Care delays kill more children than virus
MORE children died after delayed medical treatment in lockdown than lost their lives to coronavirus, research by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health suggests.
Eight children in Britain under the age of 17 have died from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to the Office for National Statistics.
However, seeking medical help too late was a contributory factor in the deaths of nine children, analysis has uncovered, and the true figure is likely to be higher.
A survey of 2,433 paediatricians by the college found that one in three who dealt with emergency admissions reported seeing children turn up later than usual for diagnosis or treatment. Experts fear that the “Stay at
Home, Protect the NHS” message made parents anxious about taking children to hospital.
Nine children died of cancer, sepsis (blood poisoning) and metabolic disease in the fortnight before the survey.
Dr Shamez Ladhani, a paediatric infectious disease consultant at St George’s Hospital in London and chairman of the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit at the RCPCH, said: “Nine cases is a lot.
“We have had fewer deaths in children from Covid than kids not accessing medical care, and that is a real concern.
“Parents were worried their family would catch the virus and thought everything was closed because of the outbreak, and because they were told to stay at home, and they didn’t want to disturb the healthcare system.
“They were genuinely trying to be helpful, but the fact that one in three consultants saw a delayed presentation is an indication of how big the problem is.
“Deaths are the worst outcome you can have but there are a lot of concerns, such as referrals for cancer investigations going down.
“How many more people have not come in? People need to realise they can, and should, access healthcare.”
Attendances at A&E fell by 57 per
‘Parents were worried their family would catch the virus and thought that everything was closed’
later admitted she had been “instructed” to take down both tweets, despite agreeing a clarification with Sir Keir’s office, but had waited to speak to him before taking further action.
However, her version of events was challenged by senior Labour sources, who told The Daily Telegraph that party officials had spent hours attempting to get Ms Long-bailey to delete her posts.
Shortly after 3pm, Sir Keir’s office confirmed Ms Long-bailey had been dismissed, adding that “anti-semitism takes many different forms and it is important that we all are vigilant against it”. Figures close to Sir Keir had previously expressed frustration over Ms Long-bailey’s approach toward schools reopening, with the Prime Minister accusing Labour of remaining silent. However, they insisted the issue was not linked in any way to her dismissal.
Last night a senior shadow cabinet source said the decision would lead to the “Corbyn Left uniting against Keir” but insisted it was necessary to “reset the bar” after five years under Mr Corbyn. “Keir is being absolutely clear that we are not having anymore of this stupid, horrible, anti-semitic nonsense,” they added.
Jonathan Goldstein, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “We saw significant action from Sir Keir Starmer in ensuring there is zero tolerance for anti-semitism within the Labour Party.” Last night a Labour source denied that Sir Keir had rejected meeting members of the Socialist Campaign Group of Left-wing MPS over the sacking. The group comprises former frontbenchers, among them Mr Mcdonnell, as well as Mr Corbyn himself.