Norfolk: Third of care homes close due to Covid outbreak

One care home with a Covid outbreak said it had asked Covid-positive staff to keep working, if well enough, to ensure it had enough cover

A third of all care homes in Norfolk have had to close due to a Covid outbreak, amid a surge in case rates.

Restrictions are in place at 143 out of 450 residential homes, with at least one care provider asking Covid-positive staff to work due to shortages.

Adult social services director James Bullion said in two weeks, the county's case rate had more than doubled.

"I think we feel the peak of Covid coming at us at the moment, and that makes us worried," he added.

"Practically speaking, [care homes with Covid] need to close for two weeks for admissions and they need to restrict visiting and keep the testing regime going.

"We've seen the impact of that, both on people in home care and care homes, and in hospitals.

"There is an enormous pressure now to try to discharge people, which is more limited because of the outbreaks, isolation and staff sickness."

'Never been more concerned'

He said the increase in Covid cases felt like a "natural consequence" of the lifting of many national restrictions, with Norfolk a few weeks behind similar surges in London and Hertfordshire.

Covid restrictions such as mask-wearing in public spaces and the legal requirement to isolate after a positive test result were lifted last month in the government's Living with Covid plan.

James Bullion said the impact of the lifting of restrictions was keenly felt in the care sector

"People think the world has moved on, but it hasn't for social care and health," added Mr Bullion.

"We do need to protect those businesses as well, I do worry about social care providers in Norfolk, how they are coping and what all of this might mean for their business.

"I've never been more concerned when I think of all those combination of effects."

'Fatigue is immense'

One care home said almost all staff tested positive on Sunday, along with 20 out of 23 residents.

Armscare said it had to make "harsh decisions", including asking Covid-positive staff to work that day.

"Bearing in mind residents are positive as well, we had ask staff [to stay on], if they had no symptoms," said Raj Sehgal, managing director of Armscare, which runs four homes in west Norfolk.

"People are ill, but not in need of hospitalisation, and the remaining staff we have... the level of fatigue is immense.

"Most care homes work on a skeleton staff, and when a few are off at a time it puts the whole situation into jeopardy."

Christine Futter, director of the Norfolk Care Association, which represents social care providers, said care homes were "exhausted with the whole process".

"There's fatigue and burn out," she said.

"That's not just in care homes, we mustn't forget people working in the community, our home care providers and those working in supported living - they have the same situation."

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