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Category: Health

  • Sajid Javid – 2022 Comments on Improving Drug Treatment in Deprived Areas

    Sajid Javid – 2022 Comments on Improving Drug Treatment in Deprived Areas

    The comments made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 13 April 2022.

    This is a significant step in our commitment to rebuild the drug treatment system, save lives and level up the country.

    We’re investing a record amount in treatment services and ensuring some of the most deprived areas in England are first in line for this funding, to support the most vulnerable by cutting drug use.

    Treatment is just one element of our far-reaching strategy to better rehabilitate drug users – whether it’s helping people get jobs, creating a stable home or cracking down on supply.

  • Sajid Javid – 2022 Speech to Conservative Spring Conference

    Sajid Javid – 2022 Speech to Conservative Spring Conference

    The speech made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in Blackpool on 18 March 2022.

    Thank you for that welcome.

    I’m delighted to be with you for the new – and improved – Spring Conference.

    Even in the company of old friends,

    I know that our hearts and minds are with the people of Ukraine.

    We meet in the shadow of a global crisis

    as the storm clouds of war darken European soil once more.

    It’s difficult to express the sorrow – and the anger – that I feel

    hearing reports of mass graves in Mariupol,

    and the murder of pregnant women sheltering in maternity hospitals.

    Make no mistake:

    Vladimir Putin is a war criminal

    and a threat to free people everywhere.

    He must be held to account.

    In the face of such evil we must do what we can

    to stand with the people of Ukraine

    and support President Zelensky as he defends his home.

    I’ve placed my Department and the NHS at his service,

    flying in almost two million life-saving medical supplies

    and helping deploy an advance party of medical personnel to Romania and Moldova.

    The British People have shown extraordinary compassion,

    demonstrated by the welcome they gave 21 Ukrainian children with cancer

    when they arrived in Birmingham 5 days ago.

    It’s that kind of support

    and strength of feeling

    that prompted a British-Ukrainian man to stop me in my constituency last week

    and ask me to tell the Prime Minister that in Ukraine, he’s a hero.

    Putin’s disastrous invasion isn’t the only global crisis we’ve faced in recent times.

    This is the first time we’ve seen each other at Spring Conference, face-to-face, in 3 years.

    It’s because of the choices we’ve made

    and the extraordinary efforts of the British people

    that we are able to do so with no rules or restrictions –

    having resolved together,

    as one Nation,

    to rely on common sense

    and personal responsibility instead.

    As we learn to live with Covid

    and plan a future beyond the pandemic,

    we do so as the most open country in Europe.

    The choices we had to make were rarely easy.

    We decided to open up last summer in the face of bitter opposition

    and Keir Starmer’s campaign to keep our country under lockdown.

    This winter we rejected Labour’s demand for new restrictions,

    bolstering our defences with a record-breaking booster programme instead.

    As we lead the world in learning to live with Covid,

    we have a great deal to be proud of

    and a strong track record to defend.

    That doesn’t mean we can afford to be complacent.

    The pandemic has already consumed two years of government.

    So this year’s slogan could hardly be more appropriate:

    We’ve got to get on with the job.

    Blackpool is a suitable place to land that message.

    One of my first speeches as Health Secretary was delivered at a Community Centre

    not 10 minutes from this hall.

    I spoke about my determination to end the disease of disparity

    and ensure everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

    Covid brought these disparities into sharp focus,

    and in many cases made them worse.

    We promised real change in 2019.

    If we want to win again,

    it’s critical the scale of our ambition matches the size of this challenge,

    and that the radicalism of our solutions

    measures up to the urgency of this moment.

    Healthier communities get richer…

    and richer communities get healthier,

    we cannot level up our economy without levelling up in health.

    In this country we’re fortunate to enjoy freedom from catastrophic medical bills,

    and the certainty of knowing that the NHS

    – and the exceptional people who work there –

    will be there for us in a crisis.

    Yet even before the pandemic our healthcare system faced long term challenges:

    changing demographics and disease,

    the injustice of health disparities,

    and unsustainable finances.

    Our health budget is already larger than the GDP of Greece,

    yet this decade is likely to see the fastest pace of ageing of any from the 1960s to the 2060s,

    with many more people facing multiple long term conditions.

    I remember a 16 year old William Hague telling Tory Party Conference

    ‘It’s alright for you, half of you won’t be here in 30 or 40 years’ time.’

