The figure can’t be solely attributed to disruption in care
18 Nov 2022 | Full Fact's weekly news
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FACT CHECK
British Heart Foundation comments on 30,000 excess deaths lack important context
The Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation claimed that “ongoing and extreme disruption to heart care has meant that 30,000 more families have lost a loved one” since the start of the pandemic. This view was widely repeated throughout the media.
But around 21,000 people whose deaths involved heart disease during this period died with Covid-19 as the underlying cause.
This is an important piece of missing context, because it means that disruption in care may not be the only reason why more people died with heart disease than expected. Covid itself also appears to be a significant part of the explanation.
When we contacted the BHF, the charity changed part of its online statement to reflect this.
What did the BHF claim? ([link removed])
FACT CHECK
** Some staff at NHS hospitals did take part in local strikes when Labour was last in power ([link removed])
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“There were no strikes in the NHS during 13 years when Labour was last in government” — Wes Streeting MP
We’ve found at least two examples of formal local strike action by staff working in NHS hospitals during this period, as well as one unofficial strike involving hundreds of staff. While some of the staff involved were employed by an agency to work in an NHS hospital, others appear to have been directly employed by the NHS.
In October 2005, staff working at four NHS hospitals in Newcastle held a one-day strike over the new Agenda for Change contracts, which the trade union Unison said were allowing existing staff to be employed on lower wages than new recruits. This strike reportedly involved around 600 catering staff, cleaners and porters.
In August 2002, staff working at Glasgow Royal Infirmary held a 48-hour strike over pay and working conditions. This dispute reportedly involved around 300 domestic and cleaning staff who worked in the NHS hospital (but were employed by a private firm).
We also found a report in The Times of an “unofficial strike” involving around 500 clerical and administrative staff in at least five Glasgow hospitals in November 2002. The dispute reportedly involved staff employed by the NHS and resulted in severe disruption to “admissions, theatre schedules, clinic IT and the delivery of case notes”.
We could not find any examples of nationwide disputes involving NHS staff or staff working in NHS hospitals when Labour was last in power, nor any examples of strike action involving clinical staff, as the proposed nurses strike would be.
Strikes during the Labour government ([link removed])
FACT CHECK
** Warning over alleged Christmas postal ‘scam’ is long out of date ([link removed])
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An old warning involving a now-disconnected premium-rate phone number is circulating online. It says that a card might be put through your door advising you to call a phone number about a missed delivery. When you call this number, supposedly you will be immediately charged £315.
The phone number in question was once in operation—but was shut down in 2005. Under Ofcom rules, people who ring an 09 number now could not be charged anywhere near £315 for a one-minute call.
The Phone-paid Services Authority limits the maximum amount that can be charged on any premium-rate phone line. The cost will vary slightly with different phone companies, but the maximum charge for a one-minute call nowadays would likely be closer to £10.
Postal scams ([link removed])
FACT CHECK
** Iran hasn’t sentenced 15,000 protesters to death ([link removed])
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Misleading claims that Iran has sentenced 15,000 protesters to death have been shared by celebrities, the Canadian Prime Minister and tens of thousands of social media users—and continue to circulate widely online.
Although it was reported that the majority of Iran’s parliament recently signed a letter in favour of harsh punishment (which could include the death penalty) for those involved in recent protests, this does not mean that around 15,000 people detained during the protests will be executed as a result. Sentences can only be handed out by the judiciary, a separate branch of the government.
While claims that 15,000 protesters have been sentenced to death are inaccurate, at least five death sentences are known to have been issued in the past week and thousands more protesters have been detained and are yet to face trial.
How the claim spread ([link removed])
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