Just noticed this and had a quick look. To me the salient point was not so much the issue of private sector backup but the fact that there is a genuine problem for the authorities in the rapidly increasing number of Covid hospitalisations in London. Which leaves me as a non-expert somewhat confused, having for some months imbibed much seemingly trustworthy input about a false positive pseudo epidemic. That's not of course to say that lockdowns are anything other than counterproductive. But we should perhaps pause before automatically attributing negative motivations to those driving policy. Maybe they're the victims of groupthink in a genuinely perplexing emergency type situation. Just speculating.
As usual these figures are "correct" but masked by lack of context.
Nobody mentions that generally the NHS isn't fit for purpose nationwide (even worse in Wales) and has capacity crisis every single year.
The only difference this year is they can blame it on something else.
Its not lying about figures, its providing them with no historical context that seems deliberate.
Every single winter we have a health service clinging on by its fingertips to demand (and often crossing over that line). It doesnt take much to push it totally over that.
As others have said, we don't get the full picture. There is usually pressure at this time of year from elderly patients with ARIs. Is it greater this year because of Covid and why? Is there more demand because of precautionary action to treat Covid, ie get people to hospital earlier? Is there more pressure because the hospitals are restricted by action to reduce spread of Covid, ie limit bed numbers and send positive but asymptomatic staff home? All there seems to be is panic, rather than thinking laterally about the problems. I can't understand why the excess capacity created by the Nightingale hospital can't be used to provide care for probable, but not critical Covid patients, (or those who would normally be discharged but care homes don't want them back - apparently a problem.) They could be cared for by staff who have tested positive but don't have symptoms and/or volunteer/retired medical practitioners. The whole attitude seems to be "no can do", perhaps because a long-standing shortage of beds, particularly for geriatrics, and unwillingness to address the need for infection control more generally.
I can't understand why the excess capacity created by the Nightingale hospital can't be used to provide care for probable, but not critical Covid patients,
My understanding is that while constructing the Nightingale Hospital gave them beds etc. there is insufficient trained/qualified medical staff. And probably other issues making their contribution not useful.
