In a recent document, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP wrote, “Every Member of Parliament will be aware of the deep unfairness inherent in the country’s health and social care provision.” This unfairness has been thrown into sharp contrast during the Coronavirus pandemic, but may be traced back to 1948, when the NHS was founded to provide comprehensive healthcare, free at the point of care, for everyone in the country, funded through general taxation. In distinction, social care remained the responsibility of Local Authorities, funded through local taxation, but heavily means-tested and subject to eligibility criteria. Like other parts of the care systems, social care has been significantly underfunded and not fit for purpose. The provision of social care in England is failing on many counts. • It is profoundly unfair. o Nobody can tell when they might require support to live as independent a life as possible, and the cost of such support is unpredictable. o Cancer sufferers receive care that is free at the point of need, but dementia sufferers are means-tested. People sustaining a stroke resulting in disability are not considered to have a medical problem but a social one. o Privately funded service users are subsidising state-funded users • It is inefficient in its use of resources. o Hospital beds are inappropriately occupied while wrangling takes place over the funding of the ongoing care, rather than the setting that will best meet their ongoing needs. o There is heavy reliance on informal care, imposing costs on families and the wider economy. o Transactional costs of the fragmented market eat into resources for actual care. • It often does not meet the needs of the individual. o The goal of social care is to allow people to participate as fully as possible in community life, with security and dignity. Too often this is not achieved. o Care does not always allow people to maximise their potential or exercise the life choices that most of us take for granted. • It struggles to recruit and retain sufficient carers for the needs of the service; o Despite the recognition of care workers as being key workers in the response to the pandemic, there is a lack of recognised training standards, qualifications, and career progression. o Pay and conditions do not reflect the value that society places on those who care for their loved ones and require public subsidy through the benefit system. • It poses a serious risk of financial collapse of major care home providers, with consequent insecurity for residents and a short-term approach to investment in staff and facilities. There has been much talk of integrating health and social care, spanning many governments, but paradoxically, successive governments have created divisions rather than integration; the creation of the provider purchaser concept, the internal market, the continued fragmentation of the NHS and the 2012 NHS and Social Care Act are some examples. These have led to increasing lack of coordination between the hospital and primary care. Significantly, the changes have resulted in multiple bodies rather one authority providing the services, resulting in a disorganised service. The changes we propose would ensure that all parts of the care service would be obliged to collaborate with each other to provide what would be best for the individual and to redress the increasing lack of continuity of care, in addition to producing a fairer, less complex, and more cost-effective service. Note 1 Local Care Authority (LCA) This would replace the local CCG. This would bring together all relevant provider units (hospital care, primary care. community care, social service, mental health and ambulance service) within the influence of the LCA. Each provider would be expected to provide a set of agreed services according to the needs of the local community and avoiding duplication of services. It would be a requirement that representatives of providers include a senior clinician, a member from front-line staff, where these would be relevant. LCA would ensure that the agreed services are delivered efficiently. It would also liaise with the relevant Local Authority in addition to charitable bodies and private providers. Each provider unit would keep its own administrative structures unless they wish certain aspects to be given to the LCA. LCA would establish agreed governance structures and annual audits readily available to the public. LCA would liaise with local trade union bodies LCA would receive allocated resources from the regional authority. LCA would be expected to establish a confidential and independent office for Freedom to Speak Up. Note 2 Regional Care Authority (RCA) This would replace current structure at a regional level. This would include representatives from each LCA within the region in addition to those from large providers across the region and tertiary centres, universities, government agents and the Colleges. It would be responsible for seeking resources from the government on behalf of the LCAs and capital costs. It would liaise with other relevant RCAs It would ensure the government policies are understood and delivered throughout the region It would receive annual reports from LCAs Commissioning services for those services not available to the National Care Service (ICS) would be carried out by the central government.

In this climate of Covid we are asked to work extra hours but feel us a Nurses/Midwives get taxed to the hilt. Our pay is rubbish and we work extra hours to make ends meet yet we are living some of us on the bread line. Extra support needs to provided for childcare .

