UK Politics - Matt's Handcock

[Poobah]

Also I suspect part of why people are turning up to ERs more and more is because as I discovered when I tried to contact my GP they've made it absurdly hard to actually get to see a fucking doctor any more. It seems like they implemented a whole metric ton of gatekeeping on getting GP appointments because of covid last year but I also get the distinct feeling that it's here to stay. It was a total nightmare. Go through a pre-recorded thing that tells me a bunch of times to fuck off unless it's an emergency in which case I should dial 999, and that they won't give me an appointment unless it's an emergency (except they already said if it's an emergency I shouldn't be calling them??) and I should go get an e-consult (which seems to amount to googling my symptoms through their site, because the NHS equivilant of WebMD is exactly what I was looking for ) or fill in a bunch of forms on their website and maybe they'll email me back if they decide it's worth their time, and when I eventually get to a receptionist she basically tells me the same thing but begrudgingly passes on my message to my GP saying he'll decide if he wants to see me or not.

I've always struggled seeking medical treatment unless it's very serious and with a bunch of extra energy-draining roadblocks between me and just getting an appointment with my doctor the likelihood that at some point I end up with something untreated that ends up being a major problem has definitely risen significantly.

[DaveSumm]

4 hours ago, Raja said:

The data show that in June 2021 1,436,613 patients attended Type 1 Emergency Departments, the highest ever figure since records began.

A total of 400,826 patients were admitted via Type 1 Emergency Departments, the highest ever recorded figure for the month of June.

Am I understanding these numbers correctly that 1.4m people presented at A&E, a record breaking figure, and of those 1.4m, 400,826 people were then admitted to hospital, a June record breaking figure? So it’s the 1m people who attended but weren’t admitted that’s the odd figure here, that’s what I’m trying to understand. I don’t exactly know what kind of medical attention that covers, I guess if they patch you up and send you on your way? Which doesn’t sound like a backlog of serious issues.

[DaveSumm]

2 minutes ago, Poobah said:

Also I suspect part of why people are turning up to ERs more and more is because as I discovered when I tried to contact my GP they've made it absurdly hard to actually get to see a fucking doctor any more.

Good point, that’s definitely a factor. Although I’m not sure why that would peak in June, it can’t have got harder to see a GP since last summer can it? Maybe the pandemic is bad enough to still mess up the GP system, but too old for people to be scared of hospitals anymore?

[Heartofice]

Is it that it’s peaking in June or is it that June is usually a less frantic month for the NHS and so that has caused this year to break records? If for instance it is that more patients are turning up at A&E because it’s so difficult to get a doctors appointment. 
 

I was under the impression the NHS has the ability to expand its capacity at certain times, which suggests it also can do the opposite, or at least work off the assumption that there will be more capacity at certain periods and move resources around to accommodate. 
 

It could be that they’ve been taken off guard here and hadnt anticipated this surge. 
 

Maybe Raja has some more info seeing as he posted the link 

[The Anti-Targ]

3 hours ago, Heartofice said:

Interesting. Wonder if locking down has basically shielded everyone from all manner of diseases, lowering immunity and then suddenly hitting back once reopening.

Actually that's what we are seeing here. We are in winter of course so we are up for more coughs and sniffles anyway, but there has been a considerable surge in viral infections, mostly in children the most severe of which is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). It is part of the typical winter disease spectrum, but it has been particularly bad this year. The increase is across age demographics but it can cause severe illness in young children and occasionally death so we are seeing a significant increase in hospitalisation of children to the extend that some hospitals have run out of beds in children's wards and makeshift wards are being set up. Epidemiologists are indeed saying that the COVID control measures over the last 18 months likely have created what they term an immunity deficit due to people's immune systems not receioving the normal kind of workout in non-global deadly pandemic years. It will be rather tragic if we end up seeing significantly more than the average annual mortality from RSV in children as one of the consequences of the significant public health measures taken to control COVID.

