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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-61227709
Government policies on discharging patients from hospital to care homes at the start of the Covid pandemic have been ruled unlawful by the High Court.
The ruling comes after two women took the former health secretary and Public Health England to court, saying Covid patients were discharged from hospitals back to care homes without testing.
Dr Cathy Gardner and Fay Harris, said it caused a "shocking death toll".
The government had said it "worked tirelessly" to protect the public.
Michael Gibson was 88 when he died on 3 April 2020 while living in a home in Oxfordshire during the UK's first lockdown.
His cause of death was given as "suspected Covid" after the home took in a patient discharged from a hospital with the virus.
His daughter, Dr Gardner, 60, from Sidmouth, Devon, said she "believed all along that my father and other residents of care homes were neglected and let down by the government".
The independent district councillor with a PhD in virology said: "The High Court has now vindicated that belief, and our campaign to expose the truth.
"It is also now clear that Matt Hancock's claim that the government threw a protective ring around care homes in the first wave of the pandemic was nothing more than a despicable lie of which he ought to be ashamed and for which he ought to apologise."
She also said Prime Minister Boris Johnson should resign in the wake of the ruling.
The women claimed key policies of discharging patients from hospitals into care homes were implemented with no testing and no suitable isolation arrangements in the homes.
The High Court said the policies failed to take into account the risk to elderly and vulnerable residents from non-symptomatic transmission of the virus.
The women partially succeeded in claims against the health secretary and Public Health England.
In their ruling, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham concluded that, despite there being "growing awareness" of the risk of asymptomatic transmission throughout March 2020, there was no evidence that then Health Secretary Matt Hancock addressed the issue of the risk to care home residents of such transmission.
However, the judges rejected other claims made under human rights legislation, and against NHS England.
Before the ruling was announced the government had said: "Every death is a tragedy and we worked tirelessly to protect the public from the threat to life and health posed by the pandemic and specifically sought to safeguard care homes and their residents."
Government policies on discharging patients from hospital to care homes at the start of the Covid pandemic have been ruled unlawful by the High Court.
The ruling comes after two women took the former health secretary and Public Health England to court, saying Covid patients were discharged from hospitals back to care homes without testing.
Dr Cathy Gardner and Fay Harris, said it caused a "shocking death toll".
The government had said it "worked tirelessly" to protect the public.
Michael Gibson was 88 when he died on 3 April 2020 while living in a home in Oxfordshire during the UK's first lockdown.
His cause of death was given as "suspected Covid" after the home took in a patient discharged from a hospital with the virus.
His daughter, Dr Gardner, 60, from Sidmouth, Devon, said she "believed all along that my father and other residents of care homes were neglected and let down by the government".
The independent district councillor with a PhD in virology said: "The High Court has now vindicated that belief, and our campaign to expose the truth.
"It is also now clear that Matt Hancock's claim that the government threw a protective ring around care homes in the first wave of the pandemic was nothing more than a despicable lie of which he ought to be ashamed and for which he ought to apologise."
She also said Prime Minister Boris Johnson should resign in the wake of the ruling.
The women claimed key policies of discharging patients from hospitals into care homes were implemented with no testing and no suitable isolation arrangements in the homes.
The High Court said the policies failed to take into account the risk to elderly and vulnerable residents from non-symptomatic transmission of the virus.
The women partially succeeded in claims against the health secretary and Public Health England.
In their ruling, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham concluded that, despite there being "growing awareness" of the risk of asymptomatic transmission throughout March 2020, there was no evidence that then Health Secretary Matt Hancock addressed the issue of the risk to care home residents of such transmission.
However, the judges rejected other claims made under human rights legislation, and against NHS England.
Before the ruling was announced the government had said: "Every death is a tragedy and we worked tirelessly to protect the public from the threat to life and health posed by the pandemic and specifically sought to safeguard care homes and their residents."
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Replies: 76
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Similar situation in New York and all over the world.
The treatment of older people who needed protection from Covid during this situation has been awful. |
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yet more law breaking by Johnson & the Tories?
the penalty for killing 1,000's is.... nuffing |
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This is the government distraction from the Midazolam scandal it couldn't be more obvious.
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yet more law breaking by Johnson & the Tories?
Yes , Ferguson of the North will also be bang in trouble ,done the same thing . No mention on the BBC of her I notice . |
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His daughter, Dr Gardner, 60
Would she not have gone and got him out of the Care home , Why was he in there ? |
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No law was broken
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caused a "shocking death toll "
Radiohead - No Surprises Reminder.. Top tip.. Don't put sick people into care homes Predictable |
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Did the Gov tell the hospitals to empty the wards of old folk, or did the NHS tell the Gov we need to empty these wards? Important point surely.
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Escapee
yet more law breaking by Johnson & the Tories? Why single them out when this happened throughout the UK. Thousands died up here in Scotland. And nobody broke any laws either. |
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A fair question Saddo,would an answer in part from recollection be the large numbers in the 1st couple of waves needed a quick 'turnaround' in hospitals,they hadn't capacity as the nightingales were being built.
