The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 28 November 2020.
Only days ago Labour called for a Vaccines Minister to oversee the huge logistical challenge of widespread vaccination.
We now need a mass public health campaign urging uptake of the vaccine, alongside ensuring the resources are in place for GPs and other health professionals to rapidly roll this out as soon as possible.
The statement made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the House of Commons on 26 November 2020.
On 23 November, the Prime Minister set out our covid-19 winter plan in Parliament. Our covid-19 winter plan puts forward the UK Government programme for suppressing the virus, protecting the NHS and the vulnerable, keeping education and the economy going, and providing a route back to normality.
Thanks to the shared sacrifice of everyone in recent weeks, in following the national restrictions, we have been able to start to bring the virus back under control and slow its growth, easing some of the pressure on the NHS.
We will do this by returning to a regional tiered approach, saving the toughest measures for the parts of the country where prevalence remains too high.
The tiering approach provides a framework that, if used firmly, should prevent the need to introduce stricter national measures.
On 2 December, we will lift the national restrictions across all of England and the following restrictions will be eased:
The stay-at-home requirement will end.
Non-essential retail, gyms, personal care will reopen. The wider leisure and entertainment sectors will also reopen, although to varying degrees.
Communal worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume.
People will no longer be limited to seeing one other person in outdoor public spaces, where the rule of six will now apply.
The new regulations set out the restrictions applicable in each tier. We have taken into account advice from SAGE on the impact of the previous tiers to strengthen the measures in the tiers, and help enable areas to move more swiftly into lower tiers.
The changes to the tiers are as follows:
In tier 1, the Government will reinforce the importance that, where people can work from home, they should do so.
In tier 2, hospitality settings that serve alcohol must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals.
In tier 3, hospitality will close except for delivery, drive-through and takeaway, hotels and other accommodation providers must close (except for specific exemptions, such as people staying for work purposes, where people are attending a funeral, or where they cannot return home) and indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas, theatres and bowling allies must also close. Elite sport will be played without spectators. Organised outdoor sport can resume, but the Government will advise against higher risk contact sports.
These are not easy decisions, but they have been made according to the best clinical advice, and the criteria that we set out in the covid-19 winter plan.
These are:
Case detection rates in all age groups
Case detection rates in the over-60s
The rate at which cases are rising or falling
Positivity rate (the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken)
Pressure on the NHS.
The indicators have been designed to give the Government a picture of what is happening with the virus in any area so that suitable action can be taken. These key indicators need to be viewed in the context of how they interact with each other as well as the wider context but provide an important framework for decision making, assessing the underlying prevalence in addition to how the spread of the disease is changing in areas. Given these sensitivities, it is not possible to set rigid thresholds for these indicators.
The regulations will require the Government to review the allocations every 14 days, with the first review complete by the end of 16 December.
We have been able to announce UK-wide arrangements for Christmas, allowing friends and loved ones to reunite, and form a Christmas bubble of three households for five days over the Christmas period.
We have increased funding through our contain outbreak management fund, which will provide monthly payments to local authorities facing higher restrictions.
We are also launching a major community testing programme, homing in on the areas with the greatest rate of infection.
This programme is open to local authorities in tier 3 areas and offers help to get out of the toughest restrictions as fast as possible.
The listed areas will be in each tier from the 2 December. This list will also be published on gov.uk and a postcode tracker will be available for the public to check what rules apply in their local area.
A list of allocations can be found at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-11-26/HCWS608
The press conference statement made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 23 November 2020.
