Dave Gorton, Chesterfield Socialist Party
There is growing anger at the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. 400,000 people living in care homes have been abandoned – surrendered to the virus. Most of the elderly and frail who contract Covid-19 will not be hospitalised, but left to die without adequate medical attention.
Only 217 coronavirus-related care home deaths were officially recorded in England and Wales up to 3 April. But the National Care Forum, a collection of not-for-profit organisations, estimates the figure is now over 4,000.
The government disingenuously says this discrepancy is to do with the timing of data collection, but the truth is that the fatality figures released are only those who die in hospital. As most are privately run, there is no official data about how many people actually live in care homes, never mind die of coronavirus there!
It is a huge industry, mostly run for profit, not for compassionate reasons. The lack of PPE provision for workers in private care homes can be pinpointed directly to maintaining profits.
In England alone, there are 18,500 care providers, and 17,000 mostly ‘standalone’ residential and nursing homes. This is not a care system planned to care for those in need. It is profit-driven, and this crisis is demonstrating the anarchy of the free market in all its brutality.
The majority in care are in residential establishments. They don’t need nursing; they’re in care because of dementia or other needs which can’t be provided in the community. What they rely on is close attention which can’t be provided without hands-on support. Social distancing is impossible in care homes.
What is possible is full PPE for the staff, testing for everyone, and proper live-in facilities for staff to prevent them bringing in, or taking out, the virus. Possible – but they eat into profits, so the bosses won’t hand them over easily. The trade unions must lead a fight for them.
Those whose families suffer, those who work in the sector, and millions more, will demand change in the near future. This must include bringing social care into the public sector, in a fully funded and integrated care and health system, under the democratic control of staff and service users.
Covid-19 finally breached the care home my elderly parents are in last week. I’d obviously prefer it if my part of that struggle wasn’t based on tragedy. But whatever happens, I’ll still be fighting for an end to this capitalist system which has blood on its hands once again.