The care sector was “an afterthought” during the Covid-19 pandemic, and government failures caused the virus to spread “like wildfire” among vulnerable and elderly people, a public inquiry has found. Heather Hallett, who is leading the Covid-19 inquiry, said it was a “significant omission” that the government did not advise that patients discharged from hospitals into care homes should be isolated, causing the virus to spread rapidly among residents and staff. She also said preventing visits to care homes led to “immense emotional harm” for residents and left them with “profound isolation and a sense of abandonment.” “The adult social care sector as a whole appeared to be something of an afterthought, where the mantra of ‘protecting the NHS’ sometimes came at the expense of the users and providers of care,” she said. “Care homes received insufficient protection at the time they most needed it. These failures created environments in care settings in which the virus could spread like wildfire. Most distressingly, some people were not permitted to be with their dying loved ones. Many remain racked by a guilt that they do not deserve to carry.” More than 43,000 people died from Covid-19 in UK care homes between March 2020 and July 2022. Lady Hallett’s report, published on Tuesday, focuses specifically on adult social care and residential homes and is the sixth of 10 to be published by the inquiry. It is the most expensive public inquiry in the country’s history, costing more than £200m, and has so far made 55 recommendations on how the country can better prepare for future pandemics. The former health secretary Matt Hancock was called to give evidence in which he took responsibility for the government decision to discharge untested hospital patients into care homes at the start of the pandemic. In March and April 2020, about 25,000 hospital patients were discharged into care homes across England to free up NHS bed space before mandatory testing was introduced on 15 April 2020. The policy was later ruled unlawful by the high court. Hancock told the inquiry it was the “least worst decision to a terrible problem.” Hallett said the policy was necessary to free up hospital beds, but she criticised the government for not advising care homes to isolate discharged patients. She also rejected Hancock’s long-held claim that he threw a “protective ring” around care homes from the start of the pandemic, saying it was “unfounded.” She makes eight key recommendations in the report, which include better pandemic planning, financial support to help social care staff to self-isolate, guidance on visiting restrictions and better inspection during lockdowns. Her report is also highly critical of the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for care home staff, describing it as “wholly unacceptable.” She describes how people resorted to using “festival waterproof ponchos, painters’ overalls and gloves purchased from DIY shops,” as well as making their own PPE from fabric, bin bags and bed linen. She also notes the emotional toll on staff, saying: “The scale of death and suffering witnessed by social care staff […] was unlike anything they had seen before.” Hallett says this led to post-traumatic stress and suicidal thoughts, with a number of care workers killing themselves. “The action taken by the UK government and devolved administrations to try and protect workers and users of adult social care came too late. My recommendations must be acted upon now before the next pandemic strikes,” she said.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are FAQs about the UK COVID inquirys finding that government failures allowed COVID to spread like wildfire in care homes
1 What did the UK COVID inquiry actually find
The inquiry concluded that the UK government failed to prepare for and protect care homes during the pandemic Its mistakes late action poor testing and discharging hospital patients without proper checks helped the virus spread rapidly among vulnerable residents
2 What does spread like wildfire mean here
Its the inquirys phrase for how quickly COVID tore through care homes Close living quarters shared staff and no testing meant one infection could spread through a whole home in days
3 Why were care homes so vulnerable
Residents are often elderly or unwell so the virus hits them hardest Staff move between residents and early on there was little testing protective equipment or guidance That combination made homes easy targets for the virus
4 What were the main government failures
Key failures included delaying lockdowns and restrictions for care homes sending hospital patients into homes without COVID tests shortages of protective equipment and weak testing and infectioncontrol guidance
5 Why is discharging hospital patients into care homes such a big deal
Early in the pandemic patients were moved from hospitals to care homes without being tested for COVID Some carried the virus with them seeding outbreaks in homes that had been infectionfree
6 What is PPE and why does it matter
PPE stands for personal protective equipment masks gloves gowns and visors It stops staff from passing the virus to residents and vice versa Early shortages left care workers dangerously exposed
7 Did the government ignore care homes at first
The inquiry found care homes were treated as an afterthought Guidance and support focused on the NHS while care homes despite housing some of the most atrisk people got help late
8 What is a public inquiry and what does it do
A public inquiry is an official independent investigation into a major event It gathers evidence hears from witnesses and publishes findings and recommendations but it cant prosecute anyone or force the government to act
9 What is the UK COVID19 Inquiry
Its the official inquiry into the UKs handling of the pandemic chaired by Baroness Hallett It examines preparedness decisionmaking and the impact on different groups
