Latest news with #Covid-19Inquiry
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Covid-19 Inquiry: Disability campaigner lays out care sector issues
A Belfast woman with cerebral palsy has told the Covid-19 Inquiry that living alone in sheltered accommodation during the pandemic without direct contact with family was "really frightening".Giving evidence on behalf of Disability Action, Joanne Sansome said staff shortages in the care sector meant many of her friends were stuck in bed for days without direct Sansome, who campaigns on behalf of those with disabilities, said she stopped counting the days when she reached described how no one really explained to those with disabilities what was happening and how their lives would be impacted by the virus. The inquiry heard how Fridays soon became known as fabulous Fridays when her dad left treats for her and all those living within her sheltered accommodation including the she said the care sector was not treated the same as other areas of health care, which became visible with the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).At one point, Ms Sansome reached out to contacts at Queen's University Belfast to access PPE when staff in her home did not have enough."It was crazy at that time. I kept thinking of my friends who lived by themselves in their own homes and how they were stuck in bed for days because of the shortages," Ms Sansome told the Inquiry."There were days that you weren't guaranteed a shower or full care. Staff did their best but going forward things like that need to be planned for."Ms Sansome, who flew to London to attend the inquiry in person, described how her laptop became her visual window to the world and how it allowed her to communicate with family and friends. During the summer of 2020, she attended a daily virtual summer camp for disabled people located in America which she said she had always wanted to go to and, albeit virtually, the pandemic let her do said ensuring those with disabilities could communicate was essential and providing people with tools such as laptops should become part of any future preparation for another asked by counsel to the inquiry how disabled people were treated differently Ms Sansome said when care staff tested positive it affected the entire sheltered dwelling with everyone told to isolate, even if they tested that happened at Christmas and Ms Sansome was told by the Public Health Agency that she would have to stay alone in her apartment she rang an MLA who a result, most of her neighbours were allowed to go home to their families to eat Christmas Day 2022 (the end of lockdown rules on 19 July 2022) according to Ms Sansome was not freedom day for all as restrictions were not lifted for those who were clinically vulnerable, which Ms Sansome said was Sansome said she felt the announcement was made as an election was approaching."The cynical side of me felt it was only announced by politicians to look good," she told the inquiry. "They always said they were following the science, but I was never too sure what was science and what was political spin."
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Why having a public inquiry into Sandie Peggie-NHS Fife case would be a terrible idea
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... How we will miss it when it is over. Over the summer, the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal has been as reliable a source of comedy as any end-of-the-pier show. If only the basis for it wasn't so important and serious. We will have to await the outcome but one thing is certain, someone will call for a wider inquiry. It might be into the policy or practice but some sort of investigation will be demanded. That would involve more lawyers and expense, only to produce some recommendations which would be ignored and then forgotten. That's how things work nowadays. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Figures from the Institute for Government show that before 1997, there were never more than three public inquiries running in the UK at the same time. At the moment, there are 21 – the highest number ever. A public inquiry into the case involving nurse Sandie Peggie, seen at the Scottish Parliament, and NHS Fife might prove to be an expensive waste of time (Picture: Andrew Milligan) | PA Trams inquiry lasted nine years From the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry to the Covid-19 Inquiry, on the surface they have become the natural means of establishing the facts in matters of public interest. Alternatively, they are a handy means of kicking the can down the road. Take the long-running Edinburgh Trams Inquiry. Lord Hardie's probe into why the city's tram project was £400m over budget and five years late was started in 2014 and ran longer than the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War. It took nine years to report and cost more than £13m. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The report concluded there had been 'a litany of avoidable failures' and that 'poor management and abdication of responsibility on a large scale have had a significant and lasting impact on the lives and livelihoods of Edinburgh residents, and the reputation of the city'. When the report was finally issued in September 2023, Lord Hardie wasn't available to answer questions from the media but he did issue a 48-minute video statement on YouTube. To date, it's been viewed a grand total of 694 times. Lessons learned? Of course that is no way to measure the success of these things. We should look instead at the changes made, the individuals punished and the lessons learned for the future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What are they? The actions of some individuals were heavily criticised but no one lost their job. Instead City of Edinburgh Council said they'd already made changes to ensure the same thing couldn't happen again and the Scottish Government said: 'The inquiry took too long, was too costly and in some instances the evidence heard does not support the conclusion drawn.' So what was the point when the bungling and the hopeless duck and weave out of the way long before a conclusion and the competent have already changed things to avoid a repetition? Let's see where we get to with the Scottish Hospitals and the Covid-19 inquiries but the idea that ineptitude will be punished or processes will change feels like wishful thinking.
