The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting ‘the very best of councils and our workforces’, according to president of Solace UK Martin Swales.
Mr Swales said today that collaboration ‘is in councils’ DNA’, and he paid tribute to ‘each and every one of you who are all doing an amazing job in the most challenging of circumstances’.
Councils are ‘rooted in their communities and these strong ties will be vital as we all pull together to respond to this crisis’, he added.
According to Mr Swales, the goals of local government during the pandemic are ‘crystal clear – to do everything we can to save lives by curbing the spread of the virus and lesson the pressure on the NHS, in particular over the next few weeks when the number of those infected and needing hospital treatment is expected to escalate’.
Councils at all levels will need to work alongside the NHS, Public Health England and with partners in the community to create as much capacity as possible to ensure hospital patients could be discharged safely into the community in a timely way, he said.
Local authorities will also ‘ensure the most vulnerable are protected and remain connected to society over the coming months, whether that be through food packages or other support mechanisms’, he added.