Coronavirus: Anger as ministers admit tests will not be rolled out to all care homes until June

Boris Johnson is facing mounting criticism over the crisis in care homes after ministers admitted that coronavirus tests would not be rolled out to all facilities for another three weeks.

Official guidance on easing the lockdown said all care homes would be offered testing for residents and staff by 6 June – despite a mass expansion of testing to cover homes, announced on 28 April by Matt Hancock.

The 60-page document, published earlier this week, said the government was providing “widespread, swift testing of all symptomatic care home residents, and all patients discharged from hospital before going into care homes”.

It added: “It [the government] is offering a COVID-19 test to every staff member and resident in every care home in England, whether symptomatic or not; by 6 June, every care home for the over 65s will have been offered testing for residents and staff.”

MPs accused ministers of leaving vulnerable residents to face “an unbearable and unacceptable” wait for tests, and questioned why roll out of testing for high risk areas had been slow.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Munira Wilson told The Independent: “Staff and residents of care homes at the back of the queue for tests are now facing an unbearable and unacceptable three week wait.

“Testing in high risk areas like care homes should have been in place weeks ago. Instead we’ve seen staff lacking essential protective kit, putting their own and others’ health at risk as a result.

“When I raised this issue in parliament on 16 March, the health secretary promised tests would be in place “as soon as possible”, yet months later some care homes are still waiting. Government efforts to fast-track this process have been inadequate – they must get a grip on this issue now to protect lives.”

Labour’s shadow care minister Liz Kendall said there was “still complete confusion” about testing, with care homes telling MPs they have been unable to access tests.

“We were promised in April that the government would test all care home residents and staff and yet yesterday it said this could not be guaranteed until next month,” she said.

“This is unacceptable. Tackling the virus in care homes must be an absolute priority and the Government must now give social care the resources, support and attention it needs to stop the spread of this awful virus.”

It comes as Downing Street accused Sir Keir Starmer of “inaccurately and selectively” quoting from government guidance in March, which said that it was “very unlikely” care home residents would become infected with coronavirus.

Mr Johnson clashed with the Labour leader during prime minister’s questions on Wednesday amid rising alarm over the impact of the virus on care homes, which recorded some 40 per cent of coronavirus-related fatalities registered in England and Wales in the week ending May 1.

Sir Keir said the government had been “too slow to protect people in care homes” and referred to official advice in place until March 12, which said it remained “very unlikely” that people in care homes would become infected.

Mr Johnson replied: “No, it wasn’t true that the advice said that, and actually we brought the lockdown in care homes ahead of the general lockdown.”

The Labour leader then wrote to the prime minister, demanding that he return to the Commons to “correct the record”.

But Downing Street said Sir Keir missed out an earlier sentence which stated the advice was “intended for the current position in the UK where there is currently no transmission of Covid-19 in the community” and that “therefore” it was unlikely residents would be infected.

A source said: “I think what’s actually happened is that the Leader of the Opposition has inaccurately and selectively quoted from the Public Health England guidance and that is what the PM was referring to.”

Mr Johnson also announced a £600 million package for coronavirus infection control in English care homes, with more detail to follow.

Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk