Hancock Defends Unlawful Hospital Discharges Fueling 43,000 UK Care Home COVID Deaths

Former UK health secretary Matt Hancock defended the decision to discharge untested hospital patients into care homes early in the Covid-19 pandemic as the “least worst decision” available at the time, aimed at freeing up NHS beds despite the risks involved. Hancock acknowledged the policy was “incredibly contentious” and admitted that no alternative solution was presented that would have saved more lives, though testing and isolation protocols for discharged patients were only introduced weeks later. He emphasized that the discharge policy was a government decision formally signed off by the prime minister but driven by then NHS chief executive Simon Stevens. Bereaved families and their legal representatives condemned Hancock's defense, describing it as an insult to those who died and accusing the government of policies that allowed Covid to spread rapidly among vulnerable care home residents. The Covid Inquiry has heard that more than 43,000 deaths occurred in UK care homes during the pandemic, with some officials describing the toll as a “generational slaughter.” Hancock’s testimony has been part of ongoing public hearings focused on the care sector, which remains a highly emotive and distressing subject for many.