Covid review calls for greater care home protections

Chair describes gov't care home approach as 'inadequate'

A review into government's handling of the Covid pandemic calls for more to be done to ensure care homes have greater protection in the event of a similar outbreak in the future.

Kate Brunner KC's report into coronavirus on the Island looked at a number of issues, including the impact of Covid at the now former Abbotswood residential home in Ballasalla.

The review includes a recommendation for an equal focus on social and community-based services in the future, including an explicit recognition of the difficulties faced by private care homes, such as the lack of access to bank staff.

She's also urging government to carry out analysis of the cause of care home outbreaks, and whether different support could have prevented or mitigated them.

There's also a call for bespoke protocols to be created for the care sectors, including with regards to PPE.

The issue was raised early in the first Island lockdown by the manager at Abbotswood, after residents at the facility contracted Covid-19.

She spoke to Manx Radio in April 2020, urging government to provide higher quality facemasks in a bid to slow the spread of the illness.

In her evidence to the review, Zandra Preston said 'we couldn't have FFF3 masks because we weren't in an ITU situation'. She explained the care home did do suctioning procedures on residents with poor swallow reflexes, but told the review "it just fell on deaf ears".

Ms Brunner stated there were inadequate policies in relation to care homes, and that a lack of attention was paid to the facilities during planning.

However, she concluded 'it is not possible to determine who out of Abbotswood and DHSC staff was not wearing PPE, and whether it contributed to the outbreak'.

More than 40 residents contracted Covid-19 as a result of the Abbotswood outbreak, 20 of whom died.