    Well Conference, I’m afraid to say:

    It isn’t alright for you, because, with any luck,

    most of you will be here in 30 or 40 years’ time!

    —

    The truth is that we’ve come to a crossroads.

    We must choose between endlessly putting in more and more money

    and reforming how we do healthcare.

    Between increasing waiting lists and rising taxes,

    or a healthcare revolution.

    I’m sometimes asked if Conservatives have given up on public service reform.

    Whether we’ve become some soggy social democratic party.

    I’m here to tell you that’s nonsense.

    Last week I set out a vision for comprehensive healthcare reform,

    building on our Adult Social Care Reform White Paper,

    and our plan to tackle the Covid backlog.

    The principles underpinning that agenda are simple.

    I want to prioritise prevention,

    and redesign services around patients.

    I want better performance standards,

    and freedom for front-line innovators.

    I want to put power where it belongs,

    back in the hands of patients.

    Prevention, personalisation, performance and people.

    This is how we will reform the NHS

    and bring about the biggest transfer of power and funding in decades.

    From an ever-expanding state

    to individuals,

    their families,

    and the community.

    That starts with a new emphasis on prevention.

    The NHS spends 40 per cent of its budget treating preventable conditions.

    We spend too much time on the symptoms of ill health,

    And too little time addressing the causes.

    There is no small state which isn’t a ‘pre-emptive state’.

    I want to shift our healthcare system to a new way of operating,

    One that’s about helping the whole population to stay healthy,

    not just treating those who show up asking for help.

    We need to put power back in the hands of patients and their loved ones.

    That’s why I will significantly expand the number of people with personal health budgets,

    and drive a radical acceleration in the use of personalised care.

    I will introduce a new Right to Choose for long-waiters

    because I’m interested in choice for all

    – not just the privileged few.

    Finally, any reform agenda requires a relentless focus on performance.

    When it comes to delivering affordable drugs,

    Or accessible care,

    the NHS ranks amongst the best in the world.

    In areas like cancer survival rates

    and cardiovascular disease

    we know the NHS must do better.

    That’s why I’m committed to improving leadership and management in the NHS and social care,

    starting with General Sir Gordon Messenger’s Review,

    and why later this year I will launch a new Mental Health Plan,

    a new Digital Health and Care Plan,

    and a new 10 Year Cancer Plan.

    We have come so far as a country,

    now the freest in Europe.

    We will always be the party of opening things up,

    not closing things down.

    But we have so much more to do.

    It’s our mission to deliver recovery and reform,

    with determination and purpose.

    So let’s go forward together.

    Let’s deliver for the British people.

    Let’s get on with the job.

  • Maggie Throup – 2022 Comments on New Calorie Labelling Rules

    Maggie Throup – 2022 Comments on New Calorie Labelling Rules

    The comments made by Maggie Throup, the Public Health Minister, on 6 April 2022.

    It is crucial that we all have access to the information we need to maintain a healthier weight, and this starts with knowing how calorific our food is. We are used to knowing this when we are shopping in the supermarket, but this isn’t the case when we eat out or get a take-away.

    As part of our efforts to tackle disparities and level up the nation’s health, these measures are an important building block to making it as easy as possible for people to make healthier food choices.

  • Sajid Javid – 2022 Comments on NHS Ambulances Donated to Ukraine

    Sajid Javid – 2022 Comments on NHS Ambulances Donated to Ukraine

    The comments made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 6 April 2022.

    The UK government has stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and provided them with the lifesaving medical equipment they need.

    The invasion has damaged key medical infrastructure and the generous donation of four ambulances by South Central Ambulance Service will ensure people in Ukraine can receive urgent care. It marks the first of many ambulances the UK government and the NHS is donating to Ukraine in the coming days.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments on the Health and Social Care Levy

    Rishi Sunak – 2022 Comments on the Health and Social Care Levy

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 6 April 2022.

    This Government will not shy away from the difficult decisions we need to take to fix our social care system and slash NHS waiting times. The Health and Social Care Levy will fund a third more elective care, over 17 million extra diagnostic tests and a cap on the cost of care so people no longer live in fear of losing everything to pay for care.

    The British people deserve the best health care in the world and delivering that is our top priority.

  • Sajid Javid – 2022 Comments on the Health and Social Care Levy

    Sajid Javid – 2022 Comments on the Health and Social Care Levy

    The comments made by Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 6 April 2022.

