Luton care home has had "adequate" PPE supply during coronavirus outbreak, as two more deaths are confirmed

Last week news broke that 15 residents at Castletroy Residential and Nursing Home in Bushmead had died, with five of those testing positive for the virus.

But in a statement to the Luton News, the council revealed there had been a further two deaths, although neither of those have been confirmed Covid-19 cases.

The council said: "We are sad to report that 17 residents of the home have passed away since 28 March. Of these five had tested positive for Covid-19. Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the residents, as well as the staff of the home who are working in extremely difficult circumstances."

Although the government has moved to improve access to personal protective equipment (PPE) following reports of severe shortages at care homes across the UK, the council says this hasn't been an issue at Castletroy.

It said: "We share the frustration of many over the delay in equipment being made available from the government to those in front line roles. Following a letter from Leader of the Council, Hazel Simmons, to Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock, Bedfordshire received a supply of PPE last week.

"The distribution of this, along with other supplies, is being coordinated by the council to go to those settings working directly with residents, in line with national PPE guidance.

"We have been working closely with all Luton care homes to ensure they have the right PPE in place at a time when supplies are limited. In some cases, this has meant sourcing our own supplies where government delays meant staff would otherwise have been left without.

"The team at Castletroy have been provided with a supply of adequate PPE including gloves, aprons and face masks throughout.

"We are still having to work extremely hard to ensure that services and providers have access to appropriate and timely PPE when needed. We understand there will be more equipment arriving shortly which will be prioritised according to need across Bedfordshire.

"We continue to work closely with the team at Castletroy to see what additional support to staff and families might be helpful at this particularly difficult time.

Public Health England is working closely with staff at Castletroy following the spate of deaths.

Dr Sultan Salimee, consultant in health protection at Public Health England East, said: “Our thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those who have passed away. We are continuing to work closely with the care home, providing public health advice to stop the virus spreading.

“Good hand hygiene is the best prevention against coronavirus and we should all be doing this to protect ourselves and others. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, and if you cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Visit the NHS website for all the latest advice and information.”

The 96-bed care home has closed its doors to visitors for the time being.

Going forward, all care home residents and staff with Covid-19 symptoms will now be tested for coronavirus as laboratory capacity increases, the government has promised.

Only the first five residents who showed symptoms in a care home had previously been tested, to determine whether there is an outbreak of the virus.