Matt Hancock ignored advice to test people entering care homes, says leaked messages

Former Health secretary Matt Hancock reportedly felt that testing staff entering care homes would ‘muddy the waters’ despite advice to do so from Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty

Matt Hancock ignored advice to test everyone entering care homes during the pandemic (

Image: Getty Images)

Matt Hancock ignored advice to test all people entering into care homes during the pandemic, bombshell leaked messages revealed last night.

The disgraced former Health Secretary decided only to make it mandatory to test those entering care homes from hospital but not those coming from the community.

He said he did not think committing to testing those from the community – including care home staff – added anything and “muddies the waters”.

This was despite guidance from his Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty telling him there should be testing for “all going into care homes” in April 2020.

It puts into question the Government’s insistence that it was always “following the science”.

More than 45,000 people living in care homes died with Covid in England and Wales during the first two years of the pandemic (

Image:

Jonathan Buckmaster)

A backlash is expected to come from families who lost beloved relatives in care homes – and have already accused the Government of neglecting their loved ones.

More than 45,000 people living in care homes died with Covid in England and Wales during the first two years of the pandemic.

In 2021, Mr Hancock told the health and social care select committee that “the strongest route of the virus into care homes, unfortunately, is community transmission, so it was staff testing that was most important thing for keeping people safe in care homes”.

The revelations were reported last night by The Telegraph, which has obtained more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages sent between the then health secretary and other ministers and officials during the pandemic.

They contain 2.3million words and are expected to include more controversial details about major decisions made by officials.

The messages are said to show the often casual approach that officials took in huge decisions including to close classrooms, introduce face masks in schools, as well as provide testing in care homes.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty told Hancock there should be testing for ‘all going into care homes’ in April 2020 (

Image:

Getty Images)

The key messages relating to the first bombshell revelation are between Mr Hancock and one of his aides, Allan Nixon.

On April 14 2020, at almost 6.30pm, Mr Nixon sent a message saying: “Just to check: officials are saying your steer is to remove the commitment to testing on admission to care homes from the community, but keep commitment to testing on admission to care homes from hospital. Is that right?”

Twenty-five minutes later, he messaged again: “Update: we can say in the doc that it’s our ambition to test everyone going into a care home from the community where care homes want (‘in the comings weeks’ is the suggested timeframe I’ve been told).”

Mr Hancock responded: “Tell me if I’m wrong but I would rather leave it out and just commit to test & isolate ALL going into care from hospital. I do not think the community commitment adds anything and it muddies the waters.”

The WhatsApp messages were leaked to The Telegraph by Isabel Oakeshott, a journalist who was given copies of them while working on Mr Hancock’s Pandemic Diaries memoir.

Referring to the Covid-19 public inquiry, of which a lot of the findings could take years to be released, she told the newspaper she wanted to make the information public as “we absolutely cannot wait any longer for answers”.

Meanwhile, The MP denied what was called the “distorted account” with a spokesman alleging the leaked messages have been “spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda”.

Mr Hancock was said to be “considering all options” in response to the leak, with a source close to him saying: “She’s broken a legal NDA (non-disclosure agreement). Her behaviour is outrageous.”

The spokesman for Mr Hancock said “instead of spinning and leaks we need the full, comprehensive inquiry”.

“It is outrageous that this distorted account of the pandemic is being pushed with partial leaks, spun to fit an anti-lockdown agenda, which would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives if followed. What the messages do show is a lot of people working hard to save lives,” the spokesman said.

“The story spun on care homes is completely wrong. What the messages show is that Mr Hancock pushed for testing of those going into care homes when that testing was available.

“The full documents have already all been made available to the inquiry, which is the proper place for an objective assessment, so true lessons can be learned.”

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