To what extent has the government policy response to the control of the pandemic-Covid19 – in England been successful? 2500 words.
Aim of this topic:
The aim of this session is to characterise the recent health policy response adopted in England to control or manage the Covid-19 epidemic and to identify the key socio- political influences which have shaped these policies to date. The overall policy proposed by the government in England to date converges with many other countries in Europe, although it required a shift in emphasis earlier on for this to happen. The policy discourse has been strongly characterised by the management of uncertainty with a renewed trust in scientific and medical advice and expertise, although the link between policy and science has loosened of late.
Along with the influence of medical scientific expertise an interplay of other powerful interests has shaped policy including NHS managers, professionals and staff, social care providers, the public, the media, the drug industry and broader commercial interests. However, the reactive nature of this policy needs to be understood within a broader socio historical context in which there has been chronic underinvestment in both the NHS and in social care over the last decade .
The Government have agreed to an independent inquiry but how will the policy be judged?
Introduction: 250 words:
-define what government policy is and introduce covid-19 pandemic to the reader and list the points of what will be discussed in this essay.
Paragraph 1: 500 words – A pharmaceuticalised policy:
Medicines for treatment- Remdesvir 9(new); Dexametasone(available on NHS) Vaccines – when will be one be ready ? who will get access to it ?
Government investment in research and development and manufacture so should be available to all but globally and who will get the vaccine, vulnerable groups, key workers.
COVID-19 vaccine development pipeline gears up Vaccine makers are racing to develop COVID-19 vaccines, and have advanced ten candidates into clinical trials. But challenges remain. Asher Mullard reports. – refernce the article attached.
Paragraph 2: 500 words: non pharmaceuticaled policy
Education eg hand washing, hands, space, face, Self-isolation and quarantine and now the new rules of banning flights is it too late??
Social distancing the rules of 2m apart, face masks –work , in households and public spaces ◦ Closure of schools etc, 3 lockdowns…
The Lockdown Laws – reference
Paragraph: 3: 500 words: Policy success vs failure
“The UK Government’s Contain–Delay–Mitigate–Research strategy failed. It failed, in part, because ministers didn’t follow WHO’s advice to “test, test, test” every suspected case. They didn’t isolate and quarantine. They didn’t contact trace. These basic principles of public health and infectious disease control were ignored, for reasons that remain opaque.
The UK now has a new plan—Suppress–Shield–Treat–Palliate. But this plan, agreed far too late in the course of the outbreak, has left the NHS wholly unprepared for the surge of severely and critically ill patients that will soon come.” ( Horton, 2020).
Paragraph: 500 words: social and economic impact
Economy damaged and in recession
The hardest hit, both in the short and longer terms, from the disruption to the economy are the increasing number of people living in precarious social and economic circumstances.
Survey evidence showed that not only had 19% lost their jobs but a significant number were or expected to have financial problems
Conclusion: 250 words
Summarise the essay and answer the question.