The Health Secretary has praised staff at Basildon Hospital after paying a visit to intensive care last night.

Matt Hancock has said that the intensive care unit at Basildon is under "huge pressure" right now but has praised them for the work they've been doing. 

Sharing a picture with hospital staff on Twitter this morning, Matt Hancock said: "Massive thanks to all the staff working in Basildon hospital last night. 

"The NHS is under huge pressure right now in intensive care in Basildon and across the country. 

"We ALL owe it to these amaing people to follow the rules and protect the NHS." 

 

Mid and South Essex NHS Trust have thanked the Health Secretary for visiting Basildon hospital and for speaking with frontline staff about their experiences.

Echo: Credit: @MSEHospitalsCredit: @MSEHospitals

The Trust said: "Thank you to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for visiting our vaccination centre, respiratory ward critical care and emergency department at Basildon Hospital yesterday, meeting and talking with frontline staff about their experiences."

 

 

It comes as the government announced that due to the rate of infection schools will not be reopening until March 8 at the earliest. 

Coronavirus rates in Basildon and Southend have dropped over the last week. 

The infection rate in Basildon has dropped from 574.8 per 100,000 in the seven days leading up to January 15, down to 418.3 in the seven days leading up to January 22. 

In Southend, the infection rate has come down from 641.6 per 100,000 in the seven days leading up to January 15, to 450 in the seven days leading up to January 22.