extortion by authorities, such as police or immigration officials, adds to migrants’ stress and discourages them from seeking care."

(20 Sep 2019) Union warns Edinburgh's £150m hospital may never open BBC reports "The new £150m hospital for children in Edinburgh may have to be "ripped down" amid safety concerns, a senior trade union official has warned.
"[UNISON's] Tom Waterson said drainage at the building is a more pressing matter than the ventilation issues which saw the postponement of its official opening.
"He also claimed NHS Lothian had paid millions of pounds in a settlement to help resolve some of the problems.
"The health board said reviews into the delay are already under way."

(20 Sep 2019) Government says it has no duty to secure food supplies in a no-deal Brexit (nor any other crisis) Just in case anyone has the illusion the current government has any real interest in your welfare, a useful corrective from Sustain spells out the reality of neoliberal government:
"Two official documents this week reveal that our Government feels no legal responsibility for securing our food supplies in an emergency – neither fire, flood, disease epidemic, conflict, supply chain disruption, nor no-deal Brexit."

(20 Sep 2019) Ian Hamilton: Prescription drugs are no cure for deprivation BMJ blog argues: "For many patients, clinical depression and pain are more than a solitary psychological or physical problem. Yet as clinicians we can feel as impotent as those we treat to effect a change in the numerous other factors that may influence the course of physical or psychological pain. Depression, for example, can be triggered and maintained by poor housing, unemployment, and grief. None of these medications are cures for social deprivation but they do inoculate against lack of hope—they are effective in making you feel different. If you’re in a place physically, psychologically, and socially that you can’t escape and your chances of ever doing so are minimal then feeling different is attractive."

(20 Sep 2019) Life in the home counties brings 16 more years of good health… Guardian gives latest on growing health inequalities which are compounding the problems for NHS services in deprived areas:
"The gap in healthy life expectancy between parts of Britain has widened over the past decade to become as large as that between the UK and Sudan, a leading group of parliamentarians has warned.
"In a sign of growing inequality in Britain, residents in Blaenau Gwent in south Wales can now expect up to 16.4 fewer years of good health than those in Wokingham in Berkshire, according to a report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Inclusive Growth."

(20 Sep 2019) Half of NHS trusts use obsolete radiotherapy machines far less effective at treating cancer Times reports: "46% of trusts are still using outdated linear accelerator (Linac) machines beyond their recommended 10-year lifespan.
"Dr Jeanette Dickson, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said more advanced radiotherapy techniques enable “greater precision when targeting specific tumours and have been shown to be less harmful to surrounding tissue than older types of radiotherapy, depending on the complexities of the cancer being treated”.

(20 Sep 2019) Promotion of cheap tobacco and alcohol runs counter to the government's stated objective of preventing ill health and reducing inequalities Responding to the announcement from the Chancellor and HM Treasury, Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive at the Health Foundation said:
"The promotion of cheap alcohol and tobacco by the Treasury is at best ironic given that reducing alcohol consumption and smoking is a central plank of government health policy – tobacco use remains the leading cause of death in the UK. The promotion of tobacco and alcohol in this way runs counter to the government’s stated objective of preventing ill health and reducing inequalities."

(20 Sep 2019) What’s Really Going On With Brexit Medicine Shortages? Huffington Post report notes:
"A key section of the Yellowhammer report suggested that medicine distribution flow across the short Channel straits (the main English Channel crossing into Dover) could be as low as 40% with “significant disruption lasting up to six months” after the withdrawal date.
"Three-quarters of medicines come via the short straits."

(20 Sep 2019) Funding for councils' child addiction services slashed Guardian reports Labour Party research that shows
"Councils across England have made £2.4m of cuts to specialist drug and alcohol misuse services for children and young people this year. Spending is falling from £40.9m to £38.5m as part of steps taken by local authorities to cope with a £72m Whitehall cut to their public health grant.
"The disclosure prompted warnings that highly vulnerable children with complex addiction problems are being denied the treatment they need at a time when under-18 drug use is rising."

(16 Sep 2019) Government says it has no duty to secure food supplies in a no-deal Brexit (nor any other crisis) Frightening analysis from Sustain, the campaign for better food, which reveals:
"Two official documents this week reveal that our Government feels no legal responsibility for securing our food supplies in an emergency – neither fire, flood, disease epidemic, conflict, supply chain disruption, nor no-deal Brexit.
"In one of the documents (Defra’s answer to a Parliamentary Question), the Government places the main responsibility for securing our food supply in an emergency squarely with the commercial food industry. Yet the other document (Yellowhammer) clearly acknowledges that “Private sector companies’ behaviour will be governed by commercial considerations, unless influenced otherwise.” In a food crisis, we are caught between a rock and a very hard place."

(16 Sep 2019) Funding for councils' child addiction services slashed Guardian reports Labour Party findings that
"Councils across England have made £2.4m of cuts to specialist drug and alcohol misuse services for children and young people this year. Spending is falling from £40.9m to £38.5m as part of steps taken by local authorities to cope with a £72m Whitehall cut to their public health grant.
"The disclosure prompted warnings that highly vulnerable children with complex addiction problems are being denied the treatment they need at a time when under-18 drug use is rising."

(16 Sep 2019) Mystery Solved: Private-Equity-Backed Firms Are Behind Ad Blitz on ‘Surprise Billing’ New York Times article highlights the private equity takeover of US health corporations:
"TeamHealth was acquired in 2016 by the private-equity firm Blackstone Group in a deal valued at $6.1 billion. And last fall, in one of the largest takeovers of the year, the private-equity giant KKR spent $9.9 billion to acquire Envision Healthcare."

(16 Sep 2019) Hospitals need way out of 'toxic' NHS mortgages BBC picks up on IPPR report which belatedly notes the scale of payments and outstanding debts left over from PFI deals signed off with IPPR support in 2000s!
"More than 100 schemes were signed off over the past 20 years in England under PFI contracts where private firms paid for new hospitals and centres.
"In return, NHS trusts have to make annual repayments like a mortgage.
"The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said some of the fees were extortionate - and with £55bn still owed, action was needed.
"Chris Thomas, a health fellow at the think tank, said the worst deals were the equivalent of taking out a mortgage from a "loan shark charging high rates of interest that could not be renegotiated".

(16 Sep 2019) Why some eastern Idahoans are being served, arrested and sometimes jailed over medical debt East Idaho News offers another grim slice of life under private healthcare in the USA, and highlights the role of the debt collectors:
"MRS is Medical Recovery Services, an Idaho Falls debt collection company. The company files several thousand lawsuits each year seeking to collect on medical debt in Idaho. In hundreds of these cases, they attach attorney fees, which double or triple the amount of the original debt. Additionally, while the numbers are much smaller, sheriff’s office records show MRS is responsible for requesting a majority of civil arrests in eastern Idaho."

(16 Sep 2019) What can England learn from the long-term care system in Germany? Nuffield Trust report argues that:
"The German system has much to be admired: it is an example of fundamental reform, implemented with high levels of public and political support, that has provided the foundations for a system that has been able to adapt and respond to changing circumstances. However, it is not without its challenges and limitations. It is these challenges, as well as the successes, that provide rich learning for England."

(16 Sep 2019) Chancellor announces return of duty-free HM government appalling public health experts by cynically arguing that the possibility of buying "duty free" crates of beer and cigarettes offers compensation for a no-deal Brexit:
"Passengers travelling to EU countries will be able to buy beer, spirits, wine and tobacco without duty being applied in the UK, thanks to the lifting of EU rules.
"The decision on duty-free shopping in UK ports, airports and international train stations will mean:
"•UK excise duty will no longer be due on alcohol and cigarettes bought when leaving the UK. A bottle of wine purchased in Heathrow duty free on the way to the EU could be up to £2.23 cheaper
"•At the point of leaving the EU, people can continue to purchase and bring home unlimited alcohol and cigarettes in Europe if they pay duty on it there – as is the case currently
"People will now also have the alternative option to buy limited amounts of duty-free alcohol and cigarettes at duty free shops in Europe instead. For example, a holidaymaker could save more than £12 on two crates of beer. The travel industry has been calling on the government to re-introduce duty-free, which stopped when the EU Single Market was introduced."

(16 Sep 2019) End NHS maternity charges for vulnerable migrants, say midwives Guardian highlights report commissioned for Royal College of Midwives emphasising the impact on poor migrants of NHS charges brought in as part of Theresa May's "hostile environment":
"The safety of vulnerable mothers and newborn babies is being put at risk by NHS fees that deter undocumented migrant women from accessing care, a new report from Maternity Action backed by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has warned.

NHS packages for overseas pregnant women start at £7,000 for antenatal, pregnancy and postnatal care, but can rise to thousands of pounds if the mother or child experience complications. Midwives said some women delay accessing help or fail to have scans over fears that they will be charged or detained."

(16 Sep 2019) Large provider of 999 support enters administration HSJ reports on yet another private sector contract failure -- this time for a company delivering frontline emergency ambulance services.
"One of England’s largest providers of 999 support to the NHS has gone into administration, affecting several NHS trusts, HSJ has learned.
"SSG UK Specialist Ambulance Service Ltd was put in administration last week. The company mainly provides emergency and non-emergency transport services for the NHS.
"HSJ understands the news has forced South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust to approach other private ambulance companies to make sure it has capacity to respond to patients if SSG’s services are disrupted."

(16 Sep 2019) London GPs told to restrict specialist referrals under new NHS 'rationing' plan Guardian reports on the cash-driven plans to ration care being driven through in NW London, where the intention is to merge 8 CCGs into a single bureaucratic monolith unaccountable to local communities:
"Health chiefs hope the programme, which will affect millions of Londoners, will plug a gaping hole in healthcare budgets by saving more than £60m in the next few months.
"The sweeping changes, some of which will take effect immediately, will affect essential hospital care rather than treatments sometimes considered more peripheral. They include significantly reducing referrals to consultants, axing some outpatient appointments and replacing them with a phone conversation, and urging GPs to find “alternative ways” of dealing with patients who need hospital referrals.
"The changes were communicated in a letter from the North West London Collaboration of clinical commissioning groups (NWLCCCG), which funds NHS health services for more than two million Londoners, to key individuals including local MPs"

(16 Sep 2019) CQC threatens enforcement action for ‘inadequate’ hospital HSJ highlights CQC intervention: but the NHS has been paying out money for a sub-standard private sector hospital where 90% of staff are unqualified.
"A private hospital for learning disability patients has been rated “inadequate” and placed into special measures, with the Care Quality Commission finding nine in 10 staff were “unqualified”.
"The CQC inspection of Elysium Healthcare’s The Woodhouse hospital in Cheadle, near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, uncovered serious staffing concerns within the unit. The hospital is an NHS-commissioned service, which caters for up to 39 male patients with learning disabilities, autism and forensic histories, including sexual offences.
"Following an inspection in June, the CQC found the majority of the hospital’s staff were “unqualified support workers”.

(16 Sep 2019) NHS stockpiling body bags to prepare for no-deal Brexit reveals Tory minister Reminder from the Metro back in February of the arrangements designed to put minds at risk in the expectation of leaving the EU on March 29:
"Health minister Stephen Hammond wrote a letter to a fellow Tory MP revealing that the NHS had taken the measure in a bid to stop shortages, in case the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal. The macabre information was revealed to reassure one of the MP’s constituents that the NHS will continue to run as normal in the event of no-deal."

(16 Sep 2019) Time to rebuild the NHS and create a 21st century health service Blog from NHS Providers CEO Chris Hopson kicking off a campaign for capital investment that allows more than emergency backlog maintenance.

(16 Sep 2019) A no-deal Brexit under Boris Johnson remains a threat to public health Guardian letter from 29 public health experts who warn:
"We, the undersigned, express concern over the increasing likelihood of a no-deal Brexit and the risk this poses to public health. We have sought to mitigate the very real risk of Brexit exacerbating the devastating consequences of health inequalities, and are concerned about the impact that a no-deal Brexit would have on the public health of all four nations of the United Kingdom, including placing at risk the Good Friday agreement and the peace and stability it has brought to Ireland.
"Brexit is proceeding at a time when the long-term improvement in life expectancy has slowed and, for some age groups, gone into reverse, while the most vulnerable in our population face growing insecurity of income, employment and even food. We believe that all of these would be exacerbated by a no-deal Brexit."

(16 Sep 2019) Rural hospital closures lead to higher mortality rates North Carolina Health News with findings that may well also apply to Britain:
"When a hospital closes in an urban area, mortality rates don’t change. But when a rural hospital shuts its doors, according to a new study, mortality rates increase nearly six percent.
"The new study helps clear up a question about the impact of hospital closures on health. Earlier studies at times have shown that a closed hospital didn’t seem to have much impact on health.
"In this study researchers at the University of Washington studied 92 hospital closures in California between 1995 and 2011. As a group, the closures, in fact, didn’t show much impact on mortality rates.
"But when the hospitals were divided between rural and urban, the researchers found a distinct difference. Mortality rates in rural areas increased 5.9 percent. This matched earlier studies, which found mortality rates increasing from 3 to 10 percent after a rural hospital closes."

(16 Sep 2019) Joint letter to Members of Parliament on no deal Brexit Statement to MPs from Nuffield Trust, the King’s Fund and Health Foundation to lay out the impact for health and social care of leaving the EU without a deal .

(16 Sep 2019) Doctor dares 'muppet' Rees-Mogg to report him after no-deal clash Guardian reports that "The consultant neurologist who clashed with Jacob Rees-Mogg over contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit has challenged the politician to report him to the General Medical Council.
"David Nicholl, who drew up a risk register of epilepsy and neurology drugs for the government’s Operation Yellowhammer plans for no deal, said he was not going to take lessons from a “muppet” who had no medical qualifications.
“If he has got doubts about my probity, I am more than happy to be referred to the GMC,” said Nicholl.
“I am not bothered about Jacob Rees-Mogg. I’m not going to take a single word of health lessons from a muppet like him. What does he know about epilepsy or neuropathic pain?” he added.
“What I am worried about is my patients. To suggest I am wrong in what I say is defamatory. When, as I have done, I look people in the eye and say some of the drugs they are on might be in short supply and who are understandably worried, what he says about me is ridiculous.”

(16 Sep 2019) Social care services in England under extreme duress, says Age UK Guardian highlights Age UK report which reminds us of the scale of the cuts inflicted on social care:
"The failure of funding to keep pace with rising demand – nearly £8bn has been cut from council adult social care budgets since 2010 – meant 1.4 million people went without help with basic activities such as getting out of bed, washing and going to the toilet.
“Growing levels of desperation described by those individuals, families and professionals on the sharp end bear testament to a system working at full pelt, stretched to its limit and still failing people left, right and centre,” the report said."

(16 Sep 2019) Assessing the health effects of a “no deal” Brexit Detailed and evidence based analysis from experts in a major BMJ study:
Key messages
"*Leaving the EU without a deal threatens health and the NHS in many ways, but the scale of the threat remains unclear
"*We propose a framework that could be the basis for the comprehensive health impact assessment to inform politicians and the public
"*The government’s claims that it is prepared for no deal are implausible and, at best, might mitigate some of the worst consequences"

(16 Sep 2019) Labour drawing up plans to offer all pensioners state-funded care in their homes Sunday Telegraph shoots itself in the foot by revealing a potential Labour policy that many of its ageing readers will find appealing:
"Labour is drawing up plans to offer all pensioners state-funded care in their homes, as Jeremy Corbyn attempts to steal a march from Boris Johnson on a key election issue, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.
"Mr Corbyn's party is preparing to pledge "free personal care" for over-65s, after a similar policy was endorsed by a panel of influential peers, including two former chancellors."

(16 Sep 2019) They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More Another reminder from Kaiser Health News of the chaos and cost inflation that would await us if a Johnson government opened up the NHS to US-style health care.

(16 Sep 2019) No-deal Brexit could 'devastate' NHS by disrupting supply of life-saving medicines, health leaders warn Evening Standard highlights concerns of health professionals:
"The British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Nursing are among organisations to join forces and issue the strong warning.
"They said that leaving the EU without a deal could also intensify the staffing "crisis" in the NHS, adding that thousands of EU staff have already left since the 2016 referendum."

(16 Sep 2019) Doctors will not be the agents enforcing a new “hostile environment” Dr David Wrigley, vice chair of BMA, in uncompromising BMJ blog:
"It is a doctor’s job to treat the patient in front of them, not determine how the treatment is being paid for—and we have significant concerns that healthcare staff would be expected to be familiar with and to administer these complex arrangements.
"Since the guidance was published, campaigners for the rights of EU nationals have warned that they risk creating a new “hostile environment”. Let me be clear, doctors will not be the agents enforcing this.
"The BMA has longstanding concerns about the impact current upfront charging regulations have on both patients and healthcare workers. Earlier this year, the BMA reported on survey results that found many doctors had faced pressure from admin staff when making clinical decisions over an overseas patient’s need for care, while there was serious concern that the regulations were negatively impacting public health. So, to see them extended to 27 more countries come Brexit day could be potentially disastrous."

(16 Sep 2019) More than 120,000 NHS patients kept on ‘hidden waiting lists’ for mental health appointments Independent reveals research dug out by Labour confirming the continued under-funding of mental health:
"People seeking help with their mental health are being kept on “hidden waiting lists”, with more than 122,000 patients waiting more than eight weeks to see a doctor again after their first appointment, The Independent can reveal.
"Patients who received an initial talking therapy session were then told to wait longer for a follow-up appointment in 90 per cent of NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2018-19, according to the Labour Party. CCGs are responsible for the planning of health services in local areas; there are currently 191 across England."

(5 Sep 2019) IEA: think tank funded by big business rejects public health policies and the NHS Analytical article in The Lowdown on the right wing lobby group run as a "charity" takes a critical look at the countries the IEA's Kate Andrews claims have preferable health systems to the NHS:
"Andrews always works to the same basic list of countries whose systems she points to as more effective and preferable to the British NHS. The list includes Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.
"All of these countries spend much more money per head of population than the UK. According to the latest OECD figures, Australia spends 12% more per head; Belgium (never cited by anyone other than the IEA as a model health care system) spends 15% more; Netherlands 28% more, Germany 32% more and Switzerland – one of the highest spending countries after the USA – 89% more per head than the UK. And of course the UK average is higher than spending in England."

(5 Sep 2019) Johnson ‘cash-bombs’ the electorate – with fictional NHS funding increases Report in The Lowdown written before the extraordinary events in Parliament notes:
"Soon after selecting his cabinet Johnson began making announcements about the NHS which have proved to be misleading.
"In early August news media trumpeted the story that he had “announced a one-off cash boost of £1.8 billion for NHS hospitals in England – about a tenth of the extra £350m a week the Leave campaign and the famous bus promised would flow to the NHS after Brexit.
…
"But within hours this story started to unravel: just £850m could be claimed to be extra spending, and this is far less than the billions that have been squeezed out of hospital budgets in so-called savings in recent years."

(5 Sep 2019) Campaigners challenge NHS shakeup without consultation Lead article in The Lowdown warns of CCG mergers and summarises the legal basis on which campaigners can demand each merger be subject to a full public consultation: It warns that CCG mergers threaten "to marginalise any local voice or accountability for patients and the public in dozens of areas.
"Many if not most of these mergers are going ahead without any public consultation. This is important because the scrapping of locally based CCGs would remove the already limited level of public democratic accountability. At present each CCG must meet in public, publish board papers, and consult on changes."
However the current regulations governing CCGs require NHS England, before authorising mergers, to assess: “The extent to which the CCG has sought the views of individuals to whom any relevant health services are being or may be provided, what those views are, and how the CCG has taken them into account”.
This means a public consultation is required and not the partial “engagement with stakeholders” that is currently taking place.

(5 Sep 2019) Legal basis for public consultation on CCG mergers Louise Irvine of Save Lewisham Hospital campaign and Secretary of HCT highlights the elements of the existing legislation on CCGs that requires a public consultation on the widespread plans to merge several CCGs at a time into bodies covering vast populations of up to 2.2 million. Behind the antics in the Commons 86 CCGs are planning to apply for merger to take effect from April 2020.
They have to get their merger applications to NHS England by this month, or October at the latest. This process is being rushed through without public consultation.

(4 Sep 2019) Infographic on health impact of no-deal Brexit A picture that's worth a thousand words.

(4 Sep 2019) Rural hospital closures lead to higher mortality rates US study highlights the contrast between urban and rural populations:
"When a hospital closes in an urban area, mortality rates don’t change. But when a rural hospital shuts its doors, according to a new study, mortality rates increase nearly six percent.
"The new study helps clear up a question about the impact of hospital closures on health. Earlier studies at times have shown that a closed hospital didn’t seem to have much impact on health.
"In this study researchers at the University of Washington studied 92 hospital closures in California between 1995 and 2011. As a group, the closures, in fact, didn’t show much impact on mortality rates."

(4 Sep 2019) Joint letter to Members of Parliament on no deal Brexit As major decisions about Brexit are taken, the Nuffield Trust has written to MPs with the King’s Fund and Health Foundation to lay out the impact of leaving without a deal for health and social care.

(4 Sep 2019) Social care services in England under extreme duress, says Age UK Guardian report: "Social care services in some areas of England are so fragile that they face complete collapse next year unless the government commits substantial extra investment in next week’s one-year spending review, Age UK has warned.
"In its biannual report on the state of care, the charity said services for older and sick and disabled people were under extreme duress and unable to respond to rapidly growing need."

(4 Sep 2019) Cancer patients in England 'diagnosed too late' due to staff shortages Guardian picks up Cancer Research UK study showing "At least 115,000 cancer patients in England are diagnosed at an advanced stage each year, too late to have the best chance of survival.
"Efforts to improve people’s chances, by spotting tumours early on when they can be more easily treated, are being hampered by a chronic lack of skilled diagnostic staff."

(4 Sep 2019) Police 'dealing with more mental health incidents' BBC Radio 5 Live reports "The number of mental health incidents dealt with by police has risen by more than a quarter in four years.
"While there were 385,206 incidents flagged as mental health-related in 2014, in 2018 that figure was 494,159, a rise of 28%."

(4 Sep 2019) More than 120,000 NHS patients kept on ‘hidden waiting lists’ for mental health appointments Independent reports: "People seeking help with their mental health are being kept on “hidden waiting lists”, with more than 122,000 patients waiting more than eight weeks to see a doctor again after their first appointment.
"Patients who received an initial talking therapy session were then told to wait longer for a follow-up appointment in 90 per cent of NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2018-19, according to the Labour Party. CCGs are responsible for the planning of health services in local areas; there are currently 191 across England."

(4 Sep 2019) Labour drawing up plans to offer all pensioners state-funded care in their homes Unexpected plug for new Labour policy from the Sunday Telegraph reveals:
"Mr Corbyn's party is preparing to pledge "free personal care" for over-65s, after a similar policy was endorsed by a panel of influential peers, including two former chancellors.
"Shadow ministers are even considering nationalising some care homes as part of a radical package of measures designed to show that Labour would tackle the social care crisis facing the country's aging population. One claimed that the record of homes run by "profit-making" organisations was "appalling"."

(4 Sep 2019) They Got Estimates Before Surgery — And A Bill After That Was 50% More Kaiser Health News gives us another insight into life under the ghastly US health care "system":
"Hospital estimates are often inaccurate and there is no legal obligation that they be correct, or even be issued in good faith. It’s not so in other industries. When you take out a mortgage, for instance, the lender’s estimate of origination charges has to be accurate by law; even closing fees — incurred many months later — cannot exceed the initial estimate by more than 10%. In construction or home remodeling, while estimates are not legal contracts, failure to live up to them can be a basis for liability or “a claim for negligent misrepresentation.”

(4 Sep 2019) Clock ticking on Midland Metropolitan Hospital re-start Express and Star with an update on the massively delayed PFI hospital in Birmingham becalmed since the collapse of Carillion:
"The clock is ticking on the future of the Midland Metropolitan Hospital, with health chiefs desperate to avoid further delays on the £475m project already scheduled to be completed three years late.
"Balfour Beatty has been lined up for months to take over building work.
"It stalled following the collapse of Carillion last year and Government red tape holding up the project has caused frustration for Sandwell NHS bosses."

(4 Sep 2019) Doctors will not be the agents enforcing a new “hostile environment” BMA vice chair David Wrigley writes in the BMJ:
"It is a doctor’s job to treat the patient in front of them, not determine how the treatment is being paid for—and we have significant concerns that healthcare staff would be expected to be familiar with and to administer these complex arrangements.
"Since the guidance was published, campaigners for the rights of EU nationals have warned that they risk creating a new “hostile environment”. Let me be clear, doctors will not be the agents enforcing this."

(4 Sep 2019) Assessing the health effects of a “no deal” Brexit BMJ article shows with evidence what the dangers are:
"Leaving the EU without a deal threatens health and the NHS in many ways, but the scale of the threat remains unclear
"We propose a framework that could be the basis for the comprehensive health impact assessment to inform politicians and the public
"The government’s claims that it is prepared for no deal are implausible and, at best, might mitigate some of the worst consequences"

(4 Sep 2019) New government must act to end the shameful policy failure at the heart of adult social care Health Foundation analysis sets out five priorities for the new government for social care:
"To stabilise the current social care system, which is at risk of collapse. The Health Foundation estimates this would cost £4.4bn by 2023/24. In 2020/21, this would cost £1bn.
"To protect individuals against unfair and catastrophic care costs. A range of approaches could be used here. The Health Foundation recommends a Dilnot-style model where the government can set the maximum amount individuals would be required to pay over their life time. An approach whereby the maximum cost was capped at £46,000 would cost government an additional £3.1bn per annum by 2023/24.
"To increase eligibility and access to social care. To reinstate levels of access to 2010 levels would cost an additional £8.1bn, according to Health Foundation analysis.
"To see the capped cost model as a flexible approach to reform. The principle of a cap on care costs was included in the 2014 Care Act and could be put in place without new legislation.
"To explore a range of options for raising revenue. After a decade of austerity in public finances, cutting other services to pay for social care is not feasible or desirable. Increases in tax revenue is likely to be needed, although borrowing could also play a part."

(4 Sep 2019) REBUILD OUR NHS - Our asks of the government 2 page Briefing from NHS Providers sets out:
● why there is a problem with NHS capital funding
● what needs to be done to address the problem
● the positive impact that addressing the problem will have.

(4 Sep 2019) Scandalous lack of capital investment has put patients at risk (£) HSJ article from NHS Providers boss Chris Hopson pulls no punches:
"The NHS buildings and equipment budget has been relentlessly squeezed year after year. Over the last five years, we’ve had to transfer nearly £5bn of that money to prop up day-to-day spending.
"As a result, the NHS now has a maintenance backlog of £6bn, £3bn of it safety critical. The NHS estate is crumbling and the new NHS long-term plan can’t be delivered because we don’t have the modern equipment the NHS needs.
"It’s scandalous that, as a nation, we’re now spending less than half the amount on these items than comparable countries. The impact on patients is tangible and real. Take the number of modern scanners that are so crucial to 21st century medicine as they enable rapid and effective diagnosis of a range of conditions from cancer to heart disease."

(4 Sep 2019) No-deal Brexit: Flu vaccine delays 'likely' BBC reports "Doctors and NHS leaders have warned that a no-deal Brexit would make it "likely" there will be a delay in flu vaccine supply this year.
"They say the EU departure date coincides with the winter season in a way that creates "a perfect storm for the NHS".
"Major flu vaccine manufacturer Sanofi said delays in deciding what strains of flu to use in the vaccine mean over a million doses will have to be imported after 31 October."

(4 Sep 2019) 'Crumbling' hospitals putting lives at risk, say NHS chiefs Guardian report on the desperate shortage of capital funding:
"Hospital patients’ safety is being put at risk by fires, floods and crumbling, overcrowded buildings caused by a £4bn government squeeze on capital funding, NHS bosses are warning.
"Hospitals say they do not have the funding to replace outdated scanners, fix leaking roofs and boilers, or remove ligature points that suicidal patients may attempt to use to try to end their lives.
"Four out of five (82%) chief executives and chief finance officers at NHS trusts in England fear the lack of capital funding poses a medium or high risk to patient safety."

(4 Sep 2019) Two trusts forced to close 170 beds over fire safety concerns (£) HSJ report highlights the growing problems of poorly built and maintained hospital buildings: "Two large teaching trusts have been forced to close more than 170 beds due to concerns over fire safety, while significant sections of one hospital can only remain open if hourly checks are carried out.
"Sheffield Teaching Hospitals FT and Oxford University Hospitals FT have both been issued with fire safety notices by their local fire authority in the last two years, requiring improvements to be made to the relevant facilities.
"The Sir Robert Hadfield Wing at Northern General Hospital, part of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals FT, opened in 2005 but has been closed since November last year."

(4 Sep 2019) Pensioners set to swamp NHS after no-deal Brexit as 260,000 expats return from Europe for healthcare The (£) Times gives migrant British pensioners in Europe the kind of hostile coverage normally reserved for non-British migrants:
"Up to 260,000 British nationals living in the EU — many of them pensioners — are expected to return to Britain if there is a no-deal Brexit, placing a huge burden on the NHS and other services.
"Boris Johnson’s no-deal war cabinet was told last week that “gaps” would open in the healthcare provided to British citizens living in the other 27 member states in the event of no-deal and that healthcare was the “most immediate risk” facing them."

(4 Sep 2019) Suicides among nurses are on the rise. Here's why one of America's fastest-growing jobs is facing a major crisis US magazine Business Insider reports "Researchers from the University of California at San Diego recently conducted what they said is the first nationwide investigation into nurse suicides in more than 20 years. They found that both male and female nurses had higher rates of suicide than men and women in the US.
"The findings are consistent with the increasing rates of suicide across the country. The US suicide rate has risen in recent years, increasing by 28% in the past two decades, to the highest it's been since World War II."

(4 Sep 2019) £92m bill for private ambulances and taxis Northern Echo picks up on PA news agency research based on data from the 10 ambulance trusts in England via the Freedom of Information Act.
"It detailed how much they spent on private ambulances and taxis, and whether these were used for 999 calls or non-emergency patient transfers. The data showed the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust spent £9,535,027 on private ambulances for 999 and non-urgent work in 2018/19, double the £4,791,155 the year before."

(4 Sep 2019) Food review will ‘unclip caterers’ wings’, says chair (£) HSJ interviews Philip Shelley, who is leading the new government review of catering. He says it will aim to stop NHS catering staff feeling “boxed in” and help to “unclip [their] wings”.
"Mr Shelley, who is a former head of the Hospital Caterers Association and current catering lead at Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust, said the review would need to consider whether the NHS can increase the number of hospitals catering in-house and if changes to kitchen facilities are needed to reduce reliance on outsourced catering. It is believed just over half of trusts run their catering in-house, with the rest having outsourced the service."

(4 Sep 2019) Blackpool Victoria Hospital workers set to begin two days of strike action Blackpool Gazette reports "Staff employed by private contractor Compass within Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were due to begin two days of strike action today over pay rates and working conditions.
"The cleaners, caterers, porters, receptionists and security workers are paid the minimum wage rate of £8.21 an hour, yet work alongside colleagues who are employed directly by the NHS, where the lowest rate is £9.03 an hour."

(4 Sep 2019) ‘Demoralising’ three-tier workforce creates £1,000 pay gap for Luton & Dunstable Hospital cleaners UNISON press release noting "Many cleaners at Luton & Dunstable Hospital are more than £1,000 a year worse off than their colleagues doing the same job because of a “confusing and demoralising” three-tier workforce created by outsourcer Engie".

(4 Sep 2019) A no-deal Brexit under Boris Johnson remains a threat to public health Guardian reports call by Prof Maggie Rae, president of the Faculty of Public Health, and 28 others on the government to give clear commitments on public health protection

(26 Aug 2019) New alliance formed to tackle Health Inequalities in the North of England LEADING health experts across the North have joined together as a response to worsening health inequalities between the North and the rest of England showing over half of the North has a lower life expectancy than the worst area in the South.
"In 66% of areas in the North, female life expectancy is lower than the area with the lowest female life expectancy in the South. The figure is 46% of areas for male life expectancy."
"The figures also show that 88% of Northern Local Authorities have a lower female life expectancy than the England average and 86% have a lower male life expectancy.

(25 Aug 2019) Predicting missed hospital appointments using machine learning - what are the risks? Substantial and thoughtful article taking a critical view of the current mania for misnamed "artificial intelligence" which is in fact machine learning.
Data specialists from the Health Foundation explore the social impact of data-driven tools, and ask:
"When it comes to missed appointments, what are the potential pitfalls in developing prediction models? And, if we want to maximise attendance, are we even asking the right questions?" Well worth a read. The new gimmicks are by no means a sure fire solution.

(25 Aug 2019) What’s the verdict on personal health budgets? BMJ blog from David Oliver raises fresh debate on the long-running issue of personal health budgets:
"The National Audit Office reported on personal care budgets in 2016. Its conclusions were mixed, showing that care budgets could improve the holder’s experience and save money, but they sometimes increased costs when compared with usual care and were hard for local authorities to administer.
"It concluded that any benefits were likely to come from improved outcomes for service users and not from any savings.
"Critics question whether it’s prudent to spend parts of the NHS budget on relatively poorly evidenced models of support when we’re systematically failing to provide well proven services.
"Some fear that the move towards giving money to individuals is ideologically driven and represents further fragmentation and stealth privatisation of public services, using more consumerist approaches.
"There’s also concern that direct payments may leave already vulnerable people with heavy responsibility that may add to their stress, especially without adequate professional support. And, without sufficient safeguards, people could use their money frivolously or buy substandard care from poorly regulated sources that put them at risk. Advocates see these issues as a paternalistic failure to cede control."

(25 Aug 2019) Suicides among nurses are on the rise. Here's why one of America's fastest-growing jobs is facing a major crisis. Report from Business Insider that
"Researchers from the University of California at San Diego recently conducted what they said is the first nationwide investigation into nurse suicides in more than 20 years. They found that both male and female nurses had higher rates of suicide than men and women in the US."

(25 Aug 2019) Prue Leith's son Danny Kruger is revealed as a key aide to Boris Johnson after Bake Off star was hired to tackle hospital food scandal Interesting sidelight from Daily Heil on recent government news propaganda on hospital food reveals the link between Johnson cabinet and celebrity cook (and Tory) Prue Leith

(25 Aug 2019) TEXAS STATE AFL-CIO DEMANDS MEDICARE FOR ALL More signs of a sea-change in political attitudes in the USA, with the main union confederation in Texas now backing Medicare for all:
"Just a few years ago, this conversation was always an uphill battle in Texas. But this experience was dramatically different, as airline mechanics, teachers, refinery workers, and electricians clambered to be the first to address each hesitation voiced at the convention. It was apparent that the Democratic primary debates -- and Bernie’s consistent support for Medicare For All -- have sharpened the contrast between corporate-friendly half-measures and a true single-payer system that would eliminate private insurance. The attacks on Medicare for All from forgettable primary contestants like Reps. Tim Ryan and John Delaney, even when invoking union members as opponents to the demand, have also seemed to backfire, offering Bernie the opportunity to explain:
“...many of our union brothers and sisters [...] are now paying high deductibles and co-payments and when we do Medicare for All, instead of having the company putting money into health care, they can get decent wage increases which they are not getting today.”

(25 Aug 2019) Hospital food review announced by government Government press statement re-announcing a review that Matt Hancock previously called for, together with cosy pictures of Prue Leith with Johnson.
"The review will also look at how to increase the number of hospitals with their own kitchens and who have their own chefs.
"Chair of the Hospital Food Review, Phil Shelley, will meet with catering managers at trusts across the country, looking at best practice from those leading the way in food quality and innovation.
"Restaurateur and celebrity chef Prue Leith CBE will act as an adviser to the review, drawing on her experience working in catering, high-quality restaurants and as a former chair of the School Food Trust. Leith has previously spoken out on the need for hospitals to provide healthy options that aid recovery and for meals to be tailored to the individual needs of the patient."

(25 Aug 2019) The Dialysis Duopoly Spends Big to Protect Profits in California Interesting insight into commercial medicine in the US from The American Prospect magazine, which reports:
"Two companies dominate the American outpatient kidney dialysis market: Denver-based DaVita and German-owned Fresenius. But their stranglehold on this sector is currently being challenged by an obscure bill in the California legislature, one they’ve poured a whopping $100 million into lobbying operations to oppose. The bill would crack down on a scam the dialysis duopoly has routinely engaged in, using a shadow charity called the American Kidney Fund to significantly juice their reimbursement rates from private insurance plans."

(25 Aug 2019) Hospital strikes halted Bradford Telegraph and Argus report on pausing of indefinite strike action by support staff at Bradford Hospitals trust:
"A union has agreed to suspend the upcoming indefinite strike action by hospital staff in Bradford amid an apparent climbdown by hospital bosses.
"Staff who work in the estates, facilities and clinical engineering departments at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) and St Luke’s Hospital, have been embroiled in a bitter industrial dispute as they fight to “stay within the NHS”.
See https://healthcampaignstogether.com/newsroundup.php

(25 Aug 2019) Nurses And Doctors Fear Boris Johnson's Plans To Immediately End Freedom Of Movement Will Cause “Untold Disruption” To The NHS Analysis from Buzzfeed reports the responses of health unions:
"Doctors and nurses have warned that Boris Johnson's plans to end free movement for European Union citizens on day one of Brexit could devastate a health system that is already facing chronic staffing shortages.
"The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) called for "urgent clarity" from the government on its immigration policy to ensure more nurses do not leave the UK due to growing uncertainty over their future.
"The British Medical Association, which represents doctors and medical students, said the policy could cause "untold disruption" to both patients and the NHS workforce.
"And union Unison — which represents hundreds of thousands of NHS workers including nurses, midwives, health visitors, paramedics, cleaners, and porters — warned of "an acceleration in the numbers of health staff departing our shores".

(25 Aug 2019) Work until 75? Many people won’t even live that long Guardian comment article by Dr Frances Ryan deconstructing Iain Duncan Smith's latest idea to make working class people work till they drop dead.

(25 Aug 2019) No evidence that online consultations save time, says CCG Pulse magazine digs out board papers from NHS Hammersmith and Fulham CCG on the recent evaluation of Babylon GP at Hand.
It reports CCG managing director Janet Cree noting that there were digital pilots being carried out in London. "Primary care lead Coral Skeldon added that currently, the pilots ‘were not showing any evidence’ of saving time." "

(25 Aug 2019) NHS told to follow government line on Brexit (£) HSJ highlighting the way in which the government is seizing control of the flow of information on the impact of no-deal Brexit on the NHS.
"NHS arm’s-length bodies, including NHS England, have been told to make sure all their communications are “aligned” to the government’s stance on Brexit.
"A memo from the Department of Health and Social Care to all ALBs explains that they will be sent Downing Street’s “top lines from the core EU exit script” on email every week.
"The memo, seen by HSJ, added: “Please can you use this script to ensure that all comms you are compiling are aligned to this script before sending them to DHSC for clearance.”

(25 Aug 2019) Royal College of Physicians and 16 other signatories send open letter to PM calling for health to be at heart of Brexit negotiations Statement from 17 professional bodies warning of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit:
"If not properly planned for, even the smallest of problems could have huge consequences for the lives and wellbeing of millions of people and our economy.
"The public rightly expects candour from us, and we are simply unable to reassure patients that their health and care won’t be negatively impacted by the UK’s exit from the EU. For example, despite welcome ongoing engagement with DHSC, we still have significant concerns about shortages of medical supplies."

(25 Aug 2019) Funding boost for hospices promised by PM is not new money (£) HSJ gets in a swift response to government claims of finding extra money for hospices, and adds a comment from Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of Hospice UK, who said: “While this funding boost is welcome and timely, many charitable hospices are facing grave, financial challenges in the long-term and need to raise over £1bn a year in a very tough fundraising climate. As demand grows and costs increase, the need for funding rises every year. The support pledged today is an important first step to help protect the vital care provided by charitable hospices for people with life-limiting conditions and their families.”

(25 Aug 2019) Prime Minister announces £25 million cash boost for hospices to secure their future More misinformation from the government, claiming "new money" that is in fact coming from the NHS budget. The happy clappy government handout tries to persuade us it is new largesse from Johnson:
"The future of hundreds of hospices and palliative care services which provide vital treatment and support for patients at the end of their life will now be protected thanks to a multi-million-pound funding boost from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"The Prime Minister today announces that £25 million will be pumped into the sector, building on funding already provided by the NHS.
"The funding follows a reception hosted by the Prime Minister at Downing Street last week, to thank hospice front line staff for their work."

(25 Aug 2019) Putin's anti-vaxx trolls and the dark war on vaccines which snuffs out children's lives Important article by Dr Rachel Clarke in the Mirror dissects the sinister sources of anti-vaxx propaganda:
"Yet in the increasingly toxic debate over whether children should be vaccinated against infectious diseases, little lives are being put at risk by one of the most powerful men in the world.
"At first sight, this darkest twist in the anti-vaxxer saga – that President Vladimir Putin may be partly responsible for the exponential rise in cases of measles across Europe and America – appears scarcely credible.
"Yet Russian trolls and bots have been systematically tweeting disinformation about vaccines to create social discord, according to research published in the American Journal of Public Health last year.
"The analysis of thousands of tweets sent between 2014 and 2017 showed that Russian troll accounts termed “content polluters” deliberately sought to undermine public faith in science by aggressively promoting anti-vaccine messages. As a medic, I find this prospect horrifying."

(25 Aug 2019) 'New' capital funds will come from trust's own reserves (£) HSJ report confirms that "new money" announced by PM Johnson was not new at all:
"The capital spending announced by Boris Johnson will be largely funded by cash reserves already held by NHS providers, a letter to the service confirms.
"In a letter to trusts, seen by HSJ, NHS England and NHS Improvement said the government has agreed to raise the Department of Health and Social Care’s capital spending limit by £1bn. This means trusts can revert to their original spending plans in 2019-20, having previously being told to cut them by a fifth.
"It comes after prime minister Boris Johnson announced £1.8bn of additional capital for the service earlier this month. He later insisted this was “new money” following criticism of its presentation by the Nuffield Trust think tank."

(25 Aug 2019) If leaked Operation Yellowhammer document is wrong, then the government must publish the right one Informed BMJ blog by public health expert and campaigner Martin McKee concludes:
"It is simply not good enough for ministers to say that these documents are wrong. They must provide ones that are right. It is still unclear whether the Health Secretary Matt Hancock actually did say that people will die in the event of a no deal Brexit, but we must hope that, somewhere in his Department, someone has undertaken an assessment of whether this is true, as seems extremely likely. If so, it should be published forthwith, especially as Theresa May’s government, under pressure from the Faculty of Public Health, agreed that the Brexit process would “do no harm”."

(25 Aug 2019) NHS trusts owe government £14bn (£) HSJ update on a running story unearthed from NHS trust accounts:
"Trusts’ combined debts to the department reached £14bn by the end of 2018-19, with more than half relating to around 30 providers.
"The debt has risen steeply over the last three years, as dozens of trusts with budget deficits have become reliant on interest-bearing loans to maintain payments to staff and suppliers.
"Last year, the debts surpassed trusts’ combined private finance initiative liabilities, which now stand at £9bn.
"Although the interest rates on the loans vary, interest payments totalled £292m last year, which is an average rate of around 2 per cent.
"Ian Dalton, the former chief executive of NHS Improvement, previously said national leaders would “have to have a serious look” at writing off some of the debts, as it was “deeply unlikely” they could be repaid."

(25 Aug 2019) Tory's plan to raise the state pension age to 75 over the next 16 years Latest brutal neoliberal idea from Iain Duncan Smith to lumber future generations with impossible burdens. In many working class areas average life expectancy is lower than 75. Policy is clearly dreamed up by youthful ideologues and office workers who have never tried doing manual work at 70 or 75. Iain Duncan Smith makes £5k for 4 hrs of non-parliamentary (non-manual) work.

(25 Aug 2019) UK to end freedom of movement for EU citizens on day one of Brexit, under new government plan Independent report confirms earlier (£) Times story on plans to immediately introduce hostile environment for EU citizens after no deal Brexit, with charges on those accessing NHS treatment:
"Free movement for EU citizens will end on day one of a no-deal Brexit, under new Home Office plans – despite warnings of chaos and of people trapped in legal limbo.
"Priti Patel, the new hardline home secretary, is pressing for border restrictions to be imposed immediately on 31 October, even though no replacement system is ready, The Independent has been told.
"Previously, ministers had intended to delay scrapping free movement until new rules are in place, with a bill stuck in the Commons and fierce rows over what those rules should be."
Ministers are silent on the implications of reciprocal moves on British migrants in Spain and elsewhere and the threat of 1.5 million coming back to Britain for NHS care.

(25 Aug 2019) GP surgeries ordered to stop half-day closures during the week or face £40,000 funding axe The Sun reports the latest ignorant thinking from government after nine brutal years of austerity funding have piled unprecedented pressure onto GPs. The midday closures of some surgeries are of course not random siestas but as Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said, there are good reasons for why surgeries close:
“It is not time ‘lost’ to patients, it is usually time spent conducting telephone or online consultations, or making home visits.
"Or some of the other vital tasks that GPs and our teams are required to do, such as complying with mandatory or statutory training.”

(25 Aug 2019) Ports logjam could make vaccines go out of date in no-deal Brexit (£) Times report picks up on the health aspect of the leaked Yellowhammer report on the consequences of a no-deal Brexit:
"Patients with diabetes and children suffering from cancer are among those who risk being hit by drugs shortages.
"A no-deal Brexit is expected to cause heavy disruption to the UK’s supply of medicines, and the government concedes in the Yellowhammer document that it “will . . . not be practical to stockpile products to cover expected delays of up to six months”.
"Three-quarters of medicines come via the main Channel crossings into Dover and Folkestone. This leaves drug supplies “particularly vulnerable to severe extended delays”, it states.
"Some drugs — including insulin, flu vaccines and certain new leukaemia treatments — need to be transported under temperature-controlled conditions, and so could become unusable in the event of delays. Other drugs have short shelf lives and cannot be stockpiled."

(25 Aug 2019) UK elderly suffer worst poverty rate in western Europe Guardian report highlights a chronic problem:
"The proportion of elderly people living in severe poverty in the UK is five times what it was in 1986, the largest increase among western European countries, according to a new study.
"The rise, from 0.9% of the elderly population to around 5%, is attributable to Britain’s state pension system and its “low basic payments and means-tested supplements”, says the author of the report, Pension Reforms and Old Age Inequalities in Europe.
"Professor Bernhard Ebbinghaus, of the University of Oxford, will tell a European Sociological Association conference this week that the UK is one of five countries out of 16 that he has studied where there has been an increase in people aged 65 and over who are living in “severe poverty”, which is defined as having an income of 40% or less of the median average."

(25 Aug 2019) PM’s new health adviser says ‘ill-equipped’ NHS does not need ‘more money’ (£) HSJ highlights the arrogance and ignorance of PM Johnson's new advisor Will Warr, an ex-McKinsey neoliberal ideologue. Echoing Johnson's vague statement that the NHS needs "reform", he appears to question the announcement of allegedly extra money for the NHS by Johnson:
"The prime minister’s new senior healthcare policy adviser believes that “more money is not the solution” to transforming the “hopelessly ill-equipped” NHS from “the monolith we have today”.
"Will Warr also slammed the service’s “feeble” attempts at introducing new technology and claimed NHS “staff have been brainwashed by the financial targets introduced under [Tony] Blair”.

(25 Aug 2019) Drug deaths in England and Wales at highest level since records began, figures show Independent reports "Drug deaths in England and Wales have hit a record high, with around 56 people now dying every week from illicit substances, new figures show.
"Ministers have been accused of “clinging to their failing policies on drugs” after data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there were 4,359 deaths related to drug poisoning last year, the highest number since records began in 1993."
Behind these grim figures we need to remember a decade of cutbacks and privatisation of drug and alcohol units and mental health services.

(25 Aug 2019) NHS in Scotland will stay free for Europeans (£) Times report highlights yet another progressive challenge to Westminster policies by the Scottish government

(25 Aug 2019) Council charge breast cancer screening van £1,500 to see patients in pay car park Mirror story highlights this latest example of 'partnership' working between cash-strapped NHS and even more impoverished local government.

(25 Aug 2019) New service to deliver urgent medicines and medical products into UK Government press release reveals the amount of money that has had to be ear-marked to keep supplies of drugs going in the event of a no-deal:
"The service will provide an additional level of contingency as part of necessary preparations to leave the EU on 31 October whatever the circumstances, supported by an additional £2 billion from the Treasury across government.
"This money includes £434 million to help ensure continuity of vital medicines and medical products through freight capacity, warehousing and stockpiling."

(25 Aug 2019) NHS bill for private out-of-area mental health care rises to £100m Guardian covering Labour Party research showing the scale of under-provision of NHS mental health services:
"NHS spending on private firms nursing people with mental health problems outside their local authority area has risen by almost 30% in a year to £100m.
"Adults in mental health crises were sent as far as 300 miles from home last year – a situation NHS chiefs have admitted reduces the chances of recovery because vulnerable people are separated from their loved ones."

(25 Aug 2019) West Midlands Ambulance Service staff ‘in tears’ with 80 jobs 'at risk' as private firm awarded patient contract Birmingham Mail reports the scandalous decision of Worcestershire CCGs to privatise patient transport services which had been delivered for 30 years by award-winning West Midlands ambulance services.

(25 Aug 2019) Record demand for emergency care reflects year round pressure for the health service NHS Providers once again warning of the continued record high levels of demand for emergency services:
"Trusts have not been able to use the summer months to catch up and clear waiting lists as they used to do in the past. The waiting list has now grown to over 4.4 million people and we have missed the key cancer standards for the second month in a row. With over 100,000 staff vacancies and rising demand putting pressure on services, this is leaving more people waiting longer for care."

(25 Aug 2019) Get ready to charge EU citizens under no-deal Brexit, NHS bosses told (£) Times report reveals government plans to crank up the hostile environment for EU citizens immediately after a no-deal Brexit.

(25 Aug 2019) NHS bosses have recruited 4,000 Asian nurses to replace EU staff who quit after Brexit referendum, new figures show Daily Heil winds up its small-minded readers with the news that largely white EU staff are being replaced by Asians, although the short article does not explain whether this is a welcome reprieve for the NHS or a new tide of migration:
"The NHS has recruited 4,000 Asian nurses to replace EU staff who have quit since the 2016 Brexit referendum, figures show.
"The number of EU nurses plunged by around 3,000 – but that gap has been filled by the arrival of nurses from the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia.
"Six per cent of all NHS staff and one in ten doctors were from the EU in March this year, according to the Office for National Statistics."

(25 Aug 2019) Mother, twin babies detained in hospital over N3m bill Story about Nigerian experience from Orient Daily News highlights what could be happening in British hospitals if the government persists with its hostile environment policies and levying charges on overseas patients requiring NHS treatment.

(17 Aug 2019) 'Considerable risk’ over trust’s future warns NHSI (£) HSJ article flagging up the parlous state of the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, noting NHS Improvement's warning that:
"“It is therefore critical that the trust has a robust and stretching medium-term financial recovery plan in place.”
Despite NHS Improvement agreeing that the trust has taken "effective action" to address its governance failures since the undertakings of March 2017, it argues that "further improvements are required."
Indeed the trust reported 160 12-hour trolley waits in January and February this year while performance against the four-hour accident and emergency standard dropped to 76 per cent in February.
There are so many other unresolved failures and poor standards that the question arises of how the Trust could have been let out of special measures and categorised as "good".

(17 Aug 2019) STP plans to axe all trauma services at DGH (£) HSJ picks up on yet another irresponsible plan from the cash-strapped and poorly-led Cambridgeshire and Peterborough STP, which after touting round the begging bowl to help reduce its deficit is now moving to finally kill off the A&E at Hinchingbrooke Hospital (which local people were promised would be preserved in the 'merger' with Peterborough City Hospital 20+ miles away).

(17 Aug 2019) NHSE declares emergency over IV shortage Shaun Lintern in the (£) HSJ breaking a story only later picked up by the BBC:
"The shortage of intravenous feed supplies affecting hundreds of patients across the country has been declared a national emergency incident by NHS leaders.
"The situation is so serious the NHS is considering importing supplies from other countries to meet the needs of patients who depend on the feed for survival.
"Patients whose bodies can no longer digest normal food are reliant on intravenous feed known as total parenteral nutrition, or TPN. Some are already enduring long waits for deliveries of their prescriptions.
"HSJ has spoken with some patients who have gone several days with no feed at all after restrictions were imposed on the manufacturer, Calea, by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency last month. Several patients, including one child, have been admitted to hospital because they were effectively being starved of vital nutrients."

