What’s happening because of the coronavirus pandemic?

What’s happening because of the coronavirus pandemic?

What’s happening because of the coronavirus pandemic?

                                            

Cllr Chris Jones (left) Health and Wellbeing Board (Wirral Council) 11th March 2020
Cllr Chris Jones (left) Health and Wellbeing Board (Wirral Council) 11th March 2020

Last Wednesday (11th March 2020) Wirral Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board met (its meetings aren’t webcast by Wirral Council). As Leader of the Council Cllr Pat Hackett was absent, it was chaired by Cllr Chris Jones (Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health).

She agreed for an extra item to be added to the agenda for the meeting, which was an update on coronavirus (which lasted around 15 minutes) and can be watched below.

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Health and Wellbeing Board (Wirral Council) 12th March 2020 Coronavirus Update

Julie Webster (Director for Health and Wellbeing) referred to a “rising tide of people with coronavirus in the country”. She stated that it had been announced that afternoon another two cases had been announced in the Wirral who were people who had travelled from Italy.

She referred to lots of planning that had happened since WHO (World Health Organisation) had made a statement about the coronavirus on the 31st January 2020. Julie Webster stated that none of the coronavirus cases on the Wirral arose from the isolation unit next to Arrowe Park Hospital. Continuing she stated the communication messages about washing hands and not touching your face.

Julie Webster stated that people were “working hard”.

Simon Banks (Wirral CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group)) stated that on the 2nd March the Wirral CCG had had a letter from Keith Willett, who was part of the national team that had previously led on Brexit preparations, he’s the National Strategic Incident Director. That letter placed the NHS, which was reported in the media the day after on what’s called a level 4 setting – a command and control situation whereby COBRA tells the NHS what needs to happen and the NHS responds. Each organisation then established an incident management team functioning seven days a week and a single point of contact for liaison on all COVID-19 related management and to ensure there was business management and business continuity processes in place.

Acute care providers, ambulance trusts and community healthcare providers had additional asks around their response. He went on to refer to the role that the Wirral CCG has in supporting the 51 general practices on the Wirral as business continuity arrangements applied. Because they were in a tier 4 incident they’d made the following arrangements and he referred to Category 1 and Category 2 responders in the Civil Contingencies Act.

Mr Banks referred to greater demand on providers and in terms of business continuity, they were in a command and control mode and were implementing existing procedures and protocols.

Various other people then spoke on this item including Cllr Phil Gilchrist, Graham Hodkinson (Director of (Adult) Care and Health) and Julie Webster.

Since that meeting the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) from today (17th March 2020) for three months has suspended all face to face assessments with healthcare professionals for PIP (Personal Independence Payment), ESA (Employment Support Allowance), Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and some Universal Credit claims.

The May 2020 elections in this area for councillors, Police and Crime Commissioner and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayor will be postponed to May 2021.

The Grand National 2020 at Aintree has also been cancelled.

According to a study by Flexioffices on remote working, only 34% of workers in Liverpool could work from home, the amount that could varied from sector to sector with 66.67% (two-thirds) of legal professionals given the option to work remotely or flexibly, but only 14.29% of those in the education sector given this option.

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Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

6 thoughts on “What’s happening because of the coronavirus pandemic?”

    1. Thanks for that comment.

      If you mean the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting it seems councillors need to be updated with telling them what everybody knows already yes.

      But what is it you don’t know that you want to know about the topic?

  1. Just let ‘them’ try and isolate me! I’ll be damned if I let them. They can produce any draconian legislation that prohibits me going about my daily business of supping Ale in my Ale House and betting upon uncertain outcomes, and it’ll have no impact upon me. I ain’t complying. Never!
    They can send the Constable to my three bedroom semi detached, shackle me to a radiator with the instruction, ‘don’t dare come outside fatso’, and I’ll pick the lock and go about my daily business and pop down the pub.
    They can get all permanent members of the United Nations to agree on a binding resolution and draw up contingency plans that’ll involve their satellite tracking of ‘me’ that’s accompanied with a statement from the United Nations General Secretary that says, ‘ keep the bastard in his house’, and still, even then, it won’t stop me going out.
    Indeed, they can cross the line of humanity versus the State and order a cluster missile strike on me as I stagger home pissed feasting on my mixed kebab, and it’s of no concern to me. I simply ain’t complying.
    I refuse to take part in this Goebellistic style barrage of propaganda and fear just to comply with this mass social engineering programme that repeatedly tells us who to fear, what to fear and why we should be scared to death of anything ‘they’ reckon we should become scared of. Buggar them! I don’t accept or believe anything they tell us.
    Whatsmore, anyone who thinks otherwise disagrees with me!

    1. Thanks for your comment bobby47 – as ever an entertaining read!

      You are right that some people won’t comply with advice – but it’s a free country (for now)!

    2. “I refuse to take part in this Goebellistic style barrage of propaganda and fear just to comply with this mass social engineering programme that repeatedly tells us who to fear, what to fear and why we should be scared to death of anything ‘they’ reckon we should become scared of.”

      That gives me an idea…what if I wanted to make the population scared of something else? Say for instance, I wanted to make people scared of something like membership of a large trading bloc. I wonder how that would turn out…

      1. Thanks for your comment.

        If the playbook for Brexit is used to “Get Coronavirus Done” then somebody has really run out of ideas!

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