More than 43,000 recorded deaths in care homes between march 2020 and July 2022. A lack of personal protective equipment meant staff had to resort to workarounds. The report is critical of the way hospital patients may be infected.
The pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing weaknesses. Precautionary measures taken to restrict visiting went too far. By September 2020, evidence suggested visitors were the key entry point for infections.
The impact on staff working in care home was huge, affecting mental health and wellbeing. Some staff moved into care homes to protect residents from infection. One care home owner described how 39 staff moved in at start of pandemic. A care home lost half of its residents over three weeks.
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