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Care homes face devastating results of losing England's Covid jab 'lottery'

Once Sussex home lost seven of 24 residents to the virus while it waited for vaccinations
Ashort two-mile drive past the creeks of Chichester Harbour is all that separates the Pinewood nursing home in Chidham from a similar facility in a neighbouring village. But their experiences of the campaign to vaccinate the most vulnerable could not have been more different. The two homes exemplify what has become a postcode lottery in parts of England in which the winners gain immunity from Covid and the losers are left without protection from the deadly disease.
Lawrence Marsh, the owner of Pinewood, which sits on the far western edge of West Sussex, had been expecting his residents to receive their jabs before Christmas after the government’s vaccination experts made care home residents and staff the top priority. But the doses did not come and on 6 January the news he had feared arrived: a positive Covid test in the home. The virus spread predictably fast and 14 of the 24 residents have now tested positive and seven have died. Others remain seriously ill and Marsh is worried the worst may not be over.
By contrast, just over the border in Hampshire, the other home, which has asked not to be named, has fared very differently. Its 32 residents and some of the staff were vaccinated on 1 January and the home has remained Covid-free.
Both Marsh and the manager of his neighbouring home believe the same thing: the reason behind their different treatments is simply that they are in different counties and the GPs who have medical responsibility for their residents are therefore in different NHS clinical commissioning areas.
“The reason we received our vaccine was because our GP practice is in Hampshire,” said the manager of the other home. Asked about the neighbouring facility, he said: “I can’t begin to imagine how they are feeling. My heart goes out to them.”
To make things worse, until last year some of Marsh’s residents were registered to the same Hampshire GP practice used by the neighbouring home. But they were transferred to one in West Sussex to simplify treatment and medical support during the pandemic. Marsh describes it as “a postcode lottery” with some health authorities administering the vaccine faster than others. Marsh said four of his residents were finally inoculated on Sunday.
“It has been heartbreaking,” he told the Guardian. “I am not jealous but it’s really sad that one home two miles away gets it and we don’t because their county got their act together quicker. If we had been vaccinated then things would have been 100% different and it would have given everyone much more of a chance.”
HC One, the UK’s largest private care home operator, said on Wednesday less than 40% of its staff had been vaccinated as well as 63% of residents – the same proportion that the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said had been delivered across England.
Marsh also believes the outbreak may have been exacerbated by the home’s use of lateral flow tests for staff which, although mandated by the Department of Health, he fears may have created a false sense of security. After the first positive test, they decided to move staff into the home to reduce the risk of transmission. Before they went in they tested negative on lateral flow tests, but 36 hours later, four of the staff who had tested negative tested positive on a PCR test.
Research based on the use of Innova lateral flow tests has shown that they fail to detect a third of cases with high viral load.
One of those people who caught Covid was John Nettleton, 86, a father of two with four grandsons who had studied ancient languages and Russian at Cambridge, served in the navy, worked at the National Coal Board and volunteered for the Samaritans in retirement. He died from Covid on 10 January.
“I feel devastated and cheated of the final months of my dad’s precious life,” said Sally Nettleton, his daughter. She said that after “heartbreaking” months of separation, not being able to hold his hand and only being able to communicate with him at a distance or through screens, the vaccine had been “a glimmer of optimism to be able to be reunited with him this year”.
“It has been a year of relentless worry,” she said. “The vaccine was a ray of hope in early December and we were optimistic we would finally be able to spend time with dad ‘properly’ in 2021. But five weeks of waiting and then a Covid outbreak in his home has ended with my father’s passing.”
Now her mother, Margaret, has the virus too. She was infected, the family suspect, during her end-of-life visit to her husband the day before he died. She went into his ground-floor room while his daughters stayed outside and looked through the window.
“Covid doesn’t recognise counties or borders and if nursing homes were supposedly the number one priority for protection the rollout planning should have been organised by sectors not postcodes,” Nettleton said. “If there is vaccine available close by it should have been shared through all the care homes not restricted by bureaucratic authorities. This would save lives.”
Sussex NHS Commissioners has been approached for comment.
source: Robert Booth
Levant
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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