COVID-19 Inquiry Continues to Examine Care Sector Impact
The inquiry has continued this week examining the impact of the pandemic on care services for elderly and disabled people.
Healthcare professionals working in residential and nursing care settings during the pandemic experienced significant moral distress and encountered severe staffing shortages that compromised care quality, according to testimony heard by the COVID-19 inquiry.
Reverend Charlotte Hudd, a registered nurse who worked at a care home during the pandemic, provided compelling testimony about her experiences during this challenging period. The inquiry heard how she was forced to move into the care home indefinitely where she worked, becoming the sole remaining nurse after five colleagues tested positive for COVID-19.
For ten consecutive days, she was responsible for approximately 20 residents with complex care needs, working entirely alone. She described the mounting pressure, stating that each time she attempted to reorganise staff schedules, the situation deteriorated further as more team members became unavailable. The realisation that she was the only qualified nurse left created an atmosphere of overwhelming responsibility and fear.
The emotional toll was severe. Working through the night at 3am, she felt compelled to write down her final wishes and a “do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” instruction on a card, recognising that if she became ill or incapacitated, there would be no one available to provide assistance.
Long-term Health Consequences
The registered nurse and ordained minister now lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and long COVID as a result of her pandemic experiences. She worked continuously around the clock to maintain care standards but was ultimately forced to leave her position in June 2021 due to the severe impact on her physical and mental wellbeing.
Safeguarding Concerns and Resource Shortages
Reverand Hudd spoke candidly about the moral distress she experienced during the staffing crisis. She took the unprecedented step of raising a safeguarding alert concerning her own situation, recognising that the circumstances created genuine risks to resident welfare. She explained that with insufficient staff, there was potential for harm through omission – delays in continence care, repositioning, nutrition, medication administration, and other essential aspects of quality care.
Working as a single person with numerous responsibilities, she acknowledged the increased risk of medication errors and felt compelled to formally declare that neglect was occurring due to circumstances beyond her control – a decision she found particularly distressing.
The inquiry also heard about critical shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). Care home staff were forced to create makeshift protective gowns from bed sheets and store their limited supply of masks in freezer bags between shifts to enable reuse. As Charlotte explained, they had to improvise with whatever resources were available.
Professional Body Representation
Module 6 of the COVID-19 Inquiry opened in December 2023, with public hearings scheduled from Monday 30 June until Thursday 31 July 2025. The module specifically investigates how government decision-making affected those living and working in care settings during the pandemic.
RCN Barrister Gerry Boyle KC delivered opening remarks on Monday, emphasising that nursing should be recognised as a valuable profession requiring investment rather than being viewed as a cost burden. He highlighted workplace capacity issues, staff shortages, the disparity in treatment between social care and NHS settings, and the broader impact on nursing professionals.
Addressing the pandemic’s consequences, he noted that many healthcare workers lost their lives simply by reporting to work, while others lost their careers due to mental health impacts. Many continue to struggle with long COVID effects that have compromised their ability to work and serve the public – consequences that must be prevented in future crises.
Former Health Secretary’s Testimony
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock also appeared before the inquiry this week, defending the controversial decision to discharge hospital patients into care homes during the early pandemic period as the “least worst decision” at the time. In his testimony, Hancock defended the decision – which was later ruled illegal in a high court judgment – to move hospital patients into care homes during the early weeks of the pandemic to free up space.
The inquiry continues to examine the complex decisions made during the pandemic and their lasting impact on the care sector, with testimony from various stakeholders providing crucial insights into the challenges faced by those working in and receiving care during this unprecedented period.
