A UK Covid-19 public inquiry has found that care home residents were treated as “something of an afterthought” during the pandemic, with government failures allowing the virus to spread rapidly and leading to thousands of deaths.
The report, chaired by retired Court of Appeal judge Baroness Heather Hallett, criticised the UK government and devolved administrations for failing to provide adequate protection to care homes despite knowing that elderly residents were particularly vulnerable to respiratory infections.
According to the inquiry, more than 43,000 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in care homes across the United Kingdom between March 2020 and July 2022. The report concluded that the government’s emphasis on “protecting the NHS” came at the expense of care home residents and the staff responsible for looking after them.
The inquiry also challenged former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s claim that the government had tried to establish a “protective ring” around care homes from the beginning of the pandemic. The report said the statement did not accurately reflect the lack of action taken during the early stages of the outbreak.
Evidence presented to the inquiry showed that testing for people discharged from hospitals into care homes only began in mid-April 2020. Meanwhile, an Infection Control Fund was introduced in mid-May, and NHS-led infection prevention and control training also took place that month. By the time Hancock made his public statement on May 15, 2020, thousands of people had already died in care homes in England.
Hancock told the inquiry that his “protective ring” statement was a form of rhetoric rather than a literal description of the measures implemented. However, Baroness Hallett concluded that the actions taken fell far short of the protection care homes required.Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK condemned the findings, describing Hancock’s claim as a “cruel lie.” Speaking on behalf of the group, Jean Adamson said the report exposed one of the darkest periods in the country’s history, arguing that the government knew the care sector was vulnerable but failed to act in time.
The findings have renewed calls for accountability over the handling of the pandemic, particularly concerning the protection of elderly and vulnerable people. The inquiry’s conclusions highlight the need for stronger emergency planning, timely testing and adequate infection-control measures to prevent similar failures in future public health crises.
