public health – Page 64 – The NEN

Briggs: Plan now for coronavirus rehabilitation

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs says health boards must start planning now for rehabilitation support for people who have had severe cases of Coronavirus.

Covid-19 is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in the numbers of people managing what will possibly be long-term lung conditions and needing support for rehab and recovery.

The number of people who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease in NHS Lothian has increased by 70% since 2011/12, to 19,167 people, a higher increase than any other region in Scotland.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland are working with health boards, including NHS Lothian, to reform the way people with lung conditions access rehabilitation and support.

Vital support, such as Pulmonary Rehabilitation, could benefit thousands of people in Lothian, as well as allowing the health board to make significant savings in the long term.

The charity have a number of initiatives in place to support those living with chest, heart and stroke conditions during the Coronavirus epidemic, including their freephone advice line Nurses: 0808 801 0899

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Health Spokesperon, said: “It is right that health boards are focusing their efforts on maximising the number of intensive care beds, increasing ventilator capacity and continuing to treat those who are most sick.

“A high number of people in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s, who have breathing difficulties and are in the high risk category during the Coronavirus outbreak, would benefit from this treatment.

“NHS Lothian must start putting plans in place now for breathing rehabilitation, so that patients who have had Coronavirus can access this treatment and start their recovery.”

Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “The devastating impact of coronavirus will see many survivors living with poor lung health, perhaps for the rest of their lives. They could be left dealing with breathlessness which can cause worry and anxiety, but there are rehabilitation programmes which can help.

“Physical activity is hugely important to recovery and it is key to living well with chest conditions. At the moment our local support groups which normally provide group exercise can’t meet up.

“We’re making sure that people can still keep active at home by sending out short videos and information on activities everyone can do. We’re also busy working with health boards across Scotland to make sure our services alleviate some of the pressures on the NHS.

“No-one fully understands what long-term effects coronavirus will have on people’s health – but we do know that support for rehab and recovery is going to be more important than ever.

“Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is urgently making plans and adapting our services to make sure we’re there for everyone who needs us, now and in the future.”

We CARE: Hancock launches care sector action plan

The UK government has published an action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the coronavirus outbreak.

New action plan to reduce outbreaks in care homes, support care staff and providers and maintain independence of those receiving care
Plans to boost access to PPE, ramp up testing for care sector and recruit more staff
Unifying new ‘care’ brand for care workers with NHS-style identity, to ensure recognition and access to benefits during crisis and in response to ask from sector

Better access to testing, millions of additional PPE items, expansions to the workforce and a new brand to further recognise the sector’s contribution to society are at the heart of a new action plan to support the social care sector through the coronavirus outbreak.

The Government has committed to ensuring that all care workers who need a test receive one, and all symptomatic residents in a care home will be tested to prevent outbreaks. Over 4,000 social care workers have already been referred for testing so far.

Everyone going into a care home from hospital will be tested with immediate effect. Currently the first five residents with symptoms are tested to provide confirmation of whether there is an outbreak.

The way PPE is being delivered to care homes is being rapidly overhauled, with homes supported to order PPE quickly, including through direct dispatches via Royal Mail, a 24/7 hotline and a new pilot website.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said:  “We should all be proud of our incredible care sector who are fighting this battle against this virus on the frontline.

“Our care staff come to work day-after-day supporting our most vulnerable in these incredibly challenging times.

“Today we are introducing a new CARE brand that can be worn with pride, and it will signal to everyone that they belong to a strong, united and respected family.”

Over 1.5 million frontline care workers will now be able to unite under one banner to help create an NHS-style single identity to better celebrate and recognise the care sector.

This will be based on the existing CARE badge, which was launched as a unifying symbol of pride for the social care sector by Care England and the National Care Forum.

This will make it simpler for care-givers to access benefits such as priority shopping hours, in the same way as NHS staff and will recognise the integral role social care workers are playing in responding to this outbreak and supporting vulnerable people.

The action plan also outlines plans to expand the social care workforce by tens of thousands through a new recruitment campaign that will highlight the vital role of care staff, backed by a new online learning platform to rapidly upskill new staff.

