A damning verdict on the care sectorpublished at 16:34 BST

16:34 BST

Nick Triggle
Health correspondent

Within weeks of the pandemic starting, questions were being asked about how well care homes were being protected.

It soon became clear there were significant numbers of deaths and workers were struggling to get hold of PPE or tests.

So this was always likely to be a damning and emotional report.

The 287-page report, the sixth of the Covid inquiry, sets out the distress of staff and anguish of loved ones as the virus ripped through care homes.

The language is hard-hitting. The report talks of "devastating consequences" and the care sector being an "afterthought".

The message is clear - those relying and those working in the care sector were failed. And failed on a huge scale.

It is what most expected. But this report goes beyond just the pandemic response.

It sets out how the sector was already vulnerable and, in doing so, makes a case for wider reform – something the government has already promised through the creation of a universal care system that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said is one of his key priorities.

• We're now ending our live coverage, you can read more in my full story and take a look at the key takeaways from the report

Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

Today, the sixth report of the Covid inquiry was released. It found the care sector appeared to be "something of an afterthought" during the early stages of the pandemic.

It said failings, including PPE shortages and major policy decisions, created an environment in care settings where the virus could "spread like wildfire".

More than 43,000 care home residents died between March 2020 and July 2022 as a result of the virus.

The report issued eight recommendations about how to better protect the adult social care sector during an outbreak. This includes pandemic planning, guidance on visiting restrictions and establishing mandatory end-of-life care training for health and social care workers.

Matt Hancock's claims of a "protective ring" being put around care homes at the start of covid were unfounded, the report said. Campaigner Jean Adamson described Hancock's assertion as a "cruel lie".

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to use the findings to develop his previously announced national care service, as well as an "action plan" in case of a future pandemic.

Before we bring our live coverage to an end, our health correspondent will talk us through what the damning findings mean for the wider care sector.

Recommendations have been made, but will anything change?published at 16:04 BST

16:04 BST

Joe McFadden
Health reporter

Over six reports - and with four more still to go - the Covid inquiry has set out its key findings and recommendations on the UK government's response to the pandemic.

These have largely been critical - last November the inquiry described the response as "too little, too late", and today it said the care sector was treated as an "afterthought".

Numerous recommendations have been made for each module so far, with Baroness Hallett calling on the government to implement them as soon as possible. PM Andy Burnham has promised to integrate them into the government’s pandemic action plan.

But can these recommended reforms change the way the public views the response?

Judging from today’s reactions it's unlikely to move the needle.

Jean Adamson, whose father died in April 2020, called the government's decision to discharge hospital patients into care homes "a death sentence", while one MP said there was a "whole cascade of poor decisions" taken during the pandemic.

But, with memories of the pandemic - and the anger they bring - unlikely to fade anytime soon, it may not be until the next pandemic if we know whether these recommendations are listened to and - most importantly - make a difference.

Nick Triggle
Health correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The sixth report of the Covid inquiry is highly critical of the way the government tried to protect people in care settings in the UK.

It found action to protect the approximated 500,000 people living in care homes at the start of the pandemic came too late, causing devastating consequences.

What does the report say?

No "protective ring": At the start of the pandemic, the then-health secretary Matt Hancock said the UK government had placed "a protective ring" around care homes. Citing a catalogue of failings, the report says this was not the case and that the care sector appeared to be "something of an afterthought".

Long-standing weaknesses: High level staff vacancies and turnover, financial pressures and a fragmented system all undermined the ability of the sector to respond to the pandemic, the inquiry says. These weakness were exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic.

Visiting restrictions: Precautionary steps taken to restrict visiting, as part of infection control, went too far according to the report. Evidence suggested visitors posed a "marginal risk", as staff were judged to be the key entry point for infections.

Do not resucutate orders: The inquiry says it heard evidence of GPs imposing blanket do not resuscitate orders (DNACPR) on care home residents and pointed to records showing a sharp increase in orders being put in place.

'Deep distress': Staff told the inquiry of the deep distress they suffered. Seeing so many residents die placed an enormous strain on workers, who often had to provide end-of-life care to multiple people at the same time.

