PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Sheltered Housing: Coronavirus (21 July 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to extend whole care home covid-19 testing to elderly residents and social care staff in sheltered accommodation facilities and retirement villages.

Asked by:
Matt Western (Labour)

Expansion of testing is based on relative priorities and available testing capacity. We are not expanding regular asymptomatic testing to this group at this time.

We initially prioritised testing for care homes that specialise in caring for older people and those living with dementia in line with Public Health England and Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies advice, as they are at higher risk of adverse consequences if they get the disease.

Answered by:
Ms Nadine Dorries (Conservative)
1 September 2020