Dr Imran Choudhury’s Foreword: Sutton Care Bulletin #5

Hello, and welcome to the fifth edition of the Sutton Care Bulletin, the bi-monthly round up of all the good news and latest successes from our borough’s social care sector.

As 2021 draws to a close, it still brings with it more uncertainty about what the New Year will bring, as we continue to battle the COVID pandemic. I think many of us will breathe a collective sigh of relief that the year is over and look forward to a new year in 2022 that brings fresh hope, and a renewed fight for the year ahead.

We know that the year has been tough for you, with increasing regulations to help manage the spread of COVID-19, and the loss of some staff in some care homes as we approached the mandatory vaccine deadline earlier in November. Supporting you to do the best that you can is important to us, and we want to ensure that you have the best people in place to help you do this, that’s why, with the help of the government’s Recruitment and Retention Fund, part of their COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021, we have received just under £500,000 to help us support care providers recruit more staff. 

You’ll hear more details about how you can get involved with the campaign soon, which will include a range of events and initiatives designed to support the sector to recruit and retain staff and raise residents’ awareness of opportunities and careers in a caring profession. We look forward to working with you.

As you will be only too aware, the COVID-19 situation is very fast-moving at the moment – please make sure you check the Hub for updates on the latest visiting guidelines. Please do also take the opportunity to make sure you, your loved ones and your staff take advantage of the new COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programmes, to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Thank you, care staff

Our social care staff – that’s YOU – have been amazing, again, this year, rising to the challenge that the pandemic sets for us, our coworkers and our families. You continue to care and nurture our residents so that they can thrive, and enjoy the benefits of seeing loved ones, knowing they are safe. We thank you for everything that you do – for your commitment, passion and dedication to the residents of Sutton that you care for every day.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dr Imran Choudhury

Director of Public Health, Sutton Council