Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

[SocketRocket]

you have my utmost sympathies and admiration teaching reception. For anyone that don’t know it’s like trying to teach 30 forummers inc me.

Like herding cats

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It will be a miracle if pressure on the NHS eases by then. Once the Covid numbers drop, a large pent up demand for lots of other healthcare will burst forward.

I agree but from a totally selfish perspective it will give my colleagues some needed downtime and respite. Places like outpatients, theatres etc will be swamped and I am sure we'll end up sending staff to support those areas (we're a family after all). For now though, get to March and hopefully for ICU a semblance of normality

 

[Tashyboy]

I think you mean this one https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19...re-on-nhs-may-not-reduce-until-march-12186135

To be honest that matches what we've been planning for and our current prediction given current numbers and trend is we will not have scaled back into a normal 21 bed unit until Easter

Homer/ Ethan, being an average Joe it’s hard sometimes to try and understand what’s actually happening, what’s happening from a media angle, yes a political angle and people that have an agenda angle. 1/4 million cases is truly shocking and this country is in the midst of a massive shockwave.
Stay safe forumears.

 

[PJ87]

I think you mean this one https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19...re-on-nhs-may-not-reduce-until-march-12186135

To be honest that matches what we've been planning for and our current prediction given current numbers and trend is we will not have scaled back into a normal 21 bed unit until Easter

I think they were talking about (last week) lockdown until half term and then back to tiers until Easter

I'd take lockdown until Easter, yeah no golf but meh much as I enjoy it long as we get this final push done ...plenty of time afters

 

[SteveJay]

Anyway - the Home Sec. is currently being very clear. The basic rule is to stay at home and that we should not be looking to act within the limits

Is she being very clear though? This is what I am struggling with.

The basic "rule" is to stay at home, but it isn't actually a rule in the true sense, as the "rules" permit exercise, essential shopping etc. etc etc. I think the expectation that the public will see the boundaries but make a conscious decision to set and adhere to their own, more stringent limits, is proving to be failing.

I think the time has come to make the rules just that, the limits. Incidents throughout the pandemic have shown people can't exercise the desired (by Govt.) discretion and need clear unambiguous "rules" beyond which they face penalties. Just my opinion!

 

[clubchamp98]

Sky news story just Come out. Don’t know how to share the link.

Quote
“Pressure on the NHS will not start to reduce until March, ministers have been warned - amid fears that new infections could be running at more than 250,000 a day.”
“Downing Street has been told by government scientists that the rollout of the vaccines is unlikely to cause the mortality rate to decline until later in February”.

And yet later in the story Boris is under pressure from back benchers to come out of the lockdown on march 8th.How do they know what the death and infection rates will be on March 8th?

I always thought NEWS was what’s happened and they tell you about it in the bulletin.
Now they just make up some figures and report it as news
May and Could are used a lot these days.

 

[Jimaroid]

What age are you ‘teaching’?

I ‘teach’ reception, and we are having daily phonics and math session to complete (as much as we can).
Offstead rates me appalling ;-(

I’m not a teacher, I’m meaning I’m now the IT support guy and class room assistant for my 8 y/o daughter while she’s remotely schooled as well as having the stress of my own job. We have no family network or childcare to rely upon so I’ve been working from home and looking after her at the same time throughout. It’s hard but as I’ve said previously, not as hard as it is for others. I have utmost respect for teachers trying to work through this without enough resources, it was all avoidable but here we are.

Better days ahead.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There is advice on shopping and some stores are at last getting back to ensuring it happens so do I take it you have broken this rule.

we are happy to comply with the one from a household only constraint when it applies but I am not aware that it is in force for shopping at the moment.

 

[clubchamp98]

I’m not a teacher, I’m meaning I’m now the IT support guy and class room assistant for my 8 y/o daughter while she’s remotely schooled as well as having the stress of my own job. We have no family network or childcare to rely upon so I’ve been working from home and looking after her at the same time throughout. It’s hard but as I’ve said previously, not as hard as it is for others. I have utmost respect for teachers trying to work through this without enough resources, it was all avoidable but here we are.

Better days ahead.

Just think how your daughter feels.
Being schooled , while having to do your job must be very difficult

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Daily positive cases are down and the trend of those daily cases is flatten out at worst - then the affect of the lockdown will have an affect on the numbers with the expectation that they will continue to drop

The numbers in South East have dropped and also London showing that the move into Tier 4 was also starting to take affect

Maybe i being too positive about things and it’s hard with all the media only ever posting the negative side of everything.

I can see us going from lockdown until Tiers after half term in the same way we did after November lockdown

A lockdown Easter just will have too much negative affect on many areas - I don’t see the government wanting that in any way

 

[Fade and Die]

I agree but from a totally selfish perspective it will give my colleagues some needed downtime and respite. Places like outpatients, theatres etc will be swamped and I am sure we'll end up sending staff to support those areas (we're a family after all). For now though, get to March and hopefully for ICU a semblance of normality

This is something I don’t understand, I know that Respiratory and ICU is snowed under but large parts of the Hospital is closed, Clinics are being cancelled, A&E is also very quiet so why are these departments not sending staff to the busy areas?
Family friend is an Agency ICU nurse, working in a hospital East of London, she said that so many of the NHS staff are self isolating and not turning up for shifts. Sometimes up to 70% of the shift are Agency. She is supposed to look after 1 bed. Last week one night she had to look after 5. Are you experiencing similar?....think the Hospital is offering £10 an hour extra just to entice bodies in!

