Transferring Covid patients to care homes led to 'thousands' of avoidable deaths, say MPs

MPs have hailed the Covid vaccine programme as one of the 'most effective initiatives in UK history', but have highlighted the failure of the government and the NHS to recognise the 'significant risks to the social care sector at the beginning of the pandemic'.

A report by the Committees of Science and Technology and Health and Social Care ‘Coronavirus: lessons learned to date’ examined the UK’s initial response to the Covid pandemic.

MPs found SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) ‘either did not have sufficient representation from social care or did not give enough weight to the impact on the social care sector’. This meant Ministers lacked important advice when making crucial decisions and this coupled with staff shortages, a lack of sufficient testing and PPE ‘had devastating and preventable repercussions’.

Over 40,000 care home residents died in England and Wales of Covid from March 2020 to April 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Jeremy Hunt, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, and Greg Clark, chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said: “The UK response has combined some big achievements with some big mistakes. It is vital to learn from both to ensure that we perform as best as we possibly can during the remainder of the pandemic and in the future.”

The report also points out that the lack of priority attached to social care was ‘illustrative of a longstanding failure’ to give social care the same attention as the NHS.

‘The rapid discharge of people from hospitals into care homes without adequate testing or rigorous isolation was indicative of the disparity. It is understandable that the government should move quickly to avoid hospitals being overwhelmed but it was a mistake to allow patients to be transferred to care homes without the rigour shown in places like Germany and Hong Kong,’ said the report.

‘This, combined with untested staff bringing infection into homes from the community, led to many thousands of deaths which could have been avoided,’ it added.

'Damning report into monumental errors'

Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health and social care secretary, called it a “damning report into monumental errors made by ministers in responding to the pandemic”.

He added: “Ministers were warned but responded with complacency. Care homes were left unprotected as the virus raged. We need a public inquiry now so mistakes of such tragic magnitude are never repeated again.”

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK said: "This report does not duck the truth about what happened to social care during the pandemic, making it a tough but very necessary read.

“It correctly observes that social care was something of an afterthought during the early terrifying months of COVID-19, when the focus on 'protecting the NHS' inadvertently resulted in older people and staff in care homes being badly let down.

“Tens of thousands died as a result, leaving their families wondering whether their loved ones could have been saved if we had been better prepared as a nation, and more savvy in government about the role and capability of this vital public service on which so many older people depend."

Social care needs better representation and understanding

Ms Abrahams agreed with the Committee that social care needs to be better represented and understood in government.

She also called for the government “to follow through with the funding and policies it has promised to stabilise social care and rebuild it, after its pounding from the pandemic”.

Some other findings in the report were that the UK’s pandemic planning was too narrowly and inflexibly based on a flu model which failed to learn the lessons from SARS, MERS and Ebola.

In addition, the UK made a ‘serious, early error’ in adopting the ‘fatalistic approach’ of herd immunity by infection and ‘not considering a more emphatic and rigorous approach to stopping the spread of the virus as adopted by many East and South East Asian countries’.

There were no strategies put in place as such rigorous case isolation, a meaningful test and trace operation, and robust border controls, so ‘a full lockdown was inevitable and should have come sooner’.

MPs did praise the UK’s vaccination programme which led to over 80 per of adults being fully vaccinated by September 2021, saying this has ‘allowed a resumption of much of normal life with incalculable benefits to people’s lives, livelihoods and to society’.

But they also highlighted the ‘disproportionately high mortality rates that people with learning disabilities and autistic people have suffered throughout the pandemic’ showing ‘the health inequalities faced by this group’.

'Do not attempt CPR' notices 'issued inappropriately' for some with learning disabilities

‘Do not attempt CPR notices were issued inappropriately for some people with learning disabilities, which was completely unacceptable. Plans for future emergencies should recognise that blanket access restrictions to hospital may not be appropriate for patients who rely on an advocate to express their requirements,’ said the report.

The Report was agreed unanimously by members of both Select Committees, which consist of 22 MPs from three political parties—Conservative, Labour and SNP.

Jeremy Hunt, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, and Greg Clark, chair of the Science and Technology Committee, added: “Our vaccine programme was boldly planned and effectively executed. Our test and trace programme took too long to become effective. The government took seriously scientific advice but there should have been more challenge from all to the early UK consensus that delayed a more comprehensive lockdown when countries like South Korea showed a different approach was possible.

“In responding to an emergency, when much is unknown, it is impossible to get everything right. We record our gratitude to all those—NHS and care workers, scientists, officials in national and local government, workers in our public services and in private businesses and millions of volunteers—who responded to the challenge with dedication, compassion and hard work to help the whole nation at one of our darkest times.”

To view the report click here