Embattled Matt Hancock confronted recent calls tonight from bereaved households and care bosses to stop now over the previous people’ house scandal.
They demanded the Well being Secretary ought to step down within the wake of Dominic Cummings ’ bombshell proof to Parliament this week about Mr Hancock shunting hospital sufferers to care properties and not using a Covid check.
Labour MP Richard Burgon stated: “Matt Hancock ought to resign directly and if he doesn’t he needs to be sacked.
“So many misplaced their lives due to his reckless determination. That he thinks he can stick with it as if nothing has occurred is testimony to the callousness of this Authorities.”
David Crabtree, who noticed eight residents at his care properties die after being pressured to absorb contaminated hospital sufferers in West Yorkshire, stated: “Matt Hancock’s job was to guard us and our residents, he failed and he ought to go.”
From March 17 final 12 months, as the primary wave of the pandemic took maintain, 25,000 frail hospital sufferers have been despatched to care properties and not using a check.
Mr Hancock’s disastrous determination allowed the virus to seed within the deadliest of environments because the over-80 age group is probably the most weak to Covid-19
(Picture: PA)
On April 5, within the first of a collection of searing exposures, the Sunday Folks warned that care properties have been a Covid time bomb and needs to be shielded.
Ten days later the Division of Well being all of the sudden modified tack and stated sufferers being discharged into care properties needs to be examined.
However by then it was too late.
The catastrophic failure helped contribute to greater than 20,000 care house deaths linked to Covid within the first wave.
The PM’s former high aide Mr Cummings accused Mr Hancock of “categorically” telling Boris Johnson in March that hospital sufferers could be examined earlier than being discharged to care properties.
However the coverage was not put in place till the Prime Minister returned from his personal Covid hospital battle in mid-April.
Mr Johnson reportedly requested Mr Hancock: “What the hell occurred?” over testing.
Jo Goodman, co-founder of Covid-19 Bereaved Households for Justice, which represents 4,000 households who’ve misplaced family members, stated: “The image painted this week has been that the Authorities threw these in care properties to the wolves after which lied about it.
“There should be a right away inquiry into Matt Hancock’s dealing with for the complete fact to be uncovered.”
Care boss Mr Crabtree added: “If there’s any fact that he lied to Boris Johnson about testing sufferers earlier than they have been despatched to us, then he needs to be accomplished.”
Mr Hancock stated his recollection of occasions was that he solely promised to introduce testing when capability elevated. In response to Mr Cummings’s claims, he informed MPs: “We adopted the medical recommendation on the suitable means ahead.”
MP Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem well being spokeswoman, stated: “If Matt Hancock has been discovered to have lied to the Home of Commons he should go.”
Victims of the no-test coverage embody Bernard Kirton, 84, a former mayor in Whitnash, Warks, who fell ailing with Covid shortly after being despatched from Warwick hospital to a care house on April 2 final 12 months.
He died 5 days later.
In the course of the first wave, Mr Hancock repeatedly claimed he threw a “protecting ring” round care properties.
Mr Kirton’s daughter Fiona, 60, stated yesterday: “He’s a whole liar.”
Dennis Ely, 82, caught Covid after 5 hospital sufferers have been discharged into his Ipswich care house with out being examined. He died on Good Friday final 12 months.
His daughter Lisa, 48, stated: “Matt Hancock must go – my dad’s loss of life was preventable.”
Tonight the Division for Well being and Social Care stated: “The Well being and Social Care Secretary’s focus all through this pandemic has been on saving lives. Steering for the care sector was first printed in February 2020.
“Presently, the scientific understanding didn’t recommend asymptomatic people posed a major threat when it comes to transmission.
“These with signs would have been examined on admission or throughout a hospital keep and have been remoted accordingly.
“Additional steering was issued on 19 March 2020 setting out how we might proceed to help the secure discharge of people that now not wanted to remain in hospital.”
‘HANCOCK IS INCOMPETENT AND NEEDS TO GO’
Amos Waldman, 41, referred to as for Matt Hancock to go after dropping his grandmother to Covid.
Sheila Lamb, 94, whose son Nigelis Amos’s dad, died in a north London care house in April final 12 months.
Amos, a barrister from Heaton Chapel, Larger Manchester, stated: “Each time Matt Hancock mentions the protecting ring it’s like being punched within the intestine – as a result of it’s unfaithful.
“The one ring round care properties was to guard us from seeing the horror of what was happening. This rewriting of historical past issues me.”
The son of a girl who died of Covid in her care house 12 months in the past stated Matt Hancock should go.
Shocked Alan Wightman added as he mourned his mom Helen: “He has repeatedly informed untruths.
“We knew there was by no means a protecting ring round care properties and we all know from SAGE minutes that scientists warned on asymptomatic transmission as early as January 2020.
”Alan, 62, from Bedale, North Yorks, went on: “For Hancock to say he didn’t know is nonsense.
“They did know. They simply did nothing about it. Hancock is incompetent and may go.”