Victory for the Mail as care homes win extra £150million for testing
MINISTERS pledged nearly £150million more funding last night in a victory for the Daily Mail’s campaign to boost care home testing and help residents see loved ones.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the cash, which will help give coronavirus tests to staff, residents and relatives. It will pay for safe testing areas and staff training.
Mr Hancock said: ‘All those who work in care homes across England will receive two rapid tests a week in addition to their weekly PCR [polymerase chain reaction] test.’
However, many care home residents were last night still left facing a ‘cruel lottery’ over Christmas reunions with their loved ones after an extension of Tier 4 restrictions and objections by some councils.
Last month, Boris Johnson vowed that all people in care homes would be able to hug and hold hands with loved ones by the end of the year. But the Government has failed to meet this pledge in many instances, leading to agony for families who have now gone nine months without seeing relatives in person. While thousands have experienced joyful reunions with husbands, wives, children and grandchildren, other residents have been left in limbo due to different visiting rules across the country.
At the beginning of December, the Department of Health said all care home residents would be allowed two visits a week by Christmas thanks to the rollout of rapid tests.
The new national guidelines were issued after the Mail campaigned against cruel visiting restrictions. But care bosses have warned they did not have enough funding to ensure meaningful visits.
The rollout of visitor testing in homes has been hampered by a row between central Government and councils over the accuracy of rapid flow tests, with some local authorities banning their use.
Charities last night urged the Government to keep care home visits at the top of its agenda in the New Year. Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK: ‘This Christmas we are seeing the cruellest of lotteries play out as some older people and their loved ones have had their dreams of being back together again triumphantly fulfilled, while others are still waiting and wondering if, when visiting does become possible again, it will simply be too late.’
She stressed: ‘Sadly, we know now what many suspected all along – that the “promise” made to older people and their families that they would be reunited by Christmas is not going to be met.’