COMMENT
BEFORE Covid-19 there was a lack of funding and reform of social care. Since the pandemic the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Pensioners were sent to care homes from hospitals with no tests for coronavirus and there was no testing in care homes.
There’s also been no direct and precise policy to ensure families can visit relatives, especially those suffering from dementia.
There was and is no reason why they could not have been treated as key workers to continue to visit and sometimes care for relatives. Heartbreakingly there has also been a lack of robust and clear direction from care providers when a resident is close to death, with families not allowed to say goodbyes.
Many more homes will be forced to evict residents and close their doors unless there is radical reform of social care. This is so upsetting for all involved; residents lose their homes, staff lose their jobs and fewer homes mean less local choice for would-be residents and their families.
To be fair, there is a lot the Government is not responsible for.
Care homes are private businesses and while the majority are run by reliable and conscientious providers there are others who think more about the profits.
And without firm guidance and policies there will always be a minority that make the wrong decisions.