'They're angry': Care home chiefs slam Government over Boris' birthday party, which took place when residents were vulnerable, isolated and frustrated; Two leading care managers in the North East have explained how upset and frustrated some of their residents have been to learn of Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street -after two years which have made celebrating birthdays very difficult.
Byline: By, Sam Volpe
Care workers across the North East have highlighted how "disheartening" staff and residents at homes across the region are finding it to hear news showing the Prime Minister and other Downing Street figures "have not been practising what they preach" during the pandemic.
Managers at Eothen Homes and Community Integrated Care told ChronicleLive that hearing about politicians breaking the rules we've followed for two years had a very real affect on morale -and in some cases made it harder to look after residents.
The latest revelation saw ITV reveal that Boris Johnson had been surprised b a "party" for his birthday in June 2020 -and that tens of people had attended and sang to him, including interior designer Lulu Lytle.
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The Met Police announced they are now investigating -and the civil service report into the issue is now likely to be delayed.
Patrick Ivory -a service leader at CIC working across supported accommodation for those with complex needs in Rutherford Gardens, Cheshire Avenue and the Stone Street flats in Gateshead -said: "It's very disheartening for the people we support and for our staff teams.
"Back then, when it comes to our exhausted staff, I could see the fear in their eyes in case they were to do something wrong. One mistake could cause an outbreak and lead to real difficulty. If COVID were to get in, it could go through the whole service.
As for the people we support, some of the people I work with, they couldn't understand. 'If it's my birthday, why can't my family or friends come in' they would say. Lots of these people have capacity and are quite independent but rules and regulations can really frustrate them and make them angry. And now it just makes them angry to see the news.
He said that while his staff had been excellent, the strain and sacrifice -while Boris Johnson was being wished happy birthday -had been tough to manage, and he said many of the people his team look after just didn't understand.
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And he explained the people he looks after were aware of the news, and it had led to some difficult conversations.
"If these people could do what they wanted, why could I not That's what they say," he added. "That's how the people we support feel. Through the pandemic, it's just been more restrictions for people who have restrictions unfortunately already. And...
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