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 (a) provide long-term support for care homes and (b) ensure that they are equipped effectively to prevent the spread of viruses.

Since the start of this pandemic we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care. On 15 April we published our detailed Adult Social Care Plan.

On 15 May, we published our care home support package. This responded to the latest evidence from Public Health England and recommended further measures care homes could take to minimise the risks of the virus including by limiting movement of staff. It was backed by a new £600 million Infection Control Fund for care homes to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

We have also made £3.7 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.