NHS anniversary: PM to join nationwide clap to celebrate health service
The prime minister will join a nationwide round of clapping later to pay tribute to NHS staff on the 72nd anniversary of the health service. The public are being encouraged to give a round of applause at 17:00 BST for all those who helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. In a video message, Prince Charles has spoken of his gratitude and pride for the "costly sacrifices" of NHS staff.
On Saturday, UK landmarks were lit up blue in celebration and remembrance. Downing Street, the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower, the Shard and the Wembley Arch were all illuminated and a minute's silence was held to remember those who have died during the pandemic. People were also asked to place lights their windows in a show of remembrance on Saturday night, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, lighting a candle in Canterbury Cathedral.
Later on Sunday, a World War Two Spitfire plane with the words "Thank U NHS" painted on its underside will tip its wings above hospitals and the homes of fundraisers and volunteers, recognising the way people have supported the NHS and local communities during the pandemic.
The National Health Service was launched on 5 July 1948, with the core principle that it is free at the point of delivery and is based on clinical need. On Sunday evening, the nation will clap to show its thanks for the service, in what is hoped will become a yearly tradition. The idea was inspired by the success of the weekly Clap for Carers which saw households across the country show their appreciation for the NHS and other key workers during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
On Friday, Mr Johnson urged the public to applaud for "those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic". The moment will be broadcast on BBC One. In a video message to mark the occasion, Prince Charles paid tribute to staff working through "the most testing time in the service's history". "Despite all that has been endured, there is deep cause for gratitude, and a true reason for pride," he said. The prince also said the pandemic had brought out the best in people, adding: "This renewal of our community spirit has been a silver lining during this dark time."
Speaking at a rally celebrating seven decades of the health service, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said NHS staff needed a pay rise in the wake of the pandemic. "It's very important that we don't just say thanks, but recognise in a meaningful way what the NHS has done," he said. His comments come after unions representing more than 1.3 million nurses, cleaners, physiotherapists, healthcare assistants, dieticians, radiographers, porters, midwives, paramedics and other NHS employees wrote to the chancellor and the prime minister calling for pay talks to start soon.
NHS chiefs in standoff with Treasury over emergency £10bn
Despite the pledge to give the service ‘whatever it needs’ to tackle the pandemic, any extra funding now comes with strings attached
NHS bosses have accused the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, of breaking a pledge to give the health service “whatever it needs” after he refused to provide a £10bn cash injection needed to avoid it being crippled by a second wave of the coronavirus. They have warned ministers that without the money the NHS will be left perilously unprepared for next winter and the second spike in infections which doctors believe is inevitable. Nor will they be able to restart non-Covid services or treat the growing backlog in patients needing surgery. The row piles pressure on Sunak to find more money for the NHS ahead of his summer statement on Wednesday.
The NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens, has told the Treasury that it needs at least £10bn in extra funding this year to cover the costs of fighting the virus and reopen normal services. The money would mean the NHS could create extra beds in hospitals, keep the Nightingale facilities on standby, send patients to private hospitals for surgery and provide protective equipment for frontline staff.
However, weeks of negotiations have hit an impasse, with both sides nowhere near an agreement, sources have told the Observer. They hoped to have thrashed out a deal by Sunday, the 72nd anniversary of the NHS’s creation in 1948 by Clement Attlee’s postwar Labour government, which is being marked by widespread celebrations. But disagreement made that impossible.
“There’s a row going on. It’s quite difficult. There’s a problem here. There’s arm wrestling going on between the NHS and the government,” said one official with knowledge of the talks. “But the Treasury are playing hardball and aren’t prepared to stump up the money.”
Another well-placed source said: “They are at complete loggerheads. There’s an impasse at the moment. There’s no settlement and no agreement.” The dispute has shattered the close relationship between the NHS and the government during the coronavirus crisis. In recent months ministers have showered the service with praise for its response, which saw hospitals massively expand intensive care units to cope with Covid-19.
