The Care Workers’ Charity Responds to COVID-19 Inquiry: Care Workers Deserved Better – We Cannot Allow These Failures to Happen Again.
The Care Workers’ Charity (The CWC) responds today to the COVID-19 Inquiry’s findings on political and administrative decision-making during the pandemic. The report’s conclusions paint a stark picture: across two volumes, the word failure appears sixty times. It identifies major shortcomings in preparedness, data collection, communication, coordination between governments, and the ability to recognise and address inequalities. Crucially, it makes clear that earlier, stronger action could have saved thousands of lives, rendering many interventions “too little, too late.”
During the height of the pandemic, The Care Workers’ Charity launched an emergency fund to support care workers in crisis. Between March 2020 and June 2022, we awarded 4,351 grants totalling £2.65 million, including over £1 million in two-week isolation grants and more than £120,000 towards funeral costs.
While some believe the pandemic is behind us, its impact on the workforce is not. Care workers endured extreme trauma, often without structured and standardised support. Between 2021 and 2024, 321 care workers came to The CWC citing COVID-related grief, burnout, depression, or anxiety. One care worker told us: “Earlier this year I was in a really dark place… I felt so alone and like nobody cared.”
The Inquiry confirms what those in social care have long known: a lack of preparedness meant care workers were not afforded the same protections or consideration as their NHS colleagues. Many reported working with minimal PPE at the start of the pandemic, such as aprons and gloves, in conditions that clearly required masks and higher-grade protection. As one grant recipient shared: “We were only allowed masks after residents tested positive – by then it was too late.” Unlike the other UK nations, England also failed to provide COVID-19 bonus payments for social care staff.
Longstanding systemic issues – low pay, workforce shortages, high turnover, and a disproportionately high number of workers from ethnic minority backgrounds – magnified the risks. Migrant care workers faced additional hardship due to restrictive sponsorship rules, limited career progression and inconsistent oversight, leaving many vulnerable to poor working conditions. The lack of professional status meant care workers could not access basic priority services, such as supermarket queues, leaving them struggling to obtain essential supplies for themselves and those they cared for.
The emotional toll was immense. Some care workers lived inside care homes for weeks to protect their families. Many experienced staff left the sector altogether, overwhelmed by trauma, exhaustion and a persistent sense of being overlooked in national decision-making.
Karolina Gerlich, CEO of The Care Workers’ Charity, said:
“This report lays bare what care workers lived through every day: they were not protected, not prioritised and not recognised, despite carrying an extraordinary burden throughout the pandemic. We owe it to them, and to the people they care for, to ensure these failures lead to real change. Care workers deserve fair pay, professional status, safe working conditions, and meaningful investment in the sector that depends on them.”
The COVID-19 Inquiry must now be a turning point. Care workers kept this country going through its darkest moments. They deserved protection and support; too often, they received neither.
The CWC stands ready to work with all four nations to ensure that the lessons from this Inquiry lead to real, lasting change. We call for:
- A fully funded, integrated and resilient care system.
- Fair pay and proper training for all care workers.
- Professional status and parity of esteem with NHS colleagues.
- Stronger protections for migrant care workers.
- A national commitment to valuing the care workforce.
For further information, please contact Sophie Henry at The Care Workers’ Charity on sophie@thecwc.org.uk.