[NB, the statement from Downing Street is reproduced below with the punctuation errors uncorrected]
It seems that almost every week we learn of some new scientific breakthrough to help us beat Covid
last week it was good news about the vaccine from Pfizer BioNTech
and then Moderna
This morning we heard the fantastic news that the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine has been highly effective in clinical trials
there are more tests to be done, but the signs are that this vaccine
financed partly by British taxpayers, working in partnership with a great British company –
This vaccine could be both affordable and easy to use and highly effective
We have ordered 100m doses
and thanks to the work of the Vaccines Task Force we have secured more than 350m doses of potential vaccines of all kinds
but we are not out of the woods yet
we can hear the drumming hooves of the cavalry coming over the brow of the hill
but they are not here yet
Even if all three vaccines are approved, even if the production timetables are met and vaccines notoriously fall behind in their production timetables
it will be months before we can be sure that we have inoculated everyone that needs a vaccine
and those months will be hard
they will be cold
they include January and February when the NHS is under its greatest pressure
and that is why when we come out of lockdown next week we must not just throw away the gains we have all made
So today we have published out Covid Winter Plan which sets out a clear strategy to take the country through to the end of March
We will continue to bear down hard on this virus
we will use tough tiering – in some ways tougher than the pre-lockdown measures and details of those tiers are on the gov.uk website later this week when we have the most up to data and we will be sharing details of which tier your area is going to be in
I should warn you now that many more places will be in higher tiers than alas was previously the case
and we will simultaneously be using the new and exciting possibilities of community testing – as they have done in Liverpool
and there will be a clear incentive for everyone in areas where the virus prevalence is high to get a test, to get one of these rapid turnaround lateral flow tests and do your best for the community
get a test to help to squeeze the disease and reduce the restrictions that your town or city or area has endured
and that way – through tough tiering and mass community testing
we hope to let people see a little more of their family and friends over Christmas
Now I know that many of us want and need Christmas with our families
we feel after this year we deserve it
but this is not the moment to let the virus rip for the sake of Christmas parties
tis the season to be jolly but tis also the season to be jolly careful
especially with elderly relatives
and working with the Devolved Administrations we will set out shortly how we want to get the balance right for Christmas and we will be setting this out later this week
Christmas this year will be different and we want to remain prudent through Christmas and beyond into the new year
but we will use the three tools that I have described to squeeze the virus in the weeks and months ahead
tiering, testing and the roll-out of vaccines
employing all three techniques together so as to drive down R and drive down the infection rate
and I really am now assured things really will look and feel very different indeed after Easter
and that idea of and end goal or date is important because at last – if the promise of the vaccines is fulfilled – we do have something to work for
a timescale, a goal around which businesses can begin tentatively to plan
and with luck and with hard work we will be seeing improvements before then
but for now the problem is not a shortage of hope
or a lack of optimism
not with the amazing news that we are getting from the laboratories in this country
the challenge now as we face this difficult winter ahead
is to fight down any over-optimism
to master any tendency to premature celebration of success
that success will come all the faster if we work together to follow the guidance
maintain the basic disciplines as people have done so heroically over the last few months
hands, face, space and get a test if you have symptoms
because that is the way we will beat it together.
The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 23 November 2020.
After months of sacrifice, people are looking forward with hope to a vaccine that will save lives and provide a route out of lockdown restrictions. But after the ministerial mistakes over the procurement of PPE and the £12 billion for the failing Test and Trace system, nobody wants yet more avoidable mishaps.
Boris Johnson must reassure the country that Ministers have the resources and plans in places to deliver the vaccination programme as promised.
We need a Herculean effort to achieve the roll-out of a vaccine at a magnitude and scale unlike any we have ever seen before. Our NHS has gone above and beyond this year but is exhausted and overstretched. We can’t limp into the next crucial period of our battle with coronavirus, the government must urgently provide the resources necessary to ensure the speedy and smooth deployment of a vaccine. The necessary plans need to be in place now.
The comments made by Nadine Dorries, the Minister for Patient Safety, on 18 November 2020.
We are determined to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world. The introduction of digital prescribing systems has helped us reduce potentially deadly medication errors and save our hard-working staff valuable time, enabling them to dedicate their full attention and care to patients.
As we enter what is set to be a challenging winter, the best way we can continue to protect patients and staff is if we all work together and continue to follow the national restrictions to suppress the virus.
The comments made by Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, on 18 November 2020.