    The pandemic put unprecedented pressure on the NHS and is causing the Covid backlogs. This investment will go into tackling those backlogs and will help make sure everyone can get the care and treatment they need.

    We can’t have business as usual, which is why we are rolling out Surgical Hubs and Community Diagnostic Centres up and down the country to deliver millions more scans, checks and operations.

    This vital funding will ensure the NHS is equipped to not only reduce waiting times but also tackle the big challenges we face – from cancer to heart-disease and dementia. We will also reform the adult social care system, invest in the workforce and protect people from catastrophic care costs.

  • Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on the Health and Social Care Levy

    Boris Johnson – 2022 Comments on the Health and Social Care Levy

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 6 April 2022.

    We must be there for our NHS in the same way that it is there for us. Covid led to the longest waiting lists we’ve ever seen, so we will deliver millions more scans, checks and operations in the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’ history.

    We know this won’t be a quick fix, and we know that we can’t fix waiting lists without fixing social care. Our reforms will end the cruel lottery of spiralling and unpredictable care costs once and for all and bring the NHS and social care closer together. The Levy is the necessary, fair and responsible next step, providing our health and care system with the long term funding it needs as we recover from the pandemic.

  • Paul Scully – 2022 Speech on Long Covid

    Paul Scully – 2022 Speech on Long Covid

    The speech made by Paul Scully, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in the House of Commons on 31 March 2022.

    I congratulate the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran) on opening the debate so incredibly well, and I congratulate her, the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) and my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter)—unfortunately he could not be here—on securing this important debate on the impact of long covid in the workplace. I thank the Backbench Business Committee and all those who have taken part in the debate for their thoughtful and insightful comments.

    We heard about the ONS estimate that, in the four-week period ending 31 January 2022, 1.5 million people in the UK reported experiencing ongoing symptoms following covid. Of them, nearly 300,000 reported that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been significantly limited. It is therefore clear, as we have heard, that long covid presents a growing challenge for the workplace and more widely. The emergence of a completely new condition such as long covid is a real rarity and, much like our experience of the covid-19 pandemic itself, we must be and are constantly developing our understanding.

    We have put support in place for those suffering from the condition. NHS England has invested £224 million to date to provide care for people with long covid. It has established 90 long covid assessment services across England, which are assessing and diagnosing people experiencing long-term health effects as a result of covid-19 infection, whether they have had a positive test or are likely to have long covid based on their clinical symptoms, regardless of whether they were admitted to hospital during their covid-19 illness. The services offer physical, cognitive and psychological assessment and, where appropriate, refer patients to existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. The hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon talked about the $1 billion in the States. Not all of that has been allocated yet, while the UK is already ploughing ahead, and we are quite far ahead of other countries, including the States, in our research in the area. Of course, there is always more that we can do.

    It is clearly essential to get the right healthcare and treatment in place for individuals, for employers and for the wider economy. However, the theme of the debate is the impact of long covid in the workplace. People can suffer from many long-term health and other conditions that may affect their work. We have heard about ME, and we could talk about fibromyalgia, Guillain-Barré, Miller Fisher all those things. Indeed, there are other conditions that are not necessarily post-viral.

    Earlier this month, I gave evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee on the impact of the menopause in the workplace, and in February I responded for the Government to a Westminster Hall debate on supporting people with endometriosis in the workplace. Those are different conditions, but, none the less, they are long lasting and we need to ensure that we can get people the right treatments and adjustments. Indeed, in the case of the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Andrew Gwynne), a simple, natural adjustment made his working life so much easier, and for so many of these other conditions there are examples of small things that employers can do to keep people in the workplace. They do not have to be complicated, and they certainly do not have to be expensive.

    We believe that employers should play a significant role in supporting people with long-term health conditions to access and remain in work. That can certainly benefit individuals as well as bringing real bottom-line benefits to employers through, for example, avoiding recruitment costs and not unnecessarily losing experienced and valued members of staff.

    However, it is not sustainable for every condition to get different or special treatment. For employers, that could lead to confusion and complexity; likewise for employees. That is why the Government’s starting position is that, specifically in the workplace and in the overall framework for providing health support to employees, long covid should be treated the same as any other long-term health condition. Let me set out that framework, which, as hon. Members would expect, is a cross-departmental effort.

