Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason Public Health England will not assist in the testing of symptomatic care home residents until a (a) case or (b) outbreak of covid-19 is suspected.

Every care home in England can access whole home testing, regardless of whether residents have symptoms. This testing can be arranged through the Department’s online testing portal at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-care-home

Responsibility for whole home testing lies with the Department.

Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for the testing of symptomatic residents at the point a case or an outbreak is first suspected in a care home. When a PHE local Health Protection Team is notified of a suspected resident case or outbreak of COVID-19 in a care home, they will undertake a risk assessment, offer public health advice (including infection prevention and control advice) and, where appropriate, arrange for testing to be done for all symptomatic residents at the time of reporting. The risk assessment is undertaken to ensure that the symptoms being reported are consistent with COVID-19 infection.