Relatives grieving the death of loved ones from Covid-19 have warned families against reuniting for Christmas even if the Government allows it. Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggested on Friday that families would be able to spend ‘that cherished Christmas with your family as much as possible’, but added that social distancing would still be required … Read more
Seven in ten people with a close relative in a care home have been unable to see them since March, shocking new figures reveal. Hundreds of thousands of family members have undergone ‘eight torturous months’, banned from visiting their loved ones. Others have been invited to care homes for an ‘end-of-life’ visit – only to … Read more
ESTHER RANTZEN: Reopen care homes for Christmas – for the sake of the residents and their loved ones Sarah uses the same word over and over to describe the visits she makes to her husband’s care home: ‘Heartbreaking.’ Rigid rules have torn her apart from her beloved Philip, the husband she adores. Nearly 90 years … Read more
Matt Hancock last night offered families hope on care home testing – but was told by campaigners to move much faster. The Health Secretary has vowed to ring-fence a supply of coronavirus swabs for family visitors in the run-up to Christmas. And he said a pilot scheme at 20 sites would end the need for ‘prison-style’ … Read more
A doctor has asked a grieving family if they could confirm the death over video link amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gillian Orman, from Southampton, rang the NHS after her mother Kathleen Bricknell, 86, died. A doctor said everyone in the house – including her deceased mother – would have to wear a mask during an … Read more
Relatives of care home residents will be treated as key workers and get tested for Covid-19 weekly to enable safe visits as part of a new trial. Health minister Helen Whately today told MPs a pilot scheme would be launched ‘shortly’ to see if the strategy would work. In a meeting with MPs today, she … Read more
Unpaid carers spent an extra 92 MILLION hours looking after relatives with dementia since coronavirus lockdown, new figures show The Alzheimer’s Society found families forced to increase their care since March This is partly because paid caring services contracted during the pandemic It estimates that women carried out 62million of these 92million extra hours By … Read more
Declan Donnelly’s long-lost American cousins have expressed ‘heartbreak’, as he suggested they ‘wanted nothing to do with [him]’ after meeting on a DNA TV show. The TV personality, 44, was seen meeting more than a dozen US-based relatives he’d never before heard of during his appearance on ITV’s DNA Journey in November. And while the … Read more
Suicide bomber Salman Abedi conducted several ‘hostile reconnaissance’ missions before he launched his deadly Manchester Arena attack in 2017, an inquiry has heard. Abedi was seen struggling with the weight of his back and was ‘adjusting wiring’ underneath his clothes in the moments leading up to the devastating terror attack which left 22 people dead … Read more
Plants can recognise their relatives, make decisions, and even COUNT, scientists say Prince Charles was roundly mocked for saying he talked to plants years ago And now it appears plants may be smarter than even the Prince of Wales thought Plants can count, make decisions, recognise relatives and remember events By Sophie Freeman for Daily Mail … Read more