Thread by @DrDomPimenta, I did Google it ( I like referenced facts) from July:https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/chart-of-the-week-the-direct-health-and-care-costs-of-covid-19-so-farIt's very [...]

I did Google it ( I like referenced facts) from July:
https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/chart-of-the-week-the-direct-health-and-care-costs-of-covid-19-so-far

It& #39;s">https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/... very interesting. £31bn extra spent on pandemic,

£15bn on PPE
£10bn on Test and Trace
£1bn on ventilators
£5.5bn on private sector care and vaccine R&D and misc.

Let& #39;s look closely: https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/status/1316454258552827904">https://twitter.com/JuliaHB1/...

£15bn spent on PPE:

£11bn has been awarded since April.
A major court case is under way to find out where £3bn of this fund has been spent and why so much hasn& #39;t produced any PPE: https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/government-legal-case-coronavirus-private-contracts-711916">https://inews.co.uk/news/poli...

Government faces court battle over £3bn of 'missing' private Covid contracts

MPs and lawyers have launched legal action against the Government over 'missing' spending on contracts for PPE

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/government-legal-case-coronavirus-private-contracts-711916

£10bn on Test and Trace.
This isn& #39;t the & #39;NHS& #39; at all, but an entirely outsourced operation.

Operation: Dido Harding.
Contact tracing > SERCO > 29 subcontractors.
Calls > SITEL.
Logistics: Deloitte> SERCO/G4S/Mitie/Sodexo
Testing > Randox
App > Failed
2nd App> Google/Apple

And already generating very poor value for taxpayer money:

Deloitte consultants paid extortionate amounts:
https://www.cityam.com/government-paying-test-and-trace-consultants-equivalent-of-1-5m-salary/

£11m">https://www.cityam.com/governmen... on a failed test and trace app:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/test-and-trace-app-cost-uk-government-11million-a4474386.html

And">https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/t... repeated failures: https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/coronavirus-test-taste-nhs-uk-19049328">https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-w...

Failure to record almost 16,000 confirmed cases branded 'shambolic'

The technical issue means that daily totals from the Government's dashboard have been lower than the true number

https://www.cityam.com/government-paying-test-and-trace-consultants-equivalent-of-1-5m-salary/

£1bn on ventilators:

Actually https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-government-spent-569-million-on-ventilators-for-the-nhs-but-many-havent-been-used-12085241">https://news.sky.com/story/cor... £569m on 30,000 ventilators, which have yet to be used.

While this is welcome, we haven& #39;t spent anything on more beds, staff, or space to run them.

Coronavirus: UK government spent £569 million on ventilators for the NHS but many haven't been used

The UK has a stockpile of 30,000 breathing machines to help with a second wave.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-government-spent-569-million-on-ventilators-for-the-nhs-but-many-havent-been-used-12085241

£5bn on the private sector:

Again useful to have extra capacity, for example in cancer care: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rutherford-health-and-equitix-set-up-nhs-diagnostic-centres-m9gf3lvhf">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/r... which is Prof Karol Sikora& #39;s company.

But again, this isn& #39;t the & #39;NHS& #39;.

Rutherford Health and Equitix set up NHS diagnostic centres

A cancer care specialist has struck a £55 million agreement with an infrastructure investor to develop new diagnostic facilities.Rutherford Health and Equitix plan to establish up to five new

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rutherford-health-and-equitix-set-up-nhs-diagnostic-centres-m9gf3lvhf

In fact it would seem there has been remarkably little from this budget actually spent on NHS staff, beds, training, and given we already had 100,000 missing staff, a £6bn infrastructure backlog, a £3bn capital deficit and the worst waiting lists on record, seems odd.

Anyway, that& #39;s Google for you. Full of facts.

As we run full tilt, no thanks to some commentators, into a second wave, perhaps we can continue to support the healthcare workers who will be continuing to bear the brunt of whatever strategy we decide upon.

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