Durham council chiefs deny care homes were forced to take coronavirus patients

Providers across County Durham were offered new contracts at the height of the crisis offering more cash which would also be paid out faster.

But it has been claimed this came with strings attached which may have risked lives by compelling them to accept new residents who may not have been tested for COVID-19.

“[In April] care home providers in the country were sent contracts by the council which placed them in an impossible position,” said Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Mark Wilkes.

“If they wanted extra funding to help get them through the crisis they were being forced by contract into accepting from hospitals and the community ‘people who have had a diagnosis of or are recovering from COVID-19’.

“There was no requirement for these residents to have been tested, indeed at that time I don’t think there was actually testing available.

“This contract put any resident in care or nursing homes at risk and care providers wrote to the council stating the contract was unacceptable and putting people’s lives at risk.”

Coun Wilkes was speaking at a meeting of the county council’s Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, which was held on June 19 by video conference and broadcast via YouTube.

According to a report for councillors, the NHS ‘sought to increase the speed of hospital discharges to free-up hospital beds’ early in the outbreak due to concerns over bed capacity.

This saw the County Durham Integrated Care Partnership receive 568 hospital discharge referrals between March 19 – May 1.

“We have never forced any provider to adhere to any contract,” insisted Jane Robinson, the county council’s corporate director of Adult and Health Services.

“The support we’ve put in place has reflected the [government] guidance and at no time have we withheld any financial support to any care providers.

“From a very early start providers have been paid an additional 10% uplift, they’ve had advanced payments and recently there has also been payment through the Infection Control Fund.”

Ministers unveiled the £600million Infection Control Fund in May was part of measures to halt the spread of coronavirus in care homes.

This included cash to help limit staff movement across different sites, pay the wages of self-isolating workers and improve access to personal protective equipment (PPE), training and advice.

This cash was passed on to local authorities for distribution, with County Durham allocated £6,746,416 based on having 5,256 registered care home beds.

But according to Coun Wilkes care homes were told to agree new contracts before they would receive the extra funds.

Some estimates have suggested nationally 25,000 patients were released from hospitals into care homes during the outbreak.

“Our policy has been based on the guidance we have received,” said Terry Collins, the council’s chief executive.

“I’m sure in the longer term there will be a review, but our approach has been to follow the [government] guidance.”

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