• Medical director of Newcastle Hospitals FT warns against “nanny state” approach to lockdowns
  • Andy Welch said focus should be on protecting the vulnerable rather than ‘massaging stats’
  • North East will be put under local lockdown following rise in cases

The medical director of a major North East hospital trust has warned a ‘nanny state’ approach to local lockdowns could “merely prolong the pain” of the covid-19 pandemic.

Andy Welch, medical director of Newcastle Hospitals FT, said lockdowns and restrictions should be used to protect NHS services, “not to massage stats”, and the focus should be on protecting the vulnerable.

His comments come as the region faces local lockdown to stem the rise in covid-19 cases. On Wednesday 16 September, cases in the region rose by 278.

In a now-deleted tweet, Mr Welch said: “Let’s focus on protecting the vulnerable and be cautious about going into nanny state mode for all.

“This virus isn’t going away – restrictions can merely prolong the pain.”

Mr Welch was responding to news that seven North East councils have asked the government for powers to impose tougher restrictions in the region.

The new restrictions in the North East will include a 10pm curfew for hospitality and entertainment venues, health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed today. Affected areas are Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham. 

In an updated tweet, Mr Welch added the local measures “certainly can only be better than national intervention”.

Another of his tweets criticises as “nanny state in action” a case of a school year being required to self isolate after a child being found covid-19 positive. 

Newcastle Hospitals FT declined to comment when approached by HSJ.

 

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Source

Twitter

Source Date

September 2020

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