Today I announced that Labour would push for the legal right for care home visits to take place. The ban on care home visits has been a scandal, and taken a terrible toll on families and residents. Tens of thousands of care home residents have been unable to receive visits […]
National
Liz responds to news that all care homes in England have been offered the coronavirus vaccine
Over a quarter of all coronavirus deaths have taken place in care homes, so it is of course good news that all care home residents have now been offered the first dose of the vaccine. However, we need to know exactly how many staff have been vaccinated, and how we plan […]
Homecare workers in England still not being tested, say families
Personal assistants work hard providing care to people in their own homes, but right now they are not being regularly tested for coronavirus. Home care workers have been at best an afterthought in this pandemic so far. Ministers must guarantee that all personal assistants are regularly tested, and that they […]
Liz commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day 2021
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, a day where we commemorate and honour the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered under the Nazi regime. We also remember the victims of genocides that have taken place since – Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. This year’s theme is ‘Be […]
Covid-related deaths up by 46% in England’s care homes, figures show
There’s been more than 21,600 deaths from Covid-19 in care homes so far, and this week alone we saw a 46% increase in deaths. We are now in a race against time – the Government must leave no stone unturned to deliver on its promise to complete care home vaccinations […]
Liz calls for social care reform in Covid-19 debate
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 […]
Ministers cannot ignore the warning signs as care homes risk being overwhelmed again
The last month has seen a really worrying increase in the pressure on care homes. We cannot protect our NHS if we don’t protect social care – and the Government must spell out what support they’re providing. I’ve written for PoliticsHome about what the social care sector needs to make […]
Liz calls for extra support for social care to manage COVID pressures
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 […]
Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes double in a fortnight as care sector is biggest source of infection clusters
There have been more than 20,000 deaths from Covid-19 in care homes. Residents and staff must be the absolute priority for vaccination, and as infection rates rise, we are in a race against time. Every means possible must be used to get the vaccine out. There needs to be a […]
Liz supports striking British Gas workers
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 […]
Liz demands action to reduce coronavirus infection rates
I appeared on Politics Live following Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday. We discussed the Government’s Christmas guidance, and changes to the tier system. The news of a vaccine is of course wonderful. However, we need practical solutions to help our infection rates go down in the mean time. Firstly, Directors […]
Liz supports calls for better dementia care
Barbara Windsor’s widower is campaigning for better dementia care as her legacy – I agree that we need urgent social care reform to make sure that people with dementia and their families can access specialist support. Over the next few years more and more families will be impacted by this […]