Numbers of patients put in care homes without tests revealed
MORE than 180 people left hospital to go into care homes in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend without a test at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been revealed.
Only 16 people were tested for Covid-19 between the start of March and the middle of April out of almost 200 patients who left hospitals in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board area in that period.
Figures from a Freedom of Information request show that Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board saw 199 people leave its hospitals to go into care homes from March 1 to April 15 with 183 of these not getting tested.
Of the 16 who were tested for Covid-19, one tested positive and the other 15 all tested negative for the virus.
The health board said this was in line with Public Health Wales guidance where at the beginning of the epidemic, the focus was testing symptomatic individuals only.
Across Wales, 1,097 patients were discharged from hospital to care homes without a test during March and April this year.
In the Hwyel Dda Health Board in west Wales, only 30 of the 221 patients discharged between the beginning of March and the middle of April were tested with five of these being positive and 25 being negative. In the Swansea Bay Health Board area, 169 patients left hospital and went into care homes without a test during the same period.
A total of 717 care home residents had died with coronavirus by June 19 this year.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “Throughout the pandemic, we have been clear about the importance of being guided by the latest scientific and medical advice – this has informed our testing policy.
“We extended testing to people being discharged from hospital to a care home, for those being transferred between care homes and for new admissions from the community when the evidence changed on April 22. Our testing policy has been revised subsequently in line with the changing evidence, as the world learns more about coronavirus.
“We continually review and update our policy on testing in care homes in response to emerging scientific evidence. The safety and protection of the most vulnerable people in our communities is central to the Welsh Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”