Tag: UK Government

Lockdown in Leicester

STATEMENT TO PARLIAMENT: Last night Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced local measures to deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Leicester.

Mr Speaker, with permission, I would like to make a statement on local action to tackle coronavirus.

The impact of coronavirus has been deeply felt.

And yet thanks to the extraordinary action that this country has taken, it is now in decline at a national level.

The number of positive new cases is now below 1,000 a day and the number of recorded deaths yesterday is 25.

I am pleased to report there were no deaths in Scotland for the fourth consecutive day and that there is currently nobody in intensive care with coronavirus in Northern Ireland.

So we have been able, carefully, to ease the national restrictions.

And alongside the easing of these national restrictions, we have increasingly taken local action.

In May, we shut Weston Hospital to new admissions after a cluster of cases there.

Earlier this month, we closed 2 GP surgeries in Enfield and a meat processing factory in Kirklees.

And the Welsh Government has closed factories in Anglesey and Wrexham.

We have put in place a system to tie together local and national action, based on insight provided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, working closely with Public Health England and the NHS.

Analysis is based on 3 levels of spread.

Individual cases are identified and managed by NHS Test and Trace.

When many cases are found in 1 setting, be it a care home for instance, a factory, or a hospital, that is classified as a cluster, and that will be dealt with largely by the local Director of Public Health, who has statutory powers to close individual organisations.

When Public Health England or the new JBC identifies clusters that are linked to one another, that is defined as an outbreak and a range of local and national actions may be needed.

Decisions are taken through our Local Action Committee Command structure. It works as follows.

If PHE or the JBC spots a problem that needs attention or the local Director of Public Health reports up a problem through the Regional Health Protection Teams, then the outbreak is assessed at the daily Local Action Committee Bronze meeting.

Issues of concern are raised to the Local Action Committee Silver meeting, which is chaired by the Chief Medical Officer.

And problems requiring ministerial attention are then raised to the Local Action Committee Gold meeting.

Yesterday, I chaired an emergency Local Action Committee Gold meeting specifically to deal with the outbreak in Leicester. Unfortunately, while cases in most parts of the country have fallen since the peak, in Leicester they have continued to rise.

The 7-day infection rate in Leicester is 135 cases per 100,000 people, which is 3 times higher than the next highest city.

Leicester accounts for around 10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week.

And admissions to hospital are between 6 and 10 per day rather than around 1 a day at other trusts.

Over the past fortnight, we have already taken action to protect people in Leicester.

We deployed 4 mobile testing units and extra capacity at the regional test site.

We provided thousands of home testing kits and extra public health capacity to boost the local team.

This afternoon, I held a further meeting with local leaders, with Public Health England, the JBC, the Local Resilience Forum and my clinical advisers, followed by a meeting of the cross-government Covid Operations Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister.

We have agreed further measures to tackle the outbreak in Leicester.

First, in addition to the mobile testing units that I mentioned earlier, we will send further testing capability, including opening a walk-in centre.

Anyone in Leicester with symptoms must come forward for a test.

Second, we will give extra funding to Leicester and Leicestershire councils to support them to enhance their communications and ensure those communications are translated into all locally relevant languages.

Third, through the councils, we will ensure support is available for those who have to self-isolate.

Fourth, we will work with the workplaces that have seen clusters of cases to implement more stringently the COVID-secure workplaces.

Given the growing outbreak in Leicester, we cannot recommend that the easing of the national lockdown, set to take place on the 4 July, happens in Leicester.

Having taken clinical advice on the actions necessary, and discussed them with the local team in Leicester and Leicestershire, we have made some difficult but important decisions.

We have decided that from tomorrow non-essential retail will have to close.

And, as children have been particularly impacted by this outbreak, schools will also need to close from Thursday, staying open for vulnerable children and children of critical workers as they did throughout

Unfortunately, the clinical advice is that the relaxation of shielding measures due on the 6 July cannot now take place in Leicester.

We recommend to people in Leicester, stay at home as much as you can and we recommend against all but essential travel to, from and within Leicester.

We will monitor closely adherence to social distancing rules and will take further steps if that is what’s necessary.

The more people following the rules, the faster we will get control of this virus and get Leicester back to normal.

We will keep all of these local measures under review and we will not keep them in place any longer than is necessary.

We will review whether we can release any measures in 2 weeks’ time.

These Leicester-specific measures will apply not just to the city of Leicester, but also to the surrounding conurbation, including for example, Oadby, Birstall and Glenfield.

I know that this is a worrying time for people living in Leicester and I want you to know that you have our full support.

We do not take these decisions lightly, but with the interests of the people of Leicester in our hearts.

I want everyone in Leicester to know that we have taken every one of these decisions to protect them from this terrible virus. We must control this virus. We must keep people safe.

These actions are also profoundly in the national interest too because it’s in everyone’s interests that we control the virus as locally as possible.

Local action like this is an important tool in our armoury to deal with outbreaks while we get the country back on its feet.

Mr Speaker, we said that we do whatever it takes to defeat this virus.

And we said that local action would be an increasingly important part of our plan.

The virus thrives on social contact, and we know that reducing social contact controls its spread.

So precise and targeted actions like these will give the virus nowhere to hide and help us defeat this invisible killer.

I commend this statement to the House.

England’s ‘long national hibernation’ coming to an end

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement to the House on coronavirus:

Mr Speaker, before I begin, I am sure the whole House will join me in sending our deepest condolences to the families and friends of James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails, who were brutally killed in Reading on Saturday.

To assault defenceless people in a park is not simply an act of wickedness but abject cowardice, and we will never yield to those who would seek to destroy our way of life.

