The Coronavirus is the biggest threat this country
has faced in decades – and this country is not alone. All over the world we are
seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer. Which is why the
Government is working to a scientifically-led, step-by-step action plan –
taking the right measures at the right time.
NHS staff, care workers and other medical
professionals are on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus, and I am
in awe of their dedication, skill and professionalism. Let me assure you that
ministers are doing everything they can to ensure the NHS and care workers has
the equipment and resources they need to get our country through this crisis. I
was also pleased to hear General Sir Nick Carter make his views known on both
the scale and challenges faced in delivering PPE to the frontline during the
government news conference on 22 April:
General Sir Nick Carter told the daily coronavirus
press conference at Downing Street: "First and foremost this has been a
logistic task and I would say that I think in all of my more than 40 years of
service this is the single greatest logistic challenge that I have come
across."
He said in 25 days the NHS had gone from the 240
customers they normally deliver to, up to nearly 50,000 customers, adding that
it involved creating 260,000 sq ft of distribution warehousing.
Gen Carter also said: "Our role has been
entirely in support of the heroic healthcare workers on the frontline – that’s
both the NHS and social care – with humility very much being our watchword in
the way that we give that support."
He also praised Captain Tom Moore, the veteran who
raised millions for NHS charities before turning 100: "I think everyone
would agree that Captain Tom Moore embodies the sense of service and duty
ingrained in our Armed Forces."
Gen Carter also spoke about the military
involvement in preparing mobile pop-up testing centres in a bid to roll-out
more COVID-19 testing.
He said: "We think the innovative idea of
pop-ups, rather like mobile libraries, would be a very useful way of going.
"What we are trying to do at the moment is
up-scale that idea so that we have enough capacity to get out into those areas
which are harder to reach."
He added that more Armed Forces personnel could be
deployed in the fight against coronavirus: "Between three and four
thousand of our people have been involved, with around 20,000 available the
whole time at a high readiness."
A total of 2,848 personnel are currently deployed
to assist with 73 military aid to the civil authorities (MACA) requests.
Here is the link where he made his remarks:
ENDS.
The Government has now brought together the NHS,
industry and the Armed Forces to create a nationwide PPE distribution network,
almost from scratch. This is working to deliver critical PPE supplies to every
single hospital trust every 72 hours and soon daily.
Priority drops of tens of millions of items of PPE
to Local Resilience Forums have also been arranged. The LRFs are prioritising
delivery to key frontline workers according to local need.
In the coming weeks, the Government will be scaling
up our PPE delivery system even further, including a new website allowing the
system to order PPE from a central inventory. This will mean we can track
demand in real time so we deliver according to need.
This is in addition to a 24-hour helpline that
already allows providers to request emergency drops of PPE to meet immediate
need.
All of this will help us deliver the Government's
plan to ensure PPE gets to where it is needed most: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-sets-out-plan-for-national-effort-on-ppe
Government sets out plan for national effort on PPE
- GOV.UK
To date, over 761 million pieces of PPE delivered
across the UK Full, 24/7 military operation underway to manage supply and
demand right across the UK New domestic PPE manufacturing effort with ...
The Government is not underestimating the size of
this challenge, but the Prime Minister has said he will do everything in his
power to keep healthcare workers safe as they care for the rest of society. We
know there is more to do in this area, and the full weight of the Government is
working to deliver that as quickly as possible.
In dealing with this unprecedented challenge, what
everyone must recognise is that our NHS – like any health service around the
world – only has a limited number of doctors, nurses, and specialist equipment.
This means it can only deal with so many sick people at once.
The more people that get sick with Coronavirus at
any one time the harder it is for the NHS to cope – meaning more people are
likely to die from the Coronavirus, as well as other serious illnesses.
Therefore, if we can slow the spread of Coronavirus so fewer people are sick at
any one time, we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope.
That’s why, in addition to improving the capacity
of the NHS, the Government is asking everyone to stay at home and stay safe. It
is simply the best weapon we have to slow the spread of the virus. That way we
can protect the NHS and save lives.
