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| UK may have up to 55,000 cases of coronavirus already, says chief scientific adviser – politics live | UK may have up to 55,000 cases of coronavirus already, says chief scientific adviser – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The day’s politics as they happen, including Rishi Sunak at the daily coronavirus press conference and MPs questioning the chief scientific adviser | The day’s politics as they happen, including Rishi Sunak at the daily coronavirus press conference and MPs questioning the chief scientific adviser |
| Downing Street has confirmed that the UK-EU trade talks that were scheduled to take place this week have been cancelled. Originally they were due to take place face-to-face in London, from tomorrow until Friday. The plan for the two teams to meet in person was abandoned last week, but at the time both sides said there was a chance of the talks going ahead via video conferencing. Now they have been shelved for good. | |
| Significantly, No 10 is also ruling out extending the Brexit transition - echoing what Dominic Raab told MPs earlier. (See 1.48pm.) | |
| A government spokesperson said: | |
| The final sentence in the statement refers to the fact that the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act contains a provision saying ministers must not extend the transition. | |
| Back in the health committee, Simon Stevens, the NHS England chief executive, says he wants to ban all but essential visits to hospitals during the coronavirus crisis to help hospitals cope. | |
| Boris Johnson has set up a new set of government committees to coordinate the response to coronavirus, or Covid-19. He will continue to chair the Cobra emergency committee regularly, No 10 says. There is also a C-19 meeting taking place daily. | |
| And there will be four implementation committees: healthcare, chaired by Matt Hancock, the health secretary; general public sector, chaired by Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister; economic and business, chaired by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor; and international, chaired by Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary. The chairs of those committees will attend the daily C-19 meeting. | |
| Schools across England are struggling to stay open, with some forced to partially or fully close as staff and students stay at home, while the UK remains one of only two European countries – alongside Belarus – with a policy of keeping them open, my colleagues Richard Adams, Sally Weale and Caroline Bannock report. | |
| Here is an extract from the letter sent to hospitals telling them to cancel non-urgent elective surgery by 15 April. Simon Stevens mentioned it in his evidence to the committee earlier. (See 3.06pm.) | Here is an extract from the letter sent to hospitals telling them to cancel non-urgent elective surgery by 15 April. Simon Stevens mentioned it in his evidence to the committee earlier. (See 3.06pm.) |
| This is from the Health Service Journal’s James Illman. | This is from the Health Service Journal’s James Illman. |
| Q: Will the four-hour A&E target still apply during this crisis? | Q: Will the four-hour A&E target still apply during this crisis? |
| Stevens says he would expect NHS trusts to do the right thing. That normally involves seeing patients promptly anyway, he says. But he says coronavirus will be the priority. | Stevens says he would expect NHS trusts to do the right thing. That normally involves seeing patients promptly anyway, he says. But he says coronavirus will be the priority. |
| Stevens says, as there is a slow down in elective surgery, more anaesthetists will be available to help with patients on ventilators. | Stevens says, as there is a slow down in elective surgery, more anaesthetists will be available to help with patients on ventilators. |
| Q: How many ventilators are in use now? | Q: How many ventilators are in use now? |
| Stevens says it is not just a question of using the machine. It involves a complicated procedure, with someone being being monitored all the time for 10 days. Staff have to be trained. | Stevens says it is not just a question of using the machine. It involves a complicated procedure, with someone being being monitored all the time for 10 days. Staff have to be trained. |
| Powis says the number of people on ventilators changes hour by hour. | Powis says the number of people on ventilators changes hour by hour. |
| Q: Will you give guidance to intensive care doctors if they have to prioritise between particular patients? | Q: Will you give guidance to intensive care doctors if they have to prioritise between particular patients? |
| Powis says he understands the issue. He will be working with colleagues to address this point. | Powis says he understands the issue. He will be working with colleagues to address this point. |
| Q: But doctors want guidance? | Q: But doctors want guidance? |
| Powis says he wants to work with colleagues on this. | Powis says he wants to work with colleagues on this. |
| But he stresses that he hopes the NHS will not have to get to the point where people make these choices. | But he stresses that he hopes the NHS will not have to get to the point where people make these choices. |
| Q: But if you do, will that guidance be available? | Q: But if you do, will that guidance be available? |
| Powis says he would work on that guidance. | Powis says he would work on that guidance. |
| Q: Should all staff be wearing masks, in case they come into contact with a coronavirus patient? | Q: Should all staff be wearing masks, in case they come into contact with a coronavirus patient? |
| Stevens says staff have a right to expect proper protection. | Stevens says staff have a right to expect proper protection. |
| Prof Steve Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, says guidance on this has been evolving as the coronavirus outbreak has developed. | Prof Steve Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, says guidance on this has been evolving as the coronavirus outbreak has developed. |
| Stevens says the NHS has 28m masks. | Stevens says the NHS has 28m masks. |
| Hunt says there is a story about masks having a use-by date of 2016, with a sticker on top giving an alternative 2020 use-by date. | Hunt says there is a story about masks having a use-by date of 2016, with a sticker on top giving an alternative 2020 use-by date. |
| Prof Keith Willett, NHS England’s director of acute care, says he knows about that case. The masks were tested, he says, and so the new use-by date was accurate. | Prof Keith Willett, NHS England’s director of acute care, says he knows about that case. The masks were tested, he says, and so the new use-by date was accurate. |
| Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary who chairs the committee, reads out a letter from an A&E doctor. He says it is “absolute carnage”. Doctors do not have the protective equipment, the doctors says. The doctor says the only protection he has had has been a piece of paper (ie, a mask) over his face. The doctor says he thinks medical staff will die as a result. | Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary who chairs the committee, reads out a letter from an A&E doctor. He says it is “absolute carnage”. Doctors do not have the protective equipment, the doctors says. The doctor says the only protection he has had has been a piece of paper (ie, a mask) over his face. The doctor says he thinks medical staff will die as a result. |
| Hunt says he would like a date for when these localised distribution problems will be sorted out. | Hunt says he would like a date for when these localised distribution problems will be sorted out. |
| Pritchard says these problems are being sorted out right now. | Pritchard says these problems are being sorted out right now. |
| Q: Do we have enough protective equipment? | Q: Do we have enough protective equipment? |
| Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief operating officer, says nationally the NHS has the supply it needs. But there are some distributional problems. It is not all in the right place, she says. | Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s chief operating officer, says nationally the NHS has the supply it needs. But there are some distributional problems. It is not all in the right place, she says. |
| Stevens says the NHS will need more equipment. This problem will not be resolved quickly, so there will be a need to “ramp up domestic production” of this equipment, he says. More stock will be needed in the coming months. | Stevens says the NHS will need more equipment. This problem will not be resolved quickly, so there will be a need to “ramp up domestic production” of this equipment, he says. More stock will be needed in the coming months. |
| Q: Does the modelling show that, if all goes according to plan, we will have enough ventilators? | Q: Does the modelling show that, if all goes according to plan, we will have enough ventilators? |
| Stevens says it will be easier to say once we have seen what impact the changes announced yesterday will have. | Stevens says it will be easier to say once we have seen what impact the changes announced yesterday will have. |
| He says, less than 24 hours after those measures was announced, there is still a degree of uncertainty. | He says, less than 24 hours after those measures was announced, there is still a degree of uncertainty. |