Mr Speaker, with permission I will update the House on the next steps in our plan to rebuild our economy and reopen our society, while waging our struggle against Covid-19.

From the outset, we have trusted in the common sense and perseverance of the British people and their response has more than justified our faith.

Since I set out our plan on the 11th May, we have been clear that our cautious relaxation of the guidance is entirely conditional on our continued defeat of the virus.

In the first half of May, nearly 69,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK; by the first half of June, that total had fallen by nearly 70 percent to just under 22,000.

The number of new infections is now declining by between 2 and 4 percent every day.

Four weeks ago, an average of 1 in 400 people in the community in England had COVID-19; in the first half of June, this figure was 1 in 1,700.

We created a human shield around the NHS and in turn our doctors and nurses have protected us, and together we have saved our hospitals from being overwhelmed.

On the 11th May, 1,073 people were admitted to hospital in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with Covid-19, by 20th June, this had fallen by 74 per cent to 283.

This pandemic has inflicted permanent scars and we mourn everyone we have lost.

Measured by a seven-day rolling average, the number of daily deaths peaked at 943 on the 14th April, on 11th May it was 476, and yesterday, the rolling average stood at 130.

We have ordered over 2.2 billion items of protective equipment from UK based manufacturers, many of whose production lines have been called into being to serve this new demand – and yesterday, we conducted or posted 139,659 tests, bringing the total to over 8 million.

And while we remain vigilant, we do not believe there is currently a risk of a second peak of infections that might overwhelm the NHS.

Taking everything together, we continue to meet our five tests and the Chief Medical Officers of all four home nations have downgraded the UK’s Covid Alert Level from four to three, meaning that we no longer face a virus spreading exponentially, though it remains in general circulation.

The administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland hold responsibility for their own lockdown restrictions and they will respond to the united view of the Chief Medical Officers at their own pace, based on their own judgment, but all parts of the UK are now travelling in the same direction and we will continue to work together to ensure that everyone in our country gets the support they need.

Thanks to our progress, we can now go further and safely ease the lockdown in England.

At every stage, caution will remain our watchword, and each step will be conditional and reversible.

Mr Speaker, given the significant fall in the prevalence of the virus, we can change the two-metre social distancing rule, from 4th July.

I know this rule effectively makes life impossible for large parts of our economy, even without other restrictions.

For example, it prevents all but a fraction of our hospitality industry from operating.

So that is why almost two weeks ago, I asked our experts to conduct a review and I will place a summary of their conclusions in the libraries of both Houses this week.

Where it is possible to keep 2 metres apart, people should.

But where it is not, we will advise people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’, meaning they should remain one metre apart, while taking mitigations to reduce the risk of transmission.

We are today publishing guidance on how businesses can reduce the risk by taking certain steps to protect workers and customers.

These include, for instance, avoiding face-to-face seating by changing office layouts, reducing the number of people in enclosed spaces, improving ventilation, using protective screens and face coverings, closing non-essential social spaces, providing hand sanitiser and changing shift patterns so that staff work in set teams.

And of course, we already mandate face coverings on public transport.

Whilst the experts cannot give a precise assessment of how much the risk is reduced, they judge these mitigations would make “1 metre plus” broadly equivalent to the risk at 2 metres if those mitigations are fully implemented.

Either will be acceptable and our guidance will change accordingly.

This vital change enables the next stage of our plan to ease the lockdown.

Mr Speaker, I am acutely conscious people will ask legitimate questions about why certain activities are allowed and others are not.

I must ask the House to understand that the virus has no interest in these debates.

Its only interest, its only ambition is to exploit any opportunities is to recapture ground that we might carelessly vacate.

There is one certainty: the fewer social contacts you have, the safer you will be.

My duty, our duty as the Government, is to guide the British people, balancing our overriding aim of controlling the virus against our natural desire to bring back normal life.

We cannot lift all the restrictions at once, so we have to make difficult judgments, and every step is scrupulously weighed against the evidence.

Our principle is to trust the British public to use their common sense in the full knowledge of the risks, remembering that the more we open up, the more vigilant we will need to be.

From now on we will ask people to follow guidance on social contact instead of legislation.

In that spirit we advise that from 4 July, two households of any size should be able to meet in any setting inside or out.

That does not mean they must always be the same two households.

It will be possible for instance to meet one set of grandparents one weekend, and the others the following weekend.

We are not recommending meetings of multiple households indoors because of the risk of creating greater chains of transmission.

Outside, the guidance remains that people from several households can meet in groups of up to six, and it follows that two households can also meet, regardless of size.

Mr Speaker, I can tell the House that we will also re-open restaurants and pubs. All hospitality indoors will be limited to table-service, and our guidance will encourage minimal staff and customer contact.

We will ask businesses to help NHS Test and Trace respond to any local outbreaks by collecting contact details from customers, as happens in other countries, and we will work with the sector to make this manageable.

Almost as eagerly awaited as a pint will be a haircut, particularly by me, and so we will re-open hairdressers, with appropriate precautions, including the use of visors.

We also intend to allow some other close contact services, such as nail bars, to re-open as soon as we can, when we are confident they can operate in a Covid-secure way.

From 4th July, provided that no more than two households stay together,  people will be free to stay overnight in self-contained accomodation, including hotels and bed & breakfasts, as well as campsites as long as shared facilities are kept clean.

Most leisure facilities and tourist attractions will reopen if they can do so safely, including outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades as well as libraries, social clubs and community centres.

