Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of domiciliary care workers on minimising the risk of infection from covid-19 for (a) disabled people and (b) their carers.

Expansion of asymptomatic testing for SARS-CoV-2 in domiciliary care workers is being guided by the results from the Public Health England point prevalence survey of domiciliary care workers. This study found that COVID-19 prevalence among domiciliary care workers was similar to prevalence in the general population. Based on the evidence, the report does not recommend rolling out asymptomatic testing to domiciliary workers unless recommended by local risk assessments or in response to local outbreaks. Symptomatic staff should continue to access priority testing via the Pillar 2 testing service. We are currently reviewing the implications for asymptomatic testing in domiciliary care. Domiciliary care providers should continue to ensure that staff are appropriately supported to follow current guidance and that staff have appropriate personal protective equipment and training on its use, following national guidance.