STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN) – Sweden’s health watchdog said on Tuesday it had found “serious shortcomings” in COVID-19 care given to residents of nursing homes. A large number of people have died because of the same, turning the focus on the country’s light-touch pandemic strategy.
Nursing homes were drastically hit by the initial wave of the coronavirus. This prompted Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to admit in May that the country failed to protect its elderly.
The Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO), a government agency supervising healthcare and social services, has spent months probing the aspect of care at nursing homes after a slew of complaints from relatives and staff came its way.
Sofia Wallstrom, the watchdog’s director general, told a news conference, “In its investigation, IVO has identified serious short-comings at regional level when it comes to the care provided to people living in nursing homes.”
“This is without question very serious,” Lofven said in a statement to Reuters. “All people have the right to individually adapted care, regardless of where you live or how old you are.”
“It’s important all regions take this seriously and make the necessary changes. I expect this to be already underway.”
The watchdog said all of Sweden’s 21 regions failed to take any responsibility for the treatment of infected nursing home residents, even as a fifth of patients received no individual assessment by doctors.
The probe also took intoaccount individual facilities or staff.
While the failings were identified as “systemic”, IVO’s decisions for the individual regions brought forth details that to avoid hospitalising nursing home patients, some had operated under instructions. One region sought end-of-life treatment for any resident with COVID-19 symptoms.
The watchdog have asked regional authorities to initiate measures to improve care and present them by January 15 next year and said it would be carrying out a further review of patient records.
“The lowest level (of care) is quite simply too low,” Wallstrom said. “Even during a pandemic.”