“Close proximity” venues such as nightclubs, soft-play areas, indoor gyms, swimming pools and spas will need to remain closed for now, as will bowling alleys and water parks.

But my Right Honourable Friends the Business and Culture Secretaries will establish taskforces with public health experts and these sectors to help them become Covid-secure and re-open as soon as possible.

We will also work with the arts industry on specific guidance to enable choirs, orchestras and theatres to resume live performances as soon as possible.

Recreation and sport will be allowed, but indoor facilities, including changing rooms and courts, will remain closed and people should only play close contact team sports with members of their household.

Mr Speaker, I know that many have mourned the closure of places of worship, and this year, Easter, Passover and Eid all occurred during the lockdown.

So I am delighted that places of worship will be able to reopen for prayer and services – including weddings with a maximum of 30 people, all subject to social distancing.

Meanwhile, our courts, probation services, police stations and other public services will increasingly resume face-to-face proceedings.

Wrap-around care for school age children and formal childcare will restart over the summer.

Primary and secondary education will recommence in September with full attendance and those children who can already go to school should do so – because it is safe.

Mr Speaker, we will publish Covid-secure guidelines for every sector that is re-opening, and slowly but surely, these measures will restore a sense of normality.

After the toughest restrictions in peacetime history, we are now able to make life easier for people to see more of their friends and families and to help businesses get back on their feet and get people back into work.

But the virus has not gone away.

We will continue to monitor the data with the Joint Biosecurity Centre and our ever more effective Test and Trace system.

And I must be clear to the House, that as we have seen in other countries, there will be flare-ups for which local measures will be needed and we will not hesitate to apply the brakes and re-introduce restrictions even at national level – if required.

So I urge everyone to stay alert, control the virus and save lives.

Let’s keep washing our hands, staying 2 metres apart wherever feasible, and mitigating the risks at 1 metre where not, avoiding public transport when possible, and wearing a mask when not, getting tested immediately if we have symptoms, and self-isolating if instructed by NHS Test and Trace.

Today, we can say that our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end and life is returning to our shops, streets and homes and a new, but cautious, optimism is palpable.

But it would be all too easy for that frost to return and that is why we will continue to trust in the common sense and the community spirit of the British people to follow this guidance, to carry us through and see us to victory over this virus.

I commend Mr Speaker this Statement to the House.

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Many people will jump at the chance to see more family and friends, and visit pubs and restaurants, but others will be understandably cautious.

“Good public services need a thriving economy and the spectre of mass unemployment – particularly among the young – must be avoided.

“But the slow return to normal must happen safely. Squandering the lockdown sacrifices ​and progress made in the past three months would be foolish.

“All workplaces opening up must make proper risk assessments of the virus threat. Avoiding ​a second wave in the autumn and preventing the NHS, social care ​and other public services from being overwhelmed ​is vital.”

 

Windrush: What we need most now is action, says Priti Patel

Home Secretary Priti Patel has launched a Cross-Government Working Group to address challenges faced by the Windrush generation and their descendants.

As part of the ongoing efforts to right the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation, Home Secretary Priti Patel has today (Monday 22 June) launched the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group.

The Group, co-chaired by the Home Secretary and Bishop Derek Webley, brings together stakeholders and community leaders with senior representatives from a number of government departments to address the challenges faced by the Windrush generation and their descendants.

Progress is being made to right the wrongs, with more payments made every week under the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

However, there is much more to do. This Group will play an important role in ensuring the Government upholds its commitment to the Windrush generation.

The purpose of the Group is to:

  • Provide strategic input into the Home Office’s response to the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned Review
  • Support the design and delivery of practical solutions to address the wider challenges that disproportionately affect people from Black and wider BAME backgrounds. This will include programmes on education, work and health
  • Advise on the design and delivery of the Windrush Schemes Community Fund

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “This group is crucial to delivering on our promise to right the wrongs experienced by the Windrush generation and it is right that we advance these issues in a constructive, sensitive and responsible way.

“We know that the best way to make sure we reach all those affected is by listening to them and hearing their voices, including how best to address the wider challenges that disproportionately affect those from BAME backgrounds.

“From issues affecting education, work and health, this group will support Government to deliver practical solutions as well as advising on the design of the Windrush Community Fund scheme and response to the Wendy Williams review.

“What we need most now is action and I am excited to work in partnership with this group who themselves hold valuable experience within the community and are driven to bring the ultimate change that we all want to achieve, which is making a difference to people’s lives.“

Bishop Derek Webley, co-chair of the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group said: “It’s an honour to be able to serve members of the Windrush generation who have served this country with dignity and pride, and helped to build this country over many years.

“This Working Group recognises that the work we’re doing can’t be done without the voices of the community, and we will work with them and the government in finding a way forward that would meet the satisfaction of the Windrush community.”

Group members include stakeholders and community leaders representing the affected communities, including Bishop Joe Aldred from Churches Together in England; Paulette Simpson, Executive Director of the Voice; Blondel Cluff, Chief Executive of the West India Committee and Kunle Olulode, Director of Voice4Change England. All members bring a balance of experience in community engagement and specific sector expertise.

Members also will include representation at a senior level from a number of government departments, including No10, the Home Office, the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Member of the Group, Duwayne Brooks OBE said: “The Windrush generation were treated terribly by successive governments and it is time this is put right.

“I am pleased that the government is committed to righting these wrongs and I am looking forward to working with the Home Secretary and others to ensure all those affected come forward to claim the compensation they deserve and get the support they need to move on.”

Blondel Cluff CBE, who is also a member on the Group said: “We are at a seminal moment as a nation and as such I welcome the invitation to serve on the Cross-Government Windrush Group, particularly given the evident ‘buy in’ across government.