Social care providers across England have already received an emergency drop of 7 million PPE items, so that every CQC registered care provider received at least 300 face masks to meet immediate needs.

In the coming weeks, a dedicated supply chain will be in place for social care, which will mean social care providers can make orders and have them dispatched directly to them – in line with the NHS and Local Resilience Forums.

Care providers unable to get PPE from their usual suppliers will be supported by a 24/7 hotline and a dedicated, in-house team at the National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR), who can rapidly pack and deliver PPE to providers.

The UK Government is also working with e-commerce experts to pilot a website which will allow care homes to order PPE online, using NHS Supply chains and shipped directly via Royal Mail.

Minister for Care Helen Whately said: ”The care workforce is playing an essential role in the fight against Covid-19, and they deserve the same recognition and support as NHS staff.  

“This virus has brought many challenges to the sector and today we are setting out how we will ensure care staff have all they need to do their jobs safely.

“We are keen to get as many people on the care frontline as possible which is why we’re launching a campaign to attract people to the sector to support the national effort. I urge former social workers, occupational therapists and nurses to return to the sector to join the fight to protect our most vulnerable.”

The plan also gives guidance to help minimise the spread of infection within all care settings. This includes advice on safe discharge from the NHS, including testing prior to discharge and when isolation is recommended.

This follows the announcement by the Health and Social Care Secretary yesterday that all care home residents and social care staff with COVID-19 symptoms will be tested as capacity increases.

Dedicated testing has already begun for frontline staff, including social care workers and in addition to over 20,000 tests for NHS workers and their families.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are working in partnership with ADASS and local providers to lead the coordination of regional testing and have already offered testing to 11000 care facilities. All registered care providers will be contacted in the coming days so employers can identify staff eligible for testing in line with PHE guidance and refer them to their local testing centre.

Chief Executive of Care England Professor Martin Green OBE said: “The social care action plan gives us a framework on which we should build the future of social care, as well as showing the important role social care is playing to support people in this current health emergency.”

To attract 20,000 people into social care over the next three months to relieve pressures in the care workforce, in the next few weeks we will re-launch our national recruitment campaign to run across broadcast, digital, and social media.

The campaign will highlight the vital role that the social care workforce is playing right now, during this pandemic, along with the longer-term opportunity of working in care. A new online platform will be developed to streamline the recruitment process for candidates and employers.

Previously registered social workers in England, occupational therapists and nurses are being invited to return to the sector to support the frontline effort. Over 7,000 retired nurses have responded to a call to return to employment – some of whom will be deployed to care settings.

The government has invited former social workers who have left the profession in the last two years to return to employment – with the aim that 8,000 social workers could be supported to return to work if they wish to. Over a thousand individuals have already expressed an interest in returning to social care during the outbreak.

Last month, the government announced £2.9 billion of funding to strengthen care for the vulnerable as part of the government’s commitment to ensure NHS and social care system, and other public services, have all the resources they need during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Joint Chief Social Worker for Adults, Mark Harvey and Fran Leddra said: “The social care workforce supports our families, friends and neighbours in the millions every day.

“They provide care and support to sustain in some of the most important elements of our lives – relationships, companionship, inclusion, meaning and aspiration. They enable people to not only get the best care possible but to also continue to contribute to and be a part of society. Our social care staff are there to make moments such as end of life as respectful and caring as possible, as this becomes more of a reality.

“We have both worked in social care all our lives and everyday find ourselves in awe of the dedication and commitment that care workers, social workers, and occupational therapists amongst many others have always shown and now in responding to COVID-19 and the new challenges that it has brought.

“We are delighted that the new CARE brand will provide much-deserved recognition to the social care workforce, and continue to be grateful to those returning or joining the workforce at this time.”

The new social care action plan has been published on GOV.UK

Edinburgh Charity Delivers Emergency Care Packs to Vulnerable Families Shielding at Home

An Edinburgh children’s charity is delivering emergency care packs to families who have a vulnerable child and are currently shielding at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) – which supports the Royal Hospital for Sick Children – began providing free emergency packs of food and essential items to families visiting or being discharged from the hospital.

