Emergency bill to strengthen Covid-19 plans

The Department of Health and Social Care will introduce new laws to help mintsres respond effectively to the progress of the coronavirus outbreak.

The measures in the coronavirus bill, which seek to ensure NHS and social care staff are supported to deal with significant extra pressure on the health system, are temporary, proportionate to the threat, will only be used when strictly necessary and will be in place for as long as required to respond to the situation.

The emergency measures fall under five 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; and supporting and protecting the public to do the right thing and follow public health advice.

As previously mooted, 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, alongside extra employment safeguards for volunteers, allowing them to pause their main jobs for up to four weeks while they help care for patients in the health and care system. 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.

The bill will also see administrative requirements reduced to help doctors discharge patients more quickly when clinically appropriate, which will free up hospital space for those who are very ill and enable clinicians to focus on delivering care.

Other measures in the legislation include: allowing police and immigration officers to detain people and put them in appropriate isolation facilities if necessary to protect public health; 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; and enabling Border Force to temporarily suspend operations at airports or transport hubs if there are insufficient resources to maintain border security.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock 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.”