(17 Aug 2019) Ebola now curable after trials of drugs in DRC, say scientists Guardian story highlighting the immense progress that can be made where sufficient resources and new drugs can be deployed against Ebola:
"One of the biggest obstacles in fighting the year-long DRC outbreak, the second biggest ever and now with 2,800 cases, has been the reluctance of those who fall sick to seek treatment.
"It has not helped that the chances of survival have been low – up to 70% of those infected in the DRC have died. Muyembe said many people saw family members go into an Ebola treatment centre and come out dead.
“Now that 90% of their patients can go into the treatment centre and come out completely cured, they will start believing it and building trust in the population and community,” he said.

(17 Aug 2019) Summer in the City Is Hot, but Some Neighborhoods Suffer More New York Times reminder to climate change deniers that ill health from excess heat is a problem that affects the poor more than the rich:
"As the United States suffers through a summer of record-breaking heat, new research shows that temperatures on a scorching summer day can vary as much as 20 degrees across different parts of the same city, with poor or minority neighborhoods often bearing the brunt of that heat."
...
"Buildings and paved surfaces – like major roadways, uncovered parking lots and industrial zones – amplified heat, while large parks and other green spaces cooled down the surrounding areas. In cities like Baltimore and Washington, some of the hottest temperatures were recorded in dense residential neighborhoods with little tree cover and plenty of asphalt to absorb and radiate solar energy.
"As climate change makes summers hotter, the health risks associated with these hyperlocal heat islands will grow. "

(17 Aug 2019) This is the power of nurse solidarity! Video from California Nurses Association shows how, even though Nevada state doesn't have SafeStaffing laws, solidarity from California union RNs helped nurses at Saint Rose Hospital in Henderson, Nevada win nurse-to-patient ratios in their union contract.

(17 Aug 2019) NHS staff face growing violence in east London's hospitals Shocking figures from research by the East London Advertiser reveal a rising tide of violent incidents against hospital and NHS staff:
"There were 331 assaults against staff at the five Barts Health hospitals from April 2018 to March 2019 - 60 per cent more than the 12 months from April 2015, which saw only 206.
This April to June has been the most violent over the past five years, with 98 recorded assaults. In 2018 there were 84 over the same period and only 50 during that period in 2017.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by this paper, revealed that Newham Hospital has seen 231 assaults since April 2015, Mile End saw 22 and St Bartholomew's saw 89."
Over the past five years the worst hospital for assaults was the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, which had 504 incidents.

(17 Aug 2019) Australian junior doctors launch legal action against managers over working conditions (£) BMJ report on "The alleged plight of the doctors at Melbourne’s Sunshine Hospital", which has become "the latest instalment in a growing list of complaints among doctors in training over excessive workload pressures, exploitation, harassment, and bullying across the country’s public hospital system."
According to the Australian Medical Association in Victoria, under the enterprise agreement setting minimum terms and conditions with the hospital, registrars are contracted to work 43 hours a week: but this total includes five hours that must be used for clinical training time.
"AMA Victoria is now representing the registrars by taking Western Health, which runs Sunshine Hospital, to the Fair Work Commission."

(17 Aug 2019) Privatisation by stealth Fabian Society platform for a hard hitting article by Oxfordshire KONP campaigner Liz Peretz, slamming the ruthless top-down privatisation of PET-CT scanning services in Thames Valley by NHS England, riding roughshod over any serious consultation and near-unanimous protest from local politicians of all parties.

(17 Aug 2019) Does Boris Johnson’s NHS funding boost add up? Critique in Prospect magazine by Ruth Thorlby of the Health Foundation indicates how wide is the distrust and disatisfaction with Johnson's cynical pre-election handout to the NHS from the magic money tree.

(17 Aug 2019) Get ready to charge EU citizens under no-deal Brexit, NHS bosses told (£) Times reports yet another unpleasant xenophobic policy that is threatening to undermine our NHS in the event of a no-deal Brexit. It's bad enough diverting front line staff and admin resources into checking passports and IDs: medical royal colleges and campaigners have already been campaigning against this policy and its potential impact on health. But if this petty nastiness also triggers a retaliation and charges imposed upon the millions of citizens cashing in on free care in Spain and other EU countries, it could trigger a wholesale influx of expats and a massive new unfunded burden on our NHS and other public services.

(14 Aug 2019) NHS staff in Bradford go on ‘indefinite’ strike over ‘backdoor privatisation’ fears Extended article giving the background to the Bradford hospital strikes which are set to escalate to indefinite action from August 26. Health Campaigns Together is holding a solidarity rally outside Bradford Hospital that day (see Calendar of events)

(12 Aug 2019) Average GP waiting times exceed two weeks for first time ever Another excellent and widely repeated story from Pulse magazine, flagging up findings from their annual survey:
"The average wait for a routine GP appointment is now more than two weeks, for the first time ever, according to Pulse's annual survey of waiting times.
"A midpoint analysis of data from the survey of 901 GPs across the UK found that the average waiting time is now 15 days - the first time it has ever exceeded a fortnight.
"More than 22% of GPs said that the wait for a routine appointment was more than three weeks, with 6% said that it was longer than four weeks.
"This follows the news earlier this year that there was a 15% increase in month-long waits for GP appointments, according to the BMA."

(12 Aug 2019) For sale to the highest bidder? Future trade deals and the NHS Discussion piece by Kate Ling for the NHS Confederation, which includes private providers, correctly points the main finger of responsibility at government:
"Operating on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms after leaving the EU won’t force commissioners to invite bids from overseas companies to provide NHS services. It will be for the Government of the day to choose, when negotiating, what kind of services foreign providers can bid to supply. "
But of course many people would be less than confident that a right wing Johnson-led government would have any hesitation in signing over sections of the NHS if that seemed to them useful in a post-Brexit trade deal with Trump's USA.
Ms Ling goes on "Ideally, exclude publicly funded healthcare services completely from the scope of a future free trade agreement (FTA)."
Sadly she then weakens the statements to concede "Or, if they are within scope, explicitly exempt them from commitments that would, for example, oblige the NHS to allow the trading partner’s companies to bid for NHS business (we would prefer this to be a choice, not an obligation)."
Campaigners have seen too many CCGs and trusts choosing to privatise, despite strong arguments and protests from staff and public. We can't rely on the Confed to stand up for a publicly-owned and accountable NHS.

(12 Aug 2019) UNISON BRADFORD HEALTH-STOP THE WOS-STRIKE FUND Link to contribute to the biggest current set-piece confrontation with trusts' plans to hive off NHS support staff into tax-dodging "wholly owned subsidiaries"

(12 Aug 2019) Boris Johnson pledges £250m for NHS artificial intelligence Guardian reports that despite huge unresolved backlog maintenance and many staff struggling to cope with clapped out and painfully slow computers, the government has "announced its third successive hand-out to the NHS in as many days with a pledge by Boris Johnson of £250m to be invested in artificial intelligence."
However in a critique of this decision Roy Lilley quotes Rashik Parmar, a the leader of IBM's European technical community and previously President of IBM's Academy of Technology, who has spent his whole career immersed in technology and artificial intelligence arguing “... there is no such thing as 'artificial intelligence'... not yet and not in the foreseeable, that we can use to improve healthcare.”
Lilley comments: “Machines digest the people's data we feed them along with our prejudices, preconceptions and predilections. They swallow it all and regurgitate facts, analysis, history and take a stab at the future. They can make predictions. It doesn't make them intelligent.”

(12 Aug 2019) Suicidal student jumped off building after crisis team told her 'sound, you can go' Worrying Mirror report on case of a student who tried to leap to her death from a hospital car park after being discharged in the middle of the night by mental health workers she claims she had warned she was suicidal.
The Mirror points to the link with previous failures by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust adequately to assess or respond to the distress, resulting in further suicide attempts:
"another woman … had thrown herself from the building after being admitted following an overdose. … a man in his 40s fell from the second floor after being sectioned.
"Sophie, who hopes to work as a mental health nurse, said she would have been seen as high risk after a similar suicide attempt around three months before the fall, when she took an overdose while an inpatient at Clock View Hospital in Walton."

(9 Aug 2019) Leading ophthalmologist vows to stamp out “unjustified” screening for cataract surgery (£) BMJ article publishes research to show that:
"patients with cataracts are being screened and that those who don’t meet visual acuity thresholds are being denied surgery. This is despite NICE’s guideline, which says that cataract removal is cost effective and should not be restricted to the more severe cases.
"In 2018-19 more than a fifth (22%) of patients in England who needed cataract surgery were screened, three times the proportion of 7% in 2016-17."
It quotes Mike Burdon, president of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, who also chaired NICE’s guideline committee, ho now says it is his mission before he steps down as president in a year’s time to convince clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to stop rationing cataract surgery and not to label it a procedure of “limited clinical value.” He tells the BMJ that this approach is “unjustified whatever way you look at it.”

(9 Aug 2019) John Radcliffe Hospital trust 'crisis' as bed occupancy hits 100 per cent Oxford Times highlights the latest phase of the chronic crisis of the county's main hospital, making the point that the problems are exacerbated by huge shortages of staff, including almost 600 nurses:
"Along with high demand, staffing levels were also so stretched that 16 beds were consistently being temporarily closed for safety reasons due to shortages.
"As of the end of June there were 1,091 vacancies across the trust, with 588 of them for nursing and midwifery roles."

(9 Aug 2019) Next week... Roy Lilley puts the boot into Matt Hancock (No. 18), the superficiality of his policies and the fraudulent claims of "artificial intelligence" being used in the NHS.

(9 Aug 2019) Old Matt, new Matt: Mr Hancock’s diary Some light relief from the gloom of a Johnson dash to no-deal chaos: a very amusing spoof blog by Matt Hancock -- or is it really him?

(9 Aug 2019) US will be 'on doorstep' ready to sign UK trade deal after Brexit, says Pompeo Guardian article underlines determination of the Johnson government to turn to the US after Brexit, regardless of the cost and onerous strings attached.
"The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has said that the US will be “on the doorstep, pen in hand”, ready to sign a new trade deal with the UK as soon as possible after Brexit.
Pompeo was speaking alongside Dominic Raab, who was making his first trip to Washington as UK foreign secretary. Raab restated the British government’s determination to leave the EU at the end of October, and claimed that Donald Trump, whom he met at the White House on Tuesday evening, “was effusive in his warmth for the United Kingdom”.

(9 Aug 2019) Vital asthma and diabetes drugs could cost 7 times more in new Donald Trump deal Mirror article underlines another potential nightmare aspect of a no-deal Brexit forcing a supplicant British government to sign an exploitative trade deal with the US:
"President Trump and senior members of his cabinet have said they are tired of ‘foreign freeloading.’
"They say any new trade deal should bring prices into line with those in the US - which is bad news for the NHS.
"Stats show the world’s top twenty best selling prescription were over three times more expensive in the US than in the UK."

(9 Aug 2019) Treat NHS patients in private hospitals to cut waiting lists, government urged For some reason The Independent has chosen to rehash the latest press release and PR spin of the private hospital sector, seeking to cash in further on the growing delays and waiting lists for NHS treatment:
"According to analysis of council tax data by the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, […] about one in six households in England are likely to contain someone stuck on an NHS waiting list.
The body is calling on the government to make better use of spare capacity in the private sector to cut waiting times."
They would wouldn't they? With numbers paying for individual private health insurance static, and private hospitals dependent on NHS-funded patients to fill their otherwise empty beds, you would expect their trade association to lobby for even more lucrative work.
The Indie report initially referred to the profit-hungry IHPN lobbyists as "campaigners", but has, fortunately corrected this error, as a footnote admits.

(9 Aug 2019) Combined Performance Summary: June – July 2019 The Nuffield Trust's Jessica Morris updates us with yet another series of summaries and graphics indicating the continued crisis of NHS provision. Note especially that:
"In July 2019, 13.5% of people attending A&E spent more than 4 hours from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge – the worst performance for any July on record. There has been a sustained worsening of about 3 percentage points over the last four months compared to the same time last year.
"The total number of A&E attendances exceeded 2.2 million in July 2019 – the highest number ever recorded. The average number of A&E attendances per day spiked at over 73,000."

(9 Aug 2019) NHI Bill to be released on Thursday Business Live magazine highlights historic moves in South Africa towards a much-needed universal health coverage:
"The long-awaiting National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill will be introduced to parliament on Thursday, according to the health minister’s spokesperson, Lwazi Manzi.
"The bill is important because it is the first piece of enabling legislation for the government’s ambitious plans for implementing universal health coverage, which it calls NHI.
"A draft NHI Bill was released for public comment in June 2018, and then revised before being submitted to cabinet. The updated version, which has yet to be released to the public, was approved by the cabinet on July 10. It is expected to contain proposals for establishing an NHI fund, which will purchase services on behalf of patients from accredited public and private sector providers."

(9 Aug 2019) Babylon’s GP at Hand model risks ‘destabilising’ care, professor warns Digital Health turns to expert Prof Martin Roland for a sensible assessment of the impact of GP At Hand:
"Babylon’s GP at Hand model risks “destabilising” care for patients with the “greatest need” if it continues to expand, a professor of health services has warned.
He has warned the digital provider only attracts the “fittest patients” and that this leaves traditional GP services "struggling to look after those with more complex needs."
"The problem lies in the way GP surgeries are currently funded, he told Digital Health.
“GPs are largely paid by capitation, for example, for the number of patients on their list. Now imagine a situation where all patients attracted an equal capitation fee and the fittest half of a practice’s patients suddenly joined GP at Hand,” he said.
“The practice would be left with half their income but would still have to look after the sickest patients. That would clearly destabilise care for those in greatest need as GPs would no longer have the income to support the doctors, nurses and other staff needed to look after them.”

(9 Aug 2019) Boris Johnson’s pledges on NHS investment need a full examination (£) Financial Times comment from Health Foundation boss Anita Charlesworth argues that new buildings should not be a priority for the capital-starved NHS:
"Since 2017, 145 new spending schemes for hospital beds, buildings, medical equipment and information technology have been announced — that’s an average of more than one a week, totalling £2.5bn. But a recent analysis by the Health Service Journal found that less than £100m of this promised funding has actually reached the front line. There have been few, if any, ribbons to cut."

(9 Aug 2019) NHS needs reform, not another cash boost, to fix its ails Yet another reactionary blast of neoliberal ideology from the obscurely-funded IEA and its annoying American spokesperson Kate Andrews, which will almost certainly be further amplified by repeated appearances on various BBC 'news' outlets.
The only unusual aspect of this latest re-run of the same old hackneyed nonsense is that the IEA is having a pop at Prime Minister Johnson's pre-election bribe of a £1.8 billion increase in NHS capital funding. While every analyst who knows anything argues it is not enough, Andrews argues the NHS should not even get this much!

(9 Aug 2019) The next Windrush: Relentless Home Office immigration fees try to drive out young Brits Politics.co.uk highlights the growing scandal of institutionalised racist policies implemented by government departments following on Theresa May's brutish "hostile environment".
"Young migrants who've grown up in the UK are being driven into poverty by soaring fees, a neverending application process and kafkaesque examinations of national identity.
"Fees have trebled since 2014, driving some young people into poverty. "They are charging people who are already vulnerable and have little money an extortionate amount," says Andrella, 20.
"Limited leave to remain is granted in 30-month chunks, and has to be renewed to a strict timetable, each time with a new extortionate fee of £2,033. If a form is submitted late or incomplete in any way, it will likely be refused and the applicant loses their lawful status. It is only after ten years of unbroken limited leave to remain, that people can apply to be officially recognised as permanently settled in the UK."

(9 Aug 2019) Treasury makes pensions U-turn with review of doctors’ tax trap (£) Financial Times reports on the pensions policy that has been disrupting the work of senior NHs consultants (few of the other senior public sector staff are required to work such a high level of overtime). The FT reports:
"The Treasury has agreed to reconsider the “taper” — the rate at which tax relief is withdrawn on pensions savings — not just for NHS workers but across the public sector. The taper sometimes saw doctors facing marginal tax rates of more than 100 per cent when they were caught in the pensions trap.
"The change was welcomed by doctors’ leaders who have been grappling with an exodus from the profession as experienced clinicians have retired or cut back hours to avoid steep tax charges.
"The announcement was a striking policy reversal. The tapered annual allowance was introduced in 2016 by George Osborne when he was chancellor as a means of clamping down on pensions tax relief for the very highest earners. Ministers had previously defended the policy as a way of ensuring the highest paid contributed towards the public purse."

(9 Aug 2019) 'Tax trap' pension rules to change in effort to halt NHS crisis Guardian reports on government apparently making concessions in an effort to undo the damage of ridiculous tax rules affecting the most senor doctors, meaning that they lose large sums of money for working additional shifts

(9 Aug 2019) Queensland nurse ratio legislation ‘saving lives and money’ Nursing Times article highlighting the experience of improved staffing levels on the ward in Queensland, Australia.

(9 Aug 2019) In that order... Roy Lilley bangs the drum correctly for the absolute centrality of workforce issues and the need to reduce the patient:nurse ration to improve outcomes.

(9 Aug 2019) Royal College of Physicians responds to capital funding announcement One of the more conservative Royal Colleges notes that:@
"'But while 20 more upgraded hospitals may seem a significant investment, it is unfortunately a drop in the ocean. Research by the Health Foundation estimates it would take an extra £3.5bn a year to bring capital spending on the health service in England up to the OECD average."

(6 Aug 2019) Works for me... Roy Lilley adds his contribution to those challenging Johnson and Matt Hancock over the spurious claims to have found "new money" for the NHS.

(6 Aug 2019) Boris Johnson’s £1.8bn for the NHS isn’t what it seems – just ask the trusts Guardian comment by Nuffield Trust financial sleuth Sally Gainsbury drags out the truth of where the "new" money has really come from

(6 Aug 2019) Boris Johnson accused of misleading public over NHS money pledge Channel 4 journos put minister on the rack till he has to admit that the money was already there, but trusts were blocked from spending it.

(6 Aug 2019) Why the NHS is at risk from a no-deal Brexit While opinions among campaigners vary on the merits or otherwise of Brexit, there is universal concern at the dangers that would be posed to the NHS by a no-deal Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn has insisted no-deal would be “disastrous” and said Labour will vote against it and call for a referendum. Health Campaigns Together editor John Lister offers some analysis.

(5 Aug 2019) Leading trust warns NHS England over patient safety (£) HSJ feature from March highlighting the dire need for investment in Mersey Care's Learning Disabilities unit at Calderstones which had had an application for £35m capital funding turned down. It is included in the new list of 20 projects.

(5 Aug 2019) £1.8bn funding boost 'just a down payment' (£) HSJ response to the "new" funding makes clear it is not so new after all:
"More than half the £1.8bn spending boost announced by the prime minister yesterday will be enabled by the reversal of last month’s demand from NHS England that trusts cut capital spending plans by 20 per cent.
"The remaining £850m has been allocated to 20 specific capital schemes.
"HSJ also understands that a separate “technology fund” will be announced later in a week, which is expected to feature a series of government announcements on the NHS.
"In July, HSJ reported NHSE finance director Julian Kelly had written to trusts telling them to cut their spending plans because they threatened to bust the Department of Health and Social Care’s capital expenditure limit. "

(5 Aug 2019) The 20 hospitals in line for Boris Johnson's 'drop in the ocean' NHS cash Mirror response to the PM's announcement on capital funding for the NHS, quoting :
Ben Gershlick, Senior Economist at the Health Foundation charity, who said:
"The government’s expected announcement of a £1.8bn short-term funding boost for upgrades to 20 hospitals and NHS capital infrastructure projects is welcome.
“But while the Prime Minister might be looking forward to cutting the ribbon at a new hospital ward, years of underinvestment in the NHS’s infrastructure means this extra money risks being little more than a drop in the ocean.
"He added: "What the NHS needs is a comprehensive, long-term funding settlement for capital that is driven by the needs of patients and staff."

(5 Aug 2019) Children turned away from mental health help unless 'acutely suicidal', psychotherapists warn As Johnson pours two thirds of the "new" capital investment into acute hospitals, this Telegraph report again highlights the growing crisis in children's mental health, which will barely benefit from the new money:
"A survey by the Association of Child Psychotherapists found that members were concerned that seriously mentally ill children were not being offered help unless they were threatening to kill themselves.
"Child and adolescent psychotherapists working within the NHS said that cases were "having to be re-referred several times and reaching a crisis point before being accepted", its report found.
"One in three of the 416 psychotherapists who responded to the survey said they felt the service they were working within was "mostly inadequate or completely inadequate", and 73 per cent felt there had been a negative change in staff morale. "

(5 Aug 2019) Plans to close Cheltenham's A&E department confirmed by town's MP ITV report shows that as the local Tory MP rants about a plan driven by his own party in government, the Lib Dem candidate for the seat is pointing out he has changed his tune completely:
"Before Alex Chalk was the MP, he criticised Cheltenham people on his leaflets for signing a local petition to stop the downgrade of the A&E department, saying it made no difference. He told us a plan of action was needed and he was elected on a platform of getting the A&E department reopened fully. But now he’s admitted that the hospitals trust is ignoring him and planning to close the A&E department anyway."

(5 Aug 2019) NHS chiefs 'plan to close Cheltenham A&E department' says furious MP Alex Chalk Gloucestershire Live reports that Cheltenham's Tory MP is furious that his government is apparently planning to do to Cheltenham what they have been doing to so many other hospitals up and down the county.
"Mr Chalk says he been told that Cheltenham could become an appointment-only GP led Urgent Treatment Centre rather than a walk-in casualty department.
"That would mean blue lighting all emergencies from the Cheltenham area at least eight miles down the road to Gloucestershire Royal in the daytime as well as during the night.
"Mr Chalk issued a statement on his website saying: "I have been reliably informed that Trust managers in Gloucestershire are about to publish plans to downgrade the A&E at Cheltenham General Hospital.
"I am absolutely furious about this news, which flies in the face of specific assurances the managers made to me as well as the substance of the plans which are contrary to government policy."
He said he had phoned the Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, who was himself "very surprised" by the proposal. But then Hancock hasn't been in post long.

(5 Aug 2019) First chief chosen to lead both trust and CCG HSJ report flags up that in crisis-ridden Croydon NHS chiefs have been possibly the first to appoint a single chief executive to lead the commissioners and the main local acute provider trust:
"Croydon CCG and the trust announced in May that they would be appointing a joint executive leader. It is thought to be the first area in England to take this step. Several other CCGs around the country share a chief executive/accountable officer with their local council."
However the celebrations in Croydon are likely to be limited by the fact that the new health supremo is Matthew Kershaw, the main appointed by Jeremy Hunt as the Trust Special Administrator to drive through the attempted closure of A&E and acute services at Lewisham Hospital.
Only a judicial review and subsequent successful ruling in favour of campaigners and against Hunt's appeal blocked their attempt to make Lewisham pay the price for the failure of its neighbouring South London Hospitals Trust, and leave SE London with a huge shortfall of acute services. Since then Mr Kershaw has been trailing not very successfully from job to job.

(5 Aug 2019) We won! UNISON at King's College London celebrates a hard-won victory against privatisation:
"After years of campaigning, organising and a huge amount of hard work, all formerly outsourced workers in cleaning & security from CIS and Servest will come back in-house to be directly employed by King's College London from today."

(5 Aug 2019) Hospitals choose between 'fixing roof or paying nurses' as Tories let NHS crumble Strong Daily Mirror story in the run-up to PM Johnson's anticipated statement on "extra" capital for NHS reveals £4.3m has been milked out to prop up trust revenue budgets:
"The stark reality of the NHS funding crisis is laid bare today with new figures which show a staggering £4.29 billion has been cut from capital budgets to prop up day-to-day spending.
"It comes after 76 hospital trusts reported incidents due to building failures in the last year, including sewage and water leaking onto hospital wards, broken lifts and ceilings collapsing.
"One hospital trust reported faeces seeping through the floor in an ultrasound corridor."

(5 Aug 2019) US health giant Centene invests in NHS 'chatbot' app Babylon Sky News reveals that a US health corporation is taking a small but significant stake in an expanding private sector company that has been backed by Matt Hancock.
"One of America's largest healthcare companies is investing tens of millions of pounds in Babylon Healthcare, the British technology start-up behind a new chatbot service being used by the National Health Service.
"Centene Corporation, which is based in Missouri and has a market valuation in New York of more than $21bn (£17.3bn), is taking a $50m (£41m) stake in Babylon.
"Centene's investment will form part of a funding round expected to be announced in the coming days by the ‎creator of the GP At Hand service, which was publicly endorsed by Matt Hancock, the health secretary, last year.
"According to information circulated to Babylon's investors this week, the round, which is being led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), will value the company at $1.5bn prior to the new funding.
"The Saudi sovereign fund is investing $200m, with Centene contributing $50m and Munich Re, the German reinsurer, becoming a third new shareholder by handing over $7m."

(5 Aug 2019) Bradford hospital strikers appeal for funds as they strike again UNISON explains the reason why 600 support staff are staging another 2 weeks of strike action to stay 100% NHS:
"Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust want to create a Wholly owned subsidiary company to run the Estates & Facilities department which will mean the transfer of 600 staff out of the NHS into a company effectively stripping staff of their NHS status.
The Trust have offered 25 year ‘guaranteed’ protection on terms and conditions of employment in the new company, a 'guarantee' which has been rubbished by union solicitors who confirm that these so called ‘guarantees’ are not legally binding. Terms and conditions can be changed lawfully 12 months after the transfer especially under new Trust leadership.

(5 Aug 2019) A war of attrition against hospital services in South Tyneside and across the country Allyson Pollock in a detailed article for Open democracy argues:
"Hospital mergers uncouple services from residents’ needs as the financial interests of the trust come before the needs of patients. Moreover there is no local accountability, as the Health and Social Care Act 2012 abolished locally accountable geographic planning bodies."

(5 Aug 2019) Twenty big NHS building projects that need Boris’ cash (£) HSJ highlights 20 major projects -- total cost in excess of £3.5 billion – which is says "need Boris's cash":
"HSJ’s list is not an attempt to identify projects which the government will select, nor to pick out the ones that are most deserving.
"But it highlights some of the biggest schemes which would involve replacing some of the worst estates in the NHS, or enable important clinical service reconfiguration.
"Some have already been allocated funding but are still trying to get final Treasury sign-off. Others are more embryonic and are looking for an indication of what capital funding could be available for them."
Only one of these was on the actual list when it was published

(1 Aug 2019) GPs should have power to veto CCG mergers, BMA warns GP Online reports BMA statement expressing frustration that CCG merger plans are paying no more attention to GP views than they are to local communities as they force through changes that will massively reduce any local voice or influence over services.
"In a letter to NHS England, the BMA's GP committee has called for GPs and primary care networks (PCNs) to have in effect a power of veto over decisions to merge CCGs.
"The number of CCGs has already dropped from 211 in April 2013 when NHS England became operational to 191 at the start of the current financial year - a fall of more than 9%.
"This decline could be set to accelerate rapidly under NHS England's long-term plan, which suggested that in future there could be a single CCG for each emerging 'integrated care system' (ICS) area. These are expected to 'grow out of' sustainability and transformation partnership areas - of which there are just 44 across England."

(1 Aug 2019) Pharmacies to provide same-day patient appointments to cut pressure on GPs GP Online reveals that:
"The service will be expanded over the next five years to include direct referrals from GPs and A&E. The DHSC said that up to 6% of all GP consultations, some 20m appointments a year, could be safely transferred to community pharmacy."

(1 Aug 2019) Staff at Bradford Hospitals Trust stage 2-week strike over privatisation plans More than 300 porters, domestics, security and catering staff at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust will strike for two weeks from 1 to 15 August, to oppose plans to outsource their jobs.
The workers believe pay and pensions will suffer as part of a drive to cut costs if roles are transferred to a wholly owned subsidiary company (subco), being set up by the trust.
These companies don’t have to honour NHS contracts and are free to pay employees less than NHS staff doing the same jobs, creating a damaging two-tier system that’s no good for staff or patients, says UNISON.
The August strike follows a week of industrial action in July that saw workers come together with the local community to oppose the backdoor privatisation of health services across the trust.

(31 Jul 2019) Labour councillor responds to Hancock's green light to cut local services Facebook post raising strong objections to Matt Hancock's decision to reject the call from Southend's scrutiny panel for the planned "centralisation" of stroke services in Basildon to be reviewed by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.

(31 Jul 2019) Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund to invest in NHS chatbot-maker Babylon Health Telegraph article showing that a controversial firm peddling a flawed app and undermining existing NHS primary care is now attracting support from unsavoury regimes, notably the bloody and repressive Saudis:
"NHS provider Babylon Health is set to receive an investment from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to help fuel its international expansion, according to a new report. Babylon, which developed an app that lets people book virtual appointments with their GPs and order prescriptions, is in the midst of raising capital to expand its operations in North America and expand in the Middle East and China."

(31 Jul 2019) A new global health strategy for Germany (£) BMJ article shows again that while the British government and sections of the electorate are becoming more insular, xenophobic and racist in the run up to Brexit, Germany's far from left wing government has been moving in the other direction:
"In recent years, Germany has strengthened its commitment to global health by increasing its political voice through its G7 and G20 presidencies and through enhanced support for multilateral and bilateral partnerships. Germany has become one of the strongest supporters of the World Health Organization and other international agencies.
"The federal government has approached its commitment to global health with openness, seeking out a wide range of perspectives by establishing an international advisory board in 2017. The board includes experts from Africa, South Asia, Europe, North and South America, as well as Germany and was asked to advise the federal government on developing a new global health strategy.
"Germany stands out internationally in choosing to bring outside perspectives to strategy development in this formalised way. The board met with a wide range of German stakeholders, parliamentarians, and ministries over two years and submitted its recommendations to the government on 7 June. The full statement is now publicly available."

(31 Jul 2019) Queensland nursing home crisis Public Services International highlights a familiar story of greed and dysfunctional systems in nursing home services in Australia:
"70 elderly patients were thrown out when Earle Haven, an aged care centre in Queensland was abruptly shut down on 11 July.
"It took eleven hours for paramedics to evacuate the senior citizens, about 90% of whom suffer from dementia. The immediate cause was that HelpStreet Group, a subcontracted firm which operated the home had disputes on payments with People Care Pty Ltd., the care facility provider. It thus stripped the retirement home of valuables, drugs and patient records, amongst other materials!
"The Australian federal government has ordered a full inquiry into this disgraceful development. And the Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union called for criminal charges to be considered and subcontractors banned from running aged care facilities.
"It is clear to the union and all well-meaning persons that we cannot allow the lives and dignity of aged people to be treated with such disdain by for-profit interests."

(31 Jul 2019) Home births at risk as midwife service collapses BBC reports that a profit-hungry private midwifery service has begun to cut back services where insufficient money is to be made: of course the BBC lamely claims it has been "forced to close"!
"Hundreds of mothers-to-be have lost access to their midwives after a community service was forced to close.
"Women across the north-west of England and in Essex have been affected after One to One announced it was withdrawing the services it provided for the NHS.
"The company said the contracts it had did not pay enough to make the service financially viable."

(31 Jul 2019) Rural Hospitals Are Shutting Down in States That Didn’t Expand Medicaid US website Mother Jones points out that "Rejecting the Obamacare program has come with a cost."
Of the 106 rural hospitals that have shut down since 2010, 77 were located in states that hadn’t expanded Medicaid, the study found.
"Most closures have happened in places where people came out in droves to vote for Donald Trump—and yet his administration hasn’t done much to turn the tide. Legislation sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) would expand funding and create more protections for rural hospitals. But the bill hasn’t gained much momentum: It has sat dormant in the House since 2015, though it was reintroduced last year."

(31 Jul 2019) A&E at Queen's Medical Centre had its busiest month ever in June Nottingham Post report underlines the continued failure of plans to reduce reliance on A&E services in Nottinghamshire:
"On average there were 462 patients arriving at the A&E every day throughout June resulting in the highest ever demand at the hospital in its existence.
"Nottingham University Hospitals has said the huge number of patients it was seeing through the doors resulted in some long waits at the emergency department.
"The original A&E unit was designed to treat 350 to 400 patients a day but it now regularly sees 550 to 600 a day."

(31 Jul 2019) Lord Forsyth: ‘Private insurance won’t fix the social care crisis’ Guardian reports Lord Forsyth, one time minister for John Major and now chair of the Lords economic committee on social care talking about their recent report's call for an extra £8 billion of public funding:
"The committee’s proposals were built on solid evidence, he says – “which I suppose these days is something of a novelty in terms of public policy”. So, social insurance solutions favoured by many in his own party were quickly dispatched, after the insurance industry told the committee they wouldn’t work.
"Half the social care budget is spent on people of working age, so insurance schemes would not help them. They were just a diversion from the reality that a properly functioning social care system is the expensive duty of the taxpayer, not of markets, says Forsyth.
“The people who are looking for some easy way out of this are in search of a holy grail which does not exist.”

(31 Jul 2019) Exclusive: Capital billions promised by ministers fail to reach ‘front line’ (£) HSJ flags up the massive squandering of historic NHS capital assets to prop up flagging revenue budgets after nine brutal years of austerity funding:
"Only a fraction of the £2.5bn of capital funding announced and allocated by the government for the NHS since 2017 has actually been released to the service.
"Research by HSJ suggests less than £100m has been distributed to local providers over the last two years – equating to just 3 per cent of the total funding listed in several headline-grabbing media announcements.
"The findings are supported by data in published Department of Health and Social Care accounts. …
"HSJ’s findings reveal how the impression given by ministers’ announcements in recent years contrast with the reality of relatively small amounts actually being released."

(31 Jul 2019) CQC places two Priory Group hospitals in special measures Guardian reports on more damning CQC findings on Priory group private mental health hospitals, which are largely dependent on NHS-funded patients:
"Two hospitals run by the Priory Group have been placed in special measures in a fresh controversy over state-funded private contractors’ treatment of people with mental illness or learning disabilities. …
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found both hospitals – Priory Hospital Blandford in Dorset and Kneesworth House in Royston, Hertfordshire – unsafe and uncaring and declared them inadequate. They have been given up to six months to show improvement or face closure."

(31 Jul 2019) NHS and future trade deals: Our campaigning has Boris worried. Update from Keep Our NHS Public notes:
"Boris Johnson, our new unelected prime minister, is leader of a fractured party with a weak majority in Parliament. The backlash over the idea that the NHS could be part of a Trump trade deal is something he cannot afford to ignore.
"In response to the huge public outcry, the government has now debated the parliamentary petition demanding that the NHS be excluded from any future trade deals after Brexit. The petition has attracted over 160,000 signatures meaning that the petition had to be tabled for discussion.
"Meanwhile, a petition by Keep Our NHS Public launched on Change.org during President Trump’s state visit entitled Keep our NHS out of US trade deals went viral and gained more than four times that number (over 700,000 signatures to date) making it one of the most popular petitions Change.org has seen."

(31 Jul 2019) US healthcare is literally killing people (£) Financial Times article by Tim Harford notes:
"Not before time. The US healthcare system is a monument to perverse incentives, unintended consequences and political inertia. It is astonishingly bad — indeed, it’s so astonishingly bad that even people who believe it’s bad don’t appreciate quite how bad it is."
He goes on:
"… mortality rates for middle-aged white Americans have stagnated or perhaps even risen in the US, while falling fast in other rich countries.
"I recently had the opportunity to ask Prof [Anne] Case and Sir Angus [Deaton] to what extent the US healthcare system was to blame. Their answer, in a nutshell: it would be an exaggeration to blame the system entirely but not a gross exaggeration."

(31 Jul 2019) NHS abandons plan to let healthy people pay for DNA sequencing Guardian reports on quiet ditching of controversial plan as one of the few positive outcomes in the otherwise largely empty Green Paper on public health:
"Government plans to sell DNA sequencing to healthy people on condition that they share their results for medical research have been scrapped amid concerns it would create an inequitable two-tier health system.
"Matt Hancock, who survived Boris Johnson’s cabinet makeover to keep his job as health secretary, announced the “genomic volunteers” plan in January, which included a paid-for option that would be offered to healthy people in England to boost medical knowledge and uncover new treatments."

(31 Jul 2019) Dominic Cummings: Tory MPs do not care about poor people or NHS Guardian's Rowena Mason reminding us of comments by Johnson's adviser Cummings at a Tory conference 2 years ago:
"Voters are right to think Tory MPs largely do not care about poorer people or the NHS, according to Dominic Cummings in comments that have emerged from two years ago.
"Boris Johnson’s new senior adviser and a key architect of Brexit gave his damning view on Conservative MPs at a conference in 2017, where he said: “People think, and by the way I think most people are right: ‘The Tory party is run by people who basically don’t care about people like me.’"

(31 Jul 2019) Abbey Meads GP practice in special measures after damning report highlights safety fears Swindon Advertiser highlights yet another GP practice pushed into failure to meet CQC standards by Bahamas-owned IMH:
"URGENT overall improvement is needed after a fifth IMH-managed Swindon surgery received a damning CQC report.
"The GP practice in Abbey Meads Village Centre has been placed into special measures after inspectors found significant issues with patient safety, service quality, leadership and governance."
See also an earlier background report in The Lowdown https://lowdownnhs.info/news/swindon-primary-care-left-stranded-by-contract-failure/

(30 Jul 2019) Telford street poll shows support for keeping both A&Es in Shropshire Shropshire Star report of Green Party campaigning to highlight public support for keeping both A&E units open in Shropshire as the Independent Reconfiguration panel gets set to report.
"Hilary Wendt, co-ordinator of South Shropshire Greens, said: “This result is entirely consistent with and most emphatically reinforces the results obtained from the same balloting that the Green Party has previously carried out across six south Shropshire towns.
"In each town more than 90 per cent of people balloted voted to keep both of Shropshire’s A&Es open.
“What people have told us repeatedly is that ‘in an emergency every second counts’ to get emergency patients to emergency care soonest.
"Royal Shrewsbury should have its Future Fit planned bright new hospital with A&E but Telford and surrounding people must keep their A&E."

(30 Jul 2019) General practice by smartphone (£) BMJ article by Cambridge professor Martin Roland underlines previous warnings on the dangers, inequalities and limitations of relying on "digital first" primary care. He notes:
"The evaluation confirms that GP at Hand caters principally to a healthy, affluent, young, and working population: 98.5% of patients are aged 20-64,3 two thirds live in affluent areas, and only 0.1% are cared for by the service’s “chronic care team.”

(30 Jul 2019) More women found to have missed cervical screening invitations in new Capita “administrative error” (£) BMJ article highlighting yet another in the never-ending series of contract failures by privatiser Capita:
"Capita has admitted that failure to process the emails led to delays in 16 women receiving their invitations to cervical screening. Requests from 99 women to be removed from the screening programme were also not acted upon.
"Richard Vautrey, BMA General Practitioners Committee chair, said, “Less than a year after tens of thousands of women missed vital correspondence about cervical screening, this is a further example of patient safety being put at risk because of Capita’s incompetence."

(30 Jul 2019) Map: Which parts of England have most patients aged over 75 per GP? Interesting interactive map from GP Online shows that problems are greatest in rural areas, and ranks proliferation of over-75 residents with numbers of GPs as well as numbers of 75+ per GP. Will this influence STP/Long Term Plans or CCG decisions? Unlikely -- they have largely ignored such issues up to now, and STPs in 2016 notoriously lacked equality impact assessments, serious needs assessments -- and almost everything else needed to make them serious plans.

(25 Jul 2019) Emergency admissions to hospital from care homes: how often and what for? Health Foundation research has found that given sufficient additional investment in nursing homes large numbers of hospital admissions can be avoided:
"A large number of these emergency admissions may be avoidable: 41% were for conditions that are potentially manageable, treatable or preventable outside of a hospital setting, or that could have been caused by poor care or neglect.
"Four evaluations of initiatives to improve health and care in care homes carried out by the Improvement Analytics Unit (IAU) in Rushcliffe, Sutton, Wakefield and Nottingham City show reductions in some measures of emergency hospital use for residents who received enhanced support."

(25 Jul 2019) Only public funding can guarantee universal health coverage Valuable Guardian article by veteran campaigner for universal health coverage Rob Yates

(25 Jul 2019) Who’s Matt Hancock? The health secretary’s only legacy will be how quickly he’s forgotten Denis Campbell of the Guardian offers what has turned out to be a sadly premature obituary on the tenure of Matt Hancock as health secretary

(25 Jul 2019) Nurse-to-Patient Ratios save lives and money, study finds Nurse Uncut reveals an Australian study of great interest for those campaigning here for safe services:
"In a world-first study, researchers have found legislated ratios not only save lives, but also save governments millions of dollars.
The research found that, in its first year of operation, Queensland’s nurse-to-patient ratios scheme saved 145 lives, and avoided 255 readmissions. It also found that 29,200 hospital days were avoided.
"In total, this resulted in an estimated cost saving of over $80 million for the Queensland Government."

(25 Jul 2019) Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign submit two petitions against potential money-borrowing deal Chronicle Live reports "Save South Tyneside Hospital Campaign (SSTHC) submitted two petitions with a combined total of nearly 2,000 signatures. The petitions opposed any council financing for the Path To Excellence scheme which, campaigners claimed, would "downgrade" South Tyneside Hospital services further."
Roger Nettleship, chairman of the SSTHC said.
"The health bosses might get a cheap loan off the council if they arrange it but we think that the main reason that they're doing it is because they want the council to buy-in to this second phase without knowing what it's going to be," he said.
"If they buy into it, then they're most likely to not oppose the services that will be lost. The scrutiny committee did a brilliant job to oppose the phase one when they referred it to the secretary of state.
"There won't be that same impetus to do that if they're funding phase two. That's the main reason for us to do this emergency motion."

(25 Jul 2019) Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s The public health 'consultation paper' that was stripped of any serious content to fuel Matt Hancock's doomed bid for a different job under Boris Johnson.

(25 Jul 2019) Three-quarters of money from NHS land sales went into revenue After 9 years of falling real terms funding now even the fire sale of assets can't bail out the capital budget fast enough. According to the HSJ:
Just 22 per cent of money raised from NHS property sales went back into capital budget for reinvestment
This was despite government commitment for disposal proceeds to be reinvested in new estates’ projects

(25 Jul 2019) Private firms given £9.2bn of NHS budget despite Hancock promise Guardian article collates last few years figures on spending on private health care providers and warns that cash spent continues to rise despite promise from Matt Hancock of "no privatisation on my watch".

(25 Jul 2019) The new health tourism debacle: NHS fails to recover nearly three-quarters of bills run up by ineligible foreign patients Daily Mail as most virulent proponent of continued "hostile regime" against anyone who does not look and sound "British" fails to recognise that campaigner have always warned amounts recovered would be trivial and unlikely to cover the costs and dislocation involved. Daily Heil also remains oblivious to suffering caused by this futile and reactionary policy.

(25 Jul 2019) Long delays to NHS cataract operations leave elderly at risk Guardian reveals that:
"People with poor eyesight are being forced to wait almost six months for operations on the NHS to remove cataracts, official figures reveal.
"Patients in Herefordshire are facing average delays of 168 days – five months and 17 days – for cataract surgery, according to data collected by NHS Digital, the health service’s statistical arm. Waiting times in Great Yarmouth and Waveney in Norfolk are the second worst in England at 163 days, while they now average 154 days in North Lincolnshire."

(25 Jul 2019) Ex-NHSI directors receive payouts of up to £300k HSJ reports that four directors who you will probably never of heard of, who left NHS Improvement amid its effective merger with NHS England, received exit packages worth between £150,000 to £300,000.
Once again it seems those at the top have pain-free exit strategies for themselves, while front line staff get treated very differently.

(25 Jul 2019) Lincolnshire health visitors stage 48-hour strike action in pay row BBC report and photo of 58 Unite health visitor members who walked out because they had not received a pay increase for two years.
"Workers lost more than £2,000 a year compared with NHS staff after their contracts were switched from the NHS to the council in 2017, the union said."

(25 Jul 2019) Democratic Alliance calls NHI Bill a “disastrous piece of legislation” Despite the criticism, note the conclusion: South Africa's NHI Bill "seeks to form a single state-owned and run medical healthcare fund that would cover the entire population, effectively instantly remove the need for private medical funds"

(25 Jul 2019) How One Community Brought Child Mortality Down From 154 To 7 Per 1,000 Live Births Some welcome good news from Mali and a reminder of the kind of approach that delivers effective health care, and saves lives: pity austerity England is headed in opposite direction.

(25 Jul 2019) Blithering Stakeholder (BS) News Much needed light relief from a parody that is so close to the reality it almost seems lifted from an actual CCG website: choice extract:
"The hospital’s chief executive Sir Trevor Longstay took personal charge of the project to digitise patient records in 2016 and famously asked “How hard can it be to install a few computers?” before firing the project team.
"After 18 months during which the project missed three completion deadlines and costs more than doubled, auditors finally advised the trust to write off the entire cost and abandon the programme.
"Blithering Hospital spokesman Martin Plackard said: “Sir Trevor takes full and unequivocal responsibility in principle for a few areas where success was less than fully achieved due to circumstances beyond our control,” but pointed out that not all of the investment had gone to waste. The server racks had been “strategically redeployed” in the laundry for storing bed linen and the purpose-built computer room had played a vital part in the hospital’s winter management plan, relieving the pressure on corridors and waiting areas, Plackard said."

(25 Jul 2019) ARE UHC KIDDING ME? 5 ALTERNATIVES TO EQUITABLY FUND HEALTH FOR ALL Dutch campaigners Wemos note the need for progressive solutions to the problems of funding health care in Low Income Countries:
"Development assistance for health can play an important role in LMICs to fill a part of the funding gap. However, up until today, the financial flows leaving LMICs are way higher than the flows entering countries through aid. Therefore, we need to reconsider the global economic system if we want to achieve UHC globally.
"I dare say there are alternatives. Let me share five ideas that could actually contribute significantly to UHC."

(25 Jul 2019) A&E waiting times in England record 'worst June ever' Sky news reporting on the latest figures notes "The NHS says pressure on staffing and beds is damaging performance, as Labour claims there's now a "year-round crisis".

(25 Jul 2019) NHS England hired consultancy to find out what it is responsible for Brilliant sidelight on the confusion and uselessness of NHS England in this story from HSJ's Shaun Lintern. Not only did they need to inquire into their own duties, they paid through the nose for it:
"NHS England paid external consultants more than £200,000 to ‘map’ its responsibilities ahead of the merger with NHS Improvement, HSJ has learned.
"The national commissioning body used PA Consulting to carry out a ‘function mapping exercise’ in the first three months of 2018.
"An NHSE insider passed HSJ a copy of the PA Consulting invoice which detailed the daily rates charged by the team of seven. One of the PA Consulting staff, partner Tony Wood, was charged out at a daily rate of £1,900, or £5,700 for three days’ work."

(25 Jul 2019) NHS fees: 'Couple couldn't take baby's body home' Shocking revelations from the BBC's Derbyshire programme of the consequences of levying charges on "foreign" patients, many of whom live and work here.

(25 Jul 2019) NHS bosses respond to key questions over £367m hospital transformation plans Leicester Mercury reports on a meeting which despite the headline left more unanswered questions than it gave answers as health chiefs keep their key plans and documents under wraps.
"Members of the Patients Panel and Save Our NHS Leicestershire say they have repeatedly asked for more details about £367m transformation plans and to see the pre-consultation business case. So far, Leicester’s Hospitals have refused.
"Mr Adler said: “We would like nothing more than to be able to start consultation now.
But we’re not allowed to start public consultation."
Maybe not: but there is nothing to stop them publishing the pre-consultation business case since by any definition we are in a pre-consultation period.

(25 Jul 2019) Fire chiefs threaten to close dangerous hospitals After nine brutal years of austerity under-funding of the NHS revenue and capital budgets, the chronic failure to carry out backlog maintenance have let to this:
"The fire brigade has warned four NHS trusts that they plan to shut down parts of their hospitals because they are so decrepit that they pose a threat to patients and staff.
"Fire chiefs have made plain to the trusts that they must make urgent improvements to the units concerned in order to improve safety or face legal action to close them down."

(25 Jul 2019) 'I feel like my hands are tied' - Health visitor lifts lid on struggling profession as workforce dwindles Lincolnshire Live report as health visitors prepare for strike action says:
"One of Lincolnshire's top health visitors says the profession is understaffed and struggling to cope with demand amid massive funding cuts and dwindling staff numbers.
"Dozens of health visitors - nurses or midwives who are frequently the first point of contact with families, connecting them with vital community services - are employed by Lincolnshire County Council."

(25 Jul 2019) New report shines a welcome light on the perilous state of adult social care As the government repeatedly postpone the long-promised green paper on social care the Health Foundation response to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee report on social care funding underlines the scale of the crisis.

(25 Jul 2019) Minister attacked for refusing to act on evidence that overseas patients are dying because of upfront NHS charges Independent report on the bizarre appearance of health minister Stephen Hammond in front of the Commons Health Committee:
"In an evidence session – likened to an episode of Yes Minister – Mr Hammond first argued a government review had taken place, before backtracking after being corrected by his top civil servant.
"To the disbelief of MPs, he then argued that they, or local NHS leaders, should carry out any such inquiry, denying it was the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)."

(25 Jul 2019) NHS hospital staff to strike over 'back door privatisation' in Bradford Guardian report as more than 300 hospital staff in Bradford began a week of strike action in a dispute over what union leaders have described as the “back door privatisation” of the NHS:
"Porters, cleaners and security staff voted to take industrial action over plans by Bradford teaching hospitals NHS trust to set up a new company to run the facilities."

(25 Jul 2019) No vision for health, healthcare in Union Budget: Docs Indian doctors slam the lack of government proposals to move towards Universal Health Care: "The medical care is left to unregulated private healthcare sector. And sadly, the Finance Minister does not even think of health when presenting the highlights in Parliament.
"So, the sad story of passive privatisation that began 30 years back continues, rather with enhanced zeal. Healthcare has been left to market forces, hence the government is only bent on increasing coverage. "

(25 Jul 2019) David Oliver: The NHS doesn’t need more “restructuring” Good BMJ blog from David Oliver who links B. Johnson's leadership campaign claim the NHS “needs reform,” as it was “not getting the kind of support and indeed the kind of changes and management that it needs” with similar vague calls for "restructuring" from the so-called "think tank" the Institute of Economic Affairs -- and demolishes the notion.

(25 Jul 2019) Full text of Aneurin Bevan's important book "In Place Of Fear(1952)" Important reminders of the progressive principles on which the NHS was founded in a bankrupt post war economy, and why is was not set up as any kind of "insurance" scheme. Great summer reading.

(25 Jul 2019) NHS doctors are protesting the hostile environment Excellent article in Huck magazine explains:
"The current situation is the result of years of restrictions that have escalated since the 2014 immigration act. Then, the government introduced an immigration health surcharge – now pegged at £400 per year – for people with limited visas. Since, a statutory requirement has been placed on NHS Trusts to charge migrants up to 150 per cent of costs upfront for most types of medical care, withholding it if a patient can’t pay.
"It’s a policy that health workers and policy experts say undermines the role of doctors and nurses, stops migrants accessing the care they need and, ultimately, risks harm and even death."

(25 Jul 2019) 'Abysmal': Patient in SEVEN-HOUR wait for ambulance in Shropshire Shropshire Star article quotes ambulance boss pointing out the obvious problem in a large county with scattered population:
"“We only have a certain number of vehicles in Shropshire and if one of those vehicles, even from a relatively urban area, is pulled away, it can be a long way away and take a long time to arrive back."
Just imagine how much worse it could be if many of these ambulance journeys were extended by only having one A&E in Shropshire.

(25 Jul 2019) Great Ormond Street Hospital is chasing £45MILLION of debt from foreign patients and may have to write much of it off, shocking figures reveal Daily Mail story which underlines the folly of major NHS hospitals relying so heavily on attracting wealthy overseas patients to bolster their budgets. Given the chronic high level of default by well-heeled scroungers, do these private patient units actually make any profit at all?

(25 Jul 2019) Special report: How Oxford’s cancer scanners are being handed to a profit-seeking company Banbury Guardian again leading the field in probing this scandalous privatisation and the process by which it is being imposed by NHS England despite near unanimous all party opposition in Oxfordshire.

(25 Jul 2019) Efficacy of population‐wide diabetes and obesity prevention programs: An overview of systematic reviews on proximal, intermediate, and distal outcomes and a meta‐analysis of impact on BMI The evidence that neoliberals claimed to want to see on the effectiveness of a sugar tax in improving public health

(25 Jul 2019) 'Sin taxes': Boris Johnson vows to review sugar levy Forewarning from the leadership campaign of the reactionary policies and outright pig ignorance we can expect from the Jonson government, especially given that Matt Halfcock remains as health secretary having already buried his own public health proposals in a desperate bid to show obedience.

(25 Jul 2019) Why poverty is bad for the nation’s health Common sense reminder from a Health Foundation blog that without getting the basics right, the NHS will never be able to keep up with rising demand.
"Government data released today on households below average income show that many families in the UK are struggling to achieve a decent standard of living. In 2017/18, there were 14 million people living in households with an income below the poverty line (after housing costs). This is 22% of the UK population."

