The NHS Confederation, which represents organizations across the healthcare sector, has accused No. 10 of “abandoning any interest” in the pandemic, despite a new wave of Omicron pushing into an already overbearing NHS. “The brutal reality for staff and patients is that this Easter in the NHS is as bad as any winter,” said Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation. We have no plan to live with Covid, we have an ideology of life without restrictions. Matthew Taylor “But instead of the understanding and support that NHS staff received in 2020 and 2021, we have a government that seems to want to wash its hands of responsibility for what is happening in public view of local services up and down the country. No. 10 has apparently abandoned any interest in Covid. “NHS leaders and their groups feel abandoned by the government and deserve better.” Taylor later told BBC Breakfast: “In our view, we do not have a plan to live with Covid, we have an ideology of living without restrictions, which is different. We need to take the necessary steps to try to ease the pressure on our health services as long as this virus continues to affect [it]. » He said ministers should reiterate advice promoting mask use on public transport to try to reduce the number of infections and, consequently, demand for the NHS. “We need to renew the call for people to get vaccinated and boosted vaccines – there are still a lot of people out there who are not aware of the vaccines they could get,” he said. “We have to supply the health services. Right now, for example, the health service is providing free examinations for its staff, which it has to do because staff absences are really high in the NHS because of Covid. But the NHS has to pay for these tests. Therefore, we must put the resources. “Because we act as if this pandemic is over, but it is not over in relation to the challenges facing the health service.” A new wave of Omicron is putting enormous pressure on the NHS. Last week, health bosses in England issued an emergency appeal to families to help them fire their loved ones – even if they were positive about Covid-19 – saying the service had faced a “perfect storm” triggered by high demand, severe staff shortages and rapid cases. “Our concern is that there is a lack of awareness and engagement with the pressures of the health service. And it is especially noticeable in hospitals [and] in the ambulance service – but in fact it is all over the system as a whole, “Taylor said. “Although, of course, we are much better at treating Covid than in the past – fewer die, fewer people end up in the intensive care unit – it is still a disease that puts enormous pressure on health services. It adds to the already existing demand – in part in relation to the number of people awaiting treatment, which has accumulated during Covid. “So we have a situation in our health service now that is as bad as every winter, even though we are approaching Easter.” Taylor said that to make matters worse, the Treasury Department had “taken a bite out of the already very tight NHS budget”, while rising inflation meant that the NHS settlement was no longer useful. “It is no longer clear that anyone at the center of the government feels that the unfolding NHS crisis is their responsibility,” the FT said. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare told the newspaper: “The success of our vaccination and antiviral programs combined with increased public awareness of risk management means we can start living with Covid – with public health guidance and free tests focusing on groups at higher risk for the virus. “
