While much of the focus of the past few weeks has been on supporting the NHS' primary care workforce -- more than 400,000 people volunteered in a 24-hour period to support the service -- there has been little discussion of the role that social care has to play in this crisis.
Indeed, care homes all across Europe have become subject to heavy isolation protocols following the government's recommendations that older and vulnerable people keep away from others, and for many in this situation, it has been an incredibly difficult time.
The Leaders Council spoke to Dee Tormey, the Director of East Sussex-based Baronsmede Family Homes, who expressed the vital yet often invisible role that care homes had to play.
"The focus is quite rightly on the NHS," Tormey explained. "But social care is also a key area. We are caring for vulnerable people, those most affected and at risk in this pandemic.
"Care homes make the news when things go wrong, but rarely is the incredible dedication of the social care workforce acknowledged or celebrated."
Tormey also expressed her thoughts on how the government had handled the crisis thus far.
"Things are changing so quickly, and new guidance and measures for managing this crisis are being issued on a daily basis.
"Having time to read and digest all of this information as well as steering the organisation through this stressful time is very challenging.
"The responsibility of keeping people safe in such a difficult period is overwhelming. The decisions we make as business leaders have such far-reaching consequences in the field of social care. It could literally be the difference between life and death.
"At the moment, we are managing, but I am aware of how quickly things can change. We have not reached the peak of this epidemic as yet.
"The hard work we put in when it came to building up this organisation will help to steady the ship through these troubling times, but we cannot afford to be complacent. These are uncharted waters."
