Yesterday, I met with families with relatives in care homes who had been locked out by the pandemic. Some of them have not seen their loved ones in almost a year. We all know that our loved ones need protecting against this awful virus. But it is hard to see […]
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 […]
Reports from the Care Quality Commission show that in the last month, 40% of care homes inspected in England are ‘inadequate’, with some failing to put even basic infection control measures in place. Ministers must look at these reports as a matter of urgency – they will be very worrying […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]