Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to offer (a) financial and (b) other assistance to care homes as a result of the nationwide fall in occupancy rates; and if will make a statement.

We recognise that COVID-19 is imposing significant pressures on the social care sector. We have now 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.

At the 2019 Spending Review we provided additional funding for adult and children’s social care using pre-COVID-19 occupancy rates. The Government has now provided councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adults and children’s social care in 2020/21 on top of maintaining £2.5 billion of existing social care grants.

The Government will continue to monitor pressures in the National Health Service and local government and will keep future funding under review.