Government confirms it has not held discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission about whether human rights laws have been breached by hospitals that discharged older patients that were potentially infected with COVID-19 into care homes; claims”there is little evidence to suggest a substantial transmission of infection from care homes into the wider community.” And responds to the deaths of 20 residents at the Paisley Care Home in Liverpool from suspected COVID-19

Jun 4, 2020 | News

Government confirms it has not held discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission about whether human rights laws have been breached by hospitals that discharged older patients that were potentially infected with COVID-19 into care homes; claims”there is little evidence to suggest a substantial transmission of infection from care homes into the wider community.” And responds to the deaths of 20 residents at the Paisley Care Home in Liverpool from suspected COVID-19

 

Lord Bethell, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4624):

Question from Lord Alton of Liverpool :
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission about whether human rights laws have been breached by hospitals that discharged older patients that were potentially infected with COVID-19 into care homes. (HL4624)

Tabled on: 18 May 2020

Answer:
Lord Bethell:

The Department has not had discussions with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on discharge policy. Providers of care homes in England are required to register with the Care Quality Commission and adhere to the ‘fundamental standards’, such as the duty to provide care in a safe way and treat residents with dignity and respect, as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Health and care settings must always seek to fully protect the rights of their residents. The safety of residents and staff is always a priority and patients should not be discharged from hospital unless it is clinically safe to do so. On 15 April, in our Adult Social Care Action Plan, we introduced a policy of testing all residents prior to discharge to a care home.

Date and time of answer: 04 Jun 2020 at 16:33.

===

Lord Bethell, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4327):

Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes on the level of COVID-19 cases in the wider community; what plans they have to prevent carers from visiting multiple care facilities; and what steps they are taking to ensure the adequate care of care home residents while ensuring that infected staff are properly isolated. (HL4327)

Tabled on: 12 May 2020

Answer:
Lord Bethell:

There is little evidence to suggest a substantial transmission of infection from care homes into the wider community, but our work to reduce transmission within care homes will reduce any risk further. On 13 May we announced an additional £600 million to support providers through a new Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund. The Fund sets out the measures providers can take to support the workforce to minimise the spread of infection, including ensuring staff can self-isolate, reduce their hours, or reduce the number of establishments they work at, without experiencing any loss of income. Expanding and retaining the social care workforce is also key to enabling care providers to continue to provide care and support to their residents, and we have launched a national recruitment campaign for England to support this.

Date and time of answer: 04 Jun 2020 at 16:26.

===

Lord Bethell, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4740):

Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the deaths of 20 residents at the Paisley Care Home in Liverpool from suspected COVID-19; and what measures are in place (1) to prevent the spread of that virus, and (2) to ensure the safety of residents and staff, in care homes. (HL4740)

Tabled on: 20 May 2020

Answer:
Lord Bethell:

The safety of residents and staff is a priority. It is the responsibility of the local authority, supported by Public Health England and NHS England to manage outbreaks in the first instance. Every death from this virus is a tragedy and we are working around the clock to give the social care sector the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.

We have published a range of guidance for care homes on how to continue giving care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This includes the Admission and Care of Residents during COVID-19 Incident in a Care Home guidance. This guidance sets out infection control and cohorting advice to care homes, which providers should follow to ensure that they have the confidence to receive and support residents. A copy of the guidance is attached.

On 15 May 2020 we published a care home support package which outlines the next phase of our response for care homes, including measures on infection prevention control, comprehensive testing and clinical support.

The following documents were submitted as part of the answer and are appended to this email:

  1. File name: Admission_and_care_of_residents_during_covid19_incident_in_a_care_home.pdf
    Description: Admission_and_Care_of_Residents_guidance

Date and time of answer: 04 Jun 2020 at 16:25

Lord David Alton

For 18 years David Alton was a Member of the House of Commons and today he is an Independent Crossbench Life Peer in the UK House of Lords.

Social Media

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Site Search

Recent Posts

Share This