Coronavirus: Local councils scramble to prepare care homes for large-scale outbreak

Government instructs councils to draw up ‘mutual aid’ plans with care providers, and issues guidance that anyone with a continuous cough or high temperature should not visit care homes

NHS nurses at a drive-through coronavirus testing site in Wolverhampton (Getty)

Local councils are rushing to prepare nursing homes and care services for a large-scale coronavirus outbreak as the government launched a taskforce to coordinate the nationwide response.

In new guidance published on Friday, ministers instructed councils to draw up plans for how they will support the most vulnerable and high-risk people, and contact all providers in their areas to draw up plans for “mutual aid” under which care homes could help each other in the event of serious infections.

The government’s focus on social care follows criticism over a lack of information or planning, with experts warning that the care sector is extremely vulnerable to the outbreak.

The guidance covers a variety of scenarios that care homes, staff, and people in their own homes receiving care, could face.

The government has said that anyone with a continuous cough or high temperature should not visit care homes, and that people receiving care should isolate in their rooms if they develop symptoms.

Care staff must use protective equipment, while GPs have been urged to use video appointments rather than visiting patients.

On Friday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK reached a total of 798. The government’s chief scientific adviser sparked criticism after saying it wanted to encourage "herd immunity" among the population, but experts said it was not yet known if this would be effective against the coronavirus.

Sarah Owen, MP for Luton North, told The Independent: “Protecting care workers and the people who they look after must be paramount over the coming weeks and months. Having worked in the care sector, I know it’s not just the thousands of workers in the sector at risk, but the vulnerable people in the social care system who need them to live their daily lives.

“Many will not be able to self-isolate without help or supervision. The government could have been working with the care sector and should have been providing them with up-to-date advice from day one. Care companies and workers should be given the proper resources they urgently need to minimise the impact on this vulnerable group of people.”

The care minister, Helen Whately, said: “We recognise that we are entering an incredibly challenging time for people living and working in care and we are working closely with industry experts to do everything we can to limit the impact that Covid-19 has on the most vulnerable.

“This guidance is an important part of that work. Its aim is to help the NHS, local government and care providers to work together to take the best steps to protect those most at risk.”

As part of the government’s emergency legislation, statutory sick pay will be paid from day one of sickness in order to support those affected by the virus.

Those on zero-hours contracts will also receive statutory sick pay or will be able to claim universal credit depending on their circumstances.

To support local areas, the government has launched a new taskforce bringing together senior experts from each area to assess plans and prepare for the outbreak.

It also emerged on Friday that junior doctors could be redeployed to work in parts of the NHS where they have no experience or have not worked before to help the NHS cope with extreme pressure during a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Health Education England, which coordinates the training of thousands of doctors in the NHS, said: “Our current expectation is that there will be increasing requirements for trainees and trainers to support NHS Healthcare providers in managing the care of acutely ill patients.

“This could mean trainees in non-acute areas being asked to support urgent and unplanned care, such as medical admissions and the subsequent management of those patients, but may also in exceptional circumstances include providing support to clinical teams in other disciplines.”