Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid today (February 14) embarks on a week-long tour of England, visiting hospitals, care homes, cancer centres, vaccination centres, community diagnostic centres, GP surgeries and cutting edge research facilities to engage those most integral to his reform and recovery agenda.
First stop on the tour will be the East of England. He’ll meet with urgent community response teams and visit a number of hospital sites. The tour is an opportunity for the Health and Social Care Secretary to hear from health and care staff across the country that have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. It is also a chance to discuss the government’s plans for the health and care service. Each day he will host Q&A sessions with members of the public to listen to and better understand their experiences of the NHS, public health, and social care services.
Sajid Javid says: “As we learn to live with Covid, my mission is clear. We must tackle the backlog of people waiting for treatment, bring NHS and social care services closer together and deal with the stark inequalities and level up the health of the nation.
“Nurses, doctors, GPs, vaccinators, porters and so many others have put everything on the line to care for patients and families throughout this pandemic, and that’s why I wanted to thank them personally.
“This week I want to hear directly from staff, patients, residents and local people about their experiences of the health and care systems and discuss my plans for NHS and social care recovery and reform.”
Last week the government set out its plans to tackle the elective care backlog, and published its White Paper on integration, which sets out a vision for a more joined-up NHS and adult social care sector.
