Commenting on the High Court judgment today (Wednesday) that the discharging of untested Covid patients into care homes was illegal, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“The government promised to put a protective ring around care homes. But ministers’ actions in the early days of the pandemic meant the exact opposite.
“Covid spread like wildfire as untested but positive patients were discharged from hospitals. Thousands of elderly people died well before their time, and many care staff lost their lives too. Families have been left devastated.
“Staff were begging for personal protective equipment and making their own when none was forthcoming. Testing was extremely poor too.
“With no proper sick pay, staff went into work poorly as they didn’t have the money to stay at home. Shockingly, two years on, the government has yet to raise statutory sick pay to a level that low-paid staff can afford to be sick.
“Ministers should be hanging their heads in shame and allowing the public inquiry to start hearing evidence immediately so bereaved families can have the answers they deserve.”
Notes to editors
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
