In the first wave of COVID-19, care homes suffered a massive, disproportionate death toll, 30,000 excess deaths. Now infections are rising again, the government are set to repeat the same failures by discharging COVID-19 positive patients into care homes. We demand that this policy is changed: only COVID-19 negative patients should be sent into care homes. People testing positive and recovering from infection should be in a hospital that can support them. If additional capacity is needed, Nightingale hospitals can provide a nursing home environment. This keeps the infection isolated from the wider care home population and protects them and the staff from risk of infection.

Note: The Government's Winter Crisis Guidance says they will ask care homes to take COVID-19 positive patients in a repeat of the failures of the first wave. To make this seem more popular they are saying they will provide free PPE. Neither of these measures will properly protect care home residents and staff. Homes already feel pressure to take COVID-19-positive patients, and the government's record of PPE provision is of unreliability and shortages.

Please sign and share this petition to protect care home residents and staff.