Panorama...did anyone else watch open mouthed?

[Walkingtohealth]

ApOlogies if there is a thread on this already but I could not find one.

In January this year, Covid-19 was officially designated a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID). The decision was made in consultation with a group of British experts.
A Health and Safety Executive evaluation of PPE published in 2019 had already recommended that all healthcare workers should wear a gown, FFP3 respirator mask and visor when dealing with HCIDs.

Panorama in addition to the reporting about the fact PPE had not been stockpiled when it had been advised also found that the virus was downgraded so it was no longer seen as HCID. This meant advice regarding PPE could also be altered and that less effective PPE could be advised.

I was just gobsmacked by this. ....if this is true then the Govt have blood on their hands.

I don’t care what anyone’s political affiliations are...this cannot be acceptable surely.

Let's face it, the apron will do fuck all. What difference do gloves make? (You throw away gloves or wash your hands, same difference). So we're basically just sending people in with a paper mask

We shouldn’t be shocked,all this from a government who said ‘more of your loved ones will die’. I’ve not heard other governments saying this, cold hearted.

He got a shock, didn't he? He didn't expect to be one of those at death's door, taking it on the chin!

They don't get enough masks either. One of my dad's carers turned up without a mask (just a mistake, people forget things) so I asked her to use one of the ones I had brought, which is different to hers, and I noticed she was still using it the next day.

I asked her about supplies and she saud they don't have enough to have a new one even every day, let alone every few hours!

So we clap for Carers every Thursday but our gratitude doesn’t extend to ensuring frontline workers have adequate PPE.

A case of “thanks for putting your cloves on the line...here’s us all clapping for you...now off you go to continue risking your lives”.

Why are people not up in arms about this,

It's the rehetoric NHS workers are 'heros' expected to go beyond what is safe or acceptable, NHS staff are humans and deserve like all other workers to go to work safely..

It is scandalous and the government have no shame, bland statements about scaling up do not cut it. There needs to be a public enquiry about the governments (mis) handling of the Pandemic

The problem is that despite efforts to change this care provision is not linked to the NHS. Not only are many care homes private, but those that are part of local authority care provision are contracted out.

And most care in homes, even though paid for through local authority budgets is also contracted out to private companies. Many of these aren't even health / care groups. eg my mum's carer came from a firm that are primarily a catering staff provider. Many of her carers were really nice, but had no training as carers let alone any sort of medical supervision. So even though my mum's care package was in the higher range as it required supervision re taking pills at regular intervals, the firm told their staff they weren't to do this, but continued to take the higher rate. So for example the "care" company gets £15 an hour from the LA put the carers get half of that. So the company takes 50% of the money to basically act as a booking service and not much else, eg any emergency has to be patched through to whatever system the LA has in place, on call social workers.

So in terms of in home carers it will be the private companies who aren't providing masks, gloves or whatever. Possibly some have tried and found there is a shortage. But I suspect many either didn't care or just didn't know.

The media is playing a huge part in creating this ground swell of emotion over front line staff, but if they like politicians had been doing their job properly, ie investigating Government claims and actions a lot of this wouldn't happened.

And dont forget the hatred Theresa May got for pointing out if we wanted good care provision we would have to pay for it, and suggested (I am not saying the right one) a method of doing it she got pilloried in the press. And of course stopped people talking about how we are going to pay for care, and how we are going to integrate it into the NHS.