• Read my full breakdown of the key takeaways from the Covid report on care homes

Action taken on care homes in the early pandemicpublished at 15:42 BST

15:42 BST

By Tom Edgington

Claims from ministers there was a "protective ring" around care homes at the start of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic were unfounded, chair inquiry Baroness Hallett said earlier.

There were more than 43,000 recorded deaths involving Covid in care homes between March 2020 and July 2022.

Here's a reminder of action the government took early in the pandemic:

19 March: NHS guidance at the time said, "unless required to be in hospital, patients must not remain in an NHS bed". This policy was implemented to free up beds in advance of an expected surge in Covid patients.

2 April: Rules on discharging patients to care homes were clarified, "negative tests are not required prior to transfers/admissions into the care home".

2 April: The Department of Health and Social Care advised people not to visit care homes, "except next of kin in exceptional situations such as end of life".

15 April: The government announced all patients discharged from hospital would be tested for Covid as well as all care home residents with Covid symptoms.

By this time, an estimated 25,000 patients had been discharged to care homes.

28 April: Testing was extended to all care staff and residents, regardless of whether they had symptoms. It's important to remember that early in the pandemic it wasn't widely understood that people who didn't have symptoms could pass on coronavirus.

• You can read more about what happened to care homes during the pandemic here

Image source, Getty Images

Prime Minister Andy Burnham says the government is "committed to learning the lessons" from today's report and has pledged to use the findings to develop an "action plan" in case of a future pandemic.

Similarly, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper says a "full response" will be provided by the government soon, and that she agrees with Baroness Hallett - the inquiry's chair - that the social care sector was "undervalued and under-recognised" for too long.

Health Committee Chair Layla Moran tells the BBC that the NHS and social care need to be on equal footing, and that the government would be "foolhardy" not to heed all the warnings given in the report.

The then-health secretary Matt Hancock declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

Image source, Getty Images

Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice campaigner Jean Adamson - whose father died in April 2020 - says the social care system is "still not built for purpose".

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams highlights the "big price" care workers paid during the pandemic in her response, explaining that the government and the NHS were "playing catch-up" in a situation where social care was a "second-class citizen".

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

Matthew Fowler, the co-founder of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, tells me the inquiry's latest findings "vindicate" the group's efforts.

"I think first and foremost they vindicate everything that the we have been saying for the last six years," says Fowler, who lost his father Ian to Covid in April 2020.

"To see these things written in black and white, and stated as fact, it means a lot to us," he says, adding that "so many" of the group's members have lost loved ones in the care system.

"I dread to think how many people across the country felt as if they had been entirely let down and failed by the government over the course of the pandemic," he adds.

On the recommendations made in the report, Fowler says it is "crucially important" the government starts making "tangible changes" - adding that so far it is "only on track to implement around 20%" of the recommendations made previously in the inquiry.

"I've often said that if my dad's death is what it took to to learn these lessons and to save other people, then I can accept that... ultimately it's down to the government to actually make the change," he adds.

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland health correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

In Scotland, the decision to move patients from hospitals to care homes without testing was taken by the late health secretary Jeanne Freeman.

In 2024, she told the inquiry that she would regret "for the rest of my life" any deaths in care homes caused by the government’s action or inaction.

But she said there were also risks in keeping people in hospital while the virus spread, and Baroness Hallett acknowledges this was "an unenviable choice".

Hallett's report criticises Scottish ministers, alongside the UK and other devolved governments, for failing to advise isolation in care homes for patients discharged from hospital to free up beds, allowing the virus to "spread like wildfire".

In Scotland, 3,595 patients were discharged to care homes between 1 March and 21 April 2020 - and 82% of them had not been tested for Covid-19. Among care home residents, 4,292 deaths named the virus on the death certificate between 2020 and 2022.

And here - as in the other nations - the inquiry found the care sector was treated as "an afterthought", and that action to protect workers and users of care came too late.

