To think Prof Chris Whitty deserves a knighthood

[Lemonwoe]

For his dedication to the country for the past 18 months.

I also secretly find him a bit attractive: reckon it’s his humble intelligence

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Vallance

According to this he became a Sir in 2019. I would have thought that Witty would be in line for recognition too.

Whether they were in hospitals in huge numbers or care homes, the likelyhood is, the outcome would have been very similar

You see this is what makes me really angry and it’s what will help this government get away with its utter incompetence. Old and frail people were decanted from hospital into care homes untested. They took the virus with them into an environment which had little or no PPE.

Tens of thousands of people in care homes died because of that. In care homes which locked down well before it was required to protect their residents. It’s absolutely shocking that history is being rewritten like this.

@Blossomtoes

Whether they were in hospitals in huge numbers or care homes, the likelyhood is, the outcome would have been very similar

You see this is what makes me really angry and it’s what will help this government get away with its utter incompetence. Old and frail people were decanted from hospital into care homes untested. They took the virus with them into an environment which had little or no PPE.

Tens of thousands of people in care homes died because of that. In care homes which locked down well before it was required to protect their residents. It’s absolutely shocking that history is being rewritten like this.

Yes you’re right they should have been tested, I’m not suggesting they shouldn’t have been.

Let’s say they were tested and they did have covid. Where would be the best place to keep them safe then? Keeping them in hospital would still make it spread around the wards to other elderly patients would it not? Especially if the other patients had other complications (presumably thats why they’d be in hospital?!)

In care homes the patients might be elderly but they aren’t necessarily ill. They’ve got their own room so I assume it would be easier to contain than in an open hospital ward.

Let’s say they were tested and they did have covid. Where would be the best place to keep them safe then? Keeping them in hospital would still make it spread around the wards to other elderly patients would it not?

You do realise they were discharged to make room for covid patients? All it did was exchange like for like - and import it into care homes where it spread like wild fire.

Yes he should be knighted.
I always sit up and listen when he appears at the briefings.love him and JVT and Patrick Vallance.
Whitty does some brilliant lectures from Gresham college.I was hooked in lockdown.

Yes, you’re right, there were so many people with covid that the hospitals clearly couldn’t cope. They were full to capacity.

So my question is, what do you think they should have done, if someone tested positive, keep them in hospital until their symptoms appeared? then decline someone else treatment for covid? Because there wasn’t an infinite number of beds etc...

Whilst I’m sure he is a great dr to have most that get to that level did not do do being “nice”. He’s a prof and written many papers. I’m sure he is hardcore. He also epitomises everything most UK people want in a dr but is a dying breed.

I think he should, yes. Even if it's just for standing next to the shit show that is Boris Johnson and not criticizing his stupidity out loud.
He has done a great job under extraordinarily difficult and unpredictable circumstances.

So my question is, what do you think they should have done, if someone tested positive, keep them in hospital until their symptoms appeared? then decline someone else treatment for covid?

If someone tested positive the one place they shouldn’t have gone is a care home where it was almost guaranteed to kill residents who had previously been protected. They could have used the Nightingales, which were opened at huge expense and then barely used.

The Nightingales weren't available straight away.

Many countries failed residents in care homes, even Sweden which was often quoted as the best place to be early on in the Pandemic.

And it is sensible to move elderly people out of hospital as soon as possible. He probably didn't advocate no PPE or testing

@Blossomtoes

Whether they were in hospitals in huge numbers or care homes, the likelyhood is, the outcome would have been very similar

You see this is what makes me really angry and it’s what will help this government get away with its utter incompetence. Old and frail people were decanted from hospital into care homes untested. They took the virus with them into an environment which had little or no PPE.

Tens of thousands of people in care homes died because of that. In care homes which locked down well before it was required to protect their residents. It’s absolutely shocking that history is being rewritten like this.

@Blossomtoes totally agree. This makes me so angry and Whitty, Vallance et all were complicit.

Also agree with the poster down thread who said it takes a certain personality type to make it to that level.

I have worked with so many consultants who turned the charm on to patients - their bedside manner. Patients adored them. However they treated us nurses and often their juniors like utter shit away from patients.

That would have been a great idea in theory, as it would have kept the care home residents safe, but I can only assume they wouldn’t have had the staffing levels.

That must have been the reason the didn’t do that, because it would’ve been the most obvious thing to do.

He probably didn't advocate no PPE or testing

He definitely advocated no testing, recommended it in fact. And he knew better than anyone that there wasn’t enough PPE for the NHS, let alone care homes. Stop making excuses for these people!

but I can only assume they wouldn’t have had the staffing levels

Why did they spend all that money on creating them, then? They knew what staff levels were before they started.

YANBU. The scientific advisers have been great and are the ones who called it right all along.

@Singlebutmarried

Sod the knighthood. Get the bloke a clicker for his slideshows

Next slide please

I would also totally marry him.

Just found out he's younger than me. Oh dear, I'm feeling very old now.

@Blossomtoes

but I can only assume they wouldn’t have had the staffing levels

Why did they spend all that money on creating them, then? They knew what staff levels were before they started.

God knows, perhaps there were significant numbers of staff that were off? Maybe caught covid, had to stay off with their kids, struggled with their MH as it must have been horrific... I just don’t think anyone knew how bad it was all going to get.

YANBU. I actually think he deserves the George Cross just for working with, and not throttling, Boris Johnson.

As an aside, when I vote I can't see the voting breakdown; am I doing something wrong or has it changed?

@TableFlowerss, there was a shortage of 40,000 nurses months before anyone ever heard of covid. 40,000 unfilled vacancies. We knew how bad it was going to get, Italy showed us.

I recommend Duty of Care by Dominic Pimenta. He’s a huge admirer of Whitt’s, who taught him. He’s also very critical of decisions early in the pandemic.

www.amazon.co.uk/Duty-Care-everyone-should-COVID-19/dp/1787395596/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&s=books&crid=H01KL91GDFF5&keywords=duty+of+care&sprefix=Duty+%2Caps%2C168&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1621510332&sr=1-1

@IntermittentParps

As an aside, when I vote I can't see the voting breakdown; am I doing something wrong or has it changed?

I can see it. This is the current split

Thanks Dappled. Don't know what's gone wrong with mine...

I expect he will get something. Yes sure he ‘did his job’ but in very tough circs.

He definitely advocated no testing, recommended it in fact. And he knew better than anyone that there wasn’t enough PPE for the NHS, let alone care homes. Stop making excuses for these people! At the point he recommended no testing there were no tests that were reliable or cheap enough to be used in the numbers that were needed. That information was repeated in most of the then daily pressers by all of the medical advisors.

And the world lacked PPE for many months. Home workers made a lot of PPE for months - I was one of them, supplied with the proper fabric from a local hub and sent off about 150 sets of scrubs to NHS hubs and hospitals nationwaide.

As well as other sets from any cotton based fabric we could get to local care homes to give their staff a turnover of clothing to work in.

At least frame you ire in the corrrect time period instead of using hindsight to condemn!