NHS leaders privately accuse the chancellor of going back on his word. One senior figure said: “There’s a very, very significant difference between the phrase ‘the NHS will get whatever it needs’ and the behaviour now being exhibited by the Treasury.”
The standoff has also split the government. Downing Street is backing the Treasury’s sceptical approach to the NHS’s demands but Matt Hancock’s Department of Health and Social Care has thrown its weight behind the NHS and believes it needs the sums it is seeking. Sunak is keen to limit further government emergency spending on fighting the virus after already allocating £123bn for measures to support employment, health and other public services. The NHS has already been guaranteed at least £6.6bn of the coronavirus contingency fund that Sunak created in his first budget in March.
The sticking point is the NHS’s insistence that the Treasury continues to underwrite the £400m-a-month cost of the contract it agreed with private hospitals in March to treat NHS patients. It was conceived as a temporary measure to ensure people needing cancer surgery, hip and knee replacements and other operations could have them while NHS hospitals were tackling Covid-19. Stevens, though, now wants it extended until at least next April, amid fears that the total number of people on waiting lists for planned care in hospital could soar as high as 10 million by Christmas.
The Treasury is insisting that the NHS commits to keeping the waiting list – which currently stands at 4.4 million people – down to certain levels by certain dates through private hospitals doing agreed numbers of procedures. It believes that much of the £1.2bn spent so far has been wasted because many hospitals did worryingly few operations in the early stages of the pandemic.
“The Treasury’s view is that we can’t give you a blank cheque. They want certain guarantees from the NHS that the waiting list will be reduced and by how much. The Treasury is rightly petrified by the prospect of the waiting list hitting 8 million or 10 million,” said an insider. However, Stevens is refusing to provide such guarantees.
The prime minister will join a nationwide round of clapping later to pay tribute to NHS staff on the 72nd anniversary of the health service. The public are being encouraged to give a round of applause at 17:00 BST for all those who helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. In a video message, Prince Charles has spoken of his gratitude and pride for the "costly sacrifices" of NHS staff.
On Saturday, UK landmarks were lit up blue in celebration and remembrance. Downing Street, the Royal Albert Hall, Blackpool Tower, the Shard and the Wembley Arch were all illuminated and a minute's silence was held to remember those who have died during the pandemic. People were also asked to place lights their windows in a show of remembrance on Saturday night, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, lighting a candle in Canterbury Cathedral.
Later on Sunday, a World War Two Spitfire plane with the words "Thank U NHS" painted on its underside will tip its wings above hospitals and the homes of fundraisers and volunteers, recognising the way people have supported the NHS and local communities during the pandemic.
The National Health Service was launched on 5 July 1948, with the core principle that it is free at the point of delivery and is based on clinical need. On Sunday evening, the nation will clap to show its thanks for the service, in what is hoped will become a yearly tradition. The idea was inspired by the success of the weekly Clap for Carers which saw households across the country show their appreciation for the NHS and other key workers during the height of the coronavirus crisis.
On Friday, Mr Johnson urged the public to applaud for "those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help the nation get through this pandemic". The moment will be broadcast on BBC One. In a video message to mark the occasion, Prince Charles paid tribute to staff working through "the most testing time in the service's history". "Despite all that has been endured, there is deep cause for gratitude, and a true reason for pride," he said. The prince also said the pandemic had brought out the best in people, adding: "This renewal of our community spirit has been a silver lining during this dark time."
Speaking at a rally celebrating seven decades of the health service, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said NHS staff needed a pay rise in the wake of the pandemic. "It's very important that we don't just say thanks, but recognise in a meaningful way what the NHS has done," he said. His comments come after unions representing more than 1.3 million nurses, cleaners, physiotherapists, healthcare assistants, dieticians, radiographers, porters, midwives, paramedics and other NHS employees wrote to the chancellor and the prime minister calling for pay talks to start soon.