Susie Forrest
Health producer, BBC Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Baroness Hallett highlights the introduction of Anne's Law in Scotland as a positive step, and recommends that the UK and Welsh governments and Northern Ireland Executive should consider similar regulations or guidance.

Two years after the first pandemic lockdown, the law changed in Scotland to allow residents to choose a relative or friend who could visit for essential care during an outbreak.

It was named after Anne Duke who was cut off from her family for months while battling early-onset dementia, and died in November 2021, aged 63.

The law recognises that stopping visits often causes serious harm to a resident’s health or wellbeing, and says each individual’s needs and circumstances must be taken into account.

Baroness Hallett says this has ensured that visits can only be suspended if it's essential to prevent a risk to life, health or wellbeing, including during any future pandemic, and that visiting must be allowed to continue at the end of life.

Eamonn O’Brien, chair of the Local Government Association (LGA), says it is "essential" the care sector is adequately funded following today's Covid inquiry report.

He adds it is "absolutely vital" that nobody is discharged into care settings "where clinically vulnerable people live" without robust guidance.

The findings, O'Brien says, offer an "important opportunity to ensure lessons are learned".

He says the experience of care providers, the NHS and local partners "must be at the heart of planning for any future pandemic" along with "those with lived experience of care".

Care workers "paid a big price" for their courage and commitment during the pandemic, the director of charity for older people Age UK has said.

Caroline Abrahams, who was a witness for the Covid inquiry in 2025, tells BBC News the government and NHS were "playing catch up" during the pandemic against a background where social care was a "second-class citizen".

"If you go into a pandemic and then try and do your planning, it's just too late," she says.

Abrahams says the government is "committed to creating a national care service", adding how Baroness Casey responds to today's findings in her review of adult social care is "really the key".

Image source, PA Media

Andy Burnham says the government is "committed to learning the lessons" from today's report and has pledged to use the findings to develop an "action plan" in case of a future pandemic.

The prime minister says he recognises the "pain and suffering caused by the pandemic" alongside the lasting impact it continues to have on many people, adding he is "acutely aware" of the experiences of people receiving and providing care during the pandemic.

He also pays tribute to family and friends who provided support and the professionalism shown by staff and volunteers working in adult social care.

"We will use these findings to continue development of our Adult Social Care Pandemic Action Plan," he says.

He says his vision for his previously announced national care service will be "person-centred, highly integrated with health services and preventative in its character".

The government would be "foolhardy" not to heed every recommendation and warning given by today's report, the chair of the health and social care select committee has said.

Layla Moran MP says there was a "whole cascade of poor decisions" taken at the time of the pandemic.

She tells BBC News that the NHS and social care system need to be put on an equal footing: "That's the thing that we need to put right with the right people in charge."

The MP says social care is at the top of the agenda for her committee members and she wants the government to come up with a plan sooner.

She adds the focus of Prime Minister Andy Burnham is on social care.

"Unless we can come round the table and decide how it's all going to be paid for, yet again it's not going to happen and that is not acceptable. We cannot have this situation any more."

Image source, Getty Images

While reaction to the report continues to come in, here is a quick recap of the shortages and policy decisions that saw the virus spread in care settings:

• Government action to protect care home residents and workers came too late, appearing as an afterthought, and the bandied claim of a "protective ring" was "unfounded"
• There was a shortage of PPE with carers often having to resort to homemade protection, such as painting overalls and rain ponchos and bin bags, which was "wholly unacceptable"
• Hospital patients were being discharged to care homes without being tested for Covid-19 - this wasn't given as a recommendation in guidance which the report says was "a significant omission"
• Discussions on orders against resuscitation, known as DNACPRs, "were rushed or non-existent", with doctors imposing blanket orders on care home residents
• Barring people from visiting loved ones in care settings resulted in isolation and "immense emotional harm"
• Better planning and training was and is needed so that the country is better placed should another pandemic hit
• The report also included eight recommendations - read those here

Andrew Rogers
BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Phoenix

Phoenix Green, 24, started working as a care assistant during the pandemic when she was 18.

One of the things the report raised was problems with isolation and people in care homes not being allowed to have visits from friends or family.

