Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[tsubaki]

The average starting salary for a paramedic is roughly comparable to the starting salary of a truck driver. Average training time for a paramedic is 4 years. Average training time for a truck driver is 2 months.

That's your problem right there. Healthcare suffers from Baumol's cost disease, and with our ageing population the demand for care services is rocketing, which requires an ever growing workforce, but there's no money to pay decent salaries, which coupled with the high stress levels and general lack of appreciation means burnout is incredibly high. Indeed, around 1 in 5 paramedics will develop PTSD in their lifetimes. Would you do it?

At a minimum, the government should look to reduce (ideally, eliminate) student debt payments for medics. Say after 15 years (20 years for a doctor) in the NHS, thats your debt wiped out. They'd probably save money just by keeping people in the profession rather than having to pay for so much agency cover.

PFI within the NHS is also a scandal that far more people should be aware of; until that is fixed extra money poured in by any government will always pour straight back out of it into the pockets of those spivs.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

At a minimum, the government should look to reduce (ideally, eliminate) student debt payments for medics. Say after 15 years (20 years for a doctor) in the NHS, thats your debt wiped out. They'd probably save money just by keeping people in the profession rather than having to pay for so much agency cover.

PFI within the NHS is also a scandal that far more people should be aware of; until that is fixed extra money poured in by any government will always pour straight back out of it into the pockets of those spivs.

We're in an age where we're both living longer and are largely succumbing to chronic conditions that are brought about by poor lifestyle choices. It's a situation that's ripe for rethinking healthcare more towards keeping us well than fixing us when we're sick, but it's practically impossible to do any kind of meaningful change when the system is barely keeping its head above water already.

Of course, we as a population don't really help matters either. Borough Market this morning has signs at every entrance asking people to be considerate and slip a mask on. I bet fewer than 10% actually bothered, and yet the World Health Organisation was on the radio again only this morning saying pretty [Poor language removed] basic things like putting a mask on in crowded spaces would help to relieve the immense strain our health systems are under, but it's too much hassle for people that were probably clapping them 18 months ago.

 

[peteblue]

The average starting salary for a paramedic is roughly comparable to the starting salary of a truck driver. Average training time for a paramedic is 4 years. Average training time for a truck driver is 2 months.

That's your problem right there. Healthcare suffers from Baumol's cost disease, and with our ageing population the demand for care services is rocketing, which requires an ever growing workforce, but there's no money to pay decent salaries, which coupled with the high stress levels and general lack of appreciation means burnout is incredibly high. Indeed, around 1 in 5 paramedics will develop PTSD in their lifetimes. Would you do it?

There is a confusion between paramedics and ambulance drivers. Paramedics are what it says on the tin and should be sent to life threatening calls. Many ambulances just transfer people to hospital without the need for ‘blue lights’ or paramedic skills. The same thing happened within nursing and other public bodies like the police, where the requirements changed to having to possess degree qualifications. Mostly unnecessary. We are over complicating jobs when there is no need. The driver of an ambulance requires little more training than a driver in charge of a large lorry…..

 

[maccavennie]

When I log onto this it doesn't mention 40+ yet, yet I can get all the way through to booking an app. I'm worried though if I book it now and they turn me down when I get there.

 

[MikeH72]

Would you want staff treating you without PPE? Without washing their hands? There are already over 650,000 hospital-acquired infections per year in England, which result in over 20,000 deaths per year. Given the shortage in beds mentioned earlier, those infections account for 5.6 million occupied hospital bed days per year at a cost to the NHS of over £2 billion. So yeah, infection control is kind of a big deal.

Source btw https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/1/e033367

Being vaccinated doesn’t stop you catching the virus though.

 

[BlueToff]

The average starting salary for a paramedic is roughly comparable to the starting salary of a truck driver. Average training time for a paramedic is 4 years. Average training time for a truck driver is 2 months.

That's your problem right there. Healthcare suffers from Baumol's cost disease, and with our ageing population the demand for care services is rocketing, which requires an ever growing workforce, but there's no money to pay decent salaries, which coupled with the high stress levels and general lack of appreciation means burnout is incredibly high. Indeed, around 1 in 5 paramedics will develop PTSD in their lifetimes. Would you do it?

I know it is mate, my mate works for them and he's on £21k, it'll go up year on year but still. It's mad. It definitely needs raising.

 

[BlueToff]

Being vaccinated doesn’t stop you catching the virus though.

Tbf though Mikey, i'm in complete agreement that vaccines should be mandatory for front line staff in the NHS and public services. Your job is to deal with, and keep people, safe. You should have every extra line of protection available for yourself.

 

[BlueToff]

It was obviously prioritised, but still 11.5 hrs is just nuts.

completely mate, when my dad got knocked off his bike on a Sunday morning in Leeds city centre a few weeks back the wait for an ambulance was 2 hours

 

[LinekersLegs]

When I log onto this it doesn't mention 40+ yet, yet I can get all the way through to booking an app. I'm worried though if I book it now and they turn me down when I get there.

Been widely communicated that Javid have given the go ahead to 40+, hopefully they change the text on the website to reflect that over the weekend and you can book with more confidence!

Britain to extend COVID booster rollout to over-40s

Britain's COVID-19 booster vaccine rollout is to be extended to people aged between 40 and 49, officials said on Monday, in a bid to boost waning immunity in the population ahead of the colder winter months.

www.reuters.com

 

[maccavennie]

Been widely communicated that Javid have given the go ahead to 40+, hopefully they change the text on the website to reflect that over the weekend and you can book with more confidence!

Britain to extend COVID booster rollout to over-40s

Britain's COVID-19 booster vaccine rollout is to be extended to people aged between 40 and 49, officials said on Monday, in a bid to boost waning immunity in the population ahead of the colder winter months.

www.reuters.com

As soon as its confirmed I'm booking 4 boosters. I'll be like a Saturn Rocket with all my boosters

 

[Tigger]

Would you want staff treating you without PPE? Without washing their hands? There are already over 650,000 hospital-acquired infections per year in England, which result in over 20,000 deaths per year. Given the shortage in beds mentioned earlier, those infections account for 5.6 million occupied hospital bed days per year at a cost to the NHS of over £2 billion. So yeah, infection control is kind of a big deal.

Source btw https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/1/e033367

It is, but regular testing an already under staffed organisation is surely better than bulleting them all in a time of need.

 

[Huyton Layne]

So I'm getting the booster then? Graphs seem to want me to do it. 1st of May was my 2nd jab

 

[Billy Dean]

I've ordered 3 of the day 2 tests from randox and none of them have arrived on time. After the first one I always put the flight date a week earlier so that even when they were 3 or 4 days late they arrived before they were needed. Not ideal though.

I was back on blighty twice recently and used www.testingforall.org. Worked fine both times. Test was delivered to me on time and I got my results back quickly

 

[Billy Dean]

Being vaccinated doesn’t stop you catching the virus though.

Having an airbag might not stop you crashing your car but you’d probably be grateful you had it if you did.

 

[Wizard]

Having an airbag might not stop you crashing your car but you’d probably be grateful you had it if you did.

It's incredible that after so long dealing with this some people can't understand the simplest of facts about it.