Current Affairs

[Onelife]

I’m not even going to bother.

It seems as if this forum thinks that herd immunity is the way to go, with the mass death that entails.

All I can say is that I don’t expect to hear any angst about the way the British public decides to act in their efforts to get the economy going again.

There does however come a point where you’ve got to look at the bigger picture in terms of the economic damages this is doing to our country, perhaps another week or so would have given us a better starting point but a decision had to be made.
I think we should be thankful that us old uns are at a lesser risk than those who are keeping our country functioning.

I can’t see that there is another alternative is Gill

That's the key thing for me. I don't want to keep comparing us to other countries - but most other countries seemed to start their unlocking when they were in a much better position to us. As the UK is unlocking when there is still a high degree of infections and death, we are constantly on a knife edge, and it would be easy to tip into a growth in cases.

Hi Gill, I’m not sure what the statistical figures were with regard to infection rates in other countries compared to ours, but you could well be right. If I could give you an alternative as to why I think we have decided to open the door, it would be that the Government didn’t want other countries steeling a march on us as far commerce is concerned?

I agree we can't stay locked down for ever, and I'm personally looking forward to my visit to the hairdressers and the hope of a pub lunch in a few weeks. But I remain uneasy that we have opened up too soon and the government messaging is not strong enough to make people behave like we are still in the middle of a serious pandemic****

I agree

Barney said that everything would be back to normal by time the autumn gales arrive and that people would be going to football matches and concerts. Nobody said anything to disagree with this, so I had to conclude that normal economic life was more important to many forum members than saving lives.

There is an outside chance on this happening but I think Barney has always been more optimistic than either you or me so its one of them.



Another thought has struck me - everyone seems to be worried about the economy, but they are still happy about that thing that's going to happen at the end of the year that in all probability will damage the economy even more !

I think most now see it as a necessity but I do acknowledge that a stop start economy could be more damaging and cause an awful lot of frustration in the long run.


***** regarding government messaging. Grant Shapps on TV this morning and Boris Johnson on LBC couldn't bring themselves to say that Stanley Johnson ignored FCO advice to travel overseas on a non essential journey. .It would be so simple to say he shouldn't have done this, and give the right message to us that advice is for everyone. But no, they can't bring themselves to do it.

They’re politicians Gill you can expect nothing less.

[oldbluefox]

Nobody on here has said the number of deaths in care homes or anywhere else for that matter is funny.

[towny44]

I'm confused - what do you think my view is?

My reading of your posts is that the moves out of lockdown are being taken too soon and too rapidly. Is that not your view?

[Manoverboard]

There does however come a point where you’ve got to look at the bigger picture in terms of the economic damages this is doing to our country, perhaps another week or so would have given us a better starting point but a decision had to be made.
I think we should be thankful that us old uns are at a lesser risk than those who are keeping our country functioning.

I can’t see that there is another alternative is Gill

That's the key thing for me. I don't want to keep comparing us to other countries - but most other countries seemed to start their unlocking when they were in a much better position to us. As the UK is unlocking when there is still a high degree of infections and death, we are constantly on a knife edge, and it would be easy to tip into a growth in cases.

Hi Gill, I’m not sure what the statistical figures were with regard to infection rates in other countries compared to ours, but you could well be right. If I could give you an alternative as to why I think we have decided to open the door, it would be that the Government didn’t want other countries steeling a march on us as far commerce is concerned?

I agree we can't stay locked down for ever, and I'm personally looking forward to my visit to the hairdressers and the hope of a pub lunch in a few weeks. But I remain uneasy that we have opened up too soon and the government messaging is not strong enough to make people behave like we are still in the middle of a serious pandemic****

I agree

Barney said that everything would be back to normal by time the autumn gales arrive and that people would be going to football matches and concerts. Nobody said anything to disagree with this, so I had to conclude that normal economic life was more important to many forum members than saving lives.

There is an outside chance on this happening but I think Barney has always been more optimistic than either you or me so its one of them.



Another thought has struck me - everyone seems to be worried about the economy, but they are still happy about that thing that's going to happen at the end of the year that in all probability will damage the economy even more !

