CQC: NHS staff went to ‘extraordinary lengths’ to protect those they cared for during pandemic
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- Published: Tuesday, 27 October 2020 08:54
- Written by News Editor
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The CQC’s latest report divides into before and after Covid-19 and generally they were impressed with how staff had responded, going to ‘extraordinary lengths’ to protect those they cared for. However it points out that difficulties accessing NHS dental care, and the cost of dental treatment are a barrier to access for some people.
In summary the report says that pre-COVID, care was generally good, but with little overall improvement. In the NHS, improvement in some areas – for example, emergency care, maternity and mental health – was slower than others. The social care sector was fragile as a result of the lack of a long-term funding solution, and in need of investment and workforce planning. In primary medical services, the fact that the overall ratings picture remained broadly unchanged masked a more volatile picture of deterioration and improvement.
Looking at the position since the arrival of COVID-19, the report says we inhabit a different world, in which all these things remain true, but so much else has changed. ‘As we take stock of the health and care system’s initial response to the pandemic in order to learn lessons for the future, there are elements to build on – and elements to reassess.’
The report summary continues: ‘The professionalism and dedication of the people who work and volunteer in health and care has always been the system’s key strength – and from March onwards, this was more obvious than ever, as staff went to extraordinary lengths to protect those they cared for. This is cause for celebration – as well as for reflection on how to ensure that all staff are recognised for their work, regardless of the sector in which they deliver care.
‘The progress achieved in transforming the way care is delivered is also deeply impressive. In a matter of days, services developed new procedures and ways of working, often taking advantage of technology. Changes that were expected to take years – like the switch to more flexible GP consultations by phone and online – took place almost overnight. This report highlights many examples of how collaboration among services has made a real difference to people’s care.’
Extract from report regarding dental care
At the end of March, dental practices were advised to suspend all routine treatment, as part of plans to prevent the spread of coronavirus. NHS regions were instructed to set up local urgent dental care centres to help people with emergency dental problems. This caused a lot of access problems nationally. Some areas were quick to respond due to already well-established system relationships; others took more time. Some dental practices provided care in the absence of urgent dental centres.
Healthwatch England has highlighted how, while routine appointments were on hold, people did not know how to access emergency dental care – causing them stress while experiencing acute dental pain or other serious symptoms. In June, as dental practices started to reopen for routine appointments, they heard that the information being provided from some services was inconsistent or confusing, leaving people unsure about whether they were running again, and what treatment would be available.25
Dental practices have needed to modify their methods of delivering care to account for the need of social distancing and enhanced PPE for staff. Following some clinical procedures, the treatment room has to be left ‘fallow’ before cleaning to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. This has resulted in a large reduction in treatment capacity for practices and it is likely to be some time before full capacity is reached.
Link to full CQC report:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20201016_stateofcare1920_fullreport.pdf
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