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Original poster

Shocked about death in care homes **MNHQ content warning**

340 replies

happyandsingle · 28/04/2020 22:10

Just this.Cannot believe how care home residents and staff have been thrown to the wolves.
Everything focused on the NHS it's like the elderly didnt matter.
Feel ashamed how we treat our elderly and even if the government act now in my opinion it's to late as to many lives have been lost.
To think the goverment need to be held accountable for this.

OP posts:
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5
RogueV · 28/04/2020 22:34

And how do they do that when all supplies are being sent to the hospitals?

Are they?

I’ve seen plenty of normal folks out in PPE in the supermarkets.... if joe public can acquire some then I’m sure care homes can.

Original poster
happyandsingle · 28/04/2020 22:34

I've never liked care homes.My nan was in one as she needed 24hr care and apart from a few staff the care was pretty bad.They need to pay more, and value the role our elderly deserve better and if that means paying more tax then that's what we should do.

OP posts:
user1485461206 · 28/04/2020 22:35

The care home my grandmother lives in has had testing, my grandmother has tested positive for COVID, most of the staff haven’t been tested as they have no symptoms but they have all the PPE they need.
I cannot praise them enough for the care they give, not just during this time but on a daily basis, they really go above and beyond and deserve a lot higher wage then they get.
I hope they are more recognised and appreciated after this for their hard work

Hercwasonaroll · 28/04/2020 22:36

How about we get a reality check and realise that care homes are mostly filled by people ages over 80. Coronavirus deaths occur mostly in people over 80. It's not really a surprise that residents of care homes are dying.

WhyNotMe40 · 28/04/2020 22:36

I have an older relative who is lovingly and brilliantly cared for in a care home. She chose it herself, her sister had been in it and also loved it, her friends are there, and the staff is wonderful. The building itself is a bit shabby, but the care (and food) is great. I've eaten there myself as a guest in the restaurant.
Not all care homes are bad.
Since they locked down (very early) the staff have helped my relative to Skype all her normal visitors, including her new great grandchildren.
I have no idea how much the staff are paid, but whatever it is, it's not enough as they are amazing.

RogueV · 28/04/2020 22:37

What @Hercwasonaroll said

Hercwasonaroll · 28/04/2020 22:37

I’ve seen plenty of normal folks out in PPE in the supermarkets....

Actual medical grade PPE? Or gloves and what looks like a medical but is probably not mask?

Nat6999 · 28/04/2020 22:38

There has been a new report about a care home near me, the manager has all the PPE locked in her office & will only allow each member of staff one set per shift, they have lost 15 residents to Covid 19.

itswinetime · 28/04/2020 22:38

And what about care workers that died through the virus? Will they get this payout that nhs staff are getting?

The scheme hasn't been released with full details yet but from what was said yesterday it's is all health and social care workers not just Nhs

Frequency · 28/04/2020 22:39

Yes most care homes are privately owned but take Local Authority funded clients. So the local Authority has a duty to ensure those care homes operate to acceptable standards and pay them.according to

This.

Where I work is privately owned but the vast majority of residents are funded by the council who are another agency we are constantly fighting with. The council pay on a wants vs needs basis and only pay for needs. Bathing is a want when fully body washes and showers are available. The council don't fund them. We get half an hour to shower them instead, sometimes not more often once a week. Social interaction is a want not a need for the most part so the council don't fund socials. Social services provide funding for social calls in some instances but the bar is high and we had to fight for it. If you have a management in place who don't care enough to fight its not good. My immediate manager will fight for us and the residents but thd owners... Not so much. We haven't seen hide nor hair of them a since this began and our manager had to battle with them to get us PPE. We had one case of Covid a few weeks ago but it was contained through the efforts of staff and middle management not the council or the owners.

Katinski · 28/04/2020 22:39

I used to work for the CQC and regularly went on Inspections of care homes. Obviously, this was before Covid-19 but I would have expected the homes to demonstrate good care practices including using proper barrier clothing - what's gone wrong?Shock Those poor residents...

