The prime minister’s adviser during 2020, Dominic Cummings, has confirmed there was much dither and delay at the start of the pandemic, and has now said that “tens of thousands of people died who didn’t need to die”. I know this will distress and anger so many.

The level of competence displayed by the government at the beginning of the pandemic, and key milestones along the way, has been woeful.

Nevertheless, our keyworkers, care workers and NHS staff fought hard and braved so much risk for us all. We continue to owe them a huge debt of gratitude. They must be exhausted.

Surely, after the year we have had, we must now recognise that the NHS is the best part of our society, and it needs long-term decent investment to repair it.

Newham Recorder: Lyn Brown is aware of mental health issues that have arisen during the Covid pandemicLyn Brown is aware of mental health issues that have arisen during the Covid pandemic (Image: Lyn Brown)

The nurse who cared for the prime minister when he contracted Covid has handed in her resignation, saying that nurses haven’t been given the respect, nor pay, they deserve after their pandemic ordeals.

We need the NHS more than ever. Almost five million people are waiting for NHS treatment. I know from constituents, friends and family that there are NHS specialisms under great pressure, with appointments taking months to secure.

This is a result of the pandemic, but also a result of the underfunding of the NHS for years.

We must fight to support the NHS. We can best do this by making sure we get any symptoms of illness checked out early, before they have a chance to get worse. Ignoring that troublesome cough or lump doesn’t just affect our own health, it becomes more time-consuming and expensive for the NHS in the long run.

I feel I need to say, in closing, that I will soon be going in for surgery myself.

You won’t see me popping up in Parliament, or doing personal appearances over the coming days and weeks as I recover, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be attending to my work, answering constituents’ queries and pressing the government for answers to urgent questions.

Please stay safe and keep well.