La Pandemia en el Reino Unido

Date
2021-02
Authors
Ruane, Sally
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
DOI
Volume Title
Publisher
FADSP
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Like many other countries, the UK was not prepared for the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. The early policy response was flawed and the seriousness of the threat appears not at first to have been appreciated. The NHS and care system were unprepared and hospital capacity was quickly stretched to the limit with most non Covid-19 patients needing elective care being required to wait longer for their care. Early mistakes were made around the discharge of patients into residential homes and the danger of Covid-19 to residents of care homes was not at first understood. The public health system was fragmented following legislation in 2012 which split it into three parts and this undermined the coherence and effectiveness of the public health response. The test and trace capacity available at the start of the pandemic was inadequate and the new test and trace system created in late Spring/Summer, on a national and largely privatised basis, failed to interact adequately with local public health departments and supply the necessary data in a timely way. The pandemic has exacerbated and made more visible socio-economic inequalities and the death rate has been severe, including among residents of care homes. High levels of public compliance with restrictions in the early stage of the pandemic gave way to lower levels of compliance in later months. The pandemic experience points to the importance of a coherent and well resourced public health system in pandemic preparedness and the need for new initiatives to be properly integrated into existing structures,
Description
open access journal
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Covid-19, UK policy response
Citation
Ruane, S. (2021) La Pandemia en el Reino Unido, La Salud, 159, pp. 32-39.
Research Institute
Institute of Health, Health Policy and Social Care