It has been very moving seeing our country come together to celebrate the incredible work of NHS staff and care workers via the recent national round of applause.
Providing support to those who are doing a tremendous job on the frontline of the coronavirus response has been the utmost priority for the Government since the outbreak. This week, the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock MP, published an action plan for adult social care in England. This plan sets out how we will minimise the spread of coronavirus in care settings and support our hardworking care workers with the challenges they face on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus.
Sadly, people in care are among the most vulnerable to the virus. To support this challenge, the new action plan will ensure that care settings will have access to better testing for staff and those in care, with testing being available to every social care worker who needs one along with any members of their household that displays symptoms; will provide millions of more pieces of PPE, with 7.8 million pieces of PPE being provided to over 26,000 care settings across the country so far; and will also ensure that people at the end of their lives are provided dignity, support and the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones.
In addition, the Government is temporarily reinstating the professional registration of 8,000 former social workers. This will enable them to fill those vital roles in local communities across the country during these challenging times.
This week also saw the fantastic work that is being done to ensure that capacity in hospital beds is well under control. The NHS has been working flat out to make 33,000 beds available, the equivalent of 50 hospitals, along with the extra capacity that the Nightingale hospitals will provide, should local services need them. This is in addition to the 20,000 staff, 8,000 beds and around 1,200 more ventilators that the NHS has made available through a deal with the independent sector. This is a fantastic achievement.
This week also saw the nation come together to get behind Captain Tom Moore, the 99-year-old veteran raising money by walking laps of his garden.
Captain Tom wanted to complete 100 laps of his 250m garden before his 100th birthday next week, and was asking people to support him by donating money to NHS Charities Together. He originally hoped to raise £1,000, but (at the time of writing this) the inspirational Captain raised a staggering £14m! Over half a million people donated to Captain Tom’s appeal, and I am very proud that so many people in this country can be so generous at such a difficult time.
NHS Charities Together is a brilliant organisation working with a large number of different NHS charities, providing support for fundraising and advocacy campaigns, specialist advice and guidance, and training opportunities. The money raised will be a huge benefit for NHS charities Together and the vital work they do to support the NHS.
I am sure you will all join me in congratulating Captain Tom and wishing him a very happy 100th Birthday next week.
