House of Commons – June 24, 2020 – 60

Question put accordingly (Standing Order No. 31(2)), That the original words stand part of the Question. Amendment: I beg to move amendment (a), to leave out from “medicine” to the end and add: “and recognises the unprecedented action the Government has taken in its tireless efforts against Coronavirus to protect the NHS and save lives.” Original words: I beg to move, That this House expresses thanks to the heroic work of frontline NHS staff who have saved lives throughout the Covid-19 pandemic;

pays tribute to the at least 312 NHS and Social Care staff who have died of coronavirus in the United Kingdom;

recognises the impact that coronavirus will have upon the NHS to deliver routine care including mental health care without additional Government support;

notes that NHS waiting lists are projected to reach 10 million by the end of 2020, that cancer referrals fell 60 per cent during the peak of the coronavirus lockdown and that four out of five children have reported their mental health has got worse during the pandemic;

further notes that there is a backlog of NHS care that needs to be tackled and that it is vital to prepare NHS services to deliver safe care alongside care for coronavirus, including preparing for winter and ensuring necessary supplies of PPE and medicine;

is concerned that routine testing of NHS and Social Care staff is not currently in place;

and calls on the Government to implement a routine weekly testing programme for all NHS and Social Care staff to enable NHS services to safely resume and ensure the continuity of services throughout the winter alongside a functional, national, public test, trace and isolate system.