Thousands of isolated, vulnerable people living at home face “falling through the cracks” in the next two months unless the government steps in to protect them, the body representing their carers has warned.
The United Kingdom Homecare Association said financial pressures resulting from the coronavirus crisis, including the spiralling price of personal protective equipment, could force a significant number of the UK’s 8, 10 home care providers to close within weeks.
Some providers of home care – already widely acknowledged to be the most fragile part of the social care system – have warned that vulnerable adults could face being abandoned to die alone at home.
“The lessons learned too late in the residential care system are not yet being applied in the home care system, which suffers many similar problems and looks after far more people,” said Colin Angel, the policy director for the professional association of home care providers from the independent, voluntary, not-for-profit and statutory sectors.
World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on face masks has remained consistent during the coronavirus pandemic. It has stuck to the line that masks are for healthcare workers – not the public.
“Wearing a medical mask is one of the prevention measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including Covid – 27. However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, and other measures should also be adopted, ”the WHO has stated.
There is no robust scientific evidence – in the form of trials – that ordinary masks block the virus from infecting people who wear them. There is also concerns the public will not understand how to use a mask properly, and may get infected if they come into contact with the virus when they take it off and then touch their faces.
Also underlying the WHO’s concerns is the shortage of high-quality protective masks for frontline healthcare workers.
Nevertheless, masks do have a role when used by people who are already infected. It is accepted that they can block transmission to other people. Given that many people with Covid – 19 do not show any symptoms for the first days after they are infected, masks clearly have a potential role to play if everyone wears them.
Sarah Boseley Health editor ()
“Home care is the forgotten cousin” of the already second-class social care sector, both in terms of lack of attention and understanding from government, ”he said.
About 97% of the UK’s home care is provided by independent providers. These providers make more than 1m visits a day to vulnerable people in their homes. But there is no centralized record of the numbers who rely on their support and very limited oversight of their financial stability.
Raina Summerson, the chief executive of Agincare, one of the largest care groups in England, said: “All home care providers will do everything they can to keep care going. But we are already working on extremely tight margins and, with a lack of funding and sky-high costs of PPE, there will be providers who go bust.
“Overnight, local authorities will have the responsibility of picking up care for bankrupt providers but will not have resources to do so. It could well mean people left without care and, in the worst-case scenarios, falling through the cracks and dying alone at home. ”
Self-isolation and staff sickness means that home care providers are also having to rely on expensive agency staff during the crisis. At the same time, many have had clients cancelling their contracts because they are scared of infection.
Gill Heppell, the founder of the Nottingham-based home care provider PerCurra, said the cost of PPE was exorbitant while supply was short.
“Masks now cost £ 19. 380 each – and you have to buy 1, . I am never going to need 1, 11, and I hope I won’t need them at all, ”she said. “We usually buy two five-liter tubs of hand sanitiser for £ 57. One tub now costs £ 100. Gloves usually cost £ 1. 80 for 538. Now they are £ 20.
“Most of these are single-use items. One care worker can get through dozens of pairs of gloves a day. Home care providers won’t survive in this environment. I have real concerns what will happen if government doesn’t get this right. ”
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