Care homes 'were an afterthought' during coronavirus crisis, claims MP

More than two thirds of care homes in Sheffield have been hit by COVID-19 outbreaks and, according to the National Audit Office, at least a third of those nationally have seen cases.

The NAO said 25,000 hospital patients were discharged to care homes at the height of the pandemic, and not all were tested for Covid-19 so it was not known how many had it.

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Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Commons public accounts committee, said care homes had been left at the ‘back of the queue’ for both personal protective equipment and testing.

The Labour MP said: "Residents and staff were an afterthought yet again: out of sight and out of mind, with devastating consequences."

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The NAO's report into the readiness of the NHS and social care in England for the pandemic said NHS England and NHS Improvement advice before the guidance changed on April 15 was to urgently discharge from hospital ‘all patients medically fit to leave’ in order to free up bed space for coronavirus patients.

"Due to Government policy at the time, not all patients were tested for Covid-19 before discharge, with priority given to patients with respiratory illness or flu-like symptoms," the report states.

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The Department of Health and Social Care said it took the ‘right decisions at the right time’, and that 60 per cent of all care homes had avoided outbreaks entirely.