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Former wellness caput Matt Hancock has been accused of insulting the "memory of each and each idiosyncratic who died" implicit his statement of the mode patients were discharged into attraction homes during the COVID pandemic.
Speaking astatine the inquiry into the government's handling of the crisis, Mr Hancock said discharging patients from hospitals to attraction homes successful the aboriginal stages of the pandemic was "the least-worst decision" astatine the time.
"It was formally a authorities decision," helium added. "It was signed disconnected by the premier minister. It was truly driven by Simon Stevens, the main enforcement of the NHS, but it was wide discussed.
"Nobody has yet provided maine with an alternate that was disposable astatine the clip that would person saved much lives."
When the pandemic deed successful aboriginal 2020, infirmary patients were rapidly discharged into attraction homes successful a bid to escaped up beds and forestall the NHS from becoming overwhelmed.
But determination was nary argumentation successful spot requiring patients to beryllium tested for COVID earlier admission, oregon for asymptomatic patients to isolate, until mid-April - contempt increasing consciousness of the risks of radical without symptoms spreading the virus.
The High Court ruled successful 2022 that authorities policies connected discharging infirmary patients into attraction homes astatine the commencement of the pandemic were "unlawful".
Nicola Brook, a solicitor for much than 7,000 families from COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said Mr Hancock's assertion that the argumentation had been the least-worst determination disposable was "an insult to the representation of each and each idiosyncratic who died".
She added: "He knew astatine the clip that galore attraction homes did not person the quality to isolate the radical who would beryllium discharged from infirmary and that COVID was airborne."
No apology oregon empathy from Hancock
Matt Hancock has fixed grounds to the COVID enquiry galore times before. He has been accused of being combative, bullish and insensitive.
Wednesday's quality volition bash thing to diminish that criticism.
This module deals specifically with attraction homes.
The government's determination to let mostly untested patients into attraction homes with their colonisation of elderly, susceptible residents is wide seen arsenic its astir arguable determination during the wellness emergency.
It resulted successful the deaths of thousands of attraction location residents.
At the time, addressing the state during a Downing Street property conference, Mr Hancock said a protective ringing had been thrown astir attraction homes.
When challenged connected that connection today, the erstwhile wellness caput said it was "rhetoric".
He had tried, helium said. But it was impossible.
Mr Hancock told the enquiry it was not his determination but a corporate 1 that helium was charged with enforcing.
He stressed respective times it was the "least worst option" due to the fact that if helium had not acted to make capableness successful hospitals by transferring patients, the NHS would person been overwhelmed.
When challenged with grounds presented to the enquiry that Mr Hancock "lied astir the situation" and helium had near older radical to beryllium "culled" due to the fact that they could nary longer lend to society, Mr Hancock simply countered by saying helium had had radical successful interaction astatine the clip thanking him for his efforts.
And this was said to an enquiry country wherever radical who had mislaid loved ones successful attraction homes sat hardly a fewer feet away.
No contrition. No apology. No empathy.
'We were successful bleak circumstances'
Mr Hancock, who offered nary apology astatine the inquiry, became wellness caput successful 2018.
He resigned from the Conservative authorities successful 2021 aft admitting to breaking societal distancing guidance by having an matter with a colleague.
He added: "We were trying to bash everything that we perchance could, we were successful bleak circumstances."
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The enquiry has antecedently heard determination were much than 43,000 deaths involving the microorganism successful attraction homes crossed the UK betwixt March 2020 and July 2022.
A civilian servant was quoted earlier this week describing the fig arsenic a "generational slaughter wrong attraction homes".
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Sharon Cook, whose parents were surviving successful a attraction location erstwhile the pandemic struck, said determination was a "lot of confusion" astir the guidance astatine the time.
She told Sky News her parent tested affirmative for COVID and died 3 days later.
She was allowed into the attraction location to archer her father, who had dementia, but aft 1 visit, she was prevented from returning.
A week later, her begetter died and erstwhile she went to the attraction home, she was told they had not attempted to resuscitate him.
When she asked why, they showed her a DNAR (Do Not Attempt Resuscitation) form, which, they said, "had been successful consultation with me".
"If they'd been utilizing the due form, a much up-to-date form, I would person had to countersign," she said.
"So I would person seen that, and past I could person exercised his close to person a 2nd opinion.
"So I'll ne'er cognize if helium would person survived, oregon not, but determination was surely a batch of disorder astir attraction homes astatine the clip that the guidance was being given.
"And erstwhile I went backmost 3 months aboriginal to sermon what had happened, they really said, 'oh, our mistake, we should person really fto you in.
"If I'd been fto in, would my dada inactive beryllium with me? I don't know."
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