We are now in disaster medicine mode. We are no longer providing high standard critical care, because we cannot

[hepatocyte]

twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1344701745130254343?s=20

Leaked email from Dr Julia Patterson, founder of campaign group EveryDoctor (you can see her tweet history re this on her Twitter account @JujuliaGrace*)

Published in the times too but behind a paywall.

I don’t understand why people are still denying there’s a problem :/

• Post edited

[quote hepatocyte]@Orf1abc ugh that’s the really sobering thing, NHS nightingale is siting empty less than 10 miles away from the royal London 😬 what a shit show[/quote]
The nightingales are still available but there are barely enough staff for the actual hospitals to function. They would be spread even more thinly if shared out to nightingales.

Oh yes the MN “let’s just get on with it, my child deserves an education at the expense of everything else” brigade.

No one cares about the NHS anymore, we clapped for them a few months back but I think people are bored of that now. Trotting out the same old “winter pressures” line every time someone pipes up about the NHS.

It is horrific and the media silence speaks volumes. We need to keep the plebs working!!!!

@NeurologicallySpeaking yes that was my point- the nightingales are not fit for purpose and never would have been. Colossal waste of money.

I've found some of the posts on this thread quite disturbing

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4121302-If-this-doesn-t-make-you-think-twice-about-breaking-COVID-rules?msgid=103135855#103135855

I really don’t understand the media blackout on this

What media blackout? It’s all over various media.

To a lesser extent we have this every year. Items in the media talking about the nhs being at breaking point. It’s a regular winter story, complete with photos of old people who’ve been waiting on trollies for hours.

I suspect there are lots of people who based on that don’t see why it’s any different to any other winter.

@BlairCorneliaWaldorf

The severity of the situation on the wards isn’t being widely reported at all. Doctors are having to make the public aware directly, hence the tweets I’ve shared :/

What is the media blackout? I’ve repeatedly seen top news headlines on the BBC daily over these few days about extreme pressures on the NHS, radio coverage of doctors not coping, the sheer volumes of calls to 999, queues outside hospitals. This is the national broadcaster. What blackout?

If you are speaking of tabloid press taking specific stances on this - for instance people like Julia Hartley Brewer on talk radio - it’s remarkably unfair to use things like that to say there is a media blackout.

For example, twitter.com/jujuliagrace/status/1344661661051969536?s=21

@SquirmOfEels that’s one of the threads I referred to- some appalling messages on there.

The media blackout being that all NHS staff have been told they are not allowed to speak directly to the media or they will face disciplinary action. The news is full of NHS info being sent by NHS trusts and hospitals via their media departments not from drs and frontline staff directly

No one cares about the NHS anymore

I wouldn’t go so far as to say no one cares about the nhs anymore. But I do think this has highlighted that it’s not fit for purpose. I also don’t understand why having had months to prepare for a second wave that we always knew would probably hit over winter the nhs is not better prepared for this.

I won’t hear a bad word about the doctors and nurses though, but they’re only about 40% of the nhs workforce. It’s unfortunately a massive machine of inefficiency and inadequate planning.

It is being widely reported. Please don't make up yet another conspiracy where 'they' (media, rich imaginary moguls etc etc) are hiding things from us sheepies 'cos money or whatever the fuck is the weed-filled reason de jour.

Just because you feel that people aren't screaming loud enough does not mean that they are not screaming.

Its been in the media quite a lot?

@Lifeispassingby

The media blackout being that all NHS staff have been told they are not allowed to speak directly to the media or they will face disciplinary action. The news is full of NHS info being sent by NHS trusts and hospitals via their media departments not from drs and frontline staff directly

It's always been the NHS policy that no member of staff should speak to the media without consent from the media team and approval from the relevant member of the Executive Team. This is nothing new and many organisations have this policy. It's not about gagging people, journalists love to ask difficult questions to try and catch people out. It's unfair to put staff in this position. Also, in a level 4 crises, it's important to manage the message and ensure information put out by the NHS is factual and consistent.

@Orf1abc

The Nightingale is on standby though, for when things get critical! They're just looking for some staff...

(No, the army do not have sufficient ITU trained medics to fill the gaps.)

Maybe they'll ask teachers

Don’t people understand how many nhs staff are off with covid ? The figures are published . You can’t just magic up experienced staff out of thin air ? Some are being vaccinated already but if they switch priorities then they will be accused of letting old people die on purpose.

The nightingales need staff plus oxygen and there is a shortage of both .

no, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, thanks for that though.

I’m an epidemiologist, working on covid currently. Clinical colleagues are not happy that the seriousness of the situation isn’t being conveyed. I’ve shared the email from the royal free as it is important for people to hear.

Why is it not better prepared? Because it takes years to train the highly skilled staff needed to care for critically ill patients. And the government has spent years running down the NHS. The blood is on their hands.

I think a lot of people live in their own bubble. Schools will not close, here we are. Schools aren’t closed, erm they are. Schools don’t spread it, erm here we are. Let’s mix over Christmas, that has been abused to its limit. It only kills the elderly (seen that a lot on here). What people seem to be forgetting is a lot of people in critical care are ‘our’ age 30-40’s.

Blindness and stubbornness is why we are here, a refusal to see the bigger picture. That’s the Government and the public. The NHS staff and now education staff are being thrown under the bus by every last one.

NHS are talking about calling in army reserve except of course they usually work for the NHS when not on secondment to the army/services. Army nurses working in the north/midlands are being requested to go to London - its like moving pieces round a chess board to where the situation is most critical & moving really sick patients miles out of London to wherever there is a specialised bed
As pp said the things that are said on twitter facebook et al (& even here) make me shudder - these are scary times & for some people no matter what you say they will deny it or call you a sheepie (I wear that badge with pride) & if one more person says China deliberately developed this when our scientists say its natural mutation ... (do they think western scientists wouldn't be the first to accuse if they thought it was man made?)

@BlairCorneliaWaldorf

No one cares about the NHS anymore

I wouldn’t go so far as to say no one cares about the nhs anymore. But I do think this has highlighted that it’s not fit for purpose. I also don’t understand why having had months to prepare for a second wave that we always knew would probably hit over winter the nhs is not better prepared for this.

I won’t hear a bad word about the doctors and nurses though, but they’re only about 40% of the nhs workforce. It’s unfortunately a massive machine of inefficiency and inadequate planning.

But this isn’t an NHS issue. That’s why the WHO and every country in the world is trying to control the virus.

We’ve let it get completely out of control because of a series of poor decisions and government inaction and an inability to crack down on the minority of people breaking the few rules we have.

That’s provided the conditions for the virus to develop a mutation which exacerbates the problem. And we still aren’t showing signs of a willingness from the government to get on top of it. This is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. And frustratingly at a point where we should be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel because of vaccines.

All of this was both predicted and preventable but the NHS can’t do it alone if the government and the general public don’t do their bit.

Now being reported on the BBC. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55503536

Somebody on Facebook tonight (I think he and is partner are both doctors in London) put an appeal out on FB saying if anybody has any ICU experience at all and is available to volunteer over the next 48 hours please get in touch as they are absolutely desperate. I find it frightening that they've got to that point!

My son is an ITU specialist.

He is on his knees.

(Regular. Name changed.)

He’s an anaesthetist and he’s working in ITU.