Every person receiving care deserves dignity, safety and the very best support, and every colleague working in social care deserves to feel valued for the difference they make every day.

Today’s Covid-19 inquiry report is an important and deeply emotional moment for everyone affected by the pandemic, particularly those who lost loved ones in care homes. We owe it to residents, families and our colleagues to reflect on the lessons of the pandemic and listen to the report findings. 

I would like to pay tribute to the many thousands of care workers who sustained the system of social care through such difficult times through their commitment to those in their care and their determination to provide humane, loving care, in the most trying circumstances.

Alongside the Prime Minister’s proposed reforms and the Big Conversation on Care, the report brings much-needed attention to a sector that is fundamental to our society but too often overlooked.

Social care proved itself to be an indispensable part of our society through the pandemic, but the pandemic also highlighted the fact that for a myriad of reasons, we are not seen as we should be. Care workers should be celebrated and cherished in the same way that our great NHS workers are.

We now have an opportunity to make the required changes; to build on the attention generated by the inquiry and the momentum behind reform to create a system that is properly valued, sustainably funded and equipped to meet the needs of future generations.

The people who rely on social care, and the dedicated colleagues who provide it, deserve nothing less.