“I trust that together we shall make tangible, positive, and sustainable progress on this critical matter.”

The Home Office, as requested by Wendy Williams, is carefully considering the Lessons Learned Review. The Home Secretary has agreed to respond in full by the end of September and has also committed to provide an update to Parliament before summer recess.

The Group will play an important role in assisting with the Home Office’s response by providing insight and guidance, as well as help to ensure that the lessons from the Windrush review are shared across government.

As announced by the Home Secretary in March, the Home Office will shortly launch a separate £500k Windrush Scheme Community Fund for grassroots organisations, to help improve uptake and awareness of the schemes supporting those who were directly affected.

This includes the Windrush Scheme, which has so far provided over 12,000 people with documentation confirming their status. One of the first tasks for the Group will be to work with stakeholders to co-design and deliver this Fund.

To ensure that all those affected are reached, the Home Office is also launching a £750k targeted advertising campaign, using a range of channels, such as adverts and social media, to make sure those most affected around the UK are aware of the support available to them and know how to apply. The Government will work closely with stakeholders to ensure our campaign encourages as many people as possible to apply.

Grassroots activity, including recruiting community ambassadors nationally and in priority areas to encourage and support applications among their networks, is also being undertaken. More details on this activity will be announced in due course.

Black communities and wider minority ethnic communities still face injustices, and the Government is dedicated to tackling this, including by launching a cross-governmental commission into racial inequality.

The Windrush Cross-Government Working Group will also have an instrumental role to play in this work, and in ensuring we address the wider challenges that disproportionately affect people from black and wider minority ethnic backgrounds. The Working Group will meet quarterly for the duration of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, which is currently open until April 2023. The date will be kept under review.

The Group will complement the Race Equality Commission, which is being set up by Number 10 and will sit separately to this group.

For more information on the measures put in place to support the Windrush generation, please see our factsheet: https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/05/13/wind/

Marcus Rashford forces holiday hunger rethink

Following a successful campaign by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, the UK government yesterday announced a “Covid summer school fund” is being set up to help feed children during the holidays in England.

The Scottish Government had earlier announced that their own free school meals scheme will also be extended over the summer.

Welcoming the announcement, FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell, said:  “We’re enormously grateful to Marcus Rashford for his unstinting support of FareShare – helping us get food onto the plates of over 3m vulnerable children.

“His tireless campaigning work to ensure that no child in this country should go hungry over the school summer holidays has delivered fantastic results. A move to continue funding free school meals over the summer months will be a huge relief to struggling families across the UK, many of whom have faced unimaginable strain during this crisis.

“Our network of charities are already seeing a huge increase in demand for food, and we are supplying more charities supporting children and families than ever before – so this is very welcome news.

“However, we know that even with the voucher scheme in place, the need for food will still be there, particularly as, in the event of a recession, charities and community groups providing food will need to support many more people facing financial hardship and food insecurity.

“That’s why we are calling on the public and the food industry to get behind our appeal to help to deliver more healthy, nutritious food to the food banks, community groups, activity schemes and schools supporting the UK’s most vulnerable children – not just over the summer holidays but in the months and years to come.”

The UK Government’s u-turn has been universally welcomed.

Rebecca Long Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said: “This is a welcome U-turn from the government and a victory for the 1.3 million children who were at risk of going hungry this summer.

“It is thanks to the amazing work of Marcus Rashford and campaigners that the Government has had no choice but to reverse their decision.

“The Government must now confirm that this new money will be for the direct provision of free school meals to all eligible children.”

Children eligible for free school meals will be among those who continue to be supported over the summer through a package of £27.6 million of additional funding announced by the Scottish Government yesterday.

The funding will ensure councils are able to continue the provision of free school meals during the summer holidays and other food provision to help low income families during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The latest data from local authorities shows that around 175,000 children and young people are currently receiving free school meals – or vouchers or cash payments to buy meals.

The number of children receiving free school food has risen by 53,000 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the impact of the pandemic on family incomes and financial circumstances.

The extra funding will also enable councils to continue to support a range of people who may be facing new or continuing barriers to accessing food including due to reduced income caused if they are asked to self-isolate through contact tracing – until the end of September.

This funding is in addition to the overall package of £30 million allocated to councils in March to provide free school meals and offer food provision to key groups during lockdown.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney said: “These are challenging times for families and economic uncertainty has added even more pressure on parents already dealing with the stress of this dire COVID-19 crisis.

“We want to ensure families are given the same support through the summer holidays as we provide in term time in recognition of this unprecedented situation. That is why free school meals provision is essential to support families, children and young people who need some extra help at this difficult time.

“This significant additional funding will allow councils to plan for the summer and to continue the existing provision, whether that be offering nutritious free meals for children or through more direct means allowing families to get food for their families. Councils will have the flexibility to ensure they are able to use this additional funding to put in place provision that meets local needs and circumstances.

“£15 million of this funding is being made available to ensure we continue supporting the range of households who have been or may experience difficulty in accessing or affording food during the pandemic.

“We know that people are under pressure just now as they cope with the impact of COVID-19 and this funding shows we are doing all we can to help them at this difficult time. This funding is additional to the £350 million we have already made available.”

Since 24 March councils have provided the Scottish Government with data on the number of children receiving a free school meal through the provision of vouchers, direct payments, home deliveries and provision in educational or early years settings.

Individuals who are unable to access or afford food and cannot get the help they need from family, friends or neighbours are encouraged to call the national assistance helpline.

