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 representatives of Public Health England about Fairways Care Home in Chippenham, Wiltshire; what steps his Department is taking to ensure that staff of that home have access to testing for covid-19; where the nearest covid-19 testing centre is to that home; what steps those staff should take to prevent the spread of covid-19 in that home in the event that they are not routinely tested; and if he will make a statement.

The local Health Protection Team undertakes a joint risk assessment with care homes reporting outbreaks of COVID-19, as part of its routine procedures. We have launched the whole care home testing portal which will enable all symptomatic and asymptomatic care home staff and residents to get tested. We have the capacity to deliver up to 30,000 tests a day. For staff who are self-isolating they can book a test online or be referred by their employer through the employer referral portal. Tests can be booked online at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test

Public Health England has published clear guidance on infection prevention and control within care homes which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance#adult-social-care