The plan by the Department of Health and Social Care to dump Covid-19 patients into care homes has not been given adequate publicity, so the Guardian’s attention to this scheme is very welcome (Plan to discharge Covid patients to care homes in England is ‘madness’, 14 January; ‘Hot homes’ scheme to ease strain on NHS falls well short of target, 11 January).
My frail and elderly father is in a care home in Bradford which has been deemed “suitable” for providing a dedicated Covid-19 ward. There have already been two outbreaks of the virus in this home; in fact a Care Quality Commission inspection of the premises in order to judge its suitability for the scheme took place during the last outbreak. In this particular home – and I am sure this is also true of others – staffing is not adequate to confine confused patients to their rooms and they wander into all other areas.
It is also the case that the staff for the proposed new Covid-19 ward will not be separate from other staff and although they might use a different entrance into the premises they all have to use the same lift and staircases. News about the Covid-19 ward was shared with residents’ relatives only after the contract was signed with the local authority – and residents were told last of all. What happened to Matt Hancock’s assertion that he had “thrown a protective ring” around care homes?
Sylvia Andresco
Baildon, West Yorkshire