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Glasgow Times
NI chief medical officer rejects claim of ‘air of unreality' at pandemic's start
Sir Michael McBride said he 'failed to understand' the comments made by Eddie Lynch, the former commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland. The exchange came during Sir Michael's final appearance at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday. The long-running inquiry is currently looking at adult and residential care as part of its scrutiny of the response to the pandemic. It was put to Sir Michael that during a meeting in March 2020, Mr Lynch felt there was an 'an air of unreality', that scenes from Italy of old people dying, 'won't happen here'. Sir Michael said: 'I fail to understand those comments if I'm really honest.' He said it related to a meeting on March 13, which he described as 'part of a series of meetings which reflected the seriousness of the impending situation'. 'So in that series of meetings that day, I met with all the trade unions, I met with primary care representatives and secondary care representatives. 'I met with the Department of Communities and Local Government, and explained the evolving situation and the seriousness of this. 'This was about communicating to the system in Northern Ireland, not just health and social care, but right across other government departments as well, what we were about to face into. 'So I really don't understand any sense of unreality or lack of urgency.' Eddie Lynch, former commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland. He said he met Health and Social Care on February 11 and asked them to draw up plans for a surge, which he said he was 'fully anticipating', and had been attending meetings of Cobra, with the UK Government and Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). 'There was no sense of unreality in terms of what we were facing into at all,' he said. 'Within days, we had introduced, on March 16, social distancing, working from home, advising people not to go to pubs and restaurants. 'So I really don't understand that reflection.' Sir Michael also spoke about a shortage of Covid tests. It was put to him that in the first interim protocol for testing, which came out on March 19, frontline clinical workers were included in the priority for being tested, but not care home workers. He said: 'Frankly, we didn't have enough tests. It was simply that. 'We had just moved from the contain to the delay phase on March 12. 'We had stopped contact tracing because we didn't have enough tests to continue that, and we had to prioritise what tests we had for those people who were in hospital, either requiring ventilation like pneumonia. 'The management tried to protect individuals who may have been in contact with them in hospital, and to ensure that we were able to support those staff who were providing care for them, so it wasn't anything other than the fact we simply did not have the tests that we needed.' Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett thanked Sir Michael for his evidence. 'Whatever findings I make, I don't think anybody disputes how much pressure you and your colleagues were under and the efforts you went to to try and protect as many people as possible. 'So thank you very much for what you did, and thank you very much for your help with the inquiry.'
