Covid inquiry: care homes were "an afterthought" as virus spread "like wildfire"

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s sixth report, published today, concludes the adult social care sector was “something of an afterthought” during the pandemic, with government failures creating care settings where the virus spread “like wildfire” (UK Covid-19 Inquiry; The Guardian). More than 43,000 recorded deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in care homes between March 2020 and July 2022.

Baroness Hallett ruled unfounded Matt Hancock’s claim of a “protective ring” around care homes from “the start”. About 25,000 hospital patients were moved into care homes across England in March and April 2020 to free NHS beds while testing capacity was insufficient; mandatory testing began on 15 April 2020. The failure to advise isolating discharged patients was a “significant omission”. Hancock gave evidence taking responsibility; the High Court later ruled the discharges unlawful, which the government said on 4 May 2022 it would not appeal.

The report blames an absence of proper pandemic planning — 2016 Exercise Cygnus lessons went unimplemented — and calls PPE shortages “wholly unacceptable”. It makes eight recommendations, including better planning, self-isolation financial support, visiting guidance and a voluntary workforce register.

At least 1.5 million worked in adult social care, yet nobody centrally recorded how many died of Covid-19 (The Care Workers’ Charity). England’s care workers, unlike Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s, got no £500 one-off payment; around 120,000 vacancies existed in England in March 2020. “Care workers didn’t fail. They were failed,” the charity said. The inquiry, costing more than £200m, has made 55 recommendations to date.