We are all in a state of shock with what is happening but something I heard on the news last night really upset me. I heard that of the 400,000 care home residents in the U.K. about 20,000 died during the pandemic, with some deaths not even counted in the data we hear almost daily. It’s as though our senior citizens in care homes don’t matter!
Aside from the frustration felt by families of not being able to see their much loved elderly mum, dad or relative since March there are some other uncomfortable concerns here which as a society we collectively need to address.
We live in a world where we would like to say all citizens young or old have a right to be treated equally. Of course, we are in exceptional circumstances but what about those victims who have died from coronavirus and their deaths were avoidable. I say ‘we’ because I don’t underestimate the difficult decisions that have had to be made and I certainly am not critical of care home staff who have often put themselves at risk by continuing to work without proper PPE or guidance, for example.
Social distancing and blanket rules have meant families have been deprived of seeing their often frail loved on in care homes, often reduced to making ‘window’ appointment. A friend of mine said it breaks his heart when he has this window appointment as he is knocking on the window trying to connect with his elderly mother who is 98, his mother has dementia and hard of hearing. She is also visually impaired, now we just have to imagine how helpful this is to the son, the parent and the care home staff. Being deprived of a hug from family members is the worst imaginable feeling for a vulnerable person, yes, this is all so painful and can’t be comprehended in its entirety unless it directly affects us.
There are questions about the processes and decisions made to protect care home residents however, the excess deaths data also makes an uncomfortable read, have all deaths through coronavirus been recognised and has everything been done to protect to most vulnerable? Were these deaths preventable?
There are no straightforward answers and we know those affected are trying to do their best. The news of a daughter taking legal action against the government for the death of her father resonated because as a daughter I too would felt horrified if my father’s death was avoidable.
If you have a relative who has been affected by coronavirus whilst in a care home or nursing home and they have sadly died, IMD Medical Negligence Solicitors are able to offer you advice.
We are specialist lawyers and are keeping an eye on the changing coronavirus developments. Care home medical negligence claims must be understood and thoroughly investigated to see if there is negligence but if we can help we will. We are working through the pandemic and are on hand so if you need advice please do not hesitate to call us.
To get in touch please call 0330 107 0107 or email us at clinicalnegligence@imd.co.uk.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.
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