A WOMAN whose father died at a care home near Bicester from suspected coronavirus has called the discharge of elderly patients from hospital amid the outbreak 'irresponsible'.

Dr Cathy Gardner said she feared the policy could have been a factor in the death of her 88-year-old father Michael Gibson, who died on April 3 at Cherwood House Care Centre, Caversfield.

She told Sky News: “I think the government guidance that hospitals implemented to discharge people as rapidly as possible into care homes full of vulnerable people was incredibly irresponsible...

"I think it was an unbelievable act and they need to be held accountable for that.”

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The original government advice about the discharge of patients to care homes was negative tests were not required prior to transfer.

The policy was changed on April 15 to testing all residents before admission.

Dr Gardner said staff told her a Covid-positive patient was discharged back to the home in mid-March.

Cherwood House said it was not given any guarantees the patient wasn't still infectious, and it was 'one of several possibilities' which could have caused Mr Gibson's death.

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Sky News put Dr Gardner’s concerns to the Department for Health and Social Care.

In response, a spokesperson said: “This virus can sadly have a devastating effect on some of our most vulnerable people and our deepest sympathies go out to the families who have lost relatives."

It added: “We have put in place a policy to ensure all people are tested when being discharged from hospitals into care homes and we have allocated £1.3 billion of additional funding to enhance the NHS discharge process, as well as a new £600m infection control fund for care homes to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

"As a result of all this, and the work of so many people, two thirds of England’s care homes have had no outbreak at all.”