Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what lessons he has learnt from the first wave of the covid-19 outbreak with respect to protecting older people from covid-19.

The adult social care COVID-19 taskforce worked with a broad range of stakeholders, including residential and domiciliary care providers and representatives of those who receive care to produce recommendations for the Government in supporting the adult social care sector through a potential second wave and the winter.

‘Adult social care: our COVID-19 winter plan 2020 to 2021’ drew on the recommendations of the taskforce, advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Public Health England, to set out the actions the Government would take to support the sector, along with the steps local authorities, the National Health Service and care providers should take to prevent and control COVID-19 outbreaks. This plan draws extensively on lessons learned from first wave.