CARE HOMES ON THE BRINK

Closures will mean spike in bed-blocking, warn experts

SCOTLAND’S care homes are facing a financial crisis that threatens to cripple operators and pile pressure on the NHS, industry leaders warn.

Some care providers are at risk of collapse because of soaring costs from dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

The SNP is being urged to provide more support to prevent financial catastrophe, while care workers have directly challenged ministers over the ‘harrowing’ shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Robert Kilgour, executive chairman of Renaissance Care, which operates 15 care homes, said: ‘A lot of my colleagues are struggling, particularly smaller companies and smaller individual operators with one or two homes.

‘In England, there is definitely more support to care homes from local authorities. In the nine councils we operate in, we are not being offered any extra support.’

He added: ‘If more care homes close as a result of this crisis, there will be more bedblocking in NHS hospitals, which will lead to more cancelled operations.

‘There’s close to half a million care home beds in the UK and 170,000 NHS hospital beds. If the social care sector collapses or goes to its knees then it will have a huge impact on the NHS.’ In England, several councils have made grants of up to £25,000 per home, or have increased the amount that they pay for the provision of care.

The Scottish Government has been urged to clarify how it has spent £1billion of extra funding received from the UK Government as a result of investment in public services, including councils, in England.

Donald Macaskill, chief executive of trade body Scottish Care, had crisis talks with council umbrella group Cosla yesterday about the ‘financial distress’ facing some operators due to ‘huge’ increases in spending on PPE, agency staff and other virus-linked costs.

He said: ‘We are in active discussions with Cosla and colleagues in health and social care partnerships about how we can support care homes to remain financially sustainable.’

The Scottish Government is due to publish figures today detailing the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in care homes.

Industry insiders fear the death toll in such facilities is already as high as 200 or 300.

Relatives of residents at some Scottish care home have claimed they were told that homes would test a maximum of three patients, which means some deaths may never be recorded as being caused by coronavirus.

Of the 1,100 care homes in Scotland, 37 per cent have at least one patient with coronavirus symptoms. They are fully isolated in their rooms and staff enter wearing protective clothing, goggles and a visor.

Meanwhile, care workers who help disabled Scots through the direct payments scheme have written to SNP ministers condemning ‘harrowing and deeply concerning’ shortages of PPE. The Scottish Personal Assistant Employers Network said staff ‘have little or no access to PPE’.

Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said: ‘This is another arm of Scotland’s care industry which feels like it has been overlooked.’ Yesterday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted care homes are a ‘cause of concern’.

Last week, she urged people to leave loved ones in homes during the crisis. But when asked yesterday if she stood by that message, she failed to give a direct answer.

Instead, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘Care homes are particularly susceptible to outbreaks. In many countries we are starting to see a significant number of people who die from coronavirus will be in a care home.

‘That is partly because older people are more at risk from

‘Will have a huge impact on the NHS’

becoming seriously unwell and dying.’ She added that the Government was focused on working with the sector and its concerns were a ‘concern and priority’.

Noting that guidance has been issued to homes, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘We are working to make sure there is good infection control in place in care homes and that all of the right steps are taken to protect older people and protect the staff.’ A spokesman for Cosla said: ‘There has been a commitment by the Scottish Government to meet reasonable additional costs in the care home sector.’