Thirty families are launching legal action against the Government over the deaths of their relatives from Covid-19 in care homes when the pandemic began.
The families are bringing claims for damages against the secretary of state for health and social care, as well as care homes and hospitals, for loss of life and distress caused.
The legal action centres on the decision in March 2020 to discharge hospital patients into care homes without testing or requiring them to isolate.
In 2022, it was ruled in the High Court that the policy was unlawful, as it failed to account for the risk of asymptomatic transmission to elderly and vulnerable care home residents.
The families are arguing that the European Convention on Human Rights was breached, including a failure to protect their loved ones’ rights to life and to protect them from discrimination.
Emma Jones, from Leigh Day solicitors, is representing the families. She told the BBC she hoped for ‘a full and thorough investigation into the deaths, which might help our clients to feel they have obtained justice for their loved ones’.
The Department of Health and Social Care has said: ‘Our thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones during the pandemic.’
It said it had aimed to safeguard care home residents from Covid-19 using the best evidence that was available.
