Ministers have failed to meet their promise that those vaccinated abroad but registered with a GP in England and Wales would be able to get a Covid pass. This is yet another case of ministers over-promising and then failing to deliver, leaving many people still unable to obtain a Covid […]
NHS
Government denies travel rule system is ‘rudderless’ after data body chief quits
The Head of the Joint Biosecurity Centre has now left their role during a key time for the Government’s COVID-19 response. This critical post is vacant at a time when the JBC advice is more important than ever. The government has left this crucial body without a captain as we […]
Government makes NHS Covid app less sensitive following ‘pingdemic’ concerns
The Government has allowed infections to spiral out of control, leaving hundreds of thousands of people forced to self-isolate every day, their response is not to drive down infections but instead quietly change the app that helps to keep us safe. This is yet another Covid U-turn from ministers at a […]
Patients were sent back to care homes without Covid test despite bosses’ plea
Public Health England’s report, written in October, claims that only 1.6% of outbreaks in care homes had come from inpatients who had been discharged from hospital. The analysis in this report is based on people who were tested in hospital – when the precise problem was 25,000 elderly patients were […]
Matt Hancock facing fresh questions over Covid in care homes
Guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care at the start of the pandemic did not even mention the need to test care home residents before discharging them from hospital. This didn’t change until almost a month after the country went into national lockdown. This is despite clear evidence […]
Liz visits Barley Croft pop-up vaccination centre
I recently visited a brilliant 3 day pop-up vaccination centre at Barley Croft Community Centre in Beaumont Leys. These pop-up centres are vital to ensuring all community’s get vaccinated so we can move out of restrictions as soon as possible. I would like to say a huge thank you […]
Liz visits Peepul Centre vaccination centre
Earlier this week I visited the Peepul Centre to see how the vaccination roll-out is progressing in Leicester. I’m so proud of all the staff and volunteers who are delivering the vaccine, and who are working to make it such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. With rates still high in […]
Liz calls for a better approach to economic recovery
I appeared on Politics Live this week to discuss the latest announcements on NHS pay. Since the Tories came to power, nurses starting salaries have fallen in real terms by £840 a year. By giving NHS staff a 1% pay rise, the Government is in fact giving them a real-terms […]
Liz joins ‘Pay Fair for Care’ Rally
I spoke at the Future Social Care Coalition‘s ‘Pay Fair for Care’ Rally on Wednesday. Transforming social care is one of the biggest challenges of our generation. That’s why we need all frontline care staff to get the fair pay, terms, and conditions they desperately need. 1.2 million care staff […]
Liz responds to rise in care home outbreaks in Leicester
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 […]
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 […]