This parting is no sweet sorrow

THIS Covid-19 is a truly terrible thing. Bad enough that it kills and worse that it cripples normal life. But it cuts us off from those we care about and makes no concession for illness.

My brother, who saved my life by giving his T-cells to re-build my immune system in a bone marrow transplant 15 years ago, is now into his ninth week in hospital. Never mind it is one of the best - St James, Leeds - and his specialist surgeon is also a top man but nine weeks is a very long time to be under high intervention medicine. The op itself - major elective - went well enough. It is what has followed that is a disaster. 

Of course he is institutionalised by know  - but the institution has had him lying abed for so long it hardly notices him any more. He gets the very best of everything - every device known to medicine is being deployed. The food was poor until he discovered the curries. 

But no one can visit. His wife is in Cambridge fretting daily. I am in Essex fretting daily. His children are scattered and can only join the general fret.

We have sent a card or two but more is difficult - Covid makes it so and an imposition on the staff to 'cool' everything before it is handed over if not from his 'bubble'.  

He has even had Covid. It got onto the ward! And recovered which seems incredible except the level of infection may, or indeed must, have been very low. 

So amidst all our pleasure at having the first vaccine jab and thus beginning to see some light up ahead we are in gloom for brother Roger. Yet another procedure looms on Friday. Le t us hope it works and is the last of so many. 

Praise for some but the grumble remains....

FIRST a thank you and a congratulation to the Pump House Surgery, Earls Colne for delivering the Covid-19 vaccine in well organised and pleasing manner. Well done to all including the volunteers.

But, second a bit of a grumble in effect on their behalf.

Information is power but it is also about co-operation. And withholding it can lead to unnecessary problems.

At no time in this crisis has anyone bothered to explain the real challenges facing the people charged with safely delivering the vaccine. Of course we all took as a model the 'flu vaccine, safely delivered by every surgery and pharmacy virtually.

Would it not have been sensible, Matt Hancock, our CCGs and co, to ensure we understood that this was not considered possible. At all.

What actually had to happen it appears is to take an entire surgery OUT of the front line of primary care and turn it into a vaccination centre.

And that clearly could not happen to every surgery. So here in mid Essex, where the foolish CCG failed to inform anyone of anything, the long and narrow Colne Valley and its environs posed a special problem.

Patient convenience would have set up at least two centres spaced along the 20-mile corridor from the Hedinghams , through Halstead and down to Wakes Colne.

But that would have meant two surgeries taken out of commission as primary care centres. The difficult decision, taken without so much as a word to the public, was to use only one - Earls Colne - even though this meant risky travel for a lot of people. What it did mean was, as I saw today, that a highly efficient and safe process could be instituted.

I for one have been appalled at the apparently laggard vaccine delivery progress in this part of Essex, Suffolk and other parts of the east. And I have made my feelings known. I would apologise but the failure to provide a decent level of public information is the cause and for that the CCG and others deserve a short sharp shock.

What also bothers me is that this Government during this crisis has spent an absolute fortune of our money on consultants. Could they not find any to advise on the PR aspects of this most critical public information process?