Covid Inquiry: ‘Don’t let this report gather dust’ says Scarborough care leader to Andy Burnham

The Executive Chairman and Honorary President of the Independent Care Group has warned that unless the Government acts urgently on its findings, the report risks becoming ‘yet another document gathering dust on a minister's desk’.

Mr Padgham, who has spent almost four decades working in social care, released the following statement:

“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.

"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.

“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.

“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.

My real concern is that social care today is in an even weaker position than it was when Covid-19 struck.

“We continue to face serious pressures over funding, workforce recruitment and retention, rising costs and the sustainability of care services.

"If another pandemic were to strike tomorrow, I fear we would once again find ourselves dangerously ill-prepared.

“That’s why I welcome the Prime Minister's commitment to reforming social care and creating a National Care Service.

I want him to succeed, and I will support him wholeheartedly in bringing about meaningful and lasting change.

“But my message to Andy Burnham is simple: Please don't wait. Action this day.

“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.

"Governments change, priorities change, and promises can be forgotten.

“My fear is that we could miss a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring about the change that has been needed for so long.

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

“We owe it to every person who lost their life, every grieving family and every care worker who stood on the front line to make sure that something positive and lasting comes out of this tragedy.

“Prime Minister, you have the opportunity to make history.

"Don't let this report gather dust.”