The free helpline number is 0800 111 4000, or can be contacted via a textphone on 0800 111 4114. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

Callers will be put through to speak to someone at their local council. They’ll be able to advise on what types of help are available. This might include:

  • food, if you’re not able to get the day-to-day food you need
  • medication, if you’re not able to pick up the prescriptions you need
  • access to local social work services
  • emotional support
  • contact with local volunteer groups

 

 

BREAKTHROUGH: World first coronavirus treatment approved for NHS use

  • Ground-breaking coronavirus treatment approved for use across the NHS from today
  • Government-funded UK trial showed drug saved lives by significantly reducing risk of death in hospitalised patients who require oxygen
  • Government ensures drug is available across all NHS healthcare settings and across the whole of the UK with immediate effect

Thousands of lives could be saved in the UK as the government immediately authorises the NHS to use the world’s first coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death.

Dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steriod drug, has been immediately approved to treat all UK hospitalised COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen, including those on ventilators, from today.

The drug has been proven to reduce the risk of death significantly in COVID-19 patients on ventilation by as much as 35% and patients on oxygen by 20%, reducing the total 28-day mortality rate by 17%.

Funded by the UK government, via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Oxford University UK RECOVERY trial is the first clinical trial anywhere in the world to show a treatment provides significant impact in reducing patient mortality.

The government has taken action to secure supplies of dexamethasone in the UK, buying additional stocks ahead of time in the event of a positive trial outcome. This means there is already enough treatment for over 200,000 people from stockpiles alone.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I’m absolutely delighted that today we can announce the world’s first successful clinical trial for a treatment for COVID-19. This astounding breakthrough is testament to the incredible work being done by our scientists behind the scenes.

“From today the standard treatment for COVID-19 will include dexamethasone, helping save thousands of lives while we deal with this terrible virus.

“Guided by the science, the UK is leading the way in the global fight against coronavirus – with the best clinical trials, the best vaccine development and the best immunology research in the world.

“I want to thank the brilliant scientists at Oxford University, the thousands of patients who took part in the study, and my own team, led by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who has done such a brilliant job driving this work.”

The drug has also been added to the government’s parallel export list, which bans companies from buying medicines meant for UK patients and selling them on for a higher price in another country. This will protect supply for UK patients by enforcing regulatory action on those who flout the restrictions.

Throughout the pandemic, the government has supported British research with millions of pounds of funding for clinical trials into the most promising and innovative medicines in our fight against this new virus, including £2.1 million for the RECOVERY trial.

This clinical trial is testament to the success we see when government, scientists and the NHS – including 175 NHS trusts across the whole of the UK – work together. With over 177,000 patients enrolled, it’s the largest randomised clinical trial anywhere in the world and will continue to trial other medicines, such as azithromycin and lopinavir-ritonavir.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said: “The RECOVERY trial is an outstanding example of the UK leading the world with an impressive study capable of delivering robust answers to critical questions. Although these data have not yet been peer-reviewed.

“The positive findings on dexamethasone follow the disappointing findings on hydroxychloroquine. Together these 2 results illustrate the power of properly conducted clinical trials and the inherent danger of assuming things work without robust data.

“Whilst tempting to do otherwise, it is always better to wait for the evidence. On the dexamethasone findings, this is very encouraging because the signal on reduced mortality applies to many of the patients admitted to hospitals and the drug is comparatively low priced and available worldwide.”

The UK is a world leader in global science and medicine industries. This British trial will now affect the global response to this pandemic.

This breakthrough has only been made possible through the rigour of world-class and world-leading British life-sciences. The government backed British science from the very beginning of this pandemic and today has proven that this was the right call.

The vital information collected by UK researchers will also be used by other countries to reduce mortality rates worldwide.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the news at yesterday’s daily press briefing. He said: “I am delighted that the biggest breakthrough yet has been made by a fantastic team of scientists right here in the UK.

“I am not really qualified to announce on this drug and its effects but I will ask Sir Patrick and Professor Horby to say more in a moment.

“But I am so proud of these British scientists, backed by UK Government funding, who have led the first robust clinical trial anywhere in the world to find a coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death.

“And I am very grateful to the thousands of patients in this country who volunteered for the trials – thank you.

“This drug – dexamethasone – can now be made available across the NHS. And we have taken steps to ensure we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak.

“Of course, while the chances of dying from Covid-19 have been significantly reduced by this treatment, they are still far too high. So we must redouble our research efforts and we certainly will.

“But today, there is genuine cause to celebrate a great, British achievement and the benefits it will bring not just in this country but around the world.”

Government action on coronavirus in England ‘a catalogue of errors’

A National Audit Office (NAO) report has catalogued the UK Governement’s response to the coroanvirus pandemic.  UNISON says the report is ‘a catalogue of errors’ and highlights a ‘complete absence of planning or thought for social care’.

The report by the National Audit Office (NAO) provides a factual overview of the response by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other bodies during March and April 2020 to prepare the NHS and adult social care in England for the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is the second report in the NAO’s programme of work on government’s response to the outbreak.

After declaring a Level 4 National Incident in relation to COVID-19 in late January, on 17 March the NHS set out measures to prepare for a surge in infections. From 13 March DHSC began to issue guidance to the care sector before publishing an action plan for adult social care on 15 April.

So far, government has allocated £6.6 billion from the Coronavirus Emergency Fund to support the health and social care response to COVID-19 and £3.2 billion directly to local authorities to respond to COVID-19 pressures across local services.

Action taken by the NHS to increase capacity meant there were enough beds and respiratory support nationally at the peak of the outbreak in April.

