Care providers get three-month Covid infection control extension worth £250m

Care homes and home care providers will receive an extra £250 million to protect staff and those receiving care from Covid-19, as part of infection control and testing fund, but this is £91 million less than the amount previously given.

The government’s infection control and testing fund for care providers was due to finish at the end of June but it has now been extended by three months to the end of September.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “We are keeping up our support for social care through the pandemic. This new funding will help care services continue to protect those they look after and their staff from this cruel virus.

“It brings our total support to social care to £2 billion during the pandemic, along with billions of items of free PPE, over 120 million tests and the prioritisation of social care in the vaccination programme.”

Made up of £142.5 million infection control funding and £108.8 million for testing, the fund is aimed at helping pay for infection prevention and control measures and supporting rapid, regular testing of staff but some fear the reduced amount will not cover increased costs.

Extra £341 million given previously

The Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund was first introduced in May 2020 and extended in October 2020. The Infection Control Fund and the Rapid Testing Fund were later consolidated and extended until June 2021, with an extra £341 million in funding. However the latest extension to September 2021 is £91 million less than this figure.

In a tweet, Vic Rayner, executive director of National Care Forum (NCF), which represents care providers said: “Finally – announcement re extension of infection control fund. Welcome recognition of ongoing challenges facing care.

“Lasts only three months. 91 million less than previous three month fund extension.”

The government says the infection control funding can be used by care homes and home care providers to ensure staff who are isolating receive their normal wages, to limit or cohort staff to individual groups of residents or areas, and to aid the recruitment of extra people to enable staff to work in only one care home.

The testing funding is designed to help providers with costs linked to ongoing testing in care settings including visitor testing. The government has stated more than 35 million PCR swab test kits and 85 million LFDs have been sent to care homes.

Martin Green, chief executive at Care England said: “The extension of the ICF and Testing Fund is very welcome and we applaud the DHSC in securing this extension.

“The adult social care provider sector has worked extremely hard to continue to protect the people it supports and cares for through extensive infection control and testing procedures. This funding is a recognition of these efforts.

“Care England is happy to work at speed to ensure the successful roll out of the money to the front line where it is most needed and where providers have been anxiously waiting for news.”