Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to provide mental health support for the social care workforce (1) during, and (2) after, the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government wants everybody working in social care to feel like they have somewhere to turn, or someone to talk to, when they are finding things difficult.

Samaritans, Shout, Hospice UK and Mind have collaborated to launch ‘Our Frontline’ to provide information, emotional support and access to a crisis text service for frontline workers, including in social care. The Department has also launched an app that contains resources that focus on mental and physical wellbeing including access to wellbeing apps designed to provide support during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hospice UK has also extended its bereavement and trauma line to provide dedicated support to social care staff and the Department is working with Samaritans to extend its dedicated listening service to the social care workforce as soon as possible.