Coronavirus: Reliance on agency staff ‘could spread virus in care homes’

Care homes have come under increasing pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic with increased levels of sickness absence and extra precautions required to protect vulnerable residents.

On Thursday, the Older People’s Commissioner Eddie Lynch said some homes have struggled to convince agency staff to work where there has been a coronavirus outbreak.

Unison regional secretary Patricia McKeown has now warned against relying on agency staff to fill gaps in the workforce.

“We have been raising concerns for some weeks with the Department and the care home providers directly about the need to ensure that they have a stable workforce in the homes and do not rely on high levels of agency staffing, potentially increasing the risk of Covid-19 being spread further,” she said.

It was also announced earlier this week that a number of trade unions — including Unison, the Royal College of Nursing and Unite — had reached an agreement with the Department of Health to help ease the pressure by allowing public sector health staff to be redeployed in private care homes.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the unions confirmed that an agreement had been reached “on the protection of terms and conditions for health service staff volunteering to support their colleagues in the independent sector at this time of great need”.

Following the negotiations, the Department of Health published a 44-page document setting out ‘guidance’ for care homes during the pandemic.

Ms McKeown said: “The new guidance for nursing and residential care homes published by the department this week requires homes to limit the turnover of staff and limit the number of staff moving between homes.

“It also provides for the voluntary deployment of public sector staff on NHS terms and conditions as a mechanism to assist the stabilisation of the workforce. Both the care home providers and the Department themselves need to step up to the mark and offer workers the assurances they need to avoid a high turnover of staff.”

The Department also announced an increased testing regime for care homes on Monday, whereby all residents and staff in homes where there has been a confirmed outbreak will be tested for the virus.

But Unison has now echoed calls by the Mr Lynch for testing to be carried out in all care homes, regardless of whether an outbreak has been confirmed.

Ms McKeown added: “Negotiations led by Unison have secured an expansion in testing for residents and staff alike in care homes.

“We have been given undertakings by the Department of Health that all staff and residents in a home where an outbreak of Covid-19 occurs will be tested, not just those displaying symptoms.

“But from the outset we have pressed for full testing of residents and all staff in all homes and for those working in home care.

“We continue to push for much more widespread community testing and contact tracing to isolate cases and combat this virus.”