All care home residents and social care staff with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms will be tested as capacity is built up, the government has announced today (Wednesday).
All social care staff who need a test will now have access to one with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) set to contact all 30,000 care providers in the coming days to offer tests, including those here on the Isle of Wight.
Symptomatic residents in care settings will be tested, with tests to also be carried out on patients being discharged from hospital and going into a care home.
Currently the first 5 symptomatic residents in a care home setting are tested to provide confirmation of whether if there is an outbreak. However, as lab capacity increases every day the government is expanding testing to include all care home residents who develop symptoms.
The measures confirmed today are expected to be outlined further in the government’s COVID-19 social care action plan tomorrow, and will help give residents, their families and those that they care for peace of mind.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said:
“I am deeply conscious that people in residential care are among the most vulnerable to coronavirus. We are doing everything we can to keep workers, residents and their families safe, and I am determined to ensure that everyone who needs a coronavirus test should be able to have access to one.
“We have already begun testing social care workers and will roll this out nationwide over the coming days. And as we continue to ramp up our testing programme, we will test all current care home residents with coronavirus symptoms and all new care home residents who are discharged from hospital into care.
Article continues below this advertisement “Testing is key in our battle against coronavirus, and as part of our plan to prevent the spread and save lives we will ensure that everyone in social care who needs a test can have a test”.
