MP goes back to care work to help tackle coronavirus

Britain’s youngest MP Nadia Whittome has returned to her former job as a care worker to help the care sector on the frontline dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The 23 year-old Labour MP for Nottingham East returned to work at Lark Hill retirement village in Nottingham on 24 March.

She previously worked at the retirement village (run by Extra Care Charitable Trust) for almost two years and once retrained will give personal care (help washing, dressing etc), as well as support to feed people and give medicine.

Care workers labelled ‘unskilled’ are ‘keeping country afloat’

The MP posted a video of herself on Twitter announcing her decision. Nadia Whittome said: “I’m returning part-time to my previous job as a care worker because social care is in crisis.

“The care system is in serious danger of falling apart at the seams under the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The same people Priti Patel labelled as ‘not skilled’ are keeping the country afloat.

“So this is an act of solidarity with my colleagues who are already working so hard and will be struggling under the increased pressure, and also with elderly people who are at higher risk if they do contract coronavirus”.

MP will donate her care worker wages

Ms Whittome said she would also continue her job as local MP and is donating her earnings from her care job to the local COVID-19 fund.

The government is not going far or fast enough to stop the spread, and #CoronavirusBillUK risks worsening the social care crisis.

Tomorrow I return part-time to my previous job as a care worker because our care system is in danger of falling apart at the seams during #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/bSnuhc4evF

— Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) March 23, 2020

Everybody who needs social care must ‘have access to it’

Ms Whittome also urged the government: “We need to step up on social care. All care workers need to have PPE [personal protective equipment], and we need to ensure that there’s no regression on social care standards and that everybody who needs social care has access to it”.

Ms Whittome is one of many former care workers who returned to the care sector following health secretary Matt Hancock’s call for former health and social care workers to come back to work to help deal with the pandemic.

click here for more details or to contact Lark Hill Village