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Covid-19 risk trebles with every 20 care home beds, Scottish study finds


The chances of an outbreak of Covid-19 in a care home trebles with every additional 20 beds according to a study by NHS Lothian and University of Edinburgh. In a paper titled ‘Evolution and impact of


Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes: population analysis in 189 care homes in one geographic region’, researchers found the likelihood of an outbreak in care homes with fewer than 20 residents is five per cent. In homes with 60 to 80 residents, the


likelihood of an outbreak is between 83 per cent and 100 per cent. The study analysed Covid testing, cases


and deaths data up to 15 June from 189 care homes in one Scottish health board area with a combined 5,843 beds. Researchers found 70 care homes


experienced a Covid-19 outbreak (37 per cent), 66 of which were in care homes for older people where size of the property was “strongly associated with outbreaks”. There were 852 confirmed cases and 419


Covid-related deaths, 401 (95.7 per cent) of which occurred in care homes with an outbreak, 16 (3.8 per cent) in hospital, and two in the 119 care homes without a known outbreak. For non-Covid related deaths, there were


73 excess deaths in care homes with an outbreak, but no excess deaths in homes


RMBI Care home residents reunite with families like peasin


Covid-secure pod Residents at RMBI Care homes across the UK have been reunited with loved ones after several months via Covid-secure visitor pods. The partitioned spaces have an airtight


glass screen, to ensure the safety of residents, their families, and care home staff. Visitors enter and exit from outside to


minimise the risk of infection. Residents access the pods from a different door inside the homes. The pods have an intercom system to allow


residents and their visitors to speak with each other easily. Both sides of the pods are deep cleaned


between each visit and most have been installed by the homes’ facilities teams. The charity’s 18 care homes closed their doors to all but essential visitors before


lockdown to protect residents. RMBI Care, part of the Masonic


Charitable Foundation, said staff have worked tirelessly to ensure residents have had regular contact with their families by phone or video call, but close up, face-to-face conversations have not been possible. Among the residents thrilled to be able to


have visitors again was Connie Jones (pictured, on left), who was reunited with her sister, Grace,


August 2020 • www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


on her 82nd birthday at Albert Edward Prince of Wales Court in Porthcawl in south Wales. RMBI Care managing director Mark Lloyd


said: “We hope that our new secure visiting rooms will make it a bit easier for our residents and their families during these challenging times. We’re also continuing to look at other ways to welcome visitors safely to our homes again, including making use of the outdoor spaces at many of our homes.”


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without an outbreak, and 24 fewer deaths than expected of residents in hospital. A quarter of Covid-19 related cases and


deaths occurred in five (2.6 per cent) of the care homes, and half in 13 (6.9 per cent) homes. “The large impact on excess deaths


appears to be primarily a direct effect of Covid-19, with cases and deaths are concentrated in a minority of care homes,” stated the authors of the study. “A key implication is that there is a large pool


of susceptible residents if community Covid- 19 incidence increases again. Shielding residents from potential sources of infection and rapid action into minimise outbreak size where infection is introduced will be critical in any wave two”.


Care organisations ‘should speak


with one voice’ Social care organisations like Care England, the National Care Association, United Kingdom Homecare Association and the National Care Forum should merge to strengthen lobbying efforts, according to Independent Care Group (ICG). ICG chairman Mike Padgham said a


merger is necessary for the social care sector to press for the government for post-Covid reform. “We are all united through a desire to


see social care reformed and we need to press for that, for example, we have been promised a Green Paper for too long, now is the time for action,” he added. “We must step up the cry for reform,


otherwise we will just get a hasty ‘thanks’ from the government and everything will go back to normal. We cannot allow that to happen - the social care sector has worked too hard and sacrificed so much to go backwards from here.” Care England chief executive Martin


Green told The Care Home Environment that suggestions merged care organisations would speak more loudly are a “complete myth”. “This is far from the truth. Government


is cherry picking who it listens to and we must not mistake listening for meaningful influence or co-production,” he added.


©HC-One


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