Care home staff and residents to receive regular coronavirus tests

Care home staff and residents will receive regular coronavirus tests from next week, after new Government research found a higher prevalence of the disease in such settings.

Workers will be tested for Covid-19 weekly, while residents will receive a test every 28 days to help stamp out outbreaks in social care.

Repeat testing will be initially prioritised for care homes primarily looking after over 65s or those with dementia, before being rolled out to all adult care homes.

It comes as new Government data, set to be published on Friday, is expected to show a higher prevalence of coronavirus cases in care homes.

The Vivaldi 1 study, which surveyed almost 9,000 care home managers, identified higher levels of the virus among care staff, particularly among temporary employees who work in multiple care settings.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Our response to this global pandemic has always been led by the latest scientific advice from world-class experts, and we will now offer repeat testing to staff and residents in care homes, starting with homes for elderly residents before expanding to the entire care home sector.

“This will not only keep residents and care workers safe, but it will give certainty and peace of mind to the families who may be worried about their loved ones, and give staff the confidence to do what they do best.”

A recent study from the London School of Economics found that care home residents were more likely to die of coronavirus in the UK than in any of the major European countries apart from Spain.

The proportion of residents dying in UK homes was a third higher than in Ireland and Italy, about double that in France and Sweden, and 13 times higher than Germany.

Meanwhile, the National Care Association yesterday accused the Government of putting lives at risk by issuing false reassurance to care homes about out of date PPE at the height of the pandemic.

Nadra Ahmed, executive chair of NCA, said: “We are appalled that due care and attention was not given to the risk of using these masks.”