April 28

 Care home exodus ‘illegal’

The government’s transfer of hospital patients to care homes without testing for  asymptomatic coronavirus was illegal, the High Court has ruled.

This results from legal action taken by two relatives of residents who were among the many thousands of elderly and vulnerable residents who died.

The High Court ruling blamed the then health minister Matt Hancock for failing to take into account the risk.

Mr Justin Coppel QC representing Dr Cathy Gardner and Fay Harris described it as the one of the most devastating in the modern era.

In ‘ Pandemic! My Care Home Diary’ describing  life at Sunrise Cardiff I told how coronavirus had exposed the shambolic state of social care, and the plight of the elderly and most vulnerable. 

The figures are shocking. - in the first wave almost 2000 care homes - one seventh of all homes in England - had severe outbreaks. In the three waves over almost two years 274,043 care home residents died, 45,632 involving covid.

I reported the plight of care homes had been made worse by the lack of PPE, personal protective equipment.

I added, ‘As demand for action grows, the elderly and vulnerable in our care homes are being forgotten, it is claimed, are being airbrushed out’.

What a terrible indictment of failure.

It will probably be years before the full story is told in the public inquiry but how we elderly were s disastrously let down must never be forgotten and never allowed to happen again.

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