Agenda item

The Mayor noted that a corrected version of the amendment had been circulated to all members.

8.19pm – Councillor Ben Coleman moved, seconded by Councillor Patricia Quigley, the corrected special motion in their names:

“This Council:

Recognises the huge challenges facing the residents and staff of our care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic;

Deeply regrets every single one of the deaths in our homes – our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives;

Notes that it became aware in early April that hospitals were discharging people back into care homes (which are all privately run) without testing them for coronavirus;

Notes that the administration took swift action to save lives by closing the homes in early April to new and returning residents;

Applauds the effectiveness of the work to control infection and conduct test in our care homes then carried out by an integrated team comprising the Council, Imperial College NHS Trust and the UK Dementia Research Institute based at Imperial College London: this included public health professionals, social workers, GPs, experts in virology and elderly medicine, frailty matrons, infectious diseases teams, academics and paediatric infectious diseases and epidemiology teams;

Notes that every care home resident and member of staff has now been tested four times, in all cases whether symptomatic or not, and that this has controlled the virus and prevented further deaths;

Notes that what this borough has done has not happened everywhere and that many residents in care homes around the country still feel vulnerable;

Deplores the claim made on 19 May by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to parliament that the government had cast a “protective ring” around “all of our care homes”, as this bears no relationship to the reality which our borough and others have experienced; and

Applauds the open and equal joint working which has taken place between the council and the local NHS in our borough, and commends this as a blueprint for the future.”

Speeches on the special motion were made by Councillors Ben Coleman, Patricia Quigley, Sharon Holder, Max Schmid, and Stephen Cowan for the Administration – and Amanda Lloyd-Harris, Alex Karmel, and Andrew Brown for the Opposition.

Councillor Ben Coleman then made a speech summing up the debate before the special motion was put to the vote:

FOR                        35

AGAINST                0

NOT VOTING         10

The special motion was declared CARRIED.

8.58pm – RESOLVED

This Council:

Recognises the huge challenges facing the residents and staff of our care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic;

Deeply regrets every single one of the deaths in our homes – our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives;

Notes that it became aware in early April that hospitals were discharging people back into care homes (which are all privately run) without testing them for coronavirus;

Notes that the administration took swift action to save lives by closing the homes in early April to new and returning residents;

Applauds the effectiveness of the work to control infection and conduct test in our care homes then carried out by an integrated team comprising the Council, Imperial College NHS Trust and the UK Dementia Research Institute based at Imperial College London: this included public health professionals, social workers, GPs, experts in virology and elderly medicine, frailty matrons, infectious diseases teams, academics and paediatric infectious diseases and epidemiology teams;

Notes that every care home resident and member of staff has now been tested four times, in all cases whether symptomatic or not, and that this has controlled the virus and prevented further deaths;

Notes that what this borough has done has not happened everywhere and that many residents in care homes around the country still feel vulnerable;

Deplores the claim made on 19 May by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to parliament that the government had cast a “protective ring” around “all of our care homes”, as this bears no relationship to the reality which our borough and others have experienced; and

Applauds the open and equal joint working which has taken place between the council and the local NHS in our borough, and commends this as a blueprint for the future.