The Government has today (Wednesday 15th April) committed to offering Covid-19 testing for everyone who needs one in social care settings.
That includes all social care staff who need a test, all symptomatic care home residents, and all patients being discharged from hospital and going into care homes.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said:
“Unpaid carers have been worried sick about the possibility of Covid-19 being inadvertently brought into their homes due to the lack of testing and personal protective equipment for social care staff.
"Now that significantly more staff will finally be tested, this will be a relief for many families who rely on care workers to provide care for a loved one, whether that’s in a care home or in their own home.
“It’s critical that hospital patients moving into care homes are tested, and we hope the same will be offered to those hospital patients going back into their own homes and to families who are caring for them.
"Unpaid carers deserve to know whether the person they are caring for has Covid-19 so that they can protect other family members, especially if they are vulnerable.”