Now, the charity has expanded this service and is delivering the free care packs to the homes of clinically vulnerable families who are known to the RHSC and who are currently shielding for an extended period to protect themselves during the pandemic.

The packs contain food products and essential items including nappies, toilet roll, tinned soup, beans and tea bags to support families while they cannot leave the house to go shopping.

The charity is also in the process of developing toiletry packs and creative care packs with art supplies to help keep children entertained at home and reduce isolation.

ECHC is delivering the packs to families’ doorsteps, as well as to nursing bases where community nurses and health visitors are also helping to distribute them. The charity will keep in regular contact with the families throughout their isolation period to meet their needs if they require additional packs.

Louise Sharkey and partner Graeme have been shielding their 12-year-old son Charlie, who has a rare genetic disorder and epilepsy, and his four-year-old brother Jack at home for over three weeks.

Louise said: “During this difficult time, ECHC continues to be a well needed support that we are extremely grateful for and have relied on during many hospital admissions over the years. They are at the end of the phone should we need emotional support and are liaising closely with the palliative care team to provide support also.

“Recently a care pack was dropped off at our house by the charity containing essential supplies that can be difficult to source right now. We have been finding it hard to get deliveries from supermarkets, so we were running low on things like antibacterial hand soap, pasta, toilet rolls, baby wipes and some cereals.

“We are very lucky to have a good family support network who have been providing us with essentials should they be needed but it’s not always easy for them as they don’t live close by.

“The bag of essential supplies that came from ECHC was extremely useful as it contained extra toilet rolls and baby wipes that we use a lot with Charlie, and cereal. Jack was delighted that it contained some treats too! The charity is a lifeline for many families during hospital stays and at times like these in the community too.”

ECHC recently launched its COVID-19 Emergency Appeal to help families having to cope with the impact of the outbreak on top of the distress of having a sick or injured child.

Roslyn Neely, CEO of ECHC, said: “Right now, all families are facing the challenges of lockdown. Keeping children fed and happy, and organising shopping trips on top of everything else, becomes even more difficult if you have a sick or injured child in hospital, or if you are returning home from hospital to begin an extended period of shielding or isolation.

“The incredible NHS staff are working round the clock to make sure every child gets exceptional care throughout the crisis and we at ECHC are doing everything we can to help to reduce fear and isolation and to comfort and support families when they need it most.

“These emergency care packs have only been made possible thanks to the kindness of our supporters donating to our COVID-19 Emergency Appeal. We urgently need donations to continue to do this.

“Times are difficult for all of us, but if anyone would still like to give, donations could provide a family with a much-needed care pack, fund a special play session at a child’s bedside or pay for a mum and dad to stay in our parent accommodation and be close to their child at the toughest of times.”

To receive a care pack – Families known to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children who would like an emergency care pack are asked to contact Leigh at ECHC on 0131 668 4949 or leigh.drake@echcharity.org.

To support ECHC – A donation of £10 could fund an emergency care pack for one family, £15 could fund a special bedside play or creative session and £50 could pay for parents and carers to stay in ECHC’s parent accommodation for one week.

Donations can be made online at

https://echcharity.org/support-us/covid-19-appeal

UK Govt. to offer testing for “everyone who needs one” in social care

All care home residents and social care staff with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms will be tested as capacity is built up, the UK government is announcing today.

All symptomatic care residents will be tested for COVID-19 as testing capacity continues to increase
All patients discharged from hospital to be tested before going into care homes as a matter of course
All social care staff who need a test will now have access to one with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to contact all 30,000 care providers in the coming days to offer tests

Currently the first 5 symptomatic residents in a care home setting are tested to provide confirmation of whether if there is an outbreak.

However, as lab capacity increases every day the government is expanding testing to include all care home residents who develop symptoms.

The safety of residents and staff is a priority and as such, testing will now also be provided to all potential care home residents before they are discharged from hospital.

This will provide reassurance and peace of mind to residents and family members, and will help care providers to take appropriate action to ensure that social care workers and other residents are safe – including implementing isolation procedures for those who test positive.