It is interesting that the same thing could be happening in places where there have been severe COVID waves. But it is also curious that it is happening here when for most of the last 18 months we have had very little in the way of mandatory public health measures for everyone who is in the country. So the kids have been able to go out and play, do their normal sports, and congregate in crowded places and play in the those germ factories which are the McDonalds kids play areas. Maybe in COVID-free countries general germophobia has increased despite the COVID risk being pretty much non-existent.

Giving your immune system a decent general workout seems to be beneficial. Perhaps what people should have been doing all this time is deliberately seeking out ways of giving our immune systems a challenge but one that avoids exposure to COVID-19. Playing around in the dirt, eating more raw fruit and vege that has not been completely sanitised of soiling, letting your dog lick your face, generall snuggling up with your pets (though your pet fish might not like that too much), engaging in regular oral sex (consensual and only among those over the age of consent of course) without having a shower first, not making kids wash their hands and use hand sanitser every 5 minutes.

[The Anti-Targ]

I don't doubt that doctors and nurses tend to cluster their annual leave around the summer months. Not only because that's when everyone tends to want to take extended annual leave, but also because there is always greater demand on the health system in the winter months, so in the winter hospitals want all hands on deck whereas in summer it's not usually necessary. So an unusual and significant increase in demand in the summer is going to cause problems even when the absolute numbers are lower than in winter.

[Werthead]

53 minutes ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Giving your immune system a decent general workout seems to be beneficial. Perhaps what people should have been doing all this time is deliberately seeking out ways of giving our immune systems a challenge but one that avoids exposure to COVID-19. Playing around in the dirt, eating more raw fruit and vege that has not been completely sanitised of soiling, letting your dog lick your face, generall snuggling up with your pets (though your pet fish might not like that too much), engaging in regular oral sex (consensual and only among those over the age of consent of course) without having a shower first, not making kids wash their hands and use hand sanitser every 5 minutes.

You mean, eat out to help out?

[Which Tyler]

Now here's some "pointless patriotism" I can get behind: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/09/whats-in-the-england-teams-names-english-heritage-explains-all

 

Quote

 

What’s in the England team’s names? English Heritage explains all

St George’s flags featuring surnames of almost every person in England will fly from heritage sites to cheer on team
 

Harry Kane can trace his surname back to a word for “warrior”. Declan Rice to “impetuous”. Kieran Trippier to “dance”. Kyle Walker will have to make do with “trampler of cloth in a bath of lye” which, to be fair, was once a very important job.

 

English Heritage is getting in the football spirit by revealing the origins of the names of the England players. It will also fly a St George’s flag featuring the surname of almost every person living in England at its properties to help cheer on the team before Sunday’s Euro 2020 final against Italy.

 

More than 32,000 surnames, from Aamir to Zyla, will fly on a flag at sites including Stonehenge, Osborne on the Isle of Wight and Carlisle Castle, which, English Heritage points out, “has endured more sieges than any other place in the British isles”.
 

The charity is using the patriotic outpouring created by England’s success so far to launch a project it has been working on for some time. From Friday people will be able to go to a “names of England” website and tap in their surname to discover its origins and prevalence.

 

Raheem Sterling would discover his name has Scottish origins, that he’s one of 1,972 adult Sterlings and they most commonly live in Durham. Sunderland-born Jordan Henderson will find there are more Hendersons in Newcastle than anywhere else. The name derives from “Henry’s son” and he is one of 29,309 Hendersons.
article continues...

 

[A wilding]

15 hours ago, DaveSumm said:

Am I understanding these numbers correctly that 1.4m people presented at A&E, a record breaking figure, and of those 1.4m, 400,826 people were then admitted to hospital, a June record breaking figure? So it’s the 1m people who attended but weren’t admitted that’s the odd figure here, that’s what I’m trying to understand. I don’t exactly know what kind of medical attention that covers, I guess if they patch you up and send you on your way? Which doesn’t sound like a backlog of serious issues.

