Leicester

[CheeseRolls]

This government really does have a problem with whole swathes of the public service, which it seems to view as lefty, intellectual and resistant to change. All of which may well of course be true.

It doesn't matter if it is the Home Secretary cutting herself off from civil servants who are there to stop her tripping herself up, or the Goves and Hancocks who seem to need to hold their nose before talking to certain types, the outcome is the same. They keep making mistakes.

In the indecent rush to get the number of tests up to an arbitrary self imposed target, they completely lost site of the need to analyse and understand the results. Hospitals have nicely defined catchment areas and some concept of measuring population health. I expect at the drive in test centres they have probably just counted the positives. What incentive have these outsourced operators got to do anything more? We (the taxpayer) have probably had to go back with more money and ask them to do some post code analysis. So take the test centre at the Amex. If you want to know the total number of tests and total number of positives they will have had those numbers I suspect from day one. Just IF you have to go back at a later date and work out, who came from Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex, it might take a while to do and then to check you have got it right.

But rather than get a few people on a conference call, who might have a clue how this stuff needs to work, we just bring in consultants and outsourcing partners, to discover this on the job.

 

[beorhthelm]

data is not shared widely or even with who needs it because NHS and PHE (and about every other governmental department) tie themselves up in knots over privacy. they wont share with others just in case the data can be used to identify anyone, even if it cant. then they'll sell data access to some large corporation that promise to use it in one way only and no other way (which is almost certainly possible to identify because they have other data to link...). government could tell agencies involved to release the data then find there is problems later and get crucified for it. so everyone covers arse instead of getting on with dealing with the imminent problem and deal with the side effects later.

i do have a solution if anyone from PHE is listening, to have a team in their (5000 employees) to carry out analysis and notify local authorities. no direct data shared, just report of trends. its so easy, just stupid buracracy and departmental isolation puts wall in the way of simple process.

 

[The Wizard]

This is from 10 days ago but If this infection rate (140 per 100000) covered the entire U.K. we would be having around 14000 confirmed positive cases per day, so the decision to increase restrictions in Leicester is certainly correct IMO

 

[highflyer]

Interesting. Presumably the national case numbers we see reported each day include both pillar 1 and pillar 2 though, right?

I read that whole thread yesterday (it's interesting) and I believe that both pillars are included in national level reporting, but they don't show pillar 2 at local level. There seems to be some dispute about how much information is provided to local government, and how quickly. Govt says local authorities in Leicester had the information but 'didn't have the understanding' to at (seems unlikely and an attempt to pass the buck to me) while the Leicester authorities have said they only go the information a week late - meaning the lost a LOT of time to sort it out.

 

[highflyer]

1 Many more people work in industries, where it is harder to social distance. (manufacturing and food production are not great areas for working from home). Asians are also more likely to be in public facing roles in transport, healthcare, and retail
2 Asian households are typically larger and multi-generational - bigger bubble means more opportunities to bring it in.
3 Incidence of diabetes are typically higher, as is poverty.

This is well worth reading - and quite an insight in terms of understanding what might be happening in Leicester, and where to point any blame...(hind - not poor people with few choices) Interesting parallels with the local spikes in Germany linked to meat packing factories exploiting migrant labour.

https://labourbehindthelabel.org/report-boohoo-covid-19-the-people-behind-the-profit/

 

[nicko31]

If it helps I agree with you, but I also think GCCM has a point. The wider finger pointing and blaming of all Tory voters, isn't particularly helpful.

I just struggle with the post truth, post shame world that has been created in recent years.

We have a bunch of nodding dogs in the cabinet and now the Johnson / Cummins machine wants to put political appointments in the civil service. TM's outburst yesterday in parliament demonstrated this

Sadly, I think things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better. On a brighter note at least we have an opposition asking the right questions, one day I am hopeful we will find a better course

 

[Poojah]

I read that whole thread yesterday (it's interesting) and I believe that both pillars are included in national level reporting, but they don't show pillar 2 at local level. There seems to be some dispute about how much information is provided to local government, and how quickly. Govt says local authorities in Leicester had the information but 'didn't have the understanding' to at (seems unlikely and an attempt to pass the buck to me) while the Leicester authorities have said they only go the information a week late - meaning the lost a LOT of time to sort it out.

Thanks for clarifying. Your first sentence is mildly reassuring, the remainder much less so (though not surprising).

 

[johanngull]

After all the triumphalism of the pubs reopening and "business as usual" we've seen, it would be utterly humiliating for the Government if they had to back down. I suspect if figures are being suppressed (as the above seems to suggest) this would be why.

I missed the "business as usual" triumphalist memo. I thought the gradual easing was taking us to a phase that is still far from normal for millions and millions of us.// Does not seem like "business as usual" at all.
Who said it?

 

[darkwolf666]

I missed the "business as usual" triumphalist memo. I thought the gradual easing was taking us to a phase that is still far from normal for millions and millions of us.// Does not seem like "business as usual" at all.
Who said it?

Just a question, if we were doing the opposite of gradual easing, what could we have actually done any quicker.

Doesn't seem very gradual, seems like everything at the same time - unless you run a wedding venue, nail bar or gym...

No-one in government has actually said "business as usual" but that's certainly the perception, "business as new normal"...

 

[darkwolf666]

This is from 10 days ago but If this infection rate (140 per 100000) covered the entire U.K. we would be having around 14000 confirmed positive cases per day, so the decision to increase restrictions in Leicester is certainly correct IMO

View attachment 125581

Interesting graph, where did you acquire it from?

 

[Bakero]

Interesting graph, where did you acquire it from?

I'm wondering the same as I checked the government's website and the latest weekly report covers the week 18/06 - 24/06. Nor can I find a graph with such specific local data.

 

[Hugo Rune]

This is from 10 days ago but If this infection rate (140 per 100000) covered the entire U.K. we would be having around 14000 confirmed positive cases per day, so the decision to increase restrictions in Leicester is certainly correct IMO

View attachment 125581

If I was PM and that report had hit my desk on the 21st June, I’d have locked Leicester down quicker than you could say Barnard Castle Eye Test.

 

[Is it PotG?]

If I was PM and that report had hit my desk on the 21st June, I’d have locked Leicester down quicker than you could say Barnard Castle Eye Test.

It's a shame that you aren't.

 

[Hugo Rune]

It's a shame that you aren't.

Indeed. They’d be thousands of people still alive. I’d be doing a much better job than the current one as would millions and millions of other people across our Country if they’d been given the top job. There are at least 600 MPs sitting in Parliament who would make a better leader too so let’s hope someone else gets the top job soon.