Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:22 pm on 30 September 2020.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm conscious of the time. Can I thank everybody who has contributed, first of all, to this debate? Excellent contributions all around, making a variety of points that come from our analysis in what was our first report as a health committee into COVID-19, fulfilling our scrutiny role as a committee and as committee members. There are other reports to follow.
Now, it's fair to say, obviously, that it's been a completely and totally devastating year. There was real fear on our hospital wards during those early days in February, March—real fear—and obviously we've heard about the challenges as well, outlined by colleagues, Andrew R.T. Davies, David Rees and Rhun ap Iorwerth: challenges around testing in those early days and we still have those challenges on testing, and similarly with PPE, although the situation appears far healthier as regards PPE.
We've taken a lot of evidence about social care and how as a society we view social care. And if this pandemic emergency had done nothing else, surely it must crystallise our view that we need to do something about how we organise and view social care generally. If we totally view it as having parity of esteem with the health service, should we not look to reorganise care along the same lines as we organise health? Mental health issues have been prominent as well in a lot of the evidence we took, and it's not surprising and it will be the basis of the next report from the health committee.
But in closing, can I pay a huge tribute, as I did at the start and as others have done, to the massive, heroic and epic response to this pandemic, not just in the health and social care sector, but also, as we've heard from Rhun, local authorities really came good during this—local authorities have shone, absolutely shone indeed. As well as thousands of volunteers in the background who have been doing everything from delivering food, medicines, sewing gowns, sewing masks, and also to the thousands of unpaid carers who really have felt the strain of the last six months. It's been a horrific time for many, and some who have recovered are debilitated by long COVID now, as we speak—chronic, debilitating and still suffering. Rehabilitation services are going to be key as time goes on, and that'll be the basis of another further report from this health committee. My thanks also go to clerks and researchers and legal support, and everyone that makes this health committee function so very well indeed. It's an excellent report, as I've heard many say, and a lot of that is due to excellent research and excellent clerking response.
So, in closing we say: stand firm and do the basics in terms of social distancing, in terms of hand washing, in terms of wearing a mask and in terms of decreasing social contacts—that's what we need to carry on doing—and support the motion. Diolch yn fawr.