Matthew has joined WaterAid and celebrity doctors in a call for the UK government to champion clean water ahead of G7 summit this week. 

Matthew joined colleague Fleur Anderson, representatives from WaterAid, and celebrity doctors Dr Emeka Okorocha, Dr Veena Babu and Dr Amos Ogunkoya, in a visit to 10 Downing Street to hand in over 16,000 signatures from the UK public. The petition called on the Government to champion clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene (WASH) in every health facility worldwide.

1 in 4 healthcare facilities around the world don’t have clean water on site. When health workers do not have access to clean water to wash their hands and equipment, people are put at an increased risk of infection and disease. This inevitably leads to the over-prescription of antibiotics which is contributing to deadly antibiotic resistance. The government has described infections resistant to antibiotics as a "catastrophic threat" – they are predicted to be the biggest cause of death in the UK by 2050. 

Speaking after his visit to Downing Street, Matthew said: “Clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene is the ultimate weapon in the battle against antibiotic resistance yet 1 in 4 health care facilities globally don’t have clean water onsite.

“We are watching the next global health crisis happen right in front of us and we need to do more. We know we cannot risk another deadly pandemic so the upcoming G7 summit is the perfect opportunity for the UK government to lead the charge and encourage world leaders to invest in WASH for healthcare facilities worldwide, for everyone, everywhere.”