Smug alert: This is entirely an attack on Boris Johnson and his callous colleagues.
Last night Channel 4 revealed, based on a leaked document, that NHS England does not plan to test staff even if they have symptoms. In a deeply disturbing piece the same day, in the Guardian, one doctor reported his fears of deaths caused by hospital infections of coronavirus:
He cannot understand why the NHS will not test him or other healthcare workers who are put at risk by their work and risk infecting other vulnerable patients in turn, as well as their families. “The policy is that I don’t need to be tested and even the people who have been in contact with me aren’t going to be tested,” he said. “They are abandoning the basic principles for dealing with an epidemic, which are to test whenever possible, trace contacts and contain. Almost all individual physicians I know feel that what they are doing is wrong.” Last week, a woman of 79 was admitted to his care for an elective, non-urgent procedure. She was then diagnosed with Covid-19, which, he says, “she almost certainly acquired on our wards”. She was put on a ventilator but died on Monday night. “I’m sure she will go down as an elderly patient with underlying conditions, but she should have lived to 90,” he said. “Approximately 50 nurses dealt with her and many doctors. None has been tested. All are still at work.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/17/there-is-a-policy-of-surrender-doctor-on-uks-covid-19-failures
Last night, the Scottish Secretary said:
“In Scotland, it is our intention to test key workers including critical frontline NHS staff to ensure that the people that are so essential to managing the disease but also keeping our critical infrastructure going, are not self-isolating unnecessarily. That will be a key part of our response.”
Readers of an earlier piece here will know that the coronavirus death rate in NHS England hospitals [1 in 27] is nearly 4 times higher than in NHS Scotland hospitals [1 in 97].
Several readers have criticised my collating and publishing of this data. One called me smug, another thought I was criticising NHS England staff and another warned us that we would soon face worse because of our climate.
If there are discernible causes of this statistically significant difference then I suggest outsourced cleaning, privatisation generally, lower staffing levels and in Scotland, better political leadership.
If I worked in NHS England, I wouldn’t think the Scots were smug, I’d think ‘my’ political leaders were uncaring.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
For as long as the testing for the virus is so uneven or absent in some countries , the overall picture of the spread is very hazy . At the very least routine testing of front line health workers would provide a useful indicator for comparison as well as protecting the public .
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Just word on the ‘smug front’.
Prof James Lovelock (he of Gaia fame) in his last but one book was of the opinion that Scotland along with Canada & Siberia might not be the worst place to be post climate meltdown. Assuming one is high enough up to avoid sea rise he considered that as far as Scotland was concerned the fall in temp as Gulf Stream switched off would be largely matched by rise in ambient temperature as Global warming kicked in so the nett effect would be minimal.
With regards to South of England in particular he predicted droughts, water shortages & crop failures.
Just saying.
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YES! YES! I live on a hill!
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Good news about testing for Scottish NHS staff. Given England’s inferior staffing levels surely testing is desperately required there.
Watching Bo Jo’s Covid-19 conference on BBC, moving news feed, bottom of screen, “Scotland has 2nd Coronavirus death” . . . Nothing re. England’s 16 deaths during same time frame.
This was broadcast throught UK,
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And neither hospital-acquired
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This is a small study (from Germany), but indicators are that covid-19 is not very infectious after antibodies are being produced and it is just the first week where a person might be highly infectious. This is good information that gives health workers, and us, a good idea of when to take the most care – the 7-day self isolation guide immdiately you have a cough seems to be appropriate, and even if symptoms are present (but getting better) after that you are unlikely to be spreading. Hopefully!
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-most-contagious-before-during-first-week-symptoms
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Very interesting will share
Thanks
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The asymptomatic aspect of the disease is its most dangerous feature.
We need to be testing as many as in South Korea, thousands per day.
And next time we need to Independent so we have all the resources necessary.
Scottish NHS is devolved but Tory England controls our overall money.
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I had to phone my GP surgery this morning because I needed a repeat prescription and also because a routine 6 monthly check up was due. In the first instance, I was told that the prescriptions now go directly to a named pharmacy and I can collect tomorrow. In the second case, I cannot get my check up because the nurse is self-isolating! However, the receptionist mentioned about NHS staff needing to be tested. So, if there are plans to get it underway in Scotland, then that is excellent news.
More positively, community self-help group activity is beginning to flourish.
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I phoned GP surgery yesterday too Alasdair – the receptionists are doing a sterling job of fielding calls into type and I got good advice, and I got a GP call back much quicker than I thought (and she was good, unlike the panicky one from the week before). The GP did say that they were only getting information at the same time as us though – we were just bemoaning the ever-changing instructions on what to do when – but in a way it’s good that we are all getting updated and the info is getting out there. I hope the NHS staff testing gets done quickly as well – it’s easier to know how to behave appropriately then, and it should catch the folk without symptoms. I doubt the general population will be tested unless very ill though, so it’ll be guesswork for us (or, phone your doctor! I wonder how many appointments they could get through if 90% were over the phone,,, they could decide if they needed to physically prod something after that).
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Similar experience here , triage by phone seems to be working well for us . No hanging about in germ infested waiting rooms , business over and done with in record time .
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In Boris NHS question time just heard ‘Laura whatshername’ from the BBC when asking her questioin saying that the Scottish Gov has said they will be closing schools for 6mths until the Summer time????? Really? Taking the misinformation from the BBC to a new level or is she just thick.
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