This report confirms that this Tory government’s approach to procurement has fallen far short of what this country deserves. Lessons must be learned.
The National Audit Office has shown how, at best, this incompetent government can’t even get basic paperwork right.
At worst, that the government may be deliberately attempting to cover their tracks, avoid scrutiny or withhold information from the public while wasting taxpayer money.
From paying for useless PPE to a maintaining Serco’s failed contract tracing system, we have seen disastrous decisions which have squandered public money and held back our country’s response to Covid-19.
The country deserves to have confidence their money is being spent effectively by the government – and to know without doubt that friends and donors to the Conservative party aren’t profiting from this pandemic.
The comments made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 16 November 2020.
Today’s announcement is excellent news and an encouraging step forward in our fight against COVID-19.
We have moved swiftly to secure 5 million doses of this hugely promising vaccine meaning we are even better placed to vaccinate everyone who will benefit should the rigorous safety standards be met.
But we are not there yet. Until science can make us safe, we must remain vigilant and keep following the rules that we know can keep this virus under control.
The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 12 November 2020.
Defeating coronavirus and preventing future pandemics is a truly global endeavour, requiring ingenuity, tenacity and a spirit of openness to succeed.
Bill Gates sounded the alarm on the world’s lack of preparation for a major health crisis long before most of us had heard the word ‘coronavirus’ – and now we must heed his call to stop something like this ever happening again.
I heard today about the herculean joint effort that life science companies and research institutions are undertaking to tackle this disease at record speed. The UK will use our G7 presidency next year to support this global endeavour and protect our citizens at home, now and in the future.
The comments made by Kemi Badenoch, the Minister for Equalities, on 12 November 2020.
This year I returned from maternity leave after having my third child, so this is a topic that is very close to my heart.
The UK is one of the safest places in the world to give birth and clinicians manage pre-eclampsia well. Seeking care before and throughout pregnancy is important and we want all women to have the access and confidence in this care the NHS provides. Particularly in a pandemic.
Although maternal deaths are fortunately very rare, behind these tragic statistics, there are devastating consequences for families and children, so it is vital that we tackle this complex and concerning issue.
The speech made by Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 12 November 2020.
A wise man once said that “the NHS is the best gift a nation ever gave itself”. And throughout this incredibly tough year, at this national time of need, the NHS has been there – as it always is – standing tall to protect us.
But, we all know that this battle against coronavirus is not over yet. And you know better than anybody that the number of hospitalisations are on the rise and we must get this virus under control. And we have seen the very real risk of the NHS being overwhelmed, and so we have acted quickly to make sure that we put in place our new national measures. Because we cannot do this without you, without the NHS. People understand, people feel very deeply, the need to do what they must do to make sure the NHS can be there for us all.
And while we are rightly focused at this moment on the demands of the pandemic and we have thrown everything we have got at making sure that the NHS has what it needs this winter:
– with the extra funding and the Nightingale hospital standing ready once again if needed
– with the increase in the number of doctors and nurses and other staff
– the returners which come back to our wards
– and the upgrades to almost every emergency department in the country
We all know what a huge task is going on right now. But I also today want to cast our eyes forward, to look ahead beyond this critical day-to-day work that we are doing in response to coronavirus and ahead of this winter. I want to ask some crucial questions about the long term, about how we can use the lessons that we have learnt during this crisis to build a better health service for us all.
I have seen so many examples this year of systems working together for the benefit of patients, because that is what system working is all about. I have seen it where hospitals are under pressure with numbers of coronavirus patients. And making sure that the whole NHS comes together to ensure care can be provided.
I have seen healthcare teams working side by side with charities and community groups to offer clinics for hard-to-reach patients. I have seen the phenomenal effort to look after rough sleepers – working together across the system, with local authorities and the NHS side by side. From housing to the NHS, to public health. All to protect the most vulnerable.
I think, in fact I know, that the system works best when it is empowered to work together, when the relationships are strong. And crucially when we remove barriers to our cooperation wherever we find them. To support a better, less fragmented set of decision-making. And to allow the well-rounded care which is vital in a world of complex interrelated conditions.
