£8m aid to help Northamptonshire care homes get grip on Covid-19 crisis

The county’s care homes are to share more than £8m of government cash to help them control Covid-19 outbreaks in their homes.

So far 68 of the 250 care homes in Northamptonshire have suffered an outbreak of the virus and at least 102 residents have died, with many industry figures levelling the charge at Boris Johnson’s government that not enough was done in the early stages of the pandemic to protect care homes.

The Government announced a new £600m infection control fund last week to try and get a grip of the virus which has now killed more than 10,000 care home residents in the UK. Northamptonshire County Council – which runs adult social care -has been given £8.1m to put a new raft of measures in place to help better protect those living away from their families and being cared for by either the local authority or private companies. The county has 6,311 care home beds.

The government has asked care homes to restrict permanent and agency staff to working in only one care home where possible amid concerns untested care workers could unknowingly be seeding the virus between care settings.

It says the funding could be used to meet the additional costs of restricting staff to work in one care home and pay the wages of those self-isolating.

All local authorities must now also provide a daily review of all care homes by checking in on them and a clinical lead for each home must be provided. Last week was the worst week in Northamptonshire for recorded care home deaths from the virus, with 21 residents losing their lives.A spokesperson from Northamptonshire County Council said: “Northamptonshire is set to receive £8.2m from the government’s newly announced care home support scheme. However it has not yet been agreed how this will be used as we are looking at the government guidance that has already been issued and awaiting some further guidance that is due shortly.

“We have been asked by the government to submit a clear plan about managing and supporting our care home providers, as well as provide information on what we are currently doing, and to agree the plan with key partners in health and public health. Therefore we will not be releasing any detail until this work has been completed.

“In the meantime all care homes and providers are still able to access any support they might need for testing, PPE or financial assistance by contacting us via [email protected] or calling 01604 361311”

Kettering care home Temple Court had to close its doors last Friday and the local authority has moved surviving residents to other care homes after 12 residents have died from Covid or suspected Covid.

Provider Minster Care says it was left in an ‘extremely challenging position’ after staff went off ill with the virus and the firm had to bring in agency staff to look after residents. The company says Temple Court was Covid-free until an influx of 15 patients on March 19 as part of a mass government ordered discharge from the county’s two acute hospitals.

In many cases the patients were not tested before being discharged as the government was that time prioritising tests for those patients.

Northamptonshire County Council has been contacted for comment on the new funding package.