    The Government’s response to the “Health is everyone’s business” consultation, led by the Department for Work and Pensions, was published in July 2021. It sets out some of the measures that we will take to protect and maintain the progress made to reduce ill health-related job loss and see 1 million more disabled people in work from 2017 through to 2027.

    Debbie Abrahams

    I am listening keenly to the Minister, but the issue is that this is an infectious disease that is contracted partly as a result of exposure, and there is clear evidence that exposure happens in the workplace. It is therefore not the same as existing progressive or fluctuating illnesses; it is very much an infectious disease contracted in the workplace. That is the basis for our recommendations.

    Paul Scully

    I understand the hon. Member’s point. I am trying to set out the framework for managing long-term illness, but clearly, we still have support in the workplace for those with infectious diseases. I cited ME, fibromyalgia, Guillain-Barré syndrome and Miller Fisher syndrome, which are all post-viral infections—an infection beforehand typically leads to those other long-lasting conditions. That is why I am compartmentalising the framework, but none the less, I take the hon. Member’s point about the infections happening in the first place.

    “Health is everyone’s business” did not consult on long covid, or any other specific health condition for that matter; it looked at system-level measures to support employers and employees to manage any health condition or disability in the workplace. The measures that we are taking forward include providing greater clarity on employer and employee rights and responsibilities by developing a national digital information and advice service; working with the Health and Safety Executive to develop a set of clear and simple principles that employers would be expected to apply to support disabled people and those with long-term health conditions in the work environment; and increasing access to occupational health services, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, which, as we know, are currently underserved.

    As I said, although those measures are not long covid-specific, they are key steps in our effort to change the workplace culture around health and sickness management. That will benefit those suffering from long covid in the same way as those suffering from other longer-term health issues or disability.

    As the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw (Marion Fellows) said, we are also responsible for flexible working. We know that that policy can be incredibly helpful to those suffering from many long-term health conditions, including long covid, as they seek to manage the symptoms, some of which we have heard about today, such as extreme tiredness, insomnia, depression and anxiety. Although flexible working does not provide the whole answer, it can be an important tool for employers and employees as they have discussions about how better to balance the demands of work and life, particularly for those managing long-term health conditions.

    The consultation on flexible working introduced plans for a future call for evidence on ad hoc flexible working; we want to explore how non-contractual flexibility works in practice. I discussed that with the Flexible Working Taskforce in February. We will ensure that the role of ad hoc flexible working to support those with long covid and other health conditions—such as the menopause and endometriosis, which I have mentioned—is part of its considerations.

    Marion Fellows

    Is the Minister looking at cutting the time before someone can apply for flexible working? At the moment, they have to have been in work for quite a long while before they can do so.

    Paul Scully

    Our manifesto committed to consult on this issue. Within that consultation, we looked at a day one right to request flexible working. That is key, because it will attract people to and keep them in a good workplace. We might as well start as we are set to carry on.

    Another significant part of the cross-departmental framework is the Government Equalities Office, which is responsible for the Equality Act 2010. That is an important part of the matrix, because it may protect those with long-term health conditions from discrimination. That Act ensures that any person with a condition that meets the definition of a disability is protected, so it should not be stigmatised. The Act describes disability as

    “a physical or mental impairment”

    that

    “has a substantial and long-term adverse effect”

    on a person’s

    “ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

    We heard about that not least from the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish and during the incredibly passionate speech of the hon. Member for City of Chester (Christian Matheson), who cited the example of his family member. By the way, I know how difficult it is for an hon. Member to describe a family member who is suffering from something that we are debating, and I thank him for his personalised experience, which has informed the House and positively contributed so much to the debate.

    As I said, the disability should not be stigmatised, though some may do so. This is simply about the impairment, as we have heard loud and clear. “Long-term” is defined having lasted, or being likely to last for, at least 12 months. “Substantial” is defined as more than minor or trivial, as we have heard strongly in Members’ examples today.

    The Act makes it clear that it is not necessary for the cause of the impairment to be established, nor does the impairment have to be the result of an illness. A disability can therefore arise from a wide range of impairments. That means that any person who falls within that definition will already be protected as having a disability. That can therefore encompass some of the emerging effects of long covid, but every case will be different and should be considered on its merits.

