Responding to Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) annual state of care report, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

“CQC’s state of care report provides a valuable, objective assessment of the way health and care services have performed in what has been the most challenging year in the history of the NHS.

“The report highlights the way that trusts and frontline staff have adapted and innovated successfully in response to the pandemic.

“CQC rightly concludes that progress in transforming the delivery of services has been extraordinary.

“We agree with CQC about the importance of ensuring that non COVID-19 patients are not left behind as we enter a second wave of the pandemic.

Trusts are working flat out to maintain and restore services, while keeping people safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19 within hospitals.

Saffron Cordery    Deputy Chief Executive

“Trusts are working flat out to maintain and restore services, while keeping people safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19 within hospitals.

“It will be important as they do that to keep in mind the unequal impact of the pandemic, and to develop their work to tackle health inequalities.

“The emphasis in the report on effective provider collaboration in developing system wide responses contains valuable lessons for the year ahead, and we welcome the call for local leaders to be empowered to respond to the needs of their population as the impact of COVID-19 on different parts of the community becomes apparent

“We agree that the pandemic exposed the longstanding neglect of social care, which in turn impacted on the NHS. It is vital for the whole health and care system that social care is put on a sustainable and secure footing.”