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More anecdote. My sister is a geriatrician in a London hospital. She is concerned with the lack of social care which impacts on hospital beds, and if this has been properly understood by those making strategic decisions. Also that the NHS only just holds itself together in a normal year. My other sister is a palliative care specialist and while preparing to be called on to do hospital frontline stuff (she only switched from being a hospital doctor recently) she pointed out that all the frontline workers whether trained or not are going to be dealing with a lot of death and grieving families, as well as lonely deaths, and the weirdness of masks and distancing. (I may have somewhat un-anonymised myself there.)
hoefla-
She is concerned with the lack of social care which impacts on hospital beds, and if this has been properly understood by those making strategic decisions.
Historically, either they don't know, or they don't care. Now the spotlight is on them, it may change.
My mother-in-law was in and out of hospital in her final couple of years. While the standard of care from the medical staff & social care staff in isolation was beyond reproach, the lack of joined up & end-to-end care was terrifying, and this for a woman that had a proper care plan in place outside of hospital.
At one point, she was in for 4 weeks, with the admin snafu putting her at increased risk of hospital borne infections & continuity breaks in her medication regimen*.
At the time, it brought home just how fragile the system is, and that people vulnerable because of their age are a bit fucked if they don't have their own funding & support networks.
Now, I just don't see how it's not going to result in hundreds / thousands of avoidable deaths.
* There's a story I don't want to have to relive.
NotThamesWater
Coronanecdote time (and fuel to the fire, for which I apoolgise in advance)
Sister-in-law is an ITU nurse, which is pretty front-line at the moment.
The PPE situation is jokes - She has to launder her own scrubs, otherwise they will go missing in the hospital laundry.
Admin (lel) has asked her to re-use facemasks...
She reckons that their c19+ve capacity will be reached within a week.
More positively, people are otherwise staying away from the hospital.