--oo00oo--
This is all very good and dandy, but of course we have a Tory government and hypocrisy is never far from view. The National Health Service was created by a Labour government 72 years ago. It recently saved a Tory Prime Minister's life, apparently much to the astonishment of Donald Trump who despises such a socialist concept and assumed the PM was being treated privately. Despite all the warm celebratory words, the Observer paints a rather different picture of the truth this birthday weekend:-
Despite the pledge to give the service ‘whatever it needs’ to tackle the pandemic, any extra funding now comes with strings attached
NHS bosses have accused the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, of breaking a pledge to give the health service “whatever it needs” after he refused to provide a £10bn cash injection needed to avoid it being crippled by a second wave of the coronavirus. They have warned ministers that without the money the NHS will be left perilously unprepared for next winter and the second spike in infections which doctors believe is inevitable. Nor will they be able to restart non-Covid services or treat the growing backlog in patients needing surgery. The row piles pressure on Sunak to find more money for the NHS ahead of his summer statement on Wednesday.
The NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens, has told the Treasury that it needs at least £10bn in extra funding this year to cover the costs of fighting the virus and reopen normal services. The money would mean the NHS could create extra beds in hospitals, keep the Nightingale facilities on standby, send patients to private hospitals for surgery and provide protective equipment for frontline staff.
However, weeks of negotiations have hit an impasse, with both sides nowhere near an agreement, sources have told the Observer. They hoped to have thrashed out a deal by Sunday, the 72nd anniversary of the NHS’s creation in 1948 by Clement Attlee’s postwar Labour government, which is being marked by widespread celebrations. But disagreement made that impossible.
“There’s a row going on. It’s quite difficult. There’s a problem here. There’s arm wrestling going on between the NHS and the government,” said one official with knowledge of the talks. “But the Treasury are playing hardball and aren’t prepared to stump up the money.”
Another well-placed source said: “They are at complete loggerheads. There’s an impasse at the moment. There’s no settlement and no agreement.” The dispute has shattered the close relationship between the NHS and the government during the coronavirus crisis. In recent months ministers have showered the service with praise for its response, which saw hospitals massively expand intensive care units to cope with Covid-19.
NHS leaders privately accuse the chancellor of going back on his word. One senior figure said: “There’s a very, very significant difference between the phrase ‘the NHS will get whatever it needs’ and the behaviour now being exhibited by the Treasury.”
The standoff has also split the government. Downing Street is backing the Treasury’s sceptical approach to the NHS’s demands but Matt Hancock’s Department of Health and Social Care has thrown its weight behind the NHS and believes it needs the sums it is seeking. Sunak is keen to limit further government emergency spending on fighting the virus after already allocating £123bn for measures to support employment, health and other public services. The NHS has already been guaranteed at least £6.6bn of the coronavirus contingency fund that Sunak created in his first budget in March.
The sticking point is the NHS’s insistence that the Treasury continues to underwrite the £400m-a-month cost of the contract it agreed with private hospitals in March to treat NHS patients. It was conceived as a temporary measure to ensure people needing cancer surgery, hip and knee replacements and other operations could have them while NHS hospitals were tackling Covid-19. Stevens, though, now wants it extended until at least next April, amid fears that the total number of people on waiting lists for planned care in hospital could soar as high as 10 million by Christmas.
The Treasury is insisting that the NHS commits to keeping the waiting list – which currently stands at 4.4 million people – down to certain levels by certain dates through private hospitals doing agreed numbers of procedures. It believes that much of the £1.2bn spent so far has been wasted because many hospitals did worryingly few operations in the early stages of the pandemic.
“The Treasury’s view is that we can’t give you a blank cheque. They want certain guarantees from the NHS that the waiting list will be reduced and by how much. The Treasury is rightly petrified by the prospect of the waiting list hitting 8 million or 10 million,” said an insider. However, Stevens is refusing to provide such guarantees.
US news ran a story earlier stating that WHO had assessed US & UK as the two countries most likely to successfully manage a health crisis prior to coronavirus.
