Figures for most recent week show four more deaths in the borough
Variations in Covid-19 Infection Rates Over Time
I’ve recorded sample neighbourhood Covid-19 infection figures on 29 October, 3 November and 13 November 2020. Here they are below in this date order:
Cuckoo Park, Hanwell: 151.2, 286.9, 237.7
Southall Park: 284.1, 286.5, 318.4
Elthorne Park: 155.4, 186.5, 62.2
Four Covid-19 deaths were recorded in Ealing during the week of 3 to 9 November 2020. The overall infection rate across Ealing during that week was 233.8 /100,000
It’s very easy to check the infection rate where you live on a daily basis.
Local Mental Health Trust Has Some Empty Beds: Are People Suffering at Home?
At the West London NHS Trust Board Meeting on 11 November 2020, it emerged that its mental health beds are not at capacity. This seems odd since all indications are that Covid-19 restrictions are worsening existing mental health conditions across all age groups. Are the mentally troubled, for some reason(s), failing to present themselves to Primary, Community and Secondary mental health services?
Three Permanent Covid-19 Test Centres Now in Ealing
These are walk-in facilities at Featherstone Terrace Car Park, Southall, Gurnell Leisure Centre, West Ealing and the Michael Flanders Centre in Acton. They operate from 8 am to 8 pm. You have to book by phoning 119 or accessing this link.
Perceval House Customer Services Centre is Closed. Why?
At a time when residents (and the homeless) are struggling to survive Covid-19 Lockdown 2, now is surely the time when the Ealing Council Customer Services Centre should be open. Clearly masking, social distancing and screening would have to be enforced. Distressed people need walk-in face-to-face help.
London Councils Receive £15 Million for Accommodating Rough Sleepers
Announced on 5 November 2020, the oddly named ‘Project Programme’ will share this cash across the 32 London boroughs. No doubt Ealing will get somewhere up to £500,000.
Covid-19 Vaccinations in Ealing
At some point in the near to mid-term future Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines will arrive in Ealing. Let’s hope the Ealing programme is organised by Public Health Ealing and not nationally by a friend of Boris Johnson’s or the likes of Serco, Sitel and Deloitte.
However warning bells are already ringing according to ‘Pulse’, the magazine for GPs. NHS England wants 1,250 GP surgeries in England to each deliver 975 vaccinations each week. All GP surgeries in England are grouped into 1,250 Primary Care Networks (PCNs). These PCNS exist on paper only and there are no offices and no management infrastructure. There are 8 PCNs in Ealing (linking up 75 GP surgeries), so 8 PCN designated GP surgeries in Ealing will administer the vaccinations. The surgery will receive £12:58 for each jab. After each jab (you’ll need two of them) you’ll need to rest for 15 minutes. And there’s the small matter of thousands of vaccines being delivered to our surgeries, never mind the requirement to store the vaccines at -70 degrees C (equipment not to be found in most GP Surgeries). To add to this the vaccines need to be transported to Ealing in refrigerated lorries and special suitcases filled with dry ice. There is an international dimension to this as the vaccines are being manufactured outside the UK.
Vaccinations will have to be by appointment as the Government has laid down strict priorities (e.g. care home staff and 80+ year olds are a high priority). Each PCN does not have a shared patient booking system. Each Ealing surgery seems to have its own patient booking system. This could mean using the NHS Test and Trace booking system. We could have 80+ year olds in Grimsby being booked into a GP surgery in Ealing for their vaccination! As vaccination is not to be made mandatory will we all have to attempt to book and ‘the system’ will authorise it (or not)? No doubt we’ll all have to turn up for our vaccination with proof of age, employment and identity.
I think It’s a bad idea to dedicate 8 Ealing GP surgeries as vaccination centres. Those GP surgeries would deprive local residents of Primary Healthcare. Using Ealing Hospital is also a non-starter as it’s likely to be busy with Northwick Park Hospital overflow patients. So where then? The obvious location in Ealing is the very spacious Victoria Hall (VH) in Ealing Town Hall. For months VH has stood empty and was only recently secretly made available for a few users (at unknown prices).
And finally the timescale. A 1 December 2020 start date is being proposed by the Government. The Pfizer vaccine has yet to be approved by UK regulators. Apparently Emergency Approval is being sought in Europe during the week of 16 November 2020. So what are the chances of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccinations starting in Ealing in 15 days time? Close to zero some might say.
Five Covid-19 Response LTNs Head to the High Court
Opposition to the Covid-19 response Ealing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) continues to be substantial. A Judicial Review (JR) process is underway involving five Ealing LTNs – LTNs 20,21, 25, 30 and 35. A JR is a Court proceeding in which a Judge reviews the lawfulness of a decision or action by a public body.
A witness statement representing the views and experience of all those who have launched the JR was served on Ealing Council on 11 November 2020. Ealing Council now has three weeks to respond. The date for the High Court hearing has still to be decided.
Eric Leach
eric.alan.leach@gmail.com
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November 18, 2020