ParkheadParadise · 28/04/2020 22:39

A couple of years ago the Bupa home my mum was in constantly ran out of pads and staff would regularly go to the supermarket for wipes. We would complain constantly about my mum's fingernails were absolutely filthy, staff hardly ever washed her hands when they took her to the toilet unless the family were present.
They charged a fortune to stay there.

Original poster
happyandsingle · 28/04/2020 22:41

I hope changes are made after this in the care industry but I fear not.

OP posts:
RogueV · 28/04/2020 22:42

Actual medical grade PPE? Or gloves and what looks like a medical but is probably not mask?

I saw 2 people in FFP3 masks in Sainsbury’s today.

Heck, Screwfix were giving out respirators for free 2 weeks ago!

One look on Facebook and people are literally shitting out visors.

AlecTrevelyan006 · 28/04/2020 22:43

not just the UK - around half of all known coronavirus infections in Canada are in care homes

Original poster
happyandsingle · 28/04/2020 22:43

In my nans care home most residents were just put in front of the tv all day.
We paid for my nans care and if there was any other option we would of kept her at home. I think their are more bad care homes out there than good ones.

OP posts:
kazza446 · 28/04/2020 22:44

I for one, don’t particularly believe in private companies, I think it’s wrong to profit from peoples vulnerabilities however, I think it’s really unjust to say private companies don’t necessarily care and can be blamed for care home deaths. I work in the sector and know from discussions staff, managers and directors have worked dammed hard to keep this evil virus out of their homes. The problem lies with bad planning. Hospitals were pressuring care homes to take patients back with positive results, even when people lacked capacity and were known to wander. People were being discharged without any diagnosis only to returnTo care homes to find out a few days later they had the virus. No testing has been available for staff. many staff have shown no symptoms only to find out by chance they have the virus. Managers have fought tooth and nail for ppe, only to find out any orders have been cancelled due to ppe being diverted to NHS services. Guidance for PPE has changed daily and has been unclear. People living in care homes have been fed to the wolves. I feel so angry right now 😡😡

VeryQuaintIrene · 28/04/2020 22:44

the care in carehomes is always awful

That simply is not true, and I say this a day after my mother has died, probably of the virus, in her care home. The home is in London and the director brought in stringent measures and lockdown a couple of weeks before it was mandatory, but it was pretty much inevitable with carers coming and going that it would get into the home. They did everything they could but this is such an infectious disease. I know there are lots of really bad homes, but even the first-rate ones can't necessarily avoid this thing.

Original poster
happyandsingle · 28/04/2020 22:45

But their are some great staff out their and one care worker who always went the extra mile to help my nan.

OP posts:
Hercwasonaroll · 28/04/2020 22:46

Rogue you must live somewhere in a bubble.

Round here everyone's wearing decorating masks (which have clearly been worn multiple times) and marigolds.

Care homes can't get PPE for love nor money. They're begging locals for anything they can offer, medical grade or not.

RogueV · 28/04/2020 22:47

*Care homes can't get PPE for love nor money. They're begging locals for anything they can offer, medical grade or not.

What kind of PPE can’t they get?
Aprons? Gloves? Masks? Why is that the governments fault?

Original poster
happyandsingle · 28/04/2020 22:49

Kazza446 that's really bad no wonder the virus spreads like it does.Thankyou for doing the best you can for the residents.

OP posts:
babbi · 28/04/2020 22:50

@veryquaintirene I’m so sorry for your loss

Hercwasonaroll · 28/04/2020 22:52

Rogue I'm not blaming the government at all. Just saying they can't get hold of any.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 28/04/2020 22:53

I'm very surprised that care homes are not legally bound to store X amount of PPE for Y amount of days worth of an outbreak.

I worked in a hotel years ago and it was a brand standard to have enough supplies of things like antibac gel/gloves/face masks etc to cope at 100% occupancy and staffing for 14 days.

Stuff went out of date before it was required so was replaced as needed but it was always there.

Why on earth are care homes (and cruise ships) not held to the same standards? It's basic risk mitigation. Even for an outbreak of Noro or similar.