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

I phoned my GP surgery about DC 12 for something unrelated to covid. Phoned me back about 6.30pm and listened to me discuss her symptoms etc... she was lovely and I’m sure was stressed but still available as a GP.

When that service is no longer available, that’s when I’ll really worry!

@Lemoncheesecake31

I honestly think if it was killing children and young people, society would take more notice. Because it’s mostly killing the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, people aren’t as scared. Not saying that’s right, but I feel that’s the mentality, it’s a biological thing, survival of the fittest. The weakest are seen as disposable...which is entirely wrong, but that’s how it’s viewed. However If children were dying in droves, it would be a very different story.

Completely different scenario though and not comparable one iota

We should all be doing what we can to help keep everyone safe

for all the NHS staff going through absolute hell.

In a few weeks there will be droves of teenagers and school staff not isolating anymore and mixing freely while they incubate and spread the virus.

That makes all this much more scary. My local hospital is taking patients from other areas but also asking for ex nurses or anyone with training to volunteer if they can.

What happens when ALL the hospitals are full?

@SchnitzelVonCrummsTum

To my knowledge, Dr Julia Patterson is NOT a doctor at the London Royal Free Hospital!

She lives in Ireland and is not a practicing NHS doctor.

A lot of doctors are very, very angry that she is professing to speak for the profession whilst entirely sheltered from Covid and its effects, whilst LMC and BMA members remain on the front line.

I don't disagree for a moment that the email she leaked is true BUT it's imperative that things are correctly attributed and Dr Patterson is not a frontline doctor bravely exposing 'the truth'.

As a doctor's wife, I wish that the actual recipient of the email had been brave enough to show their face but understand why not.

Thank you - I was going to donate to her 'go fund me' when I started to follow her - then I found out she was selling face masks for £12 - seriously! If you work in a hospital you aren't allowed to wear your own mask you are issued with disposable masks. I'm not convinced in what she is saying/doing - it's a shame because some of it may be true - but the email that was 'leaked' - looks like the most junior person in the hospital wrote it - it is deffo not what you would expect in the first place.

I can't believe the government ever thought the NHS could staff the Nightingale hospitals - no they admit they can't. It was a PR stunt.

*now

@emmylousings

I can't believe the government ever thought the NHS could staff the Nightingale hospitals - no they admit they can't. It was a PR stunt.

And a truly shocking waste of money.

Horrendous. Seriously, I tip my hat to those NHS workers. You’re about to run another marathon.

@emmylousings

This seems to be a management problem , apparently thousands applied to help but the documentation they had to supply meant that thousands were unsuccessful.

So the staffing was there but not used due to bureaucracy. Typical of NHS trusts . I think we would all agree that we would rather have extra help than the odd rogue filtering through .

As a doctor's wife, I wish that the actual recipient of the email had been brave enough to show their face but understand why not.

The recipient, had they shown their face, would have been disciplined. I have seen some of dd's emails; I'm sure she could do a great Daily Mail Sadface story but she would lose her job.

@endofthelinefinally

To be fair there was someone in here who said they may still be used but when they were built they did not realise that ventilation was not going to be the best method to help patients , and providing oxygen for Cpap is a logistical nightmare .

I know this is partially true as we are connected with a company who were going to supply the ventilators .

That should read ventilators.

[quote ASchuylerSister]I was listening to LBC radio this afternoon and there was an ITU consultant called Jack who called in. I was choked listening to him.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.lbc.co.uk/news/intensive-care-doctor-no-mask-covid-treat-london/[/quote]
I'm choked by talking to RL people earlier (not soundbite people hired by the BBC) who are thinking about committing suicide as a direct result of lockdowns.

But there were never going to be any trained staff to care for any patients, ventilated or not. Where were the staff supposed to come from?

Hospitals are in a dreadful way. I’ve been in tears today - not been reduced to tears many times in 20+ years.
Staff are coming from everywhere to help, it’s very humbling.

This was the situation in Italy and Spain already in March this year, and more.

All the smart fuckers in this country who think they know better ignored it then, and are still ignoring it now. They are screwing up the future for everyone.

How much more tolerant is the UK prepared to be?

Written as one who spent four and a half months under lockdown in Spain in the first wave.

Well you can add my dd to your list of suicidal people, InMulieribus. Along with the three of her colleagues who did commit suicide over a 2 week period during the first wave.

Why do people come on to threads about medics and play top trumps with "but teachers" or "but vulnerable" or "but suicides". This isn't a "who is worse off situation".

I would equally criticise nurses who went on to teacher threads and said "but at least you don't have to watch your pupils die every day" by the way - but surely it's not necessary to refer to whistle blowing medics as "soundbite people hired by the BBC"

@PandemicPavalova is it necessary to discuss schools on every thread?
The views of teachers have been made very well known.

The thing is @Pomegranatespompom what is happening in schools in the next couple of weeks will have a big impact on what happens in the hospitals. Just as it has all through the pandemic. Look at the graphs- schools close = numbers fall

There are many threads to talk about schools. I think this was intended about nhs - of course people can post as they wish but it’s demoralised tbh for nhs staff who are going through hell to divert to schools yet again.

@InMulieribus you think the doctors and nurses who speak to the BBC are soundbite people being paid? I don’t believe you think that. I think you know you’re making stuff up to try and seed doubt and discontent with the rules which are essential to get this under control. And I think people who wilfully do that should have their internet access removed.

@InMulieribus oh piss off wih your attempt at subverting people’s views on this disaster. Who’s payroll are you on or is it voluntary work?

There are definitely challenges. There is definitely a feeling of people being stretched close to breaking point. Hospitals are putting up as much critical care provision as possible but....... most hospitals are maintaining one to one care for ventilated patients.
Everyone that needs critical care is getting a bed.
Emergency departments are heaving but those emergencies are prioritised and getting the care they need. It’s true that lower priority patients are having long waits but many aren’t truly emergencies.
Luckily we are coming close to peak and it should start getting better slowly from the end of next week.