Recommendations & Conclusions
9 items
6
Conclusion
1st Report - Unequal impact? Coronaviru…
Acknowledged
Had the pandemic been more clearly under control, we would have recommended repeal of the Care Act easements at the first six-monthly review. However, the current precarious state of the pandemic, combined with the fragility of the social care system, makes repeal a finely balanced judgement call. Throughout the peak …
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Had the pandemic been more clearly under control, we would have recommended repeal of the Care Act easements at the first six-monthly review. However, the current precarious state of the pandemic, combined with the fragility of the social care system, makes repeal a finely balanced judgement call. Throughout the peak of the pandemic earlier this year, only around five per cent of English local authorities triggered easements to their Care Act duties, and none have been relying on them since early July. There is, however, considerable uncertainty about how the virus might progress through the autumn and winter and what the effects might be on local authorities’ capacity to cope with social care demand.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that changes to Care Act duties will be kept under regular review, with suspension decisions based on expert advice and the existing six-monthly review and renewal processes of the Coronavirus Act 2020. They also refer to the Adult Social Care Winter plan …
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Government Equalities Office
7
Recommendation
1st Report - Unequal impact? Coronaviru…
Acknowledged
On balance, and subject to our other recommendations to tighten guidance and increase transparency being implemented, we accept that the Care Act easement provisions may need to remain in place over the winter period. The Government should keep the need for the Care Act easement provisions under constant review over …
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On balance, and subject to our other recommendations to tighten guidance and increase transparency being implemented, we accept that the Care Act easement provisions may need to remain in place over the winter period. The Government should keep the need for the Care Act easement provisions under constant review over the autumn and winter. It should use its power to suspend them immediately should it become clear that a second peak of the virus has been avoided. Should the progress of the pandemic remain stable or improve, we recommend the provisions be repealed before or at the second six-monthly review in Spring 2021. We recommend the Government state publicly that it intends to take this approach. This would provide greater clarity, and some reassurance, to disabled people and be an important marker of the Government’s determination to fully restore disabled people’s absolute rights to the care and support they need. (Paragraph 35) Mental Health Act
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Government response AI summary
The government states that Care Act easements will be kept under regular review, with suspension decisions based on expert advice and the existing six-monthly review and renewal mechanisms of the Coronavirus Act 2020. It also references the Adult Social Care Winter Plan.
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Government Equalities Office
12
Recommendation
1st Report - Unequal impact? Coronaviru…
Acknowledged
At the time of writing, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, which temporarily modify the time limits in relation to EHC assessment and Plans, were due to expire on 25 September. This will add further pressure to local authorities already facing the huge challenge of dealing …
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At the time of writing, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, which temporarily modify the time limits in relation to EHC assessment and Plans, were due to expire on 25 September. This will add further pressure to local authorities already facing the huge challenge of dealing with an inevitable backlog of cases. The Department must set out a clear national strategy for managing the backlog of EHC assessments and Plans, to ensure children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities get the support they need, within the statutory timescales. It should also set out in guidance to local authorities clear criteria for prioritising EHC cases. (Paragraph 60) Parliamentary review
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Government response AI summary
The government is working with individual local authorities to support their pandemic response, including managing overdue EHC assessment cases, and identifying good practice. Ofsted and CQC have also been commissioned to undertake interim visits to local areas to understand the pandemic's impact on SEND children …
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Government Equalities Office
2
Conclusion
Fourth report: Unequal impact? Coronavi…
Acknowledged
The Government’s focus on people defined as “clinically extremely vulnerable” (CEV) to the virus, while rational from a medical perspective, was an inappropriate proxy for the need for support with access to food and had unintended consequences. It was rapidly established and broadly effective for those on the CEV list, …
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The Government’s focus on people defined as “clinically extremely vulnerable” (CEV) to the virus, while rational from a medical perspective, was an inappropriate proxy for the need for support with access to food and had unintended consequences. It was rapidly established and broadly effective for those on the CEV list, for which everyone involved should be congratulated, but it also set one group of people with clinical needs against others with social barriers to food shopping during the pandemic. The Government’s predominant focus on supporting CEV people, and its clear direction to the food sector to prioritise them, may have contributed to some supermarkets overlooking their legal obligations to make reasonable adjustments for the broader population of disabled people, which has led to legal challenges.
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Government response AI summary
The government states it will ask disabled people about the impact of the coronavirus emergency and, if requested, will include a plan for fair food access in emergencies in the National Strategy for Disabled People.
