We deplore the involvement of Capita in the administration of retired doctors’ return to the NHS workforce. Reported delays of over two weeks to inclusion back on the performers’ list, while NHS 111 remains overwhelmed, are unacceptable. Valuable, willing expertise is being underused at a time of national crisis. Inexperienced call handlers are being recruited […]
It is not possible to undertake any meaningful planning for an exit strategy from the current lockdown without an understanding of COVID-19’s prevalence and our current levels of immunity. On April 2nd Health Secretary Matt Hancock promised to test 100,000 people daily by the end of the month. On that same day the UK was testing ten times […]
Dr Jackie Applebee joins the podcast today to discuss personal protective equipment.
The basic principles of epidemiology are summarised by CDCD: count, divide, compare, then discuss differences. Unfortunately discussion of COVID-19 has widely ignored this approach. First, we must count something. Examples of things you might count include deaths, cases of disease, uses of a health service, occurrence of a symptom, or the presence of a risk […]
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing a new podcast with you, where we’ll discuss the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s response, and what might happen next. We’ll interview doctors and senior health figures, and try to gain some insight into this unprecedented situation.
The UK government has asked the General Medical Council to contact doctors who have retired within the last six years and grant them temporary registration, a licence to practice and return to the GP performers list or secondary care equivalent. Without consulting the individuals concerned the GMC passed their details to local health services. Tens […]
The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the vital importance of a comprehensive, publicly funded and universal health service. The choices we make during this crisis will shape the future of the NHS and our wider society. We are already limited by poor decisions made before the virus struck. The Conservative’s ‘hostile environment’ policy, where people with a […]
Treatment without prejudice We believe that all people are of equal value. Whether old or young, rich or poor, disabled or not disabled, we all share a common humanity. This was true before the coronavirus pandemic, and it remains true today. Coronavirus is affecting different people in different ways. Many have a mild illness, but […]
In recent weeks we have among others seen Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and members of the Royal family (all of whom it’s safe to guess have never used the NHS) joining in the public applause for key workers. Additionally, there have been a number of structural changes and commitments to increased funding that make it […]
Faced with an NHS and social care system ill prepared for the coronavirus pandemic, a call went out for 250,000 volunteer community support workers to help up to 1.5 million people who have been asked to shield themselves from infection because of underlying health conditions. The response has been staggering, with more than 400,000 coming forward. […]
Doctors in Unite 