I have just recovered from Covid after being taken to hospital. I was severely ill and saw at first hand how incredible the people who work in our NHS are working to save lives. They risk their own lives time and time again and are working under extremely difficult conditions exhausted but never complaining. If we as a Country truly respected them we would give them an immediate pay rise of 10%. This should be for all NHS staff to bring them back to the same pay levels they were at before the Government of 2010. For ten years the wages have gone down in real terms. THIS IS WRONG! We ask that instead of applause we give them proper pay! IMMEDIATELY. Please sign and pass this on to your friends. Paddy Doheryty and Daniel Coll

The workers in these roles are potentially super spreaders and are also carrying out transportation and delivery roles that are important to the economy from driver who transfer the vulnerable & Key workers to those who provide delivery of packages and food couriers come in to contact daily with many others. Giving these individuals priority inoculation will lower the risk in these groups. Furthermore data proves these roles have been at greater risk than many other groups within the UK. We feel that all of our combined membership throughout the UK, many from the BAME communities, and with a wide spectrum of ages and health conditions; should be in the list of those in top priority to receive the vaccine in order to protect the NHS, prevent the spread of the virus and save lives. Drivers and ancillary workers in these transportation roles are by the very nature of their role, in close contact with people from all walks of life, from those in extremely high risk categories, to frontline NHS and private sector care staff, business people, doctors, nurses, children with special needs, and the elderly and infirm for food deliveries, hospital appointments and shopping trips. As such, not only are these roles at high risk of becoming infected from their passengers, but also if they do become infected are likely to become "super spreaders" of the Corona virus without their knowledge, even more so with the discovery of the new mutation which is spreading much faster among all walks of life. This is a combined petition in partnership with several of the largest representative bodies who all feel very strongly about this, which includes the NPHTA (National Private Hire and Taxi Association), PHTM (Private Hire and Taxi Monthly, GMB, Unite the Union, LPHCA (Licensed Private Hire Car Association) ADCU (App Drivers and Couriers Union) GMDF (Greater Manchester Drivers Federation) DLTA (Durham Licensed Taxi Association) LTDA (London Taxi Drivers Association and many others)

For months, pharmacy teams across the UK have been working without respite on the NHS frontline, playing a vital role in the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and helping reduce the pressure on GPs and A&Es. But the government hasn't done enough to give community pharmacies the money they need to meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. A third of family-owned pharmacies in England are now in deficit and some have closed for good. Many more family-owned pharmacies in England could soon be forced to shut their doors unless the government acts. The first step is to let pharmacies keep the money they were given for the crippling extra costs of staying open during the pandemic. This money was spent by pharmacies to provide vital healthcare and the government must keep its promise to cover these extra costs. Community pharmacies are a local lifeline. They provide vital health and social care in communities across the country, including the most deprived neighbourhoods. Please support our local pharmacies – so they can continue to keep people well and save lives!

Our most vulnerable rely on us...

Unlike England, Scotland and Wales, NI still does not have a budget or scheme in place for free period products in all school toilets. Yet again, we have been left behind. Schools already provide free toilet roll, hand soap, hand towels and sanitary waste disposal bins in toilets. What makes period products any different? We firmly believe that any toilet that requires toilet roll, requires period products in exactly the same way. In June 2020, a Plan international UK study showed how 3 in 10 UK girls have struggled to afford or access sanitary wear during lockdown, with over half (54%) of these girls having used toilet paper as an alternative. There is no doubt that period poverty has been exacerbated as a result of the current pandemic and the need to maintain good hygiene has never been more important. Due to extensive job losses, an increase in people using food banks, and many other local support services being cut, families have been hard hit and are under more financial pressure than ever. At the Homeless Period Belfast, we have seen an exponential increase in demand and requests for our own period packs. In April – June 2020 we received 3 times the demand than previous years. Now, more than ever, a free period products scheme in schools across NI will relieve the financial pressure on parents and students purchasing these items. It will also alleviate the pressure of school students having to remember to carry period products in their bags when there are many other things to worry about and remember to bring (exams, books, homework, hand sanitiser/masks, bus passes etc.), meaning students can go about their daily lives without getting caught out. Free period products in schools will ensure that every young person can learn and be their very best, without the worry of their next pad or tampon holding them back. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-behind-as-rest-of-uk-signs-up-for-free-sanitary-products-in-schools-38022610.html

