I spoke to a number of care homes this week about the vaccine roll-out in Leicester. It’s very worrying to hear that some homes haven’t been able to vaccinate all of their residents and staff. The Government promised that all care homes would be vaccinated by Sunday, and they must deliver on this.
While it is good news that over 56,000 people have been vaccinated in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, we are still in a race against time against this virus. The rise in care home outbreaks is concerning, and I will keep raising this with the Government and the NHS to make sure everything is being done to protect our care staff and residents.
Read more in the Leicester Mercury.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner and I recently met with UNISON members in Middlesbrough and South Tyneside to hear directly from the frontline workers about the appalling pressures and challenges they face and what more needs to be done.
The Government must take immediate action to protect social care and provide local councils, care workers and families with the extra support they need to cope with the greatest pressures they have ever seen.
Yesterday I opened the General Debate on Covid-19 on behalf of the Labour Party. In this time, I raised the issue of the Government’s failure to act on social care, the pressures on carers, and the urgent need to vaccinate all care home staff and residents.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly failed to deliver promises to reform social care. While the vaccine may be a light at the end of the tunnel, we urgently need to see a plan to fix the sector.
Read my speech online on Hansard.
In the last month, infection rates in care homes have tripled. Care homes are also reporting staff absences of up to 40%, and the most recent weekly care home deaths are the highest they’ve been since May.
I asked the Secretary of State what extra support he is giving to the social care sector to manage these pressures.
I also asked whether he would publish the daily vaccination rate for care home staff and residents. The vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we need to know if the Government is on track to meet its target of vaccinating these groups by the end of January.
British Gas workers in Leicester are currently striking against threats from their parent company, Centrica, to fire staff and rehire them on worse terms.
89% of GMB members voted in favour of strike action, and I am proud to support them.
Issuing hard-working people with redundancy notices, then offering them new contracts on worse conditions, is totally wrong – Centrica must take these threats off the table, and come to a fair agreement alongside staff and the GMB Union.
I’m campaigning for more affordable housing in Leicester West – including building more social housing – and a fair deal for people who are private renters.
I’m campaigning for better services and support for older people, carers and their families, and a sustainable system for funding our NHS and social care in future.
I’m working to help your family by pressing for faster progress in local schools, more improvements in our NHS, and continued investment in children’s early years.
