Key workers in adult social care across Lincolnshire are at risk of being forgotten after the pandemic
The Lincolnshire Care Association say that more needs to be done to put a spotlight on the care sector, rather than being kept in the shadows of the wider NHS system
There's a risk that key workers in adult social care will be forgotten across Lincolnshire as the world returns to normal following the Covid pandemic.
The Lincolnshire Care Association says the care sector needs to be highlighted more as it plays a vital part in the NHS.
Melanie Weatherley MBE, is the Chair of the Lincolnshire Care Association:
"I think the care sector has always been a Cinderella part of Health and Social Care.
"It's quite essential the housekeeping, keeping things running, but nobody's actually interested, and during COVID that changed.
"We had a much higher profile. It was clear what the sector was doing, what our fabulous workforce were doing, and we were even included in the applause.
"But since COVID, the NHS quite rightly, is back at centre stage, but I think there's a real risk that the care sector will go back into the shadows."
At the association’s annual conference in Lincoln on Monday 31st July, the theme of the conference, staged at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, was ‘Coming out of the shadows of Covid: What could social care look like in the next decade?’
At the event Ms Weatherley called for care workers to be paid more to recognise the importance of the work they do.
She told us what it was like during the pandemic:
"Every day was very scary, particularly for people in care homes. You didn't know what it was going to be like. Somebody described it as a tsunami.
"We were very lucky in Lincolnshire that we were protected from a lot of the problems that other areas had; we didn't discharge as many people with COVID to our care homes, and we did one of the best things, which was work like a truly integrated health and care system. We worked together to do the right thing for our citizens. But more importantly, the right thing for each other."
Delegates at the conference reflected on the past year and looked towards the future, in particular looking for ways to improve recognition for the contribution that the care sector makes to the local economy, as well as the critical role that it plays as a support to the NHS.
Discussions also took place on the increased use of digital technologies in care and record keeping, research-based practice, and integration with local NHS colleagues to support them with discharge and other challenges.