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'I don't have faith in NHS' Carole Malone warns UK cannot cope with coronavirus epidemic


The TV presenter told Jeremy Vine she does not believe the could cope with a epidemic in the UK as she revealed GPs across the country are worried patients are getting conflicting advice from 111. Ms Malone said: “There was someone on the paper today and it was GP from Chelsea saying that she’s really worried because people who feel unwell are ringing 111.

“And these people aren’t all doctors or nurses on 111 and they’re telling people that they don’t need a test.

“How do they know? We’re getting conflicting information from people.

“And I don’t have a lot of faith in the NHS to cope.”

Carole Malone’s comments come as the Government launched a new campaign to encourage people to take simple steps to protect themselves.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: FCO warning about travel to Spain

A letter to NHS trusts has also been published telling them to ramp up their plans for tackling COVID-19, including seeing patients via video link.

In the letter, NHS strategic incident director Professor Keith Willett and incident director Stephen Groves say acute wards may be used and coronavirus patients should be separated out.

It sets out that a level 4 NHS incident has been declared – the highest level – and to date, COVID-19 has been managed as an infectious disease through specialist NHS centres.

But it says “it is now appropriate to begin to manage some patients within wider infectious disease units and, in due course if the number of cases continues to grow, we will need to use all acute units”.

He said: “For the great majority of people this will be a mild or moderate disease, anything from a sniffle to having to go to bed for a few days rather like with mild flu.

“And there are some people who will get it with no symptoms at all, but for a minority of people – and this is particular in people who are older people or people with pre-existing health conditions – the risk is higher.

“The NHS will always cope because the NHS is an emergency service which is very good at adapting to what it finds itself with.”

But he said if the UK sees a very large epidemic, “then it will put very high pressure on the NHS” and there could be “several weeks which could be very difficult” for the health service and wider society.



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