Covid patients sent to care homes in Coventry and Warwickshire to free up hospital beds

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The council's director in charge said there have been no issues in the scheme



Eighty-nine hospital patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been placed into care homes and other settings by Coventry City Council since April.

Director of Adult Services Pete Fahy said it helps free up hospital beds, however concern has been raised that families of residents living in the care homes have not been informed of the practice.

Cllr Rachel Lancaster told a health and social care scrutiny board last week that it had created ‘unnecessary worry’ amongst families.

She said: “I have had issues from residents that have had family members in homes where people who have had Covid have been returned to.

“Residents haven’t known about this because the issue is the care homes aren’t telling the residents and their families.”

She also claimed Covid-positive patients had been sent to other non-designated ‘blue bed’ care homes, although the city council has refuted this.

Mr Fahy said it is the responsibility of care homes to alert families, but he assured there has been “no issue whatsoever” of transmission to other patients.