I think most now see it as a necessity but I do acknowledge that a stop start economy could be more damaging and cause an awful lot of frustration in the long run.


***** regarding government messaging. Grant Shapps on TV this morning and Boris Johnson on LBC couldn't bring themselves to say that Stanley Johnson ignored FCO advice to travel overseas on a non essential journey. .It would be so simple to say he shouldn't have done this, and give the right message to us that advice is for everyone. But no, they can't bring themselves to do it.

They’re politicians Gill you can expect nothing less.

Whoever it is that's using excess pink highlighter please stop doing it cos it's making my eyes go funny
.

[oldbluefox]

Should be banned...... or even binned

[Onelife]

Whoever it is that's using excess pink highlighter please stop doing it cos it's making my eyes go funny

Well do your job and sort it

Good eye-dea, why didn't eye think of that .... ah, that's much better
.

[Onelife]

Should be banned...... or even binned

I agree Foxy....your colleague has always been a flasher...especially If the rumours l've been spreading are to be believed

[Manoverboard]

Should be banned...... or even binned

Tinned may be a better plan

[Onelife]

Whoever it is that's using excess pink highlighter please stop doing it cos it's making my eyes go funny

Well do your job and sort it

Good eye-dea, why didn't eye think of that .... ah, that's much better
.

Very pretty

[Onelife]

There are times when ones interpretation of history should be left in the past

David Starkey said: "Slavery was not genocide otherwise there wouldn't be so many damn blacks in Africa or Britain would there? An awful lot of them survived."

Full story here...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53279273

[Onelife]

There are good and bad care homes, there are good and bad carers, and there are good and bad nurses.
Having read what Sir Merv has posted it would appear his daughter is a good carer working with an excellent manager in a well-run care home.

Sadly, these types of care homes are few and far between (what you see on the outside isn’t necessarily what you see on the inside).
I have been told by an informed source that when the inquest findings are reviled there will be a catalogue of mistakes highlighted which will have contributed to the home/care home sectors death rates.

At the top of the list will be....

The poor standard of nurses which facilitated poor standards of hygiene by care home staff.

The use of agency nurses who were traveling between nursing homes

The pressure put on managers by owners to fill beds to capacity with total disregard for the safety of patients.

[Gill W]

I'm confused - what do you think my view is?

My reading of your posts is that the moves out of lockdown are being taken too soon and too rapidly. Is that not your view?

The thing is, the situation is incredibly fluid, and can change quickly. It’s more of a sense, or a feeling, rather than a fixed opinion. My feeling is that our infections were still quite high when we started loosening the lockdown, and that made me feel uneasy, and still does. I’m waiting to see what happens next, and I expect my sense of what is happening to evolve with events.

[david63]

The poor standard of nurses which facilitated poor standards of hygiene by care home staff.

There needs to be a distinction made between care homes and nursing homes. The vast majority of care homes do not employ nurses.

The pressure put on managers by owners to fill beds to capacity with total disregard for the safety of patients.

Yes there is a pressure but the main problem with care/nursing homes is the business model. The homes are reliant on social services funded residents, but unfortunately these residents do not have sufficient funding to cover the running costs of the home meaning that the self funding residents subsidise them.

From what I could see one of the main problems with care homes was that the care home body (whatever it is called) was not proactive in planning for the pandemic and expected the Government to lead the way - that is not to say that all homes were not proactive, some were.

For the record I am speaking here from experience as my mother was in a nursing home until she died in March of this year.

[Onelife]

The poor standard of nurses which facilitated poor standards of hygiene by care home staff.

There needs to be a distinction made between care homes and nursing homes. The vast majority of care homes do not employ nurses.

The pressure put on managers by owners to fill beds to capacity with total disregard for the safety of patients.

Yes there is a pressure but the main problem with care/nursing homes is the business model. The homes are reliant on social services funded residents, but unfortunately these residents do not have sufficient funding to cover the running costs of the home meaning that the self funding residents subsidise them.

From what I could see one of the main problems with care homes was that the care home body (whatever it is called) was not proactive in planning for the pandemic and expected the Government to lead the way - that is not to say that all homes were not proactive, some were.

For the record I am speaking here from experience as my mother was in a nursing home until she died in March of this year.

