Covid-19: Social Care Services

Baroness Uddin Excerpts

Thursday 23rd April 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Uddin (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I declare my interests as a former statutory social worker and as the mother of a person living with autism. I express my heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost loved ones during the horrific and tragic past weeks. These are sad times and I thank my noble friend Lady Wheeler for leading this discussion. I agree wholeheartedly with her invaluable and detailed insights and I completely endorse the comments expressed by my noble friends Lady Grey-Thompson, Lady Pitkeathley and Lady Jolly.

Our nation is indebted to all staff at the front line of our NHS and our social care sector. Even at this unprecedented time, we have witnessed exemplary appreciation and respect for their unflinching bravery. In fact, there are infinite numbers of men and women creatively assisting their local services, including care homes, some privately purchasing protective equipment that is rapidly running out. This is reinforced by Excelcare, the national provider of 33 homes, including in my constituency. Indeed, I feel proud of the work being done by many local and national charity organisations based in my area of Tower Hamlets. Despite the lockdown, neighbours are supporting one another and organising food packages for front-line staff. By all accounts, this is being replicated in every part of our communities.

I commend to the House the work of two organisations. One is the Bangladeshi catering industry, which has used restaurant kitchens to supply free food for thousands of vulnerable families at breaking point, as well as NHS and care staff. The other is a satellite TV channel, Channel S, which is providing an outstanding public service in mobilising communities and helping people suffering extreme hardships and those who are finding it difficult to access some of the financial measures in place. The channel has ensured that government messages and instructions reach its vast bilingual audience, in addition to helping charities raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for vulnerable families at home and abroad. Each day is a forbidding challenge for many who are suffering poverty, domestic abuse and multiple frailties. Nevertheless, it has been a privilege to witness the human spirit thriving in communities coming together. As the month of Ramadan begins tomorrow, these collective efforts will intensify unabated to help all sections of the community, regardless of age, ethnicity or faith.

I conclude by asking the Government if they have undertaken an impact assessment of the current pandemic on people at special schools, day-care centres and other residential care institutions that provide services to disabled children and adults with learning disability and autism, in terms of the availability of PPE, staff and adequate resources. What protocol exists for carers accompanying disabled children and adults to hospital should they contract Covid-19? The Children’s Commissioner is concerned about the drop in the number of children on the safeguarding and child protection registers attending schools. What is being done to ensure that local authorities have adequate social work staff and resources to maintain sufficient monitoring of their safety? I thank noble Lords for their co-operation and attendance.