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 the Chancellor of the Exchequer on additional funding for care homes who have experienced increased number of deaths of residents as a result of covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

We have been working with the sector to understand the pressures they are facing at this time, and recognise the potential impact of reduced occupancy in residential settings on provider finances.

To support the sector, on 19 March we announced £1.6 billion to help local authorities deal with the immediate impacts of COVID-19, which many councils will have directed towards adult social care services. On 18 April we announced an additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils delivering essential frontline services.

On 13 May we announced an additional £600 million for an Infection Control Fund for adult social care. This funding is to support adult social care providers in England reduce the rate of transmission in and between care homes and to support workforce resilience.