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 ensure the early identification of public health risks in care homes.

Guidance on how to prevent and control infections in adult social care settings was updated and published in January 2024. This helps providers prepare for and manage a range of potential infections in care homes, and signposts to health protection teams who can provide further support locally when required. The UK Health Security Agency tracks outbreaks of infections in care homes, and is developing new information systems to improve this process.