(25 Jul 2019) Expansion of controversial 'GP by Skype' service to be offered to every patient by 2021 risks worsening GP crisis across the UK, warns Cambridge professor Shock news: Daily Mail quotes real expert. Cambridge Prof Martin Rowland explains why Matt Halfcock's beloved apps and NHS England's "digital first" plans coulkd end badly.

(5 Jul 2019) KONP calls for taking hospital catering back in-house A blast of sound policy from Keep Our NHS Public, which points out that we need to unpick over three decades of privatisation and disintegration of services:
"The process of outsourcing food production from hospitals has been ongoing since the 1980s. Most of the new-build PFI hospitals were only provided with kitchens suitable for reheating pre-prepared meals, not cooking from scratch. The drive has been to cut costs. Staff in private food production firms are frequently paid only the minimum wage. They do not receive NHS pay and conditions. They are not part of the NHS family and cannot be expected to have the same loyalty, and understanding, of the NHS that directly employed staff do."

(5 Jul 2019) Martin Plackard’s implementation framework Great antidote to the mega serving of bullsh*t in NHS England's Long Term Plan and more recent Implementation Framework. You may weep, but from laughing rather than the straight-faced nonsense that passes for planning.

(5 Jul 2019) You Tube video of ground-breaking NUJ meeting in Oxford An important meeting challenging secrecy and threats of legal action in NHS England's efforts to privatise specialist PET-CT scanning services in Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes and Swindon

(5 Jul 2019) 'Abysmal': Patient in SEVEN-HOUR wait for ambulance in Shropshire Shropshire Star article with self explanatory headline: with a change of chief executive in the acute hospital trust it must now be time to drop the plan to axe one of the county's A&E units.

(5 Jul 2019) Special report: How Oxford’s cancer scanners are being handed to a profit-seeking company More splendid reporting from the Banbury Guardian makes you wish more of the local news media had the staff, resources and know-how to get stuck in and investigate scandals like this.

(5 Jul 2019) Boris Johnson vows to FREEZE sugar tax on fizzy drinks to reduce food bills for poorest families Daily Mail predictably lining up enthusiastic support for a policy that can shorten the lives of its readers, describing Jonson's questioning of the effectiveness of the sugar tax as "one of his most significant policy announcements to date."

(5 Jul 2019) Efficacy of population‐wide diabetes and obesity prevention programs: An overview of systematic reviews on proximal, intermediate, and distal outcomes and a meta‐analysis of impact on BMI Ideal answer to Johnson on sugar and prevention.

(5 Jul 2019) 'Sin taxes': Boris Johnson vows to review sugar levy Sugar Daddy Johnson revealing a combination of ignorance and reactionary politics that can cost lives

(5 Jul 2019) One in five councils face drastic spending cuts within months The Guardian picks up the latest bad news from the Local Government Association, revealing not even social care and children's services are safe:
"The deteriorating financial prospects for local government mean that within months nearly one in five councils in England may be forced to impose drastic spending controls to stave off bankruptcy, council leaders have warned.
"The Local Government Association (LGA) said councils had little confidence that they would be able to deliver the already tough savings targets they had set themselves for this financial year, and would have to go back for extra cuts to meet their legal requirement to balance their budgets.
"A further one in three councils surveyed said prospects were so bleak that within three years they would be unable to meet their statutory obligation to provide an adequate service in core areas such as adult social care, child protection and homelessness prevention."

(5 Jul 2019) SARNIE BUG CALL Matt Hancock urges NHS trusts to hire their own chefs after ‘killer sandwich’ listeria outbreak The Sun reports "An exhaustive review of hospital food will be launched in a matter of days as the Health Secretary urges management to end a reliance on outsourcing companies - and cooking back in-house." Great idea - first floated recently by Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health secretary: but obstacle is the number of hospitals left without full kitchens after 35 years of privatisation and 22 years of PFI hospitals being largely built without them. Let's have NHS kitchens staffed by NHS cooks: and let's see the government money up front to make this happen!

(5 Jul 2019) NHS oncologists are being offered shares in private hospitals. This must stop CHPI's David Rowland on the important new report showing the conflict of interest for hundreds of NHS consultants with shares in private medicine.

(5 Jul 2019) NHS consultants can refer patients to private hospitals in which they have a stake Good Guardian plug for report from independent CHPI think thank which has found that:
"Almost 400 NHS consultants own shares in private hospitals to which they refer patients, exposing them to a potential conflict between their income and patients’ best interests, new research reveals.
"In all, 371 senior doctors have a stake in some of the private hospitals that are earning more than £1bn a year from NHS trusts. These doctors are referring growing numbers of patients because understaffing and the soaring demand for care means the NHS is struggling to treat people quickly enough."

(5 Jul 2019) NHS patients will be able to log anonymous complaints via smartphones under safety plans Telegraph with more uncritical guff on so-called digital solutions, which are leaving millions of poorer, less confident and less able patients on the outside looking in. When will there be an app that properly records people's impatience with NHS apps?

(5 Jul 2019) UN rapporteur: tax cut plans of Johnson and Hunt 'a tragedy' Guardian reports comments from the Tories' least favourite UN representative telling the real grim story of austerity and mounting inequality since Cameron first took office in 2010.

(5 Jul 2019) Norfolk and Suffolk mental health trust crisis care 'not safe' BBC reports yet another critical CQC report of the failing Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust, with yet more empty words of response from managers who have done nothing to improve things.
"A mental health trust in special measures has been told its crisis treatment team is "not consistent in providing safe care".
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an unannounced inspection at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
"Staff told inspectors they were unable to keep up with demand and failed to visit patients as planned."

(5 Jul 2019) Bedford Hospital accused of risking hygiene standards in order to save money More on the impending privatisation of cleaning services at Bedford -- privatisation with a track record since 1984 you could smell a mile away.

(5 Jul 2019) High-Performance Health Financing for Universal Health Coverage (Vol. 2) : Driving Sustainable, Inclusive Growth in the 21st Century World Bank, which spent two decades at least attempting to screw down public spending on health care and force through maximum privatisation and user fees in developing countries now laments insufficient government spending!

(5 Jul 2019) Bedford Hospital chief exec ‘unable to sign pledge’ to protect cleaners’ jobs Another sign of desperate times for NHS managers in the Bedford Independent, where domestic staff look set to be privatised as part of the overhead cost to care as the Bedford Trust is set to merge with "i.e. be taken over by) the much larger Luton & Dunstable FT -- where cleaning is already privatised. 'Harmonisation' the wrong way!

(5 Jul 2019) Care for the elderly is a scandal – but don’t expect a solution from Hunt or Johnson Polly Toybee in the Guardian gets stuck in to the two unsavoury front runners for the Tory leadership and PM post.

(5 Jul 2019) Patients are being routinely cared for in ‘temporary’ beds as hospitals are ‘full-to-bursting’ Nursing Notes picks up on a BMA report on inadequate numbers of front line beds.

(5 Jul 2019) Social care chiefs: funding crisis puts tens of thousands at risk Guardian picks up on hard-hitting report from directors of social services warning that:
"In a withering assessment, Adass said social care in England was adrift in a “sea of inertia” caused by years of budget cuts and Brexit-related Whitehall policy paralysis. “The system is not only failing financially, it is failing people,” it concluded."

(5 Jul 2019) Information released does not explain OUH’s U-turn over PET-CT Banbury Guardian continues to lead the charge seeking the real facts and hidden correspondence and documents to explain NHS England decision to privatise specialist scanning services in Oxford.

(5 Jul 2019) CQC rates private sector Cygnet mental health hospital in Colchester as inadequate on safety The location Cygnet Hospital Colchester is a 57-bed hospital for men and women aged 18 and above.

(5 Jul 2019) Children's mental health: Is Suffolk getting a raw deal? East Anglian Daily Times report warning follows on CQC report:
"Vulnerable youngsters are being "failed by the system", a parent group is warning after a watchdog identified disparities in children's mental health provision across Suffolk and Norfolk."

(2 Jul 2019) Scrap upfront NHS charges for migrants, says BMA Guardian report of important decision of BMA conference and correctly points out that
"The British Medical Association has become the first body representing medical staff to call for the complete abolition of the charges, which have been heavily criticised by MPs and health charities.
Delegates gathering in Belfast for the annual conference of the union, which represents 155,000 doctors, overwhelmingly backed a motion which called for “the policy of charging migrants for NHS care to be abandoned and for the NHS to be free for all at the point of delivery”.
Medical bodies such as the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges have previously only demanded that the regulations be suspended pending an inquiry into how they were working."

(2 Jul 2019) We need a social care system that is as much a source of national pride as the NHS (£) Ambitious BMJ blog by Health Foundation's Anita Charlesworth.

(2 Jul 2019) Four CCGs looking at 1 million population merger (£) HSJ report on one of the bigger plans for merger of CCGs outside of the mega mergers proposed in NW, SW and SE London. In each of these mergers the big issue is the loss of any local voice for the communities affected as they are lumped into bodies covering much larger populations, and showing little concern to hear local public views.
"A paper which will be considered by the three Surrey Heartlands CCGs tomorrow says: “After 18 months of working closely together across the ICS, the question of a merger seems to be the logical next step.”
East Surrey CCG joining the three – Surrey Downs, North West Surrey, and Guildford and Waverley – in a merged organisation would also be “logical,” it says. East Surrey CCG’s governing body is expected to discuss the potential merger on Thursday.
The three existing Surrey Heartlands CCGs already work closely together, including holding governing body meetings in common and sharing a joint accountable officer, Matthew Tait."

(2 Jul 2019) NHS pays firms £181m to care for patients with serious mental illness Guardian highlights figures from a BMA report, noting:
"The NHS is paying private firms an “eye-watering” £181m a year to look after people with serious mental health problems in units often hundreds of miles from their homes.
A shortage of NHS mental health beds in England means it is being forced to hand companies such as the Priory and Cygnet Health Care larger sums each year, official figures show.
The amount those firms receive to provide residential rehabilitation for those with high-level mental health needs has risen from £158m in 2016-17 to £181m last year – an increase of £23m. Their share of the money spent by NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on such care has also grown from 54% to 57% over the same period, a British Medical Association (BMA) investigation found."

(24 Jun 2019) District nurses are the hidden heroes of the NHS – so why are they being cut? Independent long read on district nursing points out that:
"The Queen’s Nursing Institute and Royal College of Nursing have warned that district nurses, the hidden heroes of the NHS, are under siege. Numbers in the profession have fallen by almost half since 2010 (from 7,055 to 4,031)."

(24 Jun 2019) Food safety inspectors have failed 439 hospitals, care homes and nurseries (£) Times flags up shocking statistics on scale of poor food hygiene
"More than 400 hospitals, care homes and nurseries have failed food hygiene and safety inspections, a Sunday Times investigation reveals. Reports obtained by this newspaper show inspectors found out-of-date chicken, dirty fridges and mouldy food in hospital kitchens. The findings were released last week under information laws after a listeria outbreak caused by chicken sandwiches killed five hospital patients."

(24 Jun 2019) NHS hospital stops plan to charge patients almost £20k for operations after outcry Mirror follow up to its front page 24 hours earlier
"A hospital trust has dramatically shelved plans to charge patients up to £20,000 for treatments - previously available for free - in a huge victory for the Daily Mirror.
"Warrington and Halton Hospitals (WHH) Trust announced the U-turn after we reported it was touting hip replacements for £18,143 among a list of 71 treatments.
"Our front page story sparked a national backlash against the first trust to brazenly embrace privatisation of much of its life-changing treatments."

(24 Jun 2019) Anger as NHS price list shows hospital operations will cost patients up to £8,000 each Liverpool Echo take on Warrington & Halton Trust "My Choice" scheme to charge for 71 different elective treatments, adds another warning:
"There are further privatisation fears concerning Halton General Hospital.
"Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury said he has been informed that the contract for the urgent care unit at the hospital would no longer be provided by its existing NHS supplier."

(24 Jun 2019) Warrington warning – NHS says no, then offers private care Front pager from The Lowdown with analysis of attempts by Warrington and Halton Hospitals Foundation Trust to cash in on frustration at the growing list of treatments excluded from the NHS by cost-cutting CCGs in Merseyside and Warrington, by launching its own private NHS patient service.
"There are fears that this is the increasingly commercial face of the NHS that is emerging from almost a decade of austerity on funding, and six years of legislation that urged Foundation Trusts like Warrington to make up to 50% of their income from private medicine."
The Lowdown points out "this is not a Private Patient Unit. Patients are warned not to expect any special treatment: they are simply paying for NHS treatment that was once free.
“There are no private rooms and they will join the same waiting list as NHS patients. The major benefit is access to outstanding NHS treatments at a fraction of the cost of those undertaken by private providers.”
It may not be long before other NHS trusts in the area and elsewhere in the country are following the Warrington model, excluding large numbers of elective treatments from the NHS for those without the money to pay.
The same long list of 71 excluded services has been imposed by all seven CCGs in Merseyside and Warrington, under the pretext of helping to “reduce variation” of access to NHS services in different areas (“sometimes called ‘postcode lottery’ in the media”) and “allow fair and equitable treatment for all local patients.”

(24 Jun 2019) Hospital bed cutbacks have gone too far, NHS England boss says Guardian reports on a speech by Simon Stevens to NHS Confed conference, which appears to mark a change of direction after a decade of pressure to reduce acute bed numbers.
"Shutting beds has left hospitals unable to cope with the growing number of patients needing care and needs to stop, the head of the NHS has admitted.
"In a surprise U-turn, Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said the policy had gone too far and that hospital beds had become “overly pressurised” as a result of years of closures."

(24 Jun 2019) Babylon's Birmingham patients will be registered with London network Pulse exclusive: "Patients registering at the new GP at Hand expansion in Birmingham will be on the Babylon primary care network patient list in London, the CCG hosting the digital service has confirmed.
"NHS Hammersmith and Fulham CCG has confirmed that new patients registering with GP at Hand in the Midlands will be registered with the Babylon network, which just comprises GP at Hand patients and will be based in west London.
"GP local leaders said the news 'makes a mockery' of PCNs, which are meant to be regionally based.
"NHS England said that these were 'temporary' arrangements."
In fact there have been no moves by NHS England so far to address the consequences in West London of Babylon's expansion.

(24 Jun 2019) Care staff forced to sleep in offices and not wash UNISON press release:
"Care staff on overnight shifts are having to bed down at work in offices or on dirty mattresses – sometimes without anywhere to wash, according to a UNISON report.
The report Sleeping in, losing out – released to coincide with the opening day of the union’s annual conference – presents a shocking picture of ‘sleep-in’ conditions, with staff abused physically and verbally including being punched and threatened with knives.
The findings are based on a survey of more than 3,000 people UK-wide caring for the vulnerable and elderly by staying overnight, including in residential homes, in the accommodation of those living independently, or at the properties of those receiving home support."

(24 Jun 2019) NHS England ‘buried’ concerns over child cancer services Hard-hitting exclusive for (£) HSJ reveals:
"NHS England covered up serious problems with paediatric cancer care in London – which had seen children dying in “terrible agony” – and has “buried” attempts to overhaul the services, an HSJ investigation has established.
"The former NHS medical director for London accused NHSE, his former employer, of “burying” an expert report, commissioned in the wake of child deaths, which showed fragmented services across London were providing poor quality care.
"It highlighted particular shortcomings in children’s cancer services for south London and south east England, which centre on the Royal Marsden Foundation Trust’s Sutton hospital."

(24 Jun 2019) Birmingham NHS maintenance and facilities staff to strike in ‘transfer to tax avoiding company’ row Unite press release: About 40 NHS maintenance and facilities staff at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, who face being transferred to a wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) designed to avoid paying tax, will strike for three days later this month.
Unite said porters, housekeepers, domestic assistants and maintenance staff, who are being transferred to Summerhill Services Ltd from 1 July, will strike on 24-26 June.

(24 Jun 2019) NHS needs extra £8bn or long-term plan will fail, say hospital bosses Guardian reports findings of Health Foundation, as endorsed by normally docile NHS Confederation:
"Ministers must spend an extra £8bn a year on health, on top of the NHS’s £20.5bn budget boost, or the service’s long-term plan will fail, according to hospital bosses and NHS experts warn.
"Waiting times will keep getting worse, hospitals will remain overstretched and efforts to reduce ill-health will falter without a further major injection of cash, they claim in a new analysis."
"Health Education England will need at least £900m extra a year to recruit and train health professionals to help tackle the NHS’s chronic staffing shortage. Despite that, the agency’s budget is being cut every year so the NHS can be given more money.
"Capital spending – which hospitals use to build and renovate buildings, buy equipment such as scanners, and invest in IT – will require an extra £4.4bn, taking its budget up from £5.9bn to £10.3bn."

(24 Jun 2019) Urgent call for £1bn a year to reverse cuts to public health funding Press release.
"Two leading health charities say that the government must make a clear and urgent commitment to restoring £1bn of real-terms per head cuts to the public health grant which enables local authorities to deliver vital preventative services that protect and improve health.
"With the government’s spending review, which was expected to outline long-term funding for the public health grant, likely to be delayed, the Health Foundation and The King’s Fund say that government cannot continue to put off decisions on public health funding and must signal its intention to restoring cuts and ensuring there are no further reductions in funding."

(24 Jun 2019) Basildon Hospital nurses 25 per cent pay cut will affect how they 'support their families' Essex Live report reveals Basildon Hospital nurses are set to receive a massive pay cut for work on bank shifts, under the guise of "harmonisation".
"The nurses, who spend at least 12 hours on their feet on each shift, were told of the huge wage reduction in an email during half term."
A letter from NHS Professionals (NHSP) sent to staffreveals that the hourly pay rate for flexible workers within the Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Foundation Trust will be cut by up to 25 per cent.
"The new system will see existing day rates go from £17.50 to £14.08, night rates and Saturdays from £22.29 to £16.72 and then Sunday and Bank Holiday rates will decrease from £26.14 to £20.43."

(24 Jun 2019) Britain's shame as 70 children treated for mental illnesses in A&E EVERY DAY Mirror report:
"Seventy children are treated at A&E for mental illness every day – four times as many as ten years ago. Shameful statistics reveal 26,582 under-18s were rushed to casualty units in England and treated for psychiatric problems in the year to the end of April.
"The year before it was 22 per cent lower, at 21,814. And 10 years ago, the number was a comparatively low 6,192. The distressing figures cover children with conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating irregularities, personality disorders and addictive behaviours."

(24 Jun 2019) Fears for new mothers as Suffolk slashes health visitor numbers The Guardian reports:
"Health visitors will be made redundant by a local council, sparking fears that new mothers will get less help with mental health problems, breastfeeding and babies’ sleep.
"Suffolk County Council – the area in which health secretary Matt Hancock is an MP – plans to cut as many as 31 full-time posts from its 120-strong health visitor workforce, through a combination of redundancies and not filling vacancies, despite the team’s key role in family health.
"Internal council documents seen by the Observer show that the Conservative-controlled authority intends to push through the controversial plan by September in order to save £1m from its health visiting, school nursing and family nurse partnership services."

(24 Jun 2019) Minister orders review into hospital food after more listeria deaths The Guardian reports "health secretary, Matt Hancock, ordered a review of hospital food on Friday as he came under pressure from opposition MPs, who demanded that he make a statement to parliament on the scandal."
This followed the deaths of two more people after eating pre-packaged sandwiches and salads linked to a listeria outbreak, taking the total number of deaths to five, according to Public Health England.

(24 Jun 2019) Fourteen trusts to be excused from reporting A&E target during controversial trial (£) HSJ report notes that "The Nuffield Trust and the King’s Fund both questioned the analytical approach being taken by NHSE, and queried an apparent lack of transparency, after it emerged the 14 trusts piloting the new standards will not publicly report their four-hour target performance during the trial.
"NHSE said in a note published on its website that the 14 pilot trusts (see full list below), which began testing new metrics last month, were being omitted from the four-hour data for May published today, “as not to contaminate the study design”.
"The hugely significant trial follows a major review of NHS targets and represents the foundations on which NHSE will potentially build the case for scrapping the four-hour A&E target."

(24 Jun 2019) Phone call cuts hospital readmissions (£) Times article revealing the unsurprising fact that supporting older people after discharge from hospital reduces the chances of them needing readmission.
"The researchers acknowledged that more work was needed to look at the wider effects, including those of referring patients to other services. They said, however, that despite this “the study shows early promising findings that reductions in readmission rates could be achieved by offering community nurse follow-up after discharge”."

(24 Jun 2019) FT loses £59m windfall to other trusts (£) HSJ report flags up mysterious case of the Foundation trust that was expecting receive around £59m of national incentive funding, but has instead seen the money distributed to dozens of other providers.
"University Hospitals of Derby and Burton Foundation Trust was in line for a bumper payment from the national “provider sustainability fund”, as it expected to significantly surpass its 2018-19 financial target thanks to a major asset sale.
"But NHS Improvement’s year-end performance report said the trust’s accounts were subject to a “late audit adjustment” which resulted in the “reversal of an accounting treatment used to record an asset sale”.

(24 Jun 2019) Draft memorandum of understanding relating to the arrangements regarding participation in the Clinical Review of Standards field testing of national urgent and emergency care access standards NHS England guidelines for trusts testing new reporting of A&E performance urge keeping data secret from the public:
"Performance against these metrics should not, however, be publicly reported. This includes at Public Board Meetings.
"If forums in which performance is discussed are subject to release of minutes under Freedom of Information legislation, then minutes are to be redacted."

(24 Jun 2019) The worst places for cancer care waits revealed BBC News reports thatBut 94 out of 131 cancer services in England failed to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral by a GP in 85% of cases during 2018-19 - compared with 36 five years ago.
"The worst performer was Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which saw fewer than 61% of patients within 62 days."

(24 Jun 2019) California to become first state to give free healthcare to undocumented immigrants The Independent reports "California is set to become the first state to extend health care coverage to young, undocumented immigrants with a $98 million plan that would help some 100,000 low-income people in the state.
"The policy is being considered by the state's legislature, and would expand coverage for the state’s Medicaid program — known as Medi-Cal — to those undocumented immigrants between the ages of 19 and 25."

(24 Jun 2019) Swindon campaigners say it 'beggars belief' firm got massive NHS patient transport contract Swindon Advertiser reports that campaigners' accusations that Swindon NHS commissioners have failed to do their homework after awarding a multi-million pound 10-year transport contract to a company once branded “diabolical” by councillors.

(24 Jun 2019) Delays for cancer treatment are the worst on record as it emerges one in five patients has to wait more than two MONTHS to start hospital treatment Daily Mail report tells us delays in cancer waiting times are at their worst level on record – with one in five cancer patients forced to wait more than the target of 62 days to start hospital treatment.
"A report by the Public Accounts Committee said waiting times have ‘steadily worsened in recent years’ for both cancer treatment and routine surgery."
A key 18-week target for planned operations for other ailments has effectively been scrapped, and ‘more and more patients are being let down by the continued failure of the NHS to meet waiting times’.

(24 Jun 2019) GMC chief executive admits Bawa-Garba legal advice was wrong Pulse magazine report reveals the GMC's chief executive has admitted the legal advice the regulator received during the Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba case was wrong and if the same case were to take place now he would not try to have a doctor barred from practice.

(14 Jun 2019) Full spending review ‘unlikely’ in time for 2020-21 (£) HSJ picks up an important news item swamped beneath reams of coverage of Trump, Brexit and Tory chaos. A delay to next year in the spending review will leave all NHS plans on hold.

(14 Jun 2019) GP at Hand’s primary care network application to be ‘considered’ Digital Health reports more signs of undermined values and weakness in the NHS as it is assaulted by the slick marketing opportunism of GP at Hand.

(14 Jun 2019) Health and Social Care Committee invites Secretary of State to justify refusal of information The Health and Social Care Committee has called the Secretary of State for Health and failed Tory leadership contender Matt Hancock MP to appear before it to explain his refusal to provide it with information on the Government’s review of NHS overseas visitor charging.

(14 Jun 2019) Forget trade deals – there’s another attack on our NHS happening right now As another health trust prepares to offload its services to a 'SubCo', Richard Bourne's blog for Left Foot Forward looks at an under-reported threat to the NHS

(14 Jun 2019) Victory for Princess Alexandra domestics on eve of strike Good news story from UNISON, of a 99% vote for strike, determined call for 6 days of action, and a management retreat that will keep staff firmly in the NHS.

(14 Jun 2019) GP workforce increasingly fragile as reliance on older doctors grows Analysis by GP Online reveals that
"In September 2015, 20.3% of the permanent, fully-qualified FTE GP workforce was aged 55 or over. By March 2019, 23.6% of GPs in this category were aged 55 or over".

(14 Jun 2019) Care For America’s Elderly And Disabled People Relies On Immigrant Labor US journal Health Affairs points out the obvious: "our finding that immigrants fill a disproportionate share of such jobs suggests that policies curtailing immigration will likely compromise the availability of care for elderly and disabled Americans"

(14 Jun 2019) Chief executive to leave troubled trust (£) HSJ report of Simon Wright, CEO for the failing Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, to step down next month – but found a cosy job "working with sustainability and transformation partnerships”.

(14 Jun 2019) Woman ordered to find work while lying in coma dies aged 48 Not the first such scandal, or sadly the last, but still shocking barbarism from DWP bureaucrats.

(14 Jun 2019) Could the NHS be the price of a US trade deal? Nuffield Trust's Mark Dayan warns that "Any trade deal with the USA will be a tough negotiation, with goals traded off carefully against one another. If we prioritise imaginary problems over real ones, the NHS risks getting the short end of the bargain."

(5 Jun 2019) Trump wavers after saying NHS must be on table in US-UK trade talks Back-tracking by Trump on his demands to open up the NHS to US health corporations after a rush of Tory leadership contenders and other politicians to make clear their opposition to this being part of any US trade deal. US-style commercialised health care is politically toxic: not even the Tories can explicitly accept any association with it,

(30 May 2019) NHS England to offer 'up to' £200k per selected network 'accelerator' site GP leaders have criticised "divisive" NHS England plans to give a £200,000 bung to up to 14 areas which launch Primary Care Networks. The BMA response is that
"We have previously made our reservations about early-adopter schemes clear, which can often lead to a minority securing unfair additional funding that others are denied, and we would be concerned if this latest plan led to inequity across England."

(30 May 2019) IPPR 60-SECOND SUMMARY of report on social care 2 page whistle stop tour through IPPR plan - cuts out some of the waffle.

(30 May 2019) Implementing the NHS Long Term Plan: Ten key issues for the proposed legislative changes Just as everyone seems to have forgotten the Long Term Plan published less than six months ago the NHS Confederation (representing senior NHS managers, public and private providers and commissioners) wakes up with a jolt and fires off a response.

(30 May 2019) English 'short-changed on care funding' BBC report based on health Foundation research notes that:
"Public spending on care for the elderly and disabled is much higher in Scotland and Wales than England, figures show.
"In England, £310 per person is spent each year on services such as care homes and home help for daily tasks such as washing and dressing.
"But in Scotland, £445 is spent - 43% more than in England - and in Wales it is £414 - 33% more."

(29 May 2019) Council spending on local services down 21% over past decade Guardian reports:
"In a reflection of the austerity drive imposed on local authorities by Conservative-led governments during the past decade, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said spending on services in England had fallen by 21% between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
"In a sign of the increasing difficulties facing local authorities across the country, the leading tax and spending thinktank also said the funds available to councils would become increasingly inadequate in the 2020s, rendering the current financing system for the country’s local authorities through council tax and business rates unsustainable."

(29 May 2019) Government pledges more NHS bailouts amid growing audit concerns (£) Exclusive story from HSJ on the parlous and worsening financial plight of many NHS trusts. It reminds us that:
"Year-end accounts for 2017-18 showed trusts owed a combined £11bn to the department - more than total liabilities relating to the private finance initiative. Accounts for 2018-19 are expected to show another rise in these debts.
"In 2017-18, 82 providers received audit reports containing paragraphs highlighting “material uncertainty” in relation to their going concern …"
However NHS England are still conniving at massive and growing deficits: see for example https://lowdownnhs.info/news/debt-ridden-eastern-england-stp-shakes-a-collecting-tin/

(29 May 2019) Tory council chief warns of social care funding shortfall Somerset county council leader tells the Guardian that failure to find funding to cover soaring demand for social care would lead to increasingly difficult decisions about who would be eligible for state help: there will be less funding for complex cases, and those with lower needs will go unfunded.
"His comments came as a report predicted that English councils risk insolvency if government does not move rapidly to fill a £50bn funding black hole opening up in local authority budgets, in large part because of the spiralling cost of paying for services for vulnerable older adults and children."
[Obviously nine years of massive cuts inflicted by his own party colleagues in government are also a factor.]
"The report published by the Conservative-dominated County Councils Network (CCN) ahead of the promised government public spending review says that without extra funding, rising demand for social care will see council finances “plunged into disarray” and services cut to legal minimum levels."

(29 May 2019) English councils warned about 'exhausting' reserve cash BBC report noting that as a result of systematic and deliberate central government austerity in council funding cutbacks since 2010:
"Some councils in England have been warned they risk running out of cash reserves if recent spending continues.
"Analysis by the BBC has identified 11 authorities the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) said would have "fully exhausted" reserves within four years unless they topped them up.
"The Local Government Association said councils faced "systemic underfunding"."
All of which is exceedingly bad news for social care and public health.

(29 May 2019) Croydon hospital's performance got worse after new £21.5 million A&E unit opened My London report shows Croydon's hospital swamped with a rising tide of emergency patients needing beds. A gleaming new A&E unit in itself was never going to solve that problem.
"A spokesperson for the trust said: "Growing demand on our emergency department means it now provides about 6% more major consultant-led care than it did in February a year ago.
"Those are known as 'Type 1' cases. When we include all other types of cases, our emergency department now sees 21% more patients than it did a year ago."

(29 May 2019) In Greece, a life-transforming thyroid pill costs just £1 a month, but in Britain it’s £204 - so how can firms justify the drug daylight robbery? Daily Mail waxing indignant at capitalism rampant and a "market" for pharmaceuticals that forces prices ever upwards rather than down.

(29 May 2019) New issue of The Lowdown Issue 3 includes 4-page overview of privatisation, updates on Circle's defeat at High Court, Cambridge & Peterborough STP passing the hat, GP At Hand, strikes called against privatisation at Princess Alexandra Hospital - and much more

(29 May 2019) The absurdly high [US] cost of insulin, explained Interesting article on Vox.com begins by pointing out that:
"When inventor Frederick Banting discovered insulin in 1923, he refused to put his name on the patent. He felt it was unethical for a doctor to profit from a discovery that would save lives. Banting’s co-inventors, James Collip and Charles Best, sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for a mere $1. They wanted everyone who needed their medication to be able to afford it."
It goes on: "The US is a global outlier on money spent on the drug, representing only 15 percent of the global insulin market and generating almost half of the pharmaceutical industry’s insulin revenue. According to a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine, in the 1990s Medicaid paid between $2.36 and $4.43 per unit of insulin; by 2014, those prices more than tripled, depending on the formulation."

(29 May 2019) Essex council proposes £25.92 'lifting charge' to help elderly up when they fall Independent report on the latest short-sighted efforts at "savings" by social care at the expense of increased demand on NHS services.

(29 May 2019) NHS bosses accused of breaking law in cancer scanning privatisation Guardian reports latest twist in the ongoing scandal of NHS England's attempts to privatise specialist scanning services in Oxford, Swindon and Milton Keynes. Tory-led Oxfordshire County Council has penned a powerful rebuke, accusing NHSE of ignoring legal duty to consult.

(29 May 2019) Major trust opens talks with Babylon, claiming GPs unable to stem demand (£) HSJ report on University Hospitals Birmingham (which has just recently gone into partnership with US-Based HCA to built a large new private hospital on its main site) now linking up with the firm behind GP at Hand.
The deal is supposed to centre on ways of reducing demand for hospital services: by the new report on GP at Hand shows its subscribers make MORE than average use of hospital and other services.

(29 May 2019) Cuts may leave NHS short of 70,000 nurses, leaked report warns Guardian on a leaked report showing devastating projections:
"The NHS could be short of almost 70,000 nurses within five years, according to a leaked copy of the government’s long-awaited plan to tackle the staffing crisis.
"Blaming the government’s decision to abolish bursaries for nursing students, a draft of the NHS people plan says: “Our analysis shows a 40,000 (11%) shortfall [in the number of nurses needed in England] in 2018-19 which widens to 68,500 (16%) by 2023-24 without intervention, as demand for nurses grows faster than supply.”
"That would mean that the NHS’s shortage of nurses increases from one in nine of the workforce to one in six, adding to the rising pressures on hospitals, GP surgeries and mental health care."

(29 May 2019) Sustainability of GP at Hand model questioned in major independent report Good, swift analysis by GP Online of new report on GP at Hand, which points out:
"An independent report on the impact of GP at Hand on patients, the wider health service and the workforce - carried out by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the CCG hosting the service - was unable to conclude whether the service was affordable and sustainable in its current form.
"It warned that the model required 'considerable numbers of GPs' to sustain and that a national rollout of digital-first services may need 'fundamental large-scale redesign of primary care services, which may require substantial changes in the way in which primary care is funded'."

(29 May 2019) NHS looks to cash in on worried patients with £24 blood-test kits (£) Times reports that
"The NHS has entered the market to sell consumer blood tests that look for signs of serious illness in a controversial moneyspinning venture.
"A leading hospital laboratory hopes that online shoppers will pay from £24 for tests that can prevent disease by assessing people’s risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.
"But GPs fear it will lead to an influx of the worried well to overstretched surgeries and insist that “curiosity is simply not a good enough reason for medical testing”.

(29 May 2019) Babylon’s GP at Hand service runs up £21.6m deficit FT report highlights another dimension to the continuing rip-off of NHS resources to give preferential treatment to a needy group of wealthier, younger and healthier patients, leaving less resource for those with greater needs.
"
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https://www.ft.com/content/93843cfc-788c-11e9-bbad-7c18c0ea0201
"Hammersmith and Fulham CCG expects that NHS England will reimburse it for the costs of GP at Hand, but declined to comment on when that would happen."

(29 May 2019) Princess Alexandra Hospital domestics to strike for six days against ‘insulting’ outsourcing plans UNISON press release:
"Domestics at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow will take six days of strike action to stop plans to kick their jobs out of the NHS.
UNISON warns that plans to move 220 cleaning and domestic staff at the hospital out of the NHS would damage the Trust’s excellent infection control rates and hit staff pay and conditions.
A massive 99% of domestics backed strikes on an 84% turnout in the ballot.
They will now walk out for 24 hours on Thursday 6 June, the date of the next Trust board meeting."

(29 May 2019) Princess Alexandra Hopsital Domestics - Save our Domestics Campaign Go Fund Me appeal for financial support for the courageous NHS domestics working at Harlow's PAH. They are out on June 6.

(29 May 2019) Whorlton Hall: Hospital 'abused' vulnerable adults BBC's shocking exposure of abuse of NHS-funded patients at privately-run Cygnet owned hospital.

(29 May 2019) Hospitals are swimming in cash (US) Axios website analyses financial statements of 31 prominent 'not for profit' hospitals to find a (perhaps) surprising result.
"America's rural hospitals are dying. But large not-for-profit hospital systems in cities and suburbs are doing extremely well as premiums rise and as patients struggle to afford their medical bills.

(29 May 2019) How NHS staff are fighting back against the ‘hostile environment’ Open Democracy response to misleading Daily Mail article notes that:
"Despite the claims made by the Daily Mail, the policy of charging migrants for NHS care has not been reversed.
"The article mentions the pausing of a pilot scheme run in 18 Trusts that required people to bring 2 forms of ID to their outpatient appointment. No evaluation of these pilots is available, though we know through freedom of information requests that of 8900 people checked only 50 were found to be eligible for charging."

(29 May 2019) Judge green-lights award of CCG's disputed £320m contract (£) HSJ report on result of Circle's legal challenge to 16 CCGs as the company tries to cling on to its main lucrative NHS contract. More info also on this from https://lowdownnhs.info

(29 May 2019) Stop the UK blocking global efforts for affordable medicines Appeal from Global Justice Now points out:
"The UK government is trying to undermine the resolution at this week's World Health Assembly – and is even pushing for all references to “high prices” to be taken out. This is an outrage, and we need your help to expose it.
"High prices are a big reason why people are not getting the essential medicines they need, in the UK and around the world. Denying that they exist is not an option. The UK should be backing, not blocking, this global effort to make medicines more affordable."

(29 May 2019) 'Taking food out of patients' mouths' - Norfolk health bosses criticised for bailout to Midlands trusts The bizarre Eastern Daily Press headline relates to NHS England's Regional Director requesting five other East of England STPs contribute to help bail out indebted Cambridgeshire & Peterborough STP. None of the STPs involved is in the "Midlands", but the journalist is referring to the previous Midland and Eastern Strategic Health Authority, which has since been divided back again. Last time we checked Cambridge was not in the Midlands: but the health economy is deep in the red, projecting a £192m shortfall this year.

(29 May 2019) England’s social care models harm the poorest areas Useful BMJ blog by David Oliver pointing out inbuilt inequality of funding and resources:
"A 2018 analysis showed that 25% of services in England’s most deprived local authority areas were rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, compared with only 15% in the 10 most affluent areas. It was published by the Labour Party’s research team, but the conclusions are compelling."

(20 May 2019) NHS breaking recruitment rules with one in four new doctors coming from 'banned' developing countries Telegraph report on a worrying development linked to the gathering NHS workforce crisis begins:
"The NHS is breaking recruitment rules, with one in four new medics now coming from developing countries which are supposed to be protected by ethical codes, an investigation reveals.
"The Telegraph has uncovered evidence that the health service is targeting medics from such countries - despite strict rules which are supposed to protect the poorest parts of the world.
"The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for International Development identifies 97 countries which “should not be actively recruited from” because they are in receipt of aid, and often suffering from shortages of medics.
"They include Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
"But NHS trusts have used agencies to recruit doctors from such countries, the investigation reveals."

(20 May 2019) Revealed: Why one county saw a third of all 12-hour A&E breaches (£) HSJ report on crisis of under-resourced mental health care and its impact in Lancashire:
"Two reviews have uncovered a catalogue of problems with Lancashire’s mental health services, which have led to patients being unlawfully detained in seclusion rooms and a crisis situation developing in the county’s emergency departments.
"HSJ has learned the reviews raise major concerns about Lancashire Care Foundation Trust’s underresourced community services, a lack of crucial bed capacity, inadequate support for patients in crisis, and overstretched accident and emergency liaison psychiatry teams.
"The multiple shortcomings have stranded mental health patients in hospital emergency departments with a lack of appropriate support. Lancashire had more than 1,000 cases of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission to a ward in 2018-19, according to statistics published by NHS England, which was a third of all 12-hour breaches nationally. The bulk of these cases were mental health patients."

(20 May 2019) Cancer patient scans cancelled over equipment problems BBC report notes that "Hundreds of cancer patients at West Midlands hospitals have had scans cancelled due to equipment problems.
"Alliance Medical, a company contracted to supply isotopes needed to perform the scans, has admitted production problems has led to a shortage.
"They need radioactive isotopes, the commonest of which is fludeoxyglucose (FDG), which has a short life and must be used within hours.
"Hospitals with scanners in Birmingham, Coventry and Stoke-on-Trent have reported a 10-month shortage of FDG and about 10% of tests have been cancelled since August 2018.
"Meanwhile, prostate cancer patients in Birmingham have seen appointments cancelled from a lack of FEC, another isotope."

(20 May 2019) The Price of Care: Are private care providers putting young people at risk? Sky News report on scale and poor quality of privately provided Child and Adolescent Mental Health services:
"The most unwell are sent to mental health units commissioned and paid for by NHS England, but they are often run by private companies like The Huntercombe Group.
"Most recent figures show there are 1,282 under-18s, most of them girls, who have been admitted to mental health units across England.
"In 2017-18 the NHS paid private providers £156.5m for beds or specialist care such as eating disorder services.
"The figure is almost half of the total CAMHS specialist budget."

(20 May 2019) The case of Circle vs. the NHS – why NHS and private providers do not compete on a level playing field CHPI blog by Vivek Kotecha underlines the differences between NHS trusts and private clinical providers. He notes that:
"Circle Nottingham made a profit before tax of £2.9m in 2017, a 5.3% margin on £55m of revenue, and has been running the centre for eleven years."
However he does not point out that Circle as a whole has never made a profit: its private hospitals lose money and are heavily dependent on NHS-funded patients.
Vivek goes on to correctly argue that:
"the financial performance of an NHS hospital trust cannot be usefully compared with that of a private provider because they are very different organisations. Competition and tendering rules may call for measuring the financial strength of different bidders, but ignore important differences between them."
One important error in an otherwise useful article is to claim Virgin "successfully sued" CCGs in Surrey, while in fact the company secured a £2m out of court settlement as the CCGs caved in.

(20 May 2019) Big tobacco, the new politics, and the threat to public health With several Tory leadership contenders sympathetic to its ideology, the Institute of Economic Affairs is closer to power than it has been for decades. In an exclusive investigation in the BMJ, freelance journalist Jonathan Gornall reveals how the organisation is funded by British American Tobacco and has links with senior conservative ministers, and warns:
"After orchestrating a series of attacks on public health initiatives, the IEA may now hold the key to No 10."

(20 May 2019) Kent NHS campaign group launches stroke services legal challenge Save Our NHS in Kent (SONiK) lodged its application for judicial review regarding the controversial Kent and Medway stroke plans on May 14, after Medway's Tory council retreated from its previous commitment to challenge the plans and Kent County Council refused to take a stand.
Isle of Thanet news reports:
"Campaigners fighting against proposed reforms to NHS services have filed the necessary papers which they hope will lead to a hearing being granted. If successful, their case against local NHS commissioners will be heard in the High Court later this year."

(20 May 2019) Bed bugs found in King's College Hospital postnatal ward BBC report highlights a fresh concern over hygiene standards after 35 years of competitive tendering of cleaning services. It notes:
"Staff working in a maternity ward are having to wear protective clothing after bed bugs were found on the unit. King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south London, said a number of beds were being treated for the creatures."
"A spokesperson said women were still being admitted on the postnatal ward but are being informed about the issue. Visiting hours have also been reduced.
"The 5mm-long bugs are not dangerous but can cause itchy red bite marks.
"The hospital said staff were wearing "appropriate protective clothing" while deep cleaning is carried out on the ward."
Despite offering this handy advice the BBC does not probe any further as to why this poor level of hygiene should prevail at a leading teaching hospital.

(20 May 2019) Mental health services in crisis are abandoning patients to meet targets Guardian reports on a worrying trend in cash-strapped mental health services, noting:
"Patients with serious mental health problems are discharged in a way that was unthinkable five, let alone 15 years ago, sometimes without warning. Carers, activists, police and GPs are often left desperately trying to link the person back into mental health services. Sometimes this will succeed, though often via a traumatic experience such as being sectioned. For others, it is too late."

(20 May 2019) First for-profit hospital in Korea killed off Welcome news from the International Medical Travel Journal that:
"Local government and resident pressure in Korea have killed off Greenland International Medical Centre, the country's first foreign owned for-profit hospital.
"The Jeju Island case proves how difficult it is to introduce a for-profit hospital and attract foreign capital to the local medical industry in the country.
"Greenland International Medical Centre, established on Jeju Island as a successful example of attracting foreign investment, has collapsed before it even opened.
"The Jeju provincial government nullified its conditional approval of the Chinese-owned medical centre for failing to open its doors by the March 4 legal deadline.
"The nation's first for-profit hospital had only 47 beds, and its service was to be limited mainly to cosmetic surgery.
"In 2015, the Ministry of Health and Welfare approved the establishment of South Korea’s first foreign owned for-profit hospital. China's Greenland Group built a three-storey Greenland International Hospital on Jeju Island at the cost of US$69 million. Greenland hired 100 doctors and nurses. But the plan to open in early 2017 was continually delayed until March 2019 when the Public Opinion Investigation Committee voted against its establishment.
"All hospitals in Korea are non-profit ones run by non-profit corporations that must reinvest proceeds only for medical purposes. In 2012, the health ministry changed its regulations to allow for-profit hospitals in eight free economic zones and Jeju Island, if half of the total amount of investment comes from foreign investors. Local patients can receive treatment at for-profit hospitals if they forgo their health insurance cover."

(20 May 2019) Hundreds of foreign doctors mull leaving UK over 'crippling' fees Guardian report by Denis Campbell notes that:
"Hundreds of overseas doctors are considering quitting the NHS in protest at being charged thousands of pounds a year for visas and healthcare in order to work in the UK.
"Medics from around the world are considering taking their skills abroad, angered by high charges and fees. Immigration rules mean they must pay thousands of pounds a year for a working visa, and £400 a year for them and each member of their family to use the NHS.
"More than 500 doctors from outside the EU have voiced their concerns in testimonies given to EveryDoctor, a campaigning organisation run by medics to improve how the profession is treated."

(20 May 2019) Circle launches fresh court challenge over lost contract Update in The Lowdown on the latest legal challenge to the NHS by a profit-seeking private provider of clinical services -- Circle in Nottingham, seeking to extend its contract to run a treatment centre, at higher cost than the local NHS trust.

(20 May 2019) System hosting GP at Hand must find £100m savings (£) HSJ article reports the latest evidence of the negative impact on the NHS of the GP at Hand digital service, hosted by Hammersmith & Fulham CCG. Now:
"The North West London healthcare economy must cut costs by “about £100m” as demand pressures grow, according to its finance director.
"The alliance of eight clinical commissioning groups in north west London ended the year with a £56.7m deficit – missing its control by over £47m.
"Paul Brown, chief finance officer, told the May committee meeting of the eight CCGs the year-end deficit was in addition to “about £50m worth of non-recurrent measures that we took – so really the underlying position was over £100m.”
"We don’t think it is possible in this financial year to achieve financial balance,” Mr Brown added."

(20 May 2019) Care home group paid £48.5m in dividends while warning of cuts FT offers further proof of the cynical operation of collapsed private care home operator Four Seasons and its hedge fund owners who saddled it with debt.

(20 May 2019) 10 English NHS hospital trusts overspend by £850m Guardian report by Denis Campbell quotes the big deficits but also quotes Labour's jon Ashworth putting the correct interpretation -- that the hospitals are underfunded:
"“Whatever Theresa May claims about NHS funding, the reality is many hospitals remain seriously in the red. Years of financial squeeze and staffing troubles have left hospitals struggling,” said Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary.
“NHS bosses are now even telling hospitals to scale back maintenance plans despite facing multibillion backlogs in repairs because the cash simply isn’t available. Whatever the spin, our NHS continues to suffer from Tory austerity.”

(20 May 2019) NHS SCANDAL: Doctor blows lid on STEALTH privatisation – do not be fooled by NHS logo Article in Daily Express reports Dr Tony O'Sullivan, the co-chair of Keep our NHS Public and a retired consultant paediatrician, warning that "the use of the NHS logo by private companies is another way British people are being deceived as the health service continues to undergo elements of privatisation."

(20 May 2019) Princess Alexandra Hospital cleaners back strikes to halt outsourcing from the NHS UNISON press release reports domestic staff at the Harlow hospital voted 98.6% in favour of strike action on an 83.5% turnout.
"They warn that if their services are allowed to be transferred into the private sector it would spell ‘disaster’ for their patients, as hospitals with outsourced cleaning have higher rates of infection than those where the service is in-house.
"Princess Alexandra Hospital currently has some of the lowest rates of infection in the country, including instances of MRSA."

(20 May 2019) Pressure points in the NHS BMA round up of monthly data on A&E, waiting list and delayed transfers of care, warning that "performance figures show a health service that is on its knees".

(20 May 2019) Worcestershire acute trust slammed as NHS Improvement moves in Bromsgrove Standard report on the latest phase of the crisis of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which has been challenged by NHS Improvement for failing in its duty to operate efficiently, economically and effectively, for failing to comply with healthcare standards and failing to ensure its services are safe and of sufficient quality.
The trust will have to to implement a series of Enforcement Undertakings agreed with NHS Improvement over its failure to provide safe services.

(20 May 2019) Interactive graphic showing performance on Type 1 A&E within 4 hours Neat site to look at trusts' performance

(20 May 2019) Four Seasons’ collapse exposes the UK’s broken outsourcing model David Rowland,director of the Centre for Health and the Public Interest argues in New Statesman that "pumping greater amounts of money into the current financialised system is likely to encourage the type of risky behaviour by private equity investors which, in the case of Four Seasons, and care home companies like Southern Cross before it, has caused significant anxiety for thousands of older people."

(20 May 2019) Corporate care home collapse and ‘light touch’ regulation: a repeating cycle of failure LSE blog by David Rowland following the care home chain Four Seasons going into administration. He looks at the failure of the regime designed to prevent such situations, as well as the cause of the collapse, and concludes that the rights of hedge funds and private equity investors to extract profit from the care home sector are given priority than the rights of older people to a secure home at the end of their lives.

(20 May 2019) NHSE/I orders trusts to cut capital funding bids HSJ Exclusive warning once again of the desperate lack of capital to fund any new building projects, service developments or even basic backlog maintenance, reports that new NHS England/NHS Improvement finance boss has written to finance directors urging them to to cut or defer their plans:
"He asked trusts to consider deferring expenditure “which is not deemed to be essential or already contractually committed” into future years, and said revised plans that increase capital spending above acceptable limits would not be accepted."

(20 May 2019) The postcode lottery of mental health care in England: Vulnerable patients in some parts of the country get HALF the NHS funding of those in better-resourced areas Mail online reports analysis by mental health charity Mind, which looked at investment across 42 NHS regions in England, which revealed
"patients in some parts of the country get half the funding of those living in better-resourced areas.
"Just £124 was spent per patient in Surrey Heartlands last year, compared with the £220 allocated by South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw."
The disparity is a real problem, but levels of mental health needs do vary from one area to another: the question is whether the Mail would be so interested in this if the figures were the other way round?

(18 May 2019) We're facing a Mental Health Crisis: it's time to act A new video from Keep Our NHS Public launching a major mental health campaign. Find out why Government policy is directly responsible for crisis and what must be done to end it.

(16 May 2019) UNISON Petition: Say no to Circle! Nottingham University Hospitals UNISON Branch have launched a national petition to raise awareness of Circle Healthcare’s attempt to take the NHS to court to keep the contract. They have had the contract for 11 years, despite very quickly losing National Centre of Excellence status.
When the contract was up for renewal in July 2018, Circle withdrew, saying £67 million wasn’t enough – but the NHS Trust were happy to take it back in house. This led Circle to take them to court, where they were bizarrely awarded an extra year on the contract.
Now they have lost again and are desperate to hang onto their £67 million cash cow – so it was back to court they went on May 15.
The branch has held a joint demo with Keep Our NHS Public to support the return of Nottingham Treatment Centre to the NHS, and now they need your help.
Sign the petition here.

(14 May 2019) More than half of GPs fear their increasingly heavy workload puts patients at risk, study reveals Article in The Sun (a paper not often referenced here) highlights a survey by the excellent Pulse magazine on the pressures on GPs:
"“Family doctors warn they are making mistakes as they struggle to deal with up to four-times as many patients as they should.
Full-time GPs offer an average of 41 consultations a day, with a mix of face-to-face, phone, online and home visits.
But this is more than the 30 a day they consider safe. One in ten deals with at least 60 patients daily, with one reportedly seeing 124.
The results are based on a poll of 1,681 GPs by doctor’s magazine Pulse, who quizzed medics on their workload on one day.”

(14 May 2019) Call to give dementia patients cash for care Times report flags up findings of a cross-party group of 68 MPs, who now argue that dementia can no longer be left to a failing social care system and demanded a chunk of a £20 billion NHS budget boost to help sufferers.
"Every dementia patient should be entitled to a personal budget of thousands of pounds a year to spend on carers, home adaptations or the higher care home fees charged to those with the disease, they said. Such patients are charged about 15 per cent more for care because they are considered harder to look after, and the MPs said NHS funds should make up the difference."

(14 May 2019) GP pressure: Numbers show first sustained drop for 50 years An analysis by the Nuffield Trust think tank for the BBC shows the number of GPs per 100,000 people has fallen from nearly 65 in 2014 to 60 last year, the first sustained fall in cover for over 50 years.
"The last time numbers fell like this was in the late 1960s and it comes at a time when the population is ageing and demands on GPs are rising.
"Patient groups said it was causing real difficulties in making appointments.
There have been reports of waits of up to seven weeks for a routine appointment, while those needing urgent appointments have been forced to queue outside practices in the early morning to guarantee to be seen."

