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| UK coronavirus live: London hospitals seeing 'continuous tsunami' of patients, says NHS leader | UK coronavirus live: London hospitals seeing 'continuous tsunami' of patients, says NHS leader |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of all the latest UK coronavirus developments | Rolling coverage of all the latest UK coronavirus developments |
| Co-op has announced new measures to enforce social distancing in its stores. | |
| The retailer has introduced tactics including floor markers which will define a one-metre distance throughout the store, and two-metre spacing for customer queues across its 2,600 stores. | |
| It will also aim to limit the number of customers in stores at any one time as well as reducing the number of tills open, to encourage greater distance between shoppers. | |
| Chris Whitfield, the Co-op’s chief operating officer, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our colleagues is our priority and we fully support the need for social distancing. | |
| “We have introduced a number of measures in store, which will be reviewed on a daily basis, and we thank our customers for their understanding and support.” | |
| Banks are under pressure to revise the fineprint of emergency coronavirus loans that mean business owners could be personally liable for government-backed debts.The government and banking industry have been criticised after it emerged some company owners had been told they must give personal guarantees to access the taxpayer-backed loans. | |
| The terms of the loans mean that banks can seek to seize assets owned by directors if their business fails and they cannot pay back the emergency loan. | |
| Although it is believed this would not include their personal home, banks could seize other business or personal assets including second homes. | |
| The coronavirus business interruption loans scheme is designed to offer hard-hit companies up to £5m interest-free for the first year to help support their businesses. | |
| The government has pledged to guarantee 80% of the risk of the bank loans as an incentive for banking giants to lend to those in difficulty. | |
| Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns Natwest, raised pressure on rivals including Barclays and HSBC to follow suit, after it said it would not be asking for personal guarantees for business interruption loans. | |
| According to Matt Hancock, the health secretary, more than 500,000 people have now expressed interest in joining the NHS volunteer responders scheme. Yesterday afternoon the figure was 405.000. | |
| NHS leaders are identifying staff to be imminently deployed to the new 4,000-bed temporary hospital being set up to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients. | |
| Health secretary Matt Hancock announced earlier this week that the ExCeL centre in east London would become a field hospital. The site will have two wards of 2,000 beds to cope with any dramatic increase of patients in the capital. | |
| On Wednesday, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported that leaders were “urgently” locating staff who could be posted at NHS Nightingale. | |
| An email from a London trust chief executive to staff, seen by the news service, said a response was needed within hours and accommodation would be provided to workers if necessary. | |
| It added: “The urgency in identifying staff is to allow time for training to take place before opening to patients.” | |
| Required workers at the hospital include consultants, GPs and critical care nurses, as well as non-clinical staff such as porters and administrators. | |
| The Today programme also interviewed Prof Neil Ferguson, the lead author on the Imperial College paper that persuaded the government to drastically escalate its social distancing strategy. Repeating a point he made in evidence to the Commons science committee yesterday, he said he thought the NHS would now be able to cope with the peak of the coronavirus epidemic, which he said would come in about three weeks’ time. He told the programme: | The Today programme also interviewed Prof Neil Ferguson, the lead author on the Imperial College paper that persuaded the government to drastically escalate its social distancing strategy. Repeating a point he made in evidence to the Commons science committee yesterday, he said he thought the NHS would now be able to cope with the peak of the coronavirus epidemic, which he said would come in about three weeks’ time. He told the programme: |
| London hospitals are facing a “continuous tsunami” of seriously-ill patients because of coronavirus, a health service leader said this morning. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, used the phrase in an interview on the Today programme. Commenting on the situation in London, he said: | London hospitals are facing a “continuous tsunami” of seriously-ill patients because of coronavirus, a health service leader said this morning. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, used the phrase in an interview on the Today programme. Commenting on the situation in London, he said: |
| Hopson said that, while extra capacity was being brought in - including 4,000 beds at the ExCeL centre in London’s Docklands - hospital chief executives are concerned that it will be used up “very, very quickly”. | |
| The government has ordered 10,000 ventilators to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic, billionaire entrepreneur Sir James Dyson has said. As PA Media reports, in an email to staff, the inventor said his eponymous company designed the “CoVent” at the request of Boris Johnson, and promised to donate 5,000 to the international relief effort. Dyson said teams of engineers had been working solidly on the design since receiving the call from PM 10 days ago, and the UK government had placed an initial order of 10,000 units. He added: | The government has ordered 10,000 ventilators to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic, billionaire entrepreneur Sir James Dyson has said. As PA Media reports, in an email to staff, the inventor said his eponymous company designed the “CoVent” at the request of Boris Johnson, and promised to donate 5,000 to the international relief effort. Dyson said teams of engineers had been working solidly on the design since receiving the call from PM 10 days ago, and the UK government had placed an initial order of 10,000 units. He added: |
