Speaking on condition of anonymity, Whitehall officials say Prof. Duncan Selby, the former CEO of PHE, is ultimately responsible for informing Mr Hancock of the risks.
Prof. Selby works as a senior advisor to DHSC. Neither he nor the department responded to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Mr Hancock, who was replaced by Sajid Javid last year, said the Supreme Court’s decision acquitted him and he was acquitted “of any wrongdoing” because the PHE “failed to tell ministers what they knew about the asymptomatic transmission ‘.
Supreme Court judges ruled that nursing home policies in March and April 2020 were “irrational” as they failed to advise that hospital discharges should, as far as possible, be kept separate from other residents. up to 14 days “.
“As there is no evidence that this issue has been addressed by the Secretary of State or that he has been asked to address it, this is not an example of political judgment on a well-balanced issue,” they said. “Nor is this a point on which one of the expert commissions has advised that no guidelines are needed.”
Following the ruling, Boris Johnson said he wanted to “renew my apologies and condolences” to relatives who have lost loved ones, adding: “The thing we didn’t know in particular was that Covid could be transmitted asymptomatically the way it was. “
However, the risks of asymptomatic transmission were highlighted by Sir Patrick Valance, the government’s chief scientific adviser for England, who said it was “very likely” as early as March 13, 2020. Different levels of risk were outlined in late January documents. , the decision says.
The trial was conducted by Dr. Katie Gardner and Faye Harris, whose fathers, Michael Gibson and Donald Harris, died after a positive Covid test.
“Opens the door to potential claims”
Paul Conrat, a lawyer in Sinclairslaw who was instructed by the two women, said: “It is possible that caregivers and relatives who have lost loved ones in the first wave may sue for damages. It has been established that the government has acted “irrationally” – this is a very high legal obstacle. “
Nadra Ahmed, who chairs the National Care Association, said the decision “opens the door to potential lawsuits against government policy”.
“This will be especially relevant when the individual is not given a choice,” she said. “There will be many people who absorb the information because they think that the loss of their loved one is premature, and holding the government accountable is the only way for them.
Helen Wildbor, director of the Association of Relatives and Residents, said the decision proved that “the protective ring around care homes” does not exist “and that the elderly are” abandoned at the start of the pandemic “.
A government spokesman said it was a “very difficult decision” to discharge hospital patients into nursing homes, taken when evidence of asymptomatic transmission was “extremely uncertain”.
The spokesman added: “We acknowledge the judge’s comments on the assessment of the risks of asymptomatic transmission and our isolation guidelines and will respond in more detail in a timely manner.”
“He was at home and had to be safe.”
They stood before the Royal Courts of Justice, two women unknown to each other before the Covid pandemic, but brought together by tragedy, writes Tom Ou.
Cathy Gardner spoke first, reading a steel statement. Dr Gardner said Matt Hancock’s boasting of a “protective ring” around care homes was “a disgusting lie he should be ashamed of and apologize for”.
Faye Harris, more humiliated in behavior but no less outspoken, told reporters: “I lost precious years with my wonderful father.”
Both women lost their fathers in early 2020, arguing that they might still be alive if hospitalized patients were not discharged to nursing homes without being tested for Covid.
Michael Gibson, born in 1931, was the chief registrar of births and deaths. “He was at home and had to be safe,” Dr. Gardner told The Independent after his death.
Mr Gibson, who had advanced dementia, fell ill a few weeks before the first block. Staff at his nursing home could not provide tests for Covid, but the virus is thought to have infected him.
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