Medical Centre

My editorial in the British Medical Journal compares the response to Covid-19 in South Korea and the UK. Early adoption of a “test, trace, isolate and treat” strategy was the key to South Korea’s success in suppressing Covid-19. On 29 February 2020, South Korea, a country of similar population size to England, recorded 909 news cases of COVID-19. Only 55 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in England on 29 February. By mid-May, despite several weeks of a “lockdown” and although numbers had declined from the peak in April 2020, the United Kingdom was still recording over 3,000 news cases each day. The key difference between the United Kingdom and South Korea was the rapid adoption by South Korea of a “test, trace, isolate and treat” strategy whereby suspected cases were tested; contacts identified; strict isolation enforced; and free treatment given to those infected.  Read the full article in the British Medical Journal . doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2084  

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 J ournal of the Royal Society Medicine . DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076820925230

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 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X709925