(14 May 2019) NHS nursing crisis worsened by Brexit exodus More evidence that Brexit is a major threat to the NHS. The Guardian report’s NMC figures showing the number of EU-trained nurses and midwives working in the NHS across the UK fell from a record high of 38,024 in March 2017 to 33,035 in March this year, a drop of 4,989.
“The 13% fall prompted renewed warnings that Britain’s decision to leave the EU was exacerbating the NHS’s growing staffing crisis.
“The referendum result has made many EU nationals feel unwelcome. It’s no surprise nurses and midwives think they’ll be better off elsewhere,” said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the union Unison.
Gill Walton, the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Unfortunately over the last year just 33 midwives arrived from elsewhere in the EU to work as midwives here in the UK, and we used to count them in their hundreds. UK maternity services are already stretched and short-staffed, but Brexit threatens to make things even worse.”

(14 May 2019) Number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment skyrockets Daily Mirror reports a trebling in four years of numbers of people waiting over 18 weeks for cataract operations.
"The number of patients waiting more than 18 weeks to have serious eye conditions treated has rocketed.
This February, 59,000 waited longer than four-and-a-half months.
In February 2015 it was just 17,000."

(14 May 2019) Emergency care - a Quality Watch report A new Nuffield Trust report looks at trends in the quality of emergency care. Useful figures.

(14 May 2019) Child mental health: UK provision 'worse than in much of eastern Europe' Guardian report on EU-funded Milestone Project findings that Britain comes in at 18th in a league table of the 28 EU countries on provision of specialist inpatient beds per 100,000 young people for those who are suffering from conditions such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, and 21st on numbers of psychiatrists specialising in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), with just 4.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 young people.
“On that measure, Britain is again behind a raft of east European countries such as Estonia (16.8), Lithuania (14) and Latvia (11.2). …
“Experts warned that the UK’s low rankings meant that troubled under-18s were not getting the care they needed.”

(14 May 2019) Forensic science labs are on the brink of collapse, warns report Guardian report highlights problems of yet another high-profile and ridiculous privatisation that has driven forensic labs to the point of crisis:
"The inquiry heard that many private forensic service providers – including the three with the largest market share – were experiencing serious financial difficulties, with some on the brink of collapse. Concerns were also raised about the outsourcing of forensic services by police authorities to unregulated providers that had not met minimum quality standards set by the government’s regulator.
The overall quality and delivery of forensic science in England and Wales was described as 'inadequate'."

(14 May 2019) Four Seasons hit by winter rise in elderly deaths FT report highlights business implications of increased numbers of deaths of older people on profits of hedge fund-owned and debt-laden, failing care home firm Four Seasons:
"Heavily indebted care home operator Four Seasons Health Care has been hit by a steep rise in elderly deaths over the winter as it attempts to stabilise the business ahead of a crucial restructuring.The company, which has 14,000 residents in 330 homes, said occupancy levels had fallen more than 2 per cent between the end of December and the end of March after “a very high level of winter deaths” in line with a nationwide increase, partly caused by an outbreak of flu."

(2 May 2019) Four Seasons Health Care with 22,000 staff and 17,000 patients goes into administration The Sun reports on the latest scam by a care home sector firmly in the grip of asset stripping financiers. There is little doubt care home staff will lose their jobs or face even worse terms and conditions as the gravy train rolls on to the next crisis.

(2 May 2019) NHS bosses meeting to discuss £196m plan for Calderdale and Huddersfield hospitals When is an A&E not an A&E?
Halifax Courier report describes how the 24/7 A&E at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary will differ from a full A&E:
"While A&E services will remain at HRI, all "blue light" ambulance patients who are in a serious condition or are expected to need hospital admission will be taken to an expanded Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH))."
The plan, which marks a sharp retreat from the proposal to demolish HRI and switch all acute services to Calderdale Royal Hospital is apparently progressing:
"A Strategic Outline Case report which sets out how £196.5m of Department of Health money will be spent to keep both hospitals open has been released by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust."

(30 Apr 2019) VINCI starts work on new £100m Birmingham hospital Report in Construction Enquirer of a very worrying link-up between a major NHs Trust and a profit-grabbing US hospital chain.
"The 138-bed specialist hospital is being built on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham campus, for a partnership between HCA Healthcare UK (HCA UK) and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust Foundation Trust (UHB).
"It will be equipped with the latest technology to provide some of the most complex surgical and medical procedures and treatments across cancer, cardiology, neurology, hepatobiliary, urology, orthopaedics and stem cell transplantation."
No prizes for guessing where the highly-skilled surgeons and nurses to deliver this private care will be trained and poached from – hence the close proximity to a giant NHS University Hospital.

(28 Apr 2019) Americans borrow $88 billion annually to pay for health care, survey finds CNN story reveals staggering scale of costs to individuals of the partial and inadequate "insurance" that fails to cover the needs of so many despite levying hefty premiums.

(28 Apr 2019) How GPs went on strike to enforce a safe limit on patient contacts Pulse story from Catalonia offers food for thought.

(28 Apr 2019) 'Deep dive' required for unrealistic savings plans An exclusive in the (£) HSJ based on new NHS Providers report, revealing data to show the gaping inequality between trusts some of which face enormous targets for "savings" despite the government's grudging increases in funding:
"more than one in 10 trusts would need to make savings worth more than 6 per cent of turnover to achieve their control totals, with one trust reporting an 8 per cent savings target.
The average savings target for 2019-20 is 3.6 per cent, according to the data based on survey responses from 99 trusts."

(28 Apr 2019) Commissioners reject funding request for in demand service (£) HSJ article flagging up the reality of CCG under-funding of mental health services -- this time in Birmingham and Solihull, but dressing it all up in meaningless verbiage suggesting they are committed to improving care. Not clear why the Trust would sign up to such a joint statement that denies them the funds they need.

(28 Apr 2019) The messy, cautionary tale of how Babylon disrupted the NHS Excellent summary in Wired magazine of the company that is causing chaos in primary care in London and is spreading that chaos to Birmingham.

(28 Apr 2019) Number of patients seen by hospitals rockets by five MILLION annually in 15 years as NHS demand reaches breaking point, study shows Daily Mail take on the report from York University on increased productivity in the NHS. It does reveal that the figures used for the report only run up to 2016-17, hence some slightly strange conclusions such as claims of reducing numbers of emergency admissions while most trusts are facing the opposite.

(28 Apr 2019) 'Inefficient' NHS has seen productivity grow twice as fast as economy Independent article highlights research that confirms the astonishing strength of public sector model continuing to deliver under massive strain:
"Productivity in the English NHS has grown at twice the rate of the wider economy, despite the government using supposed inefficiencies to justify ever more drastic cuts.
Improvements in survival rates and numbers of patients treated in the health service each year have vastly outpaced investment in staff and budgets, a report by the Centre for Health Economics at York University found.
Pound for pound the NHS delivered 16.5 per cent more care in 2016/17 than it did in in 2004/05. This compares to productivity growth of just 6.7 per cent for the wider economy."

(28 Apr 2019) Low pay and rising demands on care workers revealed in Sheffield Hallam University study Yorkshire Post report. "Warnings have been made of a workforce crisis as carers face increasingly demanding workloads while remaining among the lowest paid people in the country.
A study by Sheffield Hallam University found that reduced local authority funding means there is little opportunity to increase wages.
At the same time, care home residents are becoming increasingly frail, leading to rising demands on staff."

(28 Apr 2019) Upfront fees 'deterring immigrants from seeking NHS care' Guardian story notes government-imposed charges are having the effect ministers wanted -- deterring people from seeking treatment regardless of how sick they are:
"A report published on Thursday by the British Medical Association said pregnant women were going without antenatal and postnatal care for fear of being charged, and that patients were being informed of four-figure charges just before having surgery.
In one case, a patient reportedly did not seek cancer treatment because she was ineligible for free NHS care, and died as a result.
The NHS introduced upfront charging for elective care in 2017 as part of the government’s “hostile environment” towards immigrants."

(28 Apr 2019) Interserve Healthcare lands place on £200 million NHS framework Facilities Management Journal manages to avoid a single critical comment about a recently collapsed company now winning the chance to compete for more NHS contracts:
“The framework forms part of the delivery contracts for the NHS in England, Scotland and Wales and will run for two years, with an option to extend by up to two years. Interserve Healthcare (IHC) has been named on each of the three Lots which comprise the framework agreement.”
FMJ goes on to sing Interserve’s praises: “IHC is a high-quality provider of person-centred care services in the community. […] The three Lots IHC has been named on include contracts to support the NHS to discharge patients so that they can be cared for in the community and at home. If successful on the framework, IHC will work with the NHS to support patients who require ongoing treatment prior to full discharge.”

(28 Apr 2019) Watchdog calls for UK's big four accountancy firms to be split up Guardian report on yet another weak-kneed Competition and Markets Authority review of the "big four" which have also played such a damaging role in driving failed policies in the NHS. Notably there is still no value for money scrutiny of the quality of work they produce.
“The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) resisted calls for the breakup of the big four – PricewaterhouseCoopers, EY, Deloitte and KPMG – but said this option could be revisited within five years if the profession does not improve. […]
“It also called for firms to be forced to hire smaller “challenger” auditors to analyse their books alongside the big four, in an effort to stoke competition.”

(28 Apr 2019) OTC medication rationing only made a quarter of its targeted savings Pulse magazine reveals what moat of us could have predicted -- NHS England's mean spirited attempts to get even the poorest patients to buy more drugs "over the counter" has saved only a fraction of the claimed £100m -- which in turn is a minuscule fraction of the NHS budget.

(28 Apr 2019) Scotland post-surgical deaths drop by a third, say researchers 17 April 2019 Share this with Facebook Share this with Messenger Share this with Twitter BBC report that literally screams out the question of why this simple measure to ensure safety has not been done before:
"Deaths after surgery in Scotland have dropped by more than a third, research suggests.
A study indicated a 37% decrease since 2008, which it attributed to the implementation of a safety checklist.
The 19-item list - which was created by the World Health Organization - is supposed to encourage teamwork and communication during operations.
The death rate fell to 0.46 per 100 procedures between 2000 and 2014, analysis of 6.8m operations showed.
Dr Atul Gawande, who introduced the checklist and co-authored the study, published in the British Journal of Surgery, said: "Scotland's health system is to be congratulated for a multi-year effort that has produced some of the largest population-wide reductions in surgical deaths ever documented."

(28 Apr 2019) Half of patients on statins have ‘sub-optimal’ response to treatment Pulse story highlighting long term large scale research published in Heart magazine which confirms that statins are not good for everybody and are too widely used:
"The study, published in Heart, was carried out by primary care researchers at the University of Nottingham and looked at just over 165,400 primary care records for patients who were started on a statin between 1990 and 2016.
"They found that 51% of patients had a sub-optimal response to statin therapy after two years on treatment, meaning that they hadn’t achieved a greater than 40% reduction in LDL-C levels.
"When figures were adjusted for age, sub-optimal responders were 22% more likely to experience a CVD-related event, such as coronary artery disease, stroke or TIA, or peripheral vascular disease than optimal responders."

(28 Apr 2019) Implementation, Impact and costs of Policies for Safe Staffing in Acute NHS Trusts The Southampton University report that has flagged up warnings that one acute trust ward in every four is understaffed with qualified nurses, and that the systems set up to monitor standards after the Francis report are being dropped.

(28 Apr 2019) Lancashire County Council - Older people's day services charging consultation Lancashire County Council brings together heartless cuts with the brutal reality of means testing for social care, proposing to jack up charges for day centres: note the massive £11 daily INCREASE in charges for already extortionate day care for people with dementia. If you are going to suffer from dementia, it would be best to spend all your money first, or you can wind up paying through the nose for uncaring council services.
"We are proposing to charge older people who pay the full cost themselves the actual cost of providing the day service.
"This would mean an increase in the charges as follows
- From £31.30 to £37.45 per full day for older people to use the council's day services
- From £35 to £41 per full day for older people to use the council's day services with transport to and from the centres (where transport is available)
- From £54.75 to £65.50 for older people who have dementia to use the council's day services, reflecting the additional staff costs to support them to attend and take part."

(28 Apr 2019) Automate the State: health and social care Obscurely-funded so-called Taxpayers Alliance is the latest unsavoury ally for Health Secretary Matt Hancock who has apparently been enlisted to help plug their ideas for "automating" health and social care -- a slight variation on their normal pitch for privatisation and an insurance-based system. Has Hancock asked where their funding comes from? Is any of their funding from the UK or taxpayers, or is it from tax-dodging mulitnationals?

(27 Apr 2019) Large health insurer pockets $1.7 billion tax refund US report revealing the huge and growing US government subsidy and support for te brutal US health insurance industry. "
"Health Care Service Corp. didn't pay a dime in federal taxes in 2018, according to its latest financial report. Instead, the health insurance conglomerate received a $1.7 billion tax refund, which swelled the company's net profit to $4.1 billion.
"The big picture: As Axios reported last year, the Blue Cross Blue Shield companies were on track to retain huge sums of money in 2018 due to the Republican tax overhaul and the growing profitability of their health plans. HCSC was among the biggest winners.
"By the numbers: HCSC, which is the parent of the Blues plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, tallied a net profit of $4.1 billion on $35.9 billion of revenue in 2018 vs. $1.3 billion net profit on $32.6 billion of revenue in 2017."

(27 Apr 2019) MP Rachel Maclean signals change - 'centralisation of hospital services isn't delivering for Redditch' Interesting report from Redditch Standard on apparent demoralisation of local Tory MP who has tried to defend the centralisation of services in Worcester and downgrade of her local hospital, but has only seen performance plunge from bad to worse.

(27 Apr 2019) More than 71,000 'frail' patients were rushed back to hospital after just one day last year because they were 'discharged too quickly to free up beds' Catchy Daily Mail headline for article which appears to be based on pretty aged data:
"The findings from Healthwatch show 71,398 patients were readmitted to hospital as an emergency a day after their discharge in 2017/18.
"This is up 11 per cent on the 64,268 cases in 2016/17, and up 29 per cent on the 53,538 cases in 2013/14.
"The figures also show that 484,609 patients were rushed back to hospital as an emergency one month after being discharged."

(27 Apr 2019) A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions, March 2019 Statistical Commentary A&E waiting times data shows 2018/19 performance, 88% v 95% target, was WORST EVER YEAR in 15 years. Explains the eagerness and urgency of scrapping the target they are getting further from hitting.

(27 Apr 2019) The Lowdown A regular, free to access, online round-up of news and analysis on the NHS for union and campaign activists.

(27 Apr 2019) Family's anger as government's social care plans delayed for fifth time Sky News report on yet another, seemingly indefinite, delay in producing the frequently-promised but ever-receding Green Paper on funding and organisation of social care. It seems unlikely a government that could face an election at almost any point will want to run the gauntlet of public criticism of plans that will affect a large section of their cbore vote.

(27 Apr 2019) Children who need help with mental health face postcode lottery – study Guardian report on findings of the children’s commissioner for England who found wide disparities in spending per child in different parts of England with more than a third of areas seeing a real-terms fall in spending on these services. This is despite soaring demand and increased government funding for children’s mental health nationally.
while local authority spending per child in London was £17.88, it was just £5.32 in the east of England. According to the study, a few very high-spending areas mask a larger proportion of low-spending areas.

(27 Apr 2019) #PatientsNotPassports Website promoting a toolkit designed to support you in advocating for people facing charges for NHS care, and in taking action to end immigration checks and upfront charging in the NHS.

(27 Apr 2019) Nurses should be prepared to take industrial action to defend safe staffing levels Nursing notes reports speechs from James Anthony, a Registered Nurse from Birmingham, to UNISON’s Annual Health Conference arguing that chronic staffing shortages are having a direct impact on patient care.
He said: “Safe staffing tools and legislation are important. But it is us, nurses on the coalface, who know what is and isn’t safe. It will be down to us to win safe staffing levels.
“We will need to raise our concerns when staffing isn’t safe.
“We will need to stand together to demand safe staffing. And I have no doubt that as nurse shortages deepen and austerity continues unabated.
We, nurses in hospital and community teams, must be prepared to stand together and, where needed, take industrial action to win safe staffing.”

(27 Apr 2019) Patients Not Passports – challenging healthcare charging in the NHS This is a new Medact briefing paper examining NHS charging and the introduction of immigration controls in the NHS. It is designed to be a tool used to support people in campaigning against the Hostile Environment. It sets out the policy and ideological background to NHS charging; reframes and challenges some of the arguments used to justify the policies; and presents evidence and analysis of the likely impact of restricting access to the NHS.

(27 Apr 2019) Sir David Behan: HEE needs to be clearer about its purpose Extraordinary (£) HSJ report of interview with HEE's new chair Behan who somehow feels there is room for confusion over the purpose of a body named Health Education England and established to train health professionals.

(23 Apr 2019) NHS England's proposals for new legislation mean business as usual Short statement and longer more in depth analysis of proposals on which NHS England has sought "engagement" with the public and campaigners, developed by KONP and HCT.
The two statements make clear that the only NHS England proposal that can be supported the way it is argued is the call for repeal of the controversial "section 75" of the 2012 Health and Social Care act and the associated regulations designed to compel Clinical Commissioning Groups to carve up services and put them out to tender. KONP and most campaigners fought this legislation every step of the way as it was forced through Parliament by David Cameron's coalition with Lib Dem support, so there is no sensible reason why we would now oppose it being scrapped.

(23 Apr 2019) Theresa May's post-Brexit immigration plan could close a quarter of services in some hospitals say health bosses due to nurse shortages Daily Mail recycles Telegraph story highlighting potential impact of £30k minimum salary for migrants coming to UK.

(12 Apr 2019) How to fund social care? What are the different options for funding social care? The Nuffield Trust offers a tool to help direct further investigation.

(12 Apr 2019) Collapsed private provider to the NHS owes £11m (£) HSJ article on collapse of Coperforma the disastrous private provider of patient transport services brought in by Sussex CCGs -- before a predictable collapse.
"Clinical commissioning groups in Sussex ... have claimed the company owes them £7.6m. In a statement, the county’s CCGs said: “The Sussex CCGs are actively pursuing all options to maximise recovery for the NHS of costs incurred as a result of the failure of the patient transport service contract."

(12 Apr 2019) Combined Performance Summary: February – March 2019 Another extremely useful round up of figures by Jessica Morris of Nuffield Trust reveals:
"•The proportion of people waiting over 18 weeks to start elective treatment reached 13% in February 2019. It has been three years since the referral-to-treatment target was last met.
•In February 2019, 2.3% of patients had been waiting over 6 weeks for a diagnostic test, which is a 1.3 percentage point drop on the previous month but 44% higher than it was in February 2018.
•In February 2019, 23.9% of patients waited longer than two months to start their first treatment for cancer following a GP urgent referral. This is a small 0.1 percentage point increase on the previous month, but over 4.8 percentage points higher than in February 2018."

(12 Apr 2019) Telford hospice funding cuts 'heartbreaking' BBC report.
Telford CCG shows more contempt for provision of services outside hospital by deciding to cut £250,000 of funding to a hospice.
The decision is "heartbreaking" and "flawed", its supporters have said.
Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said it was a "difficult decision" to make the cut to its £1m grant, resulting in a loss of two beds at Severn Hospice in Telford. Staff at the hospice said they were "extremely disappointed" by the decision.

(12 Apr 2019) Patients Not Passports A 47-page report for campaigners fighting the charges that have been imposed by ministers on overseas patients treated in NHS hospitals. Published by Medact.

(12 Apr 2019) What does the UK spend on health and social care? Fascinating infographic from John Appleby in BMJ illustrates what happens to the UK’s spending on health and social care (a grand total of nearly £208bn—including £5.3bn of capital spending). It shows the money comes from two main sources, public (£157.6bn) and private (£44.9bn), and eventually flows through to various types of care: inpatient care, home based care, prevention, and medical goods.

(12 Apr 2019) Your Insurance Is Getting Disrupted — With or Without Medicare for All Well written article in The Intelligencer, a US magazine, points out the lack of any logical reason to continue to throw more money at a broken US system that excludes millions from any health cover, but is becoming less affordable for employers.
"more and more firms will be unable to both retain profitability and provide their employees with decent coverage. Already, the quality of employer-sponsored insurance is steadily declining, as businesses pass rising costs onto their workers."
It shows the reason why single payer is the obvious and more affordable alternative:
"Canada has a single-payer system that enables it to save money on redundant administration, and to dictate reimbursement rates to medical providers. America, by contrast, subsidizes the private insurance industry (and its wasteful administrative bureaucracies), while allowing physicians’ cartels and hospital monopolies to dictate their own pay rates to private providers. Thus, a competently designed single-payer system would be less expensive than maintaining our existing one."

(12 Apr 2019) Children who need help with mental health face postcode lottery – study Shocking figures in Guardian report reveal wide inequalities between areas in allocation of resources for child and adolescent mental health services -- despite years of empty NHS England and government rhetoric about "parity of esteem" and promises to improve services.
"Researchers used spending data from local authorities and NHS clinical commissioning groups, which each contribute roughly half of funding, to calculate that local areas allocated £226m for low-level mental health services in 2018-19 – just over £14 per child.
"while local authority spending per child in London was £17.88, it was just £5.32 in the east of England. According to the study, a few very high-spending areas mask a larger proportion of low-spending areas."

(12 Apr 2019) Surgeons demand clarity on private hospital safety Times article reports Royal College of Surgeons call for private hospitals to be forced to publish their safety records, to protect patients.
"Regulators have backed the college’s demand that the hospitals share data on doctors’ performance, the results of treatment and patient records."
The article explains:
"While private hospitals must report problems to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), unlike the NHS they do not have to publish or share data on the number, type or outcome of their procedures and are not subject to freedom of information law. A report by inspectors last year said that 41 per cent of private hospitals were not doing enough on safety."

(12 Apr 2019) GP patient services at risk due to cuts in Birmingham BBC report on cuts that will hit some of the most deprived areas of Birmingham:
"Tens of thousands of patients could lose access to specialist GP services when funding is cut, it is understood.
"Some practices in Birmingham receive money through personal medical services (PMS) contracts to provide extra care to patients. But Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group said it will cut the contracts from April 2020, in line with NHS guidance. Doctors said the cuts will mean patient care suffers.
"The BBC understands it will affect about 20,000 to 30,000 patients across more than 15 practices. The practices are in the some of the most deprived areas of the city, including Sparkhill and Balsall Heath and Alum Rock."

(12 Apr 2019) Britain's Version Of 'Medicare For All' Is Struggling With Long Waits For Care US Forbes magazine cynically exploits lengthened waiting times for NHS care as a reason to reject publiocly funded health care -- while ignoring the tens of millions in the US who cannot afford to access health care at all, and the long waits in US Emergency Rooms.
"Long waits for care are endemic to government-run, single-payer systems like the NHS. Yet some U.S. lawmakers want to import that model from across the pond. That would be a massive blunder.
"Consider how long it takes to get care at the emergency room in Britain. Government data show that hospitals in England only saw 84.2% of patients within four hours in February. That's well below the country's goal of treating 95% of patients within four hours -- a target the NHS hasn't hit since 2015."

(12 Apr 2019) Councils spend millions on agency social workers amid recruiting crisis Grim results from chronically low morale in fragmented, heavily privatised social care service include declining quality of service and lack of continuity of support for some of the most vulnerable service users. Guardian report reveals that
"Data obtained through freedom of information requests shows that many English councils are routinely spending tens of millions of pounds – a total of at least £335m in 2017/18 – hiring agency social workers.
"Experts said the difficulty experienced by councils in attracting permanent staff meant vulnerable children and families were often seeing multiple social workers in a single year, making it harder for them to engage with services."

(12 Apr 2019) ‘Second-class’ NHS workers struggle as pay gap widens Observer report based on UNISON research reveals that:
"The estimated 100,000 low-paid cleaners, porters, security guards and catering staff who work for private contractors in hospitals across England are being treated as “second-class employees”, thanks to a growing pay divide between public and private sector workers, according to the country’s leading health union.
"Concerns about the pay gap come ahead of tax and benefit changes in the new tax year, starting this weekend, which have fuelled fears of widening inequality, despite claims by the government that the era of austerity is over."

(12 Apr 2019) Countess of Chester Hospital says no to Wales' patients BBC report on struggling Cheshire trust:
"An English hospital has said it will no longer take in patients from Wales except emergencies and maternity cases.

The Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust decision will impact on thousands of people in Flintshire who currently use it, with immediate effect.
"The decision follows a row over payments to the hospital for caring for patients from Wales. A Welsh Government spokesman said limiting access to Wales' patients on financial grounds was "not acceptable"."

(12 Apr 2019) L’Arche: Failures are ‘systemic’ in NHS treatment of the disabled Catholic news agency draws on a recent example to argue there are serious and systemic NHS failures especially in treatment of people with leaning disabilities.

(12 Apr 2019) Having your fudge and eating it Another splendid long read from Sally Gainsbury of the Nuffield Trust on the manipulation and false claims about NHS funding
"When is £2.1 billion of funding not actually £2.1 billion of funding? Seemingly when it’s awarded to NHS providers in exchange for pulling off £800 million in spending cuts they might otherwise not have troubled themselves with.
"The NHS has engineered some pretty impressive accountancy fiddles over the last three years, with an underlying deficit of over £4 billion in the provider sector massaged down to the slightly more palatable £1 billion mark in the reported accounts. But as ever, the more audacious manoeuvres remain the preserve of Whitehall."

(12 Apr 2019) NHS offering £127m of contracts to private companies despite health secretary pledging: 'No privatisation on my watch' Independent article drawing on research by Labour Party and shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth:
"The party released data showing 21 NHS contracts worth £127m are currently out to tender - 19 of which have been put out since mid-February. The figures were revealed by House of Commons Library analysis and include a £91m contract to run an NHS assessment service in the South East, a £16m deal to provide health services in Leicestershire and a £6m tender for a GP surgery in High Wycombe.
"Labour accused Mr Hancock of breaking his promise to prevent further privatisation of the NHS."
"Commenting on the latest figures, Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the contracts should be kept in public hands.

Speaking on Saturday at the annual general meeting of Health Campaigns Together, which opposes privatisation in the NHS, he is expected to say: “Since the Tories’ wasteful reorganisation of the NHS we’ve seen privatisation after privatisation of NHS services, breaking up integrated care, costing the taxpayer and leaving a poor quality service for patients.
Commenting on the latest figures, Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the contracts should be kept in public hands.

Speaking on Saturday at the annual general meeting of Health Campaigns Together, which opposes privatisation in the NHS, he is expected to say: “Since the Tories’ wasteful reorganisation of the NHS we’ve seen privatisation after privatisation of NHS services, breaking up integrated care, costing the taxpayer and leaving a poor quality service for patients.
"Commenting on the latest figures, Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the contracts should be kept in public hands.
"Speaking on Saturday at the annual general meeting of Health Campaigns Together, which opposes privatisation in the NHS, he is expected to say: “Since the Tories’ wasteful reorganisation of the NHS we’ve seen privatisation after privatisation of NHS services, breaking up integrated care, costing the taxpayer and leaving a poor quality service for patients."

(12 Apr 2019) Matt Hancock called in to settle Oxford hospital scanners row Guardian follow up to the most high-profile privatisation story in current news:
"The health secretary has been called in to settle a row over a “murky and opaque” plan to privatise a key element of cancer treatment currently handled by one of England’s most highly respected hospitals.
"The proposal to let the company InHealth take charge of the Thames Valley regional PET-CT scanning service ... has been set aside until the Department of Health completes a review of the procurement process.

(12 Apr 2019) Ministers accused of cover-up over migrant health reports Guardian report by Denis Campbell reveals that:
"Ministers have been accused of a cover-up for refusing to release official reports into whether migrants’ health has been harmed since they began being charged upfront for NHS care before they can be treated.
"The leaders of Britain’s doctors, nurses and midwives are demanding the release of three government reviews into how hostile environment immigration policies have affected access to NHS care.
"In 2017, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned three separate investigations into key aspects of its decision to compel NHS trusts in England to implement upfront charging from October that year.
"It published a summary of its findings late last year. However, it has still not published the reports themselves ..."

(12 Apr 2019) Can we import improvements from industry to healthcare? BMJ article brings critical approach, noting that "Recounting oversimplified improvement examples from other industries (often aviation) can provoke considerable frustration and scepticism among clinicians exposed to the unique challenges and everyday complexities of trying to improve healthcare. Patients are not aeroplanes, and hospitals are not production lines. Nonetheless, many successful efforts to improve the quality and safety of healthcare have taken inspiration from other industries."

(12 Apr 2019) Are public–private partnerships the future of healthcare delivery in sub-Saharan Africa? Lessons from Lesotho Free access BMJ article by Mark Hellowell on the first, notorious PFI-style hospital project in Africa "highlights several beneficial impacts of the transaction, including the achievement of high clinical standards", as well as "a range of key challenges—in particular, the higher-than-anticipated costs to the Ministry of Health."

(12 Apr 2019) Oxford hospital trust faced defamation threat from NHS More revelations on the determination of NHS England to force through a privatisation of PET-CT scanning service in Oxfordshire despite opposition of NHS consultants, trust board, staff and politicians of all parties. At the same time as NHSE claiming to want to end competitive tendering.

(12 Apr 2019) Liverpool hospital workers demonstrate over plans to withhold pay Union News reports:
"Unite members are today spearheading a demonstration to protest against cleaning contractor ISS’ plans to withhold pay from low-paid hospital staff at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and Broadgreen Hospital.
"ISS, Europe’s largest commercial provider of cleaning and one of the world’s largest providers of facility services, is moving staff from weekly pay to fortnightly pay and changing pay dates after introducing a new payroll system."
GMB members are also involved in the campaign.

(12 Apr 2019) Elderly go blind as NHS ignores eye surgery rationing advice Times report, based on research warns that
"Tens of thousands of elderly people are left struggling to see because of an NHS cost-cutting drive that relies on them dying before they can qualify for cataract surgery, senior doctors say.
"The NHS has ignored instructions to end cataract treatment rationing in defiance of official guidance two years ago, a survey by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists has found."

(12 Apr 2019) NHS patients have cancer scans cancelled after supplier problems Guardian report says
"Concerns have been raised that problems related to the supply of a substance used to screen for cancerous cells is causing delays for NHS patients in England, with many exposed to repeated cancellation of scans at short notice.
"Choline is a radiotracer injected into patients an hour before PET-CT scans, predominately when patients are feared to have a recurrence of prostate cancer. Without it the scans cannot go ahead.
"The worries surrounding its availability come as waiting times for cancer patients in England are at a record high, with almost one in four patients not starting treatment within the two-month target period."
Scans using an alternative chemical are currently only available from the private sector at costs of £1500 or more.

(12 Apr 2019) When A Nurse Is Prosecuted For A Fatal Medical Mistake, Does It Make Medicine Safer? The answer is clearly 'no', and this US report highlights a common problem.
"The American Nurses Association issued a statement criticizing the charges, saying that "the criminalization of medical errors could have a chilling effect" on health care workers' willingness to report errors.
"The phenomenon of criminally charging health care providers after a patient is harmed is rare, "but it grows less unusual every year," says Stephen Hurley, a Wisconsin lawyer who has defended nurses in similar cases and advised hospitals on the topic.
Most high-profile cases tend to involve death, a significant injury or a patient well-known in the community, he says. And prosecutors tend to focus on nurses, he says, rather than physicians or hospital administrators, though he's not sure why."

(2 Apr 2019) Government orders hospitals not to reveal Brexit impact assessments to protect 'commercial interests' Independent reports: "Requests for information about the impact on the supply of goods and services, and on EU staff numbers, should be refused, the department of health and social care has said.
"Releasing the information could cause trusts “premature financial harm, and so possibly put public wellbeing at risk,” hospital bosses were told."

(2 Apr 2019) Commons Health Committee inquiry into NHS waiting times for elective and cancer care Link to send in a written submisssion. The background is explained thus:
"Between 2010-11 and 2017-18, the number of patients referred urgently for suspected cancer increased by 94%. The NAO report found that, for cancer, this is due to NHS England’s policy of encouraging more urgent referrals to improve early cancer diagnosis; this has improved early diagnosis of cancer and improved survival rates. However, it also found that NHS England’s understanding of the increase in elective care referrals is limited. Nevertheless, the report found that constraints on capacity, including a lack of finance, staff and beds is linked with the decline in waiting time performance."

(2 Apr 2019) Mental health patients in ‘acute distress’ STILL sent miles away five years after pledge to end practice Eastern Daily Press on the desperate lack of local bed provision by Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust:
"With services bursting at the seams, 82 people from the two counties were shipped away from their homes and loved ones in January - spending a total of 1,359 nights out of the counties."

(2 Apr 2019) Hospital death leaves children motherless BBC report on the failures of care at Dudley's Russell's Hall Hospital where management have failed to tackle system failures in diagnosing sepsis despite repeated CQC criticism.

(2 Apr 2019) You’re killing people: how I was carted out of county just for treatment Hard hitting comment on lack of mental health services in Norfolk by Steven Downes, who recalled his own experience:
"In August 2015, less than 24 hours after a crisis, at 1am I was put in the back of a private ambulance (which was nothing more than a glorified minibus) and driven from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to a private hospital run by the Priory in South-West London."

(2 Apr 2019) Matt Hancock: 75 years on, let’s celebrate how we Conservatives were the original Party of the NHS. And are still serving it today Generously displaying his own historical ignorance, a member of the Party which in 1946 and right into 1948 time and again marched through the lobbies to block Bevan's that established the NHS, and that wanted hospitals run privately, or by charities or local authorities, with funding to be private with some from taxation, but mostly rates, claims credit for the completely different socialist policy that was implemented.

(2 Apr 2019) UNIVERSAL CREDIT AND HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN SHEFFIELD Sheffield’s Health and Wellbeing Board chairs have written to The Secretary of State about their concerns around the negative impact of universal credit on people’s health.
They point out that:
"It is clear that Universal Credit, and the broader welfare reforms undertaken from 2010 onwards, are impacting on the most vulnerable people in Sheffield, with particularly severe impacts on mental health;
"Of the 20 welfare reforms carried out since 2010, 19 have been regressive in their impact in our city;"

(2 Apr 2019) NHS trusts call in the bailiffs to chase ineligible patients’ debts Theresa May's "hostile environment" for migrants translated into brutal action by NHS trusts seeking to chase up charges for "ineligible" patients -- but with predictably miserable results. The Observer reports:
"Three-quarters of NHS hospital trusts in England are using private debt firms to chase treatment costs from overseas patients and refused asylum seekers in a practice branded “inhumane” by critics."
"Debt recovery firms have pursued thousands of patients for millions of pounds in recent years, prompting complaints of harassing phone calls and intimidating doorstep visits. The debts relate to the cost of treatment for patients who are ineligible for free NHS care under government immigration rules..."
"Data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that 77 of 102 hospital trusts have used private debt firms to pursue ineligible patients. Of 60 trusts that provided patient numbers, 8,468 patient debts were referred to private debt collectors between 2016 and 2018.
"However, of the 48 trusts that provided full financial details, only about £1.5m of the £21m of debt referred to private firms during those three years has been recouped – barely 7%."

(2 Apr 2019) Closing the gap: Key areas for action on the health and care workforce Joint report on the NHS workforce crisis by the three big think tanks, Nuffield Trust, King's Fund and Health Foundation outlines a detailed and costed set of solutions for overhauling how the NHS recruits and keeps its staff, "provided this can be backed by £900m a year in investment."

(2 Apr 2019) GP numbers will fall 7,000 short within five years despite increasing trainees Pulse magazine pulls out the primary care aspect from a major report by think tanks on NHS staffing. It notes:
"The report said: ‘The NHS in England has 2,500 fewer FTE GPs than it needs this year, and a projected gap of 7,000 FTE GPs within five years if current trends hold.
‘These figures do not take account of the growing expectations of general practice as underlined in the NHS long-term plan. Unless action is taken, shortages of this scale represent a fundamental threat to the sustainability of primary care in England.’"

(2 Apr 2019) Having more registered nurses on general wards is linked to lower mortality Useful reminder of some perhaps unsurprising facts about staffing levels from a research paper based on an NHS hospital: it finds that
" Increasing registered nursing staff by an hour for each patient per day could reduce the risk of death by 3%.
"If the ratio of healthcare assistants to nurses gets too high, the data also suggest that rates of missed vital sign observations and mortality increase in line with the extra registered nurse time spent supervising other staff.
"Increases in nursing skill mix, by having proportionately more registered nurses, may be cost-effective for improving patient safety."

(2 Apr 2019) Why poverty is bad for the nation’s health The real impact of austerity since 2010. Useful blog for the Health Foundation by Jo Bibby focuses on growing levels of poverty and the impact on health and need for health services.

(2 Apr 2019) NHS calls on private sector as waiting list spirals (£) HSJ article revealing the failure of the much vaunted devolved health care system in Manchester to contain waiting lists, and the resultant resort to using private hospitals for treating NHS patients.
"Despite a national requirement for local areas to limit the size of their waiting list to “no higher” than it was in March 2018, the number of waiters in the city of Manchester has grown by more than 10 per cent. This compares to average growth of around 5 per cent in England."

(2 Apr 2019) Overstretched health visitors say babies will DIE because of service cuts Mirror exclusive report notes that:
"Nearly a third of health visitors have case loads topping 500, a survey reveals – twice the recommended safe level set by the Institute of Health Visiting.
"And 42 per cent said they fear they will soon have a “tragedy” on their hands due to an at-risk child slipping through the net.
...
"Since October 2015, the number of health visitors in England has been cut by a quarter – from 10,309 to 7,852. And the number of training places has dropped from 2,787 in 2013/14 to 448 last year."

(2 Apr 2019) Southwark and Lambeth Integrated Care Evaluation of the Older People's Programme Final report Interesting research on an "integrated care" project which again shows that it may improve services for patients, but is unlikely to generate big reductions in hospital admissions or costs, since patients receive more care and treatment than before.
It concludes:
"•There was evidence of reduced A&E attendance in the fourth year of the programme compared to that expected in the absence of the intervention but no evidence of reduced emergency admissions.
•The costs of the programme were £149 per resident aged 65 and over but the savings in hospital costs were only £86 per resident aged 65 and over, equivalent to a net increase in health service expenditure of £64 per resident.
•The number of Holistic Assessments carried out by GPs and consequent Integrated Care Management were both associated with significant increases in elective activity and costs."

(2 Apr 2019) Public money wasted replacing free service with private contract Angry press statement by charity Warwickshire and Solihull Bloodbikes, who have discovered after the event that their 365 days a year free service transporting blood products to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire has been replaced by a private tender - with them excluded from the tendering process.

(2 Apr 2019) Medicare for All and Its Rivals: New Offshoots of Old Health Policy Roots Free Veteran campaigners for "single payer" health care reform in the US, Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein, critique the various options, noting that:
"The leading option for health reform in the United States would leave 36.2 million persons uninsured in 2027 while costs would balloon to nearly $6 trillion. That option is called the status quo."
By contrast, proposals to extend Medicare for All:
"would replace the current welter of public and private plans with a single, tax-funded insurer covering all U.S. residents. The benefit package would be comprehensive, providing first-dollar coverage for all medically necessary care and medications. The single-payer plan would use its purchasing power to negotiate for lower drug prices and pay hospitals lump-sum global operating budgets (similar to how fire departments are funded)."
"Most analysts, including some who are critical of Medicare for All, project that such a reform would garner hundreds of billions of dollars in administrative and drug savings that would counterbalance the costs of utilization increases from expanded and upgraded coverage. Reductions in premiums and out-of-pocket costs would fully offset the expense of new taxes implemented to fund the reform."

(2 Apr 2019) Liverpool Women's Hospital staff win pay rise after strikes BBC report on victorious outcome to strikes by contract cleaning staff in Liverpool

(2 Apr 2019) NHS Assembly announced to help deliver the Long Term Plan 56 already influential people have been appointed to NHS England's so-called "NHS Assembly" -- but the list includes no leaders or activists from TUC health unions, and no grass roots campaigners or well known independent voices.
However the political right wing is represented by a former advisor to Iain Duncan Smith,
Charlotte Pickles, blandly described as "Managing Editor of the comment and current affairs site Unherd.com", but who "will soon be taking the role of Director at [fundmentalist neoliberal 'thinktank'] Reform."
And the private hospital sector is also represented - by Jim Easton – Vice-Chair of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN).
We can already predict that this Assembly is a pointless exercise. How long till it is abolished?

(16 Mar 2019) GPs raise alarm over CQC failure to report on fast-growing GP at Hand GP Online with another update in the GP At Hand saga: now it seems uninspected services are threatening to destabilise GP services in Birmingham.
"Birmingham LMC executive secretary Dr Robert Morley said he was 'astonished' that the CQC had yet to update its report on the service despite a near ten-fold increase in its patient list over 15 months, and described GP at Hand’s planned expansion to England’s second-largest city as 'very concerning'."

(16 Mar 2019) Halt privatisation of cancer scanning or risk patient harm, MPs tell NHS England Guardian reports more all-party fall-out from the privatisation of PET-CT scanning services in Oxford/Thames Valley. Plus:

"In a related move, the Guardian can reveal that NHS PET-CT scanning service in south-east London will also be part-privatised. Alliance Medical is part of a consortium that has been awarded the contract, alongside King’s College hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS trusts."

(16 Mar 2019) MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Addressing the care deficit NHS Providers survey of mental health trust leaders shows it is the poorest and most vulnerable that are being driven to depression and despair by government policy.

(16 Mar 2019) NHS signals four-hour A&E target may end BBC report pulls out some of the points from the NHS England proposals

(16 Mar 2019) Clinically-led Review of NHS Access Standards NHS England's new proposals to change access targets for A&E and elective care.

(16 Mar 2019) Overwhelming ballot result shows how out of touch Boots senior management are from their pharmacists Excellent result by (HCT-affiliated) PDA Union representing Pharmacists, who have been battling for recognition in Boots
The result of the historic ballot was 3,229 votes (92.4%) in favour of the trade union, with only 266 votes (7.6%) supporting the senior management proposal. This also meant that 47.5% of those eligible to vote supported the union, which surpassed the 40% threshold required for the union to succeed.

(16 Mar 2019) NHSE proposes to axe 18-week target (£) HSJ report on the latest moves by NHS England to move the goalposts in the hope that it can make declining performance look less of a problem.

(16 Mar 2019) 400 care home operators collapse in five years as cuts bite Guardian reports that "UK care home firms are buckling under the pressure of funding cuts, crippling debt and rising costs, according to research by the accountancy firm BDO.

It found that in the period between 2014 and 2016 there were an average of 69 care home company insolvencies per year. The number rose sharply to 123 in 2017 and another 101 collapsed last year."

(16 Mar 2019) The deepening health crisis in the UK requires society wide, political intervention Free access BMJ blog highlights the fall in in life expectancy:
"The trend that started in 2010-2011 has worsened. The total fall in life expectancy compared to 2015 projections is 13 months for men and 14 months for women."

(16 Mar 2019) Electronic Health Records Were Supposed To Cut Medical Costs. They Haven't Another excellent Forbes article drawing on a new study by Harvard Business School and Duke University. It points out that:

"The problem: Automation may help on some record-keeping tasks, but it also imposes its own costs. “In fact, more costs were shifted over to doctors in that they had to enter more codes into the so-called automated system,” Kaplan says. “Turns out that that gets them annoyed, and it distracts them from dealing with the patient.”

(16 Mar 2019) Shropshire Council 'plan' to close down GP surgeries and the Community Hospital in Ludlow to 'save' their Helena Lane Day Centre PFI project. Shropshire Defend Our NHS warns on council cutbacks
"Shropshire Council has put together a draft ‘Ludlow Place Plan’ – with THEIR proposals for OUR hospital. They want a ‘Ludlow Health Facility’, with hospital and GP services on one site. There are a few problems with this.
"One is that they haven’t actually bothered to ask Ludlow GPs! That's close to unbelievable - but we've checked.
"The other problem is that Shropshire CCG is trying to push through £5m cuts to community hospitals. We think the plan is to downgrade Ludlow Hospital and move whatever’s left to the Council’s Helena Lane site. And if they do, it’s certainly not big enough for the NHS services we’ve got at the hospital now."

(16 Mar 2019) Private ambulances increasingly used by NHS ‘putting patients at risk’, damning report finds Independent highlights "damning" CQC report.
"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it was concerned about the quality of care, staff training and use of medicines.
"Inspectors gave a number of examples of poor practice, including one provider who was “based in a hotel room and did not store controlled drugs appropriately, a paramedic who had their drug bag under their bed in a B&B, and morphine books with pages missing, illegible entries and incorrect information”.

(16 Mar 2019) Man told he's going to die by doctor on video-link robot Not the kind of service Matt Appcock wants us to imagine, but possibly more like the way some of these "digital" solutions may work out. Worse, if it's an AI robot, he might not even be dying after all.

(16 Mar 2019) Health coverage loses its booster shot after funding runs out for this media critic Report on the closure of a US-based website that monitored the quality of health reporting in the US and UK -- and pressed for higher standards. Quality of Guardian medical journalism ranked below 10 US and international news sources.

(10 Mar 2019) New issue of The Lowdown NHS news bulletin New issue of The Lowdown brings new stories on cuts and controversial plans in Shropshire, Derbyshire, Kent, Friarage Hospital, plus privatisation of PET-CT (Thames Valley) and patient transport services, NHS England plans for new legislation, post-Brexit problems accessing health care in Europe – & much more. Pdf plus searchable website

(1 Mar 2019) Speaking up for a safer NHS John Lister for @nhscampaigns, writing for Public Sector Focus, restates the need for a campaign and a major conference demanding action to Make Our NHS Safe for All

(25 Feb 2019) NHS consultation cost £2,640 per response: Health chiefs have splashed out millions with no benefit to patients, critics say Evening Standard report flags up the £2.2 million spent on consulting on proposed changes to hospital services in south-west London – getting just over 800 responses.
"Critics said a total of £40 million to £50 million of taxpayers’ money had been blown in two decades without improving healthcare in the area." Health chiefs seem hell-bent on developing a smaller 400-bed hospital adjacent to the Royal Marsden Hospital in place of the ageing St Helier Hospital in Carshalton -- a massive reduction in local access to services.

(25 Feb 2019) Chief nurse leaves maternity investigation trust (£) HSJ story reveals Deirdre Fowler, director of nursing, midwifery and quality at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, is leaving the trust as an independent inquiry examines more than 200 cases of potentially poor maternity care.
"However, the trust said her departure is not linked to the investigation, and she is leaving to take up a new position and to be closer to her family."
Of course. How could anyone think otherwise?

(25 Feb 2019) Advert for the latest "private GP" service by US-owned HCA Wealthy? Worried but not really ill? Why not give an American health corporation £300 a year? Obviously if anything is wrong with you, you will need the NHS to step in and deliver treatment the private sector does not regard as profitable. Or just go direct to a proper GP.

(25 Feb 2019) Snubbed STP accuses centre of not fully considering capital bids (£) HSJ report notes one of many examples of trusts getting far less capital than they had expected to carry out STP projects.
East London Health and Care Partnership (the sustainability and transformation partnership for NE London) has been awarded just £0.5m out of the £2.3bn so far allocated nationally -- but not even received that money yet.
"Surplus land on one of its sites had been sold off without any funding being provided for a replacement facility.
"The STP submitted nine bids totalling nearly £430m in 2017 …" the largest amount being for "the redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital, run by Barts Health Trust, for which around £350m was sought."

(25 Feb 2019) NHS prescription costs set to rise again in April for millions of patients Mirror story: "UK prescription charges are set to hit £9 in April as NHS charges rise once again for millions of patients.
"The NHS prescription charge in England will increase by 20p from April 1 - up from the current £8.80. It comes after prices rose to the 'highest price ever' in 2018 - with the Prescription Charges Coalition dubbing the news "catastrophic" for households."
Prescription charges raise relatively insignificant sums towards the NHS budget, but inflict disproportionate harm on low-paid families. While almost 90% of prescriptions are dispensed free to older people and to other exempted groups, they are a deterrent to those earning just enough to pay, but not enough to be able to cover such high costs per item.

(25 Feb 2019) RCEM Vice President warns against becoming "immune to the human impact of what the numbers mean" as performance declines again in Winter Flow Project Statement from Royal College of Emergency Medicine on the latest performance figures

(25 Feb 2019) English county where ONE GP covers home visits for 500,000 patients Daily Mail story highlighting the reduced cover in Shropshire from Shropdoc and other thinly-served out of hours GP cover:
"Although [in Shropshire] there is a second GP working at night carrying out ‘triage’ assessments on the phone they are not available to do consultations or home visits. And this doctor is also responsible for triaging incoming NHS 111 calls from Wales.
"Shropdoc insists that patients can also be seen by one of two ‘urgent care practitioners’ – who are either nurses or paramedics.
"Freedom of information requests by the Mail show that out-of-hours provision is hugely patchy. In Milton Keynes, Bucks, there is one GP overnight for 290,000 patients, Cornwall has three GPs for 575,000 and Oldham has one for 230,000."

(25 Feb 2019) Hospital reconfiguration faces delays as costs soar (£) HSJ report highlights what many may find a welcome delay in pushing through highly controversial plans to "centralise" services in East Kent:
"A joint committee of the clinical commissioning groups in East Kent will be asked to approve the next steps – including detailed evaluation of two options – at a meeting next week.
"Public consultation on the project was expected this year, but has now been delayed to next year.
"Since the plans were first outlined in 2017, the expected costs of one option, involving a consolidated accident and emergency, consultant-led maternity and specialist services at a new build hospital in Canterbury, have risen from around £250m to more than £300m."

(25 Feb 2019) In the room... Blog by Roy Lilley airs some ideas on how the escalating NHS staffing crisis can be addressed.

(25 Feb 2019) Centralising the NHS – the local Democratic Deficit at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan Excellent blog from Mark Gamsu takes up the issue of loss of accountability, as spelled out by responses from Health Campaigns Together and KONP, and adds useful graphs and info.

(25 Feb 2019) Warm winter provides cold comfort for struggling NHS The Financial Times, with very useful graphs, delves into the data to see how this year's winter crisis compares with the last two. It finds that over and above the continuing decline in the A&E performance on the 4-hour target: "Other signs of strain are a sharp year-on-year change in the number of patients being admitted as an emergency and a marked rise in the number waiting more than 12 hours to be admitted after a decision has been made to keep them in."

A separate measure, that tracks how long people spend in A&E from the moment they arrive saw almost 333,000 people waiting longer than 12 hours in 2017-18, the latest data available, from about 262,000 the year before.

(25 Feb 2019) Can councils be true partners in ICS? (£) HSJ article following up on Luton council's decision to pull out of one of the original integrated care systems. It notes that:
"An NHS England/NHS Improvement implementation paper is due soon which should give clearer details on how ICS are expected to develop, including when and how their partnership boards must be set up.
"These boards can include councils but, perhaps mindful of the 2016 debacle when STPs were drafted and NHS England had to try to stop councils from releasing them, regulators have recognised they cannot force local authorities to take part."
So far there is no evidence that councils are seen as anything other than a handy and undemanding way of getting an apparent stamp of legitimacy while the NHS remains firmly in the driving seat. Councils appear to be willing to sign up for ICSs in which they receive no recognition or role, and resist any suggestion they should demand the ICS be made in any way countable to local people.

(25 Feb 2019) A fifth of NHS doctors were bullied or abused last year, study finds Guardian report based on a BMA survey of 7,887 doctors of all grades across the UK, which found that 39% believe that bullying, harassment or undermining behaviour occurs in their main place of work and is a problem.
Of those, 10% said it was “often” a problem while 29% it occurred “sometimes”.
A fifth (20%) said they had experienced such behaviour during the past year, but only a third of these said they or a colleague had reported incidents to their employer.

(25 Feb 2019) Health Secretary asked to look at A&E changes Weston mercury reports CEO of North Somerset Council writing to Matt Hancock to challenge plans to permanently downgrade Weston Hospital's A&E:
"“I write on behalf of all elected members at North Somerset Council to make clear there is cross-party support for 24/7 accident and emergency services to be retained at Weston General Hospital."

(17 Feb 2019) Brexit will make it harder to 'wash, dress and feed' thousands of elderly people Evening Standard highlights warnings from ADASS that social care staff, even lower paid than nurses and not covered by any exemptions, are likely (if not certain) to be excluded from coming to Britain by the government's planned £30,000 minimum income requirement -- worsening the already dire shortages of staff and social care services.

(17 Feb 2019) Virtual GP service allowed to expand out of London despite criticism from doctors NHS England continues with its crusade against evidence or evaluation of pilot schemes, giving the nod to Birmingham adopting the controversial privately-led service that has caused financial havoc in general practice across London and which has yet to be properly evaluated.

(17 Feb 2019) Combined Performance Summary December 2018 - January 2019 The Nuffield Trust's Quality Watch data with very clear graphs, based on NHS England's Combined Performance Summary, which provides data on key performance measures for December 2018 and January 2019.
SitRep data for Week 6 of 2019 was also released, giving a more up-to-date analysis of how the NHS is coping this winter.

