Boris Johnson Blames Care Home Owners For Failing To Follow Coronavirus Guidelines
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Boris Johnson is facing a backlash from the care home sector after suggesting “too many” failed to follow procedures during the coronavirus pandemic.
The prime minister said lessons are being learned after appearing to cast some blame on care homes as they responded to the Covid-19 outbreak.
But operators responded by saying they were given “slow and conflicting advice” and more than 100 pieces of additional guidance in the same number of days.
Almost 20,000 care home residents in England and Wales have died with coronavirus, the majority dying in their care home, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.
Covid-19 accounted for 29% of the deaths of care home residents between March 2 and June 12 and a fifth of all deaths of care home residents this year.
There has been a slowdown in the number of overall deaths and those involving Covid-19 in care home residents since mid-April, the ONS said.
Asked what he made of NHS boss Sir Simon Stevens’ wish to see plans to adequately fund the adult social care sector within a year, he said: “One of the things the crisis has shown is we need to think about how we organise our social care package better and how we make sure we look after people better who are in social care.
“We discovered too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have but we’re learning lessons the whole time.
“Most important is to fund them properly… but we will also be looking at ways to make sure the care sector long term is properly organised and supported.”
But care providers said the basis for the PM’s comments was unclear, while the National Care Forum (NCF) urged him to start “turning the dial up on reform and down on blame”.
Vic Rayner, executive director of the NCF, which represents 120 of the UK’s social care charities, welcomed the PM’s recognition of the need for...
