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Trapped in a Blind Spot: The Covid-19 Crisis in Nursing Homes in Italy and Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2021

Margarita León Open the ORCID record for Margarita León [Opens in a new window] ,
Marco Arlotti Open the ORCID record for Marco Arlotti [Opens in a new window] ,
David Palomera Open the ORCID record for David Palomera [Opens in a new window]  and
Costanzo Ranci Open the ORCID record for Costanzo Ranci [Opens in a new window]
Margarita León
Affiliation:
Universitat Autònoma Barcelona (Institute of Government and Public Policy - IGOP), Barcelona, Spain Email: margarita.leon@uab.cat
Marco Arlotti
Affiliation:
Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Italy Email: marco.arlotti@polimi.it
David Palomera
Affiliation:
Universitat Autònoma Barcelona (Institute of Government and Public Policy - IGOP), Barcelona, Spain Email: david.palomera@uab.cat
Costanzo Ranci
Affiliation:
Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, Italy Email: costanzo.ranci@polimi.it
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Abstract

This article investigates the delay in implementation and inadequacy of specific policy actions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. The analysis focuses on Lombardy and Madrid, the two wealthiest regions in Italy and Spain. These were the most severely affected by the onset of the pandemic, both country-wise and at the European level. We compare the chronology of policy decisions that affected nursing homes against the broader policy responses related to the health crisis. We look at structural factors that reveal policy legacy effects. Our analysis shows that key emergency interventions arrived late, especially when compared to similar actions taken by the national health services. Weak institutional embedding of nursing homes within the welfare state in terms of ownership, allocation of resources, regulation and coordination hindered a swift response to the onset of the crisis.

Keywords

Nursing homeslong-term careCOVID-19ItalySpain
Type
Themed Section on Social Policy Responses and Institutional Reforms in the Pandemic
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 22 , Issue 3: THEMED SECTION: Social Policy Responses and Institutional Reforms in the Pandemic , July 2023 , pp. 495 - 514
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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