CORONAVIRUS
NEW HORIZONS?
Will the coronavirus pandemic give us an opportunity to
confront society’s problems, adopt radical policies, and
emerge with steadfast solutions, asks Martin Blakebrough
A
crisis such as this
forces pressing
issues to the
foreground, issues
that governments
have long avoided taking sufficient
measures to solve. Our under-
funded health surface, often cruel
welfare system and unacceptable
numbers of street homeless are
now frighteningly visible to all.
But, as the country faces a
shutdown unparalleled in living
memory, we are reminded of our
mutual dependence, our fragility
and indeed our ingenuity. We are
buoyed up with the rhetoric that
‘we are all in this together’, but in
less turbulent times this oratory is
absent. The heroes of the health and
social care system, alongside the
vulnerable and marginalised they
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Homeless in Westminster:
‘Coronavirus has made all my
donations disappear.’
Credit: Penelope Barritt/Alamy
protect, are left off the agenda.
I remember the shock I felt as
this virus hit China. For me China
is not a distant nation, but the
country my son has made his
home. He kept me updated as his
daily life changed drastically. Now
we must deal with this awful virus.
Indeed many of Kaleidoscope’s
staff are on the front line, whether
supporting people in our residential
facilities or at medical services that
demand face-to-face contact. Our
OST services and clinics remain
operational, with pick-up regimes
carefully managed and outreach
coordinated by colleagues who are
required, by virtue of their vocation,
to put themselves and their
families at increased risk.
Staff like myself are the
lucky ones, able to work from
home (although I’m married to
a paramedic so my chances of
avoiding the virus are even less
assured). The frustration of frontline
workers at Kaleidoscope, and across
social care, has been the lack of
available safety equipment, and we
are doing all we can to resolve this.
So as we try to keep ourselves safe,
equally we must help our clients to
survive amid impending lockdown,
adapting our service delivery at
pace, and offering increased virtual
support to ensure our service users
remain connected.
I am amazed by our staff
and how they have risen to the
challenges before us. Now is
the time for creative thinking,
so how do we stay solution-
focused when we find ourselves
in such unfamiliar territory? We
rely on new ideas, so let’s share
information and, where we can,
pool together our resources
and tools. Please, let us know of
anything that is helping you, so
we can share with our team and
support each other.
The pressure on some staff will
no doubt be heightened by having
extra childcare duties in light
of school closures. We of course
welcome the government initiative
that supports key workers without
the added support of a partner,
so their children can continue to
attend school. But we recognise
this may not apply to all staff, and
for those struggling, we can only
expect they work flexibly from
home and do what they can.
Social media is often portrayed
negatively, but we are seeing its
‘Our under-
funded health
service, often cruel
welfare system
and unacceptable
numbers of street
homeless are now
frighteningly
visible to all.’
value today. It is important we use
it to our advantage, and instead of
staying glued to the constant churn
of headlines, we encourage our
teams to stay genuinely connected
with colleagues – I have never
known so many different ways to
communicate.
The world we walk back into
will be very different, and maybe
we will see how it is a better place
if we have learnt to care for each
other. As we settle down to the
new reality of life around us we
need to keep safe, find time to
laugh and also time to share our
worries, and I am optimistic we will
come through these difficult times.
In China the shops are opening and
many people, my son included, can
now enjoy the company of friends
in a restaurant or a bar. So if you are
working in the field then keep as
safe as you can and follow medical
guidelines. And hopefully in the
heat of summer we may be like
Luke, sitting out in the open with
life seeming a bit more normal
once more.
Martin Blakebrough is CEO of
the Kaleidoscope Project
APRIL 2020 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 15