The measures confirmed today are expected to be outlined further in the government’s COVID-19 social care action plan tomorrow, and will help give residents, their families and those that they care for peace of mind.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said: “I am deeply conscious that people in residential care are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus.

“We are doing everything we can to keep workers, residents and their families safe, and I am determined to ensure that everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one.

“We have already begun testing social care workers and will roll this out nationwide over the coming days. And as we continue to ramp up our testing programme, we will test all current care home residents with coronavirus symptoms and all new care home residents who are discharged from hospital into care.

“Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus, and as part of our plan to prevent the spread and save lives we will ensure that everyone in social care who needs a test can have a test.”

As the rollout continues, the Health Secretary has confirmed that every social care worker who needs a test can now get one.

Dedicated testing has already begun for frontline staff, including social care workers and in addition to over 20,000 tests for NHS workers and their families.

As capacity grows further through the government’s new mega labs, it will prioritise the testing of symptomatic social care workers and anyone in their household who have COVID-19 symptoms.

CQC are leading co-ordination of testing for the care sector, and have already offered 6,000 care facilities the opportunity to test their staff. By the end of the week they will have contacted all 30,000 care providers.

Care providers will identify workers eligible for testing and refer them to their local testing centre.

Tests for social care staff and residents will support the government to achieve its ambition of 100,000 COVID-19 tests a day by end of April.

Nursing organisation issues statement on PPE

The NMC has issued a statement on personal protective equipment that sets out key points to help nursing and midwifery professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Executive and Registrar at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said: “At this time of national crisis, it’s clear if we are to protect the public, then we’ve all got to do everything we can to ensure our nursing and midwifery professionals are able to practise as safely and as effectively as possible.

“We know that the consistent and timely availability of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to be a significant challenge in health and social care across the UK. Understandably PPE is being raised with us by our registrants and their employers and is the focus of intense activity at a national level in all four countries.

“The statement we are publishing today clarifies the key points that nurses, midwives and nursing associates should take into account when applying the Code in practice and making considered professional judgements.

“I hope this information will provide reassurance for everyone using and working in health and care settings and help support nursing and midwifery professionals to make the right individual decisions for them and the people they care for during these incredibly challenging circumstances.”

The Statement:

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) recognises the enormous challenges faced by health and social care professionals at this time and we know they are worried about the timely delivery and provision of the right personal protective equipment (PPE).

Despite the significant and urgent effort to improve the availability of appropriate PPE in health and social care settings across the UK, some professionals are still facing situations where there is insufficient suitable protective equipment available.

Our Code and Standards support nurses, midwives and nursing associates in these difficult situations by setting out the key principles to follow to keep themselves, those they lead or manage and those they care for safe.

To support our registrants further we set out below some key points to help them as they put the Code into practice and exercise their professional judgment during this unprecedented pandemic situation.

How national guidance and the Code supports you as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate dealing with challenging PPE issues

National guidance on the use of PPE has been issued to support you during this time. Whether you are a nurses, midwife, nursing associate or a student on clinical placement you should follow this guidance, which covers a range of infection control measures, including hand hygiene and respiratory and cough hygiene, as well as advice on appropriate PPE and best practice.

Your employer is responsible for ensuring that you and any staff you lead or manage have all the necessary protective equipment – including protective clothing – and that you have access to current guidance on how and when to use it correctly to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19. Your employer is there to help you and your colleagues by managing resources effectively and dealing with risk, so that that the safety and quality of care or service you provide for people can be maintained.

As set out in the Code, if you have any concerns about the availability or use of PPE you must raise these with your manager as soon as possible, to make sure that they are aware of the issue and can take action to support you. You can also refer to our raising concerns guidance or seek advice from your representative body or trade union.

If situations arise where suitable equipment is not available difficult decisions may need to be made quickly about the safest and best course of action. The Code states that to preserve safety you must take account of your own personal safety, the safety of others and the availability of other options for care. So you shouldn’t feel that when making decisions, you have to place yourself or others at risk, or that you need to make these decisions on your own.

