Cheshire East cabinet member and Macclesfield councillor Laura Jeuda has paid tribute to the 'unsung heroes' of the borough's carers and care homes during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The adult social care and health portfolio holder said these workers are 'inspirational' people to whom we all owed immense gratitude for their care of our most vulnerable people.

Cllr Jeuda said: "I, and my cabinet colleagues, have nothing but deep admiration for the hard work and real dedication shown by social care providers working in the most challenging of situations. They have really been at the sharp end of this crisis and continue to be so.

"We simply could not have asked for more from social care providers and their dedicated staff. They have been, and continue to be, real heroes – putting themselves on the frontline of the fight to combat this awful pandemic to care for our older, frail and vulnerable people.

"It has been a massive effort and we are all in awe of their inspirational selflessness and dedication – alongside that of our other key workers. They have responded in adversity and shown tremendous and dedicated support to those not able to receive this in person from their own families, because of coronavirus restrictions.

"The work of social care providers has been absolutely vital and has saved lives – and we should all salute them and their families, who have also had to bear hardship and worry.

"Social care providers have had to deal with rapidly changing and not always clear guidance from central government and the challenge of sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE). The council has liaised closely with social care providers and carers to ensure they were supported and to help make sure they had the necessary PPE.

"Social care providers have worked positively with Cheshire East Council right from the very start of the pandemic – sharing insight and information with us to help create a clear picture of the social care markets response in the borough.

"This has been a massive undertaking and our social care providers and carers continue to work round the clock, pulling out all the stops to tackle this pandemic and keep people safe."