ReplyDeleteThey highlighted that UK 'excess deaths' are currently at 66,000 & US at 123,000, i.e. deaths in excess of a 5 year average, which is how the ONS measures the data.
A policy analyst described the US federal administration as explicitly prioritising the economy over the population's health in an election year, whilst devolving all other responsibilities to state administrations. In the UK they said government had vacillated, not making a clear commitment to prioritising health, which had been equally as damaging.
The net effect is that both countries have shown themselves politically hampered & thus unable to manage the pandemic, despite having very considerable health infrastructure & other resources.
I think that's a very fair analysis. The UK has not been decisive other than to "protect the NHS" which, as someone else observed weeks ago, surely the priority was for the NHS to protect the population? That's what its there for. And its a brilliant institution hampered & hamstrung by the politics of wealth, by idiot ideologues & self-obsessed buffoons.
Someone else wrote this weekend that, so far, we've escaped relatively unscathed from the potential repercussions of mass gatherings in recent weeks "entirely by luck rather than judgement."
I note that the UK data machine is still 'broken' on this critical weekend of unlock:
"We are working to fix a number of technical issues and will add sub-national data as soon as possible."
A european site this morning clearly shows UK as having notified +519 cases and +136 deaths for 4 July 2020.
Happy Birthday NHS.
Many newspapers today report on how NHS cleaners, porters and backroom staff have been identified as 'secret spreaders' of Covid19 around our hospitals. They also point out that these roles are almost entirely outsourced to the private sector.
ReplyDeleteThere's been £billions pumped into the private sector for medical services since the pandemic struck, PPE, track and trace and Nightingale hospitals, developing apps, and even the provision and delivery of food to those having to shield. There are many other examples of services being outsourced by hospital trusts that have nothing to do with the virus.
The Government promised they would never privatise the NHS. They also promised a trade deal with the EU with the exact same benifits post Brexit, and they promised not to reduce our food standards aswell. Their promises however are hollow, lies that allow for rethoric to be spouted to appease voters so they can get what they want.
Our relationship with the EU is about to end, and likely to be a very sour breakup. Our relationship with China has become complicated, partly because of Americas stance with China, and now too because of Hong Kong.
The UK has few friends now globally and looks towards America and Trump to be its big buddy, although Trups days as President may soon becoming to an end.
The NHS is still 'on the table' when it comes to trade talks with the USA, the nation that has just bought up the global supply of a drug that's known to reduce mortality rates amongst the worst affected by the virus.
I think it inconceivable that any trade deal struck with the USA will not mean further outsourcing and privatisation of the NHS.
Boris and Co will clap loudly tonight for the 72nd birthday of the NHS, but I think we will all be waving good by to it before it reaches 80.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thenation.com/article/world/destroy-britain-nhs-privatization/tnamp/
'Getafix
With rethoric and reality in mind, there's a very interesting film that can be watched free on YouTube right now called the 'Great NHS Heist'.
DeleteMight be a good to watch before we see Johnson and Co clapping later on.
https://youtu.be/kwlvLe-X27o
'Getafix
https://www.google.com/amp/s/insidecroydon.com/2020/07/04/tories-choose-nhss-birthday-to-sound-death-knell-for-st-helier/amp/
ReplyDeleteTories choose NHS’s birthday to sound death knell for St Helier
DeletePosted on July 4, 2020 by insidecroydon
The Tory government chose the weekend of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the NHS to sound the death knell for acute services at St Helier Hospital, and at Epsom Hospital in Surrey.
A 25-year-long battle to maintain and upgrade the buildings and services at St Helier seems to have come to an end on Friday with the announcement of a £500million new, but significantly smaller and less easily accessible hospital, close to the site of the Royal Marsden in Belmont.
The plans to reduce critical care capacity at the two existing hospitals has been criticised by campaigners as “reckless” in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.
