Concerns grow over more bad practice in care homes

THE number of care workers reporting bad practice inside homes has doubled during the coronavirus lockdown, two whistleblower hotlines have reported.

Concerns raised included families not being informed about Covid-19 deaths in their relative’s home, staff being told to come into work when they were showing symptoms and vulnerable residents being left for hours unattended, Whistleblower.co.uk and WhistleblowersUK reported.

Some care workers had been threatened with dismissal after raising an issue with their employer, and one was offered money to withdraw their complaint, WhistleblowersUK said.

Georgina Halford-Hall, the group’s chief executive, said many were struggling to voice their concerns to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the social care regulator, which has stopped all routine inspections.

“One person who was worried about a manager alleged to be alcohol dependent was unable to reach the CQC so we told them to speak to the police and their local MP instead,” added Ms Halford-Hall, who also said she had been sent photos of residents in sodden or soiled sheets.

One whistleblower, who works across a number of care homes for a large operator, said some residents were being left alone for hours when they should be receiving full-time support, and others had died needlessly from infection because there were not enough carers to wash them.

“If people knew the truth there’d be uproar,” they said. “There can be deaths in a home and yet families aren’t told.”

Kate Terroni, of the CQC, said it was continuing to inspect. She said: “We will use our powers … to take action against those responsible where we find unsafe or poor care.”

A Government spokesman said it was unacceptable for care home providers not to follow safeguarding rules.

They added: “We’ve issued guidance on safeguarding practices during the outbreak, and provided unprecedented financial support to ease pressure in care homes. Any general concerns about poor care in care homes must be reported to the CQC.”