Today I spoke to Homegroup Mental Health Carers Support Service as part of #CarersWeek to find out how the government can do more to support carers in the UK. Here is what I think…
I’m sew happy for our community heroes
Last August, I wrote about an army of women producing scrubs and face masks to address shortages during the pandemic. They’re still at it but the focus of their activities has now changed. At the height of the crisis, they supplied scrubs for hospitals and medical settings and made around 18,000 facemasks but ceased thatContinue reading I’m sew happy for our community heroes
Waiting list must be cut
It’s been a tough year for the NHS. More than 1,000 health workers have died through Covid-19 and the waiting lists are now longer than ever. Despite it all, the dedication of staff and their success in the vaccine roll-out has been magnificent. Boris Johnson promises more nurses, doctors and new hospitals, but with 4.7Continue reading Waiting list must be cut
Supporting people so vital in these toughest of times
SOME say there’s too much of the ‘nanny state’ in the lockdown arrangements but others argue that delayed responses have made things worse. I was left pondering this after I addressed a recent conference on children and young people’s mental health. There’s a great deal of focus on that issue these days but it wasn’tContinue reading Supporting people so vital in these toughest of times
Anti-vaxxers are undermining the work of scientists in battling Covid
WE’VE come a long way since Edward Jenner first inoculated a 13-year-old with vaccinia virus (cowpox), resulting in the first Smallpox vaccination, and almost 200 years later a global programme to eradicate the disease altogether. It’s sometimes easy to forget the awful suffering caused through conditions such as Polio, Rubella and Diphtheria before the discoveryContinue reading Anti-vaxxers are undermining the work of scientists in battling Covid
Care homes need practical help, not costly gimmicks
I really missed the veterans this Remembrance Sunday. The pandemic has robbed us all but none more so than elderly people with precious years left. It’s been especially cruel for those in care homes. Face-to-face visits were banned during the first lockdown. This time the government’s offering guidance which says visitors can meet residents inContinue reading Care homes need practical help, not costly gimmicks
Steve McCabe MP calls on government to Stop the Clock for fertility patients
Steve McCabe MP has urged the Health Secretary to Stop The Clock to safeguard fertility patients’ access to fertility treatments. Steve McCabe MP (Birmingham Selly Oak) has urged the Health Secretary to Stop The Clock to safeguard fertility patients’ access to fertility treatments. The Birmingham MP has tabled a Parliamentary Question to the Health SecretaryContinue reading Steve McCabe MP calls on government to Stop the Clock for fertility patients
Care leavers always in need of our support and protection
This is National Care Leavers week. I don’t normally comment on ‘celebration’ weeks but this deserves our attention. There are about 2,000 children in care in Birmingham with around 250 leaving each year. Their profile has changed and few of them are orphans. They’re more likely to be children whose parents for various reasons, sometimesContinue reading Care leavers always in need of our support and protection
Putting City at the Forefront of Medical Research
Last week’s announcement that Bruntwood SciTech are joining the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Health Partners to secure the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus is very good news, especially on the jobs front, in these otherwise dreadful times. It puts Birmingham at the forefront of medical research with the prospect of new drugs, treatments and medicalContinue reading Putting City at the Forefront of Medical Research
Arguments over vaccines should be remedied now
This week I’ve had complaints from people who can’t get a flu jab and others who fear being forced to take a coronavirus vaccination. A report by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommends the following for a coronavirus vaccine: care home residents first; over 80s, health and care workers next; over 75s andContinue reading Arguments over vaccines should be remedied now