LGA RESPONDS TO SOCIAL CARE CORONAVIRUS PLAN

Responding to the Government’s announcement of its social care plan for dealing with coronavirus, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:

“Social care services are playing a vital role during the coronavirus crisis and the plaudits for the dedicated staff working on the frontline in care homes and people’s own homes are well-deserved.

“The challenges faced by these staff everyday are huge as they strive to keep vulnerable people safe and to care for those who are infected with the coronavirus in settings and circumstances that do not always lend themselves to managing isolation.  

“Access to sufficient PPE and testing are vital to the safety of staff and the people they care for and we are pleased this plan provides assurance that these will be available. The current arrangements for accessing PPE by councils and care providers are not fit for purpose and are failing to provide what is needed on the frontline. It is vital that the arrangements set out in the plan are urgently translated to reality on the ground.

“There are many calls on the £1.6 billion provided by the Government to help councils with additional costs of supporting vulnerable people and delivering other services during the Covid-19 crisis. Councils will need access to additional resources to ensure they can continue to support care providers to deliver care and support to older and disabled people in the coming weeks.”