Wednesday, August 05, 2020
Is the Covid 19 compensation scheme for health and care workers operating in secret?
Liberal Democrats leadership contender, Layla Moran has highlighted a huge flaw in a Covid life assurance scheme for health and social care workers - nobody knows about it and as a result claims are virtually non-existent.
As the Huffington Post reports, to date the government had made just two payouts for key worker deaths on the front line:
Despite at least 300 health and social care workers losing their lives after contracting the disease, just 21 claims for the £60,000 had been successful as of July 23 – and only two families had received the cash so far.
Now, a cross-party group of MPs has written to the prime minister calling on him to actually advertise the payout scheme, announced by his health secretary Matt Hancock in April.
The letter, signed by 25 MPs and peers, calls on the government to “rapidly design and implement a dignified advertising campaign to raise awareness for the scheme amongst workers and their families.” It is signed 13 Lib Dems, nine from Labour and two from the SNP.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who coordinated the letter and campaigned for the scheme, said: “The low take-up of the scheme so far is extremely worrying. It suggests there is an issue with lack of awareness and that some are at risk of missing out.
“The government urgently needs to get the NHS, GPs and other employers round the table and set up an advertising campaign to raise awareness of this scheme.
“We must ensure that families of NHS and care workers who tragically die on the front line against coronavirus receive support in their time of need.”
Given that the claims are “time-limited” and there is a six-month sunset clause then the government really need to get a move on and publicise this scheme properly.
As the Huffington Post reports, to date the government had made just two payouts for key worker deaths on the front line:
Despite at least 300 health and social care workers losing their lives after contracting the disease, just 21 claims for the £60,000 had been successful as of July 23 – and only two families had received the cash so far.
Now, a cross-party group of MPs has written to the prime minister calling on him to actually advertise the payout scheme, announced by his health secretary Matt Hancock in April.
The letter, signed by 25 MPs and peers, calls on the government to “rapidly design and implement a dignified advertising campaign to raise awareness for the scheme amongst workers and their families.” It is signed 13 Lib Dems, nine from Labour and two from the SNP.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who coordinated the letter and campaigned for the scheme, said: “The low take-up of the scheme so far is extremely worrying. It suggests there is an issue with lack of awareness and that some are at risk of missing out.
“The government urgently needs to get the NHS, GPs and other employers round the table and set up an advertising campaign to raise awareness of this scheme.
“We must ensure that families of NHS and care workers who tragically die on the front line against coronavirus receive support in their time of need.”
Given that the claims are “time-limited” and there is a six-month sunset clause then the government really need to get a move on and publicise this scheme properly.
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Sunset clause ?6 months? No wonder the Govnt are not advertising it. They hope that very few will know about it and therefore not claim. Where are the Tory MPs over this,THEIR GOVNT.
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