The sixth report of the Covid inquiry has issued extensive criticism of the government’s pandemic response in care settings across the UK. The inquiry examined protections for approximately 500,000 people residing in care homes and another million receiving care in their own homes during the early stages of the outbreak.
The report identifies multiple systemic failures that contributed to inadequate protections despite the government’s stated commitment to shield vulnerable populations. Staff faced significant shortages of personal protective equipment, forcing them to improvise with materials such as bin bags and waterproof ponchos. The inquiry also criticized the practice of transferring hospital patients potentially infected with Covid to care homes without implementing adequate testing or isolation protocols, noting that official guidance at the time did not mandate proper separation measures.
The inquiry found that pre-existing vulnerabilities in the care sector were amplified during the pandemic. High staff turnover and vacancy rates, combined with heavy reliance on agency workers moving between multiple facilities, weakened the sector’s capacity to respond effectively. Financial pressures on providers, compounded by reduced service use and inadequate support for workers potentially exposed to infection, further strained resources. The fragmented nature of the care system, with thousands of independent providers overseen by councils rather than integrated into government coordination structures like the NHS, contributed to the delayed and uneven response.
Restrictions on visiting relatives, initially implemented as a precaution, persisted longer than evidence warranted. By September 2020, data indicated that visitors posed minimal risk, with staff identified as the primary infection vector. Despite relaxed guidance from UK nations, many care homes maintained strict visiting bans, resulting in documented declines in residents’ physical and mental health. Additionally, the inquiry documented evidence of blanket do-not-resuscitate orders imposed on care home residents, which increased sharply from 16,800 to 26,500 during the pandemic’s first nine months.
The psychological toll on care workers was substantial. Staff members witnessed numerous resident deaths while often receiving inadequate support, with some relocating to facilities to reduce infection risk. The report highlights accounts of workers providing end-of-life care to multiple residents simultaneously and experiencing significant emotional distress throughout the crisis.
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