Emergency measures to give ministers powers to take the right
action at the right time to respond effectively to the progress
of the coronavirus outbreak will be introduced to parliament this
week, the Health Secretary has today set out.
The measures in the Coronavirus Bill are temporary, proportionate
to the threat we face, will only be used when strictly necessary
and be in place for as long as required to respond to the
situation.
They are intended to protect life and the nation’s public health
and ensure NHS and social care staff are supported to deal with
significant extra pressure on the health system.
They fall into five key categories:
- Containing and slowing the virus
- Easing legislative and regulatory requirements
- Enhancing capacity and the flexible deployment of staff
across essential services
- Managing the deceased in a dignified way should we experience
excess deaths
- Supporting and protecting the public to do the right thing
and follow public health advice
Health Secretary said:
“We are doing everything we can to protect lives and support the
NHS, guided by the best scientists and clinicians in the world.
“The new measures we will be introducing in the Emergency
Coronavirus Bill this week will only be used when it is
absolutely necessary and must be timed to maximise their
effectiveness, but crucially they give the government the powers
it needs to protect lives.
“By planning for the worst and working for the best we will get
through this, but this is a national effort and we must all work
together - from businesses prioritising the welfare of their
employees, to people thoroughly washing their hands.
“I also want to pay tribute to our brilliantly selfless NHS and
social care staff who are working tirelessly to care for our
friends and loved ones in this unprecedented period.”
To ensure the NHS and adult social care have the additional staff
capacity it needs to respond to increasing demands on services
during the outbreak, the powers enabled by the Bill will allow
recently retired NHS staff and social workers to return to work
without any negative repercussions to their pensions to ease
pressures on the health and care workforce.
NHS staff will also be covered by a state-backed insurance scheme
to ensure they can care for patients if, for example, they are
moving outside their day-to-day duties while making use of their
skills and training.
Paperwork and administrative requirements will be reduced to help
doctors discharge patients more quickly when clinically
appropriate, to free up hospital space for those who are very ill
and enable clinicians to focus on delivering care.
Volunteers will have extra employment safeguards, allowing them
to pause their main jobs for up to four weeks while they help
care for patients in the health and care system, and will receive
a flat rate of compensation to mitigate lost earnings and
expenses. This could benefit more than 3 million people who
already volunteer in health and care settings and bolster the
NHS’s capacity to respond to the virus.
Changes to Councils’ duties under the Care Act will enable them
to prioritise people with the greatest care needs and make the
best use of the adult social care workforce
Other measures in the legislation include:
- Allowing police and immigration officers to support and
enforce public health measures including powers to detain people
and put them in appropriate isolation facilities if necessary to
protect public health;
- Making arrangements for statutory sick pay for those
self-isolating without symptoms from day one;
- Allowing small businesses to reclaim statutory sick pay
payments from HMRC
- Allowing more phone or video hearings for court cases to stop
the spread of the virus in courts; and
- Enabling Border Force to temporarily suspend operations at
airports or transport hubs if there are insufficient resources to
maintain border security.
The Bill allows the four UK Governments to switch on these new
powers when they are needed, and crucially, to switch them off
again once they are no longer necessary, based on the advice of
the four Chief Medical Officers.
Chief Medical Officer said:
“Our approach to responding to this outbreak has and will remain
driven by the scientific and clinical evidence so we do the right
thing at the right time.
“The measures included in this bill will help support our
frontline workers, protect the public and delay the peak of the
virus to the summer months when the NHS is typically under less
pressure.
“It is important everyone continues to play their part by
avoiding non-essential contact and travel as well as washing
their hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water.”
The Bill builds on the Treasury’s recent investment of £12
billion to support public services, people and businesses through
the disruption caused by COVID-19 in the 2020 Budget. It follows
considerable action from the Government to control the epidemic,
including a nationwide public health campaign and a
cross-government ‘war room’ of communications experts and
scientists.