There are numerous possible scenarios that require immediate action in a hospital, but don't result in an admission. Ones from people I know:

• Getting paint stripper in one of their eyes. (Washed out with a special solution and then given the all clear.)
• Breaking a bone. (Set and plastered and they were then sent home.)
• Breaking a catheter they had in, which needed replacing before their bladder burst.
• A stomach complaint resulting in them being sent away with a prescription, but they then needed to phone 999 12 hours later, resulting in them being picked up by ambulance and admitted then.

While some of these cases are happenstance ones that can be assumed to happen at a reasonably steady rate, many are related to ongoing conditions or treatment. I would guess that a backlog means that there are more and worse occurrences of the latter.

[mormont]

Based on the extensive experience of an A&E consultant I know, I think the biggest category is missing:

- Drank way too much, passed out/vomiting, brought in by worried friends who can't get a response. Flush out system, send home. 

I have a feeling those might have increased recently.

[Derfel Cadarn]

9 minutes ago, mormont said:

Based on the extensive experience of an A&E consultant I know, I think the biggest category is missing:

- Drank way too much, passed out/vomiting, brought in by worried friends who can't get a response. Flush out system, send home. 

I have a feeling those might have increased recently.

Sunburn too, I suspect, goven tecent good weather and preference for outsoor meetings dur to covid

[Pebble thats Stubby]

5 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

Now here's some "pointless patriotism" I can get behind: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/09/whats-in-the-england-teams-names-english-heritage-explains-all

 

 

Just looked myself up.  Duly - only 191 of us mostly in Colchester.   Means "from meadow" .  But my far more common maiden name  Moore  "This Surname does not currently appear on the flag.  This surname contains all surnames in England with over 100 occurances,so this name must be quite rare"

1 minute ago, Derfel Cadarn said:

Sunburn too, I suspect, goven tecent good weather and preference for outsoor meetings dur to covid

hahaha  lol.    what good weather?

[Which Tyler]

41 minutes ago, mormont said:

Based on the extensive experience of an A&E consultant I know, I think the biggest category is missing:

- Drank way too much, passed out/vomiting, brought in by worried friends who can't get a response. Flush out system, send home. 

I have a feeling those might have increased recently.

Don't forget extracting vegetables, rodetns, cleaning appliances etc etc from various... locations on the human body.

Extract, instagram, send home

[Maltaran]

1 hour ago, Pebble thats Stubby said:

Just looked myself up.  Duly - only 191 of us mostly in Colchester.   Means "from meadow" .  But my far more common maiden name  Moore  "This Surname does not currently appear on the flag.  This surname contains all surnames in England with over 100 occurances,so this name must be quite rare"

hahaha  lol.    what good weather?

I think Scots have a slightly broader definition of what counts as good weather

[Derfel Cadarn]

53 minutes ago, Zlatan Ibrahimaltvic said:

I think Scots have a slightly broader definition of what counts as good weather

It’s been between 15 and 20ish celsius here!

Heatwave! 

[Hereward]

146 of us, also mostly in Colchester. 

[williamjm]

3 hours ago, Hereward said:

146 of us, also mostly in Colchester. 

Apparently there are 127 with my surname, most commonly in Cambridge although I can't say I've met any others here.

I'm a bit surprised it's that many for a Scottish surname that's rare even in Scotland.

[Which Tyler]

13 minutes ago, williamjm said:

Apparently there are 127 with my surname, most commonly in Cambridge although I can't say I've met any others here.

I'm a bit surprised it's that many for a Scottish surname that's rare even in Scotland.

I'm a special little flower with "only" 12,434 namesakes; unfortunately mostly in Romford!

Norman, English, Welsh, Irish: locative name perhaps from a French hamlet named with Old French barri ‘rampart’, later applied to a settlement below the rampart of a town;

[williamjm]

6 hours ago, Pebble thats Stubby said:

But my far more common maiden name  Moore  "This Surname does not currently appear on the flag.  This surname contains all surnames in England with over 100 occurances,so this name must be quite rare"

I tried that and apparently there are 97676 of you, most commonly in Norwich.

[BigFatCoward]

22 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

I'm a special little flower with "only" 12,434 namesakes; unfortunately mostly in Romford!

 

Your surname is 'Slag'?