Dear people of Broxtowe,
Yesterday (2nd of April) I participated in the national Clap for Our Carers at 8pm. We as a country are recognising the efforts of those who are fighting the coronavirus pandemic every day. I would like to thank Broxtowe’s healthcare workers, Armed Forces, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, teachers, postal workers, cleaners, vets, pharmacists, emergency services, engineers, scientists, volunteers and all of those who are out there on the front line and working very hard to keep us all safe. You are making an unbelievable contribution to society in these challenging times. Bravo, you are amazing! The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, published a new 5-point strategy to increase testing yesterday. It will bring together Government, industry, academia, the NHS and many others to achieve the Government’s new target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day.
Locally, I have been in contact with Dr John Doddy, a local doctor, and we discussed primary care in Broxtowe. Dr Doddy said that it is holding up well in terms of delivering NHS primary care. GP practices are reporting on their staffing status in regard to their ability to cope with demand and they are presently at normal strength. He also said that all-important work continues in our surgeries, such as urgent care referrals and treatment.
I had an informative discussion with Alex Ball, Director of Communications and Engagement, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System (ICS) and Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). Alex and I would like to remind the people of Broxtowe to follow this advice:
- Stay At Home - we should stay at home and only go out for essentials and keep to social distancing rules.
- Wash Your Hands - for 20 seconds.
- Use 111 Online - only call 111 if you cannot access the 111 online service. Here is a link to the website:https://111.nhs.uk/
Our minds around this time of year turn to Easter. An important festival in the Christian calendar and a time for families to come together over the bank holidays. Unfortunately, we will have to be in contact with our families and loved ones virtually as we did for Mothering Sunday. The people of Broxtowe may be worried about access to health care over the holiday period. Good Friday and Easter Monday (Friday 10th and Monday the 13th of April) will now be identified as normal working days for GP practices, so that they can manage the demand alongside the NHS. This means that many GPs and their staff will be continuing to work hard to serve us here in Broxtowe and will miss out on precious family time. I thank them in advance and we owe them a debt of gratitude.
I am working from home in Broxtowe and we need to ensure that projects and schemes are continuing. I had a teleconference meeting today (3rd April) about the Stapleford Towns Deal vision. This significant investment of up to £25 million to regenerate Stapleford’s town centre is even more important now that High Streets are suffering because of COVID-19. This investment should drive long-term economic growth through investment in connectivity, economic and cultural assets and enterprise infrastructure. Boosting and supporting local businesses in Broxtowe is part of my 6-point plan and after this pandemic is over and we have beaten coronavirus, we need to ensure that our High Streets and town centres thrive and progress for everyone in Broxtowe.
I am here to help and serve you and your loved ones.
Darren