Member

I start by paying tribute to the NHS and social care staff who worked throughout the Christmas break, including by staffing our hospitals, ambulance services, care homes and call centres on Christmas Day and throughout the new year. From visiting hospitals and residential care homes in the south-west of England, Essex, London, South Yorkshire and the north-west over the past two weeks, I know the extent of the pressures they are dealing with. They are going above and beyond to keep the NHS standing, to provide people with the social care they need and to give patients and care users the best care they possibly can against the most challenging backdrop.