Care Homes: Coronavirus

(asked on 3rd November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Dynamic CO-CIN report to SAGE and NERVTAG (recent cases) and the Dynamic CO-CIN report to SAGE and NERVTAG (all cases), published on 29 September, that illustrated inpatient proportion and onset occurrence of hospital acquired COVID-19 since March, what criteria they used to assess (1) the ethical issues, and (2) the clinical safety of vulnerable communities, when deciding to continue to discharge patients into care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 15th January 2021

The Department, working with Public Health England and the National Health Service, continue to closely monitor the emerging domestic and international evidence, and keep our policies under continuous review. Throughout the pandemic, it has continued to be our priority to ensure that people are discharged safely from hospital to the most appropriate place and that they receive the care and support they need.

All individuals must be tested, and receive their result, prior to discharge from hospital to a care home. Building on the commitments of the Adult Social Care Winter Plan, we are working with the Care Quality Commission and the NHS to ensure that anyone testing positive is discharged to a designated setting that is assured to be able to provide safe care. No care home should be forced to admit an existing or new resident to the care home if they do not feel they can provide the appropriate care.

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