Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing care home staff with twice weekly covid-19 tests.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring residents of care homes to be vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We have no plans to mandate vaccination for care home residents. As of 20 February 2022, 95.4% of all care home residents have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and 88.4% have received a booster dose.
Asked by: Baroness Debbonaire (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many care home residents are yet to receive a covid-19 booster vaccine.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
As of 6 February 2022, 15,215 or 4.5% of residents in all adult care homes were reported as yet to receive two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 42,163 or 12.1% were reported as yet to receive the booster dose. A proportion of these residents will be medically exempt from vaccination or may not currently be eligible due to COVID-19 infection or other practical reasons. Residents may also have received their vaccination or booster dose, but it may not yet have been reported.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled: Covid-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings, for what reason there are differences in the self-isolation rules for care home (a) staff and (b) residents.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The guidance entitled “COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings” was updated on 17 January 2022. This allows staff who develop COVID-19 symptoms or who have tested positive on a lateral flow device (LFD) test or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to end their isolation earlier. They can now end their isolation on the sixth day, provided they have two consecutive negative LFD tests. The guidance for staff who are contacts of a case has not changed.
The guidance “Admission and care of residents in a care home setting during COVID-19” recommends that care home residents should self-isolate for 14 days if they have COVID-19, if they have symptoms or if they are a contact of someone with COVID-19.
The reason for this difference is that this is a precautionary approach to reduce risk of transmission within a care home setting, for those with underlying health conditions which may affect their immune system and may mean they remain infectious for longer.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
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 stakeholders on bringing covid-19 self-isolation guidance for care homes in line with national guidance.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
We have regular meetings to gather input from stakeholders on the development and implementation of policy and guidance for care homes. Since the emergence of the Omicron variant, officials have held weekly meetings with stakeholders in various groups.
On 27 January 2022, we announced that the period for which care home residents would be asked to self-isolate would be reduced from 14 days to a maximum of 10 days, effective from 31 January. Positive cases and people with high-risk exposures can end their isolation early, subject to testing and a risk assessment.
Asked by: Baroness Keeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK Health and Security Agency will publish data on covid-19 outbreaks in care homes.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The UK Health Security Agency publishes data on the number of acute respiratory infection incidents in care homes by virus type, including COVID-19, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if care home (a) employees and (b) volunteers are still required to be fully vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
The Government announced its intention to revoke the regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment in health and all social care settings. Until the regulations are revoked, the legal requirements currently in force will continue to apply. Revoking vaccination as a condition of deployment is subject to consultation and parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Baroness Keeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes are experiencing covid-19 outbreaks as at 1 February 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
This information is not available in the format requested.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to shorten the period for which a care home restricts movements in and out of premises after it experiences a COVID-19 outbreak.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
Restrictions of movement in and out of care home premises during a confirmed COVID-19 outbreak are informed by evidence from rounds of testing, including ‘recovery testing’. This usually takes place after there have been no new cases for 14 days or one maximum incubation period. For variants of concern (VOC), this period is extended to 28 days or two maximum incubation periods. This advice is kept under continuous review as the evidence emerges.
Omicron was originally identified as a ‘high priority’ VOC which led to restrictions on movement up to 28 days. However, following a review, the UK Health Security Agency advised on 7 January 2021 that the Omicron variant could be managed according to standard protocol for outbreaks, resulting in a reduction in the advised period of restriction to 14 days since the last test positive case.
Asked by: James Sunderland (Conservative - Bracknell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to reduce the self-isolation period for people who test positive for covid-19 in a care home to five days in line with other guidance on self-isolation.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
From 31 January 2022, the isolation period for care home residents has been reduced from 14 to 10 days. All residents, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, will be able to reduce their period of self-isolation to five days if testing arrangements are followed and test results are negative. Residents who are unable to be tested should isolate for 10 days.