| The company is now waiting for the design to receive regulatory approval so manufacturing can commence. | The company is now waiting for the design to receive regulatory approval so manufacturing can commence. |
| Created in partnership with Cambridge-based science engineering firm TTP, the new ventilator had to be safe, effective, efficient in conserving oxygen and portable, Dyson said. It also had to be bed-mounted, easy to use and not require a fixed air supply. The battery-powered machine has been designed for use in different settings, including field hospitals and when patients are being transported, PA reports. | Created in partnership with Cambridge-based science engineering firm TTP, the new ventilator had to be safe, effective, efficient in conserving oxygen and portable, Dyson said. It also had to be bed-mounted, easy to use and not require a fixed air supply. The battery-powered machine has been designed for use in different settings, including field hospitals and when patients are being transported, PA reports. |
| In his email Dyson went on: | In his email Dyson went on: |
| John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, wants the government and the media to name and shame companies that are forcing people to go into work for non-essential business. | John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, wants the government and the media to name and shame companies that are forcing people to go into work for non-essential business. |
| Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has been criticised by ministers in recent days for not running more services on the tube (leading to some carriages being crowded, increasing the coronavirus transmission risk). This morning he has been tweeting to say that he cannot run more services, and to thank Londoners for reducing their uses of buses and the tube this week. | Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has been criticised by ministers in recent days for not running more services on the tube (leading to some carriages being crowded, increasing the coronavirus transmission risk). This morning he has been tweeting to say that he cannot run more services, and to thank Londoners for reducing their uses of buses and the tube this week. |
| Hospital car parking charges are to be waived for all NHS and social care staff in England while they tackle the coronavirus outbreak, health secretary Matt Hancock announced last night. | Hospital car parking charges are to be waived for all NHS and social care staff in England while they tackle the coronavirus outbreak, health secretary Matt Hancock announced last night. |
| The move follows huge public support for an online petition calling on the government to suspend charges for frontline staff during the Covid-19 outbreak, which attracted over 415,000 signatures in four days. | The move follows huge public support for an online petition calling on the government to suspend charges for frontline staff during the Covid-19 outbreak, which attracted over 415,000 signatures in four days. |
| The government has now given funding to all NHS trusts in England allow charges - typically between £50 and £250 a month - at their hospitals and sites to be dropped. | The government has now given funding to all NHS trusts in England allow charges - typically between £50 and £250 a month - at their hospitals and sites to be dropped. |
| Dr Anthony Gallagher, who started the petition, told signatories: | Dr Anthony Gallagher, who started the petition, told signatories: |
| Hancock said: | Hancock said: |
| Good morning. Today we’re expecting the Treasury to release details of its plan to support the self-employed who are losing work because of the coronavirus crisis. Here is an extract from our overnight preview story. | Good morning. Today we’re expecting the Treasury to release details of its plan to support the self-employed who are losing work because of the coronavirus crisis. Here is an extract from our overnight preview story. |
| And here is our full story. | And here is our full story. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| Morning: The Commons health committee is taking evidence via video conference from Public Health England, the BMA, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and from care sector representatives about coronavirus. The hearing is not being screened live, but it is due to be broadcast on the Parliament Live TV channel at some point after 11.30am. | Morning: The Commons health committee is taking evidence via video conference from Public Health England, the BMA, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and from care sector representatives about coronavirus. The hearing is not being screened live, but it is due to be broadcast on the Parliament Live TV channel at some point after 11.30am. |
| Afternoon: Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is expected to announce details of his plan to offer income support to the self-employed at the government’s daily press conference. | Afternoon: Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is expected to announce details of his plan to offer income support to the self-employed at the government’s daily press conference. |
| At some point today Boris Johnson will also be taking part in a video-conference summit with other G20 leaders. | At some point today Boris Johnson will also be taking part in a video-conference summit with other G20 leaders. |
| We will be covering all UK coronavirus developments throughout the day. You can read all the latest Guardian coronavirus articles here, you can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here and here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. | We will be covering all UK coronavirus developments throughout the day. You can read all the latest Guardian coronavirus articles here, you can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here and here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. |
| If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow and Amy is on @amyrwalker. | If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow and Amy is on @amyrwalker. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |