Health Secretary Matt Hancock #coronavirus press conference (24 March 2020)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, herein referred to as the Health Secretary, The Right Honourable, Matt Hancock, revealed at the United Kingdom’s daily COVID-19 press briefing this afternoon that the government is seeking to recruit a quarter of a million national health service workers to bolster the capacity of the health service here in the face of rising deaths as a result of the on-going pandemic, Coronavirus disease 2019, (COVID-19)
Hancock reiterated the government’s position that in order to get a grip on the COVID-19 outbreak, and to arrest its transmission throughout the United Kingdom, “the more we follow the rules, ” he said, ” the sooner we will stop the spread. So everybody has a responsibility to follow those rules, and where possible to stay at home.”
I KNOW HOW WORRIED PEOPLE ARE
AND WHILE THIS IS A GREAT TIME OF TURBULENCE
IT IS A MOMENT TOO, THAT
THE COUNTRY CAN COME TOGETHER
IN THAT NATIONAL EFFORT.
Health Secretary The Right Honourable, Matt Hancock
#coronavirus press conference (24 March 2020)
NHS volunteer responders
The Health Secretary revealed that the next step in the country’s effort to fight the virus, was the launching of the National Health Service (NHS) Volunteers. Hancock said that the scheme was an opportunity for the country to come together. “We are seeking quarter of a million volunteers,” he said, ” people in good health, to help the NHS for shopping an delivery of medicines, and to support those who are shielded to protect their own health, ” he said.
“The NHS volunteer responders,” he said, “is a new scheme set up so that people can come and help, and to make sure that NHS, the local services that are needed, get all the support that they can.” The Health Secretary also paid tribute to persons who responded to the call of Prime Minister, Boris Johnson last weekend for retired clinicians and other health practitioners to volunteer to return to serve the NHS during these troubled times in the hour of its greatest need to which he said it has been, “incredibly successful thus far.”
- 11, 788 persons signed up
- 2, 660 doctors
- 2, 500 health professionals and pharmacists
- 6, 147 nurses
- 5, 500 final-year medics
- 18, 700 final-year, student nurses
Hancock said that this additional 35, 000 staff including thousands of final year medics and nurses ” will move to the frontline to make sure we have the people we need, in our NHS, to respond to this crisis. ”
NHS Nightingale hospital
The Minister also disclosed that next week extra bed capacity would also be increased through the repurposing and renaming of the of ExCeL Centre in London, as a new temporary hospital. named, NHS Nightingale Hospital
The NHS Nightingale Hospital will be able to accommodate 4,000 patients. He said, that the hospital will comprise of two wards, each able to treat 2000 patients.
“With the help of the military, and with NHS clinicians we will make sure that we have the capacity we need so that everyone can get the support they need, ” the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said.
COVID-19 UK statistics
The health secretary said that the death toll to the deadly disease in the UK rose by 87 overnight. As of 9am on 24 March 2020, a total of 90,436 people have been tested, of which 82,359 were confirmed negative and 8,077 were confirmed positive. 422 patients in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have died, according to GOV.UK
Further reading
Coronavirus Press Conference, UK Prime Minister Available at: https://www.facebook.com/10downingstreet/videos/643593196209930/UzpfSTEwMDAxMDA4NTU1ODkyMzoxMTQ2Njg5NDg5MDEwNTU5/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2020].
GOV.UK. (2020). Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public [Accessed 24 Mar. 2020].
ALBERT WILLIAMS Reporting 
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