Praise for Hartlepool's 'selfless' care workers 'risking their lives every day'

Hartlepool Borough Council Adult and Community Based Services Committee paid tribute to the contributions of care providers from across the town helping residents in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Councillors heard updates on work being done in care homes and around hospital discharge to support those impacted by Covid-19 at their last meeting of 2020.

Cllr Sue Little, chair of the committee, led the praise of care home staff, nursers, carers and all those involved with supporting the most vulnerable during the pandemic.

She said: “I think the carers, they’re outstanding, we really, really need to recognise our care assistants, our nurses, who day in, day out, go out there and think of different ideas of how to entertain our vulnerable residents, and I hope Santa is very good to them this year.

“I take my hat off to all of these carers who are doing this and looking after our most vulnerable people.”

She added many people will still be scared of the pandemic and carers and nurses are putting their ‘lives at risk’ to support those in need.

Cllr Little added: “It just highlights people are still scared of this pandemic, it’s not just a two-week bug of sickness and diarrhoea where you think you’re going to get over it and be done with it.

“It’s how many months now, nine months into it, people are scared, and these carers and nurses and district nurses and everybody else, they’re putting their lives at risk every single day and do you know, I’m just so proud.”

Cllr Stephen Thomas, council mental health champion, also praised the work of care providers in the town in the difficult circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: “I think under some very, very difficult circumstances, they have continued to work really hard, they have really stepped up to the plate with regard to what was needed during the pandemic.

“It’s been a very difficult time for everyone concerned but I think we’ve been extremely fortunate in Hartlepool that we have some very good care providers."

He added: “We have some very strong relationships between our local authority and care sector and they have really borne fruit.

“Those relationships have really come to the fore during the pandemic and have been a really big help in ensuring the best possible care has been provided to people during these very, very difficult circumstances.”

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