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Care homes' soaring death rate blamed on 'reckless' order to take back Covid-19 patients
The number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes was estimated by Care England to have reached 7,500 a week ago
A Government diktat that NHS hospitals should move hundreds of elderly patients to care homes has been branded “reckless” and blamed for the homes’ soaring coronavirus death rates.
In two damning policy documents published on 19 March and 2 April, officials told NHS hospitals to transfer any patients who no longer required hospital level treatment, and set out a blueprint for care homes to accept patients with Covid-19 or who had not even been tested.
Analysis by the Telegraph suggests that the rate of coronavirus deaths accelerated more than twice as fast in care homes than in hospitals in the week beginning 7 April - two and a half weeks after the first policy document was published.
The number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes was estimated by Care England to have reached 7,500 a week ago, the Government is under pressure to start publishing a daily tally of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes.
Under the government guidance, patients who tested positive for coronavirus were allowed to be sent from hospitals to care homes. The second document states that “Negative tests are not required prior to transfers / admissions into the care home.”
It added that coronavirus patients could be “safely cared for” as long as care home staff adhered to certain procedures, but that patients who had not been tested and showed no symptoms could be cared for “as normal”.
A Whitehall official told the Telegraph that the policy to offload hospital patients was designed as a “stiff broom” to free up capacity in hospitals.
But care providers on Friday accused the Government of “reckless” behaviour which had “significantly” increased the number of coronavirus deaths in care homes.
Dr Jamie Wilson, founder of Hometouch, which provides care to people in their own homes, said: “I’m astonished at the lack of foresight of these policies. To mandate that care homes should take back Covid-positive patients with such a high risk of cross infection and high mortality rate in vulnerable residents seems unfathomable.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Social care is on the frontline of our fight against coronavirus and the safety of staff and residents is our top priority."
The spokesperson added that they had updated the rules so that all care home residents discharged from hospital will be tested.