Between mid-March and mid-April, the NHS increased the number of beds available for COVID-19 patients from 12,600 to 53,700, by, for example, discharging patients and postponing elective, or planned, procedures.

Planned activity fell by 24% in March 2020 compared to March 2019. The NHS also contracted with private hospitals to use up to an additional 8,000 beds, and established temporary Nightingale hospitals.

This meant that nationally the number of COVID-19 patients never exceeded the number of available beds.

From early March to mid-May, available ventilators and other oxygen support also increased, with the number of mechanical ventilators rising from 9,600 to 13,200. Over the April peak, the NHS also met the national demand for oxygen supply.

Other measures implemented to help the NHS cope with the outbreak included the temporary deployment of 18,200 additional staff to clinical and support roles, of which around 8,000 were retired or former staff making themselves available for such roles.

There have been numerous outbreaks of COVID-19 within adult care homes in England, with more than one in three reporting an outbreak between 9 March and 17 May. This peaked at just over 1,000 homes in the first week of April.

Some parts of the country were more affected than others, with the North East being the area with the largest proportion of its care homes (just under half) reporting an outbreak by 17 May.

Patients discharged quickly from hospitals between mid-March and mid-April were sometimes placed in care homes without being tested for COVID-19.

On 17 March, hospitals were advised to discharge urgently all in-patients medically fit to leave in order to increase capacity to support those with acute healthcare needs.

Between 17 March and 15 April, around 25,000 people were discharged from hospitals into care homes, compared with around 35,000 people in the same period in 2019.

Due to (UK) government policy at the time, not all patients were tested for COVID-19 before discharge, with priority given to patients with symptoms. On 15 April, the policy was changed to test all those being discharged into care homes. It is not known how many patients discharged to care homes had COVID-19 at the point they left hospital.

The £3.2 billion funding for local authorities was to help them respond to COVID-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including adult social care. Some in the sector are concerned that local authorities have not increased the rates they pay to care providers. In a survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, around half of local authorities said they were temporarily increasing rates.

Testing for health and social care workers has faced challenges.

On 17 March the NHS announced that testing would begin being rolled out to NHS staff with symptoms. Limits on testing capacity meant tests started to be rolled out to symptomatic NHS staff from 27 March.

This was extended to care workers on 15 April and to the rest of their households two days later. From 28 April, all care home staff were eligible for tests but the DHSC capped the daily amount of care home tests at 30,000, to be shared between staff and residents.

The government does not know how many NHS or care workers have been tested in total during the pandemic.

Based just on tests carried out by the NHS, NHS England & NHS Improvement estimates that the number of NHS staff and the people they live with who were tested increased from 1,500 to 11,500 a day during April.

A range of bodies across health and social care have raised concerns about the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

At the start of the outbreak, the only central stockpile of PPE was designed for a flu pandemic. Although an independent committee advising on stockpile contents had recommended in 2019 that items such as gowns and visors should be included, these had not been stockpiled.

The central procurement route set up to supply PPE during the outbreak met the modelled PPE requirement (under a worst case scenario) for some items in NHS trusts, but distributed 50% or less of the modelled requirement for gowns, eye protectors, or aprons. It only addressed a small proportion of the modelled requirement for PPE among social care providers.

Within its wider programme of COVID-19 related work, the NAO will undertake more detailed assessments of specific elements of the health and social care response, which will also help to identify lessons for subsequent stages of this pandemic and other future emergencies.

Launching the report, Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: “This report demonstrates the enormous efforts of staff across health and social care to respond at speed to the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we have not sought to evaluate government’s response in this report, our work raises some important considerations.

“The speed and nature of the response in health and social care has been shaped by longstanding differences between the sectors and ongoing financial pressures. Government’s ability to increase beds, ventilators, PPE and testing has varied in part because of the number of other bodies, both national and international, with which it has had to engage.

All of these issues need to be taken into account as government plans for the later phases of the pandemic and future emergencies.”

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Commenting on the report, UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said: “This is a catalogue of errors and highlights once again a complete absence of planning or thought for social care.

“Discharging patients to care homes without testing was simply scandalous and accelerated the spread of the virus among an obviously high-risk group.

“This report confirms what staff have said from the start, that the supply of protective equipment in social care was woefully inadequate.

“And it makes clear the (UK) government doesn’t know how many people have actually been tested in care.

“It’s plain the care sector was out of sight, out of mind in the early stages of the pandemic. The result has been a tragic and catastrophic loss of life.

“When the government announced compulsory face coverings for the NHS but made no mention of care, it was clear lessons haven’t been learned. The sector’s still being treated as an afterthought.”

New health measures for travellers to Scotland

The UK government’s plans for 14 days self-quarantining of arrivals will spell disaster for Scotlands aviation industry – GMB 

GMB, the union for aviation staff, has described the UK government’s plans to introduce self-quarantine for UK arrivals as ‘ill thought out’. 

From today (Monday 08 June) arrivals to the UK will be expected to quarantine for 14 day save for a list of exempted professions.

GMB believes the move lacks scientific evidence and will be disastrous for the aviation industry and the economy in Scotland.

The union has launched the Save Our Airports campaign with six key demands which include extending the 80% furlough scheme for another 12 months, a financial package to support the aviation industry and a commitment to work with unions to deliver a way forward for the industry.

In 2018 the aviation industry supported almost 23,000 jobs in Scotland and contributed more than £240 million to the economy. The gross median salary of an air transport worker in 2018 was around £30,000.

In recent weeks many of these workers have been risking their own health facilitating cargo flights containing vital medical, food supplies and PPE to aid in the national effort against Covid 19 infections.