Reacting to the report's release, she says: "I think with these vulnerable people, family members should have been able to visit, obviously with limitations.

"It was a shame to separate them from their families so much, it’s very important for people with dementia that they do stay in contact with their family."

Some have questioned the cost and length of the Covid Inquiry but Phoenix thinks it was "definitely worth" looking into the care sector.

"We needed a lot more support at the time with what we were going through," she says. "I am shocked it’s happened so late but it needed to be looked into so this doesn’t happen again."

Ahead of the report, she told Newsbeat that carers "didn’t know what you were going to be walking into".

“A lot of care companies didn’t really disclose whether the clients had Covid or not, you were walking into houses full of PPE not knowing what you were going to be bringing home.

“It was quite scary as an 18 and 19 year old going through this, you didn’t really know what to expect, it was terrifying really.”

Image source, Downing Street

Speaking in May 2020, in the first few months of the pandemic, former health secretary Matt Hancock announced at a Covid briefing that "right from the start, we've tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes".

He defended this claim while speaking to the Covid Inquiry in 2025, stating that he "had to act with the tools that I had and that's what I did".

Hancock was responsible for care services in England. There were more than 43,000 recorded deaths involving Covid in care homes across the UK between March 2020 and July 2022.

During the inquiry, Nicola Brook, a lawyer representing bereaved families, told the ex-health secretary it was "frankly ridiculous and insulting that he says they tried to throw a protective ring around care homes when his department's policies caused Covid to spread like wildfire".

Hancock acknowledged the decision to discharge patients from hospitals into care homes when testing was not available was an "incredibly contentious issue".

However, he described it as the "the least worst solution" available at the time.

Today, the report said claims of a protective ring were "unfounded".

The national officer of the GMB says carers from the union were "left vulnerable and terribly exposed" during the pandemic which saw "care homes turned into morgues".

Natalie Grayson says the recommendations from today's report "fall short of the root and branch reform our care sector needs" but adds this was always outside of the remit of the inquiry.

She praises the report for recognising the "incredible contribution" care staff made in trying to keep the most vulnerable members of society alive, and for the respect they treated them with in their final hours.

Grayson adds: "We look forward to working with the government to enact the recommendations that have been made."

Joe McFadden
Health reporter

The inquiry has made eight key recommendations about how to better protect the adult social care sector during an outbreak.

The chair expects the government to implement these now so the sector is more prepared in the event of another pandemic. They are:

1. Improving arrangements for pandemic planning to ensure clearer structure, roles and responsibilities
2. Better planning for the safe isolation of care home residents
3. Implementing financial support schemes to support adult social care staff to self-isolate or to limit staff movement
4. Publishing guidance on visiting restrictions
5. Maintaining inspection and oversight to enable inspections to continue
6. Improving the collection of data about deaths in the adult social care sector
7. Establishing mandatory end-of-life care training for health and social care workers
8. Introducing a voluntary register for the social care workforce in England - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have such registers in place

Image source, PA Media

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper says the government will provide a "full response" to the report’s recommendations "in due course".

Speaking in the Commons, Cooper says she agrees with the inquiry's chair, Baroness Hallett, that social care has been "undervalued and under-recognised" for too long.

“My thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones in the pandemic, and especially those who endured the immense distress and harm of visiting restrictions in care homes, which meant they could not be with loved ones even as they died," she adds.

She says the report found that the social care sector was "insufficiently prepared for a pandemic" and that it was "too often treated as an afterthought" compared to the NHS.

“We will provide a full response to the report’s recommendations in due course."

Continuing to speak after the release of today's report, Jean Adamson says she was only able to visit her father, Aldrick, through his care home window when he had covid before he died on 15 April 2020.

She says: "Like so many thousands, he died alone. Isolated, a victim of covid but also a victim of government negligence."

The campaigner says the social care system is "too difficult for politicians to reform" and "too easy to ignore".

She says reforms to the social care system cannot wait and it is "still not built for purpose".

"We need urgent action to prevent another tragedy like this from ever happening again."