Leading charities have called on the UK government to adopt a publish a comprehensive plan to support social care through the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the Alzheimer’s Society, Marie Curie, Age UK, Care England and Independent Age set a out a five point package of measures including testing and protective equipment made available to care homes.
The letter also calls on care home staff, and people being discharged from hospital into care homes, to be given priority testing alongside critical NHS staff.
In addition, the charities said the sector should be given support to ensure contact can be maintained between care home residents and their families.
The fourth request was for good palliative and end-of-life care for people dying in the care system.
Finally, a daily update on coronavirus deaths in the care system.
The charities said it is seeing people in care homes “abandoned to the worst that coronavirus can do”.
“Instead of being allowed hospital care, to see their loved ones and to have the reassurance that testing allows; and for the staff who care for them to have even the most basic of PPE, they are told they cannot go to hospital, routinely asked to sign Do Not Resuscitate orders, and cut off from their families when they need them most,” the letter said.
“We are appalled by the devastation which coronavirus is causing in the care system and we have all been inundated with desperate calls from the people we support, so we are demanding a comprehensive care package to support social care through the pandemic.”
