THE GUARDIAN: Callous neglect of people in care homes is a scandal

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Re your report on deaths in care homes from Covid-19 going unrecorded in official figures, this is an appalling example of older people in homes (as well as staff) being treated as third-class citizens. Urgent reforms of the sector are required but, in the meantime, immediate action is necessary.

First, greater transparency is needed on the coronavirus-related deaths occurring in residential and nursing homes; the numbers should be reported at least once a week in the government’s daily briefings. Second, any clusters of deaths should be highlighted, whether in an individual home or chain of homes, with the reasons explained and a record of the action taken. Third, the government should underwrite an immediate tripling in the average hourly pay rate of care workers; it is now below the basic rate paid in most supermarkets.

The situation is a tragic reminder of the effects of decades of neglect of social care. The need for change to the care home model has never been more pressing.

Chris Phillipson
Professor of sociology and social gerontology, University of Manchester