Coronavirus: Hundreds more care homes report outbreaks in just one week

Challenges facing social care and care homes were not mentioned once in Sage documents published this week

The social care sector has been hit hard by coronavirus with thousands of deaths reported (Rex)

Coronavirus continues to spread in care homes across England with more than 600 new homes reporting an outbreak in just seven days, new data has revealed.

The government is coming under increasing pressure over its support for vulnerable and elderly people in residential homes after more than a dozen documents from the government’s scientific advisory committee, Sage, failed to show any consideration of the challenges faced by care providers, or how to support them in the run-up to the UK entering lockdown.

The documents, which date back to the beginning of the crisis earlier this year, discuss at length the risks to the NHS and the lack of hospital beds as well as the need to introduce social distancing measures. But there is no detailed assessment of what should be done for care homes.

The Department of Health and Social Care told The Independent that Sage had discussed social care and that documents would be published in the future.

Early in March care providers warned of the risk of thousands of deaths due to a lack of planning to support care homes.

As pressure on the sector grows The Independent has learnt seven local councils in England have now used emergency powers brought in by the government last month to reduce the level of care and support they provide to vulnerable people during the epidemic.

A third of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales are now happening in care homes, according to statistics published this week, with many providers reporting a shortage of staff and protective equipment.

In the Commons on Wednesday prime minister Boris Johnson told MPs: “There is an epidemic going on in care homes, which is something I bitterly regret.”

Shadow care minister Liz Kendall told The Independent the lack of any mention of care homes and social care in the Sage documents was “extremely worrying”.

She said: “It suggests the government has failed to take seriously the terrible impact coronavirus has on elderly and disabled people in care homes, despite early evidence from other countries and repeated warnings from care providers and care workers in this country.

“It may also be a consequence of the long-term failure to recognise the importance and value of social care as a whole. Ministers must learn lessons from what has happened so far, recognise the vital role these services play, and ensure they are an absolute priority in the continuing fight against Covid-19 in the months ahead.”

To help the NHS free up 33,000 beds, care homes have repeatedly been asked to take patients infected with Covid-19, raising fears the virus was allowed to spread within homes for weeks with testing only started at the end of April.

New data published on Thursday by Public Health England shows a total of 5,117 homes have reported a coronavirus outbreak, 32 per cent of all homes in England, an increase of more than 600 on the 4,500 outbreaks reported last week.

The worst affected region is the northeast of England with 44 per cent of homes infected, a total of 329 locations. The northwest region has seen 40 per cent of its homes affected with London reporting 39 per cent of homes infected.

The southwest of England remains the least affected area but has still seen more than 24 per cent of homes infected.

Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust health think tank, said: “The UK’s early response to Covid-19 took place against a backdrop of health systems in other countries being overwhelmed. So it was understandable – if short-sighted – that the initial response was heavily NHS focused.

“But serious questions should be asked about the timing and effectiveness of the government’s social care response. It was almost a full month after it was announced schools would close that the social care action plan was finally published. The government was reportedly warned in January that the social care sector was at particular risk from the effects of this virus.

“This reality, coupled with structural, funding and staffing problems significantly pre-dating Covid-19, have created the tragedy we see today in care homes.”

In 2016, a planning exercise by the government exposed serious shortcomings in the UK’s preparedness for a global pandemic.

A copy of the Exercise Cygnus report, obtained by The Guardian, recommended increasing the capacity of care homes.

It concluded: “The UK’s preparedness and response, in terms of its plans, policies and capability, is currently not sufficient to cope with the extreme demands of a severe pandemic that will have a nationwide impact across all sectors”.

The seven councils which have used powers to relax their obligations to care for vulnerable people are Sunderland, Birmingham, and Coventry city councils, as well as Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Derby county councils and Solihull council.

A government spokesperson said: “We have set out a comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the coronavirus outbreak, including helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.

“Social care settings have been discussed at Sage meetings. We will publish further evidence considered by Sage in the coming weeks and months.”