Johnson holds care home and hospital workers accountable for rising COVID-19 death toll

The United Kingdom already reported close to 44,236 deaths attributed to the 2019 novel coronavirus. As of this writing, there are approximately 285,768 cases in the country with the Department of Health and Social Care fearing more as the government eased restrictions. Now, prime minister Boris Johnson is on the receiving end of criticism after his statement against particular sectors of the healthcare system. It was pointed out that he seems to have passed the accountability to others instead.

While the United States is reporting a huge spike of COVID-19 cases, other countries have observed similar surges. On the other hand, there are some areas that have recorded a drop in transmissions. Meanwhile, with close to 20,000 care home residents purportedly dying from the disease, complaints about shortages of personal protective equipment, communication, and testing are prompting complaints from staff.

The Guardian notes that in a statement issued by Johnson during a visit to Goole, Yorkshire, he emphasised the need to "make sure we look after people better who are in social care." The prime minister continued: "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." Evidently, his comments did not sit well with the people in charge of these facilities.

Majority of the care providers felt insulted given that they have gone beyond what was expected of them. Even though there was allegedly inadequate support from the government, the workers still managed to do everything within their capacity to help every patient under their supervision. Analysts speculate that the current administration is concerned about the likelihood of a public inquiry in the future regarding how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

GMB trade union national officer for public services Rehana Azam said: "Johnson is complaining about the arrangements that he and his government have established and failed to change. There is no point the prime minister passing the buck on this one." There were oversights made by the leaders at the start of the outbreak, which spiralled into successive problems down the line, as indicated by reports. Hence, it appears to be a poor approach to shift the blame to those who are on the front lines.