Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Statutory Sick Pay for (a) full- and (b) part-time staff working in the care sector in the context of continued requirements for staff who test positive for covid-19 to self-isolate.

The majority of staff working in the social care sector, either full-time or-part time, are employed by private sector providers which determine their pay and terms and conditions of employment. Statutory Sick Pay is available to those who are infected with COVID-19 and are unable to work, payable after four days. It is paid at £99.35 per week and is available across all sectors to those who earn more than £123 a week on average.

Social care staff who test positive for COVID-19 are expected to self-isolate to protect those they care for. All providers should support good health and safety practice, as for other risks and individual employers should determine how to ensure staff stay away from the workplace when there would be a health risk to those in their care. Social care staff have access to free lateral flow device tests and can return to work after receiving two negative tests.