Coronavirus

[Batch]

that's scandalous if proven.
extreme negligence if not manslaughter.

[pauld]

that's scandalous if proven.
extreme negligence if not manslaughter.

Given the Telegraph are the most blatantly pro-Johnson paper in the UK, to the extent of an almost Pravda-like slavish devotion, it's unusual for them to run stories that don't reflect well on the govt's handling of the crisis. I assume their line on this is "look at the inefficiencies of the NHS, it needs to be privatised"

But it backs up stuff from suppliers on Twitter for weeks complaining that their offers to help are being ignored.

[suttonred]

Just had an interesting conf call for work. Whilst we were waiting for everyone.one of the guys said his brother works in a Shanghai university. They went back yesterday. 15 Minutes into the first lesson a girl coughed , they have onsite testing, she tested positive. University shut back down straight away. That won't make the press.

[Tails]

Spin vs reality: while the govt responded to the PPE scandal over the weekend with a symbolic order of 300k units from Turkey (and fucked that up so they've now had to send the RAF to fetch it) the Telegraph has story today that over 5m units of PPE and 1m ventilators were shipped overseas last week because the govt is not replying to offers to supply kit to the NHS. They can send the RAF out to back up a PR spin piece, but can't even reply to emails and phone calls to solve the actual problem.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/20/exclusivemillions-pieces-ppe-shipped-britain-europe-despite/

(Non paywall version: https://archive.fo/Mr0uU)

So over 3.5 months after the govt said it had started to urgently source PPE and 2 months after the Dept of Health appealed to manufacturers and suppliers to get in touch, suppliers are still complaining that they are having to let PPE go overseas because no-one has replied to their offers to supply the PPE healthcare workers are (literally) dying for. Clearly NHS procurement is a mess, Hancock has had over 3 months to get a grip on it and still hasn't.

Well, doesn't help there was a cabinet reshuffle in Feb and Hancock was one of the only ministers that's stayed at DHSC. So the minister in charge of procurement only came in in the middle of all this. But Hancock is a laughing stock in the health policy sector. He's absolute shite because he's a career politician.

[pauld]

Fucking hell:

"Extraordinary moment as Simon Clarke says he has no idea about offer by 5,000 local govt environmental health officials to lead infection contact tracing

Clarke is the LOCAL GOVERNMENT MINISTER !

Another shambles it appears"

https://twitter.com/Rob_Merrick/status/1252502455780290561

(Rob Merrick is the Deputy Political Editor of the Independent FWIW)

[Outletred]

"Clearly NHS procurement is a mess, Hancock has had over 3 months to get a grip on it and still hasn't"

And shouldn't the thousands of procurment managers in the NHS paid 200k per year on average be doing their job as well?

PPE is a worldwide shortage. My friend works in a hospital in Hanover Germany and they have the same issues as we do

[pauld]

"Clearly NHS procurement is a mess, Hancock has had over 3 months to get a grip on it and still hasn't"

And shouldn't the thousands of procurment managers in the NHS paid 200k per year on average be doing their job as well?

Yes. Hancock is the minister in overall charge. If they aren't doing their jobs, it is his responsibility to ensure they are. He is failing to do so.

PPE is a worldwide shortage. My friend works in a hospital in Hanover Germany and they have the same issues as we do

Except we are apparently sending millions of items of PPE abroad. It's not just about shortage. It's also about incompetence and complacency

[moredonboy]

There is a company recently formed (by the Government) called Supply Chain Coordination Ltd and it is 'owned ,surely just on behalf of the ministerial dept' by no other than Hancock himself (Minister for Health and Care). It has 10 directors, well paid no doubt, but I can't see how many employees, where they are working, and what they are doing. Clearly not coordinating the NHS supply chain at all. If anyone knows more about this organisation please let us know.

[Flashheart]

"Clearly NHS procurement is a mess, Hancock has had over 3 months to get a grip on it and still hasn't"

And shouldn't the thousands of procurment managers in the NHS paid 200k per year on average be doing their job as well?

Perhaps they should.

Considering you appear willing to blame the NHS procurement managers, and possibly rightly so, are you willing to admit that Hancock - the guy in charge - should also receive blame? 

[RobertT]

I know I am beating a dead horse, but...

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52362099

determining the potential root cause of significant outbreaks is precisely what you should be doing now.  In fact, one of the things you probably need in place to resume activity is stringent contact tracing, so you know this and can cut the head off the virus before it spreads too far again.  It's like people have patently failed to prepare.

[theakston2k]

Just had an interesting conf call for work. Whilst we were waiting for everyone.one of the guys said his brother works in a Shanghai university. They went back yesterday. 15 Minutes into the first lesson a girl coughed , they have onsite testing, she tested positive. University shut back down straight away. That won't make the press.

Of course it won’t as China are never going to report the real figures, I dread to imagine how many really died in Wuhan and throughout China as a whole to be honest.

[Arriba]

Of course it won’t as China are never going to report the real figures, I dread to imagine how many really died in Wuhan and throughout China as a whole to be honest.

Ditto the UK.

[pauld]

Senior FO civil servant tells Select Committee hearing that it was a 'political decision' not to take part in the EU procurement scheme for medical equipment inc ventilators. This flatly contradicts the lies Gove told about missing emails etc. Brexit before breathing

https://twitter.com/nick_gutteridge/status/1252613227655106561

[Legends-Lounge]

Ditto the UK.

Are you saying the U.K. government will not publish the true figures when this is all put to bed and a public enquiry is held?

[Arriba]

Are you saying the U.K. government will not publish the true figures when this is all put to bed and a public enquiry is held?

They won't know what they are to be able to.
Many people have died and but never got tested for a diagnosis so it will be pure guesswork. Well intentioned or not.