The pioneering surgery QVH is famous for is at risk of being lost forever should a merger be approved. The multiple mergers between NHS hospitals occurring in the last decade have commonly resulted in hidden and unchallenged loss of services. This risk is posed to QVH specialist services this time. It has been proposed that QVH merges with a super-sized trust Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WSHT) and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH), whose focus is providing local services for people living in Sussex ONLY. QVH is a specialist NHS trust that sits in Sussex. Unlike district general hospitals that only serve the local population, QVH provides specialist services for patients living in a much wider area - Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the rest of the UK. The services under threat include specialist breast cancer free flap reconstruction surgery (QVH performs 10% of all of the total cases in the UK), specialist eye operations (QVH set up the first UK Eye Bank and performs hundreds of complex corneal surgery on adults and children each year), facial palsy services (QVH is the largest centre in the UK), complex hand surgery (QVH performs reattachment of fingers and thumbs traumatically amputated), head and neck cancer surgery (QVH is the 4th largest unit in the UK), orthodontics (QVH is again the 4th largest treatment unit in the UK) and complex surgery for all types of skin cancer including melanoma. For more information about this campaign please visit - http://sossqvh.co.uk/

NHS employees have spent over a year working around the clock to keep us safe. That’s why the government stopped charging parking fees to these key workers during the height of the pandemic. Before that, NHS employees in England and Northern Ireland were charged as much as £40 a day on parking fees. The cost of parking is already a strain on the wages of many NHS workers - and now staff are coming forward to say that charges have been secretly reintroduced. Our NHS staff - who have sacrificed so much over the last year - deserve better. So, will you sign the petition now, and send a clear message to Matt Hancock: that NHS staff in England and Northern Ireland should not have to pay for parking while they work.

The Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed chaos on all our lives, however, it's hit our elderly the hardest. The very people who were asked to shield away from loved ones for months and were warned they were most susceptible to the deadly virus, are now facing a lengthy wait for this vital protection. This mess must be fixed. Hundreds of readers have got in touch with the Glasgow Times as the threat of winter flu season looms. Many of the people we’ve spoken to feel the NHS boards simply don’t care about their health because of their age. This is a national scandal and it must stop. Please sign our petition to help us give our OAPS a shot.

I had residents complaining to me about unmanaged fireworks affecting our UK elderly, sickly, people working shifts, and our pets, once again last night. The bins in Liden Lagoon were destroyed last night. The damage of public items and anti-social behaviour that happens when people get together to set off loud firework explosions in the night is unacceptable to residents. I have notified Swindon Nythe, Eldene and Liden NEL Parish & Police have been advised to act. I have asked Swindon Borough Council to issue letters to perpetrators for no exploding of loud fireworks close to residential housing for Liden, Eldene, Nythe, Park South & Swindon wide. Please report the noise nuisance & Anti-Social behavior to your local police, councils, and governments.

Since the early part of this year, Sinfin Health Centre has been closed for face-to-face consultations with patients. This has meant that we have had to travel to the Heatherton Village branch of the practice. Without a car this means four bus journeys or a taxi fare of £8 to £9 each way. The doctors and other staff are much appreciated by many of us and we do understand the effect that Covid 19 has had on our NHS. However, we feel it to be unfair for one patient group to have to struggle in this way, especially as Sinfin is home to many elderly people and young families on lower incomes. We therefore ask our doctors to consider the impact of their decision and to reopen Sinfin Health Centre now.