    As well as paying tribute to the hon. Member for City of Chester, I thank the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon and ask her to pass on our regards to Andrew, Nell and Rebecca. We also heard about Julie Wells and her daughter and the caring responsibilities involved. The examples that we have had really add colour and inform the debate.

    The hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw talked about statutory sick pay. We have discussed the fact that we need to look at statutory sick pay, but this is not the time to do so, particularly while we are in the middle of the pandemic. However, we also need to look at statutory sick pay in the round. She mentioned people earning under £120 a week, but many in that situation are already in receipt of other benefits. That is what I mean about not just concentrating on one issue; we need to look at the whole person and their whole personal finance.

    In summary, we are supporting people with long-term health conditions, including long covid, by working hard on the general approach to work and health, through our response to the “Health is everyone’s business consultation”, and taking steps to make some of our employment rights work a little harder to support those balancing work with other issues and challenges. All that is underpinned by the protections against discrimination provided by the Equality Act. We must also showcase the good employers, as was mentioned by the hon. Member for City of Chester.

    Layla Moran

    If I understand this correctly, the consultation is happening and guidance will be provided more comprehensively for all longer-term illnesses. The issue particularly with long covid is that it is so new that many employers do not have a clue what it is. Will he consider suggesting a public health information campaign particularly targeted at businesses so that they know that it exists and where they can go for such guidance?

    Paul Scully

    I often talk about ACAS guidance, which, obviously, is available in this area. The hon. Lady mentioned what she saw as shortfalls in that guidance. We will always look at that to make sure that guidance is up to date, especially with an evolving condition such as long covid. I keep citing the example of ME, which, like fibromyalgia, is one of those diseases that is very poorly understood by so many people in the workplace and even, frankly, by health professionals. It will evolve and I am sure that we will able to push that information out to employers.

    I hope that hon. Members would agree that there is a wide-ranging set of actions to address long-term health issues in the workplace, whatever those health conditions are. We want to encourage a better culture around work and health, including for those suffering from long covid. I firmly believe that it is an important principle to have a single, consistent and clear approach to managing health in the workplace. It is unsustainable to have a number of different approaches for different conditions. I close by thanking everyone once again for this helpful and informative debate.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2022 Speech on Long Covid

    Andrew Gwynne – 2022 Speech on Long Covid

    The speech made by Andrew Gwynne, the Labour MP for Denton and Reddish, in the House of Commons on 31 March 2022.

    I sincerely thank the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran) for all the work she has done on this issue, and for the way she opened this debate. I also thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting it and the Members who have taken part. I thank in particular my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams), and I sincerely thank my hon. Friend the Member for City of Chester (Christian Matheson) for his kind words. It is nice to know that my experiences have helped somebody else with theirs, and I wish his family member well for the future. I also thank the hon. Member for North East Fife (Wendy Chamberlain), and my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Fleur Anderson), who is absolutely right to draw parallels with ME both in some of the symptoms and in how that community has been treated over a number of years. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon)—because he is my friend—for his kind words, too.

    As colleagues will know, not least because it has been mentioned in this debate, long covid is an issue very close to my heart. Back in March 2020, I first caught covid. That was 107 weeks and four days ago, and I am still struggling with some of the symptoms of long covid all these weeks and days later. Back then, I felt rough with covid, but to my relief I avoided a lot of the more serious symptoms we were seeing on the news and hearing from friends and colleagues at that time. It was not great, but the fact that I was not hospitalised was a blessing.

    However, when my self-isolation period ended and in theory I should have been fine to return to work, I found that I could not. I found that I was perpetually exhausted, and I could not catch my breath. I would be talking to my wife, and suddenly the words would vanish. I would try to pick them out, but I could not find the right ones. I would forget things and lose track of why I had come into a room. I would sweat as though I had run the London marathon just doing routine day-to-day things such as making a cup of tea. I felt completely terrified. My symptoms were not going anywhere, but instead evolving into something different and seemingly something permanent.

    In May 2020, Elisa Perego coined the term “long covid” to describe these persistent and wide-ranging symptoms, and I felt like a bright light had been shone on what I had been going through. We now know that over 1.5 million people suffer with long covid in the United Kingdom, and that the majority of these—989,000—say it affects their daily activities. It certainly affected mine. I am very fortunate to have a brilliant team across Westminster and in my constituency of Denton and Reddish, and they stepped up on my worst days, when getting out of bed felt like running a marathon. They made sure that my constituents were still well represented, and that I was given sufficient time to rest when needed. Listening to my body was a hard lesson, too.

