Which are the designated Ealing vaccination surgeries?
If Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccines are to be Injected at GP Surgeries Starting by 14 December 2020: Which are the Designated Ealing Vaccination Surgeries?
After delivery of doses of the vaccine to some of the eight designated GP surgeries in Ealing, each surgery will have just 3.5 days to vaccinate priority patients (elderly care home patients, care home staff and those over 85 years old). Apparently MHRA, the regulator, has approved a solution to splitting the vaccine packs of 975 doses. As soon as vials of the vaccine have thawed, assemblers have 12 hours to pack them, label them and transport them to care homes. This might help in getting vaccine doses to Ealing’s 50+ care homes.
The local NHS body which purchases healthcare services in Ealing is the Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group (ECCG). As of 7 December 2020 there was no information on the ECCG web site as to where and when the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccinations would take place in Ealing. Ealing Council, which has statutory Public Health responsibilities, has not issued a news release about where and when. Nothing on its web site either.
None of the 10 Acute and specialised NHS hospitals in north west London have been designated as one of the 43 Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine hub hospitals across England.
The NHS Covid-19 web site however states:
‘You will be contacted when it’s your turn’.
So that’s OK then.
Ealing’s Covid-19 New Case and Infection Rate Numbers Continue to Fall
For the week of 21 to 27 November 2020, 598 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Ealing and Ealing’s infection rate was 175/100,000 people. This was a reduction from the previous week’s rate of 190.5.
(Public Health England)
The NHS ‘111 First’ Service Went Live Nationally on 1 December 2020
111 First mandates that most Accident and Emergency (A&E) visits are preceded by a telephone triage of the urgently sick or injured to determine if visiting an A&E is appropriate. If it is, the call handler books an A&E appointment for the patient. This arrangement assumes that NHS hospital A&Es are over-crowded. Anecdotal evidence locally suggests otherwise.
A whistle-blower called Louise Hampton recently visited Ealing Hospital A&E and Hillingdon A&E on a Friday evening at 9pm and 10pm respectively. Both departments were virtually empty. Others have had similar experiences in recent weeks. Louise worked for months as a health advisor call handler for 111 calls emanating from north west London, Bristol and Birmingham. When Covid-19 struck in March 2020 calls to what had been a very busy 111 call centre reduced to a trickle. This sitting around and doing not very much with her fellow call handlers went on for months. She discovered that many callers did not have Covid-19 symptoms and were terrified about visiting a hospital. If the latter was/is the case nationally why hasn’t NHS England made significant parts of its hospitals Covid-19 free and mounted a campaign to allay patients fears about visiting A&E? Louise eventually spoke out publicly about the 111 ‘failures’ and lost her job. Some national papers have run this story but a surprisingly informative interview with Louise can be viewed under ‘The Spirit of Freedom’ at www.davidicke.com.
On a similar tack, I’ve recently visited Moorfields Hospital on the Ealing Hospital site for eye examinations for upcoming cataract surgery. I was dealt with swiftly (and impressively) as there were very few patients there. Friends who attended the hospital prior to March 2022 told me it was often standing room only in the waiting areas.
Ironically the key role that call handlers on 111 First should be doing is persuading the urgently sick and injured to visit A&E.
Ealing’s ‘Everyone Active’ Leisure Centres Re-open – Some With Limited Covid-19 Response Activity Availability
The centres are Acton Centre, Elthorne Sports Centre, Greenford Sports Centre, Perivale Park Athletics Track, Reynolds Sports Centre, Twyford Sports Centre, Dormers Wells Leisure Centre, Northolt Leisure Centre, Southall Sports Centre and the gym at Brent Valley Golf Course and Fitness Centre. More at: www.everyoneactive.com
Is it Covid-19 Holding Up the Opening of Ealing’s Five Community Managed Libraries and Eight Public Libraries?
The identities of the four organisations who would manage Hanwell, Northfields, Perivale and West Ealing Community Managed Libraries were revealed by Ealing Council in December 2019. However none of these four organisations has as yet been granted a lease to use the Council properties. Pitshanger Library, which a local community group is hoping to manage, is still closed. Of the nine Ealing Public Libraries only one is open – Ealing Central Library. All this looks somewhat odd when set against what’s happening in neighbouring boroughs. All 14 Public Libraries are open In Hillingdon. Eight of the 11 Public Libraries in Hounslow are open. Hammersmith & Fulham’s four Public Libraries are also open.
Covid-19 Response LTNs
In a move which many view as purely tactical, Ealing Council Cabinet will surely decide on 8 December to extend the public consultation period for Ealing LTNs from six months to a whole year. Is it hoping residents’ opposition to the road blocks will have evaporated by Summer 2021? Only just over eight weeks to go before a Full Judicial Review in Court on 2 February 2021 which might kill off five of the Ealing LTNs.
Covid-19 Response Drives ‘Gross Pressure’ of Over £72 Million on Ealing Council
The Ealing Council Cabinet papers for its 8 December 2020 meeting quantify some of the Council’s financial predicament. It has a 2012/22 budget gap of £27.73 million. There is a ’gross pressure’ on Ealing Council of over £72 million. It is also forecasting a cumulative budget gap for 2023/24 of £65.68 million. The author of these financial reports - Shaban Kausar, who is Assistant Director Strategic Finance – warns ‘the implications of recession for future Council income could be disastrous’.
Eric Leach
eric.alan.leach@gmail.com
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December 9, 2020