Hi David…. I can tell you for a fact that some care homes fill their beds with nursing home needs patients under the guise of being care home patients… my daughter used to work at one in Stratford upon Avon. Whilst you are correct that care homes are staffed by care home assistants many are managed by x nurses…some according to our friend you wouldn’t entrust your dog with. I know this because the person who informed me of this was hired as a trouble shooter for private nursing homes…you wouldn’t believe how many staff she had to put on performance plans (PIP) just as a way of getting rid them... in two nursing homes that she was overseeing she got rid of nearly all the staff.

Anyway the truth will come out in the end and I dare say the relatives of those who have died will have something to say about it.

[Mervyn and Trish]

All interesting arguments but the fact remains that care home residents (as opposed to nursing home where it is even more the case) are elderly and vulnerable. A BUPA study concluded that the average stay in a care home was 801 days, with half of the residents dying by 462 days. So the mortality rate, not surprisingly to me, is very high even without Coronavirus. Yes I agree some are badly run, but the best can't beat the grim reaper.

[Onelife]

All interesting arguments but the fact remains that care home residents (as opposed to nursing home where it is even more the case) are elderly and vulnerable. A BUPA study concluded that the average stay in a care home was 801 days, with half of the residents dying by 462 days. So the mortality rate, not surprisingly to me, is very high even without Coronavirus. Yes I agree some are badly run, but the best can't beat the grim reaper.

Yes some certainly are badly run, bad enough for my wife's friend to ask her to contact the BBC Panorama program in order to relay what is going on is some of these privately run Care/Nursing homes.... my wife did this a few weeks back.

[Mervyn and Trish]

The one where my daughter works is very well run. They've never had any problem with PPE for example, because they ordered early. Really annoyed me to see others bleating. They charge enough for goodness sake. They take the profits. They need to take responsibility too.

There are 100 residents at our daughter's place. They've had 6 cases in total, 5 of them non-symptomatic only discovered through testing. They've tested all resident and staff twice on their own initiative before the latest scheme started. Only one death which was in the category I mentioned before. Died with the virus, but don't know if it was of the virus as sadly he was in terminal care at the time. But of course it will be mentioned on the death certificate so he will be in the numbers.

[Manoverboard]

Yes some certainly are badly run, bad enough for my wife's friend to ask her to contact the BBC Panorama program in order to relay what is going on is some of these privately run Care/Nursing homes.... my wife did this a few weeks back.

And without knowing where they are my guess would be that they are in places where the Hospitals are equally poorly run, if so would that mean that it is the Regional Trust that needs shooting ?

[Onelife]

Yes some certainly are badly run, bad enough for my wife's friend to ask her to contact the BBC Panorama program in order to relay what is going on is some of these privately run Care/Nursing homes.... my wife did this a few weeks back.

And without knowing where they are my guess would be that they are in places where the Hospitals are equally poorly run, if so would that mean that it is the Regional Trust that needs shooting ?

Hi Mob.....l don't know anymore than what l have said but l will ask my wife (when she gets out of bed) if she knows the answer to your question.

[Mervyn and Trish]

No good reporting it the BBC. You know how bad they are.

[Manoverboard]

No good reporting it the BBC. You know how bad they are.

Nought but a bunch of left wingers ... may be best to tell the Daily Mirror instead

[Onelife]

What l do know is that the person in question works for several care/nursing home providers who have brought her in to deliver what the CQC have recommended theses providers must do to meet standards of compliance.

[Onelife]

No good reporting it the BBC. You know how bad they are.

You will know more than me Sir Merv......but as yet they haven't got back to my wife

[Onelife]

Yes some certainly are badly run, bad enough for my wife's friend to ask her to contact the BBC Panorama program in order to relay what is going on is some of these privately run Care/Nursing homes.... my wife did this a few weeks back.

And without knowing where they are my guess would be that they are in places where the Hospitals are equally poorly run, if so would that mean that it is the Regional Trust that needs shooting ?

The areas she covers are to the East and South of where l used to live.

[Mervyn and Trish]

No good reporting it the BBC. You know how bad they are.

You will know more than me Sir Merv......but as yet they haven't got back to my wife

I warned them about you...