Leader Live
5 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
NI chief medical officer rejects claim of ‘air of unreality' at pandemic's start
Sir Michael McBride said he 'failed to understand' the comments made by Eddie Lynch, the former commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland. The exchange came during Sir Michael's final appearance at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday. The long-running inquiry is currently looking at adult and residential care as part of its scrutiny of the response to the pandemic. It was put to Sir Michael that during a meeting in March 2020, Mr Lynch felt there was an 'an air of unreality', that scenes from Italy of old people dying, 'won't happen here'. Sir Michael said: 'I fail to understand those comments if I'm really honest.' He said it related to a meeting on March 13, which he described as 'part of a series of meetings which reflected the seriousness of the impending situation'. 'So in that series of meetings that day, I met with all the trade unions, I met with primary care representatives and secondary care representatives. 'I met with the Department of Communities and Local Government, and explained the evolving situation and the seriousness of this. 'This was about communicating to the system in Northern Ireland, not just health and social care, but right across other government departments as well, what we were about to face into. 'So I really don't understand any sense of unreality or lack of urgency.' He said he met Health and Social Care on February 11 and asked them to draw up plans for a surge, which he said he was 'fully anticipating', and had been attending meetings of Cobra, with the UK Government and Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). 'There was no sense of unreality in terms of what we were facing into at all,' he said. 'Within days, we had introduced, on March 16, social distancing, working from home, advising people not to go to pubs and restaurants. 'So I really don't understand that reflection.' Sir Michael also spoke about a shortage of Covid tests. It was put to him that in the first interim protocol for testing, which came out on March 19, frontline clinical workers were included in the priority for being tested, but not care home workers. He said: 'Frankly, we didn't have enough tests. It was simply that. 'We had just moved from the contain to the delay phase on March 12. 'We had stopped contact tracing because we didn't have enough tests to continue that, and we had to prioritise what tests we had for those people who were in hospital, either requiring ventilation like pneumonia. 'The management tried to protect individuals who may have been in contact with them in hospital, and to ensure that we were able to support those staff who were providing care for them, so it wasn't anything other than the fact we simply did not have the tests that we needed.' Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett thanked Sir Michael for his evidence. 'Whatever findings I make, I don't think anybody disputes how much pressure you and your colleagues were under and the efforts you went to to try and protect as many people as possible. 'So thank you very much for what you did, and thank you very much for your help with the inquiry.'
Western Telegraph
5 days ago
- Health
- Western Telegraph
NI chief medical officer rejects claim of ‘air of unreality' at pandemic's start
Sir Michael McBride said he 'failed to understand' the comments made by Eddie Lynch, the former commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland. The exchange came during Sir Michael's final appearance at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Thursday. The long-running inquiry is currently looking at adult and residential care as part of its scrutiny of the response to the pandemic. It was put to Sir Michael that during a meeting in March 2020, Mr Lynch felt there was an 'an air of unreality', that scenes from Italy of old people dying, 'won't happen here'. Sir Michael said: 'I fail to understand those comments if I'm really honest.' He said it related to a meeting on March 13, which he described as 'part of a series of meetings which reflected the seriousness of the impending situation'. 'So in that series of meetings that day, I met with all the trade unions, I met with primary care representatives and secondary care representatives. 'I met with the Department of Communities and Local Government, and explained the evolving situation and the seriousness of this. 'This was about communicating to the system in Northern Ireland, not just health and social care, but right across other government departments as well, what we were about to face into. 'So I really don't understand any sense of unreality or lack of urgency.' Eddie Lynch, former commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland. He said he met Health and Social Care on February 11 and asked them to draw up plans for a surge, which he said he was 'fully anticipating', and had been attending meetings of Cobra, with the UK Government and Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies). 'There was no sense of unreality in terms of what we were facing into at all,' he said. 'Within days, we had introduced, on March 16, social distancing, working from home, advising people not to go to pubs and restaurants. 'So I really don't understand that reflection.' Sir Michael also spoke about a shortage of Covid tests. It was put to him that in the first interim protocol for testing, which came out on March 19, frontline clinical workers were included in the priority for being tested, but not care home workers. He said: 'Frankly, we didn't have enough tests. It was simply that. 'We had just moved from the contain to the delay phase on March 12. 'We had stopped contact tracing because we didn't have enough tests to continue that, and we had to prioritise what tests we had for those people who were in hospital, either requiring ventilation like pneumonia. 'The management tried to protect individuals who may have been in contact with them in hospital, and to ensure that we were able to support those staff who were providing care for them, so it wasn't anything other than the fact we simply did not have the tests that we needed.' Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett thanked Sir Michael for his evidence. 'Whatever findings I make, I don't think anybody disputes how much pressure you and your colleagues were under and the efforts you went to to try and protect as many people as possible. 'So thank you very much for what you did, and thank you very much for your help with the inquiry.'