Where possible you should work with colleagues to find the best way forward in these circumstances. It is important to take into consideration the balance of risks in relation to those people who are dependent on care services, as well as the requirement to protect yourself and other staff so that they are able to provide ongoing care.

Any decisions you make should take account of local and/or national clinical guidance, advice and protocols.

Factors to consider include:

whether treatment can be delayed or provided differently (for example, remotely)
the availability of different levels of PPE that may offer sufficient protection to you and others in particular care activities
whether some members of the wider team are at a higher risk of infection than others
whether different care and treatment decisions might be appropriate to minimise the risk of transmission in accordance with local and national advice
Taking account of all the options available, what course of action is likely to result in the least harm in the circumstances, taking into account your own safety, the safety of others and the people in your care.

You should make a record of your decisions regarding how you handle any safety concerns. You should describe how you used your own professional judgment, the role of other members of the team in decision making, and the outcome.

We acknowledge that in exercising your professional judgment in line with the Code you may decide that you need to refuse to provide care or treatment to an individual because it is not safe for you to do so.

If a concern is raised with us about any registrant refusing to treat a patient because of their concerns about inadequate PPE or being responsible for service delivery in the absence of adequate PPE, we would follow the approach that we have set out in our joint regulatory statement. As part of this approach we would consider the context of the current pandemic, including the risks that the individual registrant was exposed to and how they exercised and recorded their professional judgment in line with the Code.

Chancellor delivers Tuesday’s UK Government update

Good evening from Downing Street, where I’m joined by Steve Powis, Medical Director of the NHS and Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England.

Earlier today, the government’s independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, the OBR, published a report into the impact of coronavirus on the economy and public finances.

It’s important to be clear that the OBR’s numbers are not a forecast or prediction.

They simply set out what one possible scenario might look like – and it may not even be the most likely scenario.

But it’s important we are honest with people about what might be happening to our economy.

So before I turn to the health figures, I want to spend a few minutes explaining what the OBR have said – and let me thank them for their continued work.

There are three brief points I want to make.

First, the OBR’s figures suggest the scale of what we are facing will have serious implications for our economy here at home, in common with other countries around the world.

These are tough times – and there will be more to come.

As I’ve said before, we can’t protect every business and every household.

But we came into this crisis with a fundamentally sound economy, powered by the hard work and ingenuity of the British people and British business.

So while those economic impacts are significant – the OBR also expect them to be temporary…

…with a bounce back in growth.

The second point I want to make is that we’re not just going to stand by and watch this happen.

Our planned economic response is protecting millions of jobs, businesses, self-employed people, charities and households.

Our response aims to directly support people and businesses while the restrictions are in place…

…and to make sure as restrictions are changed, we can, as quickly as possible, get people back to work; get businesses moving again; and recover our economy.

The OBR today have been clear that the policies we have set out will do that.

The OBR today have been clear that if we had not taken the actions we have, the situation would be much worse.

In other words, our plan is the right plan.

The third point I want to make is this: right now, the single most important thing we can do for the health of our economy is to protect the health of our people.

It’s not a case of choosing between the economy and public health – common sense tells us that doing so would be self-defeating.

At a time when we are seeing hundreds of people dying every day from this terrible disease, the absolute priority must be to focus all of our resources…

…not just of the state, but of businesses, and of all of you at home as well, in a collective national effort to beat this virus.

The government’s approach is to follow scientific and medical advice through our step-by-step action plan, aiming to slow the spread of the virus, so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time, protecting the NHS’s ability to cope.

I said in my Budget a month ago that whatever the NHS needs, it will get – and we have honoured that promise:

Yesterday we published an update showing that we’ve given our public services an extra £14.5 billion in recent weeks.

We are taking action to increase NHS capacity, with more beds, more key staff and more equipment on the front-line.

And the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will be updating on our plans for social care tomorrow.

This is why we are instructing people to stay at home, so that we can protect our NHS and save lives.

