Responding to claims today (Wednesday) that Matt Hancock rejected advice to test everyone going into care homes at the height of the pandemic, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“Care homes were on Matt Hancock’s watch but he failed to protect them from the virus. Lives were needlessly lost because ministers effectively abandoned staff and residents.
“Many care workers had to make their own safety kit from bin bags, couldn’t access testing for months and were pressured into coming in when they should have been off work with Covid.
“The government is to blame for this disaster. Staff, care home residents and their families paid an unacceptable price. Lessons must now be learned through the independent public inquiry.”
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.
Media contact:
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
The article Lessons must be learned from government’s pandemic care home policy, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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