Coronavirus: Folkestone care home owner seeks inquiry over deaths

Five of the residents who have died at Pelham House care home: Shirley Parsons (top left), Janet Hills (bottom left), Francis Chapman (centre), Valerie Dickson (top right), Margaret Hunter (bottom right)

The owner of a care home in Kent where nine of its 22 residents have died after testing positive for Covid-19 has called for a public inquiry.

Roger Waluube, who runs Pelham House in Folkestone, said the home had been through a "living nightmare" after the "abandonment of the care home sector".

"There have been too many failings in how we've been supported," he said, adding it had been "wholly inadequate".

Ministers said a review would have to happen after the pandemic.

More than 11,000 people have died in UK care homes from Covid-19.

Last month giving evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee, Professor Martin Green, the head of the organisation which represents care homes in England, criticised the lack of personal protection equipment, poor organisation and constantly changing guidance - and suggested some care homes could now "go under".

Roger Waluube said the care home had been dealing with "a horrendous experience"

Mr Waluube said financially the care home was in a "very precarious position".

The coronavirus crisis had meant most of his staff had been off due to virus-related issues, meaning the home was relying on agency staff, and there was no immediate prospect of getting any more residents, he said.

He explained that there had been a lack of financial assistance at both national and local level, and a lack of support and guidance, including with staffing.

"There has to be a public inquiry in terms of what's happened in social care," he said.

"I just think the recognition of elderly people and the vulnerability of elderly people, and the experience elderly people are going through has been glossed over.

"I think the government has been in denial about what's been happening," Mr Waluube said.

At the daily government briefing on Thursday, cabinet minister Grant Shapps said it was "absolutely heartbreaking" that anyone had died in a care home from coronavirus.

He said there would be time to look back at what happened after the pandemic.