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'Travesty of leadership': Charity boss hits out at 'cowardly' Boris Johnson after PM blames care homes for coronavirus deaths

PA
PA

The chief executive of a social care charity has launched a blistering attack on Boris Johnson’s “cowardly” and “appalling” comments after the prime minister appeared to blame care home owners for the high death toll.

In scathing remarks, Mark Adams, the chief executive officer of Community Integrated Care, accused the government or re-writing history and claimed there had been a “travesty of leadership”.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Johnson said lessons are being learned after appearing to cast blame on care homes as they responded to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Asked what he made of Sir Simon Stevens' wish to see plans to adequately fund the adult social care sector within a year, he said: "One of the things the crisis has shown is we need to think about how we organise our social care package better and how we make sure we look after people better who are in social care.

"We discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have but we're learning lessons the whole time.

Pressed on the prime minister’s comments on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Adams said: “I probably can’t say on national radio. Let’s just say unbelievably disappointed. This at the best was clumsy and cowardly.

“But to be honest with you if this is genuinely his view I think we’re almost entering a Kafkaesque alternative reality where the government set the rules, we follow them, they don’t like the results, they then deny setting them. It is hugely frustrating.

He added: “You’ve got 1.6m social care workers who when most of us were locked away in our bunkers waiting out Covid and really trying to protect our family, we’ve got these brave people on minimum wage often with no sickness cover at all going into work to protect our parents, our grandparents, our children, putting their own health and potentially lives at risk.

“And then to get perhaps the most senior man in the country turning around and blaming them on what has been an absolute travesty of leadership from the government, I just think it’s appalling.”

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