‘Around 25-30% of infected residents have died’
DR BIKRAM Choudhary knows better than most just how devastating the coronavirus pandemic has been for care home residents and staff.
While the first wave led to many lives being lost, the care home boss said nothing could have prepared him for the ferocity of the current surge, which has killed close to a third of his residents with the virus.
He admitted Covid-19 spread like “wildfire” through three of his five homes in south Wales this winter, claiming the lives of dozens of residents and infecting 70% of his staff within weeks.
After experiencing the unimaginable loss of life first hand, Dr Choudhary believes the second coronavirus wave has been even more deadly than the first – and latest Welsh Government figures prove him right.
Since the turn of the year Covid-related care home deaths have shot up, with as many as 40 being recorded in a single day across Wales on January 4.
In the most recent 20 days for which figures are available, a staggering 327 adult care homes in Wales notified Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) of one or more confirmed cases of Covid-19 among staff or residents.
And since March, 1,709 care home resident deaths have been recorded with suspected or confirmed coronavirus, making up almost a quarter (23%) of all reported deaths.
This all comes despite repeated lockdowns, restrictions on visiting and care home staff being given PPE and frequent asymptomatic testing.
Dr Choudhary, the director of the SilverCrest Group, thinks the new, more infectious strain of Covid may be to blame for the scale of the outbreaks this time round.
“It has been devastating and demoralising and very, very stressful for everyone involved. To lose residents is deeply upsetting as some have been with us for a very long time. It’s very, very sad,” he explained.
“Around 25-30% of residents who were infected have died where we have had outbreaks. We thought we had seen the worst after the first wave, but the second wave has been much more devastating and aggressive. There is no doubt this virus is more deadly and dangerous.”
While staff at the care homes now have better knowledge of Covid-19 and more PPE than in the first wave, Dr Choudhary said the virus has spread much more quickly than anticipated.
“We have been running on the bare minimum and it has been all hands on deck as this was the only way we were able to survive,” he said.
“Our employees have literally saved our homes from closing. We were very close to having to move residents and it was only our staff who offered to come and help us out that allowed us to go on and continue. From our admin staff, handymen, kitchen staff and carers – they all went above and beyond and did absolutely everything that was needed.”
Dr Choudhary said the loss of 18 residents at SilverCrest’s Cwrt Enfys care home, on the outskirts of Ystradgynlais, last year had a heartbreaking impact on the organisation and staff were still trying to cope and make sense of the tragedy.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse when Ty Nant care home in Tonypandy suffered its first outbreak in October. It was closely followed by Mill View in Pentre, Rhondda, in December and Morgana Court and Lodge in Bridgend last month. The Hollies in Pontypridd is the only home in the group to have escaped the virus altogether.
“We have two buildings at Morgana Court and despite all our best efforts it spread right through both,” he said. “We had a couple of cases one week, a few more the next, and by the following week it just exploded and we had 90% of residents and staff affected. It is incredibly quick.
“We were only able to manage because our other care homes could help out. We didn’t have any external support – we had to manage this ourselves.
“Across the five homes, we employ between 350 and 400 staff. As many as 60-70% have tested positive. We have seen first hand the distress this disease brings, it is very difficult.”
Another challenge facing care homes, and social care providers nationally, is that some families and relatives want to continue visiting their loved ones through the crisis.
“The vast majority of relatives are very understanding. However, some do not realise the gravity of the situation and our duty of care to everyone we care for. This is because of mixed messages from other care homes which are permitting visits,” said Dr Choudhary.
“We are allowing visits for palliative reasons but the risk of community transmission is so high. It is estimated 2% of the population have the virus and if you’re allowing in 30 visitors a day, you have to sanitise that room repeatedly and there is still high risk of one of those visitors will pass on the virus.
“We feel by allowing visitors we will be significantly increasing the risk of transmission and we have seen first hand how quickly it can take hold. We don’t want to be in that situation again.”
