Chloe SmithMP for Norwich North
Chloe SmithI am extremely grateful to our frontline NHS and social care staff in Norwich for supporting us all through the worst of the pandemic. Ensuring we protect our NHS workers and social care staff is very important to me.
Last week, there was a debate on NHS testing in Parliament. Here's what I voted for:
"That this House expresses thanks to the heroic work of frontline NHS staff who have saved lives throughout the Covid-19 pandemic; pays tribute to the at least 312 NHS and Social Care staff who have died of coronavirus in the United Kingdom; recognises the impact that coronavirus will have upon the NHS to deliver routine care including mental health care without additional Government support; notes that NHS waiting lists are projected to reach 10 million by the end of 2020, that cancer referrals fell 60 per cent during the peak of the coronavirus lockdown and that four out of five children have reported their mental health has got worse during the pandemic; further notes that there is a backlog of NHS care that needs to be tackled and that it is vital to prepare NHS services to deliver safe care alongside care for coronavirus, including preparing for winter and ensuring necessary supplies of PPE and medicine; and recognises the unprecedented action the Government has taken in its tireless efforts against Coronavirus to protect the NHS and save lives."
It's a shame that the Labour Party were playing politics on this occasion. Conservative MPs including me voted to back our NHS staff in line with the Chief Medical Officer's advice. Weekly testing was not supported by the House of Commons in this vote, because it is not necessarily the right thing to do.
The Chief Medical Officer currently says that NHS staff testing is best done through a survey, which monitors the prevalence of coronavirus. This survey, which will be expanded over the coming months, helps to determine where wider asymptomatic staff testing is needed.
The Health Secretary has emphasised that the NHS will “prioritise testing of all NHS staff with symptoms, asymptomatic regular testing of staff in situations where there is an incident, outbreak or high prevalence and regular surveillance testing across all staff.” (House of Commons, 24th June). You can read the Health Secretary's full statement here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2020-06-24/HCWS312/.
Everyone who has symptoms of coronavirus can now get a test through the NHS website. This was an extremely important milestone to help slow the spread of the virus.
Locally, Norfolk was chosen as one of 11 pilot areas which will play a significant part in the country’s efforts to use testing and tracing.
Under this new system, anyone who receives a positive test for coronavirus will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will need to share information about their recent interactions with colleagues, friends and family. Anyone identified as having been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus must stay at home for 14 days, even if they do not show symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.
If this is of interest, you can read further details on my blog here:
https://www.chloesmith.org.uk/local/news/covid-19-update-test-and-trace