Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on bringing covid-19 self-isolation guidance for care homes in line with national guidance.

We have regular meetings to gather input from stakeholders on the development and implementation of policy and guidance for care homes. Since the emergence of the Omicron variant, officials have held weekly meetings with stakeholders in various groups.

On 27 January 2022, we announced that the period for which care home residents would be asked to self-isolate would be reduced from 14 days to a maximum of 10 days, effective from 31 January. Positive cases and people with high-risk exposures can end their isolation early, subject to testing and a risk assessment.