Module 6: Our Reaction

The Module 6 report was published today, covering the Government’s handling of procurement during the pandemic.

Our reaction statement:

"Today’s report is a devastating account of one of the darkest episodes in our country’s history. It shows that the government knew the care sector was extremely vulnerable to a pandemic and yet did nothing. Failing to act until it was too late. And It shows that Matt Hancock’s claim to have thrown a protective ring around care homes was a cruel lie. Months before telling us that lie, Matt Hancock sat in a room with Boris Johnson and Simson Stevens and made the decision to discharge hospital patients into care homes, without testing. Three men, with no medical expertise between them, made a decision that became a death sentence for our family members.

The most at-risk people in our society, the sick, elderly – many of whom had a full and long life ahead of them – were failed by a government who abandoned them and left them to die. That is the consequence of social care system treated as a second-class service – too difficult for politicians to reform, too easy to ignore. Our family members paid the price. That is why social care reform cannot wait.

The system is still not fit for purpose. We need urgent action now, to prevent another tragedy like this from ever happening again.
People receiving care must have the same protection and priority as people in hospital, a say in their care and access to essential support from those they trust. In short, work towards a National Care Service needs to begin now. It cannot wait years, for more reports, or another election.

The next pandemic, or another crisis, could strike at any time and we urge the government to act now, with urgency, so that nobody ever has to ever stand where we are standing today."