Co-owner of Wrexham nursing home says lack of testing terrified staff, Covid inquiry hears

Helen Hough says her husband had been traumatised by ‘horrific’ death of a patient and later killed himself

A woman whose husband killed himself amid the pressure of running a care home during the pandemic has told the the Covid inquiry that staff were “absolutely terrified” due to the lack of testing in its early stages.

Helen Louise Hough owned and managed a nursing home in Wrexham with her husband, Vernon, which housed up to 40 residents who she described as like “their extended family”.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org