NHS, Social Care and Frontline Workers’ Day: Guild Care offers its thanks ahead of the first annual day of remembrance

The day also reminds us to offer our thanks and love to people who work in social care and our country’s National Health Service.

It goes without saying that our NHS and its outstanding staff are owed an unspeakable level of gratitude and applause for their work during the pandemic. In fact, they deserved a great deal of thanks before March 2020 – Covid only highlighted what an amazing institution it is and how privileged we are to have access to it.

I am sure many of you stood on doorsteps and leaned out of windows in the early, unsure days of the pandemic to clap for the NHS.

In no way taking away from my thanks to the NHS, we were pleased to see that social care and frontline workers have also been recognised. Of course, it is not an easily quantifiable issue, but I think that people outside of the NHS who helped others in person during the pandemic – particularly those working in health and social care – perhaps did not receive the same level of deserved love.

Those of us lucky enough to have been able to stay inside during the pandemic should offer our thanks to the people who have bravely worked in difficult circumstances to help others in person.

Although at times I have become stressed figuring out the myriad video conferencing programmes ‘essential’ to working from home, it does not compare to being on the frontline, directly offering help and support during a global pandemic.

Furthermore, we think this thanks and gratitude should not fade as we move towards a ‘new normal’ and our country, inevitably for the most part, forgets the last year and a half.

The importance of those caring for our loved in care homes and offering support within community services has only been highlighted over the pandemic. We cannot forget to honour this and thank them.

At Guild Care, I have had the privilege to work directly with such people. Indeed, without the amazing carers, support workers, health and wellbeing assistants, nurses, community care assistants and other amazing people who make up our varied staff, we would not have been able to continue our work.

Specifically, our charity’s mission is to deliver innovative and life-changing care services which help older people, children and adults with learning disabilities, and those living with dementia and their carers to share and enjoy a richer family and community life.

This is achieved through running our three care homes, Caer Gwent, Linfield House and Haviland House, and a wealth of community services. But again, without our amazing staff, none of this would be possible.

With the roll-out of vaccines and our country seemingly coming out of this dark period, we are looking forward to a world in which all NHS, social care and frontline workers can thrive in easier circumstances – a world in which we do not forget their importance and continue to thank them.

So, from the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of Guild Care and everyone that you help, thank you so much.