Coronavirus: Lessons learnt inquiry

Summary by the Care England Policy Team. |

On the 13th October, an oral evidence session was held regarding Coronavirus and the lessons learnt from the first wave. This session forms part of a wider joint inquiry being conducted by the Health and Social Care Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. Witnesses at the meeting included the Minister for Care, as well as David Pearson, Chair of the Adult Social Care Taskforce.

Summary by the Care England Policy Team

On the 13th October, an oral evidence session was held regarding Coronavirus and the lessons learnt from the first wave. This session forms part of a wider joint inquiry being conducted by the Health and Social Care Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. Witnesses at the meeting included the Minister for Care, as well as David Pearson, Chair of the Adult Social Care Taskforce.

However, the meeting itself started with the powerful testimonies of several individuals who have and continue to experience the social care system first-hand, including:

• Philip Scott whose mothers is in a care home and told the joint inquiry of the psychological toll which not being able to see his mother has had.
• Theresa Steed talked about the negative impact which the withdrawal of community services had had upon her daughter who is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. But also, how this has fundamentally reshaped her own family life and relationships.

This was followed by representatives from the adult social care sector who voiced their concerns about some aspects of the first wave, for example:

• Kathy Roberts from the CPA noted how there had been a lack of parity of esteem between the NHS and adult social care at the start of the crisis.
• Professor David Oliver stated that “protect the NHS essentially meant protect the acute hospital bed base, with everything else a bit of an afterthought – which was a mistake”
• Jane Townson noted the limited nature of the knowledge which the DHSC held about the adult social care sector.

The latter part of the evidence session feature Helen Whately, the Care Minister. MPs from both committees’ delved into the evidence which she had been basing her decision making on. In response, she noted how the department had created systems like Capacity Tracker to allow the Department to gain greater insight of the social care sector. Some other key topics included the following:

• Details regarding the development of the COVID-19 accreditation scheme for care homes.
• Banning of staff movement between care homes.
• International comparisons COVID-19 and the adult social care sector.

To watch the committee meeting in full, please click the following link: Parliament TV