Many cities in the UK including London, Birmingham and Manchester, were ravaged by the shocking levels of rioting and looting that took place a few weeks ago and are still attempting to recover. The papers 'were full of dramatic headlines and photographs of the many scenes of criminal activity. The media gave us an insight into the emotional stories of families who lost their homes to arson and small businesses that were destroyed by looters and in some cases arson, touching the hearts of the public. We saw how the great British public rallied together, forming 'clean-up' parties in various communities and how in some parts of the country, local people stood together in defiance against the perpetrators, determined to protect their properties and possessions. What we didn't hear about however, were the vulnerable people living in the targeted communities, such as those being cared for in hospices, nursing homes for older people, centres for young disabled, and those who rely on community care staff for their basic care needs such as washing, dressing and nutrition. How might health visiting and district nursing services have suffered during this time and how were vulnerable people cared for in areas at the brunt of the riots? It was also reported that ambulance crews were attacked as they tried to get to various scenes but we did not hear about how nurses and care workers in the community were affected.
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