Minister of state for care, Helen Whately, has visited an HC-One care home in Southeast London to discuss the future of the sector.

On her first care home visit since her appointment at the end of October, the minister, accompanied by professor Deborah Sturdy OBE, the chief nurse for adult social care, met with sector-leading voices from HC-One’s management team, including chief executive James Tugendhat, and director of quality and chief nurse Julie Kerry.

The discussions covered the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, including funding, recruitment, carer career progression and development, and ensuring care services are modernised to meet increasingly complex dementia care needs.

Whately said: “It was great to visit the Alexander HC-One care home in Lewisham, spend time with staff and residents and witness the kindness and patience embodied by our valuable care workers.

“While HC-One’s homes are open to visitors, I am still hearing about families being stopped from visiting their loved ones in care homes, and this is something I’m determined to fix, along with boosting the care workforce and making sure people who need social care can get it so in turn our NHS hospitals have the beds for those who need them.

“We know how important social contact is for those who receive care, and it is vital both care workers and residents who are eligible roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated as soon as possible to curb the spread of Covid and flu in order to protect each other this winter.”

James Tugendhat, chief executive at HC-One, said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome minister Whately and professor Deborah Sturdy to our Alexander Care Home, and to discuss the evolving face of social care. This is both a challenging and exciting time for the future of care, and it is crucial that we work together across the sector to seize the opportunities that exist at such a turning point. We look forward to continuing to working closely with both our local and central government partners as they progress with their important plans for the sector.

“I know our residents and kind care teams greatly enjoyed meeting minister Whately and professor Sturdy. Our homes play an essential role in the communities we serve, and we are always proud to welcome guests, including political representatives, to show them the high-quality, kind care our teams provide and to ensure that the voices of those living and working in care homes are heard.”