Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) NHS and (b) social care workers aged 70 and over should be self-isolating.
Preserving the health, safety and wellbeing of staff is critical as we respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. National Health Service and social care workers over 70 should only be self-isolating if they have symptoms or are in the extremely vulnerable category.
However, people over the age of 70 are advised to minimise social contact where possible.
For staff members in this category, the NHS will support staff to stay well and at work. NHS and social care organisations should make adjustments to enable this wherever possible. Adjustments may include working remotely or moving to a lower risk area.