THE ‘viral mix’ affecting Bolton’s care sector has been described by a health chief as ‘winter starting in August’.

Of the 57 care homes in Bolton, two are currently closed to new admissions due to Covid outbreaks, three after a respiratory virus broke out and another seven are on a Covid watch list, meaning there is the potential for an imminent outbreak.

Winter vomiting bug norovirus  is also more prevalent than normal.

The ‘perfect storm’ of winter pressures is compounded by a staffing shortage with workers leaving the sector and a further 51 staff, who have refused to be vaccinated, being forced to leave the sector on November 11 as new legislation comes into force.

There are currently 180 people awaiting care packages in the borough with a predicted shortfall in available beds of around 100.

A meeting of Bolton Council’s health scrutiny committee heard from Tracey Minshull, the council’s assistant director for social care and public health commissioning.

She presented a paper titled ‘Winter Planning’ to the committee.

She, said: “While this report is titled winter pressures it hasn’t been a winter pressure issue. Winter for us in adult social care started in August.

“We are seeing a viral mix of issues which are compounding the situation.

“We’ve had outbreaks of respiratory disease, Covid outbreaks, flu outbreaks and we have norovirus, which is more prevalent than previously.

“This week in Bolton we have two homes closed to Covid, meaning no new admissions, three homes closed to respiratory outbreaks, and seven homes on a Covid watch list which are homes where there is potential for an imminent outbreak.

“In August we saw a children’s respiratory outbreak which we would not normally see.

“In October A&E attendances were more than 500 a day which is significantly higher than we would expect.

“Earlier this month we had 180 people awaiting care packages and we have bed modelling which predicts a shortfall of 100 beds.”

She said there was also a significant increase in demand for home care services at the same time as a declining workforce in the sector.

Job vacancies are rising with some workers leaving the sector to work in hotels and hospitality.

She said the situation was a ‘perfect storm, very challenging’.

On the November 11 deadline for care workers to be vaccinated to work in the sector she said 2.3 per cent of staff in Bolton had refused to be jabbed.

She said: “”We still have 51 staff members who have refused to have the vaccination. That means that potentially, in an already struggling situation, because of the change in legislation, we will lose those staff because they are choosing to leave the industry.”