Academic research has highlighted how care home residents were “dehumanised” and felt “imprisoned” during the pandemic with some facing death in isolation.

Emotive personal testimonies about the early impact of the pandemic on the care home sector and its residents are at the centre of research by Northumbria University academics, working with colleagues from Plymouth Marjon, Birmingham and Newcastle universities.

The published in the journal Age and Ageing, investigates how the pandemic influenced the transition of care between hospitals and care homes and highlights a “deluge of governmental failings” and “unmanageable situations” for care home staff.

During the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic – between March and June 2020 – more than 66,000 people died in care homes, with a third of those deaths attributed to Covid-19.

The study highlights the “new challenges” the Covid-19 pandemic brought and how the care home sector adapted, despite increased pressure from NHS discharges and a lack of government assistance, compounding the divide between health and social care.

However, with the benefit of insights from 70 people working in health and social care services, it also finds good practices and better ways of working were developed and adopted, from remote access to healthcare to improvements in joined-up working between sectors.

Lead author of the Age and Ageing paper, Dr Craig Newman, said: “This research identifies the enormity of the challenges, however, it also highlights that relationships were built between the NHS and care homes with examples of integration and sharing best practice infection control protocols.

“It was apparent that care home staff were committed, professional and resilient during this time to maintain their service for their residents and by supporting families to mitigate the pressures caused by the pandemic.”