There are hundreds, probably thousands of small companies within the UK that could be asked to switch their production from making clothes for M&S, yes I do know them, to making protective masks which the NHS doesn't have. Why isn't that happening?
There are no companies in the UK which have sufficient numbers of operatives to handle the quantities required. I have been to visit factories in China which manufactured our stock. One of our main suppliers, a Taiwanese family business, employed 8,000 young women who came from the countryside to work for just a few years to enable them to finance a future married life. Conditions, which I saw, were very good. All countries in the world use these companies which are experts in providing the highest quality of PPE. It is a highly regulated area with strict quality control. We spent tens of thousands of pounds gaining CE marks to enable stock to be sold in the EU. The NHS even tried to bypass our company and buy directly from China, they messed up badly with tons of stock which failed the required standard. I would say it was impossible for the UK to train sufficient staff and produce adequate stock to an acceptable standard within 18 months. Even then the cost would be exorbitant compared to the alternative cost of China getting on top of orders. A non starter I'm afraid. My daughter has other countries phoning her for desperately needed supplies, this is not just the UK. The only option is for the UK to hold even more supplies in future, I'm sure stock can be re-sterilised after a few years in an emergency.
Maybe those isolated could start a sing song or have a bit of opera?! https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51961429
I think what you are saying is that the NHS has not bought in sufficient stock, and now is being forced into paying a surcharge to have these products air freighted into the country. In 2011 there was a report commissioned by the government to look at how the country would be able to cope if there were to be a major flu outbreak. It concluded that there was not enough beds, staff or ventilators to cope with the problem. In 2016 another report was done by the same people who noted that instead of an increase in stock, beds and staff, the government had actually reduced the numbers. Today we see the results of these reductions. Government begging for retired staff to come back despite the fact that many of them have already left the country, 2 beds available per 1,000 people against other countries who have 8 or more, and not enough basic equipment. These are actual facts that have taken place while this party has been in control of providing health care for the population. Do you wonder that I look at it from a slightly different perspective when I see the facts and I don't expect to make money out of it.
So we agree that the government should shut down all the pubs and restaurants, clubs and health centres where people gather. I hope you will be pressing for that to happen.
Would you like me to give you a business lesson from experience of a companies who are doing just that today?
Touching - a coordinated rendition of 'You'll never walk alone' across Europe tomorrow. http://www.celticfc.net/news/17713
Beds and staff are being provided when needed. The government has clear plans in place to drastically increase the number required. It does not help with your clearly politically motivated nitpicking. I doubt any government around the world has committed to storing vast amounts of protective stock for such an event as at present. I expect they will do so in future having experienced this dreadful pandemic.
M & S used to trade on the idea that all stock was made in the UK. From the M & S supplier management website "We source our clothing and home products from 1,000 factories and our top countries by number of suppliers sites are: China, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka." No mention of any UK manufacture at all.
That is quite pathetic SH. You and I both know that beds are not available because they have been sold off to private companies. Why has Italy just brought back by law any private hospitals into public ownership while in the UK you are paying out millions of pounds to hire them? Why in France is there an integrated system of public/private hospitals that can be called upon to cover for unseen emergencies. I had a small operation at a private hospital paid for by the state. It is not rocket science to organise such things. Why does the NHS have to pay twice as much to a private hospital to cover a small operation than it needs to if it had the capacity. Under the current party you have allowed the NHS to be running on a just in time basis, and as we have seen this week with all the closures in the car industry it doesn't work in times of stress.
Rubbish, surely you have been watching the news whereby private hospitals will be made available to provide extra beds. The government also has plans to commandeer hotels if required. I expect the required beds to match those of other countries. Italy, Spain and France are certainly struggling with their facilities at the moment.
It seems that you do need a lesson, but seeing as you don't wish to learn anything that might throw your beloved party into a bad light I am not sure it is worth the effort. Rather than bore everyone to death, let me just say that I have been into companies working for M&S over a weekend to replenish stocks that have sold well throughout the country, and if you knew anything about the rag trade you would know that under the contracts they work under any stock that isn't sold gets returned, the M&S labels removed, and then reappears on the markets up and down the country.
This practice is well out of date. Very little M&S stock is made in the UK according to M&S, you may pretend otherwise. Anyway your idea to manufacture PPE stock in the UK is a non starter which is why no country outside the Far East tries it.
Come on SH. What is the cost of getting to hire these private hospital beds. It has been well published. My daughter has been to other countries to supply medical help and has operated in hotels. This second rate care is similar to what you expect in a second world country.
You are changing the subject. Cost is not the issue at this particular time, providing adequate care, facilities and products are far more important. I'm sure other countries are using back up facilities when required. You should stop and regulate your political bias before you comment, the unnecessary whinging does become tiresome.
It really doesn't take much to mystify you. Go to Leicester, go to Wolverhampton, even Banbury and you will find hundreds of ladies on industrial sewing machines. Strangely these companies are growing rather than contracting as wages are driven down.
You clearly have no clue how these products are made. We are not talking about cheap basic facemasks but complicated graded respirators, each for specific uses. The machines needed are probably all made in China, are they going to willingly sell these to the west? The testing of these are stringent and quality must remain top notch. The UK does not have the experience or the woman power to make this an option within the required timeframe. The Chinese will greatly increase production, the problem being sea freight takes so long under such an unusual occurrence.
