Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) plans and (b) support he is putting in place to reform the social care sector and help it recover from the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government’s priority for adult social care during the pandemic is for everyone who relies on care to get the care they need. We are doing all we can to protect carers and people receiving care from the still present risk of infection.

We know that this does not reduce the need for a long-term action plan for social care. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a society.

There are complex questions to address in considering the future of social care, which is why we have invited cross-party talks. These will take place at the earliest opportunity in light of the current circumstances. The Government will then bring forward a plan for social care for the longer term.

Our support to the sector includes £3.2 billion made available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care. On 15 May we published details of an additional £600 million Infection Control Fund for Adult Social Care. This funding is to support adult social care providers in England reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and to support workforce resilience.