Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday evening: ‘Today, to help NHS trusts to deliver what’s needed without worrying about past finances, I can announce that I am writing off £13.4 billion of historic NHS debt.

‘This landmark step will not only put the NHS in a strong position to be able to respond to this global coronavirus pandemic, but it will ensure that our NHS has stronger foundations for our future too’.

Mr Hancock also announced that £300 million will be made available to fund community pharmacies.

He said: ‘These are unprecedented times for our healthcare system and I want to make sure every part of it is supported.

‘I’ve therefore made £300 million available for funding for community pharmacies, who do so much to get vital medicines to people and play such an important part in their communities. They themselves are the NHS front line’.

The health secretary also paid tribute to the frontline workers who have died after contracting the virus and ‘paid the ultimate price of their service’.

He said: ‘I am profoundly moved by the compassion and the commitment that we are seeing from people right across the country, and in the health and care system we have lost colleagues too’.

‘I just want to say this on behalf of all my colleagues in health and social care: I am awed by the dedication of colleagues on the frontline, every single person, who contributes to the running of this diverse and caring institution that our nation holds so dear,’ he added.

‘Many of those who have died who are from the NHS, were people who came to this country to make a difference and they did, and they’ve given their lives in sacrifice. We salute them’.

The health secretary’s comments came after the UK death toll jumped by another 569, bringing the total to 2,921.

Mr Hancock came out of isolation early after six days – despite government advice telling people with coronavirus symptoms to isolate for seven – to announce the new developments.

He and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have faced scrutiny for being granted a coronavirus test, when healthcare workers continue to raise concerns that they cannot get one themselves as more continue to self-isolate.

Mr Hancock said the Cabinet ministers were following ‘protocol that’s been set out by the chief medical officer for who should get tests and the decision was that those who are in senior decision-making positions, as well as those who are in the critical jobs on the front line, need to get those tests’.

Mr Hancock said NHS staff will be able to get tested for Covid-19 ‘absolutely before the end of the month’, following public outcry that just 2,000 of 1,300,000 workers had been tested, revealed by the government on Wednesday.

He added: ‘With 5,000 tested since (staff testing) started at the weekend we’ve clearly made significant progress.’

A goal of 100,000 tests by the end of April has been set and will cover all five of his ‘testing pillars’, he said.

He added that large-scale antibody testing – to see if someone has been infected with the virus and recovered – will only be rolled out when clinicians are confident it is a valid test. Mr Hancock insisted that ‘no test is better than a bad test.’

Mr Hancock said, for all the focus on testing, staying at home remained the best way of stopping the spread of Covid-19.

He said: ‘The number one thing that stops the spread of this virus is social distancing. That is the most important thing.

‘There has been a lot in the news in recent days on testing and I understand how people crave wanting to know their coronavirus status. I get that.

‘But the number one message for everyone is to stay at home because the more people stay at home, the fewer transmissions there’ll be, the quicker we’ll be through it.’