(17 Feb 2019) Queen's Medical Centre needs £77m of urgent improvements Nottingham post report reveals that: "Examples of maintenance needed can be upgrading software on medical equipment, maintaining generators and boilers, and ensuring the structural integrity of buildings."
The bigger bill for urgent repairs in the whole of Nottingham University Hospitals trust is £104m.

(17 Feb 2019) Priory to close 'inadequate' High Wycombe hospital Guardian report highlights more evidence of poor quality private care propped up by subsidies from NHS budgets. Time to cut the support and invest the money in expanded NHS services.
The Priory Group is privately owned – in 2016 it was bought by US firm Arcadia Healthcare for £1.3bn – but 85% of its income comes from the public sector.

(14 Feb 2019) Private providers could grab unlimited share of GP consultations online GP Online report flags up the implications of the minimalist answer from health Minister Stephen Brine to a question from Shadow Minister Justin Madders on the estimates of the share of online consultations to be delivered by private companies.
The report also makes clear the extent to which the government is forging ahead with the roll-out of "digital first" consultations without any consideration of the level of exclusion this will bring for older, poorer and less literate patients for whom it is less appropriate. Coupled with Health Secretary Matt Hancock's insistence that letters to patients should increasingly be restricted to emails rather than conventional posted hard copy, it is clear that the government remains insensitive to the needs of anyone other than young middle class patients and the private app industry.

(14 Feb 2019) A&E waits at worst level for 15 years in England The downward curve of A&E performance continues, driven I n part by continued increases in numbers needing emergency admission. During January, only 84.4% of patients were treated or admitted in four hours - well below the 95% threshold. Eleven trusts had a performance below 70 per cent.
Nearly 330,000 patients waited longer than they should with hospitals reporting significant problems finding beds for those needing to be kept in.
The performance is even more worrying for the more serious "type 1" cases: nine trusts recorded 60 per cent or below. Croydon Health Services Trust was the worst at 49.2 per cent.

(11 Feb 2019) Greece, 10 Years Into Economic Crisis, Counts the Cost to Mental Health A sobering reminder in the New York Times of the brutal austerity imposed on Greece by the EU and IMF concludes: "Even if the Greek government manages to address weaknesses in the health care system, health experts note that the main reasons behind the mental health crisis are very much alive.
“As long as there is unemployment, insecurity and debt, the products of the financial crisis, this problem will not go away,” said Dr. Sioras, the union leader. “I fear it will get worse.”

(11 Feb 2019) Newly-obtained cabinet orders show health overhaul well underway Shocking story from CTV news in Toronto on the latest moves by the neoliberal Ontario Provincial Government, led by Doug Ford, driving to abolish all of the local and accountable bodies controlling health care across the province and rolling them into one "super health agency" with powers to close, cut and privatise at will. The campaign of resistance is getting under way -- but the government is moving fast.

(11 Feb 2019) NHS staffing crisis as thousands of midwives quit over the stress of the job Daily Mirror report highlights NHS Digital figures showing record numbers of midwives "quitting the NHS because the pressure of the job is ruining their lives. … almost one a day resigns because they are unable to find a decent work-life balance.
"Understaffed wards have left many having to work longer and do more after years of NHS underfunding."

(11 Feb 2019) What matters to you? - Urgent Treatment A quick as a flash survey by Shropshire CCG, announced on Feb 1, closing on Feb 12. The main factor being smuggled through with barely any public scrutiny here is reducing the proposed hours of UTCs from 24/7 to 12 hours 9am-9pm. Surely that calls for a serious explanation, discussion and decision making process?

(11 Feb 2019) Interserve is caught in the fault lines exposed by the Carillion collapse Prem Sikka in Left Foot Forward examines a now grimly-familiar sounding story of the efforts to keep contractors Interserve afloat:
"To finance its bad investment and dividends, Interserve built a debt mountain. Its long-term debt increased from £406m in 2015 to £647m in 2017, and in 2018 reached £807 million.
"It owes £799m to suppliers and has a pension scheme deficit of £48m. In 2017 Interserve paid £28.4m in interest charges compared to £23.3m in 2016. For the first half of 2018, the interest payments rose to £31.1m.
"A loss-making company, with low margins on contracts and turnover of £3.2bn cannot sustain a debt of £807m. So the deal has been cut with banks to convert £480m of debt into shares. This may provide some breathing space."

(11 Feb 2019) Concerns over birthing options as NHS shuts midwife-led centres Guardian's Denis Campbell brings together the stories on plans in England to close 8 midwife-led units, for a variety of reasons:

"NHS chiefs have sparked controversy by shutting eight birth centres in England, prompting criticism that pregnant women are being denied the choice of place of birth that all have been promised.
"The wave of closures has resulted partly from more women choosing to give birth in obstetric units in hospital, where doctors are in charge, rather than in birth centres, where midwives are the only staff. It is also linked to the shift toward older motherhood, the rise in maternal obesity, the drive to reduce stillbirths and a shortage of midwives."

(11 Feb 2019) Nursing degree applications down 30% since bursary axed RCN press release commenting on latest UCAS figures that show that despite a small increase on last year, the latest figures from UCAS show nursing degree applications in England have fallen by 13,000 since 2016.

(11 Feb 2019) Just Another Day The full UNISON report, which sums up: "Staffing shortages across the health service clearly have a direct effect on patients. Almost half of the respondents (45%) said there were not enough staff on their shift to deliver safe, dignified and compassionate care. This was most pronounced in acute inpatients with 59% saying there were too few personnel to deliver the required standard of care. It was also a serious issue for those in mental health (45%), primary care (41%) and community health (36%)."

(11 Feb 2019) Health service staffing is compromising patient health, says UNISON Press release highlighting latest UNISON survey.

(11 Feb 2019) Diabetics in Britain worry a no-deal Brexit could put their lives at risk Interesting Washington Post article which is clearly not targeting either side of the British Brexit debate. It points out "Diabetes has become one of the most high-profile conditions to be highlighted by Brexit jitters, in part because 99 percent of Britain’s insulin is imported, largely from the E.U. It also needs to be refrigerated, so it cannot sit indefinitely in traffic jams."

(11 Feb 2019) ‘Crumbling’ NHS hospitals face £3bn repair bill (£) Sunday Times article shows 6 of the 10 largest backlog maintenance bills are London hospitals. The backlog has grown because "ministers repeatedly raided the health infrastructure budget". The consequences are serious:
"Patients and staff are being put at growing risk of harm, with more than 5,500 serious safety incidents last year, including deaths. Surgery often has to be delayed or cancelled because of infrastructure problems such as burst pipes and failing heating systems."

(11 Feb 2019) Leeds NHS campaigners stage ‘protest and celebration’ Yorkshire Post gives welcome advance publicity to Yorkshire Health Campaigns Together is organising march through Leeds on Saturday March 30. People taking part are being asked to assemble outside Leeds Art Gallery on The Headrow at 11.30am on the day.

(11 Feb 2019) DHSC slaps down quangos over Brexit messages HSJ (£) report shows Department of Health busily proving that "arm's length bodies" are supposed to shut up when told and toe the government line even when it's obvious ministers are making a complete pig's breakfast of the so-called negotiations, with potentially disastrous consequences for NHS services and patients.

(11 Feb 2019) International recruitment scheme adds 34 GPs to workforce in three years Telling story from GP Online: government incompetence and the dire impact of Brexit and Theresa May's "hostile environment" for overseas visitors of all kinds are now severely impacting potential recruitment to run GP services and making a nonsense of promises to recruit thousands more. How much has been wasted on these recruitment projects?

(4 Feb 2019) Why are there More Than Double the Number of Non-Elective Admissions to Hospitals of Ealing Patients than Westminster Patients? Ealing campaigners flag up the inequalities issue again:
"In 2015/16 there were more than twice the number of Ealing patient NELs compared to Westminster patients. Of the 426,086 patients registered with Ealing’s 79 GP surgeries, 31,726 of them were NEL admissions to hospitals. Of the 177,950 patients registered with 25 Westminster GP surgeries, there were 6,286 NEL admissions.
[...]
"Calculated as NELs per 1,000 weighted registered patients, Ealing scored 74.46 whilst Westminster scored 35.32. Admittedly there are only 25 GP surgeries (out of a total of 35) in Westminster included, because there were fewer than 50 NELs or less than 500 registered patients at 10 surgeries."

(4 Feb 2019) Chief Inspector publishes report on Home Office collaborative working with other government departments and agencies Chief Inspector Borders and Immigration report reveals Operation DINTEL– secret Home Office operation using NHS data on patient debt to track down asylum seekers and migrants at their home address and arrest them. Doctors of the World, highlighting this aspect of the report, also flags up evidence thatsharing NHS patient data with the Home Office makes many of our patients too afraid to see a doctor when they are unwell.

(4 Feb 2019) 1 million new patients unable to access NHS dentistry, as recruitment and retention crisis mounts Hard hitting report from British Dental Association with some atark figures:
"•BDA analysis of the government's own GP Survey – based on feedback from over 350,000 adults – reveals nearly 1 in 4 new patients (estimated at over 1 million in total) not currently on the books with an NHS dentist have tried and failed to secure an NHS appointment.
•This data points to access problems across every English region – with over 40% of these irregular attenders missing out in parts of Norfolk, Derbyshire, West Yorkshire and Cornwall, reaching over 60% in parts of Lincolnshire.
•The BDA's new national survey of dentists suggests nearly 3 in 5 practitioners (59%) based in England are now planning to scale down or leave NHS work entirely in the next 5 years
•Those with higher NHS commitments are the most likely to leave - 67% of dentists seeing more than 75% NHS patients expressed their intentions to move on – falling to 51% among those doing less NHS work."

(4 Feb 2019) Impact of scribes on emergency medicine doctors’ productivity and patient throughput: multicentre randomised trial While NHS England and trusts are obsessed with cutting so-called 'back office' staff, this BMJ free access report on an Australian study shows the effectiveness of medical scribes to speed implementation of decisions:
"A medical scribe helps the physician by doing clerical tasks. The scribe stands with the physician at patients’ bedsides, documenting consultations, arranging tests and appointments, completing electronic medical record tasks, finding information and people, booking beds, printing discharge paperwork, and doing clerical tasks.
"They do this via a computer-on-wheels connected to the hospital’s electronic medical record system. The aim of the role is for scribes to do clerical tasks otherwise done by the physician, enabling the physician to manage more patients in the same amount of time."

(4 Feb 2019) £8 billion funding black hole by 2025 will swallow up popular council services The Locla Government Association points out that:
"Between 2010 and 2020, councils will have lost almost 60p out of every £1 the Government had provided for services.
"Some councils are being pushed to the brink by this unprecedented loss of funding and an ongoing surge in demand for children’s services, adult social care services and homelessness support. This is on top of having to absorb other cost pressures, such as higher national insurance contributions, the apprenticeship levy and the National Living Wage.
"More and more councils are struggling to balance their books, facing overspends and having to make in-year budget cuts."

(4 Feb 2019) Waiting times now even longer at QMC's revamped emergency department The Nottingham Post reports that "The hospital’s four-hour target performance – a key measure the Government sets – has been dragged down. The target is to see 95 percent of patients within four hours.
"In January this year, the actual performance was 72.6 percent – down from 80.2 percent compared to this time last year."
The reorganisation to separate minor cases from more serious ones has backfired:
"Despite there being a seven percent total increase in the number of people attending in January compared to the year before, there was an 18.1 percent rise in patients with ‘minors’.
"This caused delays for redesigned A&E department, which were compounded in part by staff shortages in the UTU."

(4 Feb 2019) Neighbourhood Midwives closure: Mothers-to-be left 'high and dry' Yet another private contract failure as company walks away at shortgg notice leaving pregnant mums stranded. Question keeps coming up: why do gullible CCGs keep bringing in these private companies to disintegrate care and undermine NHS services, when NHS trusts could be funded to do the job better as part of their existing work?

(4 Feb 2019) Surgeons do make mistakes – it’s time to reboot the surgery checklist Lord Darzi in the Guardian points out that
"In January 2009, the surgical checklist was mandated for every operation across the NHS in England. It was promoted across the globe by the World Health Organization, and checklists have since been introduced in thousands of hospitals and more than a dozen areas of medicine to prevent medication errors, pressure sores, blood clots and injuries in childbirth."
"But when applied to medicine, they have met resistance. Some surgeons scoffed at the idea that such basic checks could make a difference. Some objected that it was a box-ticking exercise. Staff complained it was poorly worded, time-consuming, inappropriate or redundant – and bridled at what was felt to be another top-down initiative."

(4 Feb 2019) All the headlines from the 2019/20 GP contract at a glance As usual Pulse magazine is the first with this detailed coverage.

(4 Feb 2019) The GP substitute will see you now BBC headline on the new 5-year GP contract wrongly dismisses valuable skills of therapists and professionals who can play a valuable role in enhancing primary care, but must not become a way of preventing patients seeing a GP when they need to.
According to the report:
"An army of more than 20,000 physios, pharmacists and paramedics are to be recruited in England to work alongside under-pressure GPs, NHS bosses say."
It's not clear whether any let along all of these promised staff can be delivered, especially those already in short supply elsewhere in the NHS -- physios, paramedics etc.
BMA GP leaders have "warmly welcomed the move but warned extra doctors were also needed."

(4 Feb 2019) Little evidence that integrated care initiatives deliver Slightly exaggerated HSJ (£) headline for an article from Nuffield Trust which is not entirely negative in its evaluation of an Age UK project involving enhanced care, while stressing this is not a guaranteed way to make savings:
"Our findings shouldn’t deter innovations like Age UK’s programme. Where there is evidence that such schemes benefit patients, as well as health and care staff and carers, it is right that they are considered as valuable local options for enhancing services.
"But these findings – alongside those of our previous evaluations – suggest that we shouldn’t bank on the prospect of significant savings in the shorter term without good evidence suggesting otherwise. We need to stop being over-optimistic about likely financial benefits, especially from reductions in hospital activity. Often, doing more for patients is going to cost more, not less."

(4 Feb 2019) Former NHS nurse born in UK with no criminal record deported to Ghana Shocking result of Theresa May's "hostile environment" even for British citizens exposed by the Independent:
"A former NHS nurse who was born in the UK and has no criminal record has been deported to Ghana, in a case that raises fresh questions over the British government’s treatment of Commonwealth nationals in the wake of the Windrush scandal.
"Dean Ablakwa, 34, is currently stateless and unable to work in the Ghanaian capital Accra after the British government removed him in June 2017, despite the fact that he had previously worked and paid taxes in the UK for more than a decade."

(4 Feb 2019) The inverse care law in the digital age Open access BMJ blog by Dr Helen Salisbury makes the key point about digital access to NHS services:
"The people most in need—elderly people, disabled people, and those who have missed out on education—are the least likely to succeed in accessing the services they’re entitled to. It sometimes looks as if designers of patient pathways create models with themselves in mind rather than the likely users. Perhaps picturing their own grandparents, or elderly neighbours, might improve the design process."

(4 Feb 2019) 'Healthy Weston' consultation proposes to make "temporary" night closure of A&E permanent After a long period of 'temporary' night-time closure of the A&E department at Weston Hospital, the Clinical Commissioning Group finally comes clean and admits it won't reopen.

(4 Feb 2019) Health Secretary backs private firm profiting from patients who can't get an NHS dentist Mirror reports that app-mad Health Secretary Matt Hancock is once again backing a private company cashing in on the inadequacy of NHS funding and services, this time in dentistry. The problem is especially bad in Hancock's own constituency:
"Visiting one of its surgeries in rural Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mr Hancock said: “Companies like MyDentist play a really important role in delivering a good service to keep our nation’s teeth strong.”
"Half of all NHS surgeries are closed to new patients because of a Tory funding crisis, it is estimated.
"In Mr Hancock’s West Suffolk constituency, fewer than one in 10 is taking new adults and some patients face a 20-mile round trip for a place."

(4 Feb 2019) Care workers forced to cut short home visits or be left out of pocket The Guardian highlights UNISON research:
"According to freedom of information requests by public sector union Unison, 54% of local authorities do not make it a contractual condition that the care agencies they commission pay their care workers for the time spent travelling between visits.
"That means many homecare staff end up earning less than the government’s £7.83 an hour minimum wage for over-25s, rebranded in 2015 as the “national living wage”. "

(4 Feb 2019) No-deal Brexit could see ops cancelled, NHS trust says BBC reports concerns of a major midlands acute trust:
"NHS trusts could "quickly run out of vital medicine" in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the chief executive of a leading hospital group has warned.
"Dr David Rosser of University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) said that, despite NHS stockpiling, shortages would likely occur due to "unprecedented" distribution challenges."
Most of the West Midlands voted heavily for Brexit. None were warned this might be the result.

(4 Feb 2019) Campaigners publish appendices removed from Shropshire CCGs' website on controversial cuts plan Shropshire Defend Our NHS have stepped in to make sure crucial information remains in the public domain as the battle hots up over cuts to vital NHS services. Their Twitter account states: "Transparency? Our health bosses seem to have forgotten its meaning. This morning they removed all the Appendices to their Decision Making Business Case from the Future Fit website." It links to a Google Drive account with all of the deleted appendices displayed.

(4 Feb 2019) Exclusive: NHS England told to act on internal review to end 'avoidable harm' HSJ (£) exclusive highlights leaked information on chronic failings to improve access to diagnostics and treatment for serious spinal problems:
"
"Spinal patients have been exposed to “avoidable harm” due to “wholly unacceptable” delays in their treatment, according to an unpublished NHS England report.
"HSJ has seen an internal review by the national commissioner that highlighted the issues two years ago, and which recommended 54 additional specialist beds were needed to address the problems.
"However, separate bed data has suggested the situation remains largely unchanged, prompting concerns from a leading charity and the all-party parliamentary group on spinal cord injury."

(4 Feb 2019) Royal College of Emergency Medicine open letter to Simon Stevens, CEO NHS England, on 4-hour A&E targets This extremely hard-hitting and angry letter begins:
"Dear Mr Stevens,
"I fear that you are hell bent on undermining the benefits that the four-hour A&E standard has delivered to patients over many years, a decision you claim that so called ‘top doctors’ want.
"It begs the question who are these ‘top doctors’ you quote? They are not from the leaders of the body representing over 8,000 people working in our A&Es, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, who believe the target is vital for timely, high quality patient care.
"They also cannot have spent much time with patients in emergency departments, as if they had they would know that the service is perfectly capable of triaging patients and determining who needs what and when. Minor issues are not the problem and can be dealt with quickly; major issues are always prioritised."
Its final line is equally uncompromising:
"So Mr Stevens, who are these doctors with such contempt for the patient interest?"

(4 Feb 2019) Shock over dirty and dilapidated John Radcliffe operating theatres The Oxford Mail reports that "Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has ... been issued with an urgent notice under the Health and Social Care Act to improve the conditions which the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said affected all areas of the main operating department."
The rerport adds:
"The hospital’s surgical provision is currently rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the CQC.
"The report published following an inspection in 2014 highlights a lack of staff, with senior clinicians feeling at the time that the trust board was ‘motivated by financial, rather than by clinical motives’."

(4 Feb 2019) Amid Brexit vote chaos, the government quietly finalises council cuts The New Statesman comments that the "extra" money announced behind the smokescreen of the Brexit fiasco is nowhere near enough:
"councils still face a funding gap of more than £3bn this year, according to the Local Government Association. The pressure to set legal budgets, with an average 49 per cent drop in real terms spending power since 2010 and rising social care demands, means councils need substantially more than a 2.8 per cent raise."

(4 Feb 2019) Future Fit: Health Secretary will be asked to step in over decision The controversial and hotly contested 'Future Fit' plan to reconfigure and downsize hospital services covering the 2,000 square miles of Shropshire was rubber stamped by a tightly-controlled 1-hour meeting on January 29, held in a remote venue, with no opportunity for any opposition views to be heard.
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), backed the plan to centre emergency care in Shrewsbury, despite this being overwhelmingly rejected by the public during consultation last year.
The decision has immdeiately been challenged by Telford & Wrekin council, who have invoked their scrutiny powers to refer the plan to Secretary of State Matt Hancock.

(4 Feb 2019) 'Desperation and despair': Barnsley's long battle with austerity Guardian report on the impact of a decade of austerity and council spending cuts on public services in Barnsley, where 62% of councils spending is now on social care, and there are fears that almost all other services will need to close to keep this running.

(4 Feb 2019) Doctors attack plan to scrap four-hour A&E target Guardian report on the NHS England "review" of the 4-hour target that has been missed by most trusts and across the NHS for so many months notes:
"NHS bosses are facing a backlash against plans to scrap a target to treat patients within four hours of arrival at A&E.
"The body that represents A&E doctors said the move was an attempt to “bury problems” in the NHS. The proposal has sparked fears of a return to the days when some patients waited many hours in A&E to start treatment.
"Dr Taj Hassan, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), said: “In our expert opinion scrapping the four-hour target will have a near-catastrophic impact on patient safety in many emergency departments that are already struggling to deliver safe patient care in a wider system that is failing badly.
"“Let’s be very clear: this is far from being in the best interests of patients and will only serve to bury problems in a health service that will be severely tested by yet another optimistic reconfiguration.”"

(4 Feb 2019) Tory council funding shake-up set to send more cash to richer Tory areas Daily Mirror report highlighting "inverse care law" in new formula for allocating local government funding, which takes funds from more deprived Labour-run boroughs to boost the budgets of already wealthier Tory-rujjn councils.

(4 Feb 2019) Anguish as ‘lifeline’ Alzheimer’s Society service in Sunderland is set to close Sunderland Echo report on closure of the only unit delivering support for Alzheimer's patients in the greater Sunderland area, which is being closed because the funding for the service does not cover its costs. How many similar schemes are closing elsewhere in England?

(4 Feb 2019) NHS App begins public rollout The much-vaunted NHS App is now being rolled out, although its practical use is much more limited than many may assume: unlike GP At Hand it does not include any provision for online consultations, or the controversial Artificial Intelligence diagnosis system developed by private company Babylon that has been repeatedly exposed as unreliable on a number of issues. NHS England states now that:
"When the GP practice is connected patients will be able to use the NHS App to:
•book and manage appointments at their GP practice
•order their repeat prescriptions
•securely view their GP medical record
•check their symptoms using NHS 111 online and the health A-Z on the NHS website
•register as an organ donor
•choose whether the NHS uses their data for research and planning."
Critical comments on Twitter include questioning the use of a young, fit looking, white, middle class, posh woman with an I-phone as the promotional graphic, suggesting the app is most attractive to those who have least need of the NHS, and a comment that will ring bells in many areas: "There is no mobile phone connectivity in the rural area I live in. Many of our elderly living on pensions and those in poverty cannot afford broadband. What use is an app?????"

(3 Feb 2019) More 'social prescribers' to ease pressure on GPs BBC report on one aspect of the planned use of thousands of additional staff to support GPs as part of the new contract. However the suggestion of using a thousand staff "trained to prescribe social activities, like exercise groups and art classes, to GP patients who don't need pills" raises the question of who has trained them, what qualification they are required to have, who will check on the effectiveness of the work they do and what will happen when patients fail to benefit from inappropriate services. Also who will pay for the services, since many "community" projects have been going under as a result of continued local government cuts.
The BBC tells us that the "link worker's role is to help patients find suitable community activities to improve their health and wellbeing." What happens if they can't?

(3 Feb 2019) Hospital appeal for public donations to buy pyjamas and underwear for cancer patients Shocking ITN report highlights the impact of austerity spending limits on Abertawe Bro Morganwwg University Health Board in South Wales. The market may no longer be a factor in Wales since devolution, but Westminster spending limits and Welsh Assembly Government policies are still taking their toll.

(3 Feb 2019) CCG may struggle to 'pay its bills' due to financial pressure of Babylon GP at Hand Article from Pulse notes cost of the trendy online GP service promoted by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Hammersmith & Fulham CCG, which is unfortunate enough to host the service, which covers a wide swathe of London. Hammersmith CCG "reported a £2.5m cash deficit, citing Babylon GP at Hand as the ‘key driver’ of cashflow issues, and said the situation is 'expected to worsen in the near future'."

(3 Feb 2019) 'Patients lives are at risk' as Hull hospitals struggle to recruit enough medical staff The Hull Daily Mail notes a big increase in vacancies: "Full time staff vacancies for hospital trusts in Hull and East Yorkshire rose to 623 between July and September last year, compared to 492 during the same period in 2017 - a rise of 26.6 per cent."

(3 Feb 2019) On the same page? Taking a closer look at the Long Term Plan and the Planning Guidance The Nuffield Trust's Helen Buckingham points to interesting contradictions between the two documents, which are supposed to be closely linked.
She notes that "Although there is a clear expectation that operational plans will be agreed across organisational boundaries, it takes a lot more than a plan based on organisations to deliver care that is truly integrated around the individual. A recent QualityWatch assessment of the development of integrated care shows that progress has, at best, stalled. Patients and carers are feeling less supported and less involved in their care than they were seven years ago, and there are significant variations between different groups of patients. "

(3 Feb 2019) Stroke units could close under new NHS England plans HSJ (£) reveals plans could close more than a third of the 126 stroke units. This is sure to create even more local battles as communities in the areas facing closures fight longer journeys and delayed access to treatment.

(3 Feb 2019) NHS report shows thousands of bed blocking incidences occur due to people waiting for community equipment There were 137,436 delayed transfers of care (DTOCs) between November 2017 and November 2018. Almost 89,500 were from acute hospitals and nearly 48,000 being non-acute.
41,246 incidences were attributable to social care, while more than double (85,045) were attributable to NHS trusts. According to the NHS, a DTOC occurs when a patient is ready to depart from acute or non-acute care but is still occupying a bed. This can happen for a wide range of reasons, including waiting to be placed in residential care, waiting for community equipment and waiting for assessment completion.
During the one-year period, almost 4,000 people experienced a delayed transfer of care due to waiting for community equipment or an adaptation.

(3 Feb 2019) A disorderly exit A welcome flicker of light and humour in this excellent blog on the comings and goings at the mythical but strangely real NHS Blithering. It's almost more convincing than many real CCGs.

(3 Feb 2019) NAO report: NHS financial sustainability A report that views the latest announcements through rose-tinted glasses to put a positive spin despite the fact that during 2017-18
"We consider that the growth in waiting lists and slippage in waiting times, and the existence of substantial deficits in some parts of the system, offset by surpluses elsewhere do not add up to a picture that we can describe as sustainable."
The positive spin comes from the promised extra cash:
"Recently, the long-term plan for the NHS has been published, and government has committed to longer-term stable growth in funding for NHS England."

(3 Feb 2019) Exclusive: Up to 250 deaths to be reviewed at surgery crisis trust HSJ (£) exclusive on the review of 5 years of heart surgery patients treated at St George's hospital in London

(3 Feb 2019) London trusts to lose £300m after tariff change HSJ (£) report reveals the impact of tariff changes on trusts in the capital, many of which are already facing deficits and under-funded for their rising caseload. Less clear how trusts are expected to take this in their stride.

(3 Feb 2019) Dying man given bill for tens of thousands of pounds for NHS treatment More evidence of the lethal impact of Theresa may's "hostile environment" which negates the ethics of health professionals and the values of the NHS.

(3 Feb 2019) NHS memo reveals two patients died after waiting for A&E care Save Our NHS in Kent issued a statement to local press.
"This is shocking and saddening news. No patient should lose their life in this way, waiting to be seen by a doctor. It appears that conditions at QEQM A&E have worsened to a degree where tragedies like this are able to happen. Something is dreadfully wrong in our NHS; we know that last year at William Harvey Hospital, paramedics were forced to keep emergency patients waiting in ambulances until the hospital could take them in. Every quarter of the NHS is saying that staffing problems need to be urgently addressed and that pressures on frontline staff are unacceptable. We must all ask why there isn't a major national debate and in-depth parliamentary scrutiny happening right now to find solutions."
"Local people are very upset about this news but are praising the frontline staff at the hospital."

(3 Feb 2019) NHS to sell DNA tests to healthy people in push to find new treatments This latest move by NHS England is wrong on so many levels -- selling tests, selling them to people who don't need them … encouraging uncertainty, not least over the growing commercialisation of health care. If the NHS does not provide it free, then it is admitting they do not work and provides no benefit. If it's needed it should be at no charge.

(3 Feb 2019) Futureproofing Leicester’s Hospitals. Why we need YOU to get Involved Save Our NHS Leicestershire sets out the need for people to challenge local plans:
"Virtually no detail about the plans has been put into the public domain and made available for public scrutiny."
Campaigners warn that the public are being asked to trust that ‘doctor knows best’. This seems doubtful: time to get active!

(19 Jan 2019) Carillion Pocketed £205m Despite Finishing Just 10% Of Much-Delayed Hospital Huffington Post reports on Birmingham's Midland Metropolitan Hospital: "Construction giant Carillion earned £205million from a contract to build a multi-million pound hospital despite completing just 10% of vital engineering work before it went bust.

(19 Jan 2019) STATEMENT FROM MEDWAY COUNCIL Document to KENT AND MEDWAY STROKE REVIEW JOINT HEALTH OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE argues the proposals for centralisation are wrong. "Medway Council believes that the proposed sites that have been selected for the
provision of HASUs (Darent Valley, Maidstone and William Harvey, Ashford) are not in
the best interests of the health service in Kent and Medway. Furthermore, Medway
Council believes that there were flaws in the way that the Joint Committee of Clinical
Commissioning Groups was led to choose the selected sites. This invalidated the criteria
used on the public consultation documents and failed to provide evidence to support the
evaluation criteria."

(19 Jan 2019) Are patients benefiting from integrated care? Fascinating figures from the Nuffield Trust show the case for integration is far from proven; on several measures patients do worse.

(19 Jan 2019) Future Fit officials criticised over Newport venue for crucial vote Shropshire Star reports local Defend our NHS has voiced criticism of the location and the timing of an important meeting, claiming that people using public transport will be unable to attend.: "A vote over the future of Shropshire's health services will be taken by a 15-person panel at Newport's Harper Adams University on January 29.
"The result of the vote will confirm whether the county's only A&E department is based at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or Princess Royal Hospital Telford. "

(19 Jan 2019) RCEM statement on four-hour target speculation Statement by Royal College of Emergency Medicine says:
"The four-hour ECS has been a resilient, sophisticated and very successful overall marker of a hospital's emergency care system performance for the last 15 years. Sadly, the past five or six years has seen a steady deterioration in system performance due to under investment in acute hospital bed capacity, cuts in social care funding and understaffing in EDs. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of crowded EDs which scientific evidence clearly shows is linked to increased mortality and morbidity for patients. It also results in secondary attritional harm to staff having to work in such environments which further compromises patient care.”

(19 Jan 2019) Concerns raised about lack of consultation on targets review (£) HSJ report on complaints by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine that they have not been consulted by NHS England on revision of targets for A&E performance.

(19 Jan 2019) Leeds had worst A&E waits in West Yorkshire in December Leeds Live report .
"Hospitals are tasked with treating or discharging 95 per cent of emergency department patients within four hours.
"Leeds Teaching Hospitals, which runs LGI and Jimmy's only managed a figure of 75.4 per cent in December, normally one of the toughest months of the year.
"The result is the worst in West Yorkshire, with Bradford hospitals only slightly better at 75.5 per cent."

(19 Jan 2019) £4.5bn primary care funding will relieve pressure on GPs, promises Hancock Pulse magazine notes that to get access to the extra money "GP practices in England will be mandated to join primary care networks of 30-50,000 patients from April."

(19 Jan 2019) Ford flirts with private health care at his peril Ontario Health Coalition Executive Director Natalie Mehra secures a spot in the The Star newspaper in Toronto to challenge the latest moves by the neoliberal provincial government headed by Doug Ford.

(19 Jan 2019) STP could miss planned deficit by more than £35m (£) HSJ report reveals the Kent and Medway health economy is likely to end the year with a net deficit of at least £113m, nearly £36m worse than previously forecast.

(19 Jan 2019) GP urges colleagues to reject hyper-acute stroke unit plans as decision looms Isle of Thanet news report on intervention by Dr Coral Jones, who is a GP and an active member of the Save Our NHS in Kent campaign, who has spoken out as a decision announcement becomes imminent on centralisation of stroke services.
"A doctor and NHS campaigner is calling on her colleagues to vote against plans to close emergency stroke units, including the one at Margate’s QEQM Hospital, in favour of three hyper-acute bases for the region."

(19 Jan 2019) It’s Still The Prices, Stupid: Why The US Spends So Much On Health Care Health Affairs article revisits a 2003 article with current statistics and finds that: "The conclusion that prices are the primary reason why the US spends more on health care than any other country remains valid, despite health policy reforms and health systems restructuring that have occurred in the US and other industrialized countries since the 2003 article’s publication."

(19 Jan 2019) Are Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms being binned? Are Andrew Lansley's NHS reforms being binned, asks the BBC report. Not yet, because the regulations compelling CCGs to contract out services could simply be deleted by ministerial action -- but all we have is a polite suggestion from NHS England.

(19 Jan 2019) Flooded wards and leaking ceilings of "slum" NHS hospital hit by Carillion collapse Mirror article picks up on the desperate state of the Royal Liverpool Hospital after work on the £430m PFI replacement was halted by the collapse of Carillion.

(19 Jan 2019) Care cuts failing older people in England, says human rights group Guardian highlights Human Rights Watch report on growing crisis in social care, and notes that: "an ageing population, rising care costs and government cuts mean adult social care services face a £1.5bn funding gap by 2019-20, rising to £3.5bn by 2024-25, according to the Local Government Association."

(11 Jan 2019) Prescription Drug Costs Driven By Manufacturer Price Hikes, Not Innovation Maybe not a shock to many, but useful exposure of rip-off pharma industry and why its proces keep rising.

(11 Jan 2019) Care cuts failing older people in England, says human rights group Human Rights Watch report accuses the government of a lack of oversight of a social care system which is largely devolved to town halls and voices concern about a 140% increase in adult social care complaints since 2010 following a cut of almost 50% in central government funding for councils.

(11 Jan 2019) Spend on 'vital' community services cut by a fifth HSJ flags up research revealing cutbacks over the years in services which are supposedly key to the NHS Long Term Plan's ambitions for mental health: "The average spend by trusts on their community teams decreased from £6.2m per 100,000 people served in 2012-13, to £5.3m in 2016-17. This is a 15 per cent reduction in cash terms. Once inflation is considered, the cut was 20 per cent."

(11 Jan 2019) Home Office doubles charge for migrants to use the NHS Another racist measure giving a kick in the teeth to the NHS's multinational workforce and many more:
"The standard Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) will today double from £200 to £400 a year, a sum the Home Office says will bring much-needed funds to the National Health Service. But those who have to pay it - even if they are already working and paying taxes - say the doubled charge will be crippling for people including NHS workers, families with children, and people who have been in the UK since childhood."

(11 Jan 2019) Revealed: The number of operations cancelled every day at Leicester's hospitals Leicester Mercury report notes a 6 percent increase in a county where there are still plans to axe acute beds.

(11 Jan 2019) New regime revealed for trusts with biggest financial holes A new jargon buzz phrase revealed by the HSJ: “accelerated turnaround process.”
Apparently NHS Improvement will deploy this new scheme to deal with the 30 trusts which combined account for the net total of the trust provider deficit of £1.2bn.

(11 Jan 2019) Public health functions could return to NHS under long-term plan Local Government Chronicle report on the likely proposal for NHS England to fund at least part of the public health services currently funded by local authorities, which have been cut year by year since 2015. It flags up one result: "Funding for health visitors was only moved to local government in 2015. The health visitor workforce peaked that year following a national workforce target but it has since shrunk by approximately 19 per cent."

(11 Jan 2019) BMA calls for ten year NHS plan to deliver beyond grand ambition and address realities BMA's Chand Nagpaul calls for some more realism to balance up the fantasy in the Long term Plan, and notes "“Ultimately, there is a need for honesty about how far the £20.5 billion over five years will stretch. This is well below the 4% uplift that independent experts have calculated is required, and below historic spending levels since inception of the NHS. World class care requires world class funding and the investment in the long-term plan will still leave the UK falling behind comparative nations like France and Germany."

(11 Jan 2019) NHS staffing crisis could harm plan to save half a million lives Guardian version of the hyped-up advanced PR spin claiming that NHS Long Term Plan could save 500,000 lives over 10 years. In fact this figure does not appear in the Plan.

(11 Jan 2019) May gives no guarantee on NHS waiting times despite extra £20bn Guardian flags up Theresa May's refusal to guarantee that the NHS will get back to delivering A&E care, cancer treatment or planned operations within key waiting times despite its £20bn a year funding rise.

(11 Jan 2019) New reductions to the public health grant will heap more pressure on local authorities Health Foundation report tots up a £900m real terms reduction in public health funding between 2014/15 and 2019/20. "The core public health grant has fallen by a quarter (25%) per person since 2014/15." To put right the cuts would cost £3.2bn.

(11 Jan 2019) The health care workforce in England: make or break? Nuffield Trust, Health Foundation & King's Fund team up on this report, and set five tests for NHS England's new Long Term Plan: the score when it appeared? 0/5.

(11 Jan 2019) England’s poor have worse access to GP services than the rich FT publicises important Nuffield Trust research on access to primary care

(23 Dec 2018) May's long-awaited 'plan' won't heal an NHS cut to ribbons by Tory policies While we wait for the repeatedly delayed NHS "long term plan" HCT editor John Lister takes a critical look at what has come out of the much vaunted 5-Year Forward View adopted in 2014 - almost 5 years ago.

(22 Dec 2018) Row breaks out as Virgin Care wins Cheshire West sexual health contract Labour council privatises one bit of public health that has not yet been cut -- criticised by Labour MPs. Yet another tale of council irresponsibility on health issues.

(22 Dec 2018) Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer, 2018 Chief Medical Officer Report Chp 6 p8 "The UK has fallen down the rankings significantly ... for life expectancy at birth. In the most recent two years ONS has reported statistically significant increases in infant mortality across England for all infants"

(22 Dec 2018) Tories ‘sneak out’ £85million in public health cuts on day MPs leave for their Christmas break Welfare Weekly reports:
"The UK Government has been accused of attempting to “sneak out” further cuts to public health spending as MPs leave Parliament to begin their winter break.
"Analysis by the Labour Party, backed up by the House of Commons Library, reveal that public health budgets will fall by £85 million next year, equal to £2 less per head or a drop of 3.3%.
"Labour say the “devastating cuts” will affect vital public heath services such as stop smoking services, sexual health advice services and drug & alcohol misuse services for children and young people.

(22 Dec 2018) GPs paid just £152 per patient as funding barely rose in 2017/18 Article from GPOnline reveals that "GP practices received £152.04 per patient in 2017/18, official data reveal - an increase of just 0.4% compared with the previous year". In total £9.1bn was paid out to 7,543 GP practices in the 2017/18 financial year, fractionally up from £8.9bn the year before.

(22 Dec 2018) Royal colleges call for suspension of NHS overseas visitor charges pending review Royal Colleges become unexpected but welcome allies in the fight to scrap the vicious and reactionary imposition of charges for treatment of overseas visitors by the NHS, spelling out the potential dangers as well as the issues of principle.

(22 Dec 2018) NHS will still be short of nurses in five years, Dalton warns On the brink of Brexit, with European recruitment collapsed, a Brexodus of EU-trained staff made to feel unwelcome and insecure here, and after the disastrous axing of bursaries, (£) HSJ reports NHS Improvement CEO Ian Dalton's warning that it will be more than five years before the number of nurses the NHS needs are available to it.

(22 Dec 2018) For both health care and health care journalism, there’s something missing in the middle More thoughts on health reporting from the US with important lessons for British health journalists.
"We see a lot of really low-quality journalism–hastily written, blatantly promotional, and often molded into clickbait. Too much money is apparently being spent on daily not-ready-for-prime-time health care news – money that dresses up unimportant health care news with attention-grabbing wrapping paper that isn’t warranted. Why are people even being paid to do churnalism, churning out junk news every day to meet some quota? And why are some being paid to put their name on what is really just a regurgitated news release?"
Gary Schwitzer adds “Not every story needs to be either clickbait or worthy of a Pulitzer. The middle ground–complete yet efficient reporting–is what both readers want and need to read. Adopting our 10 criteria can be a good starting point for this kind of journalism”

(22 Dec 2018) 42 percent of new (US) cancer patients lose their life savings Headline says it all: the lunacy of the US health care system that takes the heaviest toll from the sick and the poor, but also penalises the middle classes, and anyone who is not wealthy and healthy.

(22 Dec 2018) Financial regime has cost us £19m, says struggling trust (£) HSJ article highlights the genius idea of a national finance regime on the NHS that levies hefty fines on trusts already broke and in special measures for failing to meet performance targets --deepening the crisis (this example is University Hospitals North Midlands).

(22 Dec 2018) 6 reasons journalists should just say no to Mayo Clinic’s latest journalism ‘residency’ program A valuable lesson in avoiding conflicts of interest from the priceless healthnewsreview.org in the US.

(22 Dec 2018) NHS to offer mature students £5k to become mental health nurses Guardian report that government is trying to redress some of the damage to recruitment done by their decision to axe bursaries -- by offering a "bonus" instead, for "mature students, likely to be those aged over 25 [who] agree to specialise in mental health or learning disability. This is after:
"Applications for undergraduate degree courses in nursing have plummeted by 32% since bursaries for student nurses were scrapped in England in 2016, despite warnings that the move would backfire. Applications from mature students to study mental health and disability nursing fell even more sharply – by 40% – between 2016 and this year."

(22 Dec 2018) Six months on: NHS England needs to focus on dissemination, implementation and audit of its low-priority initiative (£) Study in Journal of Royal Society of Medicine notes that:
"in most cases NHS England advising doctors to stop prescribing a drug, in a report and in a consultation, is not sufficient to cause a noticeable change in clinical practice at a national level."

(22 Dec 2018) One in 10 NHS commissioning groups 'failing or at risk' five years after Lansley reforms, NAO finds Independent report notes the level of failure of the CCGs established as commissioners by the 2012 Health & Social Care Act.
"While a number of CCGs have since merged to offset performance or budget issues, the NAO warns this undermines their ability to respond to local issues which was a primary driver of their inception.
"The NAO found that 42 per cent are rated as “require improvement” or “inadequate” – while 10 per cent are deemed “outstanding” – and more than a third (75) of CCGs overspent against their budget in 2017/18.
"This is an increase on 57 CCGs in the year before and the total overspend last year stood at £213m with their budgets facing a further 20 per cent in cuts by 2021.
"However the NAO also warned that NHS England has yet to conduct a review of whether CCGs are working as intended, and say there will be significant changes in future that they must adapt to."

Despite ministers pledging no more top-down reorganisations of the NHS, the health service has been introducing Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships over the past three years.

(22 Dec 2018) This Health Startup Won Big Government Deals—But Inside, Doctors Flagged Problems Fascinating article on Babylon in Forbes magazine pointing out the concerns of doctors working on the AI project:
"They found that around 10% to 15% of the chatbot’s 100 most frequently suggested outcomes, such as a chest infection, either missed warning signs of a more serious condition like cancer or sepsis or were just flat-out wrong, according to one insider. […] Interviews with current and former Babylon staff and outside doctors reveal broad concerns that the company has rushed to deploy software that has not been carefully vetted, then exaggerated its effectiveness."

(22 Dec 2018) Why You Should Be Concerned About Plans to Reconfigure Leicester’s Acute Hospital Services Save Our NHS Leicestershire warns:
"UHL’s new plans do not include an increase in the number of beds, despite ongoing issues with capacity in local hospitals. In response to a question from a member of the public at a BCT engagement event, the UHL spokesman confirmed the reconfigured hospital facilities will have 2,048 beds. In May 2018, UHL had 2,045 beds. Even though current bed numbers are closer to 2,000, this represents no real increase to address (a) the current capacity constraints and (b) future capacity needs arising from an ageing population, a growing population and rising need."

(22 Dec 2018) Royal Surrey County Hospital board papers for December Thanks to HSJ's Alison Moore for her tweet drawing attention to the Chair's report in these otherwise unremarkable Board papers, which includes important throwaway lines from a recent meeting of NHS Providers Chairs and CEOs, which heard from Ian Dalton, CEO of NHS Improvement:
"Total emergency admissions have increased year on year but the step up is greater this year than previously, and NHS Providers cannot see anything that will change that dynamic. It will be a tough winter, and Boards need to understand this. there is real nervousness about lack of capacity in the system."
However these fears have not led to any reluctance by NHS Improvement to drive through more downgrading and closure of hospitals, or them dropping the failed and impractical STPs. In fact there are still plans to halve the number of acute hospitals:
"NHS providers expects some consolidation of STPs and believe that Ian Dalton thinks there should be 50 to 100 providers rather than 211. "
However NHS providers seem more concerned with who is in charge rather than whether this is the right policy:
"NHS Providers is nervous that ID thinks it’s NHS I’s role to determine who should merge with whom."

(22 Dec 2018) Reflections on a 45-year career and 13 years leading HealthNewsReview.org Veteran US health reporter Gary Schwitzer best known to may for his long crusade to raise standards of health reporting, takes an overview now the valuable www.healthnewsreview.org has lost its funding and has ceased its fierce and principled scrutiny of US and UK health reporting.

(22 Dec 2018) Trust seeks £14m capital for fire safety works (£) HSJ story on East Sussex Healthcare Trust seeking £13.86m to address fire risks “noted” by the fire service at Eastbourne DGH, but which has been treated wityh little urgency up to now.

(22 Dec 2018) NHS denies sick patients in North Yorkshire face 'Spanish Inquisition' This Northern Echo story follows a local councillor complaining that seriously ill people who had been unjustly refused transport under the new regime had faced a “Spanish Inquisition-style” interrogation as they attempted to get transport to a hospital clinic. Most important is that this is a CCG facing sharp questions -- from a council scrutiny committee trying to do what many other councils should be doing: holding NHS managers to account for their decisions and for gaps and failings in local services. More of this needed!

(22 Dec 2018) Quarter of UK student nurses drop out before graduation, study finds So applications for nursing courses are down by 23%, but the people who have been most deterred have been mature students with some experience in health care. of the younger cohorts still applying, a quarter of those who start courses drop out. So we are training only 25% of the numbers trusts need to recruit. This plus Brexodus is a formula for long term failure.

(22 Dec 2018) Analysis: Health systems should be publicly funded and publicly provided (£) Important BMJ analysis from three academics, Neena Modi, Jonathan Clarke, and Martin McKee, making the case that a market in healthcare increases the likelihood of inequity and exploitation, with suboptimal care for both rich and poor.

(22 Dec 2018) ‘Catastrophic’ funding gap could pause district nurse supply for a year (£) HSJ report warning that "The supply of district nurses coming into the NHS could drop to zero in 2021 unless the government provides additional funding".
"According to figures published by NHS Digital, there has been a 40 per cent drop in the number of district nurses working in the NHS since 2010."

(22 Dec 2018) REVEALED: Ten hour ambulance waits and year-long mental health delays in north Norfolk Eastern Daily Press report of a survey in North Norfolk, showing two people waited 10 hours for ambulances and three others waited a year for mental health support.
"Three survey respondents had waited a year to be seen by the Wellbeing Service after being referred by their GP for issues including anxiety and depression. And 34 respondents had waited longer than a month to be seen."
"Almost 30pc of respondents who asked for a GP appointment in the last three months waited longer than a fortnight, and the same percentage said they were unsatisfied with their GP surgery.
"And almost 50pc of respondents said they weren’t confident in the local NHS to help treat their health or mental health issues."

(22 Dec 2018) Locking wards has no place in psychiatric rehabilitation, says royal college (£) BMJ report on Royal College of Psychiatrists statement that it is increasingly concerned about the use of locked rehabilitation wards for people with serious mental health problems. 1025 patients are funded by CCGs in private sector, mostly on 'locked' wards, and at double the cost of NHS psychiatric beds, with admissions averaging almost twice as long as NHS. Private sector has no incentive to discharge early.

(22 Dec 2018) Hundreds of patients in Dorset ‘at risk of dying under NHS cuts’ Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/news/health/dorset-nhs-poole-hospital-cuts-review/ Prominent coverage by the i newspaper of excellent research by Dorset campaigners to indicate the dangers of the proposed "centralisation" of maternity, A&E and children's services in Bournemouth, at the expense of massive downgrade of services in Poole.

(22 Dec 2018) The private A&E will see you right now This (reported in the (£) Times) of course is not a proper A+E but an urgent care centre for the worried wealthy. Anyone with real emergency needs would be mad to go here rather than a proper hospital with the full back up of a multidisciplinary workforce. Private sector could kill off some rich idiots.
They have described their service as "like flying first class compared to the economy NHS": but first class generally gives you MORE comprehensive service rather than simply fancier placemats and higher prices.
This "A+E" is only able to offer a fraction of what you get -- and serious cases need -- from the NHS. For the worried, deluded, not very ill wealthy.

(22 Dec 2018) Ambulance staff in Essex told 'not to take food breaks' in 'confusing' message as demand soars Essex Live report on a confused message from ambulance control, later rephrased, which told staff that because of high numbers of calls they were not allowed to stop to collect food for their breaks. But even after this was corrected it is clear that frontline ambulance crews face working 11 and a half hours or more in a shift, but only get 30 minutes uninterrupted break - without the option of 'service breaks' to collect food or for comfort breaks. Hard to see how this high-stress working regime is safe for ambulance crews or for patients.

(22 Dec 2018) Opening the door to change. NHS safety culture and the need for transformation New CQC report warns that with both money and staff in short supply, safety is increasingly at risk:
"Staff are struggling to cope with large volumes of safety guidance, they have little time and space to implement guidance effectively, and the systems and processes around them are not always supportive."

(14 Dec 2018) Plan to end Huddersfield A&E gets green light – campaigners see red KONP update on the latest developments in the long-running battle to save Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, and challenge spurious -- and potentially dangerously misleading -- plans which claim to be retaining an A&E but in reality leave only an urgent care centre.

(13 Dec 2018) Capita failure over cervical screening letters more extensive than thought Guardian reports on the latest updated numbers of women affected by the most recent high profile fiasco by contractors Capita in their 7-year contract for support services to primary care: the company argues that not many of the test results were abnormal so relatively few suffered harm. Lucky, but not convincing.

(13 Dec 2018) Hospitals 'in red zone' with record numbers of A&E patients Guardian report on latest NHS figures which show:
"• 87.6% of patients arriving at A&E were treated within four hours, far off the 95% target and the lowest proportion ever for November.
• 94.2% of hospital beds were full last week, well above the 85% figure that evidence shows is the safe limit for bed occupancy.
• A&E units had to divert patients to another hospital 25 times last week, of which 11 occurred at the troubled Worcestershire acute hospitals trust.
• 10,675 patients had to spend at least 30 minutes with ambulance crews before being handed over to A&E staff, in breach of NHS rules which say that should never happen."

(13 Dec 2018) Pensioner poverty rises as benefits freeze bites More indications that the continued austerity regime is not only making many people's lives miserable but undermining their health and shortening lives.

(13 Dec 2018) Life expectancy drops for Britain's poor for first time since Second World War Mirror report underlining widespread concerns at a reversal of the previous long term trend towards longer life expectancy.

(13 Dec 2018) NHS waiting lists for lung and bowel treatments double since Conservative-led government came to power, analysis shows Independent report on new figures clearly lays blame on austerity policies imposed since 2010.

(13 Dec 2018) Hammond's Budget birthday present is more austerity Tony O'Sullivan analysis the current financial squeeze on the NHS in Public sector Focus

(11 Dec 2018) 'Patients will be put at risk...' - Anger as 288 hospital jobs will remain UNFILLED to save £10.9m-a-year Stoke Sentinel reports that "Hundreds of vacant positions are no longer being filled at Staffordshire's two biggest hospitals - to save a whopping £10.9 million-a-year.
"The 'vacancy pause' will affect 288 jobs at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford's County Hospital.
"It is the latest money-saving plan by the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust which remains in financial special measures." Campaigners are unconvinced by claims that the job losses will not affect patient care.

(11 Dec 2018) Interserve: Major government contractor 'seeks second rescue deal' Yet another weak and wobbly major contractor that is struggling to float on a sea of almost £500m borrowing. How long can they last? will minister bail them out?

(11 Dec 2018) Hospitals in race to combat ‘toughest ever’ winter crisis for NHS too little, too late? Some remarkably small-scale steps being taken by trusts around the country to fend off the widely-expected deeper winter crisis.

(7 Dec 2018) Combining Transitional Care and Long-term Self-management Support Interesting study publish by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) confirming the unsurprising point that lending additional support to patients over and above "usual care" improved results – resulting in fewer COPD-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits. So all we need is more resources to improve outcomes!

