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The Prime Minister claimed "too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures" - despite the government repeatedly being told they were too slow to act and didn't provide enough PPE
On a visit to Yorkshire today, the PM claimed: "We discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have."

Almost 20,000 people have died from coronavirus in care homes since the start of the pandemic in March.

The Prime Minister's comments today sparked anger from care providers, who said they were "neither accurate nor welcome."

Number 10 insisted the PM was "absolutely not" blaming care homes.

Mr Johnson's government has been repeatedly criticised for being slow to react to the epidemic in care homes - with Shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall branding their testing strategy "slow, confused and chaotic".

Health Secretary Matt Hancock was blasted in May over his claim that the government had "thrown a protective ring" around care homes from the start of the outbreak.

As late as 25 February, Public Health England was advising care homes it was "very unlikely" they would be hit with the virus.

And guidance, which has since been withdrawn, said care home staff did not need to wear face masks.

Care providers have also complained the government was slow to ensure adequate PPE was provided to homes.

Today, Mr Johnson said lessons are being learned - but 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.

"Most important is to fund them properly... but we will also be looking at ways to make sure the care sector long term is properly organised and supported."

But care providers said the basis for the PM's comments was unclear, while the National Care Forum (NCF) urged him to start "turning the dial up on reform and down on blame".

Vic Rayner, executive director of the NCF, which represents 120 of the UK's social care charities, welcomed the PM's recognition of the need for proper funding.

She added: "However, Mr Johnson's comments in relation to care homes' following of procedures are neither accurate nor welcome.

"Government guidance has come to the sector in stops and starts - with organisations grappling with over 100 pieces of additional guidance in the same number of days, much of which was not accompanied by an understanding of the operational implications of operating care services.

"Care providers have moved to adopt these new procedures consistently, at pace and with integrity."

She added that he must start "turning the dial up on reform and down on blame".

A Number 10 source said: "Throughout this crisis care homes have done a brilliant job under very difficult circumstances.

"The PM was pointing out that nobody knew what the correct procedures were because the extent of asymptomatic transmission was not known at the time."

The Independent Care Group (ICG) said the vast majority of providers had "done their absolute best in the face of slow and conflicting advice".

ICG chairman Mike Padgham said: "We should not be getting into the blame game and it is wrong to criticise care and nursing homes at this time.

"It is worth remembering that in February the Government agency Public Health England told homes it was 'very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected' and that homes didn't need to do anything differently.

"It was many weeks later, after most homes had already put themselves into lockdown, that the advice changed."

Mr Padgham said it was only when the real death toll in care homes became apparent that the Government accepted social care was as much on the front line as hospitals.

He added: "Care providers may not have got everything perfect but neither has the Government.

"For far too much of this pandemic, providers were operating in the dark over what they ought to do and with one arm behind their backs in terms of the support they were given. In those circumstances, they have worked miracles."

Chief executive of the charitable care provider MHA, Sam Monaghan, said that Mr Johnson was "entirely right" that social care needs long-term support, adding: "It is unclear what the evidence is for his claim that 'too many care homes didn't follow procedures in the right way'.

"But the three things he has identified that the sector needs going forwards - support, organisation and funding - are the three specific things that have been lacking from Government during the course of the pandemic.

"What is clear is that a public inquiry needs to be expedited and the PM's comments imply that he feels the same."