Coronavirus: Care home 'stand-off' over Covid-19 fears for patient

The "stand-off" left staff at Eighton Lodge feeling "really upset"

Care home staff were "emotionally blackmailed" into taking back a patient who had not been tested for Covid-19, a boss says.

It follows a "stand-off" at Eighton Lodge in Gateshead when a resident was brought back from hospital.

Operations manager Susan Mckinney said they were threatened with the police if they did not admit the woman.

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said it followed government guidelines.

Mrs Mckinney, operations manager of Wellburn Care Homes, which runs 14 facilities across the North East, said the resident was brought back by ambulance on 10 April, around the time that hospital deaths involving Covid-19 were at their height.

She said: "Twice we rang the hospital saying 'we can't accept this person back, we need them tested, we need a negative test so we know what we're dealing with'.

"The family members turned up, the paramedics had the poor resident on a stretcher at the door and would not go away until we allowed them in... there was a sort of stand off.

"And all we got was 'you're not following the guidelines'… we were threatened with the police if we did not allow this person back in as it was their home.

"It felt like emotional blackmail, the staff were really upset."

The woman was eventually admitted and had to go into self-isolation for 14 days.

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Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "We are working closely with all our care homes to support them in looking after residents.

"This has included helping with testing, and providing training and advice on infection control and safe use of personal protective equipment.

"We are unable to comment on individual cases but would like to reassure care home patients, their families and care home staff that we are following the government guidelines and will continue to deliver the same high level of care and support that we have always provided."

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