Government confirms care home residents and staff will get priority COVID-19 testing this winter

The government has announced all care home staff and residents will be prioritised for coronavirus testing this winter to ‘protect the most vulnerable’ amid the second wave of coronavirus.

The announcement comes after a surge in demand for tests which has left people unable to book an appointment or being told to travel hundreds of miles to an available centre.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the health and social care secretary Matt Hancock said testing capacity was at a record high 253,521 but "alongside this record expansion, demand has gone up too".

’The testing capacity we have is valuable and we must prioritise it for people who need it the most’

Mr Hancock said: “We need to prioritise the tests on those who need the most to save lives, protect the most vulnerable and make sure our health and care services and our schools can operate safely.

"Currently demand for community testing outweighs supply and action may be needed to ensure that tests are directed to protect those most at risk."

There are five key areas the government have allocated for priority COVID-19 swab testing in England.

Mr Hancock said: “First, to support acute clinical care. Second, to support and protect people in care homes. Third, NHS staff including GPs and pharmacists. Fourth, targeted testing for outbreak management and surveillance studies. Fifth, testing for teaching staff with symptoms, so we can keep schools and classes open.”

This is the ranking order for how tests will be prioritised:

1. NHS hospital patients, including all new inpatient admissions

2. Care home staff (weekly) and residents (monthly and on admission)

3. NHS staff

4. Surveillance studies to collect data, and targeted testing at high-risk environments

5. Teachers who have symptoms

6. Members of the public with symptoms in areas with high infection rates

7. Members of the public with symptoms in other areas

Commenting on the announcement, Professor Martin Green, chief executive for Care England said: “Access to accurate, fast and reliable testing is absolutely crucial for care home staff and residents. They are, and should be, an absolute priority."

The tests for care homes will include staff tests carried out weekly, residents will be tested every 28 days, all new admissions to care homes tested and in addition, the government will test whole care homes in the event of an outbreak. “As we look towards winter, we have set out below those who we intend to test, as well as how and why we will test them,” Mr Hancock said.

According to officials, the limited numbers of tests available in the UK are currently around 257,000 per day, and these have been targeted at areas with worse outbreaks, leaving people living in less-affected areas struggling to get access.

Care homes in the UK have around 100,000 made available to them each day.

The support made for acute clinical care includes testing hospital patients, including all admissions, so important clinical judgements can be made to ensure the best care for these individuals and to prevent spread within hospitals.

The department has also announced they are increasing their capacity of swab testing to 500,000 a day by the end of October. The UK currently test at higher levels per capita than countries of comparable size including Germany, France and Spain.

Mr Hancock added: “The exact allocation of tests across these key areas is dynamic and may change, as it is based on the latest evidence on risk and demand.

“The testing capacity we have is valuable and we must together prioritise it for the people who need it the most.”

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