Greater Manchester MP Barbara Keeley, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Social Care is leading the call for action from the Government to address the growing Covid-19 crisis faced by social care.
Labour is calling for urgent action from the Government to protect care staff and those who receive care and to provide financial support to a social care system which was already struggling before the pandemic.
The Party has issued a four point plan, to increase delivery of PPE for care staff, to provide the social care sector with immediate additional funding, for more testing and to continuous monitoring of the pressures faced by the social care system and leadership from the department of Health and Social Care
Social care should not be seen as an afterthought. These pressures will not go away as the outbreak progresses and it is vital that the Department of Health and Social Care continues to monitor the availability of PPE and testing across the social care sector and allocate additional funding for care provision when needed.
The social care sector is vital in keeping vulnerable people safe in the Covid-19 pandemic and the Department of Health and Social Care must show leadership to our fragmented social care sector.
Barbara Keeley said:
“Social care should not be an afterthought in this crisis, but once again it appears to be.
“Our care staff provide vital support to vulnerable people day after day. We cannot leave them without the protective equipment and access to testing needed to keep them safe.
“We need to see a coordinated social care plan from the Government that will protect both our vital care staff, and those they are working hard to keep safe every day.”
