Twenty two residents died here.
The majority of staff have still not been tested.
The majority of staff have still not been tested.
The virus likely tore through Highgate Care Home in February.
We were all living our lives as normal.
Manager Jennifer: ‘We were completely unaware.’
We were all living our lives as normal.
Manager Jennifer: ‘We were completely unaware.’
In early March residents began to fall ill.
Highgate was among the first care homes to suffer a major outbreak.
Manager Jennifer: ‘Nobody has dealt with it in Scotland in a care home. We were the first. So it was very difficult to get anybody to give you advice 100%.’
Highgate was among the first care homes to suffer a major outbreak.
Manager Jennifer: ‘Nobody has dealt with it in Scotland in a care home. We were the first. So it was very difficult to get anybody to give you advice 100%.’
Carer Andy says early March was ‘chaotic’ as infections grew and few restrictions were yet in place.
‘We saw this coming as a country. We had a head start on other countries. Nothing was done. It was just like ‘be prepared’. Well help us prepare that was what I was saying.’
‘We saw this coming as a country. We had a head start on other countries. Nothing was done. It was just like ‘be prepared’. Well help us prepare that was what I was saying.’
By mid-March, before lockdown, Highgate Care Home was overwhelmed.
Nurse Shona: ‘Everyday somebody died.’
Nurse Shona: ‘Everyday somebody died.’
By the time @ScotGov guidance on routinely wearing face masks was clarified on April 9th, more than a dozen residents at this care home had died.
Senior Carer Yasmin:
‘You build a relationship with people. We’ve lost quite a few big characters. And you miss them. It’s like your second family. You spend more time with these people than your own family sometimes. It’s very hard.’
‘You build a relationship with people. We’ve lost quite a few big characters. And you miss them. It’s like your second family. You spend more time with these people than your own family sometimes. It’s very hard.’
Carer Andy: ‘I’ve seen people who easily had five or ten years left die in four days. It’s so horrible to watch.’
Most of the deaths at Highgate have been dementia patients.
Dementia patients can not be cared for without close contact.
Nurse Shona: ‘They’re not locked in their rooms. If they decide they’re going for a walk, they don’t understand hit this infection can spread.’
Dementia patients can not be cared for without close contact.
Nurse Shona: ‘They’re not locked in their rooms. If they decide they’re going for a walk, they don’t understand hit this infection can spread.’
They say they know how the virus spread in Highgate.
Carer Andy: ‘A lot of folk here can’t get out of their bed so they depend on us. We’re the carriers. So as soon as there was a confirmed case I think we should have all been tested. To minimise the spread.’
Carer Andy: ‘A lot of folk here can’t get out of their bed so they depend on us. We’re the carriers. So as soon as there was a confirmed case I think we should have all been tested. To minimise the spread.’
The Scottish Governnent updated its testing guidance on May 1st to say all staff should be tested in care homes with any COVID cases.
The last COVID death in Highgate was May 4th.
By then 22 residents had died.
The staff were not tested.
The last COVID death in Highgate was May 4th.
By then 22 residents had died.
The staff were not tested.
The majority of staff at Highgate have still not been tested, despite suffering one of the worst COVID outbreaks in the UK.
Highgate is part of HC-One, the largest care home provider in the UK.
Its Chief Exec has said they haven’t got everything right in this crisis.
He told #c4news tonight testing in care homes was just ‘beginning’.
There’s been 10,000 care home deaths so far.
Its Chief Exec has said they haven’t got everything right in this crisis.
He told #c4news tonight testing in care homes was just ‘beginning’.
There’s been 10,000 care home deaths so far.
HC-One Chief Exec said patients discharged from hospitals had seeded the virus in care homes.
He also suggested excess deaths in care homes may be because care home residents were not being admitted to hospital.
He also suggested excess deaths in care homes may be because care home residents were not being admitted to hospital.
Highgate care home say they will not accept residents from hospital unless they test negative.
There’s been confusion over the guidance.
Remarkably the webpage for the relevant guidance in Scotland is still down:
There’s been confusion over the guidance.
Remarkably the webpage for the relevant guidance in Scotland is still down:
Highgate Care Home had the unwelcome label of being one of the first care homes to be hit.
Nurse Shona said some people ‘were calling us these horrible names. They should be ashamed.’
You may be unlucky enough to see similar comments under this thread.
Nurse Shona said some people ‘were calling us these horrible names. They should be ashamed.’
You may be unlucky enough to see similar comments under this thread.
Yasmin: ‘People were horrible to us. Making out it was infection control and hygiene. Clearly that’s not the case. It’s a pandemic.
You were in here busting your guts to do the best job you can and folk just have negative things to say. They don’t know what we’re coping with.’
You were in here busting your guts to do the best job you can and folk just have negative things to say. They don’t know what we’re coping with.’
Highgate Care Home now believes it is COVID-free.
Nurse Shona: ‘We all cry all the time. And this should be a happy place. It is a happy place. It’s a good place to work. But we need to be really careful. Because I don’t want Corona to come back.’
Nurse Shona: ‘We all cry all the time. And this should be a happy place. It is a happy place. It’s a good place to work. But we need to be really careful. Because I don’t want Corona to come back.’
Full story here: channel4.com/news/has-lack-…
With thanks to all at Highgate and particularly yet more wonderful carers: Jennifer, Andy, Yasmin and Shona
And my fabulous team @JoshHo_ and @luciajwalker
And my fabulous team @JoshHo_ and @luciajwalker
This shouldn’t need saying:
Testing is the responsibility of national governments.
Test is the first word in Test, Trace, Isolate, the @WHO advice all along.
Care homes can’t build national testing infrastructure. If that’s not the job of government in a pandemic, what is?
Testing is the responsibility of national governments.
Test is the first word in Test, Trace, Isolate, the @WHO advice all along.
Care homes can’t build national testing infrastructure. If that’s not the job of government in a pandemic, what is?
This story was the basis of questions by both Conservative and Labour leaders at #FMQs.
@nicolasturgeon denied lack of testing was a failure.
@nicolasturgeon denied lack of testing was a failure.
