Council respond to Brighton care home staff threatening to walk out over 'risk to life'

Brighton and Hove City Council have responded to safety concerns expressed in an open letter from care home staff regarding Covid-19. Staff at Brighton's Ireland Lodge, a nursing home that looks after people with dementia, sent an open letter to the authority last Friday (April, 17) threatening to walk out on patients. The council said the welfare of all residents and staff at Ireland Lodge continues to be a priority. But staff claimed requests for vital provisions were being ignored: "It shocks us as we watch your blatant disregard for any ounce of care that may have once first lead you into this field of work. "That you may once have had, now blind you to the viciousness you carry out by ignoring the inherent contradiction of this deadly government advice. "There is a crucial reason for the list of requests that we delivered to your door, in order to save lives, but you choose to dismiss them. "There is a duty for you to listen to the alarm bells we ring in your ears in order to save lives, but you choose to dismiss them." The GMB Union said the home was accepting patients discharged from the Royal Sussex Hospital who had not been tested for the virus. Staff reportedly begged for hand cleanser 'at a minimum'. Mark Turner GMB B50 Branch Secretary said: "Our concerns mirror those of our members and if management and the council won't take them seriously then we will support our membership in whatever action they deem necessary to protect both residents and themselves alike. "This is life or death and the employer needs to accept they are falling way short of the duty and provision of care they need to provide under the 1974 Health and Safety Act." The two page, emotive letter, listed a number of alleged failings by the authority: "All the PPE in the world will not protect our mental wellbeing from witnessing this cowardly dereliction of duty and your short-sightedness fails to consider the lives of our residents if more and more staff and seniors, and you, become sick, leaving them on their own. "There is no lock-down. "There is no effective isolation zone. "There is no safeguarding. "There is no specialist PPE. "There is no leadership. "There is no plan. "There is no listening. "There is no consultation. "There is no confidence. "There is no safety. "There is no respect. "There is no love. "There is no care. "There is no hope in you as our management at Ireland Lodge. "Without this hope that you steal from us, we have been left no choice but to walk out of Ireland Lodge if you continue to risk our lives, our families lives, our residents lives and our citizen's lives in this way. " Yesterday (Wednesday, 22), Brighton and Hove City Council said no new patients were arriving at Ireland Lodge, and there had not been any new admissions since April 8. They added that no residents were showing symptoms of Covid-19. Councillor Clare Moonan, chair of the health and wellbeing board said: "Since we received the letter on Friday, we've been working with staff and unions to urgently address the concerns raised, improve staff wellbeing and reassure families of residents about the professional level of care being provided to their loved ones. "Constructive conversations with staff and unions are ongoing to make sure all the issues raised are looked into. "This highlights what an important role all those working in the wider care sector hold at these challenging times. "Carers, families and volunteers across the city are providing vital support, both physically and emotionally." Councillor Moonan added: "We recognise that these are anxious times for all, especially those who are delivering care to vulnerable people. "We want staff to feel safe and reassured in the very difficult work that they do." More Radio is continuously dedicated to providing a quality news service on-air and online, reporting local stories that matter across Sussex. If you found this story useful, then check out our home page at moreradio.online where you can find the latest from the county, along with features and competitions from our presenters, as well as listening to the station live.You can also sign up to our news alerts to receive updates on new stories. Simply click on the bell at the bottom right of the home page. This will then allow a pop-up which will ask if you would like to receive alerts. Press ‘allow’ and you’re all signed up!You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.