BJ press conference tonight @ 5pm

[Rinoachicken]

"Boris Johnson is holding a press conference with Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, at 5pm, No 10 has announced."

What do we think he’s going to say? I’m a bit worried about what he might say.

But I can pretty much guarantee he won’t be on time at 5pm, I’m guessing more like 6!

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

Of course I understand people's frustrations with NHS test and trace

Fuck off Boris.

Ministers keep saying 'NHS T&T' when the service is outsourced to private companies

Ooh what was Simon Stevens saying when they muted him

@Brainwashed

NHS guy might be slick but his statement that concurrent flu and covid infections doubled mortality as if it were a proven fact was misleading. There is very limited and sometimes conflicting data on concurrent infections. Obviously reducing flu infections is a good idea but don't dress up the message with scary unproven "facts"

I imagine he was basing it on this BMJ article

www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3720

Not peer-reviewed and early information, but then that's pretty much par for the course at the moment.

No sorry. Changed my mind again he’s bullshitting about investment in the NHS. That’s pissed me off.

@Fredocorleone

THeres an obvious drinking game here...

Down a shot every time Boris says “errr”, “erm” and a double shot for every “alas”

Hic

@Westfacing
Most of us say the same with NHS GPs.
GP surgeries are in fact private organisations who are contracted by the NHS. It's the reason why there's so much variation between surgeries.

I'm refusing to drink until I know for sure Biden has won. Alcohol makes me very depressed and that's the last thing I need if Trump squeaks in.

Are we going back to the when are new nurses not new nurses argument again?

He concluded with an “alas”!

Glug glug

He just said no other government has put as much money into the NHS as this one. Is that true?

does anyone know anyone else who says alas?

@1questionshootout

I'm refusing to drink until I know for sure Biden has won. Alcohol makes me very depressed and that's the last thing I need if Trump squeaks in.

Good idea. You are not alone. I am struggling to stay calm as I watch the Nevada results creep in.

Well yes why would other countries fund out nhs ;)

Alas, I don't know anyone who says this.
Apart from our PM.

[quote SheepandCow]@Westfacing
Most of us say the same with NHS GPs.
GP surgeries are in fact private organisations who are contracted by the NHS. It's the reason why there's so much variation between surgeries.[/quote]
Indeed they are, but you somehow think that they are aiming to provide a good health service - rather than Dido's chums just out to make money.

Next slide please 😆

@StealthPolarBear

Well yes why would other countries fund out nhs ;)

@pinpinbin

does anyone know anyone else who says alas?

It really unsettles me.

I always think of Johnson cradled the NHS/ecosystem/welfare state in his hands and the Hamlet speech.

[quote SheepandCow]@Westfacing
Most of us say the same with NHS GPs.
GP surgeries are in fact private organisations who are contracted by the NHS. It's the reason why there's so much variation between surgeries.[/quote]
I do get that, but in this case the PHE section of test & trace is working fine. It's the private sectors that had no previous experience in this that are failing badly. And the choice to call it NHS test & trace by ministers seems to be a deliberate choice to misplace the blame. Especially in the context of that sentence this evening.

The more it gest said, the more people will think that the service is run by the NHS and it really has nothing to do with them.

Those slides should be inserted sideways. For the Love of God, it is like somethin gout of the 1970's.

@1questionshootout, not the orange fuck wit please.

Re. NHS funding. I can't say it is not true, but consider the facts. Under Labour they introduced target time (e.g. waiting times for A&E, for cancer referrals) and these were actually monitored and eventually these were being met regularly. Really ambitious targets, like no more than 4 hours in A&E, a certain no. of weeks for cancer referrals.
Under Conservative - these targets were removed and now even before Covid-19 waiting times in some A&E were 7 hours in winter often, cancer referrals were months.
How can Conservatives possibly say they are spending more than Labour, unless they include very inflated contracts to private businesses as part of NHS spending, e.g. the PPE contracts during Covid etc, test and trace during Covid, NHSX app during Covid etc. Prior to Covid, the Conservatives were presumably awarding huge contracts to the private sector on behalf of the NHS, which might be why they feel they can claim to be spending highly on the NHS.
But the reality is that the Conservatives have undone all of the good things that the last Labour government did in the NHS.

@pinpinbin - yes I use the word 'alas' a lot - it is very apt in certain situations. At least he has a good vocabulary.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay
Oh I agree (also agree about Rafa).

I just wish more people realised GPs are also not NHS. It's a separate issue from test, track, and trace, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Service and standard of care has always varied between GP surgeries - but I've noticed it's becoming more obvious since the pandemic.

I've seen lots of threads about access (or not) to GPs at this time - with people reporting very different experiences.

Sorry for the derail.