Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to address regional variations in covid-19-related staff absences in adult social care settings.

The Government continues to assist adult social care settings manage COVID-19 pressures and ensure continuity of care. This includes infection prevent control and testing guidance to minimise transmission of COVID-19 in adult social care, prevent staff absences and protect the most vulnerable. We are also encouraging all frontline health and social care workers to take up the offer of a COVID-19 booster vaccination as soon as possible. Where staff absences do occur, local authorities are responsible for ensuring there is sufficient staff to provide care and to develop and deploy contingency measures where necessary.