I can report that through the government’s ongoing monitoring and testing programme, as of today:

302,599 people in the UK have now been tested for coronavirus, with 93,873 people testing positive
19,706 people in the UK have been admitted to hospital with the virus, down from 20,184 people yesterday;
Sadly, of those in hospital, 12,107 people have now died – an increase of 778 fatalities since yesterday.

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those who have lost their lives.

These figures are a powerful reminder to us all of the importance of following the government’s guidance:

Stay at home. Protect our NHS. And save lives.

Prime Minister released from hospital

Prime MInister Boris Johnson was released from hospital yesterday after having spent seven nights in hospital.

Mr Johnson was taken to St John’s Hospital in Westminster on Sunday 5th April – ten days after testing positive for coronavirus.

The PM was moved to an Intensive Care ward on Monday where he spent three nights before returning to a ward on Thursday.

He will now continue his recuperation at Chequers, the PM’s official country residence.

This was the statment from Downing Street:

The PM has been discharged from hospital to continue his recovery, at Chequers.

On the advice of his medical team, the PM will not be immediately returning to work. He wishes to thank everybody at St Thomas’ for the brilliant care he has received.

All of his thoughts are with those affected by this illness.

The Prime Minister was released from hospital on the day that the number of deaths from coronavirus in the UK topped 10,000. This figure does not include people who die in other community settings, including care homes, so that figure may well be substantially higher.

First Minister visits NHS Louisa Jordan facility

The First Minister has praised the dedication of the NHS Scotland staff and building contractors working to establish the NHS Louisa Jordan.

During a visit to the NHS Scotland medical facility at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, the First Minister said their efforts will provide reassurance to people across Scotland and if required, ensure that the NHS has extra capacity to treat patients.

Construction work began on turning the SEC into the NHS Louisa Jordan on Tuesday 31 March. Since then:

23,000 square metres of flooring have been laid
partitions between the beds have been constructed, creating more than 1,000 bed bays
more than 8,000 pieces of medical equipment have been ordered
35,000 metres of network cabling have been laid for the nurse call system
135,000 metres of cabling for lighting and power sockets have been laid
a new bespoke system to ensure oxygen supply to every bed has been put in place with 1,400 medical gas outlets.

The First Minister also urged people across the country to stay at home over the Easter weekend to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The First Minister said: “Everyone involved in establishing the NHS Louisa Jordan deserves our sincere thanks. They are working tirelessly under extremely challenging circumstances to build a unique national facility.

“While I still hope that it will not be needed, the NHS Louisa Jordan will help our NHS to prepare and provide people with reassurance that we have measures in place to help treat people during this pandemic.

“I urge everyone in Scotland to continue to follow the social distancing advice and to stay at home. By following the social distancing measures, they can help to slow the spread of COVID-19, save lives and protect our NHS. If they do this, the NHS Louisa Jordan will not need to open.”

The NHS Louisa Jordan is an NHS Scotland-run medical facility. It will have an initial 300 beds which could expand to hold more than 1,000 patients if required.

Jill Young, former Chief Executive of the Golden Jubilee Hospital at Clydebank, has been appointed Chief Executive of the temporary hospital.

The facility is named after Sister Louisa Jordan, a First World War nurse who died on active service in Serbia in 1915 while providing much-needed care to an area of dire need as part of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Services. Born in Maryhill, Glasgow, Louisa Jordan signed up to the war effort in December 1914 while working as a Queen’s nurse in Buckhaven, Fife.

Stroke: Act FAST!

A stroke survivor is appealing to people to call 999 if they think they’re having a stroke.

The call comes following interim Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith’s statement that some hospital wards are “eerily quiet” amid the coronavirus outbreak. Charity Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland are concerned that people are putting off going to hospital because of the virus and don’t want to be a burden on the NHS.

Debbie, 44 from Comrie, has joined forces with the charity to remind people that stroke is a medical emergency and that people still need to seek medical attention if they think they’re having a stroke.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is urging people to act FAST and call 999 as soon as you experience symptoms.

FAST is a simple acronym to remind people of the key signs of stroke:

FACE – Can the person smile, does one side of their face droop?

ARM – Can they lift both arms? Is one weak?

