This week has been a difficult and significant day for everyone who works in adult social care.
The UK COVID-19 Inquiry Module 6 report has been published, examining what happened to people receiving and providing care during the pandemic. Its findings make painful reading.
For those of us who lived and worked through that time, this is not simply history written on the pages of a report.
We remember the people we lost. We remember families separated from the people they loved. We remember managers carrying responsibilities that no one had prepared them for. And we remember care professionals putting on their uniforms every day, frightened for themselves and their families, but continuing to walk through the door because somebody needed them.
The Inquiry concludes that adult social care was not sufficiently protected when it most needed to be. It describes how the focus at the beginning of the pandemic was very much on the health service and “protecting the NHS”, with attention turning to social care too late. It identifies inadequate pandemic planning, guidance that did not sufficiently reflect the realities of providing care, poor data, difficulties obtaining PPE and the immense consequences of visiting restrictions.
Perhaps most importantly, the report recognises something that people across our sector have known for a very long time: adult social care has been undervalued and under-recognised.
Those words matter.
Because behind the policies, guidance and statistics were people.
There were care professionals sitting with residents when their families could not be there. At the time HCPA recognised and quickly action on the fact that there were managers trying to interpret constantly changing information while keeping people safe.There were unpaid carers carrying enormous responsibilities.
And, most importantly, there were people who needed care and support whose lives, relationships and routines were turned upside down.
We cannot change what happened. But we can make sure we learn from it.
The Inquiry’s message for the future is unequivocal: adult social care must not enter another pandemic so unprepared. The sector needs better recognition and support, and the Inquiry says its recommendations must be implemented.
At HCPA, we believe there is another lesson too.
Social care must have an equal voice at the table when decisions are being made about the people we support. Not after decisions have been taken. Not when a crisis has already reached our services. From the beginning.
The people who work in adult social care understand the realities of supporting people in their own homes, supported living, residential and nursing care. Their knowledge and experience must help shape the decisions that affect them.
Today, however, should first be a moment to remember.
To remember those who died.
To recognise the families who continue to live with their loss.
And to thank the thousands of care professionals and managers who kept going through circumstances none of us would ever want to experience again.
We owe it to them not simply to remember what happened, but to make sure the lessons genuinely change what happens next. You can be assured that HCPA will continue to pass on your concerns and advocate for our sector with our partners in Hertfordshire.
Read the report
The Inquiry has published the full Module 6 Care Sector report, an In Brief summary, Easy Read material, an animated summary, British Sign Language version and audio resources.
As we continue to learn from the pandemic and prepare for future challenges, HCPA remains committed to supporting providers across Hertfordshire. Our Provider Hub offers access to expert advice, practical guidance and an Ask Us Anything service, while our Business Continuity Service (BCP) can help you review, strengthen and test your business continuity arrangements so you’re better prepared for unexpected events.