CARE HOME CATASTROPHE

DEATHS in care homes increased by a fifth over the past year as coronavirus brutally exposed decades of underfunding in social care.

Almost one in four people who died from Covid-19 in the UK lived in a care home. Thousands more succumbed to isolation and loneliness caused by cruel visiting restrictions aimed at stopping the virus from spreading.

Vulnerable residents have borne the brunt of the pandemic and remained an afterthought during the ‘worst ever year’ for social care, charities have said.

Last night Age UK said the disaster in the sector provides an ‘object lesson in what happens when you consistently neglect a crucial service that millions rely on every day’.

This time last year health chiefs made the ‘egregious error’ of discharging thousands of patients from hospitals into care homes in a scramble to make space for intensive care beds.

Many were not tested for the virus. This had tragic consequences, seeding the virus among residents. There were more than 400 Covid-19 care home deaths a day at the peak.

Over the summer, as some social restrictions were lifted, care homes remained closed to visitors.

This led to shocking deteriorations in the mental and physical health of care home residents, who rely on family visits to maintain their basic skills.

The Mail succesfully campaigned for care homes to reopen to visitors, but action came too late for thousands who died without being able to hug their loved ones goodbye.

Caroline Abrahams of Age UK has called on the Government to ‘atone’ for its mistakes and bring forward plans to reform and refinance social care.