Reading through that paperwork, in particular the Objectives & Key Performance Indicators for the company, I kept seeing references to NHS Trusts. As NHS Trusts don't exist in Scotland, I'm wondering if the government had overstepped the mark in attempting to take over PPE procurement from devolved parliaments? And if this is anything to go buy, the Scottish Government take the same view - they ordered supplies directly from China. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52338099
Michael Gove squirming on Sky this morning. Quite why he was being interviewed outside during lockdown is anyone's guess - but I suppose that lizards are cold-blooded creatures and he needed some sunshine to get going. https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/vide...980193255/640x360_MP4_1684813226980193255.mp4
I read quite a lot of the small print to see if I could work out exactly what they were up to. One bit suggested that a Trust would still be able to purchase their own supplies, but at a cost. They would still have to have some of their funding withdrawn even if they didn't use the services of that company. I didn't really look to see what the situation was regarding devolved governments, and really not sure that I can face going through pages of legal text again.
I've seen on the current Worldwide figures that Britain is the only country in the World not giving figures under the 'recovery' column - is there a reason for this ? Is Britain actually testing at the recovery end of the disease (are there the tests kits for this) ? If not are they simply classifying people as being recovered when they have no more symptoms, or when their quarantine is over ? Why are no statistics being given out on this ? At the end of the day the goal is to have more daily recoveries than new cases, so that the column for active cases starts to fall - a situation which has been reached in 11 European countries to date. Many countries claim to have brought the reproduction rate of this down to below 1:1 keeping the rate of new infections down as low as possible - but the aim of eradicating the disease completely (as in South Korea or Vietnam - where the only cases are new arrivals) isn't realistic for European countries. I am sure that if Germany or Austria continued on their present course that they could reach this stage of total eradication, but with the disease still active in neighbouring countries it would quickly reappear.
You couldn't make it up. Captain Mainwaring would do better and yet not be quite so bloody pompous about it.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has appointed a “personal protective equipment (PPE) tsar” to take on the shortage of supplies across NHS trusts in the UK. Hancock said: “Just as Lord Beaverbrook spearheaded the wartime efforts on aircraft production, the appointment of Lord Deighton will bring renewed drive and focus to coordinate this unprecedented peacetime challenge." Anything to deflect the heat away from him and his department.
Why there is there no recovery figures is a well worn question cologne, but I have never seen an answer given. The UK’s death toll from coronavirus is thought to be far higher than official figures, a new study has suggested. The data from the National Care Forum estimated that more than 4,000 elderly and disabled people have died across all residential and nursing homes. Looks like the government are trying to downplay just how bad it really is.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000hlfw/hardtalk-20042020 This is well worth a watch. Hardtalk, with the WHO Special Envoy for Covid-19, David Nabarro. Watched it in the middle of the night.
We went for a cycle yesterday initially through a residential area. From a house whose garden was next to the road someone was blowing bubbles which were floating across the road in our path. A seemingly innocuous activity but eventually each bubble burst releasing what - breath from the bubble blower. I though of popping some of them but then thought better of it and just cycled through them. I will let ou know if I survive the next 7 days. Silly wet spam supporters
Denmark excludes from its COVID Business Aid companies that are: 1. paying out dividends 2. buy back own shares or 3. are registered in tax havens. Will the UK see this as a chance to save money and follow suit?
Not if the UK government has anything to do with it. It would probably hit most of the MPs where it hurts - in their own pockets.
Quite a discussion going on here at the moment about the use of personal data. Basically like the UK an EU app is being developed to help track and inform people if they have been close to someone who might be infected with the virus because they have been close to someone etc. This is done by mobile phones with bluetooth communicating with each other without the person knowing. The fear is that if Apple or Google has access to the data it will end up in the wrong hands. The reason they are trying to develop an app that blocks American companies having access is because of companies like Cambridge Analytica who have misused personal data in political ways. Will this become an issue in the UK because I have seen little comment on it?
I doubt that many of you will have the foggiest notion of what I am about to say now. When I was a youngster I loved to read the whole series of books about Billy Bunter and his time at Greyfriars School. Bunter was a real comic character, who was not very bright, but was often seen to be trying to borrow money off his school mates on the basis that there was a postal order in the post, that hadn't arrived. Bunter's defining characteristic was his greediness and dramatically overweight appearance. His character was, in many respects, a highly obnoxious anti-hero. As well as his gluttony, he was also obtuse, lazy, racist, inquisitive, deceitful, slothful, self-important and conceited. These defects, however, were not recognised by Bunter. In his own mind, he was an exemplary character: handsome, talented and aristocratic. The postal order in the post seems to be rather like a delivery of PPE equipment. I will not go on.
The air inside was washed by the bubble mixture. I don’t know that for a fact, but I thought I would take a guess at a hunch present it as fact. Just like Trump does.
Have you seen what this advisor to the US President has been saying...? https://www.politifact.com/factchec...nne-conway-misleads-name-covid-19-says-its-n/
Yes i grew on up on Bunter.. What a sad analogy eh..... Meanwhile as I imagined the advice to the public in the UK on masks looking to be linked to the shortage for medical and care staff.. Rather than the pure science.. It has been obvious to me with a career in mental health and a fairly basic level knowledge of the science that it is better to wear a mask than not in public areas... But yes all down to the lack of supply... Shocking situation..
He asked for one in Australia too - the Queensland government agreed to hand over $200million, but the Federal government have just announced that they told him where to go. They didn't want their cash to disappear into the pockets of shareholders - Virgin Australia is now in administration.
Couldn’t find a link to this, so I’ve copied the text: “Hundreds of people gathered across the US on Sunday to protest again lockdown restrictions across the country. But as protesters drove through the western city of Denver, two healthcare workers briefly staged their own counter-demonstrations. Images of the exchange were captured by freelance photographer Alyson McClaran and have been widely shared on social media since. "I wanted to document history," she told told BuzzFeed News.
