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 […]
18 May 2020 – today’s press releases
Lib Dems launch calls for more mental health support for health and care staff Lib Dems lead cross party push to keep pubs in business People deserve an upfront answer from Powys MPs Govt must increase testing capacity to maintain credibility Lib Dems launch calls for more mental health support for health and care staff […]
16-17 May 2020: the weekend’s press releases
Lib Dems: Covid-19 mental health implications a ticking time bomb Lib Dems call for permanent remote voting option for MPs Govt must be transparent if they want public support for reopening schools Davey: Govt approach to tracing ‘totally inadequate’ Lib Dems: Govt putting ideology above people’s lives in refusing to extend Brexit talks Govt must […]
LibLink: Daisy Cooper MP: Any contact tracing app must respect privacy and maintain public trust
In an article on Politics Home, Lib Dem Culture spokesperson Daisy Cooper sets out the flaws in the Government’s plans for a contact tracing app to slow the spread of Covid-19 and highlighted LIb Dem plans for a law which would underpin safety and privacy. The public won’t use an app if they don’t trust […]
Sal Brinton on Government “lie” on care homes and Covid-19
Lie is not a word anyone in politics uses lightly. But Lib Dems Lords Health and Social Care spokesperson Sal Brinton used it today in response to Michael Gove’s interview on the Andrew Marr Show . But this lie that the Gvt has already put a protective ring round care homes is a lie direct. […]
Layla: We need reassurance and clarity before schools can re-open
Lib Dem Education spokesperson Layla Moran was on LBC this morning talking about getting children back to school. Listen here: Growing inequality for school children during lockdown highlights the need to get children back to learning, but parents and teachers face a lack of reassurance and we all still need clarity on the science. See […]
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 […]
Civil Liberties and the NHS App
The NHS has launched a tracing App for trialling in the Isle of Wight. How does it measure up against the civil liberties checklist that I authored on Lib Dem Voice on 15th April, along with some excellent additions within the comments? First, the positives: I urged that opting in should be voluntary. It is. […]
Lib Dems lead cross party call for mental health plan in response to COVID-19 crisis
Liberal Democrats are at the forefront of cross party calls for a long-term, cross-departmental mental health plan in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Citing the “acute” impact of the pandemic on mental health, a cross party group of Parliamentarians warn that over half of adults admit the coronavirus crisis has impacted their wellbeing. The group, […]