So this weekend, I decided to put a thread together which I hoped would reassure the patients served by my NHS Trust in east London. It seems to have caught the mood. Some reflections. A thread on a thread...
https://twitter.com/rupert_pearse/status/1307242471789912065
As I write this, yesterdays thread has close to 1 million impressions. Other metrics equally extraordinary and roughly 2500 people have followed me in less than 24 hours. Which is a lot for me! It makes me think that many people are finding simple objective facts hard to come by.
I have been humbled by the number of kind messages and thanks for what the NHS is doing. I am so grateful but I, and most others I know, consider it a privilege to care for you as our patients. We aren't heroes - we really are just doing our job.
Some feedback, suggested I was over-optimistic. I hope not. I am genuinely worried but I also think we need to stay calm. At times like this, simple information can make people feel much better - even if some of the news is bad. My fundamental message is we all need to #staysafe.
One thing which does seem to vary between hospitals is access to SARS CoV2 testing for NHS staff. I have messages from colleagues I trust who feel more could be done. To be clear, staff testing is vital to ensure the COVID free 'green zones' are the safe havens our patients need.
Many people highlighted that usual NHS services are not functioning as normal. You are quite right and I didn't intend to suggest that. Our work is much slower because of infection controls. But hospitals are open and we have worked very hard to make them safe for you.
Others asked if they should even bother going to hospital, for themselves or sick family members. The answer is a definite YES. Your decision to go to A&E should be no different now than before. It is vital that you come to hospital if you need to. We will swab you if needed.
I would like to take a moment to give a shout out to our wonderful colleagues in primary care (GPs and their teams). They have a really tough job at the best of times and it has been much harder this year. Please be understanding of the particular strain on that part of the NHS.
There is talk in the news about tightening restrictions again. Where I live in south London it looks like there are too many people out, and they are mingling too much. The more virus is out there the more risky social contact becomes. I will be taking much more care from now on.
Lots have asked about various drugs we pinned our hopes on to cure/prevent COVID-19. Many are hopelessly optimistic about this. One or two of these drugs may help. None will completely cure/prevent this disease. Good basic medical care is the most important life saving measure.
Some responses had a political slant. I guess everyone tweets with an audience in mind. Mine was not to influence politicians. In a crisis like this, the first responsibility of doctors is to inform the public. Tempting (and easy) to be critical - but we should ask: will it help?
Finally, I sense a need to control the messaging from the very top. Perhaps understandable but it cannot prevent dissemination of simple objective facts. Information voids will be filled with conspiracies and nonsense. We can prevent this by sharing simple, honest information.
I will try to tweet most days. Sorry if I cannot answer every question. There have been quite a few. I am so proud of your amazing effort during an awful year. Please keep it up and #staysafe! Leaving you with another lovely shot of @teamaccu in the first wave from @jometsonscott 
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