UK Covid Inquiry says failures let virus spread 'like wildfire' in care homes
Government failures created environments in care settings where Covid could spread "like wildfire", the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has found. Inquiry chair Heather Hallett said the adult social care sector was "something of an afterthought" during the pandemic.
The findings were published on 20 October 2026 in a report on adult social care and residential homes, the sixth of 10 planned reports from the inquiry. More than 43,000 people died from Covid-19 in UK care homes between March 2020 and July 2022. The Guardian
Hallett said it was a "significant omission" that the government did not advise that patients discharged from hospitals into care homes should be isolated. About 25,000 hospital patients were moved into care homes across England in March and April 2020 to free up NHS bed space, before mandatory testing was introduced on 15 April 2020.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock gave evidence to the inquiry taking responsibility for the decision to discharge untested hospital patients into care homes, calling it the "least worst decision to a terrible problem". The High Court later ruled that discharging untested patients into care homes was unlawful, a ruling the government said on 4 May 2022 it would not appeal. Hallett rejected Hancock's claim that he threw a "protective ring" around care homes from the start of the pandemic, calling it "unfounded". The Guardian
Hallett described the lack of personal protective equipment for care home staff as "wholly unacceptable". Her report makes eight key recommendations, including better pandemic planning, financial support to help social care staff self-isolate, guidance on visiting restrictions and better inspection during lockdowns.
The inquiry has cost more than £200 million, making it the country's most expensive public inquiry. It has so far made 55 recommendations on preparing for future pandemics.
The care report draws on Module 6, which investigated the impact of the pandemic on the publicly and privately funded adult social care sector in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The inquiry's Module 7 report on test, trace and isolate is scheduled for publication on 19 November. Its Every Story Matters listening project collected 58,000 experiences, and the inquiry has announced plans to loan the archive to a research environment at the UK Data Service. UK Covid-19 Inquiry
