Welsh Government extends testing to all care homes – Health Minister faces criticism from opposition MS over delay

The Health Minister Vaughan Gething has today announced that Coronavirus testing will be extended to all care home residents and staff, saying the move comes following the latest scientific evidence.

Previously all residents and staff in care homes with confirmed case of coronavirus were tested.

From this week every care homes in Wales will have access to testing.  Care homes who have not reported an outbreak or any cases of coronavirus will be able to use an online portal to order testing kits for their residents and staff. Test kits would be provided for the whole care home, this includes all residents and staff.  The system will be rolled out shortly.

The new policy will be in an addition to the existing testing arrangements that test:

• all residents and staff of care homes with ongoing cases prior to May
• all residents and staff members of care homes reporting an outbreak
• all residents and staff in the larger care homes, with more than 50 beds.
• all individuals being discharged from hospital to live in care homes regardless of whether or not they were admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
• all people who are being transferred between care homes and for new admissions from the community.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “How we tackle Coronavirus continually changes as we receive more emerging evidence and scientific advice.

“We have been very clear in our approach that our strategy is about reducing harm first and we will adapt policies in order to do this. Today is a step change in how we will be testing in care homes, adapting our policy so that every resident and member of staff can be tested for Coronavirus.

“I hope this brings further reassurance to those living and working in care homes and their families.”

Responding to the announcement, Conservative Shadow Minister for Social Care, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, said: “Care homes have some of society’s most vulnerable and for that reason I have been urging the Welsh Government for weeks to extend Coronavirus testing to cover all care home residents and staff.

“As I said at the time, expanding the testing in care homes can reduce the spread of Covid-19 among our most vulnerable and incredible staff.

“It is about time that my calls have been answered by the Welsh Government, but it is shameful that the expansion could not have been implemented sooner given that capacity in testing is increasing.”

Plaid Cymru Shadow Minister for Local Government Delyth Jewell MS said, “This is a long awaited recognition of what we have consistently argued for.”

“The tragic cases of Covid-19 in care homes and its prevalence within them should have been a wake-up call for the Welsh Government that testing everyone was a necessary life-saving step.”

“The refusal to do so up to now should be the subject of examination in the future inquiry.”

“While it is a welcome change of approach, Ministers must now publish the advice which informed the previous policy of not testing in every care home and how it has now changed”