Care home residents worst hit by cuts to non-Covid treatment
CARE home residents were hit hardest when the NHS cut back on non-Covid care during the pandemic, a review has revealed.
Emergency admissions plunged by a third and planned care by two thirds among those in the homes – more than among the general population.
Thousands were denied life-saving treatment for such things as heart attacks, strokes and cancer.
Others have been left in pain or with severe disabilities after missing out on cataract surgery and hip replacements.
Campaigners say care homes were ‘abandoned by the NHS’ and their residents ‘treated like second-class citizens’.
Last night, they branded the findings a ‘national disgrace’ and called for an inquiry into the ‘ neglect’ of care homes by the Government and the Health Service.
The Health Foundation charity analysed hospital admissions in England from March to May last year – the peak of the first wave – and compared them with the same months in 2019.
Emergency admissions for non-Covid reasons fell by 28 per cent over this period. But there was an even greater fall of 36 per cent among care home residents, including nursing homes and residential care.
Planned admissions fell by 56 per cent as the NHS cancelled most non-urgent operations to free staff and beds for virus patients. However, those in care homes were again disproportionately affected,
‘Abandoned by the NHS’
with a 63 per cent fall in admissions among residents, the study found.
The charity said: ‘Those in care homes, who often have complex health needs and require high levels of hospital care, were particularly hard hit.
‘It appears to substantiate concerns that care home residents may have faced barriers to accessing hospital treatment as the NHS rapidly reorganised to free up hospital capacity for Covid patients.’
Sarah Deeny, of the Health Foundation, said: ‘ That fewer care home residents received hospital treatment – including for life-threatening conditions such as strokes and heart attacks – may have contributed to the high number of excess deaths in homes that weren’t attributed to Covid.
‘And with such a large decrease in levels of routine care, some people will have seen their conditions deteriorate.
‘In the case of conditions such as cataracts and cancers, ongoing delays in treatment are likely to have had a significant and irreparable impact on people’s quality of life.’
Admissions for cataract procedures fell by 81 per cent, those for cancer were down 49 per cent and those for strokes were 16 per cent lower. Emergency admissions for acute coronary syndromes, such as heart attacks, fell by 37 per cent.
Miss Deeny said hospitals were ‘still struggling’ to provide care for non-Covid patients, despite a fall in infections, adding: ‘ That the majority of care home residents have now been vaccinated is a very positive development.
‘But there is now an urgent need for a strategy to address the substantial backlog of care among residents. It is vital we ensure that those in care homes are receiving appropriate hospital treatment and not suffering avoidable harm.’
The researchers admitted that some hospital admissions may have been avoided by increased provision of care in the community, and some residents may have been reluctant to go to hospital for fear of contracting the virus.
But Professor Martin Green, of the trade body Care England, claimed care homes were ‘abandoned by the NHS’ in the first wave, adding: ‘The NHS completely withdrew from care homes.
‘Residents did not get support for ongoing issues, such as diabetes and arthritis, and their planned operations were cancelled.
‘It means people with cataracts have seen their sight deteriorate and those needing hip replacements have been left with reduced mobility and in pain.
‘When homes phoned for an ambulance they were told they were too busy to attend.’
Jayne Connery, of the support group Care Campaign for the Vulnerable, said care home residents were ‘victims of discrimination’ and seen as ‘surplus to requirements’, adding: ‘The way care home residents have been treated during the pandemic is a national disgrace. Time and again they have been treated as second-class citizens – deprived of health care and family visits and left exposed to staff without adequate PPE.
‘The result has been thousands of excess deaths and many more left in pain and with disabilities that could have been avoided.
‘Many of the victims of this pandemic have not been killed by the virus itself. Families are coming to us bereft, saying elderly loved-ones passed away due to the decline in health conditions and a delay in receiving medical attention.
‘We need an urgent inquiry into these failings so lessons can be learned and vulnerable people in society are never neglected and left to suffer like this again.’
NHS England said: ‘The NHS had beds available in the first wave and anyone who needed urgent or emergency care was able to get the support they needed in an NHS setting. Throughout the pandemic the NHS has encouraged anyone with concerns about their health to come forward, and that remains the case.’
The Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘The safety of care home residents has been one of the Government’s top priorities throughout the pandemic.
‘The NHS works closely with care homes to prevent avoidable admissions and support safe and timely discharge from hospitals.
‘To support the sector during the pandemic we invested over £1.4billion in adult social care, on top of £4.6billion for local authorities to address pressures on public services, provided free PPE and increased staff testing.’