“We have a clear plan that we are now working through,” the prime minister Boris Johnson declared to the elderly and the clinically vulnerable, moments after warning them that many of them would die if they did not self-isolate against the coronavirus. “The government will do all we can to help you and your family during this period,” he vowed.
It’s all in the words. These are reminiscent of Johnson’s first address to the nation as prime minister last July, when he announced that he “had a clear plan” to tackle the crisis in social care. Eight months later, details of his plan remain elusive. This is important, as we know that Covid-19 has the frail and those with underlying health conditions in its sights.
After 10 years of austerity, neither the NHS nor social care is in a fit state to help those whose lives depend on a fully-funded public healthcare system. In Italy, more than 10,000 people have died after contracting the virus. Medical staff are so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Covid-19 patients they’ve had to restrict the use of ventilators to the under-65s.
We should expect to see a similar situation emerging in the UK, as poor planning and sustained, chronic underfunding of key public services has left the NHS short of around 180,000 intensive care beds, 30,000 ventilators, 10,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses. Meanwhile, social care is short of 120,000 staff.
Johnson has labelled himself a “wartime prime minister” and has called for a collective national effort. But channelling Churchill and invoking the ‘blitz spirit’ will only take you so far when seeking to halt the advance of a lethal virus if your healthcare system is in tatters. China, Singapore and South Korea were able to suppress the virus within months because they carried out extensive testing and contact tracing, and imposed strict quarantine measures early on. They also have healthcare systems that are fit for purpose.
One would hope that once the UK has managed to contain this public health crisis, politicians of all hues will commit to proper, sustained investment in core public services, so that when the next pandemic arrives, doctors will not be put in the position of deciding which critically ill patient receives lifesaving treatment and who goes without.
