Dear People of Broxtowe,
As this is Volunteers' Week (1st to 7th June) I would like to start this week’s update with a huge thank you to all the brilliant volunteers in Broxtowe. One lady from Beeston deserves a special mention. Amy Gathercole has been very busy volunteering to coordinate ‘For The Love Of Scrubs’. You can see the amazing work she has been doing in the video attached. As face masks are becoming mandatory on public transport from 15th June 2020, my family have bought their ‘buy one, give one’ masks. This initiative means that for every mask purchased, one will be given for free to key workers. For more information on this, and to purchase a mask made by ‘For The Love Of Scrubs', please visit: http://www.tiger-community-store.myshopify.com/.
Today, I spoke with Tracy Taylor, Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, on a conference call with the other Nottinghamshire MPs. As the Government has now given the £5 million ‘seed money’ I spoke about in my first Prime Minister’s Questions, I asked about their plans for the hospital rebuild. Tracy called their rebuild project, Tomorrow’s NUH Programme. The plans are for pre-consultation to be approved by 1st March 2021; the consultation to be completed by 31st July 2021; the outlined business case (BC) to be approved by 30th June 2023; the full BC to be approved by 30th October 2024; and, finally, the build to be finished in 2028/29. Among the key deliverables are a new Women's and Children’s Hospital and an upgraded trauma centre. Their early ideas include modular builds and refurbishments; keeping links with the University of Nottingham for innovation and research (accessed across a bridge at the QMC site) and development at the City Hospital site as well.
Following my meeting yesterday with Jonathan Gribbin, Director of Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council I would like to reiterate the following. We can all help control the virus in Broxtowe. To do this you must:
· Stay at home as much as possible;
· Work from home if you can;
· Limit contact with other people;
· Keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible);
· Wash your hands regularly.
Please do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms. If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), you can order a free test to check if you have the virus. You can do that here: https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by ringing 119. If you need medical advice about symptoms of coronavirus or have health concerns of any sort, you can also ring NHS 111.
Many of you have been contacting me about the death of George Floyd in the US, the Black Lives Matter campaign and outcomes for BAME groups. Please be assured that I take your opinions on these matters very seriously indeed and your correspondence will be shared with the relevant Government department to demonstrate the strength of feeling amongst Broxtowe constituents. As a black man myself, I was incredibly distressed by the footage of what happened to George Floyd in the lead up to his death in police-custody. I understand that the police officer involved in the incident has been charged with second-degree murder, and there will be a federal review. For further comment on Covid-19 and outcomes for BAME groups please follow the link: darrenhenry.org.uk/news/george-floyd-black-lives-matter-covid-19-and-outcomes-bame-groups
I am also incredibly pleased to share that Broxtowe Borough Council have announced that applications for a discretionary business grant are now live! I actively lobbied the Government for more support for businesses who were not eligible for other schemes and I am thrilled that local business owners can apply for a grant from a pot of over £880,000 to support their business in these unprecedented times. You can find the link to the fund via my website: https://www.darrenhenry.org.uk/news/local-discretionary-business-grants-applications-are-now-live-broxtowe.
I was back in Parliament this week. Here is a link to my video update from Parliament: https://www.darrenhenry.org.uk/news/message-parliament. I have submitted written questions to various Departments on your behalf, the people of Broxtowe, whom I serve. You can view the questions, and answers, on the Parliamentary website: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4794/writtenquestions.
I am here to serve you, so please do not hesitate to contact me for help.
Darren
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Amazing Amy - Volunteer ‘For The Love Of Scrubs’
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