I hope this post finds everyone keeping well during these difficult times. I am still fortunate, my anxiety has not returned, and I believe I owe some of that to my wonderful wife, who as always has stayed calm and level headed throughout this pandemic, she puts up with my mood swings and my quiet spells. She is some lady!
This situation is unusual, to say the least. Most people I speak to are doing well, or that is what they are telling me, but with an insight into Mental Health Issues how many of those are saying they are okay and it is not the case? I used to do that – tell people I was okay when I wasn’t. Admittedly at the beginning that was because I didn’t know any better, but I now know that people will say they are fine when they are not, and that is why it is important that people reach out and speak to people and get help. If you are reading this and are concerned about how you feel, I can only ask you to make a phone call, and your GP is the starting point. They will help as our fantastic NHS Service did with me on a couple of occasions. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone.
I wanted to start with the NHS and the present Corona Virus situation. I like most think they are doing a fantastic job, day in day out and how many staff do you hear complaining? Well, I hear very few, they talk about the lack of PPE/RPE, but it’s not like they are whinging and moaning like you or I do when we don’t get what we want. I firmly believe we use the words ‘hero’ and ‘brave’ too often in today’s society when it is not applicable, something I touched on in ‘My Story 5 – Anxiety and Bravery in Football.’ But for all these NHS workers, I am quite happy for people to use these words to describe our NHS.
I do have two concerns that involve the NHS during these times, but none bad, I don’t think I could find any. It is more so around what I believe are our failings for the NHS staff with the supply and correct use of their PPE/RPE and if they are running short.
The first is the wearing of the masks and respirators they have to wear while working. If you have read other posts you may know, I have an industrial management background, including Health and Safety, and one of my closest friends is a practising H&S Officer. After speaking with him on this matter, he too agrees with me on this subject.
When wearing these disposable masks, we feel to get the correct fit; the straps are properly positioned. And that is that the bottom strap of the mask goes behind the neck, and the top strap goes up above the ears onto the crown of the head. Then to make sure the mask has a tight fit, the wearer pulls the straps tightly backwards in the same direction they are set, and so one gets pulled round behind the neck, the other gets pulled up towards the crown of the head, thus ensuring a tight fit around the face, and making the seal to the face nice and tight.
Some masks are designed to be worn so that the top strap comes down behind the neck, and the bottom strap goes up over the crown, but the positioning of the two straps are fundamentally the same, one low round the neck, one high onto the crown. And not as you can see from this photo, the two straps are pulled in the same direction up onto the crown. In our opinion, this will mean that there is no (or indeed less pressure) being applied to the lower part of the mask meaning that the seal in the lower half of the mask is not as good as it should be! Whenever there is not a good seal, the particles that you are supposed to be protected from can get into the mask itself, whether this is an industrial dust such as MDF or sawdust when using saws, or undoubtedly the Corona Virus particles. The same applies to people with facial hair and beards. Particles can supposedly get up through the facial hair into the mask as there is not a good seal between the mask and the skin. Our very own Health & Safety Executive expect workers wearing these style masks to be clean-shaven at the start of each shift.
On another report on the BBC news report from Lanarkshire last night, a visitor was seen wearing a mask, and it wasn’t even covering her nose! This can’t be right, and surely the correct wearing of RPE is as important as having it delivered in the first place!
I am not writing this to be a scaremonger or to stir things up. I am doing this because I want to make sure the NHS staff are properly protected when they are out there working on the front line. If there is any doubt, the easiest way to ensure that staff are wearing their RPE correctly is to get the experts involved. Once the correct procedure is established, make a short video and have it played everywhere that is relevant. Play it in hospitals to all staff and patients, care homes, and wherever it is needed and RPE is worn, play it on national TV during the news broadcasts, during commercial breaks and have it as online adverts on search engines and the national newspaper websites. Such is the importance of getting it right every time.
But further to this, we hear that the public may be asked to wear masks when out and about, and this could affect the supply to the NHS, and again my question here is why? It is simple, the priority must be the NHS every time, and the public have to share out what is left, or the people learn to make their own. Even the NHS (in some areas) and visitors to the hospitals and care homes are not wearing the masks with the best protection. So here I am sure the public wearing something is better than nothing, and so even home-made masks would be sufficient. There are plenty of videos available on Youtube showing us how to do this. But first and foremost, the NHS and other emergency services requiring RPE will always get priority. Working in a hospital will always be more important than buying a loaf of bread or going for a jog!
My second concern relates to a subject close to my heart, and that is transport and logistics. Obviously, on this matter, I can only go on the stories I and everyone else hear on the news or reads in the media. Still, if they are true for the life of me I cannot understand what is difficult about getting PPE & RPE to our hospital staff, I have worked in logistics for much of my career and getting items from A-B isn’t exactly difficult, and so let me give you my take.
Let’s assume there is sufficient equipment to go round, and we have to believe this as the next sentence was taken from an online report I read this morning.
‘VITAL PPE is being shipped from UK warehouses across Europe despite fears the NHS could run out as they tackle the coronavirus outbreak. British firms claim they have ‘no choice’ but to keep sending the equipment abroad because their offers of help are being ignored by the Government. The insider also claimed the company has millions of pounds worth of PPE from China sitting in its warehouse.’
This cannot be right and assuming it is, who is making these decisions at the top level? And so based on this we also believe there is enough PPE & RPE to go round.
So why don’t we break the country down into areas – to be decided? Look at the number of hospitals and therefore, the number of staff requiring equipment in these areas. Then combine this with Ministry of Defence establishments in and around these areas that have adequate storage facilities and distribute a proportionate amount of PPE & RPE into the storage at these MOD bases, compared to the number of staff working in that designated area.
There will be massive differences geographically, but I am sure we have people out there with the expertise and knowledge that could work the numbers out. The percentages of how much equipment needs to be determined and where it is to go, and then we get it delivered to the relevant MOD storage facility. I read one article recently whereby vehicles were parked up not being used. And watching the news this morning the motorways were practically empty when they are often nose to tail with lorries, so sourcing vehicles to distribute the equipment to the MOD properties shouldn’t be a problem (if they were ever needed)!
Here are two more reasons for my link to the MOD, first of all, storage wouldn’t cost anything as the Government own the property and can do what they want with it. Secondly how many MOD vehicles and staff are there sitting about not doing very much who could then deliver from the storage facility to the end-users, (and even collect from the facility or supplier to take to the MOD storage). Again, at minimal extra cost as staff are already being paid by the Government.
There are an abundance of vehicles at the disposal of the MOD, let’s face it they are logistic experts. Those vehicles being used are already bought and paid for again by the Government. The Government would, therefore, be paying very little for the storage of the equipment, it’s collection and delivery. There would be no extortionate demands made by private businesses wanting to make a killing from the pandemic, which many people will do and probably already have done.
There we go, that is my take on the Corona Virus problem. This is when I like having my own website, at least I can get my opinions and views out there, getting people to read it is the difficult bit. But as always, I hope this can help.