Britain’s National Health Service should be awarded an outstanding bravery medal in recognition of the courage shown in the face of the lethal coronavirus, a leading political figure has said.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Lord Ashcroft, the former Conservative Party deputy chairman, urged Boris Johnson to make the one of the highest awards for bravery to all 1.3 million NHS workers.
The Prime Minister, who called the NHS “Britain’s greatest national asset” after he was released from intensive care earlier this week, received the letter while recuperating at Chequers, his country residence.
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief executive at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said the country's medical staff would be boosted by recognition. “In these unprecedented times, we are seeing why nurses and midwives are the heartbeat of our global health system and why they need our recognition,” she said.
The letter said Britain should find a way of recognising the “outstanding bravery” shown by medical staff. It added: “Working in the face of a lethal virus, in some cases without sufficient protection, shows nothing but exemplary courage.
“These are extraordinary times and they require a similar scale of response to recognise the service and courage of those who are at the forefront of the battle against this deadly virus.”
There has been an outpouring of support for the NHS in the UK with a collective applause at 8pm every Thursday and streets daubed with rainbow flags supporting medics.
The letter suggested that once the Prime Minister had fully recovered from coronavirus that he should make the George Cross proposal in his next audience with the Queen.
The medal is awarded for acts of “the greatest heroism or most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”. Of the 163 awards since 1940, it has been given collectively on just two occasions, once to the besieged island of Malta in 1942 and then to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1999 for its role in the Northern Ireland Troubles.
General Lord Richards, former head of Britain’s Armed Forces said: “There is no doubt that the front line NHS has done us proud and I would be very supportive of a collective recognition such as Lord Ashcroft’s suggestion.”
Tobias Ellwood, MP, chair of the defence select committee, said: “Unquestionably there should be some recognition of NHS staff but we are certainly not out of the woods yet.”
A senior NHS worker also agreed with the proposal. “We’ve had our people go above and beyond the call of duty in the face of extreme danger, so yes I think something like the George Cross is absolutely the right thing. I don’t know one person working for the NHS who is not involved in Covid 19 related cases.”
He added the medal would recognise the “absolute tragedy” of 30 NHS medical staff who have died from coronavirus.
In response to the letter the Royal College of Nursing said its staff had faced an “unprecedented challenge”. An RCN spokesman added: “When this pandemic is over and pay negotiations begin, ministers must remember the dedication and sacrifice that was on display – properly rewarding staff will begin to address the long-term shortages in the nursing workforce.”
Other proposals mooted include a ‘Covid-19 Medal’ specifically for frontline medical staff.
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
