Paying for tests will have impact
All areas: Charity concerned for care home residents
An Alzheimer’s support charity has lambasted the Government for scrapping free lateral flow coronavirus tests for care home visitors.
Downing Street began its ‘Living with COVID’ plan on April 1, which effectively ended most rules associated with the virus, including the need to self-isolate after testing positive.
Also included in the plan was a charge to purchase rapid lateral flow tests (LFTs), including those visiting loved ones in care homes.
The Department for
Health and Social Care added that visitors providing ‘close personal care’ will still be offered free tests.
But Linda Goddard, Berkshire area manager for the Alzheimer’s Society, says that ‘families should not be financially penalised for trying to keep their loved ones safe’.
In a letter (see Viewpoint), she added that the charity has launched a national
campaign calling on the Government to keep LFTs free for care home visitors to maximise safety. According to the society, more than 145 supporters in Berkshire have written to their MP to back the campaign.
Ms Goddard said: “The Government must recognise the disproportionate impact paying for tests will have and although it was announced a small number of care home visitors providing close personal care will continue to get free tests, we feel this doesn’t go nearly far enough to allow everyone to visit safely.
“People with dementia have already experienced the devastating consequences of the pandemic and were worst hit, with more than 30,000 dying of COVID-19 – many of whom were in care homes.
“With over 10,400 living with dementia across Berkshire, families should not be financially penalised for trying to keep their loved ones safe.”
A Government spokeswoman said: “Most visitors to care homes will no longer need to test when visiting loved ones but they should practice caution and stay away if they feel unwell.
“Visitors providing close personal care to loved ones will be offered free tests and during times of higher prevalence staff will continue to be supplied with asymptomatic testing.
“The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who determine their pay and terms and conditions of employment.
“All care providers should support good health and safety practice, including encouraging staff staying away from the workplace when there would be a health risk to those in their care, as they would have done before the pandemic.”
Visit alzheimers.org.uk/ keeptestsfree