Diolch, Llywydd. Our motion today notes the cross-party group on hospice and palliative care's inquiry on experiences of palliative and end-of-life care in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. The motion is based entirely on the evidence-based report resulting from this, which sought to give people and organisations at the very sharp end of the pandemic a voice and a platform. The report summarises the written and oral responses received, detailing experiences of palliative and end-of-life care in people's homes and care homes during the pandemic. The majority of respondents gave evidence based on their own individual, personal and professional lived experience as family members, unpaid carers, social workers, nurses and doctors.

It is clear from those contributions that the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world of palliative care on its head, dramatically disrupting the lives of individuals at the end of life, their loved ones, and the health and social care workers supporting them. I express my thanks and gratitude to the family members, carers, nurses, doctors and many others who generously shared their often heartbreaking but also uplifting and insightful accounts of caring for some of our most vulnerable citizens during the most testing of times. We wanted to learn from their experiences of end-of-life care at home, and in care homes, so that we can be better prepared for any future disaster, and better placed to meet the ongoing impacts of COVID and the cost-of-living crisis. We believe this is more important than ever before, considering demand for palliative care in the community is forecast to nearly double by 2040, and the pandemic has given us a glimpse into how our health and social care system will cope under similar pressures in the not-so-distant future. Our motion today incorporates this, and acknowledges that during the COVID-19 pandemic hospice and palliative care played a critical role and went above and beyond in supporting patients and their families.

Key findings from the inquiry include that visiting restrictions in care homes and other settings caused untold pain and distress, leaving many patients and their families isolated at the end of life, leading to cases of complex bereavement. Many people had devastating experiences of caring for loved ones at home, and struggled to access adequate palliative care support. People at the end of life faced difficult and tragic transitions between home, hospital and care homes. Pandemic responses sparked a revolution in collaboration, creative working and use of communication technology across health and social care services delivering palliative care. Care home staff and those working with them were at times concerned with hospital discharge into homes and the use of 'do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation' decisions.

There were widespread shortages of staff, personal protective equipment—PPE—and end-of-life medication, impacting on the delivery of vital palliative care. Infection prevention and control measures within homes added to disruption, often requiring residents to isolate in their rooms for long periods of time. As a consequence, many faced social isolation, often resulting in a significant decline in their mental and physical well-being. The use of protective masks made what little contact carers and residents had more difficult. This was particularly devastating for those with a communication difficulty or cognitive impairment, who were disproportionately affected.