‘Care home lost a third of residents to the coronavirus’
INQUIRY INTO CARE SECTOR
AN East Riding care home has “lost a third” of its residents to coronavirus, it has been revealed.
Snaith Hall, in Snaith, has confirmed “at least ten” people living at the care facility suffered coronavirus-related deaths - with a spike in normal death levels.
Fieldhouse Care, the company which runs the home, said providing an accurate figure for coronavirus deaths was difficult given they had taken patients from hospitals, many terminally ill, which pushed fatality rates even higher above normal levels.
A spokesperson said: “There has been a spike in deaths here above the levels we’d normally see at this time of year. We’ve had some pressures on us throughout the pandemic, including in taking in patients discharged from hospitals. But the home is now coronavirus-free.”
Now, East Riding opposition councillors have launched an inquiry into coronavirus in care homes following a spike in deaths at region facilities.
Liberal Democrat opposition leader Councillor David Nolan and the party’s health spokesperson, Councillor Dave Boynton, both said “serious questions” remained over the deaths and tests in the homes.
Cllr Nolan claimed Snaith Hall, near Goole, lost a third residents to coronavirus.
A total of 44 people were recorded as living there in 2017, according to the last Care Quality Commission inspection, although it is not known exactly how many residents have been living there throughout the pandemic.
Cllr Boynton called for blanket testing of staff across care homes going forward at East Riding Council’s first full meeting since lockdown began. Council figures showed there were 110 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in East Riding care homes up to June 5.
Council leader Richard Burton said the authority had supported all East Riding care homes and providers throughout the pandemic and of its paid tribute to those who had died.
Cllr Nolan said offering condolences was not enough and added the East Riding needed to be prepared for a second wave more deadly than the first.
He said: “The Government told us that they had put an iron ring around care homes, but it looks more like it was a paper chain. Elderly patients were being put back into care homes.
“One care home in Snaith reportedly lost a third of its residents to coronavirus. At least two homes in Withernsea lost residents. The picture has been improving and the council’s response has been generally positive.
“We’ve done better than the government, but as a council we could have done far better than we did. We should also be expecting a second wave. If you look at the Spanish Flu pandemic you find deaths during the first wave were much lower than the second.”
Cllr Boynton said serious questions had to be asked about how coronavirus was dealt with in care homes.
He said: “When the first case of coronavirus was reported in January, the NHS predicted that up to 57 per cent of deaths could be in residential homes. “Questions have to be asked at a national level about whether there was a protective ring around care homes.
“We also need to start blanket testing to protect staff. Staff were only tested if they showed coronavirus symptoms, but we know that some people caught the virus, didn’t show symptoms and then passed it on to others.
“Overall the council has done a great job, but please do not think this is over. The East Riding was not hit as hard as other areas and that might mean we’re more vulnerable to a second wave. Please let’s get those blanket tests in place.”
Cllr Burton said: “It’s remarkable to think about how much the council and its partners have achieved in the face of coronavirus.
“The council’s strategy is still based on suppressing coronavirus and protecting vulnerable residents. We have to be prepared for a possible second peak, it’s going to be a difficult balancing act.”