Covid-19 Update

Peter Bottomley Excerpts
Tuesday 5th May 2020

(4 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I welcome the comments from the Secretary of State. We now go over to Sir Peter Bottomley.

Peter Bottomley Portrait Sir Peter Bottomley (Worthing West) (Con) [V]
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I ask if we can all recognise the loving care by social services staff and NHS staff,  especially those who have to go on hot or cold visits to people’s homes—not only the community nurses, dementia nurses and those who go to people with special needs, but the GPs and paramedics. Will the Secretary of State consider safer ways for those home visits, possibly using some of the offers of London black cabs, which can have a division between the driver and the clinician and also are much easier to clean down when necessary?

Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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Yes, I am happy to look into all different ways of having safe working practices within the NHS and more broadly. Within the NHS, infection control is a critical piece of work. My hon. Friend is right to raise the point that this is a matter not just for acute hospitals—where, of course, it is mission critical—but for all parts of the NHS, including pharmacies, which increasingly have screens to make sure that there is a lower impact of transmission from customers to staff.