Jane Townson, chief executive of UKHCA, which represents home care companies, is calling for home care to be “centre stage” in the government’s battle to contain the coronavirus.

Both home care and live in care services can provide a huge contribution to keeping the vulnerable in society safe in their own homes avoiding hospital visits and reducing pressure on the NHS during the pandemic.

She argues that home care often prevents “unnecessary admission” to care homes and hospitals as it enables to people to stay living well and independently at home.

Consequently she says preventing these unnecessary admissions “should be a priority” and “supporting people at home, as far as possible, would be an intelligent and cost-effective strategy for the nation’s health and well-being”. However she says: “Instead, the opposite is happening. The majority of public and private funding, as well as media attention, is focused on hospitals and care homes, which between them support only 0.5 million people at a time.

To read the full story visit the Homecare.co.uk website.