(7 Dec 2018) Patients at risk with doctors at ‘breaking point’ and looking to quit in unprecedented numbers, GMC warns Independent report warns that:
"Patient safety is being put at risk by doctors on the 'brink of breaking point' thanks to out of control NHS pressures, the UK’s medical regulator has warned.
"Ministers are running out of time to act as patient numbers continue to rise and staff are forced to make 'risky compromises' to training and care, the General Medical Council (GMC) said.
"With doctors at the limit of what can be done safely, the GMC warns doctors are looking to quit the health service in 'unprecedented numbers'."

(7 Dec 2018) Nurse staffing, nursing assistants and hospital mortality: retrospective longitudinal cohort study The University of Southampton research paper showing the important role of registered nurses in maintaining the safety of patients.

(7 Dec 2018) Policymakers warned as nursing associates poised to enter NHS (£) HSJ article notes that as the first cohort of nursing associates are due to qualify and join the English NHS next month, "NHS Improvement has developed safe guidance about it and warned that nurses should not be substituted with associate staff."
It highlights new research that confirms that "a lower level of registered nurse staffing and a higher use of nursing assistants was associated with a higher death rate."
The new associates need to be used to complement, not replace, the numbers of registered nurses.

(7 Dec 2018) Pensioners left in pain amid NHS cuts to hip and knee operations Daily Telegraph article highlighting Royal College of Surgeons figures that show a reduction of 7,000 operations to replace hip and knee joints in the last year, as arbitrary rationing and exclusions restrict surgery in some areas to those in the greatest pain (and drive those who can afford to pay to consider going private to escape the pain that is not deemed severe enough).

(7 Dec 2018) Mental health - The NHS patients who are 'abused and ignored' Useful BBC backgrounder on the latest proposals for reform of the Mental Health Act.

(7 Dec 2018) Help needed from the North East Thoughtful (£) HSJ article discusses the gathering crisis of mental health services in Lancashire, where there are increasing delays admitting patients in serious need of treatment, and where "A few weeks ago, chief constable Andy Rhodes took the unusual step of publicly criticising the county’s mental health provision, saying his officers are having to pick up the pieces of a system in crisis."

(7 Dec 2018) Internal incident amid 'unprecedented' demand at top hospital (£) HSJ Short article on the desperate bed shortage at the Royal Free Hospital, before the winter pressures gather force. The HSJ points out that the Free "has missed the national target for processing 95 per cent of emergency attendances in less than four hours for the past two years."

(7 Dec 2018) 'Gross insult' NHS fee rise for overseas nurses gets go-ahead Free access article from Nursing Times on the latest shot fired by ministers into their own feet, with the tightening of the "hostile environment" for nurse recruitment and training. Parliament has just agreed to double the annual fee overseas nurses must pay to use the NHS from £200 to £400, despite strong opposition.
The "immigration health surcharge" has to be paid by temporary migrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) .
The policy has raised more than £600m "for the NHS", and the rise is expected to bring in an additional £220m a year -- but as yet there is no estimate of the numbers of nurses who might have been deterred from applying as they get the message from a hostile government that they are not welcome.

(7 Dec 2018) GP seven-day access programme did not reduce A&E attendance, study finds A further Pulse article following up on previous critical reports highlighting the waste of time energy and staff resources delivering "7-day" GP appointments that almost nobody with health needs really wanted.

(7 Dec 2018) Council quits leading ICS due to 'lack of democratic oversight' (£) HSJ report on decision of Nottingham City Council to pull out of so-called "Integrated Care System" -- an important if belated step that points the way for other councils that don't want to get dragged into rubber stamping cuts, closures and potential privatisation.

(7 Dec 2018) Health visitors warn of 'child tragedy' fears as caseloads rise Alarming article in Children and Young People Now warns that:
"More than four in every 10 health visitors in England feel so stretched they "fear a tragedy" at some point, research has found.
"Nearly half (44 per cent) of health visitors said they are now working with caseloads of more than 400 children.
"A survey of more than 1,200 health visitors found that 43 per cent believed they may not recognise a child in need until it's too late as a result of rising demands in recent years."

(6 Dec 2018) ‘The biggest disgrace at mental health trust is that people were warned, and failed to act’ Local mental health campaigner Emma Corlett writes in the Eastern Daily Press on the chronic crisis if the Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust which is supposed to deliver mental health services. Instead the picture is:
"A perfect storm of cuts, incompetence and stigma has seen services unravel, with people struggling to access services, being discharged too soon, and staff under intolerable pressure with unmanageable caseloads.
"Following a savage real-terms budget cut, the number of doctors has been reduced by 51 (around 25pc) and the number of nurses by 163 (1 in 8) compared to when the trust was formed in 2012, while referrals have rocketed.
"The number of patients referred but still awaiting their first contact is 2,732 (as of October 12).
"That’s a lot of people in distress, without support."

(4 Dec 2018) One in three GPs likely to quit within five years, warns RCGP GP Online reports a ‘gravely concerning’ RCGP survey of over 1,000 GPs.
It "found that nearly a third (31%) of respondents said they were likely to leave the general practice workforce within the next five years - citing stress and retirement as the main reasons.
"Nearly one in four (37%) GPs responding to the survey said there were GP vacancies in the practice where they work, while 5% said their practice will probably close in the next year."

(4 Dec 2018) Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: an update and a consultation on further guidance for CCGs New consultation document, published in late November, outlining further restrictions and exclusions from NHS services, with consultation running into 2019.

(4 Dec 2018) Why general practice is bracing itself for a fresh winter crisis Pulse analysis of the likely impact of the winter crisis on primary care services

(4 Dec 2018) MP welcomes local trust being put into special measures There was discussion in parliament of the decision to halt the planned closure of A&E services at Telford Hospital as a result of the recruitment of locum medical staff at premium rates.
Responding to the earlier news of the Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals Trust being put into special measures, local Ludlow MP Philip Dunn said:
"It should be regarded as support for the trust and the staff who are working tirelessly to provide the best care for all the people of Shropshire.
"People need to see what is happening here, rather than just believe everything that is being said by campaigners who might have an agenda."
Mr Dunne's agenda has not been made clear: however from his recent statements and silences we can assume it does not include consistent defence of local health services in his constituency.

(4 Dec 2018) Changing the face of Health Services in Oxfordshire – what is going on? Oxfordshire KONP newsletter notes and analyses the latest changes, notably:

"An even more significant and worrying development is the creation of a new body, the Integrated System Delivery Board (ISDB). The terms of reference of the ISDB were presented and approved at the November 2018 meeting of the Health & Wellbeing Board without even a murmur of dissent. Briefly, this board is made up entirely of executive officers (CEOs). It meets in secret every month and its minutes or documents are not published. The public is excluded from meetings. Not a single elected official sits on this board."
This is the body drawing up plans for an "Integrated Care System" in Oxfordshire by the spring of 2019.

(1 Dec 2018) Former NHS England and hospital boss to lead integration firm (£) HSJ reports that Samantha Jones, a former hospital boss and NHS England director has been appointed the chief executive of the UK arm of American insurance firm Centene.
Centene, which owns half of the Ribera Salud company embroiled in the Alzira style hospitals in Valencia, Spain, has been advising "integrated care" vanguard projects in Nottinghamshire. It is also one of 78 companies and consultancies on a government-approved list to contract for a role £300m of new NHS spending on digital technology.

(1 Dec 2018) Revealed: STP leader’s damning assessment of local commissioners Evidence of the ineffectiveness of STPs is widely available, but in this case the criticism comes from a man heading all of the CCGs in the patch.
(£) HSJ reports on "A candid assessment of the health system across Kent and Medway," which "has concluded the sustainability and transformation programme has not unified the system, is dominated by providers and little significant action has been taken on improving commissioning.
"The comments were made in Glenn Douglas’ report to a clinical commissioning group governing body meeting this month, despite himself being the accountable officer of all eight CCGs in the Kent and Medway STP.
"He has since distanced himself from the remarks, saying they reflected a “moment in time” and the system had moved on."

(1 Dec 2018) Fresh batch of CCG mergers approved (£) HSJ reports that more cash-strapped CCGs, in Devon and in Derbyshire are to merge.
This will result in even more remote and less accountable bodies that find it easier to close ears and eyes to the views and needs any local communities.

(1 Dec 2018) Health Secretary Matt Hancock accused of breaking ethics rules Excellent challenge to Matt Hancock's bizarre advertorial in the Evening Standard [see previous Infolink entries].

(1 Dec 2018) "Annoyed is an understatement," says Redditch MP Rachel Maclean on link bridge delays at Worcestershire Royal Hospital The nightmare continues at Worcestershire's under-bedded, under-funded hospital which has been further burdened by unrealistic CCG and STP plans to "centralise" acute services in one of the most scattered populations in England.

(1 Dec 2018) Detecting BS in Health Care American study that could be usefully re-run in England, and begins with an assumption that works very well here:
"In the past several months, we have observed several notable signs of deceptive, misleading, unsubstantiated, and foolish statements — what we will call “BS” — in the health care industry. "

(1 Dec 2018) Council worker's dummy run from Southend to Basildon Hospital entailed a four-hour round-trip on public transport Basildon Echo reports on exercise that reinforced Southend council's decision to refer stroke centralisation plan to Secretary of State:
"A proposed “treat and transfer” scheme could see stroke patients and other casualties assessed locally before being taken to Basildon for specialist stroke or other emergency care, if it was required.
"It would mean relatives, many elderly, travelling miles to visit in-patients and for those without cars it would be especially arduous. Faced with a lack of detail on the scheme, a council employee was asked to undertake the journey to gauge how long it could take.
"Councillors discovered the return journey by public transport would take more than four hours during off-peak times."

(1 Dec 2018) Q2 figures show trusts are responding to growing pressures, but can not keep up NHS Providers response to the latest statistics from NHS Improvement

(1 Dec 2018) NHS managers will be trained by the army in bid to boost leadership skills Matt Hancock with yet another wildly inappropriate idea: he is churning them out at a rate of knots.

(1 Dec 2018) New chief executive for Great Ormond Street (£)HSJ reports that it is Dr Shaw, a spinal surgeon, who "has worked as medical director for BUPA, and as deputy chief executive and medical director at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital."
Let's hope it's his NHS hat he chooses to wear for his new job.

(1 Dec 2018) Why the World Bank’s optimism about global poverty misses the point Useful article from The Conversation which notes that:
"If we are to have a serious debate about world poverty on End Poverty Day, we have to start by acknowledging that the global problem of poverty is far more extensive than World Bank rhetoric would have us believe. Two big factors need to be confronted. The first is that the majority of the world’s poor live in countries that have experienced strong economic growth. The second is that the growth strategies these countries have practised create and reproduce poverty."
"Whether we use monetary estimates – Sumner uses a poverty line of $2.50 a day – or estimates of multidimensional poverty; that is, poverty measured according to health indicators, education levels, and economic standards of living – as many as 70% of the world’s poor currently live in what the World Bank refers to as middle-income countries."

(1 Dec 2018) Global health disruptors: 2008 financial crisis. We don’t have the money to deliver the sustainable development goals, says Ronald Labonté Canadian academic and international campaigner Ronald Labonté notes the enduring impact of the 2007-8 banking crash on plans to improve health care for the poorest countries, and points to where all the promised money has gone:
"Indebted governments, which had been reluctant to invest more heavily in global health development assistance, pumped $11tn (£8.6tn; €9.6tn) into failing banks, some as direct subsidies and the rest by creating new money (quantitative easing) and keeping interest rates at historically low levels. "

(1 Dec 2018) NHS providers to start next year underwater financially, despite new money Nuffield Trust's Sally Gainsbury estimates NHS deficits will exceed NHS providers' own forecasts of £558m, and hit £900m by the end of 2018-19.
That £900m would be even AFTER "£2.45bn of emergency Provider Sustainability Fund funding plus around £850m of one off savings, indicating an underlying gap between NHS trust reliable, recurrent income and day to day costs of £4.2bn a year."

(1 Dec 2018) Understanding the health care needs of people with multiple health conditions Health Foundation report finds, based on analysis of data from 2014 to 2016 for 300,000 people in England, that one in four adults had 2+ health conditions, equating to approximately 14.2 million people in England.
"Over half (55%) of hospital admissions and outpatient visits and three-quarters (75%) of primary care prescriptions are for people living with 2+conditions.
"In the least-deprived fifth of areas, people can expect to have 2+ conditions by the time they are 71 years old, but in the most-deprived fifth, people reach the same level of illness a decade earlier, at 61 years of age."

(1 Dec 2018) Asylum seekers 'too afraid' to seek NHS care, report says Theresa May's "hostile environment" is putting the health of asylum seekers -- and the rest of us -- at risk by deterring people from accessing treatment.

(1 Dec 2018) Threat to future of mental health 'places of safety' to keep people out of police cells, North Yorkshire police tsar warns Yorkshire post reports North Yorkshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan "spoke out after the police inspectorate yesterday warned that forces were being left to pick up the pieces of a “broken” mental health system.
"The NHS-funded facilities, called Section 136 suites, are used to house people detained by the police under the Mental Health Act to prevent them having to go into cells.
"But of four centres opened across North Yorkshire since 2012, one is closing, another has halved its capacity and a third is under threat of closure, Mrs Mulligan warned."

(1 Dec 2018) Hancock wants ‘mid career business leaders’ to turn 'NHS trailblazers' (£) HSJ reports that, learning nothing and forgetting nothing from decades of similar failed initiatives, Matt Hancock is again setting off merrily down a familiar blind alley of bringing private sector managers in – to be bamboozled and demoralised by the complexity of the NHS.

(1 Dec 2018) NHS regulator raises bar on creation of wholly owned subsidiaries NHS Trusts that were attempting to establish "wholly owned subsidiaries" now face new hurdles to surmount, according to Public Finance magazine. After a series of strikes and disputes with unions, NHS Improvement stepped in and published an addendum on subsidiaries on 23 November following a consultation.
It requires trusts to submit business cases to an NHS Improvement review panel to receive a ‘traffic light’ rating. Business cases with high financial risk will be rated ‘red’, while low-risk proposals will receive a ‘green’ rating.
"Where a trust attempts to set up a subsidiary in the face of a poor risk rating, the regulator would “use its regulatory powers and step in,” an NHS Improvement spokesperson told PF.
For some reason this annoys NHS Trusts which wanted the go-ahead for this new form of privatisation, and believe they should be allowed to act like commercial bodies, at least according to NHS providers Deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery, who told Public Finance:
“We are concerned that the level of detail and the steps outlined in the new review process go a long way beyond what is normally expected of trusts and what is required for other transactions and commercial activities.”
The question for unions is whether the new restrictions are strong enough to halt further moves to hive off staff.

(1 Dec 2018) Health secretary Matt Hancock: 'AI can augment the human factor' of medicine The advertorial for private GP at Hand app company Babylon featuring the endorsement by Health Secretary Matt Hancock: now Babylon logos have been removed and both Hancock and the Evening Standard deny it I an advertorial -- see if you can spot any critical editorial approach.

(1 Dec 2018) Spending cuts breach UK's human rights obligations, says report The Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that the poorest 20% of people in England lost an average of 11% of their incomes as a result of austerity, compared with zero losses for the top fifth of households.
And, as the Guardian reports, the EHRC concludes that "Cuts to public services and benefits that disproportionately affect the least well-off, single parents and disabled people put the government in breach of its human rights obligations"

(1 Dec 2018) Urgent care company collapse leaves GPs just 10 days to find out-of-hours cover Pulse magazine reports that Primecare, which forms part of the financially struggling Allied Healthcare group, had written to over 20 Birmingham GP practices for which it directly provides out-of-hours cover, informing them they would stop services by the end of November.
"The decision also affects a number of CCGs, which have been told the services they contract from Primecare will cease by mid-December."

(1 Dec 2018) Top physician flags concerns over race to cut length of stay Another (£) HSJ article, identifying another misguided obsession of "efficiency" plans as a potential threat to safety of patient care.
"The British Geriatrics Society’s new president Tahir Masud, who began a two year term this month, told HSJ he supported the principle of NHS England’s drive to cut length of stay, but warned the system could be near to a “nadir”.
"The warning comes after a Healthwatch England study this month found the number of patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days of discharge was growing “faster than before”, with a nine per cent increase over the last 12 months alone across the 70 trusts it obtained data for."

(1 Dec 2018) Early cancer diagnosis rates drop in several areas (£) HSJ report on statistics from Public Health England showing that in 16 CCGs the proportion of cancers being diagnosed at an early stage has dropped. The figures span from late 2011 to the first half of 2017.

(1 Dec 2018) King's Fund report on Population Health Improvements in life expectancy grinding to a halt. Inequalities widening. A gloomy picture of life shortened by austerity.

(1 Dec 2018) Interesting comments from Roy Lilley on private contractors and NHS "Despite a life-time in business and a belief in the private sector for its ability to adapt, adopt, be nimble and all the things a bureaucratic lump like the NHS can never be, I have to say the NHS is no place for private companies.
"Looking back, I can't think of one that has come into the NHS and made a decent fist of it."

(1 Dec 2018) The nation's health as an asset Important Health Foundation report highlighting the evidence on the social and economic value of health.

(1 Dec 2018) Figures show rise in EU nationals exiting public sector after Brexit vote Alarming Guardian report points out that 12.5% of NHS staff are not British, with 5.6% up to now coming from Europe, including 7% of nurses and 10% of doctors.

(1 Dec 2018) Moving cancer operations from King’s Lynn to Norwich would create “serious risks”, say doctors Unusual and welcome resistance from senior doctors to desperate plans to relocate cancer surgery from Kings Lynn to Norwich, 45 miles away.
The Eastern Daily Press reports that
Staff committee chair, consultant surgeon Harald Geogloman:
“When discussing the most recent proposal for cancer patients to have their surgery at the NNUH in case beds become short at the QEH, it became clear that our local CCG was not informed of any such proposal and none of its details.
“They were understandably unable to comment on the details of the proposal, but shared our concerns regarding safety for patients and QEH staff, as the idea seems to be QEH staff travelling as well and performing the operations in Norwich.
“The HMSC [staff medical committee] is against the proposal as it creates many serious risks for staff and patients, for very little gain.”

(1 Dec 2018) Babylon, A Private Health Care Company, Sponsored A Newspaper Series That Included An Interview With The Health Secretary Buzzfeed story contains a screenshot of the original Evening Standard story, complete with Babylon logo.

(1 Dec 2018) Quarterly performance of the NHS provider sector: quarter 2 2018/19 Official figures confirm yet again that despite all the promises and plans in the last 25 years the numbers of emergency patients just keep going up, even across the summer months.
"There were 940 more emergency admissions per day compared to the same quarter last year. A total of 6.18 million people visited A&E during the quarter — 252,360 (4.3%) more than the same period last year. NHS staff treated more emergency patients within the four-hour A&E standard — 5.52 million patients, compared with 5.34 million for the previous quarter. "
As a result NHS Providers' boss Chris Hopson notes in a Tweet that:
"Trusts are working absolutely flat out but failing to keep pace with unholy combination of rapidly rising demand, ongoing financial squeeze and workforce shortages."

(1 Dec 2018) Thirty-six trusts told to take 'firm action' on deficits (£) HSJ reports "NHS Improvement’s mid year performance report showed a combined deficit of £1.23bn for the first six months of the year. This was around £80m worse than for the same period in 2017-18, despite an increase in the “provider sustainability fund”.
How they are supposed to eliminate these deficits is not explained.
It's clear that many trusts have effectively given up on even trying to balance their books, safe in the knowledge that they can't all be replaced by management consultants.

(1 Dec 2018) Update: Most NHS email accounts restored after mass shutdown The NHS IT systems failure affecting 1.2 million email accounts that the mainstream media declined to cover seems to have been resolved fairly quickly, but should surely raise questions of back-up systems to ensure continuity of care and access to key information.

(26 Nov 2018) Most doctors fear hospitals won't cope this winter Guardian report based on Royal College of Physicians survey showing that:
"Almost six in 10 doctors reported feeling “very worried” or “worried” about the ability of their hospital to deliver safe patient care over the winter period. The poll, conducted by the RCP, found that only 17% of respondents were “confident” or “ very confident” about preparations."

(26 Nov 2018) Figures show rise in EU nationals exiting public sector after Brexit vote Guardian report drawing on survey of NHS trusts in England finds that:
"hospital trusts, all in England, who responded to the freedom of information requests recorded a 22% increase in the number of EU nationals leaving their jobs according to the figures supplied, a “damning indictment” of the Brexit result according to one leading doctor. Trusts particularly affected at the time include:
"University Hospital Southampton NHS trust, which reported that the number of EU nationals leaving its books rose from 161 in 2016 to 226 in 2017, a increase of 40%. It currently employs 1,221 EU nationals.
"Guy’s and St Thomas’s trust saw EU leavers rise from 325 to 424, an increase of 30%. It employs 1,999 EU nationals.
"The Liverpool-based Walton Centre trust, which specialises in neurology and neurosurgery, reported that the number of EU employees leaving rose from 134 to 172, an increase of 28%."

(23 Nov 2018) Report exposes how PPPs across the world drain the public purse, and fail to deliver in the public interest Excellent and succinct Eurodad report gives an in-depth, evidence-based analysis of the impact of 10 PPP projects that have taken place across four continents, in both developed and developing countries.
"These case studies build on research conducted by civil society experts in recent years and have been written by the people who often work with and around the communities affected by these projects.
"The countries included are: Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Lesotho, Liberia, Peru, Spain and Sweden. The sectors they cover are: education, energy, healthcare, transport, and water and sanitation.
"Although we do not intend to generalise our conclusions in the vast and complex universe of PPPs, these 10 cases illustrate the most common problems encountered by PPPs. Therefore, they challenge the capacity of PPPs to deliver results in the public interest."

(23 Nov 2018) Conflict of interest: how corporations that profit from privatisation are helping write UN standards on PPPs Briefing by Public Services International to UNECE Working Party on PPPs, November, 2018. Just after British Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the government would sign no more PFI deals, the lobbying for more, similar PPP contracts to be signed internationally has been stepped up. This report begins:
"Despite growing evidence of systemic problems with public-private partnerships (PPPs), the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) continues to try develop and promote global standards for private sector participation in public infrastructure and services. The UNECE’s PPP Roster of Experts and Business Advisory Board are largely comprised of individuals representing corporations which have profited heavily from PPPs, corporations that advise on tax avoidance, corporations convicted of corruption and bribery, consulting and law firms that benefit from privatisation transactions, and more."

(21 Nov 2018) Lobbyist Documents Reveal Health Care Industry Battle Plan Against “Medicare for All” Useful exploration of the underhand tactics being employed by those who benefit from the current disastrous and costly $3 trillion US health care system to prevent changes to establish universal access to health care.

(21 Nov 2018) Exclusive: Public want new NHS money to go on cancer and staff, not digital (£) HSJ publishes outcome of opinion poll that shows that contrary to the enthusiastic commitment of Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and most recent pronouncements from NHS England, the public put digital access to NHS services at 16th out of 16 potential priorities. Top is improved cancer care, followed by recruitment and training of staff and improved mental health.

(21 Nov 2018) Cancer screening overhaul announced by NHS in wake of Capita cervical smear blunder Independent reports: "The NHS has announced an overhaul of cancer screening in the wake of revelations that nearly 50,000 women missed cervical smear invitations or results because of failings with a privatised service.
"Changes could see the NHS bring screening in-house and end the involvement of private firm Capita, which accepted responsibility for the cervical cancer “system error” and is three years in to its seven-year contract."

(21 Nov 2018) When Hospitals Merge to Save Money, Patients Often Pay More New York Times article on the perverse impact of merging hospitals in the private sector-led US health care scenario. It warns
"The hospitals have argued that consolidation benefits consumers with cheaper prices from coordinated services and other savings.
"But an analysis conducted for The New York Times shows the opposite to be true in many cases. The mergers have essentially banished competition and raised prices for hospital admissions in most cases, according to an examination of 25 metropolitan areas with the highest rate of consolidation from 2010 through 2013, a peak period for mergers.
"The analysis showed that the price of an average hospital stay soared, with prices in most areas going up between 11 percent and 54 percent in the years afterward, according to researchers."

(21 Nov 2018) UK cancer and children’s wards being hit by closures Guardian report pulls together various examples of cutbacks in cancer care and children's services, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn, where patients face an 80-mile round trip trek to Norwich if cancer services close.

(21 Nov 2018) Matchborough mum gives birth on the M5 after failing to get to hospital Redditch Standard reports that Anne-Marie Williams, who lives just 5 minutes from the Alexandra Hospital, wound up giving birth in the back of an ambulance on the M5, headed for the crisis-ridden Worcestershire Royal hospital.
"while thankful for her healthy new-born baby, [she] is furious with the lack of maternity services near Redditch."
She said: “The Alexandra Hospital doesn’t allow women to give birth there anymore.
Despite the efforts of campaigners, Worcester's perpetually crowded hospital, with an almost constant queue of ambulances outside waiting to hand over patients, was chosen as the base for "centralised" maternity care in the sparsely populated county.

(21 Nov 2018) UK austerity has inflicted 'great misery' on citizens, UN says Guardian front page coverage of the UN report highlighting poverty in Britain

(21 Nov 2018) Statement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights The 24-page report of the UN investigator who has just exposed the scale of poverty unleashed by 8 years of government-imposed austerity since 2010.

(21 Nov 2018) U.S. Has Spent Six Trillion Dollars on Wars That Killed Half a Million People Since 9/11, Report Says Hard hitting report in the unlikely setting of US magazine Newsweek, underlining huge spending and loss of life as a result of continuing US "war on terror" since 2001 now involving intervention in almost 2/5 of countries of world. For a fraction of this sum the USA and many of the countries lacking universal health care could have been provided with health services -- perhaps creating new friends and allies for the US rather than lengthening the list of enemies.

(21 Nov 2018) Poverty causing 'misery' in UK, and ministers are in denial, says UN official Even the BBC here obliged to carry a bland summary of a hard-hitting UN report on the state of play in Britain after 8 brutal years of austerity, forcing up levels of poverty -- and undermining public health.

(21 Nov 2018) Two-thirds of land proceeds go into revenue, despite reinvestment pledge (£) HSJ report reveals the extent to which, (as campaigners have warned) forced sales of NHS land assets are effectively being used to prop up flagging revenue budgets:
"NHS provider accounts show that £206m (63 per cent) of the £327m raised from land sales in 2017-18 helped prop up the Department of Health and Social Care’s revenue budget, rather than topping up its capital account.
"It comes after a period in which capital budgets have been repeatedly cut and raided, which has resulted in a spiralling backlog of overdue maintenance work. Local health leaders have also been frustrated by the delays they have faced in getting new infrastructure projects signed off."

(21 Nov 2018) Ex-Capita boss set to lead CCG as council link dropped (£) HSJ reveals a series of ructions in Trafford as the flimsy facade of "integration" of primary care services and NHS with local government is ripped to shreds. The more they talk about it, it seems, the less it happens. Whether a former Capita boss can improve matters for the CCG remains to be seen: many will have their doubts.

(21 Nov 2018) Council scrutiny blocks "ill-conceived" plan to axe 24-bed ward Members of a Durham County Council scrutiny committee have intervened to halt County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust's proposals to close ward six at Bishop Auckland Hospital.
Bishop Auckland councillor Joy Allen, a member of the authority's cabinet, told the Northern Echo: “It’s an ill conceived plan, poorly implemented and operationally flawed.
“Scrutiny has paused the process and we hope we can get it stopped and keep the staff and keep the resources at Bishop Auckland Hospital.”
The next day the Northern Echo reported on the victory that was achieved:
“After a grilling by County Durham councillors, not only did County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust apologise, it also promised the 24-bed service would remain open while its future is considered.”

(21 Nov 2018) Full details: New NHS England and Improvement structure Diagrams and lists published by HSJ show literally hundreds (over 400) top-paid directors' jobs in the NHS Engprovement merger plan. This should ensure that every bureaucrat who wants to stick around can find a place to sit and claim their salary and expenses without being noticed.
It's not clear how this could possibly be an improvement or a streamlining of the current structure.
It also appears that the merged body has deliberately ignored the 44 STP areas and instead planned to divide England into 41 new areas to confuse absolutely everybody.

(16 Nov 2018) BMA: Capita failed to deliver over 47,000 cervical cancer screening letters Latest revelations via Pulse magazine and BMA on the fiasco of the Capita contract for "back office" services to GPs:
"The [BMA] GP Committee called Capita’s running of services ‘nothing short of shambolic’ and said it is ‘frankly appalling’ that the private company’s ‘gross error’ may have put patients at risk."

(16 Nov 2018) Hancock interview: ‘Big private health companies’ won’t run integrated care HSJ report of interview with Health Secretary Matt Hancock, including a discussion of proposed changes to legislation and a statement claiming the government is not aiming at the privatisation that many campaigners have feared:
"The health secretary has told HSJ the government is 'not going to hand [integrated care contracts] to the big private healthcare companies”, and would make this clear in Parliament when it presents new NHS legislation.
Matt Hancock also said he was hoping for cross party “buy in” for changes to current NHS laws, and was “absolutely up for” seeking to agree proposals with the Labour party.
NHS England and Improvement are expected to propose changes to the Health Act 2012 later this year, in the NHS long-term plan, or early next year.'"

(16 Nov 2018) There is no version of Brexit which will benefit the NHS — only varying degrees of harm BMJ blog by Sarah Wollaston and Paul Williams highlights Brexit impact on workforce of NHS and social care, and argues:
"The reality of Brexit is vastly different to the fantasy Brexit that was mis-sold to the public during the referendum campaign. The promise on the side of the bus of an extra £350m per week has crashed into the inconvenient truth that there is no Brexit bonanza for the NHS, only a Brexit penalty. The committee heard evidence that pharmaceutical companies are already spending hundreds of millions on contingency planning. Ultimately these costs will be passed on to the NHS and taxpayers, money that would be far better spent investing in patient care. The costs will only increase as the clock ticks down to 29 March 2019. Stockpiling and refrigerated warehousing do not come cheap, let alone chartering special air freights for medical radioisotopes and other essential supplies with short shelf lives."

(16 Nov 2018) NHS denied treatment for migrants who can’t afford upfront charges Guardian report on the impact of the "hostile environment" imposed by Tories on migrants, and its consequences for health care:
"Hundreds of patients have been denied treatment for serious health problems including cancer, arrhythmia and cardiac chest pains after ministers forced the NHS to impose upfront charges on migrants deemed ineligible for free healthcare, the Guardian can reveal.
"In one case, a patient with advanced stage cancer died after she went a year without treatment because an NHS hospital demanded £30,000 upfront to provide chemotherapy."

(16 Nov 2018) Social workers faced with assessing up to 50 children in Northamptonshire each are 'drowning in cases', report finds Northants Tedlegraph report highlights developing crisis in social services in the bankrupt Northants council:
A damning Ofsted report of the county council's children's services revealed that its social workers are struggling to handle 'unmanageable caseloads', leaving Northamptonshire's children 'at risk of harm'. Overall the children's department services have significantly declined since Ofsted's last inspection in 2016:
"Social work caseloads in the first response teams are too high with many social workers responsible for between 30 and 50 children.
"Social workers reported to inspectors that they were 'overwhelmed' and 'drowning'."

(16 Nov 2018) Hospital food at risk from no-deal Brexit Yet another reminder of the multiple threats that could be posed by a no-deal Brexit, all of which are of course glibly dismissed or ignored by the Brexit fundamentalists and those who follow them.

(16 Nov 2018) ‘Historic breakthrough Alzheimer patients around the globe have been awaiting’ The excellent Health News Review in the US points out the absurd exaggeration by a news report of a press release from West Virginia University on the preliminary findings on an experimental treatment with just one patient so far.

(16 Nov 2018) Departing county leader attacks cuts and urges care settlement With Surrey County Council facing a funding gap of £36m in 2018-19, rising to £86m by the end of 2019-20 and to £94m the following year, its Tory leader David Hodge is standing down after 7 years, telling the council it was “extremely disappointing” that government had passed on extra responsibilities to councils without proper funding, and calling for a long-term funding settlement for social care services.
The Local Government Chronicle quotes him as saying:
“It is sometimes difficult for someone in local government, that despite continually finding savings and continually facing increased demand, that we are expected to carry on while the National Health Service receives more funding.”

(16 Nov 2018) Surgeons say Gloucestershire hospital plan 'not safe' BBC report highlighting the warnings of almost 60 consultants and senior doctors at Cheltenham General Hospital, who argue that moving out-of-hours general surgery to Gloucester could put patients at risk.
The trust plans to move emergency and inpatient general surgery seven miles away to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
One doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "We can see a plane crash about to happen. It's going to be catastrophic."
Gloucestershire Trust bosses are clearly as unwilling to take professional advice as their equivalents in Shropshire and elsewhere.

"The trust doesn't realise the detail in their plan. It's not safe."

(16 Nov 2018) NHS faces £2.3bn ‘cost shock’ in no-deal Brexit, says think-tank Financial Times report on Nuffield Trust research warns:
"A no-deal Brexit would deliver a “cost shock” to England’s NHS that would swallow up all the money available to improve services for patients in the next two years, a think-tank has warned."
The Nuffield Trust has concluded that the NHS is facing up to £2.3bn in extra annual costs by the end of 2019-20 owing to a sharp rise in red tape and trade barriers should Britain fail to secure an agreement with other European member states.
"The think-tank concludes that 'extra costs on this scale would eat up all the funding available to improve patient care next year and the year after'."
Not to mention the threat posed by soaring levels of unfilled vacancies after the collapse of EU recruitment.

(16 Nov 2018) We must not ignore plight of low-paid men as once we ignored that of working women Important evidence of the reduction in living standards of the poorest, impacting on their health and that of their families.

(16 Nov 2018) How the Big Four accountancy firms have become guardians of greed Daily Mirror report - on the same accountancy and consultancy firms that have so repeatedly deepened the crisis of the NHS over the last 30 years.

(16 Nov 2018) A&E Providers (includes those without Improvement Trajectories) - October 2018 Excellent interactive resource charting performance of A&E units in England

(11 Nov 2018) Opinion: The P3 party is over in the UK so why is Nova Scotia embracing the formula? Op-ed article by HCT editor John Lister in the Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald responds to the recently announced provincial government plan to build a new 600-bed hospital and other buildings in Halifax for a staggering $2 billion Canadian, financed through P3 (Public Private Partnership) analogous to PFI. The October announcment in Halifax came just as Philip Hammond was facing the hefty cost of bailing out collapsed Carillion hospital projects in Birmingham and Liverpool, and preparing to announce no more PFI/PF2 deals would be signed.

(5 Nov 2018) GP at Hand could face re-inspection by CQC More trouble for the much-hyped app-based service that is undermining GP services in London.

(5 Nov 2018) NACC Meals on Wheels Survey 2018 The report on which the Guardian article below revealing the cutbacks in services was based.

(5 Nov 2018) Less than half of councils still offering meals on wheels More eveidence of the disntegration and collapse of what undeveloped social care system we have left after 25 years of privatisation, means tested charges and fragmentation. Access to services is a postcode lottery and any concept of prevention has been killed off by vicious "eligibility criteria" to exclude all but the most desperate cases from any support at all. If this makes you angry, come to our Reclaim Social Care conference on November 17 - tickets via www.healthcampaignstogether.com

(5 Nov 2018) People must take responsibility for own health, says Matt Hancock Further proof of Matt Hancock's complete lack of suitability to the job of Health Secretary displaying his ignorance of public health and preventive work over the past decades by simply lecturing people and telling them to change their lifestyle while food monopolies, junk food and alcohol corporations continue to profit from peddling their unhealthy wares undisturbed, and more years of relentless austerity grind down the living standards of the poorest.

(4 Nov 2018) NHS funding boost: the need to manage expectations Analysis by Nuffield Trust's Sally Gainsbury in advance of the Budget on October 29.

(4 Nov 2018) Budget 2018: plenty of spin but no more money for the NHS Keep Our NHS Public analysis of Philip Hammond's budget, with a table calculating the long term gap in funding opened up since 2010 by austerity budgets that have lagged increasingly behind cost pressures and growing population.
See also the HCT analysis at
https://www.healthcampaignstogether.com/newsroundup.php

(2 Nov 2018) Securing the future: funding health and social care to the 2030s Health Foundation report which notes that the £2bn extra for mental health "is welcome but would not be enough to make any serious inroads into the substantial unmet need." To do that, mental health spending would need at least a further £1.5bn

(2 Nov 2018) Is £84 billion being spent on the NHS? Full Fact dissect the government claim that an extra £84 bn is going to be spent on the NHS, and conclude:
"The increase is £20.5 billion in real-terms for the NHS in England between 2018/19 and 2023/24. There is a way of calculating the figures that gets £84 billion, but it’s unhelpful and contains some potentially misleading figures."

(2 Nov 2018) How to spend it Autumn Budget 2018 response Detailed critique of Hammond's budget by the Resolution Foundation finds that the poorest 10% of the population stand to gain just £30 per year, most of that from the unreliable Universal Credit system, while the richest 10% stand to pocket a massive £410.

(2 Nov 2018) Autumn Budget 2018: IFS analysis IFS boss Paul Johnson concludes: "this is no bonanza. Many public services are going to feel squeezed for some time to come. Cuts are not about to be reversed. If I were a prison governor, a local authority chief executive or a headteacher I would struggle to find much to celebrate. I would be preparing for more difficult years ahead."

(2 Nov 2018) Preferred bidder named for controversial £450m contract (Paywalled) HSJ report reveals that despite fears of privatisation of services out of hospital in Ealing the contract is set to go to an NHS trust. It appears the funding of the contract was too low to offer any hope of a profit for private companies -- so it is probably also too low to allow a viable contract for NHS providers.

(2 Nov 2018) Budget 2018: 'NHS will face cuts as well as gains' Even the BBC catches on to the harsh reality behind the happy clappy rhetoric of the government's latest "increases" in NHS funding.

(2 Nov 2018) Just £32m withheld from PFI providers as councils overpay for poor service Infrastructure Intelligence report on local authorities and PFI notes:
"Councils are often reluctant to withhold payment as they are concerned about the legal implications of doing so. However, PFI contracts will invariably have some sort of contractual mechanism to allow payments to be reduced for failures in performance. Councils and ultimately taxpayers should not be paying for services if they are not being delivered by PFI contractors.”

(2 Nov 2018) A quiet crisis: local government spending on disadvantage A worrying report from the Lloyd's Bank Foundation which warns that "Almost all (97%) of the reduction in spending has occurred in the most deprived fifth of local areas. Metropolitan and other urban areas concentrated in the North and Midlands, as well as coastal districts across England, are over-represented in
this group."
The result of cuts is that " councils have had to shift away from preventive spending
towards crisis spending. For example, there has been a 46% reduction in
spending on preventing homelessness, while spending on homelessness crisis support has increased by 58%, primarily through the cost of providing temporary accommodation."

(2 Nov 2018) Robert Francis attacks 'perilous state' of Healthwatch funding Healthwatch -- a watchdog body so feeble and toothless it has not even campaigned against cuts in its own funding. The (paywall) HSJ reports its chair, Robert Francis, complaining that the numbers of full time staff employed by Healthwatch had crashed by 22 per cent in two years, while this year’s funding for some local areas had been slashed by 50 per cent.

Full time staff employed by Healthwatch has fallen from 525 in 2015-16 to 408 in 2017-18, while funding has dropped 35 per cent since Healthwatch was created under the Health and Social Care Act in 2013."

(2 Nov 2018) CCG's service cuts leave patients with 'nowhere else' Despite all the government guff insisting mental health is a prioritythis (paywall) HSJ article reveals that in Derbyshire CCGs are so short of cash they are cutting crucial services for people with severe illnesses such as personality disorders.

(2 Nov 2018) NHS funding rise may address our most visible challenges but neglecting wider health stores up problems for the future Health Foundation's Anita Charlesworth sets out her critique of Hammond's budget.

(2 Nov 2018) Health campaigners launch petition for A&E departments at all three main east Kent hospitals Important new challenge to cuts and closures in East Kent.

(2 Nov 2018) Changes in health in the countries of the UK and 150 English Local Authority areas 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 Rates of premature mortality are twice as high in the most deprived areas of England (Blackpool) compared to most affluent (Wokingham), according to a new study of health at a local, national and regional level across the UK.

(30 Oct 2018) Commitments to mental health sends right message but more support for core services needed NHS Providers' response to October Budget, including comment on PFI:
“Whilst we note the chancellor’s announcement on the future of PFI, a number of trusts with particularly onerous existing PFI contracts will need further financial support if they are to meet the prime minister’s stipulation that no NHS organisation should be in financial deficit over the medium term. We will need the forthcoming review of NHS capital spending to set out how trusts can fund big building projects in the future."

(30 Oct 2018) RCP calls Budget 2018 'one step forward, two steps back' for NHS Royal College of Physicans points out: "Yes, councils will get an extra £700 million to care for the elderly and those with disabilities ... but this can only go a small way to alleviating the pressures placed upon the NHS by having to care for people in hospital who would be better looked after in the community. "

(30 Oct 2018) New money welcome but key services left hanging - Nuffield Trust response to Budget Nuffield Trust analysis of Oct 2018 Budget warns that "the financial fate of the vital services on which the NHS relies on was once again left hanging today.
"While more money going into social care will be welcome, it is another short term fix to a system nobody seriously disputes is fundamentally broken. Troublingly, we heard no guarantees today about the budgets for hospital buildings, IT investments, training or public health."

(30 Oct 2018) Nationalise the Special Purpose Vehicles to end PFI! Updated version of an important analysis that sets out an affordable, practical way to renationalise PFIs and reduce the haemorrhage of cash to tax dodging offshore financiers and investors.

(29 Oct 2018) NHS Improvement's plans for 29 Pathology Networks to cover England A collection of reports and proposals from NHS Improvement, which should start to sound the alarm in many areas where this process has been taking place below the radar with little if any consultation or information to NHS staff or to local communities whose servics may be destabilised or "centralised" miles away.

(29 Oct 2018) No debate, no transparency – it’s the latest Tory NHS reforms Analysis by Labour shadow minister Justin Madders published by SHA.

(25 Oct 2018) Steeling ourselves for winter 2018/19 Strangely muted NHS Providers Report which avoid referring to levels of trust deficits and debts but does emphasise shortage of bed capacity, staff vacancies and the weaknesses of the dysfunctional and cash starved social care system as reasons to fear 2018/19 winter will be worse again than last year.

(25 Oct 2018) Is £84 billion being spent on the NHS? Short answer: no. Longer answer, with same basic conclusion is provided by Full Fact, which notes that "There is a way of calculating the figures that gets £84 billion, but it’s unhelpful and contains some potentially misleading figures."

(25 Oct 2018) Mental health services are failing to meet rising demand, new TUC report reveals The report – which features new analysis by the NHS Support Federation – shows that in the last five years the number of patients accessing mental health services in England has risen by a third (540,000). However, over the same period the number of mental health nurses, doctors and beds in the country has fallen.

(25 Oct 2018) King George Hospital, Ilford to close cancer unit The local Guardian newspaper reports on the latest move to downgrade and close the Ilford Hospital, diverting patients and resources to the already desperately overstretched PFI-funded Queens Hospital in Romford.

(25 Oct 2018) https://www.hsj.co.uk/mid-cheshire-hospitals-nhs-foundation-trust/patients-will-suffer-from-regulators-funding-denial-says-trust-ceo/7023643.article (£) HSJ report reveals a Trust CEO speaking out publicly, after Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust was denied £1.4m in capital funding for winter because the trust had told NHS Improvement it could not meet a requirement to reduce its four hour waiting time breaches by 50 per cent. More CEOs need to speak out to reveal this kind of tension.

(25 Oct 2018) NHS reliance on EU staff in numbers – full scale of Brexit risk revealed In the NHS, 63,000 staff – 5.6% of the total workforce – are from EU countries, including 10% of doctors and 7% of nurses, according to an article by Prof Karen Bloor in The Conversation. Some key hospitals in England depend on the European Union for up to one in five staff, and even higher proportions of doctors and nurses.
Senior figures in the NHS have warned that recruitment from Europe has dried up, with potential knock-on effects on waiting times, operating theatre capacity and beds.

(25 Oct 2018) Taking our health for granted: Plugging the public health grant funding gap This Health Foundation briefing paper assesses the extent of cuts to the public health grant since 2014/15 and "projects the amount required per year to plug the funding gap that now exists."
It demands a major reversal of policy: "At a minimum, the government should reverse real-term cuts and allow additional investment in the most-deprived areas by providing an additional £1.3bn in 2019/20. The remaining £1.9bn should then be allocated in phased budget increases by 2023/24, with further adjustments for inflation."
It warns that even this increase would not inject sufficient resources to finance the improvements called for in the Five Year Forwatd View in 2014.

(25 Oct 2018) Not content with closing A&Es, Shropshire health bosses are now targeting mothers. Facebook post from Shropshire Defend Our NHS warns that "the well-respected Midwife Led Units in Oswestry, Bridgnorth and Ludlow are to be closed permanently leaving open only the ones at the two hospitals" [Shrewsbury and Telford]. There is "no mention of any provision for home births."

(25 Oct 2018) Young people back single-payer health care According to a new poll, 69 percent of young Americans between the ages of 15 and 34 favor a national health plan, known as a single-payer program. Eighty-eight percent of young Democrats and 40 percent of young Republicans favor a government-run health insurance program, according to the poll. Roughly two-thirds of young independents are in favor.

(25 Oct 2018) Buried in "Hilariously Stupid" White House Attack on Socialism, An Accidentally Strong Argument for Medicare for All Incompetent and ignorant Trump team produce a 72-page document seeking to rubbish socialism and Bernie Sanders, only to include a chart showing shorter wait times for seniors under the current U.S. healthcare system compared to those under the Canadian and Nordic systems. Health care for senior citizens is run through the publicly-funded, low cost Medicare system which campaigners want to extend.

(25 Oct 2018) Poll Shows 52% of Republicans Support Medicare for All President Donald Trump and the GOP's lie-filled ads, videos, and op-eds attacking single-payer have not been enough to convince even their own constituents that providing healthcare to every American at a lower cost is bad policy, a poll published Monday found that a majority of Republican voters support Medicare for All.

(25 Oct 2018) Thousands Demand Doug Ford Disavow Health Care Privatization and Cuts Ontario Health Coalition reports 8,000-strong province-wide lobby of provincial parliament building in Toronto protesting at massive cuts in mental health already announced by new right wing provincial govt, further cuts threatened, and long waits for patients for emergency care in over-stretched hospitals.

(25 Oct 2018) Social care crisis: Councils receive 5,100 new requests for adult care EVERY DAY amid soaring demand Daily Mail one of few news outlets to highlight these worrying figures from new figures and warns "the situation will only get worse if more money isn't spent".

(25 Oct 2018) Hospital to trial use of cutting-edge tech in £1.2m scheme to cut A&E admissions "The Test Bed programme will see digital technology used to keep heart condition patients out of A&E": when you have not got enough beds or staff to look after patients face to face, there is always the hope that magic will help out. Scary stuff from local paper in Stoke on Trent.

(25 Oct 2018) Staff in NHS hospital with one of the biggest deficits in England say wards lack enough showers and toilets ITV story on over-stretched Hereford Hospital also reveals that the 1930s hutted wards that were supposed to have been replaced by the PFI-funded new hospital in early 2000s -- and demolished -- are still part of the bed complement of the hospital. The story does not mention that chief executive is overseeing the crisis part-time, since he is also CEO in South Warwickshire AND George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton.

(25 Oct 2018) NHS £20bn boost risks being spent to pay off debts, experts warn Guardian reports govt adviser Peter Carter, backed by NHS Providers, urging Theresa May to write off almost £12bn in loans that have covered up chronic overspending by hospitals. If not, they argue, she risks her £20bn NHS boost being spent on debt repayment rather than improving healthcare.

(20 Oct 2018) The policy behind Liverpool’s empty hospital Rather strange New Statesman article, quoting some odd sources, concludes reasonably that "If there is an upside to the empty corridors of the Royal Liverpool, then, it is that Carillion’s collapse may make it more difficult for governments to justify the use of PFI in future."

(20 Oct 2018) Dealing with the legacy of PFI: options for policy makers Important new study from CHPI examining five potential ways of mitigating the damage of PFI, and suggesting they are all worthy of consideration, although one of them appears to offer significantly more savings that the others.

(18 Oct 2018) Shropshire A&E waiting times are second worst in country Shropshire Star sound the alarm over disastrous delays and waiting times even before reckless hospital bosses implement their plan to axe overnight A&E services at Telford.

(18 Oct 2018) Brexit: most doctors and nurses now think NHS will get worse Guardian picks up on growing fears among health workers, who will no doubt be brushed aside by arrogant ignoramuses such as Rees Mogg and Johnson as "experts" who should be ignored in favour of the now highly suspect mandate they procured from the least informed.

(18 Oct 2018) A conversation with the public: could different be better? "What if the NHS could meet people’s needs in a different way, that shifted care out of acute hospitals?" asks Professor Keith Willett, Medical Director for Acute Care @NHSEngland in a King's Fund blog.
Indeed. A nice dream to have. What if there was an escalator to take climbers up Everest without climbing ropes? What if we had a government willing to fund the NHS properly? What if NHS bosses came up with serious plans instead of idiot fantasies? What if Prof Willett + the King's Fund faced up to reality?

(18 Oct 2018) 'No excuse' for mental health failings in Lancashire https://www.lep.co.uk/news/health/no-excuse-for-mental-health-failings-in-lancashire-1-9395469 Lancashire Post flags up yet another example of a council scrutiny committee doing what they are supposed to do -- and scrutinising the actions of management.
"Members of Blackpool Council’s adult social care and health scrutiny committee grilled Dr Leon LeRoux, clinical director for Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, about a series of failings in the way mental health services are being run, as reported in The Post.
Mr Marsden said: 'I think the scrutiny committee did a superb job of really bringing to account a highly worrying series of failings both administrative and otherwise that have been going on, particularly at The Harbour'."

(18 Oct 2018) ‘GP at hand’ app Babylon bleeds cash (£) Times story reveals losses of £23m from a company valued at £213m, Familiar pattern with Ali Parsa's projects - strong on rhetoric, weak on profits.
this is just what happened with Circle at Hinchingbrooke Hospital before firm walked away from contract.
What happens to patients if Babylon goes bust, along with GP at Hand?

(18 Oct 2018) BBC headlines "New checks to crack down on free prescription fraud" The "crackdown on prescription fraud" like the moves on "health tourism" is a non-issue elevated into deliberate misdirection by govt and NHS England (aided by BBC) away from real, massive problems of underfunding, disintegration and privatisation weighing down on NHS.
Allegations that prescription fraud is a significant problem are designed to appeal to the most ignorant layers of Daily Mail readers + to those who bought the lies about "health tourism". We need a crackdown on ministerial lies and diversions.
The biggest "prescription fraud" is the fact that people in England have to pay for prescriptions while in Wales, Scotland + N.Ireland they are free, so no charges to fiddle. Best solution: scrap prescription charges, remove this ridiculous obstacle to care for lowest earners.

(18 Oct 2018) Are NHS leaders being required to play fast and loose with the law? Blog by David Lock QC highlights the extent to which NHS England's proposals for so-called "integrated care" mean that "legally enforceable rules about pricing NHS services, maintaining the division between commissioners and providers, the rules about the operation of competition within the NHS and numerous other aspects of the 2012 Act are simply being ignored."
Lock argues:

"Personally, I regard the 2012 Act as an extremely long, complicated and tortuous disaster. Its model of operating the NHS as a managed market where free-market competition would magically deliver benefits for patients and value for money for the taxpayer always struck me as being a flawed ideology which was not supported by any evidence. I also accept that there is a complete disconnect between the resources provided to the NHS and the legal duties that NHS bodies are required to deliver with those resources. But as a former parliamentarian and as a QC, I cling to the old-fashioned notion that Acts of Parliament that create laws are required to be followed; and that individuals in positions of leadership in public bodies are required to act lawfully. "
He urges NHS leaders to put pressure on government to change the law rather than ignore it.

(18 Oct 2018) What Trump gets wrong about Medicare-for-all Two veteran campaigners for "single payer" system to provider care for all in the US explain Trump's catalogue of lies, deception and misunderstanding.

(18 Oct 2018) Child health in England in 2030: comparisons with other wealthy countries Royal College warns of declining child health.
"England has poorer health outcomes than the average across the EU15+ (the 15 EU countries in 2004 plus Canada, Australia and Norway) in most areas studied, and the rate of improvement in England for many outcomes is lower than across the EU15+.
"This means that unless current trends improve, England is likely to fall further behind other wealthy countries over the next decade.
"The marked inequalities observed in most key outcomes are likely to widen over the next decade as problems in areas such as infant mortality and obesity are worsening more quickly amongst the most deprived section of the population.
…
"If infant mortality begins to decline again at its previous rate, rates will be 80% higher than the EU15+ in 2030. If UK mortality continues the current ‘stall’ then it will be 140% higher in 2030."

