Sajid Javid takes nationwide healthcare road trip

The UK health and social care secretary Sajid Javid is set to tour England this week as he visits hospitals, care homes, cancer centres and research facilities, in an attempt to engage with those most integral to his reform and recovery agenda.

The visits will focus on COVID-19 recovery, NHS and social care reform, tackling disparities and raising the health of the nation. The visits will begin in the East of England. Javid will also be visiting vaccination centres, community diagnostic centres and GP surgeries.

“As we learn to live with COVID, my mission is clear,” the Javid commented. “We must tackle the backlog of people waiting for treatment, bring NHS and social care services closer together and deal with the stark inequalities and level up the health of the nation.”

Javid will also discuss the government’s plans for health and social care, hosting Q&A sessions with members of the public to gain insight into experiences of the NHS, public health and social care services.

The COVID-19 Backlog Recovery Plan aims to help the NHS reduce waiting times, give patients more control over their care and harness innovative technology to free up staff time. Factors such as age, ethnicity and deprivation will be analysed, in order to understand how they impact access to treatment. In addition to this, the analysis will identify ways to increase the standard of healthcare and tackle disparities.

“As we learn to live with COVID, my mission is clear,” Javid said. “We must tackle the backlog of people waiting for treatment, bring NHS and social care services closer together and deal with the stark inequalities and level up the health of the nation.”

Alongside Javid’s road trip, a review into potential ethnic bias in the design and use of medical devices will be led by Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead, Professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. Javed Khan OBE, former CEO of children’s charity Barnardo’s, will also lead an independent review of the government’s ambition to make England smoke free by 2030.