BA and Virgin bag £70m of taxpayer money to fly PPE back from China October 16, 2020 British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been paid more than £70m of taxpayer money to ferry personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK from China, as the government scrambles to stock up supplies in time for winter. BA, which is the second-largest airline in the UK, was handed £46m between May and July through a [...]
No deal Brexit ‘catastrophic’ for NHS staff and supplies: medical chief October 5, 2020 A hard Brexit will have a “potentially catastrophic impact” on the NHS and its patients and staff, according to the deputy chair of the British Medical Association (BMA). Dr David Wrigley, who is also the BMA’s trade negotiations lead, fears that a no deal Brexit, which seems increasingly likely, would hit patients and staff across [...]
Covid-19 has exposed the faults within the broken NHS system October 1, 2020 The NHS Confederation this week raised concerns about the health service’s ability to cope with a second wave and a vast backlog of treatments over the course of the winter, strengthening an already-watertight case for system-level reform of the UK’s healthcare system. Over the course of this crisis, the NHS’s status has reached a new [...]
Health minister admits NHS coronavirus app might not be ready before winter June 17, 2020 A government minister has admitted that the NHS’ contact-tracing coronavirus app might not be ready before the winter. Speaking to the parliamentary science and technology committee this afternoon, department of health minister Lord Bethell said the app was “no longer a priority”. In answer to questions about the app, Bethell said: “We are seeking to [...]
UK to open two more Nightingale hospitals to deal with coronavirus cases April 3, 2020 The UK will open two more Nightingale hospitals to handle the rising number of coronavirus cases, as the first opened at London’s Excel Centre today. The new Nightingale hospitals in Bristol and Harrogate will provide 1,500 extra beds for patients afflicted by coronavirus. So far the outbreak has killed 2,921 people in the UK. The [...]
Airlines ask grounded staff to answer NHS volunteer call March 30, 2020 Virgin Atlantic and Easyjet have written to grounded staff members asking them to help in the NHS’ new Nightingale hospitals in a bid to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Easyjet has already contacted all 9,000 of its employees, including 4,000 or so cabin crew staff trained in CPR, whilst Virgin will begin writing to 4,000 of [...]
With every crisis comes an opportunity, so what should a post-coronavirus UK work towards? March 25, 2020 The world is in crisis. All over the world, governments and businesses – and most importantly people – are slowly adjusting to a world that seemed implausible only a few weeks ago. Yet here we are. And if there is any certainty now, it is that we are unlikely to emerge from this to return [...]
Over 400,000 volunteer to help NHS tackle coronavirus March 25, 2020 The number of people volunteering to help the NHS tackle the coronavirus pandemic has surged past 400,000, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. Speaking at Number 10’s daily press conference on the outbreak, Johnson said some 405,000 people had put themselves forward for the scheme within 24 hours of a government appeal. Read more: Coronavirus may [...]
London must unite to beat coronavirus, for the sake of our city and our NHS March 24, 2020 In coronavirus, London is facing an unprecedented challenge. The actions we take today will decide who lives and dies, and whether our National Health Service will survive. Unless every single Londoner follows the government’s advice, we face losing thousands of our family, friends, and colleagues to this virus. This may be a global crisis, but [...]
F1 teams to help produce 20,000 ventilators for NHS in fight against coronavirus March 22, 2020 Formula One may have brought forward its summer factory shutdown to March and April, but seven UK-based teams are set to mobilise their workforce to produce life-saving ventilators that will be required by the NHS in the fight against coronavirus. McLaren, Williams, Red Bull, Renault, Racing Point and world champion Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team are [...]