(18 Oct 2018) Avonwood Manor nursing home to close next month Brexit impact hits hard at services for older people even in Tory Bournemouth. "Chief executive and owner Kumar Gnanakumar said “uncertainty over Brexit has presented us with a double-edged sword”.

“Recruiting suitably qualified staff, particularly nursing staff, from the EU is even more difficult now and we are heavily reliant on agency staff. In addition, we’ve recently found that the sentiments of banks and investors have changed towards care facilities that require extensive operational and premises turnaround, and they are now increasingly reluctant to lend money to care home owners for these purposes'."

(18 Oct 2018) Revealed: NHS England sent 154 eating disorder patients to Scotland Guardian picks up on yet another symptom of the problems in mental health services, made worse by contracting out less complex care to voluntary sector organisations and denuding trusts of the income to support services for all.

(18 Oct 2018) Elite FT seeks support for near £100m deficit Another, contradictory (£) article from the HSJ pointing to massive deficit at Cambridge University Hospitals FT.
The story is not unique: CUFT's northern neighbour, Norfolk & Norwich Hospital FT in May announced it plans to seek loans of £70.7m during the year, bringing its total of borrowing to £128m.
The Trust also rejected a proposed control total of a surplus of £10.7m, and instead
set out plans to deliver a massive deficit of £55m, more than DOUBLE the 2017/18 deficit. Even this figure “assumes that £30m of savings will be made in year,” even
though: “to date we have c. £10m of fully worked up plans for delivery”.

(18 Oct 2018) New NHS efficiency challenge is half that of 5YFV (£) HSJ puts an inappropriately optimistic spin on the latest warnings from NHS Providers and others on the £10bn+ gap between even the "increased" funding due later after Theresa May's intervention and the amount needed to sustain and improve services. Especially given the massive scale of trust deficits.

(18 Oct 2018) Cuts, cash freezes and privatisation put NHS safety at risk Morning Star publishes articles from HCT's editor John Lister calling for a concerted campaign to "Make our NHS Safe for All".

(18 Oct 2018) End the Hostile Environment in the NHS - Day of action Facebook updates on Docs Not Cops Day of Action demanding an end to the hostile environment in the NHS, October 23

(18 Oct 2018) Second Virgin Care practice in Essex rated inadequate by CQC GP Online flags up another Virgin failure, the Church Lane Surgery, in Braintree. The CQC found a 'lack of leadership' and safety systems that were 'inadequate and did not ensure that patients and staff would be kept safe from harm'.
"Inspectors found almost 2,000 patient letters that had not been actioned by a GP, 588 test results awaiting review and 1,500 sets of patient notes waiting to be transferred or assessed on the day of inspection."
This is less than six months after another Virgin practice was put into special measures. By contrast 96% of GP practices have been rated "good" or "outstanding" despite pressures.

(18 Oct 2018) New infographic sets out reality of the NHS funding settlement NHS Clinical Commissioners, not noted for their radicalism or willingness to challenge government, join forces with NHS Providers and NHS Confederation, to highlight scale of financial problem:
"Pressures such as stabilising waiting times, increasing staff pay and addressing population growth, ageing and chronic conditions are expected to reach as much as £31bn by 2024, far exceeding the £20.5bn pledged by the Prime Minister in June 2018."

(18 Oct 2018) Government ‘blocked’ involvement of user-led groups in mental health summit Full story from Disability News Service notes: "One letter, spearheaded by the National Survivor User Network, was signed by more than 100 organisations and individuals, including mental health service-users and survivors, user-led networks, academics and mental health professionals from more than 20 countries, including Argentina, Peru, India, Chile, Columbia, Japan, Kenya, Estonia and Hungary.
"The letter says there was little or no involvement of user-led organisations in planning the event, in a blatant breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."

(18 Oct 2018) NHS cannot be 'confident' about medicine supplies after a no-deal Brexit, senior official admits Yet another frightening indication of the potential consequences of crazed fundamentalist Brexiters, willing to sacrifice everything for their xenophobic fantasy.

(18 Oct 2018) Problematic PR releases: As evidence lags on proton therapy, hospitals lure patients with anecdotes and high-tech appeals As Health Sec Matt "Appman" Hancock keeps plugging unproven technology and evidence free apps, this is a useful illustration of how this type of approach has mushroomed out of all proportion in the commercialised health care of the USA, assisted by poor quality, uncritical journalism -- of which we also have plenty here.

(18 Oct 2018) Councillors call for evidence on Louth Hospital beds cut Lincolnshire councillors belatedly join the sudden upsurge of councils willing to challenge dangerous and half-baked plans that threaten local services.

(18 Oct 2018) STPs to create new five year plans (£) update from HSJ. Remember STPs? They were announced early in 2016, half backed plans drawn up 6 months late at end of 2016, and largely ignored or abandoned since. Now NHS England and NHS Improvement say “sustainability and transformation partnerships” and “integrated care systems” will be expected to develop and agree their plans during the first half of 2019-20. Problem is they still lack revenue and capital funding, credible workforce plans, and clinically viable plans in place of continued cuts and downgrades of A&E and inpatient services. Mental health still out in the cold and community health a partially privatised, fragmented, under-funded excuse rather than a serious provision of services.

(18 Oct 2018) REVEALED: 'Scandal' of NHS staff paying £1million to park at North West Anglia hospital sites Read more at: https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/health/revealed-scandal-of-nhs-staff-paying-1mil Local press highlighting another wondrous joy of PFI. Peterborough is the £300m PFI hospital which the trust board were warned they could not afford, and told not to sign up for by the regulator, but they ignored advice and signed up anyway. Ever since the finances have had to be propped up by DH handouts – and fleecing staff for parking.

(18 Oct 2018) Tories ‘broke UN law’ over decision to ban UK mental health groups from World Mental Health Summit in London Article in Evolve: "Along with severely criticising the Tories for excluding them, multiple mental health user-led and survivor groups noted the brazen hypocrisy of the event being hosted by a UK government who, barely over a year ago, were severely criticised for their shameful record on disability rights by a UN committee."

(18 Oct 2018) Death or Debt? National Estimates of Financial Toxicity in Persons with Newly-Diagnosed Cancer Academic paper ramming home the stratospheric and unsustainable costs of US health care. After 2 years of cancer treatment in the US, 42% of patients have depleted their entire life's assets. Remember these will be people who were insured sufficiently to begin treatment, not the vast number lacking even enough to get started.

(18 Oct 2018) City mental health team axed on World Mental Health Day Nottingham Post story again underlining government and CCGs' contempt for mental health services.
"A team of ten nurses who provide mental health care to those in the city were told they were being decommissioned - on World Mental Health Day.
"Known as the Primary Care Mental Health Service in the City, the team visits GP surgeries across Nottingham, providing mental health care to those who are not ill enough to be admitted to hospital.
"A decision was made by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and Greater Nottingham Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to end the service due to 'funding constraints'."
Note the platitudes and bullsh*t from the CCTG trying to explain away this loss of a quality service.

(18 Oct 2018) Terminal breast cancer patients 'abandoned' in nurse shortage Nearly three-quarters of NHS Trusts are not providing dedicated nurses for patients with incurable cancer.
This BBC story flags up a major issue over quality as well as the wider concerns over safety of care in a service so financially stretched by 8 years of austerity funding.

(18 Oct 2018) Two-thirds of doctors and nurses believe £350m-a-week NHS claim was a 'deliberate lie', poll finds Two-thirds of doctors and nurses believe £350m-a-week NHS claim was a 'deliberate lie', poll finds Sadly this belated hindsight is not enough to halt Brexit madness.

(16 Oct 2018) Scarborough Hospital: health staff and public demand answers at 'tumultuous' meetings NHS Anger in Scarborough at threat to local services contained in plan drawn up by McKinsey, threatening to "centralise" ever more services in York. McKinsey had pocketed £150,000 for one of their standard packages typically light on evidence of any concern for local access and local needs, and strong on double-speak – such as the ever-popular "there will still be an A&E at Scarborough" (but what services will remain in the building?).

(16 Oct 2018) Scarborough Hospital briefing no-show: NHS trust is savaged by councillors Angry councillors complain at hospital trust's failure even to turn up to a promised briefing meeting to explain their planned cuts.

(13 Oct 2018) PM refuses to scrap work capability assessments despite link to suicides Theresa May has refused to scrap her government’s controversial Work Capability Assessments, despite reports almost one in two women taking part in the assessments say they have attempted suicide before or after the process.

(13 Oct 2018) Cuts causing stress and long-term sickness, social workers tell survey Community Care report on gaping holes emerging in social care. Of 295 children and families’ social workers who participated in the research by Barnardo’s and YouGov, 79% said statutory sector workers were stressed, with many experiencing long-term sickness as a result. The findings come in the wake of a debate last week at Community Care Live, where sector leaders discussed the need for employers to do more to support practitioners experiencing emotional distress.
Reflecting the stretched picture, 85% of social workers also said they were unable to give all the children they work with the support and time they needed.

(13 Oct 2018) New statistics from NHS England The NHS is gradually slipping further away from targets as emergency caseload continues to grow -- despite all the fine words and theories of the last 25 years.
Made worse by pig-headed management pressing ahead with bed closures and A+E downgrades regardless of pressures.

(13 Oct 2018) Now THIS is fake health news and it appears in major newspapers across the US New epidemic of fake news on health issues in US press -- and no doubt due to appear in low-grade British news outlets too

(13 Oct 2018) NHS on course for even tougher winter Nuffield Trust report flags up pressure from 7% increase in A&E attendances -- no sign of the long-promised community or other out of hospital services reducing the pressure or easing discharge.

(7 Oct 2018) How Much are Private Patients Costing the NHS? UNISON Eastern Region report by John Lister. FoI requests to 14 trusts in the East of England asked the numbers of private patients treated in NHS hospitals, how many of them accessed NHS facilities and staff, the amount it cost the NHS and how much patients and insurers were charged.
Most trusts said they couldn’t answer all the questions, with some citing commercial confidentiality and others saying they simply didn’t collect the data. If trusts don’t know how much private patients are costing them, they surely can’t know how much to charge them, says UNISON.
It appears that those trusts that did provide financial information are only generating a few hundred pounds per patient, for example Luton & Dunstable Hospital Foundation Trust billed private patients and insurers £1.83m for services costing £1.63m – an average surplus of just £335 a patient.
NW Anglia Foundation Trust apparently made around £524 profit per patient, but its figures do not include the cleaning or catering staff needed to provide its premium services, suggesting the true surplus is much lower, says the report.
The FoI replies also reveal how under-utilised the private wards are. Despite hospitals across England struggling to find empty beds for their patients, Luton’s 13-bed private ward treated just 36 inpatients per bed per year – less than one a week, questioning the resources allocated (and denied to NHS patients).

UNISON eastern region secretary Chris Jenkinson said: “Well-heeled patients shouldn’t be able to leap to the top of waiting lists, getting treated in swanky private wards on NHS sites with access to the round-the-clock first-class services that the private sector simply cannot provide.
“But these trusts can’t even show that they’re getting enough cash back to justify opening their doors to private patients. It’s truly disgraceful.”
John Lister says: “Many people have concerns about any NHS involvement in private care – but almost all will condemn the diversion of NHS funds to deliver such care at a loss, which is in clear breach of the guidelines.
“Once again questionable policies are being concealed behind a wall of secrecy. Trusts must be forced to publish the full financial picture on private patients — and to halt immediately wherever public money is being lost and resources inefficiently used.”

(25 Sep 2018) Virgin Care set to lose multi-million pound child health service contract in Devon Good news as the bearded billionaire with an aversion to paying tax is set to lose another of his loss leader contracts. One down, hundreds more to follow?

(25 Sep 2018) Hospital considers plan to suspend cancer ops (£) HSJ reveals another symptom of severe crisis in our NHS, with shades of the 1980s. Hospital has three wards with over 40% nurse vacancies and SEVEN wards with one in 3 nurse jobs unfilled. No easy way to find spare capacity in neighbouring hospitals.

(25 Sep 2018) Ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon says US healthcare system is 'morally wrong' The chaos worsened by Trump has ever more critics and fewer, increasingly desperate, supporters who profit from it.

(25 Sep 2018) National life tables, UK: 2015 to 2017 ONS figures show year by year improvements in life expectancy came to a halt in 2015-2017. High mortality so far in 2018 means this will almost certainly continue. Austerity is starting to shorten lives, and make lives more uncomfortable for the many to help boost profits for the few.

(25 Sep 2018) Stalled Royal Liverpool Hospital PFI deal could be ditched Cagier comments on the possible scenarios from BBC in Merseyside

(25 Sep 2018) Taxpayers to bail out Royal Liverpool hospital project Worrying comments on Liverpool PFI from Construction Enquirer:
“Although the project is at the fit-out stage the final completion bill could still be significantly higher after a survey by consultant Arup raised concerns about significant structural and cladding issues.
“One source close to the project said:
“There has even been talk that it could be cheaper to pull it down and start again.”

(25 Sep 2018) New £335m Royal Liverpool Hospital 'will be bailed out by the government' Local take on the Liverpool PFI story, from the Liverpool Echo

(25 Sep 2018) Ministers bail out £335m Liverpool hospital‎ after Carillion collapse Sky News first with the story on the end of the second major PFI to be terminated and taken into public hands, following Birmingham's Midland Metropolitan. The aftermath of the Carillion collapse appears to be a welcome and belated collapse in confidence in PFI projects.

(21 Sep 2018) One week to go -- make sure to respond to NHS England's threat to axe 17 treatments It's already clear that once the 17 are nodded through a growing list of treatments will be excluded from the NHS by CCGs in a new postcode lottery -- almost all of it ignoring or flouting NICE guidance. This link is to the KONP suggestions on how to respond. Don't let them think we are happy with the plans!

(21 Sep 2018) Sheffield health bosses rethink walk-in centre and minor injuries unit closure after public outcry Yet another victory for common sense and for campaigners who got stuck in. Campaigning can win: doing nothing but grumble guarantees you will lose. And when it's gone, it's gone!

(21 Sep 2018) Liver and pancreatic services could be switched from Coventry to Birmingham Good local BBC report here on controversial NHS England plans which have not apparently shown any evidence of service failure at Coventry, but argue to concentration of services at already overcrowded QE Hospital Birmingham. From 3.36 hear comments from John Lister, editor of Health Campaigns Together, arguing that whether this goes through depends on whether local politicians are prepared to fight for Coventry's health services.

(21 Sep 2018) Revealed - Babylon’s national expansion push Exclusive (£) article reveals 17 CCGs in discussion over use of the controversial software that could undermine existing GP practices and leave older patients and those with greater needs with less access to care while prioritising younger, fitter, more pushy types who only want an app.

(21 Sep 2018) Matt Hancock’s endorsement of Babylon risks undermining NHS innovation Editorial in (£) HSJ joins the growing chorus of criticism of the blatant plugging of the Babylon software used by controversial GP at Hand app by recently appointed Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who appears to have few supporters for his uncritical support and disregard for evidence that the system is safe and effective and will not destabilise primary care services.

(21 Sep 2018) Bolton members vote to strike over pay equality First strike by UNISON members in a subco against 2-tier workforce in action:
"The staff , who work in roles including cleaning, catering and portering are employed by Bolton iFM – a wholly-owned subsidiary of the trust.
"Staff have voted for strike action because they are not being paid the nationally-agreed wage increase for NHS staff that is worth nearly £2,000 this year for the lowest-paid workers – an increase of more than 10%. Bolton iFM has offered only 2%."

(21 Sep 2018) The Ideal US-UK Free Trade Agreement The Daily Mirror headlined on 19 September on this long and dull 239-page report by hard-line Brexit/neoliberals on a hypothetical trade deal with the US.
That's because tucked away in a postscript on p228 it says:
"With that in mind, what might a realistic U.S.-U.K. FTA look like? First of all, full and fast trade liberalization should be the goal, with exceptions limited to the most sensitive products."
Health care is apparently not one of these sensitive areas … or is it?
[…] "As for other services areas, health services are an area where both sides would benefit from openness to foreign competition, although we recognize any changes to existing regulations will be extremely controversial."
Too right it would be controversial. No mandate for this from any parliamentary party.

(21 Sep 2018) Social care is already in crisis – these visa plans would be a hammer blow Polly Toynbee in the Guardian spells out the obvious point arising from the Tories' latest racist plans to filter through only the richest and most highly skilled or migrants to their nightmarish vision for post-Brexit Britain.

(21 Sep 2018) Conservatives back higher taxes to fund the NHS Possibly some will be surprised by this headline in the Telegraph based on the latest Social Attitudes survey. We should remember that Tory voters tend to be older and Tory Party age averages over 70 - a point where private health insurance is possibly excluded or unaffordable and in any case of little reassurance if you need emergency treatment of have complex needs. But useful as a reminder.

(21 Sep 2018) Public health schemes fall victim to spending cuts, figures show Labour Party research exposes the scale and impact of repeated cuts by central government to public health budgets administered by local councils -- cuts which have much larger long-term costs than they can hope to save.

(21 Sep 2018) 'Concern' as York hospital trust fails to replace chief executive Headline sums up the desperation of a trust which nobody wants to manage because of the level of underfunding.

(21 Sep 2018) Oxfordshire CCG labelled 'serial underfunder' of mental health services Oxford Mail & Times article citing Unite report on reduction of resources in mental health:
"the union claim[s] that psychological therapies in the area have lost about 90 per cent of their most senior clinicians in the decade since 2007.
"According to the union, OCCG spending on mental health services is falling below ‘the parity of esteem’ - the principle where mental health must be given equal priority to physical health, as stated by the 2012 Health and Social Care Act - and more funding is desperately needed.
The CCG spends less than 8.5% of its budget on mental health, an extraordinarily low proportion, of what the mental health trust points out is an already inadequate budget:
[…] "A spokesperson for the trust said: “Nationally, OCCG receives the lowest funding per head of any CCG in the country, and since there is a significant demand for acute services as well, resources for mental health and community services are inevitably limited."

(21 Sep 2018) Eight trusts tender £2bn pathology contract amid network shake-up (£) HSJ report on massive potential privatisation of pathology services in SE London, Sussex and Surrey in which there appears to be no NHS bid.

(21 Sep 2018) Towards integrated tech enthusiasm with Matt Hancock Well-crafted critical blog making telling points on Babylon (GP at Hand) and the enthusiastic endorsement of this private provider, from Andy Cowper.

(21 Sep 2018) The impact of integrated care systems Even this (£) HSJ comment by the perennially servile Chris Ham is obliged to acknowledge problems with "integrated care," and point out:
"…a need for caution in merging CCGs to align more closely with ICSs, unless these mergers are supported by councils.
"Where ICSs are making progress, they are doing so despite the current NHS architecture not because of it. The organisational landscape is evolving rapidly and changes in the law will be needed to align the statutory framework with what is happening when the parliamentary arithmetic permits."

(21 Sep 2018) Worcestershire County Council “Ignored Warnings” Over Looming Financial Crisis Another Tory council displays a complete lack of financial responsibility and demonstrates that any notion of "integration" of health and social services is either fantasy or nightmare for the NHS.

(21 Sep 2018) Does lack of GPs in Swindon mean more are going to GWH Emergency Department? A silly question with an obvious answer

(21 Sep 2018) A&E appointments system proposed in NHS targets shakeup Wouldn't it be handy if people could organise their accidents and heart attacks in advance to enable hospital management to cope? Guardian reports on another bright idea from NHS England.

(21 Sep 2018) EU migrants contribute more to the NHS than they consume Many of us knew this: but more ammo to combat those whose ignorance is compounded with xenophobia and racism.

(12 Sep 2018) NHS vacancies a 'national emergency' here even the BBC notes the scale of the problem as "NHS Improvement" sits on its hands after setting impossible "control totals" aiming to force further cuts in spending. "The latest figures have been published by the regulator, NHS Improvement, for the April to June period. They showed:
◾11.8% of nurse posts were not filled - a shortage of nearly 42,000
◾9.3% of doctor posts were vacant - a shortage of 11,500
◾Overall, 9.2% of all posts were not filled - a shortage of nearly 108,000
This is slightly worse than this time last year and comes after improvements at the end of last year and start of this year."

(12 Sep 2018) Pharma chief defends 400% drug price rise as a ‘moral requirement’ A useful reminder to anyone who thinks big Pharma is in it for the sake of our health rarher than their shareholders' balance sheets.

(12 Sep 2018) Finally NHS Improvement acknowledges £4bn underlying deficits: how about more honesty on other policies and issues Short, sharp comment piece by Richard Bourne asks the obvious questions that so many in the media have not yeat asked.

(12 Sep 2018) GPs demand faster CAMHS access as mental illness soars in young people GP online artyicle quotes an Imperial College academic: ": ‘We know that there is already a growing crisis in the availability of CAMHS, with many more children and young people needing treatment than there are services to provide it. Our study suggests that this need is likely to continue to grow in future. Without more radical action to improve access to and funding for CAMHS, as well as a wider strategy to promote positive mental health and wellbeing, we may be letting down some of the most vulnerable in society.’"

(12 Sep 2018) Rapid rise in patients over 85 highlights need to invest in general practice In normal times this GP online story might simply be stating the obvious: but in these times of constant and tightening pressure on NHS budgets it's clear that the demands of caring for more older patients many of whom have more complex needs puts more pressures on GPs as the front line.

(12 Sep 2018) GPs demand equal treatment as NHS rolls out £145m hospital winter fund Important reminder from BMA in GP online: "The funding announcement comes after an extreme NHS crisis during the 2017/18 winter, which forced the NHS to cancel tens of thousands of elective operations across England, with hospitals almost entirely full for several weeks in a row. GP practices faced a major knock-on impact as they managed patients facing extended waits for operations - as a heavy flu season also drove up workload."

(11 Sep 2018) How to respond to NHS England's consultation on restricting access to elective treatment The consultation (discussed in the front page of Health Campaigns Together newspaper) ends at the end of this month. In this link, Tony O'Sullivan of Keep Our NHS Public suggests that answers and the reasons for them that would best respond to the NHS England challenge. Urgent action needed.

(9 Sep 2018) Epidemic of poor mental health among low-paid workers Report analysing data from over 4,000 UK workers of different job ranks, aged 16 to 65. "We found a worryingly high prevalence of mental health problems among low-paid workers in non-managerial roles.
"Among all workers, we found that 19% showed signs of depression, 15% had thought about suicide in the last month, 10% felt paranoid, 7% had a psychotic or a personality disorder and 4% had hallucinations. Low-paid workers were significantly more likely to have symptoms of paranoid personality disorder and avoidant personality disorder than those whose jobs were managerial."

(9 Sep 2018) UNISON calls on Salisbury NHS trust to rethink wholly owned subsidiary plans Another battle to prevent desperate trusts disintegrating their own workforce in the hopes of making savings through dodging tax.

(9 Sep 2018) RCEM factsheet shows nearly 300 emergency medicine doctors have left to work abroad since 2015 Another hard hitting fact sheet from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. It notes that hospital trusts are not being paid the full cost of A&E treatment:
"According to NHS Reference Costs the average cost of an ED attendance in 2016-17 was £148.
"NHS Trusts are paid for the services of Emergency Departments through something called the National Tariff system. Historically, national tariff payments have not reflected the full costs of treatment in Emergency Departments."
"Because tariff payments have not kept pace with inflation and because of what is known as the ‘Tariff Efficiency Factor’ the gap between the actual cost of treatment and what Trusts are paid to deliver it has grown."

(9 Sep 2018) Patients dying on NHS waiting lists 'surges by 10,000' Pulse report follows up on Daily Express figures charting another symptom of decline in under-funded NHS.

(9 Sep 2018) 40 Percent of Connecticut Households Can’t Afford Basic Needs One of the wealthier US states has rising numbers of families that cannot earn enough to get by. The report shows that between 2010 and 2016 the cost of childcare for families has increased 13 percent. The cost of housing during that same time period increased 9 percent and the cost of healthcare increase 82 percent.

(9 Sep 2018) Toddler dies while gran reads Mr Men books to him after 'urgent' surgery delayed for 3 DAYS at busy hospital Mirror story: "The little boy went into cardiac arrest after waiting at ‘extremely busy’ Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) for three days. The inquest heard he required an ‘urgent’ procedure at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital but it kept being ‘put off’, the coroner was told."

(9 Sep 2018) NHS bill for hiring non-UK staff could hit £500m post-Brexit, say doctors Guardian report on another shocking hidden cost of Brexit: "The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has calculated that the costs of recruiting EU and non-EU staff could more than triple from the current £150m a year if freedom of movement ends as a result of Brexit."

(9 Sep 2018) Surprise Medical Bills Are What Americans Fear Most In Paying For Health Care A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 67 percent of people worry about unexpected medical bills – more than they dread insurance deductibles, prescription drug costs or the basic staples of life: rent, food and gas. 4 in 10 people said they had received a surprisingly large invoice within the past year. Thesame poll also found that a majority of the US public — regardless of political party — does not want insurers to be allowed to deny coverage or charge higher premiums because of someone’s medical history or health status. Both practices were standard in the health insurance industry until they were outlawed by the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

(9 Sep 2018) NHS charging for overseas visitors – wrong on every level Strong article from Prof martin McKee on Our NHS blog site explains that regulations that deny visitors NHS care – except for certain infectious diseases and to relieve death pains - are riven with contradictions. They will hit some unexpected victims as well as the intended scapegoats.

(9 Sep 2018) Low quality healthcare is increasing the burden of illness and health costs globally A new joint report by the OECD, World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank points out that poor quality health services are holding back progress on improving health in countries at all income levels.
Inaccurate diagnosis, medication errors, inappropriate or unnecessary treatment, inadequate or unsafe clinical facilities or practices, or providers who lack adequate training and expertise prevail in all countries. The situation is worst in low and middle-income countries where 10 percent of hospitalized patients can expect to acquire an infection during their stay, as compared to seven percent in high income countries.

(9 Sep 2018) Vital lifesaving NHS equipment in dire need of replacement with more than 1,000 machines more than decade old FoI requests by Labour have found 892 X-ray devices used in clinics were more than 10 years old, with 139 past their replacement dates; 295 ultrasound machines were more than a decade old, with 134 past their replacement dates; and 46 MRI scanners in use which were more than 10 years old, with 10 past their replacement dates.

(9 Sep 2018) Many serious surgeries cancelled on the day, study finds BBC report on research led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists and University College London, which looked at more than 26,000 cases in a seven-day period in March last year, across 245 UK hospitals.
"They found one in seven operations were cancelled on the day of surgery."

(9 Sep 2018) CQC Enforcement Notice: A crisis in local healthcare Campaign blog defending hospitals in Shrewsbury and Telford against reconfifuration plans responds to recent intervention by the CQC: "We applaud the courage of staff who approached hospital inspectors, and told them of the problems. It was staff who blew the whistle here.
"A letter from the CQC to hospital trust SaTH reported: “Staff across all areas and grades raised concerns with us about this practice (‘boarding’) and told us they felt it was unsafe, demeaning, undignified, and disgusting. Two staff members told us they felt patients who were boarded were treated like ‘animals’ and ‘cattle’.”

(9 Sep 2018) Choice of Tory peer as NHS England chair 'risks politicising health service' Lord Prior has followed the same path as the incumbent Malcolm Grant, from chair of University College London to chair of NHS England. But Prior has previous as a Tory MP and as parliamentary undersecretary of state for health, a position he held until December 2017. His appointment entrenches Tory political influence in the key NHS body that controls commissioners and providers.

(9 Sep 2018) Public health chiefs to trial lifetime risk score rejected by NICE Dodgy science behind irresponsible Public Health England app that is urging millions of healthy people to go to their GP for a cholesterol check. There are 8.7 million people in the UK in their 30s. This PHE "heart age" tool seems to be incorrectly telling them ALL to go to their GP to get their cholesterol checked. If only one in 100 do so, that's 87,000 pointless GP consultations

(9 Sep 2018) Following the Money: Performance trumps transformation A patchy (£) HSJ update on STPs based on a survey with only half of STPs responding, but pretty much echoes findings of a May 2017 survey of all 44 schemes - available (free) at https://healthcampaignstogether.com/pdf/sustainability-and-transformation-plans-critical-review.pdf

(31 Aug 2018) Patients come clean: 'We have gone to A&E because we can't get a GP appointment' Service under strain, and a reminder that Staffordshire's NHS is still facing massive problems more than a decade after Mid Staffs. Local Sentinel reports "A whopping 23,044 patients went to the Royal Stoke University Hospital's A&E in just ONE month".

(31 Aug 2018) Focus on: People with mental ill health and hospital use Important report from Quality Watch

(31 Aug 2018) Revealed: Hundreds of children wait more than a year for specialist help A (£) HSJ reminder of the broken promises to improve CAMHS services.

(31 Aug 2018) Hospital A&E doctor shifts unstaffed BBC report on crisis in the capital's hospitals

(31 Aug 2018) Social care needs for over-85s predicted to double in next 20 years Guardian article highlighting new research published in Lancet Public Health with grim warnings for our complacent government:
"Those who have dementia and at least two other major health conditions, such as obesity or diabetes, will double over the next two decades, it estimated, suggesting an extra 500,000 people will need complex forms of care.
"The study said health and social care services must adapt to the unprecedented needs of an older population with complex care needs, and warned the state should not rely on family carers as a sustainable solution to the problem."

(31 Aug 2018) Adult social care services on brink of collapse, survey shows This Guardian article by Patrick Butler appeared in June but supplies background to the latest warnings on the crisis in social care.

(31 Aug 2018) NHS bosses urge hospitals to send patients to private firms Guardian correspondent Denis Campbell's article quotes NHS Providers' CEO Chris Hopson warning against short sighted referrals to private hospitals:
"As well as wasting taxpayers’ money it could also further de-stablise the provider sector’s already challenged finances.”
It also quotes Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, warning of a “bonanza for the private sector”.

(31 Aug 2018) Dozens more maternity failings exposed at scandal hit trust Most recent of the three latest stories in the (£) HSJ on the clinical and managerial failings in this trust which has focused all its energies on reconfiguration and downgrading one hospital.

(31 Aug 2018) Nurses walk away from ‘unsustainable’ A&E amid safety fears The first of the series of revelations in the (£) HSJ of the scale of the crisis created by management at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals who clearly won't listen to patients, campaigners or staff. Just imagine how much worse this would be after the staffing cuts proposed in their so-called "Future Fit" reconfiguration.

(31 Aug 2018) The true privatisation of general practice Pulse Editor Jaimie Kafash warns of the implications of the GP at Hand approach for the future and the danger of a massive extension of privatisation:
"now other private providers are looking to partner with GP practices, offering video consultations or symptom-checkers in a bid to improve services to patients and give them a competitive advantage over neighbouring practices – with, of course, benefits for the companies themselves.
"So what is the problem with this? Putting aside the lack of evidence for increased use of technology, we need to ask whether we want a private sector philosophy. Innovation is great and should be rewarded – but in the context of improving patient care, not having the best-targeted marketing campaign or aggressively registering those patients who provide the best profit margins."

(31 Aug 2018) The online providers disrupting the market An in depth article in Pulse magazine exploring the growth and impact of GP at Hand, noting its targeting of 20-39-year-olds and efforts to cherry pick patients, the disruption of other comprehensive GP services, the financial impact on the local CCG and potential £18m cost, etc. Important reading.

(31 Aug 2018) India is introducing free health care—for 500 million people Newsweek article showing the latest moves by India's right wing Modi government to funnel billions into private hospitals rather than develop a public health care system -- but still adopting a more progressive policy than Trump in the US.

(31 Aug 2018) CQC warning amid claim hospital patients treated like 'cattle' Second of a number of excellent (£) HSJ articles pointing to the gathering crisis at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals Trust -- which confirm campaigners fears the management hell-bent of driving through half-baked "reconfiguration" to downgrade one of the two hospitals have allowed services to decline to crisis levels with grim echoes of the Mid Staffs crisis over 10 years ago.

(31 Aug 2018) NHS bosses launch urgent drive to address ‘significant under delivery of elective activity' Despite this relatively bland (£) HSJ headline, the article flags up the nonsensical plan to address the lack of adequate funding and capacity in the NHS … by sending more patients for treatment (almost certainly by the same consultants) in the private sector:
Note that the plans originate from NHS England national director Matthew Swindells, who was a £195,000 a year DoH policy advisor to Blairite Patricia Hewitt 2005-7, before moving to lucrative private sector posts with Tribal and Cerner, before returning to the NHS. By contrast the HSJ reports:
"NHS Providers warned a significant private sector drive could “destablise” cash-strapped trusts and would simply mean “taxpayers paying a premium rate for an NHS surgeon to do a procedure that most could be doing at an NHS trust”.

(31 Aug 2018) Where is Greater Manchester's transformation? (£) HSJ article asks the necessary sharp questions about why the much vaunted Manchester plans have gone so wrong:
"With the help of a £450m transformation fund – a level of investment which other health economies would love to get their hands on – the region has set about trying to reduce demand for acute services, particularly non-electives.
"But since the start of the devolution deal in 2016-17, when the five-year transformation funding started kicking in, the trendline has shot up in the wrong direction."

(28 Aug 2018) Wigan NHS boss: Chorley A&E closure would impact us The chief exec who branded strikers fighting to remain in the NHS as 'lazy scumbags' a few months ago has finally been obliged to say something useful, pointing out the potential knock-on effects if plans to axe Chorley's A&E go ahead.

(28 Aug 2018) Trust paid interim manager £311,000 for six months work (£ HSJ) All the NHS staff still languishing below 2010 levels of pay will no doubt feel a warm glow of satisfaction to know that at least one (freelance) NHS manager is doing very nicely moving from a job at just £47k per month to one paying just as much, then taking a bit of a reduction to £400k a year before hitting the big money at East Sussex Healthcare Trust. His only problem? Little scope to go higher … or is there?

(28 Aug 2018) Plackard’s success factors for success A welcome blast of well-aimed and very amusing satire and parody here, highlighting the role of NHS England's "nuancing and obfuscation delivery team at Skipton House" and summing up with some comforting words: "we’re not merely preparing for the worst, but embracing it. That’s what we do in Blithering."

(28 Aug 2018) Why Doctors Are Warming to Medicare for All Good news in this article from Jacobin magazine on the positive gains by US campaigners.

(28 Aug 2018) Superpractice to have 380,000 patients following eight-practice takeover "Super" used in the sense of "big" rather than any description of the quality of care in a practice so huge, where continuity of care is almost impossible. Questionable claims are made that this will mean more patients can see a GP, when there are no extra doctors and no extra hours being worked. It may be big, but it's not primary care.

(28 Aug 2018) Lobby Calls for a Full Public Consultation into the Downgrading of the Leicester General Campaigners give more detail on the fight to defend Leicester's hospital services against cash-driven cuts.

(28 Aug 2018) Plans to 'downgrade' Leicester General Hospital 'need full public consultation' says report Local press report: "Campaigners say they have serious concerns about a £31 million NHS plan to move intensive care beds off the Leicester General Hospital site."

(28 Aug 2018) Russian trolls 'spreading discord' over vaccine safety online Fake news machine plays on plentiful ignorance in Trump territory -- but also in Europe and other countries where religious fundamentalism fuels "anti-vax" backlash against proven medicine.

(28 Aug 2018) NHI will ensure universal healthcare for all South Africans: Ramaphosa Hopefully this is a good news story after so many false hopes have been raised in recent years that South Africa would eventually move beyond the old heavily privatised health care from apartheid days to establish universal health coverage.

(28 Aug 2018) Life-Threatening Heart Attack Leaves Teacher With $108,951 Bill Yet another horror story of everyday US commercial medicine. Teacher was billed twice his salary in addition to the insurance payout for treatment after his heart attack. The total bill was $164,941 for a four-day hospital stay, including $42,944 for four stents and $10,920 for room charges. Calver's insurer paid $55,840.

(28 Aug 2018) Carillion was ‘akin to a Ponzi scheme’, says top auditor Telegraph report reveals the UK’s longest-ever serving auditor general, Sir John Bourn was “angry and disappointed” when the troubled construction and outsourcing giant collapsed in January.

(28 Aug 2018) Revealed: Shropdoc cutting services in three Shropshire towns Local news report: "Staff at Shropdoc, which provides out-of-hours emergency care, were told that sites at Oswestry and Bridgnorth will be shut and operational hours cut at Whitchurch." Part of wider cash-cutting programme in Shropshire

(28 Aug 2018) Stroke Care at SaTH Letter to bosses in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin questioning the evidence for and safety of proposals to "centralise" stroke care, especially given logistics of the rural area.

(28 Aug 2018) Radical overhaul of GP Forward View - and billions more investment - needed to protect general practice and patient safety, says RCGP Press release from RCGP report assessing current situation of primary care.

(28 Aug 2018) Urgent care centre at King George Hospital in Goodmayes placed in special measures after inspection The unit is run by "independent" contractors, the Partnership of East London Cooperatives (PELC). "Inspectors found the EUCC’s clinical streaming process, where patients are initially assessed by a nurse or ‘streamed’ did not safely assess, monitor or manage risks to patients.
"Of particular concern was that none of the initial checks, nor any of the forms that needed to be filled out, included establishing whether or not the patient was suffering from sepsis."

(22 Aug 2018) Nurses at Providence Hospital in Holyoke hold August 9 protest against patient care cuts by “wildly profitable” Trinity Health Another shocking insight into commercial health care in the US. One nurse sums up in her comment: “Imagine if your child needed specialized psychiatric care to feel better and they couldn’t get it because a giant corporation made a business decision instead of following its non-profit mission.”

(22 Aug 2018) Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18 Interesting not only for the continued overall surplus, but also for figures on page 199, showing spending on all "non-NHS providers" up 3% in cash terms to £13.1bn (but unchanged at 10.9% of total spending). However spending on "private sector" down 0.4% as a share of Department spending (to 7.3%), and spending on "independent sector providers" [for profit] DOWN 2.7% from 2016/17 (to a still unacceptable £8.8bn).

(21 Aug 2018) Thousands of mental health patients travel miles for treatment In the 12 months to May 2018, adult patients with acute mental health needs were sent on out of area placements due to a lack of local beds 8,285 times, despite Government pledges to eliminate the practice. Many are being sent long distances – with journeys as long as 300km or more: to make matters worse figures in May revealed that around 80% of all the facilities that received a patient who had been sent away by their local NHS were private hospitals. According to PA, patients from Devon have been sent to a private hospital in Darlington for treatment.

(21 Aug 2018) Campaigners win permission to appeal – leaving NHS England’s consultation making bogus claims on legal status The campaign group 999 call for the NHS has won permission to appeal against the rejection of their judicial review back in April. Until the appeal is heard NHS England's consultation proposals stand on shaky and uncertain legal ground.

(21 Aug 2018) Suggested lines for summary answers to consultation questions For those who want to answer NHS England's questions, a few suggestions.

(21 Aug 2018) Ask a silly question … The NHS England approach is not the way to conduct a serious consultation on this issue. For most campaigners, health workers and informed members of the public the fundamental response is “we wouldn’t have started from here”.

(21 Aug 2018) Going through the motions of consultation The NHS England "consultation" -- 4 weeks in the depth of holiday season, 4 meetings all in mid September, a densely-written 40-page document.

(21 Aug 2018) It's integration, Jim, but not as we know it Five articles on the NHS England consultation on the proposed contract for Integrated Care providers

(21 Aug 2018) NHS England choose school holidays to launch consultation The NHS England consultation - timed and organised to minimise participation

(20 Aug 2018) No redundancies expected in Future Fit shake-up - health bosses Spin from Shropshire health bosses claiming “There will be a ‘small’ reduction in staff at the trust running Shropshire's two main hospitals under the #FutureFit plans.” Campaigner Gill George responds: "Trouble is, their own figures show 842 fewer hospital staff, including 1 in 5 nursing posts. So what goes on??"

(20 Aug 2018) Kaiser family Foundation 2017 Employer Health Benefits Survey Report on US health insurance reveals the average family premium for employer-sponsored insurance is up 55% since 2007, average worker contributions up 74%.

(20 Aug 2018) Closing five Emergency Departments in England between 2009 and 2011: the closED controlled interrupted time-series analysis The Sheffield University report on A&E closures

(20 Aug 2018) New study busts myths on A&E closure debate (£) HSJ article on the widely-quoted 200-page+ report which the mainstream press has claimed shows lives may not be lost when A&E services are "centralised". However one comment points out: "The study found no increase in patient deaths due to ED closures. HOWEVER, with near neighbours only ~4 mins added to 999 response times. EDs now tagged for closure are up to 30 mins away from next nearest hospital. Tell me that won't make a difference!
Study found MORE problems en-route even with just 5 min increase in transfer time. Studies from Australia and Canada show longer conveyance times to hospitals = pt deaths."

(20 Aug 2018) Patients given 30 minutes to QUIT care home [Doncaster] Another symptom of the care home crisis.

(20 Aug 2018) Agreement finally reached to complete the construction of the Midland Metropolitan Hospital Local campaigners comment: "It looks like we've won our campaign for a publicly-funded (non-PFI) Midland Met Hospital in Smethwick/West Birmingham! (Note that a number of people pictured in the press article here originally opposed our position). A very cautious welcome to this news as it's a long time till 2022, but we will keep you updated. "

(20 Aug 2018) Government promises £300m funding for Carillion hospital Campaigners' demand for public funding of the new Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick is met – but only after ridiculous efforts to re-float failed PFI have failed. (£) HSJ article

(20 Aug 2018) Nurses quit NHS to work in Lidl because pay, hours and benefits better More indications of the growing staffing crisis in the NHS

(20 Aug 2018) Court of Appeal grants NHS campaign group permission to appeal against NHS England’s new Integrated Care Provider contract Belated permission for 999 call for the NHS to challenge the proposals for ICPs in court.

(20 Aug 2018) HRI cleaners, gardeners and porters lose battle to keep full NHS status Heavy price paid for union branch failure to get sufficient numbers to vote in ballot that went 98% for action. Real threat of industrial action is key to forcing back employers.

(16 Aug 2018) A&E closures failing to boost patient care, study finds FT article stresses the critical findings of a recent lengthy research report – while the advocates of hospital closures cling on to the notion that death rates have not gone up, as many feared.
In fact it's clear that there is inadequate data for many firm or far-reaching conclusions. But the argument for "centralising" A&E services has always revolved around claims that it would concentrate specialist expertise and result in better health care. These have always been contested by local campaigners, demanding evidence.
If there was anything in the 200-page research report that supported that argument, we would have heard all about it by now!

(16 Aug 2018) Whatever happened to the STPs (in eastern England)? A round-up by HCT Editor John Lister completed for UNISON a couple of months ago, now available online, shows STPs -- once the great white hope of NHS England for getting round the Health & Social Care Act -- have been largely reduced to generalities, empty phrases, and 'alliances' of purchasers (CCGs) on the one side versus providers (trusts) on the other. The report finds no real evidence of integration of NHS services let alone 'integration' with cash strapped social care and increasingly sceptical local government.
it gives six case studies from the STPs in East of England showing how an idea that might in theory have had some potential has -- in the hands of secretive NHS bureaucrats unwilling to consult or engage with staff or public – become so toxic among local communities that it has had to be re-branded twice since 2016.
It raises the question of how far any of the 44 STPs have got, given the manifest weaknesses that have been identified with them – no serious business plans, no capital, no money to expand community health services, no workforce plans, no public support or legitimacy, and no legal standing .

(16 Aug 2018) Medic or not, Dr Bawa-Garba’s case affects us all Keep our NHS Public responds to the welcome court victory of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba who had been convicted of manslaughter and struck off the medical register by the GMC following the tragic death of Jack Adcock, a six-year-old boy in her care. She was a junior doctor without proper supervision in an under-staffed and busy unit, with IT systems down for hours -- and she was hung out to dry while the senior management who should have been held at least jointly responsible have escaped censure and dysfunctional, under-funded systems in many hospitals could produce the same failures again.

(13 Aug 2018) Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba wins landmark appeal against being struck off Another brilliant victory announced today after a long and often bitter campaign by junior doctors with support from some of the best consultants. Report from GP Online, with links to other background.

(10 Aug 2018) Midland Metropolitan hospital scraps plans to retender collapsed PFI contract The new hospital for North Birmingham and Sandwell that was left in limbo, only two thirds complete, when contractors Carillion went broke in January is to be completed using public funds, and attempts to retender a fresh PFI project have been abandoned. Even management consultants Deloitte now advise that PFI (PPP) would be more expensive:
"Analysis by Deloitte, commissioned by the Trust, concluded that the hospital would cost £319 million to complete with standard public sector procurement, and £424 million if completed under a new PPP contract. The increase is due to the increase in risk for a contractor under a PPP contract."
The total cost of this massively botched contract has yet to be revealed. The initial PFI contract was supposed to complete the hospital for £335m.

(26 Jul 2018) A Picture of Health No not a re-run of the disastrous plans to cut and "reconfigure" hospital services in SE London, but a new Fabian pamphlet for the NHS 70th Birthday, edited by Jon Ashworth, shadow health & care secretary, including a chapter on privatisation by Health Campaigns Together.

(25 Jul 2018) Dangerous liaisons: why syphilis and gonorrhoea have returned to haunt Britain The horrific knock-on effect of massive cuts in public health and sexual health budgets combined with contracting out and drive for lowest cost services.

(25 Jul 2018) Referral restriction plan 'puts patients at risk of opiate addiction' (£) HSJ article based on plans hatched up by Sussex CCGs, under which:
"Patients would have to endure “uncontrolled, intense, persistent” pain which substantially affects their daily life for six months before being routinely referred for a hip replacement, in a policy being considered by the seven CCGs in Sussex.
"If adopted, the policy would mean patients are expected to have taken painkillers including opioids, had physiotherapy, and tried to lose weight, if necessary, for six months before referral for surgery."
Further evidence of the threat posed by NHS England's plans to restrict access to care as headlined in the latest (#11) Health Campaigns Together newspaper.

(25 Jul 2018) Where is the American "great middle"? “Medicare for All has 54% support in the median state. Even in the state with the lowest support, Wyoming, 45% support the policy,” said McElwee. “There are only eight states where Medicare for All doesn’t hit majority support, and that’s including ‘don’t knows’ in the equation (as not in support). If Medicare for All were on the ballot, it would win an electoral college landslide on par with Lyndon Johnson.”

(25 Jul 2018) Patients Not Passports A toolkit from Docs Not Cops designed to support you in advocating for people facing charges for NHS care, and in taking action to end immigration checks and upfront charging in the NHS

(25 Jul 2018) As an NHS doctor, this ‘hostile environment' has made me reject my medal Guardian piece by one of the growing number of NHS staff awared medals for their work combating Ebola in Africa who are handing them back in protest at the government's "hostile enivironment" to migrants which denies them access to free NHS care.

(25 Jul 2018) Supporting Primary Care Services: NHS England’s contract with Capita The Public Accounts Committee report in full

(25 Jul 2018) NHS England contract with Capita a 'shambles' that risked serious harm to patients, MPs say MPs finally get to spell out the scale of the failure of NHS England's contract with serial failures Capita. Trouble is NHS England is supposed to be supervising contracting for services by 200+ CCGs, each of which is at least as incompetent as NHS England. The market system itself is deeply flawed, a costly way of ensuring a succession of dysfunctional failures. Time to sweep away market, competition, tendering and privatisation, and reinstate the NHS as a public service, publicly provided.

(25 Jul 2018) NewYork-Presbyterian ignores critics in plan to close behavioral health unit Another side of commercialised health care in the USA. "Doctors and students, who have taken the lead in protesting the closure [of this mental health unit], charge that NewYork-Presbyterian is simply seeking to replace the uninsured and underinsured patients with those who have better insurance in pursuit of higher-paying specialty services. And the closures come, critics say, as New York City faces dwindling capacity to administer to behavioral health patients."

(24 Jul 2018) The fight to save Chesterfield hospital Campaign to stop NHS jobs being outsourced from Chesterfield Royal Hospital Foundation

(24 Jul 2018) 'Fantasy' trust debts overtake PFI liabilities (£) HSJ report reveals that "NHS providers owed the DHSC more than £11bn at the end of 2017-18, up from £8.1bn", while "experts say there is no hope of debts being repaid."
"The figures reflect the fact that dozens of trusts are struggling to maintain adequate cash levels due to their recurring income and expenditure deficits, and have become reliant on interest bearing loans from the DHSC to pay staff and suppliers."

(24 Jul 2018) UK private hospitals suffer as NHS brings work back in house Predictable result of trusts facing greater pressure to balance books than to meet performance (waiting time) targets. Tory spending squeeze undermining the NHS. Fewer NHS funded private patients, while new restrictions on elective treatments could push more patients to seek treatment by paying privately.

(24 Jul 2018) Number of NHS beds for mental health patients slumps by 30% The Guardian reveals the growing gap between government rhetoric and reality on resources for mental health

(24 Jul 2018) NHS body ‘wastes millions on flawed financial advice’ Guardian makes good use of campaigners' data and experience over 6 years. North West London Clinical Commissioning Group under fire for massive waste of money on flawed management consultants’ advice.

(24 Jul 2018) Biggest rise in UK poverty since Margaret Thatcher was in power, experts claim Amid pointless NHS England prattle about improving health for all, inequalities -- and with them health inequalities -- are being massively widened by a variety of measures imposed by a reactionary government.

(24 Jul 2018) One Year After Senate Defeated Trump’s Healthcare Repeal, Majority of Voters Oppose Republican Repealers Some good news for Americans battling against Trump's efforts to break up what remains of limited Obamacare extension of insurance cover.

(24 Jul 2018) Jeremy Corbyn: One A&E in Shropshire is not enough Explicit support for campaigners from Jeremy Corbyn in opposition to disastrous "Future Fit" proposals

(24 Jul 2018) Unions hope to defeat hospital staff transfers as Leeds NHS trust puts private company move on hold Promising signs that unions in Leeds are following on successful strikes at Wigan Wrightington & Leigh by putting more trusts under pressure to drop planned "subco" privatisation.

(24 Jul 2018) Hillingdon Hospital ranked 'inadequate' by CQC inspectors after some major services decline After 6 years of obsessive NW London commissioner focus on closing Ealing and Charing Cross Hospitals, after axing A&E at Central Middlesex and Hammersmith, the decline in other parts of NW London hits the headlines.

(18 Jul 2018) Health technology and the modern inverse care law FREE BMJ blog by Margaret McCartney concludes that " We need system change: every new policy must be interrogated for evidence of benefit and harm, opportunity cost, and the potential to benefit—or worsen—health inequalities."

(18 Jul 2018) NCDs—it’s time to embrace the evidence, not industry FREE access BMJ blog - revealing the extent to which WHO action to address noncommunicable disease (NCD) has been stymied by the involvement of "partners" industries that are part of the problem: “There was broad agreement in most areas, but some views were conflicting and could not be resolved. As such, some recommendations, such as reducing sugar consumption through effective taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages and the accountability of the private sector, could not be reflected in this report.”

(18 Jul 2018) Rival bidder planned 340 more staff for controversial Capita contract Exclusive from (£) HSJ reveals that Capita's £47m bid undercut rival bids for the primary care support services in 2015 … by planning to use half the number of staff -- triggering the subsequent chaos as the contract went wrong for lack of staff! Short term cuts damage quality and create long term costs and damage.

(18 Jul 2018) Local news hype of robotic surgery doesn’t match many hysterectomy patients’ experiences Exposure and condemnation of junk journalism in the US from a health journalist and a website that have been battling to raise standards. That resource is threatened by loss of funding -- and we don't even have an equivalent in Britain.

(18 Jul 2018) It’s 4 A.M. The Baby’s Coming. But the Hospital Is 100 Miles Away NY Times article indicating scale or rural hospital cuts and closures in the US -- services concentrating in cities to maximise profits.

(18 Jul 2018) Colorado health system sues patient over $229K surgery bill, jury awards $766 Another insight into the dysfunctional US health care "system".

(18 Jul 2018) Dark money lurks at the heart of our political crisis Guardian article by George Monbiot lifts the lid on the funding behind neoliberal organisations like the IEA, generous sponsors of our new Health Secretary Matt Hancock

(18 Jul 2018) Hospital parking giant condemned for ‘cashing in on the sick’ as profits surge Paying the price of living in England: car parking fees scrapped by Welsh Assembly years ago.

(13 Jul 2018) Safe Medical Staffing New research report from Royal College of Physicians gives hard evidence to back up fight for increased staffing of NHS services

(12 Jul 2018) Mental health crisis resolution teams and crisis care systems in England: a national survey Recent (May2018) academic paper comparing 2016 figures with earlier data. Its rather cagey findings show that “current implementation of the CRT model is highly variable. Almost no adult CRTs adhere fully to the model recommended in policy guidance. This is consistent with the findings from previous surveys.”