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Government Equalities Office
3
Recommendation
Fourth report: Unequal impact? Coronavi…
Acknowledged
We welcome the steps the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has taken to emphasise that food retailers’ legal obligations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people have remained in place throughout the pandemic. We fully endorse its new guidance to food retailers on the steps required to continue to …
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We welcome the steps the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has taken to emphasise that food retailers’ legal obligations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people have remained in place throughout the pandemic. We fully endorse its new guidance to food retailers on the steps required to continue to meet their obligations, including in emergency situations. The Government should also publicly state the vital importance of reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people equal access to food during the pandemic. The Government should also publicly state the vital importance of reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people equal access to food during the pandemic. We recommend the Government better promote the EHRC’s new guidance to food retailers, including in its ongoing discussions with the food retail sector on maintaining disabled people’s access to food during the remainder of the pandemic.
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Government response AI summary
The government states it has checked its efforts to ensure fair food access for disabled people, made some changes, and will continue to monitor and adjust, but does not commit to publicly stating the importance of reasonable adjustments or promoting EHRC guidance as recommended.
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Government Equalities Office
15
Conclusion
Fourth report: Unequal impact? Coronavi…
Acknowledged
We welcome the Government’s educational catch up fund made up of £650 million to be allocated across all schools and £350 million for pupils in more disadvantaged schools to access subsidised small group tutoring and mentoring.
Government response AI summary
The government responded that it would 'think about looking at what happened during the Coronavirus emergency afterwards', a vague statement that did not specifically engage with the committee's welcome of the educational catch-up fund.
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Government Equalities Office
17
Recommendation
Fourth report: Unequal impact? Coronavi…
Acknowledged
There was a clear divergence of opinion between some disabled people and their organisations, who felt excluded and ignored by the Government, and Ministers, who described their engagement with disabled stakeholders during the pandemic as very positive, open and effective. Addressing perceived weaknesses in the Government’s consultation and engagement with …
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There was a clear divergence of opinion between some disabled people and their organisations, who felt excluded and ignored by the Government, and Ministers, who described their engagement with disabled stakeholders during the pandemic as very positive, open and effective. Addressing perceived weaknesses in the Government’s consultation and engagement with disabled people must form a key strand of the proposed National Strategy for Disabled People. The Government must consult widely with disabled people and their organisations on ways to embed in the Strategy genuinely effective mechanisms by which disabled people can influence policies and practices which directly affect them.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the importance of disabled people influencing policies and outlines existing engagement methods, stating they will consider this input for the UK National Strategy for Disabled People, but does not commit to new consultation mechanisms.
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Government Equalities Office
19
Recommendation
Fourth report: Unequal impact? Coronavi…
Acknowledged
The accessibility of the Government’s communications to disabled people during the pandemic has been poor from the outset of lockdown in March. The Government has been far too slow to address concerns, notably about the lack of British Sign Language interpretation of government television briefings. Accessibility should have been baked …
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The accessibility of the Government’s communications to disabled people during the pandemic has been poor from the outset of lockdown in March. The Government has been far too slow to address concerns, notably about the lack of British Sign Language interpretation of government television briefings. Accessibility should have been baked in from the start. Much of what is being asked for could be simply achieved, often at low cost, and bring considerate benefit to disabled people. We recommend the Cabinet Office implement in full the list of accessible communications asks from RNID and other charities. We expect real progress to have been made towards this by the time the government responds to this Report and urge full implementation no later than the end of the first quarter of 2021.
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Government response AI summary
The government states its desire for accessible information and its ongoing efforts to provide it in accessible ways, working with disability organizations, but does not commit to fully implementing the specific list of asks from RNID and other charities by the recommended deadline.
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Government Equalities Office
20
Recommendation
Fourth report: Unequal impact? Coronavi…
Acknowledged
NHS health and publicly funded social care services are legally required, by the Accessible Information Standard, published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to provide health and care information to patients and service users in a way they can understand. The aim is to ensure …
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NHS health and publicly funded social care services are legally required, by the Accessible Information Standard, published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, to provide health and care information to patients and service users in a way they can understand. The aim is to ensure a consistent approach to identifying and meeting the information and communication needs of patients and 46 Unequal impact? Coronavirus, disability and access to services: full Report service users, their carers and families. Disabled people’s experiences of inaccessible public health information from the Government during this pandemic have been unacceptable. Disabled people have been put at risk through lack of access to vital information. Their communication needs should have been anticipated as a matter of course. Everyone should have the right to receive public health information in a format they can understand. We recommend the Accessible Information Standard be extended to apply to all public health messages from government departments.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the importance of accessible information and states that departments already have legal obligations under other laws, with guidance provided by the Equality Hub, but does not commit to extending the Accessible Information Standard as requested.
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Government Equalities Office