The fate of St Helier and Epsom has been a political issue for two decades, with Conservatives keen to implement a scheme which would make it easier to privatise many of the services currently provided by the NHS. The Liberal Democrats who control Sutton Council and who, until recently, had two of the area’s MPs, have previously supported the scheme, though on Friday they sounded some disquiet.
_______________________________________________
So where is the outrage of Epsom's favourite MP, Christopher Stephen Grayling? Clearly I don't know the geography, but no doubt he's a neighbour & he'll have been blooding his new puppet, Elliot Colburn:
"For new Carshalton and Wallington Tory MP Elliot Colburn, the announcement has seen him claim a unique place in British politics, as the first Member of Parliament to support the closure of his constituency’s A&E unit."
5 July 2020 - uk gov data is still not readily available, but some scratting about through various pages of statistics reveals (I think):
ReplyDelete5 July - reported cases = 516
5 July - reported deaths = 22
usual weekend low reporting caveat applies
UK gov Totals for Week 28 June - 5 July inclusive:
new cases reported = 4,678
deaths recorded this week = 751
https://leftfootforward.org/2020/07/72-years-of-the-nhs-why-we-need-to-fight-for-our-health-service-more-than-ever/
ReplyDeleteGraylings concerned that political decisions are being 'rushed' through.
ReplyDeleteIsn't he pretty well known for acting very quickly on what his gut tells him to do rather then his brain?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/chris-grayling-fears-epsom-st-18536889.amp
'Getafix
Good job, getafix, that is a precious, precious headline:
Delete"Chris Grayling fears Epsom and St Helier Trust's new £500m hospital decision has been 'rushed'"
- The decision to build a new £500 million hospital in Sutton over Epsom is wrong, has been "rushed through", and is "premature", says Tory Chris Grayling.
The former transport secretary and Epsom MP argued the Covid-19 pandemic had weakened the case for the new multi-million pound facility to be built in Sutton.
The decision was announced in a live video conference, in line with social distancing measures, that took place on Friday (July 3).
The £500 million Epsom and St Helier Hospital investment was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in late September 2019, since which there has been a lengthy consultation by Improving Healthcare Together about the best location for this new intensive care unit.
The three options proposed were building the new unit at the site of Epsom, St Helier or Sutton hospital, and the latter had been seen as a definite frontrunner throughout the process.
Following the announcement, Mr Grayling said while the plans will retain Epsom as an important local centre, he believes this is ultimately the wrong decision.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
6 July uk gov data gets ever more bizarre & convoluted - a cynic might say to confound or disguise the data?
ReplyDeleteDespite the claim "Last updated on Monday 6 July 2020 at 4:28pm", today we find:
Date Reported 6/7/2020
Number of cases: N/A
Cumulative Total: 285,768
The immediate previous entry is:
Date Reported 3/7/2020
Number of cases: 544
Cumulative Total: 284,276
That's a difference of 1,492 cases between Friday & Monday. The Saturday & Sunday figures on european sites total 1,035 - so might 457 cases be today's figures?
Updated numbers of deaths are simply missing. The last available being those given on Saturday (67).
_____________________________________________
So every time uk.gov publish data the format, the criteria, the location & the presentation itself is changed.
Accessing the government's transparent data is getting more like The Krypton Factor every day.
Could intentional obfuscation of data be part of the plan to unlock the UK?
Rhetoric & Reality in Number 10:
ReplyDeleteUK PM Blames Care Homes For Failing To Follow Procedures
One could trawl past blog entries here and lose count of how many times it was predicted that the bloated clown-scarecrow would find someone to dump blame on for his utter shambolic incompetence. Its his M.O:
- vague indifference, no grasp of reality, incoherent noises accompanied by wildly beneficent gestures (funded by someone else) - and blaming others for the inevitable devastation & wasteland he leaves in his wake.
He's nowt but a randy turd squeezed into a Savile Row suit. Leader? He might manage to lead you up the garden path, and maybe some might even end up in the potting shed with him, but that's about as far as it goes with the daft puddin-headed klutz.