What?
A major inquiry published by a group of UK MPs has deemed the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic a failure, and goes so far to call its handling ‘one of the UK’s worst ever public health failures’.
Why?
A number of reasons have been put forward to explain the damning verdict passed down by the report:
- The UK locked down far later than it should have, given the advanced warning the response of other countries in Asia and Europe demonstrated
- Large mass events being permitted to go ahead when the threat of the pandemic was known to the government, e.g. Cheltenham Festival
- A focus on the policy of regulating the spread of COVID through the population – otherwise known as ‘herd immunity’ – rather than trying to stop the spread
- An ineffective and financially-bloated test and trace system that didn’t deliver enough tests early on
- Unacceptable delays and shortages in the delivery and supply of PPE
Many other reasons are available to view in the report, if you have the time!
How does it affect you?
Everyone will know someone affected by COVID-19 and you may have been affected yourself.
Although much of the damage is done, the pandemic continues to chug along, and continues to affect the way your healthcare is delivered.
Here are some top tips for ways to minimise the disruption to your health and wellbeing:
- Continue to wear face masks when indoors in crowded or closed spaces. The government has got rid of most COVID-19 legislation, but many supermarkets and businesses still unofficially require their use for entry. Whatever your thoughts on masks, there is reasonable quality evidence to suggest they are effective at halting the spread of COVID-19, and healthcare professionals are still required to wear them in hospital. We know masks are a pain, and make your glasses steam up. And even if they do not stop the virus ‘sneaking around the back’, they may work as they remind you to: a. not go into a public place if you are clearly infectious (with anything); b. if you have to go out to the shops, not to sneeze or cough on people; and c. be conscious of the vulnerability of the elderly (someone’s grandparent). Let’s be kind to them, and each other.
- GP appointments are available. If in doubt, when you contact NHS 111 with your complaint, you will always be referred to an appropriate service. 25% of patients are still seen face-to-face. But telephone appointments have revolutionised the GP surgery and are allowing doctors and nurses to see more patients than ever:
- We see the sickest patients in a follow-up face-to-face appointment soon after the call or will advise them to call 999
- We rebook a telephone follow-up if we are happy for you to continue your daily life, but are worried you may not get better despite our advice
- We will let you carry on as normal and advise you to get back to us if the problem gets worse or doesn’t go away
- A&E is very busy at the moment, unfortunately, because not enough people read myHSN! Only joking of course, but the pandemic has created a backlog of serious medical complaints that can no longer wait. They often reveal themselves in the worst way possible – illness requiring a 999 call or an A&E visit. If you or someone else is in imminent danger, or experiences a serious symptom like chest pain or collapse, always call 999.
- Get your COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines have been shown to break the link between getting COVID-19 and going to hospital; in other words, if you are vaccinated, you are less likely to be admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19. Any UK citizen over the age of 16 is entitled to book a free COVID-19 vaccination. An added number of people are now also able to get booster vaccines. This information and the full terms and conditions are covered fantastically on the NHS website here. People over 50 years have been getting yearly flu jabs in autumn for ages, preparing for winters full of coughs and colds. COVID-19 may eventually become part of that normal October thing to do.
- If your appointment or operation has been cancelled or moved, it is always worth calling up the department e.g. cardiology, to check if there are cancellations, or if you can be moved to the next available appointment. Unfortunately, there are going to be long waiting lists for some procedures and surgeries; some of these are longer than a year. When you do go for your appointment, here and here are a couple of things you, the patient, need to have or know.
Is there anything we didn’t cover? Are you getting confused by how to navigate the NHS during the pandemic? Let us know below and we will lend a helping hand.
From everyone at myHSN, please continue to stay safe.
