Only 10% of the required personal protective equipment (PPE) arrived in care homes at the beginning of the pandemic. This put care home residents, frontline workers, and their families at risk. The Public Accounts Committee called out the Government on this in its report this week and I'll continue pressing on the issues with Government procurement. Read the report here and see a summary here.
The Public Accounts Committee also published a report on the Government's procurement of vaccines, which was a success. But there are still challenges ahead, especially with ongoing procurement to combat likely COVID variants. See my round-up for more details and read a summary of the report here.
There was also welcome news for some leaseholders impacted by the cladding crisis. The Government announced a £3.5 billion package of support but this is only for leaseholders in buildings above 18 metres. If you live in a low-rise block you only qualify for a loan or finance scheme - the details of which are yet to be released. Clearly there's still a lot of work to be done and I'll remain on the case.
Virus rates are falling in Hackney but it's still important we follow the restrictions and stay at home as much as possible. See here for the latest COVID data in Hackney.