Health Minister blames scientists for care home deaths before backtracking

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Health Minister Helen Whately blames Government scientists for coronavirus care home deaths before furiously backtracking as she suffers ANOTHER shambolic interview

  • Health Minister Helen Whately became embroiled in care home row this morning
  • She seemed to say ministers could blame science experts for Government policy
  • Then said ‘meant to say’ Government had ‘taken scientific advice at every stage’
  • Comes after she suffered a series of car crash interviews in April over crisis 
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A Health Minister today sparked a row over the Government’s approach to protecting care homes from coronavirus as she suggested scientists could be blamed for deaths before furiously backtracking.  

The movement of elderly patients into residential care without testing them for coronavirus in order to free up hospital beds has been blamed for the high death toll in care homes. 

Helen Whately was forced to U-turn on Sky News this morning after seemingly claiming the decision was guided by science.

Health Minister Helen Whately immediately backtracked this morning after suggesting that scientists could be blamed for care home deaths 

Sky News presenter Kay Burley told Ms Whately that 'you can't stick this on the scientists'. Ms Whateley said she could before then correcting the record

Sky News presenter Kay Burley told Ms Whately that ‘you can’t stick this on the scientists’. Ms Whateley said she could before then correcting the record

Helen Whately suffers fresh car crash interview after four in one day in April

Helen Whately’s car crash interview on Sky News this morning was not the Health Minister’s first tough grilling of the coronavirus crisis. 

Back on April 22 she was savaged during a series of brutal interviews as she struggled to provide answers to key questions on the supply of PPE, deaths of frontline workers and testing errors.  

She was hammered by ITV Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan who accused her of not knowing how many health and care staff have died from coronavirus. 

It was the second interview between the pair in less than a week with Ms Whately’s previous appearance seeing her criticised for laughing after Mr Morgan confronted her over the number of people dying in care homes during the current crisis.

Ms Whately also faced a tough time today during separate interviews with BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme and Sky News. 

She was forced to defend the government’s record on the supply of vital PPE for the NHS amid fears shortages were putting the lives of frontline workers at risk. 

She insisted ministers were moving as quickly as possible to boost supply as she spelled out the challenge of finding the ‘billions’ of items needed. 

The Tory frontbencher was unable to explain why current coronavirus testing numbers were so far below the available capacity. 

She also admitted some of the early coronavirus checks carried out on NHS workers ‘weren’t effective enough’, raising the prospect that some staff who were told they were negative for the disease may have gone back to work while they were actually infectious. 

When quizzed by presenter Kay Burley over the policy, Ms Whately said: ‘As we have learned more about the virus we have updated those infection control guidance, we have taken more steps, we have done the social care action plan.

‘At all points in this we have followed the scientific guidance.’

Ms Burley replied: ‘And then you make the policy – you take (scientists’) advice and then you make the policy – you can’t stick this on the scientists.’

The MP then responded ‘well I can, because…’ prompting Ms Burley to intervene and ask: ‘You can stick it on the scientists?’

‘No, no, no – that is not what I mean to say,’ Ms Whately replied.

Ms Burley said: ‘You just said you can stick this on the scientists – either you can or you can’t.’

‘To be clear, that is your words,’ Ms Whately responded.

Ms Burley hit back: ‘I said “you can’t stick this on the scientists” and you said you can – I didn’t put those words in your mouth.’

Ms Whately responded: ‘What I mean to say is that we have taken the scientific advice at every stage of this process – we have taken the scientific advice and then judgment is made about what is the right decision to take.’

She continued: ‘We have been trying to do everything we can for those in care homes because we know that they are at greater risk.’

It is not the first time Ms Whately has suffered a car crash interview during the coronavirus crisis. 

In April she was savaged during a series of brutal grillings as she struggled to provide answers to key questions on the supply of PPE, deaths of frontline workers and testing errors. 

During an interview with ITV Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan she was accused of not knowing how many health and care staff have died from coronavirus. 

An earlier interview with Mr Morgan had seen Ms Whately criticised for laughing after he had confronted her over the number of people dying in care homes during the outbreak. 

Data published by NHS England in early June revealed an increase in the number of patients discharged from hospitals to care homes in March.

It showed that the number of patients transferred to homes – as a proportion of all hospital discharges – rose from 2.2 per cent at the start of March to 3.5 per cent by the end of the month.

It had dropped back to 2.3 per cent by April 16.

The Government has repeatedly defended its track record on protecting care homes during the coronavirus crisis. 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock insisted in the Commons last month that a ‘ring of protection’ had been thrown around them from the very start of the crisis.

A DHSC spokesman said previously: ‘We have been working tirelessly with the care sector to reduce transmission and save lives, and have based all our decisions on the latest scientific and clinical advice – as a result nearly two-thirds of care homes have had no outbreak at all.’

Last month, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was also accused of trying to deflect criticism from Government policy by laying the blame at scientists’ door.

Speaking to Sky News on May 19, she said: ‘If the science was wrong, advice at the time was wrong, I’m not surprised if people then think we made a wrong decision.’