Care homes treated as ‘afterthought’ during pandemic, inquiry finds

Care homes were treated as an “afterthought” during Covid-19, an inquiry has found, saying government failures let the virus spread “like wildfire”.

The UK Covid-19 inquiry found that the government’s failure to advise care homes to isolate patients discharged from hospitals was a significant omission that allowed infection to spread among residents and staff.

Inquiry chair Heather Hallett also rejected former health secretary Matt Hancock’s claim that the government had established a protective ring around care homes from the start of the pandemic, describing it as unfounded and saying the opposite was true.

In her report, published on 20 October 2026, Lady Hallett said adult social care had received insufficient protection, with the government’s focus on the NHS sometimes coming at the expense of people receiving care.

She said: “The adult social care sector as a whole appeared to be something of an afterthought, where the mantra of ‘protecting the NHS’ sometimes came at the expense of the users and providers of care.

“Care homes received insufficient protection at the time they most needed it. These failures created environments in care settings in which the virus could spread like wildfire.”

More than 43,000 people died from Covid-19 in UK care homes between March 2020 and July 2022.

The inquiry also found that restrictions on care home visits caused immense emotional harm, leaving residents feeling isolated and abandoned.

Some families were unable to be with relatives during their final moments.

Lady Hallett said: “Most distressingly, some people were not permitted to be with their dying loved ones. Many remain racked by a guilt that they do not deserve to carry.”

Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK described Hancock’s claim that care homes had been protected as a “cruel lie”.

Jean Adamson, whose father, Windrush pioneer Aldrick Adamson, died in a care home after contracting Covid-19, spoke on behalf of the group.

She described the report as a devastating account of the government’s pandemic response.

Adamson said: “It shows that the government knew the care sector was extremely vulnerable to a pandemic and yet did nothing – failing to act until it was too late.”

However, the group criticised the inquiry’s recommendations, arguing that they did not go far enough.

Adamson said members would examine the recommendations more closely and seek stronger measures to prevent similar failures in future pandemics.

The report is the sixth of 10 planned publications from the UK Covid-19 inquiry and focuses on adult social care and residential care homes.

The inquiry, which has cost more than £200m, has so far made 55 recommendations on improving the UK’s preparedness for future pandemics.