A total, constipated silence from the NHS and ministers shrouds the long-delayed new “mega lab” that was supposed to have opened in Leamington Spa last January as part of the £37 billion ‘test and trace’ system.
The Department for Health and Social Care has stonewalled – or given misleading answers to questions from local journalists, and Matt Hancock has flatly refused to answer parliamentary questions raised by local MP Matt Western, who has subsequently raised his concerns in the local press, warning that:
“This is a scandal waiting to happen. I have heard from distressed residents waiting months to start jobs, many completely without income. I have heard from scientists who fear lack of regulation, poorly qualified staff and mismanagement at the facility.
“I have heard from NHS groups who are concerned about the undercutting of existing services, ‘stealth privatisation’ and outsourcing of vital healthcare assets. Yet the DHSC has ignored letters, emails and questions from the media – which is unacceptable and keeps the public in the dark.
Full story in The Lowdown, 14 June 2021
