The corporate voice of the care sector is up in arms about the PM’s comments on care. Of course, his remarks about care homes, not following procedures were sly and clumsy, but he is right that the care sector should shoulder some of the blame for the virtual decimation of their aged residents. Clap for […]
Op-eds
I went to the pub…light the blue touchpaper and stand well back
Embed from Getty Images I figured that last weekend would be a bit crowded in pubs, so I reserved time in my (not-so)busy diary to visit the pub yesterday. Monday is the new Saturday. All went well. The pub I visited seem to have lots of measures in place, and well-trained staff. I enjoyed an […]
The herd and the unheard!
Embed from Getty Images There is a current running through this government. It is one of confusion. But, despite my best efforts to not impune motives, I am coming to the view that the current running through this government is one of callousness. Not always intentional, but incredible, too. Sometimes the callousness is because of […]
Looking back: How investing in our communities laid the foundations for tackling Covid-19 in York
Embed from Getty Images Just over a year ago I was appointed to the role of Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Communities in the new Lib Dem/Green partnership running City of York Council following the May elections of 2019. I’m hugely proud of the way our team in York rose to the challenge presented […]
Building back better
After Covid-19, we all must rise to the UN challenge to ‘build back better’. The impacts of the pandemic and the lockdown have accelerated changes that had been predicted would take decades to happen. We all have a new appreciation for housing, outdoor spaces, community services and the welfare state. The uncongested streets, cleaner air […]
Covid-19 and Brexit: a lethal combination
Deaths from coronavirus dominate the news, but behind the headlines other sources of mortality are taking their toll. This has been the case from shortly after the start of the lockdown, but is becoming more evident. If we look for instance at the figures for week ending 3rd April, there were 3475 deaths from covid-19 […]
Post shielding face masks for extremely disabled passengers
I have been shielding for months due to a medical condition listed as extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 but keeping in touch with work. Over the last few months, I’ve been updated with changing company policy and watching the Government updates closely. Workplace pay was revised in line with the Government’s change of advice for those […]
Ed Davey’s media blitz calling for Cummings to go
I have a friend who is not well. She had to spend lockdown away from her husband, who was working, being cared for by her parents. She didn’t see her husband until restrictions were lifted, even though he was round the corner. Another friend lost her husband. She’s had people at the end of a […]
Should patients be charged for missed GP appointments?
Embed from Getty Images With millions across the UK calling for a pay rise for our health heroes, maybe it’s also time we start charging serial offenders abusing one of the fundamental parts of our NHS, the GP appointments system. Our NHS knows no bounds and rightly so; the vast majority of people are proud […]
Ten years of living with the Black Dog
Embed from Getty Images My first encounter with what I call the black dog was in the early months of 2010, not long after I went off work the previous autumn. I initially rebuffed my GP’s offer of antidepressants. That was partly because of a misplaced idea that it would be an admission of weakness […]