So, while we work on the day-to-day, so we must learn from how the day-to-day works well and drive this agenda forward, building on the NHS Long Term Plan and working towards a system as the default approach by next year. A systems approach can best serve the interests both of patients and of course of those who are giving the care within the NHS. Because it can give leaders the backing they need to empower them to solve problems in their area. So, whether it is, for instance, breaking down the barriers between community and hospital care, whether it is the joining up health and social care, making sure that prevention and public health agenda are tied together with treatment.
Integration of course is not a ‘silver bullet’ for all problems in healthcare, not by any means. But if we bring to bear the whole wealth and diversity of experience that exists in a local community and learn from where things go well, then we will have a much better chance of helping people live healthier and happier lives for longer. That, after all, is what it is all about.
But building a better NHS is not just about the structures and the systems. I know from talking to so many of you that it is about the culture too. Now of course the culture is underpinned by the legislation in which we operate and by the financial structures that are put in place. But there is an unspoken ethos that drives any organisation. And we must ensure that the culture of how we work together embraces innovation and new ideas and embraces collaboration rather than a silo approach.
During the demands of the pandemic, we have seen how people do their best work because they were trusted to do their job. And here too I want to take forward the lessons that together we have learnt by:
– shedding unnecessary bureaucracy that gets in the way of doing your job
– intensifying our use of the most transformative technologies so that people and clinicians can do their best work and spend more time with patients
– and making it easier to bring the right qualified people to the front line, like of course those returnees
– and like the way we are allowing more people with more clinical qualifications to be trained in order to participate in the vaccination programme
So this is what is behind our People Plan. For the first time ever we have a Chief People Officer in the NHS and Prerana Issar is absolutely brilliant. She has put together a People Plan which is not a single document, it is a whole series of interventions all about showing how we will improve the support we offer to colleagues across the NHS. From practical support like better rest facilities which are so important to people, to the emotional support that is so vital. Every single person working in the NHS has contributed to the unprecedented national effort to beat back this virus and save lives.
And I will do my utmost to protect and support you through this pandemic and beyond. And through our People Plan we will constantly strive to make the NHS a brilliant place to work, that is central to delivering on the promise that the NHS holds out for the people of this country and the patients who we look after and the citizens who we serve.
Now of course coronavirus has also shone a light on some of the inequalities of our health system and the disparities you can find in your health and healthcare depending on your background, where you live, what job you do. We all need to keep working to level up health and care provision. In the same way that as a government we want to level up in education, and housing and so many other areas of our society. And one of the ways that we can do this is by strengthening our public health systems. Not just the standing capacity to respond to future threats to public health through the new National Institute for Health Protection. But also the vital health improvement work. Improving people’s health, which of course improves quality of life and making sure that we support people to get the very best that they can out of life, by making sure we support people to improve their own health.
Now central to this is tackling obesity. And in fact, the coronavirus epidemic and the link from obesity to morbidity has shown yet again how important this agenda is. Our new obesity strategy, which builds upon work of the past, is full of measures to help people make healthier choices.
But there is so much more to do across the whole spectrum of health improvement. We want to embed health improvement more deeply all across the board. And I see this as a critical moment to ensure that we don’t parcel out health improvement and see it as something separate. But see how health improvement is and must be embedded in the work of the NHS, local authorities and so many government departments.
We know that we can help more people to stay out of hospital in the first place. Just as we know that they will get the very best possible medical care when they do come into the NHS. And we all have to lean into the health improvement agenda, especially in primary care. When done right, health improvement has always been at the core of its responsibilities.
Now I know that this has not been an easy year for the NHS. But I also know that when people look back on this tough time in our history, they will be awed by the outstanding contribution that has been made by so many people. And so many people that are taking part in this conference today. You have been there for us, just as you always are. So, I would like to thank you once more, for your incredible efforts and for the efforts that are still to come. You show the country at its best and all of us are in your debt. Thank you.