    However, millions of people in this country are not as fortunate as I was. We have some of the worst sick pay provision in the OECD, and we are in an age of precarious work. In that context, long covid becomes an economic as well as a health emergency. The fact of the matter is that there has been an acute failure on the part of Government to take long covid as seriously as perhaps they should, because it is not just a health issue, but an employment and a DWP issue. The Government could and, I believe, should be doing more to encourage workplaces to better support those suffering from long covid and to enable employers to understand precisely what long covid means for their workforce.

    For December 2021 to January 2022, the most recent period we have access to, it has been shown that, of the 1.5 million people currently suffering from long covid, only 2,869 had attempted to access the post-covid assessment service. Of that tiny number, 34% had been waiting for longer than 15 weeks. Something is going very wrong. Almost 1 million people are reporting long covid symptoms that are adversely affecting their day-to-day lives, yet just a fraction are attempting to access care and only a fraction of those are actually getting it. I would be grateful if, in his response, the Minister set out what conversations he has had with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care about these figures, and what action the Government will be taking to ensure that those who have long covid can actually access the care they desperately need.

    This is actually quite crucial because, with the right rehabilitation package, work can become viable again for a proportion of those people. I want to share with the Minister some data I have received from Nuffield Health. Operating a free 12-week programme, it has so far helped over 1,900 people from across the UK to recover from the prolonged effects of covid-19, including breathlessness, anxiety and fatigue, and I am one of the 1,900 who have taken part in that free programme. Its results to date show that for 64% of people the programme improved mental wellbeing, for 39% it improved their functional capacity and for 39% it improved their breathlessness, while 35% saw an improvement in fitness and 30%—not an insubstantial number—were absent from work but felt they could return. This is not a silver bullet for all, because those are still minority figures, but I think that 30% being able to return to work with the right rehabilitation programme is quite encouraging.

    As has been pointed out on numerous occasions, 4% of the UK workforce currently have long covid. That is an extraordinarily high number of people, and it will no doubt be having an impact both on workplace productivity and on wider employment outcomes. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has found that a quarter of UK employers cited long covid as one of the main causes of long-term sickness among their staff, yet those living with long covid have had very little in the way of workplace protection.

    In my capacity as shadow Minister for public health, I have been inundated with stories of employees facing an uphill battle to have reasonable adjustments implemented in their workplaces. I have heard from doctors unable to return to work and NHS staff who have been sacked or had contracts terminated because of long covid symptoms. They are the people who carried us through the pandemic—we stood on our doorsteps for them and applauded them. We can do much better than that.

    I turn to the help that I had in returning to work. I pay tribute to Mr Speaker and the staff in the Speaker’s Office, because I am lucky enough to work in an environment where reasonable adjustments were made. When I first returned to the House in person after the summer recess, I found that I could not bob in the Chamber without becoming incredibly fatigued, and that would trigger my brain fog. After almost collapsing during a ministerial statement on Afghanistan—I had been bobbing for almost an hour—I arranged for a meeting with Mr Speaker on the basis that I could not do my job and, if I could not do a simple task like bobbing up and down, I might as well pack up and leave. Mr Speaker and his brilliant staff advised me that instead of rising on each occasion, I could simply hold up my Order Paper. That simple solution made a huge difference to my health and wellbeing. I sincerely thank Mr Speaker, and indeed you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the staff in the Speaker’s Office for being so understanding.

    However, reasonable adjustments should not just be made for Members of Parliament. The Government need to do much more to empower employees to approach their bosses and have these conversations. The problem is that, with practically zero workplace protections in place for long covid, they become incredibly difficult to have.

    The Opposition recognise the threat that long covid poses both to the health of this nation and to the British workforce. That is why we would end the postcode lottery of long covid care provision, fix the shameful state of sick pay and engage with employers to support those living with long covid. Covid has not gone anywhere, and it is profoundly irresponsible to stick fingers in ears and pretend that 1.5 million people are not still struggling. Free lateral flow testing will end tomorrow and, as a result, covid cases will rise. It will make it much harder to track the level of covid in the UK and, by extension, the number of people who may go on to develop and live with long covid.

