From a UK care home whistleblower

 UK Column News Special: Care Home Whistleblower

UKColumn

UKColumn was recently contacted by an experienced Care Home manager. The individual was deeply concerned about the effects of Covid 19 and vaccinations, on both staff and the elderly, within care facilities across the country. Finally their personal concern had reached the point where they felt the need to speak out to the wider public. However, due to likely management pressure and kick-back, and likely punitive action from within the broader Care system itself, they needed to do so as an anonymous whistleblower. We take it as a significant compliment that they chose come to the UKColumn to tell their story. As will become apparent in the interview with them, to speak out from within the UK Care System in 2021, carries risks to both your job, and professionally qualified status. In short, whistleblowers are at risk of losing their job, and may lose the ability to find care work elsewhere if this also impacts on their vital professional registration. Against this background we applaud this person for their courage in blowing the whistle and speaking the truth. Please join us in this UKColumn news special, where we hear first hand about the mindset of the social care system, which has reacted vigorously to implement the UK government's Covid 19 protection policies - to the point of being zealous. But despite strict adherence to the government's Covid protection arrangements, and diligent care work in general, it now emerges that elderly people who remained free of Covid for many weeks and months, became Covid positive following vaccinations. A pattern that was also to affect hardworking staff, who until then, had been clear of the illness. Significantly this pattern was being seen by managers across the country’s care system, and sickness amongst staff of course placed both the care system itself, and those staff still working, under greatly increased pressure. Our whistleblower stresses that far from being one or two odd cases, there was a “dramatic increase’ in Covid outbreaks after vaccinations. Asked if this related to one particular, or all of the three vaccines, they stated that they did not have precise information on this, but believed the Pfizer vaccine was the most likely culprit. Moreover there was “huge confusion in Covid testing and the reliability of results." The testing policy and results such as they are, were described as an “ever changing landscape,” in which little confidence could be placed. Questioned as to the route by which these observations and concerns could be passed into official professional channels, the whistleblower commented that whether the reporting channel was the CQC or the Professional Care body, there was a reluctance to hear bad news about the Covid 19 and vaccination policy as a whole. To the point the system which should have received and acted upon concerns, was described as having “tin ears.” It did not want to hear and would not hear. The whistleblower also added that “increasingly social care provision was no longer a question of the application of appropriate professional care decided upon by the carer themselves, but rather professional social carers were now treated as an 'Agent of the State’ to follow guidelines and procedures.” As we see Covid 19 deaths amongst the elderly increasing, with further mortality increases (for whatever reason) post vaccination, the picture provided by this individual of some 30 years professional care experience at high management level, is deeply worrying. Vulnerable elderly people are becoming sick and are dying, their hard pressed carers are also becoming sick, and yet to speak out brings indifference at best, and real threats to the whistleblower’s job at worst. What is really going on in the care system around vulnerable elderly people? How has the UK care system come to this troubled state? Join us to hear this critical whistleblower testimony for yourself, and please do help them by sharing this report as widely as possible