Give Carers the Respect They Have Earned

CAMPAIGNERS today [17th March] called on the country to remember the sacrifice care workers made during the Covid-19 pandemic and recognise them better in the future.

Provider organisation The Independent Care Group (ICG) has backed today’s first Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection to pay tribute to the work of the social care workforce during the pandemic.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “Today is a day to remember those working in social care who were lost to Covid-19 during the pandemic, to recognise their sacrifice and the amazing courage all care workers have shown these past two years.

“Social care staff, alongside their colleagues in the NHS, performed miracles in keeping the hundreds of thousands of people in their care safe during the pandemic without a care for their own safety.

“We also remember those in our care who were lost to Covid-19 too and send our support to their loved ones – this has been a terrible and tragic two years.”
It is estimated that some 922 social care workers in England were lost to Covid-19 between March 2020 and May 2021 alone.

Today’s Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection has been organised by Skills for Care in collaboration with 20 partners across social care, to remember those lost, pay tribute to the dedication of the workforce and to thank them.
Mr Padgham added: “It is right that today we pause and reflect on the sacrifices made and the dedication and hard work given to the care of others, not just during the pandemic but every day.
“What we hope for in the future is a greater recognition and respect for the social care workforce.

“The greatest tribute and ‘thank you’ that the country could give social care workers is the long-awaited reform of social care that creates a properly funded and sustainable sector and rewards them properly for the super-human efforts they make every single day.”