The union argue that airports are of huge significance to regional economies; providing highly skilled jobs which are often difficult to replicate, whilst also contributing to the creation of almost 126,000 supply chain jobs.

GMB national officer Nadine Houghton said: “The UK Government’s plans for self-quarantining arrivals to the UK will prove disastrous for an already beleaguered aviation industry. 

“This is a populist move, made without any real scientific evidence or consultation with the industry and unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers throughout the sector.

“Many people forget the huge significance of the aviation industry to the economy of Scotland and the impact this quarantine will have on much needed jobs here.

“Aviation jobs aren’t just about airlines, cabin crew and pilots; the aviation industry provides important supply chain jobs to baggage handlers, security, fire crews, taxi drivers and retail workers.

“If the UK government don’t end this ill thought out policy and step in with a bespoke financial package for aviation then thousands of regional aviation jobs will be lost. It’s not too late for the UK government to act.”

The new public health measures come into force today (8 June) to help suppress coronavirus (COVID-19) and prevent new cases being brought into Scotland.

The range of measures, which will be broadly similar to those in other parts of the UK, will include:

  • a requirement for residents and visitors entering the UK from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days
  • the completion of an online passenger locator form by all travellers prior to travel to supply contact details, travel details and the address of where they will self-isolate
  • spot checks at the border by Border Force, who may impose fines on travellers who refuse to comply
  • arrangements for some of those arriving into Scotland to be contacted during their period of self-isolation for the provision of public health advice and information
  • powers for police to impose a fixed penalty notice for anyone failing to comply with the mandatory conditions, with the ability to report persistent offenders to the Procurator Fiscal for potential prosecution

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We are, as a country and across the world, continuing to deal with unprecedented challenges that this pandemic brings. These public health measures will play an important part in helping to prevent further spread of the disease.

“These steps are aimed at protecting people and ensuring that we limit spread when our own infection rates are falling. However, they are temporary and will not be in place any longer than deemed necessary to protect public health – as such, they will be reviewed after three weeks.”

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Over the past few weeks, the UK government has caused endless confusion among travellers over whether holidays can go ahead.

“Even today, as it ushers in 14-day quarantine for UK arrivals, many consumers are confused as to whether the holiday they already have booked will take place due to the lack of consistent communication from the government.

“Meanwhile, the absence of a definitive date from the FCO on when its travel ban will remain in force until continues to allow travel firms to sell holidays departing in the next few weeks that almost certainly can’t go ahead.

“Not only will those customers not get a holiday, but they may not get their money back either – as some travel firms continue to delay and deny refunds.”

Give us our money!

UK Government pressed on £10 million gap

Tens of millions of pounds of lifeline funding has been fast-tracked to charities by the Scottish Government since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis – despite delays in clarity over Barnett consequentials, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell has said.

Highlighting the key role the third sector has played in delivering vital support during the pandemic, Ms Campbell urged the UK Government to be clear in its support for vital services, by indicating when a £10 million shortfall in funding would be resolved.

In April, £35 million of consequentials was earmarked for the Scottish Government in respect of charity support direct grants, but this was later amended by the Treasury to £25 million.

Ms Campbell said: “Charities and third sector organisations have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 crisis to ensure food, essential supplies and other vital services reach those most in need in our communities, as donation streams and other funding routes dried up overnight.

“Now more than ever these organisations deserve clarity.

“Had we not acted quickly at the start of the crisis to ensure tens of millions in funding reached the frontline, many organisations would not have been able to provide the level of service they have delivered in communities across Scotland, and that would have been hugely damaging to the people who rely on them.

“The Finance Secretary has already written to the UK Government seeking clarity on this funding (below). A fortnight on and we are still in the dark over this £10 million shortfall, undermining the Scottish budget at a critical time.”

kate forbes letter

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes wrote to the UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay on 22 May to raise the Scottish Government’s concerns (above).

Charities across Scotland receive funding from the Scottish Government, directly and via local authorities, through a £350 million package of emergency funding to help those most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including:

  • the £50m Wellbeing Fund
  • the £40m Supporting Communities Fund
  • the £25m Third Sector Resilience Fund

Charities with property overheads can apply for the £10,000 Small Business Grant Scheme, expected to result in an additional £31 million in support.

 

Face coverings to become mandatory on public transport in England

  • UK Government asks transport operators in England to make wearing face coverings a requirement of using public transport from 15 June to coincide with the next stage of carefully easing restrictions
  • bus, coach, train, tram, ferry and aircraft passengers must wear a face covering on their journey to help reduce the risk of transmission when social distancing is not always possible – with government also working with operators to ensure staff are provided with face coverings where appropriate
  • guidance remains to work from home if you can and avoid public transport where possible.

Face coverings are to become mandatory on public transport in England, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.

This differs to advice in Scotland, where it is recommended that you consider using face coverings in limited circumstances – on public transport and when shopping, for example – as a precautionary measure.

Wherever possible people should continue to avoid public transport and walk, cycle or drive, but for some people this may not be an option. Transport usage has been slowly increasing, including on the tube which has seen around a 20% rise this week compared to last week.

When necessary to use public transport people may be more likely to be in enclosed spaces for longer periods of time where we know there is a greater risk of the spread of the virus and social distancing is likely to be difficult to follow consistently.

This differs from enclosed spaces like shops, for example, where people can more easily go outside if social distancing is not possible and where shop owners can place limits on the number of customers allowed inside at any one time.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has set out that using face coverings in this setting can provide some small additional protection to fellow passengers and can help people to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus if they are suffering from coronavirus, but not showing symptoms.

