Month: May 2020

Health inequalities: the hidden cost of COVID-19

My article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine discusses the wider impact of COVID-19 on health systems and the potential for changes to health services to increase health inequalities. We report a 44% decrease in emergency department attendances in England in March 2020. We must not overlook the importance of good infection control for outsourced NHS staff such as cleaners, security guards and caterers. They can acquire COVID-19, thereby putting themselves at risk, and transmit COVID-19 to patients and other NHS staff.
Read the full article in the Journal of the Royal Society Medicine.

Protecting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

My editorial in the British Journal of General Practice discusses how we can protect healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the key steps we can take include:
1. Maximise remote working
2. Implement good infection control
3. Use PPE effectively.
4. Risk assessment for staff based on age and medical history
Too many health and care workers have died and we must take urgent action to protect them. When we protect staff, we also protect patients because we reduce the risk of hospital acquired infection.
Read the full article in the British Journal of General Practice.