Three of SilverCrest’s affected care homes are now out of “red” status, while the fourth will shortly follow. The ongoing vaccination programme has given the care boss hope for the future, although he said the timing of the delivery is deeply regrettable.
“We’ve had good takeup for the vaccination programme but unfortunately for us it has come too late,” said Dr Choudhary.
“We had outbreaks in
October, December and January. The vaccination programme is being rolled out now and if it had been three months earlier – or even a month earlier – it could have made a big difference.”
Mario Kreft, chairman of Care Forum Wales, said care homes across Wales have fallen victim to this “more aggressive, superstrain” of the disease.
“The pressure on care workers and their managers is absolutely immense and many are concerned this crisis is not over,” he said.
“While it is fantastic news the vaccination programme is under way, for many care homes it has simply come too late and this is a dreadful fact for families to bear.
“This is not a time to relax and become complacent with social distancing. Community transmission remains rampant and we must take our responsibilities seriously to protect lives and prevent the vulnerable in every way possible until this nightmare really has ended.”
Latest Public Health Wales figures published last Tuesday show that 13,740 (77.7%) care home residents and 32,848 (82.1) care home workers have received their first dose of the vaccine.
As part of further safety measures, last week the Welsh Government announced that an enhanced testing programme is being rolled out in care homes which involves the twice-weekly testing of asymptomatic care home staff using rapid lateral flow test devices, which give results in 30 minutes.
This will allow positive individuals to be identified and isolated much more quickly than through the current testing process.
This testing is in addition to the current PCR tests, which are sent to a laboratory. A £3m funding package has also been agreed to support additional testing in care homes.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “The protection of the most vulnerable people in our communities has been a priority during the Covid-19 virus outbreak.
“Care home staff, local authorities and health protection teams continue to work tirelessly to prevent the introduction and onward transmission of Covid-19 in our care homes.
“While we are making good progress with the rollout of our vaccination programme, testing remains pivotal in our response to the pandemic to help identify infectious individuals within care homes sooner and manage outbreaks more effectively.”
Local health protection teams will also be able to consider the introduction of daily testing for a period of 10 days in care homes where there is an outbreak.
BORIS Johnson made an embarrassing gaffe when he claimed a large car battery factory that would have created thousands of jobs in Wales was still on course to open.
In fact the company concerned – Britishvolt – decided late last year to go to the north-east of England instead of south Wales.
Challenged by Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts over poor research and development statistics in Wales in comparison with the other UK countries, Mr Johnson accused her of talking Wales down.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM said: “Bridgend is going to be one of the great centres of battery manufacturing in this country, if not the world.”
A video clip of the blunder was tweeted by Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart.
Ms Saville Roberts, said: “Presented with evidence of chronic and ongoing underfunding of Welsh R&D projects, the Prime Minister chose to defend his record by citing false information to Parliament.
“Whether intentional or negligent, the Prime Minister’s answer misled the people of Wales, while the Secretary of State for Wales threw his support behind him.
“Mr Johnson’s everexpanding catalogue of gaffes, insults and untruths means that we have come to expect no better.
“We are inured to his abuse of facts. But for Mr
Hart to broadcast false information about investment in his own country – the interests of which he has a duty to defend – is reprehensible. I expect a retraction and apology.”
Unite the union said the PM’s comments flew in the face of the announcement in December by Britishvolt that they were not going to locate their new factory at St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Peter Hughes, Unite Wales Regional Secretary said: “The Prime Minister’s comments today regarding Bridgend are news to everyone in Wales.
“We have been told that Britishvolt are not going ahead with their plans for St Athan, yet the Prime Minister is now stating that Bridgend will be a world centre for battery manufacturing.
“Our question to Boris Johnson is what is this statement based upon.
“Either the Prime Minister has desperately needed good news for the Welsh nation or he has made a gigantic blunder and simply got his facts wrong.
“Which one is it?” A spokesman for the Welsh Government confirmed Britishvolt’s announcement in December and said it was for the PM to explain his comment.
A spokeswoman for the UK Government in Wales was unaware of any other battery project earmarked for Wales.