Urgent Action Demanded On Social Care Following Covid Inquiry Findings

A Scarborough care leader has warned that social care remains dangerously vulnerable to another pandemic unless the Government acts urgently on the findings of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Social care services remain dangerously vulnerable to future pandemics unless urgent government action is taken following the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

The virus claimed more than 43,000 lives in care homes across England and Wales between March 2020 and July 2022. The scale of the tragedy, alongside the suffering endured by residents, families, and frontline staff, has prompted urgent calls for fundamental reform.

Scarborough-based care leader Mike Padgham, who serves as Executive Chairman of St Cecilia's Care Group and Honorary President of the Independent Care Group, has welcomed Baroness Hallett's report. However, he warned that the document risks becoming just another report gathering dust on a minister's desk.

Mr Padgham, who has worked in social care for nearly four decades, said:

"Firstly, I wholeheartedly welcome Baroness Hallett's report and the important findings she has brought forward. In particular, I agree with her assessment that social care was treated as an afterthought during the pandemic.

"That is something many of us working on the front line knew only too well. For far too long, social care has been the poor relation of the NHS, and during the pandemic the consequences of that neglect were exposed in the most dreadful and tragic circumstances.

"Before anything else, I want to pay tribute to the extraordinary care workers who worked tirelessly throughout that terrible period. They went above and beyond, often putting their own health and lives at risk, to protect and care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

"I witnessed at first hand their courage, dedication, compassion and selflessness. They were true heroes, and we must never forget what they did. Many worked in the most frightening circumstances imaginable, often without the protection, guidance or support they so desperately needed.

"My thoughts, too, are very much with the families who lost loved ones during the pandemic. No report can ever bring those people back or erase the pain and suffering their families endured. We owe it to them, above all else, to ensure that the lessons are learned and that such failures are never repeated."

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously suggested that a "ring of steel" protected care homes during the crisis, a claim strongly disputed by those working in the sector.

Mr Padgham said:

"One thing I feel particularly strongly about is the suggestion made at the time by Matt Hancock that care homes were somehow protected by a ring of steel. That was certainly not the experience of those of us on the front line. Care homes were not protected in the way they should have been, and staff and residents were left dangerously exposed.

"Social care was not an afterthought to those of us who worked in it. It was our absolute priority, every hour of every day. Sadly, it was not always treated with that same priority by those making the decisions."

The care sector continues to face severe pressures regarding funding, workforce recruitment, retention, and rising costs, raising concerns about its readiness for future health emergencies.

Mr Padgham said:

"My greatest fear now is that, despite the powerful findings of this Inquiry, nothing meaningful will change. We have had decades of reports, reviews, commissions, promises and good intentions about social care. What we have not had is the fundamental reform the sector so desperately needs.

"We simply cannot afford another period of delay.

"It is not a question of if we face another pandemic, but when. And my real concern is that social care today is in an even weaker position than it was when COVID-19 struck."

The Prime Minister recently committed to reforming social care and creating a National Care Service, a move that local leaders hope will finally bring healthcare and social care together as equal partners.

Mr Padgham said:

"If the Prime Minister truly wants to leave a lasting legacy, he has an opportunity to do for social care what Aneurin Bevan did for healthcare when he created the NHS.

"He can be the Prime Minister who finally brings social care and healthcare together as equal partners, delivering a properly funded, properly supported National Care Service that treats older and vulnerable people with the dignity and respect they deserve.

"But that must happen during this parliamentary term, not be pushed into the long grass until after another general election.

"Baroness Hallett's report must be a turning point, not simply another chapter in the history of social care being overlooked.

"Prime Minister, you have the opportunity to make history. Be bold, be brave, and act now. Don't let this report gather dust. The people who died, the families who suffered and the care workers who gave everything deserve nothing less."