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It's frustrating that all the valid criticism of SAGE and the scientific leadership of the UK (frankly they should all resign) is blunted by blatant propagandis

It's frustrating that all the valid criticism of SAGE and the scientific leadership of the UK (frankly they should all resign) is blunted by blatant propagandising over austerity and wider political beef. I cannot see the link between austerity and the disastrous herd immunity policy yet all of these articles in respected medical journals bring it up. These are supposed to be academic journals, not newspapers. It totally undermines their point by making them look politically motivated.

arethuza 6y ago
Looking at the graphs in this article there does seem to have been a fairly dramatic change in spending on the NHS as a percentage of GDP after 2010 or so: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/70-years-of-nhs-spending https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/70-years-of-nhs-s...
- tompccs 6y ago
  I'm not arguing about whether or not there were cuts in NHS spending or whether or not austerity was a bad policy. I'm asking what it has to do with the recommendations of a government committee made up of independent scientists. Why is this so hard to understand?
  - arethuza 6y ago
    The article seems to be covering the overall response by the UK health system - which would be made up of the capabilities of the NHS and how it was guided at a strategic level by SAGE and the government. Doesn't seem contentious to me that if the NHS has had the investment it perhaps deserved over the last 10 years then this might have contributed to a less than ideal overall performance?
DanBC 6y ago
Austerity meant the UK went into the pandemic with fewer nurses and fewer ICU nurses; fewer doctors and fewer intensivits; fewer ICU beds; fewer vents; less PPE, less testing; less capacity to ramp up testing; worse logistic supply; worse social care; worse nursing care; worse long term care for people who recover; worse safety nets for people who have short or long term illness as a result of covid-19; and a brutal benefits system for the people who lose their jobs as a result of covid-19. Public Health is a function of local authorities (not the NHS), and local authorities have had their funding slashed and that has been seen in the difficulties in test, track, and trace. We're not even able to test everyone who needs a test. We certainly can't track and trace people.

arethuza 6y ago

Looking at the graphs in this article there does seem to have been a fairly dramatic change in spending on the NHS as a percentage of GDP after 2010 or so: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/70-years-of-nhs-spending https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/70-years-of-nhs-s...

tompccs 6y ago
I'm not arguing about whether or not there were cuts in NHS spending or whether or not austerity was a bad policy. I'm asking what it has to do with the recommendations of a government committee made up of independent scientists. Why is this so hard to understand?
- arethuza 6y ago
  The article seems to be covering the overall response by the UK health system - which would be made up of the capabilities of the NHS and how it was guided at a strategic level by SAGE and the government. Doesn't seem contentious to me that if the NHS has had the investment it perhaps deserved over the last 10 years then this might have contributed to a less than ideal overall performance?

DanBC 6y ago

Austerity meant the UK went into the pandemic with fewer nurses and fewer ICU nurses; fewer doctors and fewer intensivits; fewer ICU beds; fewer vents; less PPE, less testing; less capacity to ramp up testing; worse logistic supply; worse social care; worse nursing care; worse long term care for people who recover; worse safety nets for people who have short or long term illness as a result of covid-19; and a brutal benefits system for the people who lose their jobs as a result of covid-19. Public Health is a function of local authorities (not the NHS), and local authorities have had their funding slashed and that has been seen in the difficulties in test, track, and trace. We're not even able to test everyone who needs a test. We certainly can't track and trace people.