Coronavirus outbreak

[tom73]

No - but thats probably not that easy to set up in a few days - not that I am defending the lack of PPE - But existing suppliers/standards will have been built up over many months/years - you can not just place an order for an extra 10m - and expect them to arrive at the hospitals......

That's one of the biggest problems supplies can get more all they need is the the government to start talking to them.
No-one look's to be taking charge of this and acting as a one point of contact.
If they can't sort it then they need to man up and ask for help. But they won't.

 

[tom73]

No problem managing a situation if all trusts are independent purchasing entities. But that's just the point. On PPE it seems that it's all over the place...trusts buying, regional entities buying, national buying.

So I've got suppliers wanting to supply but finding the correct route is, let's say, challenging

@Brompton Bruce Maybe the prof can bang a few heads ?

 

[Rocky]

@Brompton Bruce Maybe the prof can bang a few heads ?

She’d like to but has very little influence at the local trust let alone hospitals outside the region. My suggestion would be to go to the national press. It’s a story they’d be very interested in at the mo.

 

[nickyboy]

Yep that doesn't surprise me. Thing is who is going to want to sign off on PPE from an unknown supplier (no disrespect to your company intended)

It's CE certified by a European external testing agency to the relevant surgical mask standard which is how I would expect things to work. I've even supplied the NHS Trusts with the certificate. Just sitting around waiting, twiddling my thumbs when the factory could be making 50k surgical masks per day (and 10k per day of those all in one white hazmat type suits too)

 

[Archie_tect]

No - but thats probably not that easy to set up in a few days - not that I am defending the lack of PPE - But existing suppliers/standards will have been built up over many months/years - you can not just place an order for an extra 10m - and expect them to arrive at the hospitals......

Longbenton School in North Tyneside made 1000 masks after being given £1000 grant by Karbon Homes [local Housing Association]... that's really good value and were so well received by the North Tyneside Health Trust they're doing another 1000 this week.

 

[Rusty Nails]

The Welsh Assembly First Minister has accepted the performance on testing has 'not been good' (less than 20% of target numbers achieved) and has effectively scrapped targets for testing, while still aiming to improve the numbers.

Time will tell, but it does not build public confidence in his, or his Health Minister's pronouncements or performance.

 

[rualexander]

Well, that's my first experience of NHS procurement systems and it's pretty shambolic

I have a number of contacts who manufacture PPE outside UK. They've seen what is going on in UK and have contacted me to see if they can help (it's business of course)

So I've been in direct contact with several local NHS trusts to see what procurement policy is. I can organise supply of tens of thousands of masks, hazmat suits and surgical gowns every day

Each trust told me something different. Trust 1 said they were trying to buy PPE themselves but "the man you need to speak to" was on holiday this week (!!). Trust 2 said it was all sourced and distributed at a national level and they would give me the contacts (they haven't yet). Trust 3 said it was sourced and distributed regionally and they would give me the contacts (they haven't yet)

Not impressed. I've got CE certified suppliers wanting to supply

Try NHS Scotland, the procurement is centralised as far as I know.
https://www.nhsscotlandprocurement.scot.nhs.uk/

 

[kingrollo]

It's CE certified by a European external testing agency to the relevant surgical mask standard which is how I would expect things to work. I've even supplied the NHS Trusts with the certificate. Just sitting around waiting, twiddling my thumbs when the factory could be making 50k surgical masks per day (and 10k per day of those all in one white hazmat type suits too)

I'm not sure that is the standard TBH.

 

[tom73]

She’d like to but has very little influence at the local trust let alone hospitals outside the region. My suggestion would be to go to the national press. It’s a story they’d be very interested in at the mo.

Yes I know was just thinking of any other options that maybe worth a try.

 

[kingrollo]

It's CE certified by a European external testing agency to the relevant surgical mask standard which is how I would expect things to work. I've even supplied the NHS Trusts with the certificate. Just sitting around waiting, twiddling my thumbs when the factory could be making 50k surgical masks per day (and 10k per day of those all in one white hazmat type suits too)

here you go mate from the BBC website

Separately, Labour MP Rachel Reeves has asked manufacturers to get in touch if they have not heard back from the government about offers to supply protective equipment for the NHS.

 

[nickyboy]

To reemphasize my comment that this fight is a long one and we shouldn't be in a rush to decide which countries are the winners and losers take a look at Singapore

Through Feb and March it was held up as a shining beacon of how to handle a pandemic. Then the government relaxed restrictions in late March as it felt it had things under control

Today there were 1,426 new cases, by far the greatest daily count and it's increasing rapidly. They got it badly wrong

Maybe Singapore will prove to be the country that handled it best when the dust finally settles. But maybe not. Same is true of all countries

 

[kingrollo]

To reemphasize my comment that this fight is a long one and we shouldn't be in a rush to decide which countries are the winners and losers take a look at Singapore

Through Feb and March it was held up as a shining beacon of how to handle a pandemic. Then the government relaxed restrictions in late March as it felt it had things under control

Today there were 1,426 new cases, by far the greatest daily count and it's increasing rapidly. They got it badly wrong

View attachment 516645

Maybe Singapore will prove to be the country that handled it best when the dust finally settles. But maybe not. Same is true of all countries

Personally I think its those countries who followed WHO advice and those who didn't - If you follow the advice is could still well go wrong (as above) - But to ignore the advice then look on in utter amazement at 16,000 deaths is unforgivable IMO.

 

[marinyork]

Today there were 1,426 new cases, by far the greatest daily count and it's increasing rapidly. They got it badly wrong

Interesting because it appears that Singapore's total lab capacity is 3000 per day. In the early days of contact tracing the number of positives was obviously a tiny, tiny fraction of available capacity. Now sadly, that looks bad because around half of capacity testing positive per day means there will be many others missed. Even in places where it ran wildly out of control there was a lower proportion of tests done having people test positive (often a quarter to a third).

 

[tom73]

The magical PPE order from Turkey has yet again not even got of the ground.
Government finally take control and have now sent the RAF to get it.
Talk about better late then never.

 

[Mike_P]

Another Transdev 1 Northern, er.. why didn't we think of that