Speaking at the Downing Street coronavirus briefing yesterday, Grant Shapps confirmed the government is asking operators to introduce face coverings as a requirement for travel from 15 June 2020.

The UK government will also work closely with the transport industry to help them implement the plans.

The changes will be made under legislation such as the National Rail Conditions of Travel and Public Service Vehicle Regulations for buses. While the government expects the vast majority of people to comply with the changes, operators will be able to refuse travel or issue penalty fines for those who fail to wear a face covering, in a similar way to the rules on having a ticket for travel. British Transport Police will also support the implementation of these changes.

Social distancing and hand washing remain by far the most important disease prevention measures but it is also vital all passengers travelling on buses, coaches, trains, trams, ferries and aircraft should wear a face covering and the government will also work with operators to ensure staff are provided with, and wear face coverings, where appropriate for their role.

People should wash their hands or use hand sanitiser before putting their face covering on and after taking it off and it is important that people don’t touch their face covering when wearing it, where possible, to avoid hand to mask transmission of the virus.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “People should continue to avoid public transport wherever possible. But, as restrictions are carefully eased when it is safe to do so, it’s likely that we will see more people needing to use public transport.

“So, while respecting social distancing and maintaining good hand hygiene remain the most important steps we can all take to stay safe, wearing a face covering can play a role in helping us to protect each other.

“This is about the small changes we can take to help control the virus, which is why I urge everyone using transport to wear a face covering, to help keep us all safer.”

Face coverings are not the same as face masks. It is important that people do not use medical grade PPE masks to ensure these remain available for frontline staff.

Last month, the UK Government set out advice for people on how to make their own face coverings easily at home, using scarves or other textile items.

These face coverings should cover the mouth and nose while allowing the wearer to breathe comfortably and can be as simple as a scarf or bandana that ties behind the head to give a snug fit.

Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Wearing face coverings on trains will help to ensure that those who need to travel by rail can do so with confidence.

“Greater use of face coverings will boost the othehttps://www.facebook.com/DHSCgovuk/videos/804076303453181/?t=4r measures we are putting in place to keep people safe, like more thorough cleaning, improved information on potential crowding and one-way systems at busier stations.”

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To ease pressure on public transport, the UK Government has announced measures to encourage people to choose other forms of transport, including £2 billion for cycling, and the acceleration of e-scooter trials across the country.

To capitalise on the increase in cycling uptake in recent months, the government is also encouraging more people to commute by bike with initiatives such as the Cycle to Work scheme to help with the cost of bikes, including e-bikes.

In Scotland, it is recommended that you consider using face coverings in limited circumstances – such as public transport and when shopping – as a precautionary measure.

He’s got to go!

Edinburgh Pentlands MSP, Gordon MacDonald, has joined calls for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack his most senior adviser Dominic Cummings for repeatedly breaking his own government’s lockdown rules.

Over the weekend it emerged that Mr Cummings drove his family 264 miles to his parents’ estate in Durham while his wife was suffering coronavirus symptoms.

And in an extraordinary press conference in the Downing Street garden on Monday night, instead of resigning Cummings admitted to a series of further breaches of lockdown.

Cummings refused to apologise or even accept that he had fatally undermined the essential public health message that people who have the virus should stay at home.

MSP Gordon MacDonald (above) said: “People in Edinburgh have made huge sacrifices over the months to obey the rules, while Boris Johnson’s most senior adviser was breaking them on multiple occasions.

“He should have resigned but instead he showed no contrition and refused to say sorry for his behaviour which has left millions of people – who have been sticking to the rules – justifiably furious.

“Cummings’ double standards are breath taking. His convoluted excuses to justify his inexcusable behaviour were frankly insulting to the people of Edinburgh.

“Prime Minister has no option but to sack Mr Cummings. His failure to do so by now is a failure of leadership that could have a catastrophic effect on how Coronavirus is contained.

“As Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said: ‘There cannot be one rule for bosses and another for everyone else‘. People must have confidence that the Tory government is following its own rules – not protecting advisors who break them.

“Boris Johnson has apparently known about this for weeks, has failed to offer any answers himself and now has no option but to sack Dominic Cummings and answer questions about his own role in the Downing Street cover-up.

“Leading public health experts have warned this failure of leadership is damaging the public health message and putting lives at risk.

“The longer the Prime Minister allows this farce to continue the more the Tory government will lose credibility and respect. He must sack Mr Cummings without further delay.”

“In Scotland, the clear public health advice has not changed. The Scottish Government will review the current rules on Thursday and hopefully this will lead to a gradual easing of some restrictions, evidence permitting. 

“But for now, people in Edinburgh should continue to stay at home – it really is helping to save lives.”

Scotland Office minister Donald Ross resigned yesterday over the Cummings controversy and up to forty Conservative MPs have called for the Prime Minister’s right hand man to be dismissed.

Ian Murray MP, Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: “Douglas was a fair and reasonable minister who has done the decent thing and resigned from a government that is out of control.

“Integrity has been sadly lacking from this government, especially over the last 72 hours, so I commend him for making this difficult decision.

“He understands that it’s not acceptable to have one rule for Boris Johnson’s closest adviser, another for everybody else.

“Douglas has shown more integrity than Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw and other UK Government ministers who have defended the indefensible and couldn’t be more out of touch with the people of Scotland and the UK.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face the Commons Liasion Committee later today. The government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic will dominate questions, but it’s inevitable that the Dominic Cummings road trip will be raised during the session.

Despite huge Government efforts to draw a line under the Cummings episode, the story isn’t going away any time soon.