Originally Posted by
Nesta99
There is a balance to be had of course but a health service needs its admin sections functioning along with clinical departments or it will cease to function. There is a community risk to those admin staff even if at home as it is a pandemic and if stay at home guidelines were cover protection we wouldnt be worrying about vaccines But if people have been vaccinated who are over suspended clinics and havent been allocated to a functioning department then yes questions need to be asked. If all admin staff at the Department of Health were vaccinated then that is a big story. The Beacon Hospital incident was a disgusting incident and decision by Beacon management, there may have been some rationale if it were a local school but its was blatant abuse of position and so their service and the large amount of money that went with was quickly suspended. It may seem disproportionate or 'noise' but it was a deterrent to others. Who hand picked 20 of their teaching staff and why would be interesting and it has seriously undermined a lot of staff in that school so I hope they reap what theyve sown.
I have no particular Grá for the HSE, a very close family member needed multiple amputations as a result of negligence post partum, I have limited experience working directly for the HSE but it was enough - I have witnessed patient records being adjusted after a clinical incident, reported it, watched the behaviour after, and why i never wanted to work with the HSE regardless of how convenient it might have been. But at the same time they are something of a patsy for adverse incidents in the country. I can assure you that the HSE is no more open to errors than the NHS or even the excellently funded French health system. I can see why people would be frustrated by what is apparent delays in implementing protocols but everything in healthcare is evidence driven and it has to be! The example of masks, at face value (pardon the pun) it made sense, but consideration had to be given on whether masks could be riskier fomites, create vectors themselves, would people feel protected and drop their guard so masking up could worsen the situation. We didnt know what standard of mask was needed earlier days, with a worldwide shortage of PPE could you redirect masks away from frontline staff. Id be pretty sure looking back that any mask directive happened as supplies improved otherwise the lack of supplies can cause panic and not everyone is as rational as us LoI fans. Covering coughs by coughing in to an elbow is less about suppressing viral spread of the cough and more about not touching the face and surroundings with hands that may carry the virus (coughing in to the hand would make things a whole lot worse but our parents woudnt have known that until the evidence mounted that it was a cause of infection in itself but subtle adjustment to the elbow was better). People wearing gloves would be a disaster as the research showed that people rarely changed glove, forgot about them, never washed hands and continued to touch the face with the gloves in some belief that the gloves themselves didnt become contaminated. I have heard similar commets on the use of masks and gloves, but evidence based data eventually showed that there was an overall benefit to wearing masks, but an overall risk to wearing gloves. It takes time and not time that some people have, but you cant implement policy without the weight of evidence - otherwise a whole load of us would be suffering liver condition after popping hydroxychloroquine, I drug that I would have expected to have some net benefit tbh until the evidence suggested otherwise. If policy dictated the use of masks and evidence subsequently show little impact then the issue would be about govt concern on optics and unnecessarily wasting resources, Damed if you do damned if you dont.
Claims of Tony Holohan becoming power hungry and wasnt letting go, loving the limelight etc was unfair, considering his wifes health during their crisis. I have yet to see where NPHET have gone badly wrong and indeed it was not heeding their advice kickstarted this wave and subsequent lockdown. I think an independent enquiry in to the overall management of an unprecedented public health emergency in due course would just be good practice but not with undertones or accusations of sub par performance. If that is the case then it will be identified of not then credit where credit is due. Cartels? or coordinated strategy, consultation and joined up thinking? The breaking of rank between Govt and NPHET, where finger pointing started and undermined public confidence will be identified as failed moment and the start of this current extended lockdown, Vaccine rollout - well if the Germans, Canadians, French have difficulty as major biopharma hubs, its indicative of problems in international supply chains more than local rollout. Maybe we should have broke ranks with the EU and had a joint strategy with the UK?? We'd probably be further along with early vaccination - but id still rather be part of a 27 country bloc of 500mil people going forward than in the UK's situation. This is simply as there is a long long way to go on covid-19, AZ vaccines are drying up, questions on rates of efficacy and side effects and it very likely to be less adaptable to variants - but like everything else that will be a wait an see. The showing up of variants from India in the UK that are of much more concern than the UK and Brazil variants, coupled with the over enthusiastic lifting of restrictions where people have gathered in large number eg London's West End, could completely undo the progress mad there. Its frustrating for sure but evidence based, sure footed progress, is going to trump the race to claim to have been the saviour of a nation to save a political career. Time will tell and im finding it odd that booster jabs for NHS staff are already being scheduled and if you have one type of vaccine, prior to Christmas it will be another vaccine given.
Are you sure that the changes to AZ protocols were made without knowledge of improved supplies from Pfizer pending?!
Its all been a sh1tshow but lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater! As a people, historically, we have little reason to trust those in power, elected or privilaged, but not all that are trying to navigate through this as quickly as is deemed responsible, are malevolent, self serving types, out to get one over the masses!!!
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