Sam Monaghan is Chief Executive of MHA, one of the nation's biggest providers of care homes and retirement living. Here he considers Covid, five years on.
Five years ago, our country, and the world at large, were on the brink of one of the darkest periods in living memory. The arrival of Covid-19 changed everything, affecting every corner of society. For those of us at MHA, it struck at the heart of what we do.
As the virus swept through the nation, we faced an immense challenge - keeping the older people we support and care for safe. Our focus became clear, advocating for those who needed us most. We fought to make sure care home residents weren’t forgotten, pushed for testing in our care homes, and worked to make reopening for visitors as safe as possible.
Sadly, we lost residents, members, and colleagues, each one a cherished part of the MHA family. We hold them in our memory and remember their loved ones.
Yet, through that adversity, our values shone brighter than ever. We emerged with an even greater ‘can-do’ spirit and a deeply supportive culture across all our services. A true sense of community prevailed, not just within our homes and schemes, but also in the kindness shown by those around us. The weekly applause, heartfelt messages, and generous gifts from neighbours were powerful reminders that we were not alone.
The Methodist Church, which gave us our foundation in 1943, stood beside us in prayer. That unwavering support remains with us today, a testament to the strength of faith and community.
Today, life in our homes and schemes is filled with activity and joy once again.
Connections with the wider community are still building back, from visits by local playgroups to shared celebrations. But we carry with us the lessons learned. A heightened appreciation of the ways we can prevent infection, expertise in how we mobilise our resources and collaborate together, ensuring we are more prepared than ever to safeguard those in our care.
However, the pandemic's impact still lingers. Financial pressures, from occupancy levels only just recovering to pre-pandemic levels, rising energy costs and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, along with delayed social care reforms, and underfunding from local councils, remain significant hurdles. The undervalued nature of our work means our sector continues to have high levels of vacancies, and reform of the sector is even more vital.
But if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we are stronger together. We face the future with resilience, knowing that no matter how tough the road ahead, we will walk it as One MHA – our residents, their families, our members, colleagues, volunteers and supporters.