    Layla Moran

    I am glad that the hon. Member has brought up that point. He will have heard about the difficulties that people have in accessing benefits and proving that they have long covid. People get long covid from covid, but, if they cannot get a test, how do they know if they have had covid? That makes it so much more difficult for people to prove long covid down the line and access the benefits that they deserve.

    Andrew Gwynne

    The hon. Lady is absolutely right. That is a real concern of mine, not least because I have experienced it. I was in the first wave of covid, having caught it in the weeks when the Government said, “If you develop symptoms, you no longer need to test; just go into self-isolation.” I knew that I had covid, and I know that that led to long covid, but to this day I cannot prove it because there was no routine testing available to show it. That is a real issue.

    I am incredibly worried that getting rid of free testing is a short-term decision that will have major financial and public health implications for the foreseeable future. The Government cannot turn a blind eye to a problem that is having a devastating impact on the people of this country. One of the defining lessons of the pandemic is that we do not have the luxury of dithering and delay when it comes to public health. We urgently need a cross-departmental long covid strategy. I would support that, work on it and gladly give my experience and advice to Ministers to help develop it. We need a long covid strategy, we need proper sick pay, and we need the Government to understand that they have an important role in working with business and industry to ensure that reasonable adjustments and support in the workplace become a thing for all, not just for me.

  • Fleur Anderson – 2022 Speech on Long Covid

    Fleur Anderson – 2022 Speech on Long Covid

    The speech made by Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, in the House of Commons on 31 March 2022.

    I am grateful to the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran) for securing this debate, and I reiterate what has been said by many: we understand that so many people are suffering from long covid, and it must be taken seriously by the Government. We understand the impact it is having not only on those individuals and their daily lives, but the workforce. This economic issue will continue to have a serious impact, and it needs to be addressed. I reiterate the main ask that we have and that the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus has in its very helpful report on long covid, which is for employer guidelines so that people are not at the whim and the mercy of different employers regarding understanding and support for their continuing in or returning to the workforce.

    I have come to this debate for two groups of people. One is all those suffering from long covid across the country—an estimated 1.5 million people, or 4.4% of the workforce. The other is those constituents who have been suffering from ME, who have learned many lessons from that and think they are relevant to working with those with long covid. They have been underestimated, not believed and not supported. When they have gone to their GP, they have been told the wrong advice—advice that makes their ME worse—and they have not been understood in schools, whether by young people or teachers, or by their employers, and they do not want anyone with long covid to go through the same. I have been disturbed to hear some of the evidence given to the APPG about workforce practices that are not conducive to helping people come back to the workforce and not the best for those individuals and our economy.

    A couple of my constituents have written to me. One said:

    “I have now had long covid for two years…We desperately need more investment in potential treatments. It is clear that the illness impacts the blood, autoimmune system, organs, brain and central nervous system. None of these mechanisms are being treated by the NHS so far. Treatments are being trialled in other countries.”

    There are questions being asked about the trials being conducted in other countries and what more could be done here.

    Another constituent said:

    “I contracted covid-19 at the very end of September. Like many people, I suffered mild symptoms…2 weeks on from my initial infection I was suddenly hit with a wave of long covid symptoms and was truly horrified at what was happening to my brain and body. I felt drained and broken, and…I felt as though a foreign body was inside my head—I could no longer hold even a conversation, yet alone work. For the last 7 months I have been unable to function in any sort of capacity.”

    Finally, my cousin has had long covid for a long time. He sent me a list of his symptoms: fatigue, concentration impairment, memory problems, cognitive loss, internal pain, chills and sweats, sleeplessness, sore throat, dizziness, shaking, anxiety, faintness and muscle aches. All these symptoms and impacts of long covid need to be understood by employers, by teachers and education settings, and by general practitioners and all medical workers, as recommended by the report of the APPG on coronavirus.

    I underline those recommendations and ask specifically for the urgent production of clear employer guidelines, otherwise there will continue to be an employer lottery in the treatment of people with long covid as they return to work. I ask for guidance to education settings, because many students with ME found it difficult to get understanding in order to continue with their education. We cannot have the same happen for those with long covid. And I ask for clear guidance to medical practitioners on children and adults with long covid so that everyone gets the proper care, support and understanding they need so that they have hope and do not add being misunderstood to their long list of symptoms, only increasing their anxiety.

    I welcome this debate, and I hope to hear some good news from the Minister about the key recommendations of this report being taken up to create a good situation for everyone with long covid.