SPEECH – Is their speech slurred or muddled?

TIME – If these symptoms are present, call 999

Debbie Matthew, stroke survivor from Comrie, said: “If my husband hadn’t called 999 so quickly and I hadn’t gone to hospital straight away, I can’t bear to think about what position I would find myself in today.

“It’s been 4 years since I had my stroke and I can’t believe how far I’ve come. I’m just so thankful that my family were able to get me the help I so desperately needed.

“FAST has become really important to my family. My son, Finlay, got such a fright seeing me after my stroke that he decided spread the FAST message to local school children.

“Finlay feels that it’s especially important for children to learn the message so that that they know what to do if they find themselves alone with a parent or grandparent who might be experiencing a stroke.

“Hearing that people might not be seeking emergency help is terrifying, it’s more important now than ever to make sure people know to Think FAST and call 999 if you think you’re having a stroke.”

Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “Stroke doesn’t stop because of coronavirus; it can happen at any time and anywhere.

“By the end of today, 25 people across Scotland will have suffered a stroke. The same will happen tomorrow.

“Coronavirus is at the forefront of our minds right now, but it’s vital that people don’t forget that a stroke is a medical emergency. NHS stroke staff are on-hand to help you and save people’s lives.

“It is important that people are aware of the signs and symptoms of stroke and phone 999 immediately if someone needs urgent medical attention.

“These symptoms aren’t something for deliberation, if you see these signs, act FAST and save a life.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “NHS Scotland have rightly shifted their focus to fighting to Covid-19, but people are still going to get ill and emergency services are continuing as normal.

“It is vital that if you, or someone you are with, is showing symptoms of having a stroke, that you call 999 immediately, to be taken to hospital. The FAST acronym is an easy way to remember the signs of a stroke – Face, Arms, Speech and Time.

“This is an important message, not just for people who are showing signs of a stroke, but for anyone who is having a medical emergency during the Coronavirus outbreak, call 999 immediately.”

Government sets out plan for national effort on PPE

To date, over 761 million pieces of PPE delivered across the UK
Full, 24/7 military operation underway to manage supply and demand right across the UK
New domestic PPE manufacturing effort with Rolls Royce and McLaren to make more protective equipment
Website launching to enable primary, social, and community care providers to request critical PPE

A UK-wide plan to ensure that critical personal protective equipment (PPE) is delivered to those on the frontline responding to coronavirus (COVID-19) was announced yesterday by Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock.

The 3-strand plan launched on Friday will provide clear guidance on who needs PPE and when they need it, ensure those who need it can get it at the right time and set out action to secure enough PPE to last through the crisis.

A full, 24/7 military operation is already underway to deal with the unprecedented, global demand for PPE as a result of this pandemic.

A new national supply and logistics network has been created from scratch in a matter of weeks to manage supply and demand across the UK, and to make sure appropriate PPE reaches those who need it.

A new website, developed with the help of the military, is being rolled out in the coming weeks to improve distribution and will enable primary, social and community care providers in England to order critical PPE.

In addition, a new PPE hub provides easy access to all the government’s guidance on PPE in one place – a one-stop shop people can visit to understand what PPE they need.

This is in addition to a 24-hour helpline that already allows providers to request emergency drops of PPE to meet immediate need.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I will stop at nothing to protect those on the frontline who are fighting this virus.

“Our heroic health and care staff are working around the clock and my absolute priority is to support them. Our new online ordering tool for PPE is supported by a 24/7national supply and logistics network.

“There is a herculean effort behind the scenes, supported by the military, to get the right kit to our frontline heroes. These new supply chains, matched with a call to arms for more businesses and organisations to join this national effort, will help save lives.”

