Date published: 2024-04-05 | Category: Covid-19, Focusing on prevention
An academic report commissioned by Bath & North East Somerset Council to help understand why death rates from COVID-19 were higher in the area’s care homes during the second wave of the pandemic, compared to other areas, is being considered by the Children Adults Health and Wellbeing Policy Development and Scrutiny panel on 15th April.
Authored by the independent research body NIHR ARC West, the report draws on data from care homes and interviews with care home staff, as well as an analysis previously published by Bath & North East Somerset Council and presented to the panel in March 2023. This said that the rate of COVID deaths overall in B&NES during the second pandemic wave, from September 2020 to February 2021, was 96 per 100,000 population. This was in the lowest 30% of local authorities in England. The rate of COVID deaths in care homes in our area (523 deaths per 100,000 population) was in the highest 10% of local authorities in England, however, the rate of deaths in hospital at 42 per 100,000 population was in the lowest 10% in England.
This pattern reflected historic trends seen before the pandemic, with the local area having lower rates of emergency admission from care homes to hospital than neighbouring areas as well as having one of the highest percentages of people dying in their usual place of residence of any unitary authority in England.
A statistical study contained in the NIHR ARC West report concludes that there was no substantive evidence to suggest that behaviour and practices carried out by care homes contributed to the death rates recorded in Bath and North East Somerset care homes during the pandemic.
The report also draws on interviews with care home staff in the West of England about their experiences during the pandemic. These highlight the challenges care homes faced, with conflicting advice and feelings of isolation. However, their relationships with local authorities were generally described as positive and supportive.
Councillor Alison Born, cabinet member for Adult Services, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with all those who lost their loved ones during the pandemic. We will never forget its impact on our older and more vulnerable residents as well as our care workers, who worked so hard in such challenging circumstances.
“I welcome this report as a transparent and detailed analysis of how the pandemic impacted on and was managed in care homes in our area. I particularly welcome the inclusion of voices from care home staff.
“This research provides new data, learning and insight which builds on what we published last year. It offers reassurance that the initial analysis was right to suggest that the headline figures- once seen in context- do not cause us concerns.
“The report also provides useful learning which could be helpful to those involved in planning for future pandemics, I hope it will be made widely available and I look forward to discussing it in more detail with Panel members on the 15th”.
Learning points for the future identified in the report include:
- The need for contingency plans so that care homes can be supported with emergency staff cover for pandemics and other unexpected events
- The need for care homes together with local authorities to develop and regularly update infection and prevention control plans specific to their setting
- Consideration of granting more autonomy to care homes to enable them to find the right balance between infection control measures and the wellbeing of their residents, so that social aspects of residents’ lives are protected
- Improving lines of communication around policy and guidance so that multiple sources of information do not lead to confusion, uncertainty and care home staff feeling isolated
Read the report here on the council website.
Watch the Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel meeting webcast here.
Read the council’s briefing on COVID-19 death rates in care homes from March 2023 which fed into the scrutiny panel report here https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/strategic-evidence/document-library/briefing-update-work-understand-covid-19-death-rates-care-homes
ENDS