Care Homes: Coronavirus

(asked on 6th October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision for inspectors from the Care Quality Commission to be permitted to visit care homes without having undergone a COVID-19 test; and what evidence they have that this does not pose a risk to the residents of those homes.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 19th February 2021

Our first priority continues to be to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in care homes and prevent future outbreaks, and to ensure the health and safety of both care workers and residents. To help reduce the risk of transmission, we have provided the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with test kits so CQC inspectors can undertake weekly polymerase chain reaction asymptomatic testing.

Regular testing will help identify positive cases in the CQC’s inspectors without symptoms and enable action to be taken to limit the spread of the virus, supporting the CQC to continue their vital work in ensuring services meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. As with all testing policies, this remains under review.

Reticulating Splines