 

[SocketRocket]

This is something I don’t understand, I know that Respiratory and ICU is snowed under but large parts of the Hospital is closed, Clinics are being cancelled, A&E is also very quiet so why are these departments not sending staff to the busy areas?
Family friend is an Agency ICU nurse, working in a hospital East of London, she said that so many of the NHS staff are self isolating and not turning up for shifts. Sometimes up to 70% of the shift are Agency. She is supposed to look after 1 bed. Last week one night she had to look after 5. Are you experiencing similar?....think the Hospital is offering £10 an hour extra just to entice bodies in!

Our local minor injuries unit in the community hospital has closed as the staff have been sent to the regional Hospital.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

This is something I don’t understand, I know that Respiratory and ICU is snowed under but large parts of the Hospital is closed, Clinics are being cancelled, A&E is also very quiet so why are these departments not sending staff to the busy areas?
Family friend is an Agency ICU nurse, working in a hospital East of London, she said that so many of the NHS staff are self isolating and not turning up for shifts. Sometimes up to 70% of the shift are Agency. She is supposed to look after 1 bed. Last week one night she had to look after 5. Are you experiencing similar?....think the Hospital is offering £10 an hour extra just to entice bodies in!

A&E definitely not quiet and we're still having breaches. Not all Covid and all the usual other stuff (OD's cardiac, respiratory - asthma etc, broken limbs) and not helped with with large numbers of staff self-isolating. We're trying as much as possible to keep business as usual so outpatients etc going ahead as much as possible as well as as many other wards not being used for Covid being used for their usual treatments.

We are offering NHSP (additional shifts) to our staff at additional rate to compensate for the inconvenience, especially as we have been wafer thin at times. We've been around £10ph extra as well but the amount we can pay is to a degree dictated by the trusts agreement with NHS Professionals. Where and when demand in other areas has slackened those staff are being redeployed but sometimes you can't put nurses into some areas due to the lack of training on specialised equipment. With the rostering it's about seeing what you have as a starting point, which in itself can change at the last minute, then seeing what reserves you have from offering extra shifts to your own staff and who you can pull in from other departments. From there you are looking at other areas like ODP's and Theatre Practitioners (some theatres are on hold - we've taken over a recovery theatre which has a knock on effect) and as a final resort agency staff.

 

[Fade and Die]

A&E definitely not quiet and we're still having breaches. Not all Covid and all the usual other stuff (OD's cardiac, respiratory - asthma etc, broken limbs) and not helped with with large numbers of staff self-isolating. We're trying as much as possible to keep business as usual so outpatients etc going ahead as much as possible as well as as many other wards not being used for Covid being used for their usual treatments.

We are offering NHSP (additional shifts) to our staff at additional rate to compensate for the inconvenience, especially as we have been wafer thin at times. We've been around £10ph extra as well but the amount we can pay is to a degree dictated by the trusts agreement with NHS Professionals. Where and when demand in other areas has slackened those staff are being redeployed but sometimes you can't put nurses into some areas due to the lack of training on specialised equipment. With the rostering it's about seeing what you have as a starting point, which in itself can change at the last minute, then seeing what reserves you have from offering extra shifts to your own staff and who you can pull in from other departments. From there you are looking at other areas like ODP's and Theatre Practitioners (some theatres are on hold - we've taken over a recovery theatre which has a knock on effect) and as a final resort agency staff.

Hopefully because you are (rightfully) getting the vaccinations, within a week or two you won’t have the problem with large numbers of staff self isolating?
Keep your chin up Homer...It’s dark now but there is a tiny light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[PNWokingham]

Quite...but that was the reason the bloke gave, and so my conclusion that some are not 100% totally committed to what we need to do.

What do I do if I am wearing glasses when going into a store? I take them off so they don't steam up. My eyesight isn't brilliant but it is good enough for me to find what I need to buy. And if I can't find it I ask an assistant. When I leave I put my glasses back on.

that may work for you but some people cannot see much at all without glasses so a pretty crass comment

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Our local GP's health centre have now vaccinated all of the over 80's and vulnerable patients in their surgery.
They think they will be starting on the 65 to 80 group early February.
Numbers starting to look a bit better in our area, nearly 3 weeks after Christmas so fingers crossed it stays that way.

 

[SatchFan]

Just come back from my weekly shop at Sainsbury's. Everybody masked up and keeping their distance. Only an observation, and I know there are still some idiots out there, but it does seem that this latest mutation has made people think a bit more about what they are doing.

 

[Whereditgo]

Lost a cousin to Covid yesterday, mid 60's and no real health problems before this, he hung on for a week on a respirator but finally succumbed yesterday evening

To give an idea of the pressure the NHS is currently under from staff shortages; at the hospital my partner works at 11 out of 17 ward staff on one ward alone tested positive for Covid this week, that was on a general ward too.

On a more positive note, the local trust carried out a trial this week of a new treatment, inhalation of a protein called interferon beta, which appears to reduce the odds of developing severe disease by 80% and it will now be trialled nationwide.

 

[DanFST]

Just come back from my weekly shop at Sainsbury's. Everybody masked up and keeping their distance. Only an observation, and I know there are still some idiots out there, but it does seem that this latest mutation has made people think a bit more about what they are doing.

Idiots don't wake up this early!

 

[ColchesterFC]

Our local GP's health centre have now vaccinated all of the over 80's and vulnerable patients in their surgery.
They think they will be starting on the 65 to 80 group early February.
Numbers starting to look a bit better in our area, nearly 3 weeks after Christmas so fingers crossed it stays that way.

Why the delay to starting on the next group? Is it a supply issue?