"This extra funding will be crucial to support the tireless efforts of council social care staff to continue to support and protect people who rely of social care."
Responding to the announcement of funding for local government for services supporting the most vulnerable in society, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“The LGA has been working with government on the need for extra resources for adult social care services to cope with this crisis. This extra funding will be crucial to support the tireless efforts of council social care staff to continue to support and protect people who rely of social care. It will help free up hospital beds so that the NHS can treat people suffering from coronavirus, but ensuring that people who are fit to leave hospital get back home or to a community based service as quickly and safely as possible.
“Councils are leading local efforts in their communities to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, in their role as a fourth emergency service. Their absolute priority is continuity of care and protecting the most vulnerable from this virus. This funding boost will help councils do everything they can to ensure people vulnerable to the virus are able to access vital supplies.
“A widespread coronavirus epidemic across the country will have a huge impact on an already-stretched adult social care system. To maximise the impact of this funding, councils will need to be able to target it towards the pressures in their particular local area, including support to the care provider market.”