Displaying items by tag: NHS

Britons may be unable to travel to some parts of Europe for their holidays once lockdown restrictions are eased, due to the government's decision to use a different contact tracing app from the one being used elsewhere. On 4 May the UK launched its app to trace coronavirus, which has been developed by NHSX, the digital arm of the NHS. They are testing the device on the Isle of Wight as they step up their preparations to ease the curfew. The NHSX smart app works on a different system from the Apple and Google one being used by many European countries, making the two systems incompatible. This leads to fears that if contact tracing becomes mandatory for international travel, UK citizens will be required to go into quarantine for fourteen days on arrival.

99-year-old Captain Tom Moore pledged to walk 100 laps of his garden just after hip surgery - and just before his 100th birthday (on 30 April) - to raise money for the NHS. He captured the hearts of the nation and raised over £28million for hospital sleep pods and ‘wobble rooms’ where staff can release emotions after a traumatic experience. Wellbeing packs for staff, described as ‘Hug Boxes’, provide mental health support for staff and volunteers involved in dealing with the pandemic. Electronic tablets will be available for patients in isolation, enabling contact with families. The money raised will go to NHS Charities Together. Later in the year Captain Tom will be awarded a Pride Of Britain Award at an awards ceremony.

Smartphones and social media have connected families who are separated in lockdown. They have also generated a blizzard of dangerous fake news. In Bradford online posts of non-white patients being left to die in hospitals are being shared thousands of times among black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities. One reason for the high number of deaths in this people group is that they often live in densely overcrowded housing. Many have diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease - all high risk factors. Dr John Wright of Bradford Royal Infirmary said, ‘I know from my work in African epidemics that where there is fear and panic, and patients become isolated from their families, it doesn't take long for rumours and fake news stories to start circulating. We have noticed that some patients are scared to be admitted, and some want to self-discharge, because they think doctors are trying to kill them.’

At the time of writing, Boris Johnson is still in hospital, but out of intensive care and 'responding to treatment' after contracting coronavirus and not improving in isolation at home. The Archbishop of Canterbury urged Britain to pray for Boris and thanked the NHS in the country's fight against coronavirus. Boris is being closely monitored by a top lung doctor and his fever has eased while he remains clinically stable. He has been sitting up in bed and engaged positively with the clinical team, although not yet working. He can contact those he needs to as lockdown rules are discussed at this critical time. The NHS medical director warned, ‘Now is not the time to become complacent’. Downing Street hopes that Boris is over the worst of the infection. Pray for health and God’s healing to touch his body. Pray for God to impact his immune system.

London Prayer has launched a new initiative called 'Pray for NHS'. People wanting to pray for the NHS are invited to text 07857051229. They will then be invited to join a group. The group sends out a daily prayer update with targeted points based on information received from London medical staff and other sources. NHS staff will also use the number to submit urgent prayer requests. The founder of London Prayer said ‘I'm so thankful for the work that the NHS is doing, we want to see them supernaturally enabled, strengthened and equipped. There has to be a partnership between the Church and people of prayer to stand behind frontline workers – putting our hands prayerfully upon their backs to ensure the line that they are holding in terms of treatment is held.’ This London initiative will go further, as people in Southampton, Birmingham and Manchester have enquired about organising the same initiative in their areas.

Billionaire Hans Rausing is donating £16.5 million towards supporting NHS staff and volunteers. £5 million will pay for packs of food and necessities to be distributed to the isolated vulnerable and the cost of travel, parking, and accommodation for volunteers. The chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said that the £5 million grant is the single biggest donation from a family or individual in their appeal. The current donation follows a £2.5 million grant by Mr Rausing last week which he pledged for bodies including the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Over the next six months a further £9 million will be donated. Meanwhile we can pray for NHS Charities Together as they provide immediate support to the well-being of the NHS staff, who are at the forefront of this national emergency.

It has taken just one week to build Britain’s first coronavirus field hospital, in London’s Dockland. It will treat up to 4,000 previously fit and healthy people struck down by coronavirus. London patients in need of intensive care but with the best chance of survival will be taken to the Nightingale hospital, which has been constructed inside the ExCel arena. For a time-lapse viewing of the conversion progress, click the ‘More’ button. Please pray for God to fill the building with His peace. May every patient referred there know His comfort, as the divine physician and healer of the sick watches over every bed. Pray for every nurse, doctor, paramedic and auxiliary to have the protection and the stamina that comes from heaven, and ask God to give wisdom and discernment to every doctor as they make life and death decisions.

Hospitals in London are facing a ‘tsunami’ of coronavirus cases and are beginning to run out of intensive care beds. Chris Hopson, of NHS Providers, said that while critical care capacity had been expanded, hospitals in the capital had seen an ‘explosion’ in demand. A third of the UK cases have been diagnosed in the city. Staff absence rates due to infection are at 30% to 50%, as hospitals desperately struggle with wave after wave of seriously ill patients. Mr Hopson said an extra 4,000 beds soon to be available at London’s ExCel centre will be used up very quickly in the peak, which is two or three weeks away. From April all routine operations will be cancelled for three months, and as many patients as possible will be discharged from hospital. These two measures could free up 30,000 of the 100,000 hospital beds in England alone.

NHS field hospital sites in Scotland will be identified ahead of a predicted rapid rise in coronavirus cases. Chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said, ‘We have had quite detailed discussions very recently and I know that there are sites being considered.’ Referring to comments by the vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine that the dramatic explosion in coronavirus case numbers in London could be replicated in Scotland, she said, ‘Unfortunately, he is absolutely right. We have people with mild illness, which we know 80% of people will experience - but up to 20% of people will have a much more significant illness.’

We must continue to look to God and pray that people would not become unduly fearful. Pray that the coronavirus will not have any negative effects on the preparations for, and progress of, many Christian and secular Easter celebrations across the country. When times are at their worst, Christians should be at their best. We saw glimpses of this in China. Christians facing state-sponsored persecution are out in the streets giving out masks and sharing the love of Christ with their non-believing neighbours. That behaviour comes from knowing that this world belongs to God, and that He is able to wipe away every tear from our eyes. The government is advising hospitals to carry video-based patient consultations, and is moving towards the ‘delay - second stage’ to slow the spread of the virus. Pray that their precautions are successful, and that no further action ‘stages’ will be needed.