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 impact of the cost of covid-19 testing on people visiting their loved ones in care homes.

No specific assessment has been made. Visitors to care homes are asked to take precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, in line with guidance for the rest of the population. While the guidance no longer requires most visitors to test before entering care settings in England, for those who wish to do so a range of tests are available from providers such as high street pharmacies at various price points. For those residents who require support with personal care, these visitors should test in line with the Government’s guidance for care staff using free lateral flow device tests provided by the care setting.