Responding to the new Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) Initial
lessons from the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
report, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron
Cordery said:
“Trust leaders will welcome the report’s recommendation that the
Government do more to support the health and social care
workforce, who have faced relentless pressure during the
pandemic, in order to ensure their continuing resilience.
“We agree with PAC’s recommendation for a “substantive long-term
NHS workforce plan to ensure the resilience of the health and
social care workforce”, and have been calling for a fully costed
and funded multi-year workforce plan for some time. We need
enough staff not only to plug existing workforce gaps, but to
build flexibility into the system. We believe this is the best
way to ensure staff wellbeing in the long term.
“PAC’s recommendations also highlight that clear communication
around PPE usage, stock levels, and quality control is crucial.
There has been good engagement on the upcoming PPE strategy,
which is encouraging, but it is vital that this continues.
“COVID-19 has been a constant learning process, and this report
will help contribute to our knowledge and understanding of health
and social care workforce issues, as we look ahead to the
independent public inquiry into the handling of the
pandemic.”
See: Pandemic
lessons “cannot wait for Government inquiry” with massive
taxpayer exposure & “unacceptably high waste”, say MPs
