Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on Safety Risks in the NHS

The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 October 2020.

In a normal winter, these risks would be worrying. In the coming winter, with the incompetent handling of the test and trace system leaving the NHS wide open and poorly supported, they take on a whole new meaning.

We urgently need a commitment from Ministers to fix the problems with test and trace and a timetable by which these issues will finally be sorted. On top of this it is vital that Ministers confirm that the NHS will get the additional support it needs to address these risks.

Frontline staff and patients cannot be made to carry the can for Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock’s incompetence.