Vile and insulting boast by Health Secretary about ‘success’ of spare NHS coronavirus capacity as hidden horror continues in UK care homes

Pompous and boasting: Matt Hancock

Health Secretary Matt Hancock boasted during last night’s televised daily press farce of his ‘success’ in his claim that the NHS has had ‘spare’ capacity to treat coronavirus victims ‘throughout’ the UK epidemic – and that nobody has been unable to get NHS treatment who needs it.

And he did it again this morning in televised interviews – claiming that the NHS has ‘record’ spare capacity of over 2,000 beds. He was challenged on ITV, but the BBC simply amplified his claims.

‘Spare capacity’?

So why, Hancock, are thousands of people – believed to be as many again as have been reported in the official coronavirus death toll – dying in care homes, after either being refused admission or being sent back to care homes in spite of testing positive?

The UK government does not include deaths outside hospitals in its official figures. But data from five European countries that do include deaths in care homes show that as many people – and in some cases more – die in care homes as in hospitals:

Given the appalling lack of preparedness of the Tory government, it is unimaginable that the situation is any better in the UK – which means that the real death toll in this country is nearing 30,000, not including deaths of people in their own home.

The second-highest in the world behind only the US, in spite of having weeks longer to prepare than Spain and Italy.

At least two thousand UK care homes have reported coronavirus outbreaks – with many of them suffering double-figure deaths among their residents.

Thousands upon thousands of people not able to access hospital treatment because government-imposed policies deny it to them – and huge numbers dying.

Around 13,000 hidden deaths, perhaps even more, in care homes not equipped to treat them – or to prevent other residents becoming infected – while thousands of NHS coronavirus beds lay empty.

And Hancock is boasting about keeping hospital beds empty – and calling it a ‘success’.

There must be criminal trials, not just an enquiry.

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