20 care homes in Wakefield district tackling Covid outbreaks as visiting guidelines discussed

A total of 20 care homes in the Wakefield district are currently grappling with Covid outbreaks.
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The spiralling infection rate, which now stands locally at 239 cases per 100,000, has made it harder for residential homes to keep the virus at bay.

Nichola Esmond, Wakefield Council's service manager for older people, said most of the current outbreaks were "well contained".

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Around a third of the district's care homes have been affected by coronavirus since March, the local health scrutiny committee was told on Thursday.

Around a third of all care homes in the Wakefield district have been affected by Covid since March.Around a third of all care homes in the Wakefield district have been affected by Covid since March.
Around a third of all care homes in the Wakefield district have been affected by Covid since March.

A total of 135 care home residents have died from the virus.

Ms Esmond said that the council was supporting care settings as best it could.

She told councillors: "Twenty of our care homes have outbreaks as of yesterday (Wednesday), although most of those have been identified through home testing and they're really well contained.

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"We put our own measures in place early on in the pandemic, to help care homes cover the costs they were facing. The cost of masks in some cases was doubling or trebling.

Around 135 local care home residents have died from Covid.Around 135 local care home residents have died from Covid.
Around 135 local care home residents have died from Covid.

"Financially I think we've done quite well in supporting the sector."

An extra £3m of government money has been handed out to local care homes to help prevent infections, on top of the £3.5m that was released during the summer.

The committee was told this was to help reduce reliance on agency staff, who are now instructed not to work in more than one home at a time.

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Ms Esmond described how challenging it had been to help care homes through the height of the first Covid wave in the spring. Two care providers have now left Wakefield since March because of the financial impact of the virus.

Councillor Stansby said she was "heartbroken" by stories of people being unable to visit grieving family members in care homes.Councillor Stansby said she was "heartbroken" by stories of people being unable to visit grieving family members in care homes.
Councillor Stansby said she was "heartbroken" by stories of people being unable to visit grieving family members in care homes.

However, it was said that the council's relationship with the industry had improved because care companies feel the local authority "went above and beyond to help them".

Ms Esmond added: "One of the most horrible weekends of my life was at Easter, where it seemed to be crisis point in care homes.

"Every time I answered my phone it was another care home manager, often in tears.

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"In one case a manager was suffering from Covid herself and refusing to go home because she needed to get the staff in to cover.

"It was extraordinarily stressful."

Issues around families being able to visit loved ones in care homes was also discussed.

Conservative councillor Nic Stansby, who represents the Wrenthorpe and Outwood West ward, said she was aware of one local care home that had an outright ban on visits since March, which was causing grief to one family.

Tier 2 restrictions, which currently apply in the Wakefield district, only allow care home visits in exceptional circumstances.

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Coun Stansby said: "I feel the mental health impact is now worse than the threat of the virus. People are struggling so hard with lockdown and all the procedures.

"It's heartbreaking that mums and dads and grandmas and grandads in care homes who can't hug their kids."

Lisa Willcox, the council's service director for learning disabilities and mental health, said local authorities in West Yorkshire were working together to try to create one consistent set of guidelines to care homes.

She said: "We acknowledge how difficult this is for families.

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"We've provided some guidance stressing the importance of looking at each case individually and balancing the risk of Covid, which is likely to have a signficant impact on anyone in a care home who catches it, against the risk of someone feeling isolated and their mental wellbeing deteriorating."

Local Democracy Reporting Service