The 3-strand plan sets out:

guidance: being clear who needs PPE and when, and who does not, based on UK clinical expertise and WHO standards. This will ensure workers on the front line are able to do their jobs safely, while making sure PPE is only used when clinically necessary and isn’t wasted or stockpiled
distribution: making sure those who need PPE can get it and at the right time. The government will ensure those who need critical PPE receive it as quickly as possible by setting up a new national supply system
future supply: taking action to secure enough PPE to see us through the crisis. The actions being taken to ensure we have enough critical PPE to last the UK through the pandemic, working alongside industry to boost future supply. The government has already co-ordinated deliveries of PPE directly to health and care providers and to 38 local resilience forums across England. These efforts are being co-ordinated across all 4 nations of the UK to ensure appropriate distribution of critical PPE

Since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, over 761 million items of PPE have been delivered across the UK to 58,000 different settings, including hospitals, hospices, care homes, home care providers, GPs, pharmacists and dentists to ensure our frontline is protected. This includes 158 million masks, 135 million aprons and 360 million pairs of gloves.

The plan also emphasises the need to ramp up domestic production of PPE. The government is calling on industry to join forces to manufacture more protective equipment to support the national effort.

Already companies such as Burberry, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Ineos and Diageo have started work to produce equipment including gowns, visors and hand hygiene products.

Last week, following extensive consultation with the Medical Royal Colleges, all 4 UK governments published updated guidance for PPE for health and care workers. This covers doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers and social care staff.

Critical PPE guidance has also been published for cleaners, funeral directors and first responders. Beyond these roles in settings including supermarkets and public transport, the clinical evidence, which is kept under review, does not suggest widespread benefit from wearing PPE over and above social distancing, social isolation and good hand hygiene.

In addition to this a new dedicated team has been set up to focus on securing supplies and identifying PPE suppliers from across the globe to meet the increasing demand for a growing list of products, with a call to arms to businesses to turn their manufacturing efforts to this response to meet technical specifications published by government.

Businesses and organisations including Kingfisher Group, Apple, Huawei and BP have also stepped up to the plate to generously offer their own PPE for use by the NHS and public organisations.

But health professionals say they need more than warm words and three point plans at this critical time – they need ACTION, in the form of vital PPE equipment NOW.

The British Medical Association has learned that personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies in two large areas of England are running at dangerously low levels, and that some pieces of equipment are no longer available – forcing doctors into impossible situations and ultimately, putting their lives at risk.

The doctors’ union understands that current PPE supplies in London and Yorkshire are not sufficient to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. This means staff and patients are increasingly being placed in harm’s way as they battle against the virus.

The Government is therefore, forcing doctors to place themselves and their patients in grave danger by expecting them to treat COVID-19 patients without adequate PPE.

The evidence comes just two weeks after the Government said that supplies of PPE were plentiful, and that equipment was flowing out to trusts.

According to a recent survey(1) by the BMA, however, more than half of doctors working in high-risk environments(2) said there were either shortages or no supply at all of adequate face masks, while 65% said they did not have access to eye protection.

Futhermore, 55% said they felt pressurised to work in a high-risk area despite not having adequate PPE.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said: “No doctor should ever have to be in harm’s way when they go to work, and in these unprecedented times, this has never been more important.

“This is not the flu. We are dealing with an unknown, highly-infectious, and potentially deadly virus that has already claimed the lives of several healthcare workers, including 11 doctors in the UK. It is absurd that the people trained to treat this disease are the ones who are not being appropriately protected – and without them, we face real disaster.

“It’s unclear whether the lack of PPE is directly linked to the recorded deaths of doctors so far, but we know that no healthcare workers have been infected in a hospital in Italy precisely because their PPE supplies are sufficient and of high-quality.

“This must be replicated here, in every healthcare setting, as a matter of urgency. Without it, doctors are being forced into a corner, facing heart-breaking decisions over whether to carry on caring for patients without proper protection and put themselves and patients at risk.

“This is an immensely difficult position to be in, but is ultimately down to the Government’s chronic failure to supply us with the proper equipment. We cannot continue like this, and need to see enough, adequate PPE delivered to staff across the country as soon as possible, not just for our health, but also, and most importantly, our patients’.

“We note the Government’s announcement this afternoon and its three-strand PPE Plan. However, PPE should not be a ‘precious resource’ and for NHS staff facing shortages of protection they need today, they don’t want to hear of a plan, but that this vital equipment is made available to the front line now.”