(12 Jul 2018) Boston, Lincolnshire councillors declare no confidence in local hospital management The battle over the future of services at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital hits the front page of the local Target newspaper: services could close on August 1

(12 Jul 2018) Hancock received £28k from chair of group advocating NHS insurance system Pulse magazine lifts the lid on the dodgy past of the new Health Secretary. Apparently, however, according a quote given to Pulse, "The Department of Health and Social Care told Pulse that Mr Hancock is absolutely committed to an NHS free at the point of use with no plans to reform the health service." We can hope, but let's get ready in case this is, as many fear, wide of the mark.

(12 Jul 2018) May's extra cash for NHS is not enough, says spending watchdog The National Audit Office comptroller Sir Amyas Morse gives the Guardian a forthright critique of government levels of funding the the NHS, with some intersting graphs.

(12 Jul 2018) Evidence-Based Interventions: Consultation Document The actual consultation document setting out plans for rationing and exclusions of services: the consultation runs to September.

(12 Jul 2018) Developing the NHS long term plan: evidence based interventions Board paper from NHS England which opens up consultation on restricting or ending NHS funding for access to 17 specific treatments -- but also proposes to move rapidly beyond this to a much more wide-ranging list of exclusions

(12 Jul 2018) Amazon makes big foray into health care Bloomberg report flags up Amazon's attempts to carve out a slice of the colossal U.S. market for prescription medicine. In 2016, U.S. consumers spent $328.6 billion on retail prescription drugs, according to the U.S. government.

(12 Jul 2018) Major Sunderland reconfiguration aims to ease financial pressure Even while ministers claim to be putting extra money in the pot, management are seeking ways to cut back services to save money. From (£) HSJ.

(12 Jul 2018) Apps and algorithms may 'support but will never replace' GPs, says RCGP RCGP press release in response to claims the Babylon app with AI 'outperformed' GPs, based on a flawed and biased test.

(12 Jul 2018) Fears of future strain on NHS as councils slash health programmes Cuts in public health budgets and services as ministers claim to be increasing spending and NHS England binds on endlessly about prevention and "integration".

(12 Jul 2018) BETTER HEALTH AND CARE FOR ALL: A 10-POINT PLAN FOR THE 2020s Surgeon Lord 'Polyclinics' Darzi sets out to enrage GPs once again by making a series of proposals that would include making them salaried employees. Published by the once 'left'-leaning IPPR.

(22 Jun 2018) Lord Darzi - All GP partners should be offered salaried NHS employment Pulse magazine reports a less than enthusiastic response to the latest ideas of the surgeon who has never worked as a GP, but who as a new Labour minister tried to sell us costly and impractical "polyclinics" from 2007.

(22 Jun 2018) Hammond 'ordered NHS chief to back health funding plan' Guardian fills in the back story on why Simon Stevens apparently changed tack to welcome a settlement well below the minimum he had been pressing for.

(22 Jun 2018) Fury over week-long trial to take Kidderminster patients to the Alex Latest twist in developing crisis of health services in Worcestershire

(22 Jun 2018) Targets under review and NHS legislation open to change - PM (£) Paywalled HSJ article updates on apparent Tory moves towards new legislation to unpick some of the 2012 Lansley "reforms" that have dislocated, fragmented and privatised services. Seems as if Tories are wanting to claim that any fresh legislation is at request of NHS -- while manipulating Stevens to follow their script on funding.

(18 Jun 2018) £20 billion funding boost still falls short, GPs warn GP online adds more weight to those challenging the adequacy of the belated Tory response to the crisis their spending squeeze has created.

(18 Jun 2018) 100 senior NHS doctors, nurses and academics sign open letter to Theresa May Letter coordinated by Peoples Assembly, Health Campaigns Together and Keep Our NHS Public wins 100 signatures at short notice from consultants, GPs health academics and nurses.

(18 Jun 2018) May under pressure to explain £20bn NHS funding plan Sky News shows the BBC how it could be done better

(18 Jun 2018) Sky’s NHS at 70: seventy defining moments Worth a watch

(12 Jun 2018) One fifth of Babylon NHS patients 'switched back to original GP' Encouraging news from Pulse for anyone concerned at the apparent runaway growth of this latest private sector wheeze from former Circle boss Ali Parsa.

(12 Jun 2018) Trust with worst financial performance aims for £156m deficit this year (£) HSJ update, revealing Kings College Hospital is aiming to hold deficit at a staggering £156m this year, after coming in £132m in the red in 2017-18 – almost £100m worse than planned, and now still negotiating on a "control total" with NHS England.

(12 Jun 2018) Decision over Carillion Hospital 'in autumn' as costs soar (£) HSJ article reveals the cost of finishing the hospital which has been at a standstill, with the part-completed fabric of the building deteriorated in poor weather since Carillion collapsed will run into tens of millions.

(12 Jun 2018) Over 40 Worcestershire acute beds not ready by winter Still the misery continues for Worcestershire patients: despite an extra £8m to provide more beds, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals trust says the two extra wards of acute beds will not be ready until the end of January.

(12 Jun 2018) The Trump administration believes Obamacare’s preexisting conditions protections are now unconstitutional Yes, Trump has now taken aim at the most popular aspect of Obamacare, which stripped insurers of the right to deny coverage to people with pre-existing health issues

(12 Jun 2018) Vultures Circle on America's Rural Hospitals Report revealing an increasingly brutal environment for America's rural hospitals, which are disappearing by the dozens amid declining populations, economic troubles, corporate consolidation and, sometimes, self-inflicted wounds.

(12 Jun 2018) '600 practices will close’ without funding boost, warns BMA Grim warnings on primary care, from Pulse magazine

(12 Jun 2018) Is this the year the AMA finally joins the single-payer movement? US doctors' campaign Physicians for a National Health Program looks forward to a historic turning point for the American Medical Association, in recent decades a bedrock of the private US health care system.

(12 Jun 2018) Jeremy Hunt admits he is ‘struggling to deliver’ 5,000 GPs by 2020 Is anyone genuinely surprised that this promise has turned out to be worthless?

(12 Jun 2018) NHS 'Struggling To Keep Up' As It Holds On To Thousands Of Fax Machines Labour's Jon Ashworth highlights the 11,000 fax machines that still chug away in today's NHS

(12 Jun 2018) Links for Unite members to book travel to join the massive June 30 #OurNHS70 demo on London

(12 Jun 2018) US Air Ambulances Are Flying More Patients Than Ever, and Leaving Massive Bills Behind More evidence of the eye-watering expense of health care in the US

(12 Jun 2018) Paediatric outcomes and timing of admission Free to access BMJ meta-study of research concludes, contrary to Mr J. Hunt's assertions, that "weekend admission overall does not increase mortality but may be associated with a longer length of stay and, in certain conditions, with greater morbidity."

(12 Jun 2018) Record high for out-of-area beds BMA analysis shows big increase in numbers of mental health patients forces to travel long distances form in-patient treatment

(8 Jun 2018) Decision over Carillion Hospital 'in autumn' as costs soar Crumbling icomplete new hospital faces further delays and costs after collapse of PFI contractor Carillion: now best hope is for completion 2022. (link to £ hsj.com)

(8 Jun 2018) Over 40 Worcestershire acute beds not ready by winter Promised extra Worcester winter pressures beds for 2018-19 will not be in place in time despite extra £8m funding

(4 Jun 2018) Statement: Local Politicians betray the NHS Shropshire campaigners slam "hypocritical" rebranding of local health bosses' efforts to push through hospital rationalisation

(2 Jun 2018) RCEM Winter Flow report on NHS performance last winter More hard hitting figures from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine

(1 Jun 2018) Number of patients readmitted to hospital rises to 1.38m in a year Evidence of the inefficiency, ineffectiveness and distortions created by 8 years of under-funding. And note few if any of these patients would have any chance of accessing private treatment if existing NHS services collapse.

(29 May 2018) The NHS doesn’t need £2,000 from each household to survive. It’s fake maths Guardian comment piece challenges the blinkered IFS findings -- and implicitly the uncritical Guardian and mainstream media coverage of their report.

(29 May 2018) Winter 2017/18: the worst ever for the NHS? Analysis from the Nuffield Trust

(29 May 2018) Hundreds of patients quit inadequate Virgin practice Yet another tale of private sector failure, this time from the media's favourite entrepreneur, revealed by GP Online magazine. Important to keep track of failures as well as the contracts won by private firms.

(27 May 2018) Row as CCG fines overwhelmed Stoke on Trent hospital, The £9.2m penalties come on top of losses of £5m income from the patients who could not be admitted for lack of beds. The UH North Midland trust as deficit for 2017/18 was £69m.

(25 May 2018) Online link to latest NHS England statistics Data on waiting times, A&E caseload, bed numbers, delayed transfers of care, etc, free to download.

(24 May 2018) Securing the future: funding health and social care to the 2030s Key report from IFS and health Foundation arguing NHS needs 3.3% increase each year to stand still, 4% a year to improve, in addition to more funding for social care. However the report is seriously hampered by the narrow vision of the authors on where to raise this money through taxation -- apparently ruling out any progressive taxation on the banks and big business, and suggesting a £2,000 hike in taxation on ordinary households over 15 years. But some very useful figures.

(24 May 2018) Rethinking assumptions about delivery of healthcare: implications for universal health coverage Free access article from BMJ

(24 May 2018) Advanced health economies reject control totals The front runners to become "Integrated care Systems" reveal that they are nowhere near "integrated" when it comes to settling deficits, and point out that the risk in accepting "control totals" is greater than the reward. Interesting (£) HSJ report.

(21 May 2018) NHS Community Services - Taking Centre Stage 64-page report on the state of community health services, from NHS Providers. Shows among other things (p16-17) that with just 5% of value of contracts, the private sector holds 39% of individual contracts for community services: "These findings show that while private providers generally hold a large number of low value contracts, NHS trusts hold the relatively small number of high value contracts."

(20 May 2018) Visa restrictions and medical staffing: a perfect storm Excellent challenge to racist laws which prevent recruitment of overseas staff and refuse visas to those already offered posts or training here, from Doctors for the NHS

(18 May 2018) Cancer patient waited 541 days for NHS treatment, report says Guardian's denis Campbell with some grim reminders of the extent to which NHS resources -- beds, staff, cash -- have been depleted by 8 years of frozen funding.

(18 May 2018) Health bosses reveal key NHS services at Darlington, North Tees and James Cook hospitals will be retained Another retreat from controversial downgrading and closures, another victory for common sense and for campaigners who have battled hard to get dangerous and impractical plans dropped.

(18 May 2018) Trump threatens to use US trade talks to force NHS to pay more for drugs Trump and his team bizarrely denounce Britain's "socialised" health system for forcing down the prices of drugs, while successive US Republican administrations have intervened to stop Americans buying cheaper drugs from Canada. GOP is funded and relies on lobby support from health insurers and big pharma. Trump might bully Theresa May into increased prices to be paid by NHS -- but none of this would reduce inflated costs facing Americans, driven by the "medical industrial complex".

(17 May 2018) NHS spending £1.5bn a year on temporary nurses as staff leave in droves, study reveals Independent points to Open University study based on FOI requests.

(16 May 2018) NHS has lost 1,000 GPs since Jeremy Hunt set workforce target Excellent but frightening update from Pulse magazine.
The figures released by NHS Digital on May 15 reveal that the number of Full Time Equivalent GPs in the workforce has decreased more than 1,000 since September 2015 - when health secretary Jeremy Hunt announced he would increase the number of FTE GPs in England by 5,000. 315 have left in the last 3 months alone.

(16 May 2018) Mapping the NHS winter - Our reflections and next steps NHS Providers, in this latest report drawing conclusions from the crisis conditions in hospitals and health services during the last two winters, makes no overt mention of the plans drawn up in STPs and reconfiguration projects to reduce numbers of acute beds still further.
But they do say "We cannot continue to be unrealistic about the levels of demand the NHS is experiencing and must have a feasible and deliverable task for the NHS set out by the national oversight bodies."
This tacit admission that plans up to now HAVE been unrealistic and based on unrealistic assumptions and aspirations is welcome, as long as it means the plans based on this approach are being dropped. So far there is little sign of this being agreed by local trusts and CCGs.

(16 May 2018) Outgoing Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust: ‘The underfunding of the NHS is almost conspiratorial’ Guardian interview highlighting the need for genuine integration of NHS and social care services for mental health patients, and the impact of austerity on the NHS since 2010.

(16 May 2018) A fork in the road: Next steps for social care funding reform Plenty of useful information in this joint report between the Health Foundation and the Kings Fund, which highlights low public awareness of social care and a lack of agreement on priorities for reform as major barriers to progress, despite apparent political consensus on the need for urgent action.
It argues that reforming the current system will be expensive, but states that if reform is chosen, England is now at a clear ‘fork in the road’ with a choice between "a better means-tested system" and one that is "more like the NHS" -- free at the point of use for those who need it.
So nothing new here, but an advanced example of googling that might save you some work.

(14 May 2018) The adult social care workforce in England Hard hitting report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee reveals that care workers are leaving the profession due to crippling low pay - and the Government has done nothing.

(11 May 2018) Jeremy Hunt says 'reconsider' Calderdale and Huddersfield hospitals shake-up Yorkshire Post article revealing the big retreat by Hunt on a major and controversial hospital reconfiguration

(11 May 2018) Hammond and Hunt in battle over NHS funding boost Guardian flags up another division in Theresa May's government -- over how little extra to give the NHS after 8 years of real terms freeze on spending and a growing gap between needs and resources.

(10 May 2018) Spending on and availability of health care resources: how does the UK compare to other countries? King's Fund catches up with those of us who have been pointing out for years that the spending freeze since 2010 has helped reduce Britain's NHS to near the bottom of the league for resources -- and bottom of the heap for CT and MRI scanner availability.

(10 May 2018) Private hospitals’ business model is archaic, unsafe and indefensible More analysis from CHPI's Colin Leys exposing the many weaknesses in Britain's private hospitals.

(10 May 2018) NHS Providers - Mapping the NHS Winter Hard data and responses to the even deeper crisis in hospital services over the 2017/18 winter, as NHS Providers keep up their pressure on the government,

(10 May 2018) GP at Hand CCG likely to receive NHS England bailout as costs soar by £18m Staggering extra costs of a scheme which is destabilising primary care, but delivering highly questionable results, primarily offering additional care to those with the fewest health needs, at the expense of more complex patiients.

(10 May 2018) NHS Improvement director should stand down (£) HSJ's Lawrence Dunhill reports on the devastating findings of a Grant Thornton review of the finances of Barking Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals Trust, which has lurched from a projected £1m surplus to a £44m deficit (available on BHRUT website) -- and calls for the person responsible to resign from NHS Improvement's London team, where he was promoted!

(10 May 2018) Government will halt NHS datasharing with Home Office except for serious crime Campaigning pays off, even as other racist measures including charges for overseas patients remain intact: a statement here from Dr Tim Dudderidge, President of Doctors of the World.

(10 May 2018) Private £39 GP Service to be installed in NHS Hospital in a further sign of creeping Tory NHS Privatisation Alarming news on the growing fragmentation and privatisation of primary care services

(10 May 2018) Senior hospital directors resign as Lancashire's NHS goes £42m into the red Some managers appear to have recognised their own responsibility for the dire conditions faced by staff and patients.

(1 May 2018) Countries' comparative spending on health, Public and private spending, 2016, in US dollars

(27 Apr 2018) Hunt's car pelted with flour in Stroud Jeremy Hunt's latest expedition to avoid the natives -- a cross between a visit and the Great British Bake Off

(27 Apr 2018) Bridgepoint explores sale of UK’s biggest NHS outsourcer FT reveals that Care UK is poised to be broken up and flogged off after failing to generate adequate profits to satisfy its grasping owners Bridgepoint (whose well-known names include former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn).

(25 Apr 2018) Brexit blamed as record number of EU nurses give up on Britain Guardian gives latest figures as NHS England and NHS Improvement keep their heads in the sand denying scale of recruitment & retention crisis.

(25 Apr 2018) GP practices face funding threat as online service ‘targets’ young people Update blog from Dr David Wrigley for Our NHS/Open Democracy on the latest wheeze to substitute apps for care.

(25 Apr 2018) Homes of elderly should be used to fund social care, NHS head says Simon Stevens dredges up the key proposals of the discredited Griffiths Report of 1988, which from 1993 transferred long term care from NHS (free at point of use) to local govt social services (means tested charges). This was the launch point for massive privatisation, fragmentation, underfunding and chaos in domiciliary care (destruction of Home Help services) and expansion of poor quality privately provided nursing home/residential care. We need to break from this, not revisit the same nonsense.

(25 Apr 2018) A separate NHS tax would only further its fragmentation Guardian piece by Green MP Caroline Lucas nails the hoary old zombie idea as it creeps out again, stirred back into BBC and right wing headlines by Blairites and others with no real concept of the NHS and its value.

(24 Apr 2018) Care for 13,000 Britons at risk as provider seeks rescue plan Guardian report on the latest social care provider struggling to survive after a decade of cuts.

(24 Apr 2018) Time to put care into the system Online facts and figures on the melt-down of England's social care system from Which magazine.

(24 Apr 2018) Short report on private contracting Handy summaries from NHS for Sale website (NHS Support Federation)

(24 Apr 2018) A Dedicated Tax to fund the NHS -- A zombie idea John Appleby demolishes the flimsy arguments that are again being wheeled out for some form of hypothecated tax to fill in the gaps in NHS funding created by the 8-year real terms freeze since 2010.

(24 Apr 2018) No one to look after them Roy Lilley tears into the scandalous treatment of the Windrush generation -- and the dire lack of any serious workforce planning in today's NHS.

(24 Apr 2018) Tough Task -- the latest updated warning on inadequate resources from NHS Providers A hard-hitting report from the body representing NHS trusts explaining why the gap between the best-performing and most challenged hospital trusts is growing wider, and the gap between official promises of NHS performance and actual services is constantly growing.

(19 Apr 2018) Realism needed over delivery task for providers NHS Providers, representing trusts, responds to the warning from NHS Improvement that their plans have been unrealistic.

(19 Apr 2018) NHS spends as little as £2.61 per day on patient food Daily Mirror report reveals 13 hospitals spent less than £5 a day; average spend was just £11 per day on food for patients on hospital wards.

(19 Apr 2018) NHS and council staff in a new care model 'vanguard' in Greater Manchester have voted for strike action. (£) HSJ article based on UNISON press statement.
"Unison, which represents 230 council and NHS staff involved in the Stockport Together vanguard, said the decision follows seven months of negotiations.
"The industrial action will take place on 27 April. The union said 96 per cent of respondents to the ballot voted to strike.
"HSJ revealed staff’s concerns in January, which presented further difficulties for a project that has already been scaled back from initial plans to form a single accountable care organisation.
"The project partners – including Stockport Foundation Trust, Stockport Council and Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group – have instead focused on establishing integrated community teams working under an “alliance contract” between providers."
Union members are concerned about a planned expansion of unqualified support workers, as well as a reduction to the availability of services during peak times.

(19 Apr 2018) Health Care Assistants doing nurses' duties Three quarters of HCAs are taking on tasks that should be carried out by qualified nurses, according to a UNISON report in the Guardian. A symptom of desperate efforts at cost saving while bridging huge gaps in staffing.

(19 Apr 2018) NHS Improvement chief: Trust plans are unrealistic and unachievable Article in the (£) HSJ by Lawrence Dunhill, begins:
"NHS Improvement has told providers their activity, workforce and financlal plans for the
new financial year do not look realistic or achievable."
In an email to the sector on April 18, NHSl chief executive Ian Dalton said plans submitted by some trusts are "not sufficiently robust" and further work is needed to address several issues before final submissions are made by 30 April.
It is the first blast of realism from the top of the NHS since trusts, CCGs and local councils were told just before Christmas 2015 to organise themselves into local "footprints" and draw up Sustainability & Transformation Plans -- few of which are robust, evidence-based or achievable.

(27 Mar 2018) Hunt halts Horton General closure plans A splendid victory for the Banbury campaigners after such a long haul, showing that no matter how hopeless it may seem it is sometimes possible to get the Independent Reconfiguration Panel to put a spanner in the works. Also a broad, popular, vocal campaign in a Tory area can create a political pressure, which should not be ignored.

(16 Mar 2018) NHS Improvement pays McKinsey £500,000 to advise on 'purpose and model' A truly shocking story from HSJ, revealing that the NHS regulator NHS Improvement has not got the vaguest idea what it's supposed to be doing, and has to part for a second time with a shedload of cash to management consultants in an effort to find out. More than £1m so far flushed down the PWC to useless consultants to advise equally useless and clueless overpaid NHS executives, while they crack the whip on hard-pressed trusts to slash services to balance the books. Disgusted? You bet!

(16 Mar 2018) Trust chief calls for review of STP after extraordinary winter Another (£) paywalled HSJ news story highlighting the unravelling of another STP, with a new hospital chief exec in Nottingham pointing to bed shortages and black alerts.

(16 Mar 2018) KONP tribute to the late, great Prof Stephen Hawking A timely tribute highlighting Hawking's consistent support for the NHS and his role in supporting the JR4NHS challenge to the imposition of ACOs without proper scrutiny by MPs or public consultation.

(16 Mar 2018) Private firms are not expecting to run ACO contracts (£) paywalled HSJ exclusive that should give some people pause for thought: Jeremy Hunt for one, and many who see ACOs as the threshold of doom. Problems cited by the private sector include the public's political resistance to privatisation, and the level of financial risk to the private sector. Rather than take on ACOs, they are keen to cherry-pick, offering future organisations "elective capacity, access to capital, analytics and diagnostic services".

(8 Mar 2018) Not a winter crisis but a political crisis Tony O'Sullivan's excellent summary of the gathering storm for Labour Briefing

(8 Mar 2018) 15 Trusts at 100% occupied, 34 with 99% of beds full on last day of winter crisis reporting NHS England's latest statistics confirm that 8 years of frozen funding since Cameron took over in 2010 have made it winter most of the year round in our NHS. Urgent need to scrap further bed cuts and boost funding & staffing levels

(4 Mar 2018) Oral evidence on dangers for the NHS of Accountable Care Systems and Organisations Evidence given to the committee by 3 leaders of JR4NHS and KONP co-chair Tony O'Sullivan

(4 Mar 2018) 'It was like an Arctic expedition’ - paramedics battle through snow for nine hours to reach stranded patient Every day story of NHS dedication -- a 3-mile trek by East Anglia ambulance staff to save a patient

(4 Mar 2018) Judge's ruling recognises privatisation of one service threatens the whole local NHS Interesting written ruling on plans by Lancashire County Council to hand over children's services to Virgin, highlighted by Calderdale and Kirleees 999callfortheNHS.

(4 Mar 2018) NHS Dis-integration: Unaccountable Care Excellent short read and up-sum on ACOs/ICOs and the shifty arguments of NHS England, from KONP's Tony O'Sullivan

(20 Feb 2018) Ambulances' three hour wait outside Worcestershire A&E BBC report points out: "According to national guidelines, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is expected to deal with 95% of patients who attend A and E within four hours, but the BBC understands on Friday it dealt with 47% in four hours and 49% on Saturday."

(20 Feb 2018) Yes, the NHS is fractured. But competition won’t heal it Polly Toynbee bangs home some hard points in this Guardian analysis.

(20 Feb 2018) NHS brings in three month minimum waiting times despite warnings patients will suffer Further proof that underfunding has drastically undermined NHS capacity to meet targets for timely care.

(20 Feb 2018) Single payer health care cuts costs View from an Oregon doctor, pointing out that waste and corruption arise from the US system

(20 Feb 2018) Concerns over Shropshire's maternity services aired in open letter to health bosses Hundreds sign open letter to NHS chiefs

(20 Feb 2018) Government admits it could reprivatise Carillion work it took in-house just weeks ago. Mirror story shows they have learned and forgotten nothing.

(16 Feb 2018) Answers to House of Lords Questions on Accountable Care Organisations Lord O'Shaughnessy offers the memorable assurance that "An ‘ACO’ is not a new type of legal entity, neither is it a body created under delegated legislation; instead it is a service provider that holds an ACO contract." But he goes on to state that "The Government will not bring forward legislation until the NHS England consultation [due to begin in March] has concluded."
Does anyone feel reassured?

(15 Feb 2018) NHS trusts transferring staff into subsidiary companies to cut VAT Guardian story points out that transferring thousands of NHS support staff to "special purpose vehicle" companies may be argued as cutting VAT costs, but " Labour and trade unions have warned that they open the door to driving down wages, pensions and conditions of thousands of NHS staff – and therefore service standards."

(15 Feb 2018) Third letter to the GMC regarding Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba (reply to Professor Terence Stephenson) Nick Ross in another letter in the BMJ bangs home the outrageous GMC behaviour:
"To put it bluntly (and forgive me but I am a journalist at heart) she was abandoned by her consultant, shafted by her employer and then tormented by the courts and finally persecuted and made unemployable by you. I wonder if you looked behind the court decision at the staffing levels and the work load on that fateful day – an absent consultant, a woeful shortage of trained nurses, no rest break and so on - and whether you would consider them to be prudent and acceptable. If so, perhaps you would be kind enough to publish them so that we can all see what the GMC regards as a safe working environment. "

(15 Feb 2018) [US] National Health Expenditure Projections, 2017–26: Despite Uncertainty, Fundamentals Primarily Drive Spending Growth Article in Health Affairs magazine using official projections to warn that US spending on health care is set to increase from 18% GDP ($3.6 trillion) in 2017 to 19.6% (£5.7 trillion) by 2026, with out of pocket personal spending increasing over 50% from $360 bn to $555 bn.
Not a system anyone with sound mind would want to copy or import.

(15 Feb 2018) Written evidence submitted on behalf of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine The Royal College of Emergency Medicine calls out the failures of the Sustainability and Transformation Plans to take account of objective reality, and refutes the notion that there is a "surfeit" of hospital acute beds.
The RCEM notes that: "In simple terms the nature of demographic change means that the number of ED attendances is rising as the population grows and the average age of the population increases.
"This being the case, rather than planning for reductions in Emergency Department demand that are unlikely to materialise, it would surely be more sensible to plan for increased ED demand based further population growth and an increasingly elderly population."

(15 Feb 2018) Migrants aren't a threat to the NHS -- Losing the migrants who helped build it is John Lister's article in The London Economic promoting the One Day Without Us event in solidarity with migrant workers on February 17.

(15 Feb 2018) Department of Health and Social Care increases raid on the NHS capital budget to almost £4bn BMA article highly critical of the latest Treasury grab for the limited pool of NHS capital notes:
"Treasury papers, released last week, reveal that £1bn was switched from the DHSC’s £5.6bn capital budget to revenue in 2017/18.
"This year’s switch comes on top of £2.79bn of annual raids since 2014/15 at a time of heightened demand for rebuilding projects and with the NHS facing a £1bn bill for ‘high-risk’ repairs."

(13 Feb 2018) Fake News about the NHS An excellent blog by Colin Leys of CHPI exposing common misleading facts retailed without critical comment by ignorant mainstream media news: a case for proper training in health journalism.

(13 Feb 2018) "With strings attached: taking a closer look at the new NHS money" Sally Gainsbury's latest brilliant Nuffield Trust comment Sally Gainsbury untangles the contortions, deceptions and confidence trickery of last November's budget "increase" -- and why the "extra" money means LESS spending per patient, and the Sustainability & Transformation Fund is now renamed the "Provider Sustainability Fund".

(9 Feb 2018) NAO report on adult social care workforce Hard facts on the growing crisis in social care.

(7 Feb 2018) NHS England abandoned 'forward view' for community services (£) HSJ Exclusive, drawn from a leaked document, reveals NHS England has abandoned plans to create a “forward view” for community services, despite arguing that sustainability and transformation partnerships need one to achieve their full potential.

(7 Feb 2018) Ian Dalton criticises 'unrealistic' A&E plans Another (£) HSJ exclusive on NHS chiefs in retreat on controversial plans reveals that the latest retreat is from many wildly over-optimistic STPs and other reconfiguration plans assuming large reductions in emergency caseload:
"The chief executive of NHS Improvement has called for an end to “unrealistic” planning for emergency admissions to hospital, arguing that new money for the NHS will not “make it to patients” if demand is underestimated."
Where will this leave plans such as the closure of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, planned closures of Ealing and Charing Cross Hospitals in North West London, and many similar schemes around the country?

(5 Feb 2018) 30 years ago - the first moves to marketise the NHS Extract from John Lister's book The NHS After 60 - for Patients or Profits, looking at the daft ideas being punted around by backwoods Tory MPs – many of them still familiar names – after Thatcher launched her "review" of the NHS in January 1988. see how many of the same ideas are still living a zombie existence in 2018.

(5 Feb 2018) Annual charge paid by migrants for using the NHS to double Guardian report of latest anti-migrant moves by Theresa May's brutal government -- quoting fears from doctors and others about the potential consequences.

(5 Feb 2018) "Migrants' NHS fees are doubled in bid to beat the health tourists: Workers will have to hand over £400 a year as part of clamp down" Ghastly xenophobic Daily Mail piece reminds us that despite their surprising and generous coverage of the London #FundOurNHS demonstration on February 3, the agenda of the Daily Mail is scapegoating and whipping up irrational hate against migrants and 'foreigners'. There is of course no evidence 'Health Tourism' is a significant fact in the crisis of NHS underfunding.

(4 Feb 2018) Theresa May’s masterplan to help struggling NHS trusts deal with winter crisis DEPRIVES them of up to £1.3 billion Sunday Mirror feature based on figures researched by Health Campaigns Together editor John Lister.

(2 Feb 2018) Video appeal to back our Feb 3 winter crisis protest Labour's shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth urges support for Saturday's Emergency Demo "Fix it Now" in London called by Health Campaigns Together and peoples Assembly

(28 Jan 2018) The Nursing Workforce - Commons Health Committee Report January publication, flags up concerns over use of less qualified staff to fill vacant nursing jobs:
“Nursing Associates are intended to supplement nurses rather than replace them, but may ease pressure by freeing up registered nurses' time for tasks that require their degree-level skills. Witnesses to our inquiry expressed serious concern that, particularly given the current shortage of nurses, NAs might be used to substitute for registered nurses.
"They should not be viewed or referred to as 'nurses on the cheap', and this message must be clearly articulated at national as well as local level. This is however more likely to happen if managers use NAs as a substitute for nursing posts."

(28 Jan 2018) Hadiza Bawa-Garba could have been any member of frontline staff working in today’s overstretched NHS BMJ blog by Dr Rachel Clarke written back in December. Free to access.

(28 Jan 2018) "Blood on their hands": NHS protesters shut down road outside Parliament targeting May, Hunt and Branson Mirror coverage of stunt organised by Peoples Assembly and Health Campaigns Together to promote February 3 Day of Action.

(28 Jan 2018) Doctors pressurised into manipulating A&E performance figures Report in the Independent, followed up by Labour's Justin Madders MP.

(28 Jan 2018) Video of the brilliant march through Southend on January 27 Hundreds of people marched through Southend High Street to protest against cuts to Southend’s NHS services

(28 Jan 2018) Back to blame: the Bawa-Garba case and the patient safety agenda Why we should all be concerned that a junior doctor has been hung out to dry by the General Medical Council after a systems failure led to a tragic death. BMJ article, free to access.

(26 Jan 2018) Blood on their hands - NHS protesters shut down road outside Parliament targeting May, Hunt and Branson Excellent Daily Mirror coverage of HCT/Peoples Assembly stunt highlighting need to build February 3 protests

(24 Jan 2018) Correspondence between Commons Health Committee Chair Sarah Wollaston and Jeremy Hunt on ACOs Hunt's reluctant agreement to delay ACOs.

(24 Jan 2018) JR4NHS wins important concession: a national public consultation on ACOs "But don’t be fooled into thinking they’ve given up." says a KONP update from Tony O'Sullivan.
"Despite repeated questioning from Sarah Wollaston MP, the Committee chair:
"Hunt refused to delay the ACO regulations that he’s still planning for February, which are intended to facilitate the ACO contract – even though there’s no longer an urgent need for them; and
"Hunt has still not accepted the need for an Act of Parliament before ACOs can operate lawfully."

(24 Jan 2018) Creation of first ACOs put on pause by Rebecca Thomas HSJ (£)
"NHS England and the Department of Health have effectively paused the creation of the first accountable care organisations, pending further consultation.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the ACO contract - published by NHS England in draft last year - would not be put in place in any areas until after the national commissioning organisation holds a consultation in coming months.
He wrote to Commons health committee chair Sarah Wollaston on January 22, in response to a letter from her last week requesting that moves to implement ACOs be delayed pending a committee inquiry. "

(21 Jan 2018) Bedfordshire, Luton & Milton Keynes protests on January 20 covered by BBC Successful events across the BLMK STP 'footprint' leading up to Feb 3 London protest (contingents from the area will be travelling to London)

(21 Jan 2018) HCT Editor John Lister speaking at HCT Northern Regional Conference in Leeds An overview as government plans misfire into a series of crises

(21 Jan 2018) Health Committee Chair Sarah Wollaston writes urging Jeremy Hunt to delay introduction of new contract for ACOs "As I am sure you are aware, a great deal of concern has been expressed about the development of ACOs in the NHS. I expect the Committee to consider these concerns, and the responses to them, in the course of its inquiry into Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, announced last autumn."

(16 Jan 2018) Most practices in England do not want to provide online consultations GP Online survey reveals that despite £45m NHS England campaign to promote the idea most GPs do not see online consultations as any help with the problems they face.

(16 Jan 2018) Council paid ‘golden hellos’ to free up beds amid warning NHS crisis will continue With all three of Norfolk's hospitals full to capacity at three points over the Christmas and New Year period, County Council bosses resorted to bungs to entice care homes to take more discharged patients and free up hospital beds. Local press report.

(16 Jan 2018) NHS crisis: Senior Tory MP hits out at Government's 'disingenuous' use of winter statistics Sarah Wollaston, Tory chair of Commons Health Committee, stops short of calling her own party's ministers liars. But only just.

(16 Jan 2018) Branson and Virgin set to expand further into NHS A closer look at the complex web of Virgin contracts, by Paul Gallagher for the i Briefing.

(14 Jan 2018) Care Closer to Home: It Isn't Working. A short film by Save Our Hospital Services Devon.
This film shows how the government policy of so-called "Care Closer to Home" is failing while 71% of Community Hospital beds have been cut across Devon since 2013.
For more information on SOHS Devon, visit their website at www.sohs.org.uk

(14 Jan 2018) Philip Dunne, sacked after his NHS remarks, must now face his constituents Guardian article by Shropshire journalist on May's dismissal of gaffe-prone junior health minister.

(12 Jan 2018) GP at Hand triples patient list as young patients flock to video consultation service GP Online noting the extent of cherry-picking by this latest departure from General Practice – just 0.5% of recent registrations have come from people over 60 who are most needing good primary care.

(12 Jan 2018) Sandalwood Court place of safety unit to be temporarily closed Place of safety in Swindon closed for 12 months -- nearest option for Swindon patients now Devizes. Local press report.

(12 Jan 2018) UK ministers hold crisis talks over Carillion Financial Times report on the gathering crisis of one of the major players in PFI.

(12 Jan 2018) Emergency care is in a state of Emergency Press release from Royal College of Emergency Medicine on worst-ever month's performance on A&E waiting times

(11 Jan 2018) Scores of NHS hospitals completely full during first week of January GP Online article using latest figures states: "NHS hospitals reported that every single one of their beds was full on 78 occasions in the first week of January, as winter pressures drove average levels of bed occupancy across England to a new high."

(11 Jan 2018) Virgin launches pay as you go primary care and "wellbeing" service in Birmingham Care for the worried wealthy (£35 for a "remote" GP appointment with someone you have never met: £55 to meet them in person). Another Virgin move to undermine the NHS.

(7 Jan 2018) MP says business case for new company at Airedale reveals harmful impact on employee terms and conditions Keighley MP reveals business case plan for 2-tier workforce as NHS Trusts create new "special purpose vehicles" to dodge VAT.

(18 Dec 2017) Social care postcode gap grows Observer report underlines the other dimension to the NHS funding crisis.

(18 Dec 2017) One trust in five runs out of beds at very start of winter Independent report

(18 Dec 2017) Americans die younger despite highest health care spending Bloomberg analysis -- for profit healthcare is bad for your health.

(18 Dec 2017) NHS Providers weekly update on trusts' performance. Week by week reports on how trusts are coping despite the failure of ministers to respond to NHS Providers' previous Winter Warnings.

(18 Dec 2017) Hands off HRI petition via 38 Degrees Petition to Jeremy Hunt calling on him to reprieve the services under threat at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary through the review process. The case was referred by local councillors last Summer and we now await the outcome. Last heard, it has not yet got to the top of the review list!

(18 Dec 2017) Lego's latest: build your own ACS The NHS has teamed up with Lego to create the most absorbing and challenging construction set ever. The Lego Accountable Care System promises to keep you and your family occupied well into the New Year 2023 and beyond.

(18 Dec 2017) Worcestershire trust already can't cope with winter pressures 13 diverts from A&E in just one week of December

(11 Dec 2017) Shadow Health SecretaryJon Ashworth calls for campaigning to roll back privatisation A more lengthy blog from Labourlist tackling various aspects of the "toxic privatisation agenda".

(7 Dec 2017) GPs fear NHS crisis with hospitals full at start of winter Hospital beds 94.5% occupied in first few days of December – before winter crisis even starts. GPs fear impact on primary care and delays in elective treatment.

(7 Dec 2017) Two thirds of GPs say their practice will struggle to cope this winter Frightening extra dimension of the developing crisis created by 7 solid years of inadequate funding.

(7 Dec 2017) Practices continue to drop private work in face of growing workload Unexpected result of cash squeeze in primary care -- from GP online.

(26 Nov 2017) Brilliant pictures of thousands of US nurses fighting for safe staffing In Kaiser Hospitals, California -- yes Kaiser that is quoted as a model for England's NHS. Nov. 2, 2017 — Nurses say they will continue doing whatever it takes to draw public attention to the eroding patient care standards that they warn have a direct impact on health outcomes for Kaiser’s patients. Kaiser is both the largest hospital chain and health insurer in California. #SafeStaffing #Solidarity

(24 Nov 2017) Impact of the Budget on health spending Note for the Commons health Committee putting an official analysis: spending set to just about match predicted levels of inflation

(23 Nov 2017) This Budget will deepen the crisis in general practice Just days after figures showed a sharp reduction in numbers of GPs despite promises to increase them, Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Budget statement was "a massive let down for the NHS in general and general practice in particular," says Dr Kailash Chand.

(23 Nov 2017) CQC shines light on "hidden injustice" in mental health "Nearly a year ago, Prime Minister Theresa May described mental illness as a "hidden injustice". Various statements since then have been taken by some as encouraging signs that government - at the highest level - takes mental illness seriously, and that parity of esteem with physical health services is on its way.
But feedback from patients is clearly and consistently telling a different story. And those injustices are not hidden. They're right there in the CQC's evidence."

(23 Nov 2017) Primary healthcare, disruptive innovation, and the digital gold rush What exactly is Babylon up to? BMJ blog

(23 Nov 2017) Government pledges £3.5bn capital to NHS over next five years (£ paywall HSJ)
Explanation of how the £3.5 billion plus land sales leaves another £3.3 bn to be raised from private sector investment to meet the Naylor Review £10bn target.

(23 Nov 2017) 'Which of the children do we shoot first?' - the budget leaves the NHS with harsh choices (£ paywall Health Service Journal Editorial comment)
"With the underlying provider deficit standing at around £3.6bn – and significant cost pressures emerging in supposed priority areas such as primary care and mental health – there is no confidence at all among system leaders that next year’s funding will deliver what the government wants."

(23 Nov 2017) Babylon GP appointment app ditched over fears of patients 'gaming' system According to board papers from a London CCG - first reported by HSJ - instead of reducing GP attendance, testing of the app raised a concern that patients who used the app may do so to get faster access to a GP appointment.

(23 Nov 2017) HCSA's Response to the 2017 Budget – Falling Short on the NHS This is a budget that does not put patient care first, does not support hospital doctors, does not address significant underfunding, and does not “back the NHS.”

(23 Nov 2017) Budget 2017: NHS trusts given extra £350m for entire winter, despite Brexit bus promising £350m a week Independent critique of Budget, which increases NHS funding this year by just one day's running costs, £350m -- three months after the August deadline NHS Providers said was the last chance to avoid a winter crisis.

(19 Nov 2017) Matlock motorcade demands increased NHS funding BBC report of a successful event in Derbyshire on November 18, with interview with HCT secretary Keith Venables.

(14 Nov 2017) NW London Hospital Trust A&E performance worst in the country -- aftermath of 2014 closures Local paper highlights the continued disastrously poor performance of the remaining A&E units left to shoulder the load after closure of A&Es at Central Middlesex and Hammersmith Hospitals in 2014. The hotly contested plan for "reconfiguration" of hospital services at a cost of £513m-plus has just been given the thumbs down by NHS Improvement.

(14 Nov 2017) Wigan drops plans to axe beds Increased demand and plunging performance in A&E over the summer have forced a CCG to drop plans to axe beds.

(13 Nov 2017) In post-referendum Britain, the policy of charging overseas visitors upfront further alienates healthcare staff in the NHS BMJ blog by "a migrant GP" reminds us of the obvious dependence of our NHS on skills of EU and overseas-trained staff.

(9 Nov 2017) Report from Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association -- along same lines as many previous reports on STPs Report on STPs and the extent to which they have attempted and succeeded in establishing links with hospital doctors

(7 Nov 2017) A TRADE union has spoken out over fears that NHS bosses in Gloucestershire are set to outsource 900 staff into a subsidiary company. UNISON have claimed that the board of Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust will hold secret talks to discuss the plans on Wednesday, “pursuing an alleged VAT saving by selling services to itself” in a bid to cut costs.
Local press report.

(1 Nov 2017) NHS and care bosses bed the Chancellor for extra funding Independent article as employers get desperate.

(1 Nov 2017) NHS hospital staff at breaking point Newsnight film at flagship £500m PFI hospital in Birmingham

(1 Nov 2017) PFI: five firms avoid tax despite £2bn profits BBC report on findings of European Services Strategy Unit

(1 Nov 2017) Number of NHS managers recruited soars as shortage of nurses grows Telegraph report shows little solidarity with Tory Secretary of State as he tries to defend his record presiding over 7 years of decline in the NHS.

(1 Nov 2017) NHS trusts accused of backdoor privatisation over subsidiary firms Guardian report, which warns that:
"At least three NHS foundation trusts in Yorkshire, the West Country and northern England have set up firms with the intention of taking thousands of workers off the NHS’s books.
"It means that a staff member whose employment is transferred to the new companies will no longer be an NHS employee, even if they have been guaranteed their current working conditions."

(1 Nov 2017) The £97m bill for 'midwife shortage' BBC report covering hard hitting figures from Royal College of Midwives

(1 Nov 2017) The NHS is facing a £21bn funding gap – what does that look like in your area? Live links to identify the scale of the financial gap in each postcode area of England

(1 Nov 2017) Patient sleeps on chair for a week as trust runs out of beds Report in (£) Health Service Journal underlines desperate shortages of beds and staff in mental health (Birmingham & Solihull)

(16 Oct 2017) “No end in sight” for UK’s radiologist staffing crisis Key findings of the Clinical radiology UK workforce census 2016 report include;
Nearly one-in-ten UK radiologist posts (8.5%) were vacant during 2016, nearly two-thirds of which (61%) were unfilled for a year or more
The need for scans continues to grow. In England from 2013-16 the number of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans respectively rose by more than 30% - three times more than the rate of workforce growth. Technological advances mean that these scans are more complex than ever before and take longer to interpret

(13 Oct 2017) Revealed: NHS's plans to bar patients from attending A&E without a referral Shocking story if true -- from Pulse magazine

(7 Oct 2017) Labour has committed to renationalise our NHS Alex Scott-Samuel writes in the Morning Star on the major stride forward on health policies at Labour conference 2017

(7 Oct 2017) Private beds in the NHS A long article in the online Independent paper about the use of NHS facilities for private patients. It is based on the work of the new thinktank set up by Deborah Harrington and Jessica Ormerod, formerly of the NHA Party office, who have left and branched out on their own.

(7 Oct 2017) Making sense of PFI "Why is everybody talking about PFI? Is it really costing the NHS lots of money? John Appleby looks at the small print." Some updated facts and figures -- but not from a campaigning standpoint, raising question: 'so what'?

(7 Oct 2017) House of Commons Library 'Briefing' on STPs Very poor, limited and superficial review heavily dependent on poor, limited King's Fund report a few months ago. For more information check elsewhere on this website.

(5 Oct 2017) Former NHS boss Nicholson blasts Hunt's migrant policy

(20 Sep 2017) STPs: Nuffield Trust & King’s Fund reports from March 2017 Analysis again underlines lack of evidence behind London’s 5 STPs

(20 Sep 2017) Resignations send stark warning to chief execs on A&E performance (£ paywall) Former Trust Special Administrator leaves ‘voluntarily’ after performance failure

(20 Sep 2017) STPs – yesterday’s acronym? Guest Editorial by John Lister on RoyLilley’s blog nhs.Managers.net, September 14

(20 Sep 2017) If our government won’t act to save our NHS this winter, this is what we must do Article for Our NHS/Open Democracy by JOHN LISTER

(15 Sep 2017) Stephen Hawking Challenges Jeremy Hunt: The Complete Dossier Prof Stephen Hawking versus Jeremy Hunt - the exchanges and correspondence from the Guardian

(15 Sep 2017) The bottom line: Understanding the NHS deficit and why it won't go away by Sally Gainsbury, Nuffield Trust

(15 Sep 2017) Hands Off HRI September newsletter

(8 Sep 2010) Young Doctor Succumbs to COVID, One of the South’s Many Health Workers Lost California Health Line Oct 8 reminder that Covid can be deadly for young as well as old -- especially for health workers:
“The physician [Adeline Fagan] tested positive for the coronavirus in early July and died Sept. 19, after spending over two months in hospital. She had worked in a Houston emergency department, and a family member says she reused personal protective equipment day after day due to shortages.
“Fagan is one of over 250 medical staff who died in Southern and Western hot spot states as the virus surged there over the summer, according to reporting by the Guardian and KHN as part of Lost on the Frontline, a project to track every U.S. health care worker death. In Texas, nine medical deaths in April soared to 33 in July, after Gov. Greg Abbott hastily pushed to reopen the state for business and then reversed course.
“Among the deceased health workers who have so far been profiled by the Lost on the Frontline team, about a dozen nationwide, including Fagan, were under 30. The median age of death from COVID for medical staff is 57, compared with 78 in the general population.
“Around one-third of the deaths involved concerns over inadequate PPE. Protective equipment shortages are devastating for health care workers, who are at least three times more likely to become infected with the COVID virus than the general population."

(6 Sep 2010) What's Trending: COVID-19 Medicaid Work Requirements Non-ACA-Compliant Health Plans COVID-19’s Impact on Older Workers: Employment, Income, and Medicare Spending US Commonwealth Fund on a hidden aspect of the Covid crisis: "As of July 2020, about 13 percent of people age 65 and older (about 1.1 million people) have lost their jobs during the pandemic.5 Although unemployment rates for older people are somewhat higher than among workers ages 30 to 64, more noteworthy are the particularly high rates of job loss among older people of Asian descent (19%) or Hispanic or Latino descent (19%).
"Across all ages, the unemployment rate has been highest among people in the leisure and hospitality industries (29% unemployment rate),6 which employed about 7 percent of older workers prior to the pandemic.
..."The loss of health insurance with the loss of a job exposes older workers to Medicare premiums and the program’s cost-sharing obligations for the first time. Like older workers without health insurance coverage from their employer, they may face financial challenges when they lose their incomes. Despite the program’s importance to the health and economic security of older Americans, Medicare’s benefits expose beneficiaries to significant financial risks."

(4 Sep 2010) California’s Filipino American nurses are dying from COVID-19 at alarming rates US Mercury News Oct 4: "Filipino and Filipino American nurses die from coronavirus at rates far higher than their counterparts in other groups. Nationally, over 30% of the 205 nurses who have died are Filipino American, though the group makes up just 4% of the nursing workforce. In California, where about 20% of nurses identify as Filipino, they account for 11 of the 16 COVID-19 deaths in the profession, or nearly 70%, according to the California Nurses Association.
"Among health care workers as a whole, the outsized impact of the virus on Filipino Americans is likely much greater. "

(21 Feb 2010) Only 14% of promised Covid vaccine doses reach poorest nations Guardian Oct 21 on the way the Johnson government is not only failing in the fight against Covid at home:
“Only one in seven Covid vaccine doses promised to the world’s poorest countries have been delivered, a report reveals.
“Of 1.8bn doses pledged by wealthy nations, just 261m (14%) have arrived in low-income countries, according to the analysis by the People’s Vaccinealliance, a coalition of groups that includes Oxfam, ActionAid and Amnesty International.
“Nearly a year after vaccines first became available, only 1.3% of people living in the poorest parts of the world are fully vaccinated.
“The UK vowed to send poorer nations 100m doses but has so far delivered 9.6m, fewer than 10%, the report says. Canada has delivered 3.2m (8%) of the 40m doses it pledged. The US has delivered the most doses – nearly 177m. However, this is still less than a fifth (16%) of the 1.1bn jabs promised. …”

(30 Oct 2001) 'An operational tsunami': preparing for a winter surge of Covid-19 Guardian picture essay Oct 30: "“We’re in the midst of what I’d call an operational tsunami,” says Prof Kiran Patel, the chief medical officer.
"“Winter looks like being a slow burn rather than a rapid acceleration,” says Patel in regards to coronavirus admissions. “But, at the same time, non-Covid activity levels in the hospital have risen back to normal. We’ve got a backlog of elective care [referrals including for surgery] and the tertiary sector is asking us for mutual aid and specialised support. So we’ve got a quadruple-pronged assault on our services which we’re trying to manage.”
"Patel says University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) trust is approaching winter with a “battle rhythm” and recognises that with each passing day the challenge is becoming more acute."

(27 Oct 2001) NHSE tells trusts to ‘immediately stop all ambulance handover delays’ HSJ Oct 27 with NHS England hoping it’s enough to demand action which trusts already know is impossible without more resources:
“Trusts and integrated care systems are being told by NHS England and Improvement to take urgent action to ‘immediately stop all delays’ to ambulance handovers, which will require ‘difficult choices’.
“A letter yesterday from NHS England’s medical director, director for emergency and elective care, and its regional directors was sent to all local chief executives and chairs yesterday.
“It also says they should discuss the issue of ambulance handovers at every board meeting they hold, warns that “corridor care” is “unacceptable as a solution”, and says ambulances should not be used as “additional ED cubicles”.
“The move comes amid signs of large numbers of very long handover delays, and concern about the risk to patients from this and the knock-on damage to ambulance response times.”

() NHS Assembly announced to help deliver the Long Term Plan NHS England unveils an unimpressive and not remotely challenging list of 56 people appointed to its "NHS Assembly" -- replete with chief executives but lacking TUC unions, front line staff and vocal campaigners.
Among those who made it:
• Charlotte Pickles – "Managing Editor of the comment and current affairs site Unherd.com" who "will soon be taking the role of Director at [neoliberal 'think tank'] Reform".
• Jim Easton – a voice for private health care ("Vice-Chair of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN)"

() Government spends £364m on coveralls but delivers just 432,000 This Byline Times exclusive shows that the Government spent £842.60 per coverall delivered during the pandemic to date. A coverall is an all-in-one form of PPE. The contracts for the coveralls started at £19.5 million and went to five companies in April. While under half a million coveralls were delivered, in contrast, well over 400 million aprons, 500 million face masks, 45 million eye protectors, and nearly two billion gloves have been delivered to health and social care services during the course of the pandemic.

Covid-19: Patient gets virus after 240-mile hospital move BBC News report Oct 30: "A woman has said she is "very angry" after her elderly mother caught Covid-19 following a move to a hospital hundreds of miles away.
"Kay Cantell said her mother Kathleen, 73, was transferred from Norfolk to Darlington in September. "I was very angry to think that she's gone up to Darlington and she's got Covid. That was shocking," she said.
"Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust apologised for not informing her of her mother's move sooner.
"Mrs Cantell, who has bi-polar disorder, was a patient at Northgate Hospital in Great Yarmouth when she was sent to a care home in Cromer.
"On 23 September, her daughter received a call saying the stay was not working out, but that no beds were available back at Northgate.
"The caller said Mrs Cantell was being transferred to a private hospital near Darlington, 240 miles (386km) away. "She was on her way as I got the phone call. We didn't have time to say goodbye to her," said Ms Cantell."

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