A benefits bonus for volunteering could increase access to opportunities during an unemployment crisis

The issue We are facing an ‘unemployment crisis’ affecting around 5% of the UK population. With the furlough scheme due to end in April 2021, many may find that ‘their role is no longer viable’. The pandemic has accelerated a move to digitisation and the closure of many high street retailers. Unemployment is associated withContinue reading “A benefits bonus for volunteering could increase access to opportunities during an unemployment crisis”

Continue to promote lateral thinking

The figures are startling; the backlog of Crown Court cases is at 53,000 and rising… (correct as of 14th December 2020). The Justice system has been under sustained pressure for many years and the pandemic has done nothing but to exacerbate the issues that affects all areas of our society, from victims, to the accused,Continue reading “Continue to promote lateral thinking”

Powerful together.

As we’re aware we really are at the height of politics in our lifetimes – particularly young lives. COVID19 is special in ways because as opposed to politicians interacting with us on a large scale in things like a general election or referendums, here’s a totally new atmosphere. It’s gone quickly from a ‘you andContinue reading “Powerful together.”

How to create opportunity through “work from home” to strengthen economies and communities

Covid 19 highlighted the need to feel connected to family, friends, colleagues and communities. As the world embraced the ‚’work from home‚’ lifestyle as a reaction to the pandemic, many people felt isolated from the lack of regular social interactions and they missed the small personal exchanges with their colleagues that happen daily in anContinue reading “How to create opportunity through “work from home” to strengthen economies and communities”

How COVID-19 has exacerbated a backlog in court cases

A frequent saying many of us are familiar with is, “Justice delayed is justice denied”. Courts have been infamous as places that are slow, mired in adjournments and bureaucracy. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Crown Court, there were approximately 50,000 cases waiting to be heard, around 45,000 of employment tribunalsContinue reading “How COVID-19 has exacerbated a backlog in court cases”

Authorities work macro: citizens live micro. COVID-19 handling errors reflect this. Make policy implementation local.

COVID-19 policy-making, political and medico-scientific, has been top-down, whereas micro-implementation has eventually depended on practical local knowledge and resources: councils, schools, hospitals, surgeries, geography, infrastructure, networking, charities, volunteers. Consultation between National and Local levels was already habitually inadequate so even worse in a crisis. Volunteering a vivid example, where many on National database were neverContinue reading “Authorities work macro: citizens live micro. COVID-19 handling errors reflect this. Make policy implementation local.”

The opportunity to change the image of teaching

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a lot of talk about education, yet no one has recognised the opportunity this presents for a fundamental shift in how society perceives teaching as a profession. We desperately need more teachers, but currently too many are being put off by the image of teaching. This must change. As aContinue reading “The opportunity to change the image of teaching”

The challenge of ghost-towns

Still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are at a crucial time for the future health of our towns and cities. The big urban centres are experiencing an inevitable plunge in demand for centrally located floor space for offices, retail and leisure. Smaller market towns where the economy has become based around theContinue reading “The challenge of ghost-towns”

An Opportunity to Provide Lung Function Testing Remotely, Safely and Accurately

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the burden on healthcare systems in the UK, preventing most normal patient visits. People with lung disease need regular lung function testing (spirometry), which is difficult to perform, especially in people with severe classifications of all lung diseases. In the UK approximately 12.7 million people have longstanding respiratory illness. SinceContinue reading “An Opportunity to Provide Lung Function Testing Remotely, Safely and Accurately”