Covid Inquiry Criticizes UK Care Home Protection Failures

Failures in the UK government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic left care homes struggling to protect residents and staff, according to a critical report published by the Covid inquiry. Vicki Walker, manager of Balmoral House in Scunthorpe, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, recalled the emotional toll on care workers as the sector faced widespread illness and uncertainty. Baroness Hallett, who led the inquiry, found that the pandemic had a profound effect on care home residents.

More than 43,000 deaths involving Covid were recorded in care settings between March 2020 and July 2022, according to the report. The inquiry described how the pandemic "totally disrupted" the lives of people in care homes, according to Baroness Hallett.

Hallett also characterized the consequences as having a "devastating impact" on those living in care settings.

Walker described the experience as "soul shattering" for care home staff. She recalled that employees at Balmoral House worked 24-hour shifts and slept at the facility to maintain care during the crisis.

"It was a case of saying goodbye to your family and I'll be back when I get back," Walker said. Walker said the period became a matter of "survival" for those working in social care.

She recalled the emotional strain she and her deputy experienced while facing the possibility of further illness among residents and colleagues. "Myself and my deputy looked at each other with tears down our faces," Walker said. The uncertainty surrounding who might become ill made the situation particularly difficult for staff responsible for residents and communicating with their relatives.

"It was not knowing who was going to become unwell," Walker said.

She also described the burden of delivering distressing news to families as the virus affected people in the home. "Staff, residents, the news you had to spread to families. It was difficult, very difficult," Walker said. The inquiry found that government shortcomings, including shortages of personal protective equipment and major policy decisions, contributed to conditions in which the virus could "spread like wildfire" in care settings.

Walker said care home directors sought protective equipment from overseas, including China and India, as supplies became difficult to obtain.

"really just getting your hands on whatever you could," Walker said, describing the effort to secure masks and other protective supplies. With conventional supply channels under pressure, Walker said supermarkets also helped care homes obtain essential items.

"Supermarkets were brilliant," Walker said. She recalled that retailers contacted care providers when supplies became available and offered to deliver them.

"we've managed to get a supply of this, would you like it dropping off?" Walker said, recalling the messages from supermarkets. The inquiry's sixth report concluded that social care appeared to be "something of an afterthought" during the early stages of the pandemic. It also found that the government had not established the "protective ring" around care homes that ministers had claimed existed at the time.

Walker disputed the suggestion that social care had been adequately protected during the crisis.

"I wouldn't say there was a protected ring, not around social care, not at all," Walker said. She said care homes had occupied a disadvantaged position compared with other parts of the health system. "I think we were the underdog to the health sector," Walker said.

Reflecting on the sector's response to the pandemic, Walker said the scale of the challenge remained difficult to comprehend.

"Looking back at what we faced as a sector, how the sector got through it is beyond me," Walker said.