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Maybe people should look after their parents, rather than shove them into these death holes, staffed by 3rd world mercenaries
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staffed by 3rd world mercenaries
You really think somebody on minimum wage is a mercenary? Says a lot about you |
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Escapee
yet more law breaking by Johnson & the Tories? Why single them out when this happened throughout the UK. Sounds like you agree! No need to single any of them out! |
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Why single them out when this happened throughout the UK.
Thousands died up here in Scotland. And nobody broke any laws either. Thats my full post WD. Of course if you'd posted it in full you wouldn't have been able to respond the way you did. |
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apols!
So you are happy with Krankie and her Government response? |
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I don't expect Sturgeon Freeman or any other British politician to be experts in this field.
Accepting that they, in the main, would have followed the scientific advice. If the Inquiry finds otherwise then thats a different situation. Saddos question is also crucial. Did the Gov tell the hospitals to empty the wards of old folk, or did the NHS tell the Gov we need to empty these wards? Important point surely. |
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I wouldn't have thought the NHS would allow the government to dictate to them in what was clearly a medical matter.
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I agree with that Bula but who the feck knows what the truth is. HS are guilty of cover ups too!
This is why the truth matters! |
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very sad all these deaths of covid and related illnesses - would these poor victims be the ones who were dumped by their relatives in the care homes in the first place?
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I genuinely don't think that the assemblies or the government did anything that they knew to be detrimental to peoples well-being.
None were experts and all were acting on advice given. I also think the use, or should that be misuse, of public money will attract the most criticism. For instance this report from Audit Scotland. 17 Mar 2022 — AUDITORS say they've been unable to properly analyse nearly £5 billion of Scottish Government Covid-19 funding because of a “data gap”. |
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would these poor victims be the ones who were dumped by their relatives in the care homes in the first place?
Do you think that residents in old peoples homes are found dumped in tesco's moisok? You comment is exceptionally ignorant and shameful, even for you! |
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Is saddo's question that relevant really? I actually agree with sticky for once
 in that I've heard it was a top down measure. However, whichever way round the only valid point is ensuring those sent out to care homes weren't positive and ready to infect the population there. If the bed blockers were negative then I'm all for them being sent back to the care home. Undoubtedly would have been the right move. Don't care who authorised it ultimately.The salient point was in not testing these people before them leaving to check they weren't going to seed the virus. That was just negligence. |
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Some of those in hospital were not on visit
from care home. Given dnr notices, Shameful. |
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no wd but I wonder at the people whinging are the people who DUMPED their elderly in the homes - got to get them out of the way so they don't upset their routine - total hypocrisy - ' your comment is exceptionally ignorant and shameful even for you'
you love to get your personal insults in early wd - must be losing the argument if you resort to that is this the usual way of the progressives narrative? |
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Theres no way out of this without bloodshed
Theyll continue to poke until that happens |
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I can only assume moysey's kids are already experts in treating dementia patients so he's in good hands.
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no wonder the progs on here are in a bad mood and acting up with their barbs and insults - they are wetting themselves at the thought of their Twitter accounts being cancelled ho ho
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saddo • April 27, 2022 2:34 PM BST
Did the Gov tell the hospitals to empty the wards of old folk, or did the NHS tell the Gov we need to empty these wards? Important point surely. it was government policy, there were two documents basically telling hospitals to kick people out. i dont have them anymore but it was shocking how little care there was for what would inevitably follow. the hapless hancock is responsible- https://davidallengreen.com/2022/04/the-key-paragraph-in-the-significant-covid-and-care-homes-judgment/ the comments are worth reading too. |
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Whilst I blame the politicians, there must
have been advice from somewhere for all 3 governments to carry out this policy. I guess that will come out at a full inquiry. Still, common sense should have kicked in that this was dreadful policy. |
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The politicians have always maintained they have followed the science, I have some doubt that they decided to empty hospitals without consultation with the NHS(science)
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Never forgive,never forget i'm telling my 10 year old son in bits and pieces just so he reaizes how evil these people are..before MSM get's their brainwashing into him and believing their appeasement..
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Never forgive,never forget i'm telling my 10 year old son in bits and pieces just so he reaizes how evil these people are..before MSM get's their brainwashing into him and believing their appeasement..
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Did your 10 year old son support the restrictions/lockdowns/scary rhetoric in order to put fear into people ?
Would he have it all over again just to save old,fat and unhealthy people at his own cost ? |
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I think what the lockdowns achieved was saving lives and making everyone feel safer.
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I see
Most people I know would wholeheartedly disagree with you but then again you have your firm unwavered views and trust in officialdom/science like the baa lambs they so desire... What about the cost of lockdowns punter , the negatives ? |
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The mental disorders especially ... plain to see where I'm from
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