Covid: Calls for action after five-fold rise in care home outbreaks

According to the latest Department of Health Figures there are 27 confirmed outbreaks in NI care homes with a further 11 suspected. Over half of all Covid-related deaths in NI (53% or 380 people) had been care home residents, by the end of May, with 318 (53%) occurring in care homes and the remaining 62 in hospital. By the end of July and start of August care home outbreaks had been down to only five.

The Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, Eddie Lynch, finds the latest spike of outbreaks in the facilities to be very concerning.

“It is concerning to see the number of Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes increasing again as we sadly know just how vulnerable older people are to this deadly virus,” he said. “As community transmission increases so will the threat to older people in care homes, and this increase in outbreaks must serve as a reminder how older people are completely reliant on staff and visitors to homes being ultra-vigilant with all the public health messages. The winter is approaching fast and all steps, including testing, PPE compliance and ensuring safe visits must continue to be taken to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”

Linda Robinson, Age NI CEO, urged the Department of Health to provide assurances that it was doing all it can.

”Age NI is very concerned at the increasing levels of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland and the impact this is likely to have on the lives of older people here,” she told the News Letter. “We all have a role to play in helping to reduce the spread of this virus by following public health guidance. We urge the Department to provide reassurance to people who live and work in care homes and families that every step is being taken to protect people who are vulnerable to COVID-19  while also ensuring they are supported to enjoy a good quality of life”.   

Earlier this week Age NI published a report in which older people said they are upset and angry about the assumptions made about them during the pandemic. The report concluded that older people had suffered greatly in terms of loss of access to health care, volunteering and civic roles. They have felt cut off without internet access and public transport and also suffered greatly from loneliness. The widely discussed issue of ‘Do Not Resucitate’ notices also caused older people distress.

A Consultant in Public Health at the Public Health Agency, Dr Muhammad Sartaj, said a new testing model adopted in August is now helping health authorities identify cases in care homes earlier, and allowing them to put in place control measures to help prevent the onward spread of the virus. “As a result of this, newly-reported care home outbreaks are smaller in magnitude and scale compared with the initial wave of COVID-19 outbreaks, where a very significant number of staff and residents were affected.” Official figures show 90% of NI Covid-related deaths were of people over 65.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “It is vital that the health and social care system does everything it can to protect and support residents and staff. The recent completion of a Rapid Learning Initiative into care home experiences earlier in the pandemic will help inform our ongoing approach as we face autumn and winter.”

She also said support for the care home sector included 39 million items of PPE worth £13m, more than 25,000 hours of staff time and financial support for cleaning and sick pay.

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