Uninfected homes could face testing

Residents and staff at Fife care homes who have not had a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 could be routinely tested.

The Courier understands the region’s healthcare chiefs want to initiate a programme for care homes not affected by an outbreak to request regular tests for a sample of employees and residents.

A new health and social care testing portal is expected to be launched in Fife next week to enable care homes to request weekly Covid-19 testing.

The move comes just days after figures revealed more people have died with coronavirus in Scotland’s care homes than in the country’s hospitals.

The expansion of testing in Fife aims to keep the number of cases at a comparatively low level.

Sixty-nine of the 189 Covid-19 deaths reported so far in Fife happened in care homes, although the majority – 103 – have occurred in hospital.

In a briefing to councillors, Steve Grimmond, Fife Council chief executive, said the programme aims to build on the work being done by Fife’s specialist Covid care home team.

“One of the things they do is to arrange the testing of residents with symptoms in our care homes – this is normally arranged the same day or next day when there are suspected cases.

“Results are available within 24 hours. Our care home staff with symptoms access testing through the NHS Fife health and social care worker testing programme.

“Again, these tests are arranged the same or next day and results are usually available within 24 hours.

“This programme of rapid testing for symptomatic staff and residents supports early intervention and outbreak control measures to reduce the risk of transmission within the care home.

“This programme is further enhanced by testing all staff and residents in care homes where there is a confirmed case – this also involves testing all care home staff and residents without symptoms.

“We are also initiating a programme of testing a sample of residents and staff in care homes that have not had a confirmed or suspected case in that care home as per Scottish Government guidance.

“The health and social care partnership and public health will be supporting our care homes across Fife to make this testing as easy as possible.”

Fife Council chief executive Steve Grimmond.