Former Health Secretary Defends Discharge of Hospital Patients to Care Homes During Covid Pandemic

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, testified to the UK Covid-19 inquiry that discharging hospital patients to care homes was the "least worst decision" to make. This decision, made to free up hospital space, was later ruled illegal in a high court judgment. Hancock argued that isolation of discharged patients was not clinically recommended at the time, and while acknowledging it should have been done in hindsight, he stated it was not feasible to see a better alternative decision. Critics, including Nicola Brook from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, have expressed outrage over Hancock's testimony, calling it an "insult to the memory of each and every person who died."

Key Takeaways:

• Matt Hancock testified that discharging hospital patients to care homes during the early weeks of the pandemic was the "least worst decision" available.
• This decision was made to free up hospital space, but was later ruled illegal by the high court.
• Hancock acknowledged that isolation of discharged patients was not clinically recommended at the time but stated it should have been done in hindsight.
• Critics, including Nicola Brook from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, have decried Hancock's testimony as an insult to the memory of those who died.
• Almost 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022.
• A senior civil servant described the rapid spread of the disease in care homes as a "generational slaughter" in written evidence to the inquiry.
• Hancock claimed the decision to discharge patients was driven by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens, but Stevens was not called to testify.
• Brook called for the decision to be urgently reviewed.

Statistics:

• 46,000 care home residents died with Covid in England and Wales between March 2020 and January 2022.
• The high court ruled that the government's policy not to isolate discharged hospital patients in the first weeks of the pandemic without testing was "irrational".
• The care sector module of the inquiry is expected to run until the end of July.
• 7,000 people from Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK have been represented by solicitor Nicola Brook.

Sources:

• Jessica Murray, Social affairs correspondent, for testimony from Matt Hancock's public inquiry (no specific publication date mentioned)
• UK Covid-19 inquiry (no specific publication date mentioned)
• High court judgment (2022) (no specific publication date mentioned)
• Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK (no specific publication date mentioned)