The Government’s pilot on testing families with loved ones in care homes fails to meet the urgency or the scale of the task. I spoke to BBC Radio 4 Today about the new pilot programme – listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.
National
We WILL show families we care this Christmas – but is it too little too late?
The Daily Mail are campaigning to ensure families can reunite with loved ones in care homes this Christmas. This is a vital campaign which I urge everyone to back. We’ve been calling for the Government to make families with loved ones in care homes a priority for testing since June, […]
Let them hold hands: a heartbreaking picture of Britain’s chaotic care home visiting rules
The Daily Mail today launched their Christmas campaign, to get families reunited with their loved ones in care homes before Christmas. There simply isn’t enough time for many of those living in care homes to wait and watch for a pilot scheme or another set of guidelines, we need action […]
Liz calls for urgent action to allow families to visit care homes
During a debate in Parliament today, I once again called on the Government to take urgent action to ensure that all families can start safely visiting their relatives in care homes. Labour has been calling for a single family member to be treated like a key worker and have access […]
Boris Johnson told to boost pay for hundreds of thousands of struggling carers
Age UK’s latest report shows the immense sacrifices that care staff have made throughout this pandemic. We need a long-term plan for the care workforce as part of wider reforms to tackle the crisis in social care. The Prime Minister must bring forward a plan to reform these vital […]
Care home visits advice impractical, say charities
New care home visitor guidance has been published by the Department of Health and Social Care. I do not believe this guidance is good enough. Many care homes simply won’t be able to comply with the Government’s requirements, and so in reality thousands of families are likely to be banned […]
Liz calls on Government to protect Healthcare rights for patients after Brexit
Today, I called on the Government to protect the healthcare rights of patients travelling in the EU after Brexit. Without these vital protections, people who are on holiday or are visiting an EU member state for business will no longer be able to access free healthcare and will have to […]
Government throwing ‘lit match into a haystack’ by discharging Covid patients to care homes
I spoke to The Independent about the news that some care homes have been asked to identify whether they are able to accept Covid-19 patients. Care homes have been under huge amounts of pressure throughout this pandemic. In particular, many were asked to accept Covid-19 patients who had not been […]
Liz meets with Women’s Budget Group
Today I met with the Women’s Budget Group – an organisation monitoring the impact of government policies on gender equality. We discussed the work they have been doing on social care, and their recent research on creating a caring economy. We agreed that care is vital to recovering the economy, […]
Devastating toll of coronavirus lockdown on older people laid bare in report
Age UK have published a series of studies highlighting the devastating toll that Covid-19 and the first lockdown has had on the elderly. As infections increase, it is vital that everything possible is done to keep older people safe and well this winter. The Government need to urgently fix […]
Fifth of care home residents have not had Covid test since May
I spoke to LBC about the Data Analysis Bureau’s latest study, which suggests that a fifth of care home residents have not been tested for Covid-19 since May. We need to sort the testing system for our care homes, for our residents and for staff. Of all the places you would […]
Liz calls for a circuit break on Peston
Boris Johnson’s failing Test and Trace system means that the virus is once again out of control, with infections increasing and hospital admissions climbing. That is why we need a circuit break on the virus and a circuit break on policy, to fix the problems with test, trace […]