Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
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 date by which all care homes will have been visited (a) once and (b) twice to deliver covid-19 spring booster vaccinations.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The vaccination programme is ensuring that as many visits as necessary take place to ensure that those eligible for the spring booster dose receives it.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact ending access to widespread free covid-19 testing will have on families with relatives in care-homes.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Since 4 April 2022, while visitors are no longer asked to test before entering a care home, they are encouraged to take necessary precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. This includes staying away from the care home if they are symptomatic or have tested positive for COVID-19. However, free asymptomatic testing is available for visitors providing personal care to test up to twice weekly, if visiting more than twice. We will continue to keep care home testing arrangements and its impact on care home staff, residents and visitors under review.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to assist people who do not have online access to order lateral flow device tests in order to visit loved ones in care homes, in areas where pharmacies no longer have supplies.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
From 1 April 2022, access to free universal lateral flow device (LFD) testing for the general public ended. Since 4 April, most visitors to adult social care settings have not been required to take a test. A small number of visitors who are providing personal care will be asked to test before entering, up to twice weekly if visiting more than twice, with free LFD tests through the care home available for these visitors.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether care home staff who were dismissed for failure to receive covid-19 vaccinations may now be re-employed in care homes.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment in care homes were in force between 11 November 2021 and 14 March 2022. During that period, care homes were legally required to only deploy vaccinated or exempt staff. The matter of re-hiring staff who have been dismissed or resigned as a result of the regulations is a matter for individual employers.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
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 relevant stakeholders on removing or reducing covid-19 self-isolation guidance for care homes in the context of changes to national guidance.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We will publish updated infection prevention and control guidance before 1 April for the next phase of the COVID-19 response, including on self-isolation for care home residents. The Department has engaged with stakeholders to inform the guidance, including workshops, meetings and opportunities to comment on earlier drafts.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of covid-19 have been diagnosed in care homes in the last week.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
This information is not held in the format requested.
However, the most recent data available for the week ending 9 March 2022 shows that 667,051 lateral flow device (LFD) tests were conducted among care home staff and 9,075 returned positive; 58,129 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were conducted among care home staff and 2,438 returned positive; 27,590 LFD tests were conducted among care home residents and 1,917 returned positive; and 87,363 PCR tests were conducted among care home staff and 4,193 returned positive.
It should be noted that this data refers to tests reported and therefore could include multiple positive tests for the same individual.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of ending the provision of free covid-19 lateral flow device tests for residential care home visitors.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The regular asymptomatic testing regime in adult social care after 1 April 2022 is currently under review and we will set out further details in due course. The review will take account of the impact of COVID-19 policies on people with caring responsibilities, including care home visitors. Until 1 April, testing for visitors to care homes should continue in line with current guidance on testing in care homes.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential for the number of cases of Covid-19 in care homes to increase as a result of the ending of free lateral flow tests.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The testing regimes for adult social care from 1 April 2022 are currently under review. Further details will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that free covid-19 lateral flow tests continue to be available to people wishing to visit relatives in care homes after 1 April 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The regular asymptomatic testing regime in adult social care from 1 April 2022 is currently under review. Until 1 April, testing for visitors to care homes should align with current guidance on testing in care homes. We will set out further details in due course.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether free covid-19 lateral flow tests will be made available to care home and hospital visitors after 1 April 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The regular asymptomatic testing regime in care settings and hospitals after 1 April 2022 is currently under review. Testing for visitors to these settings should continue in line with the current guidance. We will set out further details on the future of asymptomatic lateral flow device testing in these settings in due course, including which groups will be eligible for tests after the provision of free testing for the general public ends.