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The Alzheimer’s Society has written to health secretary Matt Hancock to ask for greater support for the care sector, including more personal protective equipment (PPE) and priority testing.
In her letter, Kate Lee, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Without proper testing or protective equipment care home staff are struggling to cope. They are putting themselves at danger to care for others, while at the same time they risk carrying the disease to vulnerable groups.”
Ms Lee wrote that PPE must be made available to care homes “immediately” and that care home staff and people being discharged from hospital into care homes should be given priority testing for the virus, alongside critical NHS staff.
“There are more than 400,000 people living in care homes in the UK, with more than 70% of this number being people living with some form of dementia,” she wrote. “Many also have other underlying conditions. This group of the population is extremely vulnerable to contracting the virus.”
Ms Lee also urged government to ensure that the impact of the virus on care homes is measured and published.
The government should work with technology companies to support care homes to ensure residents can contact their loved ones, Ms Lee added.
“I know how all-consuming this disease has become and how hard all levels of government are working to try and avoid the worst. However, we urgently need a clear government strategy to support residents of care homes through the pandemic,” the letter said.
The demands come a day after 15 people were found to have died in a Luton care home – five of whom were confirmed to have had COVID-19.