People are demanding Matt Hancock’s resignation after damning BBC report on PPE

Matt Hancock


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On 27 April, an episode of BBC‘s Panorama lifted the lid on the ongoing scandal of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS workers. Its findings were damning. Medical professionals and caseworkers are literally dying as a result of government failings. The following morning, doctors led the call for health secretary Matt Hancock to resign. Yet it barely caused a ripple in the establishment media.

Has the government failed the NHS?

The investigation asked Has the Government Failed the NHS? The answer: Yes.

And this news comes as the UK honours over 100 healthcare workers who’ve died, so far, from coronavirus (Covid-19).

The programme revealed a shambolic catalogue of failings. For example, government promises on delivering “a billion items” of PPE are misleading.

the government is counting items you might not think of as PPE such as: cleaning equipment, waste bags, detergent, and paper towels. More than half the items are surgical gloves. And in most cases, each individual glove is counted rather than pairs.

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) provides the government with advice on pandemics. In June 2019, it advised the government to stockpile surgical gowns. This didn’t happen. Gowns are now in critical demand.

Panorama also discovered “that millions of FFP3 respirator masks are unaccounted for”. Allegedly, there were 33m “on the original 2009 procurement list”. But only 12m FFP3 masks have reached NHS workers.

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It also revealed that many healthcare workers feel silenced, but some doctors decided to speak out. One said:

We’ve been put on the frontline… but without frontline protection… We’ve been… sent to battle without any of the resources we need to fight it.

Following the programme, doctors led calls for government accountability and Hancock’s resignation:

“Drenched in guilt”

Unsurprisingly, many people felt angry about the findings Panorama exposed:

Others, meanwhile, criticised the lack of establishment media coverage of this crisis:

“The darkest times”

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) surveyed doctors between 22-23 April. in a previous survey (1-2 April), 22% couldn’t access adequate PPE. In the next survey, this went up to 26.5% of respondents. Commenting on these results, RCP president Professor Andrew Goddard said:

We’re living through the darkest times the NHS has ever faced and this survey shows the reality of the situation facing hospital doctors at the moment.

The lack of PPE remains their biggest concern and it is truly terrible that supply has worsened over the past three weeks rather than improved.

And yet according to Politics Home, the morning after Panorama screened, Hancock “disputed” these results and defended the government’s actions. He also said:

The guidelines do say that in some cases PPE can safely be re-used and that’s a good thing because PPE is in global short supply.

So our health secretary not only disputed evidence coming from frontline doctors, he defended the government’s proven failings on PPE. Hancock’s now telling people doing their best to save lives that they should recycle what little PPE exists. That’s how twisted this government is. Meanwhile, the UK is on track to record the second largest global death toll from coronavirus.

Featured image via YouTube – Guardian

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    1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk
      Link to post 29.4.2020
      ////
      Firstly, Boris is this payment a Tory Govt propaganda
      Stunt (or bribe) to get more signing up to the N.H.S.
      front line areas for Virus outbreak yes or no?
      //
      Families of health staff who die of coronavirus,
      to get £60,000 pay outs (clarity need here)
      //
      To Boris/Hancock/ Whitty/Cummings
      All involved in N.H.S. matter + funding.
      Some Questions + point I wish looked at plus respond to
      As a taxpayer + free voter of this Country.
      //
      Q-1 Is this payment just for front line staff within the N.H.S. serves working in our Hospital yes or no?
      P-1 What about the staff on front line in Fire/Ambulances/
      Medics on board/Police do they get this cash help yes or no?
      //
      Q-2 Dose this big payment include any pension cash the staff member may have saved up privately,
      in their time working for the N.H.S. ONLY (over years) yes or no?
      P-2 I ask this question because of Tory Govt handling of wasp’s women’s pension cash money you withheld (raided) from them.
      Will you be withholding (raiding) the front line N.H.S. staff privet pension savings when they die yes or no?
      //
      Q-3 Will this death payment only be paid out ONLY if the N.H.S. staff member as worked on the front line when P.P.E.
      was not available to them because of Tory Govt failing. Yes or no?
      P-3 Is this payment to stop family member suing the Tory Govt run N.H.S. trust for the loss of loved one on,
      the front line that died because of NO P.P.E. equipment from day one of Virus outbreak in place yes or no?
      //
      Q-4 Boris will the family members of the rest of front-line staff in over public area like police/fire/ambulance drivers/medics,
      on front line call out jobs on motor- bikes Be entitled to this payment yes or no?
      P-4 As N.H.S. front-line staff are public worker so are Fire/Police/some ambulance driver/Medics on bikes that come,
      to our home to help us all out with ailment or crimes committed should they not get this cash payment as well Boris yes or no?
      Finally!
      This is just 4 things about this cash payment that Tory Govt needs to come clean on also address fully to us voter/taxpayers,
      where is the cash coming from to pay out this large amount of cash separately to all the N.H.S. front line staff you Tory Govt?
      failed in the first place by not having No P.P.E. equipment in place for them all from day one.
      when the family member receives this cash payment for their loved one death will they have to sign up,
      for Not suing the Tory Govt or N.H.S. trust in any future time frame before they get paid out Boris/Hancock/Whitty/Cummings yes or no?

      Report comment

      1. NEW– Update 8.13 am 29.4.2020 –This post as been sent by email to some parties in Govt (H.O.Commons plus Boris and our local Tory M.P. Andrew Stephenson for Mr. Stephenson + Boris to respond too let’s see if they do resident of Pendle/Colne –And our herd working N.H.S. front-line staff in our area of Lancashire/Pendle/Colne. —-SORRY forgot the hard-working CARE Homes staff + them in Old people’s homes as well in our local areas SORRY –SORRY AGAIN forgive please.

        Report comment

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