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Brits need to take more sick days in the future, Matt Hancock says

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Number 10/Flickr & Brittany Colette/Unsplash

Brits should stop ‘soldiering on’ when they’re sick and continuing to go to work, according to the health secretary.

Speaking at a joint session between Health and Social Care and the Science and Technology committees, Mr Hancock said people in the UK were ‘peculiarly unusual and outliers’ for still going to work when sick.  

He made the comments referring to the reduced numbers of respiratory diseases turning up at the NHS while people have been getting tested and staying home to protect others. 

He said the fact that Brits think its ‘acceptable’ to soldier on and go to work with flu symptoms or a runny nose and therefore make colleagues ill is something that is ‘going to have to change’.

Adding that the ‘global-scale diagnostics capability’ should continue to treat people in the NHS for other illnesses like flu once the pandemic has passed.

Number 10/Flickr

He told MP: “Afterwards we must use it, not just for coronavirus, but everything.

“I want to have a change in the British way of doing things where ‘if in doubt, get a test’ doesn’t just refer to coronavirus but refers to any illness that you might have.

“Why in Britain do we think it’s acceptable to soldier on and go into work if you have flu symptoms or a runny nose, thus making your colleagues ill?

“I think that’s something that is going to have to change.

“If you have, in future, flu-like symptoms, you should get a test for it and find out what’s wrong with you, and if you need to stay at home to protect others, then you should stay at home.

“We are peculiarly unusual and outliers in soldiering on and still going to work, and it kind of being the culture that ‘as long as you can get out of bed you still should get into work’. That should change.

“This year there’s been far fewer respiratory and other communicable diseases turning up in the NHS.

“I want this massive diagnostics capacity to be core to how we treat people in the NHS so that we help people to stay healthy in the first place, rather than just looking after them when they’re ill.”

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Proper Manchester is becoming Finest City Guides

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We’re pleased to announce that Proper Manchester is rebranding as Finest City Guides.

As part of this change, the Proper Manchester brand, including its social media channels, will transition to the Finest City Guides name.

This is a rebrand of the existing platform rather than a new or unrelated business. The same team behind Proper Manchester will continue to operate Finest City Guides as we develop the platform under its new identity.

Previous name: Proper Manchester
New name: Finest City Guides

Our social channels and other brand assets will be updated to reflect the Finest City Guides name as part of this transition.

More from Finest City Guides coming soon.

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Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’

The news we’ve all been waiting for!

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After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.

The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.

The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.

And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.

The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.

15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.

The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.


The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:

July

4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium

5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium

11th – Manchester, Heaton Park

12th – Manchester, Heaton Park

19th – Manchester, Heaton Park

20th – Manchester, Heaton Park

25th – London, Wembley Stadium

26th – London, Wembley Stadium

August

2nd – London, Wembley Stadium

3rd – London, Wembley Stadium

8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium

16th – Dublin, Croke Park

17th – Dublin, Croke Park

You can grab your tickets HERE.

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Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries

Fancy a career change?

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Stagecoach

Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.

You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.

Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.

As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.

Stagecoach

There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.

Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.

“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.

“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”

Stagecoach

Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.

“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”

To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.

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