News
CORONAVIRUS
Community pharmacies lack capacity to deliver medicines London. Many community pharmacies are being affected by staff shortages due to the virus and panic-buying of medicines, but these issues will be felt most in county areas, with less pharmacies to serve residents. Council leaders say that local government is ready to step in and support the efforts to ensure that no vulnerable ‘at risk’ person goes without these vital supplies, and the CCN has written to the government urging them to enable council volunteers to help with the effort. Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently announced that community pharmacies will receive £300 million to help them carry out essential services amid the coronavirus outbreak. However, the CCN argues that this funding, while welcome, would not immediately solve some of the deeper practical and regulatory issues in terms of ensuring every person under enforced self-isolation gets their medicine.
The County Councils Network (CCN) has raised concerns that local pharmacies do not have the capacity to deliver vital medicines to hundreds of ‘at risk’ people in rural areas. Councils in county areas that border cities where coronavirus is prominent, such as London and Newcastle, are warning that they are hearing that their local pharmacies are having difficulty delivering some medicines to those who are being ‘shielded’, due to capacity, staffing, and distance issues.
The CCN fears that as the country heads towards the peak of the virus this issue will be exacerbated across other parts of the country and could potentially leave older and sick residents without medical supplies for an extended period of time. Figures show that county areas, many of which have large rural and remote parts, have just one pharmacy per 766 people aged over 70, the most at-risk group and those most likely to require medicine. This compares to 366 people for every one pharmacy in
THE LABOUR PARTY
NHS
Starmer announced as new Labour leader
NHS army of volunteers to start protecting the vulnerable
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to lead Labour ‘into a new era with confidence and hope’ after being named leader of the party in a ballot. Comprehensively gaining more votes than both Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey in a ballot of party members and other supporters, the former lawyer said he has spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and agreed to meet to discuss the coronavirus crisis. Having become an MP in 2015 for Holborn and St Pancras, Starmer won on the first round of voting, with more than 50 per cent of ballots cast. Equating to 275,780 votes, the victory was the result of just over 490,000 votes. Rebecca Long-Bailey received 135,218 votes, while Lisa Nandy gained 79,597 votes. Starmer has vowed to keep key policies from Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, such as nationalising rail, mail and water and repealing anti-union laws. Lisa Nandy has been appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary in Starmer’s new shadow cabinet, with Nick Thomas-Symonds named as Shadow Home Secretary and Anneliese Dodds as Shadow Chancellor The Labour Party has also revealed that Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner has been elected deputy leader, replacing Tom Watson, who stood down as an MP before the election. READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/tsxqb8o
From 7 April, hundreds of thousands of NHS Volunteer Responders will be able to report for duty and start helping the NHS in its fight against coronavirus. Over 750,000 people signed up to the NHS’ call for volunteers in just four days when the scheme launched, which is three times the original target. It is believed that by the end of 7 April, the Royal Voluntary Service, the charity delivering the volunteer effort, will have completed checks for the three quarters of a million applications. Approved volunteers will be offered tasks via the GoodSAM app and will start helping people safely, with more expected to get requests over the coming weeks as referrals ramp up. Volunteers show themselves as available when their app is switched to ‘on duty’. Because of the response, the group of vulnerable people they will support in England has now been expanded and they will come to the aid of 2.5 million at risk people. This will be carried out by: delivering medicines from pharmacies; driving patients to appointments; bringing them home from hospital; making regular phone calls to check on people isolating
READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/rm38qeq
at home; and transporting medical supplies and equipment for the NHS. Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said: “The number of people who came forward to help some of the most vulnerable in their communities is truly extraordinary. Today we begin to see the results of these tremendous acts of goodwill from the British public, with volunteers offering support to those who need it most. Tackling this unprecedented coronavirus challenge means all of us to pulling together, so on behalf of the NHS, thank you to everyone who is playing their part.” READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/yx257wtz
Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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