Throughout this pandemic the Government have worked hard to expand the national safety net to support people who are struggling. That is why we’ve announced a new £170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme for England which will see new funding made available to support families with the cost of food and utilities over Christmas until Easter.
On top of this, we’re expanding some existing schemes, such as Healthy Start, which supports lower-income parents and pregnant women to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. I am also delighted that the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides healthy food and activities to disadvantaged children, has been expanded, backed by £220m investment which will ensure provision for Easter, summer and Christmas in 2021.
This week the Prime Minister shared the positive news that the Pfizer/BioNTec Vaccine trials have some cause for optimism, with recent results showing a 90% effectiveness in protecting people from the virus. While this news is exciting, we must remember that there are no guarantees. The vaccine needs to pass all the rigorous safety checks and needs to be proved effective. If and when this vaccine is approved, we will begin a UK-wide NHS led programme of vaccine distribution. The Government have already brought enough doses for around a third of the population.
Last week I had a virtual meeting with Marianne Griffith, Chief Executive of our local hospital trust that includes St Richard’s. They too are making the necessary preparations to support our local vaccination effort, which will prioritise the most vulnerable such as those in care homes and the frontline staff who care for them across the NHS and care sectors. It will be a huge logistical and operational challenge, so getting the plans drawn up early is fundamentally important.
You will all be pleased to hear that at the time, we only had 15 cases across our trust and none in intensive care. Of course, Marianne and her brilliant team are ready and prepared to cope with more cases if and when they arise, whilst also treating non-covid patients, with their ‘red’ and ‘green’ pathways; protecting patients and staff.
The hospital is also working to get rapid saliva testing capabilities with a bid in for some LAMP machines that, if successful, will mean they can carry out 2,000 test per day. Enough to test every member of their staff from here to Brighton every week.
The pandemic is still impacting the team there and they have done a fantastic job to work through a backlog created by the first lockdown. There is still some way to go but I am hugely impressed by our frontline staff who’ve pushed through, without a break, to provide exceptional care as always. All I can say is thank you.